all the stars | nct dream

e i g h t

Mark sets the heavy scrapbook down on the table in front of them with a loud thump.

The book isn't exactly large, but the pages were overflowing with old pictures. His guess was that the dreamies had taken every single picture of them from the past, printed them out, and compiled them into the tan book for Mark to take away.

After trying over and over for the past half hour to keep up conversations between the seven of them but endlessly failing, Mark had decided to bring out the old scrapbook.

Despite how embarrassing it might be.

"Is that-" Hyuck started, looking up from his phone.

"It's the scrapbook you guys gave me ten years ago!" Mark replied.

"no way, you actually kept it?" Jaemin piped up from the side.

Mark laughs. "Of course I did!"

Donghyuck shrugs. "I mean, Mark has always been the sentimental one."

Mark gives Hyuck a quick glare and the latter chuckles as he makes his way to sit in front of Chenle who already had the scrapbook opened on his lap.

"Oh my god! This was from the time Jisung tried to fit inside the fridge!" Chenle exclaimed.

By this point, even Renjun was next to the table, peering over at the scrapbook and trying to get a good look at the old photos.

"I remember that!" Donghyuck said, "and then he got stuck so Taeyong hyung had to pull him out but he ended up knocking down a carton of juice and spilling it on his head!"

The seven of them all laughed at the memory.

"It's not my fault I was tall!" Jisung retorted, which only made them laugh even harder.

"oh and that time Jeno tried to feed a pigeon grass but ended up getting attacked!" Chenle said, pointing to another photo.

"idiot, pigeon's don't eat grass," Jaemin said rolling his eyes.

"How was I supposed to know!" Jeno replied.

It stayed like that for a while. The seven of them surrounding the old scrapbook and laughing at the old memories. For the first time in forever, Mark felt like everything was normal again. The others seemed to have let go of their problems too. Even if it was only temporarily.

Chenle flipped another page. "Mark is this-"

Mark looked down at the scrapbook. Marking that page was a small embroidery bracelet that they had made when they were younger.

"it's our... friendship bracelet," Renjun said quietly.

Mark nodded, smiling slightly at how badly made it looked.

"I think I still have mine too," Chenle said, looking around at the others.

"me too."

"same."

Everyone else quickly agreed and Mark was left standing there in shock.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I missed hanging out with you guys," Donghyuck said, a little hesitantly.

"yeah," Jeno agreed.

Mark couldn't control the smile making its way onto his face. "well, why don't we relax a little. I can make breakfast or something," he suggested, even though he knew he had no idea how the hell he would do that. Mark has barely ever even been near the stove, let alone cook a meal.

"sure. it's too early for all this chaos anyways," Hyuck answered, leaning back into the couch and opening his phone.

Mark reluctantly walked to the kitchen, giving a semi-confident smile in return to Renjun's questioning look.

Chenle and Jisung had settled in next to each other on their phones. Renjun had begun to drift off again, eyes falling closed from the lack of sleep he had gotten over the past few days and Jeno got up to go to the washroom.

Renjun quickly fell into a light slumber again, his head falling sleepily onto Jaemin's shoulder. 

Jaemin, who was absolutely clueless as to what happened, took one look at the sleeping boy and practically melted at the sight of Renjun. He was beautiful, to say the least, and Jaemin admired every single one of the boy's features.

Jaemin gently wrapped an arm around Renjun's frame, holding him delicately, as if he would break any second.

And that was when Jeno walked out.

To say he was mad is an understatement. He was absolutely furious. Renjun was supposed to be his and his only and before he knew it, he was already stomping his way over to Jaemin.

"what the hell do you think you're doing!" Jeno whisper screamed through his teeth while trying not to wake the sleeping boy.

"what do you mean?" Jaemin whispered back, sending a glare to Jeno who had his fists clenched.

"you're-" Jeno was cut off when Renjun started to stir. The small boy gently rubbed his eyes, giving a confused look to both Jeno and Jaemin.

Jeno immediately let go of the tension throughout his body.

"I'm sorry I woke you up," he said apologetically.

"it's alright," Renjun replied, giving them both a small smile before standing up and walking towards the kitchen to check on Mark.

Jeno watched as Renjun walked away. Renjun was hard to read, and neither Jaemin nor Jeno could tell if the boy was actually upset or not.

"That was your fault," Jaemin said blankly.

"we need to talk," Jeno said, ignoring Jaemin's statement. Jeno walked towards the door and Jaemin reluctantly followed.

Once they were outside, Jeno immediately let out all of the anger that he had boiled up inside of him.

"What the hell were you doing!?" 

"What do you mean?" Jaemin asked again.

"With Renjun! Do you like him?"

Jaemin paused. Even Jeno didn't know why he had asked that last question, but nonetheless, he still waited silently for Jaemin's answer.

"Yeah, so what if I do?"

Jeno felt his fists clench again. If he was being honest, he didn't even know why he was getting so irritated from this whole situation.

"Please stay away from him," Jeno said.

"you can't tell me what to do."

Jeno hesitated. "Listen, just for this, can we please just put our foster parents in the past."

Jaemin scoffed. "Not everything is what you think, Jeno."

And with that, Jaemin turned and walked back into the house, leaving Jeno to think about what Jaemin had just said.

---

I have so many ideas for norenmin in this story :)

but honestly I have so many random ideas for this whole story in general, I don't even know if I'm gonna use them all or how it's gonna end up turning out lol