blue gasoline ✿ nomin

029

"Do you want anything to eat or drink?" Jeno asked as they entered his accommodation. It came out borderline awkward, which made him want to slap himself. His self-reflection over the past month had obviously caused him to become shy in a way. It was difficult to decide how to act now that so many things had changed.

Jaemin laughed, the smile reaching his eyes. It was a genuine smile—the most genuine one that had happened in a good while. "Why are you being so nice? Are you sick?"

The officer scoffed and looked away. "Can't I just be nice to you?"

"What happened to Jeno who couldn't give a fuck whether I was even breathing or not?"

It was obvious Jaemin was joking, but it made Jeno frown. Did Jaemin really feel that way? Considering the hell he had put him through, it wouldn't be so far-fetched to assume.

"Don't say that..."

The younger shook his head, the smile still lightly playing at his lips, before changing the subject. "How's shit been here?" he asked, taking a seat at the dining table.

"Shit," the officer replied with a little chuckle, but there was still a little truth laced in his words. This past month had just felt so wrong. Despite the life that fluttered within the city, Seoul felt utterly empty without one singular person residing in it. He felt a bit sad as he wandered the various streets knowing Jaemin was on another continent doing God knows what.

"France is shit too," the bubblegum-haired boy sighed, resting his cheek in the palm of his hand dramatically.

"Really? I thought France was supposed to be really romantic."

"It is, but it's no use if your life lacks romance."

The two shared an unreadable glance. Neither particularly knew what to say or what the other was feeling, but that simple eye contact conveyed so many emotions.

"When do you have to leave again?" Jeno whispered.

"January 2nd."

That date seemed too soon. Twelve days couldn't possibly be enough.

"You know, it wasn't as therapeutic as I thought it would be," the younger commented, "I still feel like shit."

"Well, I hope you didn't think running halfway across the globe would cure your problems."

Jaemin felt a little pang. The funny thing was, that's exactly what he thought would happen. Obviously, he was wrong. The fuzzy feeling in his chest right now was the most emotion he had felt since he left. He was practically void of feeling; nothing but a shell of a human flouncing around. He had been merely existing for way too long now.

Jeno read his expression quite easily. "Did you really think that? I could've told you that much."

"It...it was a good experience," he reasoned in response in an attempt to make his decision seem less silly. The way Jeno looked at him like he was stupid didn't sit well with him, the ever-present desire to impress the older in every possible way making him a bit uncomfortable.

The officer just hummed, fully aware that Jaemin was just bluffing. After a short silence, he asked, "Does Donghyuck know you're back?"

"Umm, no."

"Don't tell me you plan on avoiding him for the entire break," Jeno gawked in disbelief. He had unintentionally seen the brunette around over the past month, and it was easy to tell he wasn't the same bubbly person he used to be. The absence of his best friend had obviously drawn the rebellious fun out of his life, leaving nothing but boring, repetitive days. It was no secret that Jaemin brought energy to any situation, and without him, everything seemed unbelievably bland; that was manifested in Donghyuck and Jeno.

"I doubt he wants to talk to me anyway," the younger said quietly, diverting his gaze elsewhere.

"Jaemin, he loves you to death. Can't you see that?"

Can't you see no one loves me anymore? "I guess."

Jeno was right, though; avoiding Donghyuck wasn't the right thing to do. It almost made him laugh at how he suddenly cared about the 'right thing' compared to his careless self who was only ever worried about himself and his own pity party called life.

🔴🔵

"Jaemin?" Donhyuck said with wide eyes, looking his best friend up and down as if it weren't really him standing at his door.

"Surprise," the younger smiled.

"W-when did you get back?" the brunette stuttered, slowly coming down from his shock.

"A couple days ago. I was gonna come earlier, but I was tired."

Donghyuck nodded and opened the door wider for Jaemin to come in, but the bubblegum headed boy just shook his head. "Nah, let's go out."

"I don't wanna go to a party..." Donghyuck trailed, scared of upsetting his best friend that had just got back.

"We're not. We're just gonna walk around and chill."

And that's exactly what they did. They found themselves wandering the streets of Seoul, the sunset looming over the tall buildings. It was nice to just walk around and sightsee—something they generally never done. Between school, Donghyuck's boyfriend, and Jaemin's various pastimes, they rarely found time to just do things like this. At the same time, it gave Jaemin a bit of time to think. He began to feel guilty as he thought back on all the shit he had put his best friend through—yet here the brunette was, strolling next to him as if nothing had ever happened.

"Jaemin! Jaemin!" Donghyuck barked, snapping his fingers in front of the younger's eyes.

"Hmm?" said the male hummed, returning from his culpable daze.

"Do you wanna go get a pretzel? I've been craving one for like two weeks," Donghyuck suggested, nodding to a convenience store close-by.

Jaemin quickly agreed. You could never go wrong with a pretzel, and he had been wanting a snack anyway.

The pair slipped into the store, beginning to browse around. They had come in there for one goal, but would undoubtedly leave with a plethora of snacks and drinks.

They were choosing between two types of chips when Donghyuck picked up the sound of a small commotion coming from the checkout counter. Looking up from their snacks, his eyes widened once he realized what was happening.

"Jaemin, we need to leave."

"What? Why?"

"Just listen to me for once in your fucking life. Let's go," the brunette whispered harshly, still keeping an eye on the situation at hand in hopes it didn't escalate any further.

His hopes were useless, though.

"Holy shit..."