Guilt Trip {Noren}

Chapter 15

Jaemin

Are you up

Ofc you are

Why

Im contemplating

Better be about apologising to Jeno

And Renjun for that matter

...

Sometimes i hate you

Own up to your own mistakes already

Its no use telling me meanwhile those 2

Ik ik

Maybe I should

Could you perhaps

Absolutely not

Whatever you want me to do, I wont

Even if i just

No.

Oh

Fair enough

Well sleep well then

Ov wyou

Im pulling an all nighter but will do lol

Donghyuck

You asleep?

Probably

I'll be here then ig

Love you too

The bright phone screen in Donghyuck's hand slowly dimmed.

"Could I talk to you for a second?" Renjun murmured to Jeno, awkwardly smiling at the unfamiliar faces surrounding them at the type of dining table he was only all too used to.

"Is it that important?" Jeno tried to soften after dealing with an extremely naggy aunt ("Are you doing well in school?" "Yes." "Finishing the homework on time?" "What homework?" He'd said with a deadpan face.)

"Sort of."

"Can it wait?"

"Uh. Sure I guess."

"Sorry," he smiled and placed a feather light kiss on the temple. Renjun tried to contain the shiver from the contact, but noticeably failed to Jeno's mum's amusement. "I'm all yours tonight though."

"Wassup?" Jaemin came from behind them, placing a hand on each of their shoulders firmly. Renjun nearly jumped from the shock.

"Jaemin! How've you been? You've grown so much!" Jeno's mum exclaimed, and that led to one long winded conversation after the other. As much as Renjun tried to engage, he felt more of an eleventh wheel (maybe thirteenth?).

"I did ask if you seriously wanted to come," Donghyuck muttered and shrugged. "You're doing a good job though. I think they're really buying it."

"Thanks," he exaggerated a smile behind Jeno and Jaemin's chairs that were separating them.

"Almost as if you two are naturals, if you know what I mean." And before Renjun could comprehend and reply to that, Donghyuck had sat back up and was now entertaining the plethora of questions from Jaemin's mum and a prompt slap on the thigh from Jaemin to focus his attention back.

He sat back and gobbled up his food, blurring out the voices; I wonder how many laps of the field it'll take to work off all I've eaten today. Until a hand crept up on his and gave it the usual reassuring squeeze. Was Jeno a mind-reader?

"Soon," he mouthed to Renjun accompanied by crescent shaped eyes. Soon.

"All yours now," Jeno grinned, holding the door open for Renjun, who sighed and headed straight for the closest bed to the door, which happened to be Jeno's. "Jaemin's probably gonna spend the night out with his parents anyway. Chenle, Jisung...who knows what they've gotten up to now that there's no lessons."

"Making a mess of anything they do, that's for sure," Renjun affectionately joked.

"What was it you wanted?" Jeno asked softly, sitting next to Renjun who automatically leaned on his shoulder.

"Donghyuck knows." There was a tense moment of silence and Renjun held his breath, but let it go at when Jeno just held him tighter.

"Of course he does. He's too smart."

"Jeno...have you ever considered that perhaps it's also a you problem?"

"All too often," Jeno said, staring at the floor and knocking their feet together. "Self-doubt and all that fun stuff, you know. All mixed together with the grades thing."

"Then what's stopping you?"

The phrase echoed around Jeno's mind, bouncing around and never reaching the corner like those screen-savers.

"What's...stopping me..." he repeated slowly to himself.