🆂🆀🆄🅰🆁🅴🅳 2| SEQUEL

27

Jeno took them out for lunch, picking up Renjun along the way too. The restaurant they picked wasn't anything too fancy but it wasn't mediocre fast food either.

They ordered a variety of food, especially for Renjun, and waited.

"I'm probably going to go and crash after this, I'm already tired," Renjun says with a yawn as he leaned his head on Jeno's shoulder.

"Me too, I'm just going to go home and nap."

Jina frowned at this slightly and questions arose in her head from before that needed to be answered.

"Question. Why do you guys live separately?"

All three made eye contact she couldn't understand, their faces blank.

"We just... do?" Renjun answers, scratching the back of his head.

She nods, sucking in the energy she needed to hold her outburst. "Don't you think it's better to live together? I'm so surprised," she adds. In her head, she was coming up with multiple reasons.

They shared that secret eye contact again. Were they hiding something?

"It just didn't work out for us at the moment and we got comfortable but I suppose we could," Jaemin says unsurely.

"You suppose?" She repeats, frowning. "He's pregnant. I think it would be good to be by him at all times, it's good for the baby too," she says, trying not to show disappointment in their lack of enthusiasm.

"Y-yeah you're right... So where will we live exactly?" Jaemin asks.

"Would you mind staying in the apartments?" Renjun asks.

"My house is better. It's big enough for the fou- six of us," Jeno says as he blinked repeatedly. His face slowly but surely flushed as his eyes widened. "Oh my god... there's six of us".

"Five you idiot, if you exclude yourself," Renjun scoffs.

"We're a family... a complicated one at that," Jaemin adds as the realization hit him too at the moment.

Jina clapped out loud. "Wow, congrats to you on becoming fathers and just realizing you have responsibilities," she says sarcastically.

She sees the three of them frown and she knew she hit a couple of nerves, they were probably questioning themselves but she wanted to be straightforward. She didn't come to play but to set things right and keep it that way.

"Of course, you have your reasons I mean you're all so young, having a child at 20 and 19 it's just both frightening and exhilarating," she says not caring if she was rambling.

"Maybe you're afraid your youth is all gone but it isn't completely true. Be yourselves but understand the child you have is going to be influenced by you, you're going to be their world."

"I'm not worried about my youth," Jeno starts... "I'm genuinely happy; I'm worried about Renjun if anything. I feel like I took something special from him."

"You won't feel that way for long. It's your baby, you're going to take care of it in return," Renjun says as he placed his hand over his tummy, there was barely any bump yet.

"Jaemin? What do you have to say?"

"I think we all just indulged ourselves in unhealthy habits to cope with everyday life. It's going to be hard but I'll try my best for all of us," he says smiling weakly.

She had no idea what her absence in their relationship had done to them. It was a true nightmare but she was never going to know. They didn't want her to know, and the more dirty secrets they had. Secrets that tainted them.

Two years ago

An entire week. Renjun had been in the hospital for a week straight. He suffered from PTSD and was left alone in the same room. He had not seen anyone besides his parents. One week felt like a month and he was getting sick of it.

"Renjun, I brought your favorite"

He looked at the food his mom held before him but it didn't look appetizing at all. The smell or the sight didn't affect him.

"Thanks," was all he managed to say as she placed it on the table by his side. She took out a bouquet and began to arrange them at the side.

The doctor walked in and checked the monitor and wrote something down on his clipboard.

"How is he?" His mother asks.

"He's been doing well, for the most part, I think he should see his soulmates today- it can help speed the recovery," he says as Renjun's heart slowly picked pace.

He had been asking for them non-stop but they were no better than him. Jeno was shot and Jaemin was traumatized.

Later that day he was guided to a separate room and left alone to walk in himself. He walked in and was met with the sight of Jeno who sat on his bed and Jaemin seated beside him.

Jaemin stood up his arms spread out as the older crashed into him with a hug, sobbing into his chest.

"You're okay," he hushed, digging his hand into his hair. He pulled away and he did the same to Jeno, except he was more careful. Jeno smiled as he clutched onto him as if he were going to slip through his fingers.

"Thank god, you're okay," he mumbled and he didn't want to let go. The boy lay beside him curled against his chest and he gestured for Jaemin to join them. It was small but none of them cared and stayed squeezed together.

"Where's Jina?"