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A rustle in the thicket to Jeno’s right stopped him in his tracks.
As an afterthought, a reflex really, his fingers blindly reached out until they were curled in the soft fabric of Jaemin’s black hoodie to pull him to a stop, too. Jaemin hummed, a whoosh indicating he sent a text before pocketing his phone and paying attention.
“Jeno.” Jaemin already had his nagging voice on. “It’s late. We should really get home, you know. What if someone tries to kidnap you and then I have to save you, huh? Honestly, Jeno, I barely have the energy to fix a bowl of cereal right now, let alone—”
Jeno turned to him with a frown. “Why would I be the one kidnapped?”
“Because,” Jaemin batted his long eyelashes at him, “you’re the prettiest, Jen.”
Jeno scowled and faced the bushes again to hide the heat rushing to his cheeks. “Flattery will get you nowhere.”
Almost the second his hand fell from Jaemin’s arm, Jaemin had a fist full of Jeno’s sweatshirt instead. They were like that, Jeno had long ago noticed. Magnetized. Their friend Chenle said they were like puppies with separation anxiety. Jeno thought Chenle was just mean.
Jaemin clicked his tongue. “Silly Jeno, flattery gets me everywhere with you, the prettiest pup in all the land—”
“Oh my god.”
Choosing to ignore Jaemin for the rest of his life, Jeno moved toward the moving bush near their feet. He was certain it wasn’t the wind.
“This is really the start of a horror movie, you know.”
Jeno huffed, annoyance leaving as quickly as it appeared like it usually did with Jaemin. The one person on the planet Jeno could spend every moment with and not need a social recharge from. “You think a serial killer is hiding in this bush that’s…as tall as our knees?”
Jaemin sniffed. “I don’t judge.”
“Okay.” Jeno laughed. “Now hush.”
“Oh, sir yes sir.” Jeno could almost hear Jaemin waggling his eyebrows, and shook his head with another laugh. Jesus.
He carefully squatted down next to the bush, using both hands to part the leaves and try to see in. He’d blame the chill rolling up his spine on the uncertainty of what he would find, not on Jaemin’s fingers brushing over the baby hairs on the back of his neck. Magnets.
“Oh. Oh my god, Jaem, get down here and help me.”
“Wait, what—” Despite sounding unsure, Jaemin was next to him in an instant, one knee on the ground to support Jeno’s leg and overall pressed close enough for Jeno to feel his warmth all over.
“I can’t tell for sure—” It was so dark out already. “—but I think it’s a black kitten. Can you…”
Jaemin moved with him, as easy as breathing, sinking closer and carefully reaching into the gap Jeno was creating. “I feel it.” Jaemin’s dark hair tickled Jeno’s ear as he pressed closer. “I’ve got it, hold on, oh—it’s okay! It’s okay, baby—”
Squeaky meows responded, and as Jaemin retreated from the bush, Jeno could see the tiny black mass wriggling in Jaemin’s hands, small enough to fit cupped in his palms.
Jaemin cradled the kitten to his chest, cooing a long string of comforting words until it stopped squirming. Instead, it tried burrowing into Jaemin’s hoodie, making Jaemin melt.
“Hi little one. Jeno, oh Jeno, it’s so cute.” He peered up through the hair falling in his eyes that almost reflected the stars in the sky, yet he was the one who said, “Ah ah ah, I see that adorable little twinkle in your eye! We can’t keep it, Jeno baby.”
Jeno pouted, and Jaemin dramatically squeezed his eyes shut like he had suddenly been hit with the beam of the sun.
“Jeno,” he whined. “I’ve already been illegally living in your apartment for a month. We can’t add an illegal cat. They don’t allow pets!”
“Yeah, but if they do an inspection, it’ll be easy to say it’s your kitten and you’re just visiting!”
Jaemin’s resolve was already crumbling, though Jeno wasn’t sure there was any real resolve there to begin with. He was just as soft as Jeno was, and as long as they had known each other—see: half their 22 years of life—Jaemin had never been able to resist Jeno’s whims, not really. Most of the time he put up a fight for the thrill of it, having admitted late one night when they were cross-faded into oblivion that his biggest weakness was being unable to tell Jeno no.
“Jaem, I want a cat so bad,” Jeno said. “You know I was never allowed to have pets! I’ve never even been this close to a cat before.” All of his friends had only ever had dogs. He deepened his pout and stroked a single finger down the damp black fluff in Jaemin’s hands.
“Oh my god,” Jaemin muttered. “And Donghyuck calls me evil.” Still, Jeno didn’t relent his pout. Jaemin groaned. “God, come on, let’s go inside and figure this out. I still have a box or two from moving in.”
Jeno felt himself brighten all over, smile stretching his face as Jaemin tried and failed to blow his own hair from his eyes. It was easy to brush it aside for him, so Jeno did before he could catch himself, thumb ghosting over Jaemin’s cheek. They were still so close, huddled up on the ground together, faces inches apart. It wasn’t easy to hide the heat in his ears, or to ignore the quiet, “Cute,” that Jaemin said under his breath.
“I know,” Jeno masked his feelings with mirth. He scratched an itch on his hand. “Now give me the kitten.”
Jaemin gasped and pulled away a fraction. “Absolutely not!” He cuddled the kitten closer and stood, ducking away to head for their apartment building entrance.
“Jaemin!” Jeno whined and hurried after him. Both of them giggled like children as they made it inside, as Jeno gently grasped at Jaemin’s hips and pulled him backward into his arms. He hooked his chin over Jaemin’s shoulder and peered down at their new little baby. “Ooh, look at you…” The kitten softly meowed at him, making both Jeno and Jaemin squeal a little. They stopped when the kitten cowered away and hissed, but even that was cute.
They headed up the staircase to the second floor, discussing possible names. Jeno wanted to name her—they checked—Snuggles. Jaemin argued that she shouldn’t be named after Jeno.
“Are you feeling okay?” Jaemin asked when Jeno moved to unlock the door. “You’re sniffling a lot.”
“Am I?” Jeno tilted his head and pushed the door open to let Jaemin in first. Then, he sniffled. “Hm, yeah. Guess it’s the weather or something.” He scratched his neck and closed the door. “What about Princess?”
“So cliche, but cute,” Jaemin said. “I like it. Princess,” he sang. “Time to give your new dad some love.” He finally passed the kitten over to Jeno, and Jeno’s eyes unexpectedly started to water. She was just so cute. “I’m gonna go grab one of my boxes and some towels, I’ll be right back.”
Jeno could only nod as he cuddled their little princess close. She was so tiny; he had seen her fit in Jaemin’s palms but holding her in his own was a totally different experience. He cleared his throat, feeling a little choked up. How had he gone his entire life without a pet, but especially without her? He nuzzled his nose against Princess’ little head, pleased as punch when she let him.
“Do you think we could ask Renjun to look after her upstairs,” Jaemin called from his room, “while we go out and buy her some essentials?”
“Mayb—” Jeno suddenly gasped for air, or tried to—it was hard to come by, he realized. Actually, he couldn’t breathe at all; his throat was closing up.
“Jen?” Jaemin walked back into the living room the moment Jeno fell to his knees with tears spilling down his face, wheezing, desperate for air. “Jeno!”
Everything sounded like Jeno was underwater, but he vaguely registered the kitten being taken away from him, and then Jaemin’s nice hands on his face. A litany of curse words broke through his muddled hearing, and then Jaemin was gone, and then back, and then gone again. Jeno wanted to tell him not to panic, but thought maybe, perhaps, this situation did call for a little panic.
There was a sharp pain in his thigh, and then he was being dragged to his feet and out the door as he coughed and tried, tried to breathe.
He lost consciousness somewhere on the staircase.
ᓚᘏᗢ
When Jeno came to, it was quiet, and he was uncomfortable. He peeled his eyes open, but they were too dry for him to properly see. Still, it wasn’t hard to recognize a hospital room when he saw one. The hospital gown he wore was itchy, and he hated the feeling of the IV in his arm. He touched the oxygen mask over his mouth and nose, but figured he shouldn’t remove it and let it go. His throat burned, but he could breathe, and that was something.
A steady beeping drew his attention, and that was when he noticed the hand in his. He squeezed it as he blinked his eyes, trying to force moisture into them. Jaemin stirred from what appeared to be an uncomfortable, hunched-over sleep, then jumped when he realized what had woken him up.
“Jen—oh my god, Jen,” Jaemin breathed. His relief was palpable.
“Hi,” Jeno croaked. “What the fuck.”
Jaemin huffed out a broken laugh and wiped his eyes. “That’s my line. You scared the hell out of me.” He eased himself onto the edge of the bed, then brushed Jeno’s hair from his forehead. Jeno leaned into the touch without thinking, eyes fluttering shut.
“Sorry,” he said.
Jaemin’s hand caressed down his face, settling at his jaw. He stroked Jeno’s cheek with his thumb. “I’m sorry you’re allergic to cats. I know how much you wanted her.”
Jeno nodded, but otherwise didn’t say anything. It was immeasurably sad that the cutest, sweetest pet had fallen into their hands and they couldn’t keep her. Oh god, and the hospital bills.
“I’m going to go let someone know you’re awake,” Jaemin said with a frown. Jeno tried to clear his throat, but it hurt. He clung to Jaemin’s sweatshirt sleeve.
“You changed,” he whispered. “Your clothes.”
Jaemin laughed like Jeno was ridiculous for bringing it up, and maybe that wasn’t what he should have been focusing on right now, but sue him for deflecting. “They sent me away kicking and screaming,” Jaemin said, and Jeno had a feeling he wasn’t exaggerating. “Said I couldn’t see you until I changed and showered. I did my best to clean the apartment too. Hopefully it’s enough.”
“It will be. Sorry…”
“Stop apologizing.” Jaemin laughed and stood up, but Jeno didn’t miss the way he wiped away a tear when he turned. “I’ll be right back. No stray kitten rescues while I’m gone!” At Jeno’s sigh, Jaemin chuckled. “Too soon? Sorry, baby.”
He slipped through the door and Jeno pressed the backs of his fingers against his cheek when they heated up. Guess he wasn’t sick enough to stop that from happening at the drop of a hat. He kept patting his face, noticing it was swollen. Great. He probably looked like a clown.
Jaemin came back with a nurse who immediately moved to check his vitals. “You’re very lucky, Mr. Lee,” she said with a kind smile. “Your partner acted quickly with the epi pen—” Well Jeno’s face was really hot now; Jaemin started coughing where he was perched out of the way next to the bathroom door. The nurse seemed to realize her mistake and gave him an awkward smile. “Oh. My apologies. Still, that probably saved your life.”
“You hear that?” Jaemin asked with faux-bravado, voice a little rough from his coughing spell. “I saved your life.”
There was a joke there somewhere that Jeno should have made, but he couldn’t find the words. Instead, he stared at Jaemin, gaze locked onto his as it hit him, how grateful he was to have someone like Jaemin in his life, especially for today, sure, but in general, too. Jaemin’s cheeky grin softened the longer they stared at each other, mouth going a little wobbly, encompassed with unmistakable fondness.
“Dont—don’t ever scare me like that again, okay?” Jaemin said so quietly, Jeno almost couldn’t hear. But he did, the tenderness of it enveloping his heart and making the nurse look away like she was trying to give them privacy. Jeno nodded and hoped Jaemin couldn’t see the water pooling in his eyes.
A doctor came in shortly after that to explain Anaphylaxis to Jeno, what happened to his body and everything they were treating him with. He said that all things considered, Jeno was recovering well, and they would hold him for observation for a few more hours and then likely let him go home with a couple of prescriptions.
He bid them farewell and the nurse from before swung back in with jello for Jeno, then laughed when Jaemin pouted and pulled a second jello from her pocket for him, too. Jaemin’s smile brightened the room, and may have been the sole reason Jeno made it through the rest of the night with no worries at all.
ᓚᘏᗢ
Jeno was a lot better the next day, just sleepy and with a scratchy throat, though that didn’t stop Jaemin from calling out of work with him and declaring it a couch potato day. He put on Mobile Suit Gundam and didn’t complain once when Jeno mouthed the words to some scenes under his breath, or when he kept falling asleep with his head on Jaemin’s lap. He couldn’t help it when Jaemin’s fingers combing through his hair felt so nice.
He had been thinking a lot, in the moments he was fully awake, about Jaemin and their eleven year friendship, the feelings he had been harboring for at least eight of those. He remembered being thirteen and being kissed on the cheek for the first time by a cute, overly-affectionate Jaemin, and the accompanying giddiness. He remembered being fourteen and one of those cheek kisses accidentally ending up on his mouth because Jeno has always had the worst timing. It kept him up at night, little old him, wondering why he wished the kiss had been on purpose.
They shared a real kiss when they were fifteen, on Jaemin’s birthday after all their school friends left, sitting in his backyard by a dying fire in a fire pit, huddled on a bench together. Jaemin “just wanted to see what it was like.” Jeno never really did let that kiss go. The slow press of their dry mouths, the goosebumps spreading across his arms and legs, the way Jaemin touched Jeno’s cheek and pressed a little closer. The amber glow of Jaemin’s skin was beautiful; that was the first time Jeno had really, truly thought of him that way, and the flush of his face and way he stared at Jeno’s mouth for a long time after that was undeniable.
But Jaemin was Jaemin, and he had cooed and squeezed Jeno in a hug when he snapped out of it, calling him cute and thanking him for indulging him, and Jeno never brought it up again.
Seven years later, and Jeno was still hoping Jaemin would ask for another kiss one day.
Donghyuck thought he was pathetic, and really, Jeno had to agree, but it was hard to let his feelings go when every other relationship either of them had fizzled out within weeks, when Jaemin last-minute moving in thanks to his shitty landlord kicking him out instantly settled something in Jeno’s chest like a warm balm, when everyone at the school they both taught at and every new person they met thought they were together. When Jeno had never once felt a connection with anyone the way he did with Jaemin.
“Jeno,” Jaemin said, emphasizing the O. He handed Jeno a water bottle and his evening round of meds. “Why did you want the kitten so badly?”
Jeno pouted. “Are you trying to rub salt in my wounds?”
“No,” Jaemin laughed and scooted a little closer. “Humor me. Tell me why.”
“Um, well…cats are sweet, and soft and snuggly.”
“Anything else?”
Jeno frowned at him, confused, and collected his thoughts while he took his medicine. Jaemin leaned forward like he was anticipating Jeno’s answer and it was weird. “I guess I just…” Jeno shrugged, a little helpless. “I like the idea of gaining a cat’s trust. Having it climb onto my lap and petting it while I grade papers or read or something. I don’t know, Jaemin, they’re just so cute.”
“Uh huh, I see.” Jaemin bit his bottom lip and pulled his feet onto the couch, sitting cross-legged and facing Jeno. “I mean…I could be that for you.”
Jeno’s eyes went wide, and nervous laughter bubbled up in his chest. “What do you mean?”
There was a faint, pretty blush tinting Jaemin’s cheeks, but he didn’t stumble or back down. He merely shrugged. “You already gained my trust.” He bat his eyelashes and Jeno shoved him away with a laugh. “And well…I’m soft—” He shook his head to make his hair flop to prove his point. “—and I am very cute.”
“Are you now?” Jeno pretended his voice didn’t crack. Jaemin pouted.
“Don’t be mean. Tell me I’m cute.”
“Absolutely not.”
Jaemin grinned, though, and Jeno wondered, not for the first time, if Jaemin could read his mind. “It doesn’t have to be weird,” Jaemin said. “Some cuddling and petting? Cool. I won’t meow for you or anything.”
Jeno giggled despite himself. His face was hot, and he didn’t fully understand what Jaemin was offering here, but Jaemin was moving a little closer and fiddling with Jeno’s shirt, and Jeno was having flashbacks to being fifteen and finding home in the soft press of his best friend’s lips, so it was a little hard to outright reject Jaemin’s—albeit strange—advances.
He blinked up at Jeno with this bambi-eyed bashfulness that Jeno knew was fake but still fell for anyway. “You love cuddling, Jen.”
“Yes…”
“I’m just saying. Maybe…just maybe, I could be all the benefits of having a cat without all the responsibility and less cute things.”
The words turned in Jeno’s brain, the same way the butterflies in his stomach did. He watched Jaemin for any signs of joking, but found none. His round eyes were full of sincerity. “So you’re just upping your affection?” Jeno asked.
Now the mirth was there, the familiar twinkle of Jaemin’s eye. He shifted and wrapped his arms around Jeno, resting his chin on his shoulder. “Meow.”
Jeno groaned and shoved him away, but didn’t stop him from coming right back. His own arms settled around Jaemin’s shoulders. “You said you wouldn’t meow.”
“I changed my mind. It’s funny.”
Whether it was intentional or not, the way Jaemin rubbed his cheek against Jeno’s chest was decidedly cat-like. As was the way he pushed Jeno down to the couch when he finished his water and laid on his stomach between Jeno’s legs, cheek to his chest. He was like a human-shaped weighted blanket, and Jeno had no idea what to do with his hands. They hovered around Jaemin like they had never touched before in their lives; he felt so awkward, he started to sweat.
“Stop overthinking it,” Jaemin muttered. He grabbed one of Jeno’s hands and plopped it on his head. “Pet me.”
Slowly, Jeno stroked his fingers down Jaemin’s soft hair, once, twice, and then finally carded his fingers through it, watching the way it fell around his hand. He smiled when Jaemin sighed contentedly, and with a boost of confidence, used his free hand to glide up and down Jaemin’s arm. Butterflies were rampant in his belly, holding Jaemin like this, enough that he worried Jaemin could feel them.
But Jaemin was asleep in minutes, and Jeno was left to wonder what he had gotten himself into.
ᓚᘏᗢ
There was a little hesitation, at first, as they settled into their new dynamic, even from Jaemin. Stuttering pets, aborted touches, awkward laughter. Jeno told Jaemin more than once that he didn’t have to keep up the act. It’s not really even an act, Jaemin cryptically said every time. Though Jeno didn’t recall Jaemin meowing at him in the parking lot after work every day BCJ—Before Cat Jaemin.
After a couple of pep talks with himself, though, Jeno reasoned that it didn’t change that much between them. Maybe he understood what Jaemin meant; it wasn’t much of an act when they were already naturally affectionate with each other. Now, Jaemin had just been given explicit permission to be a little affection monster.
Jeno was the problem, he realized, because almost as soon as he accepted it for what it was, the awkwardness dissipated. He no longer flinched when Jaemin headbutted his side on the couch, or his back when Jeno was making them coffee in the morning. He didn’t shy away when the headbutts turned into warm, cozy back hugs, or with Jaemin’s head on his lap while they scrolled through their phones on the couch. Soon, petting his hair, even letting his hand trail up and down Jaemin’s arm or side became second nature. He liked when it made Jaemin hum, even more when it made him nuzzle Jeno like Jeno was giving him the greatest gift.
It was no time at all before Jeno’s favorite part of the week became napping together on the couch on the weekends, Jaemin curled up in his arms like a waking dream.
ᓚᘏᗢ
The kisses were new.
They were never on the mouth, but Jaemin had taken a special liking to kissing any part of Jeno he was nuzzling; usually his neck, but sometimes his shoulder or thigh, or even his stomach—Jeno was losing his mind. The cheek kisses were back too, making Jeno feel like they were teenagers again, but now they were less dramatic. They were quiet, soft, sometimes a greeting, and sometimes for no reason at all, always leaving a tingling warmth in their wake.
And really, Jeno was being so cool about it—super chill; he was calm and collected personified. But also, maybe, he was starting to feel a little delusional, like the kisses meant something more, and were Jaemin’s touches lingering more?
There was also the incident where a mostly-asleep Jaemin had rubbed his cheek a little too firmly, a little too on Jeno’s crotch, and Jeno had to make a mortifying run for the bathroom and take care of his fast-growing problem. Jaemin had been much more awake when he returned. Jeno was pretty sure he knew what happened. They didn’t talk about it.
Jeno’s delusion really set in after that, because it seemed like Jaemin was doing things now specifically to get a rise out of him—more specifically, a rise out of his dick.
Occasionally, Jeno could hold his own. He was an adult in control of his sexual urges. But more often than not, he was only human, a generally horny one, and he could only take so many “accidental” dick touches, or mornings in the kitchen of Jaemin hugging him from behind but pinning him against the counter, wiggling like he wanted Jeno to rub against it, like he wanted Jeno to feel the remnants of Jaemin’s morning wood firmly pressed against his ass.
Then they would go about their day like any other, getting dressed and seamlessly moving around each other in the bathroom, with gentle hair-petting for Jaemin and a soft cheek kiss for Jeno while they waited for the bus to take them to work.
Jeno was definitely delusional.
ᓚᘏᗢ
“Jeno baby,” Jaemin muttered with the hint of a whine. Jeno resolutely did not open his eyes; he squeezed them shut tighter, brow furrowing as he vaguely registered how light his room was despite having blackout curtains. Then he remembered staying up late, spending his Friday night gaming online with Donghyuck after Jaemin went to bed early after a few too many beers at dinner together. Jeno must have fallen asleep on the couch and—yep, his hand was still loosely wrapped around his controller. At least until Jaemin plucked it from his grip and tossed it onto the rug, by the sound of the thump.
“Hey…” Jeno said, but sleep still weighed heavily on his chest, so it didn’t sound much like a scold.
“Finally,” Jaemin breathed. “Hi.”
There was no way to describe the way Jaemin, crouched between Jeno’s legs, climbed over him but to say he slinked. Jeno’s eyes flew open, Jaemin’s name a warning on his tongue at the feeling of his abdomen putting a stupidly delicious amount of pressure on Jeno’s crotch.
“Jaemin,” he said a little more firmly, sinking his fingers deep into Jaemin’s hair like he could grab him by the neck and stop him from moving. It was damp from a shower, dark as his fluttering eyelashes and falling into his eyes. He looked sinful, like he could devour Jeno whole. The resistance of their clothes tugged at Jaemin’s white, oversized t-shirt and exposed his shoulder. Jeno was about to drool.
“I’ve been so good while I waited for you to wake up,” Jaemin said. He dove face first against Jeno’s neck, firmly rubbing his face all over it, peppering kisses over his sensitive skin. “I was so good. So quiet. But I want attention now, please.”
He wasn’t wearing pants, Jeno had the misfortune of noticing. He was in the tight little boxer briefs Jeno only caught glimpses of on the rare chance they both woke up for water or the bathroom in the middle of the night. It was fine, it was normal! Jaemin had just never been on top of him in this state before, and Jeno was having such a hard time breathing over the feeling of his half-hard dick trapped between their bodies and Jaemin’s mouth on his neck and their bare legs rubbing against each other, that he was starting to entertain the idea he was going into anaphylactic shock again.
“Really—” he choked out. “Really embracing the cat attitude.” It was a weak joke, followed by a weak laugh, but the way Jaemin froze against him gave him pause. Because no way Jaemin wasn’t playing a role right now; if Jeno considered Jaemin was naturally being that needy, saying things like I’ve been so good of his own volition, he would combust on the spot and incinerate Jaemin with him.
“Yes…” Jaemin belatedly drawled. “That’s right…”
Oh god. Jeno was going to die here. Jaemin didn’t seem to care; he went back to dragging his nose and mouth all over Jeno’s neck. “Missed you,” he muttered.
“I was literally just asleep,” Jeno squeaked.
“But I like spending my mornings with you. Didn’t get to today.”
Oh. That was—that was actually really sweet. Jeno was an idiot, though, so his response was a spluttered, “Are you drunk?”
Jaemin laughed. “No. Why aren’t you petting me?”
Jeno yelped when Jaemin’s teeth dug into his shoulder, a spare canine digging directly into his skin. “Oh my god—” he burst out laughing despite the pain, shocked. “You bit me.”
“Seemed realistic,” Jaemin muttered before whining, “Pet me.”
The next bite was further down his shoulder, just as sharp, but no skin harmed this time. Jeno was still laughing, shoving at Jaemin as if he wouldn’t jump to catch him if he fell from the couch. Jaemin giggled, further encouraged to keep sinking his teeth in anywhere he could reach while they not-quite-wrestled, while Jeno pretended this wasn’t making them both hard, until their fingers were laced and Jeno’s hand was pinned next to his head.
“Can’t pet you like this,” Jeno panted, though his other hand was still firmly tangled in Jaemin’s hair, admittedly not doing much to pull him away.
Jaemin’s low laugh reverberated against Jeno’s throat, and when teeth gently scraped below his jaw, he couldn’t stop the jolt of his body if he tried. “J-Jaem—” His breath caught in his throat, because Jaemin did it again, making a little satisfied noise before pressing the wet heat of his tongue against the same spot.
Jeno shifted with the intention of upending Jaemin from his body before Jeno regretted ever existing, but Jaemin moved too, inched closer to close his lips over Jeno’s skin and suck, right as their crotches aligned and Jeno moaned.
“What the fuck.”
They jerked away from each other so fast, Jaemin toppled to the ground before Jeno could even think to catch him. Jeno yanked a pillow onto his lap as he sat up, face on fire. He glared at Chenle standing just inside the front doorway, arms crossed over his chest and the embodiment of unimpressed.
“What are you doing here?” Jeno’s voice sounded more like a wheeze. He was achingly hard and needed to escape quickly.
Jaemin cleared his throat and got to his feet. Jeno avoided even looking at him in his peripheral view as he settled on the arm of the couch, except, maybe he didn’t, because he could very clearly see the tent beneath the end of his t-shirt. Jaemin was unashamed of it and Jeno wanted it in his mouth. Oh god, he was going to puke, actually.
Chenle squinted at them. “When did you two start fucking?” he asked with disgust. “I bet Hyuck it would be at least another year.”
Jaemin waggled his eyebrows, though his face was bright red and—wow, Jeno was not doing a good job at not looking at him. “Why? You jealous, Chenle?”
Chenle scoffed. “As if. So? When?”
“We’re—we’re not—” Jeno tried, but Chenle immediately waved him off.
“You’re not convincing, is what you’re not, hyung.” He pointed at Jaemin. “You. Talk.”
Jaemin crossed his arms over his chest too. He cutely huffed. “Be nice to him.” At Chenle’s deadpan stare, Jaemin shrugged. “I was just tickling him.”
“With your mouth?”
“It’s very effective.”
“Huh.” Chenle tapped his chin, smile a little too wicked. Jeno’s stomach dropped. “Jeno hyung’s laugh sure has changed.”
Jeno wasn’t proud of the embarrassed shriek that escaped his throat, nor the way he could barely keep up with his own feet carrying him from the room at the speed of light.
“I’ll give you a five second head start, Chenle,” he heard Jaemin say in a sickeningly sweet voice before he locked himself in the bathroom. Chenle’s high-pitched laugh rang through the apartment. Jeno blinked. Was Jaemin annoyed by Chenle showing up? Would Jaemin have kept going if he hadn’t?
He looked at the throw pillow still in his hands and used it to muffle his scream.
ᓚᘏᗢ
“Okay, it’s time for an intervention!” Donghyuck announced when he entered his apartment. Jeno glared at him over the edge of the blanket draped over him. He was almost asleep. “Or two,” Donghyuck added. “You’re both stupid as hell.”
Jeno sighed. “What are you talking about?”
“You!” Donghyuck dropped his backpack on the ground next to the couch, then very unkindly shoved Jeno until he sat up and made room.
Jeno whined, “You’re the worst.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Donghyuck swept his hair from his forehead. He dug in his jacket pocket. “You’ve been avoiding Jaemin for three days and frankly, I don’t like the Jeno-shaped dent forming on my couch—”
“Hey!”
“—so man up, bitch. He’s clearly as horny for you as you are for him. Go talk to him and fuck it out.” Before Jeno could protest, Donghyuck held his hand out. There was a small stuffed animal sitting in it. A fluffy, all white dog. “Jaemin’s intervention is for you brainwashing him into thinking he’s actually a cat. Now he’s leaving you gifts at my apartment.”
Jeno gasped and threw the blanket over his head. “He was here?”
“Guess he didn’t knock—can you come out from the blanket, the fuck? He’s not here right now. It was just sitting in front of the door.”
Slowly, Jeno retreated from the blanket, settling it around his neck. He rubbed at his jaw, where he could still recall the warmth of Jaemin’s mouth. It had bruised, however faintly, enough that he had to put a bandaid over it. This morning it was gone, and Jeno kind of wished it wasn’t.
He pouted and took the plush from Donghyuck. He held it in both of his hands and gently stroked the fur. It was cute, and it made Jeno feel horrible.
He hadn’t meant to avoid Jaemin like the plague—really—but Jaemin had gone to pick up lunch with Chenle while Jeno was having a meltdown in the bathroom, and Jeno made a run for it after a shameful shower. He texted Jaemin that Donghyuck needed help building a new PC, and he would be back later. Only he wasn’t back later; he stayed the night at Donghyuck’s. Then again on Sunday after a totally mild freakout when Donghyuck pointed out the hickey on his neck.
At work Monday, he and Jaemin had to take different buses to the school, and Jaemin had to stay late, so they didn’t see each other then, either. The longer they spent apart, the more of a coward Jeno became; he kept ending up at Donghyuck’s place, evading Jaemin’s I miss you texts and reevaluating his entire life up to this point.
He had been to their apartment twice to grab a few things when he was absolutely certain Jaemin wouldn’t be there, and both times there had been small gifts sitting on his pillow. First, it was a bag of gummy bears, which Jeno sadly devoured on the bus to Donghyuck’s. The next day, there was…a smooth, gray rock with ily written in yellow paint marker. That one had befuddled Jeno, but he pocketed it anyway, and by the time he was riding the bus, he was staring at it in his palm, gingerly stroking over the yellow letters and wondering if he imagined the way it kind of looked like a heart. He had carried it everywhere with him since.
“Oh,” Donghyuck scoffed. “Forgot the second thing.”
He held it out like it might give him cooties, and Jeno almost laughed. It was another rock. This one, in the same yellow marker, just had a frowny face on it.
“You look like you’re about to cry. Oh my god, y’all are so weird.”
Jeno ignored him. All he could think about now was that if Jaemin was leaving him things at Donghyuck’s, he must have been responsible for the pink, pressed flowers on his desk in his classroom, and maybe even the apple with a purple heart sticker he had thrown away just in case it was something nefarious.
“I’m in love with him,” Jeno lamented. He gracelessly fell against the couch, cradling his new gifts to his chest.
Donghyuck rolled his eyes. “Is this supposed to be news to me? Man. Up. Jeno.” He stood and made his way to the kitchen, muttering something like, “At least it’s not dead mice, jesus.”
With that, at least, Jeno could agree.
ᓚᘏᗢ
He had every intention of going back to his apartment that night, late enough to arrive undetected and be there when Jaemin woke up in the morning, but even the best laid plans didn’t always work out, and this particular plan was far from the best.
He passed out on Donghyuck’s couch in the middle of a movie, and not only did Donghyuck not wake him up, Jeno didn’t set any alarms. He woke with a start at ten the next morning, beyond late for work and with a million missed calls from his bosses, other teachers, and Jaemin.
IT’S ALL HYUCK’S FAULT!!!! he texted Jaemin, forgetting they had barely texted in days.
It became a mantra in his head to make himself feel better after an uncomfortable phone call with the principal where he was called insubordinate and told he would be issued a written warning, and again when he missed the next bus and would have to wait thirty minutes for another one, and again when the sky opened up above him and he was soaked to the bone within thirty seconds.
Now he needed to go back to his apartment for new clothes and an umbrella, and had to run down the street to catch a different bus in time, and it was a stupid, freak accident when Jeno lost his ily rock and ended up crying on a street corner. He had clasped his hand around it in his pocket, worried the lettering would ruin but still gripping it like it held magical calming and healing powers. He took that hand out of his pocket, still holding the rock, to rub rain from his eyes even though it was futile.
Right at that moment, a truck sped by and doused him in so much dirty street water, he choked on it, and the rock went flying from his hand. By the time he could breathe again, eyes clear, it was nowhere in sight. He was on his hands and knees, ignoring judgmental passersby, when he noticed the storm drain it had probably floated into.
“Jeno?”
Jeno startled from where he was huddled on the ground, crying into his knees. He squinted through the tears and rain toward the familiar voice. There was a car parked in front of him. “Renjun?”
“Oh my god, it is you. You’re going to get sick! Get in.”
“But I’m—I’m all wet.”
The passenger side door pushed open. “That’s okay, Jeno. I have towels. Come on.”
There were already towels in the seat by the time Jeno stumbled into it, and Renjun wrapped a large, fluffy one around him before blasting the heat and pointing the vents at him. Jeno buried his nose in the fabric, and the detergent smell was so strong it made him glance in the backseat. Sure enough, there were baskets of fresh laundry.
“Did you just come back from the laundromat?” he asked with a hint of misery.
“Don’t worry about that.” Renjun started driving toward their apartment complex. “They can be washed again.”
Jeno hid his wobbly frown in the towel. Now that the rain wasn’t relentlessly pelting him, he realized he was trembling. He sniffled and whispered, “Thanks.”
He hadn’t interacted with Renjun much since Renjun moved into the building. Not because they didn’t get along or anything, Jeno was just bad at being social. He helped Renjun with some boxes that first day he moved in, and they’d had a quiet lunch a couple of weeks later as thanks, but then Jaemin needed a place to stay, and Jeno’s tunnel vision set in.
Jaemin was a little better at the social stuff, and weirdly desperate to be Renjun’s friend, so he had invited Renjun to Jeno’s for dinner a couple of times, and that was the extent of their friendship. Acquaintanceship? Either way, Jeno liked Renjun, and liked the way their silence never felt uncomfortable.
Which was why he had no idea why he blurted, “I lost my rock.”
“Oh…um. Like a crystal?”
“No, it was just a rock.”
Renjun nodded, his soft voice ever-kind when he said, “Sure. Everyone has their hobbies.”
For some reason, that made Jeno start crying again, weeping into his hands and trying not to cringe away from the awkward pat pat on his shoulder. He was so mad and Renjun was so nice, and he missed Jaemin so goddamn much.
He thanked Renjun profusely when he dropped him off as close to an entrance as he could, and once he made it inside his apartment, the vice principal of the school was calling him. She must have been able to hear the post-crying strain of his voice as he explained why he was going to be even later now, or the general distress at least, because she was much kinder than the principal, and told him to take the rest of the day. She promised no repercussions; Jaemin offered to cover him during his own lunch and off period, and the sub that covered the morning was available for the late afternoon classes.
Any energy Jeno had left drained from him the second he hung up and trudged to the bathroom for a hot shower in defeat. He only barely tugged on a hoodie and sweatpants after, and promptly fell face first onto his bed. He jumped when something fell against his face from his pillow. Propping himself up on his elbow, he frowned down at the two small chocolate hearts. The one wrapped in pink foil said me in that familiar yellow marker, and the one wrapped in red said you.
He almost started crying again, helpless and confused, but he was too tired even for that. He carefully propped each chocolate against the glass of a framed picture of him and his mom on his nightstand, and stared at them until he fell asleep.
ᓚᘏᗢ
He woke up in time for a late lunch of instant ramen and crawled right back into bed after. He didn’t sleep this time, circulating between staring at the chocolate hearts and the ceiling, occasionally scrolling through social media apps without actually reading any of it. Maybe this day was karma for avoiding Jaemin when Jeno should have been an adult and talked to him about what happened a few days ago.
Maybe Jeno didn’t even need to confess! Everyone had a weakness, and one of Jeno’s just so happened to be that exact spot Jaemin had honed in on. It wasn’t like Jaemin had been unaffected either. It was a natural response, completely human. Plus they were best friends with a bottomless well of trust, and Jeno was sure any two best friends in that exact situation would have gotten a little hard.
Any two best friends wouldn’t put themselves in that situation, Donghyuck had argued when Jeno voiced this aloud that first night. You couldn’t pay me to bite you and rub dicks with you, Jeno. I know too much.
Jeno groaned into his pillow.
He was proud of himself for not physically reacting when his door creaked open and Jaemin knocked as he stepped inside, dressed down from his usual work attire in a sweatsuit. Internally, though, Jeno’s heart started racing so rapidly he felt sick. He thought he had another hour before Jaemin got home, yet here he was, with hair a little too messy like he’d run his fingers through it too much, tired eyes, and a frown that didn’t suit him.
“Hey,” Jaemin said. He sat on the edge of the bed with no hesitation, like Jeno hadn’t been a terrible friend the last several days, and rested a hand on his arm. “Hey,” he said a little softer.
“You’re home early,” Jeno whispered, a little in awe. Jaemin was something to be marveled on any given day, but even with the shadow of today hanging over him, it was hard not to find him dazzling after not seeing him since Saturday.
Jaemin’s frown deepened. He rubbed Jeno’s arm. “I let my last class out a little early and took a cab so I’d get here faster. Renjun texted me that you weren’t okay.”
“Oh. It’s…” Melancholy dragged Jeno back beneath its surface, but he took a shuddering breath to force back the tears. “Cabs are so expensive, Jaem…”
“I don’t care about that, Jen. I care about you.”
At that, Jeno’s mouth wobbled, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to hold back the godforsaken crying much longer. “It’s just been a really shitty day.”
“Oh baby, come here…” Jaemin wasted no time climbing beneath the sheets and pulling Jeno into the firm embrace of his arms. Tears spilled onto Jaemin’s collar when he tucked his head beneath his chin, and for now, he did his best not to overthink the way he hooked his leg over Jaemin’s, or buried his hand beneath Jaemin’s shoulder like he could force them closer that way. “I’ve got you,” Jaemin whispered, and Jeno wasn’t sure if he was projecting, but Jaemin’s grip on his shoulders and back felt just as desperate.
“I’m—I’m sorry I stayed away,” Jeno cried. “I missed you so much.”
“Shh, baby, it’s okay. I missed you, too. So much.”
ᓚᘏᗢ
“Did…I fall asleep?”
Jeno already knew the answer, eyes heavy as he blinked them open and body so relaxed he could hardly move. He was still tucked against Jaemin the exact same way, only now they were a little sweaty and Jaemin’s hand was rubbing his back beneath his hoodie. It felt entirely too nice.
“Yeah,” Jaemin murmured. “But not for long.” He nudged Jeno’s hair with his nose until it was clear to place a slow, warm kiss. “Just a little cat nap—ha! Speaking of…could a cat hold you like this? Huh? Isn’t this so much better?”
An airy laugh escaped from Jeno’s throat, tension leaving him with a whoosh. He elected not to answer. He hummed when Jaemin’s hand traveled high enough up his back for air to hit his skin. “I liked your gifts,” he quietly said.
“Yeah?” Jeno nodded against his neck. “Even the rocks?”
Jeno’s heart dropped at the reminder of the rock he lost, the reason he broke down on the sidewalk in the first place. He thought his sadness might have been a little irrational, but his tears burned like he might cry again anyway.
“I just—the first one looked like a heart, and reminded me of you—but Chenle said if I keep giving you rocks he would end our friendship because it was embarrassing, so it’s okay if you don’t—”
Jeno abruptly sat up, frowning down at his hands while he leaned back against the headboard. Jaemin sat up too.
“You hated the rocks.”
“No—” Jeno finally found his voice. “It’s just…I lost one of them. Earlier today. That’s when Renjun found me. A car drove by really fast and splashed me and I dropped it and I—I couldn’t find it. I was really upset.”
Jaemin sighed like he was relieved. “Oh. The frowny face one from Donghyuck’s?”
“No. The heart-shaped one. Jaem, I—”
“You…” The sheer shock in Jaemin’s voice made Jeno look up, and he didn’t recognize the expression on Jaemin’s face. “You had it with you?”
“Yeah? I’ve carried it around with me since I found it.”
The last thing Jeno expected was for Jaemin to kick the covers from the bed and— nope, actually, the last thing he expected was for Jaemin to climb onto his lap and straddle his thighs.
He took Jeno’s face in his hands and kissed him, right on his shocked, parted mouth.
In every fantasy Jeno ever had about something like this happening, he froze, and Jaemin got the wrong idea and took off running, only for Jeno to chase after him and catch him by the hand and dramatically confess, and then they would make out in the rain and a really sappy love song would play overhead, which—okay, maybe Jeno had watched a few too many rom-coms in his life.
But this Jeno, the real Jeno—he didn’t freeze. He surged. His fingers dug into the flesh of Jaemin’s hips and yanked him closer, chased Jaemin’s tongue like he would never have the chance again. Jaemin was no better, hands deep in Jeno’s hair, nails against his scalp, teeth finding all the split seconds to graze or tug at Jeno’s lip without off-setting their frantic makeout. Jeno was half-hard before Jaemin even started the tiny swivels of his hips, drawing breathless, broken sounds from both of them.
This was the definition of tension snapping, Jeno realized. For all he had been self-conscious, doubtful, anxious, his mind was clear and so was the way this wasn’t only Jeno; this was years of mutual, pent-up feelings exploding between them. It was too good for it not to be, it felt too right. They had no reason to be this well-oiled of a machine at this when it had been seven years since their last kiss. The only explanation was they both wanted this too badly, and maybe, just maybe, Jeno wasn’t the only one who had fantasized about this.
“God, I’ve dreamed about this mouth every day since we were fifteen,” Jaemin suddenly said, so on-the-nose, Jeno thought he must be right about Jaemin being able to read his mind. He hadn’t said it aloud—the way they were both gasping for air proved this was their first real break since Jaemin climbed on his lap. Lack of oxygen didn’t deter Jaemin, though, trailing his mouth down Jeno’s chin, his jaw. “So much better than I remember.”
“That was seven years ago, I hope it’s bet— oh, fuck, Jaem—” Jeno melted beneath Jaemin’s mouth, working that exact same spot from a few days ago. The exact same formula: graze, lick, bite, suck, repeat. “That’s not—that’s not fair—”
Neither was the firm roll of Jaemin’s hips, way more intentional than his small movements before. Jeno’s hands slid to Jaemin’s ass and squeezed, and really, Jeno would have stopped, would have had Jaemin hold on, but the sound he made against Jeno’s throat was too sweet not to do it again, and again, until he was rolling his own hips up to meet Jaemin’s, keening at every slide of their hard cocks, only more determined when the material of their sweats started catching at the wet spots on their crotches, trying not to drool the harder Jaemin sunk his teeth into his neck as he muffled his increasingly frantic moans, saliva sliding down his skin.
Jeno’s hands were inside Jaemin’s pants now, shoved beneath his boxer briefs and sinking deeper, squeezing, massaging, constantly moving because Jaemin clearly liked it so much. For once in his life, Jeno wasn’t overthinking, letting instinct take over, going, going, going as long as Jaemin kept making those beautiful, choked sounds. He tried something new, hands spreading Jaemin’s ass apart before rolling his hips up, a taste, a tease, and Jeno’s eyes rolled behind fluttered lids. Further his hands slipped, and his middle finger dipped, finding Jaemin’s hole almost instantly and rubbing against it.
Jaemin’s entire body jerked, teeth unlatching from Jeno’s throbbing neck as he gasped and yanked at Jeno’s hair, hips stuttering as he cried out, “Oh fuck—oh my god—”
“Did you just—”
“Yes,” Jaemin moaned and went limp against him, hips stuttering with the aftershock, something he couldn’t control. “What the f—” He panted and rubbed his sweaty face against Jeno’s neck; Jeno wasn’t sure he realized he was doing it.
To Jeno’s deep dismay, Jaemin pulled back until he could plop onto his back next to him, hands covering the pretty glow of his bright red face. “Well that’s a little embarrassing,” he said with a strained laugh.
“I didn’t think you were capable of being embarrassed,” Jeno automatically teased, like he wasn’t achingly hard in his pants still and hadn’t just made his best friend come in his own.
Jaemin groaned but he didn’t shy away from Jeno’s hand on his thigh, tugging his legs open almost mindlessly. Jeno’s gaze trailed down, mapping the spots of sweat showing on Jaemin’s gray sweatshirt, the slip of skin at his waist.
“Jen…”
“Don’t be embarrassed,” Jeno said, his eyes firmly trained on the growing, dark wet spot on Jaemin’s crotch. His fingers twitched against the bed.
Jaemin’s high-pitched, incredulous laugh was muffled behind his hands. “My eyes are up here, Jen.”
“Uh huh,” Jeno muttered. “Your dick isn’t though.”
“Holy shit—” Jaemin’s disbelieving laugh broke off into a quiet, surprised moan when Jeno gave in to his baser instincts, rolling into the space between Jaemin’s legs and mouthing over the wet fabric, sucking the salty taste into his mouth. Jaemin’s dick twitched against his lips, and his fingers curled in the shoulder of Jeno’s sweatshirt. “Where did— ah— where did my shy Jeno go, huh?”
Jeno crawled up the length of Jaemin’s body, until their noses were bumping and Jaemin was chasing his mouth for a kiss. “He stopped overthinking,” Jeno whispered against his lips.
“Oh. That’s very good.”
Jeno hummed and didn’t resist the rise of his sweatshirt over his back, kissed Jaemin's swollen mouth until he had to sit back enough to let Jaemin remove it. Jaemin instantly felt him up, hands brushing over every ridge of his abs and pecs, leaving tingles in his wake.
“Why didn’t you ever kiss me again if you wanted to?” Jeno found himself whispering against Jaemin’s still-pink cheek. “I’ve been waiting since that night.”
“I wanted to.” Jaemin forced Jeno’s head back, earnestly staring into his eyes. “But I let some idiot I haven’t even spoken to since our high school graduation convince me it would ruin our friendship. I didn’t want to lose you.”
A surge of emotions dragged Jeno down a little closer to earth. For only a second, he mourned what could have been. “I’m not sure you ever could,” he admitted maybe a little too honestly, but Jaemin yanked him into a kiss, so maybe Jaemin understood him like he always had.
“Everything changed that day you were in the hospital. Holding back—forcing myself into relationships that I only compared to you didn’t feel worth it anymore. And the cat thing—” They both laughed a little awkwardly. “It just made me worse. It just made it even clearer to me that I’ve always been yours.”
“It’s the same for me, you know.” Jeno’s face heated up. “Even before that kiss, but especially after.”
Jaemin’s smile lit up the room. “Yeah?”
“Mm-hm.”
Jeno eased down and tried to pour it all into a kiss, pleased with Jaemin’s sharp inhale and the taste of his smile. Jeno slipped his fingers beneath Jaemin’s top, addicted to the little breathy sound Jaemin made when he brushed over a nipple. It didn’t take long, then, before Jaemin’s hands were gripping his hips and pulling him in for small, slow grinds, a sharp reminder of how badly Jeno needed to get off.
“Can you come again?” he asked.
“I literally wouldn’t even care if I couldn’t, but—yeah, I definitely can.” Jeno snorted, and Jaemin added, “Seriously, Jen. Every time I’ve made you hard and you’ve run away has killed me. I need you in me like yesterday.”
Jeno cursed under his breath. He would find time to be embarrassed that Jaemin knew every single time later. “Then I need you in me tomorrow.”
“Oh my fucking god, Jen,” Jaemin almost gasped, fingers curling around the back of Jeno’s neck. “I thought you’d be so much shyer in bed.”
Jeno pressed his grin against Jaemin’s neck before dragging a kiss across it. “Should I be?” He wouldn’t admit he thought he would be too, but this was probably another thing that came with sharing this with Jaemin of all people. Everything was so much easier, everything just worked.
“This is good—this is good, too.”
They made quick work of their clothes, Jeno shedding his on his way to the bathroom and back to grab everything they needed from his drawer in there. When he got back, Jaemin was sitting up in only his boxers, chugging a bottle of water. He passed it to Jeno when he climbed onto the bed on his knees, and Jeno finished off the last half and tossed everything in his hand onto the bed.
“Fuck, your dick is unreal,” Jaemin muttered. He gripped the sheets like he had to hold himself back from touching it. Jeno wished he wouldn’t. “God really does have favorites.”
Jeno burst out laughing, falling onto his hands and bracketing Jaemin’s knees. “Sure.” He reached forward and tugged the waistband of Jaemin’s underwear, making it snap against his skin. Jaemin waggled his eyebrows but obediently lifted his hips so Jeno could pull his boxer briefs off.
“Gross,” Jaemin said with a frown, but Jeno begged to differ. He was quick to spread Jaemin’s legs, settle between them, and finally, finally, get his mouth on the real thing. Not the dick in his dreams, not the real dick covered in clothing. The real, bare, come-covered dick that sat heavy in his mouth as they both moaned, so heady it made him dizzy. “Jen, Jen, Jen—”
Jeno didn’t spend long sucking him off—he would take his time savoring it another day—it was enough to clean Jaemin up, to get him half-hard again, but he had other priorities.
“Hey, why did you bring mouthwash to bed—oh.”
“It’s antibacterial.”
“Uh huh…”
Jeno smiled, eyeing Jaemin curiously. It was usually so hard to fluster him. Jeno liked this. He hooked his arms around Jaemin’s thighs and pulled until Jaemin’s head hit the pillow again. He grabbed a different pillow and wedged it beneath Jaemin’s hips. Jaemin just watched him, face red and lips parted. Jeno was so in love with him.
“Is this okay?” he asked.
Jaemin laughed, a loud, throaty sound. “I don’t know how to express exactly how okay this is.”
“Jaem,” Jeno laughed too. Lube in hand, he pressed a kiss to the inside of Jaemin’s thigh. “I just really like using my mouth.”
“I bet…” When Jeno peered up, Jaemin had this glazed look in his eye, like he was thinking back to every time he had undoubtedly seen Jeno chewing on straws, pens, sucking on his own fingers. It was a bit of a problem that Jeno didn’t care to fix.
“I’ll like it if you hold onto my hair too.”
Jaemin’s hands moved like the words kickstarted them, sliding onto Jeno’s face as Jaemin nodded. He dug his thumb into Jeno’s bottom lip and tugged a little, watching it bounce back into place. Jeno kissed his thumb, then briefly closed his eyes while Jaemin slid his fingers into his hair.
The first press of his tongue against Jaemin’s hole sent a shudder rolling through him. He couldn’t describe it, the thrill, the goosebumps on his arms when he pressed inside and could feel Jaemin’s moan in his mouth. He loved giving head and eating people out—nearly as much as he liked full-blown sex—and something about it being Jaemin on the receiving end had him ready to stay on his knees for the rest of his life, if it meant feeling like this, and making Jaemin feel like this.
He wasn’t shy about it, curling his tongue, plunging deep, in and out and doing his best to press his nose to Jaemin’s perineum, to nuzzle his balls every time he stopped for a deep breath. Jaemin’s stomach was slick with precome, abs tensed, cock hard and bright red by the time Jeno was three knuckles and a tongue deep. His hands tugging at Jeno’s hair felt criminally good, even more so when he couldn’t stop himself from shoving Jeno closer until he couldn’t breathe, crackling moans filling the room around them. Jeno had to angle his own hips away from the bed, worried the friction of the sheets would be enough to send him over the edge too early.
“Jeno, please,” Jaemin finally said, croaked, really. “Please, please, please. Need you now. Need it now.”
Who was Jeno to say no to that? He nodded and sat back on his haunches, reaching for the antibacterial wipes he had grabbed. He wiped his nose and mouth, eyes scaling up and down Jaemin’s beautiful, waiting body. His chest was heaving, sweat dripping down the crevices of his muscles, skin blotchy with red. Jeno had never needed another human so badly.
Jeno waterfalled his mouthwash until there was enough to gargle, then tossed it aside and grabbed a condom. It wasn’t until it was on and lubed up, and Jaemin was sat up holding the empty water bottle for him to spit into, that he noticed the almost bewildered way Jaemin was staring at him.
“You are literally the sexiest man alive,” Jaemin breathed, and then he fell back to the bed and brought Jeno with him, and it was far too easy to line himself up and press inside, torn between resisting Jaemin’s insistent hands trying to make him move faster, and thrusting in one fell swoop.
When he was all the way in, gasp swallowed up by Jaemin’s mouth, legs locked around his hips like Jaemin was throwing away the key, Jeno didn’t know how to ever come back from this, this pleasure, this feeling.
Their kisses were sloppy, interrupted by moans and thrusts of varying degrees of intensity. Sometimes, when the kiss was really good, when Jaemin’s tongue dragged over his teeth, when he whispered gentle encouragement and praise, when their smiles got in the way, Jeno went slow. Hand around Jaemin’s hip, holding him in place and going deep, savoring the tight heat of his walls, grinding to find that spot that made Jaemin squeeze his eyes shut and cry out.
When they were both close, bodies slick and sliding, kisses lacking and lacking in finesse, the mood shifted. Jaemin begged, oh, he begged for it harder, faster, Jeno—love, please, a genuine wet dream come to life, and Jeno understood, the desperation, the downright need.
He gripped his headboard with one hand, knuckles white and aching but he didn’t care. He pistoned his hips, inching Jaemin further up the bed with every hard thrust until he slapped his hand against the headboard to stop himself from knocking into it. His face was locked in permanent bliss, hair plastered to his forehead and tears in his eyes. They were both so loud, Jeno briefly wondered if they would get a noise complaint.
When Jaemin came again, it was barely touched, nothing but a loose hand around his dick like he was too fucked out to do more. Jeno dropped back down to kiss him through it, going still when Jaemin’s uncontrollable clenching brought his pleasure to its peak quicker than he was ready for. He buried his keens in Jaemin’s neck, struggling to remember how to breathe through an orgasm this intense.
“Now…” Jaemin drawled when their heartbeats were no longer raging in their chests. The condom was disposed of but Jeno was still on top of Jaemin, pinning him with his body weight and humming every time Jaemin kissed his shoulder. “Could a cat do that?”
“Oh my god,” Jeno groaned, the sound breaking into hysterical laughter. “You’re the worst.”
“I know.” Jaemin preened, Jeno could feel it. “But you love me anyway.”
Jeno propped himself up to see Jaemin’s smile, still laughing. Jaemin surged up for a quick kiss, as if he couldn’t resist. Jeno stole another, because he could do that now, and Jaemin was absolutely right.
“Yeah,” Jeno said. “Yeah, I do.”