The Gift - Jaemin x Jeno

The Gift * Part Three

The Gift • Part Three

The sun had long dipped below the horizon when they arrived at Mark Lee's party. "Stay close to me and don't take drinks from strangers," Jaemin said as he gripped Renjun's hand tight. "Okay." Renjun smiled brightly as they walked up to the house. People were everywhere, outside on the lawn, walking around with drinks in pairs or groups. "Jaemin! Human music is so wonderful!" Renjun tried to pull Jaemin into another impromptu dance but there were people everywhere. "Wait until we get inside," Jaemin said to the delighted faerie boy, "then I promise I'll dance with you. Later."

Jeno stood in the kitchen, beer in hand, Yeri and Mark and a few others around him. The conversation had been causal gossip until Donghyuk burst into the kitchen bursting with news. "Jaemin's here and he brought a boyfriend!" His eyes sparkled with the excitement of juicy gossip and he quickly ducked back out to tell the next group he came across.

"Jaemin has a boyfriend? Since when?" Yeri's friend Chaeyoung piped up into the conversation. "He's super cute and they suit each other so well. We saw them together today, didn't we Jeno?" Yeri's eyes flicked over to Jeno who took a big gulp of his beer.

Jeno listened intently to the conversations around him. He felt on edge, nervous even, knowing that if someone said something awful about Jaemin he'd have to defend his best friend. Jeno's fears of his friend being outcast, or worse, bullied made his stomach churn with anxiety.

But as he listened in he soon realised no one seemed prejudiced, or disgusted, or even surprised.

"Na Jamein has a boyfriend, how cute."

"Have you seen him? Ugh they look so good together..."

"It's so nice to see Jamein happy. He's never even had a date that anyone knows of."

"I heard he confessed on Valentine's Day. Can you imagine how romantic that would have been?"

"Jeno did you know? How long have they been together? Is he really as sweet as he looks?" Chaeyoung's questions were innocent enough but Jeno slammed his beer bottle down on the kitchen bench. "I don't fucking know okay?" He turned to the group with an uncharacteristic frown, fire and rage flaring in his usually gentle expression, his face wearing an expression that was both unexpected and unsettling. He grabbed another beer and stalked from the room leaving his friends staring after him in confusion.

"What's up his ass?" Mark laughed.

"He's jealous!" Yeri laughed too. "Can't you tell?"

Jamein wasn't a big drinker. The night before, his feelings in turmoil, his mind awash in confusion, he'd used alcohol to quiet the demons inside him. Tonight he led Renjun by the hand through the house party, stopping to talk to a few people on the way, introducing Renjun to everyone who spoke to them. By the time he made it to the kitchen in search of a few soft drinks he was greeted by a chorus of strangely excited voices.