Chapter 15: and they were roommates

Wooyoung's nose shriveled up in disgust as Jongho led him through the scuffed dark wood doors of the run-down hotel. Jongho shared the sentiment but didn't dare display it when the receptionist was watching them with eagle eyes.

Wooyoung didn't seem to care, not even bothering to hide his opinion of the disaster that surrounded them.

"This is where you are staying?" Wooyoung questioned with a critical glance around the main lobby, eyeing the peculiar stained carpets that were mustard yellow and the ripped flowery wallpaper that was tilted on an uneven angle.

"I only had so much money that I kept for emergencies, I had to spread it out over a few weeks or at least until a friend of mine returns," Jongho explained, feeling the need to smooth over the fact that this would never have been his first choice. He kept his voice level to avoid the cranky librarian that manned the front desk and led Wooyoung up the creaky stairs. With the state of the hotel, it was no wonder they couldn't afford an elevator, they couldn't seem to afford cleaners either.

"Still, my point is you shouldn't be afraid to ask for help if you need it. Too many people brush off their problems because they don't want to 'burden' someone else. Remember our high school socials teacher? He made sure to drill into our heads that you should ask for help when you need it. Well, and to not be ashamed for not understanding something."

Wooyoung trailed behind him as Jongho forged the way to his booked room. Wooyoung's loud voice carried throughout the hallway, but no one came out of their rooms to complain. Probably because a majority of the rooms were unoccupied, few people would willingly decide to stay at this sketchy place and those that did had a million other things to complain about over someone else's loud voice disturbing the peace. It had that strange aura that you could get jumped at every corner, one of the main reasons Jongho had decided to lead the way and kept a small distance between him and Wooyoung.

Deep in his mind, he knew Wooyoung was right. He should have surrendered his stubbornness and asked for help when he needed it, but his stupid pride was still not quite ready to admit it.

His room, number twenty-four (which was strangely the same as his apartment address, initially freaking him out), was cold as soon as he twisted the nasty, rotting lock and set foot inside.

To add to the growing list of problems, there was no proper heating in the hotel. Last night was near torturous as Jongho had huddled into a small ball on the bed. He'd smothered himself in not only the thin blankets but also some of his clothes to help him stay warm.

Wooseok would have a fit if he saw what Jongho was dealing with so soon after he had left. He'd insist on dropping everything to come back and scold Jongho, while also contacting his mother and forcing them to get along. (Which was exactly what he had been trying to avoid.)

But Wooyoung's reaction made up for the lack of his hyung's.

"What the hell? I thought downstairs was bad, but this is far worse."

Wooyoung mumbled almost queasy, picking his way through the room as Jongho sat down on the edge of the bed. He carefully slid the plastic bag with the black ooze out from where he'd hidden it in the ripped underside of the mattress, while Wooyoung sized up the room.

"That's it! You're living with me and I'm not taking no for an answer," Jongho looked up in shock at Wooyoung's outburst, finding himself face to face with a pointed finger thrown in a demanding way.

The words that had just tumbled from the blond's mouth had been not at all what he had been expecting, but honestly, even he admitted to himself that he would be a fool to say no.

Jongho raised his arms in surrender, coughing at the fierceness of Wooyoung's narrowed gaze, "Okay, calm down, I will."

Wooyoung lowered his arm in bewilderment, but shrugged off the sudden switch just as quickly, "I thought that was going to be a lot harder, but great! Let me help you pack what you have."

Jongho got to his feet to bring out his duffel bag from under the bed, knowing that it was almost still fully packed. "You don't need to, I haven't unpacked, and you were the one who just preached about accepting help when you needed it, so, I am."

Wooyoung breathed a breath of relief, skipping into the bathroom to grab what Jongho asked of him. His voice echoed to Jongho's ears almost immediately, "Eww, we need to get out of here fast, I think something died in here and it's almost ready to mummify."

Wooyoung almost sprinted out of there with Jongho's toothpaste and toothbrush in hand, gagging at the smell. Jongho couldn't help but giggle at his expression. Wooyoung seemed to glance at him for a moment in wonder, but quickly resumed stuffing a few loose things into Jongho's duffel bag.

Before Jongho could swing the bag onto his shoulder, Wooyoung had already snatched it up, sticking his tongue out teasingly, "You snooze you lose, race you to the car!"

Wooyoung took off for the door with Jongho cackling at his heels like some half-rate witch from the Warlock of Uz.

They ran through the halls laughing loudly, shoving each other every so often, all in good fun.

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Wooyoung pulled his car into an open space, bringing them into park. He turned to Jongho with a smile, "We're here."

Jongho slid out of the passenger seat, hefting his bag over his shoulder after he convinced Wooyoung he could handle it on his own.

On the drive over, Wooyoung had hinted that he lived in the 'richer' part of the city, mostly due to the generous amount of income he received from working closely with Seonghwa. Jongho was certain that Wooyoung's place was only a street away from where Wooseok's loft was located as well.

He was glad that Wooyoung's loft was located on the lowest floor above the ground, which meant they didn't have to scale the pristine white stairs for long. His feet still ached slightly from his downhill run before his Wonderland shift in the wrong shoes, and he was thankful that soon he could just collapse somewhere and rest.

Wooyoung's place was a million times nicer than his own, and most definitely better than the hotel that was probably going to be the next site for a horror movie filming.

It had this warm, inviting air to it, almost as if it was paying homage to its bright and big-hearted owner. Wooyoung had a heart of gold that not many could compare to and a friendly and welcoming demeanor that could make you feel instantly at home. It was rare to see the other as upset as he had been the other night when the one man had stepped out of line and pulled Jongho into his lap. (Though Jongho preferred to pretend such an experience ever happened, it sent unpleasant chills down his whole body.)

He was kind and loving, sure, but he was also fiercely protective of people he considered friends. It made Jongho feel . . .warm to think that Wooyoung had wanted to protect him, and even made sure to comfort him and shower him with compliments and random distractions after the altercation had occurred.

"I have a spare bedroom for when people stay over that you can use for the time being. It's attached to one of the spare bathrooms too, so you should have everything you need," Wooyoung swung open a door across from the kitchen, showing off a clean room with light blue accents.

Jongho smiled, unable to express how thankful he was, "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Wooyoung ducked his head in embarrassment, and Jongho could just barely catch the dusting of pink that crossed his cheeks. His ears brightened to firetruck red at the random, cheesy outburst, internally slapping himself for making the atmosphere awkward.

"Think nothing of it, I'm happy to help," Wooyoung retaliated with an exaggerated flutter of his eyelids, to liven the room with humor. When Jongho smothered a laugh at the blond's antics, Wooyoung made his way over to his phone that he'd placed face-up on the counter, "I'm gonna get us a pizza, is that okay with you?"

Jongho, who was already poking around in the guest room, called out to him, "Yeah that's fine with me." Wooyoung made a sound of acknowledgment, and Jongho set his bag down on the floor beside his new sleeping space.

The guest room gave off a cooler tone. The blue accents lay in arching waves across the walls, giving him a strange beach-y, water-toned vibe. The room was arranged with a birch wardrobe in the corner, a fuzzy beige carpet that was like heaven to the soles of his feet, and a bed that was bigger than the one he owned at his apartment.

He let his bag drop off his shoulder and he jumped to faceplant into the bed with a sigh. The comforter swallowed him, and he felt as if he was resting on a cloud.

He heard the door open behind him, and the room peeled with Wooyoung's laughter.

"The pizza will be here in about thirty minutes, do you want to watch a movie?" Wooyoung's voice called from the doorway, still lilted as if he was going to enter another bout of laughter.

Jongho raised his head just enough to make out the blond with his head in the doorway, his face painted with a brilliant smile.

Jongho crawled backward to set his socked feet onto the carpet, "Sure,"

He tried to squash the fluttering of butterflies that erupted in his stomach, scolding his sensitive emotions or whatever he was feeling, reminding himself that the idea was in no way a date of some kind.

His heart seemed set on the idea, so Jongho decided to roll with pretending. There wasn't any harm in bluffing that the very thing he wanted to happen was about to transpire in the most innocent of ways, it was a riveting feeling.

When Jongho finally made his way into the main room where the small ring of couches and recliners was arranged in front of the wide, flat-screen, Wooyoung was already flipping through some options on some popular streaming site. Jongho watched Wooyoung scrunch his eyebrows slightly when he was interested in something, and the corner of his lips turn down when he wasn't.

Wooyoung turned his head and caught his gaze with another smile, "You choose."

Jongho shook his head, "I'll watch anything you choose, besides it's your house."

Wooyoung gave him a pointed look, "And you're going to be living here for a while, so your opinion matters."

Jongho rolled his eyes playfully, "Don't even start."

Wooyoung cackled, patting the spot next to him on the couch. A brave move in Jongho's eyes, but nevertheless Jongho flopped onto the leather next to him, and Wooyoung threw a spare blanket over his legs.

Both of their eyes snapped to the coffee table when Wooyoung's phone screen was illuminated with a text notification sound.

Wooyoung snatched it from the table, "It's Yunho," Wooyoung's confused gaze fell into a solemn numbness as he finished reading the brief message. "He says we should be prepared to meet his informer friend tomorrow, Seonghwa is going to close the club for the next two days."

Jongho blinked at the sudden news.

He remembered when Yunho had mentioned the informant he knew in a passing conversation, if they were able to use the information they could gather correctly, they may have their next great step towards their end goal. Tomorrow could go any way, either the experience gave them everything they needed or everything went horribly wrong.

They had the chance to be that much closer to finding Yeosang and Mingi, and from the pure emotion that was alight in Wooyoung's eyes, he knew it too.

The single trailing tear that fell down Wooyoung's right cheek startled him. Like a sparkling flicker, its shine caught his eye from his peripheral vision.

He looked at Wooyoung with widened eyes, concerned at the sudden change in atmosphere.

Wooyoung's sweater sleeves bunched around his hands in tight fists in front of his eyes, as if he was trying to hide his face from Jongho's view. Small droplets dripped from his chin onto his collarbone and Jongho scooted forward slightly on the edge of the couch, still hesitant.

His warring conscience finally pushed him to lay a gentle hand across Wooyoung's arm, and when Wooyoung's body shifted, he found himself gathering the other into his arms. Just to hug.

He wasn't quite sure what rambling stories he began to tell in whispers to the still crying Wooyoung, all he knew was that in his desperate plight to comfort the boy cradled in his embrace, he would do what he could. Wooyoung's tear made small wet marks on his shoulder as he clutched Jongho's middle, effectively curling into his side.

The movie became an unintentional background noise, as neither of them could pay attention to the heartfelt actors and action scenes any longer. There was only one focus that could have crossed either of their minds, and that was in giving away comfort and receiving reassurance both ways respectively.

Jongho felt warm, but couldn't pinpoint a sole location of his new feeling. His face felt hot, while his chest burned with indescribable sensations of white fire. He could dream of such things being mutual, but there was no real way to ask without making an utter fool of himself. As of now, he'd rather keep his dignity intact, 'cause his sanity wouldn't last much longer with this amiable blond in front of him.

All too soon, Jongho's brilliant moment receded when Wooyoung pulled back. His cheeks still carried the trail of recent tears, but no more fell.

"I miss him," Wooyoung sniffled pitifully, "Yeosang was always the stronger one. Why do they have to take him?" Wooyoung's hands fell lower to cover his mouth instead, his eyes staring at the TV screen but not taking in anything that was displayed on it.

Jongho's face softened, and he cooed under his breath, carefully wiping his thumb along Wooyoung's cheek to wipe away the small stray tears that remained.

"I know, but we'll get him back. We would never leave him there alone, I promise."

This was a promise that Jongho intended to keep.

"And," Wooyoung finally met his eyes with echoes of fear etched in his own umber gaze, "All of us will make it through this together. We won't ever leave anyone behind."

Wooyoung moved to dip his head down into his curled-up knees, but Jongho, without thinking, tilted his face up with a finger under his chin.

Jongho stared into Wooyoung's starry eyes as Wooyoung paused in confusion. The blond followed his movement with his eyes as Jongho leaned forward a mere breath closer. It didn't feel like much, but the distance was both overwhelming and intoxicating at the same time. Jongho swore that the entire universe was trapped in the small specks of glitter that shone through Wooyoung's eyes.

He couldn't explain the feeling behind the freckled eyes he was peering into. They had dimensions that he could never explore, and ultimately portrayed the very being of a person. The blond in front of him was hard to place, but Jongho prayed one day he would be able to interpret the freckled stars and unavoidable allure in detail with all the time in the world to spare.

Wooyoung swiped his tongue over his lips shyly, naturally drawing attention to his barely parted mouth which was a shade of bubblegum that seemed almost unnatural. Jongho honestly wouldn't even be surprised if Wooyoung were to wear a tinted product on his lips.

Jongho had the overwhelming urge to kiss him, to hold him, and to smother him in promises and comforts like a warm blanket of reassurance. He wanted to taste his lips, and unconsciously he leaned in even closer.

Wooyoung lay stock-still in his loose grip, not even flinching at Jongho's closer proximity. Neither dared to close the gap, they remained in a peculiar limbo, seemingly unsure whether or not to take the chance. Or even if the other was on the same wavelength.

Jongho's mind was prone to running a mile a minute, but in this instance it was sluggish, frozen in time, and moving unhurriedly through each passing moment. His heartbeat, however, was a stark contrast. Its frantic beating could rival that of a hummingbird's.

Just when Jongho's lids slowly dipped lower as he drew his courage together, the doorbell sent them scrambling apart. With wide eyes, they stared at each other from opposite ends of the couch, breathless. Until the bell rang out again, and Wooyoung had to clumsily rush to his feet to answer it.

Jongho sat there stunned for a moment, staring at the place where Wooyoung had been sitting moments earlier. His rational thinking only now catching up to him.

He'd almost kissed Wooyoung without thinking. His mind had been urging him to close the gap and he'd almost caved into the persistent request.

He slapped a hand over his mouth as his face burned a flaming red.

Idiot. His mind continued to scream at him, Are you insane?

He couldn't allow himself to fall victim to his desire to form a relationship with the familiar blond. He was still unsure about San's true relationship with Wooyoung, and the way the other had acted just only confused him more.

But overall, in this current mess of a world, with hatchings skyrocketing and robots running rampant at the bid of their masters, Jongho couldn't start anything like that. It would be totally unfair. His fear of it becoming a distraction and a hindrance to their cause made it difficult for him to even consider the positives of such a daydream coming true.

The growing danger made him want to rethink everything. Jongho had no choice but to bide his time and bite his tongue to avoid the disaster that may be the cause of all of their destruction.

But he knew, he was already too attached. 

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everything changes after chapter 16

it is probably going to start picking up 

with one thing after the other,

hehe, don't kill me

♡ thanks for reading ♡