Work Text:
Jaemin can feel himself tearing up as he says, “Fine! You can go wherever the fuck you want to. Do whatever you fucking want, I don’t care.”
“You don’t care?” Jeno laughs grimly, scoffing. “You don’t care? I don’t think that’s true, Jaem. Look at you. You’re crying. You fucking care.”
Jaemin finally breaks, tears pouring out as he squats on the kitchen floor and hugs his knees. Jeno just looks away, tapping his feet for about a minute or two until he grows impatient and crouches on the floor next to Jaemin.
“We’re okay, we’re okay, we’re okay” Jeno chants over and over, hugging Jaemin tightly to his chest. Jaemin was still sobbing floods and didn’t seem like he was stopping soon.
After a while, Jaemin finally slows down.
“We’re gonna get better, right?” Jaemin speaks softly, his eyes rooted to the ground. “Because I don’t think I can handle it if it’s gonna be like this all the time.”
Jeno doesn’t answer directly but just continues chanting his we’re okays. Jaemin hasn’t stopped crying but he’s quieter now, his sobs loud once in a while.
Jaemin doesn’t realize Jeno went to grab tissues until it’s handed right to his face. He mumbles a muffled, “Thank you,” and blows his nose out. Jeno caresses his back. “That’s it. There you go, Jaem. Blow it all out.”
Jaemin just nods and continues to transfer his snot to the sheets of thin tissue Jeno handed to him. Jeno, not disgusted by it all, grabs the tissues piling on Jaemin’s lap and stands up to walk to the trash can to dispose of them.
Now he’s standing in front of Jaemin, extending a hand for Jaemin to take.
“Come on, Jaem. Let’s get you to bed. It’s late already.”
Jaemin grabs his hand and is immediately pulled into Jeno’s arms. “We’re okay,” Jeno says once again. Jaemin just nods into Jeno’s shoulder.
They walk to their bedroom and fall asleep in each other’s arms, Jaemin hugging Jeno like he’s afraid Jeno’s going to leave if he doesn’t hold on to him tightly.
➴
A few months later as Jaemin lies awake on his bed, alone, he thinks to himself that maybe,
maybe he should’ve held onto Jeno a bit more tighter.