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When Mark had agreed to that invitation Renjun sent out, he really wasn’t expecting to be sitting in a circle playing Truth or Dare.
It’s gotten stuffy over the past hour, and maybe the foyer of Renjun’s house isn’t the most suitable place to sit, but Mark doesn’t want to say anything. It doesn’t help that Jisung keeps yelling at everyone for their stupid dares, and that everyone keeps yelling. Everyone else seems comfortable anyway, and he’s never been one to intentionally ruin the mood.
And maybe he hates it a little less than he wants to think.
He’s sitting crosslegged, hyperaware of his hand against Jeno’s thigh and the sweat beading at his forehead (it’s too hot for his own good) and the taste of the fruit punch at the back of his throat. And most of all, he’s aware of Jaemin boring holes into him with his gaze.
He doesn’t know what to think about that.
“Jaemin,” Renjun hums, his voice snapping Mark out of his half-trance. “Truth or dare?”
“Hmm,” Jaemin sighs, flicking a speck of dust off his jeans. “You want to know what my truth is? That this is boring and we should play something else.”
“You know what?” Renjun glances at Chenle, a wry smile on his face. “You’re not wrong.”
“Should we be scared?” Yukhei snorts, toying with his rings. “Because you’re really not all that intimidating.”
Renjun sticks his tongue out at him as he reaches behind him for the baseball cap. “So what do you think of seven minutes in heaven?”
Mark freezes.
“Why not?” Jaemin’s biting at his lip, and Mark can’t stop staring. “There’s a couple people I’d love to make out with in this group.” Mark barely misses Jaemin winking at Jeno as the latter has to hide his shy smile.
And Mark might be hallucinating, but he swears that Jaemin’s staring right at him now.
Renjun rolls his eyes and murmurs something in Mandarin under his breath before he holds the cap out towards Mark. “Why don’t you go first?”
Mark’s heart lurches painfully at the five words and he blinks confusedly. “Why me?”
Renjun glances over to Yukhei for a second before locking eyes with Mark again. “You didn’t participate much, love.”
“Don’t,” Mark mutters, glaring playfully at Renjun as he sifts through the slips. Everyone’s stares are getting more uncomfortable by the second, and he can’t help but feel pressured to pick the right slip...whatever that was.
“Right,” Renjun lilts. “You want people other than me to call you love, hm?” He mumbles something under his breath, and Mark’s kind of glad because he probably would have throttled him if he heard it. “Anyways, you done stalling yet?”
Mark rolls his eyes as he unfolds the slip, and his heart sinks. “Did you rig this or something?”
Because Jaemin’s name is written in taunting cursive.
Chenle peers at the slip in Mark’s hand and raises an eyebrow as he says, “Flip it, Markiepoo. I think there’s something on the back.”
Mark can feel Jeno’s body shaking with giggles, and he has to fight every instinct not to turn and glare at him.
“Don’t call me Markiepoo—“ Mark’s jaw drops as he flips the paper. “What. The hell.”
Renjun looks awfully angelic for the situation he’s in. “What’s up Markie?”
His hands clench around the paper, the mocking words of and Jeno still obviously shown. “You planned this didn’t you—“
Renjun just puts a finger to his lips. “Go on. Into the closet you go!”
Mark sighs as he steps into the closet, mumbling some random out-of-the-closet joke he had found on Tumblr under his breath. He watches silently (mostly in shock) as Jeno and Jaemin step in at the same time, hiding sly smiles behind their hands. Jaemin waits until everyone’s inside before he closes the door behind them, taking a deep breath.
The closet feels stuffy, and it smells faintly of dirty socks, but Mark isn’t necessarily worried about that at the moment. He’s mostly trying to wrap his mind around the fact that holy shit it’s them, it’s the people he’s been crushing on for god knows how long .
It takes him a good second to recollect himself before he wipes his hands on his jeans and lets out an odd noise between a cough and laugh.
“So um, we don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to. I completely understand if you guys are like, repulsed with the thought of kissing me or something, I—“
“What made you think that?” Jeno raises an eyebrow, the corners of his lips quirking up in a bewildered smile. “You actually think I haven’t been wanting to kiss you since eighth grade?”
“But you and Jaemin like each other?”
“There’s something called polyamory , Mark. Ever heard of it?” Jeno licks his lips after he speaks, and Mark would be lying if he says he’s not staring.
He only opens his mouth for a second before closing it again and shrugging.
“Please,” Jaemin giggles. “Don’t act all innocent, pretty boy. I see you.” He runs his hand through his hair as he steps closer.
If Mark’s mouth wasn’t dry before, it definitely is now. “See me? What’s that supposed to mean?” He practically falls back against the wall, his heart pounding out of his chest.
“Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about either,” Jaemin lilts, tracing Mark’s jaw with his slender finger. “C’mere pretty boy. I want to kiss you.”
Oh.
Mark raises an eyebrow before he smiles and coos, trying to hide the waver in his voice. “Then come and kiss me.”
Jaemin’s jaw drops. “Well then. Maybe I will.”
“Oh,” Mark squeaks, his face burning. At this point it’s probably redder than the velvet crop top Jeno’s wearing. “I wasn’t expecting that.”
Jaemin only chuckles before he leans in, his breath mingling with Mark’s as he loops his arms around Mark’s neck. “That’s a shame, isn’t it?”
And before Mark can answer, Jaemin’s pressing his lips against his own.
And this, this is the exact wish pulled out of all his hopeless eighth grade dreams.
Jaemin somehow manages to pull Mark closer, close enough that there’s no space between the two, and his lips turn up at the corners as he does. His hands snake up to Mark’s hair and he’s carding his fingers through it in just the way he likes it and Mark swears he’s dreaming.
Mark clenches Jaemin’s satin shirt in his fists, his heart thrumming wildly as he tentatively swipes his tongue over Jaemin’s bottom lip. Jaemin seems to like it, though, because Mark can hear something akin to a whimper when he does.
Mark’s heart is pounding so loud and he’s got no space and he can’t catch his breath but this is it. This is exactly what he never thought he would have, and he’s going to savor this for as long as he can.
His grip on the shirt tightens as Jaemin clutches his hair and grips it none-too-gently. And he’s on fire, and his heart’s pounding faster than he thought physically possible, but he can get used to it.
He wants to get used to it.
Jaemin seems to think about something for a second, but it doesn’t take him long before he smiles into the kiss and tugs on Mark’s bottom lip with his teeth as he pulls away. Mark’s eyebrows raise and he whimpers, his cheeks coloring even redder than they already are and his chest even warmer.
Jaemin chuckles, the sound buzzing in Mark’s lip as he does. “Cute,” he murmurs, his lips turning up in a soft smile.
“That’s you,” Mark stammers out as Jaemin lets go of his lip. It’s almost pathetic how out of breath he is, but somehow he can’t bring himself to care.
And then Jeno whines .
He’s probably been in the corner for a good minute or two, his bottom lip jutted in a pout. Mark’s gaze snaps up to his eyes, which seem to be shining in the dim lighting. Jaemin only raises an eyebrow as he lets go of Mark’s hair and sidles over to Jeno, a mischievous light dancing in his eyes.
“You want to kiss him too?” Jaemin’s smile could almost be considered mocking if it was coming from anyone else, and Mark shouldn’t be as surprised as he is when Jeno nods his head eagerly.
Somehow, Jaemin scoots even closer to Jeno, glancing back at Mark before he wraps an arm around Jeno’s shoulders. He cups his hand over Jeno’s ear and leans in, and he whispers none too quietly, “He’s probably better than me.”
Mark’s eyes widen and he shakes his head furiously. “No, there’s no way—“
“Just take the compliment, baby ,” Jaemin says in a singsong voice as he chuckles and turns to Jeno, leaning in to run his fingers through his hair. “Go on, love. Go kiss him. It’s better than how you imagine it to be.”
“Wait did you just say you imagined kissing me?” Mark’s voice is a little too squeaky for him to seem like he’s kept his composure, and he’s more than glad that Renjun isn’t in the room right about now.
“Of course we did,” Jaemin shrugs. “What, did you not imagine kissing us?”
Oh. Oh, he’s pouting .
“Well,” Mark hums, trying to find a witty answer. “I did, maybe, but I’d only be able to tell you if the real thing’s better if I get to kiss Jeno.”
Jeno coughs loudly at that.
“What?” Mark laughs. “Is it not wrong?” And he’s lying if he says that he doesn’t savor Jeno’s sudden shy expression when he asks the question.
Jaemin’s chuckle is low as he bites his lip and leans against the closet door, yelling something that sounds a lot like “ shut up, no one cares ” to the people outside.
“How much time do we have?” Jeno asks, his eyebrows furrowing. Somehow, in the last two seconds, he’s managed to get rather close to Mark, close enough that their foreheads could touch if they both lean forward.
“As much time as we need,” Mark murmurs, chuckling as his fingers brush over Jeno’s velvet. He can’t help but smile softly when Jeno gasps in shock.
“Stop being cheesy,” Jeno whimpers.
“Make me,” Mark taunts, cocking his head as he hides his growing grin.
“Oh yeah?” Jeno giggles, tilting his head the opposite way. “Maybe I will.” He narrows his eyes, likely trying to look intimidating, but all Mark does is cup his cheeks and squish them.
“Hurry up,” Jaemin mumbles, biting at his fingernail. “We got, like, four minutes before Renjun starts knocking on the door.”
“Got to make use of it, don’t we?” Mark chuckles, toying with the neckline of Jeno’s shirt as he leans in, closer, closer, closer , just enough to feel their lips brush together.
Jeno huffs and gently digs his fingers into Mark’s hips as he finally, finally , closes the distance.
This kiss is different, but Mark relishes it all the same.
If Jaemin’s kiss lit him on fire, Jeno’s kiss douses him with the cold Mark so desperately needs. Jeno’s lips are more tentative, softer than Jaemin’s were, but Mark keeps chasing the feeling, and he’s in bliss.
Jeno’s giggling shyly against Mark’s lips, his fingers dancing against his waist as Mark slips his hands down to where the crop top ends and bare skin begins, stroking Jeno’s back with his thumbs. And as he arches his back, all Mark can think is pretty pretty pretty .
Mark smiles as he bites Jeno’s bottom lip, relishing in Jeno’s soft lip between his teeth. His fingers continue to brush over his skin and Jeno’s almost squealing from laughter against him and Mark can’t get enough.
Jeno leans back as Mark still has a hold on his lip, and he giggles again and the older still can’t believe this is real. It feels like he’s back in his junior high days where their lives weren’t intertwined and Mark could never imagine being friends with these people.
And if he was being honest, Mark wouldn’t have this any other way.
He eventually lets go of Jeno’s lip and smiles, but then Jeno whines again, and when Mark stops and raises an eyebrow, Jeno just pulls him closer again and kisses him senseless. And Mark drowns in it, drowns in him , until all he can think is Jeno Jeno Jeno .
Jeno pulls away when he sees Jaemin walking away from the door, and Mark silently walks over. He falls back against the door with a loud thud, and he chuckles when Renjun starts yelling at him.
Mark just smiles fondly as Jeno holds Jaemin’s hips and kisses him sweetly, seemingly lost in their feelings and in themselves.
It almost scares him when he realizes just how much he wants this to be more than just a one night fling.
“How much time do we have?” Mark yells out, glancing over as Jeno and Jaemin kiss even more enthusiastically. He wishes it wasn’t so enrapturing, seeing Jeno squeal in bliss as Jaemin practically lifts him, seeing Jaemin smile against Jeno’s lips. He wishes it wasn’t so enrapturing, because it just makes him want to kiss them both at the same time.
Renjun’s probably yelled the time already, but Mark literally can’t focus anymore.
He doesn’t register his feet taking him back to Jeno and Jaemin, and he doesn’t register pressing his fingers against Jaemin’s waist.
But what he does register, however, is Jaemin’s burning skin against his lips.
Mark smiles against his skin as Jaemin presses himself against Jeno, and his heart can’t help but thrum excitedly when he hears (more like feels ) Jaemin’s giggle. He feels the fireworks shooting wildly in his brain, he feels Jaemin’s muscles shifting under his skin when he moves his hands up and down Jeno’s sides, he feels more than he ever has in his whole life.
But as quickly as it begins, it comes to an end.
Someone’s knocking rapidly on the door, and Mark’s head snaps up instantly. He immediately misses the feeling of Jaemin’s skin against him and he would try and kiss him again if it isn’t for Renjun yelling, “If you guys are fucking in there—“
Jeno laughs breathily before he rolls his eyes and unlocks the door. “We’re not, for your information. That’s gross . Why would we fuck in your smelly closet?”
Mark has to hold back a snort before he unlocks the door. He waves sheepishly at the people still in the circle, whose eyes almost seem too wide for their faces. Someone walks up behind Mark, wraps his arm around his shoulders and pulls him to his chest, and Mark only giggles to himself.
“Hey Jaemin,” Mark chuckles out, his eyes half lidded as he leans into the touch. He tries to ignore the coos that arise from the crowd, and it’s not all too hard when Jeno’s reaching for his hand and squeezing it as he pulls him down. The group’s already moving onto the next victim, but Mark can’t help but lift his fingers to his lips and tap them a couple times, still feeling phantom lips against his own.
He turns to look at Jeno and Jaemin, letting out a shaky breath before he says hesitantly, “I want to do that again.”
“Yeah?” Jaemin raises an eyebrow, but he’s smiling like a fool. “Maybe we can arrange that.”
Mark doesn’t miss how Jeno’s grip tightens on his hand, and he surely doesn’t miss how Jaemin’s hand runs through Mark’s hair. And all he can hope is that all this will happen again soon.
(To his joy, Mark finds a baseball cap face down on his desk in psychology not even a week later. And when he pulls the slip out of the hat, he can’t help but grin like crazy as he reads the words Go out with us? )