"Oh, try this on next," Donghyuck said, much too excited in Jisung's opinion, practically shoving a blue sweater into Jisung's arms.
They, and by they Jisung meant he, Donghyuck, Mark, Jaemin, Jeno, Renjun, and Chenle, had decided to go shopping because, in Jaemin's words, "Sungie you need new clothes. All you ever wear are those oversized hoodies and sweatpants. You have to show off your dancer's body more. Come with us, please~."
What had started off as a big group outing had soon split into several smaller groups. One minute they had all been together, and the next thing Jisung knew, Chenle and Renjun had left them without any prior warning. Mark and Jeno had been next, they had decided to go into a music store as neither of them felt any particular need to be clothes shopping like the rest.
Which had left Jisung alone with Jaemin and Donghyuck.
Jisung loved all of his friends, he truly did, but he was starting to get tired of trying on outfits he knew very well that he would never buy, let alone ever wear in public. Donghyuck and Jaemin had been treating him like a dress-up doll, pushing him into the store's changing room and handing him item after item of clothing.
"Jisung, just try it on," Jaemin piped up from behind Donghyuck, "You're hot, you just have to show it off more. Who knows, maybe someone will notice."
Jaemin gave Jisung a pointed look, and Donghyuck looked between the two of them with a puzzled expression.
"Chenle has a girlfriend, he won't notice me no matter what I wear!" Jisung exclaimed, annoyed. His eyes widened when he realised what he had said, and his nervous heartbeat grew faster when he realised that he had spoken in front of Donghyuck, who didn't know about Jisung's crush on Chenle, and had a growing smile on his face that Jisung didn't feel he could fully trust.
"Relax," Donghyuck said when he noticed Jisung's rising anxiety, patting Jisung's shoulder, "It's not new information. You've been looking at Chenle like a lost puppy since I've known you. I just didn't think you had admitted it to yourself yet."
"You noticed? Did you- Do you think, I mean, do you think Chenle noticed?" Jisung's breathing was getting erratic and his hands were shaking.
"Of course not, Chenle is so caught up in Haeun that he wouldn't understand that you like him even if you said it to his face," Donghyuck replied dismissively, "Besides, you've been acting this way around him for so long I doubt he even knows that there's anything different about the way you treat him."
- 🐥 & 🐬 -
Chenle stood beside a mannequin wearing black ripped jeans, a long-sleeved striped shirt, and a red leather jacket. He was leaning back on his heels as he waited for Renjun, who had gotten a call from Jaemin and had immediately answered without giving a second thought to Chenle.
He pouted at being ignored and took his phone out of his pocket, opening his text chat with Jisung and sending him a quick message. He guessed that if Jaemin had called Renjun, Jisung was probably in the same boat as he was, abandoned by his friend and bored out of his mind.
You • 2:11 pm
sungie i'm bored
talk to me 🥺
Sungie 👶🐥💛 • 2:13 pm
did junnie hyung abandon you
You • 2:13 pm
yeah
i think he has a crush on jaemin hyung
Sungie 👶🐥💛 • 2:13 pm
you t h i n k
lele its so obvious i might die
if they don't confess
and jeno hyung too
You • 2:14 pm
jeno hyung??
wdym
Sungie 👶🐥💛 • 2:15 pm
i'll let you figure it out on your own
Before Chenle could pester Jisung for more information, Renjun walked back towards him, and he was forced to turn off his phone out of fear that Renjun would sneak a glance at his screen and see the conversation between him and Jisung.
But he was left confused, with muddled thoughts racing in his mind as he tried to piece together what Jisung had told him.
He knew about Renjun and Jaemin, but who did Jeno hyung have to confess to?
- 🐥 & 🐬 -
Donghyuck was leading Jisung through the racks of clothing, refusing to tell Jisung where exactly he was bringing him.
Jaemin had called Renjun a few minutes earlier, and once he had ended the call with the older male, he had told Donghyuck and Jisung that he had something important to do. Considering it was Renjun who had called, and Jisung knew that Jaemin was as whipped for Renjun as Jisung was for Chenle, he sincerely doubted that the reason for Jaemin's leaving had been truly important.
But he didn't say anything, because Jaemin was a good hyung the majority of the time, and the least Jisung could do in return was let him run off with Renjun when he wished.
Maybe he and Renjun would even confess their feelings for each other while they were at it, though the chances of that were just as unlikely as the chances of Chenle breaking up with Haeun and confessing his undying love to Jisung.
"Jisungie," Jisung heard Jaemin's voice nearing him, and the next thing he knew, he was being pulled away from Donghyuck and Jaemin was guiding him instead, "You have to tell Chenle how good he looks in the outfit Injunnie and I chose."
Jisung saw Chenle and his heart stuttered in his chest. He felt a blush climb up his neck, and he could clearly picture the pink flush blooming on his cheeks and the tips of his ears.
Chenle looked amazing in the outfit Jaemin had picked out for him, but that was expected. It was Chenle, he looked amazing no matter what he chose to wear. Jisung was having trouble keeping his eyes off the older male, and he worried that Chenle would notice his staring. Not that Jisung could help himself when the sight in front of him was somehow both angelic and demonic at once.
"Sungie?" Chenle asked.
"Y-yeah. Jaemin hyung is right, you do look good. Really good."
- 🐥 & 🐬 -
Chenle had grown up so much since Jisung had first met him. Jisung would never have imagined that the playful, bubbly little boy who had been his very first friend would ever grow up to be so beautiful and talented.
Jisung could clearly remember the day he had met Chenle.
His parents had brought him to park on a warm summer day, a few weeks before Jisung would attend his first day at a brand new school. The family had recently moved, and Jisung had left behind the handful of friends that he had, so he hadn't been socialising with other children much since the move.
He could remember the way the sun was shining down, bright and golden, lighting the play structure as well as the other kids, who were jumping, running, and laughing together. He could remember the cool breeze rustling the leaves on the trees, a sign that the weather was gradually becoming cooler as the cycle of the seasons restarted once more.
Jisung had always been shy, and of course, that meant that he didn't have the easiest time speaking to anyone new, let alone making friends. Instead of introducing himself and playing with the other children his age at the park, he clung to his mother's leg and watched them run around, giggling loudly as they played games of tag that Jisung was always too nervous to join.
That was when Chenle, five year old Chenle with a serious look on his face, had seen Jisung standing alone and had walked up to him with an air of confidence that no other five year old could muster. When he reached Jisung he cheerfully introduced himself and asked Jisung's mother for her permission to play with him.
Of course, Jisung's mother had immediately adored the bright and polite little boy and had allowed him to pull Jisung away to the playground.
That was the start of their beautiful friendship. They had grown so close that Jaemin had given the duo the name Chensung during their second year of middle school, after a very complicated prank that had almost gotten their teacher fired.
From there the rest of Jisung's friends had joined their small group. First, they met Jaemin, who then introduced them to Jeno, and the two close friends had quickly become an important part of Jisung's life. Mark and Donghyuck were the next to be introduced to the group, and Renjun was the last.
They were very tight knit. They were Jisung's family, and being family meant that Jisung would do anything for them.
Even if that meant hiding his crush on Chenle, because he never wanted to be the reason their group fell apart.
- 🐥 & 🐬 -
𝐺𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑔𝑜𝑛𝑛𝑎 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑦𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑑𝑎𝑦 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑔𝑜𝑡.
𝑌𝑒𝑎ℎ, 𝑖𝑡'𝑠 𝑚𝑒.
𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝑖𝑡'𝑠 𝑎 𝑑𝑜𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑢𝑝𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑠𝑜 𝐼 ℎ𝑜𝑝𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑠 𝑢𝑝 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑖𝑡.