IN A HEARTBEAT ⋮ nomin

𝟭𝟬: the price

THAT. MUST. BE. LOVE.

It has to be love.

Jeno has loved before and he knows what it feels like. Why else does his heart race whenever Jaemin appears in his sight? But he's sure that his love for Jaemin is odd. It has something more to it. It's messing with his head.

Maybe this love is weird because it's so sudden. Jeno has never fallen in love that fast, especially with a friend. A man too! Jeno has a taste for his significant other and he would have never thought that it could be someone like Jaemin.

Soon Jeno thinks that maybe it wasn't sudden. You see, he took interest in Jaemin just as he found out that the human was hard to control. When he learned that the boy was unable to feel lust, Jeno still watched him. Maybe such observation is here to blame? If so, he set the trap himself!

But the more he thinks, the better he realizes that it was normal that he fell so fast. Jaemin is a nice guy, handsome and warm. It's easy to like him when you get to know him better. And it's easier to like him even more after spending almost every day together.

Jeno knows one thing.

Love happens whenever.

It's the same as lust that can wake up so suddenly. But unlike lust, love lasts longer. It does come up so suddenly but it stays for a while.

Both of them together is the best thing. Jeno knows that from his experience.

➷

Jeno summons his father in the bathroom. He makes sure that there are no people as he doesn't want to freak out some humans just by talking to himself on such a matter.

"I think I fell in love, father."

The demon doesn't really know what is love. He knows it as an abstract word. It's just love, a human thing for him.

"I fell in love with the human named Jaemin."

"What will you do?"

"I don't know, father... It's my first time with a male."

"Does he know?"

"I doubt," Jeno shakes his head. "I just found out that myself recently."

"Make him yours."

Jeno blushes for some reason. Maybe because he likes the idea. But what makes him annoyed is how his father jumps from one thing to another. It's the language barrier here to blame.

"I don't know how. I don't have the powers of love. I'm not Cupid."

The boy laughs at the thought but then the smile from his face disappears. He looks at his father with determination when he asks, "If demons exist, is there a chance that Cupid does too?"

The demon gets frustrated by the name, which makes Jeno hundred percent sure that the god of love exists.

"How can I summon Cupid, father?"

Asmodeus shakes his four heads.

"Please! I just want to ask some questions!"

It takes a lot of time to agree. Asmodeus isn't satisfied that his half-human son will have a conversation with the God of love but he gives in and lets him. The demon doesn't say how to summon him, though.

➷

Jeno looks for ways to get Cupid into his room. He finds at least a few ideas on the internet and writes them down. Looking at them, he wants to laugh. There's no way that internet stuff will work.

But he prepares everything in case it works. He makes sure that Renjun is out and the door is boarded with a chair. With all of this done, Jeno thinks that there's at least a ten percent chance that he'll succeed. Ninety percent is him making fool of himself.

Jeno closes his eyes and whispers, "Love is beautiful, it's never corrupt, send me the 6 dollar Cupid unless the rates have gone up!"

He even has dollars prepared although he doubts that it'll help as he doesn't need to buy a heart-shaped arrow or whatever Cupid could offer him. He just needs the god himself.

Nothing happens, however, which makes Jeno wonder if the rate has actually gone up or is this a lie that he's doing.

Embarrassed at himself, Jeno repeats the lines but makes it 10 dollars. He then adds 11 when it doesn't happen again. Who knows maybe Cupid is waiting for more?

Nothing happens even when Jeno adds 12 dollars. He decides to take a few minutes break as now he feels like he's in an auction with himself and room ghosts he's not able to see.

He tries yet again after five minutes. Taking a deep breath, he repeats the lines with 8 dollars this time. To his surprise, it seems to work as his dollars disappear right in front of his eyes and get replaced by the petals of a rose.

The same happens when a human figure forms in the middle of the room. It's covered in rose petals, all of the body. But the red stuff falls to the floor and finally reveals Cupid.

Or so Jeno thinks that it's the god of love but...

"Renjun?" he flinches and moves backward. "What are you doing here?"

"Jeno!" the boy gasps and takes a step back.

Then he yells a loud "Fuck" which is the first bad word Jeno ever hears coming out of Renjun's mouth.

.・゜゜・.・゜゜・.・゜゜・.・゜゜・

don't take this story seriously. it's very random...