The next chapter will be the last; this was supposed to be a really short story, but I accidentally let it go on for so long. So the next chapter is the last one.
Once night hit, Nine sighed into Vee’s shoulder. He rested in his arms, watching the night sky as he thought about never wanting to leave this spot. It felt warm and good, something Quin hadn’t given him in years.
And speaking of Quin, he had to see him tonight to finally end everything, from their relationship to the lingering feelings that would be hard to leave him.
Nine knew he had to get up from the warmth of Vee and make his way to Quin, but he found trying to stand difficult. Nine could stand, but his mind did not want to connect with his legs.
After the third, or maybe the fourth sigh Vee most likely ignored, Nine finally spoke his thoughts, ending the silent moment. “I don’t want to go.” Nine commented.
“Then don’t,” Vee wrapped his arms tighter around Nine, “You can stay here with me.”
“I would if I could, but I need to talk to Quin. I need to end what I have with him.” Nine took Vee’s arm off his waist, slowly standing up as he stretched.
Vee peeked at the slip of skin before answering, “You are really ending your relationship?”
“Would you stop seeing me if I did?” Nine asked.
He thought about this for a while. He liked hanging with Vee and liked what they had at the moment. Nine wouldn’t call this love because they mainly felt lust for each other, but something was underlying between them. However, he did fear Vee wanting to call quits once Nine was single because it would no longer have a forbidden fruit feel to it.
Nine hopes Vee wouldn’t call quits.
Vee shook his head, also standing up as he grabbed Nine’s waist, pulling him closer. “Why would I leave? Things would now be easier with you single.”
Smiling, Nine wrapped his arms around Vee’s neck, pulling their faces closer, “Hmm, you are still my professor, no?”
“Temporarily.”
“Damn, and here I thought we can still have some forbidden in our life.” Nine chuckled before turning serious. He felt ridiculously sober, “You really won’t leave, right? I am not asking for a relationship once I am single, but I want to have this still. I don’t want us to change.”
Vee grabbed Nine’s chin, staring deep into his eyes, “I’m staying.”
Nine brightly smiled, closing the space between them. Vee instantly deepened the kiss before stepping back, giving them space.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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“You should also call me if anything happens. I will come to help you out.” Vee responded, grabbing Nine’s hand and pulling him close once more.
“I can take care of myself.” Nine intertwined their fingers, squeezing them.
“I know, but still.”
Nine sighed, closing the distance, leaving a chaste kiss on Vee’s lips before letting go. “I will talk to you later.” He slipped into his car and drove off without looking back.
The dread from before began to hit him once he left Vee’s house. Nine is not ready for his talk with Quin.
Nine walked into his home, or maybe it is no longer his home anymore. After everything that will happen, he plans to pack his things and leave. He would have to stay with his friends for a while before finding his own place.
I am already feeling stressed. Nine thought while rubbing his temples.
He entered the living area and saw Quin sitting on the couch, typing away on his laptop. “Quin,” Nine called for his attention.
Quin stopped typing, glancing towards Nine before beckoning him over to sit with him. Nine sat down, leaving space between him and Quin as his hands started shaking. He was beyond nervous.
It is hard to end a seven-year relationship, even if there has been hurting and cheating mixed in.
Nine opened his mouth, trying to will words, but he kept coming up blank. Frowning, Nine wanted to hit himself for still being a coward.
How does one say: let’s break up?
A few minutes passed by with Nine looking like a gaping fish and Quin staring at his computer screen without looking up once.
“You want to leave me.” Quin started, finally glancing at Nine.
Nine deeply inhaled before exhaling as his legs shook, “I do. Quin, you know this isn’t working. Did you expect me to stay with someone who doesn’t love me? Who sees me as nothing more than a substitute?”
Quin scoffed, “So, this is all my fault. At least I did not go out to sleep in another man’s bed.”
“Seriously, Quin,” Nine almost yelled, “don’t try to put this out on me. Yes, I cheated; shit, I cheated more than once, but what you did is worse. You treated me as a substitute for all these years; you cannot really admit you love me, and you are still in love with that man! I bet if he said he would take you back, you would drop me in a heartbeat!”
Nine huffed towards the end, his eyes watering from his words. The more he started to think, the more he could see it happening. If the man that Quin loves told him to leave Nine for him, Nine bets Quin would do it with no questions asked.
“I still stayed with you for seven years and made sacrifices for you, and now you want to throw that all away for some cheap fucks and stupid mistakes.” Quin countered quite poorly.
Nine quickly stood up in anger, “Sacrifices! SACRIFICES! Don’t fucking start talking about sacrifices to me after everything I put up with through. I dealt with all the shit you put me through; I stuck with you through the hellish part of our relationship and continued to love you like some blind idiot. And you sit here acting like I am taking you for granted.
“You fucking took me for granted, Quin! What about me? What the fucking about ME!”
Breathing hard, Nine tried blinking away the tears clouding his eyes. He couldn’t believe that Quin was still being selfish. Nine knows what he has done; he is not without fault, but Quin is acting like he has done nothing to put a break in their relationship.
Quin sighs, “Do you even have the right to get angry?”
“Do you even have the right to act like a scorned asshole?”
It lay silent for a while, with Nine breathing hard and Quin not saying anything. It took a few minutes before Nine caught his bearings and sat down with a blank expression.
“Would you have ever truly loved me?” Nine asked his deepest, darkest thoughts. After finding out that Nine is only a substitute, he begins wondering if Quin would have ever given his heart to him as Nine did for him.
“Nine,” Quin started, “I don’t want to break up.”
“That is not what I asked Quin. Why do you keep pushing this question away? Please, I need to know; I need to know the answer so bad.” Nine practically begged.
Quin reached for Nine’s hand, only for Nine to snatch his hand away and move back, creating more space between them. Quin stared at his empty hand before giving a bitter laugh, “I already gave my heart to him, so what do you want me to say Nine.”
“But he never wanted you, right? I did. I did everything for you; I gave up everything for you; I fucking loved you from sun up to sun down and everything in between. You had every part of me, and I thought I had every part of you. But these seven years, I guess I had nothing but illusions. I don’t want to do this anymore, Quin. I don’t want to break any more than I already am. It is over; there is no starting over or going back.”
Shaking his head, Quin clicked his tongue, glancing angrily at Nine, “Are you going to throw away the seven years we have over this?”
“Yes.” Nine found his resolved. He wiped his tears and stood up.
“I don’t agree to this.”
“And I don’t care. We are done. I am packing my things and leaving without looking back. And if you try to stop me, I’m calling the cops.”
“You are making a mistake.”
“Well, mistakes are what I am a pro at.”
Nine walked into his old room, grabbed two large suitcases from the closet, and started packing all his clothes and important things. He decided to leave behind things that were easily replaceable so that he wouldn’t have to return to this place ever again.
And just like the saying goes: out with the old and in with the new.
When he finished packing everything he needed, he walked back into the living area, rolling his suitcases behind him. He took one last glance at Quin, who opened a bottle, drowning it down while staring back at Nine.
“Goodbye.” Nine spoke, feeling the need to give Quin his final goodbye. Well, that was a lie. It is to give their seven-year relationship a goodbye.
All the good and bad years/memories that flashed through Nine’s mind like a movie almost had him breaking down right then and there. But, he would not show weakness in front of the man he loved, who broke him and his heart into a million pieces. He will break down later on when he is in front of his friends.
Quin did not respond, and Nine did not care as he walked out of the place that used to be his home. He will never come back here again.
Lee opened the door, seeing Nine standing in front of him with two large suitcases behind him. Before Lee could say a word, Nine wrapped his arms around him, letting out a heartbreaking sob as he broke down in Lee’s arms.
“W-We’re over.” Nine sobbed, barely breathing.
Lee tightly held him, signaling to Cassy, who came over due to the noise, to get Nine’s bags. He brought Nine inside, slightly carrying him over to the couch in the living area. He continued holding Nine, letting him cry everything out as he rubbed his head, whispering, “It is okay. It is okay.”
It will take time before Nine feels better again.
Thanks for the chapter
Awww I am so proud of Nine!! It is so hard to truly leave a relationship like that. Thank you for the chapter and I’m so excited for the next one!