"Jaebummie where are the shoes you bought me?" Jinyoung called from the living room.
"In the closet by the door." Jaebum replied before spitting toothpaste out into the sink. He'd almost choked at the sound of a nickname leaving Jinyoung's lips, as the angel had not even once called him any sort of cute name before. He exited the bathroom into the living room, watching Jinyoung come out of their shared bedroom with his new shoes on that Jaebum had insisted on buying for him. "Hey, can I ask you something?"
Jinyoung hummed in response as he walked through to get his jacket.
"Where did the nickname come from? And why did you start calling me that?" Jaebum asked, following the younger to the front door after retrieving his own jacket.
Jinyoung turned, a frown of confusion on his face. "Hm? What nickname?"
Jaebum blinked, taking a moment to realize that Jinyoung hadn't even noticed he'd said it. A light chuckle escaped him, from both Jinyoung's adorableness and the joy of earning a nickname from him. He decided not to point it out and just go along with it. "Um... nevermind. It's nothing."
Jinyoung practically ignored him, turning to the door and waiting impatiently for him to get himself together. "Hurry, we'll be late."
"Excited to work today huh?" Jaebum asked. He needed to make sure he had everything he needed to bring before walking out the door, though Jinyoung seemed to be in quite the rush.
"No, just-..." Jinyoung paused, looking down at the floor. He seemed a bit shy, which only made him look cuter. "...I think I made a lot of friends the other night. I wanna see them again..."
Jaebum was caught by surprise by the statement. He felt his heart leap from the news, a smile working its way onto his face. Jaebum nodded, quickly getting himself ready to go. "Okay, then let's go see them."
Jinyoung nearly skipped the whole way down to the lobby, which was fun to watch from Jaebum's perspective. He's seen Jinyoung this excited only a few times, and he was so glad that now he'd be able to see him this way more often.
"Hi Youngjae!" Jinyoung greeted as they passed the security guard's desk on the way out the door.
"Hi Jinyoung." Youngjae waved back, watching him go before turning to Jaebum with raised brows. "He's excited, hm?"
Jaebum chuckled, glancing over at the other who was waiting outside the glass entrance doors. "He's happy."
"That's nice. So, you think the little 'get together' the other day worked?" Youngjae asked.
Jaebum nodded. Surely it worked well enough to get Jinyoung in such an energetic mood that he hadn't been in for a while. "I think so. I'm glad it did."
"Come on Jaebum let's be early today." Jinyoung whined through the door, hurrying him along.
"Coming!" He replied, glancing back at Youngjae who wore a smug smile before walking off. "Later Youngjae."
Youngjae waved them off, giving Jaebum a wink which in response the elder rolled his eyes. He knew what Youngjae was silently suggesting, and though the thought made his heart happy, he didn't want to get too invested in any feelings towards Jinyoung. At least, not yet.
The two headed down the sidewalk in the direction of the cafe, deciding to walk quickly since it was a bit chilly that morning. They didn't talk much, as there was nothing really to talk about, but they'd grown close enough for the silence between them to be comfortable, both content with just the presence of one another.
Jaebum snuck himself glances of Jinyoung a few times here and there, just because it was difficult to keep his eyes away despite his effort to think about something other than the angel's beauty. He felt as if he'd become a bit obsessed nowadays, which was an odd feeling that would surely make Jinyoung uncomfortable if he found out. But he hated when Jinyoung would do things that would make that obsession grow stronger; cute things or funny things, sometimes just existing was enough for Jaebum's heart to start pounding rapidly. It was quite irritating, and it almost seemed as if Jinyoung would do it on purpose. Just as Jaebum would focus his mind on something else, there Jinyoung was, dragging his attention back to him.
During their long walk to the cafe, one of those moments played out. Jaebum's mind was finally wandering to a different random subject due to their lack of conversation, only to feel a tug on his arm from the side of him. Jinyoung's arm snaked around his own, hooking at the elbows and forcing them to walk a bit closer than they had been. Jaebum was surprised by the sudden closeness, especially since Jinyoung was the one to initiate it. He felt chills run down his spine as Jinyoung's body heat transferred to his own, leaving him with a warm tingle throughout his entire body.
"W-What's this about?" Jaebum asked, gesturing to their arms.
Jinyoung kept his focus forward, shrugging his shoulders. "What's what?"
"The linked arms." Jaebum pointed out.
"Just... I dunno, I felt like it." He mumbled out, glancing over at Jaebum who stared back at him with a smirk. Jinyoung quickly looked forward again, his cheeks coloring themselves a light pink. "Shut up."
"I didn't say anything."
"Still. Shut up."
Jinyoung tried to slip his arm out of Jaebum's in an attempt to undo his actions, but the latter refused to let the angel end what he started in the first place. Jaebum held onto Jinyoung tightly, walking closely with him the entire time until they reached the cafe. He wasn't sure why Jinyoung was acting so touchy and clingy a lot more recently, but not once did he ever complain about it.
They reached the cafe, peering through the large windows as they headed for the front door.
"Are we first?" Jinyoung asked as he squinted for a better view.
Jaebum shook his head. "I see lights on, and the door looks unlocked. Someone's here already."
The two entered the store, the bell above the door alerting whoever was there of their arrival. Jaebum could see a figure rushing from the back, making it out as Yugyeom who often ended up being the first one to open the store.
"Hey guys!" The younger greeted, the pair waving back at him as he approached. He looked between the two, raising a brow in suspicion. "What, are you glued to one another or something?"
They both simultaneously looked down at their hooked arms, quickly trying to pull apart from one another. Their arms got twisted in a confusing tangle which only made the already awkward moment more awkward, but when they were finally free of one another they pretended as if nothing happened.
Yugyeom just chuckled at the two while shaking his head. "You guys are adorable. Really. If you're not dating already just hurry up and do it."
Jaebum scoffed at the younger who walked away giggling. "We discussed this the other day Gyeom, drop it."
"Whatever you say~ I just know a perfect couple when I see it!" Yugyeom called back.
Jaebum sighed, rolling his eyes. "Ignore him. He's usually saying something stupid."
Jinyoung nodded, following Jaebum back to the staff room. "Yeah... stupid..."
The two went in the back and put on their uniforms, preparing themselves for the long work day ahead. Mark came in not long after, helping set up shop. Jinyoung had stopped complaining about his volunteer work a long time ago, and was an avid helper wherever he was needed. He'd gotten on BamBam's good side to the point that their boss favored him and even offered him a permanent position at the cafe. Jinyoung declined considering that he wasn't sure exactly how long he'd be sticking around on earth, which admittedly made Jaebum feel a bit sad. That didn't stop him from helping out though, which Jaebum admired and he was sure everyone else at the cafe was grateful for.
Just before opening everyone was making sure things were in place, with Yugyeom checking the register and Mark and Jaebum restocking items.
"Hey Jaebum, can you get more cups?" Mark asked when he noticed they were low on some accessible ones in the front.
"Cups? Got it." Jaebum hurried back through the staff room to the storage closet, frowning as he saw it was already open. He spotted the back of a figure, squinting at it in the dim fluorescent light. "Jinyoung?"
The angel spun around, brows raised. "Hm?"
"What are you doing back here?"
"Mark just asked for cups right? I overheard so I came back here to get them."
Jaebum's eyes drifted down to Jinyoung's hand, a large bag of stacked cup in his fist. He couldn't even begin to process how Jinyoung got to the storage closet before him, but then again, Jinyoung did a lot of amazing things that were odd, like knowing pi to the nth number by heart and reciting the entire Bible off the top of his head. He had some peculiar talents, which Jaebum figured could only be the result of him being an angel, and of course he being a mere mortal couldn't even begin to fathom them.
"Well, he was talking to me." Jaebum stated as he reached to snag the cups away from the other.
"Well I was faster." Jinyoung retorted, sticking his tongue out at Jaebum and holding the cups out of his reach.
Jaebum scoffed, roughly shoving Jinyoung's shoulder. "You're so annoying."
"You're more annoying." Jinyoung snapped back as he gave Jaebum a return push.
"You're the annoyingest." Jaebum stated while reaching for the cups once again.
Jinyoung moved them further out of reach, tussling with Jaebum who refused to give it up. "That's not a word dummy."
"You're the dummy." Jaebum replied, at this point wrestling with Jinyoung for the cups until he dropped them.
Jaebum tried to dive for the bag only for Jinyoung to shove him out of the way, the two pointlessly grabbing and pushing and yanking at one another. Though the fighting was never serious, as both of them were wearing grins and giggled, forgetting about their original argument and ending in a match to get one of them to fall first.
Jaebum knew he would've had a good chance of winning if he hadn't lost his balance and fell backwards, gripping onto Jinyoung's arm for support, though Jinyoung wasn't prepared to catch him and ended up toppling over along with him. Jaebum's back hit the concrete floor, luckily not hard enough to hurt too much, while Jinyoung fell on top of him practically using his body as a cushion.
They both needed a moment to get themselves together after the fall, but Jinyoung was faster in doing so and in split seconds, Jaebum's wrists were pinned down to the floor. Jaebum blinked, his brows furrowing as he felt Jinyoung's tight grip on his wrists.
"Aha! Got you pinned." Jinyoung exclaimed while practically straddling Jaebum's hips and using his weight to keep him down.
Jaebum felt his cheeks warm up, the position definitely putting him in a more vulnerable spot. He couldn't move due to Jinyoung's surprising strength, only able to lay there and look up at the angel who seemed pretty proud of himself for taking Jaebum down.
"Oh please, you were just lucky." Jaebum retorted, trying to keep up a nonchalant attitude despite his heart pounding a thousand miles a minute in his chest.
Jinyoung leaned in close, a smirk resting on his lips. "Yeah? Exactly how lucky, hm?"
He wasn't sure what it was about Jinyoung's low deep voice that had his entire body shuddering, but Jaebum's brain short wired as soon as those words the angel purred out rolled over him like a wave. It was a quite innocent question, but Jaebum's mind and body felt otherwise. He was gonna make up some snarky response to keep the banter going, only to be beaten by a different voice that suddenly appeared.
"Guys... this isn't getting cups..." Mark stated as he stood in the storage closet doorway.
Both Jinyoung and Jaebum looked up at him, a brief moment of shock passing through them before they scrambled away from each other. Jinyoung had backed himself up to one side of the closet while Jaebum was on the other, both of them looking guilty after being caught in such a compromising position.
"Um... I'll leave you two alone if that's what you want, I just really need cups..." Mark mumbled, avoiding eye contact with either of the two as he pointed at the forgotten cups on the floor.
Jaebum felt his face heating up with embarrassment, at the same time noticing the tips of Mark's ears already glowing bright red. "No Mark, we just... um... i-it was an accident..."
"I won't ask any questions. I didn't see anything." Mark replied, walking into the closet and grabbing the stack of cups.
Jinyoung tried his best to explain, though Mark's refused to stop and listen. "Wait Mark, it's not what you think-"
"I don't know what you're talking about." Mark urged as he quickly left the room.
The two were left there in the closet alone, this time the silence sitting between them uncomfortable and awkward. Neither of them knew how to react, as they both needed a moment to process their embarrassment first before anything else.
"Look what you did. Who knows what he thinks of us now." Jinyoung whined, breaking the silence as he buried his face in his hands.
Jaebum scoffed at the accusation. "Me? That was your fault."
"Was not."
"Yes it was."
Jinyoung looked over at him, clicking his tongue. "Whatever, I'm not the one with the dumb red face."
"You do have a red face, probably redder than mine right now." Jaebum pointed out. He stood to his feet, dusting his dirtied clothing off. "You were the one caught pinning me down anyway."
"Shut up, don't say it like that or it'll sound weird." Jinyoung retorted, standing up as well.
Jaebum raised a brow. He wondered if Jinyoung was thinking the same 'weird' thought he was thinking at the time. "It was weird to pin me down in the first place."
"Shut up! we were playing around, you would've done the same thing just to win the fight." Jinyoung complained, shoving Jaebum in the shoulder before folding his arms over his chest.
Jaebum chuckled, poking Jinyoung's puffed out cheek. "I would have. But I wasn't the one caught on top, was I?"
Jinyoung scoffed as he watched Jaebum exit the room with a smug grin.
"You're so annoying!" Jinyoung yelled after him, though despite his words, he couldn't suppress the smile that tugged at the corner of his own lips.
It was safe to say that around everyone else, their evolving relationship was slowly starting to become more obvious. Yet in their little world, they both were too focused on one another to realize the feelings that drew them closer together. In Jaebum's case, he often ignored the beating of his heart and butterflies in his stomach. He never denied it's existence, just ignored it. But it became increasingly harder to ignore the more he found himself further enthralled with everything Jinyoung, and there's only so long one can go on ignoring something so plain in sight.
The two headed home after their long day of sneaking glances at one another and smirking when they passed by each other. The interactions felt subtle, Jaebum would admire Jinyoung from afar but made sure to still do his job diligently, and Jinyoung would walk by and flick his forehead or nudge him in the shoulder as he went to clean up some mess made by a customer. Though in actuality, everyone saw the two's connection, from Mark to Yugyeom to even BamBam who watched them closely; by the end of the day, they were all convinced that there had to be a secret relationship going on between them.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. Practically no relationship aside from 'friend's had ever been established between the two. And Jaebum thought that title would be enough for him, but as time went on and Jinyoung made his heart beat faster and faster each day, he wasn't exactly sure anymore.
He tried not to think about it too much; he's been there before. Constantly wondering what his relationship was with the person he liked and trying to figure out how to get it to the next level only to be rejected in the end; yeah, he didn't want to go through that again. Nor did he want to jeopardize what he already had. Him and Jinyoung had a good friendship, why ruin it with some feelings he wasn't even sure of?
It definitely had to be lust. That's all it was. Nothing deeper than finding Jinyoung attractive and wanting to spend intimate time with him, especially considering that Jaebum hadn't had a relationship with anyone for the past year and a half or so. He couldn't subject Jinyoung to the false belief of being admired and desired. Yes, Jaebum did admire him, and in rare occasions, desired him as well. But it would be a shitty thing to do to confess some feelings to Jinyoung that were only temporary.
Jaebum knew that had to be the problem. He wasn't falling for an angel. Definitely liked him a lot and can't imagine a day without him, but it wasn't serious feelings. Just lust.
Though, trying not to think about these things were impossible, as his mind was full of such thoughts while he and Jinyoung were seated across from one another at his dining table eating the take out they bought on the way home. He shouldn't be thinking so hard about their relationship, especially when it had such a simple explanation. But he just felt off about amounting every feeling he had about Jinyoung to just mere lust. It felt like it was a lie, that it had to be more than lust for him to go so far out of his way for this divine being that now shared his home. But Jaebum refused to believe it was anything else.
Over it all, one thought kept coming back to mind even when Jaebum tried to distract himself from it. Ever since their fun little gathering a few nights before, Jaebum had never stopped thinking about Jinyoung admitting to having a crush on someone. He's pondered on who it could be, watching his relationship with the others in the cafe to see who he might get along with the most.
He hung around Mark a lot; their personalities were pretty similar at times. Though, him and Yugyeom got along well too, often talking with one another during free time about various topics. He was even pretty close with BamBam now, the two having a relaxed relationship with one another that Jaebum was admittedly jealous of. But which one of them could Jinyoung have fallen for?
Mark just didn't seem like his type, and besides, Jackson had his eyes on him. Jinyoung wouldn't be the type to ruin that, would he? And Yugyeom didn't even seem remotely into dating, as he's never mentioned the topic before. BamBam didn't have the time to even get close to Jinyoung intimately, so he couldn't see it being him either. And Jackson and Youngjae rarely spend much time around him, so the only person left could be—
Jaebum felt like he was feeding into his delusional thoughts again. He knew Jinyoung couldn't like him. But, there was still that curiosity there eating him away, the constant idea playing itself over and over again in Jaebum's head— what if Jinyoung did like him?
It was a huge 'what if' to ask that's answer was already clear to see, but it was hard not to ponder on it. Just... what if?
Jaebum couldn't help but play into his curiosity just a bit despite all of his denial. He just had to know. "Hey, y'know something is still on my mind from the other night."
Jinyoung looked up from his food, his attention immediately drawn once Jaebum started speaking. "What is?"
Jaebum took in a breath, gently setting down his utensil. "When we played never have I ever, and you put your finger down for having a crush on someone."
For a moment Jinyoung was quiet, chewing on his bottom lip as he briefly remembered back to the other night. "Oh... Jaebum just forget about it, it was a silly game."
"You were willing to expose who it was though, if Jackson had admitted his crush." Jaebum replied.
Jinyoung nodded, his eyes dropping back down to his food. "That's why I said that, because I knew Jackson wouldn't have the balls to confess to Mark right in front of everyone."
Jaebum leaned forward over the table, continuing the questioning. "Would you have had the balls to do it?"
"Why does it matter?"
"I dunno, I just think it's funny, for someone who constantly talks about hating humans, he happened to fall for one. I could only wonder who it was."
"When even was the last time I complained about humans?" Jinyoung asked with the shake of his head. He pointed at Jaebum, wagging his finger in his face. "Keep on wondering, you'll never know."
Jaebum hummed, looking away. He wondered how much further he could go, considering that Jinyoung already seemed a bit annoyed with him. But at the same time, he was growing desperate to know the truth about Jinyoung's feelings. The more Jinyoung dodged his questions, the more suspicious Jaebum got.
"Well, for sure it isn't me." Jaebum stated, his eyes drifting back to Jinyoung who refused to look back at him. "...is it?"
Jinyoung went quiet again. He rolled his eyes, letting out a long, agitated sigh. "That's why you brought the conversation up in the first place, you just wanna know who it is."
"Just tell me if it's me or not, then I'll leave it alone." Jaebum promised. Though, if Jinyoung ended up confessing to him, what the hell would he do? He couldn't leave it alone then, not if Jinyoung truly did have some sort of feelings for him.
"Shut up, you'll never know." Jinyoung repeated firmly.
"You're not denying it's me."
Jinyoung scoffed, stuttering over his words as his ears began to glow a rosy red. "I- You- It's-... W-Why do you care so much? Do you got a crush on me or something?"
"No. Just wondering is all." Jaebum replied. It felt like he'd just lied, but he ignored the feeling. He let out a long breath, sitting back in his chair. "That's okay, keep it to yourself."
Jaebum figured that he probably wasn't gonna get a straight answer anytime soon. Jinyoung was the type to dodge every question until he eventually got annoyed enough to storm away, which never made anything easier. It was best to just drop the topic for now and ask about it later.
By later, Jaebum meant maybe the next day. Though, unsurprisingly, he continued to think about it. Even after eating and after showering, the topic plaguing his mind as it had been for days.
He had just settled in bed to try and sleep his thoughts away when Jinyoung entered the room not long afterwards, climbing into the bed beside him. Jaebum fought off the urge to bring up the 'crush conversation' again, trying to think of other things to lull him to sleep. It was like an obsession though, anything pertaining to Jinyoung wouldn't leave his mind, especially not something as important as his romantic feelings towards this mystery person.
Jaebum turned onto his back, tugging at random strands of his hair as he finally decided to blurt out what was on his mind. "But like... why do you like sleeping with me? Someone without a crush on me wouldn't want to share the same bed, would they?"
Jinyoung groaned, covering his face with his hands. "This again? You're pushing it, Jaebum. Drop it."
Jaebum turned over, resting his head on his elbow. "C'mon, entertain my ego a bit. I know I'm good looking and irresistible, I wouldn't blame you for liking me."
"You're just being annoying now, shut up." The angel retorted, turning the opposite direction.
"Ever since the day that bad storm hit, you've been sleeping with me. And since then, you started hanging around me a lot more. Yet you still act all mean towards me. So if you so called hate me so much, then why spend all this time with me?"
"Haven't I told before that I didn't hate you?" Jinyoung responded as he covered his head with a pillow. "I'm just... checking up on you."
Jaebum raised a brow. "For 7 hours a night?"
"Hey, I didn't need to explain myself before, why should I have to now?" Jinyoung asked, his voice muffled under the pillow barrier he hid under.
"Well it is my bed, I can kick you out of it anytime." Jaebum pointed out.
Jinyoung quickly sat up, an annoyed frown on his face. "Fine, then I'll go. I didn't ask for this crazy interrogation anyway."
Jinyoung slowly swung his legs over the side of the bed, turning his back to Jaebum who watched him reluctantly prepare to leave.
"Jinyoung." Jaebum called as soon as the other's feet touched the floor. "You don't have to go."
Jinyoung turned back, clicking his tongue. "Oh, you want me here that bad huh? I knew you liked me sleeping here too, I should be the one suspicious of a secret crush you have on me."
"You didn't want to leave in the first place, that's why I said you could stay." Jaebum stated, knowing Jinyoung all too well to be fooled with his fake attitude. His slow movements and slightly pouty lips showed just how much he didn't want to leave at all, but Jaebum couldn't admit that he himself wanted Jinyoung to stay too. "But, I don't want you to be scared sleeping by yourself, so if sharing this bed with me you comfortable then I won't complain."
Jinyoung huffed, sliding himself back under the covers. He still faced the opposite direction of Jaebum, refusing to look at him. "You haven't complained until now. I don't know why you're suddenly bringing it up."
Jaebum sighed, rolling onto his back to stare up at the ceiling. "I don't know either. Just thinking I guess."
"Stop thinking and sleep." Jinyoung ordered.
"No, you sleep."
"You sleep first."
Jaebum shook his head, holding in a chuckle. Jinyoung's feistiness always ended up amusing him, even when it eventually got annoying. He decided to drop the conversation there and go to sleep, giving up on the whole crush thing to be discussed at another time.
Just moments later Jaebum felt the mattress moving, passing it off as Jinyoung finding a comfortable position to lie in. Though he was startled by an arm wrapping around his waist, warmth engulfing his body and Jinyoung scooted closer to him. The angel's head found its way onto Jaebum's shoulder, his arm draped over Jaebum's torso and legs wrapping around his. He stilled after that, seeming to find his comfortable position snuggled up against Jaebum.
"Jinyoung?" He called, his body and fast beating heart caught completely off guard by the sudden closeness.
"Shut up, I'm cold." Jinyoung grumbled in response.
"Right...." Jaebum mumbled out.
"And stop asking about my crush."
Jaebum felt a smile crawling up his lips, his body filling with that familiar tingly warmth it always did when Jinyoung was around. The only thought in his mind was 'cute'; in reference to just how god damn adorable Jinyoung was in certain moments like these.
Jaebum ended up wrapping his arms around Jinyoung, the angel burying his face in his neck and sighing contently in his returned embrace. "Well, whoever it is... make sure when you confess to them they know you like being cuddled to sleep."
Jinyoung hummed, his voice lazy as he was already comfortable enough to drift off. "They'll know. Trust me."
Jaebum wasn't sure what to think of that statement, but it made his heart flutter in a way he hadn't felt in a long while, making it easy to fall asleep wrapped in the arms of an angel who may just possibly be sharing the same feeling.
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(*This chapter was messy, all over the place, probably confusing at times.... so sorry about that lol. My writing gets like this at times and I hate it, but hopefully it was understandable enough. This was a looong chapter, way longer than I planned it to be, I was gonna break it up but since all of this happens in one day I didn't want to interrupt the flow. Also sorry for typos and grammar errors, I try my best to spot them all but there's always one I miss! I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless, and don't worry! I know it's taking a long time (because I want you all to suffer the fluffiness) but our cute couple is getting there! 😅*)