fourteen days and twenty-eight kisses ; nct jaeno

day 8 ;

Jaemin walked his way out of his classroom with a hardly hidden expression of excitement. It was already lunch time—one of his three favorite periods in every single school day (the other two being recess and dismissal), not only because it was the time where he gets to fill his craving for food, but also because he gets to fill his craving for conversations with his friends, especially with a certain someone that he had always been getting out of bed for.

His days would usually go in a way where he would come back to his classroom and continue the rest of his day in a happy mood, but apparently except that day, because as soon as he saw the emptiness that occupied the seat in front of his, he knew that he wasn't going to be skipping his way home with a smile that day.

"Where's Jeno?" Jaemin asked his friends, sitting down on his usual seat.

"Well, hello to you, too," Jisung joked.

"Sorry," Jaemin muttered, ears turning into a light shade of red out of embarrassment.

After laughing along with the others, Renjun answered: "He's not here."

"I can see that," Jaemin responded in a duh type of tone. "Where did he go?"

Renjun froze, then relaxed in an ashamed manner as he admitted: "I didn't ask."

"He told me that he was going to stay in school for only half of the day today," Mark butted in with a food-filled mouth, making Donghyuck glare at him and scold him while casually wiping the corner of his mouth.

Jaemin's shoulders slumped along with the corners of his lips.

Jeno left? Without telling him anything about it?

"Hyung?" Chenle called while looking at him with eyes shining with slight worry. "Are you alright?"

Jaemin looked back at him for a while, then forced himself to show him a smile while nodding. "Yeah, I'm alright. I think I just need to go to the comfort room."

Before letting anyone talk any further, he stood up from his seat and slithered his way through the crowds of students in the canteen, then immediately went to the comfort room as soon as he was out.

Once he was there, he stopped and stared at the empty room and heaved a sigh, feeling the burden in his chest. He was unsure of the reason why there was one in the first place, but he was too disappointed with his situation with Jeno to think about it.

Why was he even upset about it in the first place, though?

Jaemin shrugged the question off his shoulders out confusion and frustration over the fact that he has absolutely no answer to it.

He walked towards the sink and turned the faucet on, then proceeded to put his hands underneath where the water spilled down. He watched as it ran through his fingers like transparent ribbons.

In the middle of washing his hands, Jaemin jumped in place as the loud sound of a flushing toilet echoed through the comfort room.

He closed the faucet and wiped his hands on his pants as excuse to keep his eyes from landing on whoever was in the stall.

"Oh, Jaemin!"

Nevermind.

Jaemin looked up at the mirror and saw Jeno walking out of the said stall, carrying his bag on his shoulder.

"Oh, Jeno," Jaemin responded, turning to him.

They shone each other a smile that seemed to secretly say: What a coincidence. You were on my mind a moment ago.

"I heard about your half day stay in school," Jaemin said, breaking the silence.

"I didn't tell you that yet, did I?" Jeno responded, knitting his eyebrows together in confusion. "Who told you that?"

"Mark hyung did."

"Oh."

"What's up?" Jaemin asked, curious about what was the reason behind Jeno's sudden departure.

"My family and I are going somewhere," Jeno answered as he approached the sink next to Jaemin. "Some sort of outing, I think."

"On a school day?"

"I did not have any say in this, but honestly, I'm not complaining, because it means I won't have to go through the terror of our History teacher."

Jaemin and Jeno laughed together at the latter's last statement.

Once the laughter had died down, Jaemin asked another question. "How long will you be out?"

Jaemin looked at Jeno, half hoping he wouldn't say an answer he didn't want him to say, but simply seeing the latter's smile falter slightly made him immediately take down his hopes.

"A day and a half," Jeno answered.

Jaemin bit his lip, fighting back a frown.

That's too long.

"You're going to miss out on a lot of lessons," Jaemin said, suddenly trying to change his mind about leaving.

"I already asked Renjun to take down notes for me," Jeno responded.

"We won't be able to work on our project."

"We already have a song, so I'll do my best to make the arrangement while I'm gone."

Jaemin pressed his lips together, not only because he was running out of excuses, but also because he was trying to keep another response from spilling out of his mouth.

You won't be able to kiss me.

He didn't say it, though.

He didn't dare to.

Jaemin must have been so visibly silent and sad that Jeno started to emit a small laugh, which made the former both slightly more miserable.

"It's only for a day and a half, silly," Jeno said, smiling.

"Still, though." Jaemin heaved a heavy sigh.

Jeno smiled, then suddenly approached him to the point where there was almost no space between the two.

Jaemin closed his eyes, already expecting the kiss on his forehead but still feeling fluttery about it.

"I'll be back soon," He heard him whisper. "Don't miss me too much, okay?"

Jaemin rolled his eyes, but secretly smiling. "Who said I was?"

"Whatever you say." Jeno laughed.

Jaemin looked up at him, then returned the favor by kissing his nose.

"Stay safe," He told him. "Text me as soon as you arrived to your destination and your house."

"Okay, Mom."

Jaemin suddenly slapped Jeno's arm, breaking the moment. "Leave, you fucking dick."