city lights // jannyew

two

chapter two: remember

"Together."

Yew lays on his bunk bed, staring at the ceiling, his brain wandering from thought to thought. For some reason, the word "together", coming from Janne, makes Yew sick to his stomach. He isn't sure if he should be afraid or excited, because "together" could mean being with Janne either way.

The night had been silent after Janne declared his views, expressing how the wrongfully beaten down and forgotten deserve justice, how people like him and Yew are capable of more than sitting in silence. That they're capable of payback, of revenge.

Yew had been rendered speechless. He sits up and through the dimly lit candles on the wall, he stares at Janne. The other boy is curled up on the sofa, a blanket covering his bruised body. He's wearing the same clothes he'd walked into the room with earlier today, breathing silently, still as a rock as he sleeps.

Yew leans back, sighing. Janne's voice repeats in the back of his mind, reminding Yew of just how vengeful the other boy was, how he genuinely wished for the deaths of those who've wronged him. It sounds familiar. All too familiar, Yew thinks as he turns on his side, closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.

But he can't. His mind is racing with so many thoughts and worries. Even as his eyes close, he's conscious and alert. Maybe if he'd just talk Janne out of this revenge ordeal, the two could have an easier life here in Al-Khampis. Maybe Janne could use his brain instead of retrieving his rapier and making threats. Even if those threats worked on those girls earlier, some people do not take too kindly to having a sword pointed to their throat.

Yew opens his eyes as he hears faint creaks of the floorboards. He turns on to his side, facing the doorway. Through the dim candlelight Yew spots Janne still in his day clothes, closing the door behind him as he leaves for somewhere else. It's way past bedtime, three in the morning specifically and curfew has been in place since seven o'clock. Yew has not once ever broken a rule, but his curiosity grows the more he sits and lays here with his thoughts on Janne and vengeance and change.

Yew sighs, running his hand through his short brunet hair. He considers getting his hair styled a little like Janne's; he's so much more elegant than Yew, and Yew just imagines how gorgeous Janne would look with his hair braided, maybe he'd be willing to let Yew run a hand through his pretty raven coloured hair—

What am I doing?! Yew lets out a frustrated groan as he climbs over to the ladder, down the bed. He grabs for a spare lantern from the wall, opens the door quietly and just barely shuts it. Everyone else is sound asleep as Yew carefully creeps through the corridor, cautious not to wake anybody up. His heart drums in his chest with a loud thump, thump, his hands begin to sweat as his teeth clench, muscles tightening uncomfortably.

This is the first time that Yew Geneolgia, the goody two-shoes of Al-Khampis, has snuck out after bedtime.

He isn't sure if he'll regret it in the long run.

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"So, you've decided to show your face after all you've pulled." An older man lights his cigarette, the tobacco roll settled in between his crusty fingers. He hacks up a cough and spits to the ground. "Gave my lady a black eye, ya did. And yet you have the balls to come back here."

Janne scoffs, seating himself on the barstool, slapping down some gold coins. "I did," he says smugly with a wry chuckle. "And I'll do it again if I have to." He reaches into his pocket and grabs for a fake ID. His hair is tied into a pretty braid, and he'd applied some makeup, including some lip balm, lightly coloured eyeshadow and black nail polish. Instead of his school's uniform he's wearing something a little more casual, a simple top and a black skirt with leggings and heels. Janne loves to experiment with his gender expression, so tonight he felt more feminine.