[fic] Scut Hamsters (chapter 8)
Title: Scut Hamsters
Pairing: Jaemin (main), Jaechun
Author: umeboshi_heart
Warning: some WTFs in the latter chapters
Rating: PG 13- R
Summary: Just another campus life story.
A/N: This is just a short, filler chapter okay xD
Chapter 8
Saturday morning in the dorm is always bliss. No ward duty, no class, no presentation; just a good snuggle under the blanket and lots of time to have a long sweet dream, particularly when the air is still fresh from peppermint aromatherapy and the corner of my lips still curl dumbly, thanks to the phone call from Yoochun last night. Even when the dream of his warm kiss has subsided, (and I can faintly hear a buzzing mosquito flying nearby) still I plant my head deep to the fluffy pillow, hoping the dream can somehow reoccur.
Well, it’s useless so I finally give up. After do some stretching on the bed to cast the laziness away, I get up and look around, eyes half lidded and yawning.
And there across me, I see the rare scenery, or should I say the scenery I’ve never seen before: the frog that still sleeps when the sun is high. Or more likely, the frog that sleeps. I mean, almost the third week since we’ve became roommates and I've never, even once, seen him sleep. He was always sleep latter and wake up earlier.
Mouth hanging agape, I dart my gaze from him, to the clock on the wall (it’s 11 am) and to him again, and to the clock again, till I realize that I should observe this important event of the year by the proper distance. So I tiptoe to his bed, and kneel down next to him with both palms on the cheek like a toddler watching how cocoon is formed.
He’s the type that sleeps curling to one side; some say that these kind of people tend to feel insecure, but I think he’s just too tall and the bed don’t support the length of his legs. Yep. And… uhm… how to say it? I thought most people’s sleeping face will be automatically described as ‘so peaceful like a baby’, but the frog… somehow even now he looks tired. His eyelids are puffy. I wonder, what time did he sleep? He said he went to borrow Donghae’s book but he hadn’t returned even until I fell asleep, bet they lost in chitchats.
Even his lips are dry. I think he should drink more. But then his lips look rather intriguing. It’s like he wears a lipstick, because the inner part of his lips are brighter than the outer part. Yoochun’s lips were always so soft and plump, but his are the total opposite -chapped and thin.
Curious, I carefully touch his lower lip with my index finger -really carefully, for if he wakes up I’m dead.
Well, honestly it feels rather funny. I touch it again, now tracing it from corner to corner. Don’t know why but the texture indescribably sends me tingle, makes me press my mouth tight to prevent myself from giggling.
“Hyung…” He mumbles. I quickly pull my hand.
“Sorry, sorry.”
Still with eyes closed, he curls deeper and mumbles more, “Why don’t you understand….”
Oh my, he’s in the bad mood when sleeping. Really tired, maybe. “Okay, okay, I understand, I won’t bug you anymore.”
*
*
*
Tock tock tock
I just finish brush my teeth and get dressed when someone knocks the door. Glancing at the frog that’s still sleeping, I drag my slippers towards the door and halfheartedly greet the guest.
Who turns out to be a shabby looking woman with black pants and short sleeved flower patterned shirt, wearing a backpack (seriously, backpack?) and two big bundles of plastic bag hanging on her either hands. Uh… I thought strangers aren’t allowed to enter this dormitory??
“Is this Shim Changmin’s room?” She asks, hyperventilating, eyes round, grinning widely like an overactive Papillon.
“Well y-yeah, may I-“
“Minniiiiiiiieeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Upon seeing Changmin’s sleeping form behind me, she barges in boorishly straight to his bed, hitting me with her bundles on the way.
“Uh…?” Not fully awake, the poor boy can’t really grasp the danger coming near. The stranger literally bumps him down.
“My Minnie mouse!!!!!”
“…………. Oh, umma…. UMMA!!!???” He jumps from his bed.
“Minnieeeee!! My babyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!
…..umma….?
…………………………………………………... UMMA!!!????
I can only watch effortlessly as Changmin’s being tortured by the brutal woman who happens to be his mother. His face is now full of her lips prints, several hairs might be plucked and bones might be crushed.
“You lazy bum!!! How can you still sleep at this hour!!”
“How… how… how…?” The boy can’t speak as she chokes him.
“Oh, believe me even the strictest security guard in Seoul wouldn’t have strength beneath the enigmatic delicacy of our field’s fruits!!”
“You bribed them with our pears!?”
“Pears, melons -all that I’ve harvested last week, thus why I manage to see this cute little mouse of miiinneeee!!”
“We grow melons now!?”
“Aren’t I great?? Now each of us has a bicycle!! I bought you one too, complete with Astroboy stickers all over, your favorite!! Oh, your Appa in heaven must be -OMO BY THE WAY what’s wrong with your face!!?? Were you crying or what!!??? Bad people bully you because they’re jealous that you’re too cute!??
“No!! I wasn’t---“
“A girl dumped you!!??”
“NO!!! Umma, I-“
“Then a boy dumped-“
“UMMA!!! I’M NOT-“
“YOU MISS YOUR UMMA THAT MUCH!!???”
I know I should’ve like…. run away…. Or do something for my own safety, but the scenery makes my feet glued to the floor. And as the family reunion time continues, I understand why being molested by practically anyone isn’t really such a big deal to him. The ferocious mother is now styling his hair, pinching and squishing him everywhere.
“Go brush your teeth and wash your face! Don’t break my heart by showing me the face of a zombie!”
She taps her feet to the floor impatiently and crosses her arms while waiting for her son to finish the task she orders. And then she pauses, seemingly remembers something. I goosebump when she turns her head to my direction in a thrillingly slow manner. “I’m sorryyy!!!” She rushes to me. I want nothing but an escape now.
“Pardon my rudeness for ignoring you; you must be Minnie’s roommate!!” She takes my hand and shakes it in enormous strength. “Nice to meet you!!”
“N-Nice to meet you too, Ahjuma…”
“Omooooo!!” She turns to Changmin who has just finished from the bathroom. “Min!! How could you never tell me about such a fine young man!? You useless brat!”
Changmin blushes and replies with a sheepish ‘teeheehee’.
“Thank you so much for helping Minnie! My son bugs you a lot, doesn’t he?”
I take a step backward. “Well… on the contrary…”
“Feel free to give him a good twist on the neck, after all he’s-Omoooo look at that soft and supple cheek of yours!!”
She’s easily distracted!!!
“Umma… you’re making Jaejoong Hyung scared…” Probably feeling gulty, he withdraws the woman and seats her on his bed.
“I’m not! I’m making reconciliation and apologize for your plebeian behavior of dating girls, drinking and using drugs…”
“I… I never do such things!”
“Tehehehe just kidding…. just want to see that cuteness of yours….”
She’s mentally disturbed!!!
“Anyway… I bring this for both of you…” She unties one of her plastic bundles, revealing lots of pears and a melon. Changmin’s face immediately brightens upon seeing the gift.
“Oh, Umma… you bring this all from Hwanseong!?
“Anything for my little mouse!”
As if the next action is part of the scripted drama, Changmin immediately go to his table for some wasted papers while his mom take out the melon and a knife. Really, she actually brings a knife too. The paper is used as a tray before they cut the melon. What a lightning speed Changmin’s mom has, because the next second they already savoring the melon shamelessly.
“Pretty, come here…” She offers me a slice.
“Umma, his name is Jaejoong…”
Seriously, I can’t understand how could a kid she raised grew up to be someone like the frog, because up until now I always believe that he came from a timid-mannered family. If people meet my mom and meet him, maybe they’ll think that he’s more suitable to be my mom’s son than this lady’s son.
In the middle of me losing in thought while awkwardly having the melon, she pats my back. “So, tell me something interesting!”
“About what?” I ask.
“Anything! Like, what have you both done?”
I know his mom doesn’t talk about that, but I can’t help but feeling a burning face. When I steal a glance at Changmin, seems like he’s just as miserable as I am.
“Well, we both are currently in different departments, so nothing much to do… “ Thank God, he answers in my place.
“Yes yes, we don’t even have much time to talk…” I add.
“Hah… I pity you… my son is ignorant, isn’t he? Minnie, you should take care of the people around you more!”
“No-no-no…” I quickly cut her before Changmin has a chance to respond. “He’s care enough, it’s just that we’re busy…”
She sighs and pouts slightly to Changmin. “I’ve told you… stop doing so much work. I’m not rich, but you know I have luck in money… we can sell half of our land…”
“Umma, I’ve told you it’s for Eunmi’s entrance fee.”
She rolls her eyes and looks at me for support. “You know, the last time I sent him money, he sent it back to me and told me to fix the house instead! This kid…”
Changmin light-slaps his mom’s arm while I’m covering my mouth to prevent my grin from showing.
“And this is Saturday… you youngsters should go for a date or something...” She pokes Changmin’s cheek. “Call your girlfriend and introduce her to me, now.”
“I-I- I don’t have a girlfriend….”
“Oh well, it’s a date, doesn’t need to be your girlfriend, right? Call the girl you like and ask her out now. Whatever.”
“Umma, Changmin is rather shy… “ Feeling pity at his panic face, I lend a help. “He doesn’t have that much of courage…”
“Even for an innocent date like a walk in the park?” She insists.
“He can’t even return the eraser she dropped next to his feet, and rather asked a friend to return it to her…” I add. Okay, I admit I wasn’t actually intending to help.
“I’m not that coward, okay? A walk in the park will be no problem!!” He says, desperately proves the man dignity.
I fake an amazed looks. “Really? Hand in hand and end with a kiss?”
“Omoooo his ears are so red, look at him Jaejoong-ah!!” The lady squeals and we do high-five euphorically.
“Y-y-you guys are annoying…!!”
Laughing loudly, the lady ruffles his head. “I can’t help it, Minnie… you guys are pathetic, Saturday morning on the dorm, sleeping…” She turns to me. “So yeah, that applies for you too!”
My laugh ceases in an instant.
“Oh come on, there’s nothing you can tell me about? I’ve wobbled all the way from Hwanseong and can’t even get any information about my son and his roommate?”
I glance at Changmin, hoping that he possibly has an interesting story to satisfy his pushy mother. Rather than helping, he takes another piece of melon as a distraction. I have no choice but to follow.
“Do you still suck at romance?” The question literally makes Changmin chokes on the melon he’s eating.
“Don’t say that!!”
“Oh come on, you’ve never even kissed someone.”
Now it’s my turn to choke on melon. “SERIOUSLY!!??”
“Of course I have, I’m 21!”
“If you talk about the lame pecks those girls stole from you, the ones in elementary or the ones as the result from playing truth or dare, nope, those can’t be counted.”
Changmin’s face turns pale. “How… how… how…?”
“How did I know? Surely I did my research…”
I think my tummy stirs from fighting back excessive laugh… I’m not usually this welcoming towards new people, but seeing this mother and child reminds me of seeing a two-persons Japanese comedy -manzai, a really old and lame one.
Changmin catches me biting back my smile and he sighs. “Well… now I’m in the forensic, dealing with corpses and crimes and such-“
“Agh I can imagine it already, don’t make me listen to that! No man at home, remember? Your sisters can’t even kill a mouse!”
“Uhm… then…Umma, I really have nothing to tell…”
She turns to me again, faking a dramatic, disappointed face. “You know Jaejoong-ah…. ever since he was a kid Minnie prefers to tell anything to a tree rather than his mother…”
Yeah, I guess that part is right. He does seem like someone who’s freaking introvert. Maybe that’s why his mother acts that way; she hopes it will encourage her son to be less awkward. Or maybe on the contrary, he turned that way because of the overly dominative mother.
Anyway, why the hell I’m analyzing other people’s family?
*
*
*
Feeling content with the teasing, Mrs.Shim eventually decided to bid farewell. She said that there’s still a relative whom she needs to visit, and so Changmin had no choice but to let her go so soon. Being a grateful child, he decided to walk her to the station.
I don’t know how she did it; maybe there’s something in the way she said ‘come with us, better than being alone’, that I ended up finding myself with them and a coffee can in my hand, waiting for the train to arrive.
Along the way to the station she talked about so many things happened in their hometown; about Changmin’s little sisters, the older one who wants to go to college like her Oppa and the possessive maknae who asks worriedly everyday whether her beloved Oppa has gotten a girlfriend in Seoul. She talked about their pear farms, about their gossip-loving neighbors who always ask the same question everyday, ‘How’s Changmin, has he became a doctor yet?’. She also talked about how the girl that used to be Changmin’s childhood friend has now married a fine guy.
From her I also knew that Changmin had wanted to become a doctor since he was a kid.
Then she asked me about things; my family, my mother, my hobby -she really is a sociable lady. Probably feeling uneasy at his mom’s openness, Changmin whispered several times, asking her to stop bugging me with too much questions. Still I answered her, shortly but trying not to sound rude. It’ll be uncomfortable if my roomate’s mom has a negative view towards me.
However Changmin didn't talk about himself - he did talks and smiles a lot, but only about typical things like his study and duty in forensics or our campus in general. He didn’t talk about his friends, his jobs, his telenovela name (he should know that woman like Mrs.Shim would laugh at it) or his fondness of the lame short jokes, the ones he dumbly browsed from internet. When Mrs.Shim asked him what kind of guy I am, he paused for a moment and answered, ‘Jaejoong Hyung is a funny guy.’
Honestly I was rather confused because I don’t feel like funny. Or maybe he randomly picked that word, for it was impossible for him to say ‘Well he’s a horny bitch who shouts at my neck all the time but suddenly asks me to fuck him whenever he pleases’, right?
Anyway, the train arrived, we parted (of course after Mrs.Shim left a big lips print on his son’s cheek), and now I’m walking side by side with Changmin (yeah, I feel like being kind, calling him with his name) on the way home.
He looks happy. Not smiling, but his eyes flicker more than usual. Good, now I want my mother to come visit me too.
“Ah… it’s embarrassing…” He says suddenly, after a long moment of silence. “Now you know, I’m spoiled like that…”
“You talk to the wrong person, because I’m spoiled just as much as that, maybe worse…”
He laughed. “I shouldn’t feel embarrassed, then?”
“No. But you never tell me you have such an… interesting mom.”
“Sorry, if she asked too much…”
“No, not at all.”
We pass the small park not so far from our campus. The grass and trees are still wet from the previous light rain and the air felt nice probably because I’m comparing it to the air of antiseptic I usually inhale.
Come to think of it, I haven’t gotten out from the dorm for almost a month. I rarely went outside without Yoochun, and though we’re close, we’re quite different in how we socialize. Yoochun would occasionally go to clubs or parties, though not as much as driving drunk or ended up with strangers. I, on the contrary, would prefer not going if it wasn’t for the hot one night stands I might get.
However I stop doing it with anyone other than Yoochun ever since I felt like I’m his.
“You want to go there first?”
My musing has taken me so much that I need some seconds to register the simple offer. “Eh? Where?”
“There…” He points to the nice looking bench under the tree, where pigeons gather not so far.
I shrug. “Yeah, I don’t feel like going back to the dorm yet…”
Inhaling the nice scent of wet soil, we walk towards the bench and flop into it, sitting idly with legs extended.
“This place is usually full of people… why is it so quiet now?” He asks, looking around. Quite far from us, few people are training their dogs or taking a walk. There’s a mother sitting on a bench with a little girl on her lap. Next to her, an Ahjussi is selling canned beverages.
“Pocari Sweat!!” I squeal.
“I’ll go get that.” Changmin immediately get up like a gentleman. He’s about to dash but I still manage to slip more than enough cashes for two cans of drinks into his pocket.
“Don’t use your money.” He looks a bit objected but I shot him a big pout.
I look at him as his tall figure jogs to the seller, knowing what had made him so energetic today. After a while he returns with a can of drink and gives me the change.
“You don’t drink anything?” I ask before gulping my drink.
“Oh, I’m not thirsty at all.”
“That’s why your lips are dehydrated like that!”
“No, it’s always like this…”
“Hmm… really?”
“Yeah… why?”
He groggily nibbles his lower lip to moisten it, but it only makes the rough surface shinier, thus make the chaps more prominent. And it’s intriguing that I can’t help myself not to bring my finger into it, touching it curiously.
A surprise crosses his eyes when I do that, and worse when I ask, “I wonder how it feels to kiss you?”
He averts his gaze to the ground. “Uhm… why don’t you try…?”
Aaww. So his mother’s teasing about his lack of kissing experience affects him that much that he wants to try it right away.
Too bad I can’t help him in this matter. “Well, I’d rather not.”, I answer.
“…then why did you ask something like that…?”
“Just curios, because I think your teeth are beautiful… and your lips are rather funny. But I just can’t make myself to kiss anyone ‘out of curiosity.’”
Yeah, I’d rather fuck someone out of curiosity. Kissing is too intimate, I can’t take it.
“Why…?” He asks, hesitated.
“I just can’t. Even if I do, I’ll feel bad afterward…”
“And you didn’t feel bad after we… uhm.… you know...”
I can’t help but to look at him smugly. The way he can never straightforwardly say ‘sex’ or ‘fuck’ is irritating and cute at the same time. “Did you feel bad?”
“…. If I said I feel bad, would you stop?”
“Of course not, you know me. Did you want me to stop?”
“Well… it’s… “ He can’t find the words to answer.
“Oh, you were just too horny to think about anything, weren’t you? Pervert.”
“No-no-no, it’s not that!!”
“Come on, it’s one of basic needs… don’t think of it too much. Want it, do it. That’s all.”
I drink more from my can, and just after I swallow the last drop, he tilts my chin towards him.
“Hyung… try it. Like you said, don’t think of it too much.…”
For some milliseconds I feel like under a spell, as he moves closer the chapped lips are fixating my gaze, the callous fingers are burning my skin. But then as expected, something inside me rejects it strongly, strong enough to beat my curiosity.
“Aish… no no, I just can’t.” I push him away. “You try it on Junsu, he’ll be more than happy to wet-kiss anyone!!”
He giggles, lightly punches the side of my arm.
[to be continued]