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Jisung thinks the pre-show period is the absolute worst.
Sitting in a chair for what felt like eons as they put makeup on you, do your hair, talk at you—it gave him plenty of time to get to a level of nervousness that was actually debilitating. He thinks it’s especially ironic since they usually lecture him about not looking so awkward when he’s on air. In that regard, he really just couldn’t win.
Today, he’d somehow managed to survive the worst of it. The six of them were currently stood in a line, listening to one of their coordi-noonas fuss over their outfits. She tugged at Jisung’s collar to make sure it was straight, brushed at it with her hand, and straightened it out once more, all with the straightest expression he’d ever seen (grown-ups).
Next was his manager, promptly running them through today’s schedule and the usual regulations for the show. Jisung couldn’t say he was paying full attention because, really, he had heard it all a million times and it was never anything new. No cursing, no major song spoilers, nothing inappropriate—he could recite the whole thing. Still, he kept his eyes trained ahead to make it seem like he was paying attention.
Beside him, Mark hyung was nodding along like he was listening, but Jisung really didn’t think he was either. Jisung was a pretty decent observer, and Mark was tapping at his wrists in that distracted way of his. Jisung’s gaze lowered to the coloured tape on Mark’s fingers, where he noticed a small cut at the base of his thumb. Odd place to get cut, Jisung thought fleetingly. He then wondered if he was truly that bored to be examining Mark’s hands in such detail. Surely a new low.
Instead, he began to pick at one of the neon bracelets on his own wrist. Jisung almost couldn’t believe how slowly time seemed to be going. He thought about all the other things he’d prefer doing, how much he wanted to play his video games back home (his older brother had gotten him the newest tekken for working so hard on their latest comeback and he was itching to get his hands back on his controller).
He thought of how he’d let Chenle try out the game before even he did. Jisung almost always let Chenle play first. No one could deny Chenle was good at getting his way, but Jisung had something of a soft spot for his best friend. Worst of all, Chenle had this god awful obsession with beating Jisung at games. Not just tekken— he had been trying to beat him at this stupid game on the pc, snake, possibly the most ridiculous game created, for a week now (like Jisung would let that happen).
Maybe it was a little childish, but he loved beating Chenle in games and cackling his ass off when Chenle would storm around the dorm moaning it about.
They were practically the same age (their birthdays were only two months apart) but God, Jisung had been trying to be mature for the longest time, what with joining the company so early and having so many eyes on him, so many sunbaes to look up to. So being with Chenle was, as sad as it sounded, exciting; he could be childish, ridiculously competitive, act as rebellious as any other normal kid their age—it was pretty awesome.
That wasn’t to say he was completely used to Chenle’s antics, and he practically was by this point, but Chenle’s unfaltering confidence could be startling sometimes. On more than one occasion he has had to kick Chenle’s leg or even slap a hand across Chenle’s mouth to stop him from saying something that would really get them into shit.
He looked up from where he’d been picking at his bracelet, caught in his thoughts. Jeez—their manager was still speaking? Jisung would have much rathered walking out on set then and there if it meant he didn't have to stand around any longer. He could only imagine how Chenle would rant about it to him later, his fingers pressing furiously on the buttons of Jisung’s laptop all the while.
Jisung licked his lips and peered over at Chenle, stood on the very far end of the line of members—who frankly, all looked as eccentric as he did in their colourful outfits—looking bored out of his mind. His eyes were trained on the ceiling, his arms and shoulders swaying, his joints loose in the way that was very...Chenle.
Jisung snorted quietly. Chenle could never stand still, not even for a minute.
He thought Chenle looked a little bit like a sailor in that outfit; a gentle, sky blue color to match his sandy blonde hair. He had to admit the coordi noonas knew what they were doing. Jisung looked down at his own (gaudy) attire, clicking his tongue. They’d paired his outfit with knee high socks and suspenders that felt as though they’d fall down if he wasn’t careful.
“It isn’t so bad,” Chenle had said before their last stage (when Jisung had been in the same outfit), scanning the taller with a somewhat skeptical look. “Actually, yeah. It’s bad.” Jisung had punched Chenle in the arm, earning a familiar, undignified yelp from the smaller.
Jisung looked up from his socks and groaned. Another noona, the pink-haired one with the pretty, wide eyes, kindly instructed them all not to touch their hair after seeing Jeno nonchalantly push some of the blonde strands from his face and they all nodded. Not that he was paying any interest to her in particular. Definitely not, he was far more interested in thinking about his games.
Against his will, he felt the tip of his ears flush when she looked his way; he managed a small smile that felt unbearably awkward. Great going, he thought to himself once she’d focused her attention back on Jeno, practically swatting his hands away from his hair.
So maybe he had a small crush on their hairstylist or something. It was perfectly justifiable—she was pretty, kind, knew how to blowdry hair in really cool ways. In fact, Jeno had been teasing him about her for weeks in that assured, I’m-older-and-I-know-things way of his. Jisung denied his interest in her constantly, asserting it wasn’t a big deal, but he didn’t know how convincing it was.
It was then that something in the corner of his eye distracted him from his thoughts. Chenle, waving his hand behind his back, trying to get his attention. He was looking right at Jisung, his head cocked to the side and a brow raised.
“Pay attention.” Chenle mouthed.
Unbelievable, Jisung thought.
“You’re the one waving .” He mouthed back.
“What? ”
“You’re the one wa—oh, forget it.”
Chenle grinned cheekily and looked back to the front. Jisung reminded himself to not let Chenle play first tonight, just to spite him.
When their manager was done talking, they were ushered to get touch ups on their makeup before they went on screen. Jisung could hear that the two presenters had already started to introduce the show. He felt the initial wave of adrenaline (or anxiety) wash over him.
When the noona finishes patting his face—unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, not the pink-haired one—Chenle is waiting for him.
“Jisung pa-ark.” He called out. Chenle had made a habit of calling him by his full name.
“Aish, you look worried,” Chenle stated when he was a little closer, his lips pulling down into a natural looking pout that only Chenle could pull off (Jisung had seen it on Jaemin and had told him not to do it ever again). There was a fresh load of blush on his cheeks and the inner corners of his eyes sort of sparkled. Jisung wondered if his own eyes looked as sparkly.
“I am, kind of.” he flexed his fingers and Chenle’s eyes darted to his hands, before he placed his own hand on Jisung’s shoulder and squeezed.
The shorter replied as confidently as ever. “Don’t be, you have me.”
Jisung always got a little shy about shows like these, about saying the right thing or looking cool. It made things worse that they were in Japan. They were allowed to speak Korean, of course, though he was expected to pull out a few Japanese phrases.
Chenle was the opposite with shows. He thrived in those settings, acted perfectly charming and funny without trying. Jisung was, maybe, a little envious of it.
“Really, you’ve got it! Don't let those lame hyungs cramp your vibe with their dad jokes.”
Jisung snorted. The comment did make him feel a bit better.
A tall man with a headset on walked past and shouted that they would be on air in ten. Chenle looked from the man back to him. “By the way, I am definitely going to beat you on snake tonight.”
“You haven’t beaten me yet.” Jisung replied smugly, happy to feel his nerves were subsiding some, even if he knew Chenle was just trying to distract him.
Chenle pulled a face. “All in good time.”
“Oh? Well you said that last week.”
“Aaaaaa, really? Cannot recall,” he responded, before raising a slim hand to scratch at his cheek. Quickly, Jisung grabbed his wrist.
“Careful, that noona will kill you if you mess up the makeup,”
Chenle’s eyes darted down to his hand, taken aback. Jisung suddenly became all too aware of the warm skin beneath his fingers and he dropped his hand, feeling a little embarrassed.
“Jisung Park, you saved me from an earful,” Chenle laughed, and maybe Jisung’s eyes were deceiving him because his best friend looked sheepish , before flashing him a dramatic thumbs up.
Jisung waved a hand dismissively. “Yeah yeah, saving your butt as per. Chenle’s butt saver.”
Chenle barked out a laugh and Jisung sniggered along with him. (It definitely wasn’t beneath them to laugh at the word butt.)
“ Muk-jji-ppa before the show?” Chenle whispered a few minutes later as they lined up on the outskirts of the stage, just off camera. He was holding out a closed fist.
Jisung raised his own up, thankful for more distractions. He could always count on the other to have his back.
“Hell yeah.”
“Loser has to steal Mark’s wallet.”
Jisung scoffed. Easy work. “Best of three?”
“You’re on.”
✰
“I am. So. Tired.” Chenle announced when they got back to the apartment they were staying in, unceremoniously falling back onto the lawson-style sofa.
Renjun pulled off his coat and padded over to where Chenle was sprawled out, jabbing his side with a mildly amused expression.“Go to bed, then.” He said.
Chenle’s eyes stayed shut.
Mark had already retreated to his room, too tired for their antics, and Jeno was sat on the other sofa watching some video on his phone, ushering Jisung to come over and check it out.
“I’m already dead,” Chenle murmured, his face pressed against the expensive material of the sofa.
Donghyuk snorted and threw his cap at him. “You’re insufferable.”
Chenle sat up with an exaggerated ow-w and wrinkled his nose. The cap had barely touched him but Jisung expected nothing less from Chenle. “What does that even mean?”
“Means you’re too much to take.” Jisung added, making his way over to Jeno who was now watching Chenle too, clearly entertained.
Chenle finally sat up. “Jisung Park, you know everything, huh?”
Jisung’s reply came out sheepish. “Not everything.”
Chenle didn’t respond, because he and Renjun had begun nudging each other, progressively getting rougher.
Jeno let out a grunt, looking back down at his phone screen. “How are you guys still going?” By this point, Donghyuk had already left for his shared room with Mark.
“What are you, fifty?” Is what Chenle replied. Renjun tsked and shoved the other, muttering something in Mandarin. They began to converse, though Chenle seemed to be whining most of his words.
Jisung wondered briefly what they were saying. He soon decided he was too tired to care, or maybe a bit annoyed he couldn’t even catch one word, retreating to his own room after the two began bickering even more.
After kicking off his pants and changing into some loose shorts, he pulled his laptop from his bag. First, he checked out some of the fan accounts. Shots had already been released from the show today. He flicked through the ones they took outside the building, reading through the comments about how chic and fashionable they all looked.
“Fashionable,” He muttered, eyeing Donghyuk’s orange and green socks. He flicked to the next picture, and he remembered how they’d all been directed to hold a thumbs up. Looking closer, he saw Chenle holding a thumbs down.
Jisung stared incredulously. “This guy…”
Outside he heard Renjun announce he was going to bed and some shuffling with it. A few minutes later, Chenle slinked into their shared room.
“Playing snake without me?” He was considerate enough to lower his voice, but it was still somewhat shrill.
“‘Course not.”
Chenle sat beside him on the bed. Their arms brushed and Jisung shifted over to make more space. The smaller just squished closer anyway—private space really wasn’t a thing with Chenle.
“Whatcha looking at?”
“Photos.”
Chenle nudged the laptop so it faced him, starting to flick through a few of them. Jisung let him.
“You totally like that noona.” Chenle announced out of nowhere, surprising Jisung enough that his mouth fell open.
His eyes whipped down to the screen; it was the photo of them with the staff before the show had started.
Jisung reached over and shut the tab. “You’re delusional, I do not.”
“Do to. Everyone knows it.”
Jisung didn’t even stop to think the others would notice something like that. It made his face heat up to think Chenle would be noticing something like that.
“Shut up,” He murmured, hating Chenle’s smug expression beside him.
The other had his head in his hands, some of his hair falling into his face. He resembled a small puppy. “Ai-iya, you really are obvious.”
Tilting the laptop back to him, Jisung wordlessly opened the game.
“I’m your best friend, I know you too well.” Chenle added.
“Shut up,” Jisung repeated, trying to school his expression into something more neutral. “It’s not like that.”
“Right,” Chenle said.
“Right.” Jisung murmured.
Chenle’s eyes sparkled as the title flashed on screen (the game wasn’t flashy, the graphics were actually quite bad) and the topic was over with. Jisung couldn’t be more thankful.
“Gimme,” Chenle said, pulling the laptop to balance on his thighs. Jisung watched him play silently, watched the small, pathetic block snake move around his screen. When Chenle died, he let out the loudest and most dramatic huff Jisung has ever heard.
“That was totally invalid. I think I saw a fly in my peripheral or something. Really distracting-”
“A fly ?” Jisung laughed.
“Uh huh, so that was totally invalid,”
Jisung couldn’t help the way his lips quirked. “Yeah yeah, you’re such a sore loser.”
“Fine, your turn.” Chenle said begrudgingly, tilting the laptop towards the taller. Jisung ended up beating him, effortlessly, but the smaller was not giving up without a fight.
“Round two. You’re going down, Park.”
With twitching fingers, Chenle locked his eyes on the screen—a familiar look of determination on his face—and tried again, and like always, the younger watched him in covert awe.
✰
“Jisung Park!”
Jisung looked around to see Chenle bounding towards him. They had just visited a teahouse and were touring the local area, the camera crew scattered around them.
“Jeno is bullying me.” He whined, bumping against Jisung’s side.
“Yeah? Don’t think that’s my problem.” Jisung murmured, rubbing his hands together from how chilly the weather had become.
“Evil,” Chenle murmured, a hand suddenly darting out to pinch his side. Jisung hissed—his small hands could deliver a nasty pinch.
Jisung went to pinch him back, but Chenle quickly moved out of the way, and then again when Jisung went in for a second time. Soon they were both laughing loud and ugly, running about trying to jab one another.
“Y’know, you look like a cat when you smile,” Chenle pants. “Your eyes go all small.”
Jisung looked up from where he’d dropped down to tie up his lace. Chenle was looming over him, looking unfairly composed after they’d been bolting about for God knows how long. His hands were pushed into the pockets of his denim jacket, his hair wind-swept.
Jisung cleared his throat. “Is that a compliment...?”
“Sure is.” When he stood up Chenle slapped a hand on his back. “Yellow car.”
“Hell,” Jisung murmured. “There are literally no cars around.”
“I most definitely saw a yellow car.”
“Course—”
Chenle shuffled closer then, linking his arm in Jisung’s once more. Jisung was momentarily surprised until he took note of a camera focusing on them. “Smile for the cameras.”
Right, fan service. Silly of him to forget about the eight camera men a few feet away.
Jisung plastered on a smile and threw an arm around Chenle’s shoulder. “Always do.”
✰
“Games?”
They were on a tour bus the next morning, on their way to Keitakuen Garden where they’d be filmed all evening. Only now had the cameras been put away, the staff on their phones at the front of the bus. Jisung couldn’t help but feel a little annoyed with all the camera business, or maybe annoyed at himself that he wasn’t entirely used to it yet, despite being exposed to cameras ever since he was a kid.
He couldn’t wait to get back to their apartment, have his nightly match with Chenle and mercilessly beat him yet again. Too sweet, he thinks to himself.
“Eh. Kiss, marry, kill. ” Jeno said, the english words think on his tongue.
Mark let out a very American aye . Donghyuck pulled a face. “Should the kids be playing this?”
“Only cheek kisses for them,” Mark added, giving both him and Chenle the eye. Jisung thought it was horrendously embarrassing.
Chenle began making silly kissy faces at Renjun, who laughed and scrunched his nose up. “Get away, you idiot. So, how do you play?”
“Someone says three names and you say who you would kiss, who you would marry, and who you would kill.” Mark explained, nudging Donghyuck who had pulled out his phone. Jisung would bet the other was skimming through all the selfies he took in the gardens. “No phones, dummy. You start.”
Donghyuck hushed Mark, his expression thoughtful. ”Right...Hah! Joohyun sunbae, Taeyeon sunbae and Soojung sunbae.”
The rounds went on like that, some longer than others, until Haechan piped up with a new set of names.
“Okay, okay, I have a good one—out of all of us.”
Oh my God , Jisung thought, feeling anxious already. He was sure the other just wanted some sort of esteem boost from it.
“I’ll start!” Chenle stood up, which really wasn’t very surprising, and examined them all in detail, as though he was taking it very seriously. Jeno sniggered from behind him.
“ Kiss Renjun hyung—on the cheek. Marry Jisung and avoid lame-hyung Mark.”
Whilst the others laughed (and Mark let out a very affronted excuse me ?) Jisung was left with the startling image of them as a married couple. A typical domestic scene with Chenle at the stove, cooking instant ramen or something, Jisung swooping in to peck his cheek like in the movies.
It was ridiculous, but Jisung flushes pink all the same. He sunk down into his seat, an odd feeling settling within him that he couldn’t decipher.
✰
“Would you really marry me?” Jisung asked him later, when they were sat side by side on his bed. Chenle was half way through a game, though he managed to peer over at him for a second.
“Eh?
“The game today,” Jisung added easily, scratching his eyebrow. “Not that it’s a big deal or anything.”
“Oh man.” Chenle pouted dejectedly when he lost the game. Jisung wondered if he had even heard him, suddenly embarrassed for even bringing it up. (It was a dumb game, anyway.)
He took the laptop and opened up a new game, not expecting anything.
“Well, we’re best friends. I think it would be pretty cool to marry your best friend.”
Jisung’s fingers froze.
He looked towards the other, who was already watching him with this odd, inquisitive look on his face. It felt like Chenle was looking at Jisung for the first time.
Jisung turned back to his laptop, feeling a red hot flush rise up to his neck. “You watch too many movies, then.” It was an all too cliche of a trope, in Jisung’s opinion.
“Maybe.”
Jisung didn’t really know what to say to that, so he pressed the start button.
✰
Backstage, Jisung was sat with Jeno, playing this new game that had came out in the app store where you shoot zombie penguins. It was mildly entertaining (or maybe he was convincing himself that it was), the graphics were decent, and really, they had nothing better to do.
Instead of watching Jeno play, he was looking at that noona, currently doing Mark’s makeup.
It probably looked creepy, the way he was staring so determinedly at her, but he just needed to find out something. Figure out something. She didn’t have the sort of glow she normally did, and he inwardly wished he was as smitten as he’d been before—even if he did deny it then. Hell, he just couldn’t understand it.
“What’s up losers?” Chenle interrupted, wiggling into the space between them. Jisung felt Chenle’s arm brush against his, almost deliberately.
“Game,” Jeno grunts, his tongue stuck out in concentration. “Jisung is watching me to learn a few things about being a pro gamer.”
“I think he is watching something else.”
Jisung’s eyes snapped to where Chenle was watching him.
“Huh?” He said dumbly.
Chenle barked out a laugh at his expression. His lips were tinted a coral shade of pink.
Jisung looked away, swallowing.
He managed to avoid Chenle for the rest of the day, unable to understand—or admit to himself—why he couldn’t quite look him in the eye.
✰
They were at a restaurant in the middle of Osaka, a little place with only a few customers.
The day had passed agonisingly slow.
Five cameras were situated around the table and at this point, Jisung was tired of being filmed. Worse, Chenle was beside him, and they hadn’t spoken a word to one another. There was a small space between them that managed to feel quite large; Jisung eyed it while Chenle leant over the table to get some more rice.
It was all just horribly awkward. Jisung had to remind himself he caused this by ignoring the other the day before, though it was unlike Chenle to not come and confront him about it or ask what was wrong, so he chose to think they were both acting weird.
He cleared his throat. “Hyung, would you pass me the tteokbokki?”
Chenle turned and fixed him with a strange look. “Hyung?”
“Sorry.” He didn’t know why he said that. “Cameras.” He offered lamely, his eyes focused on a stain on the table.
It wasn’t very believable at all but Chenle didn’t comment on it.
“Well, it’s just us.” Chenle said quietly, only for Jisung’s ears. He slid the bowl over to him.
“Alright. Thanks.”
Jisung decided to look up at the other, for just a second, but he immediately regretted it. Chenle looked gravely somber.
The powder on Jisung’s face suddenly felt all weird and he just wanted to go back to the apartment, wash his face, lay in bed. Go back home. He wanted things to feel normal again, to play games and laugh about stupid excuses for losing.
Jisung wanted a lot of things.
✰
It started with the subtle looks, the smiles. Mark had always been charismatic (in his own dorky sort of way). The pink-haired noona, Miyoung, always did his makeup now, and Jisung knew she spent more time with them than she had to. Still, it didn’t bother him as much as he thought it would.
“I think,” Renjun began. “Mark hyung and that Noona have something going on.”
They all looked over to where Mark and her were sat, laughing together, obvious as anything. Jisung flexed his fingers.
Jeno looked over at him. Dude , he mouthed. Jisung shrugged. He wanted to be a little sadder about it, he really did. It would make him feel a whole lot less confused.
“Aw. Didn’t you have a little crush on her, Jisung?” Haechan asked openly, then.
“I-”
He looked over at Chenle, without even thinking, only to see that he was watching him, as serious as Jisung had ever seen him. Chenle turned away then, his expression unreadable. He began to play with Jeno, his pale face lit up by the phone screen.
Jisung realised then that Miyoung noona wasn’t the prettiest person in that room, not by a long shot, and the thought was enough to scare him into silence for the rest of the day.
✰
Only a few days were left in Japan. Jisung was counting down the days at this point.
Miyoung noona was doing his makeup this time. Up close, she was even more stunning. She is pretty, he told himself, like he was convincing himself of something. The staff had dyed his hair a shocking shade of blue that morning for their next comeback.
“I really like it Jisung-ah,” Miyoung Noona said, looking him over. “You really do look so grown up now. So handsome.”
It should make him feel good, but it doesn’t.
He sees Chenle sit down opposite from him, ready to have his own makeup done. His hair was a light shade of lavender that made him look soft and handsome. When Chenle looked over, Jisung looked down at his hands.
This truly, royally sucked.
✰
“ Yah , Park.”
Jisung startled, snapping his head to the left to see Renjun stood with a bubble tea held out for him.
Renjun tongued his cheek as he regarded Jisung. “Finally, I thought i’d have you shake you out of that,”
“Ah, sorry,” Jisung apologises quickly, taking the drink (which is a medium, not a large, but he really isn’t in a place to say anything). Renjun is watching him expectantly.
“I was just thinking.” Jisung mumbles as an explanation, stuffing a hand into his pocket and walking towards the exit of the shop. Renjun follows wordlessly.
“Is something up?” Renjun says eventually. “Between you and Chenle, I mean.”
Jisung pierced his drink particularly harsly. “No. Why would you think that?”
Renjun seemed to look offended at that. “Do you think we are all stupid? You haven’t said a word to one another.”
“Fine,” Jisung grumbled. “I don’t know, okay?”
“Did something happen?”
“No,” Jisung sighs. “Nothing happened, I guess? That’s why it sucks.”
Rejun gives him a knowing look (or a look that seems knowing, but Jisung doesn’t know what he’s acting knowingly about). “Ah.”
“Ah.” Jisung repeated out of a lack of things to say, staring at his cup.
“Jisung, you’re so oblivious.” Renjun murmured quietly.
Jisung agreed. He was starting to perpetually feel as though someone had told a joke and everyone in the room got it but him.
✰
“Snake?” Chenle asked that night, disturbing the quiet of their small room. It had just passed eleven.
They had two more days left in Japan, then things would be back to normal, back to routine. In Seoul, they were already working on a new song for them.
Jisung looked up from his comic book, taken aback. Had Renjun said something to him? It was pretty likely. Instead of letting his shock seem apparent, Jisung simply closed his book, placed it beside him, and sat up.
“Alright.”
He got out his laptop and opened the game, feeling his hands go all clammy. Chenle sat cross legged in front of him, mirroring Jisung’s position, examining him intently. Jisung looked up at the feel of his gaze, focusing then on his purple hair— it looked all scruffy, as though he’d been laying on it.
“You look like the cookie monster with that hair.” Chenle said.
Jisung scoffed, unable to help it. Nonetheless, his heart was beating in his chest.
“Well, you look like Barney.”
“What the heck is Barney?”
They looked at each other and broke out into smiles.
Jisung exhaled. A feeling of familiarity washed over him.
“ You need to work on your references, Jisung Park, that was just poor.”
“Who doesn’t know Barney?” Jisung argued, embarrassed.
"I'll forgive it," Chenle gestured to the laptop. “Tonight, If I beat you, I can ask for anything I want from you. And visa versa.”
Jisung fell silent. Bets weren’t new, but this prize was. “Anything?”
“Anything.”
Jisung licked his lips. “Alright, you’re on.”
To his surprise, Chenle won that night.
✰
“You owe me.”
Chenle cornered Jisung the next morning, just after he’d came from (goddammit) Renjun’s room.
The sudden seriousness of his tone was unnerving.
“Oh, right.” Jisung looked over to his suitcase, half packed. “Just don't take the supreme hoodie, that’s my favourite.”
“I don't want your clothes.” Chenle sighed, exasperatedly. Jisung blinked.
“You are not taking any of my video games—”
Chenle rolled his eyes, looking far more grown up than he usually did. “I don’t want any of your games.”
“Then what?”
“I thought you were supposed to be smart,” he whispered with a laugh and the close proximity was making Jisung’s hands sweat. “No, I want to ask you,” Chenle started slowly, before getting the rest out in one go. “If you’d want to go on, like, a date with me or something.”
Jisung blinked, once then twice, repeating the words in his head to make sure that he heard it right. A date? Surely, he must have misheard.
“What?” Jisung spluttered eventually, when his ability to speak caught up with him. His heart was hammering in his chest like a violent drum.
Chenle’s eyes widen like he couldn’t believe the words had actually came out of his mouth.
“Or,” He said, completely overwhelmed. “Forget I just said that.” He then added with an awkward laugh, pushing away from Jisung slightly.
On impulse, Jisung planted his hands on Chenle’s shoulders to stop him from leaving. He was sure his heart would beat out of his chest at this rate.
“No. Repeat that.”
Chenle stared at him and Jisung stared right back.
Chenle inhaled. “I like you.”
Beat. Beat. Beat.
“Chenle- ”
Chenle looked away, his confidence faltering suddenly. “And I know you like that Noona.”
“She’s pretty,” Jisung started. Chenle closed his eyes.
He thought about how pretty Chenle looked right now; his soft hair, his pink lips. He thought about how much he liked his laugh, playing games with him. It all hits him at once, like a tidal wave.
“But she’s not as pretty as you.”
Chenle’s eyes flickered open. They stared one another for what feels like ages.
“Yeah?” Chenle asked, his chest rising and falling.
“Yeah.” Jisung whispered, suddenly aware of how close Chenle’s face was to his.
“I’m kinda shy,” Chenle admitted bluntly and Jisung burst out into laughter.
“A nice change—”
“Jisung park!”
Jisung chuckled quietly then. "This is a bit scary, huh."
"It's not," Chenle said gently—and maybe it was the most mature he had ever sounded. "Two people liking each other, what's so scary about that? We just act the same as always."
God. Jisung had never had a girlfriend, or boyfriend, before. He thought about kisses—proper kisses—and his hands felt all clammy.
Unable to help it, Jisung leaned forward and pecked Chenle on the cheek. It was lame but it was all he could manage.
“Oh my god.” Chenle said in english, flushing completely.
It was so ridiculous. Jisung wondered if he was dreaming.
“JISUNG PARK JUST KIS-”
Jisung punched him in the arm.
“Keep your voice down!” He whisper-hissed, flustered.
“I will scream if I want. ” Chenle whisper-hissed back, and within seconds, was wrestling Jisung to the floor.
“Would you two shut up and pack your cases!” a voice boomed from outside.
The two of them paused and Chenle shot Jisung a cheeky grin. “Oops.”
Jisung smiled like an idiot.
“So,” he whispered, from where he was pinned underneath Chenle. “Where are you taking me on that date?”