chapter twelve;
look but don't touch
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The sound of running water was so therapeutic, Jaemin felt. Its droplets and trickling pieces sliding down skin and landing onto a plastic ground just to disappear through a drain was quite mesmerising. Perhaps others would've agreed as well...
Had he not been watching it on someone else.
"Nice," the blonde adult smirked with a satiated expression as the bathroom of his shared room with Jeno had its door slightly ajar. Steam crawled out into the two-bedroom space, drifting like tentacles until they disappeared altogether. The man was simply sitting on his bed with a magazine on his lap — one he'd lost interest in since his eyes met that small space across the room.
The driver knew he probably should've closed that door for privacy reasons and for trust...but what Jeno didn't know couldn't hurt him, right? He probably wouldn't have even minded that someone was adoring his perfect physique the way Na Jaemin was.
It's not like I'm filming it, he reasoned with himself within the depths of his own, strange mind. Actually....that's a thought.
As he blinked away the idea of actually saving this, because he did have some morals, and wasn't entirely stupid or selfish. Damn, I need to close it, he sighed unhappily. Maybe one day Jeno would let him see his body for real, and let him explore it knowingly. But until then, Jaemin needed to play the right cards and not completely bulldoze over his emotions and trust.
Just as he went to stand up, the bedroom door was knocked upon. He froze, eyes widening since he knew damn well how this would look if one of the TTN tour members wandered on inside. "Panic, panic, panic!" He hissed, throwing his perfectly ordinary House and Home magazine aside as though it were an issue of Playboy. His heart leapt in his chest when the door clicked open, and there he stood awkwardly, knee on the mattress beside him while his hands were on his hips.
Very normal, Jaemin. Well done.
"Hey," Renjun's soft and skin-tinglingly gorgeous voice cut through the silence as he stepped inside, the only other sound being that of Jeno's shower. The Chinese boy eyed Jaemin suspiciously before closing the wooden frame and settling his arms into a folded position. "What are you doing, you silly man?" He chuckled.
"What would you mean 'what am I doing?'?" The blonde hummed as causally as he could — which didn't have even an ounce of normality. "What are you doing, hm?"
"Oh, well..." the brunette started, then shifted to scratch the back of his neck, "I'm bored. I can't get to sleep even though it's nearly eleven, and I could hear movement in here...so..."
"Fuck, you're so freaking adorable," the taller cooed before bounding over and engulfing the small male in a rib-crushing hug. "Ugh, I could squeeze you all day!"
"Please don't," Renjun uttered and slid out of his hold. "By the way, what were you doing? Standing like a Renaissance painting and acting stupid? Where's...." he paused, looking to the ajar bathroom door to the side and gritting his teeth. "Oh."
"Don't 'oh' me like that!" Jaemin insisted, "I know what you're thinking, and you're wrong, Mister! I have been a good boy!"
"Very good, it seems," the older rolled his eyes and sat down on the end of the bed like the other had and sighing defeatedly once he was perfectly able to see their sexy tour member within the glass walls of the shower from here. "What do I do with you? I try to be understanding and accepting of everyone here...but you're so weird, Jaemin. Jeno and I defend you when we can, but the others have a point." His gaze turned and locked with the younger's profile who was now staring off into space with a distant look. "Jaemin?"
"Hm?"
"Are you even listening to me?"
"Yeah..." he grumbled. "You're all just so...so..." he brought his hands up to make a box shape, then crushed it, "Stiff? I don't know what word I'm looking for, but I'm here trying to make light of every situation and have as much fun as possible in the limited time we have...and you guys are all worried about what everyone else will think. News flash; we're stuck in Japan? Nobody understands us, let alone recognises us. Loosen the fuck up."
"Hey, that's not what I was getting at," Renjun whispered softly, bringing his small hand up to rest on the other's atop his knee. "Look, I know you're one of those free-spirited type of people, but you're one of the least common types of personalities, I believe. Everyone else...I guess we all try to fit in."
"Not my issue," the blonde gushed, looking back to the bathroom door's open space again and noticing that the beautiful boy within was now getting out of the steamy glass walls and grabbing a towel to cover himself. "Woah..."
"Jaemin..." the Chinese adult groaned, "You never learn—" He too then paused and simply stared at the fine piece of humanity drying himself off. Their eyes raked over his form meticulously, mouths hung open a little as they spotted those muscles — that perfection. "Wow..."
The door swung open once he was ready and out he walked with the white fabric tied around his waste. His deep, brown eyes looked at the two as well, for their gazes were set solely on his v-line. "Um...hi?"
"Nerd Number One, I need you in my life," Jaemin smiled in a daze as he feasted his eyes. Renjun's fingers gripped at the duvet he was sitting on, and he tried to snap out of it.
"You guys are strange," the tallest chuckled innocently and pulled his suitcase up onto his own bed to root for some nightwear. His back was flexing with all those lovely tones, and it was officially time the oldest of the trio dragged himself out of that hellish yet heavenly daydream.
"Shit! I did not mean to stare, Jeno. I'm sorry, you were probably so uncomfortable."
"It's fine," the boy hummed nonchalantly as he pulled out a shirt and some underwear. "Are you staying over, Renjunnie?"
"Uh, no. Not that I was planning."
"You should though," Jaemin winked, "Y'know, since we're all friends here."
"Yeah, no. Not tonight, guys," the brunette murmured in a state of panic. He stood up quickly and rubbed his face to alleviate the remaining gaze of his staring fest. He turned to them once he reached the door to say goodnight, but froze once he was met with Jeno's completely naked and unbothered self getting dressed. "Fuck! Why?!"
"Why what?"
"Stay~" Jaemin taunted playfully. "Y'know y'wanna~"
"Ew. Jen, sleep with one eye open tonight, okay?"
"Um, yeah. Will do."
"Night you two," he waved once, leaving as fast as he could just to slam the door shut and lean his back against it. Laborious breaths heaved from his chest, and he stared at the door across the hall intensely.
My brain has been infiltrated with 'The Na Jaemin Way', he thought. I just checked a guy out. In the most obvious possible way. For God's sake, what am I doing?
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Hella late, but I hope the wait wasn't too annoying. NoRenMin live in my mind rent-free, and it's a problem at this point.