Chapter Text
“I can’t believe someone keep trying to send nomin fanfictions for the school paper, they even made a poster to go along with it!” Donghyuck’s voice blared, announcing his entrance to the council room.
Renjun glanced at him, lazily waving at his friend before deciding to continue his nap. It’s summer, and heat didn’t really sit well with the tiny vice president. It made him groggy and lethargic, or so he says as an excuse for more nap time. Everyone is used to this, especially Donghyuck, who just passed by sleeping Renjun to sit in front of the council treasurer.
“Here, Nana, read for yourself. It’s a soulmate trope this time, and get this, you’re a mermaid.” He grinned, sliding the papers across the table. Jaemin had his brows scrunched before taking the papers in his hand, skimming lightly and chuckling at some interesting parts.
“You look amused enough for someone who claimed to be –quote, unquote, not happy with all this shipping culture. Are you sure you’re still against being shipped with Jeno?” Renjun piped in, chin resting in his arm.
“Still not a huge fan of it, yeah, but these... fictions, they’re quite amusing.”
It’s true, despite being a silent reader of the nomin fanfictions sent almost every day to the school paper (Donghyuck never posted any of them, said something about not fanning an inexistent fire), He’s not a huge fan of the shipping culture revolving around him and a certain soccer team member. It’s not that he dislikes Jeno, per say. It’s more about how he and Jeno didn’t really know each other in real life.
Sure, they’re in the same grade and did share some of their classes, but even then, they were sitting in complete opposite of each other, had barely talked to each other, and never even in a same working group or anything.
The fact that the whole school ‘shipped’ them purely by look and the cliché fact about them being council member and soccer player kind of made him uncomfortable at times. What about council members and soccer players are exactly ‘shippable’? What if the soccer players wanted to date each other? What if Jaemin is more interested in, say, glee club members or even fellow council members?
So, yeah. Maybe people should stop shipping them together. Who knows how Jeno actually feel about that, maybe he’s uncomfortable as well.
“Are you really against it, though?” Renjun’s question brought him back from his thoughts,
“Well, I have nothing against Jeno, for sure. It’s just weird that people are shipping me with him, like, we don’t even know each other.”
“But I can see why, though.” Renjun uttered, “I mean, I’ve talked to him a few times, thanks to Xuxi insisting me on coming to their club meetings, and he did remind me of you once or twice. Don’t quote me on this but I do think you guys are going to be compatible.” He continued, not missing how Jaemin’s lip slightly curved up.
“Oh? Is this how it is? Is Renjun the new president of the nomin fan club?”
“Get lost, Hyuck.” He grinned, pretending to throw an eraser to the giggling boy.
*
After long months of uneventfulness and some more fanfictions, (the latest one had an attachment of threat for Donghyuck for being a coward and not publishing the stories—he paid dust to it.) came rolling valentine season, and with it, the long awaited secret letter booths.
It was their school’s tradition, instead of exchanging gifts and chocolates, they would put up letter boxes and several (randomly picked, obscured) council members would collect, sort the letters, and place them in receivers’ lockers after school
“I should stop hanging out with Xuxi, his bad luck is rubbing off on me.” Jaemin heard Renjun groaning as he shoved a letter into someone’s locker, complaining again for being picked for valentine duty and losing so much of his nap time for at least a week.
Jaemin laughed, resulting in a letter being thrown his way. (“Yah, Injun! Don’t throw letters!”) Unline Renjun, he didn’t mind this shift. It’s kinda fun being the postman version of cupid, plus, he’s doing it with Renjun and Jinyoung and he likes his (grumpy, tiny faced) friends.
“You get like thirty letters from ‘Jeno’, all in different handwritings.” Jinyoung approached them, giving the letter directly to Jaemin instead of putting it in his locker, “oh and from several other names as well. Man, you’re popular, aren’t you?”
He chuckled, “Put it in my locker, Bae. It would be suspicious if my locker is empty tomorrow and they’ll suspect me of being on valentine duty,”
“—and the pestering student will ask for info.”
“—and the pestering student will ask for info indeed, take it back.”
“No. Your locker is like, on the opposite hallway, it’s too far.” Jinyoung whined.
Jaemin rolled his eyes, regretting what he said about being happy to do this with Renjun and Jinyoung.
*
He eyed the piling letters Jinyoung had shoved into his bag earlier, sorting out the ones that are not from ‘Jeno’. He got one from Mark, which, undoubtedly filled with his gratitude speech for all his ‘beloved’ council members, one from Hyuck filled with glitters and nothing else (“what card against humanity?”), and several lavender scented letters from fangirls.
The rest of it came from ‘Lee Jeno’, all in different handwritings and different kinds of confessions. He tried reading a few of them, laughing at the contents’ absurdity.
(None of it are from Jeno, though. He knew, he's been paying extra attention to the soccer club's monthly report for a reason.)
“Dear Na Jaemin,
Marry me already,
Love, Lee Jeno.”
Seriously?
He snorted, folding the letter. Deciding that he’s had enough letter reading for a day.