Thief

34

It was later on in the day and Jaebum couldn't stop thinking about how to handle Shadow's impending threat on their safety. If the people who tried to get into the building the other day were truly them, that means that they found out where Jinyoung was hiding and were probably gonna come back to get him. A chill ran down Jaebum's spine at the thought, and he felt even more helpless than before being stuck up in Jackson's penthouse.

He spent quite a long time pacing in his room, trying to strategize a plan on how to leave, or where to go when trying to stay under the radar. There were dozens of crazy scenarios that played out in Jaebum's head, none of them realistic or plausible enough towards their situation. He grew frustrated, realizing that he needed to talk to Jackson or someone about what to do since thinking about it himself wasn't getting him anywhere.

Jaebum wandered down the hallway, hearing the sound of running water from the bathroom. He didn't think much of it, walking on past until he heard the bathroom door creak open.

"Uh, Jaebum?" He heard from behind him, spinning around to see a shirtless Jinyoung peaking out from behind the bathroom door. "Could you... come help me?"

The last place Jaebum had left Jinyoung was in his room after they cuddled up together for a few more hours with Jaebum deciding to get up and actually try being productive, which he failed terrible at. Now Jaebum was trying his best not to look down at the younger's body, keeping his eyes trained on Jinyoung's face even though he desperately wanted to stare at his bare chest.

"With?" Jaebum asked, clearing his voice after the question came out a bit shaky.

"Um... washing?" Jinyoung stated, his cheeks already turning a bit pink as the question settled between them.

Jaebum was taken aback. He didn't exactly know what Jinyoung was asking of him or what he was trying to imply, but his mind immediately interpreted it as something impure. Jaebum needed a moment to pull his thoughts together, the only thing coming out of his mouth being a shy stutter of "J-Jinyoung I..."

Jinyoung could read Jaebum's thoughts, immediately shaking his head and denying them. "Not in a dirty way! I don't mean it in a, um... dirty way..."

Jaebum felt a wave of relief wash over him (and maybe even a tiny bit of disappointment). He wasn't exactly sure what he would've done if Jinyoung had actually meant it in a dirty way, but since he didn't, responding was much easier for him.

"Oh, um, okay." Jaebum stepped into the bathroom, watching Jinyoung close the door behind him.

Jinyoung then turned, the scars along his back illuminated by the light of the bathroom. "Just, my back. It's hard to reach. And the scars can hurt sometimes, not all of them are fully healed yet, so..."

"Oh, I see. Okay." Jaebum's eyes scanned Jinyoung's back, counting the many different markings along his skin. He felt a bit of sadness in the pit of his stomah as he was reminded of the abuse Jinyoung's been put through.

He hadn't noticed Jinyoung handing him a soap filled cloth until water dripped on his foot, snapping Jaebum out of the trance he was in. He took the cloth and started slowly scrubbing Jinyoung's back, taking his time with long gentle strokes.

As he ran the wet cloth over Jinyoung's skin, Jaebum realized that Jinyoung had never asked him to do this before. He's washed himself just fine up until now, suddenly he needs help. Jaebum could only imagine that Jinyoung wanted his assistance just to feel his touch against his skin, which Jaebum wasn't opposed to at all. He tried not to let his satisfaction show as he scrubbed Jinyoung's lower back, though it was hard with Jinyoung arching into his touch.

"Thanks..." Jinyoung mumbled, a soft noise escaping him as Jaebum applied pressure to a certain area.

It almost turned into a back massage at this point, but Jaebum didn't forget his original task, rinsing off the cloth to clean off the soap.