Work Text:
Na Jaemin is an ass.
He’s an ass when he laughs at Renjun for not being able to reach his supplies on the top shelf, or when he’s struggling to get one of the broken light bulbs changed. He’s an ass when he laughs even harder after he gets a deserved smack from Renjun on the head, sporting that stupid grin down at him afterwards. He’s even more of an ass for staring at Renjun all the time, all soft gaze and doe-eyed and shit, making Renjun feel like he means more to him than what he actually is, more than just a roommate .
You’re wondering, how exactly did Renjun end up falling for his roommate? Well, it all started when his former roommate/platonic soulmate/lifelong nemesis Lee Donghyuck moved out of their shared apartment to go live with his boyfriend, Jeno, who is surprisingly really nice and despite having more muscle in his left bicep than Renjun has in his entire body, is quite possibly the most adorable man alive. It’s so odd that it baffles Renjun how a guy that looks as harmless as a puppy managed to get himself in a relationship with Satan’s spawn himself. They’re cute as a couple though, Renjun will admit that and genuinely wishes them both happiness. But at the same time, he also curses them because they’re the sole reason he’s in this sticky predicament now.
Having a crush on your roomie? It makes Renjun scoff, makes his stomach churn just thinking about it. Reminds him of those cheap chick flicks with cliché plots that Donghyuck used to make him watch on Film Fridays, and Renjun hates it.
In hindsight, he should’ve known he was fucked when he first met Jaemin, all kind eyes, handsome symmetrical features, blinding smile constantly plastered on his face, dyed hair falling perfectly over his eyes, pretty lips— the list goes on okay. Huang Renjun was living a amazingly mediocre college student life as an art major, until he came barreling in uninvited. Na Jaemin had tossed his world out of its axis, flipped the moon over, and yet somehow Renjun still wants more.
Renjun would have buried his feelings if he could, lock it in a chest, throw the keys into the ocean and put it in an untouched part of his heart so that he’d never have to deal with it. But Jaemin has always had a knack for picking the pieces off the wall guarding his heart, looking through his soul even when Donghyuck had called him as transparent as a bottle of soy sauce once.
Renjun is a firm believer in a lot of things, but one thing’s for sure is that Renjun knows Jaemin doesn’t like him in that way, at least not romantically , and Jaemin, despite everything, is honestly a great roommate. He’d rather die than risk making things awkward between them. Feelings are such a hassle anyway, so he’s determined to bring whatever he has going on right now to the grave.
( He can almost hear Donghyuck’s mocking voice ringing through his mind, “My roommate is hot! Oh however shall I live on.” )
That is, if things actually worked in his favour for once.
———
Renjun comes home after a long and tedious day of class, flopping down onto the worn couch in the living room and tossing his book bag uncaringly in a random direction two steps into the apartment. The place isn’t much honestly, just two bedrooms, a kitchen and a living space, but it’s just as much of a home to Renjun as it is the one miles away nestled in a small town back in China.
He rolls onto his side with a tired huff, back aching slightly from sitting in those god awful little chairs for hours on end. He mentally curses his instructor for making it a necessity for them to finish up their project in class as he stares up at the hideous painting that Jaemin brought home a few weeks ago, much to Renjun’s distaste. The painting is still up for the whole world to see though, because sue him— he can’t deny Jaemin anything even if he wanted to. The fake plants sitting on the windowsill in the kitchen replacing the live ones that Jaemin had unknowingly killed , but still oblivious to that fact because Renjun didn’t have heart to tell him that the plants he eagerly tended to died , serves as a testimony to that as well.
He faintly hears Jaemin bustling around in the kitchen, probably making dinner for the both of them just like he usually does. It’s a common occurrence for them to have dinner together, starting after that one time Jaemin found Renjun (shamefully) wallowing in homesickness and craving homemade food during the lunar new years which he usually spent with his family back home. Believe him, Renjun had tried many many times before insisting that it wasn’t necessary, but Jaemin who is — maybe even more so than Renjun — stupidly stubborn, bats away his concerns away as if they were measly flies.
His thought process cuts off when a familiar mop of freshly dyed black hair pops out from the kitchen entrance.
“Oh, Injunnie. You’re home! How was class?” Jaemin calls out, that signature pageant smile of his plastered on his face at the sight of the other draped across the couch. The nickname injunnie was used as a topic of teasing at first on Jaemin’s end, mainly because of the blush that would appear on Renjun’s face and the snarky response that would follow along, but somehow it stuck and Renjun has grown tired of trying to tell him to shut the fuck up and to stop using it.
Renjun merely sends a groan in response, but Jaemin easily gets the message and lets out a short laugh.
“Dinner is almost done, don’t fall asleep yet!”
Another groan.
As promised, Jaemin appears once more with a pot of noodles in hand before setting it down alongside two bowls on the glass coffee table. He lightly nudges the motionless figure, and Renjun begrudgingly moves aside to give him space. Jaemin turns on an episode of some corny kdrama he’s been binging recently as they begin eating, and somewhere along it hits Renjun that everything between them has gotten really domestic, but he pushes the nagging thought aside and instead focuses on the task at hand of quenching his hunger.
Once the bowls are emptied, Renjun falls against the cushions with a satisfied hum, hunger sated. Unfortunately, his sated state is short-lived when he realizes how low the temperature in the room is. It’s the beginning of winter for Korea, and the coldness will get harsher from now onwards. Normally Renjun doesn’t mind it though, because the apartment comes with a built-in heater, so it’s unusual for it to be freezing.
“Why is it so cold?” He questions out loud, arms coming around to wrap them around himself in an attempt to block out the temperature as he shivers a little.
Jaemin takes his eyes off the tv screen for a moment to glance at him.
“Heater broke. Landlord won’t be coming until tomorrow to be able to fix it,” Jaemin replies nonchalantly, slurping up the noodles annoyingly loud. Renjun kicks him lightly with his foot.
A pause.
“What the fuck.”
Renjun wants to die. He might even actually — from hypothermia — if he continues on in this state. Another gush of cool wind hits him and he seriously can’t believe his luck. Curse whatever deity or godly being that’s deriving entertainment from his misery right now.
Grumbling under his breath, Renjun sinks further into the couch, seeking solace through the cushions. It does little to block out the cold though, and a low whine escapes his lips before he can stop it.
“I hate this.” He states out in the open, more so to himself that anyone.
Jaemin turns to look at him again, mirth swimming in his eyes as he stares down at the older. A few seconds go by, no one says anything. So Renjun takes the initiative to lift his head up curtly at the other, a silent gesture of what do you want?
Jaemin grins, and Renjun does not like it, nor whatever Jaemin is planning in his head right now. He clears his throat once, shifting closer, and speaks.
“You know, there are other ways you could warm yourself up.”
A giant question mark appears in Renjun’s brain, but when he realizes what Jaemin is implying, or what he thinks Jaemin is implying, his eyes nearly bug out of his head.
See, Renjun knows Jaemin likes skinship, the type to kiss friends platonically on the cheek and give random hugs, but Renjun — Renjun isn’t like that. The most skinship that’s happened between them were mere accidental touches of the hands and all those times Renjun decided to evoke slight pain to prove a point (not that he was counting), so to say this was a big development was an understatement.
“I’m not cuddling your ass, go away.” Renjun grunts out after a brief moment of silence, feigning ignorance despite the dusting of pink on his cheeks.
“You sure?” Jaemin asks with a quirk of his eyebrow, the corner of his lips tugging upwards as he stares in amusement.
“Yes.” His voice comes out scratchy and unconvincing.
Jaemin hums, taking the answer even though he doesn’t sound like he’s convinced either. They go back to watching the tv, and Renjun tries to distract himself by watching the corny scene playing out, pointedly ignoring the way he’s starting to shiver. Jaemin glances at him sideways.
“The offer is still there if you’re up for it.”
Renjun feels his fingers starting to go numb and instinctively brings his hands up to rub them together. He eyes Jaemin suspiciously while simultaneously pondering over it. It’s just innocent cuddling, right? Plus Jaemin does look very warm. Thus, Renjun throws all caution into the wind and decides fuck it .
“Fine. Only this once,” He grits out, teeth chattering as he averts his gaze.
Jaemin looks a little too overjoyed at Renjun’s answer, proceeding to leave the room momentarily to retrieve a blanket. He takes his spot back at the corner of the couch and beckons Renjun over. Still hesitant, Renjun carefully slots himself in between the younger’s legs, back pressed against his chest. Jaemin shifts around slowly to find a comfortable position for the both of them, and when he does so, pulls the blanket up for extra warmth.
“Better?”
Renjun can feel the soft rumble of him speaking all too vividly.
“Yeah.”
And oh , Jaemin is warm— very warm. Renjun is half grateful for the position they’re in right now, especially since Renjun has a strong gut feeling his face resembled a tomato at this very moment. Heart hammering in it’s ribcage, Renjun silently wills himself to calm down.
Renjun slowly regains the feeling in his fingers. It's really warm.
This is nice , Renjun thinks.
Jaemin is nice .
No words are exchanged during that period of time, just the faint sound of dialogue coming from the tv filling in the silence. Renjun doesn’t know what’s going on anymore. He sees the girl crying in the rain, the guy walking off into the distance, and he feels a twinge of pity.
Maybe it’s just his exhaustion-addled brain making things up, but he distantly recalls feeling fingers carding gently through his hair— cautious and a little reluctant. Renjun sinks further into the touch, silently giving permission to continue. His vision goes fuzzy after that, eyes falling shut, Jaemin’s warm touch the last thing he remembers before he loses consciousness.
And when Renjun wakes up in his own bed hours later, disoriented with his mouth dry, he already finds himself missing the warmth.
———
The clock reads 1:56 a.m.
It’s finals season, and like nearly every other student, Renjun is desperately trying to get his shit sorted out by cramming and studying late into the night. Jaemin had texted him hours ago claiming that he’d be back by midnight, and that he was going out with a few friends. God knows how Jaemin still manages to have time for all of that shit, but then again it’s not like it’s Renjun’s business. Jaemin can do whatever he wants , he reminds himself, glaring a hole through a book when the lingering concern doesn’t fade away completely.
He’s halfway done with going through his biochem textbook when he hears a quick succession of knocks against the door, causing him to jolt slightly in surprise. He tears his eyes from the textbook and immediately gets onto his feet to unlock the door.
When he opens it, he’s met with a sheepish-looking Mark Lee — the infamous Canadian transfer — and a very inebriated Jaemin who has his arm slung around the other’s shoulder, face flushed as he slurs out something incoherent. Renjun stares unblinkingly at the duo, mouth falling agape as he alternates looking at both of the people standing in the doorway.
Seeing Renjun’s less than amused expression, Mark briefly explains that Jaemin accidentally had too much to drink. He then promptly apologizes for not stopping Jaemin sooner and for causing an inconvenience, to which Renjun quickly dismisses with a shake of his head, stating that it’s not his fault at all.
Mark then attempts to hand over Jaemin, with much effort, to Renjun, who is blabbering in both of their holds as they struggle to keep him upright. Once Jaemin has one arm slung securely around Renjun, the latter bids goodbye to Mark and shuts the door in one swift motion.
A heavy sigh leaves Renjun.
Hobbling around with his drunk roommate at ass o’clock in the morning was definitely not on his to-do list for tonight. He already feels a migraine building up in the back of his head and Renjun internally curses Jaemin for making his life a lot more harder than it already is.
“Injunnie?”
Renjun looks at the younger at the call of his name. Jaemin’s cheeks are flushed pink, eyelids drooping slightly and Renjun is suddenly all too aware of how close they are. Jaemin reeks of alcohol though, and the smell of it makes Renjun snap out of his stupor. He turns his head back around and averts his gaze.
“Yes?”
Renjun can see Jaemin blinking at him through the corner of his eyes.
“You’re so pretty.”
His words are a little slurred, but Renjun catches the compliment all the same, cheeks heating up involuntarily.
“And you’re drunk. Let’s get you to bed.”
He warily makes an attempt to roll his eyes, ignoring the other’s starry-eyed gaze as he tugs him along to his designated room. Jaemin tugs his arm tighter around him though, shifting his weight against the shorter so that Renjun halts in his tracks.
“ Nooooo … don’t wanna sleep .. yet,” Jaemin whines, pouting as he suddenly stabilizes himself and pulls them both to the direction of the couch.
“No. No . It’s 2a.m and I’m tired. You need to— oof !”
Renjun doesn’t get to finish his sentence because Jaemin has already decided to flop down onto the couch, dragging Renjun along with him, making the older yelp as he crashes down unceremoniously. Their heads knock together somewhere along the process of it, evoking a pained groan from Renjun once he finally lands besides the giggling Jaemin. He rolls onto his back, glaring daggers at the other as he does so. He lands a flick to Jaemin’s forehead, scoffing a little once Jaemin’s giggles die down.
“Stupid, what’d you do that for?”
“Ow, sorry..” He apologizes, though it doesn’t sound that genuine.
Jaemin rubs his forehead sheepishly, not-so-subtly scooting closer to the other as he plasters a lopsided grin onto his face.
“Come home drunk like this again next time and I’ll kill you,” Renjun threatens with no actual meaning behind it.
Jaemin’s grin drops, a pout taking its place instead.
“I’m sorryyyy , it’s not my fault, I swear!” He cries out. “Mark-hyung suggested we go out to blow off steam, so when we got there, somebody handed me this drink, and then … and then …” He trips over his words as he tries to get a point across, frowning as he attempts to recall his memories.
Renjun sighs, listening patiently.
“I was joking, just mind your tolerance next time.”
At his reassurance, Jaemin looks slightly more relieved. He then moves closer, silently placing his head on the other’s shoulder and bringing an arm up to wrap it around Renjun’s middle. Renjun tenses, surprised at the unexpected gesture. He has half a mind to snap at Jaemin but backtracks immediately when he sees how comfortable he looks pressed up against his side. The familiar warmth rushes up to his cheeks again, and he duly notes that Jaemin is still just as warm as the last time they did this.
Renjun purses his lips, figuring he could just let Jaemin rest here for a while before he takes him to his room. Carefully trying not to jostle the sleeping figure, Renjun reaches over to grab his biochem textbook and flips it open to get in some last minute reading before he calls it a night. Jaemin doesn’t move at all, and only when Renjun closes his book shut does he speak again.
“You smell good.”
Renjun pauses, hand stopping at the bridge of his nose when he tries to push his glasses up. He looks down at the younger, who looks barely conscious as he snuggles closer, heat thrumming in his veins.
“You smell though, close your mouth,” Renjun deflects, to which Jaemin easily obeys.
The clock reads 2:23 now.
Setting his book aside, Renjun then moves to gently nudge the other off of him. He gets up and slings one of Jaemin’s arms around himself before dragging him along to the direction of his bedroom with mild effort . Jaemin makes little sounds of displeasure at the movement, but Renjun pays no heed to him and puts him down once they reach the bed. He pulls a blanket over Jaemin who has been shifting around until he finds a comfortable position.
Renjun manages to get out a soft “goodnight” before he turns on his heels to retreat back into the comfort of his own room. A hand clasps around his wrist to stop him.
He’s met with Jaemin, expectancy written over the lines of his face.
“Stay.”
He voices barely over a whisper. He looks like he’s struggling to keep his eyes open, weakly tugging on the other’s wrist, and Renjun feels his heart lurch out of his chest.
He lets out a sigh for the nth time that night— Renjun is a weak man.
Front teeth tugging at his bottom lip, Renjun silently turns back around and nudges Jaemin aside to make space after setting his reading glasses on the nightstand. Slightly reminiscent, he once again slots himself in the empty space, to which Jaemin wastes no time in wrapping both of his arms around the other, gratefully tugging him closer until their legs intertwine. Jaemin lets out a happy hum, and Renjun thinks he might combust then and there.
The room falls silent, the only sounds being Jaemin’s even breathing and the deafening pitter-patter of Renjun’s own heart detectable only by himself. He feels Jaemin bury his face against the back of his neck, warm breaths leaving goosebumps on his skin in its wake. He empties his mind, closing his eyes as he lets himself savour the moment while he’s still allowed to, because tomorrow— tomorrow they’ll go back to what they originally were, and this moment will only be a secret shared between themselves and the darkness.
Jaemin wakes up alone when the sun rises. His head is pounding and he lets out a groan, bringing a hand up to clutch his head. He takes the pills and the glass of water situated on top of the bedside table, downing the water in one go along with the pills. His vision is fuzzy and he’s still in the clothes he wore yesterday. He recalls the memories of last night, and flashes of a certain person appear, in his arms, in his bed . He blushes a little at the thought.
His whole body is aching when he finally decides to get out of bed, leaving the room only to find the apartment empty. He spots something on the countertop though— a plate of food alongside a little note. He squints down at it to read the written words.
you’re insufferable. eat well.
A smiling hippo-like character is drawn at the bottom corner of the note, and Jaemin all but smiles at the sight of it. He discreetly pockets the little note after rereading it once or twice, tucking it securely in his back pocket for safekeeping.
Maybe I should come home drunk more often , Jaemin muses to himself in satisfaction.
———
“ You slept together?!”
Donghyuck screeches from the other line and Renjun is quick to shush him, swiveling his head around the room to make sure no one hears him despite knowing he’s home alone. After making sure the coast is clear, Renjun turns back to the screen and glares.
“Not that way you dick!” He hisses, body temperature rising involuntarily.
“We just laid in bed together because he wouldn’t let me go, that’s all .” He adds, pursing his lips for more effect.
Donghyuck eyes him indignantly through the screen and Renjun can hear the cogs in his brain working, a cocky smirk appearing on his face soon after.
“But you enjoyed it, didn’t you?”
Renjun feels a nerve snap.
“I’m hanging up.”
Donghyuck’s cackles could be heard from his laptop’s speakers at this.
“I’m joking I’m joking,” He says between laughs, ignoring how Renjun is giving him the stink eye. “Still, you should do something about it. Jaemin obviously holds something for you, you’re just oblivious to it, or maybe just in denial, who knows,” he hums thoughtfully, laughter dying down. Renjun grumbles in response.
“Alrighty then, Jeno has no classes today, so I shall be fulfilling my duty of being the bestest boyfriend out there by sucking the life out of him through his—”
Donghyuck is interrupted by Renjun’s fake retching on the other line.
“ Okay . Goodbye, tell Jeno I said hi.”
“Will do, love you too Renjunnie!” Donghyuck salutes before making kissy faces at the screen.
Renjun sighs when he finally clicks the end call button, slumping against the cushioned chair. He goes to leave his room in search of water when the door lock clicks open. Jaemin steps in, hair disheveled from probably the wind outside. A strand of hair falls over his eye, and Renjun has the sudden urge to sweep it aside when he turns to look at the other.
“Renjun. You’re home early?” He inquires curiously, stepping aside to take off his shoes.
Renjun nods, gulping down the glass of water in hand.
‘Yeah, class got cancelled. I was on a call with Hyuck.”
“Oh, were you? How is he?” He asks again, tossing his book bag on the couch.
Renjun hums, “Same old, still as annoying as always.”
“More annoying than me?” Jaemin jokes, a teasing lilt in his voice.
“No, no he’s not.” Renjun deadpans, rolling his eyes.
Jaemin chuckles at this, moving towards the kitchen but not before ruffling the shorter male’s hair affectionately in the process. Renjun lightly swats his hand away and watches as he opens the fridge before scanning through it.
“Wanna order take out today? We’re low on groceries, I’ll stop by for some tomorrow.” He notes, a frown etched on his face as he looks up at Renjun for an answer.
Renjun nods, “Sure, I’ve been wanting to try that Chinese take out place Chenle has been raving about all week.”
Jaemin makes a sound of acknowledgement, and Renjun takes that as a cue to go order. Once he’s told the nice old lady on the other line his and Jaemin’s usual orders in his native language, he turns to walk into his room and retrieves a sketchpad and a few pencils. Making a beeline towards Jaemin’s room, he notes that the door is open and peeks inside to see the other working on something in his computer. He lightly knocks the door, careful of jolting Jaemin who looked like he was busy with something,
“Can I come in?”
Jaemin lifts his head up from his work, blinking as he nods.
It’s been a common occurrence lately for Renjun to visit Jaemin in his room every evening. It’s mostly because Jaemin’s room faces the west and it has this gorgeous view of the sunset that Renjun likes admiring. Renjun had been reluctant to ask at first, but Jaemin simply shook his head and reassured that he didn’t mind the extra company.
So, here he was, sitting propped up comfily on a pillow as he watches the sun slowly sink in the horizon. He promptly opens up his well used sketchpad, and begins scribbling down lines with his pencil. A song from Kiana Ledé’s latest album is playing through one of Jaemin’s many speakers, the soft beats adding nicely to the ambiance of the room.
A few minutes pass, Jaemin turns away from his work and spins his chair around to face Renjun’s direction. He sees him sketching something and Jaemin raises an eyebrow, a sense of curiosity filling him. He then abruptly leaves his desk and slumps down on the bed beside the other. Renjun is facing him, so he leans in closer to take a better look at what Renjun is drawing. Renjun spots him though, and immediately pulls the sketchpad to his chest defensively.
“Aw come on! Let me see what you’re drawing,” He whines petulantly, tugging on Renjun’s arm lightly to make him let go. Renjun doesn’t relent though and sends a glare his way.
“It’s not finished yet.”
Jaemin eyes him in disbelief at this, hand still tugging on the older’s arm determinedly.
“It’s probably still good, just let me have a peek,” He counters, huffing when Renjun doesn’t budge.
“No.”
“Look! It’s a bird.” He exclaims suddenly, pointing out the window.
Renjun turns to look in surprise, and Jaemin takes this opportunity to pull the sketchbook out of Renjun’s hold. Renjun has an iron grip on it though, and doesn’t let go even when Jaemin tugs it incessantly away from him. Renjun yells in frustration, but Jaemin doesn’t relent either and puts his hours of gymwork to use by pulling even harder. Renjun finally lets go, but it slips away from Jaemin’s fingers as well, causing it to fly up in the air, landing unceremoniously on the ground below. Renjun yelps, scrambling to retrieve the discarded note book, but Jaemin had already seen it as clear as day.
It was a drawing of Jaemin.
Time seemed to slow down at that moment, Renjun’s heartbeat filling his ears as he felt cold sweat beginning to run down the back of his neck. Jaemin’s eyes are comically wide when he stares down at the sketchpad, an unmistakable drawing of himself by Renjun in full display for them both to see. He turns to look at the flustered other after a few solid seconds, eyes still wide when he does so. Renjun doesn’t miss the pink dusting on his cheeks either. Jaemin opens and closes his mouth a few times as if wanting to say something before he actually does.
“Is that me?”
Renjun gulps audibly at the question, heart skipping a beat as he feels his throat suddenly dry up.
“No, I was drawing a monkey,” He lies blatantly, voice wavering.
Jaemin blinks once. Twice.
“Renjun,” He starts again, voice slightly louder this time as he turns to look at the other straight in the eye.
There’s an unrecognizable glint in Jaemin’s eyes, and Renjun feels his heart sink to the bottom of his stomach when he meets the taller’s gaze. The temperature in the room feels likes its dropping, and Renjun wants nothing more than to run out of Jaemin’s room and leave the entire country.
“Do you like me?”
Jaemin’s voice is hesitant, soft as if anything louder than that would scare away the other.
Renjun’s eyes widen at this, gulping once more as he feels his blood run cold. He doesn’t say anything for awhile, feeling like a highschooler confessing their crush all over again. He hates this.
After another beat of silence, Renjun assumes Jaemin takes the speechlessness from Renjun’s part as a no and leans back slightly before breaking eye contact. Renjun can see the shine in his eyes dimming a little, and he opens his mouth to say something. Renjun doesn’t catch it though, the other’s voice drowned out completely by his thoughts running a mile a second.
Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck .
Jaemin is already one foot off the bed when Renjun focuses on him again.
Fuck it .
Without thinking, Renjun braces himself and leans forward to grab onto Jaemin’s collar. Jaemin pauses in his tracks, staring at Renjun in confusion who has his hand balled up in the fabric of Jaemin’s shirt.
“Renjun I—”
He doesn’t get to finish.
Renjun crashes their lips together messily, effectively shutting the other up when he leans in further into the kiss. Renjun kisses intensely, and he feels Jaemin’s body draw taut under his fingers before he starts reciprocating with the same intensity.
There’s no fireworks when it happens, but Renjun feels weightless as he clambers onto the other’s lap without warning. Jaemin’s hand snakes around his waist to steady him instinctively, and Renjun pushes even further. Jaemin’s lips are a little chapped, but Renjun doesn’t mind— not at all when Jaemin kisses like this .
The lightheadedness returns when he feels Jaemin’s tongue sweeps lightly against his bottom lip, and Renjun parts his mouth open slightly in response.
It feels like an eternity when he finally runs out of breath, and the both of them are panting when they part ways. Jaemin’s ears are evidently flushed, lips a pretty shade of red from the kissing, and Renjun all but wants to kiss him again .
“So was that a yes?” Jaemin grins after regaining his breath, tone smug and expectant as he watches Renjun’s face burn.
Renjun groans exasperatedly at this, hiding his face in the crook of the other’s neck in an attempt to shield his face. He mumbles something incoherently under his breath.
“Hmm? What was that?” Jaemin teases again, bringing a hand up to run through the older’s hair.
Renjun turns up to face him abruptly, scoffing as he does so.
“I said , yes I do. I do like you.” He admits, the confession colouring his cheeks a deeper shade of red.
“Thought so,” Jaemin smirks, and Renjun punches him lightly in the stomach.
Jaemin’s laughter resounds around the room, causing Renjun to groan once more before moving to hide his face again. Jaemin stops him before he does so though by tilting his head up with his hand, staring at him with so much sincerity that Renjun feels his heart soar.
“Don’t worry. I like you too, Injunnie.”
As if wanting to prove the weight of his words, Jaemin leans in again and captures Renjun’s lips with his own. Giddiness fills every crevice of Renjun’s being, and he all but beams into the kiss, smiling even wider when he feels Jaemin grin into it as well. He closes his eyes shut in bliss, months of emotional frustration ebbing away as their lips move against each other languidly.
This is nice .
Renjun thinks, and he mentally notes to himself that maybe this isn’t so bad after all.
Three knocks on the door resound through the apartment, breaking the little euphoric bubble they were in. Jaemin slowly pulls away, looking sheepish and a little apologetic that he had to leave for a moment.
“I’ll get it. Stay here and sit pretty for me, hm?” The corners of his lips quirk upwards as he wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.
Renjun lets out a scoff despite being unable to wipe the smile off his face, managing to aim a pillow in Jaemin’s direction when the latter sends him a wink before exiting the room. As soon as he’s left alone, Renjun falls against the soft pillows, taking a short breather from all the emotions he’s gone through in the past few minutes. Jaemin returns just moments later, wasting no time in clambering onto the bed and slotting their lips together once more, knocking the air out of Renjun’s lungs.
He lets out a sound of surprise when Jaemin starts licking into his mouth tentatively, and he promptly remembers the food and bats a hand against the younger’s chest. Jaemin makes a confused sound, but pulls away anyway to see what’s wrong.
“The food’s going to get cold,” Renjun mumbles, voice coming out slightly raspy.
Jaemin only shoots him an unimpressed look at this, choosing to nudge his face underneath the older’s chin to press light kisses along his jawline.
“The food can wait. You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do this,” He admits against his skin, pressing one last kiss before lifting his head back up to admire the pretty blush adorning Renjun’s cheeks. His newly dyed blond hair is spread out messily against the pillows, creating a halo atop his head and Renjun looks so good .
“You wanna know something, Injunnie?” Jaemin questions noncommittally, too busy trying not to stare too hard at Renjun’s lips.
Renjun hums in acknowledgment, eyes dazed as he waits for Jaemin to speak. The fallen sketchpad is long forgotten on the bedroom floor, and the sun has already begun to set, leaving a trail of oranges, pinks and purples, a veil of darkness befalling it afterwards. It’s a pretty sight, Renjun agrees— but he thinks he prefers the sight in front of him right now.
“The heater was never broken.”