Smile ✦ Nomin

三

Jeno stared at his phone in shock. He couldn't believe what he had just read. On his phone screen was a text that read, 'Hey, it's Jaemin! Renjun gave me your number. You wanna hang out today?'

Jeno continued to stare at his phone until his mom knocked on his door. "Breakfast is ready!" she called.

"Thanks!" Jeno yelled back. He quickly wrote up a response to Jaemin: "Of course!"

All throughout breakfast Jeno worried whether he had sounded too eager, if he should tell Jaemin he couldn't meet up, but it was too late to go back now.

Jeno stood on Jaemin's front steps, nervous as ever, with his hand raised to knock. It took a bit, but eventually he found some courage and swiftly knocked on the door. It took about thirty seconds before Jeno heard the soft patter of footsteps heading towards the door. The sound twisted Jeno's stomach into knots of nervousness.

The door opened to reveal Jaemin with big smile on his face, wearing fitted jeans and a soft-looking blue oversized sweater tucked into the front of his jeans. It was the first time Jeno had seen Jaemin in something other than his school uniform, and he thought that Jaemin looked so much sweeter wearing his own style. It took a second for Jeno to stop staring, and when he realized he had been, he blushed profusely.

Jaemin chuckled and whispered to himself. "Cute." Then he slipped on his sneakers and stepped outside.

"What's up?" Jaemin asked as they started walking.

"The sky, the clouds, birds, space..." Jeno started to list with a cheeky grin on his face. Jaemin chuckled.

"You know what I mean," Jaemin gave Jeno a nudge, "Now, seriously, what's up?"

"I'm being completely serious, that's what's up," Jeno gestured above his head.

"Okay then, let's try this another way. How are you on the fine Sunday, Sir Jeno?" Jaemin asked.

Jeno laughed and stood taller. "Very well, Jaemin, my faithful butler," he said in a fake haughty accent. It only took a moment before Jeno burst into laughter, and Jaemin soon followed.

"So. Are you and Renjun or Jisung dating?" Jaemin probed.

Jeno flushed bright red and feverishly shook his head.

"No, no, no!" he blurted, "we're all just very good friends. They've always been there for me."

Jaemin smiled. "Mark and Donghyuck are like that for me. Chenle is fairly new to our group, but I want to be there for him, like the others are for me. To give him someone he knows he can trust." He said. "Plus he's a real sweetheart, and he's pretty funny too." he added after a pause.

Jeno felt a smile part his lips as he looked at the ground. Jaemin couldn't have been more perfect.

An old-fashioned doorbell jangled as Jeno and Jaemin entered a small café. The smell of coffee and cookies wafted through the air as they approached the counter.

"May I help you?" the barista asked politely.

"Yes, can I get an Americano with eight shots of espresso?" Jaemin asked. Then he turned to Jeno.

Jeno was shocked, to say the least, when he heard Jaemin's order, but figured he wasn't one to judge as he ordered his drink. "A caramel macchiato with eight shots of cream, please."

"That's not coffee!" Jaemin exclaimed with a laugh as he handed his money over the counter. "That's cream with a bit of coffee."

"Yeah, well neither is yours! It's the concentrated souls of demons," Jeno retorted with a horrified look as he pointed at the drink the barista was almost finished making.

Jaemin laughed and and then smiled at Jeno, amused.

The two boys left the café, drinks in hand. "I still can't believe you got eight shots of espresso," Jeno blurted. "I mean, that's like just straight-up chewing coffee beans. Ew."

"Yeah, well, I can't believe you put eight shots of cream in yours!" Jaemin countered. "You wanna drink cream, just drink cream, there's no need to put coffee in it."

Jeno punched the pink haired boy's shoulder playfully. "You're one to judge... but honestly? So am I. Truce?" Jeno offered his hand.

"Truce," Jaemin shook it.

The two teens sat on a bench in a park, drank their "coffees", and chatted idly.

"So, how long have you known Mark and Donghyuck?" Jeno asked curiously.

"I've known Donghyuck since I was five and Mark since I was fourteen," he responded. "Donghyuck and I were in the same class when we started school, and Mark moved here from Canada when I was in grade eight. Donghyuck made friends with him and he started hanging out with us. Less than a year later, they were dating."

"Hm," Jeno hummed.

"So, how long have you known Renjun and Jisung?" Jaemin asked.

"I've known Jisung since I was two and he was one, because his family and mine are friends." Jeno replied. "I've known Renjun since grade seven. He moved here from China that year."

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, until the sun began to set.

"It's getting late," Jeno observed as he looked at the sky.

"Yeah," Jaemin agreed, sounding disappointed. "We should get home."

Jeno noticed that Jaemin was sad and decided that as much of panicked gay he was that he would very much like to spend more time with his smiley crush. It took him ten minutes during the walk home to get up the courage before he finally asked, but in the end he somehow wasn't nervous when he said, "Would you like to spend the night at my house?"

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! I'm finally getting a chapter out after like over a month of not posting. BTW I'm really sorry about that, summer has been wild for me, some weekends i wasn't home and didn't have wifi and others I was worn out from being a junior leader at a day camp for kids, kids are fucking tiring I'll tell you that. Especially that many. Anyway I hope everyone is having a great summer and enjoying it more than I have. Also I know it was forever ago but that hair style on Yuta was clearly a superior look. (hope you like the chapter) (:

P.S. this was supposed to be posted yesterday but I forgot, oop.
~Xixi