Home - 3
Jongyu, omegaverse, angst, pg, w/c: 2.4k, Part one, Part two, and can be read here on aff [x]
Jonghyun once told Jinki he smelled like home. When asked why he thought so he responded with, our house isn’t a home without you in it. Jinki just smiled and kissed him, because their home wasn’t made from the building around them or the things put it in. He agreed with one thing, his home was wherever Jonghyun was.
Jinki was gently adjusting the wildflowers in the clay pot on the table by the window when the voice behind him startled him, The flower in his hand fluttered onto the table as he rushed to turn around to see Jonghyun smiling as he repeated himself, “Are those for me?”
“Uh yeah-” Jinki swallowed the lump in his throat and gave a nervous smile, “You used to like when I brought them I thought -”
“They’re very pretty thank you.” Jonghyun softly smiles, big robe around his frame and hair damp.
“I was told you were bathing and I was just going to finish it and leave.” Jinki fidgeted with the flower petals, “I apologize for intruding.”
“Hey, wait,” Jonghyun was smiling when Jinki looked up at him, “I may not remember you, but… these are your cubs too. Stay.”
“I didn’t want to cause you more pain.”
Jonghyun shuffled over to the bed and carefully climbed up into it. He brought his legs up and laid his hands in his lap. “You ordered the restraints off, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“There’s something about you, your scent specifically that makes me feel safe and warm. Like some would say a home would.” Jonghyun let out a little laugh before he looked up from his hands. “I probably sound stupid. Comparing you to a damn house.”
“It’s not the first time you’ve said that,” Jinki’s smile was gentle and warm, “You always said our house wasn’t a home unless I was there.” There was a few moments before Jinki softly asked, “How’s the nausea?”
“Ah, better now.” Jonghyun rose an eyebrow, “Does that have something to do with you?”
“Yeah,” Jinki smiled sheepishly.
Jinki turned and placed the flower back into the pot. He was touching the petals, nervous about crossing too many lines at once and pushing Jonghyun further than he needed to, when he heard the wolf softly talking, “Thank you for taking the binds off. I know I didn’t deserve it, not after what I did to…. The cubs. I am so sorry I attacked them.”
His eyes fluttered closed as he took a couple deep breaths before he gathered his thoughts and spoke, “It’s okay. You didn’t remember being pregnant. It was thrown upon you in a state of shock and I can’t blame you for that. You may not remember me, or us, but I’ll always protect you. I couldn’t allow you to stay bound like some prisoner.” He shook his head, emotions getting the better of him. He took a deep breath and turned around with a smile, “ I don’t want to push you Jonghyun. You don’t know me. You don’t know those cubs. I don’t expect.... You to want to stay after they’re born.”
Jonghyun gazed at him as his eyes widened, “Wouldn’t that hurt you?”
“I don’t want to force you to live a life with me you no longer remember you wanted. I love you far more to allow that to happen. If you want to leave me after this, I’ll support your decision.” Jinki gave a smile before running his hands through his hair, “I picked up another round of patrol tonight. I don’t want to be late.”
Jinki was almost to the door when Jonghyun asked him hesitantly, “You’ll come back tonight right?”
“Do you want me to?”
“I’ve been thinking a lot the last few days.” He could see the omega taking a deep breath before he said, “I want to remember you. If you want to help me remember it all.” There was a smile on his face as he placed his hands on his tummy. “I feel connected to these cubs.. I want them. I understand if it’s too much for you to do so.”
Before his emotions got the better of him, Jinki smiled, “I’ll try my best Jonghyun. See you later.”
He felt like he couldn’t breathe as walked through the halls toward the door. It was a little spark of hope in the murky waters.
-----
When he was returning the moon was high in the sky, clouds moving across the surface, and a cool breeze blowing through the village. The bonfire was ablaze in the center of the town and most people were enjoying it with their family and friends. He could see the smoke rising above the homes and shops from his path. There were two betas sitting at the front desk. They nodded their head as he passed them and headed down the hallway toward Jonghyun. He knocked on the doorframe before slowly pushing the curtain open. Jonghyun was sitting up on the bed, back against the mound of pillows he managed to stack in the middle of the mattress. His hair was falling from the small ponytail he had on the top of his head. There were a few candles around the room lit, and in his lap was a book. “Hey~ I wasn’t sure if you were going to the mm bonfire? Yeah bonfire everyone went to.”
“Are you hungry?” Jinki lifted up the basket Kibum lent him, “My scouting partner prepared us something to eat.”
“Food?” Jonghyun’s stomach grumbled and Jinki laughed as the man blushed embarrassed.
“I’m not quite sure about the quality of the sick hut food,” Jinki laid the basket on the table by the window and lifted out the bread and jam. “It’s not much, but you used to love blackberry jam.”
“Thank you,” Jonghyun bowed his head softly as he took the piece of bread. He groaned as the rich, sweet taste of the jam exploded across his tongue. “It’s so good.”
Jinki chuckled as he handed over a glass bottle of milk and gently asked, “Can I sit on the bed with you?”
“Yes,” He climbed up carefully and they ate their bread and berries. After a moment Jonghyun softly said, “Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome.” Jinki wiped his mouth with the cloth before laying it near his plate again. “I figured we could eat and then I could tell you about us, our past if you feel up to it.”
“That sounds great.”
“Where did you want to start?”
“How we met I guess.”
“Ah,” Jinki chuckled softly as his gaze fell to his lap. “As children, my mothers were the villages medicine women. It was before the hut was built. We always had visitors over our home wanting to talk to them, bringing concerns, and one day your fathers came in with you, concerned you were too small and that something was wrong with you health wise causing it. While they talked I was told to play with you. I was small for my age too, especially with how I was told I was going to mature into an Alpha. You played with me in a way you hadn’t in awhile apparently and when your mothers came to get your medicine you played with me and over time we became the best of friends.”
“And when did we …”
“Start dating?” Jonghyun’s cheeks were slightly pink as he nodded and Jinki laughed quietly, “We were 16, I had shown signs of being an alpha and you hadn’t shown any signs of which you’d be yet. We were outside my house by the river and you were talking about how worried you were about not maturing ever and not having a place and I said something cheesy like you’d always have a place by my side and you kissed me when I walked you home that night. It was history after that. I asked you to become my mate when you turned 21. We went through the ceremony the following November.”
“We dated six years before you wanted to mate with me?”
Jinki laughed nervously, “I wanted to give you a home before I asked you to become my mate. It took me three years to build our home.. Or what used to be our home.”
“Did they... Ever find out what caused the fire?”
With a deep sigh Jinki’s body sagged, “Not really. They figured it was just the extreme dryness of the house that with the sun beating down it just... Went up into flames.”
“Do they hurt?”
“Huh?” Jinki’s brow furrowed in confusion.
Jonghyun pointed at the burns peeking out from the end of his pants and the ones on the underside of his arms. “Do the burns hurt?”
“A little.” Jinki frowned, “They mostly itch, however.”
Jinki froze as Jonghyun’s hand covered his and squeezed. “Thank you for saving me.”
“You’re my mate.” Jonghyun could feel the man’s love through his eyes with how he was looking at him as he continued, “I’d have run a dozen miles to get to you if you needed me. I just wish I had gotten there sooner.. Hadn’t gone on that hunt.”
“Don’t beat yourself up for what happened to me Jinki,” Jonghyun shifted slowly to face him completely. “I’m here, alive, because of you. I’d have died in that fire without you.” He pushed off the bed and pressed a kiss softly to Jinki’s cheek. He froze as Jonghyun kissed him and only could breathe when he pulled away.
His heart still felt like it was in his throat as he went to get more bread and jam for them. Once it was finished and they were cleaned up, he helped Jonghyun get the pillows where he wanted them for bed. Jinki cleaned up the basket and laid it on the table before walking towards the door. “You can sleep in here.. You don’t have to hide in the hallway.”
Jinki blushed, fingers running through his hair, “I thought you wouldn’t notice me.”
“You have a distinct scent Jinki,” Jonghyun laid his head on his arm after putting his hand under his pillow, wiggling a little to get comfy and gaze over at the other man. He watched Jinki shift and his breath stopped for a moment at how beautiful he was in his wolf form. Tall at the shoulders, long bright hair, and beautiful full of life eyes. His tail swished against the floor as he slowly got comfortable just inside the door. “Goodnight Jinki.” Jinki yipped and Jonghyun smiled.
-----
When he woke up Jinki was gone. His nose wrinkled at the unpleasant taste in his mouth and the uneasiness in his chest. He squinted around the room for the bucket and found it just under his bed. He grabbed it quickly just as the urge ran through him. He groaned as he wiped his mouth and frowned down at his belly. “You’re not gonna make the next six or so months pleasant are you?”
He got up to rinse his mouth out and wash his face before the nurse came in with breakfast and to check how he was doing. He hoped it wasn’t that gross oatmeal that they gave him the morning before. That made him want to puke more. Once his face was patted dry he propped himself up with pillows and waited for his nurse. It was then he noticed the quickly sketched note on the table. He shuffled over and picked it up carefully, I talked to the doctor. There’s a courtyard full of gardens you can go explore to the right just outside your room. In case you get bored of your room ~ Jinki
“Breakfast, are you decent?”
“Yes, come on in.” He folded the note and placed it under the pot of flowers Jinki brought him, smiling at his nurse as he made his way back to the bed. He smiled wider at the lack of oatmeal on the tray. Maybe after breakfast, he’d go investigate those gardens.
----
Jinki sighed deeply as he kicked the burnt debris that used to be his front door. He had to clean it up if he was ever going to rebuild, but just the sight of it made him fill with dread and sadness. His entire life went up in smoke. All the things he built with Jonghyun, the baby things they had already, and the memories made all burnt to ash. He stood there looking over the debris for a long moment before making his way into it. He lifted up burnt ceiling beams to see if he missed anything the first time through. He found a small teacup with a little crack around the rim, but he scooped it up and wrapped it with a cloth before putting it in his bag. He didn’t find much as he moved through the rest of the debris until he saw a speck of blue. After moving what looked like to be the remains of a rocking chair sitting there was the finished baby blanket. A little dirty, but there weren’t any burnt parts. His eyes were glossy as he crouched down and gently lifted it from the rubble. He held it to his chest for a moment before putting it in his bag. It would have to be cleaned thoroughly, but if he could have saved one thing in the fire he would have chosen that. Jonghyun had been so excited when Jinki brought the yarn home for him to knit with.
He had a few more rooms to look at before heading back to have dinner with Jonghyun. He didn’t have too many hopes, but then again, he didn’t think he’d find anything when he started and he had already found the most precious thing he could have. Maybe he’d find more.
-----
“I am so happy you’re here.” Jonghyun whined. Jinki found him sprawled out on the bed, face on the edge over a bucket. Jinki laid his bag on the floor and frowned over at him.
“What a way to greet someone,” Jinki looked over him quickly, “What’s wrong?”
“The nausea has been so bad today,” Jonghyun pouted deeply, “You make it go away. Like poof. Magic.”
He smiled softly, “Is it getting better?”
With a sniffle, he mumbled, “Yes.”
Jinki walked over and slid down the front of the bed, leaning back against the side of the mattress. He opened up his journal he kept in the big pocket of his cargo pants and began to write little things. “I’ll be here all night.”
“Thank you,” Jonghyun whispered. Jinki heard him shifting against the sheets and when he looked behind him Jonghyun was curled a little more to bring his nose closer to him. He chuckled softly and went back to writing. “Maybe tomorrow you’ll want to accompany me to the gardens. Maybe then I’ll be able to enjoy them fully.”
“Sound’s great Jonghyun.”
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