three is the perfect number || jaenoren (norenmin)

trois

Jeno decided to just label the anomaly in history class as an accident. There was literally no reason Renjun's crush — wait, no, that wasn't his name — Na Jaemin would be interested in him, in any way. Perhaps the teacher had told him to go to Jeno if he needed help — but Na Jaemin's history grades were phenomenal whenever the teacher called out the results. 

(Yeah, he was smart as fuck too. What could Jeno even do against him?)

He just needed to stop thinking about it, right then and there. Jeno didn't know why he didn't immediately just shrug it off — why his gaze was still pressing into his skin, why he felt so shaken when he'd realised Jaemin was looking at him for once. I don't care, he thought decidedly.

To be honest, if he didn't care then he wouldn't have run out of there for fear of getting trapped in a conversation. He'd had his motives — He was afraid he would let his bitter feelings towards Na Jaemin become too obvious. Before Renjun had started liking him, towards the end of last year, Jeno had only seen Na Jaemin as someone who was popular for all the right reasons. 

As much as Jeno hated to admit it, Renjun had passable reasons for being so into Jaemin. He was nice, funny, and even kind of cute — Jeno frowned, flicking his own arm. Renjun's ranting was getting inside his head. 

Jeno just knew that he just wasn't a decent enough person, by way of looks, personality, or other, to be able to wrench Renjun away from Na Jaemin. He simply wasn't, and nothing could change that. It was no one's fault but his own. But that didn't mean that Jeno couldn't resent Jaemin for it, just a little. 

Only once he had turned at the corner at the end of the hallway did he then deem himself safe from Na Jaemin's (probably well-meaning) wrath.

He was wrong, though. 

There came a light tap on his shoulder, and he whipped around only to come face to face with the one he dreaded the most. 

Jeno tried not to explode with envy as he gazed upon Jaemin's face at a closer proximity. He was — not to be too gay — perfect, and it wasn't even the makeup, because there was hardly any. Not as perfect as Renjun, but perfect. (Jeno wasn't being biased.)

Jaemin's cheeks puffed up thoughtfully, and he exhaled lightly, the air parting softly around Jeno's face. "Hello." 

Well damn, thought Jeno, I didn't know he would be awkward. He didn't seem like an awkward person... Fuck, I'm being awkward. 

"Hello," he replied, sounding dead inside. I'm making it far too obvious that I dislike him. Let's try again. 

"How are you, Jaemin? Tough — tough morning, am I right?" God, you're hopeless. 

Jeno wasn't even bad at conversation — what was with this guy?

But Jaemin smiled, pleased for some reason, and Jeno almost felt his resentment towards everything fade away. He actually had to latch onto it and keep it there. Na Jaemin was not meant to make him feel happy about anything. 

"Yeah, it is. Oh, I'm sorry if this is random, or anything, I wanted to apologise for whatever happened back there in History. Miss Jeon's a bit hard to tolerate sometimes, you know?"

"Shit, she is, isn't she?" Jeno shook his head, suddenly kind of pissed off. Miss Jeon was his least favourite teacher. "She reminds me of a pufferfish sometimes. All spiky and weird." Jeno could not believe it. Did... I really just fucking say that? 

Jaemin pressed his lips together, and Jeno froze, thinking he would just turn around and walk away, but his face grew pink before he burst out into melodic laughter, the kind that made Jeno want to dance away. His cheeks coloured — it felt good to make people laugh, but this was something else.

"Jeno?" Jeno jumped at the voice and immediately put on his poker face, because Renjun was suddenly right there and looking very cute and confused, and Jeno wanted nothing more than to swoon and cuddle him. 

When Renjun's gaze darted to Jaemin's face, Jeno frowned, thinking that he had probably forgotten that Jeno had even existed now. The shortest of the three was fiddling with the straps of his bag, eyes going from Jaemin's face to the floor. His face was turning pinker and pinker — and he was probably wondering what the hell was going on. Jeno sighed inwardly and marched two steps over, put an arm around Renjun's shoulders, as was his custom, and brought Renjun over to his crush.

Jaemin, despite being slightly surprised, greeted Renjun easily, like they spoke every day. All Renjun did was swallow, so Jeno, being the great friend he was, spoke to Jaemin for him. "You know Renjun, yeah?" 

Jaemin nodded, forehead creasing in that earnest way custom to all kind people. "Of course! We were in the same music class last year? I remember you, you can sing like an angel and play the piano along with, like, four other instruments. I was jealous. Still am." Jeno tilted his head. He and Jaemin finally had one thing in common: Finding Renjun incredible.

Renjun practically slumped back into his best friend's arms and melted at the compliment, and both Jeno and Jaemin cooed. 

"Ah — thank you, Jaemin, you — you're really nice, and yeah."

Jaemin grinned sweetly, "They're just facts, dude. Take them in your stride." 

Freaking hell, thought Jeno as Jaemin overtly giggled at his very flustered friend. How could someone genuinely be so flattering and friendly — and be so casual about it? Usually, overly nice people had a sketchiness about them, like even though they did nothing to prove it, you just knew they were doing this for a reason, like they had something to gain. 

But no — Either Jaemin was an award-winning kiss up or the type of person to really volunteer at animal shelters and distribute food to the poor on Christmas Day, and not even talk about it. 

Renjun apparently finally decided he couldn't take this torture any longer as he pulled at Jeno's sleeve, "W—we have to get to Japanese because the teacher always gets there five minutes early." He then leaned closer to Jeno, and whispered: "Abort mission. I feel like I'm gonna faint, please."

Jeno couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed. Probably because he hated Japanese, of course. But this had been kind of fun. 

Maybe Jaemin wasn't the spawn of Satan after all — Jeno could give him that much.

They then bid their farewells and departed with friendly grins, but then Jeno found himself emotionally supporting Renjun the entire way to the classroom, trying to get him to stop mindlessly muttering about Jaemin being a "beautiful bastard" in time for the beginning of class.

Jeno thought it was valid enough for him to agree that he was a bit of a beautiful bastard. Exaggerating the bastard aspect, of course. 

Renjun slumped forward on the desk next to him, ears tinged pink again. "Going and making anyone fall for him, not one bit of consideration, the little — "

"Renjun, please, we're going to be flat on our backs in two seconds if you don't shut the fuck up"

***

HAPPY CORONA-CATION