Beautiful Boy 🍼 (NOMIN)

21

"You know?" Jaemin asked, once they were alone again.

"Yes, I remember you both quite clearly." Donghyuck visibly cringed.

"You mean Fireflies?"

"No, I mean Beetles, of course I mean Fireflies."

"Well, sorry, but I don't exactly remember, well, any of it." Jaemin shrugged, "I just remember faint bits and pieces. I barely remember Jeno, and I really don't remember anyone else."

"Wow, really?" Donghyuck gasped, "You must have been so scared when you found out you were pregnant."

"I was! It was crazy. It was a whole deal trying to find the father."

"Oh, that's right, there was another alpha." Donghyuck laughed. "That's so funny though. If Renjun had introduced us before, then you could've just asked me, since there's no question on who the father is, I'd say. It looked like you and Jeno forgot there was anyone else even there. You guys were drowning out everyone else with your sounds."

Jaemin felt his face flare, so he took a sip of his lemonade to cool off. Donghyuck really was the vulgar type, and Jaemin wasn't really used to that. His step-mother was vulgar often, but Donghyuck was different about it. Jaemin could tell he meant no harm by it.

"At least you guys seem like you're on good terms though. What's going to happen with the baby?"

"Um," Jaemin thought for a second, "The baby will be fine. Jeno's going to take care of them."

"You don't seem so happy about that." Donghyuck noted.

"Huh?"

"I mean, you don't look like you agree with that."

Donghyuck seemed too prying. It was like he was trying hard to peel back all his layers, and Jaemin wasn't sure how to feel about that. He certainly wasn't a layered cake; he was more like a bitter onion.

"Well, even I don't know how I feel about it. Honestly, after carrying a baby for so long, it feels like I'm forming like a bond, but Jeno basically called dibs on the baby, so..."

"There's no 'calling dibs' on a baby, Jaemin. Divorced parents deal with these things all the time...Thank you."

The waitress came in and gave them each their food, giving Donghyuck a jalapeño and not Jaemin, because he couldn't stomach spicy food as well. Donghyuck immediately continued after she left.

"You could share? Not that a baby is like food or something, but you should get to see them grow up if that's what you want. It would be best for the baby too, than to only grow up with an alpha parent."

"I guess so, but it feels wrong too." Jaemin sighed.

"Why don't you two just get married and live together with the baby then, maybe that feels right?" He teased.

"What? I..." Jaemin suddenly had a flash of an image of him and Jeno at an altar, getting wed. His mother sitting at the front with Jeno's mother, both teary eyed and smiley. They took turns carrying his baby; it was a girl in his vision, but he wasn't sure if that was right. Then Jeno turned to him and smiled his signature smile, and he couldn't help but smile back. Jeno leaned closer to him, closing his eyes as they were leaning in to kiss. Jeno put a hand on his cheek-

"You know, I'd want to marry my best friend!" Donghyuck interrupted.

Jaemin frowned and shook his head of his thoughts, now's not the time to think of these fantasy things; he's having a conversation.

"Mark?" Jaemin asked.

"I never said Mark, but sure let's go with that." Donghyuck shrugged. Jaemin would have expected him to get flustered, but he didn't. He seemed confident about his feelings, something Jaemin lacked. He wasn't the type to be comfortable outwardly expressing his feelings.

"Oh well, that's cute," Jaemin laughed, "Would you want kids too?"

"That's the thing, I can't have kids. It's this whole condition thing I have." Donghyuck sighed, "But I know Mark loves children."

Oh.

"I'm sorry." Jaemin frowned, feeling pity. "But I think he likes you though; he gets all flustered when you say things; he laughs at everything you say; and he just gives you that look."

"He's always been like that." Donghyuck rolled his eyes.

"Then maybe he's always liked you that way." Jaemin wiggled his brows.

"Well, maybe Jeno likes you that way." Donghyuck countered. He was quick. He was good at turning things over. He was witty.

"Doubt it. He wants to be friends. He said so."

"So? It's always best to start off as friends." Donghyuck wiggled his eyebrows, mimicking the way Jaemin had done it.

"How did he ask you to be friends? Tell me more; I want to make my verdict on Jeno."

Jaemin began explaining Jeno and his relationship, how they met, how Jeno supported the pregnancy, how he asked to be friends, the whole situation at the Halloween party.

"I have anxiety too." Donghyuck sighed, "Overthinking is my middle name." He laughed.

Jaemin laughed too. It was nice to have someone that doesn't take it so seriously, someone who related to him.

"But dude, do you want my opinion?"Donghyuck raised a brow.

"Sure..." Jaemin was wary of the answer.

"Obviously this guy likes you. Sounds to me like he's in love with you basically." Donghyuck groaned leaning back with a hand on his full stomach, having finished his burger.

"What?" Jaemin's eyes widened. "How do you even get that?"

"Bro, who even does all that for someone if they're not in love with them?"

"A nice person?" Jaemin questioned with a laugh.

"I guess so, but if you think about it, it sounds like he asked you out with the whole Halloween party thingy. Like, he really invited you to meet his family? That's kind of extra for a baby daddy. Maybe I'm exaggerating, but it sounds like he's trying to discretely court you. I can't tell when someone likes me, but I can tell when other people are crushing, and Jeno looks at you like he wants to protect you, and don't even get me started on how you looked at him."

"You got all this from a couple of hours?" Jaemin frowned. "And how do I even look at him?"

"Yes, I did, because it's that obvious. I'm an intuitive person. I get the vibes. You look at Jeno with fondness. You definitely find him adorable. Whipped." Donghyuck laughed.

"I mean, can't argue with that. He is adorable." Jaemin shrugged, smiling to himself. Jeno just had this cute innocence about him, but at the end of the day, he wasn't innocent, like a puppy, but a mature one? He looked like a Samoyed, but he had a different side. His body was built, contrasting the whole puppy aesthetic.

"Oooo, see! I'm right, and he gives you a look like he want to protect you."

"Well yeah, he wants his baby safe."

"Don't belittle yourself, Jaemin, you're great! You're hot." Donghyuck made a kissy face. "Jeno probably thinks so too. It's just a plus that you can make babies. I was jealous of you at first, but you're cool, bro."

Jaemin laughed.

How had he ever thought ill of Donghyuck? He was fun. He didn't need to be jealous of him. Jaemin realized Donghyuck had his own things to deal with, and being jealous of him was helping nobody, because they were both in the same boat, jealous of each other. The rest of the evening was spent with them hyping each other up. Donghyuck explained his whole going to Fireflies situation was his way to forget Mark, but Jaemin hyped him up too. It was obvious Mark liked him.

Jaemin went home feeling happy and full. As soon as he sat on his couch, he took out his phone, rereading the text Jeno had sent him a couple of days ago.

[Jeno 🐶: My mother wants to know if you wanted to come over for Christmas. It's super okay if you can't or don't want to.]

Jaemin didn't answer his question though.

[Jaemin: Are you home right now?]