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"jaemin, meet our neighbor!" jaemin's mom said, gesturing to the slightly older boy in yellow shirt with a bright smile and bright eyes. "hi! i'm minhyung!" minhyung said to jaemin, beaming more to him, his hand held out for a handshake. jaemin held his hand and smiled back to him. "hi! i'm jaemin!" he said. "let's be good friends!"
to say jaemin and minhyung became best friends was a big understatement. the two boys were always attached to the hip, always doing things together.
a loud knock was to be hear in the na residences in early in the morning, but six year old jaemin was already awake and leaped excitedly when he heard the knock. uickly grabbing his jacket, he kissed his mom and ran for the door, minhyung waiting for him in their front porch, already in his bike. "hurry up jaemin!" minhyung shouted. jaemin rolled his eyes and rode his own bike. it was a routine for the both of them; going out for a little bike ride around their block, enjoying the early morning breeze. by late morning, jaemin and minhyung would be back and jaemin's mother would have prepared sliced watermelons for them to eat while they sat in the front porch, talking or singing loudly.
"min-hyung, shouldn't you think we have a theme song?" jaemin asks one summer day, eating on his fruit kebab. "you know, best friend theme song!" jaemin said. minhyung hummed. silence followed them both as they ate their fruit kebabs.
"cause it's you and me and all of the people with nothing to do, nothing to lose" minhyung started off suddenly. jaemin, out of reflex continued the next line with mark. "and it's you and me and all of the people" jaemin sang and smiled. "and I don't know why I can't keep my eyes off of you" both of them finished, looking into each others eyes and smiling. mark let out a giggle. "so it's settled then, min-hyung?" jaemin said. minhyung giggle again. "any song would be our platonic theme song, minnie" minhyung replied. "but okay." he hummed.
the two kids sat back on "their tree" in a small hill near their neighborhood, a "njm + lmh" engraved to a tree with their messy kid sculpt-writing. "what do you want to be in the future, minnie?" seven year old minhyung asked jaemin. "hmm." jaemin thought a little bit. "i think i'd be a volunteer!" jaemin said proudly, a bright smile in his face. "i'm really interested and i think i like volunteering with my mom! so i might do it in the future too!" jaemin said. "what about you, min-hyung?" minhyung smiled. "i want to be an idol!" minhyung said. jaemin's eyes sparkled in interest. "promise me to give me your very first signed album when you become one!" jaemin said, holding his pinky out. minhyung giggled and sealed their pinky promise. "min-hyung would probably shine on stage" jamein said absentmindedly, which made the older a little flustered. "you better promise me that we'll do every of our dreams toether, okay?" jaemin said. "best friends forever!" he held out his pinky again. "friends forever, minnie." minhyung replied and clasped his pinkies with jaemin once again.
they sat quietly side to side, singing their theme song, pinkies still connected and smiling. by the time they went down the hill and went home, both of them smelled like sun and sweat, but dreams and pinky promises in their minds.
when school started, minhyung had been joining in a lot of singing contest, in which some he won; jaemin has been going with his mom a lot in volunteer work, sometimes just to look and sometimes to help his mother. but the two boys always made time for each other in between. the moment school was over, either one of them is probably running to each other's houses or to 'their tree' and talk about how thier day went and play with minhyung's nintendo.
jaemin was dressed and bike already in his hands but what greeted him made him freeze.
"minnie!" minhyung shouted. his parents held him by his elbows, minhyung was shouting to jaemin who was frozen in place. "let me go! let me go!" minhyung shouted persistently, tears already flowing down his cheeks. "minhyung." his dad strictly said. "we have to go." minhyung shouted and kicked on the air, resisting from his parents' hold. once his one arm was freed from his mother's hold though, he immediately tugged on his other and ran to jaemin, clinging to him. "minnie. minnie." minhyung whispered as he buried his face in the smaller's neck, jaemin remained frozen, everything overwhelming the six year old.
minhyung's dad ripped minhyung away from jaemin, who wailed. "no! i don't want to leave jaemin!" he shouted at his dad, who kind of harshly pushed minhyung to the backseat. jaemin then came back to his senses. minhyung's mom already sat in shotgun and his dad has stated the car and moved slowly. jaemin hopped to his bike and chased after the car. "min-hyung!" he shouted, willing not to let his tears fall. minhyung opened the windows, his face tear stricken as he looked at the younger trying his best to catch up to the car.
but jaemin is a seven year old in a bike, that could only take him a little distance. the car increased distance as it exited their neighborhood, and jaemin's legs were giving up. jaemin's bike abruptly stopped due to his legs tiredness, he fell to the road and scraped his knee. it hurt, but nothing could hurt more than his heart; now that his best friend had left him, without even saying a proper goodbye.
"you broke your promise." jaemin mumbled, the tears welling up in his eyes now. his dad came to pick him up and his mother has treated his scraped knee. jaemin started singin softly, trying to distract himself from tears.
what happened to promises?
to say jaemin was surprised, was an understatement. when he was called to a room, his trainee friends (namely jeno, jisung and haechan) being there, and he was told he was going to debut, he was overjoyed. he was debuting with friends, of course he was happy. but what he didn't epect was when he was sitting there calmly chatting with his friends and the two other chinese trainees, was a familiar face entering the room.
"everyone," the manager said. "this is mark lee." the boy with smiled and bowed. but the moment he raised his head, he made an intense eye contact with jaemin. "i hope you all work well!" the manager said, but their gazes didn't falter, oblivious to the two. "well, that will be all for today now. you can go talk with each other and i'll just message you when will rehearsals start." the manager said before leaving.
jaemin and mark lee stared at each other intensely. "what's happening?" renjun whispered to jeno. jeno shrugged and observed the two back, tension thick in the air with the two having their staring contest. "so you're back." jaemin said thickly, eyes cold as he stared at mark. "minnie_ mark started but cutted of by jaemin angry shout, "don't call me that!" thick silence filed the air again. "i can't with this i'm going out" jaemin grumbled. stalking off the practice room and slamming the door.
jaemin took a deep breath and calmed himself. "he's back"he whispered. his heart throbbed and his body wanted nothing but to hug the older and apologize and make up for the time they lost. seven years has passsed and jaemin is fourteen. "he left you jaemin." jaemin whispered to himself as he took the stairs down the building.
during the rehearsal period, jaemin ignored mark lee, only talking when necessary. he became sort of leader of the group and befriended the others quickly. he was also determined to make up with jaemin, although the younger only ignoring his attempts.
mark would try and talk to him during practices for chewing gum. offer jaemin to go eat lunch with him. mark tried his best to make up for jaemin. jaemin is too busy ignoring mark's attempts to see the older deflate everytime he ignored or rejected him, but always pumping his fist as encouragement to try more and make up with jaemin.
"you can do this, minhyung.'
however, mark lee is also a person and he breaks too.
the two were practicing for chewing gum, few weeks before their scheduled debut. it was only the two of them and it was quiet, the air between them thick as they practiced in each other's presence silently. by the time it was dawn, the two sat in the opposite sides of the practice room. jaemin had his eyes closed. mark crossed his fingers in his back and willed himself to try again.
"hey jaemin-" mark had barely time to even start but jaemin had already remarked at him snappily. "don't you ever get tired, mark-ssi." mark winced at the name jaemin called him. "listen, i know your trying to fix everything from seven years ago, but it's not gonna work, mark lee." jaemin said seriously. "i'm here to work professionally. whatever we had seven years ago, was lost. so get lost." jaemin said through gritted teeth and walked out, leaving minhyung in the practice rooms, tears already streaming down his face.
the night after that incident with mark in the practice room, jaemin admittedly felt guilty after what he said to mark. but the damage has been done.
ater that, mark has stopped nagging jaemin, to which the other "dreamies" surprise. mark was known to be always nagging unto jaemin. donghyuck and jeno has asked jaemin about it one time but jaemin just shrugged and went back to practice.
(no, he wont admit to himself that maybe he does missed mark's nagging to him)
the dreamies were allowed to take a small break before their debut and mark went home to visit his parents in their old house. he smiled sadly as memories flooded into him, all the best memories of childhood he has and the worst. the na's greeted jaemin warmly as he passed by their house. mark walked through the neighborhood aimlessly and through the familiar hill.
now, mark stood infront of 'their' tree and traced his fingers over the old carving he and jaemin did. he could feel tear well up his eyes as his knees gave out on him. "god, jaemin." mark whimpered and leaned on the trunk of the tree. "i fucking missed you." mark cried softly, all the memories coming back. "fuck." mark groaned. "i still fucking love you, even after all this time, i still love you, na jaemin." mark whispered, his tears ceasing and he let out deep breathes.
mark lee realized he loved na jaemin when he was laying in his bed thinking of jaemin again and the words "i love you" slipping out of his mouth unknowingly.
mark looked at the orange hues of the setting sky. "i love you, na jaemin. and i'm sorry for leaving you." mark whispered to air. he felt the tiredness of his eyes as he just stared at the setting sky, the cool breeze blowing his hair slightly. mark closed his eyes and let himself relax a little singing to their song, only to open his eyes with familiar black ones. jaemin stared at mark, his tall height towering over the petite older.
jaemin's gaze was cold and firm at mark, wherein the latter could feel his tired eyes water again. mark immediately stood up, wiping his eyes with his blazer and took off.
'i'm not letting you go again'
na jaemin realized he did love and care for mark lee when lee jeno slapped him in the face that he was fooling himself that he hated mark lee for something he had no control as a child and he was losing mark (if not, had already lost) the more he pushes him away.
in a swift motion, jaemin grabbed mark's arm and pulled him into a tight hug. "mark." jaemin let out softly, in a broken voice. "mark. mark. minhyung" jaemin whispered, pulling mark closer, his voice breaking when he said mark's birth name. "minhyung." jaemin whispered again, his face buried in mark's neck. "im so sorry." he let out brokenly. "for everything ive done to you."
mark looked up at jaemin and cupped his face in his hands. "jaemin. minnie. no." mark said. "im the one who should be sorry, minnie." mark said, the nickname slipping of his moith easily. "i should be the one sorry because i left you minnie." mark said softly, almost to himself. jaemin pulled mark closer into the hug and the two basked in silence.
"i love you too, minhyung." jaemin suddenly said. "i overheard you awhile ago and, i love you too, minhyung. after all this time." jaemin said. mark blushed. jaemin smiled. "can i kiss you?" jaemin asked, staring into mark's eyes. mark snorted remembering a lot of times jaemin would kiss him out of happiness as kids. "you always kissed me when we were kids anyways why askㅡ" mark was cut off with jaemin's lips sealing unto his. mark was taken aback but smiled and kissed jaemin's (dry) ljps back. when they pulled back they smiled at each other and giffled, a little punch from mark. "i love you minnie." mark said, as they walked down the hill, hand and hand. jaemin held tighter to mark's hand. "i love you too minhyungie." jaemin replied, kissing mark's knuckles. "after all this time, you and me."