war of love, jeno

chapter forty-four

Jeno huffed as he sat up, his throat now feeling sore while his head was pounding intensively.

It took him a second to register that he wasn't in his own room. The sound of the clock hanging on the wall across from him ticked as each second passed.

Maybe I should get water. But what if Eunjin wakes up and sees me down there? Would she get scared seeing me at two in the morning?

He really wanted to care but he felt like he'd pass out any second if he didn't get some water into his system. Or anything for that matter, it felt like his stomach would eat itself soon if he didn't get something to eat as well.

His breath was rigid as he stood up, nearly falling to the ground as his feet wobbled beneath him.

The trip down the stairs wasn't much fun, each step making him worry one of his knees would give out and he'd soon be tumbling down the wooden stairs.

A crackle of thunder outside made him jump slightly. He hadn't even realized that it was pouring down outside. He didn't really care for the rainy season.

He still stumbled slightly as he walked down the stairs but as soon as his left leg hit the wooden floor, his knee buckled and he was on the cold ground.

Jeno was not someone who got sick easily. He had a strong immune system and he couldn't remember the last time he was sick.

Actually, that was a lie. The last time he was sick, he was in bed for nearly two and half months because it was so bad. He could barely walk without shots of pain beckoning through his body with each movement.

A pained groan left his throat as he felt Eunjin rush over to him.

"Geez, you're nearly dripping in sweat, Jeno," she gasped, pulling one of his arms over her shoulder. Jeno was definitely bigger than her but with the two of them putting in help, he made it to the couch.

He watched as Eunjin disappeared for a moment, the sound of the sink running in the kitchen echoing through the otherwise quiet house.

The long-haired girl came back with a white rag, bowl of water, and water bottle. She handed the water bottle to Jeno and watched as he took it gratefully, gulping down as much as he could without drowning himself.

When he let the empty bottle fall to the ground, Eunjin stood up, pressing the now cold and wet rag against his forehead.

There was barely any light in the room, the yellow street lampposts outside shining brightly through the curtains and blinds while the purple lightning that flashed by every few seconds also lit up the room.

"Wait a second..." Jeno looked into Eunjin's as she wiped the space under his eyes. "Your cross is just makeup? And not even waterproof?"

Jeno groaned again, falling backward in despair. He had forgotten he even had the small mark on his face.

Eunjin laughed softly as she took a seat on the couch and pressed the rag back onto his forehead, ignoring the small words of protest.

"It's okay, it's cute," she laughed, pushing his left hand away.

She raised a brow as lightning stuck outside, illuminating his flushed face. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. You can keep your bad-boy persona."

"I don't have a bad-boy persona," Jeno whined, trying to turn away. It was no use, his limbs aching along with the feeling of his face heating up so much it was practically begging for cold water to just be dumped on him.

Maybe that would help. If he dumped cold water on himself, it'd give him an excuse to run go to the bathroom where he would then never have to face Eunjin again.

"Yeah, okay. I see you every day walking around campus and in class with that stupid squint and cold front. You're literally sitting on my couch whining like a baby right now."

"I am not," Jeno huffed.

"Fine, if you won't admit it then I'll let you do this by yourself, as you'd like-" she smiled as Jeno grabbed her wrist, stopping her from standing up. "See? I knew that would work."

Jeno rolled his eyes, trying not to smile as she put the rag back on. "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

Eunjin let the rag drop on his head before she tried to stand up. She nearly fell back over when Jeno grabbed her wrist again. "Wait, what are you doing?"

"I was going to turn the light on. I can't see a thing."

Jeno shook his head, trying to pull her back onto the couch without accidentally hurting her. "No, just leave them off. It feels more peaceful."

Eunjin nodded, taking a seat beside him again. "Not a big baby, my ass."

early update!

fun fact that's not so fun:
i never got sick as a kid. like i missed maybe 10 days in all from pre-school to like 7th grade.
but then in early 2019 (might have been 2020 i can't remember 😭) i got super sick and was out of school for like almost all of january-march bc i could barely walk and was in a lot of pain
but i'm better now, so don't worry

actually flashback:
i got into a kickball accident in like 5th grade and bruised my thigh (my doctor told me i actually almost broke it and it's literally one of the hardest bones to break) but even after i healed, my knees would randomly give out if i tried running or jogging (which ruined any chances i had at sports)
anyways after i got sick back in 2019, my knees got even worse somehow. and at my school at the time, i went up and down the stairs like six times a day.
so anyways, yeah my knees are literally weak and i almost fell up and down the stairs multiple times lmfao 😭