Work Text:
One
Na Jaemin never considered himself as someone special. He grew up in the same neighborhood, the same old friends, in the same old school. He never thought that he was special until he discovered photography. He loved the way photography could show off the way he sees the world, and he indeed had a special and unique way to see it. That's how he decided to become a professional photographer and started to study photography at college. Jaemin becomes really popular among other college students since he is a sweet and funny guy that will always put a smile on your face. Jaemin will always light up the mood and let's not forget how beautiful he sees the world and shows it through his photography. Everybody loves him and wants to be friends with him.
Except for Lee Jeno, who is also a very popular guy at college, the kindest person you will ever meet; he won’t hesitate to help you whenever you need it. A lot of people had tried to score a date with him, but he always rejects them since he is focusing mainly on his career as an athlete. Even after being rejected by Jeno, people are still mesmerized by how kind he is.
Jaemin and Jeno being two of the most popular guys at college, are often shipped together. Both of them are good-looking, kind, funny, and popular . And people wonder why they are not friends since both of them even share some hobbies in common.
“You two would look so cute together.”
“Hey Jaemin, have you seen Jeno? He looks extra good today, don’t you think?”
“Jeno, do you know Jaemin? He can be the one for you!”
And the daily comments they received about the other continue.
The pressure that people put on them was so big that they even tried hanging out once. People were excited about the news, but the excitement went away when they noticed that neither of them continued talking after the hang-out.
And truth to be told, they might have felt comfortable around the other (but that is something they will never admit.) However, Jeno and Jaemin knew they could never be friends; the lack of privacy in their lives was more than enough. If they decide to be friends, anything in that relationship will be private.
As if both of them had an agreement, they started hating everything about each other.
Jaemin hated the way Jeno ran from a place to another. “He can’t just walk like the rest of us? Like, we get it, you are an athlete, now stop. ” Jaemin always says.
He hated the way Jeno is always helping everybody without expecting something in return. “People usually do things to receive something in exchange; he wants people to think he is a kind of saint or something,” Jaemin says while rolling his eyes.
Jaemin also hated the way Jeno smiles, his charming eye-smile that captures anyone’s heart. “Only because you always say how much you hate Jeno I would’ve thought that you like him or something by the way you are looking at him.” Donghyuck, Jaemin’s best friend, said.
“He is really annoying and I don’t need to have a reason to dislike him. I just do.” Jaemin mutters. And Donghyuck knows that is a lie but he prefers to not make Jaemin mad.
On the other hand, Jeno hates the way Jaemin is always trying to make everyone laugh. “What is he? A clown? Well, maybe he is…”
He hates how everybody is always saying how funny and good a listener Jaemin is. “Have you ever talked to my psychologist? He is a good listener, and he gives me good advice, can Jaemin do that? I doubt it.” Jeno mutters.
Jeno always sees Jaemin walking around with his camera, taking pictures of the trees, the sky, some random people. He says that Jaemin’s photography is average, even when he knows that Jaemin is known to be one of the best photographers in college.
“Bro, I think you should calm down and stop hating on the poor dude,” Mark says after the nth time that Jeno complains about Jaemin being everywhere taking pictures. “You even laughed for about a week after he had tripped over the stairs and almost fell.”
“Well, you should tell him to stop hating on me too. It’s mutual Mark, hate it’s mutual.” Jeno is no longer staring at Jaemin but Mark.
“You know that is not true, both of you decided this weird let’s hate on each other thing just because you are afraid that you might fall for each other but everybody will be gossiping about your actual feelings.”
“And why are you so sure I would have developed feelings for him?” Jeno is feeling a little bit in the spotlight after his friend’s words and he doesn’t know why.
“Oh, maybe because Jaemin is everything you like, he is totally your type,” Mark smirks after looking at how Jeno’s face transforms into a flustered look.
“You know what? I won’t be having this conversation with you. I might be stubborn, but you are the triple.” Jeno says while grabbing his stuff under Mark’s sight, who is trying to not laugh at how obvious Jeno is.
Jeno is tired. Tired of how complicated his human life is, tired of how difficult it is to have this popular life and that everyone is always talking about him. He knows his cat life is so much simpler, he literally just eats, sleeps, and plays around for a little; he also knows that he has to have a balance between both worlds. Jeno decides that he had enough of his human life for today and walks to a place where no one would see him transforming into a cat.
Suddenly there is no popular college guy around. There is only a cute black cat with green eyes playing around, enjoying his life. Jeno has only transformed into a cat in his own house in the past few weeks, so he walks to the nearest park and he hasn’t felt this euphoric in so long.
When he finally gets to walk in the grass, he starts purring, feeling happier than ever. Running around, he finds some flowers, he likes the smell of flowers. He tries to grab one little flower with his paw, however, he is unsuccessful. He gets bored of the flower and starts running around again. He finds a beautiful butterfly flying around, he thinks he must look like that too, so free caring, and just enjoying the moment.
His cat instincts told him to try and catch the butterfly; his human side doesn’t want to. But since he is in his cat form, his instincts are stronger. He tries to catch the butterfly. It feels like a game between Jeno and the butterfly, teasing each other.
The butterfly lies on the ground, waiting for Jeno to try to catch her. He hides behind a tree, thinking that is a really smart move, Jeno is preparing himself to catch it, he is thinking about how fast he has to be to finally succeed.
Until he hears it. He heard that so-known giggle. It’s Jaemin, preparing himself to take a picture of Jeno trying to catch the butterfly. Jeno decides to let his cat self be happy and continue his mission.
One.
Two.
Three!
He jumps. But the butterfly flew away faster. Jeno feels kinda sad, he wanted to look cool in Jaemin’s eyes and he doesn’t know why.
“Oh, it’s okay! You did so well, kitty,” Jaemin says since he can tell that the little black cat is not as happy as he was. Jaemin walks closer to the cat, trying to pet it.
Jeno is in so much trouble right now. He doesn’t know if he should let Jaemin pet him. He loves when people pet him, but we are talking about Na Jaemin. He is hesitating at the beginning, trying to walk away from Jaemin. “C’mon, I know you want some love from me.”
“No, I don’t.” Jeno thinks. But he also wonders how Jaemin’s hands would feel. “Is he good at petting cats?” he wonders. “I guess I might give it a try,” and that’s how Jeno ends up sniffing Jaemin’s hands.
Jaemin feels a little bit bolder, and he tries to pet the cat’s head. He sees how the cat put his ears down, feeling kinda nervous. He starts petting the cat’s head softly, then he moves his hand to the cat’s chin. He was surprised when the cat closed his eyes and started purring.
Jeno being surprised at his own actions is an understatement. He doesn’t understand how he started to rub his face on Jaemin’s hand, or how, in that precise moment, Jaemin is sitting on the grass with him lying on his lap while enjoying how Jaemin was petting him.
Jaemin thinks it is okay to play a little bit with the cute little cat, so he grabbed one of the strings of his hoodie and started moving it in front of the cat’s face.
Jeno just looks at the string moving. He can’t hold it anymore and tries grabbing it. He finally grabs it with his little claws and starts to bite it; he gets too excited and he suddenly rolls down Jaemin’s lap. Jaemin can’t help but giggle at the cute cat.
“You are really cute, you know? You remind me of someone…” Jaemin pets the cat’s head. “I wish I could be close to them, but I guess it’s not possible…” Jaemin sighs, and suddenly his phone rings. It seems like a text, he reads it and frowns. “Ah, I forgot I had to help Renjun with his project… I have to leave, kitty. I wish I could stay longer. But I will come tomorrow! I hope I can find you.” He stands up and suddenly the cat starts to walk between Jaemin’s legs.
“Hey, kitty! I really have to go, but I promise you I will come.” It seems like the cat understands and only sits down looking at Jaemin. “Bye-bye Kitty!” says waving at the cat.
Jaemin walks away with a smile on his face, thinking about the cute cat. He remembers that he took some pictures of the cat. His smile grows when he sees the perfect picture he took; the cat ready to jump and catch the butterfly. That’s definitely Jaemin’s new favorite picture, and he hopes he can find the little cat tomorrow.
On the other hand, Jeno is wondering why he didn’t want Jaemin to leave. He guesses his cat instinct is extra strong today and Jaemin happens to be amazing with cats. He hopes that is that and not what he thinks it really means.
Two
“Bro, what happened to you?” Mark said while sitting next to Jeno who had some eye bags that you could see from afar.
“Nothing,” Jeno said, he couldn’t confess he didn’t sleep last night because of a certain someone who was in his mind. “I spent the night playing.”
Mark sighs, “I have told you to not do that! And not only me, but the couch is going to be mad at you if he sees your face like that!”
“It’s not the first time I've done this. I’ll be fine by the time of practice.” Jeno rests his head on the table, “now if you excuse me, I’ll take a nap.”
“I can’t believe you…” Mark mumbles. “Anyways, I wanted to gossip with you about Jaemin.” And that comment looks like made something on Jeno since he sat straight looking at Mark. “Oh, I thought you didn’t like gossip… Especially if it is about him…” say while smirking.
“Before you say something… Please save it for yourself. But what happened?” Jeno asks.
“Nothing, it is just that he was acting exactly the same as you right now. You know, all tired with eye bags… And I know you two hate each other, so you probably don’t have anything to do with his state, right?”
“Of course I have nothing to do with that! I don’t even talk to him!” Jeno thought it was dumb what Mark was implying, why would Mark say something like that in the first place? Jaemin may be the reason why he looks like that, and he is still wondering why he can’t stop thinking about yesterday. But he is sure that he is not the reason why Jaemin looks like that too.
“I know, but I heard some people gossip about both of you looking like that the same day. It was mostly just to let you know.” And there is the answer to Jeno, Mark knows everything about Jeno, he wouldn't be gossiping about his best friend like that.
"Oh, okay. Thanks for letting me know, now I have a reason to tell people to fuck themselves," Mark laughs at Jeno's comment so loud that people stare at them.
"We all know you won't ever say that to anyone but sure. Now I'll let you rest, buddy. Don't be too mean to people," Mark says while standing up. Both of them said goodbye and Jeno finally rested his head on the table again.
Jeno knows the reason why Jaemin looks like that has nothing to do with him, he really doubts a cat can have such an effect on Jaemin. Jeno remembers that Jaemin had to help Renjun with a project; it was obviously because of that.
A few minutes had passed and Jeno's alarm started to sound, meaning that his next class is starting soon. He stretches before standing up. When he finally starts to walk to his classroom, he can notice people staring at him. He is thankful to Mark, otherwise, he would have no idea why people are staring at him while gossiping.
The classes passed extremely slow that day. Jeno couldn't wait for the day to be over. But he knew he had to attend the basketball practice since he is one of the best team members, and he only hopes that he can enjoy the practice.
Jeno was wrong. He did not enjoy the practice; either the coach dismissed the eye bags on Jeno's face. He had to run an extra 5 laps to wake up , coach's word.
He was exhausted, so exhausted that he almost forgot about Jaemin's words about looking for him the next day. Jeno knew his energy as a human was at the bottom, but his cat energy was at the top. He decided to transform into a cat near the park on his way home since he had to go through the park anyway. Jeno won't admit it was because he wants to see the cute boy that he says to hate.
Jeno finally made it to the park, and in the exact same spot as the previous day, he transformed into the cute little black cat. He is tired of denying to himself the fact that he is looking for Jaemin and feels almost defeated when he can't find the cute boy.
He is about to go home when he hears the so familiar voice saying "Kitten!" Jaemin runs to meet the cat and without thinking about it, the cat starts to walk between Jaemin's legs. "Oh! You really recognize me!"
Jeno could swear he had never seen Jaemin so happy, his eyes were sparkling with happiness. Jeno still doesn't know why, but he wants to see that look on Jaemin's face forever.
Jaemin bends down to carry the cat in his arms, the cat starts to purr while rubbing his face against Jaemin's face. "What is wrong with me?" Jeno thinks. On the other hand, Jaemin feels extra happy with the cute cat in his arms. He walks to the nearest bench and sits down, and he puts the cat on his lap while petting his head.
"I was about to leave the park when I saw you, I really thought I wouldn't find you, but I'm glad I did!" slowly Jaemin's smile started to fade away. "I had a pretty bad night, and I thought that maybe you could make me happy, and you did! But I just remembered what happened..." He stopped petting the cat's head and that made the cat look at him. "Can I rant at you a little bit?"
Jeno obviously couldn't answer him, but he stared at Jaemin, trying to make him know that he would listen to everything Jaemin had to say.
Jaemin seemed to understand the cat. "Thanks, okay... Where do I start?" He took a moment to think. "I was dating a guy, you know, Xiao Dejun."
"Of course you two were dating, but how no one ever talked about it?" Jeno thought.
"Everybody thought we were just friends, and I wanted to keep it that way. He didn't. He was mad that people were always shipping me with Lee Jeno so he wanted to make people know that I was 'his'," Jaemin rolled his eyes. "And as I never did anything, he became distant and distant with me. Until yesterday..." He made a pause. "I discovered that he was cheating on me."
Jaemin didn't look sad. He looks mad. Extremely mad. "You know, I'm not sad or heartbroken. I'm just angry. If he didn't want to continue with me then he could've just told me! But cheating? That's low."
Jeno couldn't believe his ears. If they never hid their relationship, everybody would've been talking about this. Jeno got mad too because of two things. First, how could've Dejun just dared to cheat on Jaemin? Second, he is mad at himself and Jaemin, after all this time they really could've been friends without anyone knowing; maybe one day.
"Last night I cried. I wondered what I did wrong." Jaemin added. "And I'll tell you what I did wrong. Nothing. He should've realized that I wasn't ready for all the people to start gossiping about us, and I can't tell people to stop talking about Jeno and me, they always will. So I stopped crying, he doesn't deserve Na Jaemin's tears." Jaemin looks determined, and suddenly his face softens, and looks at the cat on his lap, who is looking at him thoughtfully.
"The rest of the night I stopped thinking about him and I focused on the cute black cat I met a few hours before. I think you came into my life at the right moment." And after that, Jaemin keeps petting the cat, and the cat keeps purring. They spent the rest of the day together, Jaemin telling the cat about his day and some other random things, and Jeno listening to him while being petted.
Jeno is happy that Jaemin realized that he did nothing wrong. But he is mad and sad to know that Jaemin cried because of an asshole. He decided that he will do everything he can to make Jaemin happy. Jeno thinks it is a good moment to start today and he remembers that Jaemin mentioned he loves chocolates. On his way home, he bought a chocolate bar.
Jaemin felt like a whole new person after talking to the cute black cat. He is genuinely happy to have the cat in his life now.
The next day, when Jaemin just arrived at college, his best friend, Donghyuck, walked towards him.
“Don’t ask why but you have to go somewhere now,” Donghyuck says really fast that Jaemin had trouble understanding.
“First of all, hi to you too. And second of all… What did you say?” Jaemin asks.
“I said, don’t ask but you have to go somewhere now.” Jaemin feels really confused. Donghyuck tells him where he has to go and that he should hurry up. “Don't forget to tell me all the details. I promise that I won’t tell anyone.” Donghyuck winked at Jaemin and walked away.
Jaemin knows that Donghyuck sometimes acts this way. But he is still confused. He walks at the back of college and he sees no one but Lee Jeno. He really wonders if Jeno has something to do with all of this, but he doubts it. Until Jeno starts to walk to him.
"Hey, Jaemin,” Jeno says pretty awkwardly.
“Uh, hi Jeno. Did you want to talk to me?” Jaemin feels super nervous, he wonders why. Maybe because both of them always avoid each other after their unspoken agreement, or maybe because Lee Jeno is the most handsome man he has ever seen and he looks way better up close, (of course, he will never admit that out loud.)
“More than talk to you I wanted to... Give you something.” Jeno sounds as nervous as Jaemin feels. Jeno took something from his backpack and handed it to Jaemin. “Please don’t ask why I’m doing this and please just accept it. If you don’t want it you can give it to someone else or….” Jeno’s words stopped when he feels Jaemin’s fingers brushing against his, taking the chocolate bar from Jeno’s hand.
“Did you buy this for me?” Jeno only nods. “Thank you! It’s my favorite chocolate!” Jaemin gives Jeno one of his brightest smiles. He notices the chocolate has a note. “Should I… read this now?”
“Please don’t. Read it later, when I’m not around. I feel more than embarrassed right now. I don’t want to feel it even more.” Jaemin laughs at Jeno’s comment.
“Okay, I will read it when you are not here anymore. Thanks again!”
“You’re welcome. I will go now.” Jeno shows his beautiful eye smile at Jaemin. “Please don’t tell anybody about this. If Donghyuck asks, a friend of mine made me give this to you.”
“Sure, my lips are sealed.”
They say goodbye. When Lee Jeno is no more in his sight, Jaemin opens the little note on the chocolate.
“I want to see you smile forever. Please be happy, Na Jaemin. You deserve it.
-J”
Jaemin usually doesn’t like this kind of thing. But he doesn’t know why he felt so happy and full when he read it. He also doesn't know why but it feels even better knowing that Lee Jeno is the one who gave it to him. He also follows Jeno’s wishes and doesn’t mention that the chocolate was from Jeno but someone else. He wants to keep this as their little secret. Something between only Lee Jeno and Na Jaemin.
Three
It's been two weeks since Jaemin met this little cute cat and decided it is time to give it a name. He doesn't think it is cool to keep calling it Kitten. He has been thinking about it, and it must be a special name. And let's be honest, the little kitten reminds him of Lee Jeno.
If Lee Jeno weren't Lee Jeno and Na Jaemin weren't Na Jaemin, they could've been friends. Jaemin would love to, but they are who they are and have to hate each other (At least in the eyes of everyone else.) There's no possible way that that friendship would work out. Jaemin wanted to go a little bit against his own beliefs and he will name that kitten as Lee Jeno. As much as Jaemin doesn't want to, he can't deny the fact that if Jeno were a cat, he would totally look like the kitten.
Jaemin knows he can't be that obvious and calls the kitten exactly the same; he will think of a nickname.
"Leejen… no… it won't work…"
"Jelee… Sounds like Jelly… nope."
"Jeje sounds so bad."
"Nono! That's it! I'm calling it Nono."
He felt beyond happy he finally got a name for the kitten, that he unconsciously ordered a collar for the cat with his new name, Nono. Jaemin noticed what he did after he had paid for it.
"Hold on… what if Nono already has an owner?" Jaemin's happiness disappeared, but he really wanted to see Nono with his new collar. After much thinking, he decided to keep it and he will add a note in the collar in case Nono already has an owner.
It's been two days since Jaemin ordered Nono's collar. When he finally sees it, he knows he regrets nothing; it's so beautiful. The black collar has a silver engraving “Nono.” Jaemin almost didn’t sleep that night because of the excitement.
Jaemin's classes finally ended and he arrived at the park earlier than usual, in hopes he could find the cat earlier. But the cat was nowhere to be seen and Jaemin decided to take some pictures for his new project to kill time.
Jeno woke up that day feeling like something important will happen. His cat instincts are never wrong; he wondered if the cute boy, aka Jaemin, had something to do with that, and he hopes he does. In these two weeks, Jeno discovered that he may have developed some feelings for the cute boy, and he knows it is wrong. He can’t have feelings for Jaemin. But he can’t help it when Jaemin looks so beautiful talking to him. Also, since the day Jeno gave him the chocolate, Jaemin takes every opportunity to smile at him when no one is looking.
Jaemin had no idea of the effect that he causes in Jeno's heart, and it will continue like that for a long time.
Jeno wanted to go earlier to the park, but he had to attend practice first. Everybody noticed that Jeno was worried about something, even the coach asked him if he needed to leave earlier (And let's not lie; Jeno was about to accept but he knew he had to stay.)
Practice ended, and Jeno has never gotten out so fast in his life. Somewhere between college and the park he transformed into a cat. When he arrived he found Jaemin sleeping on a bench, in a very awkward position. About a month ago, he would've laughed at Jaemin, but seeing how uncomfortable he looked he felt kind of bad. "Was he waiting for me?" Jeno wondered.
Jeno jumped to be on the bench next to Jaemin. He carefully walked on his lap, he stood up on his back paws and rubbed his face against Jaemin's face. And slowly, Jaemin woke up.
When Jaemin noticed the black cat on his lap, he smiled brightly and patted his head.
"Hey Nono," Jaemin says.
"Nono?" Jeno questions himself. And maybe his face showed confusion since Jaemin giggled.
"I thought that calling you Kitten is not as cute as giving you a name! And I think Nono is pretty cute and fits you so well!" Jaemin seems proud of himself after saying that. It looks like Jaemin remembered something and took out a little box from his backpack. "I got you a gift!"
Jaemin opens the box and Jeno can see the black collar with his new cat name engraved. To be honest, Jeno liked it a little too much that he put one of his paws on the collar, meaning that he wanted Jaemin to put it on him. Jaemin understood, he didn't want to waste more time and put it on Nono's neck.
It looked so cute, Jaemin liked it so much that he took a picture of Nono with his new collar.
"I love it! You look so cute with it and I really hope you like it too!" Jaemin said really happy.
"I love it, Jaemin. Thank you." Jeno thought.
"Also! I don't really know if you have an owner, so I will add this note on your collar apologizing but I couldn't help and buy it," Jaemin seemed kinda nervous about it. Jeno thought he was cute. He knew his owner (Himself) would like the new name and he was considering calling his cat self Nono too.
And like the last two weeks, they spent the rest of the day together.
When Jeno arrived home, he transformed back into a human. He noticed that the collar is now around his wrist looking like a bracelet. He remembered the little note that Jaemin left on the collar and read it.
“Hi!! I’m Jaemin, I found your little cat a few weeks ago and I take care of him in the afternoons (In case you were wondering where he was!!) A few days ago I thought about calling him Nono and impulsively bought a collar with his new name. I hope you don’t mind! And I also hope you like the name as much as I liked it! If you don’t, it’s okay. You can return me the collar with a note too! (But I really really hope he can keep it.)
Have a nice day!
-Jaemin”
Jeno couldn’t believe Na Jaemin was real. He is the cutest human being to exist. He wanted to wear it always and he decided to leave it on his waist. Now he has to be careful and try to hide it whenever he is near Jaemin. Jeno wanted to reply to Jaemin, to let him know that Nono is officially his cat-self name, so he wrote a note and he will give it to Jaemin as Nono.
The next day, Jeno was sitting next to Mark on a bench at college. When he suddenly saw Jaemin talking really energetic with Donghyuck. He instinctively touched the collar on his wrist.
“I’ve been wanting to ask… What is that on your wrist? And why does it have Nono written?” Mark asked, pointing at Jeno’s wrist.
“Shut up! Don’t say it out loud!” Jeno said, whispering. “He may hear you!”
“Who? Dude, what are you talking about?” Mark is more than confused until he hears a really known voice.
“I tell you Donghyuck, Nono is the cutest cat ever!” Jaemin said while walking next to Jeno and Mark with Donghyuck. “Yesterday I gave Nono a collar! I really hope that if he has an owner don’t get mad at me for giving him a new name.”
After Jaemin and Donghyuck walked away, Jeno nor Mark said a word. Mark was staring at Jeno as if he had three heads. He couldn’t believe his ears.
“What the fuck does that mean, Lee Jeno?” Mark finally said.
“I don’t think it is a good idea talking about this here…” Jeno tried his best to not make eye contact with Mark.
Both of them grabbed their belongings and walked to a more private place.
“Okay, we are here. What happened? Jaemin gave it to you? Now you are Nono?” Mark asked more calmly. Probably walking helped him to clear his mind.
“Look… About two weeks ago I transformed into a cat and walked to the park, I was pretty tired of everything. And you know how being a cat relaxes me.” Mark nodded and let Jeno continue. “That day Jaemin found me and took some pictures of me and then tried to… pet me.”
“You deadass let Jaemin pet you?!” Jeno swore Mark’s eyes could’ve fallen out of his face. “You always said you hate him!”
“I know… But he really knows how to pet a cat! Not everybody can!” Jeno said. Mark couldn’t believe his friend's words. Jeno had been saying how much he hates Jaemin that he really started to believe it.
“Well, I think I know how to pet a cat! You never complained about it!”
“Yes, you can. But Jaemin…” Jeno doesn’t want to make eye contact anymore. He knows that he can’t hide anything from Mark for too long. He knows he will confess his feelings for Jaemin.
“Hold on. Did you develop feelings for Jaemin?!” He thought he was dreaming. This is not his friend— Well, he is. And he knew that Jeno deep inside liked Jaemin, but he never thought he would be alive to confirm it.
“Maybe I have… We have spent the last two weeks spending the whole afternoon together. And yesterday he decided to start calling me Nono and gave me the collar.” He showed the collar on his wrist to his friend. “And I know I shouldn’t have developed feelings… But I couldn’t help.”
Mark sighs and doesn't say anything for a moment to think. “Look, I worry about you. And I think this may hurt you if you don’t tell Jaemin. Knowing him, he would tell a cat his whole life and...”
“He kinda does.” Jeno interrupts.
“See? If he develops a crush on someone or starts dating them he would tell Nono. And you would get hurt.” Jeno looks down, he felt sad because he knows Mark is right.
Mark can notice the sudden sadness on Jeno, and continues, “but whatever you decide to do, I’ll be here for you. You can keep seeing Jaemin as Nono as long as you want, okay?”
“Okay… Thank you, Mark.”
“Whenever you need me I’m here,” Mark smiles and ruffles Jeno’s hair.
Jeno thinks about Mark’s words. All of what he said made so much sense. But he doesn’t want to lose his only opportunity to be close to Jaemin. He will be by his side as long as Jaemin doesn’t date anyone. Jeno doesn’t want to be hurt either.
The day passed and now Nono is sitting on the grass looking at the sky.
“Boo!” Nono hears and gots really scared that he even jumped, he turned around and saw the reason for his almost heart attack. It’s Jaemin, who is now laughing at the cuteness of the cat. “I’m sorry for scaring you, Nono! I hope you can forgive me!” Jaemin pouts and then smiles when Nono walks around Jaemin’s legs.
“Hey! Your owner replied… Do they want to return the collar?” Jaemin pouts again, but this time is a sad pout. He crouched down to grab the note and unfold it.
“Hello, Jaemin! This is Nono’s owner. To be honest, I like this name the best. I will start calling him Nono too if you don’t mind. And of course, he can keep the collar! It suits him. Thank you for taking care of Nono!
Have a great day.
-Nono’s owner.”
Jaemin feels that he has seen this handwriting before, but he doesn’t think about it too much since he is really happy that Nono’s owner liked the name and will call him like that too.
Jaemin didn’t know Nono’s owner, but he could already tell that he was the coolest.
Four
Jaemin hasn’t felt this stressed in so long. He feels all of his professors agreed to make all of their projects due to the same week. He knew that this time he won’t be able to procrastinate on any of the projects and he must make a schedule. Jaemin just wanted to get home as soon as possible, but he knew he had to meet with Nono before going home. Nono will worry if they don’t meet, at least that is what Jaemin thinks. (And it’s the reality, Jeno will worry.)
He goes to the park after all of his classes are done. For the last few weeks, Jaemin has only taken pictures of this park, he thinks it is the moment to go to another place. He thought that maybe Nono could make him some company while he starts some of his projects. A few minutes have passed when Nono finally arrives at the park.
“Nono! Hi!” Jaemin walks over to Nono and pets his head. “I’ve been thinking that usually I only take pictures here. What if I go somewhere else? But I don’t want to go alone. Will you come with me?”
Nono looks at Jaemin, trying to make him know that he will go whenever the cute boy is needed.
“I think that’s a yes! Then let’s go!” Jaemin says enthusiastically, “I hope your owner doesn’t mind you hanging out more with me than with them,” Jaemin giggled.
“I don’t mind, I’m glad.” Jeno thinks while Jaemin takes Nono into his arms and walks to the nearest bus station.
“We are going to the beach! But you have to promise me you will stick with me.”
Jeno has never been at the beach as his cat form. He is so excited that he started moving his tail to show his happiness. On the ride at the beach, Nono can’t stop purring, he is living his best life at that moment. Being a cat, in his crush's arms on their way to the beach. Nono can’t ask for anything better.
After 20 minutes, they are finally at the beach. Jaemin got out of the bus with Nono in his arms.
When Jaemin arrives at the beach, he touches the sand to see if it's okay to let Nono walk on the sand. It doesn't feel that hot and he lets the cat stand on the sand. The sand feels weird on Nono's paws. Jaemin giggles at the cute image of Nono walking weirdly.
Nono walked to the wet sand, and that felt a little bit better. Jaemin was behind Nono taking some pictures when suddenly he noticed Nono playing near the water, trying to catch it and running away when the water was coming back.
"The perfect project..." Jaemin whispers. "This is it! A cat on the beach, a not so common scenario." Jaemin walks closer to Nono and starts taking some pictures.
Nono notices and remembers the first time they met at the park, and like back then, Nono continues enjoying what he is doing.
Until his paws got wet and Nono didn't like it. He shook his paws to make them less wet and thought that water with sand is not for him as a cat. He starts to play with the sand, running and rolling on the sand. Nono was now covered in sand, "he looks really cute" Jaemin thought.
Jaemin noticed Nono got tired after running and playing around. As both of them laid down for a moment. He wanted to stay longer but he could come back another day to take pictures of the sunset. But for now, he thought it was a better idea to go back.
On the ride back, Nono fell asleep on Jaemin's lap. He thought this cat was the cutest cat ever.
They arrived and it was still pretty early. Jaemin thought that maybe he could go home and edit the pictures he took today, but he wanted to stay with Nono.
"Hey buddy, do you think your owner will get mad if you go home with me for a little bit?" Nono after hearing that looked at Jaemin. It was okay, but Jeno felt kind of bad. Jaemin still doesn't know that Nono is Jeno, the person he hates the most.
Jaemin was amazed by how good Nono was at expressing his emotions, at how good Nono understood him. He could see the doubt on Nono's face. "It is okay if you can't stay! I was just suggesting it. But if you want to, you can just walk me home then?"
Jeno thinks that's so much better. Jaemin noticed and smiled at Jeno. "Let's go then." On the way to Jaemin's house, Jeno thinks if it is okay to stay. Nothing bad can happen.
After five minutes of walking, they arrived. Jaemin lives really close to the park.
Jaemin unlocks his door and turns around to look at Nono. "This is your last chance!" Nono without thinking walks next to Jaemin. The cute boy opens the door and the little cat goes inside. "I know you will come inside!" Jaemin was happy to see the cat inside his home.
Jaemin gives Nono a little tour and it ends in his room. "I'm going to start editing the pictures I took today, you can rest if you want, Nono." Nono jumps on the table and lays down next to Jaemin's laptop. "I thought you would want to rest on my bed, but it's okay if you are here!" Jaemin pets Nono's head and Nono starts to purr.
Jeno looked around until he saw the note he gave Jaemin with the chocolate. Laying next to a frame with a picture of Jaemin and Donghyuck. Jaemin seems to notice and grabs it. "Do you know who gave me this? It was Lee Jeno. I can't believe he gave me this with my favorite chocolate. This made me so happy, you know?" He smiles brightly and reads it again. Suddenly his smile fades away. "Hold on..."
Jaemin stands up and looks for the note Nono's owner sent him. He looks at both notes, and he can see the handwriting on both is the same, the paper is the same and they even used the same blue pen.
Jaemin thought he connected the dots. Nono's owner is Lee Jeno.
"Nono... Your owner is Lee Jeno?"
Jeno couldn't believe this. But it was best for him if Jaemin thinks he is his owner than Jaemin knowing that he is Lee Jeno.
"Wait... If Jeno is your owner... This has a lot of sense... Can I text him to let him know that you are here?"
Okay, that is a bad idea. But also, it was his opportunity to talk to Jaemin as Lee Jeno.
"Touch my phone if I can text him," Jaemin said. He knew he sounded crazy, talking to a cat and that the cat would understand him. But Nono was special, there is no other cat like him.
Nono hesitating, put his paw on Jaemin's phone. Jaemin smiled even brighter than before. "Thank you!" and he sat on his bed while typing a message. "Do you think he will reply soon?" Jaemin asked Nono. "I hope he does!"
It's been five minutes since Jaemin texted Jeno. No answer. Jaemin is pouting. "I mean, I know he doesn't like me, but really?"
Jeno feels like combusting. Jaemin is the cutest human ever, he wants to smooch him (Even when he knows he can't do that.) He also wonders why Jaemin seems so sad that he is not replying.
He remembers his promise to make Jaemin always happy. He decides he will reply to Jaemin. The problem was how he was going to reply to him.
Nono looks at the window, hoping that Jaemin notices it and opens it; and he finally does. "Do you want to explore outside?" Jaemin smiles and opens the window. "I hope you don't go back home yet, but it's fine if you do. I'm glad you came for a little bit!"
Jeno wasn't going home yet so he hopes Jaemin doesn't close the window when he returns.
He goes outside through the window and lands on Jaemin's garden. He looks for a place where he can transform without Jaemin noticing it. He finally finds a really good spot and transforms back into a human. Jeno hurried and grabbed his phone.
Hi, Jeno! I'm Jaemin :)
05:32 pm
Hi!
Sorry for not replying, I just noticed
05:42 pm
Jeno can hear Jaemin scream "he replied to me!" he wonders if Jaemin has a crush on him too. A vibration coming from his phone stopped his thinking.
Don't worry!! It's okay :)
I didn't know you had a cat!
05:44 pm
Oh, yeah
I do! And I think you are the one who takes care of Nono in the afternoons, right?
Or there's another Jaemin…?
05:45 pm
It's me! Nono is so cute!!
I was texting you to let you know that he is at my house
But I'm not really sure if he is walking home now
05:46 pm
Oh, it's okay
Thank you for taking care of him :)
05:46 pm
It's a pleasure!! And I'll let you know if he returns! :)
05:47 pm
Sure!
I gtg, but I'll let you know when he is home :)
05:47 pm
Jeno blocked his phone and transformed into a cat again. He walked to Jaemin's windows and it still opened. He sneaks inside and sees Jaemin lying on his bed, hiding his face on a pillow.
To catch his attention, Nono meows. Jaemin took the pillow off his face and he was blushing. "Umm... I thought you went home..." Jaemin feels embarrassed. "But it's fine! Jeno texted me back!"
Jeno wonders again if Jaemin likes him back. He walks and jumps to be next to Jaemin on the bed.
"I'll tell you a secret. No one knows this," Jaemin whispers. "I think you already kinda noticed it but... I like Jeno."
"You... Me... What!?" Jeno is freaking out, he thought about it, but he would've never thought that was true. His cat self is only looking attentively at Jaemin.
"I know I always say I hate him but I really don't. I've always liked him, and the first and only time we hung out was so cool! He is really cool! But I hated the way everybody got the eyes on us expecting something." Jaemin made a pause. "And I think I sent that hate to Jeno and I even started to believe I really hated him. Until the day of the chocolate, I realized that I don't. And it made me feel relieved."
Jaemin looks at Nono and pets him under his chin. "You remind me of Jeno. And you being his cat makes so much sense. I'll be honest, I called you Nono because of Jeno. You know... Jeno, Je-no, Nono... Yeah..."
Jeno can't process all this information. And he knows he won't process it until he is home, he can't think correctly while the cute boy pets him.
With all this information, Jeno wonders if he should ask Jaemin on a date, without anyone knowing. Just both of them.
Jaemin remembers that he must continue with his project. He is so focused on editing the pictures that he got startled when he felt Nono on his lap. “Hey, are you leaving now?”
Jaemin just loved how he can communicate with Nono, they understand each other so well. And he knew that Nono was saying bye since Nono looked at the window. “Bye Nono! Be careful on your way home, and I hope Jeno tells me when you are home too!” Jaemin leaned closer and kissed Nono’s head. Nono walks just walks to the window and gets out of the house.
After that, Jeno let himself be and he runs, runs as fast as he can. Trying to get all of these emotions out of his body, even though he knows it would take more than just running to stop thinking about Jaemin. And Jeno also knows that he won’t be able to sleep due to the happiness he is feeling.
He gets home faster than expected, he gets inside through the garden and transforms back into a human. He checks his phone and remembers to tell Jaemin that heー that Nono got home safely.
Hey again
Just to let you know that Nono just got home :)
07:12 pm
Oooh, that was fast!
I didn’t know we lived so close! He just left!
07:15 pm
Oh, yeah, I didn’t know either lol
07:15 pm
Thanks for letting me know! Please give him lots of love <3
07:16 pm
Ofc, I will!
Uh, so good night :)
07:17 pm
Good night, Jeno :)
07:17 pm
And after those texts, both of them felt full, thinking that maybe things will work out for them in the future and they won’t have to hate each other anymore. Thinking that maybe one day they could be together.
Five
The next day, Jeno knew he had to tell Mark about Jaemin liking him and that he thinks he is Nono's owner. He arrived at college and looked for Mark, who was sitting with other friends. Jeno approached them, said hi, and asked Mark if they could go somewhere else because he needed to discuss something. Mark didn't ask why, he just grabbed his belongings and followed Jeno.
"I think you should tell me something," Mark said when they arrived at their usual spot when they needed to talk about something more personal.
"Yes, actually I do. But before I do, please don't get mad at me.”
"I can't promise that because I'm already mad at you," Mark said while crossing his arms. "Why is Donghyuck saying that you have a cat called Nono? Because last time I checked, you are Nono."
"I can explain... A while ago I gave Jaemin a bar of chocolate with a note. Please don't ask... I'm still embarrassed by that... The thing is that when he gave me the collar he put a note with it and I replied." Jeno explained. "And he figured it out that it was me who wrote both notes."
"Did he talk to you about it?"
"Yes... He stated that I was Nono's owner, and I couldn't deny it. Mark, you know better than anyone that I can't just go around saying yeah, I'm a cat ."
"Yes, I know. But then you should stop this before it gets out of your hands. I don't want you to get hurt. I'm just worried about you." Mark said, his gaze is now soft on Jeno. He loved Jeno like his own brother; he just wants to protect him.
Mark always knew about Jeno and Jaemin being enemies, and he can see that Jeno doesn't hate Jaemin anymore, but he is not sure if it's mutual or not. Mark rather keeps his friend away from Jaemin if that means that Jeno is not going to get hurt in the end.
"Mark... Jaemin likes me."
"Of course he does. He wouldn't have given you a collar if he doesn't," says while rolling his eyes.
"No, I mean he likes me . Na Jaemin likes Lee Jeno."
Mark looks at Jeno with a blank expression. He is trying to understand what his friend just said. Suddenly, he starts to laugh. Jeno has never seen Mark laughing like that, he is getting a little bit worried about his friend.
"It was a nice joke. I almost believe it!" says while wiping his tears away due to the laugh.
"Mark, I'm not joking. Jaemin told me. I mean, he told Nono." Jeno says in a serious tone. And that was the moment when Mark knew his friend wasn't lying.
"No fucking way... What happened? Suddenly both of you like each other?" Mark was genuinely confused.
"I started to hate him because of the pressure. I found annoying everyone who wanted us together, including Jaemin, even when he felt as annoyed as me." Jeno started to feel embarrassed because he was about to talk about his feelings for the cute boy. "After these weeks, I saw a whole new side of him and I really liked it. I really want to get to know him better and I think the chocolate I gave him changed his perception of me, so maybe I have a chance to do it," Jeno smiled.
"Damn, interacting with Jaemin as a cat changed you!" Jeno just stared at Mark and rolled his eyes. Mark laughed and then continued, "I'm just joking! I'm genuinely happy that both of you realized that all of this was dumb, and now that you know that he likes you back, it's time for you to shoot your shot!"
"Do you think I should?"
"Yes! I've never seen you like this, I can see that you really like him and I want you to be happy. But please consider telling him about you being Nono. If you want your relationship to work, you should be honest."
"I don't know, I mean... Of course, we should be honest, but telling him about the whole cat thing..." Jeno looks conflicted.
"I know bro, that's why I said you should consider it. I'm not telling you to do it right away. You will know when you should tell him." Mark placed his hand on Jeno's shoulder. "I think it's time for you to text him and ask him out."
"Now?" Jeno panicked by Mark's words.
"Yes, now."
"I really have to?"
"If you want a date with him… yes."
"But…"
"Jeno, do it!"
"Fine…" Jeno took his phone, looked for the pretty boy's name, and opened his chat. He just stared at the screen without moving.
"Dude, if you don't text him I'll do it. And I'm serious." Jeno panicked again and started to write something on his phone.
"Done. Now, let's wait."
"That was fast… what did you write?"
"Hey Jaemin"
"I swear…" Mark put a hand on his face showing annoyance, wondering why he is friends with Jeno.
Suddenly Jeno's phone rang, meaning he got a new text.
"Oh my God! It's Jaemin! What should I do?!"
"Reply to him, dumbass!"
Hey Jaemin!
09:10 am
Oh, hi Jeno!
I wasn't expecting you to text me, it's everything alright?
09:12 am
Yes, it is…
I was just wondering if you are free on Friday?
09:13 am
Umm… i think so
Why?
09:14 am
Good
Would you like to… idk… go on a date with me?
09:15 am
A date?
09:15 am
Yes… it's okay if you don't want to!
I just thought it would be nice… you know, getting to know each other without anyone else minding our business
But, again, it's okay if you can't or don't want to!!
09:17 am
"He is not replying anymore" Jeno was pouting, he thought he messed it up and he got no chance with Jaemin.
"If he likes you back as you said, he is probably freaking out. He obviously didn't expect this, don't get sad!"
Mark just finished speaking when Jeno's phone rang again.
Sorry for not replying haha
I wasn't expecting this but… sure!
I'd love to go on a date with you :)
09:22 am
Wait
Really?
09:22 am
Yeah, I always wanted to hang out with you without pressure, so i think this is nice!
09:23 am
Oh
OH
That's great!!
09:24 am
Haha yep
I gtg, i have classes now, but let's talk about the details later!
09:25 am
Sure!
Have a nice day, Jaemin :)
09:25 am
You too, Jeno :)
09:26 am
"So… you scored a date with Na Jaemin! Well done buddy!" Mark said while ruffling Jeno's hair.
"I have a date with Na Jaemin…" he can't believe what just happened.
"Yes, you do! I'm happy for you, bro." Mark smiled at Jeno.
Jeno couldn't believe he scored a date with Jaemin until his classes were over. He felt so excited about the date that he even transformed into a cat pretty close to the college. He thinks no one will find it weird that a guy hides behind a wall and suddenly a black cat appears and walks away. Definitely not weird.
Nono arrives at the park almost at the same time as Jaemin. Nono panicked. What if Jaemin saw him transforming?
All of his worries go away when Jaemin sees him.
“Nono! You won’t believe what happened!” Jaemin was glowing, Nono had never seen Jaemin this happy. Maybe he didn’t saw him transforming.
Jaemin ran towards Nono, when he was finally in front of the cat, he grabbed him in his arms.
“I’m so happy, Nono! Your handsome owner asked me out!” Handsome? Jeno still can't believe that Jaemin likes him back. "I freaked out when I read that text! I even went to the restroom because I didn't want anyone to see me like that!" Jaemin giggled.
And the rest of the day continued like that. Jaemin was giggling like a teenager in love, hugging Nono while talking about how excited he was about his date. And Jeno was so happy too, knowing that maybe something between them can happen.
When Jaemin arrived home, he texted Jeno to talk about the date. They agreed on meeting after classes at a new cafe that was pretty away from college and that way they could have a nice day together without anyone gossiping around them.
The day finally arrived. Both of them were so excited about the date that barely slept that night, but it didn't matter because they were so full of energy. They couldn't wait to see the other that they even sent good morning texts to the other, at the same exact time.
They knew that the other was as excited as them about the date.
Classes ended and Jeno received a text from Jaemin saying that he was already heading to the cafe. Jeno tried his best to hurry up, maybe like that he will catch Jaemin and they can head over together.
His plan was almost successful, he saw Jaemin 3 blocks away from the cafe. He thought that Jaemin is the most beautiful person in the whole world.
Jeno wanted to have some fun and decided to scare Jaemin as a little revenge of the time when he startled Nono. Jaemin seemed so immersed in his thoughts that he didn't notice Jeno.
He approached the cute boy really carefully, and suddenly "boo!"
Jaemin was indeed startled by Jeno, but Jeno almost got hit by the cute boy's phone. Jeno has never found someone so cute in his entire life.
"Oh my God, Jeno! You scared me!" Jaemin playfully hit Jeno on his arm and Jeno only laughed at the cute boy.
"I'm sorry, I saw my opportunity and I had to take it," Jeno showed to Jaemin his characteristic eye smile.
Jaemin being the weak man that he was, couldn't be mad at Jeno and smiled back at him.
They walked the next few blocks talking about their day, sometimes their hands brushed together, but no one dared to take the next step and hold hands. Maybe later , both thought.
Both of them arrived at the cafe and Jeno opened the door to let Jaemin get inside first.
Jaemin mumbled a "thank you" and waited for Jeno to come inside. Both walked to the line and decided what they would order.
It was finally their turn and they ordered two americanos and one piece of chocolate cake that both will share since they weren't that hungry. Jaemin insisted on paying but Jeno said that he was the one who asked Jaemin out so he should be the one paying.
Jaemin agreed under one condition, next time he will be the one paying. Jeno was happy that Jaemin wanted to hang out again, and to be fair this is the second time they hang out together, so they already know a little bit about the other.
The awkward silence that you could experience when you are meeting someone never existed in their conversations, they could talk about the most random thing ever and the other will follow the conversation. They feel extremely comfortable around the other and they have never felt this way with someone else; they even playfully fought for the last bite of the cake (which Jaemin won after pouting.)
When they finished eating, Jeno said that he wanted to take Jaemin somewhere. Jeno refused to tell Jaemin where they were heading, even after the constant pleadings from Jaemin. Jeno was about to give up and tell him but he really wanted it to be a surprise. Both walked to the bus stop and thankfully they arrived in time and got inside the bus. The whole ride, Jaemin tried to guess where they were heading but he failed, he thought that he would trust Jeno and it would be a nice place.
After a 15 minutes ride, they finally got out of the bus. They walked for a few minutes until they finally got to their final destination: an aquarium.
“Are we… Going to the aquarium?” Jaemin asked while looking at the entrance of the aquarium.
Jeno remembers that once Jaemin mentioned to Nono that he would love a date at an aquarium. He thought this was a great idea, but he is not sure anymore, maybe Jaemon didn't like aquariums and he just dreamt about it.
“Uh… Yes, do you like it? If you don’t we can…” He got interrupted by Jaemin.
“No! I mean... I love it! I don’t want to go anywhere else! I always wanted to come here on a date, thank you so much, Jen.” Jaemin's eyes were sparkling with happiness and a little bit of love, but Jeno failed to notice the last thing.
Jeno felt like he was in a dream. First of all, Jaemin called him Jen. Not Jeno, but Jen . And second of all, he was happy that he could fulfill Jaemin’s wish.
This time, Jaemin decided to be a little bit bolder and he held Jeno’s hand and started to walk at the entrance. Again, Jeno thought he was dreaming.
Jeno stopped daydreaming when he remembered that he already bought the tickets and thanks to that, they avoided the long line and got inside pretty fast.
And the aquarium tour started with a great variety of fishes. Some of them were really colorful and some others were not. Jeno has never seen so many different species of fishes together.
“Did you know that fishes are really social and friendly? They make friends with other fish species! Finding Nemo wasn’t that far away from reality!” Jaemin said and then made a pause to think. “And I’m serious about this! They can really migrate extremely far distances, they can also communicate well, using sounds, scents, and motions, and help each other!”
“They… Can?” Jeno asked, looking at the fishes swimming around them with a really amazed expression.
“Yes! Also, they have really good memories! It is all a lie about them not remembering anything, they are really smart.” Jaemin pouts after saying that, feeling kinda sad that people don’t put too much attention on fishes.
“Now I can see why you wanted to come to an aquarium…” Jeno was thinking that Jaemin is indeed the cutest and smartest person he ever met. But suddenly Jaemin’s expression dropped, he didn’t seem as bubbly as before. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah… It’s just that… Maybe you found it annoying or weird that I know so much about fishes…” Jaemin tried his best to avoid visual contact.
“Hey, it’s definitely not like that,” Jeno softly pulled Jaemin’s face up so they could make eye contact. “I found it amazing and cute, I really want you to tell me more about the fishes, it’s really interesting!”
“Do you really mean it?” Jaemin asked, his eyes started to shine again, you could see hope in his eyes.
“I really mean it, I was surprised that you know all of that. I just learned a lot and I want to know more,” Jeno softly caressed Jaemin’s cheek with his thumb. “Would you tell me more facts?”
“If you want, I definitely will!” Jaemin smiled and finally intertwined his fingers with Jeno’s.
They continued the tour, taking some pictures and talking about the animals in front of them. Jaemin was actually a big fan of aquatic animals, he was extra excited, and every fact that he remembered he would tell Jeno about it.
Jaemin felt genuinely happy around Jeno. He could be who he really is, he didn’t have to feel embarrassed by saying anything. Whenever he felt that he was talking too much, Jeno would assure him that it’s fine and he wants to know more about it.
The tour ended but Jaemin was still bubbling, not every day the guy you like takes you to your dream date. And Jeno felt the same, his life was so much better by only looking at how happy the cute boy looked.
It was time to go back home, Jeno offered to walk Jaemin home and he agreed. The whole time their hands were intertwined, it was the only thing that made them know that it wasn’t a dream and it was very real that both were on a date.
“Thank you for walking me home and thank you for the amazing date! I can tell for sure that it was the best date ever!” Jaemin said when they arrived at his home. “I don’t know how to show you how thankful I am for today.”
“I know how…”
“Oh, you do?” Jaemin asks and Jeno nods his head, “how?”
“You can go on another date with me. If you want to, of course.”
“I’d love to! But I suddenly have another way to show you my gratitude.” Jaemin made an innocent face, Jeno’s heart started to race, he started to feel really nervous.
“Really? Can you show me?” Jaemin only walked a step closer to Jeno.
“Sure.” He got a little bit closer and placed a kiss on Jeno’s cheek. Then he stepped back a little bit. “Maybe on our next date I can show you a little bit more of my gratitude.”
“I’ll be waiting then.” Jeno smiled at Jaemin.
They say their goodbyes and Jeno promises to text Jaemin when he arrives home. He was about to go when he remembered something.
“I can’t leave without giving you something,” Jeno said.
“What is it?”
“This.” Jeno leaned closer to Jaemin and placed a kiss on the corner of his lips. “Take it as my thank you for making this a really memorable day.”
Jaemin just stayed still while looking at Jeno walking away. Maybe he made a mistake by telling him to wait until the next date, now the only thing on his mind is that he wanted to kiss Jeno so badly.
Plus One
It's been three days since the date. They haven't stopped texting each other since then, and they can't wait to see each other again. It's been almost three days that Jeno has forgotten he had to meet Jaemin as Nono at the park; however, Jaemin never mentioned that he hasn't seen Nono either. Jeno knows the cute boy has been busy the last few days with his pending projects, and he also knows he had used all of his free time texting Jeno. Maybe Jaemin just forgot too.
When Monday arrives, Jaemin knows he can't wait any longer to see Jeno. He texts him asking to meet at the same spot where Jeno gave him the chocolate a few weeks ago. A few minutes passed, and Jeno replied that he would arrive soon.
Jaemin feels so happy, he can't believe he will finally see Jeno again. These past days he realized he wanted to hug Jeno so bad but he lost his opportunity at the date. But he won't waste more time and he will definitely hug him when he arrives.
Jeno finally arrives and suddenly he feels a pair of arms around him, noticing it was Jaemin hugging him.
"Hey, Jaem," Jeno said while hugging Jaemin back. The hug felt so good that Jaemin hid his face on Jeno's neck.
"Hi," Jaemin breathed in the scent of his neck, just as he thought, Jeno smells exactly like Nono.
“It seems like you missed me” Jeno mocked him and felt a really soft hit that made him giggle. “Why did you hit me? I missed you and I can accept it!”
“I missed you too… And I wanted to know how it feels to hug you.” Jaemin lifts his face to make eye contact.
“And what’s the verdict, judge Na?”
“I guess it’s fine.”
“Fine? Just fine? Okay then…” Jeno started to separate his body from Jaemin’s. But the cute boy was faster and hugged him tighter.
“I’m just kidding, you big baby!” Jaemin giggled and again, Jeno thinks he is the most beautiful person in the whole universe.
“I can be a big baby, but I think I want you to be my baby” after hearing those words, Jaemin blushed and Jeno only laughed. “We can leave the cute nicknames for later if you want.”
“So you want to call me baby?” Jaemin was still blushing, but he raised an eyebrow after asking.
“Ummm… Let me think…” he acts as if he is thinking about it really hard. “I think I will like that,” and he smiled after saying it.
“Okay… You can call me baby. And I’ll think about a nickname for you later!”
“I’ll be waiting, baby” and he winked at Jaemin, who again, blushed. “As much as I’d love to stay like this forever, we have to go to classes in a few minutes.”
Jeno notices how Jaemin's mood dropped. “I don’t want to go!” he pouted, and Jeno wanted to kiss him so badly, but he will wait until their next date.
And that’s when Jeno spoke without thinking.
“Let’s go on a date today.” that was the least thing Jaemin would have thought Jeno would say. “Or not…” he said after the lack of response from the other guy.
“I’d love to!" Jaemin said after realizing that Jeno asked him on a date again. "But I’m kinda tired, what if we have an indoor date at my place?”
“Oh, I like that! We can watch some movies and order food. Sounds like a plan?”
Jaemin agreed. They spent the last few minutes hugging while talking about what food they could order, the final winner was pizza. When it was time to go to their classes, they separated slowly. Neither of them wanted to leave yet, but they had to. They said goodbye and Jaemin placed a peck on Jeno’s cheek and walked away, leaving the guy frozen. A few moments later he realized that he had classes and ran to be on time.
The classes ended and Jaemin texted Jeno to meet at the park near his house. Jeno knows that’s the park where Jaemin and Nono always meet. He is still wondering why Jaemin hasn't mentioned Nono even once.
Jeno arrives and finds Jaemin who was sitting on a bench, when he notices the presence of the oldest, he stands up and walks to Jeno. And just like when they meet in the morning, both hugged each other; the difference is that this time the hug doesn’t last long. Jeno intertwined his hand with Jaemin’s and both started their way to Jaemin’s place.
They arrived and Jaemin led Jeno to his room. They decided that Jaemin would call and order the pizza while Jeno picked the movie they would watch. Jeno thought it would be cute if they watched Finding Nemo and Finding Dory since the youngest enjoyed them.
Jaemin returned to the room after ordering the pizza, Jeno suggested watching the movies and Jaemin was so excited about watching those since they’re his favorite movies.
They agreed on waiting for the food before they started to watch the movie. The food arrived and they were more than ready to start eating and enjoy the movie. They finished the pizza and commented once in a while during the movie (mostly Jaemin saying fun facts about the animals.) When the second movie started, they wanted to be more comfortable and they cuddled while watching it.
Somewhere between the movie Jaemin, fell asleep in Jeno's arms. He looked so peaceful. Jeno turned the TV off to let the cute boy rest better.
A few minutes passed when Jeno felt the urge to transform into a cat. This only happens when he spent too many hours in his human form. Jeno thought that he could go and transform into a cat in the garden, if he hears Jaemin call him he will transform again.
When he moved the sleepy boy, Jaemin babbled “Nono, don’t go.”
Jeno froze when he heard that. Does Jaemin know?
Maybe he stared at Jaemin for so long that he started to finally wake up. “Nono, where were you going?”
“What?” was the only word that Jeno could say.
Jaemin giggled, it was like all the sleepiness that Jaemin once had was all gone. “You are Nono!”
“Jaemin… Are you okay? I’m not Nono… I’m not a… Cat” Jaemin giggled again.
“Jen… I know you are Nono.”
“What are you…” Jeno was interrupted by Jaemin, who sat down and started to explain.
“I won’t lie to you… I always knew that you were not your owner… If that makes sense…” He mumbled the last part. “I kinda saw you transforming in the garden the first time you came.”
Jeno didn’t know how to react, he even forgot how to think. His urge to transform into a cat was forgotten.
“But actually I thought I was imagining things. That was until I saw the collar,” Jaemin pointed at Jeno’s wrist, Jeno without thinking, touched it. “And I was doubting that you liked the collar so much that you wanted to wear it.” Jaemin giggled. “But I confirmed you were Nono the day you asked me out. I saw you transforming into Nono again, but this time I know that I saw you. I just wanted to wait until the right moment to talk about it… And I think it’s this…”
Jeno wanted to hit himself for being so reckless and not hiding better. Jaemin noticed the change in Jeno and approached Jeno, slowly he placed one of his hands on Jeno's cheek and continued, “Jeno… Knowing this won’t change the fact that I like you so so much.” Jaemin smiles trying to calm down Jeno.
“Are… Are you not mad at me?” Jeno’s gaze was showing fear. Fear that Jaemin may be lying and he won’t want to talk to him again.
“Why would I?”
“Because I lied to you…”
“You didn’t lie to me. I understand why you didn’t tell me before.” Jaemin places his other hand on Jeno’s other cheek, making Jeno look at him. “I like you, Lee Jeno. I don’t care if you can transform into a cat, a dog, a bunny… Or if you can’t transform into any animal. I like you because you are you.”
Jeno doesn’t say a thing. He just hugged Jaemin and started to cry. He was so afraid of what Jaemin could think of him, he only trusted Mark enough to share his secret with. But now knowing that Jaemin kept the secret all this time means that he could trust him.
“Thank you Jaemin, thank you for accepting me… I like you so much” Jeno managed to say.
They spent a few minutes hugging until Jeno stopped crying. They settled on the bed to be more comfortable and they cuddled. Suddenly, both were looking at each other and started to be aware of the closeness.
“Nono…”
“Yes?”
“Can I… Kiss you?” said looking at Jeno’s lips.
Jeno didn’t answer and just closed the gap between their lips. They started to move their lips together, it felt so right. That was definitely the best kiss they have ever had. They kept kissing and sometimes they whispered to each other some I like you’s.
Suddenly, Jeno separates from Jaemin when he realizes that he can’t stay as a human for much longer. Jeno just whispers “I’m sorry Jaem” and he transforms into a cat.
Jaemin was shocked. But when he assimilated what just happened, he started to laugh. “It’s okay Nono. I guess you stayed for too long as a human?”
Since Jaemin finally knows his secret, he can freely try to communicate and he nods his head.
“Oh! So you can nod! This is so cute!” Jaemin was so happy and excited that he hugged Nono.
They spent the rest of the day playing around. When it was time for Jeno to leave, he just stared at the window.
“You have to leave now?” Jaemin asks. Nono only nods.
Jaemin came closer to the cat and placed a kiss on the top of Nono’s head. “I wanted a goodbye kiss but I think this is fine.”
Nono walks a little bit away from Jaemin and transforms back into a human.
“Well, I can’t stay for too long as a human but I can kiss you. But please hold me tight… We don’t know when I can transform into a cat again.” Jeno leans on and kisses Jaemin.
Just a few minutes passed and Jeno transformed back into a cat. Jaemin opens the window and says goodbye to Jeno while he walks away.
It’s been a few weeks since that day, and they hang out after classes almost every day. If they can’t see each other they would video call. And yes, they talk every day, they sneak out whenever they can to see each other. But they are tired of hiding.
Jeno wanted to be official before they announced to everybody that they are together. He starts to plan how he will ask Jaemin to be his boyfriend. When everything is ready, the plan begins.
It was the weekend, and Jeno suddenly sent a location to Jaemin and said “Meet you there at 6 pm and bring your camera, baby <3”
Jaemin had no idea what Jeno wanted to do. But the location Jeno sent him was the place where he took the pictures of his best project: the beach. His pictures of the cat on the beach capture the attention of a lot of people and thanks to them he got a perfect score.
He got excited by the idea of spending the rest of the day with Jeno at the beach. He couldn’t wait to see Jeno.
It was almost 6 pm when Jaemin was already on his way to the beach, he texted Jeno to let him know and Jeno said that he will be waiting for him at the bus stop as Nono. When he arrived he saw Nono, when they made visual contact, Nono ran to Jaemin.
“Nono, hi!” Jaemin says as he lifts Nono in his arms and places a kiss on Nono’s head. Nono only bops his nose on Jaemin’s cheek. “Where are you taking me, Nono?”
Nono looks at the floor meaning that he wants to go back to walking. Jaemin puts him down and Nono starts to walk away from the people. They arrived at the beach and Nono walked to hide behind some rocks so he could transform without anyone noticing.
And that’s when Jaemin finally could see Jeno. He was wearing a pair of shorts and a loose shirt, even when his clothes were really simple, Jaemin found him really handsome.
“You look so good today Jen,” Jaemin said, approaching Jeno, who put his arms around the cute boy’s waist.
“Well, I think you look better than anyone else” he finally placed a soft kiss on the other’s lips. When they separate, he continues, “I spent most of my day as a cat, so we don’t have to worry about me suddenly transforming” Jeno smiles.
“So… This time can we see the sunset?” Jaemin’s eyes brightened at the thought.
“Yes. We can spend this time playing around and you can take some pictures. But after the sunset, I have a little surprise for you.”
“A surprise?”
Jeno nods, “but as I said, it’s a surprise and I won’t tell you!”
Jaemin pouted and was about to protest until he felt the so-known lips on his. They kept kissing for a little bit more.
When they separated, Jaemin said that he wanted Jeno to be his model for today. He agreed and spent the last minutes of the sun letting the cute boy take his pictures.
The sun started to set and Jaemin took pictures of the sky. Jeno was admiring how beautiful Jaemin seems when he is focused.
“I hope everything goes well,” Jeno thought. Approached Jaemin from behind and hugged him “It’s time for the surprise, baby.” Jaemin turned around while smiling.
Jeno separates from the boy and takes out a blindfold from his shorts pocket. “It’s that really necessary?” Jaemin asks.
“Do you trust me?”
Jaemin nods and closes his eyes. Jeno softly puts the blindfold on the youngest and leads him to the final spot.
When they arrive, Jeno stands behind him and takes off the blindfold. Jaemin opened his eyes and saw a beach mat on the sand surrounded by candles and some rose petals. This was the most romantic thing someone has ever done for Jaemin, he was so happy that he just turned around and kissed Jeno.
“This is so beautiful Jen, thank you so much” Jaemin whispered on Jeno’s lips.
"You don't have to thank me. I would do this and more only for you" and he pressed another kiss on his lips.
They laid down on the mat, seeing the stars while cuddling. They talked about everything and anything.
"Jaem…" Jeno sat down waiting for the other one to follow.
"Yes?" Jaemin sat down too.
"I want you to know that these past few weeks have been the most special days of my life." He grabbed Jaemin's hands. "And I realized that I want to spend the rest of my days with you by my side and get to know everything about you. I want you to know that…" he made a pause. "That I love you… would you make the honors of being this catboy's boyfriend?"
Jaemin couldn’t believe what he just heard. But this time he didn’t want to waste more time and suddenly kissed Jeno. “Of course I want you to be my boyfriend, dummy.” He kissed Jeno again. “I love you too, Jeno. I want to spend my everything with you too.” And they kissed again. This time, both of them could feel all the love they have for the other.
They definitely wouldn’t change the other for anything in the world.
After their first hours as boyfriends, they decided that it was time to stop hiding from the rest. People were always going to gossip about them, they knew the best thing they could do was to ignore them and be happy together.
The next day they arrived at college holding hands. They could feel all of the eyes looking at them, but again, they decided to ignore them. Jeno walked Jaemin to his class and before he left, he placed a soft peck on Jaemin’s lips. They smiled at each other and made plans to eat lunch together.
It didn’t take long for everybody to start talking about Na Jaemin and Lee Jeno being boyfriends. Some people were happy about them, some others weren’t. But to be honest, the only thing that mattered was Jaemin and Jeno’s happiness. And being together was the most delightful thing in their lives.