Monopoly | Norenmin

Taking and Giving

He didn't do either though. Of course not. He'd probably bury himself six feet under if he did. So instead, to get out his frustrations, he just ranted to Donghyuck.

Except when he opened the door to Donghyuck's room, the boy was sat on the floor, facing the mirror with stickers on his cheeks and a blush brush in his hand.

Both maintained eye contact for a bit, Renjun trying to decipher what the hell his friend was doing and Donghyuck being kind of annoyed by the interruption.

"Hyuck...what the fuck are you doing?"

"...I saw something on instagram."

"Of course you fucking did."

Renjun chuckled along with Donghyuck as he closed the door behind him. He walked over and sat beside him, watching him brush the blush over and over the stickers and his cheeks until the pigment truly set on his skin. "So," Donghyuck tapped the brush before starting the other side, "what brings you here?"
"I felt...weird," the elder boy tried to explain, eyes unconsciously trained on the brush, "I did something weird and stupid and I feel icky."
"How so?" Donghyuck leaned closer to the mirror, eyes widening slightly as he applied the pigment in one last stroke.

Renjun bit his lip, searching his brain for words he couldn't possibly string together. He didn't even know what he meant when he said he didn't want to lose to Jaemin. It didn't really make sense, he had everything Jaemin did.

Except maybe Jeno.

And possibly a stabler mind.

Yet judging from the coffee comment he made a while ago he guessed not.

He knew Jaemin though, whether he intended to learn about him or not. At one point before this whole mess, Jaemin was his friend too.

But Jaemin still was better. The upgraded version of Renjun. He was talented, pretty, tall, strong, everything Renjun wanted. Maybe that's what he meant. But that wasn't really losing now was it?

"Hey, does this look okay?" Donghyuck asked, pointing to his puffed pinked cheeks. Renjun quickly checked the two sides before giving a small nod, signalling for Donghyuck to take the stickers off.

As the tanned boy took the tweezers beside him, the elder rambled as best he could the clouded thoughts in his head. "Jaemin gives me...the heebie-jeebies."
Donghyuck snorted before responding with "what do you mean?"
Renjun sighed, running his hand through his hair, "I told Jeno that I don't wanna lose to Jaemin."
Renjun saw Donghyuck furrow his brows, side eyeing him in confusion. "The fuck does that mean?"

"...sometimes I just feel like he's trying to take everything away from me."

Donghyuck froze, slowly turning his head as Renjun looked at him in slight panic. He was a little shocked himself with the words that came out of his mouth. But that, more or less, was the best he could describe it.
"Jun that's ridiculous," Donghyuck placed the tweezers down, looking intently at his friend. "Honey, no one's trying to take anything from you." He placed his hands on Renjun's shoulders. "If anything, Jaemin is giving you what you want."
Renjun huffed, grabbing Donghyuck's arms with force, "then what the fuck am I feeling around him?"
Donghyuck clicked his tongue, dropping his arms as he rolled his eyes. "Probably guilt that you're just trying to convince yourself is hatred."
Renjun let his eyes widen, his jaw dropping slightly as Donghyuck just turned carelessly to the mirror.

"You want what Jaemin can provide, dipshit," Donghyuck explained in a bored tone. He peeled the final sticker before cocking his head at his reflection. "Jaemin is the source of people's happiness, Jeno's happiness. You are also that source just in a different way to what you'd like." He snapped his fingers as something clicked in his brain, Renjun watching Donghyuck grab the bag beside him and dig around in it. "Jeno's happiness has been the centre of your whole damn life for so long, the moment someone seems to challenge it, you feel like shit. And this time it's more prominent because this time Jaemin is closer to you. You could arguably become friends again the longer this happens which could probably break you both." Donghyuck took the mascara out of the bag, opening it up and, carefully, dragged it on his lashes. "Cause something you, for some damn reason, haven't realised is that Jaemin thinks really highly of you. He cares for you and that's why he's doing this." Donghyuck finished adding the dab of makeup before closing the container tightly and dropping it in the bag.
He sighed, looking over with dead expression to the boy frozen in his spot. "Would it really kill you to just care a bit back?"

Renjun looked down. This is the 100th time he probably had this lecture. Yet in this tone, those words were what really made it through to his head.

Jaemin cared.

He ha- didn't really like that fact, but he was someone that Jaemin still worried for. Despite him being a dick toward him. So maybe, if he just put in the effort for him, he'd lose the hate. The one thing he'd want to lose to Jaemin. Not to, for him. For Jaemin. If he could accept it, share it even, it worked.

The plan would work smoother if he tried for Jaemin too. Not just Jeno.

Renjun slowly nodded, a small grateful smile etching its way gradually on his face. He looked up at Donghyuck with a small exhale. "Okay. I'll...just try a bit."
Donghyuck broke into a bigger smile, "Good. A little is better than none. And I'm holding you to your claim."
"Yeah, yeah," Renjun rolled his eyes, leaning back with his weight held up by his hands.
Donghyuck nodded with a chuckle, "and who knows, maybe after you'll realise that they were meant for each other and find someone for yourself."
Renjun laughed slightly to himself, muttering "yeah" as he shook his head. He highly doubted he'd get over Jeno ever in his life. And he intended to keep the plan in motion regardless. Just maybe he might be able to see the good side in Jaemin once again before he left him.
Donghyuck grinned, Renjun laughing internally at his trust in him to be able to move on. Such a naïve person.

The younger boy huffed, "now something far more important." He turned to face fully toward Renjun and tilted his head up, left to right. "Tell me, do I look good? Cause it's Mark's shift at the café and I wanna look cute." The stickers had made heart shaped impressions in the blush on his cheeks and he had lightly added mascara for a small amount of added effect. Not that Donghyuck needed it, but damn did it do the works.
Renjun snorted with a nod, "I've been meaning to say, you look gorgeous, Hyuck."
Donghyuck fluttered his eyelashes, cockily responding with "I know" yet the natural blush creeping through the imprints told Renjun otherwise.

"Never seen you get like this for a guy before," Renjun wiggled his eyebrows, Donghyuck taking a playful jab at his shoulder.
"First time I've had a chance in a while, but it's nothing. He's cute, but it's not much." Donghyuck nodded slowly to himself, running his hand through his hair.
Renjun furrowed his brows, "when was the last time you liked someone?" Renjun had known him since the beginning of time and though he knew he liked guys, he'd never seemed to have a crush or even remotely seem interested in someone.

Donghyuck's face fell slightly, Renjun narrowing his eyes slightly at him and his odd expression. He watched Donghyuck shut his eyes for a moment. He dropped his head downward, shaking it with faint pitiful laughter. Renjun cocked his head as Donghyuck sighed, looking up to him with a sadder expression than he had anticipated.
"It doesn't matter anymore," he shrugged, eyes darting back to the mirror. "Imma just have this."