Work Text:
To love is to be infested by the poison of thinking for two persons in one mind, the same way two hearts beat the same love.
To be someone’s thought is a premium Jaemin has always dreaded, and this has always been fulfilled the moment his heart decided to intertwine with the presence of Jeno in his life. Jaemin is easily endeared to know that someone is thinking of him, not out of pride but love. He holds it dear that he lives in Jeno’s mind because no person’s distinct physical character alone can take one inside the mind of another. The heart needs to be spoken to before getting inside the mind of a person. Jaemin managed to tell-tale his affection through Jeno’s both heart and mind.
It will always be about Jaemin letting his entire entity be out whenever Jeno is around, to tell the truth, it is Jeno that made it first to Jaemin’s mind without the latter being aware of it. Jeno in his ever-pacific presence and willingness to sponge in everything Jaemin decides to share with him, Jeno got into Jaemin’s heart until comfort also found its way through both of their minds.
“ I had a dream earlier right after when you tried waking me up through the phone then I fell asleep,” Jaemin randomly blabbered as Jeno picked him up in the condominium lobby.
“Hmm,” Jeno only hummed, he may lack the words but his crescent puppy eyes speak a constellation of excitement from always hearing Jaemin ramble about his weird dreams. It’s their bread and butter before going to their classes.
“A baby giraffe broke into mine and Haechan’s bedroom window. It looks cute honestly, but I don’t know where that dream even came from. I was watching cow videos on Tiktok before I fell asleep so I was expecting a cute cow in my dreams, not a giraffe though”
Oh God, he’s so adorable. This is Jeno’s line of thinking every time randomly tells him about almost anything in his day or even life. Like, who watches cow videos at night despite being tired from his classes and extracurriculars? Only Jaemin. That is his charm for Jeno, Jaemin always find fondness over the most random things he encounters because aside from binge-watching cute animals on either Tiktok and IG Reels, he also likes to think about uncanny things such as the anatomy of a cockroach and houseflies, if frogs can lie on their back down, if cats and dogs get emotional too, or even if animals have their own language. Jaemin, in Jeno’s recall, always asks and thinks about things that people find stupid, and Jeno of course finds this cute because it is what makes him Jaemin.
“Both are cute, and you like cute stuff, maybe that’s why a baby giraffe appeared in your dream.” Jeno speculated and Jaemin was taken aback because Jeno is not the type to fixate on things like cute animals on the internet, but he sure does not miss sending Jaemin these on almost all of his social accounts, that’s love.
“You find the baby giraffe cute? BUT IT’S SO NOT BABY-LOOKING BECAUSE IT’S STILL HUGE! ” Jaemin protested innocently and unconsciously pouted. At that moment Jeno can’t help but boop Jaemin’s nose because he can barely contain his pretty-pretty face anymore.
Jeno did not contend anymore because he did not want to debate over it, he is not Haechan who always loved his precious bickering with Jaemin (they are best friends after all), Jeno just wanted to see Jaemin sulk over something as harmless as a baby giraffe. That is how Jaemin is always drawn into Jeno’s mind because even over the most non-sensible things for others, Jeno gets reminded of him; it’s love to be known and appreciated for your thoughts- that even if it sounds stupid, the other can take it in because to love is to not only be appreciated but reciprocated as well.
The brain is as complicated as the heart. The brain understands the logic of love the same way the heart loses its perfect rhythm of beat every time we become affectionate with someone. We lose our minds as we lose count of how many times we skip a beat every time we get endeared by someone. Just like how Jeno and Jaemin consumed space in each other’s hearts, minds, and lives.
“I dreamt of you ordering a life-size teddy bear then cried over it as soon as it got delivered to your condo unit.” Jaemin confused, tapped Jeno in his shoulder as if jokingly indicating that he was offended by the dream. “Hey!” Jeno stopped him before his palm landed another slap on Jeno’s shoulder, “You sobbed like a 5-year-old honestly,” Jeno giggled then continued, “But you cried reasonably though, the teddy bear barely has a space for your unit so Haechan told you to just let your teddy stay at your parent’s home.”
Jaemin grinned, “Well, I’d cry because I know Haechan would have probably called me dumb too for ordering a bear that big without thinking if it could fit in our condo unit without blocking the barely remaining walkable space there.”
“What a crybaby” Jeno teased Jaemin as they got near their university. It is when it hit him, that today is heart’s day, he almost forgot. Valentine’s is nothing grand for both of them because why can’t it be the day of love every day? If Jaemin has Jeno and Jeno has Jaemin, they can not be bothered to wait for the day of love to celebrate their already intertwined hearts.
And so, after their classes for the whole day, Jeno got Jaemin a teddy bear keyring with a note:
“Happy heart’s day! Here’s a bear that will not take up too much space in your condo.
Remember that in my heart and mind, you take up more space than that teddy bear took in my dream. I love you always, and I will be fond of you regardless of your most random thoughts because I know once upon a time I popped up in your head too out of the blue the same way it did. You love me too much to not think of me and I love you beyond reason, that not even my mind with the help of my heart, can decipher.
Love, Jeno.”
Jaemin can not contain his happiness because having a bear keyring from Jeno in the context of his dream is just so much better than receiving a bouquet and chocolates for Valentine’s. What’s more precious about this is he got Jeno the same gift idea, a giraffe keyring and a greeting card that writes:
“ My dearest, Jeno,
A baby giraffe is cute, so here’s a giraffe but not a baby cause I can only be your baby. Happy love’s day <3
I love you more than the week’s 7 days, the day’s 24 hours, an hour’s 60 minutes, and a minute’s, 60 seconds. I love you more than time can calculate and most of all more than words can tell. Thank you for giving me the privilege of living rent-free in your mind. Know that you are always in my head too in the most endearing way possible. My heart always hears you, even if my mind sometimes can not comprehend your silence. And my mind will always have the loudness of your character even if you find it hard to let it out there.
Always, Jaemin.”
To love is to be consumed by the endearment over someone even if the most out-of-a-whim encounter, one can think of the other. For Jeno and Jaemin, love does not always have to be grand because these simple things that they share beat the same level of affection as those splendid gestures that one always encounters during Valentine’s.
A keyring is all it takes for them to express what seems like a millennia-worth of affection, a love that they write poems about, an emotion that they sing about.