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chenle and jisung had sort of a bet going on. it started that very day, when jisung approached chenle in the hall with a smile and a few words that should’ve swept chenle off his feet- except they didn’t.
chenle never actually found himself liking jisung, not in the way people assumed, but he won’t deny it, jisung is a handsome guy. unfairly so. despite the fact they never really talked unless they had to for a group project or something along those lines, chenle wasn’t blind.
if someone’s attractive, he’ll proudly admit it. and jisung is just one of those people; the kind of person you glance at during class, admire for a second too long before snapping yourself back to reality, reminding yourself that no, you’re not about to start crushing on park jisung.
anyway, that’s exactly why when jisung asked chenle out, it should have, would have, been an automatic yes...
...but, jisung had approached chenle after class, calling out his name with that cocky smile plastered across his face. chenle had stopped, half curious, half annoyed, and turned just in time to hear the line that started everything.
“are you my appendix?” jisung had asked. chenle remembers freezing, blinking at him in stunned confusion before muttering, “what?” jisung didn’t falter. he just shrugged, calm and unbothered, and continued with, “because it hurts that i haven’t taken you out yet.”
the silence that followed was humiliating- for jisung, not chenle. chenle couldn’t help it, he laughed, the kind of laugh that bursts out when you’re both embarrassed and completely entertained.
here he was, facing down the hot, attractive, gorgeous, annoyingly flawless park jisung, who had just asked him out using the worst pick-up line chenle had ever heard.
“is that seriously the best you’ve got?” chenle asked, eyebrows raised, rolling his eyes for dramatic effect. jisung, instead of backing down, only straightened his shoulders, proud of himself.
chenle scoffed again, shaking his head. “you’re ridiculous,” he said, but there was a hint of a smile tugging at his lips now. and then, maybe because he liked the challenge, maybe because he wanted to see how far jisung would actually go, chenle added:
“how about this? if you can find a pick-up line that actually makes me blush, then sure. you’ve got yourself a date.” the words hung in the air, almost daring. jisung tilted his head, studied him for a beat too long, and then nodded, that cocky smile only widening.
“deal,” he said, low and certain, like he already knew the outcome. “better be prepared, chenle. you won’t last long.”
and that was the start of it; the bet, the game, the back-and-forth tension that left chenle half-expecting jisung to ambush him in the middle of chemistry class with another stupid line.
and if chenle caught himself waiting for it, well... he didn’t plan on admitting that anytime soon.
“hey, chenle,” jisung muttered from the seat next to him- a seat he definitely was not supposed to be in. he was half-hidden behind his book, like that would actually disguise the fact he’d swapped places in the middle of class.
chenle sighed, already bracing himself, and turned to whisper back, “what?” his eyes fell to jisungs notebook, where jisung was tapping his pen insistently against the paper. it took chenle a second to realize jisung had written his name. in english.
“your name’s spelled with a ‘c’, right?” jisung asked, underlining the letter like this was some kind of spelling test.
chenle frowned. “obviously?” he hissed back, lowering his voice when the teacher paused at the board. maybe jisung was just bad at english, no judgement there. but jisung only nodded, smiling like he was onto something.
“that makes sense, then,” jisung said, his voice low, words dripping with mischief. chenle narrowed his eyes, flicking a glance up at the teacher, still busy scribbling notes on the board, before looking back at jisung. “what does?” he whispered.
jisung leaned just a fraction closer, enough for chenle to catch the faint smugness in his grin. “why i can ‘c’ you and me together.”
chenle froze for half a second before his lips pressed into a flat line. unimpressed. completely unimpressed. sure, it was kind of funny in that painfully bad way, but if jisung thought that was going to make him blush, he was delusional.
he turned away with a small shake of his head. “failed,” he muttered, whispering it just sharp enough for jisung to hear. jisung only laughed under his breath, the sound soft and smug, like he didn’t care about failing at all.
chenle didn’t look at him again, eyes fixed stubbornly on the board, though his ears burned faintly when jisung tapped his pen one more time and muttered, “round two’s coming, don’t worry.”
and then again, in english, where the teacher decided playing harry potter was apparently more educational than actually teaching, jisung ended up in the seat next to him. his pen tapped an aimless rhythm against the desk as the movie flickered across the projector screen.
chenle leaned on his hand, half-bored, half-watching as harry sat nervously under the sorting hat before getting placed in gryffindor. “chenle, are you a slytherin?” jisung whispered suddenly.
at first, chenle didn’t even think anything of it, the question lined up with the scene on the screen. he shrugged, eyes still forward. “probably,” he muttered.
jisung nodded like that was all he wanted, gaze turning back to the projector. but of course, that wasn’t the end of it. “so that’s why i’m needing you to slytherin to my pants,” jisung said, tone maddeningly casual, like he wasn’t saying the most disgusting thing chenle had ever heard.
chenle actually gagged, sitting up straighter as his face twisted in horror. “that’s disgusting,” he whispered sharply, throwing jisung a look of pure disbelief. jisung only grinned, unfazed, like making chenle cringe was its own kind of victory.
chenle shook his head and turned back to the movie, lips pressed tight, refusing to give jisung the satisfaction of further reaction. still no blush, just that crawling secondhand embarrassment and the growing realization that jisung had a pick-up line for literally every situation.
when hermione appeared on screen, chenle prayed jisung would keep his mouth shut.
he didn’t.
because then the two were punished for talking through the movie, forced to haul boxes full of textbooks up all five flights of stairs in this damn school. chenle honestly wondered if this was even worth the possibility of a date with park jisung.
“jesus, these boxes are so heavy,” chenle groaned, arms straining as he dragged another load off the stack. sweat was already starting to cling to his forehead, his back aching as they trudged up the stairs yet again.
“do your legs hurt?” jisung asked, voice soft and sweet like he actually cared. “yes, ugh, these stairs suck,” chenle whined back, eyes flicking down to make sure he didn’t trip over his own tired feet.
jisungs reply came too smoothly. “well, lucky for you... as long as i’ve got a face, you have a place to sit.” chenle stopped dead in his tracks. he groaned so loudly it echoed down the stairwell.
“oh my god.” he huffed, pausing not just from the weight of the books, but from the sheer exhaustion of jisungs existence.
jisung laughed, finally setting his own box down on the landing like this was all just entertainment. “that wasn’t even a pick-up line,” chenle snapped, glaring at him, “that was just gross.”
jisung only shrugged, grinning smugly like he’d just delivered comedy gold. “it was good, though. admit it.”
“absolutely not,” chenle shot back, hoisting his box again with a dramatic sigh. jisung bent to grab his too, falling into step behind him, still chuckling under his breath. “you’ll cave eventually. i can feel it.”
chenle sped up the stairs, muttering, “the only thing you’re gonna feel is me dropping this box on your head.” jisung just laughed harder, trailing after him like a shadow chenle couldn’t shake.
and then, the final one for that day. history class. the teacher was droning on about the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs, her voice flat against the hum of the projector.
jisung, of course, had slipped into the seat next to chenle again, his notebook open but instead of notes, little doodles of dinosaurs filled the page- some with sunglasses, some with speech bubbles saying rawr.
“hey,” jisung whispered suddenly, leaning just close enough that chenle could smell the faint trace of his shampoo. “kiss me if i’m wrong, but dinosaurs still exist, right?”
for half a second, chenle almost forgot it was another line. it came out so casually, so light, that it could’ve been a real question. but then the words sank in, and he groaned, letting his forehead drop straight onto his open notebook.
“that one is so overused,” chenle muttered into the paper, voice muffled but dripping with disbelief. jisung only laughed, leaning back as if he hadn’t just delivered the cheesiest line imaginable, and went back to doodling.
“well, my pick-up lines may not go down in history, but i can go down on you, if you’d like,” jisung added casually, still doodling as if he hadn’t said it at all. chenle, at this point, couldn’t even summon the energy to argue.
he just groaned, pushed jisungs arm lightly, and watched as jisung continued drawing little cartoon dinosaurs, while chenle stayed slumped forward, refusing to give him the satisfaction of any reaction.
so, yeah. they had a bet. and it seemed like jisung was going to be unrelenting, throwing line after line until one finally landed.
and the worst part? that stubborn persistence, that stupid confidence, it did make chenle blush. not in the moment, not where jisung could see it, but later- when he was alone, thinking back on it, realizing how hard jisung was actually trying.
that thought made his cheeks warm, but jisung would never know. because that was something chenle only let himself think about behind closed doors.
the next day was the weekend, and chenle thought he’d get off scot-free from jisungs relentless pick-up lines. but of course, he was wrong. dead wrong.
the cafe where he worked was already buzzing- weekends always were. the hiss of the espresso machine, the clatter of plates, the steady murmur of customers filling every seat. chenle was elbow-deep in dishes when his manager called out, “chenle, can you please jump on the till?”
“yeah, sure,” he sighed, drying his hands on a rag before slipping behind the counter. “hello, welcome to-” he began automatically, but cut himself off the second his eyes flicked up and met the familiar, far-too-smug gaze of park jisung.
“what do you want?” chenle asked flatly, though he had to fight down the twitch of a smile tugging at his lips. he pasted on his best unimpressed face, pretending annoyance like usual.
jisung only leaned casually against the counter, picking up one of the laminated menus like he hadn’t been planning this all along. “hm...” he hummed, eyes scanning the menu before lifting back to chenles. “are you on the menu?”
chenle gave him the blankest look he could muster. “we’re busy, jisung.”
“sorry, sorry,” jisung laughed, dropping the menu like it wasn’t worth his time anyway. “can i just get an iced black coffee?”
chenle typed it in, trying not to roll his eyes as jisung handed over the cash with that infuriating grin still plastered across his face. for a moment, it looked like jisung was finally going to take his coffee, go sit down, and leave chenle to deal with the actual customers.
but of course, jisung didn’t. “hey,” jisung asked, voice lowering, tone casual. “what time do you get off?” chenles brows furrowed, instantly suspicious. “...four.”
jisung nodded like he was filing the information away, leaning just slightly closer over the counter so no one else could hear. his voice dropped, smooth and playful: “can i watch?”
chenle groaned so loudly the customer behind jisung let out a quiet laugh. without hesitation, chenle snatched a napkin from the stack and chucked it straight at jisungs head. “go away! i’m working!”
jisung ducked, laughing, hands raised in mock surrender as he finally backed away from the counter. “see you later,” he teased, retreating with his coffee in hand.
chenle sighed, turning back to the line. “i’m so sorry about that, what can i get you?” he asked the next customer, forcing his professional smile back in place. but even as he rang up their order, his eyes flicked toward jisung across the room.
he hated to admit it- how easily jisung got under his skin, how that stupid confidence worked its way into his thoughts long after he was gone. and maybe that was the most irritating part of all.
jisung was, unfortunately, still sitting at his table in the corner of the cafe, drink long gone but his presence stubborn as ever. chenle finally found it in himself to go do his job and clear away the mess.
“you done?” chenle asked, already reaching for the empty cup. jisung hummed in response, letting him take it, eyes trailing after chenle in that way that made him feel way too aware of every movement.
“hey, chenle,” jisung said suddenly, tone low and almost serious. “i’m kind of feeling a bit lifeless lately.” a little frown tugged at his lips, convincing enough that chenle actually paused mid-wipe, eyebrows raising.
“really?” chenle asked, narrowing his eyes, unsure if he should be concerned or bracing himself. at this point, he couldn’t tell if a single word out of jisungs mouth was meant to be taken seriously.
“yeah...” jisung sighed, leaning back in his chair. then, perfectly timed, he added, “i was thinking maybe a little mouth-to-mouth might help?” and there it was.
chenle groaned under his breath, rolling his eyes so hard he was surprised they didn’t get stuck. he went back to wiping down jisungs table like jisung hadn’t just embarrassed himself in public. “therapy might be a better option for you,” chenle muttered, earning a full laugh from jisung.
“you’re coming to the party tonight, right?” jisung asked next, like he hadn’t just dropped another line. chenle froze again, suspicious. “what party?” he asked carefully, already bracing himself.
“marks,” jisung said simply, shrugging like it was no big deal. “you’re invited. and i’d like to see your pretty face around.” chenles jaw tightened, tongue running over his teeth as he gave jisung a look he couldn’t quite read- half annoyed, half maybe flattered. finally, he nodded. “i’ll think about it.”
without waiting for a reply, he spun on his heel and walked back toward the counter. renjun, leaning against the register, raised his brows in amusement. “who’s that?” he asked, nodding toward jisung, who was still lounging at his table like he owned the place.
“some guy in my class,” chenle sighed, brushing it off like jisung wasn’t anything more than an inconvenience. “some guy who won’t stop staring at you,” renjun pointed out with a smirk.
chenle ignored the comment, busying himself with stacking cups. “okay, why does he keep saying pick-up lines?” renjun pressed. chenle exhaled through his nose, rolling his eyes as the reminder sank in.
“he asked me out yesterday with the worst pick-up line i’ve ever heard, so i told him... if he can find one that actually makes me blush, i’ll go out with him.” renjun blinked, lips twitching into a grin. “and he’s been at it ever since?”
chenle groaned, dragging a hand down his face. “ever since.” renjun chuckled, shaking his head. “you’re doomed.” chenle didn’t answer, but when his eyes flicked back across the room and met jisungs smirk, he had the horrible feeling renjun might be right.
marks parties were infamous. not wild enough to get the cops called, but loud enough that everyone left smelling like beer and sweat, the bass still ringing in their ears the next morning. chenle had told himself he might go, but of course he ended up there anyway- renjun dragging him along with the promise of free drinks and a break from work.
the house was already packed, lights dim, music blasting, bodies pressed shoulder-to-shoulder as people shouted over the noise. chenle stuck close to the kitchen, leaning against the counter with a red solo cup in hand, silently wondering if jisung would even notice he came.
he didn’t have to wonder long. “look who finally showed up,” a familiar voice said, smooth and too close to his ear. chenle turned, already rolling his eyes before jisungs grin came into view.
“don’t you have better things to do than bother me?” chenle asked, taking a sip from his drink, pretending not to care. jisung leaned against the counter beside him, shoulders brushing. “nope. i’ve been waiting for you.”
chenle gave him a flat look, but jisung didn’t falter, if anything, his grin only widened. “so, chenle,” jisung started, raising his cup like he was about to toast. “are you a tower?” chenle sighed, already bracing himself. “...why?”
“because eiffel for you.” chenle groaned loudly, shoving jisungs shoulder with enough force to make him stumble. “you’re insufferable.” jisung just laughed, steadying himself. “come on, that one was solid.”
“solidly bad,” chenle corrected, but his lips betrayed him with the tiniest twitch of a smile. jisung caught it instantly, eyes lighting up. “was that a smile? am i getting closer?” chenle turned away quickly, focusing on his drink. “you’re imagining things.” but the warmth blooming in his chest said otherwise.
they stood like that for a moment, music pulsing around them, the party loud and alive, but chenle felt hyper-aware of how close jisung lingered, the way his eyes never seemed to leave him.
“hey,” jisung said again, quieter this time, almost swallowed by the noise. “i’m serious, though. i’m glad you came.” chenles grip tightened around his cup. he didn’t answer right away, just nodded, pretending the words didn’t make his face feel hot.
when renjun appeared a minute later to drag him toward the living room, chenle went without complaint, ignoring jisungs smug little wave goodbye. but even as the night stretched on, jisungs stupid lines and stupid smile followed him everywhere, refusing to leave him alone.
he hadn’t seen jisung in a while, and for a brief, dangerous moment, chenle thought maybe it was over. maybe jisung had finally given up on the ridiculous lines, the constant hovering, the smug smiles. finally, some peace.
but then hands slid around his waist from behind, pulling him back against a chest he knew too well, and chenle remembered, this was never going to be over.
“you know,” jisung murmured low into his ear, voice dripping with amusement, “that top is very becoming on you...” chenle rolled his eyes, swatting lazily at the hands around him. “yeah, i know,” he shot back, trying to ignore the way jisung chuckled against his skin.
“i get why,” jisung said smoothly, lips brushing close enough to make chenle stiffen. “if i was on you, i’d be cumming too.”
a shiver ran down chenles spine before he could stop it. he shoved jisungs hands off him and spun around sharply, forcing his expression into cool disinterest, daring him to point out the flush he wasn’t showing.
“your jokes get more and more disgusting as time passes,” chenle said flatly. jisung only tilted his head, eyes glittering with mischief. “well,” he said, smiling like he already knew he’d won something, “if love was measured in time, i’d be lost in you forever.”
chenle groaned loudly, throwing his head back. “seriously, how do you have a pick up line for every single situation?” jisung lifted his eyebrows like it was the simplest thing in the world. “it’s my specialty.”
chenle turned on his heel with a sigh, storming away like he’d had enough, but the corners of his mouth were threatening to betray him, twitching despite his best efforts. and jisung, of course, noticed.
“hey!” jisung called after him, his grin obvious in his voice. “that one almost got you. admit it!” he adds. “in your dreams!” chenle shouted back, but his pace quickened, not trusting himself to linger within jisungs orbit any longer.
chenle was perfectly content on the couch wedged between renjun and jaemin, drinks in hand, laughing about something that, thank god, had nothing to do with jisung or his endless arsenal of pick-up lines.
until, of course, a tall frame slid right into the empty spot beside him like it had been reserved all along. “it’s getting cold, isn’t it?” jisung said casually, eyes glued to chenle as if renjun and jaemin didn’t even exist.
“i guess?” chenle muttered, feeling the draft sweep in through the open door. jisung leaned in, that smirk already forming. “can i use your thighs as earmuffs?”
renjun nearly spit out his drink. jaemin barked out a laugh, doubling over. chenle, however, went still- because shit. maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was the fact that his friends were cackling right beside him, but a warm flush crept up his neck and into his cheeks before he could stop it.
jisungs eyes widened in victory, finger shooting up to point directly at chenle. “oh my god- you’re blushing- ” but chenle was faster. he grabbed jisungs wrist, leaning in close enough to cut him off. “hey, jisung?” he said, clearing his throat, tone deceptively casual.
jisung blinked, startled, grin stretching wider. “yeah?” he asked, eyes flicking down chenles face, already buzzing with anticipation. “are you a firefighter?” chenle asked smoothly. jisungs jaw dropped. he sat back, laughter bubbling in his chest. “no way, you’re about to-”
“shut up,” chenle snapped, glare sharp but ears burning. “are you a firefighter? because you get me all hot... and then leave me wet.” renjun choked on air. jaemin slapped his knee so hard the whole couch shook. and jisung- jisung practically exploded.
his laugh was loud, unrestrained, his whole face lighting up as if chenle had just handed him the crown to their game. and yet, underneath it, chenle could see the faint pink dusting jisungs cheeks too.
“does this mean,” jisung said breathlessly, still grinning like an idiot, “that i can finally take you on a date?” chenle turned away, hiding his face behind his drink. “yeah,” he muttered, embarrassed and soft.
jisung froze for a second, like he couldn’t believe it, before breaking into the kind of smile that had everyone else on the couch groaning in unison.