Wild And Free [Namjin]

Chapter 12

"Kim. Nam. Joon." Namjoon animatedly dragged out his name for the slow lady at the check-in desk. "Oh!" She exclaimed after too long and Namjoon sighed in exasperated relief, Jin behind him murmuring an impatient "Finally.."
"Room 112." She cheerfully handed them the room key, forgetting to apologize for their lost time. Namjoon took it out of her hand, flashing her a forced polite smile, and they were on their way upstairs.

"When you asked me to pack only this much, I never thought you meant I'll have to survive on it for a while." Jin took out his clothes and neatly folded them into the wardrobe he shared with Namjoon. Thankfully, it was the only thing they shared as they found two queen-sized beds separated by a small nightstand. The room looked clean and very comfortable and, if Jin hadn't already known why they were here, he would've spent the few days he had in Jeju inside the room.

"Relax, Jinnie.." Namjoon waved him off as he sunk into his bed. "Most hotels have washing machines, we'll just wash them at the next one."
"The next one?"
"Yeah, in Japan." Namjoon said closing his eyes and stretching out across the mattress.

Suddenly, a pressure by the sides of his head sunk the mattress in and he shot up in shock, bumping into Jin's head with his own and falling back on the pillow in pain. Jin, surprisingly unfazed, looked at Namjoon with wide eyes and repeated "in Japan? We're goin straight to Japan?! I thought we would take a break and then travel again." Namjoon almost said not to worry, but when his eyelids fluttered open, Jin was hovering right above him, his panic dissolving into pity at the red bump on Namjoon's head.

Namjoon looked to his right to avoid Jin's ever-changing gaze and puffed his cheeks in a nervous sigh. "I told you not to worry. I'm here, am I not?" He still refused to look back up until Jin was off of his bed and back to folding clothes. Namjoon peeked at him when he was a good distance away, flightily gripping his heart in surprise. Why was it beating so hard? Powerful thumps pumped his blood until his body pulsated with it and he couldn't decide whether that was concerning or oddly calming.

"Thank you." He heard from under the wardrobe. "Sure.." Namjoon replied, confusion displayed around his eyebrows. That's all that Jin had been doing since Namjoon suggested they travel together, and he never knew what to say back to stop the constant streak of gratitude coming his way. "No, really.." Jin was done putting everything away when he went to lay down on his own bed by the wall. He also stretched out over the mattress, leaving a microscopic distance between his and Namjoon's fingers. "I would've never done this on my own- not now, not in ten-years' time. I've always been scared to leave home because that's what my paranoid mother taught me. 'Leaving home will give you horrible diseases.' She would tell me, and I never really opposed.."

Namjoon listened whole-heartedly while looking at the side of Jin's head. He saw how Jin's eyebrows furrowed with sadness, how his eyes glistened with nostalgic tears and how his lips quivered with emotion as he spoke. Jin continued looking at the ceiling and pressed his lips into a tight line to suppress a volcanic sob. Him and Namjoon both knew how that story progressed and came to tragically end.

Namjoon stretched his arm farther and grabbed the three fingers he could reach from Jin's hand. When he grew frustrated with the distance, he got up only to kneel next to Jin's bed, his chin resting on his arms that were supporting his head. He pressed Jin's hand to his cheek and whispered for him not to cry. He was still looking up when Namjoon started to speak. "You've saved so many people since then. You've lived a good chunk of your life on your own and made so much of it by yourself. You extended a lifespan that was bound to end, even though neither of us knew it." Jin looked to his side to stare at Namjoon's face, knowing fully well that he was talking about his own mom. "And just when I thought you'd move on with your job, you stayed. You took care of me, comforted me, encouraged me to move on and gave me joy. I'm happy, Jinnie, and I'm happy because of you."

The thumb Jin had on Namjoon's cheek started moving against it, softly caressing it and then coasting down towards his smooth, round chin. "How could I have left you like that, Joonie? I knew you through your mom's conversations way before you knew me. Your stories were nothing like I've ever heard before, especially when I heard them from you personally. I couldn't even think to experience all of that, but for some reason you found someone in me to guide. Me on the other hand.. I found so much more in you." Jin propped himself on his elbow and bent closer to Namjoon's face, the hand that previously rested on Namjoon's chin brought it closer and the pounding in Namjoon's chest came rushing back, this time sending a clearer signal of intensity and immediate action.

And so they kissed.