A Single Word - Chapter Three
Title: A Single Word - Chapter Three
Pairing: JongKey. Also some Minkey. Could be more, depending on whether or not this develops the way I intend :)
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Angst, mentions of abuse.
Summary: The night a strange new person enters his life, everything changes for Key.
Word Count: 2,026
Notes: A little longer than the last chapters, right? ^_^ I've been waiting for some of the things in this chapter, although there were some unexpected events that slipped in. I know it's a slow story, but I feel like it kind of has to be to accommodate their relationship. Because Jonghyun is so timid right now, and Key is so uncertain about him, it will take a while for things to progress. But don't worry! The coming chapters will get interesting, I promise. Or, I hope they will :DDD Please enjoy and comment!
Spot For: hurryupthecakes :D Always feel free to ask me for a spot on a fic if anyone would like one ^_^
01| 02
By Tuesday, they had the spare room completely ready for him. Key and his mother led the boy into the room. It was nice, smaller than Key's, but not by much. The bed was hardly used, made up and clean. Key felt happy that his father had returned the night before with new sheets and a new blanket for him. They weren't his old ones, but they would do until he could find something else he actually liked.
The boy looked around the room with wide eyes, making him appear like an animal caught in headlights. Key wondered if he'd ever had a room even that nice before. They weren't anywhere near rich. They were a mid-income family, with both parents working, but they lived comfortably enough. They never lacked anything they needed. His parents were good with money, something they tried to instill in Key from a young age.
Key thought it looked entirely too plain, like a hotel room, but he supposed that was to be expected. It's not like the boy had brought anything of his own to put in there. He stood awkwardly until Key's mother left, at which point he made a decision. "Wait a second. I'll be right back."
With that, he went into his room and picked out some of his more interesting magazines. Once back in the spare bedroom, he fanned them out neatly on the dresser. "You can look at these if you want. There's good clothes and fashion tips for men. Just don't get them messy or leave them laying around."
Key went back into his room and took one of his posters down. He didn't touch the Lady Gaga one, because that was his favorite. Moving back into the spare bedroom, he smiled when he saw the boy touching the magazines, as if curious but too scared to do anything with them. "Go ahead. I've never heard of magazines attacking someone. Although I did get a pretty mean paper cut once."
The boy stared at him, seemingly more interested in what he was doing that the magazines. Key hung the poster up on the wall adjacent to the bed. "It's good to have posters in your room. You're a teenager, so it's pretty much required. Kesha is awesome. She's a celebrity in America."
Key didn't know if he would have ever even heard of her, but he thought it was cute the way he looked at it curiously with his big brown eyes.
"You know, it would be nice to know your name. I know my mom has asked you, and you don't seem to want to tell us. I don't even know if you can talk or write, but if you can it would make her really happy to know." Key paused for a moment before adding, "I'd like to know as well."
Honestly, it was really weird. The boy was definitely like a puppy, an animal that had been hurt and was too afraid to open up to them. Key didn't have a whole lot of experience with animals, but he knew he couldn't be as short with this boy. He could only imagine how much snapping at him might negatively affect his perception of them. Forcing on a smile, Key moved past him. "I hope you like it, your room."
Key had hoped the boy would take to the new room like he had to Key's, but it was only ten minutes before he was hovering awkwardly in the hallway. Key attempted to ignore him while he spoke on the phone with Minho.
"Yeah, I want to go out, but I have to help around the house. Something unexpected came up."
Minho acted understanding, but Key knew it just made him curious. Key smiled when he heard Onew call out from the background, "We miss you!"
Eventually it got kind of weird and annoying, so Key was forced to deal with it. "I have to go guys. I'll try and get out some. If not, then I'll see you when school starts again."
The sigh he got as a reply made Key feel both bad for ditching his friends and annoyed at having to. He never asked for this. He'd never even wanted a sibling, not really. Well, once he asked if he could have a little sister so he could dress her up, but that passed when he realized she wouldn't always be sweet and quiet like a doll. He settled to think that maybe one day he would have a model to put clothes on instead.
"Omo! Boy, what are you doing? You have your own room. Do you need the bathroom? Food?" he listed off, feeling his mind search through possibilities as the boy shook his head slowly at each one. "Well, I don't know what to do for you. If you're bored, you can watch some TV."
The idea sounded good, and Key walked into the living room quickly to grab the remote and turn it on. "There are a lot of different things to choose from, movies, dramas, anime," he suggested as he flipped channels. "You just press this button until you find something good," he showed the boy as he placed the remote in his hand. Shaking his head, Key went back to his own room. He just wanted a break.
A few hours later, when Key returned to check on him, he saw the boy sitting in front of the TV, staring at it. It was still on the station he'd left it on. He sighed incredulously and could only feel relieved that he hadn't left it on something boring. "You don't have to watch it forever, if you don't want to," Key said, moving closer and hovering over the couch. "You can do something else if you'd like. Or change the channel once in a while."
The boy looked at him and nodded, as if he understood, but Key was really starting to wonder how much he did understand. Sure, there were the words he seemed to understand, but the meaning behind them. He seemed to respond to commands or suggestions, but he didn't really do that much on his own, and when he did and someone saw him, he acted like he was doing something bad. It made Key's heart ache a little, thinking about how this boy might be afraid of them punishing him for nothing, for just being himself.
"I won't get mad. I promise," he said more softly. "You can do whatever you want. Make yourself at home. I won't get mad."
Key's mother had to go back to work, leaving almost immediately after they showed the boy his new room, so it was just the two of them until early evening. That night was the first time the new boy ate at the table with them. He looked incredibly awkward no matter how many times Key or his mother gave him reassuring looks. Key's mother went even farther, talking to him even when he wouldn't respond. Key tried to eat quickly because it made him feel uncomfortable. Every time Key's dad moved, the boy would jump, looking scared and almost knocking things off the table. But it wasn't only him he seemed worried about. Anytime his dad would reach towards Key or his mother, he'd tense up like he was afraid of them getting attacked too. It made Key a little angry because he couldn't see what the boy saw. In his eyes, his dad was like a saint. He didn't understand how this boy hadn't realized that yet, especially after he'd done so much for him.
After dinner, Key had retreated to his room, more than happy to let his mother deal with the boy for the rest of the evening. He felt a little bad for shutting himself away, but he needed some time to himself.
The next day they were left alone again. Luckily, the boy wasn't hanging out in the hall like he was the day before. Key spent about an hour on the phone with Minho, the other asking why he couldn't come out or why he couldn't come over. It made Key frustrated that he couldn't really talk about it yet, so he just said he had to take care of things for his parents.
"I miss you," Minho said, something that made Key's stomach flutter.
"I miss you too. Both of you," Key added quickly before hanging up, because he didn't want Onew to feel left out.
A couple of hours later, while reading a book his history teacher had assigned for the break, Key realized the boy was standing in his doorway. He looked up through his lashes before setting the book to the side and leaning forward, crossing his legs. "Come in. What is it?" he asked, although he wasn't sure he'd get an answer.
The boy slowly walked in, and as he got closer, Key noticed he had one of the magazines in his hand. Key looked at it curiously, wondering what he could possibly be doing, bringing it to him. The boy moved closer until he was a couple feet away from the bed. He stopped awkwardly and Key sighed before sliding off his bed and moving closer. "What is it?"
Holding the magazine up, the boy opened it to a page his finger had been holding the spot of. His lips turned up just slightly as he pointed to something. Key stepped a little closer and peered over the magazine to see what it was. He couldn't help but feel his lips twitch up when he saw that the boy was pointing to a picture of Kesha.
"Yeah, that's the woman I hung on your wall. Kesha," Key pressed his lips together before moving to his desk and opening his laptop. "Want to listen to some of her songs with me?" the slow nod was all he needed before Key grinned and turned her on through his iPod. "She's awesome. You'll like her."
Key watched the boy's face to see his reaction to her. His head was tilted slightly to the side as her first song, 'Your Love Is My Drug', came on. Key watched as he slowly started nodding his head to the beat. A slow smile spread on his lips, but it was still so small, so faint and uncertain. Key smiled, happy with that little bit of a reaction. "Hold on, her next one's even better," he added before changing it to 'Tik Tok'.
Walking over to his bed with the laptop in hand, Key sat down and pulled himself back against the headboard, moving over to make room for the boy. "Come sit down," Key said, patting the spot beside him. "I'll show you all my favorite songs."
The boy nodded and slowly moved over. He sat down on the bed, a lot further away from Key than anyone would normally sit, but Key thought it was pretty amazing that he was there at all.
"Okay, so you have to hear some Lady Gaga. Then, I'll show you some good Korean music too."
Several hours later, it was starting to get close to evening and Key thought his mom would probably be getting home soon. "I can't believe we've been doing this so long. You must be tired of my music by now."
The small smile appeared again and Key smiled in return, leaning back against the bed frame and sighing contently before silence engulfed the room. Well, that really hadn't been so bad. Maybe he could get along with this other guy, for now anyway.
A sudden, but soft sound breezing across his eardrums had Key's eyes snapping back open. It was a incredibly soft, almost inaudible voice, but unmistakably human. Still, what he'd said had been indistinguishable because it was so quiet and unexpected. Key stared at the boy for a long moment. "What did you say?" he asked after several seconds of silence.
The voice came again, this time with Key watching the boy's mouth move to accommodate the sound. It was only slightly louder, still a bare whisper, "Jonghyun."
Chapter Four
Pairing: JongKey. Also some Minkey. Could be more, depending on whether or not this develops the way I intend :)
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Angst, mentions of abuse.
Summary: The night a strange new person enters his life, everything changes for Key.
Word Count: 2,026
Notes: A little longer than the last chapters, right? ^_^ I've been waiting for some of the things in this chapter, although there were some unexpected events that slipped in. I know it's a slow story, but I feel like it kind of has to be to accommodate their relationship. Because Jonghyun is so timid right now, and Key is so uncertain about him, it will take a while for things to progress. But don't worry! The coming chapters will get interesting, I promise. Or, I hope they will :DDD Please enjoy and comment!
Spot For: hurryupthecakes :D Always feel free to ask me for a spot on a fic if anyone would like one ^_^
01| 02
By Tuesday, they had the spare room completely ready for him. Key and his mother led the boy into the room. It was nice, smaller than Key's, but not by much. The bed was hardly used, made up and clean. Key felt happy that his father had returned the night before with new sheets and a new blanket for him. They weren't his old ones, but they would do until he could find something else he actually liked.
The boy looked around the room with wide eyes, making him appear like an animal caught in headlights. Key wondered if he'd ever had a room even that nice before. They weren't anywhere near rich. They were a mid-income family, with both parents working, but they lived comfortably enough. They never lacked anything they needed. His parents were good with money, something they tried to instill in Key from a young age.
Key thought it looked entirely too plain, like a hotel room, but he supposed that was to be expected. It's not like the boy had brought anything of his own to put in there. He stood awkwardly until Key's mother left, at which point he made a decision. "Wait a second. I'll be right back."
With that, he went into his room and picked out some of his more interesting magazines. Once back in the spare bedroom, he fanned them out neatly on the dresser. "You can look at these if you want. There's good clothes and fashion tips for men. Just don't get them messy or leave them laying around."
Key went back into his room and took one of his posters down. He didn't touch the Lady Gaga one, because that was his favorite. Moving back into the spare bedroom, he smiled when he saw the boy touching the magazines, as if curious but too scared to do anything with them. "Go ahead. I've never heard of magazines attacking someone. Although I did get a pretty mean paper cut once."
The boy stared at him, seemingly more interested in what he was doing that the magazines. Key hung the poster up on the wall adjacent to the bed. "It's good to have posters in your room. You're a teenager, so it's pretty much required. Kesha is awesome. She's a celebrity in America."
Key didn't know if he would have ever even heard of her, but he thought it was cute the way he looked at it curiously with his big brown eyes.
"You know, it would be nice to know your name. I know my mom has asked you, and you don't seem to want to tell us. I don't even know if you can talk or write, but if you can it would make her really happy to know." Key paused for a moment before adding, "I'd like to know as well."
Honestly, it was really weird. The boy was definitely like a puppy, an animal that had been hurt and was too afraid to open up to them. Key didn't have a whole lot of experience with animals, but he knew he couldn't be as short with this boy. He could only imagine how much snapping at him might negatively affect his perception of them. Forcing on a smile, Key moved past him. "I hope you like it, your room."
Key had hoped the boy would take to the new room like he had to Key's, but it was only ten minutes before he was hovering awkwardly in the hallway. Key attempted to ignore him while he spoke on the phone with Minho.
"Yeah, I want to go out, but I have to help around the house. Something unexpected came up."
Minho acted understanding, but Key knew it just made him curious. Key smiled when he heard Onew call out from the background, "We miss you!"
Eventually it got kind of weird and annoying, so Key was forced to deal with it. "I have to go guys. I'll try and get out some. If not, then I'll see you when school starts again."
The sigh he got as a reply made Key feel both bad for ditching his friends and annoyed at having to. He never asked for this. He'd never even wanted a sibling, not really. Well, once he asked if he could have a little sister so he could dress her up, but that passed when he realized she wouldn't always be sweet and quiet like a doll. He settled to think that maybe one day he would have a model to put clothes on instead.
"Omo! Boy, what are you doing? You have your own room. Do you need the bathroom? Food?" he listed off, feeling his mind search through possibilities as the boy shook his head slowly at each one. "Well, I don't know what to do for you. If you're bored, you can watch some TV."
The idea sounded good, and Key walked into the living room quickly to grab the remote and turn it on. "There are a lot of different things to choose from, movies, dramas, anime," he suggested as he flipped channels. "You just press this button until you find something good," he showed the boy as he placed the remote in his hand. Shaking his head, Key went back to his own room. He just wanted a break.
A few hours later, when Key returned to check on him, he saw the boy sitting in front of the TV, staring at it. It was still on the station he'd left it on. He sighed incredulously and could only feel relieved that he hadn't left it on something boring. "You don't have to watch it forever, if you don't want to," Key said, moving closer and hovering over the couch. "You can do something else if you'd like. Or change the channel once in a while."
The boy looked at him and nodded, as if he understood, but Key was really starting to wonder how much he did understand. Sure, there were the words he seemed to understand, but the meaning behind them. He seemed to respond to commands or suggestions, but he didn't really do that much on his own, and when he did and someone saw him, he acted like he was doing something bad. It made Key's heart ache a little, thinking about how this boy might be afraid of them punishing him for nothing, for just being himself.
"I won't get mad. I promise," he said more softly. "You can do whatever you want. Make yourself at home. I won't get mad."
Key's mother had to go back to work, leaving almost immediately after they showed the boy his new room, so it was just the two of them until early evening. That night was the first time the new boy ate at the table with them. He looked incredibly awkward no matter how many times Key or his mother gave him reassuring looks. Key's mother went even farther, talking to him even when he wouldn't respond. Key tried to eat quickly because it made him feel uncomfortable. Every time Key's dad moved, the boy would jump, looking scared and almost knocking things off the table. But it wasn't only him he seemed worried about. Anytime his dad would reach towards Key or his mother, he'd tense up like he was afraid of them getting attacked too. It made Key a little angry because he couldn't see what the boy saw. In his eyes, his dad was like a saint. He didn't understand how this boy hadn't realized that yet, especially after he'd done so much for him.
After dinner, Key had retreated to his room, more than happy to let his mother deal with the boy for the rest of the evening. He felt a little bad for shutting himself away, but he needed some time to himself.
The next day they were left alone again. Luckily, the boy wasn't hanging out in the hall like he was the day before. Key spent about an hour on the phone with Minho, the other asking why he couldn't come out or why he couldn't come over. It made Key frustrated that he couldn't really talk about it yet, so he just said he had to take care of things for his parents.
"I miss you," Minho said, something that made Key's stomach flutter.
"I miss you too. Both of you," Key added quickly before hanging up, because he didn't want Onew to feel left out.
A couple of hours later, while reading a book his history teacher had assigned for the break, Key realized the boy was standing in his doorway. He looked up through his lashes before setting the book to the side and leaning forward, crossing his legs. "Come in. What is it?" he asked, although he wasn't sure he'd get an answer.
The boy slowly walked in, and as he got closer, Key noticed he had one of the magazines in his hand. Key looked at it curiously, wondering what he could possibly be doing, bringing it to him. The boy moved closer until he was a couple feet away from the bed. He stopped awkwardly and Key sighed before sliding off his bed and moving closer. "What is it?"
Holding the magazine up, the boy opened it to a page his finger had been holding the spot of. His lips turned up just slightly as he pointed to something. Key stepped a little closer and peered over the magazine to see what it was. He couldn't help but feel his lips twitch up when he saw that the boy was pointing to a picture of Kesha.
"Yeah, that's the woman I hung on your wall. Kesha," Key pressed his lips together before moving to his desk and opening his laptop. "Want to listen to some of her songs with me?" the slow nod was all he needed before Key grinned and turned her on through his iPod. "She's awesome. You'll like her."
Key watched the boy's face to see his reaction to her. His head was tilted slightly to the side as her first song, 'Your Love Is My Drug', came on. Key watched as he slowly started nodding his head to the beat. A slow smile spread on his lips, but it was still so small, so faint and uncertain. Key smiled, happy with that little bit of a reaction. "Hold on, her next one's even better," he added before changing it to 'Tik Tok'.
Walking over to his bed with the laptop in hand, Key sat down and pulled himself back against the headboard, moving over to make room for the boy. "Come sit down," Key said, patting the spot beside him. "I'll show you all my favorite songs."
The boy nodded and slowly moved over. He sat down on the bed, a lot further away from Key than anyone would normally sit, but Key thought it was pretty amazing that he was there at all.
"Okay, so you have to hear some Lady Gaga. Then, I'll show you some good Korean music too."
Several hours later, it was starting to get close to evening and Key thought his mom would probably be getting home soon. "I can't believe we've been doing this so long. You must be tired of my music by now."
The small smile appeared again and Key smiled in return, leaning back against the bed frame and sighing contently before silence engulfed the room. Well, that really hadn't been so bad. Maybe he could get along with this other guy, for now anyway.
A sudden, but soft sound breezing across his eardrums had Key's eyes snapping back open. It was a incredibly soft, almost inaudible voice, but unmistakably human. Still, what he'd said had been indistinguishable because it was so quiet and unexpected. Key stared at the boy for a long moment. "What did you say?" he asked after several seconds of silence.
The voice came again, this time with Key watching the boy's mouth move to accommodate the sound. It was only slightly louder, still a bare whisper, "Jonghyun."
Chapter Four