Amor de mi Alma || 2Jae

Chapter 13

"Get in loser, we're going shopping."

"Jinyoung, fucking, Park," Youngjae huffs through gritted teeth, as Jinyoung pulls up beside Youngjae's house in his old pickup truck. "It's four-thirty in the morning and Jaehoon is an ass and decided to leave without me. I am not going shopping."

"Someone's grumpy," Jinyoung whistles. "Put your suitcase in the backseat but leave some space, I said to Jaebum that I'd pick him up, too."

"Sure." Youngjae huffs once more as he opens the door to the backseat, tossing his suitcase on Jinyoung's white one (with a few stickers on it of destinations that he's been already). He then walks all the way around the car to sit in the passenger seat, and once he buckled himself in and Jinyoung pulls away from the driveway, Youngjae pulls out his phone to text a few curses to Jaehoon. 

"How's your hand doing?" asks Jinyoung, glancing at the old bandage Youngjae has yet to replace with a fresher one. 

"Good."

"You should really be more careful with knives." Because Youngjae had decided to lie to his friends and family and say that it was just an accident when he accidentally cut himself on a broken piece of glass at the cafe. "You're lucky you don't need stitches."

"Shut up, I know I'm dumb, okay?" Youngjae says with annoyance clear in his voice. Jinyoung shrugs and stops beside the familiar brick and white-planked house of Jaebum at the older boy immediately opens the door to the back seat, tossing his suitcase inside before walking to his mom to say goodbye to her and stepping into the car.

"Morning," Jinyoung says, as he waves at Ms. Im, who waves back. Youngjae smiles at her - he hadn't been introduced to her yet - and she wishes all of them a good time before handing them five small bags, which causes Jaebum to groan.

"Mom, I told you not to."

"But I did, one for you, one for Jinyoung, one for Youngjae there, and one for your other friends Yugyeom and Kunpimook." Ms. Im smiles. "Goodbye boys, and text me when you land in Los Angeles, Jaebum!"

"Will do," Jaebum grumbles, snatching the bags from Jinyoung's hand and tucking them in his backpack. Jinyoung rolls the window closed and they wave to Ms. Im one last time before beginning their hour and fifteen-minute drive to the airport, which seems like a hell to Youngjae, though he doesn't have to drive, at least, as Jinyoung and Jaebum will switch positions halfway through the drive.

"I'm excited," Jinyoung says. "Road trip!"

"Shut the fuck up."

"Jaebum, prepare to deal with that for the rest of the week because Youngjae is a hell to wake up."

"Shut the fuck up."

"He's living proof of Satan in the morning.

"Shut. The. Fuck. Up."

"You're welcome."

Youngjae glares at Jinyoung, who grins back as they stop at a red light, and then he reaches down and pulls his headphones from his backpack, along with a bag of cereal.

"Go crazy, I don't care."

"Why'd you bring cereal?"

"Because I knew that I would be too tired to even eat in the morning," Youngjae says, yawning.

"Exactly how late did you stay up last night?" Jaebum asks, opening the bag.

"My mom was fussing over Jaehoon and I not having everything packed so she kept wanting to go through it even when it was fucking eleven-thirty."

"RIP Youngjae," Jaebum says with a grin. "But you'll have to eat something."

"We can make a quick stop at a gas station," says Jinyoung. "I can get some food there while you take my seat, Jaebum. Also, I need to tank."

"Fine with me, as long as you don't wake me before that," Youngjae says, plugging in his headphones and putting them in his ears, turning on his playlist and tuning out the world as he tucks his hands into his sides and leans his head on the window, closing his eyes.

"Youngjae," A gentle shake of his shoulder woke Youngjae up and he squinted against the small light of the car, which was turned on, and he felt a cool wind come from his left. 

"Finally, what do you want from the store?" asks Jinyoung, wallet in his hand. "It's on me."

"Just some chips and Dr. Pepper."

"Healthy."

"Shut up." Youngjae glares at Jinyoung, who grins back, and then turns around to buy what Youngjae had asked for, and probably what Jaebum wants, too.

"Jae," Youngjae flinches slightly at the nickname. The last time it was ever used was when he and Jasmine were still dating and Jasmine was the very last person to use it, too. But it sounds nice when Jaebum says it so Youngjae decides that he can live with it. "Let me look at your hand."

"Why?"

"Because these bandages are dirty," Jaebum says, taking a seat in the driver's seat and pulling Youngjae's hand over the mid-section of the car. Youngjae lets Jaebum fiddle with his hand - it actually feels kind of nice - and eventually cool air washes over the newly exposed skin, and Youngjae shivers at how disgusting it looks, but Jaebum doesn't seem to mind and instead begins to treat it with the same cream he gave Youngjae just a week ago, cleaning off the old cream Youngjae had put on two days ago.

The soft and gentle touches and traces of Jaebum's fingertips over his skin relaxes Youngjae and he almost falls asleep if it weren't for the feeling leaving his palm and instead being replaced by a new bandage.

"We'll look at it at the hotel tomorrow, okay?" Jaebum says, and Youngjae nods. "I think that it should be able to go without the cream and bandage and gauze before the trip ends, it's healing quite nicely." 

Youngjae nods once more and he draws his hand back, just as Jinyoung appears with a small bag from the store, an open can of energy drink in his hand.

"And you complain about my food and drink choices," Youngjae says when Jinyoung steps into the seat behind Youngjae.

"Shut up, it seemed appetizing and I am tired." 

Youngjae chuckles and laughs and accepts his chips and Dr. Pepper from Jinyoung, opening the bottle almost immediately and taking a sip from it. Once Jinyoung has his door closed, Jaebum starts the car and continues the drive.

"Warning, Jaebum," Jinyoung begins, when Youngjae has finished his chips and his bottle of Dr. Pepper is half-empty. "It's boring when everyone's asleep."

"Oh." Jaebum shrugs. "I wouldn't mind it that much if you two sleep."

"Are you sure?" Youngjae asks, "You don't need company or anything?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Why didn't you ask that when I was driving?" Jinyoung complains, giving Youngjae's chair a kick. Youngjae turns around and grins at Jinyoung.

"You're welcome, Jinyoungie."

"I hate you."

"You love me."

"Too bad it's true." Jinyoung leans forward and ruffles Youngjae's hair as Jaebum plugs his phone into the aux cord and plays some songs on a low volume.

About ten minutes after they left the gas station, Jaebum turns around and checks something before reaching over and taking Youngjae's bandaged hand from his lap, resting it on the mid-section of the car with his own palm pressed against Youngjae's.

"What are you doing?"

"You seem tired," Jaebum says simply, beginning to touch and trail his fingertips over Youngjae's hand again like he had done before. "And this seems to relax you, and I want you to catch some sleep since you only had like four or five hours of rest last night."

Youngjae smiles at the gesture and words and he hears a small sound come from behind him - though that might just be Jinyoung turning around in his sleep - and then falls asleep to the gentle feeling of Jaebum caressing his hand and eventually even his wrist.