Hatred: Nomin

History Repeats itself: 10

"This won't be a quick or easy conversation, Jeno."

Jaemin shifted, pulling his feet up and tucking them beneath himself. Jeno was almost certain Jaemin was taller than him, but right at this very moment he looked so small. He sucked on a breath before letting it out slowly and evenly.

"I didn't think it would be. Look, I don't know what you've gotten yourself into, but if you end up needing to be here for any longer I'm gonna need to know just what I'm getting myself into."

Jaemin's eyes wavered. "You'd let me stay?"

"If I'm honest, having company is a pleasant change. Even if it's you."

"Thanks." Jaemin droned with an undertone of sarcasm.

"You're welcome."

A hush fell again, both boys had their eyes trained on some thought, some intangible words just out of their grasp. They didn't need to look at each other to know they wore the same expressions.

"Okay. Well, I'll try make this simple but the thoughts get muddled in my own head so I don't know how well I can..."

"Take your time, it's okay."

Jeno noticed Jaemin gripping the fabric on his sleeves, working it between his thumb and forefinger, perhaps in an attempt to hide the small quiver that had started in his hands.

Jeno felt compelled to do something, his own fingers twitching, but he withdrew. Having courage was much more Jaemin's thing than Jeno's.

"Okay. Well, I'll go in order. It started about... a week and a half ago?" Jeno nodded him on. "We'd had a small row- nothing serious- because we always used to go check out new houses together. I'd help mum paint the walls and dad would teach me how to fix the plumbing and wire the cables; they always say- always said- it was family bonding time. And i mean, it's all really helpful life skills so it'd be stupid to argue.

It's just, I was stressed. I had a lot of schoolwork that week, and I'd gotten behind and needed to catch up. So I got snappy and eventually they left me alone and said they'd just do this one without me. Then they left."

Jaemin closed his eyes and Jeno couldn't tell if he was just calming his nerves or holding back tears.

"That was the last time I saw them."

Jeno felt his own head droop, looking at his own hands in his lap, knuckles white.

"The police showed up next. It was the middle of the night. They took me to the station and told me what had happened. At first they said it was an accident. They said they couldn't give me another legal guardian because I'm nearly 18 and there were some complications. They said they'd try to sort everything out, that I should go home and they'd call me when they needed to set everything out, signing paperwork, legal obligations, inheritance yadda yadda."

"I went to school the next day. I was going to catch the bus but I slept in after everything that had happened so I missed it and had to walk. That's when I first started getting followed I think. I spotted the cars trailing behind me, pulling out of my road; boy, I'd never seen anyone in my neighbourhood with a car that expensive. It made me uncomfortable but I thought I was probably over reacting after lack of sleep. I should really start listening to my instincts huh."

He had a painful smile and still hadn't looked up or at Jeno. It was as though he was laying everything out in the most ordered fashion he could, for himself more than anyone else.

A deep sigh. "I got into school. Kept quiet. A few people noticed but not many questioned it. Renjun, he's my friend, and Jisung; they were worried though. I told Renjun after school while we were doing some extra studies because I didn't think Jisung could handle it, and I couldn't hold it in anymore. He said we should tell him and convinced me to text him and tell him we were coming over, Renjuns brother gave us a lift over to jisungs house, I told him everything, honestly it was the most peaceful I'd felt in hours. But then I hadn't noticed the car sitting down the road, not until Jisung told me after I'd left, when it was too late. At the time I was calm, So I decided to go home and get a good nights sleep."