"Please, donât leave." B)
i'm not coming backi've done something so terriblei'm terrified to speak but you'd expect that from me
kim joonmyun is a strong house. Â
but even the most sturdy of structures bend against the wind of a hurricane, the ferocity of an earthquake.  tired and bleeding, he too, bends; his fingers fold clothes and pack suitcases and he wonders just where he plans on going from here.  the room is empty as he works and joonmyunâs almost grateful that he doesnât have to see charâs eyes staring at him with hurt, something like betrayal as his side of the room becomes a little more empty with each passing moment.  it feels a little weird saying his side when it became their side â even now, joonmyun can feel the breathing on his neck and the way charâs nose would search for its place somewhere in the crook of his shoulder as he slept.
he has never been as strong as others would like to believe. Â thatâs why he is ever the coward, running when the comfort of someone elseâs arms doesnât do enough to purify the scars still bleeding on his torso. Â once upon a time, char was the fire to burn away at him, destroy the dead parts that sting his skin and weigh down his shoulders and leave only the purest parts of him behind.
joonmyun doesnât deserve it now. Â in reality, he doesnât think he ever did.
heâs much faster at working than heâd like himself to be, because it doesnât give him a chance to regret this decision â to go back when the room is empty and the light outside is only that of gray rain. Â it matches his mood when he picks up a suitcase, picks up a box; his hands are full when he goes to open the door but it opens for him and itâs char staring at him with confusion in his eyes.
he tries to make sense of this because itâs a little strange ( something feels off to him ). Â but the boxes are the weight of joonmyunâs sin, the ultimate sign of his betrayal and he can feel his heart sinking to the floor when he suddenly canât breathe. Â char doesnât say anything, his lips forming a hard line â itâs an expression he only makes when heâs angry, and joonmyun canât blame him ( doesnât blame him â almost wishes that char hates him enough to burn him to the ground ). Â
char opens his mouth to speak and instead of the curse that joonmyun is sure to find shaking with his name, it comes out as nothing more than a whisper. â please, donât leave.â
â wake.
he sits up with a gasp, mouth round as he tries to take in air thatâs been denied him.  his hands are clutching at sheets and thereâs no one beside joonmyun to tell him that heâs had a nightmare; it will be fine now, hush.  it takes him a few moments to recall the events of the dream, finally figures out the reason for its oddity â itâs because char, in the real world, wasnât there to stop him at the end.
joonmyun closes his eyes.
the appearance of char in his life after three years time, signed with the name jongin â after near misses and held breath and wishing brought with it the arrival of the dreams. Â itâs the regret thatâs cut fresh into his heart with all the words he wants to say ( but doesnât ). Â joonmyun knows enough to recognize whatâs going on; he sees it enough in students that come to him with tears in their eyes when theyâve burned every bridge theyâve ever built. Â
joonmyun is not the one with fire in his veins, but he certainly feels the carnage heâs left behind with the arrival of kim jongin.
his fingers fumble over his nightstand as he reaches for his phone, hopes that his number hasnât changed in all of three years ( he wishes, prays â ) itâs almost like a reprieve when the call connects and finally, he lets the tears flow. Â thereâs fire somewhere down in the pits of his heart that char planted there years ago that threaten to take him alive. Â a sleepy voice on the other end of the line answers and joonmyun holds back a sob, heâs always muffled himself but he smiles because â
itâs the same sleepy voice that whispered youâre too noisy, extractor in his ear as arms wrapped around joonmyunâs waist.  a shaky sigh of relief and joonmyunâs sure that char â jongin â knows who it is by now.  â iâm not going anywhere this time.  iâm so sorry.â  he whispers into the phone and finally feels what heâs been searching for.
r e l i e f .















