In His Arms - Wonheon ( Wonho x Jooheon )

Chapter 42 : Silent Promise

“Summer is pretty much over, right?” Jooheon asks him right after Wonho has cleaned off the counters in the kitchen. The brunet is perched on a stool and his fingers continuously pick at one another, but his gaze is trained on Wonho, watching his every move.

They just finished preparing a lasagne-- or well, Wonho prepared it while Jooheon finished it off with a top layer of mozzarella-- which is now baking in the stove for the next hour or so and usually Jooheon would just pull away and go to the living room but today, he stays, looking at and talking to Wonho. The sharpness of Jooheon’s gaze is something that Wonho is still getting used to because it’s still relatively new in comparison to how long it took for the weariness and fright to eventually fade. Jooheon’s eyes have always been beautiful, with so many emotions that live in there so it takes a lot for Wonho to actually look away. Therefore when Jooheon’s eyes are on him, Wonho’s are on Jooheon too.

Wonho walks to the counter that Jooheon sits at and plants his palms on the surface, nodding. “In the next few weeks it should be gone. Winter’s my favorite so I’m not complaining,” he answers. “Although driving in the snow can be a hassle sometimes.”

Jooheon doesn’t react. There’s a stare on his face that looks far away, seeing something that Wonho can’t. The younger man doesn’t look sad but he doesn’t look entirely happy either. With Jooheon’s silence, Wonho continues on.

“Sometimes it gets real bad out here but the heating inside the house is pretty good. A few years back I had in-floor heating installed and there’s plenty of backup generators for when the power goes out. I wanted to put in solar--”

“I don’t want to be in here anymore, Wonho,” Jooheon speaks, so softly that Wonho almost misses it. Almost .  

And Wonho… Wonho knows that Jooheon wants to get out. Honestly, he does. He gets it. He’s tried to buy himself time, he tried keeping Jooheon busy by showing him pool designs, different brick layouts, and swatches of curtain fabrics. He’s spent hours designing the pool with Jooheon, debating whether it should be six feet or seven in the deep end, or if three pool ladders was excessive or safe, or if they should have circular pool lights or rectangles. Wonho has been keeping Jooheon occupied so that he wouldn’t think about going outside until it was ready but it wasn’t exactly Wonho’s fault that Hyungwon and his crew had a big housing project for the next week and a half. So now, there’s a small portion of the fence built but in no means is it enough to keep Jooheon in .

Wonho’s shoulders sag as he exhales. “Jooheon…”

Jooheon shakes his head, refusing to hear whatever it was that Wonho was about to say. “No, I want to go outside. Just--Just for a little bit. please , Wonho.” The brunet’s eyes are wide and he looks at Wonho, the desperation shining bright for what it is. Because desperation has long ago taken over him, left him to the point of practically begging for what he wants. All that’s missing is Jooheon on his knees and Wonho would probably die if Jooheon did that, that he’d been broken and diminished to begging on his damn knees. Hearing Jooheon ask for something so small yet so large at the same time truly tugs at Wonho’s conscious, making him swallow thickly.

“The fence isn’t done yet.”

Jooheon slides off his stool and rounds the counter, his gaze still not leaving Wonho’s. “We don’t need a fence. We can just walk-- just-- please, Wonho. It’s been months since I’ve been outside and you said so yourself that summer’s almost over so I’m asking, Wonho, please , just this one time.”

Wonho looks down at Jooheon, takes in the urgency of his tone, takes in how his brown eyes shine with so much emotion and how they pierce right into Wonho’s soul. And how can he resist Jooheon like that? When Jooheon is asking for something, so straightforward and determined, how can Wonho say no? What Jooheon wants… Jooheon should get.

But it is a risk. A large risk. Then again, inviting a construction crew over was also one and just look at how smoothly that has been so far-- no hiccups, no screaming Jooheon begging to be released. It would be a small favor on Wonho’s behalf yet it would make such an impact on Jooheon. It would show the brunet just how much Wonho cares for his well being and his happiness.

Besides, it would only be for a little while. Until the food was finished, at least. Less than an hour, really. But less than an hour is plenty of time to run to the nearest neighbor. It’s enough time to get to the main road that connects to the city.

It’s enough time for Jooheon to vanish.

Unless something were to stop him.

Wonho thinks of a dog on a leash. He remembers the rope he has stored in the shed but thinking about Jooheon leashed up like an animal doesn’t sit right with him. He has to hold Jooheon someway to keep him from fleeing and if a leash is way too extreme, Wonho is going to have to use something far more simple.

He may not trust Jooheon not to run, but he damn sure trusts the power of his hands not to let go.

“On one condition,” he says, finally, making sure his voice is strong and firm so that Jooheon won’t get any wrong ideas. “You hold my hand the entire time, Jooheon, and I mean the entire time.”

Before he even finishes speaking, Jooheon is hastily nodding his head. “Yes, yes, Wonho. I won’t let go, I swear.” The brunet is practically vibrating on his feet with how eager he is to go, go, go. Then again, if Wonho were trapped inside for months on end, he supposes he would be ready to leave too.

Wonho holds out his hand, palm up, and smiles when Jooheon quickly captures it with his own hand. It’s Wonho that pulls the younger man towards the back door and it’s Wonho that quickly types the code into the keypad after he darts a look at Jooheon and sees the brunet’s head turned toward the window.

His fingers work quick and soon enough, the loud click signaling the door being unlocked rings into the air. Jooheon looks forward and after a few seconds of nothing, he darts a glance up at Wonho, meeting his gaze in question.

On the inside, and maybe even on the outside, Wonho is slightly freaking out. His grip is tight around Jooheon’s hand, so tight that he may even be bruising but Wonho doesn’t hear any complaints on Jooheon’s behalf so he doesn’t let up. He’s looking down at Jooheon, so many words forming on his tongue that he doesn’t even know where to begin. His heart is racing and he can feel the strength of his pulse thumping throughout his body, knowing Jooheon can feel it too.

“Jooheon--,” he begins, feeling his throat constrict in worry, “--if you try and run… if you even--”

Jooheon’s hand tightens around Wonho’s, not looking away as he nods in understanding. “Wonho, I know,” he whispers back. Then, shocking Wonho more than ever before, Jooheon repositions his hand so that his fingers intertwine through Wonho’s.

Wonho knows what the gesture is. It’s a silent promise between them, the actions speaking louder than Jooheon or him ever could. But it’s there nonetheless, and it’s enough for Wonho to feel some of his worry dissipate

It doesn’t mean, however, that Wonho’s grip isn’t like a vice around Jooheon’s when he pushes the door open. Because it most definitely is.