Hatred: Nomin

The friends of friends: 21

His body was aching all over. Exhaustion was shooting through his veins; sticky and slow like tar and weighing down his limbs.

"I don't think I can do this any longer."

Mark stuck his hands on his hips and rolled his eyes.

"Jisung, can you quit it with the dramatics?"

Jeno swallowed the laugh that was trying to escape as he watched the sorry scene unfold before him. Mark approached where Jisung was lying face down in the dirt and tugged pitifully on his arm.

"Jisung get up."

"Leave him mark," Jeno said. "I'll handle it."

Mark nodded curtly and jogged back across the pitch to the gaggle of their team— besides Jisung that is.

Jeno trudged over, the studs to his boots sinking into the slippery mud with an awful squealching sound. He poked Jisung in the side with his boot, and watched as he jumped a little and rolled over with a glare, his mud covered stomach and knees finally on show.

"Jisung, you look horrible."

"Uh, thanks."

Jeno held out a hand and tugged him up, standing with his arms crossed and lines etched in his forehead as Jisung brushed himself off.

He quirked his head at Jeno. "Are you good? It sucks being on the sidelines, doesn't it?"

Jeno's eyes flickered and he shook his head. "Huh? Oh that does kind of suck yeah but I've had worse. I actually.... I needed to talk to you."

"Me?" Jisung pointed at himself in a sort of disbelief, before swivelling his head around as if there was anyone else Jeno could be referencing. "About what?"

"Jaemin's acting off. You know him better than me. I don't know what's wrong."

Jisung raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You spend more time with him than I do nowadays. If something is off with him this is the first I've heard of it. What makes you think that?"

"He told me to go on a date with mark."

Jisung scratched his head and squinted at Jeno. After a moments hesitation, he began plodding to the bench situatated at the sidelines, patting at the empty seat beside him when Jeno stayed standing.

"What's so unusual about that? Mark's a cool guy."

Jeno seated himself beside Jisung and ran his hands down his thighs. "Because he likes me. Jaemin, I mean."

Jisung didn't look any less confused. "I'm not getting it."

"Jaemin likes me and I really like him as well. And then out of the blue he tells me that he's bad for me and that I deserve better."

"Classic Jaemin move."

Contrastingly, Jeno now found himself confused and not following.

"What?"

Jisung sighed and grabbed the water bottle Jeno had acquired, taking a swig. "You see Jaemin does this thing-" he wiped his mouth. "He tends to put other people above himself. Thinks he's some kind of burden. He gets scared of getting close to people in case they suddenly realise he's not all they thought he was, and that actually he's just a pain in the back. In reality, that's a steaming pile of bullshit; but it's how his brain works."

Jisung scrunched his nose. For a second Jeno completely understood, and even though it didn't feel right to him, it was the only logical solution.

"Give him some time, and some reassurance," Jisung continued. "He'll realise what he's missing out on soon enough."

He smiled his sweet gummy smile once more, and then Mark was calling him over and he was up and running again, toddling in his adorably childish manner, and it seemed so strange to Jeno how this Jisung had just said something so insightful.