Homeless ➹ 2jae [✓]

- 04 -

The dorm was quiet, with only the sounds of thin pages flipping and the whirring fan lightly cooling down the room. It felt like a scene from a movie, the atmosphere being calm and undisturbed. The blandness of the walls was contrasted by the bright day showing through the large window, and the sun peeking in. The two that sat in the room were complete strangers to each other, despite meeting the previous night. While Jinyoung's class schedule was different, Jaebum sat on his bunk with Youngjae right above him.

Youngjae was reading a book that he'd borrowed from Jinyoung, invested in the story even though it bored him a little. Jaebum scrolled through whatever he could on his phone, and soon looked up from the device. He blinked his eyes and took a deep breath. He'd been thinking about the room, not sure if he should speak. He didn't know if Youngjae was too captivated in his book to listen.

"We need to spice up this room a little," he said, finally, after a few minutes of thinking to himself. He felt a little awkward after not hearing any reply, but he wasn't really expecting anything more. Looking out the window, his ears perked when Youngjae actually responded.

"Hm... Spice it up how?" Youngjae stepped out of his comfort zone immediately, knowing that it would have to be done eventually. He figured it was was easier sooner than later.

"Yah, you can talk!" Jaebum exclaimed, more as an inner dialogue than anything. He really didn't mean to say it out loud. After the fact, he felt rude, and like he'd left a bad impression. To his surprise, Youngjae giggled quietly.

"And you can understand the human language!" Jaebum laughed, looking up at the array of springs and wires in the bed above him. He'd seen the face, and heard the voice, but still wanted to put them together.

Jaebum sighed pleasantly, switching positions so he was lying on the bed. The tranquil silence soon returned, masking the relationship that was trying to be made. "I think even some posters or figurines would do it."

"What kind of posters would you put up?" Youngjae asked in an attempt to get to know this person. In his mind, it was better to be able to hear only a voice. Something about it made him less nervous and apprehensive. It was easier for him to speak if he only had to worry about speaking, instead of what to do with his hands or body.

"I don't know, like... Nell, or something. Or SHINee." Youngjae held back a smile, hearing that Jaebum liked the same music he did. He always found it exciting when he he and someone else had something in common, even if it was hardly noticeable. Plus, he was the type to remember little, random things about people. He thought he could remember this.

Youngjae jumped a little when he saw Jaebum come out from the bed below him, walking slowly and carefully over to his unpacked bags. His stomach stiffened up, and he suddenly felt red in the face. He looked back at his book so he wouldn't have to look at Jaebum's face. He much preferred how it was before, when it was just the two speaking through the air.

Youngjae studied, carefully, the way Jaebum's back arched over, and the way his spine hardly showed through the t-shirt that was short enough to see his lower back. He noticed Jaebum's light skin, and how there were no blemishes to be seen. His trance was broken when he heard, "I, uh..." Jaebum took out a small polaroid photo. "I brought a photo of my mom and I, if you don't mind me putting it somewhere."

Youngjae looked up slowly, shaking his head to indicate that Jaebum could do whatever he wished. While the older crept back onto his bed, he turned to look through the little space between the mattress and the wall, seeing Jaebum's hands tape it near the pillow. Even though he could hardly see it, he was curious about the photo, but didn't ask. He didn't want to pry.

"Well..." Jaebum started, coming back from under the bed. "It's not a lot, but that'll do." Jaebum stood with his hands on his hips, looking around to find something to talk about. "Don't uh... don't you have anything you want to put up? Photos of your family or anything?" Jaebum asked this nonchalantly, only considering a typical situation. Something made him feel like he'd said something wrong when, very slowly, Youngjae looked up with a smile barely visible and shook his head. There was a quiet awkwardness while they both heard the silence until Jinyoung walked inside.

A sense of relief washed over Youngjae when he saw his friend. Suddenly, he felt less stiff, even if he didn't feel particularly stiff in the first place. "Youngjae, I got a packet today from my professor about some famous musician if you want to look at it," he said, placing the paper next to Youngjae. Seeing Jaebum, he smiled, "Oh, hey." Even only as a bystander, Youngjae could sense a tension between them. It was a weird tension; A dampened kind you would find in the early stages of two becoming enemies. Youngjae dismissed it, though, figuring that they'd warm up to each other eventually.

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a/n: yo! i hope you're liking the story so far!

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