IN A HEARTBEAT ⋮ nomin

𝟭𝟴: red hearts

"Jaemin's heart is red now, Jeno," Renjun says as he looks out of the window.

Jaemin has just left their room and must have appeared outside for Renjun to be staring outside.

"How does mine look?"

Renjun looks over his shoulder.

"Yours is also red but his... His is one shade darker."

"So he's in love with me," Jeno mumbles, his face flushing just by the thought of Jaemin.

"He surely is," Renjun hums. "Both of you are. That's why I think it's time to get things serious!"

He turns around, facing Jeno fully. With a determination on his face, Renjun races towards Jeno and grabs his hands, squeezing them.

"You have to confess and ask him out on a date!"

"W-what?"

Jeno's face is now burning red. Just like his heart.

"You have to take the first step," Renjun vigorously nods his head. "I can see your relationship through. You're the top one which means you have to gather the courage and do your duty!"

"B-But I'm scared, Renjun!"

"Scared for what? He won't reject you. I can tell that he's already waiting for you to ask him out. He even looked like he tried to do that today, but was too shy so he gave up."

"He did?!"

"You're so blind, Jeno!"

The matchmaker lets go of Jeno's hands just so that he could dive his fingers into his hair.

"Jaemin wanted your attention all this time. Didn't you see how nervous he was?"

"Nervous? I bet he was like that because of you. He was too shy to say it when you were around!"

"Oh, yeah?" Renjun scoffs. "Then go after him and see if he'll say this when you're alooooone."

Jeno doesn't even move an inch which makes Renjun burst into a laugh.

"Let's plan on your confession," he says after he stops laughing.

➷

Renjun's plan is straightforward.

He tells Jeno to wait for Jaemin's classes to end and then take him to the park, where he has to confess and ask the human out.

Jeno only starts the plan and he's already shaking inside. Waiting for Jaemin to come out, he walks back and forth, his heart is jumping in his chest as he's too nervous.

He tries to ask why he's nervous. Renjun is right. They're both in the same boat. There's no way Jaemin will reject Jeno's feelings when he's in love too.

This feeling of nervousness must come out of his low experience in dating. To be honest, Jeno isn't very good with dates and stuff. Girls he was seeing before didn't enjoy what he was doing for them and so Jeno stopped. He didn't know if he was doing too much or too little. Whatever it was, he failed.

Therefore he doesn't know what he should do for Jaemin. He's the first boy Jeno has fallen for which makes the half-demon shake when he tries to think about a date. He doesn't want to upset Jaemin with his awful skill of planning their date.

"Jeno!"

Jaemin's voice scares the male and he even flinches.

"You'll get cold if you wait for me every single day," Jaemin pouts.

Jeno feels attacked with such cuteness. But he feels like dying when Jaemin goes closer and cups his cheeks.

"Let's go to my place. I'll make you a cup of tea and tuck you in my bed," Jaemin speaks in a soft voice as he purses his lips in a usual manner. "You need something warm right now. It's getting cold these days, you know. You should dress warmer."

Jeno's mind goes blank. All he can do is stare at Jaemin's eyes and then at his lips. The human is still babying Jeno with words but ends it with an air kiss which sets the half-demon's body on fire. His heart races so fast!

Jaemin notices none of that as he's already taking Jeno's hand and dragging him to his dorm. It makes the black-haired boy laugh at his and Renjun's plan. How can he do something when it happens on its own?

➷

Jeno thought that Jaemin lied about the tucking in bed part. But no. The now pink-haired boy really asked Jeno to get in his bed and tucked him like a baby.

"I'm not sick," Jeno laughs.

"Yet. You're not sick right now but a little bit more and you'll have a fever."

Jeno watches how Jaemin is making him tea. He has his back turned which Jeno thinks of as a good opportunity to take action.

He gets up as quietly as he could and walks toward Jaemin. Just when the pink-haired boy tries to turn to him and ask about sugar or something, he gets trapped between the table and Jeno.

"What are you doing?" Jaemin looks over his shoulder and chuckles. He appears calm, but Jeno can feel his excitement.

"I have something to say," Jeno speaks in a low tone as he rests his chin on Jaemin's shoulder.

The boy turns to Jeno sideways and stares at the latter's eyes with... confusion? hope? Jeno doesn't know how to read that expression.

"You know what, Jaemin?" Jeno whispers as he gazes back with the same deepness.

The human doesn't reply. He seems to be mesmerized by Jeno's eyes and doesn't hear things that leave the half-human's lips. This means that he also doesn't know what Jeno was planning to say and goes ahead of him.

"I like you," Jaemin blurts out before Jeno could say the same.

Both of them pause. Jaemin's face turns red but so does Jeno's. Nothing is going like Renjun planned...

"I-I mean... It's obvious, right?" Jaemin awkwardly laughs. "I'm being really obvious..."

"I like you too!" Jeno shouts, scaring the embarrassed human.

Jaemin even flinches but laughs it off.

"I know!"

"You do?"

"Why would you wait for me outside on such a cold day, you dummy," Jaemin laughs. "Even friends don't do this thing."

"Oh..."

Now Jaemin fully turns his body to Jeno. And goes ahead once again.

"Let's date!"

Renjun's plan is going to waste.

"I agree!"

"Will you–"

"No, no, let me ask you this," Jeno stops Jaemin before the latter could do every bold action out here.

The human nods.

"Will you go out with me?"

"I will, but... you know about me. You know who you're about to date, right?"

"I know," Jeno smiles.

He wraps his arms around Jaemin's waist.

"You don't have to worry."