Work Text:
Jeno has never empathized more with Mark than he did at the moment- he sent a grateful prayer to the gods above for sending down one of their angels in the form of Mark Lee, because he couldn’t for the life of him, understand how the older guy could bare doing this for all of them in a nearly weekly basis. Shopping for his housemates is the worst thing he has ever been forced to do his whole life. He had just been heading home from his last lecture- happily imagining a whole weekend he could enjoy without essays to correct and assignments to check, when he received a seemingly innocent message on their group chat…
Mochisung:
Hyung, can you please pass by the market to buy eggs?
Thank you!
Jeno-jam:
I haven’t agreed yet brat!
Mochisung:
TT^TT
Jeno-jam:
Oh fine, is that all that you need?
And maybe it was his fault for asking, but he hadn’t been expecting them to actually take his offer, maybe he should have, considering whom his friends were. Suddenly, everyone at home needed one thing or the other from the market and they just had to tell him once after the other…
Mochisung:
Can you buy me my favorite chips too?
Jeno-jam:
I’ll see if they have it.
Nana:
Jen, can you please check if they’ve got my conditioner on sale?
I’m kind of running low and I’m not sure I’ll have time to shop
This week…
Jeno-jam:
Sure thing Jaem
Injunnie:
We’re out of soy sauce; make sure to grab some,
Oh and check if it’s low-sodium k?
Jeno-jam:
Ok, I’ve just parked.
Is there anything else?
Hyuckie:
Mark used up my body wash!
Please pick up a bottle for me~
Ima:
I told you it wasn’t me!
Thanks for doing the grocery run Jen!
Please buy a watermelon, I’m craving.
Check if it’s sweet!
Byulchen:
Oh ma gash! I almost missed grocery run!
Hyung, I need toothpaste, you know,
That special one that I use, thanks!
Jeno grabs a cart and shakes his head at their antics; usually Mark did the weekly grocery runs, which should not be confused with the weekly stocking that the part time maid does for them. He feels his phone manically buzzing in his pockets and he wonders if he could survive this trip. First he grabs the eggs and chips that Jisung asked for, then the soy sauce, before he makes his way to the toiletries section. He looks at the massive options for body wash and toothpaste and decides he should probably brave the group chat again; Hyuck would murder him if he brought home the wrongbody wash. Seeing the amount of messages though… he starts regretting agreeing to this.
Nana:
Jen, I’m craving chocolates…
You know my favorite, right?
Hyuckie:
Ima ate up my chips!!
I need my chips Jeno!!!
Ima:
I told you it wasn’t me!
Jen, make sure the watermelon is sweet.
Injunnie:
God, do you eat anything other than watermelon hyung?
Jen you’re almost out of deodorant, don’t forget that.
Hyuckie:
Apparently he eats my chips too!
Ima:
For the last time Donghyuck, it wasn’t me!
Byulchen:
Hyung can you please buy some ice cream~
Ima:
Oooh cookies n’ cream!
Byulchen:
No way! I requested it! Vanilla!!
Hyuckie:
Boring ass Vanilla!
Only intellectuals know that rocky road is the best!
Injunnie:
Intellectual? Definitely not you then!
Jen I want green tea flavor.
Nana:
I don’t think they sell that in tubs Junnie,
I want mint chocolate chip!
Mochisung:
Can’t we all just agree on Chocolate?
Everyone loves chocolate right?
Byulchen:
If that’s what you want Sungie~
I still think Vanilla is superior though.
Hyuckie:
Whipped
Fine
What Maknae wants, Maknae gets.
Nana:
Of course we can have chocolate!
If that’s what my baby wants~
Injunnie:
Btw Ahjumma said she forgot to buy detergent,
So please buy that too,
Hypoallergenic, got it?
Ima:
You haven’t forgotten my watermelon, right?
Jeno-jam:
You guys are menaces,
That’s what you all are,
My phone’s been pinging like crazy!
All because of ice cream?
See if I buy you guys any!
Mochisung:
TT^TT
Jeno-jam:
Don’t you dare try that again on me!
You’re the one who got me into this whole situation!
What kind of body wash does Hyuck even use?
Chenle! You better clarify what toothpaste you want me to get!
Else I’m getting you Signal Kids!
Mark-hyung…
How the hell am I supposed to know if the watermelon is sweet?!
Injunnie:
Look what you’ve done,
I don’t think Nana will talk to you tonight.
Jeno-jam:
That picture is from freaking last year!
What the hell does hypoallergenic even mean?!
Hyuckie:
Uncultured Swine…
Jeno feels like pulling his hair out in frustration; he loves his friends- some more than the others, he really does but sometimes they get on his nerve and all he wants to do is to knock some sense into them. He finally lines up after finding everything the guys asked for and thanks his lucky stars that there’s very little people at the counters.
“Big family?” the cashier asks as Jeno carefully piles everything onto the conveyor belt, he nods in reply and continues on his task. Finally done, he surveys the racks by the counter and checks out the promotion the market has going on. He reads about the ongoing project they have with a non-government organization to help kids return school and couldn’t keep his comment to himself.
“Oh, I know someone who would absolutely adore that!” He exclaims excitedly; he pulls out his phone to take a snapshot of the sign, and promptly send it to Jaemin, knowing it would make his day.
“Your girlfriend, I assume?” The cashier smiled along playfully. Jeno looks at her and tilts his head in confusion before realizing what she was implying.
“No, my boyfriend actually… one of them anyway!” He smiles; his phone pings and as expected, Jaemin is happy to hear about the program and tells Jeno to ask how it works, Renjun on the other hand shares his suspicions on the trustworthiness of the Market.
“Will these be all?” Jeno looks up and sees the cashier smiling at him sheepishly; he nods and hands his card over, enters the pin and waits for his receipt. He high-tail’s it out of the market with his cart full of recyclable tote bags, he load the bags in his car and as soon as he pulls out of the parking space, his phone pings again.
Injunnie:
Drive carefully, eyes on the road!
Nana:
We love you!
Jeno-jam:
I love you both too~
Injunnie:
I said eyes on the road!!!
Jeno opts not to reply to that, the other will only get mad if he does. He drives home carefully as requested and as soon as the house in sight, he remembers something… The freaking ice cream!
Bonus:
Jeno is welcomed into the home by his friends who- thankfully, each grab a bag from him. He greets his boyfriend’s with kisses and leaves the room, hoping- even when he knows it’s useless, that none of his friends notice the absence of that cursed thing. He changes into a comfy attire and starts relaxing into the bed when the door is dramatically thrown open.
“Where is the ICE CREAM?!” Donghyuck, Chenle and Jisung scream in chorus. Jeno sighs and buries his head with his pillow, wishing they could just disappear. He loves his friends, he really does… but sometimes he wants a time machine just so he can ask the younger him what the hell he thought he was doing when he decided to move in with not only his boyfriends but his best friends too… talk about Exhausting.