Archive of Our Own

Park Jisung. 

Just the name itself was enough to instill fear in the hearts of those at Agmong Community College, both students and professors alike. He was their collective nightmare and perhaps the sole reason why the college's name was taken literally. It wasn't what the founder had hoped for when creating the institution nearly eighty-four years ago, believe it or not. That man was a visionary, and he'd hoped that by naming it 'nightmare,' it'd actually be a great place where students could pursue their dreams. Reverse psychology or whatever, y'know?

Except unfortunately for him, that backfired spectacularly.

The education and courses were great, top tier even, considered on par with a lot of the more famous institutions and up until three years ago, it had fully lived up to its founder's ideology... but then Park Jisung came and ruined it. If people weren't so paranoid of him they'd probably see him as a perfectly normal college student.

Jisung is almost always seen in hoodies and baggy sweatpants, usually paired with some stylish shoes and a bucket hat. He'd often wear makeup too, light on the face but heavy on the eyes, a smokey look that'd accentuate his gaze. On the rare occasion he'd even wear form-fitting clothes, and then it would become painfully obvious— or more so than usual— that Park Jisung was one very attractive man... but even still, he was just so weird.

No one ever saw him do anything really too out of the ordinary, yet they all came to the conclusion that he was strange... eerily so. There was something about Jisung that they couldn't wrap their heads around no matter how hard they tried, and people tend to fear what they don't understand. It's human nature after all.

His peers and teachers avoided him like it was eighteenth century England and he'd contracted Smallpox. Perhaps that was an extreme reaction, but for some reason, they couldn't bring themselves to behave any differently, no matter how illogical it seemed. And trust me, even those people with the most logical of minds had a hard time getting anywhere close to him.

(Some tried to rationalize their actions by claiming that Jisung has the eyes of a serial killer, even though they all know he doesn't.)

There was this shared instinct to stay as far away from him as possible, almost like it was fight or flight... except no one wanted to fight. People moved around him, making certain not to touch him lest they suffer the unknown consequences. They'd all huddle together and do just about anything to dodge him. So whenever Jisung was walking through the halls, there was a visible path that no one trespassed. The crowd of anxious bodies parted like the Red Sea, desperate to avoid being close to him.

Jisung didn't look abnormally strong or anything, and realistically speaking, everyone knew that his perfectly defined muscles came from dancing 'cause damn this man could dance. Still, people just felt like he could do some serious damage if he actually wanted to. Even all of those gym junkies and athletes with killer bods thought that Jisung was inexplicably intimidating. Paranoia flooded their psyche and they couldn't overcome it. 

The visibly weirdest thing anyone noticed about him in all of the three years he's attended so far is that he never looks directly at anyone, even when someone's talking to him. It's always like he's looking past them, at a wall or the floor. Again, it wasn't totally abnormal, some people are simply too shy and don't like making eye contact, but something about the way Jisung did it was creepy. He was shy, but not that shy— and it definitely wasn't a neurodivergent thing either.

Luckily, Jisung didn't seem to mind that they were all scared of him. In fact, he seemed like he couldn't possibly care any less. (Some wannabe conspiracy theorists had said that it was like he'd expected it all along, so now they all had that stuck in their heads… how lovely.)

Regardless, it was considered human nature to be scared of Jisung... unless, of course, you're Zhong Chenle.

After he transferred to ACC for his final year of college, Chenle had built up his own reputation with the students practically overnight. Perhaps it was because he's the well known son of a billionaire, maybe because he's gone viral several times for his overwhelming talent, or mayhaps it was because he's incredibly handsome and just— so nice to everyone around him.

Either way, people tended to flock to him... much unlike how they reacted to Jisung. The two of them were polar opposites as far as anyone at Agmong Community College was concerned. But Chenle didn't share that thought with the rest of the university. In fact, Chenle was rather intrigued by Jisung, much to everyone else's dismay and horror.

He’d tried approaching the younger man several times, only to get pulled back by another student who insisted Jisung was dangerous.

Chenle didn't get it. Why were they so afraid of someone who looked so harmless and normal? What had Jisung ever done to make everyone so scared of him? Was he an ex-convict or a bully or… at least something? What did he do? But then Chenle found out that Jisung hadn't done anything, he was literally just a college student like any other... and suddenly he was left even more confused.

It was rather... peculiar, to say the least. What was especially odd about it was after getting to know a good portion of his peers here, Chenle knew that most of them were nice people with good logical thinking... so why did they seem to lose all sense when it comes to Jisung? The professors too, they were among the nation’s most brilliant minds, so why were they all so wary of him? What sort of mass hysteria was this? How is it that the mere mention of a seemingly normal looking young man was all it took for these intelligent people to lose themselves?

The more he looked into it, the less the whole thing made sense. The more questions Chenle asked, the more questions he had. No 'logical' explanation felt gratifying enough, mostly because there didn't seem to be one in the first place. So that left just one other option for him and he could already tell that everyone else wasn't going to like it.

꧁☾︎🌒☽︎꧂

Attempt #1:

Chenle had enough.

From now on, there would be no more dancing around the topic and accepting a timid response from someone who couldn't even take things at face value. Two weeks into the year, Chenle decided to finally bite the bullet. He was going to talk to Jisung and no one would stop him.

It was a Monday that day, which universally is pretty much everyone's least favorite day. So while the vast majority of the students walked onto campus that morning with bags under their lifeless and tired eyes, Chenle did so with the burning fire of determination raging in his.

No one minded his odd levels of energy, in fact— everyone quite liked his bright demeanor. The people here loved him just as much as they were scared of the person he was searching for. Chenle paced through the towering halls, politely greeting everyone he passed with a contagious smile... and then it happened.

The tell-tale signs that Jisung is nearby are as follows; people will pale considerably, push themselves against the wall, and talk with hushed whispers and wide eyes. (Madness, I tell you.)

Today, while they all did… that— Chenle remained firm. He stood stubbornly in the center of the hallway, waiting. Several of his peers made fast and panicked gestures, desperately beckoning him over to join them at the sides of the hall, but he paid them no mind. Someone tried to reach out for him, but he dodged and marched forward right as Jisung turned the corner, stopping directly in front of him with all the confidence in the world.

Jisung sidestepped around him, not even glancing his way. 

Chenle was baffled, but then he found himself trying to rationalize it. Maybe Jisung just thought that someone had forgotten to move— clearly since he's so used to people avoiding him— and he didn't want to make a big deal out of it, so he just walked around and said nothing. That was acceptable. It didn't bother Chenle... but there was no harm done in trying again, right?

Chenle quickly paced after him, tapping twice on Jisung's shoulder. The taller man paused this time and turned around, pulling his earphones out of his ears but still not looking up. 

"Hello?" Jisung's voice was low and a bit gruff... almost like he wasn't used to using it. "May I help you?" 

Ignoring the frightened whispers of everyone around them, Chenle leaned down, trying to get his face in the outcast's line of view... only to find himself being blatantly ignored. Jisung pointedly avoided looking at him. "Can we be friends?" He asked finally. 

Gasps were heard from the surrounding bystanders, and the taller man's lips pressed into a thin line. "Not a good idea." He moved to turn away, but Chenle stopped him with a tug on his sleeve, not quite ready to give up. 

"Why not?" 

A sigh. "It simply wouldn't be right." 

"How come?" 

"It'd be unnatural." 

Chenle blinked. Unnatural? What part of being friends with someone was ‘unnatural’? But he shook that thought off, deciding he didn't care to know. "Well whatever, who cares about that? I just wanna be your friend." 

Jisung's voice was quiet, so quiet, in fact, that Chenle was sure he was the only other person to hear it. "... You're a strange human." He paused for a moment and then continued with, "For such a fragile creature, you're very bold." 

"... Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" 

"Exactly what I said." 

"Okay yeah, but um...?”

"If you know what's good for you, human, you'll avoid me like the rest." 

"Wha—?" Chenle sputtered, a little taken back, "Is that a threat?" 

"No. A warning." 

"You're not making any sense?" 

"I'm not meant to. Not to you." 

Chenle frowned, his brows knitting together in confusion. Every word that left Jisung's lips was more strange than the last, and they all came together to form something cryptic. "Do you not like me or something? Is that why you don't want to be my friend?" 

"I have no personal qualms with you." 

"Then why can't we be friends?" 

"A rabbit does not lie down with a hungry wolf and survive, human."

"Pardon? What kind of an analogy is that?" Chenle squeaked, absolutely confused by whatever it was that Jisung was trying to imply. He began poking at the taller man's clothed arm, his pale skin a stark contrast against the dark colored fabric. "And why do you keep calling me 'human,' you absolute cringelord? I have a name, y'know."

"I don't know your name, so I felt it was appropriate to call you what you are."

"My name is Zhong Chenle, so remember it, okay? Because mark my words, Park Jisung... I will be your friend."

Jisung shrugged. "Nature does as nature wills." And then he walked away, leaving Chenle to watch his fleeing back in shock. Well the taller man was certainly odd, that much was for sure. Then again, nothing about that interaction deterred Chenle in any way. If anything, he was even more determined to befriend him.

꧁☾︎🌒☽︎꧂

Attempt #2: 

If there's one thing you ought to know about Chenle, it's that he doesn't give up easily.

Growing up in a family of business people built the mentality that he could have nearly anything, so long as he put in the necessary effort to achieve it. In this case, friendship is what he's hoping to achieve. More specifically— a friendship with Agmong Community College's token enigma.

Park Jisung was admittedly strange, that much was made obvious after Chenle's previous attempt at befriending him. The more he tried to make sense of their last conversation, the less he actually understood. The younger man seemed to have a talent for speaking in riddles because the majority of the words he said were barely conceivable.

Chenle knew one thing for certain; Jisung had declined his friendship.

No matter. That just meant that Chenle needed to try even harder. Not to the point of being a blatant nuisance, obviously that would be counterintuitive. Instead, he needed to show the strange man that there were benefits to being his friend. So, after brainstorming for a little while, Chenle devised a new plan.

Today he came prepared, equipped with a home cooked meal and armed with his charitable-like demeanor. It was a plan that would require some time and patience, but he was sure that if he was resilient enough, Jisung would agree to being his friend. 

Also— what kind of an idiot would decline good food? 

Chenle wouldn't call himself a cook per se, but there's more than a few dishes that he can reliably make from memory. And if he looks at a recipe he can make some pretty decent stuff. He's not confident enough that he'll stray away from a pre-made recipe to make his own variant, but maybe he'd have that level of skill one day. For now, Chenle was satisfied with where he was at because it was more than enough to survive independently. 

He'd asked his mother to send him some of their family's steamed bun recipes and of course, she obliged. Chenle ended up making several types, mostly because he couldn't decide between flavors. They ranged anywhere from somewhat sweet, savory, and spicy. And even though that was mostly brought on by his own indecisiveness, the point was that he doesn't really know anything about Jisung's likes or dislikes as far as food goes, so having a variety was his safest bet. Chenle was sure that the strange man would like at least a few of them.

It was a Thursday that day, and when his lunch hour came around, Chenle marched out of the lecture hall with a spring in his step. 

He'd asked the Dean when Jisung had his lunch hour a few days ago. As luck would have it, their lunch hours aligned perfectly. But with that being said, where Jisung went during that time was a mystery for everyone on campus, and one they weren't exactly keen on solving. For all they knew, Jisung could be off at some nearby restaurant, eating his fill of whatever food he wanted there. They'd certainly never seen him in the college's cafeteria or any of its many buildings during that time, so there was that. Then again, no one had ever seen him at any of the places nearby, so Chenle had no reason to believe that Jisung left college grounds either. 

He'd asked around— far more carefully this time since he didn't want Jisung figuring anything out before he had the chance to approach him again— until one girl cornered him in the arts building after his music theory class. She told him that she'd once seen Jisung walk out into the forest behind the science building during his lunch hour. Chenle made sure to smile and thank her for the information, especially since she acted like knowing that could somehow curse her. She'd nodded timidly and rushed off, all the while glancing at her surroundings in fear as she ran away. 

Safe to say he still wasn't used to that. 

Anyways, so today Chenle walked into the forest with a bright smile and several thermal lunch boxes filled with chinese steamed buns. 

He quite liked forests, liked the serenity and calm feelings he got anytime he wandered within them. As strange as it sounds, forests seemed to welcome him— call to him. Maybe it was his deep love of nature and his uncanny way with plants and animals, but when Chenle was a child, he'd always find his feet carrying him towards his nearest forest.

Although, he’s unfortunately been banned from stepping foot in any forest ever since he was six years old and had gone 'missing' in one. His parents had spent hours searching the woods with the authorities, and when they finally found him… they found him cuddling with a pack of wild Tibetan wolves. So yeah, no forests for him. Which meant no camping either, which sucked. 

Honestly, Chenle never truly did grasp why they were so scared for him, because even as he grew older, he still felt inexplicably drawn to them. Yet ever the obedient child, he followed their rules... up until he became a legal adult, that is.

From then on, he made frequent visits to the forests around him, basking in the peace he felt within them. Never once has he gotten lost in one, as strange as people seem to think that is. Chenle wandered around the one behind Agmong’s science building a few times, mostly in the afternoon once his classes were out, and he'd been pleasantly surprised to find out that it made him feel the same way as the forests in China.

If Jisung really did spend his lunch hour somewhere in it, then Chenle could only assume that they could bond over their love of nature... right?

Almost as if they had a mind of their own, his legs carried him away from the foot paths and towards the much rougher terrain, where the remnants of the last snow were almost untouched. His instincts seemed to be guiding him somewhere and Chenle simply let them, knowing that it was probably for the best. Eventually, he found who he was looking for, unsurprisingly alone.

Jisung was sitting in a small clearing beneath an extremely large and definitely really old Ginkgo Biloba tree in the very center, eating a simple bowl of plain white rice. The sun cast an enchanting shadow over him and only small rays breaking through the fan-shaped leaves disrupted the shadow, the warm light splattering across his face in the most beautiful way possible. For a moment, Chenle felt his breath get caught in his throat. 

Jisung was... ethereal. 

His soft, raven colored hair fell over his cedar toned eyes and his cheeks— adorably stuffed with rice— were a pleasing rosy shade. His pretty quartz pink lips formed a pout as he ate and every once in a while, he'd scrunch up his nose while staring down at his food. His large hands gripped his chopsticks gently and even just the simplest twitch of his long fingers appeared graceful. He was only eating, something essential for human life, but Chenle was captivated. Jisung looked so calm, like he was content being left alone with his simple lunch so long as he was surrounded by nature. 

If Chenle was to try and describe the ambience, he'd say that it was strange. Strange because he'd always felt like forests were the very definition of peaceful, but seeing Jisung in this one, sitting beneath the almost magical looking tree— it made it feel a lot more so.

A thought passed through his head, 'It can't get any better than this.' Then another one offered a different point, 'It could if you went up to talk to him.' 'But—' yet another thought told him, 'Then you'd disturb his peace.' And thus a series of thoughts bounced around in his busy mind, debating amongst themselves whether he should go through with his friendship plan or not.

This went on until he felt something brush across his left leg and promptly snapped him out of it.

Casting his gaze downward, Chenle was met with a purring ragdoll cat nuzzling itself between his ankles. He smiled brightly and reached down to pet its fluffy multicolored fur, only to get startled when it abruptly jumped away from him and moved closer to Jisung, playfully swishing its tail around as if beckoning him to follow. He giggled under his breath, taking this as his sign to commit to his plans. 

Chenle stepped into the clearing with his grin as bright as ever, following after the pretty cat. It was only when he was standing right next to Jisung that it let him bend down and pet it, sapphire blue eyes closing with a contented purr rolling from its throat.

Jisung noticed him then, jolting a little and pulling his earbuds out as he finally recognized Chenle's quiet presence. The younger man still didn't look at him, but he seemed to know who had approached him regardless, which of course, is not all that odd once you consider the fact that Chenle is the only person attending Agmong willing to do so. 

"What are you doing here, human?" Jisung asked with an almost accusatory tone. 

Chenle sat down beside him, not missing the way the younger man tensed, but he paid that no mind, simply allowing the cat to curl up in his lap. "I thought I made my point clear enough, Jisung. I told you that I was going to be your friend." He stroked the cat's fur carefully. 

"How'd you find me?" 

He shrugged. "I asked around. One girl told me she once saw you going into the forest, so I figured I'd find you somewhere in here." 

"That doesn't answer my question." Oh? Chenle raised a brow at that, because he was pretty damn sure it did. 

"It wasn't hard to find you if that's what you're wondering. I followed my gut and it led me here. And then this cat gave me the courage to actually go up to you, so here I am."

"That shouldn't..." Jisung seemed to cut himself off, his brows furrowing together as he stared down at his rice, perplexed. Eventually, he spoke again. "So... you are afraid of me, human." Chenle could tell that Jisung had changed his topic, but he didn't pry. Not yet.

"No, I'm not." 

"You just implied that you lacked the courage to approach me until that fami— cat went up to you." He switched mid-word just then. Noted... but again, Chenle didn't pry. That topic could be saved for when they were actually friends. 

"Well yeah, but that wasn't because I find you scary."

"Then why was it that you required help building up your courage?"

"You're really handsome, you know." The words spilled from his mouth reflexively, honestly.

He watched Jisung's eyes grow as wide as saucers. "I beg your pardon?"

Suddenly Chenle felt incredibly shy. He bit his lips and his cheeks burned crimson, coughing as he took his own turn changing the subject. "I brought food?" He gestured to his bag with one hand. "You want some?" 

Jisung eyed the backpack curiously. "...what kind of food?" Oh thank God, he took the bait. 

"Chinese steamed buns?" 

"From where?" 

"I made them myself." 

The outcast scrunched his nose and for a brief moment, Chenle thought he looked a bit like a mouse. "You can cook?" 

"Uh, yeah. I'm not like an expert or anything, but I can make some pretty good stuff. Can't you?" 

Jisung shook his head. "No..." 

"Seriously?" Chenle was in total disbelief that the younger man had gone his entire life so far without ever learning how to cook for himself. Sure he's met several people who couldn't toast a piece of bread to save their life (not that he has much respect for them,) but Jisung just seemed so capable of... everything? "Dude, that's like— a basic skill." 

"Not one I ever needed to learn."

"How? Who raised you?"

"That depends on who you ask, I suppose. Most people would say my parents, albeit my friends would insist it was all them."

Now Chenle was very intrigued. He sat up straight, ignoring the way the cat meowed in protest at the movement. "You have friends?"

The question probably came across a lot ruder than he intended, but how could anyone blame him for asking? Because from what he's seen, everyone else but him avoids Jisung like their lives literally depended on it. 

Thankfully, Jisung was very self aware, apparently. "I suppose that's a fair question. Yes, I have friends, human." 

"So... you already have friends...?" 

"Indeed." 

"And yet you don't want to be my friend because...?" 

"It'd be unnatural." 

Chenle felt his eye twitch. "Ah, of course. How could I forget?" He clicked his tongue, slightly peeved. "...That still makes no sense, just so you know." 

"And it's still not meant to. Not to you." 

"Ugh, whatever. I'm gonna be your friend one day, just you wait." Chenle let the cat move from his lap to Jisung's, watching as it leaned into his touch when he placed his bowl down to pet it. "So do you want the steamed buns or what?" 

"... Are they poisoned?" 

"Wha—? Poisoned?" He guffawed. "Wow, trust issues much? I don't wanna kill you, dude." 

"How am I meant to know that?" 

Chenle was rambling before he could even think. "First of all, that's illegal and I have never broken a law in my life... except for maybe jaywalking, but I feel like that doesn't count. Second, I'm extremely squeamish. I mean I love a good horror movie as much as the next person, but I don't wanna see that stuff in real life, y'know? I'm not like— pass out at a blood drive level of grossed out, but I definitely couldn't be a surgeon. Third, food is sacred and I think that purposefully tainting it in any way should be considered a crime, so why on earth would I poison you with my family's steamed bun recipes?" 

The younger man's hand paused from where it was scratching under the cat's chin. Chenle could've sworn that for a split second, he'd seen him smile. "Alright, I believe you. ...Sure, I'd like some chinese steamed buns." 

"Yes!" Chenle squealed in victory and pulled the thermal lunch boxes out of his backpack, pushing them towards Jisung. "They're all wrapped and labeled, so pick whatever you want." 

Now, either his ears were playing tricks on him or Jisung had just chuckled. Quietly, but it was there. Jisung immediately grabbed the box with the sweet pork buns and opened it up, unwrapping one of them carefully with his free hand. "Just so you're aware, this doesn't mean I accept your friendship." 

"Meh, you will. One day." 

"Tell yourself what you will." And then the younger man took a bite and, even though he could hardly see them, Chenle saw his eyes light up in surprise. 

He smiled. "I’m guessing that means you like them." 

"... You actually cooked these?" 

Oh, he was absolutely buzzing now. "Mhm, from scratch and everything."

"It's delicious. You're incredible, human." 

"You're welcome, but hey— I already told you, my name's Zhong Chenle, not 'human.' And just so you know, I'm older than you."

"Not by much seeing as we're in the same academic year, but alright. Would you rather have me refer to you as Chenle hyung or something along those lines?" 

For a second, Chenle got lost in his head as he thought about how nice his name sounded coming out of Jisung's mouth, which was... a stupid thought. "Uh, just Chenle is fine actually. I don't really care about honorifics. I mean as long as you're not calling me 'human,' I'm okay." 

"Chenle it is then." 

The remainder of their lunch hour was fairly silent from then on. They just sat there, beneath the tree in the clearing, munching on steamed buns and petting the cat, a female— Chenle realized. 

Jisung seemed quite familiar with the animal and when Chenle softly asked him about it, the oddball told him that she belonged to one of his friends and nothing more. It was interesting, to say the least. The fact that the most estranged man at his college actually had people that he was friends with was quite shocking news. These mystery people that Jisung seemed to have a love-hate relationship with— judging solely on how he talks about them, tone and all— they intrigued Chenle. The fact that there were others who could stand the younger man's presence was definitely something to remember. 

꧁☾︎🌒☽︎꧂

Attempt #3: 

From then on, Chenle spent his lunch hour in that clearing with Jisung. He always prepared extra food for the latter and then shared it with him. Eventually he learned about Jisung's likes and dislikes in terms of food, and he learned to cater to them. Jisung, as strange as he is, always brought a single bowl of rice as his lunch. Somehow Chenle thought it was endearing. The consistency of lunch choice had listed itself in a file somewhere in the back of his mind under; 'Cute Things About Jisung.' 

With every day that passed, Chenle found that file growing in size. Every new day shined light on more of the outcast's adorable habits and isms, and Chenle dutifully noted them down mentally as if it could be an occupation. 

Their daily lunch hangouts were usually spent in the company of one of the many pets belonging to Jisung's friends. He didn't question the several cat breeds, the samoyed, or even the mini lop bunny; but when they had a python curled up in the sun a few feet away, or a friesian horse and a desert fox prancing around the clearing; Chenle asked questions. He wanted to know why they were let out and how they always knew where to find Jisung. 

The younger man had only shrugged and told him that they were all very intelligent animals with a will of their own, so they'd find their way home when they needed to by themselves. It was strange, but Chenle quickly learned that was something he needed to embrace if he wanted to befriend Jisung. 

Chenle asked Jisung if he had any pets and he'd nodded, smiling at the mention of it. Chenle then asked him why his pet never went out of its way to come find him, to which Jisung told him that 'she' was too big and knew better than to follow him here. And then, when Chenle wondered out loud what type of pet he had, Jisung had responded with, 'giant lizard.' 

"So a horse can wander around and a lizard can't? Is she bigger than the horse or what?" He'd asked, not at all serious. 

But then Jisung said, "She's a bit of a... genetic anomaly, if you will. I'm the only one who had the, uh... ability— to handle her." Somehow Chenle knew that there was a lot more to it than that, but he accepted that answer nonetheless. 

Today there weren't any pets, which left the two of them alone. 

Chenle made them braised pork belly, which just so happened to be one of Jisung's favorite foods. The (in his mind) adorable weirdo had paired it with his bowl of rice and was scarfing it down heartily. At this point, Chenle knew that their relationship went far beyond tolerance on Jisung's end, hell he'd actually call it some obscure form of friendship. Not that Jisung would admit it so easily. The younger man still has yet to actually look at him and today, Chenle felt like changing that. Currently, it was the only thing he felt that he needed for closure, the validation to tell him that they were actually friends now. 

"Why don't you ever look at people?" 

Jisung stopped right before he shoveled another bite of food in his mouth. "It would horrify them... or more than usual." 

"Okay, well we've already established that I'm not scared of you, so why don't you ever look at me?" 

"I don't think that'd be a good idea." 

"Tsk. You say that about everything. Us being friends wouldn't be a good idea, me being comfortable around you, and now, you looking at me... Tell me, what is a good idea, hm?" 

"You being scared and avoiding me like everyone else is a good idea. That's the safest idea." 

Chenle folded his arms and leaned his full weight against the tree trunk. "And I told you that wasn't going to happen. So what, do you plan on hurting me?" 

"No. Never." The response was quick, defensive almost, and very sure. 

A smile found its way onto his face. "Yeah? Then what reason do I have to be scared of you? Because from what I can tell, as strange as you are... deep down you're just an adorable guy who wouldn't hurt a fly." 

"I would actually." The taller man stated after swallowing another quick bite of food. "Hurt a fly, I mean. I'm really not fond of them." 

Chenle shrugged, uncaring. It was a stupid analogy anyway. "Same here, so I can't exactly judge you there, can I?" 

"I suppose not." 

"Personally, I hate spiders even more. I understand that most of them have a purpose and all, but they really scare me. Like— why do they have so many freaking legs and eyes?" 

Jisung laughed, something he gradually became less adverse to doing in Chenle's presence within the last month. "It helps them serve their purpose is why. Nature does things like that and I've learned it's best not to question her ways." 

"I mean yeah—" Chenle whined, "—but that doesn't mean I have to like it." He let out a deep exhale. "Thankfully spiders aren't really a problem for me like they are for others. I see them every once in a while, but they always leave me alone when I ask them to."

"Do they?" The outcast muttered, his tone betraying his genuine curiosity and bafflement. "That's not... normal." 

"I guess it's not for the majority of people, but hey— it's my normal." He chuckled and looked up at the sky. "No but honestly, sometimes I really think that all of these creatures can understand me." He paused, embarrassment creeping up onto his face. "They probably can't though, huh?" 

Jisung was silent for a while, his chopsticks pushing the food around in his bowl while he contemplated those words. "You... you are human... aren't you?" 

"Um, I'm pretty sure I am. I mean what else would I be? An ogre?” He laughed at his own joke. “I'm not Shrek.”

Jisung didn't laugh. "Right..." 

Chenle gasped, already jumping to conclusions, "Do you seriously think I'm an ogre? Jisung! I'm offended!" 

"I never said that I did." 

"I think it was implied, you meanie. Now you have to look at me, I need to prove to you that I'm not an ogre."

"I did not agree to that," Jisung said, nonchalant as ever while he started eating again, savoring the taste. 

"Too bad. If you don't look at me I'll never make you pork belly ever again," Chenle threatened. Jisung froze, his eyes widening in horror. "Never, you hear? I'll make you oysters until we graduate. And we both know how much you hate those."

"You wouldn't dare." 

"Try me."

Jisung seemed to be going through the biggest internal debate of his life, like he was mentally weighing his options. Would he rather have only rice for the rest of his college career and jeopardize his ability to have Chenle's cooking, or— would he get over himself and look at the boy sitting next to him so he could continue eating well until graduation? Apparently, one of those things was more important to him than the other. 

Chenle mentally patted himself on the back for utilizing food as leverage against him because, after a while, Jisung started shifting his eyes in his direction. It was a slow process, like he was going back on a sacred vow or selling his soul to the devil, and for food of all things. 

Eventually, they made eye contact.

Chenle drew in a quick breath. Now they were both frozen, neither one making a move to look away.

Once again Chenle felt captivated by Jisung, which, lately, seemed to be a bit of a reoccurring thing.

The younger man was impossibly handsome and every little detail that Chenle noticed made his mind spin. But his eyes? Oh God, his eyes. They were small, yet they were big enough to hold galaxies. Something about staring into those deep pools of velvety cedar brown felt other worldly, like there was sentient magic living within them. That might be a tad overdramatic, but Chenle genuinely had no clue how else he was supposed to describe them. For a moment, he swore he even saw flickers of gold and scarlet swimming in their depth. 

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Jisung spoke. "You're beautiful..." And oh God, Chenle was not ready to hear that. 

He blushed down to his neck and tore his eyes away, hoping it would calm his heart down. (It didn't.) "...Thanks,” he muttered. “So I guess I don't look like an ogre to you, huh?" 

"You're nowhere close to an ogre, Chenle." 

"That's... good to hear."

"I'd say you share closer relations to the fae... a nature spirit, perhaps? They're quite pretty, er— from what I hear... from folklore, of course." 

His blush deepened. The fact that he could still feel Jisung's gaze roaming his face and figure didn't help. "Oh my God, please stop." 

Jisung shrugged, finally turning his attention back to his food and allowing Chenle to breathe. "You shouldn't overthink my words so much, Zhong Chenle. Just take them as they are; a compliment." 

꧁☾︎🌒☽︎꧂

Attempt #4: 

Chenle refused to think about the way Jisung made him feel. 

Anytime that warm, fuzzy sensation took a hold of him, he pushed it down and told it to shut up. It could wait until after he gets the younger man to just admit that they're friends. (Or it could remain dormant forever... that was preferable.)  It was a step by step process and Chenle was determined to wait it out.

Jisung looked at him consistently now, which was quite a lively topic of conversation for everyone else at Agmong. It was always, "The devil is actually looking at our angel!" Or something along those lines.

Neither one of them paid those ridiculous comments any mind.

Chenle would just smile brightly and wave at Jisung in the halls, almost illuminating them with his positive energy. In turn, Jisung would acknowledge him by nodding in his direction. Chenle wouldn't push him to do any more than that. He knew that Jisung was by far more comfortable with showing his subtle affection when they were alone. But that didn't stop Chenle from telling everyone that he and Jisung were friends any chance he got, making sure to amp it up whenever the outcast himself was around. 

Their professors and peers all looked troubled by that sentiment, though when Chenle beamed at them in his pretty and endearing way, they couldn't bring themselves to say anything against it. Which was obviously something he used to his advantage, because Chenle didn't want anyone trying to forcefully separate him from his new, anti-social friend. Jisung on the other hand would simply sigh and shake his head, but in the end he never said anything to refute it either, not even during their lunch hour. So there was that. A silent acknowledgement that they were, in fact, friends. 

God, it was so unsatisfying. 

Chenle had gotten excited the first time, but then he quickly decided that silent agreement just wasn't enough for him. Which led him to his current objective; Get Jisung to touch him. (Not like that you perverts.) 

The closest they got was a tap on the shoulder and a tug on the sleeve, most of which he initiated himself and nothing that you could truly label as skinship. In truth, Chenle really just wanted one thing; A hug. ...That's it. Nothing extreme or wild, just a simple hug. And as much as he knows that he could just follow the pattern and hug Jisung himself (or bribe him with food as usual,) Chenle wants the satisfaction of knowing that Jisung had hugged him of his own free will. For once, he wants to be on the receiving end. He wants that cute oddball he's grown stupidly attached to to initiate things for a change. 

As always, it starts with asking a question during their lunch hour.

Today, Chenle packed homemade soup dumplings for the main course and then some mooncakes for dessert, much to Jisung's delight. Shame he didn't bring anything for the bear cub sleeping beside them, but how could Chenle have expected that one of Jisung’s friends kept one? Was that even legal? He had no clue. Maybe they ran a zoo, but those were questions for another time.

For now, all Chenle wanted to know was, "Why don't you ever touch me?"

"It—" 

"Don't you dare say 'it wouldn't be a good idea,' you obtuse weirdo. Be a little more creative with your responses, would you?"

Jisung raised a brow. "If you don't want the simple answer, that's more than fine with me." He seemed to think for a moment before he replied, "You could say that I don't touch you solely out of respect for nature." 

"Interesting response... I don't accept it." 

A sigh. "That is not how this works." 

"Yes, actually— it is." 

"And how exactly have you come to this conclusion?" 

"Because I said so." 

"Ha! While it is rather amusing that you think that way, you can't just order nature around, Chenle. She'll be very angry, I'll have you know."

He scoffed and poked Jisung through his hoodie. "I've never ordered nature around in my life. What I do is ask nicely. When I ask a flower to grow healthily, it does. When I ask a sick animal to get better, it will. I don't really understand why, but that's the way it works for me." 

"Well that's... definitely not normal." 

"Yeah yeah, you keep saying that." Chenle rolled his eyes. "I swear I'm human, okay? I mean, my entire family are all perfectly normal people that don't have this strange way with nature that I do, which yeah, is definitely weird, but I also know I'm not adopted. I look just like them and— I've seen my birth certificate. My mom's got a full photo album of my baby pictures too." He sighed, again. "For all I know, nature has her favorites and I'm just lucky enough to be one of them." 

The younger man shook his head. "That's impossible. Nature is fair, she has no favorites." 

"Yeah? Then how would you explain my situation, wisecrack?" 

Jisung's brows were furrowed as he looked over Chenle in his entirety, almost like he was studying him. Eventually, he held a hand out. "I have a theory... and I suppose I'll have to actually touch you to prove it." 

"Oh, yay!" Chenle lit up immediately, grinning happily as he placed his hand in Jisung's without a second thought. But he hadn't expected it to feel like that. 

What felt like a surge of energy ran through him, warmth and moonlight tickling at his heart. Jisung felt powerful, strong— like a hurricane only more intense. Chenle wasn't sure how, but some part of him just knew that Jisung was capable of completely unfathomable things. The feeling was foreign and familiar all at once, which led him to believe that he and Jisung were somehow extremely alike and yet very different. How? Chenle wasn't sure. 

In an instant, something clicked for him.

This feeling, the energy he felt pulsing from Jisung's touch had something, possibly even everything to do with why their peers and professors were so afraid of him. To them it was terrifying, something out of their worst nightmares... but to Chenle? It was gentle and welcoming... dream-like almost.

When he glanced up to get a look at Jisung's face, Chenle saw that he was feeling the same thing, or maybe it was only something similar again. Either way, he was obviously just as surprised as him. Except, unlike Chenle, Jisung seemed to actually understand what was causing this strange but blissful sensation. 

The taller man gave his hand an experimental squeeze and another wave of that feeling ran through him, more powerful this time. It was then that Chenle realized that this was the first time they actually made skin to skin contact. This sensation wasn't possible with touches through fabric, it needed to be flesh against flesh or else it'd feel the same as it did with everyone else. That realization was... overwhelming. 

Chenle attempted to pull away from the touch, but Jisung didn't let him. His grip was strong as he fully set aside their food and pulled Chenle into a tight embrace. Arms wrapped around his torso and Chenle felt his mind go completely blank. Warmth filled his entire body and suddenly, he found that he was floating. Not literally, but he felt weightless.

It took a minute, but soon enough his mind was active again, overactive even— feeding him vividly painted images of dragons and magic. Ah, so that was it. Jisung felt magical, obscenely durable, and very very safe. This time, Chenle leaned into the intimacy, nuzzling himself further in Jisung's toned arms and burying his face into his chest with no intentions of pulling away any time soon.

Thankfully the younger man didn't seem to mind. Jisung held onto him tighter, his large hands gripping the hem of Chenle's sweater. "Hm... definitely not normal." 

Chenle chuckled, "Like you're one to talk." 

"Touché." 

They were quiet for a little bit again until Chenle decided to break it. "... You're not going to tell me how I'm different, are you? Even though you know?"

"I'm sorry, but no. It probably wouldn't be wise to tell you outright. Besides, there's still a few things I don't understand myself so I'll need to do my research." 

"M'kay... and then what?" 

"And then, once I do understand the entire situation, I'll slowly work it out with you. I'll need you to be patient until then... do you think you can do that for me?"

"Hm... yeah. I trust you." Jisung stayed silent, seemingly thinking over his words. Chenle smirked. "What? You're not going to tell me that I shouldn't?" 

"It should be fine... I think. For you though, no one else."

He couldn't help himself. "Does this mean you accept my friendship?"

"Well— I suppose I'll think about it." 

Chenle squealed, excited giggles spilling from his plush lips. "I'll take it." 

꧁☾︎🌒☽︎꧂

Attempt #5:

Once again, Chenle decided not to process his feelings. He didn't think it was all that necessary anyways. 

The only thing that he was really focused on now was getting Jisung to verbally admit the obvious; they're friends. Everyone else at Agmong agreed with him too. If Jisung wasn't clearly friendly with Chenle then they didn't know what else to call it. First of all, the younger man actually showed emotions in public now, but only around Chenle. He smiled and talked with him in the halls, granting small amounts of skinship on the regular. 

So yeah, everyone solidly knew that they had something going on, and that was based simply on how they interacted with other people around. But what they didn't know was that when they were alone, Jisung would initiate things unprovoked.

He often draped an arm around Chenle during their lunch hour or leaned his head on his shoulder, singing little made-up songs. He laughed and joked around with him, the typical type of behavior you'd expect to happen between close friends. Now, while Chenle liked it, he found himself losing his mind over the fact that Jisung blatantly refused to admit it. Something told him that he did it on purpose too, just to mess with him, like the infuriating moron he is.

Chenle didn't want to pressure him, not when Jisung was having his own hardships, trying to figure out whatever was going on with him. Chenle could tell he was doing some pretty diligent research, to the point that he was losing sleep over it too. Everyday, Jisung came to the university with much darker circles than the last. 

Chenle tried to joke around about it, hoping to ease the mood, even when he knew it was pointless. (It was his coping mechanism, leave him be about it.) "Sir, I'm afraid I can't let you board the plane with all of those bags." 

"Chenle." 

"Hm?" 

"Please, shut up." 

Jisung looked terminally tired and drained beyond belief. Chenle couldn't help but feel bad because technically, it was all his fault. Still, anytime he asked Jisung about it, his friend would smile and insist that he was getting closer to finding a definitive answer. But the thing is, Jisung's been saying that for weeks now and nothing has changed. He's still very lost, not quite understanding how Chenle is the way he is. 

So, like the good friend he is, Chenle decided that he was going to put his foot down.

Today he brought heated canisters filled with kimchi-jjigae. He'd planned on just showing the food to him and then carrying a conversation as they normally would, but then Jisung snorted when he saw the dish, bursting out into hearty laughter a few seconds later. Chenle was puzzled. "Dude... what's so funny about a stew?" 

Jisung was fully on the ground, clutching his stomach as his hysteric fit died down. "It's... I believe it's called an inside joke?— ah, yes... that's it... an inside joke between my friends and I. You'll understand when you meet them. In fact, Donghyuck will probably bring it up within the first five minutes after knowing you." 

"Oh? You plan on introducing me to your mysterious friends with the odd pets?" 

"Perhaps I will one day when I figure everything out. Until then, well..." 

"Kay, I get it." Chenle exhaled when he slumped down beside him. "But which one is Donghyuck? I've heard stories but you never told me any of their names." 

"Bookshelf dominoes." 

"Ah, him!" Chenle chuckled, remembering back when Jisung first told him that story. (He couldn't breathe for ten consecutive minutes.) "... Does this mean that you actually view me as a friend?" 

"Do I or don't I? Who's to know?" 

"You're insufferable, you know that?" 

"I might and I might not. Truly, it depends on who you ask." 

"Ugh, whatever." He shoved a canister towards the other man. "Eat your stew." 

"Well, if you insist..." Jisung said, albeit his actions clearly indicated his eagerness. He twisted the canister open in record time and reached for one of the spoons poking out of the smallest pocket in Chenle's backpack. After he took a mouthful, he hummed in content. "I know I say this everyday, but you really are incredible." 

Chenle sighed dramatically, "You only like me for my cooking." 

"Well, it is the only reason I continued talking to you at first, but I suppose it's not the only benefit to having you around." 

"Right, so I'm good company?" Chenle asked with a smug smile. 

"I think so, yes." 

"Because we're friends, right?" 

Jisung's eyes twinkled with mischief. "You say that, albeit in my opinion, it's more so because you're nice to look at.... Have I ever told you that you're beautiful?" 

"Wha—?” He spluttered. “Oh my God, I hate you." 

"Of course you do, that must be why your face is bright red. With hatred, I'm sure." 

"I— shut up." Chenle huffed and turned his attention towards his own lunch, choosing to ignore Jisung who was undoubtedly wiggling his eyebrows at him. 

For a while, they just sat there and ate in eventual comfortable silence. Chenle had to admit that within the duration of time he's spent preparing lunches for him and Jisung, his cooking skills have improved exponentially. He could now confidently make changes to a recipe, adjusting it to suit his and Jisung's personal preferences. He wouldn't say that he's ready to start making his own recipes, but he thinks that if he keeps this pace up, he'll get there in no time. 

Chenle's been careful not to let himself feel pressured or get burnt out. The last thing he wanted was to lose this new appreciation for the culinary arts. On his more productive days, he'd do tons of meal prep so that when he had a lazy day, he could still prepare something decent. It was efficient and within the last month or so, Chenle found himself moving around the lines of what he once considered easy and difficult. 

Something about that excited him, although his mother seemed to be a lot happier about it than he was.

When he first started doing this, his mom started to wonder why he was constantly asking for all of their family's recipes fairly quickly. And since she raised him to be an open and honest person, Chenle told her that he was trying to make a friend with someone who was quite closed off, so the food was a means to an end.

His mother responded enthusiastically. She'd collected as many recipes as she could, printed them out, and then compiled them together into a singular cookbook which she then shipped to him. 

Since then, she's frequently asked for updates on how his 'friendship mission' was coming along. Not wanting to lie but also wanting to respect Jisung's privacy, Chenle only responded vaguely. His mom seemed to understand that, telling him that she was proud to have raised such a wonderful son. 

And now, between that and Jisung's consistent compliments on the food, Chenle was quite flattered. He definitely felt appreciated, but he also felt it was time to pay that kindness back. He'd ordered his mom a few nifty household items and well her favorite sweets, so there was that. But Chenle was at a complete loss when it came to what he wanted to do for Jisung. 

Within the latest update Chenle gave his mother, he told her, 'He still won't admit that we're friends which is annoying. But he's been looking tired recently, how do you think I should help?' She in turn sent him a plethora of articles talking about natural remedies for insomnia, and he didn't have the heart to tell her that definitely wasn't the problem. So, he just thanked her and said nothing else. 

Chenle had taken that as a sign that he needed to deal with this by himself, because he can't stand to see Jisung like this. He looked almost pitiful. His face was slightly discolored and his dark circles could be seen from yards away. If Chenle didn't know any better, he would think that he'd lost some weight as well. Jisung had long since stopped wearing form fitting clothes at any point, which raised alarm. 'No more,' he told himself, 'this can't go on.'

As usual, it started with a question. "So, have you gotten your answer yet?" 

Jisung tilted his head, his cheeks stuffed with rice. Oh God, who gave him the right to look so cute when he was so unwell? Swallowing the bite in his mouth, the first words to escape were, "What answer?"

Chenle raised a brow. "About me and why I'm so... not normal." 

"Ah, right." Jisung took a quick swig of water and smiled, brighter than Chenle's seen from him in a long while. "I believe so. I'm actually quite confident about this theory, and I only need to confirm it with someone else before I start telling you more. Just a few more days now I think." 

"That's great! You know, I've been getting worried about you." 

"I know and I'm sorry. I certainly didn't think it would be this hard for me either.” Jisung sighed, like he was disappointed in himself. “Perhaps if I hadn't refused help from my friends I would've drawn this conclusion much earlier, but I did refuse their help, so I didn't get the answers as fast as I likely could have."

Chenle clicked his tongue, "You're so stubborn, Jisung. And that's not a good thing. If you went on like this for much longer I would've told you to stop." 

"Well from what I've come to realize, that probably wouldn't be ideal." 

"Oh? How come?" Jisung didn't respond, so Chenle didn't pry. "I'll take that as you can't tell me yet. That's fine. Just— when you think I'm ready, I'll listen." 

"Hm, yeah... I know you will." 

And then once again, there was silence. Maybe that was one of the many things that Chenle found nice about hanging out with the younger man, that the quiet moments were never uncomfortable. Both the forest and the man he met within it brought on a nice, peaceful feeling that hindered his ability to overthink. With the overall ambience of their surroundings, with the sun beating down through the trees and them sitting in the shade with their food, Chenle felt no dire need to talk. He was relaxed. 

Conversely, in a normal situation, he was almost compelled to fill any silence, even though it emotionally and physically drained him to do so. Because you see, as social as he is, he was still an introvert at his core. Someone like Jisung who was an obvious introvert up front, but turned more extroverted once he got to know someone was, once again, his opposite. 

The younger man was extremely talkative when it was just them. He could ramble on and on about his opinions on different plants and animals with no end in sight. Yet even still, he had his moments of silence, serenity so it seemed, where he would just sit there and think. Chenle could only imagine the things that happened in his head, but he could never be totally sure. His hope is that one day, he'll be able to read Jisung as well as Jisung can read him. Maybe then, Jisung would refer to him as a friend. 

꧁☾︎🌒☽︎꧂

+1: 

Jisung has undoubtedly found his answer. Chenle was sure of it. 

The last few weeks, Jisung kept trying to drop hints about all sorts of things involving Chenle's... situation. Slowly but surely, he's been doing his best to ease Chenle into a base level of realization. But those hints just slapped Chenle across the face with an unplanned existential crisis— not that they ever are planned, but that's not the point. The point is that he has no idea what he is anymore. From the few hints that he's actually managed to pick up on, he knows that he probably isn't fully human. And if Jisung's habit of referring to everyone else at ACC as 'humans' or 'mortals' was anything to go off of, then Chenle's inclined to believe that he isn't either.

Jisung had offhandedly mentioned something about 'auras.' 

Obviously Chenle knows that word, but he didn't necessarily know what it meant in this context. So, when he pried just a little, Jisung went on about how everyone has one, some much more potent than others. He said that humans aren't usually very good at detecting them. They don't have very strong auras, so it's not something that typically affects them. Also, according to Jisung, animals are a lot better when it comes to sensing and identifying them, which is most easily seen in the way that dogs can almost always tell a good person from a bad one. 

From all of that, Chenle could only guess that he'd somehow gotten himself involved in something fantastical, something bigger than the world he grew up in. 

Jisung gave him several hints that pointed towards magic, something that until now, Chenle wasn't sure he believed in. Of course he wasn't sure that he didn't believe in it either, his connection to nature had raised several questions all throughout his life after all. With that being said however, recent circumstances and events have led him to believe that magic truly existed and he was somehow attached to it. He assumed that Jisung was also definitely magical in some way, not in the same way that he was, but magical nonetheless. 

Today was further proof of that.

Chenle had made them bento boxes today. They were both individually decorated with cute doodles in edible pen ink. He was feeling especially playful today, so he even shaped the rice balls into hearts, giggling to himself as he did so.

Honestly, Chenle didn't put much thought into doing that. He was just having some fun with food preparation, what was so wrong about that? There shouldn't have been any problems... except, there was.

You see, after sitting through two grueling college lectures, he'd forgotten all about the heart shaped rice balls. 

So when Jisung opened up his bento and raised a brow, Chenle gave him a confused look in response, not sure why he reacted like that. "What? Is there something wrong with the food? I'm pretty sure I didn't put anything you don't like in there." 

The younger man smirked. "A heart, huh?" 

"Huh?" Chenle tilted his head, but then realization dawned on him. "Oh! I forgot about that!” He grinned proudly. “Dude, when I tell you that I was having the time of my life while preparing the rice... God, it was so fun! I kept reshaping them into different things, like stars and different kinds of triangles, and then I wondered, 'Hey, could I shape these into hearts?' Turns out, yes— I can. I thought they looked kinda cute so I kept them like that." 

"Yes, I'm sure you did." Jisung laughed, the smirk never left his face and now he had a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. 

"Oi... What's with that look?" 

"I'm not sure what you're talking about." 

Chenle narrowed his eyes. "Liar. What's going on in your head right now?" 

"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all."

"Park Jisung." 

"Zhong Chenle." 

"Oh my God. You're impossible." He threw his head back with a groan. "Just tell me what you're thinking." 

"It's honestly nothing important. I just think you're being really cute." 

"Huh?" His voice came out squeaky and his face burned, both things that he's grown used to doing in Jisung's presence. If there's one more thing that he's learned on his quest to befriend him, it's that this man is a complete menace. He found an obscene amount of joy in pushing Chenle's buttons and riling him up. 

Exhibit A; "Oh, was that somehow news to you? Do I not remind you that you're very pretty and beautiful enough already? Should I tell you more often? I certainly can if you feel it's necessary." 

"How about you stop entirely?" He sneered. 

"Hm, I'm afraid I can't do that." 

"How come?" 

"You know..." The outcast set the bento down, pulling Chenle's legs into his lap in one fluid motion. "I quite enjoy seeing you blush, because I find that you're the prettiest with your cheeks tinted pink." 

Jisung's arms wrapped around Chenle's middle, lifting the fabric just enough for his fingers to make contact with the smooth skin hidden underneath. That odd but warm sensation he got any time they touched ran through him, and Chenle thought, 'If this isn't magical, what is?' The sound of his heart pounding in his ears was deafening, and for a while, his mind could only produce static. Nearly every system in his body went still and if he was a computer, he'd have an error code bouncing around on a screen. Eventually he came to, but all he could successfully manage to do was panic. 

His first instinct was to remove himself from Jisung's hold, except that proved impossible when the younger man held on tighter, refusing to let him go. "And where do you think you're going?" 

"I'm trying— to sit by myself on the grass like a normal person and eat my lunch, thank you very much." He made another attempt to get free, though it was in vain. 

"And I'd prefer to have you sitting in my lap, thank you very much." 

"I— your lap is not a chair, Jisung." 

"Perhaps not in the strictest definition, but it could be... just for you." 

"What the—?” He almost screamed from being both flustered and frustrated. “Y'know, if you're going to do things like this, then you might as well admit that you see me as a friend." 

Jisung's grip on his waist somehow got even tighter, it was a miracle that Chenle could still breathe. "I don't." 

"What?" 

"I don't see you as a friend." 

Chenle paused mid-escape attempt. A crushing sadness overcame him and he found a deep pout forming on his face before he could stop it. "Um... ouch? You're telling me you never liked me all this time?" 

"That's not what I meant." The taller man brushed a strand of hair out of his face, smiling lightly. 

"Yeah? Then what did you mean?" 

"Do I really have to spell it out for you?" 

"Probably, because right now I feel like I'm going insane." 

Jisung sighed, his head falling into the crook of Chenle's neck. "Perhaps I should use different wording... very well. I'm only going to say this one time, so listen carefully, okay?" 

"Just get to the point, would you?" 

"I don't want to be your friend. Rather, I want to be so much more." 

"Uh— so like... best friends?"

A groan. "No, Chenle. More."

"Besties for life?" 

"Warmer, but not quite." 

Chenle thought for a long while, putting his remaining brain cells to work as he tried to connect the dots. Sadly, his lectures today had rendered them functionally useless. "Uh— so then... besties for life that become roommates? Wait no, that's probably not it, huh? Shit..." 

"No actually, I could count that as correct if it's used in the historical context." 

Of all things, it was that phrase that dawned on Chenle and it finally clicked. The blush on his face that had previously died down returned in full force and if this were a cartoon, there would be steam coming off of his head. Jisung liked him... romantically. "... oh." 

Jisung laughed and pulled him impossibly closer. "Oh, indeed." 

The gears in Chenle's head were turning, trying to figure out when or how this could've happened.

It's been a total of five months since he first approached Jisung trying to befriend him, and for the first one and a half, the outcast had been quite closed off. He barely spoke and never looked at him, not even just a glance. Most of their short conversations revolved around whatever Chenle had made them that day. It wasn't until halfway through the second month that Jisung actually started to show signs of warming up to him. There were still moments that he was reluctant to show emotion, but Chenle admired the progress. 

It was probably after he'd gotten him to look at him when the younger man had begun catching feelings. Jisung started talking more, his responses getting longer the more time went on. He shared stories about his friends and family and in turn, Chenle would do the same, talking about his life back in China.

He would often catch Jisung staring at him, but instead of looking away like someone usually does when they get caught, Jisung kept staring. His eyes would light up and he'd smile, scrunching his nose on purpose because he knew Chenle was fond of that habit. Only then would he turn away, after doing something stupidly cute. 

Jisung likely realized it somewhere around the time they made skin to skin contact. Probably before, now that Chenle really thinks about it. He can briefly recall an adorably eager glimmer in Jisung's eyes when he realized that he needed to touch him to test his hypothesis. In the moment, it felt like they'd been holding hands for forever before Jisung had tugged him into his arms, but the actual time told him that it took less than a minute.

From then on, even though he was becoming increasingly tired, Agmong's enigma started acting less like a skittish mouse and more like an excited puppy whenever he saw Chenle. 

All of that being said, Jisung actually doing something about his crush seemed out of character.

If there's one thing that Chenle solidly knows about the younger man, it's that Jisung's careful and doesn't take any chances. If there wasn't a sure bonus to doing so, then he wouldn't be caught dead taking any risks. So what that told Chenle was that Jisung genuinely felt like he had something positive to gain here from confessing. And he'd also made it abundantly clear that settling for 'just friends' was nowhere in the plan, so there were no platonic intentions whatsoever.

No, Jisung wanted a romantic relationship and he was confident that he could get it. In other words, he's completely sure that his feelings are reciprocated. 

And now, Chenle finally realizes Jisung may actually be right in his assumption. He'd spent so long pushing his feelings to the side and refusing to let himself take the time to process them. He'd been so focused on becoming friends with Jisung that he never realized when he started wanting something more. Chenle supposes that the when doesn't truly matter in the end, because the fact of the matter is this; he likes Jisung just as much as Jisung likes him.

All of those fluttering feelings and heart palpitations weren't just fleeting things that went away with time. No, they got worse and worse, harder to ignore the more time he spent with their root cause. 

"You like me..." He said finally. 

Jisung lifted his head from his shoulder with a soft smile, "That I do." 

"And I— I like you too..." 

The smile turned playful, "Congratulations on your realization. Might I say, it's a truly remarkable development." 

Chenle hit him. "Oh, shut up. I'll take it back." It was an empty threat, both of them knew it, but he didn't really care. 

Jisung chuckled, clearly loving his reaction. But then he was suddenly leaning in, inching closer with his eyes trained on Chenle's lips. "Chenle..." he whispered, his voice incredibly low and filled with want. 

Chenle felt all of the muscles in his body go weak. "Jisung...?" 

"May I?" 

They were nose to nose now, close enough to feel each other's breath fanning across their face. Chenle felt the world slow to a screeching halt and in that moment, nothing else seemed to exist outside of them. It was just them, alone in the forest with barely enough space between their bodies to fit an overwhelming amount of tension.

Chenle knew what Jisung was asking him for, exactly what it was that he wanted. There was no way for him to misinterpret this situation and even though his mind was completely fuzzy, some resilient part of his subconscious screamed at him, begging him to agree. 

"Yes, please—" The words that came out breathy were easily swallowed by Jisung's lips, who of course, had immediately swooped in and kissed him the second he was given consent. 

The kiss was as passionate as it was gentle and tender, everything that he ever could've hoped for. Chenle melted into it instantly, allowing Jisung to take full control. He was too lost in the moment to do much else. Chenle could almost feel the sheer relief rolling off of the younger man and he found himself wondering, how long had Jisung been wanting to do this? From how desperate his movements were, Chenle could guess that he's been craving a kiss for a while. He smiled, obscenely happy about that.

Being loved and desired felt nice. 

That familiar and potent sensation bubbled within him, twisting deep inside of his core. It felt like electricity buzzing beneath his skin, ready to expel outwards at any moment. The energy continued to build up as they kissed and then— it burst. Chenle felt so strong all of a sudden, like he was capable of conquering the world if he wanted to. 

Once again, his head was swarmed with images of magic and an entire society that possessed and practiced it in their day to day life. He saw trees growing and plants sprouting in seconds, an eclectic mix of animals running beside several cloaked figures. He saw dragons of various kinds flying freely through the clear sky, majestic and pure as they should be. Then, almost like a slideshow, he saw the smiling faces of several different men, hovering around intricate designs drawn out on the ground in chalk with candles lit here and there, spellbooks in their hands. 

Eventually Chenle ran out of air and he pulled away from the kiss with his lungs heaving.

Before he could say anything, out of his peripheral vision, he saw splotches of vivid colors. Chenle's eyes blew wide when he found that the clearing had now become a meadow filled with stunning wildflowers, most of which were certain variations commonly native to China. It was like a second spring in late summer. He took everything in with careful precision.

As if possessed, Chenle found himself reaching out to a nearby peony that was still closed in on itself, gasping in shock when it bloomed the second he touched it, rouge petals stretching out beneath his fingertips. "Jisung... am I... seeing things?" 

"No, not at all. Your vision is working perfectly fine." He sounded so proud. 

"Then… there's really a bunch of flowers surrounding us?"

"Yes, Chenle... there is." 

"Because of magic, right?" 

Jisung laughed lightly, fingers rubbing circles over Chenle's waist. "Correct." 

"You've got magic, right?" 

"I do possess magic, yes," he admitted rather easily. "And as do you." 

"Did... did I do this?" 

"Yes, you did." Jisung said as he pulled him into a strong hug, elated giggles bursting from his diaphragm. "My pretty little forest spirit used his magic for the first time, isn't that wonderful?" 

"Forest spirit?" 

"Mhmm." 

"What's that?" 

"I'll explain that to you later, alright? Because for you to fully understand it, I need to introduce you to a few people. Do you think you can meet me here sometime tonight, my beautiful forest spirit?" 

Chenle severed himself from the hug, just enough to look Jisung in the eyes, a sly glimmer in his. "Oh, sure. I can do that, but since when was I yours? I don't recall you asking me out or even to be your boyfriend. The only thing I remember agreeing to was a kiss." 

Jisung whined, "But sweetheart—" 

"Don't you 'sweetheart' me!" Chenle flicked Jisung's forehead. "You have three seconds to ask me out properly before I walk away and take the food with me." 

"Wha—?" 

"One..." 

"Alright! Would you please grant me the honor of being your boyfriend, Zhong Chenle?" 

Chenle broke out into a wide grin and cupped the taller man's face in his hands, "Yes." And then he pressed a short kiss to the corner of his now boyfriend's mouth, sealing the deal. When he broke apart, he whispered against Jisung's lips, "Was that so hard?" 

"No. In fact, I'd ask you to be mine a thousand times over again if I had to." 

A giggle. "Good." 

He hummed in content as he rolled off of Jisung's lap and this time, Jisung let him. The taller man had gotten what he'd wanted, so what was the point in insisting that Chenle sat in his lap?

Besides, they had food to eat and now only forty minutes to finish it. It'd be a waste if they didn't devour every last bite, or that was Jisung's very obvious opinion on the matter. Chenle just picked up his bento with a soft smile and dug in, knowing that further details regarding his situation would come into light eventually, so all he needed was to wait. His boyfriend (God, he loved the sound of that) would tell him soon. 

Speaking of which, Jisung ate his bento with a stupid lovesick smile on his face. He seemed larger than life at that moment and Chenle couldn't help but laugh quietly to himself at that, because who allowed this fully grown man to be this adorable?

Except the cuteness didn't stop there.

When they headed back to campus, they did so hand in hand, giggling quietly. And before Chenle could step away to head inside to his next lecture, Jisung pulled him into a quick kiss filled with an unreal amount of emotion. It had only lasted for a few seconds but it sent them both over the moon, pulling apart with a shy smile and a goofy grin respectively.

God, he liked this man so much it was becoming a problem.