Work Text:
Exhausted.
It’s all Namjoon could think about right now. He’s exhausted.
A few moments ago, he could still feel the exhilaration, the feeling of being not just on top, but far beyond the world, but the rush after concerts could only last so long. He could tell the others are the same: the first ten minutes of the car ride was full of excited chatter, and then the conversations died down and slumped heads kept on swaying with the car’s movements.
When they arrived at the hotel, the members scattered to go to their own rooms. Namjoon had to stay for a bitㅡhe had to wait for their manager because he gave his key to him earlierㅡso when he went up to their floor, everyone’s door is shut and locked, and Namjoon could imagine each of them getting ready to sleep.
His room is at the end of the hallway. 1530. He walks toward it, looking at the numbers as he passes by, only thinking of the warm shower he’s going to have when he arrives, and then immediately plopping on the bed and sink into sleep.
Just before he reaches his room, he stops. The door to 1529 is ajar. Now, he knows his and the other members’ room are just beside each other, so he walks toward room 1529 without hesitation, just to take a peek and tell the member inside he left the door open, and then close it.
As quietly as he could, he swings the door open, just enough to fit his head in, but then he realizes that he could see nothing but the wall. So he knocks. Lightly.
“It’s Joon.”
There was no answer. He knocks again, louder this time. Still no answer.
“I’m coming in.”
He walks in. And there on the bed, fast asleep, is Jimin.
He’s still wearing the clothes he left the stadium in: a worn-looking shirt; those black, super tight jeans he always wears; his black Chelsea shoesㅡhe even still has his makeup on. Namjoon clicked his tongue in worry. Slowly, he approaches Jimin and pokes his cheek softly.
“Jimin-ah,” when there’s no response, he nudges his shoulder, “Jimin.”
Jimin groans and shifts to his back.
“You have to wash up, Mini,” he says, his voice hushed but firm.
This time, Jimin showed no signs that he heard, that he's awake. Namjoon pities him. He looks at his feet hanging over the edge of the bed. At least, Jimin still had the sense not to let his shoes touch the covers.
He moves to take off the shoes. Carefully.
When he’s placed them on the foot of Jimin’s bed, he paused, thinking if he should just leave, since it doesn’t seem like Jimin would be able to listen to him, stand up, and take a shower. He looks at Jimin’s face. That makeup’s really going to bite him in the ass.
Namjoon closes his eyes and sighs. He is so tired.
He slides to the other side of the bed to get to Jimin’s luggage. He knows that Jimin wouldn’t have time to unpack because the last two days have been hectic practicing for both the concert and Muster, with little time to rest in between. He fishes for the little green bag Jimin always puts his skin care items in.
He brings it to the other side of the bed, took off his own shoes, and carefully sits on Jimin’s bed, just beside him.
“Jiminie,” he says and nudges Jimin again, “I’m going to clean off your makeup, okay?”
Jimin whines and tries to go shift back to his side, but Namjoon prevented it by placing a palm over Jimin’s chest. When it seems like Jimin’s gone back to sleep, he retrieves three circular, cotton pads from Jimin’s bag and wet it with makeup remover. He doesn’t know exactly how Jimin does his skin routine, so he only plans to remove his makeup to minimize the damage to his skin.
Gently, he rubs the pad over Jimin's face: his nose, brows, his upper neckㅡmaking sure not to miss a spot. He was focusing on the sides of Jimin's nostril when the younger opens his eyes, red with sleep, and mumbles groggily:
"Joon-hyung, can you help me shower?"
Namjoon raises his eyebrows in intrigue. This has never happened before. He stares at Jimin, whose eyes are closed yet again. He looked like he could sleep for three days straight. He probably needs some help. "Sure, yeah."
Jimin smiles, raising two of his arms towards Namjoon. "Carry me."
Namjoon's body hurts. From exhaustion, from the daily workout he's been doing nowadays, from the sleep his body desires, and yet, he decides, as he throws the cotton pad haphazardly to the direction of the bin, that he's going to do it.
He slithers his forearms under Jimin's neck and the back of his knees. Grunts as he lifted Jimin up. Walks towards the bathroom.
Jimin nuzzles his head into Namjoon's chest. For some reason, Namjoon feels goosebumps erupt from his arms and his thighs. He says nothing as he opened the door to the bathroom.
"Jimin-ah, we're here. I'll let you down now, okay?"
Jimin hums his assent. Namjoon gently lets him down. Jimin looks so exhausted that Namjoon feels like he's going to collapse when he lets him go. Jimin blinks sleepily at him, smiles playfully, and lifts his arms up againㅡhe's telling Namjoon to take his shirt off for him.
Namjoon makes a noise. "Really. You're enjoying this aren't you?"
Jimin simpers at him, "Of course, you know I love being taken care of," he shrugs his shoulders up and down, "My arms hurt."
Namjoon takes Jimin's shirt off, "I'm not going to take your pants off."
"I know, hyung," Jimin chuckles, undoes the button of his jeans, and bends down as he shimmy to peel the pants off his legs. It's not like they hadn't seen each other's private parts before, but still, he looks away when Jimin takes off his underwear.
Jimin padded onto the tub and sits with his back facing Namjoon. Namjoon follows him, then bends over to get the shower from the wall. "Turn it on," he tells Jimin, because he doesn't know how warm Jimin likes his water to be. He roams the hand not holding the shower head lightly through Jimin's hairspray-rigid hair as he hovers the shower head over it.
Jimin hands him his shampoo. "Shampoo my hair?" Jimin asks, turning his head to look at Namjoon pleadingly.
Namjoon nods, "Hold this," he gives the shower head to Jimin.
"Massage?" he asks after putting a blob of shampoo on his palm.
"Yes, please," Jimin replies.
Namjoon lathers the shampoo all over Jimin hair, applying pressure on some tender spots. He knows the younger's having fatigue-induced headaches in the morning lately, the reason for his crankiness early in the morning. Jimin was silent through the whole process, his head drooping as each second passes, so Namjoon suspects that he's fallen asleep again.
When the shower slips from Jimin's hand and makes a loud noise at it falls on the tub's floor, Jimin jolts awake. Namjoon almost laughs. He hit Jimin's shoulder with his shampoo-covered hand instead.
"Hey, don't fall asleep on me, you have to wash your body yourself."
He retrieves the shower head from the tub floor himself and rinses Jimin's hair. Jimin mumbles an apology, and starts soaping up his body. Namjoon thoroughly massages the conditioner into Jimin's scalp and hair. After, as Namjoon waits for the conditioner to settle in, he watches as Jimin scrubs himself with his loofa. He notices how slow Jimin moves, as if he's both sleepy and in pain. He says otherwise, but Jimin still works so hard, especially when they're performing, that he wears his body down to its limit. Jeongguk probably got it from him.
Jimin huffs as he tries to scrub his back. Namjoon startles and comes to his aid. "I'll do it."
"Thanks, hyung."
Both of them were silent again as Namjoon does his back. After, he rinsed him off.
"You're done," he says as he stood up, "Hang on, I'll get a towel."
The towels were above the sink. He gets one and spread it wide, urging Jimin to come to him. Jimin was smiling, embarrassed, as he walked into Namjoon's arms. Namjoon wrapped the towel around him.
"Do I have to brush your teeth for you, or can you do it yourself?" he says, playfully grinning at Jimin.
Jimin frowns, feigning annoyannce, and reaches out to hit him lightly on the arm. "Ugh, stop it, hyung."
"I'm kidding," he laughs, "I'll be outside."
He goes out and sits on one of the chairs of the desks beside the window, thumbing through posts on social media, the replies to the company's official post after the concert.
Jimin comes out after a while, his head mussed up from the towel-dry, looking much more awake than he was when Namjoon first came in.
Namjoon stands up, dusts his lap, and clears his throat, "So, you okay now?"
"Yeah," he replies, bashfully, "Sorry for making you do all that, hyung. I was real tired."
"You're fine," Namjoon says while shaking his head, "I'm going to go now. I'll take a shower too."
"Oh, yes, okay. I-uh," he pauses, breathes, "Thank you again, hyung."
"You're welcome," he walks to the door, and looks back to Jimin, "Call me if you need my help again, next time."
"Okay," Jimin looks down and smiles, "I love you, hyung."
Namjoon feels himself warm up at that. It always does, when Jimin unexpectedly says that he loves them. Maybe that's why he never gets the chance to say it back.
He's always been expressive with his love for everyone. Namjoon appreciates it more than he knows.
"I love you too."