Bad Blood [NoRenMin] ✔

05

Haechan groans as he walks into their room, Mark following behind and plopping himself down on his boyfriend's bed before he looks over at Jaemin who sat at his desk, and smiles out a greeting. This past week, Mark's been here more than Haechan has gone over to him and Jaemin didn't mind it. Mark would leave when it started getting too late and Haechan stayed here for the night.

"So I heard you made a friend," Mark starts. Haechan disappeared to the bathrooms so it was just the two of them and maybe the elder (Mark was actually a year ahead of them. Wow) wasn't comfortable with the silence. Jaemin pitched the idea to Haechan one evening because this had been going on since the beginning of the week and Haechan being who he is, laughed. ("He's trying to get to know you. You're not a very open person, Jaemin-ah.")

"Not exactly," Jaemin admits. He's writing out notes for one of his upcoming tests. They really didn't give a damn about you in college.

Mark hums at this. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Jaemin looks up, "I never contacted him. I haven't seen him since then either." Which was true. He had yet to run into Jisung and when he tried to wait after Political History, he wouldn't be there. He even went to Professor Kun to ask whether Jisung really took the class. (He did.)

"You should," Mark insists.

"Should what?"

"Contact him."

"Why?" Jaemin thought all of this was tiring. He didn't like having to constantly socialize (he used to, but that was a different time.)

"Because Haechan worries that it's his fault you won't make friends," Mark says. Jaemin's head whips around so fast, he catches Mark leaning his head back as he releases a sigh. His one hand covers his face while the other supports his weight. "I wasn't supposed to tell you that."

"Why would it be his fault?" Jaemin sits up in his chair; paying full attention to the other male now as he waits for a reply.

Mark lifts his head and then he lifts a shoulder in a half shrug. "Because a lot of people are against the whole gay thing. So a lot of people don't exactly like him or myself. They're very against how open we are in public and he worries that they see you with him and that they know you're his roommate."

"But..." Jaemin trails off. Eyes calculating; moving one way and the next as he processes this information. He looks at Mark again and continues. "But surely nothing would happen. Right?"

"People close to him have been hurt before because of it. He doesn't want you to be added to that list."

Before their conversation can continue, the door flies open and Haechan walks in. "I found a stray outside the room. Did you hear a knock?" he asks. Renjun steps inside a moment later. He sits next to Mark who is shaking his head.

"We didn't hear a knock," he confirms it aloud and Haechan nods. He's got a towel around his shoulders and his hair is dripping. Mark tells him to take a seat and the other male does so in between Mark's legs. The latter then takes the towel and starts drying his boyfriend's hair. Jaemin rolls his eyes, but he can't help but smile at how sweet the gesture is.

"You guys have a deep conversation?" Renjun asks when nobody says a word. When Jaemin looks up, the other is already looking at him. His eyes are softer than the night they met.

"Not really," Mark lies easily.

Jaemin hums in agreement. "I was actually just about to head out," he says much to his own surprise. Three sets of eyes are on him now, but he only meets Mark's gaze. "Meeting up with a friend."

Mark smiles, and when he looks, Jaemin finds Haechan smiling as well.

*

Jisung had a class so Jaemin waited for him outside in the courtyard on one of the benches. He didn't know why he was waiting. He barely understood why he was doing this but with Mark, Haechan and Renjun in the room, there was no turning back now.

"I don't know what I was thinking, registering for the class but I didn't know the times and I didn't want to back down," is the first thing Jisung says when he reaches Jaemin. "Who has classes until four on a Friday?"

"Not me." It's an automatic reply; one he didn't mean to say but Jisung rolls his eyes and he's smiling (sort of? At least Jaemin thinks it's a smile.)

"Yeah because you were smart."

"Clearly."

"You contacted me," Jisung states.

Jaemin nods dumbly. And then, despite wanting to say something, only seems to nod more. It's like he forgot how to talk.

"Want to head to that coffee place? After that class I'm really craving a caramel latte."

"As long as you don't add four sugars again."

"It makes it sweet!" Jisung actually whines and Jaemin really cannot get over how young this boy seems. He's somehow still a child yet when he speaks, you're reminded that he's not really that much of a child.

Nonetheless, Jaemin didn't plan on changing his mind. "The caramel already makes it sweet."

"I'll cut down to three?" Jisung offers and when Jaemin rolls his eyes, Jisung cheers.

This time, the walk isn't as unpleasant. Jisung allows him to speak (allows him, like he's some sort of slave only permitted to speak at certain times) and that's how he finds out that Jisung is actually younger than him. He graduated high school early and that's how he can be in classes with Jaemin. Topics shifted easily from there. They spoke about classes and assignments and Jisung needed help studying for the Political History test coming up and Jaemin said they could study together.

When they got there, the place was practically empty compared to the hustle and bustle there the last two times. Jisung entered first and Jaemin followed and they ended up with the same waitress and at the same table. Jaemin found it coincidental but also extremely odd.

"I used to come here a lot," Jisung says suddenly. "It was always this seat and she always served us." With how low his tone is and the way he avoided Jaemin's eyes, he decides not to ask who us was. He doesn't quite know what to say to that either. So instead, he waits until the girl returns with their orders (she didn't have a name tag. Who works at a place like this and doesn't have a name tag?)

Jisung eyes Jaemin and takes three sachets. Pleased, Jaemin takes three for his coffee and adds it. The stirring is all that is heard and Jaemin cannot handle it.

"You never answered my last question," Jaemin tells him without looking up.

"Ah, yeah. It was something about my brother, was it?" Jisung queries like he remembers it; Jaemin stays quiet for a moment longer. A nod of confirmation.

"I asked where your brother is now. That and whether I could talk to him."

When Jaemin looks up, Jisung's smiling but it's not the same as his other smiles. This one is pinched; tight and forced and it doesn't so much as brush his eyes the way his other smiles had. Jaemin thinks he's said something wrong because the atmosphere changes then and he knows it's no thanks to the questions he asked. He doesn't expect Jisung to answer with the way he looks. But he does.

"I wish that I could let you," he starts. His shoulders slump and he lowers his head. "But to your first question, I don't even know the answer," he murmurs.