Work Text:
8am is way too early, at least in Jisung’s book. It’s still dark outside and his body craves the warmth of his bed. But sadly, he is already at his part-time job and has to prepare everything for the crowd of caffeine addicts that will soon arrive at the DreaM café. It’s truly way too early to deal with the horde of zombies called students, but Jisung got stuck with the worst shift of the day - starting at 7.30am which, in his opinion, is just inhuman. Stupid Donghyuck and his stupid luck whenever it comes to drawing straws. Because for some reason, Jisung always ends up with the shortest one. That sly, evil Gemini.
At least Jisung will be done with work before most people his age have even made it out of bed. Still, right now, he’d give almost everything to be back in his blanket burrito. Earning money is hard and annoying. If anyone ever wondered if working at a café could ruin the beauty of coffee… the answer is yes. Because capitalism destroys everything, leaving no survivors.
“Good morning, Sungie!” His co-worker and the other unlucky one having drawn one of the shorter straws chirps when he enters the café, and Jisung grimaces - Sungchan’s voice is way too cheerful this early in the morning. He gives the other tall boy a curt nod of his head, not in the mood to talk right now. Jisung is not really in the mood to do anything right now, if he’s being honest.
Ugh, he truly just hates the morning shift.
He’s currently 80% tired and 20% sleepy - he doesn’t even remember what it’s like to not be tired anymore.
College is great!
Sungchan doesn’t seem to mind or even notice Jisung’s grumpiness, being the sweetheart that he simply is, and begins to wipe down the counter while humming a cheery song under his breath. It’s only his second week of work, but so far he’s proven to be a far better and more reliable part-timer than the last three people who had worked here. Donghae is usually a nice and caring boss, but he has some strict rules: always be on time, no drinking coffee while working, don’t take more breaks than necessary, and don’t give out free drinks to friends.
The last three part-timers had broken at least one of these rules regularly and got caught doing so, which was the reason for Donghae firing them. Sungchan is doing well so far, and Jisung thinks that their boss is pretty happy for once - which is understandable, Sungchan is not only a nice and sweet boy, but also very handsome and funny. Jisung is always happy whenever he works a shift with him. He’s also a college student and wants to become a kindergarten teacher. If Jisung ever becomes a dad, he’ll never let his own children near the other boy though, too scared they’d instantly like Sungchan more - not that Jisung could actually blame them. The other boy is simply too sweet and kind.
“Shall I put on some music?” Sungchan asks after he’s finished wiping everything down, and Jisung just nods, finally being done with prepping the giant coffee machines. Just seconds later, smooth lounge music fills the cozy space of the café, and Jisung inhales deeply.
Okay, maybe he lied earlier. Capitalism did not destroy his love for coffee, he still very much adores its scent, taste, and especially its effect. Jisung quickly checks the time, realizing they still have about 15 minutes before they have to open the café - meaning they have more than enough time to enjoy a nice cup of coffee together. Sungchan immediately agrees to Jisung’s suggestion, and just minutes later, they bask in the fresh scent of grounded coffee beans.
Sungchan sighs deeply after having taken the first sip of his steaming hot latte macchiato, and gives Jisung a bright smile. “Heavenly. You truly make the best coffee out of all of us, Sungie,” he says earnestly, and Jisung tilts his head to one side. Thanks to the caffeine in his system, he’s finally ready to talk to the other boy now. “Well, if my academic brilliance proves futile, I can always become the best barista in the world, I guess. And by the way, don’t let Donghyuck hear you say that, or he’ll force you to taste all the coffee he makes, resulting in an overdose of caffeine. You know he’s insufferable,” Jisung answers, and Sungchan chuckles. “Well, I stand by what I said, and I’ll even say it to his face. He needs to learn that he can’t always be the best at everything.”
Jisung raises one eyebrow, lips twitching. “No offense, but I don’t think he’s ever been the best at anything so far, he’s just very good at pretending. He basically invented the phrase ‘fake it till you make it’. Don’t tell Mark I said that though.” Mark - Donghyuck’s boyfriend - can be very protective, which can be highly annoying as Donghyuck is lowkey a demon.
Before Sungchan can reply, there’s a knock against one of the café’s windows. Surprised, they both look up, and Jisung groans when he sees a familiar face grinning back at him. “What is he doing here?!” He grumbles, and places his cup back on the counter, not moving a single muscle. But Sungchan, being his nice and angelic self, is already walking towards the front door, and before Jisung can protest, he’s already unlocked it. Chenle jumps over the threshold, sporting his signature grin, so bright it could rival the sun itself. He greets Sungchan with a quick hug before sliding the giant headphones off his ears.
“Moooorning,” he then says, with at least five Os.
Jisung is already annoyed. He’s known Chenle for… well. For a long time. Too long, some would say (he himself, for example). Their moms have been close friends since their own college years, and while they thankfully did not move to the same neighborhood, they did end up living quite close to one another. Meaning Chenle has been there for pretty much Jisung’s entire life, including his whole childhood and embarrassing teenage years - at every single one of his birthday parties, at most Christmases, and - of course - at Lunar New Year, their families' favorite holiday. They have also gone on many hiking trips together, and on wildlife expeditions, and on holidays by the seaside… In almost all Jisung’s memories, there’s Chenle.
“Ugh, why are you so obsessed with me?” Jisung whines when Chenle leans over the counter to grab his cup and take a sip of his coffee, “There are literally hundreds of colleges and you had to go choose the one I’m attending?!”
Chenle grins, and puffs out his stupidly adorable cheeks. “Well, first of all, I’d never be so cruel and rid you of my pleasant company, my dearest Jisungie. And second, I got here first because I’m not a baby, but already old and wise, unlike you. So technically, it was you who chose to attend my college,” he answers, dark eyes sparkling with humor. Jisung just huffs and turns around. “The usual?” He then asks in a flat voice, and Chenle just hums in confirmation.
To say Jisung hates Chenle would be a severe overstatement, he is just often very... annoyed by the other boy. Mostly because Chenle is lowkey a walking disaster and pretty much convinced the world revolves around him. He also seems to think that Jisung, being the younger of them, is his personal servant.
One of Jisung’s most vivid and probably also most traumatic childhood memories is of his sixth birthday party: he had gotten a brand new, soft green bicycle, falling in love with it as soon as he laid eyes on it. Naturally, he had wanted to take it around the block for a little test drive, but all of the sudden, Chenle had thrown a big tantrum until Jisung’s mom had made him give it to the Chinese boy first. And being the clumsy child that Chenle simply was (and kind of still is), he had crashed Jisung’s beautiful new bike into a tree. The tree had won the battle, the handle bar completely bent, same with the front wheel. So Jisung and his bike had been a very short love story with a tragic ending. Romeo and Juliet had nothing on them.
And that instance was just one of many - Chenle had also accidentally sat on Jisung’s birthday cake once (till this day, Jisung has no idea how the other boy had even managed to do that). Chenle also ruined one of Jisung’s favorite jumpers by dumping ink all over it, had tipped over their canoe when they’d been happily paddling on a lake one incredibly hot summer day, and gave Jisung a black eye when they went mini golfing for Chenle’s eleventh birthday.
So Zhong Chenle has always been - and probably always will be - a walking disaster. Being his friend means Jisung has a ‘Why is he like that’ moment at least five times a day. At the moment, his biggest fear is Chenle accidentally sitting on his brand new laptop and breaking it in the process - and Jisung had been saving up for it for over two years before finally being able to afford it. And then Jisung will just have to kill the other boy, which will probably make his very nice mom very sad. But as the Bible clearly states: an eye for an eye, a life for a laptop.
Or maybe Chenle is just going to set Jisung’s whole apartment on fire - he can be a real mess inside the kitchen, same as Jisung (note to himself: never try to bake cookies with Chenle ever again). His old dorm kitchen will probably never recover from that one particular incident - the one that ended with half the building having to be evacuated.
That’s one of the reasons why Chenle hasn’t been over at Jisung’s new place yet. The second one being that Jisung only moved apartments a few weeks ago. But ever since, Chenle has been pestering him, asking to have a movie night at his new place. Like Jisung said, Chenle is kind of obsessed with him. He also literally spends every morning at the café Jisung works at - or well, Jisung just assumes it’s every morning. As he’s only a part-timer, he thankfully doesn't have to work every single morning, but Chenle definitely always comes by when Jisung has drawn one of the short straws yet again.
Jisung quickly busies himself with making a boiling hot Americano for Chenle, the boy’s preferred drink of choice, while said boy continues to chat with Sungchan. They got to know each other through a mutual friend of theirs, Jeno - he’s one of Chenle’s roommates and also part of the same hockey team as Sungchan. Everyone on campus knows Lee Jeno: he’s on the student council, captain of the hockey team, and is studying to become a veterinarian, usually ranking highest in all his classes. And he’s also just so nice and down to earth, truly a prime example of a man. Chenle should really take a leaf out of Jeno’s book.
“Here you go,” Jisung says while sliding Chenle’s finished order his way, taking his own cup out of the other boy’s hands while doing so. Jisung quickly shakes his head when Chenle wants to hand him his credit card, and the Chinese boy gives him a happy smile, the one that always makes Jisung feel a bit nauseous for some reason. Donghae would probably fire Jisung instantly if he knew about him giving Chenle free drinks every week, but not once has he let his childhood friend pay for his coffee - and he’s been working at the café for almost six months now.
Jisung tries to ignore the way his stomach jolts when Chenle locks eyes with him, expression unusually tender, but fails miserably. Ugh, fine, so maybe the Chinese boy has the most beautiful smile in the whole wide world, and maybe his eyes hold entire galaxies in them, but what about it? It’s not as if Jisung even actually likes him, right?!
Jisung quickly turns around and pretends to wipe down the coffee machine, but in reality, he just doesn’t want to look at Chenle’s cute cheeks anymore, because they just make him want to squish them. And Jisung has a reputation to lose.
“Well, I’m off to my lecture now - I hope you have a good shift, losers!” Chenle finally says, and Jisung quickly turns around again, catching the other boy giving him a mock salute and mischievous wink. Jisung just waves at him while Sungchan wishes him a good day as well. As soon as the door falls close behind Chenle again, Jisung exhales.
He really needs to get a grip on himself.
. . . . . . .
It’s Friday night, and there’s a party at Chenle’s frat house. At first, Jisung doesn't want to go, but his roommate Jaemin simply drags him along. He knows Jaemin is only going to the party because he has the biggest crush capital C on Lee Jeno - yes, that Lee Jeno. But it’s not as if Jisung can blame him - half the people on campus have a crush on Jeno after all. But while Jaemin and Jeno are close friends, nothing has ever happened between them - not yet, that is; it is only a matter of time now. Literally everyone who possesses a pair of functioning eyes can see that they’re both head over heels for each other. Jaemin gets literal heart eyes whenever Jeno enters a room while Jeno is immediately drawn to Jaemin’s side as if they’re magnets. They’re just too dumb to see it themselves. But who knows, maybe tonight’s finally the night.
Jisung is currently sipping on some stale beer Mark - not only Donghyuck’s boyfriend but also one of Chenle’s roommates - has handed him the second he stepped over the threshold of the frat house, and scans the room for people he might know. Jaemin is off to greet some friends from his architecture class, so Jisung is on his own for now. Which is fine, he doesn’t really mind just standing in the corner to observe the other guests; it’s actually highly entertaining. For example, there’s one guy twerking like crazy to a Beyoncé song. Jisung thinks his name might be Jeongin and that he’s in his calc class. One of his friends is currently hyping him up like crazy, while another one with blond dyed hair is clearly wishing he was somewhere entirely else. Jisung can honestly not blame the latter one, the secondhand-embarrassment being way too real.
A few moments later, Sungchan enters the room, holding his boyfriend’s Shotaro’s hand, and they happily wave at Jisung as soon as they spot him. He simply returns their smiles before continuing to watch Jeongin.
“Enjoying the show?” Someone beside him suddenly asks, and Jisung jumps at least three meters into the air, dumping the last of his beer over the front of his shirt. “Oh fuck you!” He yelps, and turns around to glare at Donghyuck, who‘s sporting a shit-eating grin, “You totally scared me on purpose!”
“Fuck... me? Absolutely, just name the time and place, baby,” the older boy answers teasingly, and Jisung smacks him over his head. “Not even in your wildest dreams, Lee,” he replies and narrows both eyes at him. Donghyuck just pouts playfully. “I just think we’d make a really great couple,” he argues, and Jisung shakes his head. “Well, society should be able to limit what some people are allowed to think, then,” he retorts, voice flat, and Donghyuck reaches out a hand to ruffle his hair. “You know what I love about you? You can be very direct and are kinda mean and annoying, but unapologetically so,” he then states, and Jisung raises one eyebrow. “I might be direct as well as kinda mean and annoying, but at least my lock screen isn’t a selfie.”
Donghyuck gasps dramatically, and protectively cradles his phone to his chest. “I mean, I could always change it to one of your selfies, you know?” He then suggests, and Jisung groans. He just can’t win when it comes to Donghyuck.
The older boy is clearly tipsy already, or else he wouldn’t be flirting like this. If this sad attempt can even be considered flirting, it’s probably just him being his annoying Gemini self.
Donghyuck finally sighs deeply. “When will you finally accept my eternal love for you, Jisungie?” He asks, pouting, and reaches for one of Jisung‘s hands, but Jisung just smacks him again. “Maybe when you finally stop cheating at drawing straws! I have the Monday morning shift again,” he hisses, and Donghyuck smirks. “You’ll never know my secret,” he replies smugly, and drains his entire cup with one single gulp.
Jisung begins to pout and takes a sip from his own cup, eyes wandering towards where Jeongin is still throwing it back on the dance floor. “If I ever do something remotely like that, just take me out instantly,” he says, an exasperated expression on his face.
“On a date or with a sniper?” A familiar voice on his other side suddenly pipes up, and Jisung sighs internally. “Lele,” he greets his favorite frenemy, and Chenle grins while wrapping one arm around Jisung‘s waist. “Nice to see you accepted my invite,” he then says, and Jisung quickly frees himself out of Chenle’s embrace, trying to ignore his fast racing heart. He feels himself flush until his cheeks feel like they’re in the presence of hellfire. Sadly, Chenle’s close proximity usually has that effect on him.
Donghyuck just wiggles his eyebrows at Jisung before flashing him a shit-eating grin and disappearing from view - probably to go talk to his boyfriend Mark.
Traitor.
“I only came because Jaemin asked me to,” Jisung finally responds, and looks around for his friend and roommate. Seriously, where did he even go?! It’s been at least 15 minutes since he left Jisung on his own. “You can just admit that you missed my handsome face, you know,” Chenle says, and Jisung snorts. “Yeah, whatever you say, dolphin boy.”
Chenle groans and ruffles his black hair with one hand, making it stand on end. Jisung desperately suppresses the need to flatten it again, and takes another sip of his beer instead. “Don’t you get tired of using that old nickname? My voice is much deeper now, plus I have finally lost all my baby fat in my face, the glow up we’ve all been desperately waiting for,” Chenle mutters, and Jisung stifles a smile, looking the other boy up and down.
“I guess some people would agree that you don’t look entirely bad,” he finally agrees, and ignores the way his heart flutters when Chenle gives him a wide grin. “Aww, you old softie, I knew you actually liked me,” he says, lovingly punching Jisung’s shoulder. Jisung grimaces, rubbing the spot Chenle hit. He started a regular workout routine at the beginning of this semester - much to Jisung’s distress -, and even though he’s still quite lithe, Chenle’s small statue betrays his new muscles.
“Now don’t get all sappy on me, just because I might have erased your name from my death note,” Jisung replies loftily, and drains the remains of his cup to hide his blush once he hears Chenle murmur an affectionate “Nerd” under his breath. Jisung quickly mutters something about getting a new drink before basically running away from the Chinese boy.
When he enters the kitchen, he exhales deeply. His hands are shaking, his heart is racing and he knows the blush is still very prominent on his cheeks.
So yeah, maybe he’s kind of a bit in love with Zhong Chenle. The boy might be a complete mess, but he’s also funny, hard-working, intelligent and something close to a musical genius. And yeah, maybe Jisung absolutely adores his stupid cheeks, bright smile and beautiful inky eyes.
Ugh.
Jisung closes his eyes for a few seconds, groaning internally. He does not want to be in love with Zhong Chenle! There is literally no other person he wants to be less in love with! Okay, maybe except for Lee Donghyuck, but simply because Jisung just couldn’t bring himself to ever date a Gemini, no offense. But Zhong Chenle, a Scorpio, is at least a close second!
This must be divine punishment. Maybe Jisung kicked lots of puppies in a past life. Or maybe he used to be Dracula.
He can’t even pinpoint when he first began to develop these kinds of… feelings for Chenle. After the Chinese boy finished High School and had to leave Jisung behind - who was set to graduate a year later -, Jisung had finally realized how much he actually missed the other boy’s constant presence in his life. So it had literally been a no-brainer for him to apply to the same college as Chenle. Jisung is almost embarrassed to admit how his heart had leaped once he got the acceptance letter in the mail.
Maybe Jisung has truly just always kind of loved Chenle - him and his weird antics. He has always been himself, and unapologetically so, even as a kid. In the modern world of Snapchat filters, Snow apps and Facetune, Chenle has always felt real to Jisung, always honest.
When some bullies had made fun of Jisung, shy, scared and small, with chubby hamster cheeks and a high pitched voice, back in Middle School, Chenle - though older even smaller than Jisung had been back then - stood by his side and cursed at them until they left Jisung alone. Chenle has always been fearless, always taking care of Jisung in his own weird, sometimes clumsy manner. So Chenle has just always been… Jisung’s anchor, no matter what.
Jisung shakes his head, trying to get rid of these scary thoughts, and sighs very deeply. A girl he thinks he might know from one of his social science class gives him a weird look, but pats his arm affectionately before turning around to leave the kitchen. Jisung blushes even deeper and quickly refills his empty cup which he drowns immediately, repeating the process a few times.
Drowning his feelings might not be the responsible thing to do just now, but well, he’s only in his early twenties, so he still has lots of time to become a more responsible adult in the future. Not that he would consider any of his older friends to be responsible adults yet. Except for maybe Taeyong or Doyoung, but only on a really good day.
Half an hour later, Jisung has probably (most definitely) drunk way too much beer and is also still trying to figure out where the Hell Jaemin has gone off to. So he finally decides to leave the kitchen again and go search for his roommate, noticing that for some reason, the floor seems to sway a little with every step he takes. “Weeeeird,” Jisung mumbles, squinting his eyes, “That’s new.”
Just then, he manages to walk into someone, soaking their entire back side with his beer. The person yelps loudly before turning around to glare at Jisung. His brain needs a few seconds to recognize the handsome face in front of him, and when it finally does, he smiles brightly while slurring “Renjuuuuun,” squishing the older boy’s face between his hands. Renjun turns from annoyed to alarmed in a matter of seconds, and quickly pries Jisung’s hands from his face while narrowing both eyes at the younger. “Jesus Christ, what and how much did you drink, Jisungie?!”
Jisung’s smile gets even wider. “Only the best kind of alcohol, which is a lot!”
Renjun groans and begins to look around for someone. “Where is Chenle when you need him?!” With that, he wraps one arm around Jisung’s waist and pulls the taller boy with him through the crowd. Jisung holds onto him like his life depends on it - and the way the floor is swaying from side to side right now, it truly just might.
Jisung makes a disgusted noise in the back of his throat when his hand touches Renjun’s soaked shirt. “You’re wet, do you know that?” He mumbles, head lulling around until Renjun gently guides it to rest against his shoulder. “Yeah, surprisingly I do,” he answers, but in Jisung’s current state, Renjun‘s sarcasm gets totally lost on him. “You should change, it’s freezing outside, and we don’t want you catching a cold! Yanyang would be devastated,” he tells him off, referring to Renjun’s boyfriend, and the Chinese boy groans, half amused, half exasperated. “I promise I will change as soon as I’ve found Chenle.”
Jisung raises both eyebrows at that. “Why do you need to find Chenle? Does he have clothes for you?” Just then, Renjun seems to spot the desired person, sighing in relief. “Hey, Lele! I think your boyfriend has had a little bit too much to drink tonight,” he yells over the music, and Jisung frowns, distress clenching an iron fist around his heart.
“His boyfriend? Since when does Chenle have a boyfriend?! And why hasn’t he told me about him?! I’m his oldest friend! Like, not old in the sense of actually being old, like Taeil or Johnny, but in the sense of time spent toge-” before Jisung can ramble on, Renjun basically shoves him into Chenle’s outstretched arms.
“Here, he’s your responsibility now! Take him home or whatever. I’m gonna go change,” he states curtly before turning around and marching off. Jisung just waves at Renjun‘s retreating back side before he looks down at Chenle, who sports a very confused expression.
“Uh, what exactly happened?” He asks before taking in Jisung’s glossy eyes, flushed cheeks and lopsided smile. “Holy shit, are you drunk?! I don’t think I’ve ever seen you drunk!” Chenle looks a little dazed, and Jisung can’t help but ruffle his dark hair. It feels silky when it slips through his fingers, and he giggles to himself. “Very nice,” he murmurs before glaring at the smaller boy, “So, you have a boyfriend and didn’t tell me about him?! That’s rather rude, you know? We’re friends, after all! The oldest friends ever! I tell you pretty much everything.”
Chenle just blinks a few times before he shakes his head, clearly in disbelief. “Uh, okay, maybe I should really take you home,” he mutters, and wraps his arms even tighter around Jisung’s waist, “Where’s your stuff?” Jisung shrugs while snuggling closer to the other boy, hiding his face in the crook of Chenle’s neck.
Chenle just freezes for a few seconds before he finally sighs and drags Jisung towards one of the sofas. “Wait here, okay? I’ll be back in a second,” he murmurs softly before gently brushing his knuckles against Jisung’s cheek, who immediately leans into the touch, closing his eyes while nodding.
The last thing he hears is Chenle’s low, maybe slightly enamored chuckle.
. . . . . . .
Bright sunlight greets Jisung the second he tries to open his eyes. He groans, and decides it’s better to keep them closed today. Seeing is overrated anyway, especially when his head is pounding like crazy. Maybe he did drink a little bit too much yesterday.
“Are you alive? Groan once for yes, twice for no.”
Jisung truly adores his roommate, but right now, he’s prepared to throw Jaemin out the window as his cheery voice cuts through his own hazy state like a knife. Still, Jisung manages to groan once.
“Okay, good. There’s water on your bedside table, and some aspirin. Take it.”
For the second time this morning (or midday, he honestly has no idea what time it is), Jisung tries to open his eyes, just a teeny tiny bit. Still half blind, he carefully fumbles for the meds on his bedside table. After taking the aspirin and drinking some water, he sighs in relief and falls back into his pillows.
“You were really out of it yesterday, huh? Any reason for drinking for at least three people?” Jaemin asks, his voice laced with quiet humor but also some worry. Jisung just grumbles something unintelligible, and Jaemin chuckles. “Well, do you at least remember who took you home last night?”
Jisung finally turns around to look at his roommate, raising one eyebrow. “...You?” He asks, voice incredibly hopeful, and Jaemin presses his lips together to try and stifle a shit-eating grin - he fails though. “Nope. I was kinda busy,” he just answers, a smug expression on his face.
Jisung finally manages to sit up and ruffles his messy bed hair. “Busy doing what? Now that I think about it, I remember you being gone from my side the second we stepped foot inside the frat house. Talk about loyalty.” He tries not to sound too offended, but while he doesn’t remember much from last night, he does remember that he spent a good amount of time looking for his roommate, but all efforts were in vain.
“Jeno,” Jaemin just answers, and Jisung actually squeals - which he regrets a split second later when a sharp pain pierces his head. “Remind me to never make that noise again while I’m nursing a hangover. Or even better, to just never make that noise again, period,” he says, pathetically cradling his head between his hands, and Jaemin giggles. “Noted. But yeah, Jeno and I… well. Let’s just say we had a good night.” He wiggles his eyebrows at Jisung who makes a disgusted face. “Well, congrats, I guess. You finally managed to snatch the Lee Jeno, resident campus heartthrob, after literal years of pining from afar. I’m honestly proud of you.”
Jaemin sticks out his tongue at him, but then, his smile softens and he sighs dreamily. “He even asked me out on a date afterwards. So we’re going to that new Italian place just down the road tonight,” he tells Jisung, who smiles in earnest this time. “I’m truly so happy for you, Nana. He’s a really great guy, and you deserve a really great guy,” he says gently, and Jaemin nods loftily. “Damn right I do. But speaking of a really great guy - Chenle was actually the one to take you home last night,” he explains, grinning smugly once he sees Jisung’s flabbergasted expression.
“He did what now?!” Jisung asks, not ready to believe his roommate, at least not yet. Jaemin leans back on his elbows, obviously enjoying Jisung‘s clear distress way too much. “Well, after you drank approximately half the alcohol the boys bought for the party on your own, you decided to give Renjun a beer shower, who immediately realized it was definitely time to get you home, so he went searching for Chenle who then took you to our apartment. No idea what happened after you left the frat house though, I only got to know about this because Renjun told Jeno who told me.”
Jisung buries his face in his pillow and lets out a long, miserable noise. He sounds a bit like a dying whale, which makes Jaemin cackle in obvious glee. “Oh, come on, it’s not that bad. You and Chenle are friends after all, I’m sure he saw you drunk lots of times already!”
Jisung shakes his head.
“Wait, he hasn’t?”
“Nope. I very rarely get drunk, and it’s not like Chenle and I are actual friends like that - friends that take care of each other and so on, you know?” Jisung tries to explain, and Jaemin frowns. “What do you mean? Jisungie, you and Chenle have known each other since forever, you guys hang out constantly and you always talk about him with endless adoration - well, and a bit of annoyance too, to be fair. So what do you mean ‘you’re not friends like that’?”
Jisung blinks at his roommate, surprise written all over his face. “I don’t talk about him with endless adoration - we don’t even like each other like that!” He immediately protests, but Jaemin just gives him a very long, very hard look laced with disapproval. “Park Jisung, I love you but your emotional awareness is so constipated, you wouldn’t even notice Chenle literally proposing to you.”
Jisung lowers his eyes and begins to gnaw on his bottom lip. “I… do like him like that?” He then asks in a small voice, and Jaemin nods. “You talk to him every day, Jisungie, and you talk about him even more. It would be annoying if it weren’t also extremely cute,” he replies, and begins to file his nails, lips twitching while he watches Jisung trying to digest what he’s just been told.
“I guess… I should at least message him to thank him for taking me home.”
“And for tucking you into bed.”
Jisung groans and throws one of his pillows at Jaemin. “I fucking hate you!” Jaemin just catches it and laughs. “That’s just your emotional constipation talking, you would actually die from heartbreak if I’d disappear from your life.”
Jisung looks at his roommate, very clearly affronted even though he’s 100% right. Jaemin is like the annoying older brother he always wished he’d had.
“Also you looked very cozy and all snuggled up when I came home this morning. And I highly doubt you yourself did that, at least if Renjun told the truth about the amount of alcohol you consumed last night.”
Jisung finally looks himself up and down, noticing that he’s not wearing his clothes from last night anymore, but his favorite pj’s, the ones with little hamsters on it. His face immediately feels like it’s on fire. “Does this mean…” he whispers, but shakes his head, “Nope, not even going there. I’m way too sleep-deprived and hungover to deal with any of that right now.”
Jaemin grins and shrugs. “Just go ask Chenle, I’m sure he can fill you in on everything.”
Jisung groans again, and falls back onto his bed. “I’ll have to take a shower first,” he mumbles, and closes his eyes again.
“Yes, please do, you reek of stale beer.” And with that, Jaemin throws Jisung’s pillow back at him.
. . . . . . .
It’s already about to get dark again when Jisung finally arrives at the frat house. He nervously bounces on his feet for a few seconds before he finally gathers the courage to knock on the front door. He quickly stuffs his hands back into the pockets of his leather jacket, worrying his bottom lip with his teeth while waiting for a member of the frat to open the door.
Just a few seconds later, Renjun’s tired face greets him - he’s not officially part of the frat but stays over claiming Yangyang’s bed so many nights a week that he might as well be. Renjun raises both eyebrows when he lays eyes on Jisung, immediately noticing the younger boy’s nervous expression. “Hi,” Jisung says, and gives him a small wave. Renjun leans against the doorframe, and crosses both arms over his chest. “Hi yourself. You actually look less zombie-like than expected.”
Jisung rolls his eyes. “Thanks, today’s look is inspired by sleep deprivation and a mean hangover. Water and aspirin helped though, or else I could have auditioned for The Walking Dead,” he grumbles, “And uh… Thanks for yesterday, by the way. I’m really sorry about your shirt, I heard I dumped beer all over it.” At that, Renjun finally cracks a smile, and shrugs. “Yeah, but it’s fine. The washing machine will take care of that. Wanna come in?” He asks, and Jisung nods, quickly following the older boy inside the warmth of the parlor.
Surprisingly, the house looks quite clean and tidy again - the guys must have spent the entire day getting rid of last night’s mess. Jisung is actually impressed for once. “Chenle is in his room,” Renjun says before Jisung has even had the chance to ask, and he gulps nervously. “O-okay…” He mumbles, and is just about to walk up the stairs, when Renjun holds him back, fingers closing around Jisung’s wrist in an iron grip.
Jisung turns around to face him again, eyebrows raised, expression questioning. “Just… Finally tell him, okay? I’m like, literally begging you,” Renjun says, and Jisung narrows his eyes at him. “Tell him what, exactly?” He inquires, but Renjun only gives him a long, hard look, not unlike Jaemin earlier today. “You know exactly what. We’re all tired of you guys pining after each other without actually doing anything about it. Quick reminder: this is not some cheesy rom-com where you wait until one of you guys leaves the country to finally declare your love at the airport or some big, stupid gesture like that. Just do it now, in his stuffy frat room, and finally get it over with.”
Before Jisung can defend himself, Renjun lets go of his wrist, gives him a mock bow and quickly retreats into the kitchen. Jisung huffs, a little surprised at his older friend‘s words, and turns around to finally go up the stairs and make his way towards Chenle’s room.
Once in front of the closed door, Jisung stops to take a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself, but his hands, tightly clutching his sweater paws, betray his nervousness. He finally knocks and waits - but after a few seconds have passed and the door has still not yet been opened, he simply turns the doorknob and lets himself in.
Chenle sits at his desk, giant headphones covering his ears while he hums along to the music he’s listening to.
Well, that explains why he didn’t hear him knocking.
Jisung quickly crosses the room, and taps Chenle’s shoulder. The Chinese boy shrieks, loud and very high-pitched, making Jisung flinch, and whips around, almost ripping his headphones off in the process.
Jisung grins at Chenle‘s shocked expression, dark eyes almost comically big in his face. “What the fuck, when did you arrive!?” Chenle is almost yelling, and Jisung slides the headphones off his ears, brushing some of the other boy’s hair back while doing so. Chenle’s eyelids flutter for a few seconds before he raises one eyebrow. “You don’t look that shitty, which is surprising considering the amount of beer you drank last night,” he states after having looked Jisung up and down, and the taller boy defensively crosses both arms over his chest. “Wow, thanks. Always the charmer, huh?” Jisung huffs in mock offense, and Chenle grins up at him. “No need to charm when I know your heart is already mine.”
Jisung almost chokes on his own spit, and begs the blush creeping onto his cheeks to just not do that right now. Truly not the time nor place. He clears his throat. “I came to thank you, actually. For last night - I heard you were the one to take me home,” he finally admits, nervously shifting from one foot to the other.
Chenle just stares at him for a few seconds before breaking into a soft smile. “Well, yeah. I couldn’t just let anyone take you home - and Jaemin was kinda busy, I heard.”
Jisung nods. “True, I’m glad you didn’t interrupt whatever he and Jeno were doing. So, uh, yeah, thanks, you’re… a good friend, I guess.” Almost immediately, embarrassment washes over Jisung, and he groans at his own words.
Chenle’s lips begin to twitch. “A good friend, huh?” He repeats, and crosses both hands behind his head, still looking at Jisung with an unreadable expression on his face. Jisung blinks a few times before slowly beginning to nod. “Y-yeah…?”
“For someone so smart, you’re really fucking oblivious sometimes, you know that?” Chenle suddenly states, and Jisung huffs. “Excuse me?! Who do you call obliv-''
But before he can tell him off, the Chinese boy suddenly grabs the collar of Jisung’s shirt, pulls him down and then, Chenle is kissing him.
Jisung makes a surprised noise in the back of his throat and freezes for a few seconds before basically melting against the smaller boy’s frame. Chenle just hums appreciatively, always the more confident of the two, and wraps both arms around Jisung’s neck to draw the taller boy even closer towards him, deepening the kiss.
Jisung finally pulls Chenle to his feet, still not breaking the kiss, and slides both arms around the Chinese boy’s waist. When Chenle buries both hands in Jisung’s soft hair, gently tugging at it, Jisung can’t help but groan against his lips. Chenle uses the chance to slip his tongue past Jisung’s lips, eagerly licking into his mouth, which prompts Jisung’s hands to wander lower until he shyly yet teasingly squeezes Chenle’s ass.
When they draw back to catch their breaths, they simply stare at each other, cheeks flushed and lips slightly swollen. Then, Chenle begins to smile, and Jisung swears his heartbeat just flatlines. Twenty years of seeing this smile, but Jisung will apparently never get used to it. It’s always so full of warmth and a little bit of mischief, his own personal sun.
“About fucking time, you asshole, you really made me wait long enough!” Chenle finally mutters against Jisung’s lips, voice pleased and slightly pouty, and Jisung rolls his eyes at him.
“I’m not oblivious, by the way! You’re the oblivious one - I never give anyone free coffee, not even Jaemin, because it could literally cost me my job, and yet you always get an Americano on the house,” he tells the other boy, who just smirks.
“Oh, baby, the oblivious one is definitely you - or do you really think I just happen to have a lecture every morning you work the early shift?” Chenle replies, a smug expression on his face once he sees Jisung’s flabbergasted expression, who desperately tries to ignore the way his heart jumped at Chenle using a nickname for him.
For a second or two, they just stare at each other.
“You- '' Jisung begins, but Chenle quickly silences him with another kiss. Jisung immediately tightens his embrace around the smaller boy, and closes his eyes, losing himself to Chenle’s touch - so familiar, yet also so new and exciting.
So yes, maybe Park Jisung has truly always been in love with Zhong Chenle - but at least, the feeling seems to be mutual.