three is the perfect number || jaenoren (norenmin)

vingt

The weather was getting better lately. February wore off in a series of warmer breezes and pools of budding flowers in his garden, and Renjun was beginning to regain some faith in whatever the sky bought down on them after that draughty winter.

He'd decided against wearing a coat to work, but he was beginning to regret it, standing at a bus stop trying and not to shiver to preserve his pride. It wasn't that cold. In fact, it had been warm all week.

He distracted himself by thinking of what Jeno had told him about the trip to the beach he and Jaemin had attended, along with their teammates. "Sounds like a lot of fun," Renjun had replied, "I might consider joining the team if I would also get to go on these trips too."

He had actually wanted to go, though. It had sounded like a lot of fun, but really? He missed hanging out with both Jeno and Jaemin. For some reason, over the past few days, Jaemin had stopped coming to any hangouts, and said hangouts themselves had decreased in number. Things like hanging around at lunch, or going to the arcade at the weekends, or even just accompanying each other to their bus stops or houses. These little things that had disappeared as suddenly as they had come. Jeno was still there, and Renjun was happy, but, and he felt a little spoiled saying it, everything came alive when both of them were with him. Besides them being his crushes, they also complimented each other perfectly, and it just made Renjun pleased to see them together, like it scratched an everpresent itch. 

Anyway, the concept of missing the chance of spending the entire day at the beach with his crushes was a bit disappointing. They had even made smores at the end, around a whole ass campfire. How depressing. He might as well join the basketball team, even though he hated basketball. 

Renjun stopped walking and tapped the button on the traffic lights, bouncing on the balls of his feet nervously. There was another, even more selfish reason for him to join the basketball team, if it were to happen. 

He had a terrifying hunch that those two were going to get into a relationship. 

The idea shot arrow of guilt into his stomach, twisting his thoughts. Of course, he should be happy for Jeno should it happen. They got along so well, better than how Renjun got along with Jaemin. And it was Renjun's job as a good friend to be happy for them.

Jeno had also been jumpy when he'd been on the phone with Renjun that morning, sounding distracted when he'd been telling Renjun about what had happened at the beach. Like he was hiding something. It gnawed at Renjun, because realistically, it was going to have something to do with Jaemin. He rubbed at his eyes. Be happy for them, be happy for —

A car honked its horn and he jumped and ran across the road before the pedestrian lights turned orange again.

=

Renjun reached work, and almost avoided Jaemin after the thought process he had just suffered through. But, in all honesty, when Na Jaemin said hi to you, you were nobody to ignore him. And when he asked you how your day had gone, you are to tell him you're doing amazing and it's so good of him to ask. And then, preferably, you would have kept talking to him, unless your boss came out and looked at you like they're actively searching for sack-worthy behaviour.

Johnny handed Renjun a bowl practically overflowing with soup and a plate of bread on a single tray, and promptly told him the table the food was destined to be sent to. Renjun carefully balanced it between his hands, sending every prayer to any and all gods above that he didn't drop it. He wasn't exactly a clumsy person, but he wasn't the most agile one either. Before signing himself up for the job, he had hoped being a waiter would help him with that. It had, somewhat — he made it.