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“Stop using my phone to look at cute puppies,” Renjun drawls in a flat voice and tries to pry his phone out of his best friend’s hands. Jaemin just whines and clutches it even tighter, glaring at the other boy who’s lying beside him on the bed. “Oh let me be, my battery is dead and you won’t give me your charger because - and I quote - ‚it‘s somewhere in the house but I don’t know where’.” Renjun just shrugs and continues to fight for his phone. “I’m heartbroken and will probably die a lonely man, because apparently something’s very wrong with me and not even sitting in a ton of rice will ever fix me! No man will ever really love me,” Jaemin whines pathetically, still struggling against Renjun’s grip. For someone so small, he truly is quite feisty, Jaemin thinks, not for the first time.
Renjun just sighs and finally lets go of Jaemin’s hand again while narrowing his eyes at the other boy. “You won’t die alone, stop being such a drama queen. And there’s nothing wrong with you, I promise you’ll find someone new and better - Hyunjin didn’t deserve you anyway, his name alone should have been a warning to you,” he says, and Jaemin lifts one eyebrow, clearly irritated. As much as he dislikes Hyunjin right now, he does not see any problem with his name. There are surely many other lovely men called Hyunjin out there. “Well, it’s not like he chose the name himself, so you should blame his parents,” he just mumbles and continues to scroll through cute dog pictures.
He can pretty much feel Renjun roll his eyes at him, so he shoves his elbow between his best friend’s ribs. Renjun groans and slaps Jaemin’s hand away. “Stop with the senseless violence - you’re supposed to be a pacifist, remember? And you’re not mad at me but at Hyunjin,” he grumbles and closes his eyes, “He’s the one who broke up with you. I’m still here and I’m even nice enough to let you use my phone.” Jaemin bites down on his bottom lip, hard, until he tastes blood. He knows Renjun is right of course, but hearing him say it out loud still hurts.
Jaemin and Hyunjin had been dating for about 6 months, and Jaemin was actually quite happy and content with the relationship for once - movie marathons, trips to the local art museum, late night drives around the city, tipsy make-out sessions; dating him had been fun. Well, until Hyunjin had suddenly decided he didn’t want to be with Jaemin anymore. The breakup had come unexpectedly, but even after Jaemin asked Hyunjin to stay and try to work this out, Hyunjin had still just left. Renjun, being the amazing best friend that he just is, had immediately come over to Jaemin’s place, even though it had been well past midnight already. He had brought Jaemin’s favorite Ramen and a bucket full of ice cream and even agreed to binge-watch Friends again. He had held Jaemin while the younger boy cried and started to curse Hyunjin to the moon and back, using every foul word in existence just to make Jaemin laugh.
It’s already been a few weeks since the breakup now, but thinking about Hyunjin still hurts, and there are even some evenings when Jaemin still sheds a tear or two over Hyunjin’s absence from his life, even though he’s never really been big on crying. Jaemin doesn't even know if he’s still missing Hyunjin or if he’s just unable to cope with the knowledge of being alone again. He hates feeling like he’s not enough, and Hyunjin definitely made him feel that way. It also doesn’t help that Hyunjin’s still part of Jaemin’s social circle, sharing some friends and therefore often attending the same outings and parties. Jaemin had straight up refused to go to Yangyang’s birthday party when he had learned about Hyunjin attending as well - thankfully, Renjun had come over to stay with Jaemin that night, out of solidarity. He truly is the only man Jaemin can trust.
By now, Jaemin spends more time at Renjun’s frat house than his own apartment - mostly because his roommate’s boyfriend pretty much lives there by now, and he honestly cannot stomach Donghyuck and Mark being so disgustingly in love every single day. He is happy for them, of course he is, but having to be around happy couples just hurts at the moment. Thankfully, Renjun is as single as a pringle, so he doesn’t mind having Jaemin over at his place almost 24/7. Only one of his roommates - Doyoung, Jaemin thinks - has complained about him being there all the time, but he honestly couldn’t care less. As long as Renjun’s cool with Jaemin being his parasite, he will continue to be so.
“You’re coming to the frat party next month though, aren’t you?” Renjun asks all of the sudden, startling Jaemin out of his thoughts and making him drop Renjun’s phone on his face. Jaemin groans and grimaces in pain while Renjun just laughs. Before Jaemin can prevent his best friend from doing so, he quickly grabs his phone and stuffs it back in his pocket. “That was beautiful, thank you for letting me witness this wonderful moment,” he then says, and Jaemin rolls his eyes at him. “About your question… I don’t know. Hyunjin will obviously attend too, and I’m honestly still not really in the mood to see him,” Jaemin finally answers and presses his face in Renjun’s pillow, stifling his own sigh.
“The party is still weeks away. Don’t you think you’ll be over him by then?“ Renjun asks, but Jaemin shrugs. “I honestly don’t know. I only know that I will get over him, at one point, but right now, I still have to be dramatic about it - no idea how long that phase is going to last. It’s called coping, baby.“ His best friend snorts. “Very bad coping, but sure. You know it’s also Jisung’s birthday party? And we can all celebrate Johnny’s birthday at midnight. You have to come!” Jaemin just sighs and shrugs again. He does love Jisung, that boy is the most adorable person on the entire planet. But still…
Renjun hums in thought before suddenly poking Jaemin’s cheek, making the other boy jump. „Ok, how about making Hyunjin jealous? You know, make him see what he’s lost and how stupid and ignorant he’s been blablabla. You shouldn’t be the only one suffering. You can use the party to get some revenge.”
Jaemin lifts his head and gives Renjun a stern look. “For someone so nice and angelic looking, you sure have a dark and evil side to you, Mr. Huang,” he states, and his best friend gives him his brightest smile. “Becoming a cold hearted evil genius wasn’t really what I had planned to do with my life, yet here I am - and you love it, don’t lie," Renjun replies loftily, blatantly ignoring Jaemin's muttered "Fucking demon" before continuing "So, what do you think? You shouldn’t have to sit out all your friends' birthday parties just because you don’t want Hyunjin to see you like this.”
Jaemin raises both eyebrows, now looking a bit scandalized. “What do you mean?! I look fine!” he grumbles, and Renjun snorts. “Nana, you haven’t showered in like, three or probably even more days, you are literally wearing some of my oldest clothes right now because you somehow managed to spill an entire bowl of Ramen over yourself, and - I truly say this with all my love - I think it’s time for you to finally use a face mask. Or two. No offense.”
Jaemin glares at him. “I’m not offended,” he replies, very clearly offended, “But I’m way too sleep-deprived and heartbroken to deal with your negativity right now. I just want to wear big hoodies, watch TV shows and be ugly while staying in bed for the rest of my life, is that too much to ask for?” Renjun just blinks at him, clearly unimpressed, and finally, Jaemin sighs. He knows his best friend is right - he truly has let himself go. He’s never been one to care about looking good every single day, because honestly, who’s got the time? But he usually puts some effort into his looks, or at least when he has to attend class or work a shift at the DreaM café.
So finally, Jaemin sighs again like he’s carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. He’s truly starting to sound like one of Jane Austen’s young heroines. “Fine. I promise I’ll go home tonight, take a long hot shower, finally do the laundry, and use a face mask or two. Happy?” Renjun grins and gives his best friend the thumbs up. “Very much so. Now back to our plan to make Hyunjin jealous-” “Whoa, whoa, hold up a minute!” Jaemin quickly interrupts him, “That’s not our, but your plan! And I haven’t agreed to it yet.” His best friend just waves the protest aside. “The keyword being yet. You know I’m right and that you should do it.” Jaemin sighs and begins to gnaw on his bottom lip, mulling the idea over in his mind. “He wouldn’t believe us to be together anyway, he knows I only see you in a platonic way. You’re like…”
“A brother,” Renjun helps out, and Jaemin grins. “More like a ‘beloved pet’ or ‘sometimes helpful acquaintance’ but sure, if it makes you feel better, let’s go with brother.” For that, Renjun whacks Jaemin violently over the head with his pillow and honestly? A fair reaction. Jaemin was just kidding anyway, Renjun is definitely something akin to a brother, they’ve known each other since forever basically, having grown up together and thankfully ending up going to the same college. “Also, I wasn’t thinking of myself as your fake boyfriend anyway. I have much better taste than that,” Renjun explains, ignoring the affronted noise Jaemin makes, “I was thinking of someone else.” He pauses dramatically and Jaemin raises both eyebrows, a half questioning half suspicious expression on his face.
“Jeno.”
Jaemin swears he hears thunder and lightning in the distance as soon as Renjun speaks the name. Jaemin just blinks at him, face incredulous. “Jeno as in… Lee Jeno. The guy that lives in the room across from yours in this dump you guys call your home. The emo gamer, the resting-bitch-face-lowkey-but-probably-even-highkey-hates-me Lee Jeno. That one.” Renjun nods. “You forgot ‘proud cat dad’ and for the millionth time, he doesn’t hate you, he’s just a little shy, but yep. Exactly that one.”
Renjun’s face breaks into an evil smile, and Jaemin groans, falling back into the pillows. “I don’t know, Injunnie. I mean, yeah, he’s good looking and all that, but he is a) a gamer, b) an emo and c) doesn’t even really like me, he only puts up with me because we share so many friends - including you. Also, what would he gain from this? Nothing!” Jaemin says, and ignores the way his heart speeds up at the mere mention of Jeno’s name.
If he’s being honest, he’s maybe kinda always had a teeny tiny crush on Renjun’s roommate - and who could blame him, honestly? Jeno is handsome, incredibly so, but more importantly, he’s very smart and actually quite witty, in a dry sort of way. And while it’s true that he can be quite shy, Jaemin knows he can banter quite well and is usually very playful. Still doesn’t change the fact that he’s a) a gamer and b) an emo who dresses almost exclusively in oversized hoodies and ripped jeans that have more holes in them than Jaemin can count on both hands.
Renjun raises one eyebrow at Jaemin’s question. “I never said you wouldn’t have to give him anything in return. And he only acts all emo and distant all the time, but he truly likes you, I know that for a fact. He actually talks about you from time to time and he lets you play with his cats, that says a lot too. You know they are basically his children.” For a few seconds, Jaemin just stares at Renjun, trying to digest the information that the Lee Jeno is talking about him to his best friend.
Then, he sighs very, very deeply. Hollywood should really cast him in their new Jane Austen remake. “I guess… asking him won’t do any harm. He’s probably not going to agree to this stupid plan of yours anyway.”
His best friend just grins.
. . . . . . .
“You want me to do what?”
Jeno sits on Renjun’s desk chair, expression shifting between amusement and incredulity. He’s wearing more holes than jeans today, and instead of his usual, comfortable looking hoodies, he’s clad in a way too tight shirt, much to Jaemin’s distress. He probably just washed it too hot, Jaemin thinks to himself, trying very hard not to stare at the dark haired boy.
“We want you to be Jaemin’s fake boyfriend for the frat party,” Jaemin’s best friend repeats, more slowly this time, as if he was talking to a toddler and not a twentysomething boy. Jaemin just groans inwardly but decides to stay quiet for now. Jeno turns towards Jaemin and points a finger at him. For some reason, Jaemin feels more accused by that finger than he ever has by anything else in his entire life. Internally, he‘s clutching his non-existent pearls, offended.
“You want revenge.”
It’s more of a statement than a question, so Jaemin just purses his lips, expression defensive. Renjun grins angelically. “You call it revenge, we call it spicy justice.” Jeno’s lips twitch at that. ”Spicy justice… I quite like that. But why exactly, would I help you? It seems like a waste of time - and no offense, but I already waste more than enough time on my own, so I really don’t need you guys adding to it,” he states, and crosses both arms over his broad chest.
Jaemin quickly looks away, suddenly very interested in Renjun’s DVD collection and definitely not in the way Jeno’s arms are straining the fabric of his definitely just too tight shirt.
“I know you still need a volunteer to help with your screening project for your med class,” Renjun says, and Jeno groans. “That damned screening project… Why am I a college student and not a cat living in an antique shop,” he grumbles, and Jaemin whips his head around to glare at Renjun. He knows Jeno has to take several pre-med classes - for humans - even though he wants to become a veterinarian, and the horrifying prospects of being prodded with needles begin to fill his head.
Until a few years ago, Jaemin had actually wanted to study medicine himself until he suddenly realized it would mean working with needles - and his phobia had immediately said ‘thanks but no thanks'. So he had settled on architecture instead while minoring in photography, his one true passion.
Renjun just pats one of Jaemin’s legs affectionately, but it does literally nothing to soothe his worry. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing bad, nothing to do with needles,” he explains in a low voice, immediately remembering Jaemin’s phobia, “He’ll just do a screening of your body, look at your heart rate, ask about your personal health record, and stuff like that.” Jaemin just nods, relieved. “Oh, someone’s scared of needles?” Jeno asks innocently, but Jaemin sees the wry twist of his mouth, so he immediately answers “No” just as Renjun says “Yes”. Jaemin simply glares at his best friend while deciding to ignore Jeno’s low chuckle.
“Okay. I’ll play your boyfriend for one night to make Hyunjun jealous if you offer to be my victim- I mean, my volunteer for the screening project,” Jeno finally agrees, ignoring Jaemin’s mumbled correction to ‘Hyunjin’. Jeno just raises one eyebrow and offers his hand for Jaemin to shake. “So, do we have a deal?”
Jaemin holds his breath for a second before taking Jeno’s hand in his, feeling like he’s just sold his soul to the devil - or at least one of his henchmen. And if both Jeno and Renjun’s scarily similar smug grins are any indication, he might not even be that far off. Jaemin ignores the way Jeno’s long fingers wrap around his own, the other boy’s hand warm and strong, and lets go as quickly as possible.
“Just promise you won’t actually fall in love with me,” Jeno then says, his expression a weird mix of slightly shy yet cheeky, and Jaemin wants nothing more than to wipe that smug smile off Jeno’s face. “There’s literally no need to worry about that,” he replies through clenched teeth and lifts one eyebrow, a silent challenge. “Mission Spicy Justice is on, and Team Rocket is officially assembled, Hell yeah!” Renjun interrupts their stare down excitedly, and Jaemin and Jeno simultaneously answer “You’re Meowth”, making the third boy protest violently.
Jaemin ignores the way his heart flutters at Jeno and him making the same stupid joke, but can’t help and answer the other boy’s - maybe extremely cute - grin with one of his own. “I think you guys will have to learn a bit more about each other now,” Renjun suddenly suggests, and Jaemin grimaces while Jeno nods in agreement. “I plan on being a very dedicated actor, so yes, that’s a good idea. I definitely have to know your favorite color, for example.”
Jaemin can’t really tell if Jeno’s joking or not, so he just answers with a short and simple “Black”, thinking the emo in Jeno will surely appreciate his choice of color. But the boy opposite him makes a disapproving “Tsk” and shakes his head. “Black is technically not a color, it’s just the absence of any other color, so how about you pick an actual one next time I ask you.”
Jaemin groans in exasperation and throws a pillow at the dark haired boy. “Oh shut up, you petty pretentious prick!” Jeno just catches the pillow and begins to grin even wider, his eyes forming those little crescents that have Jaemin maybe swooning a little. “Pretty is spelled with an ‚r‘, but that was a nice alliteration nevertheless.“ And with that, he flings the pillow back at Jaemin, hitting the other boy straight in the face.
Jaemin falls back on Renjun’s bed and huffs. “Ugh, I can’t wait to break up with you again,” he grumbles, making the other two boys laugh.
. . . . . . .
Over the next few weeks, Jaemin starts hanging out with not only Renjun whenever he’s over at the frat house, but with Jeno as well. They’ve been friends - or well, more like acquaintances - for almost two years now, but have rarely if ever hung out alone. But now, Renjun often leaves them alone while going out on a date or to work a shift at his part-time job at a law firm.
One evening while he’s out, Jaemin and Jeno try to cook together - something that goes horribly wrong, but only because Jeno refuses to follow the recipe or Jaemin’s instructions, stating shit like ‘I was communicating with my ancestors and they told me our casserole needs more salt’. The night ends with smoke coming out of the oven and Jaemin fearing Jeno might have inhaled too much of it because the other boy can’t stop laughing. Hence, he (maybe only half-) jokingly offers to give Jeno mouth-to-mouth which results in the other boy smacking him over the head, hard, and Jaemin grumbles something about people having to learn to appreciate his generous offers. He is just glad Taeyong isn’t home, because the older boy definitely would have given them an earful for almost blowing up the kitchen - but he’s staying at his boyfriend’s place most nights, rarely being at the frat house these days.
They also spent a lot of time playing with Jeno’s cats, and Jaemin basically falls in love with all three, often cuddling them while Jeno works on his screening project. On those days, Jaemin usually lies on Jeno’s bed with at least one or two cats purring on his chest and answers the other boy’s seemingly endless questions about his personal health record while Jeno types away on his keyboard - it‘s one that lights up in all colors of the rainbow. Truly a gamer nerd at heart, but Jaemin still has to admit, seeing the dark haired boy so dedicated to his studies is kind of… hot - not that he’d ever tell him.
After Jeno loses a bet to Jaemin - he had challenged Jaemin to eat the spicy Ramen he always buys, not knowing that Renjun and Jaemin had already agreed to conspire against the other boy by quickly switching the spicy package against a normal one while making dinner that evening -, they have a Twilight marathon, binge-watching all five movies in one sitting as Jeno has never seen any of them. Jaemin is not even really a Twilight fan (anymore), but he still feels the need to educate Jeno on this glorious and very important piece of pop culture, enjoying the other boy’s exasperated groans and disgusted faces at some of the scenes maybe a bit too much.
Halfway through the fourth movie, Jeno finally begs Jaemin to let them finish the rest the next day. Jaemin immediately teases him about being a wussy until the other boy has finally had enough, tickling Jaemin until he’s breathless with laughter. Jaemin finds he doesn't mind Jeno keeping one arm around his shoulders after he has admitted defeat, feeling quite comfortable and safe so close to Jeno, basking in the other boy’s warm honey scent and fighting very hard not to fall asleep.
When Renjun wakes up early the next morning to go to his part-time job and finds his best friend and his roommate asleep on the pull-out couch in the living room, buried under an almost ridiculous amount of blankets, breaths mingling as they’re huddled so close together, he decides to say nothing about it. He does take a picture of them though, thinking that maybe, just maybe, his and Donghyuck’s plan had worked out better than they’d ever dared to dream.
. . . . . . .
It’s the evening of the frat party, and Jaemin suddenly feels his nerves resurfacing. If he’s being honest, he hasn’t really thought about Hyunjin these past few weeks at all, his ex actually seems to have… slipped his mind. And even now, thinking about him doesn’t hurt anymore. Still, Jaemin doesn't really want to see him tonight. Who knows what Hyunjin’s handsome face will trigger in him? But it’s definitely too late to back out now, so Jaemin gets ready while listening to his favorite playlist, simultaneously talking to his roommate Donghyuck who’s also getting ready in his own room just across the hallway.
He’s currently giving Jaemin a short recap of his last few days as Jaemin hasn't been home at all, spending literally every free minute over at the frat house. “And Jisung pretty much died after having tried Mark’s self-made curry. That’s why Chenle and I decided it was the safer option to just order some food instead, and I still stand with that decision even if Mark was deeply hurt by our actions. We were nice enough to let him win the first round of Cards against Humanity thought - but only because we couldn’t stand the sight of his pouting lips anymore,” Donghyuck finishes his story, and strolls into Jaemin’s room, giving him a bright smile, “Anyway, what’s going on in your life? I feel like we haven’t seen nor talked to each other in forever. I guess I actually kinda missed you.”
Jaemin returns Donghyuck’s smile, feeling touched by his declaration of honest affection. “Aw, I guess I missed you a bit too, Hyuckie.” And it’s true - listening to Donghyuck talk about his boyfriend doesn’t hurt anymore, so Jaemin definitely has to spend more time with his friend again. “Nothing exciting going on in my life, to be honest, I just spend lots of time with Jeno these days. We tried to cook and, same as Mark, failed miserably. Only due to Jeno’s absolute inability to listen to me though, ugh, honest to God, that boy will drive me crazy one day. Oh, and I finally made him watch all Twilight movies! Can you believe he has never watched any of them before?!” Jaemin shakes his head, face incredulous.
Donghyuck chuckles and leans against the doorframe, looking at Jaemin with his dark, lively eyes. “So the rumors are true, you really have been hanging out with Jeno an awful lot lately. Chenle told me you’re at the frat house pretty much 24/7 these days.” For some reason, he looks incredibly smug. Jaemin just bites his lips and pretends to concentrate on styling his hair. Donghyuck had helped him dye it a lighter brown earlier this day, and it compliments both Jaemin’s bronze skin as well as his deep, sparkling eyes. He wonders what Jeno will say to his new look.
Out of the corner of his eye, Jaemin sees his roommate break into a shit-eating grin. “Okay, you don’t have to tell me anything, if you don’t want to. I’m just saying… Jeno is truly a good guy, a real romantic softie who’s just a little shy. I like him and I think you’d be good together. I can already see you adopting many, many cats together.” And with that, Donghyuck whirls around and leaves Jaemin alone with his racing thoughts.
As both Jeno and Mark live at the frat house, Jaemin and Donghyuck head over there on their own. The night is cold, and Jaemin immediately begins to shiver in his thin leather jacket. Donghyuck and him quickly agree to order an Uber, not wanting to wait for the bus in the cold. Therefore, it doesn’t take long until they arrive at the frat house, its windows illuminated by fairy lights and Chinese lanterns. Looking through one of the big living room windows, Jaemin even spots a disco ball hanging from the ceiling, and can’t help but smile. He’s actually excited to see most of his friends tonight, minus Hyunjin of course - not that he still counts him as a friend. Donghyuck smiles at Jaemin once they get out of the Uber and together, and the two boys stroll across the lawn and up the few steps leading to the wrap-around porch - the front door is open, so they enter without having to knock. Shedding their jackets, Donghyuck bids Jaemin goodbye as soon as he spots his boyfriend currently preparing drinks behind the makeshift bar the frat boys set up in the living room.
Jaemin on the other hand decides to venture into the kitchen first, searching for either Renjun or Jeno. He takes a wine cooler from the fridge, just to have something to hold on to, and gives out half-smiles to a few classmates and acquaintances he knows from school. After realizing that neither of his boys are in the kitchen, Jaemin makes his way towards the living room, continuing to look for them. The second he steps into the room, the music suddenly changes from chill house vibes to Boney M’s Rasputin. Jaemin grimaces at the choice of music and shakes his head before taking a sip of his drink. In that second, a familiar presence appears beside him.
“If I read your expression correctly, you’re about as excited about this song as I am,” Jeno says, and wraps one arm around Jaemin’s shoulder, pulling the other boy close. Jaemin ignores the way his heart speeds up, hoping Jeno’s unable to see the blush blooming on his cheeks in the dimly lit room. “Let’s just say… I wasn’t expecting this kind of music. Johnny is usually very good at picking the right songs,” Jaemin explains, and lets himself be led further into the room. Jeno just chuckles darkly. “Well, it’s not Johnny who’s picking the music tonight - Taeyong convinced him not to be DJ for once so he can just enjoy the evening with his girlfriend as he is turning a year older tonight. So now we have to deal with Taeyong’s questionable taste in music.”
Jaemin groans and stands on his tiptoes to get a good look at the DJ pult in one corner of the room. Jeno is right, it’s not Johnny who’s standing behind it tonight, but a cute looking young man with big round eyes and a bright smile. His boyfriend is currently sitting behind him, looking lowkey embarrassed at Taeyong’s choice of music and clearly pretending to be deaf. Jaemin can’t help but giggle, but then Call on Me begins to play, and both him and Jeno groan.
“Okay, I definitely need some tequila for this. Does Taeyong not realize there are way more Gen Zs here tonight, and not only Millennials?!” Jeno mutters, and takes Jaemin’s hand to drag the other boy with him towards the bar. There, he immediately grabs a bottle of tequila and two glasses, pouring a generous amount in both. He then hands Jaemin one and lifts both eyebrows, expression challenging. “Love shot?” he asks, the ghost of a smile on his face, and Jaemin pursues his lips before nodding. His stomach flutters nervously when Jeno locks eyes with him, the other boy’s face awfully close to his own while he’s emptying his glass. Jaemin almost coughs at the burning liquid sliding down his throat and quickly takes a sip of his cold wine cooler to soothe the uncomfortable sensation.
“I like it, by the way,” Jeno suddenly says and ruffles Jaemin’s carefully styled hair, making the younger boy scowl, “It suits you. Very cute.” Before Jaemin’s brain is even able to come up with a sassy comment, Donghyuck interrupts them. He’s still busy making cocktails behind the bar together with his boyfriend Mark, and gives Jaemin and Jeno a shit-eating smile. “Want to try the Donghyuck Special?” he asks, wiggling both eyebrows and rattling the cocktail shaker in his left hand. Jaemin just tilts his head to one side. “The what?”
His roommate grins. “The Donghyuck Special. I can promise it’ll make you forget all about Taeyong’s questionable taste in music.” Jeno leans closer. “Do I even want to know what’s in said cocktail?” he asks suspiciously, and Donghyuck gives him an angelic smile. “Only the best kind of alcohol, which is a lot, and a bit of orange juice and lime. Come on, Lee, don’t be a coward.” In that second, Renjun appears behind Jaemin, seemingly out of thin air. “Don’t do it, trust me.” he says, a grave expression on his face, „I sadly speak from experience.“
“Injunnie!” Jaemin exclaims excitedly, and hugs him. His best friend just chuckles, patting Jaemin’s back affectionately before prying Jaemin’s wine cooler out of his hand to take a sip. “Parasite,” Jaemin grumbles, only half joking, and his best friend raises both eyebrows. “Says the one basically living in my room. Nice new hair, by the way.” Jaemin just sighs in defeat. “Fair point. And thanks.” Renjun turns towards Jeno and gives him a pointed look. “And like I said, don’t try it. Donghyuck has apparently made it tonight’s mission to make cocktails that are even worse than last time, I’m telling you.”
“Hey, watch it! Whose cocktails are you calling bad?!” Jaemin’s roommate protests, huffing in mock offense. Out of the corner of his eye, Jaemin sees Jeno’s expression darken, obviously feeling challenged, and he finally nods at Donghyuck. “Hit me with your worst shot.” Jaemin’s roommate just grins slyly while Jaemin groans at Jeno’s extremely bad pun, and begins to make the Donghyuck Special. Jaemin’s eyes get round and big at the amount of alcohol his friend mixes together, and he looks from Jeno to the cocktail and back again. Jeno doesn’t look too happy about his choice right now, but it’s already too late to back out. He gulps nervously, Adam's apple bobbing, but takes the finished cocktail from Donghyuck nevertheless, eyeing it with a grim expression on his face.
“Well, I tried to warn you. Good luck and I hope you won’t go blind,” Renjun says, shaking his head in mock defeat, “I’m off - just spotted the man of the evening and I wanna talk to him before he turns older than time at midnight.” And with that, he makes his way through the dancing crowd, disappearing from view.
Jaemin on the other hand is caught between following his best friend to talk to Johnny too as he hasn't seen him in a while either, and watching Jeno suffer from drinking Donghyuck’s cocktail. He finally decides to stay, knowing he can always talk to Johnny later. Jeno looks very determined right now, and locks eyes with Jaemin for a second before toasting towards the other boy, taking the first sip. His expression morphs from shocked to disgusted to thoughtful back to disgusted. “It’s not… as bad as expected,” he chokes out, and Donghyuck gives him the thumbs up. “Let me know if you want another one.” And with that, he turns to his boyfriend to kiss Mark’s cheek, making the other boy smile in a very whipped way. They’re so cute it’s almost disgusting, Jaemin thinks.
“You wanna try?” Jeno asks, and before Jaemin can protest, Jeno has switched his wine cooler with the Donghyuck Special From Hell, looking at him expectantly. Jaemin desperately wants to wipe that slightly cocky expression off Jeno’s face, so he quickly takes a sip. It’s truly not as bad as he had expected after having heard Renjun’s warning, but still bad enough. The alcohol burns in his throat and Jaemin only just manages to suppress a violent cough, quickly giving Jeno the thumbs up. The other boy grins smugly. “Aw, that’s my boy!” he says proudly while ruffling Jaemin’s hair again, face glowing with a certain emotion Jaemin’s unable to pin down, but he swears his heart is about to leap out of his chest and right into Jeno’s hands just there and then, for the entire world to see.
“Well, come on, let’s dance,” Jeno thankfully says before Jaemin can do something reckless and stupid like kiss the other boy senseless. Jaemin can’t even protest because Jeno is already dragging him towards the dance floor, pulling him impossibly close to his own body. His hands immediately find Jaemin’s waist, and the feeling makes Jaemin’s head spin while he desperately searches for something to say. “Where are your cats tonight, by the way?” he finally asks, and almost instantly, a smile lights up Jeno’s face, eyes turning into those stupidly adorable crescents. “They’re staying with a friend of mine. The loud music and many people would have stressed them out, so I asked Minho to take them for the night - he works an early shift tomorrow, that’s why he wasn’t able to come tonight,” Jeno explains, and Jaemin nods. “Wise decision.”
Time flies by while they continue to dance, bodies moving against one another while Jaemin’s gaze becomes half-lidded, skin tightening with desire. Suddenly, it’s already past midnight and Johnny’s birthday has begun. As the older boy is currently being swamped by too many people already, Jaemin and Jeno decide to just congratulate him later. They walk over towards the makeshift bar again, Jeno offering to make non-alcoholic cocktails as they’re both quite thirsty after all the dancing. Jaemin is just about to agree, when the other boy’s expression suddenly changes and he starts glaring at someone behind Jaemin.
Before he can turn around, Jeno has already wrapped both arms around his waist and pulled him close to his chest. Jaemin can smell the alcohol on Jeno’s breath, mixed with mint from a gum he probably chewed earlier. The scent of his subtle cologne surrounds Jaemin, and for a second or two, he forgets to breathe. He doesn't even hear the music anymore, the world seemingly standing still while he gazes into the dark pools of Jeno’s chocolate eyes.
“Don’t turn around, but Hyunjun is here,” the other boy murmurs, lips awfully close to Jaemin’s, “And he’s not alone.” And just like that, the spell is broken again. Jaemin had honestly totally forgotten about Hyunjin - even though he’s the sole reason he is currently here, in Jeno’s warm and strong arms. Hyunjin’s arms have never felt so normal nor familiar around him, not even after almost six months of dating. “That bastard didn’t only have the audacity to break up with you, but to come here and bring a date?! Let’s show him what he’s missing,” Jeno hisses, and before Jaemin can protest, the other boy drags him back towards the crowd of dancing people.
Almost immediately, Jeno’s arms are back around Jaemin’s waist again, and without really thinking about it, the latter one wraps his own around Jeno’s neck. Jeno pulls Jaemin’s body close, and the way he starts moving his hips has his thoughts drifting towards very dangerous territory. Jaemin’s cheeks are blazing with heat, and his heart stumbles for a few beats until finding a rhythm twice as fast as the usual one.
Jeno’s dark eyes bore into his own, and the fire deep inside them ignites Jaemin’s whole body until he feels like he’s being consumed by flames. He bites the inside of his cheek, hard, when Jeno’s tongue darts out to wet his lips, and a sudden wave of arousal and desire courses through his body. Jeno’s eyes darken even more when he sees how Jaemin’s gaze falls to his mouth, pupils blown wide, and he leans closer until their foreheads are almost touching, breaths mingling. One of Jeno’s hands slides over Jaemin’s spine, leaving goosebumps in its wake, and then, his long fingers thread through the hair at the nape of Jaemin’s neck to tilt his head, exposing his Adam’s apple. Jaemin almost whines at the feeling, confused by the strange power Jeno seems to hold over him. Everything feels too much and not enough at the same time, his whole body is tight with anticipation, adrenaline pumping through his veins, and Jeno is just lowering his head, eyes closing, when -
- something cold and wet drenches Jaemin’s entire back side. He squeals in shock, and the spell between Jeno and him is broken. Jaemin whips around, expression incredulous, and stares at the person who has just emptied their entire drink over his back.
“Oops,” Hyunjin grins, but his face is grim and he doesn’t seem apologetic at all, “Sorry. Totally did not mean to do that at all.” “You-” Jaemin begins, almost breathless with anger, and he’s about to shout at his ex when he suddenly feels strong fingers close around his wrist. Jaemin turns his head and stares at Jeno who’s tugging him close again. “Forget him, he’s just not worth it. He’s nothing but a petty pretentious prick,” Jeno says, sneering at Jaemin’s ex-boyfriend. Jaemin’s lips twitch at the insult, knowing exactly why Jeno chose those words.
“Who are you calling a pretentious prick?! You’ve always thought you’re better than me, Lee, and I’ve honestly had enough of you acting so superio-” Hyunjin hisses, but Jaemin whirls around to glare at him. “Hyunjin, if you listen very closely, you can hear neither of us caring about whatever you have to say. So how about you just shut the fuck up,” he spits out, making his ex huff in disbelief. Jeno just chuckles before brushing a soft kiss against Jaemin’s cheek, making warmth bloom inside the other boy’s chest while his entire body heats up.
Jaemin gives Jeno a full smile which the other boy immediately returns, lifting one hand to push some stray strands of hair out of Jaemin’s face. His expression is incredibly tender, and Jaemin’s legs suddenly feel something akin to jelly. “Come on, let’s go get you some dry clothes, Nana,” Jeno then murmurs, “I have some shirts that should fit you just fine.” And with one last glare towards Jaemin’s ex, Jeno drags him out of the living room and away from the crowd.
Upstairs, the loud music and many voices are muted, so it almost feels like they’ve just entered a different world. Jeno doesn’t say anything while they walk upstairs and towards his room, which he has locked to keep unwanted guests out. It’s dark inside, and Jeno takes a second or two to fumble for the light switch. Once he finds it, Jaemin blinks against the harsh fluorescent lights, eyes watering. “You need new light bulbs, your old ones are definitely a crime against humanity,” Jaemin complains and shields his face with one hand. Jeno just rolls his eyes. “They’re the only thing lighting up my world these days, so don’t judge,” he replies, humor coating his words.
“Wow okay, calm down, emo boy. And what about me? Am I not the new flame and light in your world?” Jaemin teases, and Jeno snorts. “You’re maybe like a teeny tiny firefly. At most,” he replies breezily, and Jaemin begins to pout, giving the other boy his best puppy eyes. Jeno just raises one eyebrow. “Want a new shirt or not?” Jaemin sighs and nods, already beginning to peel the wet fabric from his body. Before he can pull the shirt over his head though, Jeno suddenly yells something unintelligible and turns around, shaking his head.
“What-… What are you doing?!” He sounds panicked, the tips of his ears turning a dark shade of red, and Jaemin snorts. “Afraid my semi nude body will offend your virgin eyes?” he asks in a mocking tone, and Jeno huffs. “Virgin eyes?! Speak for yourself. But still, you- you can’t just strip in front of me! At least not without the right music.”
“Want me to go get Taeyong? I’m sure he has something fitting on his playlist,” Jaemin suggests, leaning against Jeno’s closed door and trying very hard not to laugh while looking at the other boy’s - to be fair, very nice - back side. Jeno lets out a strangled laugh. “Thanks, now I won’t ever get the image of you stripping to Rasputin out of my head.”
“Mhm, I think Mambo No. 5 is more my kind of song. The rhythm is actually quite nice,” Jaemin muses and steps towards Jeno, turning him around. The other boy has both eyes closed, mouth tightened into a thin line. “First of all, most people would actually pay to see my naked chest, just so you know - I’m pretty much an overall visual delight. And second, I’m wearing an undershirt, you idiot,” Jaemin says lovingly, ruffling Jeno’s dark hair. It feels incredibly silky and soft, and Jaemin thinks that maybe, just maybe his fingers have finally found their raison d’être - touching Jeno’s hair forever.
“Ah.” With that, Jeno opens his eyes again, gazing at Jaemin. His eyes are soft, and tiny flecks of gold dance around his pupils. “Oh, your eyes look almost a little golden right now,” Jaemin says before he can stop himself, and Jeno raises one eyebrow. “That’s the fluorescents,” he replies in a wry tone, and Jaemin blinks at him, actually speechless for once. “Did- did you just quote Twilight?” he almost squeals in an incredulous voice, and Jeno’s very kissable lips curve into a tiny, shy smile. “Maybe.”
And that’s when Jaemin finally can’t stand it anymore - so he pulls Jeno close and just kisses him. The other boy isn‘t even startled, so maybe he’s been expecting, maybe even wanting something like this to happen all evening. Jeno meets Jaemin’s passion with the same ferocity, burying both hands in the other boy’s light brown hair and pulling him close, so close that there’s barely any space left between their bodies. Jeno bites down on Jaemin’s bottom lip, making him gasp, and he quickly uses the chance to lick into Jaemin’s mouth. He still tastes of the horrible Donghyuck Special he was challenged to drink earlier, but Jaemin finds he doesn't even mind. He just wants Jeno as close as possible, tugging at his shirt, his hands somehow finding their way under its fabric so he can brush over Jeno’s flat stomach, making his abdominals clench. Jeno groans, desperate hands sliding over Jaemin’s back to grab his ass, squeezing once before he pushes their hips together.
They only break apart when their heads begin to spin from lack of oxygen, and Jeno just stares at Jaemin. His eyes dart from Jaemin’s swollen lips to his flushed cheeks and back to Jaemin’s eyes again.
“I-” Jeno begins, but Jaemin interrupts him immediately: “If you’re going to tell me you’re drunk from that horrible Donghyuck Special and it’s only the alcohol that made you kiss me back, I will literally punch you in the balls.” Jeno’s face splits into a huge smile, melting away all the darkness and edges and hard lines Jaemin has learned to appreciate and love these past few weeks - or maybe years, even. “Donghyuck might have tried his best, but it takes a lot more to knock me off my feet,” Jeno answers, voice incredibly soft all of the sudden. Jaemin tilts his head to one side, giving the other boy a cheeky grin, all glittering teeth and sparkling eyes. “Like me, for example.” Jeno raises both eyebrows and shrugs. “I shall neither confirm nor deny,” he then murmurs, lips already awfully close to Jaemin’s again, “But now it’s my turn to ask - please tell me this is not just you still using me as a fake boyfriend to seek some spicy justice. Because I too can punch you in your balls. And I go to the gym regularly.”
Jaemin brushes a soft kiss to Jeno’s lips, and nuzzles the other boy’s nose. “It’s not. God no, it‘s definitely not.” Jeno smiles again, honest and bright, all crescent eyes and adorable lips, relief etched onto his face, and exhales. “Good. Now, how about we get out of here?” he asks and takes a step back. Jaemin draws both eyebrows together, suppressing a whine at the sudden lack of contact. “And go back to the party?” he asks, a bit disappointed that Jeno doesn’t want to continue making out right now. But Jeno shakes his head vigorously. “Oh no, absolutely not. But I want to show you something.”
Jaemin raises both eyebrows and shrugs. “Sure. I do actually still need something to wear though,” he says, and almost immediately, a soft piece of fabric hits him square in the face. “Thanks,” Jaemin grumbles and slips the hoodie Jeno has just thrown at him over his head. It truly feels as soft as Jaemin has always imagined, subtly smelling of Jeno and laundry detergent. Jeno grins and pulls the hood over Jaemin’s head, carefully tucking the other boy’s hair in. After he’s done, Jaemin gives a little twirl, stopping only to look at Jeno expectantly. “And?”
Jeno purses his lips. “Almost perfect.” And with that, he tugs on the strings of the hood, leaving only the tiniest of holes for Jaemin’s cheeks and lips. Jeno bursts out laughing while Jaemin scrambles to loosen the hood again, giving the other boy a playful glare. “Prick,” he mumbles and frees his head from the hood before opening the door, “Let’s go, loser.”
Jeno orders an Uber to take them to the outer city districts, but even then, they still have to hike up a hill, which means Jaemin is pretty much out of breath by the time they finally make it to the top. He huffs and doubles over, ready to just pass out any minute now. He should really take Jeno up on his offer to join him for gym sessions in the future. Aforementioned boy just smirks while looking at Jaemin, and crosses both arms over his stupidly broad chest. Jaemin is really, really glad Jeno had at least offered to carry the backpack with the blankets, drinks and snacks, because there‘s no way he would have made it up here with that thing on his back.
“You’re good?” Jeno asks, voice smug, and Jaemin gathers all his remaining strength to punch the other boy in the stomach, a loud 'Oof' being his reward. “I’m perfectly fine, thanks,” he answers sweetly before taking two more deep breaths, “But where exactly are you taking me?” It’s still almost entirely dark outside, only a small stripe of light starting to creep over the horizon - morning’s not far anymore. “Stop being so damn impatient and just follow me,” Jeno says and laces his fingers through Jaemin’s, dragging the other boy through a small park atop the hill.
“Oh wow, this is a really nice place for murder,” Jaemin muses out loud while throwing suspicious glances at the darkness and barren trees surrounding them. Jeno just snorts. “You should really stop listening to those true crime podcasts all the time, they’re starting to make you paranoid. Hell, they’ve even started making me paranoid the few times you made me listen to them!” he says, and Jaemin huffs, mumbling something about knowledge being power and him just wanting to stay informed on the life of criminals.
Finally, Jeno seems to have reached his desired destination - before them lies the brightly illuminated city, its lights twinkling lazily against the many hues painting the early morning sky in different shades of blue. “Oh,” Jaemin just makes, awe and wonder filling his eyes while he desperately wishes for one of his cameras. Jeno just smiles and tugs the other boy close, wrapping both arms around him. “Yeah, ‘oh’. Worth the climb, isn’t it?” he then asks, voice teasing yet soft, and Jaemin nods, still completely in awe. “Absolutely. How did you even find this place?” he asks while helping Jeno take out the blankets, drinks and snacks from the backpack.
He happily snuggles close to Jeno’s broad chest after the other boy has taken a seat and patted the spot between his legs, a silent invite. “By accident, actually. I was just wandering around aimlessly until I found this place - I come here quite often, actually. To think, or to just get away when life becomes a little too much sometimes. Looking at the city lights and the sunset or sunrise often helps me put things into perspective.” Jaemin smiles at his words and snuggles even closer. Jeno really is a romantic softie under all that shy emo gamer boy attitude, Jaemin thinks to himself, and sighs in content, happy that Jeno trusts him enough to let him see this usually more hidden side of him.
“This is way better than the frat party,” Jaemin mumbles, but then, realization hits him, “Oh fuck, we forgot to wish Johnny a happy birthday!” Jeno groans. “Shit, I totally forgot about that!” They stay silent for a few seconds before Jeno finally shrugs. “Well, whatever. We can always wish him a belated happy birthday when we get home.” Jaemin nods in agreement. “That’s true.” Just then, the first shades of purple begin to thread through the blues of the morning sky, making Jaemin gasp. Jeno just pulls the other boy even closer to his chest and rests his chin on his shoulder.
They stay like this until the sun has fully risen, basking them in pale rays of sunshine and slowly warming their stiff bodies. Afterwards, they decide to get some breakfast at a local café, warming their cold hands on mugs of hot coffee and tea, and indulging themselves in maybe one too many pains au chocolat.
Much later, they decide to walk all the way back to the frat house, hands intertwined, bodies exhausted and minds sleepy - knowing that tonight has just been the beginning of something new and wonderfully exciting.