unravel

"Jeno please come get your clothes and put them in the laundry I think I'm going to throw up." Jaemins voice echoed through the apartment and tore him away from his studies. He was quick to jump up from the slightly worn couch and race back into their shared bedroom where Jaemin was sitting on the bed. Jaemin just pointed his arm to the bathroom and Jeno nodded his head with a quick 'sorry' and headed into the small windowless room. He saw that he had forgotten to put his shirt from last night in the washer and it was now laying crumpled on the floor. The black shirt was stained dark red with some poor unfortunate souls blood. Jeno did feel bad for Jaemin, it must not be easy living with a half ghoul, he thought as he put the single shirt in the washer and started the machine. He headed back into the room where he saw Jaemin now was lying down and scrolling through his phone. Jeno jumped onto the bed and grabbed the younger boy and pulled him closer into a tight hug, not too tight though he didn't want to crush his lover.
"I'm sorry nana," he says in the most remorseful voice he can make.
Jaemin just shakes his head, hugging Jeno back, "I know you can't help it," he says, "I just wish you wouldn't leave your dirty clothes all over the floor." He slightly laughed at the last part.
"Yes mum," Jeno reply back in a sarcastic voice, causing Jaemin to shake his head. Jeno then moved the boy to where he was now on his lap and he pulled them both down to where they were now facing the ceiling.
"Jeno wait-" Jaemin yelped before they both crashed on the mattress, collapsing in a fit of giggles. Jaemin rolled off of Jeno and moved so they were laying side by side. Jeno grabbed Jaemins hand and intertwined it with his own, bending his elbow so the pair of hands was raised above the two boys. Jeno turned his head so he could see Jaemin studying the pair of hands, his eyes running over the shape made by the interlocking fingers. Jaemin's soft features always left Jeno at a loss for words, they were almost the complete opposite of his cold and hard ones. Jaemins and him were quite a couple to see in the street. Jaemins dyed blonde hair sharply contrasted with Jeno's pure black hair. Jaemins outfit screamed 'hug me', a pastel pink cardigan paired over a white button down shirt with a heart embroidered over his own heart, paired with ripped blue skinny jeans made everyone stop and stare. Sometimes they would stare at bit too long and Jeno would put his arm around his lovers hip and pull him a bit closer, this usually caused Jaemin to laugh and complain about 'what if he students saw him.' Jeno wasn't the least bit surprised when Jaemin had first introduced himself as an early childhood education major that faithful day in the cafe on their shared university campus. Jaemin had came home one night right before graduation, closed the door, turned around and told, more like screamed, at Jeno that he had gotten the job as a first grade teacher at a local elementary and he would be starting the following fall. Those long nights Jeno would spend studying his law books at the table would now be accompanied by Jaemin, sometimes grading papers or writing a personal happy birthday card to each and every one of this students.
"Not like they can fully read them yet but I don't really care," Jaemin had said one night. This was the greatest show of Jaemins character, he was constantly trying to make the people around him feel wanted. The boy was too good for him, Jeno told himself this every night.
He was snapped out of his thoughts as Jaemins voice filled his ears,
"Jeno are you listening."
Jeno couldn't lie to Jaemin so he just shook his head.
"I said, that guy came around the apartment again looking for you." Jaemin's bright and cheery voice was now flat and slightly shaky.
Jeno shot up at that statement. He turned to Jaemin,
"What did you tell him" Jeno's face hoped it wasn't showing how scared his was at this information Jaemin had given him.
"What I always do, that he had the wrong address. Jeno I'm really worried about this, today he had some other people with him."
Jeno but on a brave face as he ran his thumb along the curve of the blonde haired boys cheek, "You need to stop worrying about me love." He assured him.
"If I'm being honest, I haven't stopped worrying since you came home that night." Jaemin admitted.
'That night' is what they call the day both their lives changed forever. Jeno had went out to get an anniversary present for Jaemin, they had been dating for two years next week and if he was being truthful he had no idea how he was going to show his love for the boy that owned his heart. He was walking home empty handed but decided to stop at his favorite bar for a drink and to get some take out food. Jaemin had texted him to take his time and enjoy himself. At the bar he started talking to a women sitting next to him. He could tell she was trying to get somewhere with him and he eventually felt bad for leading her on.
"Hey listen you're really nice but I have to tell you I'm gay and have been in a relationship for almost two years. I'm sorry if I had made you think we had something." He tried to apologize but he saw a glint of something flash in her eyes, this making him decide it was time to leave and head home. Once he had gotten the take out food for Jaemin he left the bar, taking one last look around the place and seeing the lady still sitting at the bar. This caused quite a shock to him when walking down the street the lady suddenly turned a corner and started to walk towards him. As she got closer he saw a sinister look in her eyes, her purple hair flowing in the wind as she was now a mere couple steps from him.
"Hey I told you that I was in a relationship, I'm sure you're really nice and all but I'm not really into girls but I promise if anything ever happens, I'll make sure to call you." Jeno could hear himself rambling to try to avoid the awkward situation he felt was about to occur.
"Don't worry I'm not looking for a boyfriend," she started, "but I am hungry"
Jeno was confused, very confused. 'She wants to rob me, for some onion rings,' he thought to himself.
"You know, I don't think you would like this, my boyfriend, god love him, has kind of a weird taste pallet." Why was he arguing about some onion rings?
"I don't eat that stuff." She says before the Jeno feels himself being pushed into the alleyway behind him. The last thing he remembers is her eyes turning completely red and he blacks out.
Jeno doesn't remember why he was in an alley when he first wakes up. Then it comes in a rush, the events of the last few hours, the women, Jaemins food. Not knowing how to long he had been here he freaks out at the thought of his boyfriend being panicked and decides he should just go home and try to forgot about what happened. That's when he feels a sharp pain in his stomach. He looks down in horror as his stomach is exposed, his own blood soaking through his t shirt. He must of lost so much blood yet he feels strange. It hurts but honestly if you would have told him his stomach would be opened, a long cut down his abdomen, he would expect it to hurt a lot more. He is even more surprised when he manages to get to his feet and start walking, he needs to get home. Gripping his stomach he starts the walk to his shared apartment that felt like the longest walk of his life. Remaining in the dark alleyways to avoid raising any concern. He needed to get home, Jaemin would know what to do, Right?
He can barely make it up the stairs, cupping his body he walks, more like slides up the apartments stairs. All 11 flights of them. His vision is growing increasingly blurry as he finally gets to the door labeled 249, his blood dripping on the welcome mat Jaemin insists greets the guests before they enter their home. He rattles the door handle and it's unlocked. He makes a note to mention how it's unsafe to leave the door unlocked, there are crazy people all over Seoul after all.
"You're home, it took you a while," Jaemin says before turning to face the doorway. He stops whatever he was about to say when he sees Jeno.
"Oh my god Jeno," Jaemin sprints over and catches Jeno before he hits the ground, the weight causing both of them to fall to the ground. Jaemin is crying as he looks at Jeno's stomach.
"Holy shit, holy shit," he says trying to patch the wound with his hands. His angel tears falling down his face as he realises that his hands are not big enough to cover Jeno's open cut and he takes out his phone and dials 911.
"You need to help me my boyfriend is bleeding out," Jaemin cries into the phone. Jeno can only watch as Jaemin keeps trying to apply pressure onto his stomach, the young boy getting more frantic, running his bloodstained hands through his hair. Jeno feels his eyelids grow heavy until he can no longer keep them open. For the first time since he got home he manages to find his voice.
"You know, I feel really tired, I'm just going to shut my eyes a bit," is the last thing he can say before the room grows dim and the pleads from his lover to just stay awake a bit longer fads into obscurity.
He wakes up in a hospital room, it's white sterile look is a jarring reminder of what happened the last time he was awake, he lifts up his shirt and a long scar runs down his body, a permanent reminder that would last forever. He looks around the room and in the windowsill a silhouette of a figure is sitting. He recognizes it immediately and calls out his name, "Jaemin."
The boy whips his head around, his eyes are puffy and his hair messily arranged over his forehead.
"Oh my god you're awake." This statement send him into more tears as he runs over and crashes his lips into Jeno's. Jeno pulls his boyfriend closer towards him, causing him to collapse onto the hospital bed. They break their lips apart and just lay together for what feels like a short while but judging by the clock is actually a few hours.
"They said you probably wouldn't wake up. You had lost too much blood and it was a miracle you survived the surgery." Jaemin says softly "I was so scared Jeno, I wasn't ready to lose you."
"Everything is okay I'm right here." Jeno tells his boyfriend, stroking his hair as his head lays on his chest.
After a week Jeno is discharged from the hospital under the strict requirements that he rests for a couple of weeks. The thought of missing so much school stresses him out but Jaemin refuses to let him out of the house for anything. Jaemin himself took a week off school and traveled across campus to get the notes from the classes Jeno had missed, this action required a lot of begging on Jaemins side to Jenos professors. Gradually Jeno's strength started to return, he even felt stronger than before. However his appetite never seemed to reappear. In two weeks all had drunken was water. This caused Jaemin great distress,
"You can't survive on just water, it's not a sustainable diet." He pleaded to Jeno.
After 3 weeks he felt his first real hunger, and it was the strongest one he had ever felt. He was begging Jaemin to hurry as the poor boy cooked him a meal of instant ramen. When he finally brought it out Jeno devoured it in a mere seconds. However the bliss of finally eating only lasted a moment as Jeno started to feel the food start to make its way up the back of his throat. He got up from the coach and sprinted to the bathroom, Jaemin hot on his heels. When he finally got over the toilet everything he had just eaten made a reappearance, Jaemin rubbing circles in his back and already saying that they were going to they emergency room once he stopped. That's when he smelt it, the smell of something so delicious he couldn't resist himself. With the realisation that it was coming from the love of his life rubbing his back, he got up, spun on his heels and pressed Jaemin against the wall of the bathroom, the smaller boy letting out a breath as he was slammed against the tiled wall.
"Where is the food on you." Jeno demanded, he had never really raised his voice to Jaemin but his stomach was on fire.
"I don't have any food, are you alright?" Jaemin said.
Jeno doesn't like people who lie, Jaemin must have food in him, he smells his arm and his mouth starts to water. Just one bit wouldn't hurt. He goes to bite his neck when Jaemin stiffens his arm.
"Jeno please stop you're really scaring me, oh my god is your eye okay?" He points to his right eye. Jeno turns to the mirror and see's his right eye is completely red. The dots start to connect in his head, why he hadn't been hungry, why Jaemin smellt so good, that night in the alley. His heart dropped at the realisation of what he was, the creature from his worst fears. The ones the news constantly reported on, hunters were assigned to kill these people. People like him.
"Jaemin I think I'm a Ghoul."

That all seemed so long ago in Jeno's mind. They had decided that they would work through this adversity, they just couldn't stay away from each other. Jeno had promised Jaemin he would only eat people who were already dead. This gave Jaemin some comfort as his boyfriend wasn't technically a murderer.
"I'm an opportunist" he assured Jaemin. Still, his boyfriend was uneasy about the whole 'i eat dead people' thing so Jeno made it a point to not reference it as much as possible. That was why Jaemin had been so upset about the dirty laundry incident tonight. Jeno really felt bad, he did. He promised he would make it up soon to Jaemin as they fell asleep, entangled in each others arms.

Jeno knew Jaemin was mad the second he stepped into the apartment. It had been weeks since he left the bloody shirt on the floor and he had been extra lovey towards Jaemin as a form of an apology. He also gifted Jaemin with a cat, (Okay it was a gift for himself to if he is being honest) this made his boyfriend completely forget about his mistake, even though Jeno knew he wasn't that upset at him.
Now Jaemin was sitting on the coach, the cat in his arms, he was sitting criss-crossed in a red velvet robe in a face mask. Uh oh Jeno was in big trouble. Jaemin only pampers himself when he is super mad, a habit Jeno wished he would break because he deserved to pamper himself everyday. They made eye contact and Jaemin presses play on the paused TV, the voice of the news anchor range through the speakers,
"The body of Kim Doyoung was found this morning outside of the pleasant meadows apartment building. He is believed to be the victim of a ghoul attack."
Jaemin pauses the TV and just shakes his head,
"You promised you wouldn't kill anyone."
Jeno was right, he really messed up. He ran over to his boyfriend and knelt in front of him, "it was only this once, I was so hungry and he was just there I'm sorry nana."
Jaemin wasn't taking any of it, "That was one of my students brothers," he begun, "HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO LOOK A 7 YEAR OLD IN THE FACE KNOWING YOU KILLED HIS BROTHER BECAUSE YOU WERE HUNGRY." He was know screaming, Jaemin almost never screamed, especially not at Jeno. Jeno tried to embrace his boyfriend, but he was just pushed away as Jaemin stormed back into their room, locking the door in Jeno's face.
"Nana please I know you're upset but please just open the door for a second." The door remained shut.
"Fine I guess I'll just have to do this through the door," Jeno grabs a small box out of his coat pocket and takes a deep breath, "I know you're really upset Jaemin but I've been wanting to do this since the day I met you, I understand if you want to break up now but I need to tell you this before I lose you. From the day I met you I knew you were special. You are the reason I'm still here today, the reason why I didn't die in that alleyway, the reason I can live with myself knowing I'm a creature everyone hates. Will you please marry me?"
The door swings open and a shocked Jaemin is standing there, the robe sliding off one shoulder. They stare at each other before Jaemin cracks into a big grin.
"Oh my god Jeno of course." He says before kissing Lee Jeno's lips, the kiss is soft and sensitive, almost saying I'm sorry. Jeno doesn't break the kiss as he bends down and grabs Jaemin in a bridal style carry. Jaemin pulls back and mouths an 'I'm sorry for over reacting, I know you can't help it.' Jeno finds his voice,
"No I'm sorry for breaking our promise. I'll make sure never to break this one." He says motioning towards the ring in the box. Jaemin laughs as he is carried and thrown onto the bed. He sits up and watches Jeno fumble with the ring, finally he gets it out of the box a slides it onto his left hand, gleaming at the ring that now officially claims him as Jeno's fiancé.
They were happy, it didn't matter if it was an easy relationship, it didn't matter that they were different. Lee Jeno loved Na Jaemin will all of his heart.