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“Is there a Princess Hyerim who lives in this kingdom?”
The man’s voice rang, somehow being heard above the crowd of screaming children and the loud theme song coming from the large speakers set up in the backyard. Jeno didn’t think his headache could worsen.
Jeno’s done a lot in his twenty-six years of life that have brought on headaches. Bar crawled his way throughout the city until the sun came up, attended concerts where he’d been sat directly next to the large amps and speakers, had a child. Giving a crowd of children various sweets and then bringing along a paid actor playing a prince from some popular children’s show had to have brought along the worst headache of them all, though.
His head was aching. It had been ever since his daughter’s birthday party had started. Jeno just couldn’t wait for everyone to disperse so he could take a couple of Advil before struggling to get his daughter to get to bed.
“Me!” Hyerim screeched from Jeno’s arms. She squirmed around in his hold, her arms flailing around while she tried to get the attention of the actor. “Me! I’m Hyerim!”
Jeno wasn’t sure where she had gotten her loud, social, and boisterous personality from because it certainly hadn’t been him. Hyerim had never been afraid of new people, which led to many “No talking to strangers” scoldings from Jeno. She had the most energy Jeno thinks he’s ever seen in a kid, and the number of sweets he and his parents had given her that day simply had not helped.
“Princess Hyerim,” The actor breathed out, making his way through the crowd towards Hyerim and Jeno. Jeno could see the way the gold embellishments on the actor’s coat glistened in the sunlight. He could also tell the white costume would be dirtied by the number of sticky hands that would inevitably be all over his clothes.
Jeno could also tell the actor had been far more handsome than the animated character he was supposed to be playing. His hair a soft brown color, styled almost exactly as the animated character’s hair had been, with just a single strand of hair falling to his forehead. A soft rosy blush had been swept across his cheeks and a glittery highlight lining his cheekbones. His lips had been painted with a soft coral pink lip tint, and Jeno could see the white eyeliner lining his waterline in an attempt to make his eyes appear bigger. Jeno had to give it to him; he did a pretty good damn job at capturing the character’s appearance.
“What an honor it is to meet you. I heard that it’s your birthday today, is that right?” The prince hummed
Hyerim nodded quickly. “I’m six today! And my grandma bought me this dress and my daddy did my hair, so I look like a princess!” She squirmed a bit more, and Jeno finally decided to put her down. His back was beginning to ache from carrying her anyway. Either he was getting old, or his daughter was getting too big. Jeno didn’t want to think about either option. He’d already cried to his mother about Hyerim growing up so fast the week prior.
The prince’s eyes followed Hyerim’s as Jeno put her down, kneeling to her height. Despite the large crowd of children waiting their turn to talk to the so-called prince, he looked at Hyerim as if she had been the only child there. “Your father did your hair? Is his the king of this kingdom?”
Hyerim nodded again, turning her head to pull at the hem of Jeno’s shirt before turning back to the prince. “This is my daddy.”
The prince’s grin only seemed to widen as he led his eyes up Jeno’s body and to his eyes. His stare was intense, and Jeno had to clear his throat and look away after just a couple of seconds.
“It’s an honor to meet the king. I do apologize for my late appearance; your street doesn’t seem to allow for carriage parking.” The prince stood up, extending a gloved hand for Jeno to shake. Jeno couldn’t help the meek laugh that escaped his lips, reaching out to give the actor’s hand a quick shake.
“But, Princess Hyerim, I’ve brought a gift for you. I couldn’t show up to the Princess’ party without a gift, could I?” The prince pulled his hand away from Jeno’s, reaching into the satchel at his side. Hyerim bounced in excitement, watching intently as he pulled something from the bag.
“Every princess deserves a tiara. Consider this a gift from my kingdom to you, Princess Hyerim.” The actor hummed, pulling a small crown from the brown pouch.
Hyerim gasped immediately at the sight before squealing and jumping up and down. The actor laughed at the girl’s excitement before looking back up at Jeno. His stare had been just as intense as the first time, and his smile just as blinding. Jeno swore he could see a small animated sparkle that appeared at one of his teeth.
“Would the king like to place the tiara on the princess, or should I have this honor?” He spoke, holding the tiara out for Jeno to take.
Any of the party’s older attendees would be able to tell that said tiara had simply been a flimsy piece of plastic with fake jewels hot glued onto it. Jeno could’ve probably found something similar in a pack of five for just a dollar at the dollar tree. But Hyerim looked up at the crown with sparkles in her eyes, clearly enamored by the piece of plastic and the experience that came with it.
Jeno took the piece of plastic from the actor’s hands before kneeling to Hyerim’s height. She quickly turned around, rocking back and forth on her heels in excitement. She grinned, showing off one of her front teeth that she had lost not too long ago. Every day she began to grow into her own features, losing little habits or small traits she had gotten from Jeno as she became her own person. Jeno thought he could cry again from how big she had gotten.
“Daddy put it on!” She whined in impatience, putting her hands on her father’s shoulders.
Jeno gave her a small smile, gently placing the plastic tiara on her head and making sure it was steady. He pushed a couple of strands away from her face before leaning in and pressing a kiss against Hyerim’s forehead. “You look so pretty, baby.” He hummed, squishing her cheeks.
“Like a princess?” Hyerim asked, a hopeful glint in her eyes.
“Like the most beautiful princess,” Jeno confirmed, pressing another kiss against her forehead before standing up straight. His gaze returned to the prince in front of them, who looked at them with a fond smile that reached his eyes. He clearly hadn’t wanted to disturb their moment.
“Princess Hyerim, though I would love to chat more with you, I think I should greet others from your kingdom. Would the king be so kind as to take a quick picture of us to remember this moment of our kingdoms meeting?” The actor spoke, glancing between the two.
It took a second for Jeno to completely register the actor’s words before nodding, fumbling to get his phone out of the back pocket of his jeans. The prince knelt to Hyerim’s height once more, posing with Hyerim for the quick pictures Jeno and his parents took before he stood straight again.
“Princess Hyerim, it was a pleasure to meet you,” He hummed before glancing up to Jeno. “And King…” He trailed off, hoping Jeno would pick up on his cue of giving him his name.
“Jeno.”
“King Jeno. It has such a lovely ring to it.” The actor grinned. “King Jeno, I express my utmost gratitude for the invitation to your kingdom. I hope to speak to you sometime again soon.” He hummed, beginning to take steps towards the line of children that had formed to meet him.
“Isn’t Jaemin so charming?” Jeno could hear his mother coo from beside him. Her lithe hands wrapped around her son’s bicep, pressing her body close to his side as she watched the Prince walk away.
“Who?” Jeno furrowed his eyebrows but kept his eyes on his daughter, who had run off with her friends to show off the tiara she had gotten from the prince. Jeno already knew it would be a challenge to get Hyerim to take it off, and she’d probably ask to wear it to school every day for the next three weeks.
“The prince. His name is Jaemin.” She hummed. “I told you hiring him was a good idea. Did you see how happy Hyerim was?”
Maybe his mother had a point. Hyerim’s happiness and excitement had been worth the costly bill. The entire party, though Jeno would say it had been a bit over-the-top, had been worth it to see his daughter clearly so ecstatic as she ran around with her friends.
“You should ask Jaemin for his number after the party,” His mother then spoke. Jeno simply groaned, moving away from his mom.
“You need to stop setting me up with everyone you meet who is somewhat young and single,” Jeno huffed out.
It was a habit his mother had. Nudging his side whenever someone mildly attractive and young passed by him or trying to set him up on dates with daughters and sons of some of her friends, claiming that he wasn’t getting younger. Jeno hadn’t minded the single life, probably because parent life had been far too consuming for him even to stop and think about a romantic relationship.
But Jaemin was cute. Jeno had to admit that. Jaemin was incredibly attractive, and the way he interacted with all of the neighborhood kids had only added to his attractiveness. Jeno still didn’t think he would make a move on him. Despite his stupidly handsome smile, or the way he looked at everyone as if what they were saying was the most important information in the world, or how beautifully the sun reflected off his glittery cheeks.
Jeno thought, maybe, he’d be single for the rest of his life. Or at least until Hyerim had been old enough to care for herself for a couple of hours while Jeno went out on a date. Jeno didn’t want to think that far into the future, though. He was already emotional over his daughter turning six. Thinking about her turning sixteen would turn him into an inconsolable mess. Maybe the Prince would come to his rescue then.
Jaemin stayed for his paid two hours, walking around the backyard, entertaining guests, and taking pictures with whoever had asked. Hyerim had eventually found her way back to him, clinging onto his leg at one point. She wouldn’t leave him alone until the hired DJ played some song from the show Jaemin’s character was from, and Jaemin twirled her around a couple of times. Jeno had only felt mildly offended, since Hyerim had pushed him away when he tried dancing with her earlier. He couldn’t believe she was already getting to the age where she felt slightly embarrassed being seen with her father by her friends.
“Princess Hyerim, it has been so lovely meeting you and visiting your kingdom. I hope one day you and King Jeno can visit my kingdom. We welcome you with open arms. For now, I must leave. My people are waiting for me.” Jaemin spoke, standing up from where he was crouching amongst the group of children who were trying to get their last few minutes with him in.
“Jeno, why don’t you lead him out the door? I’ll watch over Hyerim.” Jeno’s mother hummed, sending him a wink afterward. Jeno rolled his eyes, knowing it was his mother’s petty attempt at shoving Jeno towards Jaemin in hopes that something happens between them.
“Prince,” Jeno cleared his throat, nodding his head in the direction of the home. “I’ll help you out.” He spoke. The grin on Jaemin’s face only seemed to widen at the thought of Jeno leading him out rather than his mother.
“My mom paid you already, right?” Jeno spoke, walking into the home and motioning for Jaemin to follow. The loud music and sounds of children screaming and laughing were immediately muffled as the sliding glass door shut behind Jaemin.
Only a couple of people had been lounging around inside of the home. They were mostly childless adults who had known him or his parents somehow to drop off a present for Hyerim and grab a slice of free birthday cake. Jeno couldn’t blame them. The birthday cake they had gotten for Hyerim had been pretty good, and he knew he’d sneak a couple of bites into the leftovers once Hyerim went to bed.
“She only paid the down payment, which was about half the total. The rest was supposed to be paid the day of.” Jaemin responded, pulling the white gloves off his hands and sticking them into a pocket. He shook his hands a bit, probably trying to dry them of the sweat that undoubtedly coated them. Jeno didn’t understand how Jaemin hadn’t suffered a heat stroke with the number of layers he had been wearing.
Jeno groaned. Of course, his mother hadn’t paid the full fee, and of course, she hadn’t let Jeno know of anything beforehand. Jeno would’ve undoubtedly had said no to the whole thing in the first place had he been aware. Jeno just had to mentally repeat to himself that it had all been worth it seeing Hyerim so happy.
“Does the prince take Paypal as a form of payment?” Jeno sighed out, already reaching for his phone in his back pocket. His bank account had already been hurting from the outrageously large birthday party his parents insisted that they throw for Hyerim and the stack of gifts that she had already opened. Paying for and tipping the “Prince” his mother had hired was only doing more damage.
“The prince takes payment in the form of bank transfers, Paypal, and phone numbers from hot dads.” Jaemin grinned. “Unless you’re in a relationship. In that case, Paypal is fine with me.”
Jeno hands froze, unable to even open the payment app as Jaemin’s words rang loud in his head. He looked up from his screen, glancing at Jaemin, who had been rocking on his heels.
“Are you hitting on me?” Jeno asked though the answer had been too obvious. Jaemin wouldn’t have confidently asked for his number and called him a hot dad in the same sentence if he weren’t.
“My answer depends on if you’re taken, if you’ll give me a bad review if I did hit on you, or if you’re interested in me, too,” Jaemin replied.
Jeno could notice the slight drop in his voice as he shifted out of the character voice he used. His real voice being just a touch deeper and slightly more nasally than the character’s. It only added to the list of attractive qualities Jeno could already list about Jaemin.
“What’s your Paypal?” Jeno asked with a slightly shaky breath. He couldn’t see the way Jaemin’s face dropped, his eyes now back on his screen, but he could hear the disappointment in Jaemin’s voice when he replied.
“Right. It’s Na Jaemin 0-8-1-3, and then it’s just at Gmail dot com.”
Jeno nodded, quickly opening up the app and typing in the email and the payment amount. His fingers hesitated for a second as they hovered over the send button before his brain made the rash decision in quickly typing in a note and finally sending the payment.
“Just sent,” Jeno breathed out, pocketing his phone. He could hear the notification ring on Jaemin’s phone as the payment reached him. He looked up again to see Jaemin, who had been reaching into his pocket to pull out his phone and confirm the payment. “I sent the payment, and maybe something in the payment notes. I’m just hoping I’m the first parent you’ve asked out like this.”
The grin on Jaemin’s face returned as he looked at the notification, letting out a soft laugh as he read it. “You are. Maybe you can be the last, too,” He replied. “I’ll text you as soon as I get home.”
“I’ll be looking forward to it.”
-
Jeno forgot how to date, and he forgot how to flirt. After years of being single and probably only going on one or two dates since Hyerim was born, it was like Jeno lost all the experience he had from his teenage years. Jeno figured that out quickly after Jaemin texted him for the first time.
He could tell Jaemin was trying to flirt with him. Through the countless kaomojis and stupid TikToks Jaemin sent him since they had started texting, Jaemin was flirting with him and trying to clarify to Jeno that he was interested in him. Jeno didn’t need it to be any clearer. It had already been drilled into his brain that Jaemin was interested in possibly furthering their relationship, maybe even taking him on a date. Jeno just hadn’t been sure how to return his feelings of possible interest.
It wasn’t like Jeno had been incredibly experienced when he was a teenager, nor was he any sort of flirting master. But he certainly had been miles better at it than now, where he’d simply react to some of Jaemin’s flirty texts with a thumbs up. It was hard getting back into the groove of things and being interested in someone after several years of being single and only going on pathetic dates with people his mother had set him up on.
So it felt slightly unusual when Jaemin had finally asked him out on their first date. It’d be the first date Jeno had been on that someone had asked him out on since Hyerim was born. It wouldn’t just be some random blind date his mother had set him up on. Jeno, for once, knew the person he’d be seeing and actually be interested in.
Jaemin had given it to him straight when he asked him out, asking Jeno if he would maybe like to get dinner sometime. He clarified it didn’t have to be a date. Rather, he was just interested in getting to know Jeno. But he also told Jeno he wouldn’t be totally opposed to calling it a date either.
Jeno accepted, but only after typing out a thousand different ways of saying yes to him, before ultimately deciding on something along the lines of he’d love to go on a date with Jaemin. Jeno found it emotionally draining and found himself joining Hyerim in a nap before even seeing what Jaemin had responded with.
When he had woken up, he had a couple of messages from Jaemin. A couple of selfies, mixed in with a couple of kaomojis, as he told Jeno he couldn’t wait to take him out.
-
“I’m so fucking sorry I’m late,” Jaemin panted out as soon as Jeno got into the car. Jeno’s eyes trailed along Jaemin’s body, looking at his disheveled state. His clothes had been hastily thrown on, his hair matted down onto his sweaty forehead. His face had still been caked with character makeup, though certain areas had been spotting, presumably due to the sweat. “The birthday party I was at ran late, and I was hired to be there for the whole fucking time, and I rushed over as soon as it was over. I had to change out of my costume in the backseat.”
Jeno couldn’t help but stare for just a second. Although part of his mascara has been smudged, and the concealer underneath his eyes had been creasing, Jeno couldn’t help but admire how pretty Jaemin had looked. Even with a cheap graphic tee quite literally thrown on and his hair a mess. Something about Jaemin had always made him look so enchanting and magical.
“You were only thirty minutes late. It’s okay,” Jeno let out a soft laugh, watching as Jaemin pushed the matted hair away from his forehead. It was slightly more attractive than Jeno cared to admit. His tardiness hadn’t been as attractive, though.
He could see the glitter on Jaemin’s cheeks sparkle just slightly as a couple of cars passed by, their headlights lighting up the inside of the vehicle. Jeno wasn’t sure if the pink in Jaemin’s cheeks had been blush or a result of moving around so quickly and getting all sweaty.
“What are you staring at?” Jaemin frowned. “Do I look stupid? I promise I would’ve actually taken my time to look somewhat ready for our first date if I had the time,” Jaemin reached up to pull down the mirror, but Jeno grabbed onto his wrist, shaking his head.
“You look fine.” He assured Jaemin. Jeno gave him a fond smile, lowering their hands to the center console. “I was just trying to figure which character you were playing based on your makeup.” He lied.
Jeno knew a couple of his friends would scold him for going on a date with someone who showed up late for their first date. Part of him had been somewhat frustrated with Jaemin just seconds before he got into Jaemin’s car. It hadn’t completely diminished as soon as he laid his eyes on him and saw how apologetic he seemed to be, but Jeno could find it within himself to excuse it this once. What could Jeno say? He was a sucker for cute boys. There was no lying when Jeno told himself most of his infatuation with Jaemin up to that point had purely been because Jaemin had been so attractive. Jeno just hoped everything else about Jaemin had been just as attractive.
“I doubt you’d be able to tell now, my makeup is sort of all gross, and I took off the wig I was wearing,” Jaemin let out a soft laugh as the tension left his body. Jeno could see the way his muscles relaxed. He shifted his body slightly, turning on the light in the backseat to give them some better lighting. “Take a guess then. I won’t be offended if you can’t figure it out.”
Jeno let out a large breath of air, his eyes scanning over Jaemin’s makeup again. His natural eyebrow hairs had been brushed up slightly, the gaps being filled in with a soft auburn color, making them appear more red than brown. Blush ran across his nose, a couple of fake freckles spread along the bridge of his nose and onto his cheeks. The highpoints of his face had been swept with a gold, glittery highlighter that glistened whenever he moved his face. Besides that, he had done his seemingly usual trick of lining his waterline with white, and his lips painted a simple shade of pink.
“Peter Pan?” Jeno guessed, biting down on his tongue afterward.
Jaemin let out a noise that was a mixture of a laugh and a scold, lightly hitting Jeno’s forearm. “How did you know? Did you see my costume when you came in?” He turned his head to look into the backseat, presumably to see if he had left his costume out for Jeno to see.
“It was the red eyebrows. You were either Peter Pan or Ariel. I thought Peter Pan seemed more likely,” Jeno let out a soft laugh as Jaemin returned his gaze to him.
“Maybe I’ll need to make an Ariel costume then. I’ll first have to figure out my shell size,” Jaemin’s hands went to his chest, pretending to push up his pecs. It was Jeno’s turn to lightly smack Jaemin as he threw back his head in laughter.
“But, Jeno, really. I’m so sorry for being late.” Jaemin sighed, looking at the time on his phone. “They probably already gave up our table. I’m sorry. I promise I’ll make it up to you if you let me.”
Maybe Jeno was too weak. Maybe he shouldn’t forgive Jaemin so easily. But it was hard to be mad at a man who had been a real-life Prince Charming. Jeno didn’t see the harm in giving him one more shot. If it worked out, he’d be glad he had given him the chance. If not, Jeno would block his number and enjoy a bottle of wine by himself and once again would swear he wouldn’t date until Hyerim was in her teenage years.
“I’ll let it slide this once,” Jeno spoke. “Only if we get McDonald’s and you pay.”
Jaemin seemed to brighten up at that, his blinding smile returning to his face as he reached to start his car.
“I’ll even get you a McFlurry to express how apologetic I am,”
-
Jeno had ended up having a much better time than he had ever imagined. Not that he was expecting to have a terrible time with Jaemin, but he never really considered how enjoyable eating Mcdonald’s in an empty parking lot could be.
Jeno figured out pretty quickly that Jaemin is, in fact, just as attractive personality-wise as he is appearance-wise.
“All I’m saying is,” Jaemin plucked one of Jeno’s fries, dipping it into his McFlurry before throwing it into his mouth. “They do go together.” He spoke while chewing.
Jeno cringed, throwing a fry in Jaemin’s direction. “That’s gross. That’s like something Hyerim would come up with. You have the tastebuds of a child .” He gagged.
Jaemin simply picked up the fry Jeno threw, repeating his process of dipping it in the ice cream. “Says the guy who admitted to dipping his pizza in honey,” Jaemin said. “But speaking of Hyerim, tell your babysitter I said sorry for making them work the extra half hour. I’ll send you some money to cover whatever their price is.”
Jeno shook his head. “It’s fine. She’s with my parents for the night. I’m pretty sure she loves spending time with them more than she likes spending time with me. She’s always so excited when I drop her off at their house.”
Jaemin pushed his shoulder. “I’m sure that’s not true. You’re a good dad,”
“You’ve only seen me in parent mode for like, two hours,” Jeno laughed.
“Okay, that might be true, but,” Jaemin turned his body to face Jeno. His knee nearly knocked one of the McFlurries out of the cupholder in the process, and Jaemin had to quickly save it before continuing. “You always talk about her like she’s the light of your life. Like, whether it’s through text, or when you were talking about her earlier, you just brighten up? You get so excited to talk about her, even if you don’t realize it. It’s cute. I’m sure she knows how much you love her and loves you just as much back.”
Jeno couldn’t help the way his heart fluttered at Jaemin’s words. His lips pulled into a smile he couldn’t control, and his fingers folded over the paper wrapping his burger had come with. Jeno had always thought of himself as a decent dad. Certainly not the worst, but probably not the best. There were more instances than he could count where he had forgotten to pack Hyerim a lunch for school or some nights where Jeno had just gotten too frustrated, and he had to drop off Hyerim at his parents’ home for the night to just be alone for a couple of hours. But he did everything he could for Hyerim, and for the past six years, his whole life had revolved around her. Though Hyerim had always been affectionate, telling Jeno she loved him every morning when she woke up and every night when she went to bed, the reassurance from others that he hadn’t been majorly fucking up at the whole parenting thing was nice to hear.
“I like hearing you talk about her. Like I said, it’s cute.” Jaemin cooed. “So, I’d love to hear more about her. And more about her hot dad I managed to score a date with.”
Jeno opened up to him. It started awkward, not knowing what to say or what exactly to talk about. He didn’t think there was anything particularly interesting about himself he should tell Jaemin. But Jaemin had been too good at inciting conversations and naturally finding a way to continue them, and Jeno easily fell into it. Casual conversation began to flow as Jaemin prodded for more details about things he said, without making it seem pushy or forced.
Jeno told Jaemin about his job. He worked about thirty minutes out of their town and in the next major city. He was a music producer and songwriter, and most of the time worked alongside his friend Mark. They mostly worked to themselves, writing songs and creating demos that would be sent to various artists or groups to use.
“When can I expect to hear a song about me, then?” Jaemin grinned.
Jeno had thrown another cold fry at him, but he knew in the back of his mind that Jaemin would soon become a new muse for him.
Jaemin had then kept the conversation going by asking Jeno when he got into music, and Jeno excitedly rambled about how he had always loved music. He listed the multitude of instruments he had played and told Jaemin how he sometimes missed when Hyerim was a baby, and he would play guitar for her and sing as she slowly fell asleep.
He told Jaemin how he had tried so hard to get Hyerim just as much into music as he was, but Hyerim had never found the same excitement or joy in it. Instead, she much more enjoyed being active, running around parks and her grandparents’ backyard. Signing her up to be on a soccer team had proven to be one of his smartest decisions. Jeno, of course, had been her biggest fan. Jaemin promised to be at her next game with a large poster board rooting for her.
Talking about Hyerim had only lead to Jeno excitedly speaking about her. About how she wore the plastic tiara from the party every single day, or how she preferred strawberry jam or grape. Her interests had changed seemingly every month like most children, and her birthday party had nearly been monster truck themed due to her fascination with them not too long ago.
“Well, it’s a good thing it wasn’t. I don’t have a monster truck costume yet, which means we wouldn’t have met.” Jaemin grinned.
Jaemin spoke about himself as well, and Jeno was quick to realize that maybe he made the right decision in giving Jaemin a second chance.
Jaemin had told Jeno stories about his endless list of volunteering experiences, ranging from working with dogs in shelters to dressing up as characters and visiting local children’s hospitals on the weekends. He’d told Jeno how he’d love to one day volunteer with Jeno and Hyerim at a shelter after Jeno had told him Hyerim had wanted a dog, but their apartment hadn’t allowed for them to adopt one.
Jaemin would tell Jeno how he made all his own costumes and enjoyed his job simply because he loved seeing kids’ reactions as they watched their favorite character come to life. It was a magical experience, and nothing would ever come close to the feeling of a child excitedly telling them how happy they were they could talk to him.
Jaemin, in Jeno’s mind, sometimes seemed far too good to be true. Jeno concluded that not only had he been terrible at flirting and awkward with dating, but perhaps he had now also been slightly intimated by Jaemin. The roster of his talents and experiences had been incredibly long, and Jaemin had been one of the most selfless people Jeno had even met. It hadn’t helped how incredibly attractive Jeno found Jaemin either. With each passing second, Jeno had been more and more convinced that he was the most beautiful person he had ever seen. Aside from Hyerim, of course.
-
Jeno hadn’t ended up weeping and downing a whole bottle of wine by himself after Jaemin had finally dropped him off back at his apartment. He actually found himself smiling randomly or thinking back to when Jaemin laughed so hard ice cream nearly shot out his nose. He hadn’t wanted to cut off contact after their first date and had been just a bit too excited when Jaemin texted him later that evening telling him he had a really good time and that again, he was sorry for being so late.
It didn’t take much for Jeno to feel comfortable around Jaemin, and the awkwardness in him during their first date to slowly disappear as they kept in contact. Conversation with Jaemin came easy.
Jeno enjoyed talking to Jaemin, even if just through simple text messages. Jeno had found himself brightening up, instantly grabbing his phone whenever he heard the notification sound go off to check if he had gotten a message from Jaemin. Jaemin had always been a joy to talk to; Jeno grew fond of him very early on and grew even fonder of him after their first date.
Jaemin would send Jeno long good morning texts of encouragement, telling him he’d hope Jeno had a good day, or to pass it along to Hyerim that he wished her luck on her spelling exam that she had that day. Usually, a selfie of himself would be attached, where he’d still been in bed, and his hair had been tousled. There would still be crusts at the corner of his eyes, and the neckline of his shirt had been stretched and tattered.
Jaemin was also patient. At least Jeno thought so. He never pushed Jeno to ask him out officially or tell him he was interested in a second date. He was sweet to Jeno. Jeno had a hard time figuring out whether Jaemin had been an actual prince or not, from his charming personality to his handsomely good looks.
They hadn’t seen each other in person since their first date, and Jaemin had never made Jeno feel like he was being forced to see him face to face anytime soon. Jeno enjoyed their endless text conversations and found solace in their late-night phone calls that began soon after.
Jeno found comfort in Jaemin’s voice. Their phone calls had become part of their nightly routine, which Jeno had always found himself looking forward to. He’d bathe Hyerim, getting her ready for bed, all while thinking about his upcoming call with Jaemin. He’d think about what he’d have to tell him that night or a sweet story from that day involving Hyerim that he knew Jaemin would coo at. He’d wonder what Jaemin would have to say to him that night. What kind of day Jaemin had, and if he’d hear another crazy volunteering experience that night.
Jaemin’s low voice would often lull him to the verge of sleep, almost as if he were reading one of the stories that Jeno usually read to Hyerim before bed. They’d always say goodnight and hang up before either of them could fall asleep. Jeno sometimes wondered what it would be like if neither of them had hung up and woke up to the sound of the other’s soft breaths through the phone.
So Jeno had definitely been interested in Jaemin. He wouldn’t say he had romantic feelings for Jaemin exactly yet, but he also certainly wouldn’t have minded giving things with Jaemin a try. Going on a few more dates and seeing if they were truly compatible. And then, later on, introducing the real Jaemin to Hyerim, and seeing how they got along. He just had to get to the whole asking out part first.
“Jeno?” Jaemin breathed into the phone. His voice was low yet soft. Almost as if Jeno had been asleep and Jaemin hadn’t wanted to accidentally awaken him. “You still there?”
Jeno blinked a couple of times, his eyes wandering around his bedroom to ground himself again. He had gotten too lost in his thoughts as Jaemin and he fell into a comfortable silence on the phone.
“Yeah,” Jeno cleared his throat, sitting up against his headboard. “Sorry. I zoned out pretty badly there.”
Jeno could hear Jaemin’s soft laughter on the other side. “You’re okay, don’t worry. I thought you might’ve just fallen asleep or something.”
“No, I was just thinking,” Jeno sighed.
“About what?”
“I’m so fucking bad at dating,” Jeno let out a small laugh at the pathetic confession, his hands going under his glasses to rub at his eyes to hopefully help keep him up just a bit longer.
“Oh?” Jaemin laughed as well. “What brought these thoughts along?” Jeno could picture Jaemin’s smile as he laughed. His hair had probably been damp from the shower he had earlier, and his face glistening with the moisturizer he had put on when they first started the call. He probably looked just as magical and charming as he did in his prince get-up.
“You did.”
“I did?”
“Yeah,” Jeno sighed, shifting around in his bed. The bedframe squeaked loudly, and Jeno cringed, hoping the screech wouldn’t wake Hyerim up from her bedroom next door. “I know you’re interested in me. I’m interested in you too. I just have no idea how to do this whole dating thing anymore. It’s been so long since I’ve gone on a date with someone I actually was interested in and then wanted to go on a second date with.”
“So you are interested in a second date. That’s good information to know,” There was a slight laugh in his voice as he spoke. “I thought I had messed up big time when I showed up late last time.”
“Did I make you wait too long?” Jeno frowned. “I’m sorry. Like I said, I haven’t really been dating around, so it’s all just, I don’t know, unfamiliar to me?”
“Jeno,” Jaemin’s voice was firm. Jeno gulped. “You don’t have to apologize. I understand. I just didn’t wanna push you into a second date if you weren’t ready yet, or just didn’t want to. I like talking to you, whether this whole dating thing works out or not, so I kept texting you just because I wanted to.”
“Sorry,” Jeno apologized again. Mostly because he hadn’t known how to reply, and apologizing just came naturally.
“Jeno,” Jaemin’s voice had completely switched, whining into the phone. “Don’t say sorry! You don’t have anything to be sorry about! Besides, I know it was probably gonna take us a while to get anywhere anyway. You have a kid. I understand that we’re not gonna be jumping into anything any time soon, or seeing each other all the time. It’s fine.”
Jeno’s fingers picked at his duvet cover, picking off a couple of strands of hair that must’ve been Hyerim’s. She had insisted he do her hair in his room after she had taken her bath, telling him that he somehow did her hair better when they were in his room. Jeno didn’t know where the logic had been in that statement, but he hadn’t fought it. He didn’t want to deal with a tantrum at eight at night, right before he was supposed to get on the phone with Jaemin.
Jeno appreciated Jaemin’s patience. He was just worried it would eventually wear thin. Jeno hadn’t known how much time he would need before he fell perfectly comfortable with the whole dating thing, or when, or even if, he’d ever be ready to call Jaemin a boyfriend. He wasn’t even sure if he’d ever be able to tell if he had romantic feelings for Jaemin. His last relationship had been ages ago, and he had no idea how long things would take to start to feel normal. He wasn’t sure how long Jaemin would truly be able to stick around while he dealt with that. He didn’t want to keep Jaemin waiting.
“Jeno,” Jaemin spoke his name for the third time. “You still there?”
“Yeah,” Jeno sighed, slumping against the headboard. He cringed slightly at the ache in his back when he did so. “I’m just thinking.”
“You have a lot of thoughts,” Jaemin hummed. “Care to share them again? Let me into your brain a little?”
Jeno let out a large huff of air, arm reaching over to grab one of Hyerim’s stuffed animals that she had left on his bed earlier that day. It was a white bear, with a couple of mysterious stains on it, which only reminded Jeno that he should throw it in the wash with their next load of laundry. But having something to hold and the faint smell of Hyerim’s strawberry shampoo lingering on the bear had provided some much-needed comfort to him.
“I appreciate you being patient with me. I really do. I’m just afraid your patience will run thin with me. Not only have I not dated in a long time, and dating just seems like a new thing to me at this point, but I also do have a kid to sort of factor in and consider with this relationship. Like, is Hyerim gonna like you? What if she doesn’t want me to be with you? Or let’s just forget I have a daughter for a second. How am I going to know if I like you? When will I know when I want to consider you a boyfriend if we even get to that point? I know I’m interested in you. I know I’d like to go on more dates and see where this goes. But I’m not sure when I’m going to be ready to be in a typical relationship. And I don’t want to keep you waiting forever.”
“Jeno,” Jaemin spoke his name for the fourth time. “Like I said, I knew pretty early on things were probably going to go slow. I don’t mind that, Jeno. Take all the time you need. We can take things one date at a time. Or, actually, one day at a time. I’ll tell you how I’m feeling and keep you updated if I ever did get a little frustrated at how slow things were going, as long as you keep updated on how you’re feeling too. We’ll figure things out together, alright?”
“Okay,” Jeno breathed out. “I’m sorry for freaking out on you. Probably not my most attractive moment.”
“Mmm,” Jaemin hummed, “No, I’d still say you’re pretty damn attractive.”
Jeno finally let out a soft laugh, squeezing the stuffed bear in his arms as he did. Jaemin followed along, his laughter gentle but genuine. Jeno could picture the way Jaemin’s chest rose and fell as he laughed and the way his lips pulled into a wide smile that exposed his teeth.
“So,” Jeno finally spoke up again, sitting back up straight again. He cleared his throat and finally let go of the stuffed toy as he felt himself ease up. Jeno wasn’t sure if Jaemin knew how comfortable he could make him feel and how quickly he could do it either. He made a mental note to tell Jaemin about it one day. He’d already embarrassed himself enough that night to confess it to him then. “About that second date.”
“I’m free whenever you need me to be,” Jaemin replied. Jeno could hear a hint of drowsiness that dripped from his voice. Jeno had become far too familiar with the tone after the countless nights they spent talking to each other on the phone. His voice would somehow become just a tad lower, huskier, than usual. His words would start to slur towards the end of them, and some words wouldn’t be fully enunciated. Much like the rest of Jaemin, Jeno found it attractive. Sometimes it felt a bit pathetic to be so attracted to a voice. “I need to make up for that first date. I promise I won’t be late this time.”
“You better not be. I won’t forgive you if you are,” Jeno joked, though a part of him hadn’t been entirely sure if it’d be true. Jeno could only hope Jaemin would keep to his word so he wouldn’t have to dread about what would happen if he were late again. “Hyerim has soccer practice on Saturday at twelve. Are you free then? I’d just have to drop her off, and we’d have like two hours to ourselves. There’s a diner across the street from the park that’s pretty good. Hyerim and I usually go when I’m too lazy to make her lunch. Or forget. Those aren’t my proudest parenting moments.”
“How about I do you one better?” Jeno could barely hear Jaemin over the shuffling that had been happening on the other line. Jaemin had probably been getting himself comfortable in bed, getting ready to fall asleep. Jeno turned his head to his clock, which had let him know it had been nearing midnight. He probably should’ve been getting ready for bed himself since he’d need to wake up in just a couple of hours to get Hyerim prepared for school. Getting her to wake up and get out of bed had been a half-hour ordeal itself.
“Let’s have a picnic. I’ll make everything, so don’t even worry about needing to get anything. I need to make up that first date to you somehow.” His words had come out as a mixture of a hum and a slur. Jeno had almost wanted to tell him they can plan things out the next day and that Jaemin should probably just go to bed. He clearly had been tired. But Jeno knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep if they had kept the conversation for the next day.
“That seems like a lot of work. I can at least help out a little.” Jeno hummed. He decided to slide down his headboard, shuffling to lay flat against his mattress. His hand reached out to grab his phone, which had been set on his nightstand, taking it off speaker and pressing it against his ear instead.
“I won’t allow it. Let me plan it all out, alright? Really. I wanna make it up to you.” Jaemin yawned out. “Saturday at twelve?”
“Saturday at twelve,” Jeno sighed out. “The park by 76th and 8th. Is that okay?”
“It sounds perfect. I’ll text you more details in the morning, alright? I think I should go now. I’ve got three parties tomorrow. I’m already not looking forward to all those costume and makeup changes,” Jaemin let out a breathy laugh.
“Okay,” Jeno spoke. He always hadn’t looked forward to ending their conversations. The only thing that made hanging up the phone somewhat easier was the thought of getting to text Jaemin in the morning and then call him again that night. “Goodnight, Jaemin.”
“Goodnight, Jeno.”
The line went dead as they hung up, and Jeno laid in bed, looking up at the ceiling. He thought he’d be able to sleep knowing their date had been somewhat planned already, but instead, the thoughts of their second date kept him up. Physically, he’d been tired. But his brain and his heart had been working overtime as he thought about Jaemin. He’d probably only gotten about three hours of sleep that night. He could feel it as soon as he woke up to the dreadful sound of his alarm telling him to start getting Hyerim ready for school.
-
It had been a long time since Jeno had bought flowers for anyone that wasn’t Hyerim or his mother. Jeno wondered if getting flowers for your date was even still a common thing, or if that had died out in the years between his last date and seeing Jaemin. Trends and fads have come and gone far too quickly nowadays.
It was a last-minute decision, getting Jaemin flowers. Jeno had felt guilty thinking about showing up to the date with absolutely nothing prepared, while Jaemin worked his ass off to make up for his mistake on their first date. He was just glad there was a floral shop en route to the park from their apartment. He was even more glad when an employee had quickly helped him pick out a bouquet before Hyerim could whine about how they’d be late for her soccer practice.
Jeno could feel the anxiety start to set in as he and Hyerim walked closer to the park. He hadn’t had time to be anxious when they woke up, too occupied in making breakfast and making sure Hyerim’s bag had been packed and ready for soccer practice—then going back and forth from doing Hyerim’s hair to getting himself ready for his date. He wondered if he had looked fine enough. Had he put on too much cologne? Or not enough? Maybe he should’ve gone with the black jeans instead of the light wash. He would’ve sent Mark a picture of his outfit to ask for opinions, but he knew he’d either still be asleep or give him useless advice. His mother probably would’ve given him some good advice, but Jeno had still been hesitant to tell her that he had been going on dates. He knew she’d demand to meet Jaemin again, despite them only going on one date at that point.
“Daddy,” Hyerim whined.
Jeno looked down at his daughter while they waited for the light to tell them they could cross the street. “Yeah?”
“Your hand is sweaty. It’s yucky.” Hyerim made a face as she tried pulling her hand away from Jeno’s, assumingly to wipe her hand against her uniform to get the sweat off. Jeno kept a firm grip on her hand.
“Wait until we cross the street. I’ll let go of your hand then.” He spoke, and though Hyerim whined, she didn’t fight it. Her nose was still scrunched up in disgust, and she shifted her weight between her legs in impatience.
Jeno could only hope he hadn’t sweat enough for there to be sweat stains on his shirt.
He could feel his phone buzzing in his back pocket, and he knew it had probably been Jaemin who had been texting him and letting him know everything was ready. It took a lot of self-restraint to keep himself from reaching for his phone until after he had dropped Hyerim off and didn’t need to pay his full attention towards a six-year-old to make sure she hadn’t run off by herself.
hi jeno (´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡
I just finished setting everything up!! I cant wait to see you. I hope you like everything
take your time getting here :) i just finished early! I’ll be waiting for you <3
I’m on the hill to the left of the playground! I’ll shout if i spot you!
Jeno felt slightly bad when he had seen that the texts were sent fifteen minutes ago, and Jaemin had been half an hour early to their date. It felt as if their roles had been reversed, and Jeno had been the one keeping him waiting this time around. Except Jeno hadn’t been late, and technically, he still had fifteen minutes to get to Jaemin, which was more than enough time to walk from the soccer field to where the playground had been.
I’ll be there soon, I just dropped Hyerim off. Sorry I kept you waiting :(
Jeno quickly typed out, struggling to keep the bouquet of flowers balanced in his arms as he did. At least he didn’t have the weight of Hyerim’s soccer bag holding him down anymore. He pocketed the phone, readjusting the bouquet in his arms to not damage the delicate flowers as he began the walk towards where Jaemin had told him he’d be. The plastic protecting the flowers stuck to his sweaty skin, making him cringe at the uncomfortable sensation, especially as it shifted with every step he took.
He could feel his phone buzz in his back pocket, and Jeno could only guess it had been Jaemin telling him something along the lines of telling him not to apologize. Again. Jeno chose not to pull out his phone again, knowing he’d arrive in just a minute or two. He wondered what Jaemin would be wearing. What had Jaemin prepared? Should Jeno have bought a bigger bouquet? What if Jaemin had a pollen allergy and the bouquet had been a mistake? Would Jaemin be annoyed that Jeno hadn’t showed up earlier, or replied to his texts sooner?
Jeno knew he had only been making himself nervous, creating stupid what-if situations. Realistically, he knew Jaemin would appreciate the flowers. He knew Jaemin would appreciate it if Jeno had bought him a single flower rather than a bouquet. He also knew that Jaemin wouldn’t have been even the slightest bit mad even if Jeno had accidentally shown up a couple of minutes late to their date.
“Jeno!”
Jeno blinked a couple of times before turning his head to see Jaemin waving his arm. He’d been just a couple of big steps up the hill, presumably by where he had set up everything. Jeno hadn’t even realized how far he had walked in such little time. He probably would’ve walked straight out of the park if Jaemin hadn’t noticed him.
Jeno hiked up the hill, only slightly out of breath once he had made it to Jaemin. Maybe he did need to get back to the gym. His dad-bod had certainly started coming to fruition after six years of being a parent and hardly having any time to go to the gym. His only form of cardio was running around chasing after his incredibly energetic daughter, and his only weight training had been from carrying her around.
“Are those for me? Or am I just flattering myself too much?” Jaemin grinned, motioning towards the flowers in his arms.
“Yeah,” Jeno breathed out as he stared at Jaemin. A thin layer of sweat coated his forehead, matting a couple of his baby hairs to his forehead. If Jaemin had been wearing makeup, Jeno couldn’t tell. Not that he knew close to anything about makeup, though, besides the play makeup Hyerim would sometimes put on him. He just knew that Jaemin’s cheeks hadn’t been shining with glitter, and his cheeks hadn’t been painted some shade of pink.
“I wasn’t really sure what to look for, so the employee had to help me out. Sorry if you have a pollen allergy or something,” Jeno extended his arms, offering the flowers to Jaemin. “I hope you like them. Or at least lie to me and tell me you like them to make me feel good. Flowers aren’t cheap.”
Jaemin let out a laugh, and instead of immediately grabbing the bouquet, he bent down towards the picnic blanket. Jeno’s eyes followed his movement. It was the first time he had gotten a real look at what Jaemin had set up. A pink and white gingham blanket had been laid onto the grass, just beneath a tree to provide shade and relief from the sun. Jeno could kiss Jaemin for that decision, but he didn’t think any sort of kissing would be taking place anytime soon. A small cooler and basket had been set aside, though a couple of tupperware containers had already been arranged on the blanket for them to dig into. But what Jaemin had been reaching for had Jeno understanding what Jaemin had laughed about. A bouquet of flowers.
They hadn’t been similar in color or arrangement, but the fact that they had both decided upon buying each other flowers had made Jeno glad about his last-minute decision.
“Great minds think alike,” Jaemin finally replied, exchanging the bouquet in his arms for the one Jeno had been holding. “Hyerim told me her favorite color was yellow, so I tried to make sure there were a couple of yellow flowers in there that she could have. I’m hoping maybe they’d help me get that Hyerim stamp of approval.”
Jeno could feel himself heat up, and he was sure it hadn’t been because of the sun. It wasn’t just because Jaemin had not only gone out of his way to put so much effort into their date or stop by to buy him something as simple flowers. It was because Jaemin had not only had been taking into consideration him but Hyerim as well. He always had. He always knew Hyerim was his priority and that Hyerim had been quite literally the person he loved most in the world. He knew Jeno was a father with parental responsibilities. He knew that Hyerim would have to approve of him for any sort of relationship to work out. But he never saw Hyerim as a bother or a pest. Jeno hadn’t gone on many dates since she had been born and never thought about what he might want in a partner now that he was older and a parent. But he knew that Jaemin’s patience and understanding of Jeno’s circumstances had been one of the things that was absolutely required.
“She’ll love them,” Jeno grinned, his finger gently grazing along one of the petals. “I love them. Thank you, Jaemin.”
“You’re welcome. And thank you for the flowers, too. I’m just hoping we don’t attract any bees with how many flowers we’ve got here now. I will not have our second date ruined like the first.” Jaemin spoke as he kicked off his shoes and sat down on the blanket. He motioned for Jeno to follow his lead.
Jeno copied his steps, messily kicking off his sneakers somewhere in the grass before seating himself down onto the blanket, just a foot or two away from Jaemin. He placed the bouquet off to the side. “But there’s always a third date to make up for it if it does happen, right?” Jeno asked.
“You’re feeling a little bold today, aren’t you?” Jaemin grinned, opening up the picnic basket to pull out a couple of more tupperware containers. Realistically, Jeno hadn’t felt bold nor confident since he and Hyerim had walked out of their apartment. Jaemin just made him feel comfortable enough to let loose. “But a third date is an option. Even if we don’t get stung by a mob of angry bees.”
“So a third date already confirmed, and we’ve barely just started the second,” Jeno let out a small laugh in disbelief, helping Jaemin remove a couple of tupperware lids from their containers and setting them aside.
“What can I say?” Jaemin shrugged. “I’m starting to really like you.” He pulled a couple of utensils from the basket, handing a set to Jeno.
Jeno knew he was close to clueless about love and dating. But he wasn’t stupid. And he knew the way his ears had heated up, and the fluttering feeling in his stomach in response to Jaemin’s words hadn’t been a platonic reaction.
“I think I might be starting to really like you, too.”