Jaemin watched with an aching heart as the car crunched over the cobblestones on its way out of the driveway. The miniature stones bore through the thin layering of his socks and pierced at the skin of his feet, but Jaemin remained still. He waited until the car had turned off onto the forest road, until he could no longer hear their breathing. Then he turned on his heel and returned to the house, trying to fight back tears.

He lingered in the hallway by the front door for a few more minutes, trying to gather his breath and calm his thundering heart. His initial reaction was to run straight to his sanctuary and lock himself in it until the emotions finally subsided, but he had made a promise. He had told Chanyeol that he would linger in the kitchen to try and get a glimpse of Kyungsoo's intended meal for the night. While his body wanted to run and hide, his mind was willing to risk it all at the thought of getting his favourite comfort meal.

So, Jaemin took in a few deep breaths, squared his shoulders and marched himself into the kitchen. He let out a relieved sigh when he noticed that Kyungsoo wasn't inside, though the presence of another heartbeat did intrigue him to look to his left.

Sitting in his claimed spot at the dining table closest to the window-seat sat Renjun who glanced up from his homework with a small tired smile. Jaemin found himself capable of returning one of his own.

Not wanting to disturb, he continued on deeper into the kitchen. He approached the fridge with a shaking hand. He hadn't eaten properly since the new additions to the household had arrived, the lack of his dietary requirements was making him a little jittery. Pulling open the metal door had never felt like such a weighed task and yet Jaemin struggled to shift his body weight to accommodate the force of the pull.

He stumbled backwards as the door flew open, almost knocking against his nose. He grumbled his displeasure as his cheeks burned in embarrassment. He reached inside and took a deep breath, his fingers curling along the soft plastic bag. He retrieved it from the back of the fridge and eyed the Sharpie scribble on its front.

His stomach growled in desire but his mind was still revolted by the taste. Two years had been and gone and yet he was still trying to comprehend his new lifestyle, Suho's therapy sessions were working but Jaemin didn't feel like he was making any progress. He had been in the home for a little over a year and yet he still felt ostracized by the people around him. The elder hyungs were accommodating and cared for him greatly but they were older and just couldn't understand Jaemin's humor. Those who were younger and closer to him in age viewed him as a monster, an experiment that had been wrongfully created on the order of a mad-man.

"I haven't seen you have that in a few days." Renjun's voice speaks up from behind him.

Jaemin's lips curl slightly at the edge of his mouth, but he doesn't move to gather a glass or mug like he usually does. This time he's struggling to decide if he should eat at all.

"I haven't had it in a few days." Jaemin admits, swaying forward the countertop. "I was supposed to have it yesterday but then we got new additions and-"

"You forgot?" Renjun tried to finish the sentence for him.

More like I'm purposely not taking it, Jaemin couldn't exactly say that out loud. He didn't need to hear Sehun's lecture about how abstaining from his meal would lead to bad recuperations, Jaemin already knew that. He had seen what happened the last time he neglected his body from having the other half of his balanced diet, it didn't end well.

But the taste had been horrid. Each time he drew the rim of the glass to his lips, his stomach churned in distaste and hummed its quiet approval. A shiver rattled his bones, each time he thinks that it will be different and each time he's left disappointed.

"You can join me." Renjun spoke again, pulling Jaemin from his thoughts. "I would actually like the company."

"Me too." He found himself admitting before he could even think to stop himself. Renjun looks surprised, but he doesn't say anything. He simply takes his headphones off and places them neatly on the table next to his laptop and lecture notes. Jaemin turns back to close the fridge and quickly takes a random mug from the cabinet above the counter, before making his way over to the table.

He feels disappointment rise in his chest as he sets his mug down on the place setting, his cooled meal resting in front of him. Renjun rises from his seat and rushes over to the snack cabinet, he lets out a victorious squeal as he comes back with a giant share pack of chips and a bowl of mixed jellies that Jisung hasn't been able to finish.

"I figured the sugar might help get it down," Renjun blushes as he sets the food down in front of Jaemin. He doesn't return to his allocated seat, but instead decides to sit directly across from him. Before Jaemin can even think to thank him, he's already in the process of ripping open the crisps and taking a handful into his mouth. "So," he says around the potato chips. "What's up with you and Jeno?"

Jaemin immediately feels a blush raise on his cheeks, his immediate reaction making Renjun's eyes go wide. "Nothing!" He exclaims, shaking his head. "Seriously, there is nothing going on between us-"

"Okay so you may not know this, but I know when someone is lying and you, my dear pink friend, are talking out of your ass right now."

Jaemin is flabbergasted by the use of terminology, having never heard such a phrase or Renjun using such language. It makes him pause for a minute, but his housemate doesn't seem all that worried. Instead, he simply watches him from across the table, curiosity swirling in his eyes.

"I won't deny that I'm attracted to him," Jaemin begins after he manages to compose himself. "I mean I am pretty sure that I've been very forward in our last few meetings."

"Oh no~" Renjun smirks, falling against the back of his seat. "You just eye-fucked him when he slammed you up against that wall. The sexual tension between the both of you yesterday at dinner was definitely all in my head as well."

The heat on Jaemin's cheeks was getting hotter now, his gaze falling past his meal and down to his lap. His lips rushed to touch each other, his thumb and forefinger gently massaging his right ring-finger. The cool metal band acted as the perfect fidget for his current situation.

"Yeah well..." He sighed, leaning back in his own seat. "Regardless of what was going on between us, I think I messed it all up this morning."

Renjun looked concerned, his brows furrowing in the centre of his forehead. He leaned forward again, resting his arms on the tabletop. He reached across the table and took Jaemin's damp meal bag from the table. He watched mesmerized as Renjun ripped open the top and poured the essence of the bag into the glass. He gently slid it back across the table and motioned to it with his head.

"Drink."

Taking the glass between his fingers, Jaemin rose it to his lips. He groaned at the smell of the liquid, but knocked it back nonetheless. It burned his throat but satisfied his stomach. Renjun reached for the glass again, Jaemin stole a jelly.

"What happened this morning?"

So Jaemin told him. Renjun acted like his bartender, providing him with refills of his meal and offering out the chips when Jaemin knocked back another glass-load. Pretty soon the sharp metal tang of the liquid was numbed by the sharp zang of the salt and vinegar crisps that Renjun had retrieved from their snack cabinet.

"Wait, wait, wait." Renjun gaped, looking back at Jaemin with wide eyes. "This whole thing happened because you were in his bed?"

"Yep." He knocked back the third glass and groaned as it pooled in his stomach. He slammed the glass back down onto the coaster and slid it back to Renjun who seemed to operate on autopilot mode.

"This is bizarre." He admitted, pouring another glass-full. When he's finished he slides it back over and Jaemin's hand prevents it from falling over the edge of the table and spilling all over his clothing.

"Why?" He wonders, tilting his head. Renjun's reaction is enough to distract him from eating so he waits for an answer.

"It's just that..." he pauses, gazing off into the air between them, losing himself into his memories. "When I was with Mark, Jeno was really protective over his bed. He was extremely territorial, he didn't like anyone going into his room, didn't like anyone sitting on his bed." He snaps himself back from his memories and throws a crisp into his mouth. "I remember once I had to go inside to use his shower since Mark's was broken, Mark was already using it and Jeno was studying at his desk. To avoid me sitting on his bed, he exchanged with me. I sat on his office seat and he sat on his bed with his laptop and books. It was crazy."

"What can you tell me about him?" Jaemin wondered, shifting forward in his seat. He allowed his posture to alter, his shoulders slumping and his spine curling. He let himself relax, Renjun wasn't disgusted in him, he was actually helping to make sure that Jaemin ate. He knocked back the fourth glass.

"I've already told you that I don't know his sexual preferences, he wasn't dating anyone when I was dating Mark." He laughed and it made Jaemin laugh too.

"No, I meant it like..." Jaemin watches Renjun fill up his final glass, this one a half of all the previous ones he had taken. He takes a handful of jellies from the box and lets them fall onto the place-mat in front of him. "What was he like with you? What were your impressions of him? What does he study? What makes him tick? That sort of thing."

"They come as a package deal," Renjun explains and Jaemin can't help but laugh. "I'm being serious!" He giggles right back, throwing one of the smaller marshmallows at Jaemin's head. "They do!" He slides the last glass across the table and with practiced ease Jaemin grabs it and downs it all in one go. Renjun pulls the crisps closer to him and purposefully knocks his elbow into the jelly-box to slide it closer to Jaemin. The pink haired boy smiles kindly at him and takes up one of the bears he had arranged on the table to his lips. "Jeno scared me."

"Really?"

Renjun nods, swallowing another crisp. "His entire demeanor was striking when I first met him. He's known around campus as Mark Lee's Ice Prince best friend. He doesn't talk much, only when absolutely necessary. His facial features are cute and everything when he smiles, but when he isn't his face is quite literally the definition of a bitch-face. Don't get me wrong, his features and his build are the talk of the school and there are a number of people on campus who find him attractive, but more-often-than-not everyone is terrified by him. He's the top student in his course and he's like freakishly smart. Him and Mark do sports so he's a bit of a gym-rat, but he doesn't have your typical gym-bro personality. He's quiet, just looks after himself, he doesn't go to parties and when the season comes around everyone on the opposite team is terrified of him."

"What do they play?"

Renjun's lips curl upwards. "They're on the ice-hockey team. Jeno's on defense and he makes his presence known on the ice. He's a maverick, you will never know what he's going to do next. He actually broke one of the opposing team's centers last year, the bone was broken in like three separate places. Mark calls him Superman because he delivers the injuries but never gets them."

Jaemin is pleasantly surprised by the information he had just obtained. He never expected Jeno to be on a university team but it seemed like the guy was the perfect amount of mysterious. It was fueling Jaemin's curiosity and his affection by the minute.

"We all know that he's your type," Renjun continues. "But I'm sorry to tell you that I'm not entirely sure if you're his. Like I said before, I have no idea of his sexual preferences, but based on what you've told me so far about what happened between you guys.. It's possible."

Jaemin's head snapped upward. "Really?" He gushed. "Do you think so?"

"You were in his bed and didn't get murdered," Renjun deadpans. "I don't think you're grasping the severity of this situation."

"But I fucked it up-"

"Jaemin, you had a PTSD induced panic attack brought on by an action that you haven't had since you were still captive in the madman's territory!" Renjun's eyes were wild and his hands were moving widely alongside his words. "Of course you're going to freak the fuck out! Mark has always told me about Jeno's strength so I can only imagine what it did to kickstart something as strong as that. But you told him it wasn't his fault-"

"Of course I did!" Jaemin interrupts him. "Because it wasn't his fault, he didn't know about any of it. We were both playing around, I just didn't think that I would be as effective as it was. So I had to make sure that he knew it wasn't his fault."

"Jaem," Renjun reaches across the table and gently tangles their fingers together. Jaemin's breath hitches at the touch, surprised to have gotten it so easily. "You were such an affectionate person before this happened to you. Then you closed off because you didn't want to hurt anyone else in the same way that you were hurt. But Jeno -despite only knowing him for a few hours- was able to touch you and not have you completely freak out. It was just one prolonged touch to your wrist that made your body realise that you had actually been letting him touch you ever since he arrived. We've been terrified to touch you since we all remember that night when you first came here. But look at us..." Renjun gestured to their clasped hands. "We're sitting here holding hands and you're not panicking. Jeno quite literally slammed you into a wall yesterday and you stood there smiling at him. That's the reason all of us were so confused and stunned. You let someone else touch you in such a way and you didn't completely crumble. This morning was just a fluke, a momentary emotional breakthrough. It's not either of your faults that it happened. Jeno will understand if you-"

"I can't tell him." Jaemin declared, pulling his hand back. It falls to his lap and he tries to hold back the tears in his eyes. "I can't tell him what happened to me. I can't have him looking at me like I'm some type of-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence." Renjun growled, almost climbing onto the table. "Don't you dare allow yourself to think that you're a monster. You're not. You got turned into this against your will, don't you ever forget that."

"But you guys must think-"

Renjun's eyes widen as he notices the tears start to trail down Jaemin's cheeks. Instantly he pushes away from the table, the chair going flying to the ground. Renjun quickly rounds the table and gently pulls Jaemin's chair out. He falls to his knees in front of the pinkette and gently cradles his chin.

"We don't." He whispers, finding his own voice wet with tears. "None of us think of you in that way. We just never knew how to approach you, we didn't know if we would only make matters worse if we did. I'm sorry if you misunderstood our actions, but we didn't mean to make you feel that way."

"I'm so sorry." Jaemin sobbed, his hands rushing to hide his face. Renjun reached out to take them away but halted when he remembered that Jeno had taken him by the wrists earlier. Instead, Renjun gently placed his hands near Jaemin's elbows. He soothed the boy with a tender whisper and eventually managed to pry his hands away from his face.

"Don't apologize." His voice sounded better now, more confident. "You have nothing to apologize for."

Jaemin collapsed against him, his head falling against Renjun's stomach. The brunette gasped at the touch, but wrapped his arms around Jaemin's shoulders nonetheless. He held on tight, keeping them steady as another sob wrecked Jaemin's body. Renjun kept him close, humming gently as he ran his fingers through the latter's pink hair.

After a while Jaemin managed to calm down, inhaling soothing breaths to keep himself grounded. His blue eyes looked up at Renjun who gently traced the outline of the veins beneath his striking pale orbs.

"You're not a monster Jaemin," he whispered again for clarity's sake. "You're a survivor. Don't you ever forget that."

"Yeah," Jaemin sniffs, squaring his shoulders and sitting up straight. "You're right. I am a survivor. I just need to keep reminding myself of that."

"We're all here to help you." Renjun explains, resting both of his hands on either side of Jaemin's head. "If you need something, don't be afraid to say it."

"There is something that I've been really wanting to do," Jaemin admits, looking shyly down at his fingers again. Renjun's lips curl up on their own accord. "It's probably a ridiculous idea, but I want to ask anyway."

"Okay." Renjun nods, taking his arms back and crossing them against his chest. He waits patiently for Jaemin to find the strength to ask his question.

"Would you be up for a movie tonight?" When Jaemin finally looks up again his eyes are sparkling but not with tears this time. "I've always wanted to have like a big family movie night where we can completely rearrange the living room and get a bunch of snacks-"

"Oh I am so down for that!" Renjun squeals, his excitement making him bounce slightly in place. "I've been desperate to hog the living room TV for ages! What movie do you want to watch?"

"Oh..." Jaemin sounds surprised, bright eyes widening. "I never actually got that far.. I'm okay with anything but horror!"

A shiver rolls through Renjun's bones, his mind dragging up forgotten memories. "Ditto." He agrees. "I still have nightmares about the Shining. Mark and Jeno forced me to watch it a few months before we broke up, I have never completely forgiven them for it."

"Renjun..?" Jaemin wonders, gazing up at his friend. "What exactly happened between you and Mark anyway? How come no one knew about it? Weren't you happy with him?"

Renjun's shoulders dropped on either side of his head, his heart aching in his chest at the memories. "There's a war coming our way Jaemin, whether we like it or not. I loved Mark, but I didn't want him to be caught up in this life... so I made the decision to leave. We didn't have any classes that overlapped and on such a large campus it was easy to just fade into the background. At the time I thought that I was doing the right thing, but now.."

"He's a werewolf like the rest of the house." Jaemin finished for him, nodding along. "I can understand that."

"I know that it was probably the coward's way out, but I couldn't see another option. I couldn't leave a note because there were no words that I could say to even begin to explain this and Mark is the type of person who deserves better than a lame apology. I figured that a quick disappearance would be beneficial in the long run, but I never planned to sleep with him that night.. It just happened. I thought about holding off and drawing it out longer, but I couldn't do that to him... So, I ran. I left before dawn and I forced myself to forget."

"But he's here now.." Jaemin gapes. "Do you think that you guys could maybe get back together?"

Renjun smiled despite himself. He shook his head and watched as Jaemin's hope slowly vanished. "I've thought about it," he admitted. "When we came home and he was on the couch I thought that we would have a chance. I finally had the perfect chance to explain everything to him, but then I spoke with Jeno. You were there, you heard what he said. My actions hurt Mark in a way I hadn't even considered. I know in my heart that I did the right thing, even if it meant that I ran the risk of losing him forever. We've both grown in such different ways now, we're two entirely different people. I think our relationship is finished, but I do have the hope that we might be able to continue to be friends."

Jaemin fell backwards in his chair, his gaze heavy as he watched Renjun slowly bring himself back to his seat. He seemed to walk straighter now then he did before, like a weight had finally lifted from his shoulders now that he had finally spoken about his situation with Mark. Jaemin had only heard one side of the story the previous day, now, he knew that there was far more to it than what meets the eye.

He felt proud of Renjun for finally admitting something that seemed to be weighing on him since yesterday. It seems as though there was a linger of growth in the air.

"Let's keep it strictly between us tonight," He proclaimed once his friend had retaken his seat. "No boy drama, just two friends watching a movie and enjoying their new bond for a change."

"I like that idea." Renjun's grin gets wider until he's smiling across the table at Jaemin. "But only if I get to choose the movie."

Jaemin holds up both hands in a defensive motion. "That's no problem with me!"

There's a sound of struggling in the hallway that catches them both off guard, but before Jaemin can move to investigate it, Haechan comes barreling in with a small panicked smile.

"Sorry!" He apologizes, bowing his head as he rushes over to the fridge. "I'll only take a minute, I don't want to intrude."

"You live here too, you know." Renjun remarks with a smile, watching as the second eldest in the room latches onto the snack cabinet's handle.

"Oh.." Haechan takes a deep breath and stands taller, smiling politely. "Right." he announces like he just remembered that himself. "Sorry, my head's all over the place this afternoon."

Jaemin's brows furrow. "Are you okay?"

"Not really," Haechan admits from inside the cabinet, his head completely disappearing inside. "I had a bad dream last night that has sort of just put me on edge all day. I asked Suho if he could squeeze me in today, but he's booked up until tomorrow morning. So I'm raiding the snack cabinet because it's my other source of happiness."

Jaemin hummed in acknowledgement, he knew how busy Suho was within his online therapy clinic. It had really shot off in the last few months with more and more people having recommended him. Not many were of the supernatural category, but the small few who sang his praises on the quiet online platforms. Jaemin had been the one to show him what they were saying a few months back, his hyung's shy grin was at the forefront of his mind for weeks afterwards.

"Where are the salt and vinegar crisps?" Haechan wonders to himself.

Renjun grabs hold of the bag and pulls it up. "Over here. We got jellies too."

"Brilliant!" He slams over the cabinet door and approaches the table with a packet of cookies and three bottles of coke in hand. The coke bottles are from Jisung's stack that he keeps in the cabinet for emergencies, he has absolutely no idea that Haechan has been stealing from his stash.

The three coke bottles get distributed amongst the three occupants, each one evilly grinning at their stolen merchandise. Haechan all but collapses into the seat closest to Renjun, his face pale as he tries to breathe.

"I just came back from a run, I figured that I best run off the trauma but apparently it didn't do anything other than make me lose my breath."

"Oof been there," Renjun declared, unscrewing his bottle. Jaemin raised his own "Done that." He concluded. The two of them knocked their bottles together before either of them took a sip. Haechan laughed at the sight and took a quick sip of his own.

"What's your plans for tonight?" Jaemin wondered, glancing at Renjun briefly before turning his attention to Haechan who seemed to consider it for a moment.

"I'm probably going to be up all night," He shrugged. "Can't risk falling back into that horror-show again. I was thinking of playing a few rounds of Call of Duty, before I eventually pass out."

"Sounds like fun." Renjun admitted, sneaking a glance back at Jaemin. "Do you want to ask him or should I?"

Haechan's brow raises in confusion, his plump lips pouting. "What?"

"Can I ask?" Jaemin wonders, practically bouncing in his seat. Renjun laughs but nods his head, turning back to Haechan with a nervous smile on his lips. "Renjun and I got to talking and we decided that tonight we were going to steal the living room for a movie night. We already agreed that there will be no horror films involved so you're more than welcome to join us if you want to."

Haechan's slumped figure rose immediately, his eyes wide. "Are you serious?"

"Deadly." Renjun jokes, stealing another crisp.

"Like a family movie night?" Haechan asks again for clarity.

Jaemin nods his head, his vision blurring from the quickness of the action. His entire body is abuzz with excitement. He's been dreaming about this moment since he first got here and now it is finally happening.

"That's what we've decided to call it." Renjun agrees.

"Absolutely!" Haechan cries, propelling himself out of his chair. "Oh please can we? I've been wanting to do that for ages!"

"That's what I said!" Jaemin gasped, staring wide eyed at his other housemate who he had believed hated him less than twenty minutes ago.

"You're joining us?" Haechan wondered, glancing across the table at Jaemin.

His blood went cold.

Oh.

Maybe this was just a fluke.

Maybe Haechan didn't actually like him and was just interested in having Renjun along for the movie night. That was alright, Jaemin could go back to his sanctuary, there was still a lot of work to do down there-

"He actually suggested it." Renjun announced, much to Jaemin's horror.

But then, the most unexpected thing happened. Haechan disappeared from right in front of his eyes. He felt a presence standing right next to him. Jaemin barely had to turn his head until he found Haechan's eyes again.

"Are you finally opening up to us?" Haechan wondered, his voice light and airy. He sounded like he was going to cry at any minute.

Jaemin sat stupefied on his seat, staring up at the bronze skinned boy with his heart beating wildly in his chest. Afraid of the words that could potentially slip past his lips, Jaemin simply nodded his head.

Haechan threw his arms around his shoulders and pulled him up from his seat. Jaemin stumbled against his hold, breath leaving his lungs at the action. His arms felt heavy in the air before him, not entirely sure what was happening right now.

"Finally!" Haechan cheered against his neck, sniffling now. "We've waited so long, Jaemin."

And just like that the dam broke. Tears spilled over Jaemin's cheeks and down his jawline before dropping onto the back of Haechan's shirt. He dropped his hands against his housemate's waist and pulled him impossibly closer. Haechan held on just as tight, crying but giggling cheerfully in his arms.

Pretty soon their hug had additional limbs as Renjun leaned against Haechan's back and coiled his arms around Jaemin's shoulders. One of Haechan's hands came back to squeeze him closer, bringing the three of them closer still.

"I'm so sorry." Jaemin spluttered, having no other words to say. "I didn't know that this entire time it was me that was making a bridge between us-"

"It was unintentional." Haechan pulled back just enough to look him in the eye.

Jaemin stared into the eyes of his new friends, giggling like a child as they both smiled back at him.

"I mean I know that we all have some sort of trauma in this house," Haechan declared, wiping the tears of his own eyes. "But you far outweigh the rest of us. We knew that it would take time, but I definitely expect it to be right now... what changed? What happened?"

"Jeno." Jaemin admitted. He was shocked with how simple it sounded from his lips. "It was Jeno. If he hadn't touched me this morning I wouldn't have been in here in the first place. I wouldn't have wanted to open up."

"He touched you?!" Haechan's eyes flared a dangerous gold. "How is he still breathing?!"

"Not like that!" Jaemin's cheeks burned, his mind unable to comprehend such a situation.

"Oh..." The gold in his eyes dispersed and his deep brown gaze returned. "Sorry."

"Well I initially thought that there was something going on when he told me as well." Renjun admitted. He was still standing against Haechan's back, his chin resting comfortably on his shoulder. "He was in his bed this morning."

"What?!"

"It wasn't even like that!"

"Oh I'm going to need the details!"

"Whatever details those are can wait until I'm finished cooking dinner." Kyungsoo announced his presence, walking into the room with his attention focused solely on his phone. "What is everyone in the mood for tonight?"

"Oh.. um... Kyung?" Jaemin whispered, using the distraction to his advantage. He sidestepped his way out of Haechan and Renjun's clutches and dashed after the chef of the household. "Chanyeol said that if you were making chili tonight, I had to text him and he would bring back McDonalds."

It seems to be enough to pull Kyungsoo's gaze from his cellphone. "Oh he did, did he?"

"Yep." Jaemin nods his head, balancing on the tip of his toes. "We were also thinking of holding a family movie night in the living room tonight and McDonalds sounds like a really good idea for a late night snack, don't you think?"

He was silent for a moment, processing the information. Then he shrugs and turns his attention back to his phone screen. "Beats me having a cook for the night! Thanks Jaem, I'll tell Sehun to pick me up something on his way home from work."

"You don't want to join us tonight?"

Kyungsoo halts in his steps out of the kitchen, he raises his head and looks at each of them in turn. "Nah," he claims. "Moments like this are for close friendships. Don't destroy my living room."

"Aye aye Captain!" The three of them choir before he leaves.

-x-

When they pull up into the driveway of the darkened cabin, Jeno finally lets out a tired sigh. He had spent the last four hours endlessly shopping for not only himself but for his best friend, who couldn't seem to find anything that suited his personal preferences. Jisung had been absolutely no help, as he just seemed to support Mark's cause and not offer any help whatsoever to Jeno or Chanyeol who were both growing tired from the elongated stay.

"I'm not a people person!" He had groaned when they were finally back on the highway going home.

"But you were speaking to that sale's assistant for what felt like ages." Jisung hollered from the back of the car.

"Because I had to ask him if he had any of Mark's ridiculous jackets in the back! He didn't even seem to understand Korean! I had to use like three other languages to try and communicate with him!"

"That's because you terrified him!" Mark shouted back, before laughing hysterically. "Would it kill you to smile for once when dealing with hospitality staff?"

"He has a point." Chanyeol agreed from the driver's seat. Jeno snapped his head to see him and glared. He was supposed to be on Jeno's side of this, not the others! "What!" He chuckles. "He's right. You walked straight up to the guy with a scowl and then asked if he had any of the things in your hand, in the back."

"I said please." Jeno announced, crossing his arms against his chest and sinking even deeper into his seat.

Needless to say, the entire journey was making him in desperate need of both a shower and his new bed. Finally, arriving back home made his shoulders relax, but for only a minute. Now that they were back and parked in the exact same position as when they left, Jeno was met with the unfortunate memory of Jaemin and everything that happened between them.

Jeno groans as his face hits against the window, Mark and Jisung looking at him curiously from outside. Chanyeol's fingers thread through his hair, gently guiding him backward.

"Come on Lee," He announces, reaching over to unlock Jeno's door. "Time to face the music."

"I'm going to bed!" Jeno declares when his feet hit the cobblestones. "I'm bypassing everyone and going straight to the stairs, Mark can take my bags with him to his room and I'll get them in the morning."

"What's your problem?" Mark wonders, having gathered most of their shopping bags from the trunk. "You're never one to delay putting away clothing?" Now was not the time for his best friend to grow observant. Jeno liked it when Mark didn't have a clue about what was happening around him, it made things easier. "You always say that you prefer to get it done and over with immediately so you don't have it crowding up your mind and space."

"Something is telling me that you really shouldn't have said that.." Jisung states as he walks past, a bunch of McDonalds bags in his hands.

"What did I do?!" Mark yells, rushing after him.

Jeno watches him go with his forehead vein popping. He turns back to Chanyeol who he finds giggling quietly to himself at the trunk.

"You're not funny."

"I just find it interesting that despite these new abilities that he's got, he still can't see what's exactly in front of him." Chanyeol admits, bumping their shoulders together. "It's obvious that you're uncomfortable with Jaemin."

"Kyungsoo said that it could take days or weeks for his new abilities to come in," Jeno lectured, gently pushing past the giant to get at the last few remaining bags. He collects them all and slips his fingers around the straps. Chanyeol closes the door and begins to lead him towards the stairs. "So, fortunately, for both of our sakes, Mark is still as oblivious as ever."

"What did I miss?" Mark wonders, reappearing at the top of the stairs.

"My text message explaining how important it was that you attend my architecture lecture when I was at home sick." Jeno replied with the easiest option he could think of.

Mark groaned and hung his head between his shoulders. "That was one time, let it go!"

"Oh like my nail clippers, fat chance!" Jeno yelled after his best friend who disappeared back into the house.

Chanyeol offered to take some of the food bags in his hands, but Jeno merely shook off the gesture. He carried Mark's heavy ass up these steps more than twenty-four hours ago now, he could handle the shopping.

"In here hyung!" Jisung called from the kitchen so Jeno moved to follow his voice. He almost stumbled over Mark's shoes at the entrance which he quickly made sure his best friend was aware of.

Mark comes to get them when he's at the doorway to the kitchen.

"Okay so Renjun-hyung I know I have some chicken nuggets in here somewhere," Jisung spoke from the dining table, where he was glancing through each of the bags to try and locate the chosen menu options.

"I think I have most of the food Ji." Jeno announces, walking right up to the youngest who helped him to set everything down on the table. Jisung took one bag and Jeno peered into the other. "Okay, I have a Big-Mac meal with no pickles and a Sprite."

"That would be mine." Jaemin's sweet voice came from directly in front of him. Jeno's breath caught in his throat.

The pinkette was standing against the seat where Jeno had breakfast that morning. He smiled across the table at Jeno, his pink hair tucked neatly beneath the hood of a pink hoodie. He was also sporting a matching set of pink pajama pants. In his hand he was holding onto one of the small cushions from the couch in the living room. He looked comfortable and adorable.

"Here you go." He placed each of the packages onto a plate that had been on the table. He slid it across the table and quickly withdrew his hand. He returned his gaze to the bag in front of him, realising that his own order was staring up at him. He scoffed at the irony and gathered up his order on a plate similar to the way in which he had placed Jaemin's. "Cheeseburger and curly fries?"

"Come to papa!" Haechan yelled entering the room in a bear onesie. He approached Jeno with a wide smile and outstretched hands. Jeno couldn't help but laugh at the gesture, handing over the plate as he did.

"Chicken wrap and fries?" Jisung announces, holding up the wrap container. Mark yanks it from his hand the next second.

"Mine!"

"Has everyone got their food?" Chanyeol asks to which the whole room answers in the affirmative. "Good," he nods his head. "Now I have some business to attend to so if anyone needs me at all I'll be in my bedroom."

"Night hyung!" The room shouted back.

"So I noticed that the living room lights are on." Jisung states looking mildly concerned. "Is everything okay?"

"We're having a movie night." Renjun explains with a smile, happily feasting on his portion of fries. "Us three only, unfortunately."

"Hey!" Jisung gapes, blinking widely. "I'm a part of this house too!"

"So are we!" Mark continues in the same tone. "Technically."

"It's only those born in 2000 who are allowed at the movie night." Haechan countered, sticking his tongue out.

"Jeno's allowed go?!" Jisung and Mark squawk looking completely defeated as they abandon their food in surprise. Jeno snags a couple of fries from both of their plates and doesn't say anything about it.

"Nope." Renjun pops the 'p'. "Afraid that it's only those who have been in this house longer than a year who can join."

"Bummer." He shrugs his shoulders making it a point to avoid Jaemin's gaze. "Anyway, I'm off to bed."

"Dude!" Mark shouts after him, making his halt in his tracks. "We cannot allow this! We have to fight our ground!"

Jeno was too tired to fight anything right now. He just wanted to take his Big-Mac and Coke and bring it upstairs to his room where he could die on his mattress and not be expected to wake up for the next fifteen hours.

"I've had a lifetime supply of social interaction today, I am not doing anything else other than eating this," he gently waves his plate. "And going to bed."

"We've lost him!" Jisung howls, his head hanging against his chest. He makes a sorrowful pose with his right hand on his left pec as if he was standing over Jeno's grave. "He's gone too soon."

"Goodnight." Jeno laughs, shaking his head at their antics. He turns on his heel and begins to make his way towards the main staircase. His feet linger on the first step.

"Jeno?" Jaemin's voice calls out to him. He turns around and meets his gaze as the latter comes through the hallway. "I was hoping to get a chance to talk to you before we both went to bed."

"Okay..?" Jeno gestures to his plate. "What's up?"

"I'm sorry about earlier-"

"Jaemin, we've already had this talk." Jeno tries to turn around to continue his way back up the stairs but Jaemin appears above him on the next step. He lets a sigh slip past his lips. "Do you mind?"

"I want to talk to you." Jaemin states, more firmer this time.

"Does it have to be right now?" Jeno wonders, longing for his bed. "I'm really tired and I've spent the whole day trying to figure out what I did wrong so I'm extra exhausted. I also need to sleep or I'm just going to ramble."

"Wait." Jaemin stands in front of him again, his brown eyes tracing over Jeno's facial features. "You thought about me the whole day?"

"More like what the hell I did to make you cry, but sure, take from that what you will I guess."

"Right," he shakes his head. "Sorry. That's not important.. What I wanted to tell is... i want to tell you something but it's a lot and it's about my past-"

"Hey." Jeno stops him because he can already sense another panic attack brewing. "You don't need to explain anything to me. I'll admit that I have absolutely no idea what's going on but when do you when your best friend just turned into a werewolf?"

It's supposed to be a joke and Jaemin admittedly laughs at it but he'll admit that he's mostly laughing at the awkwardness.

"Can we start fresh?" He wonders, head tilting. "Can we just forget everything that happened this morning and just start fresh?"

Jeno shifts on his legs, finding them growing more tired the longer he stands there. "I don't know." he admits wholeheartedly. "I don't really know you to actually try and start over. If we did I would just be afraid of causing you to go through that again."

"You won't."

Jeno couldn't help but scoff. How the hell could Jaemin say that?

"How can you say that?"

"Because despite what you might think I actually trust you, I know that what happened this morning wasn't meant to happen. You would never willingly hurt me. I know that."

"You don't even know me." Jeno chuckles humorlessly, shaking his head. "We haven't even known each other a day yet-"

"I know," Jaemin sighs, his fingers playing with each other again. "I know that. But I can't deny that I'm not interested in getting to know you. It's actually quite the opposite, I want to learn more about you."

"Why?"

"I don't know why." Jaemin finds himself admitting, shrugging his shoulders. "Can you feel it too?"

Yes.

And I'm terrified by it.

"What do you want from me Jaemin?" Jeno asks, hoping that this conversation would end so he could finally get some sleep. This day was just getting weirder and weirder as the hours ticked on.

"I want to tell you about my past," Jaemin announces, much to Jeno's surprise. "And if you're being good I might even tell you my classification while I'm at it."

"What?" Jeno splutters, almost making his meal fall to the carpet. "Why?"

"Because I meant it when I said that I trust you, I also admit that despite not knowing you for very long, I feel a connection with you. One I can't even begin to comprehend. Since you showed up, things have happened to me that never have before and while I'll admit that it scares me, I'm intrigued by it nonetheless."

"So, you avoid me for most of the day and now you want to tell me your life story?"

Jaemin's lips curl upwards and that familiar mischief light fills his eyes. "Aren't you curious?" He wonders. "Don't you want to know more about me? Finally hear about what I really am?"

"Of course I do." Jeno admits, with a dip of his head. "But only when you're ready to tell me, not just because you think I want you to give it to me."

Those words sounded better in his head. Spoken out loud they sounded like double meanings. Jeno inwardly groaned at Jaemin's morphing smirk.

"Good to know that you have patience, we'll definitely have to test that restraint out."

"Don't tempt me." Jeno declared, feeling his eyes narrow. "I won't be held responsible for the consequences."

"Let's just focus on one thing at a time." Jaemin giggles, gently tracing a finger down the expanse of Jeno's cheek. "Nice use of my line by the way."

Jeno shrugs his shoulders. "Felt right in the moment."

"When are you free tomorrow?"

Jeno pauses for a moment to rattle his brain. Jisung and Mark had decided that they wanted a rematch tomorrow morning after breakfast and then Chanyeol said that he had a couple things that he wanted to run through with them before dinner. Jeno was hoping to get a start on some of the missed college work after dinner so-

"I'm free before breakfast?"

Jaemin's eyes sparkled, his tongue swiping against his lower lip as he nodded. "What about your Google search?"

Jeno shrugs his shoulders. "What's one more day?"