Work Text:
you picked a dance with the devil and you lucked out
Jeno tapped his fingers around the steering wheel as he waited for the traffic light to let him go ahead.
The city of Los Angeles was beginning to wake up as it did every Monday at five in the morning. Everyone was heading to work, some happier than others and some less rushed than he was.
Sometimes he asked himself if he really did need to go so soon. The answer was always the same: yes. As a Professor and Head of the Weapons Department of the N. C. T. Academy, his greatest duty, like his other colleagues, was to arrive before anyone else at his work zone.
At twenty-six Jeno held one of the most prestigious positions in the Academy as the result of being the number one in his class. And honestly, he had damn earned it. So it came as no surprise, neither to him nor to his classmates and teachers, that he was chosen to lead the Weapons Training the Academy provided to future agents.
After years of doing it, it was no problem for him to appear on the streets even before the sun did. That was what he had been doing for years and, hopefully, what he would continue to do for many more.
The sound of a horn made him look away from his window and he accelerated immediately, feeling the hot air hit his face, ruffling his hair. He didn’t care. After all, driving was what he liked best after guns. The only thing he would like to do would be to be able to exceed the speed limit while driving, but he was an authority figure. He had to follow the rules.
That's why sometimes he thought he would have preferred to be transferred to the Foreign Missions Department.
The adrenaline rush of annihilating the enemy, the sound of bullets being fired, the survival instinct to stay alive in extreme situations. Yes. He missed it. Though perhaps not enough to leave his position. Luckily, at work, he spent the day listening to gunshots, so it was like living in a constant state of euphoria.
Twenty minutes later, he had already parked his car in his spot in the parking lot and was waiting for the elevator to come down when he noticed someone next to him.
"Lee."
Jeno smiled sideways, and without looking at him, he answered. "Na."
"Are you still ignoring my advice of buying a motorcycle?"
Just before he could answer, the elevator’s doors opened and they both walked in, not facing each other. Jeno didn't need to ask the other which floor he was going to before pressing the number. Distracted, he leaned against the corner of the elevator, right in front of Na Jaemin.
Na Jaemin, second in his class, a few months younger than him and in charge of the Network Security and Privacy Department. He had been given his position the same day that Jeno was given his and like him, he had earned it. Jeno was able to recognize it. He was the best at his thing. There was no one who was at his level. Not even Jeno, since their specialities were completely different.
Jeno was still able to remember their training days at the Academy.
They were in the same class and from the first moment there was a slight rivalry between them. Nothing serious. It was always condescending looks and smiles, a comment intended to destabilize the other, and maybe even a shove or two. But that friendly rivalry became the centre of attention of absolutely the entire Academy during their training. Even to the point where professors bet among themselves on who would end up taking the number one tittle.
“Oh. So we are back to the silence treatment, Lee? I thought we went over that stage years ago." Jaemin smiled, amused. Jeno only stared at him.
Like every day, Jaemin, just like him, wore the professors' uniform, which basically consisted of a black short-sleeved T-shirt, along with black pants and military boots, also black. The only iota of colour on their uniforms was on the right side of their T-shirts, where the professor's name and their department were written in neon green. But in Jaemin's case, he was also wearing black leather gloves and a red long-sleeved jacket hung from his shoulder. His helmet was probably with his motorcycle.
"And I see that you keep using that stupid machine to come."
Jaemin opened his mouth in outrage. "Hey! Respect Betty. She's been with me for years and she's not a stupid machine."
Jeno looked at him impassively as Jaemin looked at him like an angry little boy. Very intimidating, yeah.
"No, right. She'd be the reason why one day you'll appear in the news. Dead."
Jaemin's face went from anger to complete amusement, with a small smile, as he approached Jeno. It wasn't like the elevator was huge, but it seemed like forever until Jaemin's face was right in front of his.
"Oww. Are you worried about me?" Jaemin pouted, tilting his head in shock. Jeno refrained from rolling his eyes and just sighed.
“Concern for you is what I least feel. Don't get your hopes up."
Jaemin placed his hands on his chest, just above his heart, as if what Jeno had said had really hurt. The guy sometimes looked more like an actor than a damn agent.
“That hurts, hun. I thought we had something special."
Jeno crossed his arms, throwing a small glance at the panel, to see what floor they were on. That was the bad thing about having more than forty floors in the building.
He didn't give Jaemin the luxury of seeing him startled when he noticed the texture of his gloves on his jaw, forcing him to look at him. He almost frowned in annoyance when he saw the other smiling with pleasure.
"No one’s going to come and save you from me."
Jeno gave him a sarcastic laugh. “Who tells you that I need to be saved from you? In case you forgot, I am the one in charge of the guns."
"Hmm. Sexy. You know how much men with guns excite me." Jaemin licked his lips and Jeno noticed how the air had been expelled from his lungs brutally. "But you're not wearing any right now, honey."
"How do you know it?" Jeno arched an eyebrow and Jaemin smiled even more.
“Well, if you want I can check you up. It seems that’s what you want, or am I wrong?"
Jeno closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It wasn’t worth it. It wasn’t worth it. It wasn’t wor—
“If what you want is my hands on your body, you just have to ask me. I’ll be delighted to do so."
Jaemin had taken advantage of the fact that Jeno had closed his eyes to bring his face close to his ear and whisper to him, shrinking his heart.
Damn it.
Jeno frowned and put his hands on the other's chest, pulling him away from his body.
"Don't even think about touching me."
Jaemin chuckled softly before backing away until he was stuck in the other corner, saying nothing more.
It wasn't until seconds later that the high-pitched elevator bell was heard, hinting that they had finally reached Jaemin's floor.
Jeno followed him with his eyes, like a prey, until he stopped at the doors and turned to him.
"Just so you know, it was you who was touching me." Jaemin was silent for a moment before winking at him. “Thanks for the company, but you didn't have to go up fifty-two floors with me when yours was only three floors away from the parking lot. You're going to make me think you actually like me, Lee."
And with that, he got out of the elevator without giving Jeno time to respond. It wasn’t like he could have given him any explanation. So he just smiled, leaning his head against one of the four walls as he shook his head.
“What the fuck was that shot, Kim? Even my grandmother knows how to do it better," Jeno grunted, watching the boy miss his shot again. "If you can't even hit his arm, I don't know what you’re doing here."
The boy, one of his younger students, looked at him sadly but Jeno ignored him completely. In their job, there were no looks of pity that could save your life. Either you survived or you were killed.
Frustrated, Jeno grunted again and looked around the classroom. It was the fifth class he had before it was lunch break, but it was always the worst. He had been assigned the rookie group for four months already and none had improved since then. He didn't care if they didn't pick his speciality at the end of their training, but for God's sake, they had to be able to at least shoot someone in the arm.
"Mr. Lee."
Jeno tensed and stopped watching as Kim missed his shot again, surely thanking that one of his classmates had called him, taking his attention away from him. One failed shot more and he knew things would have gotten ugly with him.
Slowly, he approached Minha, one of the least bad, leaving a considerable distance between them, and looked at her, waiting for her to speak.
“The charger button is stuck. I can't get it out or keep it closed." Minha bit her lip, blinking more than necessary, and showed him the gun, taking a step towards him, causing Jeno to immediately step back.
Jeno picked up the gun, avoiding touching his student's hand, and sure enough, the button was stuck.
In any other circumstance, Jeno would have told her to figure it out herself, because it wasn't the first time something like that had happened and he was tired of repeating how to fix it. It was something that happened almost every day and yet no one knew how to do it. But today he was excessively tired of that group so he preferred not to say anything.
"Change weapons and get on with your drills," Jeno stated frivolously, putting the gun at Minha's desk and leaving.
"Wait!"
A hand grabbed his arm and he stopped on his heels instantly. The other students looked at them with wide eyes, not even trying to pretend that their attention wasn’t completely on them.
Slowly, Jeno turned around, glaring at Minha, who immediately released his arm and positioned herself, ready to receive an order.
"Student Jung, you know that it’s completely forbidden for a student to touch a teacher and vice versa if it’s not for safety or teaching reasons."
Minha squirmed and lowered her head.
"Sorry. I— It's that—”
"Did you even have a strict reason for touching Professor Lee?"
Suddenly all heads turned towards the classroom door, surprised. Jeno scowled and Jaemin walked over to them, looking at Minha indifferently.
Minha had raised her head to look at him for a moment but when she saw Jaemin's eyes fixed on her, she lowered her again and it seemed that she had become smaller.
"So? Did you?"
"I'm sorry. I didn't— I shouldn't have—"
Jaemin's jaw clenched hard and Jeno set his lips in a thin line, unable to say anything.
"First, you know that you must not touch a superior without having an extreme reason for it, as Professor Lee has just indicated." Jaemin stepped forward, inches away from Minha. "Second, you just said, or at least tried, because suddenly it’s like you don’t remember how to speak, that you did it because you wanted to, I guess." Before Minha could answer him, he kept talking, his tone becoming harsher. “Third, you’re not even able to give a clear and firm explanation to your superiors when they ask you something. Is that what we teach our students here, student Jung?"
"No, Mr Na," Minha answered in a small voice, almost as if she was about to cry.
Jaemin was still looking at her harshly and seemed to hold back from blurting out something else. Instead, he just looked at Jeno, for the first time since he'd entered the room.
“I want everyone out of this classroom right now and get going to the cafeteria,” Jaemin ordered, his voice still harsh. “And let this be an example and a warning that something like this cannot be repeated. Ever again,” Jaemin blurted, his eyes still on Jeno's.
Instantly, everyone put down their weapons, quickly putting away the material and almost running out of the classroom, leaving the two agents alone. Once Jaemin heard the sound of the door closing, he relaxed his jaw and let out an irritated sigh.
"Jaemin."
Jeno's reproachful tone made Jaemin take a step back, shaking his head and what Jeno had believed to be anger in his eyes quickly became a mixture of sadness and exhaustion. Jeno reached out, trying to grab the other's hand, but before he knew it, Jaemin had left the classroom, the sound of the door closing making a loud crash on his way.
Great. Fucking great.
It was six in the afternoon when Jeno finally reached his penthouse. The training sessions had finished at four o'clock, but being the Head of the Department, he had had to meet with other Heads, which had lengthened his day more than necessary.
Without wasting time, he went directly to the bathroom. He needed a shower urgently. The heat was scorching and he was sweating too much for his liking. Funny, because during his years as a student and agent, he had never complained about it. Not even once. But it was the fact that he was sweating without doing anything that bothered him.
Once undressed, he stepped into the shower, the cold water making contact with his skin, causing him to let out a small moan. He had definitely needed a shower.
After that moment in the classroom, he hadn't seen Jaemin again. Not even in the cafeteria eating. His Department hadn't been called to any of the meetings, so Jeno had no idea if he had already left the Academy or had stayed at his office, working longer than necessary, as he always did when he was angry or he wanted to avoid everyone and everything.
They had to talk. What had happened wasn’t something they could ignore and continue with their lives. Jaemin had entered his classroom, without permission, and had started scolding one of his students with Jeno being there. Not that it was forbidden to do that, but it had certainly bothered Jeno. Jaemin had taken away his authority in his own class, in front of his students.
He quirked his mouth. Jaemin really shouldn't have done that.
"Sorry."
Jeno couldn't help but jump, startled when he felt two arms hugging him around his waist and a head resting on his shoulder.
"Sorry. I know I shouldn't have done that,” Jaemin murmured again, his mouth so close to the curve of his neck that he was hardly heard, least of all with the sound of water falling. But Jeno had heard him.
“Someday you're going to make me be the one to appear in the news. Newsflash, N. C. T. Academy’s agent was found dead in his shower from a heart attack. The cause? His fiancé is damn sneaky."
Jaemin chuckled softly, tickling Jeno, who sighed with a smile on his face.
"At least no shampoo got into your eye like last time."
They both laughed, Jaemin still hugging Jeno from behind. Jaemin's skin was warm and smooth, and unlike Jeno, Jaemin didn't have any scars anywhere on his body. Jeno had over ten and Jaemin loved to touch them, just as he was doing with the small scar that Jeno had on his abdomen, making him contract his muscles under the touch of his fingers.
"Let me see you."
As soon as he said that, Jaemin released him, giving him enough room to turn around, which he did after turning off the water. Water bills were freaking expensive after all.
Once he turned around, he couldn't help but soften his face as he looked at his fiancé.
"Nana..."
Jaemin's eyes were red and puffy, which meant that he had cried, probably for hours. Jeno knew he hated when he got mad at him. It was a feeling Jeno shared. Because he could endure twenty bullets, but he couldn't stand Jaemin being angry or upset with him for more than five minutes.
"Come here."
Jeno spread his arms and Jaemin didn't wait to hug him tight again, hiding his head once more in the crook of Jeno's shoulder. Jaemin loved doing that. It always relaxed him.
“I’ve been a fool. Sorry. I've done it wrong."
The older one hugged him back with the same force.
Taking advantage of their slight difference in height, Jeno rested his chin on top of Jaemin's head.
“I'm not angry, Nana. I understand why, but the way hasn’t been the right one to do it. You’ve taken away my authority in a class that was not even yours and you’ve scolded one of my students when it was something that I was already doing."
He noticed how Jaemin ran his fingertips down his bare and wet back. If Jeno thought about it, the scene was funny. The two of them naked in the shower and talking about their problems. Jaemin could’ve waited for him to at least get out of the bathroom but surely the possibility of Jeno being mad at him had made him go mad. So he didn't wait any longer. It happened every time they had a disagreement or an argument, even if it was a rare occasion if it happened.
They really couldn't go to sleep without fixing whichever was the problem. It was an unspoken pact that had been established since they were students. Because, to the surprise of some, Jaemin and Jeno had started dating since the last month of Academy of their first year, when they were only eighteen.
Eight years later they were still together. Who would’ve thought?
"I know. It won't happen again, I swear. But it's simply that I just passed by your classroom and saw how she grabbed you and…” Jaemin sighed, dejected. "You know I don't like Minha. At all."
Jeno giggled, to which Jaemin pinched his ass, grumbling.
"You know it's true. That girl has been in my sights from day one. Also, at the last dinner, she tried to kiss you." Jeno couldn't answer because Jaemin beat him to it. “And don't start with the 'She was drunk, Nana. She didn't know what she was doing' shit because it was more than clear she was faking it and you know it. You're not that stupid."
Jeno kissed his temple before grabbing him by his hips and lifting him off the ground, causing Jaemin to wrap his legs around his waist, instinctively. Jeno took the opportunity to hold him firmly by his ass and rest his back against the wall, to which Jaemin let out a sound of surprise and looked at him with wide eyes.
“One, you know that I absolutely don’t care if she wanted to kiss me, because not even in her dreams she would be able to. I don't let her, or even anyone, get close to me. Never." Jaemin sputtered under his breath, annoyed by the fact that a student wanted his fiancé.
Jeno caressed his waist with his thumb. "And two, is your memory so bad that you don’t remember that after that dinner we returned home, together, and I made it clear that the only person who I let touch and kiss me is you? Do I have to remind you?"
Jeno looked at him with raised eyebrows but Jaemin only sucked his bottom lip. His cheeks and neck were now a pinkish hue. Jeno began to leave small kisses all over his face and continued to go down until he found the small bite that he had left the night before on his chest. He kissed it with extreme sweetness, causing Jaemin to gasp and close his eyes.
"I already know it. You know it's not a trust issue with you. It’s her with whom I have a problem with. She thinks she’s going to have the—"
Jeno shook his head, shaking his hair at the same time. Jaemin closed his eyes when small drops splashed his face. "Forget about her. She’s a simple student who barely knows how to shoot. The only thing she likes about me is that I emanate authority and I don't pay the slightest attention to her outside of class and even in class. Nothing more. It’ll pass when she has Yuta as her professor."
"Authority is sexy," Jaemin murmured, stroking the back of Jeno's neck, who laughed as he continued kissing and licking Jaemin's skin.
"You are sexy."
Whatever Jaemin was going to say got lost in his throat and instead let out a gasp as Jeno rolled his hips, causing their crotches to brush, making him shiver in his arms.
"Shit, Lee," Jaemin hissed, noticing how Jeno kept moving his hips against him, their cocks rubbing against each other.
“What do you say, Na? Do you want me to give you a summary of that night?" Jeno smiled, amused to hear Jaemin blurt out incoherencies.
"I prefer the whole thing, thank you very much."
Jeno couldn’t contain the laugh that came out of him and without more, he closed the distance between them, kissing him just as he had wanted since that morning in the elevator.
The murmur of the television was the only thing that could be heard in the whole apartment. Jeno and Jaemin, after a long shower, had decided to order food delivery because neither of them had the strength to cook.
They had already eaten at least an hour ago and they were both on the couch. Jeno was leaning on the backrest and Jaemin had his head on his lap while reading one of his books.
Jeno loved the way Jaemin's face changed as he read. By now he knew what he was thinking just by looking at him.
When he frowned it could be that he didn’t agree with something that had happened, didn’t understand something or thought that the characters were idiots. Although he used to express the latter more by snorting or rolling his eyes. When he pouted it was because something sad had happened and when he smiled widely it was because of something cute or romantic.
Yes, Jeno had spent eight years with him. It wasn't so weird to know such things, was it? Not that he was a stalker, for the love of God. He was his fiancé.
At that thought, he couldn't help looking at Jaemin's left hand, where the engagement ring stood out. It was nothing fancy. It was simple. Jaemin liked simple things and that ring fit him perfectly.
They didn't have a wedding date yet but they weren't in any rush. For them, getting married was more symbolic than nothing. After all, the only thing that would change was that he could call Jaemin his husband and maybe Jeno might like that idea more than he thought.
Otherwise, nothing was going to change. They were already living as a married couple.
"I know I'm extremely handsome and stuff, but with your eyes on my face I can't focus." Jaemin looked up, his gaze colliding with Jeno's, who scoffed.
"I didn't know looking at you was a problem."
"Well, it is when you look at me like I've given you the world." Jaemin smirked and Jeno couldn't help playing with his hair, causing the other to purr happily.
"You are my world, idiot."
Not two seconds later he saw Jaemin gag and he gently pushed his face, making him laugh. Jaemin grabbed his hand in his and laced their fingers together before bringing them to his lips and kissing the back of his hand.
"Sometimes I forget that you are a romantic."
Jeno sighed exaggeratedly. "One of us two has to be, right?"
"Are you saying that I am not?" Jaemin fixed his gaze on Jeno, who shrugged.
"You are a funny romantic. I am a cheesy romantic."
"And that's why we work so well together." Jaemin winked at him, refocusing his attention on his book as he placed their joined hands on top of his chest.
"Hey, where have you been for lunch?"
“Talking with Johnny. I needed to calm down, you know that."
Certain. Jeno was a person who could have a good conversation even when he was angry but Jaemin needed some time before working things out. There was nothing wrong with that. It was better than talking while both of them were angry and one of them was like a time bomb about to explode at the slightest thing and say something he would later regret.
"Oh, and Doyoung asked him when the wedding is supposed to be, so it doesn't overlap with his work trip."
Jeno scratched his jaw, nodding.
The Academy had no rule stating that professors couldn’t have a relationship, much less with each other, but they had agreed that it was best to maintain a strictly professional relationship inside the building. And they did it pretty well, really. But that didn't mean their coworkers didn't know about them. After all, they were all friends and it wasn't like Jeno and Jaemin wanted to keep their relationship a secret, not at all. Jeno was damn proud to call Jaemin his fiancé. They only kept it private when they were at the Academy.
He still remembers when Taeyong found out. He got mad at them because they made him lose a bet against Jaehyun. Their idiotic friends weren't that idiotic apparently, because they had seen it coming, and Jeno was grateful that they had never pressured them to confirm it.
Also, according to Jungwoo, the sexual tension between them had been going on since day one, so it came as no surprise, despite being supposed rivals. He wasn't even sure why they kept up that façade. Although he wasn't going to deny that the sex that came with being so-called enemies wasn't fantastic, because it was.
"You there?"
Jeno shook his head, looking at Jaemin, who had placed his book on the table and was now fully turned towards him, his head still in his lap and their hands still together.
"Thinking back to the days when you threatened to stab me."
Jaemin laughed, his eyes shining. He was so pretty. You wouldn’t think he could kill in two movements.
"The only reason I was doing it was because you threatened to shoot me and I was better at knives than guns."
“Trying to teach you was useless. Hopefully, you passed that area." Jeno shook his head as Jaemin brought his face close to his abdomen, leaving a kiss above the shirt. Jeno smiled fondly and stroked his soft hair again.
"I can say the same for you with your Network Security exam, hun."
Jeno groaned. He had had a terrible time that week. Computers weren’t his thing, much less trying not to let the Academy’s network be hacked. Jaemin offered to help him but it was of no use in the end. Computers were the same as weapons to Jaemin. Maybe that's why they made such a good team.
Jaemin sat on the couch, his body glued to Jeno's and he grabbed his chin, making eye contact. He had a smile on his lips, making one appear on Jeno’s face as well. There might be no person Jeno smiled with more than him. Not even with Mark or Lucas. Only Jaemin could make him smile with a glance.
How sappy was that?
"Don't worry. I can prevent someone from hacking your email if you’re willing to shoot the bad guys who come after me."
Jeno cocked his head. "Even if it's Donghyuck?"
"Especially if it's Donghyuck." Jaemin nodded energetically, making him laugh.
"Deal."
"Great, now come here and kiss me."
Jeno didn't need to be told twice.
Yes, there might still be days when he misses going from mission to mission, feeling the adrenaline rush that came with it. But he would prefer a thousand times more to stay in Los Angeles, with his friends and his fiancé. Although, if at some point Jaemin decided that he wanted to go somewhere else, Jeno would be delighted to follow him.
Even to the end of the world.
Because above his love for guns and cars, there was Jaemin.
Always Jaemin.