three is the perfect number || jaenoren (norenmin)

six

Jeno fiddled and fidgeted as he waited outside Renjun's house, excited to spend the night there. They had Friday off because of the bank holidays tomorrow, so Renjun had suggested that Jeno come over to spend the night at his house, and so Jeno had thought well fuck, who am I to refuse? 

Jeno already had a set of pyjamas and a toothbrush at Renjun's house, so he was empty-handed standing before the door. He noticed the flowers coming into bloom next to the doorstep and leaned in to look at them up close, forgetting that he had a rather pesky pollen allergy. 

Renjun opened the door to find Jeno a sneezing mess. Jeno jumped, shoving his hands into his pockets and sniffing once, blinking so hard that tears threatened to fall every time he opened his eyes. Renjun's familiar, slim figure was silhouetted in the doorway and the warm orange light of the hallway outlined him, making his darkness stand out against the throwaway grey and blue of the rest of the night. Jeno felt like he was at the doorway to heaven and an angel had come to kick him out. Renjun was indecent for always looking like a miraculous annular eclipse. 

Renjun tapped his chin, "Did you by any chance stick your nose in my mother's hyacinths?" Jeno swallowed a sneeze and shook his head defiantly. Renjun chuckled and motioned for Jeno to come inside, letting it go for now. The door shut behind him, and Jeno stood in the hallway for a few seconds before he meekly asked, "Do you still have those hay fever pills?" Renjun snorted unbecomingly and led Jeno to the bathroom, opening the medicine cabinet and tossing him the box.

Jeno swallowed them dry (Renjun noticeably gagged) and they went to the kitchen, where Jeno's now slightly unblocked nose detected his favourite meal. "Do I smell... sweet and sour pork?" 

Mrs Huang must have heard him. "You know it, dear!" Jeno pumped his fist, and Renjun laughed at him. Jeno bounced over to where Mrs Huang was stirring something in a pot on the stove. 

"Good evening, Mrs Huang!" chirped Jeno, and she laughed at his enthusiasm. 

"Hello, Jeno. How are you doing?" Jeno then assured her of his complete and absolute physical and mental wellbeing, because she would keep pressing him otherwise. 

"Well, dinner will be ready in around ten minutes, so you can go up and attempt to wake up Renjun's father," she tapped the spoon on the side of the pot and turned with a hand on her hip and her lips pulled up in a good-natured smile. 

Jeno swallowed; He did not like waking up Renjun's father. Once, while trying to wake Mr Huang from one of his naps, the man had sleep-punched him in the nose, which had resulted in a nosebleed. Mr Huang had slept right through the commotion that had followed. 

Renjun rolled his eyes and took Jeno's hand, pulling him up the stairs towards his parents' room. Jeno used the hand that wasn't being tugged by Renjun to push his glasses back into place, as he screwed up his face and practised acting totally unaffected by the fact that his best friend was holding his hand. This kind of stuff should have been normal, and yet he could never get used to it. He'd put his arm around Renjun all the time, but holding hands always made his heart freeze in his chest. 

Renjun stopped in front of his father's door, but Jeno walked right into it, distracted. He cried out in surprise. Renjun giggled in his bubbly way and Jeno furrowed his eyebrows, cursing him for being so effortlessly lovable. 

"I guess we don't have to knock, then. Your head so kindly did it for us." Jeno rubbed his forehead, grumbling. Renjun pushed the door open had found his father sitting up drearily. Renjun asked him something in Chinese, to which Jeno looked at him in confusion. Renjun must have realised it and turned to smile sweetly at Jeno, "I'm dissing you in Chinese, don't worry."