Oh, god, thought Renjun, staring at his phone.
na jaemin
> i'm feeling hungry this fine afternoon, fellow waiter. what say you to paying up for losing that bet on sunday?
> i've got the perfect place in mind too
He had to wait ten seconds after reading the message to make sure he didn't look too eager, replying with "god, fine".
He hadn't thought about their stupid bet since it happened a week and a half ago, but he remembered losing it spectacularly. And the penalty had, of course, been the most sketchy and painful thing Jaemin could come up with.
Basically a date. "Take me out wherever I want and buy me food." Oh god, oh god. He took out a different pair of shoes.
He'd never panicked so much over a shirt and jeans. He looked at the outfit in the mirror and screwed his eyes shut self-consciously. What if Jaemin turned up in more formal? Renjun knew that Jaemin was basically an angel, but he wouldn't put it past anyone in his situation to go to the most expensive place possible. His heart thudded in his chest and he formally apologised to his wallet in advance.
na jaemin
hey jaemin can you at least tell me what kind of place we're going so i can dress appropriately <
> it's just a lil cafe :) my cousin works there so i used to go there a lot. discounts and stuff.
do you still get discounts or <
> nope!!!!!!!!! because i'm not 10 anymore
was worth a try <
> anyway just wear something casual
nice! thanks <3 <
> <333333333
<3333333333 <
"I did not mean for that to go so well," breathed Renjun, eyes skimming over the cute little hearts until his vision blurred. He put his phone into his pocket and fixed his hair again, then, completely overwhelmed, whipped out Jeno's contact. He sent multiple messages, then rushed down the stairs, his mother looking at him funny from the kitchen.
"Sweetie, do you have a date?"
Renjun heated up, hot white embarrassment. "No, mama! Why do you assume that?"
"That's your special occasion shirt! Last time you wore that it was Jeno's birthday."
"I..."
"Is he a lot older than you!"
"No! What?"
Renjun slammed the door closed, barricading himself in the sitting room while his mother laughed loudly to herself in the kitchen. He felt his insides burn with some sort of weird, embarrassment-induced indigestion when he heard his mother start talking with someone on the phone. Just then, his phone vibrated, and he almost broke his wrist against the door handle trying to open his messages, hoping that it was either Jeno or Jaemin.
lee jeno
JENO <
J E N O <
J ENO PLS <
> im gonna break into ur house and steal ur moomin plushie if u dont stop annoying me
you'll never get past our neighbour's dog <
ANYWAY LISTEN PLS <
> what
i need you to rate my outfit one to ten <
and please dont just say ten because u dont want to deal with it <
> i dont say ten just because i — okay sure
here <
[ download picture | 311 kB ]
> ah. nine.
ur lying <
> im gonna fucking die
NO DONT WHY <
> why am i even rating your outfit lmao you got a date?
uh yeah kind of actually <
> what.
basically you know how me and jaemin have work together <
> jaemin?
yeah :D <
> what.
> i mean that's great but what.
well on valentines day we had work together and we bet over something and i lost so now i have to take him out wherever he wants and buy him food. except he's picking me up. and i probably look like a fool <
> so basically a date
> you've played yourself buddy
thanks for the support <
> well have fun. and you look really great.
> like you look fine he'll be happy
> because its basically a date
uh you sound a bit,, idk <
ah. nevermind <
> gtg
goodbye <33333 <
> <3
Renjun turned off his phone and sat in silence, blankly watching the ads on the TV for a few minutes, stuck presiding over how Jeno was acting, frowning. There was nothing explicitly wrong with him, and yet suddenly Renjun had the feeling that Jeno wasn't happy, which shot a thin arrow of dread into his chest, like Jeno being upset was like an exam he hadn't studied for. What could be bothering him? He'd seemed normal until Renjun had told him about... Jaemin.
He itched to pick up his phone and message him again, ask him whether he was mad at Jaemin about something, but just as he was about to a car honked outside.
Renjun flinched at the sound, but shook it off and peered through the curtains, nerves almost ablaze. Jaemin looked right at him from within the car and he fell backwards in shock. He fanned his face, gathering himself up messily before heading outside, his suspicion forgotten.
"Hey, babe," grinned Jaemin as Renjun settled into the car. Renjun choked a little (a lot) and Jaemin giggled evilly before backing out and driving down the road.
"Anything good happen lately?" asked Jaemin conversationally, absorbed mostly in the road he was driving on. Renjun wanted to scream yes, I am going on some sort of date with you, but Jaemin beat him to it.
"Nothing good?" hummed Jaemin. "Something fantastic happened to me, wanna hear? I have acquired a sugar daddy as of late."
Renjun jumped in his seat, nothing but the seatbelt saving him from the car's open roof. Jaemin had a what?
"Yeah," mused Jaemin. "His name is Huang Renjun. Awesome guy, super chill. We're actually going out for food right now."
Renjun somehow sighed and snorted at the same time, ignoring the heavy thump of his heart as he joined in on the joke. "Well, nothing else could make up for so much of my money going towards a single meal. I've got thousands and thousands of won in my pocket. You know how to get to it." Jaemin laughed out loud, the bells of his laughter whipped away with the wind. Renjun didn't know where they were going, and he wasn't paying attention either. He heard a good song on the radio and turned it up slightly, perhaps drowning out his own embarrassment at his first-ever attempt at flirting.
But when he inevitably looked sideways, Jaemin was grinning to himself and focusing way too hard on the road in front of him. And maybe had it worked.
"Hey, ever wondered why there aren't any cars that hold just two people? Like," Jaemin squinted against the sun as it slid over the driver's area, Renjun looking at him questionably, still feeling kind of warm and excited. "You wouldn't normally see a car with two seats. I'm sure they exist, though."
"Maybe two people just aren't enough," mused Renjun, surprised when the phrase suddenly struck a chord in his chest, like one of his heartstrings had just snapped. A funny feeling, like seeing someone and feeling attraction for the first time. An unfamiliar pain that lingered and waited to be noticed.
"Yeah. Maybe two people just don't cut it for some cars."
Renjun breathed out slowly, two heavy puffs, leaning back and looking out the window. His relaxed demeanour broke all too quickly when he realised where they were headed. A very specific part of town.
"I used to live around here," he mentioned conversationally, hoping against hope they weren't headed for that cafe. But why wouldn't they be? Jaemin had mentioned a cafe, and this one was the best in the area.
"Is that so? You might know this place then! It's awesome — though I haven't been in a while. They jacked up their prices some time back and I lost bonus rights when my cousin stopped working there, so..."
Timeless. Timeless Cafe.
Renjun didn't come here without Jeno. He never had, he never could, he never would. What the hell was he meant to tell Jaemin. He blinked at himself through the side-view mirror, surprised he had cursed, even internally. He knew it was too stupid, and it would sound weird and really couple-y if he told Jaemin he only ever came here with Jeno. But that was just how it was.
"Come on, this place has the best fucking muffins." Jaemin hit Renjun's arm with the back of his hand, light as a feather, and got out of the car. When Renjun remained in the car, wondering what to say, he sighed and walked around, opening the door and gesturing grandly at the open door.
"Out with thee, milady."
Renjun squeaked and stumbled out of the car, but not before straining against his seatbelt with an oof. Jaemin looked at him, looking far too amused, "You been here before?"
"All the time," replied Renjun, more breathless than he would have liked. "I come here all the time. Actually, hah, about that, you know —"
"Go on," hummed Jaemin, propping the front door of the small establishment open with his foot and letting Renjun in. His hands were tucked snug in his pockets, shoulders relaxed and slanted, and why was Renjun noticing this now when he was trying to tell him something important, oh god. Because it was really hot and really, really distracting.
"Listen," Renjun stopped them both before they got in line. "Jeno and I come here all the time, actually, and I've never—"
"Speak of the devil," interrupted Jaemin suddenly, "And he will appear."
"What." Renjun quickly followed Jaemin's gaze and his mouth opened in surprise when he saw Jeno's (rather pink) face at the table where they usually sat. He had evidently been stirring a cup of a tea, but some had fallen onto his hand when he had seen them come in. Renjun hurried over to hand him a napkin, but Jaemin beat him to it.
The two newcomers sat around Jeno at the round table, greeting Jeno while he tried furiously to get rid of the sticky feeling on his hands from the sweet tea. Jaemin motioned to Jeno's black jeans and jumper gracelessly, "Hey. Whose funeral?"
Jeno flushed, but before he could answer Renjun patted his head, "His emo phase will end when his gay phase does."
"What is heterosexuality, anyway?" agreed Jaemin, picking up his glass of water like it was wine and toasting Jeno amiably. Renjun followed suit and Jeno laughed into his glass.
Renjun paused, his glass at his lips. Was he meant to be annoyed at Jeno? This could have been a date, right? The two of them had been flirting on the way here, it was a cafe, Renjun was paying. Jeno had been right — it was basically a date. So why was Renjun more relieved than anything else? Even if he tried, he couldn't resent Jeno.
"Renjun said you come here often," continued Jaemin, glancing around at the pastel blue walls smilingly, then back at Jeno. "Since when?"
"Since we were kids," he replied, throwing an arm around Renjun with some amount of difficulty. Renjun nodded. "This is kind of like our dumb little hideout. We've spent more time here than at school, probably."
Jaemin shook his head disbelievingly. "You've never mitched in your life. That's a lie and you know it. Anyway, it's a coincidence that I chose this place for the bet, isn't it, Renjun?"
Renjun winced, Jeno's arm still around his shoulder. "Oh, yeah. Just don't get the really expensive cheesecake, Na. We've all tried it at least once."
"Don't worry, babe, I've got you covered," replied Jaemin, thankfully not looking at Renjun as he was trying to get the attention of a waitress standing by the counter. Renjun's cheeks burned as Jeno huffed non-committally.
"He really always does that," Jeno whispered. "Like he don't even notice."
"Yes," replied Renjun breathlessly. "Always."
"Poor you," said Jeno, relaxing as he hugged Renjun a bit tighter. For some reason, Renjun's blush deepened. He inconspicuously checked his pulse, feeling like an idiot. His head flopped down on Jeno's shoulder and he sighed, wrung dry.
Jaemin turned back towards them, smiling widely for some reason before nodding, grin never fading, "What do you want Jeno? Get anything, Junnie's paying."
Renjun hummed colourlessly and tossed a couple thousand won on the table. "Cake's on me, boys. Go crazy."
"I'm getting the cheesecake."
"Jeno!"
"Me too," said Jaemin. "And a needlessly expensive white-chocolate-matcha-cinnamon-cereal-pumpkin-spice latte too."
"Oh, god," muttered Renjun, burying his face in his arms. "I liked the Jaemin who was an angel to everyone better."
Jaemin frowned comically, "Am I still not an angel? Is cheesecake a sin?"
"It's such a terrible sin that it moves you directly to the seventh ring of hell," replied Jeno seriously. Renjun whacked him around the side of the head, and when he continued laughing, came out with a whisper-screamed, "Cheesecake's not a sin, your jokes are! It's a wonder that I have suffered your terrible humour for half my life and kept my sanity intact."
"Woah, woah, woah," said Jaemin, taking Renjun hand and patting it therapeutically. "I know your marriage isn't going that well but this will lead to an increasingly unhealthy relationship." He nodded knowingly to Jeno and mouthed, "Buy him flowers."
"What? Marriage?" Jeno had turned a bit pink again and he warmed up slightly, like a big fluffy heat pack. Renjun leaned in sideways slightly. Jaemin shrugged as if it was perfectly obvious, "You two act like a married couple all the time." His eyes lingered on Jeno's arm around Renjun pointedly. And suddenly, Renjun realised he was right. They had literally convinced Jaemin they were dating.
Yes, Jeno was extremely cosy, and cute, and his laugh did make Renjun's insides go bubbly, and he always put his arm around Renjun and the two spent all their time together. But...
"We're not dating," he laughed, far too natural. He leaned forward so Jeno had to loosen his arm. "I mean, we're best friends. If even one liked the other then they both would know! I mean, I'm sure I'd be able to sense if Jeno suddenly liked me." Jaemin nodded, brow furrowed for some reason, and Jeno just laughed.
"You'd be surprised!" When Renjun turned to look at Jeno with an eyebrow raised, Jeno shook his head and blew some air out through his mouth, bored. "Not me, of course. A friend of mine. A cousin."
Renjun nodded suspiciously and beckoned over a waitress, mulling over the idea in his mind all the while. He gestured for the two of them to order as they liked, rattling off Jeno his far cheaper usual, and leaned back in his seat, the wallet in his pocket getting lighter even as his friends spoke their orders.
The rest of the strange, still date-like occurrence passed by in sporadic bursts of laughter and the unfair teasing of Renjun, especially in regards to the money he'd lost. Every so often he'd have to bite his own tongue to not spit out his coffee or his sandwich (or both) in laughter. Jeno and Jaemin were a disaster duo, but they worked together magnificently to make Renjun lose his sanity.
Whatever was going on right then, he let himself admit that it was almost too nice. When he closed his eyes and let his feelings wash over him, he knew it wasn't normal to feel so at home, so wanted, with two people.
You couldn't just sit down with more than one person and think, indiscriminately, that this is what love feels like, doesn't it?