Bad Blood [NoRenMin] ✔

07

Having encountered a vampire for the second time only reminded Jaemin how real they were. Sometimes he found it hard to believe that any of it was real; vampires, hunters or anything residing in that world. But now it put him even more on edge. He could barely contain himself. He felt like he was about to burst at any moment.

"You wake up early on a Saturday," Renjun notes the next morning. He's pulling on a sweatshirt and his hair is dripping; he's been to the showers.

Jaemin's brows pull inquisitively. "I wake up early?" He practically yawns through the sentence. "You've already been to the showers." Renjun shrugs but doesn't say anything. Jaemin stands up and walks over to the cupboard.

"Thanks," Renjun says smoothly.

Jaemin, in the midst of pulling on a sweatshirt, turns around. He doesn't ask why he's being thanked. He still hasn't asked why the other needed to stay here in the first place. Though he doesn't think he will; not for a while.

"Thank you too," Jaemin replies and then pushes his head through the hole. "You leaving?" he asks when he turns around again to find Renjun standing, bag slung over one shoulder and hand in his hair.

"Yeah. Practice."

Before Jaemin can ask, Renjun nods a greeting and he's out of the room in seconds flat. Jaemin sighs.

*

Jaemin is on his way back from the bathrooms when an arm catches his wrist. Turning around, he finds Jisung looking at him with such a stern expression, he feels as if he's done something wrong.

"Jaemin-ah, you didn't answer your phone," he says. Jaemin nods his head in the direction of his room and, seeming to understand, Jisung nods; they start walking.

"I went to the showers," Jaemin states. "Did you phone?"

Jisung nods his head vigorously. "I've been calling, and you weren't picking up so I came to check," he informs him. His tone is firm and his eyes are flashing when Jaemin looks into them. He frowns; he honestly had no idea why Jisung seemed so concerned about his not answering. And then he tries to justify it by tying it to the disappearances and his brother disappearing. Perhaps he thought that had happened to him.

"Check on me?" he queries in the hopes of getting the younger to confirm his thoughts.

"Some people are looking for their friends," he says. "Last night, there was a party somewhere on campus and a lot of people went. Some people's roommates and friends haven't returned," he informs.

"I never went to a party though," Jaemin reminds him. "I came back to my room."

"Yeah, but we don't know yet whether they just stayed out or..." Jisung doesn't finish that thought and Jaemin doesn't need him to, to know what he's thinking. So his hunches were correct.

"So you just came to check if I'm still around?" He opens the door and walks in, keeping it opening for Jisung to follow. He gestures with the tilt of his head for the younger to go ahead and take a seat on his bed (thank goodness he made it up before he left.)

He pulls out a sweatshirt from the cupboard and changes into it

"I came to tell you that we're going out tonight," Jisung says like it's just that simple and Jaemin has to stop himself from letting his head whip around. He turns to look at the younger boy who stares up innocently and Jaemin just knew how serious he was.

"You come around claiming the possibility," Jaemin pauses as he goes to close the room door before turning his gaze back onto Jisung. "You come here claiming the possibility that people were kidnapped at a party and you want to go out?"

"Yes." His expression is so sincere and his tone is so open that Jaemin has to stop from facepalming.

"No, Jisung. Not happening."

"Jaemin, please. Can we just go out for one night? You can decide whether you want to the next time or not after at least an hour," Jisung pleads. The desperation is loud and clear in his voice and then, as if to add some sort of cherry on the top, he murmurs, "Please, hyung."

The room door opens as Jaemin is considering it and Haechan walks in, whining about some sort of unfairness in the world. Mark follows behind silently and when he takes a seat on Haechan's bed, he catches sight of Jisung.

"You must be Jaemin's friend," he says, effectively pulling Haechan out of his rant long enough to notice the younger male and practically squeal.

"You're real! Ah, I'm so glad Jaemin-ah made a friend!" he exclaims, holding out a hand which Jisung accepts after a passing look at Jaemin who only nodded. He found it funny; Jisung in a situation where he didn't know how to react. (Was there really a particular way to act?) "I'm his roommate, Haechan."

"Jisung," the younger offered curtly.

"Nice to meet you, Jisung," Mark says from where he's seated. From where he's standing, Jaemin catches sight of Mark's hand curled around the material of Haechan's sweater as he eases the boy to sit down beside him. "I'm Mark."

When a silence begins to loom over them, Haechan takes control. "What brings you by?"

Jisung's face lights up like he's just remembered. "I came to ask Jaemin if we could go out tonight."

"Ah, really? What did he say? Did he say yes?" Haechan crossed questions before looking over at Jaemin. "You should. It would be a good experience. Did you say yes?"

Jaemin looks between the three and then shakes his head. "I was about to agree when you guys came in," he explains. Jisung jumps up.

"Really?"

Jaemin looks at him and nods. "Really." Jisung smiles.

They stay in the room for the rest of the afternoon as they go over their work for Political History. Jisung is clever; more so than he seems to let on, but he really is. He has a bad habit of trying to distract himself and so, constantly, Jaemin has to help bring his attention back to the work. But every hour, they would quiz each other and Jisung got almost everything correct. Haechan and Mark left an hour into their study session; Haechan let him know that he wouldn't be back and Jisung gave a questioning look but didn't ask.

"We should get going now if we don't want to stay out late," Jisung says as he glances at his watch and Jaemin has flashes of the night before.

"Yeah," he says, "We should." He closes his book and walks over to the closet where he searches it, pulling out two jackets. He tosses the white denim jacket at Jisung who catches it with ease. "It's getting colder now," Jaemin says simply as he pulls on the blue denim jacket over his hoodie. He tugs at the ends and then looks at Jisung who stands up as well and they leave the room. Jaemin locks the door behind them.

"So, do you know where we're going?" Jaemin glances at Jisung out of the corner of his eye.

"A bar," Jisung replies immediately. Jaemin's eyebrows lift.

"A bar? Can you even get into one?" Jaemin asks and instead of replying, Jisung chuckles so instead, he continues. "How far is it?" he asks because by the sound of it, Jisung had a specific bar in mind.

"Not that far. We might just have to catch a taxi or something," Jisung says.

"Or I could drive," Jaemin offers and the way Jisung's eyes light up at the idea, when they get downstairs, Jaemin leads Jisung to his car. (He's really lucky he keeps his car key in his pocket all the time.) He unlocks the car and Jisung's in the passenger seat before Jaemin even closes the door. He tilts the GPS toward Jisung and nods.

"So type in the place and let's go."