Monopoly | Norenmin

Melted Ice and Fairy Lights

Renjun sat in the back of the car, only being able to hear the music and Jaemin quietly humming along. They had been driving for a little while, Renjun watching the outside get darker and darker the further they drove out of the city. The streetlights were getting sparser, now heading into an area where there were patches of nothingness between, at least from what he could see. He crossed his legs on the seat, knowing Jeno wouldn't mind, as he peered out into the open. He felt bad if he fiddled with his phone, so instead he watched as the trees around him got denser, Jeno slowing down as they approached the area. They were kind of high up with lush greenery surrounding them, if it weren't so dark outside, Renjun would've thought it was beautiful. Instead, he was kind of scared of being stabbed in the middle of nowhere.

"Where are we and where are we going?" Renjun asked for at least the sixth time on their trip.
"Where we are, I'm not sure right now. Where we are going, I can't tell you just yet," Jeno responded, turning the vehicle into another section of the forest. There were still some people around, but mainly couples taking in the night. Renjun honestly felt really out of place.
He tapped his fingers along to 'Lucky One' playing on the radio, watching a car drive past them as they themselves turned into the area it came from. Renjun snorted to himself as he read the plate wrong, thinking for a split second it was Donghyuck's. They kept going for a few moments before pulling into a section which was lit well yet completely void of people.

Jeno turned off the engine with Jaemin unbuckling his seatbelt. Renjun watched them both with wide eyes as they got out and walked around to the back of the car. They opened the boot, pulling out stuff that Renjun couldn't see, some muffled clinking heard from inside a container of some sort.
Jeno poked his head underneath, chuckling at Renjun. "Are you going to stay there or are you coming?"
Renjun blinked for a bit before awkwardly unbuckling his seatbelt. As Jaemin closed the boot, he slid out of the car, closing the door behind him.

As they walked around, Renjun finally realised why the place was lit up. In a small clearing, just wide enough for a few people, strings of lights were wrapped around the trees, jars filled with fairy lights strung between them that gave the dark tiny place life. In the centre was a simple picnic blanket, Jaemin walking over and placing down the basket he had taken from the back. Renjun carefully tread into the grass in awe, looking up to stars illuminating the sky, becoming more and more visible the longer he stared. In a small space, beauty was breathed into it, the warm lights working with the shimmers in the sky to create a space that seemed perfect.

Jeno set down a mini projector, setting it up as Jaemin undid twininging that held a plain sheet. The sheet unravelled itself just as Jeno turned on the projector, playing 'My Neighbour Totoro', a film that Renjun could quote by heart, even in Japanese.
Jaemin joined Jeno on the picnic blanket, both looking up at Renjun with smiling eyes. "Come, join us." Jeno offered a hand. Renjun took a deep breath, taking his hand being led down onto the rug with the other two. He looked around at the decor around him, admiring how little could go so far.

"What the fuck is all of this," Renjun blinked. As absolutely gorgeous as all of this was, it was terrifying. As beautiful as it would be to sit under the stars, eating various bites while watching ghibli movies, the idea of doing that with either some stranger or, the stars forbid, Jeno and Jaemin made him want to bury himself in hole. He wished he was back home, eating chips and reading.
Jaemin chuckled, leaning on his arm as he smiled sweetly at him. "Injunnie."
Jeno took one of his hands, looking up at him with hope. "Will you go on a date with us?"

Renjun's eyes widened, his heart rate already beating that of a hummingbird. "Huh?"

Jeno looked at Jaemin, sharply swallowing. Renjun could feel him shaking a little, which was definitely unusual. Jaemin gave him a smile, nodding at him even though he seemed quite ansty himself, tapping his fingers around on his lap. They spoke silently to one another, as if they couldn't trust their voices just yet. They only looked to one another for reassurance. Renjun took a sharp inhale, anxiously looking back and forth between the two. Unlike them, he didn't have anyone to comfort him, just taking a quiet deep breath to help himself as best he could.