we the cursed, nct dream ✔

part thirty-nine

⇉ the one where violence is the answer.

part thirty-nine

Faster than she can blink, Chenle has beamed them into her dorm.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to that," Juno says, trying to steady herself from the familiar dizzy spell that overtakes her once they've entered her room. "Does it ever affect you?" she questions the orange-haired boy.

"At first, but now I'm used to it." His eyes flicker between them, and he steps back. "You guys obviously need to talk, so yeah. I'm out."

His abrupt exit is followed with the kind of awkward silence Juno hates. She pauses to pick up Shawty, who'd excitedly bounded over to them the second they'd arrived, burying her face in her fur before finally lifting her eyes to meet Jeno's. "What's up? Did you want to talk?"

He scratches the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Yeah, I do. Are you okay, though?"

"Just a headache," she hums.

"Oh." Jeno steels himself. There couldn't be a worse possible time to tell her what he's about to, but he knows he'll just continue putting it off if he doesn't do so right now. He breaches the subject tentatively, not enthusiastic about making things any more embarrassing than they need to be. "We've been weird lately, haven't we?"

Juno inclines her head in agreement. "We have." Her eyes drift back to the kitten in her arms. "It's been awkward ever since..." She trails off. From his expression, however, he understands exactly what she means.

"It has, even though we both said we would just forget it ever happened," he continues, catching his bottom lip between his teeth.

"But that's the thing, Jeno." She's finally able to hold his gaze. "I couldn't pretend nothing happened. Because no matter how much you wanted to act like it didn't, it did change something." Juno shrugs. "And I liked you at the time, so it kind of... f*cked me over when you said it was a mistake.  Because it wasn't, at least not for me."

His eyes widen at her words. But then anxiety rises in his stomach when he registers her use of the past tense.

"I avoided you because I didn't want to make you uncomfortable, but that didn't go over splendidly," Juno maunders. "Maybe I should've just told you how I felt and got it over with. I didn't realize how much I liked being your friend until we almost weren't. But I promise I'm getting over my feelings."

That's not what he was expecting. "Juno," he begins, running his tongue over his lips. "I do like you."

"Yeah, platonically. I get it, really. Just... don't be weird anymore. I appreciate you letting me down slowly, but you don't have to worry about..." She gestures between them. "About whatever this is. We're friends, and I'm going to stay friends with you. I can."

"But I-"

"Really, my feelings are practically gone," she hurries to say. "So we can move on, for real this time." She finally takes a breath, only then realizing that she interrupted him. "Sorry, you were saying something?"

Jeno swallows his words down. They're meaningless now. It's all just so frustrating. They had so many chances, so many opportunities to communicate properly. But those came, and they eventually went.

Maybe it's just not meant to happen.

"No, I agree," he says, but refuses to look at her. "We can just erase everything and... go back to normal."

Juno smiles thinly. "Okay. Great."

"Yeah."

Determined to break the awkwardness, Juno suddenly tiptoes to wrap her arms around his neck in a light embrace. "So. Friends?"