extraordinary things ; chenji

crazy jealous panic

jisung

Jisung's tux is a little too small, a little too tight over his shoulders. He figures his backpack will cover it up anyway.

When he walks into the gym — hours late after a lot of stalling and nail-biting — the sounds and lights and people are instantly way too freaking much. The theme is disco; sparkly clothes and loud colours, streamers and strobe lights and vinyls hanging from the ceiling. Someone knocks into him and yells an apology in his face.

"Youngling!" Nibbles screeches from his backpack. "This music is infectious!"

"Good you're having fun! Because I want to die!"

"Oh stop being so dramatic. You're young and free! You look dashing!"

"I'm alone at prom."

"And who's fault is that?"

"I swear to God, I'll leave you in the coat closet."

He occupies himself at the snack table, sneaking Nibbles a pretzel when he thinks no one is looking. He can see Donghyuck and his friends through the crowd, each of their suits colour-coordinated, a shimmery rainbow between them. He hasn't seen Chenle yet. He'd said Hana was going to drive them here, and Jisung had pretended such a boring statement didn't make him feel a little bit queasy.

Then Jisung sees him.

Once they had managed to talk the aunties out of pastels, Chenle's suit actually turned out pretty nice. Kind of campy with a fake handkerchief and corsage and way too many buttons, but it fits him perfectly, a dark red that makes Jisung think, predictably, of blood. Jisung has seen him in everything from pyjamas to gym shorts to ugly Christmas sweaters, but never something so fancy, so... special.

Jisung didn't think it would make him as weak as it does. But it does.

Chenle catches him staring through the maze of bodies. He waves, so Jisung waves back, quickly fixing his hair and cuffs before Chenle reaches him.

"Hey," says Chenle. "Holy shit. Never seen you in a suit before."

"Me neither. You, I mean. In a suit. Hi."

"Are you good?" Chenle leans closer, talking into Jisung's ear. "Crowd stressing you out?"

"Um. Yeah. The crowd, that's it."

"Get some air if you need it, okay?"

"Um, maybe we could—"

Just then Hana comes up from behind him. She's in a faded pink suit that goes perfectly with Chenle's, a corsage on her wrist that matches the one on his lapel. Damn it. They look so cool.

"Jisung, right?" She smiles brightly and reaches out to shake his hand. "It's so freaking great to meet you!"

He loses track of his mouth for a second. Then he feels Nibbles' claws dig into the back of his neck and he stammers out a "Nice to meet you."

She turns to Chenle. "They're about to name king and queen, let's go!"

She takes his hand and pulls him away. He looks back at Jisung before the crowd swallows him up.

Jisung stares, hand still hovering in front of him. Nibbles peeks out of his backpack.

"She was lovely," she says.

"Please stop talking," says Jisung.

The principal is hosting the "crowning," bouncing around with two plastic party tiaras and a mic, trying to make people pay attention. Chenle and Hana are announced first, then a few random popular students that Jisung doesn't know. Donghyuck and Mark are in the running too. Jisung voted for them instead of Chenle. He was feeling petty. Now he just feels bad.

Finally the winners are crowned — Chenle and Hana. Jisung shouldn't be surprised; everybody likes Chenle, and Hana is in a whole other league. They look like king and queen, matching suits and crowns, hands swinging between them. Chenle, smiling, shaking confetti out of his hair. Jisung wonders if he and Chenle could ever look so perfect side by side, even if Jisung doesn't have a crown.

Jisung ends up back at the snack table, loading his pockets with pretzels and nuts. He's about to find somewhere quiet to stuff his face when Donghyuck and Mark suddenly appear in front of him.

"Oh," he stutters. "Hey. Sorry about earlier. I voted for you."

"Sure you did," Donghyuck laughs. He's literally glowing with sequins. "I don't blame you. It must've been rough back there, huh?"

"Er, why?"

"Donghyuck," Mark says in a warning tone.

"C'mon, what? It's not like it's a secret."

"What's not a secret?" says Jisung.

"That you're into Chenle."

His heart hits the ceiling. "I'm what?"

Donghyuck covers his mouth with his hands. "Oh no, you weren't trying to hide it, were you?"

Mark is pinching his eyes. "Tact, Donghyuck."

"Free speech, Mark!"

"You don't mean that everyone knows about" — Jisung gestures gracelessly — "me?"

"Not everybody. But us and the guys — yeah, pretty much common knowledge."

"You didn't say anything to him about it, did you? Did he talk to you about it?" Jisung feels like passing out. Oh God. He's not here to faint in front of the whole school. He's not even sure why he's here but it's not that.

"I have no idea what Chenle knows," says Donghyuck. "Actually, I kind of assumed he was into you too."

"What? Then why... why did you tell him that Hana has a crush on him?"

"I don't know, she gave me twenty bucks. Now I feel kind of bad." Donghyuck shrugs, but there's something about it, like he actually cares. "I feel like I broke you two up."

Jisung blinks. Air. That's what he needs. Air will make this all make sense.

"Sorry." He walks past Donghyuck and Mark and makes his way toward the exit. Has he really been so obvious? If those guys figured out how he felt, how much does Chenle know?

And if they thought — assumed — that Chenle liked Jisung too...

The night air is cold and quiet, just a rumble of bass from inside the gym. Jisung makes his way around the building, to the bleachers on the edge of the track. (One time he and Chenle found a pack of cigarettes there. They both tried one. They didn't like it.)

Through the bars, he sees two people already there, hidden in the shadows.

One is Hana. The other is Chenle.

They're kissing.

Jisung's feet take him back inside, across the dance floor, into the empty hallway. He shucks off his backpack and slumps against the lockers, legs drawn up to his chest.

His heart is numb. He feels it beating. But can't feel it feeling.

"Nibbles," he murmurs. "Did you see what I saw?"

She doesn't answer.

"I thought..." He hates the way his voice trembles. "I thought we were. He was. Still mine. I don't know. At least a little."

Chenle will remember kissing Hana. He'll remember the feeling of her lips, her hands on his cheeks. He won't wake up tomorrow morning and regret it ever happened.

Jisung drops his head onto his knees. "Nibbles. Please say something."

She still doesn't answer.

Jisung lifts his head, pulls his backpack closer, unzipping it. She's curled up at the bottom, grooming herself, breathing in short, choppy breaths.

Nesting. Grooming. Panting.

Oh God.

She's in labour.