𝗮 𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂; norenmin

𝚝𝚠𝚘

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Lee Jeno was strange. Anyone who had ever come across him would agree, and it wasn't really due to typical reasons.

He was just an odd kid.

Many people had tried to speak with him, received no response, and gave up. He was capable of speaking, proven when he answered the rare question or two a teacher would pose to him, but his voice was otherwise hidden.

On top of that, he refused to look directly at people. His gaze remained down-set, and the teen ignored literally anyone and everyone.

Of course, there was one boy who just wouldn't take the hint. A silly pinkette who refused to give up on him.

As the class all got up and filed out of the classroom for lunch, Jeno sighed and lay his forehead down onto his arms. The peace was short lived though, as a familiar loudmouth ran into the room and collapsed down into a chair he had pulled to the other side of the ravenette's desk.

Oh no, Jeno thought dismally, squeezing his eyes shut, he's back....

"Ugh, I'm having such a rough day," the younger spoke casually, treating the other like an age old friend. "I don't want to do P.E...."

I thought he liked P.E, Jeno pondered internally, still keeping his head down and mouth shut. Not that ignoring the younger's existence made any difference.

"I left my gear at home, all because Renjun was late waking up."

Oh here we go. Talking about Renjun again.....at this rate, Jeno knew pretty much everything and everyone situated in Na Jaemin's life. It had been about a year since the first time the pinkette sat down opposite him to have a chat. He never stopped though, like most people would've.

"Renjun's getting all grumpy like a teenager," he sighed, tapping his finger against the desk rhythmically. That sound comforted Jeno, with how perfectly timed it was.

If there was one thing Jeno didn't breathe a word about to anyone -a secret, if you will- it was his obsessive compulsive disorder.

Yes, he had OCD. And a very bad case of it at that. He could barely look at someone in case their uniform was creased or crooked, he hated out of sync rhythms, indecisive speakers, hair partings that weren't straight, anything along those lines.

It was crippling, really.

"Also, did you know there were different types of bikes? Yeah, me neither. My classmates all fought me on it, 'cause I thought a bike was a bike."

You're just an idiot, the older wanted to retort, though didn't want to encourage him any further. Listening to his little life problems wasn't as bad as he had originally pinned it to be.....though he would've chosen to get up and leave in a heartbeat.

As the afternoon drew on, Jaemin was getting quite animated when speaking about both his love issues as well as his disdain for homework. In fact, neither of them noticed the bell had even rung until students started spilling in, talking louder than necessary and sharing cringey jokes.

The younger looked over his shoulder to see who was entering, and Jeno took that brief moment to glance at his profile.

The beautiful clear skin of his side view matched the candy floss pink colour of his hair. The teen was wearing his uniform shirt mostly open, so his collar bones were teasingly on show, a sheen of sweat causing a glimmer due to the hot weather.

Stop being creepy, Jeno warned himself, shifting his gaze back down to his interlaced hands. He couldn't settle on a position for them though, folding them in different ways in hopes of finding something orderly. Jaemin peered back down at him, a small smile playing at his lips as he watched those busy hands shuffle consistently.

"You know, the weather is getting warmer and warmer," he hummed, leaning down to try and find Jeno's face, though failing miserably as the older shied away more. "You should take off your jacket."

But the shirts are so easily wrinkled, the ravenette wanted to complain, yet again, he said nothing.

The vibrating of a phone against someone's pocket lining resonated through the room. Jaemin pulled the device out and had a look. A huge smile suddenly grew over his face as he held it to his ear. "Hey Junnie. What's up?"

Oh...it's the boy he likes, Jeno remembered, tracing a faded line on the desk that was very satisfyingly straight. Clearly a bored student used a ruler and pen one day to scratch it into the wood.

"No, I can come over tonight," he chuckled softly, "I didn't get much homework...."

But you did, Jeno inwardly sighed. He wanted to shake the boy's shoulders and knock some sense into him. Letting love blindly control his existence and run him to the ground was so blatantly stupid. Then again, it wasn't his business. No matter what, the tired and worn out demeanour and look Jaemin was sporting, was of no relevance to him.

When you collapse because of that guy, don't come crying to me....

"Kay, Jeno," the younger chirped, standing up quickly, "I gotta go. See you tomorrow."

A random student behind him scoffed at the 'idiocy' of his actions. "Why do you always come to see him, Jaem? He doesn't even acknowledge anyone's existence."

The pinkette allowed his expression to fall into one of dead seriousness. His hand subconsciously pushed his phone back into his pocket as he muttered, "Because he's a good listener."

"How do you know he's even listening? Hm?"

Because I'm not deaf, Jeno inwardly scoffed, nestling his face into his arms comfortably.

"I know he is!" Jaemin fought. "I never asked him to answer me, did I? Everyone needs a friend, or we'll surely go mad."

With that, he stormed out of the room and skipped down the hall to find his classroom.

More whispers and dramatic sighs engulfed the class, and the quiet boy only smiled to himself as he replayed the other's words through his mind a couple of times.

"Nice answer," he murmured ever so quietly, so not a single soul heard.

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I was planning on spreading these updates apart more, but I felt Jeno needed some spotlight ;)
Thanks for reading~
-lily