NCT Imagines (Requests closed)

A little bit older (Jaemin) Part~1

A/N: So, I noticed that many of my readers are very young, even younger than Jisung. This chapter is for you little cubs.

Jaemin's laugh was melodic.

Y/N watched as he threw his head back in laughter, his eyes closing. After he regained his composure he sighed happily and ruffled Y/N's hair. "Stop getting distracted, Y/N." The girl beamed at him as she fixed her hair. "Now let's focus on your math problem," he said, tapping the book with his pencil. They were sitting outside on a bench at school.

Lately, Y/N was not doing so well in math so Jaemin, who was three years her senior, volunteered to help. The only problem was; Y/N could not concentrate. She focused too much on his face and presence and voice, and not really on what he was saying.

"Did you get it?" He asked as he finished explaining.

Y/N's cheeks burned, "uh..."

"It's okay," he said, dismissing the issue with a smile. "This problem is particularly difficult so don't feel too bad about it." He started explaining it again, and this time Y/N did concentrate. She understood it right away. As he moved on to the next question, they were interrupted by a girl tapping Jaemin's shoulder.

"Jaemin," She said with a coy smile. She had not bothered to take her hand off his shoulder, Y/N noticed. "I have trouble understanding a question from the quiz we had today, I was wondering if you could explain it to me." She finally removed her hand from him and used it to tuck her hair behind her ears. She held a paper in her other hand which was probably the quiz she was talking about. At some distance, Y/N saw a clique of girls giggling together and looking in their direction.

Jaemin glanced at Y/N. "I'm sorry, Mina. I'm actually helping Y/N right now." The girl's expression fell. "But I could help you later."

She smiled again, "we can go to a cafe after school," she chirped.

He gave another apologetic smile. "I already have plans after school. Our last period is free, I'll explain it to you then."

"Okay," She said, a little disappointed. She glanced at Y/N once, looked her up and down and then left.

"Sorry about that," Jaemin said turning his attention back to her.

Y/N shook her head. "You don't have to apologise, sunbae. It's not your fault you're so in demand."

A modest smile adorned Jaemin's features. "It's nothing like that." Oh, but it is. Jaemin was too nice, too pretty and hence too popular. Y/N would not be surprised if everyone in the whole school had a crush on him. She knew she did, and she also knew he did not like her that way. He was only a little a bit older but saw her as a child, and called her 'kiddo.'

This was not the first time someone had approached him like this. And every time it happened, Y/N's heart would clench, afraid that he would show interest in that person. But he always turned everyone down. As Jaemin continued with their study session, the bell rang, meaning that he had to leave. "We haven't completed this," he said with a cute pout. "And we still have two more questions to go over. You have your test tomorrow, right?" He asked her.

"Yes. But you don't have to worry, I'll figure this out myself. You have already helped me enough." She smiled, "thank you."

Jaemin slowly stood up from the bench. "I'll help you after school."

"I thought you already had plans." Y/N stood up too.

He shrugged, "I'll just cancel them."

"Oh, you don't have to do that," she declined politely but her heart was soaring at the mere gesture of Jaemin making time for her.

"It's nothing important. I was only meeting up with Jeno and Haechan at an Internet cafe to play games." He smiled at her. "See you after school."

Y/N had to suppress her face-splitting-grin as she watched him leave. He had cancelled his plans for her. For her. Not that Mina girl. Did that mean something? Maybe he only did it because they could not reschedule their session to another day. Whatever the reason, the young girl was filled to the brim with giddiness.

The rest of the classes went by excruciatingly slow. Y/N had kept glancing at the clock, waiting for the last bell to ring so she could dash to see her crush. And when it finally did ring, Y/N did just that. Jaemin suggested going to the nearest tteokbokki place. He had initially proposed the cafe but was quick to dismiss the idea, probably because of Mina.

So the two students went along their way and Y/N could not rid herself of the skip in her step. This was the first time they were meeting outside of school. But unfortunately, this did not count as a date.

Jaemin ordered for the both of them and insisted to pay. "No, that's not right," Y/N frowned. "You've come here to tutor me so it's only fitting if I pay."

"It's okay, kiddo. I'm the one who brought us here and anyways, I'm older, so I should pay." Jaemin did not let their little discussion carry on and was quick to place the cash on the counter. They ate their snacks and Jaemin successfully taught her everything within an hour.

"Do you have any other questions?" He asked. Y/N shook her head before using her chopsticks to put a piece of ttoekbokki in her mouth.

Jaemin had a small smile when he saw her. "So clumsy," he sighed. Picking up a tissue paper, he dabbed the corner of Y/N's mouth. "There."

She was pretty sure her whole face was scarlet.

After finishing their food they started to walk back home. Y/N thanked him countless times on the way until he had to strictly tell her to stop. "But you were supposed to meet your friends," she continued anyway. "You could have had fun at the Internet cafe but you came to tutor me. I owe you, really."

"Y/N," he said in a warning tone. "Don't think of this as a favour. It's my duty as your senior, as someone much older than you, to help you out. Besides, who said I didn't have fun?" He winked at her.

Someone much older. Those words stood out to her.

"You're not that much older," she said quietly, kicking a small pebble off the pavement.

"Three years aren't little."

"Sunbae, could you ever date anyone younger than you?" She blurted out what she had been dying to ask him for so long.

He looked at her with his brow furrowed. "What's this all of a sudden?"

"I was just curious because, you know, you treat anyone younger than you as a child."

"Well, not everyone," he said uncertainly. "Younger people are like cute babies I couldn't possibly think of dating them." He smiled at her, as if suggesting that she was a cute baby.

It was probably the smile that made her continue, "but you could reconsider, right?"

"I don't see why I should-"

"Because I want you to." They stopped walking. Why couldn't he see?

Jaemin was looking more uncertain now. "Y/N, it doesn't matter who I date."

"It does matter to me. I wouldn't want you to date some idiot you doesn't appreciate you." Y/N could feel tears forming in her eyes. She blinked them away before Jaemin could see.

Jaemin grinned, "don't worry, I'll only date an idiot who does value me."

"I... I value you a lot and I like you a lot," her face burned as she said that.

xxx

tbc.