A Single Word - Chapter Four
Title: A Single Word - 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:1776
Notes: Sorry this update is late. I was out of town on business, but I'm here again and tried to quickly finish this to share with everyone! :D I really hope you guys enjoy the further development. Most of it anyway ;D
Spot For: hurryupthecakes and ryotanfan29 :D Always feel free to ask me for a spot on a fic if anyone would like one ^_^
01| 02| 03
Almost right after the word slipped from the boy's mouth again, Key knew what he was saying, or could easily guess. "Jonghyun?" he repeated. "Is that your name?"
The nod he received made Key smile a little, happy that he got it out of him finally. It was nice to know he had some control over the situation. "It's nice," he added after a moment, "A good name." it seemed to fit him well somehow. Key thought it was kind of the perfect name for him, even though he wasn't really sure why.
Suddenly the sound of the door opening caught Key's attention. He looked up and felt himself smiling more. "Mom's going to be really excited," he said before pushing the laptop aside and jumping off the bed. "Mom, he said his name!"
And she was excited. She gushed all over him for about fifteen minutes, making Jonghyun look entirely uncomfortable until he finally whispered it again. She was so excited that he could talk that she wouldn't leave him alone for the next several hours. Key didn't feel the need to be involved in all that though, and eventually returned to his room until dinner.
For the next couple of days, both Key and his mother encouraged Jonghyun to talk more than just saying his name. He slowly started answering more, encouraged by their smiles or pleased remarks whenever he did. Even his dad tried to talk to him, but Jonghyun only stared at him. Key quickly realized that Jonghyun wasn't stupid. He used words with an obvious knowledge of them. It made Key wonder just how long he'd been locked away, because he had to have learned from something or someone. It seemed weird to think of a bad man teaching him language skills, but he supposed it was possible. Maybe television though. Key knew one could pick up a lot from that.
Key's mother was also very excited about the development and one day she brought up something that surprised him. "Jonghyun is a lot smarter than I would have thought. He uses more than just simple language when he answers questions, and he seems to know a lot about different things. I was watching this science show with him and he seemed to actually understand it. When I asked him what he knew about our ecological system, he knew so much. I called a lady I know in education and she thinks he should be tested. Do you think he would do it?"
After listening with a patient ear as his mother went on, Key pursed his lips in thought. "I think we could convince him to do it seriously," he answered with a shrug. "Why does he need to be tested though?"
"Key," his mother responded with a sigh. "He needs to have a life to. If we can, we need to help him get his life back in any way we can. If he can become a normal member of society again, wouldn't that be a really good thing?"
Nodding, Key thought about Jonghyun being like a normal person. It seemed so unlikely because of how different he was now, but he'd never seen a person like that recover, so he had no idea how easy or likely it was. He supposed it had to be possible, but should it really be there with them? Wouldn't he be better with professionals?
As Saturday got closer, Key felt his excitement bubble. He'd convince his parents to let him go out with his friends since they would be home to watch out for Jonghyun. Honestly, he was kind of glad for the break. Jonghyun was always hovering around him, something he thought made sense, but it made him feel like he didn't have much time for himself anymore. At least the other boy was cute, and amusing. Otherwise, Key would have already gone insane. Even more than getting away though, Key was excited to see Minho and Onew again. Finally. It had been over two weeks, something that felt slightly unbearable.
They met up for some ramen, because Minho liked it and it was his turn to pick. Onew usually went for chicken, and Key sometimes picked whatever he was in the mood for or relented to his friend's desires. It was better when they were happy after all.
Sitting down in the chair next to him, Minho nudged him with his elbow. "Where have you been? You left me alone with Jinki," he said as if it were a bad thing, although Key knew they got along really well. They had been friends so long, and fought less than anyone Key had ever met. Key fought with both of them more than they fought with each other, although less with Onew than Minho. The older boy was so laid back that Key couldn't imagine fighting with him very often.
"Hey," Onew pouted before looking down at his menu to choose food, a chicken dish Key would assume. Minho smiled fondly before turning back to Key.
"Seriously. I missed you," the way Minho's voice softened made Key blush. Their relationship was interesting, had been for a while. They weren't completely, officially dating. Onew always said, and Key agreed, that they practically were boyfriends though. But neither of them wanted to ruin their friendship or cause a scandal in the school, so for now they kept it all on the down low. Minho didn't want to be the gay kid, and Key thought he wouldn't really enjoy it either. So it was convenient for both of them. Still, Key couldn't help but wish for more, something more solid and reliable.
After lunch, they went to hang out at the park some. Minho kicked around his soccer ball and talked excitedly about school starting back up. He actually missed doing that sports stuff. Key didn't really understand it, but he thought the enthusiasm was kind of cute. Most of the time anyway.
When it started to get late, they had to eventually return home. Key might have stayed out later if he didn't have to worry about his parents wanting him home for dinner. Onew said he had some things to do, so he took off first. Minho insisted on walking Key home. "I don't want the day to end just yet, and I don't really have anything planned." it made Key happy, so he agreed easily.
Knowing he wouldn't be able to invite Minho in like he normally would made Key kind of frustrated, but he thought with time it would be okay for his friends to visit again. Once they were close to his neighborhood, Key felt the first settling of dissatisfaction. "I can't wait for school to start next week," he commented, thinking about how he'd soon be able to see his friends almost every day. He wasn't sure what they'd do with Jonghyun yet, but he didn't feel like it would be his responsibility anymore. He had school and his social life to deal with. It wasn't like he could drop all of that to baby-sit, and it made him feel relieved that he couldn't, that his parents would never ask that of him.
"Me too," Minho said with a smile, gripping his soccer ball a little tighter. Key pouted slightly, thinking that Minho might have a soccer ball in his head instead of a brain. Obviously he wasn't talking about Minho being able to play soccer with his buddies again. A hand suddenly gripped his wrist, pulling him in another direction.
"Yah! What are you doing?" Key questioned as Minho kept pulling him down a side street until they were hidden in a small clump of trees. Key felt his heart speed up. "This is someone else's property," he scolded a little breathlessly, but he didn't actually want to leave. All thoughts of complaining about their location or being upset about Minho being more interested in soccer than him quickly slipped from his mind when Minho leaned closer and pressed his lips softly against his.
Ten minutes later Key was walking through the front door of his house. He slipped off his shoes and listened to the distant sound of his mother's voice. It sounded like she was in the kitchen. It was easily drowned out though by the memory of Minho's last words to him. 'See you on Monday.'
It was funny how such a simple statement could make Key feel so excited. Padding in towards the kitchen, Key thought about how much he was looking forward to school starting again, to getting back to his life. When he walked through the open doorway connecting the kitchen and living room, Key was greeted by a pair of big brown eyes looking up at him. Minho had big brown eyes too, but the shape wasn‘t the same, and the look in them was completely different. Minho's were strong and solid looking. Jonghyun's were softer and reminded Key of two wells because of how deep they were. Key thought there was so much hidden emotion in Jonghyun's eyes that if he stared too long, he was afraid they would both drown. Luckily, Jonghyun never looked very long, never held a gaze for more than a moment. Key could understand it was probably something that intimidated him, even if he didn't really know the specifics of why.
"Key!" his mother gushed as she raced over to him. "You might not have guessed it would turn out like this, but our Jonghyun here is actually very smart. He's about at your grade level intellectually."
Key thought about asking how that made him really smart, since he was at a normal place for his age but instead he chose to let himself focus on how amazing it was that he was at the place he was. Then something struck him. Why did it even matter? "So, what does that mean?"
After the second it took his mother to return to Jonghyun's side, sitting in the chair beside him, she answered, "Well, I've been talking to the teachers and the authorities and everyone thinks it would be good for Jonghyun to start attending school again. He deserves to, right? I know you'll look after him."
Suddenly Key felt a loud buzzing in his ear, a feeling that made the rest of the world blur in his vision. All he could do was nod dumbly. "Yeah, of course."
Was that really a good idea though? Not just for him even. His life would be interrupted, which was bad enough, but thinking about Jonghyun was even scarier. Would Jonghyun be able to survive at school?
Chapter Five
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:1776
Notes: Sorry this update is late. I was out of town on business, but I'm here again and tried to quickly finish this to share with everyone! :D I really hope you guys enjoy the further development. Most of it anyway ;D
Spot For: hurryupthecakes and ryotanfan29 :D Always feel free to ask me for a spot on a fic if anyone would like one ^_^
01| 02| 03
Almost right after the word slipped from the boy's mouth again, Key knew what he was saying, or could easily guess. "Jonghyun?" he repeated. "Is that your name?"
The nod he received made Key smile a little, happy that he got it out of him finally. It was nice to know he had some control over the situation. "It's nice," he added after a moment, "A good name." it seemed to fit him well somehow. Key thought it was kind of the perfect name for him, even though he wasn't really sure why.
Suddenly the sound of the door opening caught Key's attention. He looked up and felt himself smiling more. "Mom's going to be really excited," he said before pushing the laptop aside and jumping off the bed. "Mom, he said his name!"
And she was excited. She gushed all over him for about fifteen minutes, making Jonghyun look entirely uncomfortable until he finally whispered it again. She was so excited that he could talk that she wouldn't leave him alone for the next several hours. Key didn't feel the need to be involved in all that though, and eventually returned to his room until dinner.
For the next couple of days, both Key and his mother encouraged Jonghyun to talk more than just saying his name. He slowly started answering more, encouraged by their smiles or pleased remarks whenever he did. Even his dad tried to talk to him, but Jonghyun only stared at him. Key quickly realized that Jonghyun wasn't stupid. He used words with an obvious knowledge of them. It made Key wonder just how long he'd been locked away, because he had to have learned from something or someone. It seemed weird to think of a bad man teaching him language skills, but he supposed it was possible. Maybe television though. Key knew one could pick up a lot from that.
Key's mother was also very excited about the development and one day she brought up something that surprised him. "Jonghyun is a lot smarter than I would have thought. He uses more than just simple language when he answers questions, and he seems to know a lot about different things. I was watching this science show with him and he seemed to actually understand it. When I asked him what he knew about our ecological system, he knew so much. I called a lady I know in education and she thinks he should be tested. Do you think he would do it?"
After listening with a patient ear as his mother went on, Key pursed his lips in thought. "I think we could convince him to do it seriously," he answered with a shrug. "Why does he need to be tested though?"
"Key," his mother responded with a sigh. "He needs to have a life to. If we can, we need to help him get his life back in any way we can. If he can become a normal member of society again, wouldn't that be a really good thing?"
Nodding, Key thought about Jonghyun being like a normal person. It seemed so unlikely because of how different he was now, but he'd never seen a person like that recover, so he had no idea how easy or likely it was. He supposed it had to be possible, but should it really be there with them? Wouldn't he be better with professionals?
As Saturday got closer, Key felt his excitement bubble. He'd convince his parents to let him go out with his friends since they would be home to watch out for Jonghyun. Honestly, he was kind of glad for the break. Jonghyun was always hovering around him, something he thought made sense, but it made him feel like he didn't have much time for himself anymore. At least the other boy was cute, and amusing. Otherwise, Key would have already gone insane. Even more than getting away though, Key was excited to see Minho and Onew again. Finally. It had been over two weeks, something that felt slightly unbearable.
They met up for some ramen, because Minho liked it and it was his turn to pick. Onew usually went for chicken, and Key sometimes picked whatever he was in the mood for or relented to his friend's desires. It was better when they were happy after all.
Sitting down in the chair next to him, Minho nudged him with his elbow. "Where have you been? You left me alone with Jinki," he said as if it were a bad thing, although Key knew they got along really well. They had been friends so long, and fought less than anyone Key had ever met. Key fought with both of them more than they fought with each other, although less with Onew than Minho. The older boy was so laid back that Key couldn't imagine fighting with him very often.
"Hey," Onew pouted before looking down at his menu to choose food, a chicken dish Key would assume. Minho smiled fondly before turning back to Key.
"Seriously. I missed you," the way Minho's voice softened made Key blush. Their relationship was interesting, had been for a while. They weren't completely, officially dating. Onew always said, and Key agreed, that they practically were boyfriends though. But neither of them wanted to ruin their friendship or cause a scandal in the school, so for now they kept it all on the down low. Minho didn't want to be the gay kid, and Key thought he wouldn't really enjoy it either. So it was convenient for both of them. Still, Key couldn't help but wish for more, something more solid and reliable.
After lunch, they went to hang out at the park some. Minho kicked around his soccer ball and talked excitedly about school starting back up. He actually missed doing that sports stuff. Key didn't really understand it, but he thought the enthusiasm was kind of cute. Most of the time anyway.
When it started to get late, they had to eventually return home. Key might have stayed out later if he didn't have to worry about his parents wanting him home for dinner. Onew said he had some things to do, so he took off first. Minho insisted on walking Key home. "I don't want the day to end just yet, and I don't really have anything planned." it made Key happy, so he agreed easily.
Knowing he wouldn't be able to invite Minho in like he normally would made Key kind of frustrated, but he thought with time it would be okay for his friends to visit again. Once they were close to his neighborhood, Key felt the first settling of dissatisfaction. "I can't wait for school to start next week," he commented, thinking about how he'd soon be able to see his friends almost every day. He wasn't sure what they'd do with Jonghyun yet, but he didn't feel like it would be his responsibility anymore. He had school and his social life to deal with. It wasn't like he could drop all of that to baby-sit, and it made him feel relieved that he couldn't, that his parents would never ask that of him.
"Me too," Minho said with a smile, gripping his soccer ball a little tighter. Key pouted slightly, thinking that Minho might have a soccer ball in his head instead of a brain. Obviously he wasn't talking about Minho being able to play soccer with his buddies again. A hand suddenly gripped his wrist, pulling him in another direction.
"Yah! What are you doing?" Key questioned as Minho kept pulling him down a side street until they were hidden in a small clump of trees. Key felt his heart speed up. "This is someone else's property," he scolded a little breathlessly, but he didn't actually want to leave. All thoughts of complaining about their location or being upset about Minho being more interested in soccer than him quickly slipped from his mind when Minho leaned closer and pressed his lips softly against his.
Ten minutes later Key was walking through the front door of his house. He slipped off his shoes and listened to the distant sound of his mother's voice. It sounded like she was in the kitchen. It was easily drowned out though by the memory of Minho's last words to him. 'See you on Monday.'
It was funny how such a simple statement could make Key feel so excited. Padding in towards the kitchen, Key thought about how much he was looking forward to school starting again, to getting back to his life. When he walked through the open doorway connecting the kitchen and living room, Key was greeted by a pair of big brown eyes looking up at him. Minho had big brown eyes too, but the shape wasn‘t the same, and the look in them was completely different. Minho's were strong and solid looking. Jonghyun's were softer and reminded Key of two wells because of how deep they were. Key thought there was so much hidden emotion in Jonghyun's eyes that if he stared too long, he was afraid they would both drown. Luckily, Jonghyun never looked very long, never held a gaze for more than a moment. Key could understand it was probably something that intimidated him, even if he didn't really know the specifics of why.
"Key!" his mother gushed as she raced over to him. "You might not have guessed it would turn out like this, but our Jonghyun here is actually very smart. He's about at your grade level intellectually."
Key thought about asking how that made him really smart, since he was at a normal place for his age but instead he chose to let himself focus on how amazing it was that he was at the place he was. Then something struck him. Why did it even matter? "So, what does that mean?"
After the second it took his mother to return to Jonghyun's side, sitting in the chair beside him, she answered, "Well, I've been talking to the teachers and the authorities and everyone thinks it would be good for Jonghyun to start attending school again. He deserves to, right? I know you'll look after him."
Suddenly Key felt a loud buzzing in his ear, a feeling that made the rest of the world blur in his vision. All he could do was nod dumbly. "Yeah, of course."
Was that really a good idea though? Not just for him even. His life would be interrupted, which was bad enough, but thinking about Jonghyun was even scarier. Would Jonghyun be able to survive at school?
Chapter Five