friends with benefits || nct

<08>

"You can't do that, Mark."

"Do what?"

"Say hi!" I threw my hands in the air.

His eyebrows pulled together. "But why?"

A slow exhale escaped. "Because — I'm not supposed to exist." I crossed my arms. "I'm not famous, I'm not a YouTuber, I'm not some icon or idol. I don't exist in your world, and you have to treat me as such."

His lips downturned, eyes wide and sad. "But you're Ten's friend, aren't you?"

"Exactly. He — I —" I heard footsteps in the hallway and I stopped breathing, holding up a finger to silence Mark. They passed and I said, "I can't tell you here. Too many employees around."

He looked like a confused puppy, and I had the sudden urge to run my fingers through his hair.

With a shake of my head, I shoved my hand out, palm up. "Gimme your phone."

"Why?"

"Just give it."

I typed my number into his phone as I instructed, "Give me a codename or an emoji. Something people won't question. I'll text you something, a time and place to meet up. But that has to be in code too."

His mouth hung open. "Is this how you and Ten communicate?"

"Only when we wanna meet up." I gave his phone back after shooting myself a message. "On the day we're going to meet, I'll text you FWB followed by a number."

"FWB?"

"Full water bottle. It means that glassware shop on—"

"Oh yeah, I know that place!"

I clicked my tongue. "Right. Okay, meet at the back of it at whatever time I text. I'll use twenty-four-hour time."

"Um, example please?" Mark scratched his head.

I sighed. This kid. "Okay. If I send FWB21, that means we'll meet at nine p.m. Got it?"

"Yeah."

I jutted my chin at his phone. "So what's my codename?"

"Oh. Right." He fumbled with it and then showed me the screen: 'Auntie'

I chuckled. "That'll work. Careful leaving the bathroom. It's suspicious that a male idol is coming out of the women's bathroom."

He snuck out. I replaced the sign, and we went our separate ways.

But now two K-Pop idols had my contact information, and neither of them could know about it — even though they were in the same group.

Things just got so much more complicated.

;; 

a/n: Cheng Xiao is too cute for her own good 😤