Strawberry Cake [EDITING]

🍰【t e n】🍰

When Jaemin woke up, on the couch, in Jeno's lap the next morning, he wondered to himself if he was still dreaming. But when he felt Jeno's fingers card through his pink locks, he knew it was all real.

"Nana, you fell asleep at the table!" Jeno giggled. Jaemin felt a smile tug at his lips, even with disappointment clawing in his chest.

Jeno was still himself.

"Sorry Jen, I was really tired last night...." Jeno smiled at him, his eyes turning to crescents as he did.

"That's alright Jaemin. It's Saturday now so we can sleep all we want!" Jaemin got off of the olders lap and began to walk to the kitchen. Jeno followed excitedly and watched as Jaemin began to grab out various pans and utensils.

"What's for breakfast?" He asked as he walked over to the island, leaning over it expectantly. Jaemin smiled mischievously

"You'll see. How about first though, you go upstairs and get yourself all cleaned up. I have somewhere I want to take you today." Jeno's smile brightened as he nodded excitedly and ran up the stairs.

Jaemin sighed and ran a hand through his hair to try and fix it a bit. He thought back to only moments before when he was asleep in Jeno's arms. It brought him back to when they used to hang out together before Jeno changed.

Back when they would sit on the grassy hilltop overlooking the school football field and watch the city in the distance, Jaemin situated in Jeno's lap as the older hugged him from behind, his head rested lovingly on Jaemin's shoulder. The long car rides to nowhere they would take that always ended with Jaemin searching on Google maps while Jeno laughed at himself for getting lost. The secret "I love you"'s that Jaemin would share with Jeno when the older fell asleep at his desk.

He would be lying if he said he didn't miss the old Jeno.

But he loved Jeno, and that's why he stayed. That's why he tolerated the change, why he adapted to the longing for more than friendship, why he learned to cook better and got a job and dropped out of high school.

That's why he felt so guilty for what happened between him and Renjun.

He had given everything for that boy, not afraid to forget about his own needs. He had been so tired and busy lately that all he had eaten in the past week was a watermelon slushie and the scraps of strawberry cake he had forced himself to eat, despite his hate for the flavor.

He knew it was bad. But to Jaemin, all that mattered was Jeno's health and safety, and with the lack of money they had, if that meant he missed out on meals for the older, he would.

Jaemin's mind had been elsewhere for so long that his brain had gone on autopilot while making breakfast and before he knew it he could hear Jeno turning the water from his shower off upstairs and noticed a plate of pancakes in front of him.

He smiled and set them on the table, grabbing out his phone while he waited for Jeno to come back downstairs.

"Okay, I'm done!" Jeno yelled as he excitedly ran into the kitchen, fully clothed and ready to eat. His eyes sparkled when they landed on the plate of pancakes on the table. He gasped.

"Are those for me?" Jeno asked. Jaemin nodded, setting his phone on the counter.

"Yep, they're all yours. I already ate mine." Jaemin lied, pulling out and sitting in the chair next to Jeno.

"So where are we going?" Jeno asked, his mouth full of pancake.

"I thought today we could just drive around, stop wherever we want to. Like a car date, you know?" Jaemin explained, smiling at Jeno who nodded.

"A.. date?" Jeno asked. Jaemin stopped, his cheeks tinting a light pink.

"Uh, yeah.."

"But Nana, isn't that something couples do?" Jaemin internally groaned. How was it that he remembered what a date was but forgot what a boyfriend was?

But on the outside he just nodded a bit, his cheeks turning a shade darker.

"Y-yeah but we are just going as friends, like we used to, remember?" Jaemin asked, his eyes widening when he realized what he had just said.

And he prepared himself for the breakdown. For the crying, the shaking, the pleading.

But none of it came.

Instead, Jeno nodded and smiled at him.

"I do remember..." Jeno said happily as he recalled when they used to hang out together.

"Anyways, on another topic, I was wondering if tonight when we get home you wanted to watch a movie?" Jeno nodded again.

"Can I pick the movie?"

"Yes, but nothing scary. I don't like scary movies.." Jaemin said, trying to make sure it didn't come across as him thinking Jeno couldn't handle them.

Even though Jeno couldn't.

Jeno gave a big smile and nodded.

"I'll go get my kitty!!" Jeno said as he got out of his chair and ran upstairs.

Jaemin looked down at his hands.

Maybe tonight he could tell Jeno the truth.

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