In His Arms - Wonheon ( Wonho x Jooheon )

Chapter 17 : New Smell, His Smell

Even as he locks the door behind him, Jooheon sits down on the lid of the toilet and waits to see if Wonho will break in. He’s not stupid enough to trust that Wonho wouldn’t bust his way in if he wanted to and nothing as small as a lock will keep him away. Unlike the lock on the front and back doors of the house, the one that is on the bathroom door is dainty looking, enough that a simple twist of a knob and one hard push would end up with the thing cracking open.

But as Jooheon continues to sit there, staring unblinkingly at the door, it becomes clear that Wonho is busy in the kitchen. Jooheon can hear the faint clattering of pans, and can hear the faucet running. Maybe, just maybe, Wonho had been telling him the truth.

Jooheon lets out a shaky breath and stands up. The floor is cold underneath his feet and the joints in his legs buckle slightly from misuse, but he pads across the floor and leans against the counter. The bathroom is clean, almost methodically so, and Jooheon can only wonder if Wonho is always like this or if this too was all in preparation for holding him here.

He doesn’t know which is worse.

The counter is shiny under the lights and there’s nothing on the surface, which is a far difference from the counter in Jooheon’s bathroom back at home. There’s no dirty clothing laying around either, no towels needing to be reused, no toiletries littered about; nothing is out of place because there is literally nothing in the bathroom. Jooheon eyes the drawers under the sink. His hopes are low but he reaches down anyways and quietly pulls them open, one by one, praying that something will be there that he can use.

The first drawer has a tube of toothpaste and two toothbrush containers, one blue and one red, and when he takes a closer look, Jooheon realizes that the red case has his name scrawled against it in black sharpie. He bites down on his lower lip when it’s obvious that Wonho knew he was going to snoop.

But still, he picks up the toothbrush container and closes the first drawer shut before opening the next. Which, no surprise, is organized and has absolutely nothing of use. What does catch his eye is the grooming kit that has his name on a post it, along with the message: It's brand new. Feel free to use it.

Jooheon frowns down at the note. The writing, unlike the bathroom, is messy and the words are scribbled pen scratch that rivals that of an adolescent. It’s odd considering how well together Wonho is, along with the house and everything else. Then again, Wonho is the insane one who kidnaps people and holds them captive. The handwriting matches what’s on the inside-- chaotic and without reason. It fits Wonho perfectly. The window into his fucking soul .

Jooheon pulls the kit out and pushes the drawer shut. The last one holds nothing but medical supplies and medications that have long, strange names that Jooheon doesn’t begin to try and understand. In desperation he tries looks for the syringes that he has become accustomed to for the past week but there’s none there and he knows Wonho wouldn’t be stupid enough to keep them in an unlocked bathroom drawer. Wonho probably has his stash kept somewhere locked up just as tightly as his fucking house. Jooheon turns to his side and briefly eyes the shelves that are across from the toilet, beside the shower. The towels are all folded perfectly the same, in precision, and there’s an unopened stick of deodorant along with a brush that looks brand new. Jooheon doesn’t bother looking at the post-it note, knowing his name would be scrawled in that black ink.

Jooheon turns away without sparing the shelf another glance but not before he reaches out and grabs two of the towels and then throws them towards the shower, watching as they land in a messy heap. It sends a strange feeling through him as he watches Wonho’s work get undone.

But as Jooheon takes his first step towards the shower, he catches his reflection in the mirror. It had been something he had avoided doing since he entered the bathroom but now that it has his attention, there’s no looking away.