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The signature sound of Han Jisung screaming can be heard and both Chan and Jeongin turn their heads in sync.
Chan mutes the T.V. and they both wait for another scream to figure out whether something really is the matter or if it's another random Han Jisung thing.
Another scream with some unintelligible words. One word stands out though.
Chan smirks and looks at Jeongin. "Go, your roommate is calling for your help. Another bug, I bet."
"Why do you look so happy about it?"
"Who me? Never! Just curious as to why he always specifically calls for you even when I am here too."
Jeongin just gets up and leaves for his and Jisung's shared room. If his face feels a bit warm and a smile tugs at his lips, no one needs to know.
"Oh thank god you are finally here. Now kill that!"
Jeongin looks; it's a cockroach near the corner of the room. Jisung is in the absolute opposite corner, on his bed, crouching and looking ready to bolt any moment.
"Don't laugh! It flies!"
"Sorry, sorry," says Jeongin, because flying cockroaches really are the worst. He isn't too fond of them either.
"It's huge too! Iyen-ah! Please!"
"I was thinking I might just leave it like that. It will just go away."
Jisung stares at Jeongin with raging betrayal in his eyes. "Go? Go where? It will attack me as soon as I move!"
"It won't attack you, don't be ridiculous."
Just then the insect flies up and lands much closer to Jisung. The shriek Jisung let out is eardrum splitting.
"JEONGIN! Stop teasing me and kill that thing!"
"Okay, okay," says Jeongin, grabbing some stray papers and rolling them up. He doesn't want a disgusting cockroach corpse on his hands after all. He approaches the insect just as it flies again, apparently sensing the danger it is in.
He glances at Jisung and sighs. "Hyung, calm down please."
Jisung is practically inconsolable by now. He has curled away from the offending creature into a little ball, phone clutched in hand because even in times of such huge distress and panic, he won't be separated from his phone.
"Please," he says in a pleading tone. "Have mercy. Kill it. Kill it. Kill it NOW."
Jeongin brings the rolled paper down but the cockroach escapes. Thankfully this time it flies away from Jisung instead.
"You used to be good at this!" snaps Jisung, not relaxing one bit. "What happened to you? I should have just called Channie hyung-"
The paper slams down again, maybe a bit too forcefully and Jisung goes quiet for a while.
"I'm trying," says Jeongin, a bit frustrated. Jisung is right, he used to be good at this. What happened today?
"Can you try quicker?"
"I'm-"
Another slam, one that Jeongin fully expected to be unsuccessful considering he didn't aim at all, and the cockroach is dead.
"Oh," says Jeongin, a bit surprised. "Well, it's done."
He looks at Jisung and lord, he has his face buried in his hands as he peeks through his fingers. He looks so adorable that Jeongin doesn't know what to do.
Jisung drops his hands, unfurls from his ball-like position and throws his hands up in celebration. "Woooo! Thank you! Thank you so much maknae, thank you for your services. You can get free kisses from me anytime and-"
"Can I just get free meals?" interjects Jeongin, picking up the dead insect to throw it away. "I have no use for kisses."
"Not even when they are from me?"
"Especially not then."
He hears a gasp and grins. Now for some more teasing...
"Hey hyung, look at this," he says, dangling the cockroach gingerly between two of his fingers. "Isn't this cool?"
"Jeongin, don't you dare-"
Oh, but Yang Jeongin, Maknae On Top, does dare and he goes closer to Jisung's bed to show off how much he dares.
Jisung shrieks again and abruptly puts a pillow on his own face to avoid looking at the cockroach. "It's dead, it can't hurt me, it can't hurt me, it can't hurt me, be brave, be brave, be brave," he chants from behind the pillow, words muffled but clear enough to understand.
"It could have never hurt you in the first place. It's a cockroach, not a venomous snake or something."
"It FLIES."
"I- okay, fine, I get it."
He throws the insect out the window, not particularly caring if it lands on some poor, unsuspecting wanderer below and sighs when he sees Jisung still holding the pillow.
"It's gone. I threw it away."
"You swear?"
"Yes, hyung, I swear."
Jisung brings down the pillow slowly.
Jeongin walks over to Jisung and sits down beside him, Chan's earlier statement still rattling inside his head in a way which suggests it won't leave him alone until he gets an answer to it. "Hannie hyung?"
"Yes?"
"Why do you always call me for this? For killing bugs."
"Because I can't? Because I'm terrified?"
"No, I meant, why me?"
Jisung goes quiet at that.
"I remember one time Channie hyung offered to help," says Jeongin. "And you said no, apparently I must be the one to do it."
"I just like it when you do. Improves our roommate bond or whatever."
"So this is all about a roommate bond?"
"Yes."
"Okay," says Jeongin, not entirely satisfied with the answer but he doesn't understand why. What exactly did he expect to hear?
Jisung exhales deeply and then levels Jeongin with The Stare™. Jeongin knows that stare. Nothing good comes out of that stare. It is Han Jisung Being Confident Stare. It is Han Jisung Will Now Proceed To Call You Out Stare.
"Or maybe because whenever I suggest someone else do it, you get mad."
The words feel like a shockwave. Jeongin wants to deny it immediately but something lodges in his throat, rendering him unable to speak and forcing him to think about just how true the words were.
Jisung is smirking at him. "Well, don't you?"
"I- I wouldn't say mad," mutters Jeongin.
"You don't like the idea of anyone else doing that for me," says Jisung. "Because you loooove me soooo much."
"Get off!" Jeongin tries to push away Jisung as he puckers his lips and tries to plant a kiss on his cheek. "No, I don't."
"Then what is it? Tell me."
"It's my duty as a roommate. Roommate bond."
Jisung doesn't give up though and Jeongin tries to get up from the bed only for Jisung to wrap himself around him and holding him in place.
"Roommate bond?" he asks, suddenly serious and Jeongin stills in the midst of struggling.
"Yeah," he says, voice coming out weird.
They both stay silent for a while and Jisung slowly starts disentangling himself from Jeongin. Jeongin should like the fact that he is finally free.
Jeongin doesn't.
"Where's my free kiss?" he says impulsively. He doesn't dare look at Jisung because oh god this is so embarrassing but Jisung's infectious smile is obvious even in his words.
"Really?"
Jeongin turns to meet Jisung's beautiful heart shaped smile paired with those equally pretty eyes which seem a little more timid than usual. A little questioning. And very hopeful.
Jeongin nods. "No one gets to know about this," he warns but he can't help but smile when Jisung's lips press against his cheekbone, noticing how they lingered for a moment longer than necessary.
"Next time, on the lips."
"Never."
Jisung smiles, as if he can see the future and already tell that he is right. "We will see Iyen-ah."