The Gift - Jaemin x Jeno

The Gift part one

The Gift • Part One

This was it. The moment he'd been building up to for two years. Actually, the moment he'd been building up to for ten years, but who's counting anyway?

Jaemin stood outside the arts building in the cold evening breeze. The moon overhead was bright but hidden behind a veil of thin cloud giving the sky a cool indigo glow. It was Valentine's Day, he had the small cluster of roses in his hands, their blush matching the fire in his cheeks. He shifted from one foot to the other as he held his simple gift and waited for Jeno to finish his art history class and his mind went over and over the upcoming possibilities.

Jeno

His best friend. His constant companion. Two boys had grown up into two men but nothing else had changed between them. They had always been close. Incredibly close. So close that the boundaries of friendship and love were blurred into a rose coloured hue of comforting feelings. They'd shared everything in the last ten years of their friendship, from triumphs on the soccer field, to first girlfriends and first break ups, birthdays and holidays and graduation. Every memory Jaemin carried in his heart was tinted with the watercolour wash of his friendship with Jeno. And it was finally time. He knew he was taking a risk but surely he couldn't be misreading the signs so wrong?

Jaemin's first girlfriend was his last. It hadn't taken long for him to realise that no girl could ever shine in his eyes the way his best friend did. He didn't want long soft hair and girlish giggles, soft cheeks and perfumed kisses. Jaemin wanted strong arms and stubbled jawlines, deep morning voices and rough robust embraces. He wanted his best friend.

And when they started University, and Jeno's dates with girls became fewer and more far between, their companionship became cosier. No one could come between them. They shared most of their classes, they shared their lunchtimes outside the arts wing in the sun, they shared study in the library and breaks in the campus café. They shared everything but a home, Jeno living with his parents near the university, Jaemin in the dorms. Everything else was a blend of him and I, who was who, where Jaemin stopped and Jeno started no one was sure anymore.

Jaemin knew they were soulmates.

He could feel it in the air when they sat together, he could hear it when they finished each other's sentences, he could see it in the sparkle of Jeno's deep dark eyes that vanished into crescents when he smiled. Jeno's smile was enough to get lost in, it was Jaemin's salvation and his destruction, his redemption and his penance. Because in that smile was the uncertainty that had all but faded.

"Hi Jeno!" Jaemin smiled brightly when he saw his best friend walking towards him. His dark hair sat shiny against his forehead and his eyes were shaped into perfect moons as his smile lit up his face. "Hi Nana.." he said as he reached out and ruffled Jaemin's freshly coloured rose hued hair. It was as pink as his cheeks and the small bouquet of short stemmed rosebuds he carried so carefully.

Jeno eyed the flowers and Jaemin's fresh appearance. "Do you have a date later or something?" he asked and Jaemin flushed. "Ah, no, these are for you." He thrust them forward into Jeno's suddenly full hands. "Happy Valentine's day." Jeno eyed them curiously before smiling again. "Cute. Thanks Nana." He went to start walking but Jaemin pulled him back by the shirt. "Actually that's not all I wanted to say. I, ah..." he started at his feet before looking back up into the perfect milky skin of his best friend's face. "I guess this is my confession Jeno. I think I'm in love with you." His voice trembled as he repeated himself with more sincerity. "I'm in love with you."

The shattered petals on the concrete reflected a perfect image of Jaemin's shattered heart. "I.. I c-can't do this Jaemin..." Jeno stuttered out in shock as he began to shake. "I'm sorry. I just don't feel the same way." Tears filled Jaemin's eyes as his hands began to shake as well. The nice boy inside wanted to squat and gather the flower petals, clean up the mess, piece together the shattered shards of rose coloured perfection. "Really?" he said as his voice wavered. "I'm sorry Nana. I just don't."