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"Guys! Let's play a game."
The other boys all turned to Jaemin, who had a wicked smile on his face.
"This isn't gonna end well, I can already tell," Mark said as he walked from the dinner table and plopped down on the couch next to him.
"If having my tongue down your throat isn't a good ending, then I guess you're right," Donghyuck added, settling down on the floor next to the coffee table, his shoulders bumping Jeno's who was already sitting there.
"Shut up," Mark hissed, throwing a potato chip at him.
Donghyuck picked it up from his lap and bit it spitefully, crumbs falling all over his black shirt.
"You're so messy, seriously," Renjun complained.
He threw him a tissue before joining Mark and Jaemin on the couch.
"Where are the babies? I asked them to go get what I need for the game but they're taking way too long," Jaemin glanced around the living room.
There was no sign of Jisung or Chenle in the room, whether it was on the floor, on the lovechair or at the dining table. They also couldn't possibly be in the kitchen since Renjun was the only one there before he joined them.
"Probably making out in your room," Jeno said nonchalantly, leaning over the table to steal chips from the pack Mark was holding.
"Do you really think Jisung would kiss Chenle for his first kiss?" Jeno flinched when the words 'first kiss' left Jaemin's lips. "Out of all of us? I'm not buying it." Jaemin crossed his arms and sunk deeper into the couch, frowning.
Jeno hummed, sitting back down and tapping his finger nervously on his knee.
"Jaem, you're just saying that because you want him to kiss you first- Ouch!" Jaemin kicked Donghyuck for his remark.
"Should I go look? Maybe something's wrong," Mark offered.
Renjun nodded, moving his knees to the side so he could make his way out towards the bedrooms.
"You guys wanna bet?" Donghyuck said as soon as Mark was out of sight. "My money's on Chenle being Jisung's first kiss." He took out a five thousand won bill from his back pocket and slid it across the table.
"5k it was so awkward Jisung cowered out of it," Renjun added as he dropped a note on top of it.
"5k Jisungie said no because he wants to kiss me."
Donghyuck scoffed at Jaemin's bet, pointing at him with a face that could only mean 'Get a load of this guy.'
"5k Jisung initiated it," Jeno followed, causing the others to gasp.
"Oh, Jen-Jen, what makes you think that?" Donghyuck chirped, pinching his cheek with a teasing smile.
Jeno pushed his hand away and shrugged. "He wanted to have his first kiss for a while, but never found the right time. Bet he got tired of waiting."
Donghyuck brought a hand to Jeno's knee, and Jeno's heart dropped in his chest at the gesture. He could feel its warmth through the fabric of his tracksuit. It was as if he would evaporate from his touch alone.
"Would you?" he asked, his eyes looking deep into Jeno's, making him wonder if he knew. "Get tired of waiting, I mean. If you were Jisung."
"I'm impatient, you know that. But when it comes to this, if I was him, I could wait for the right moment. Hypothetically," he replied, his throat running dry as Donghyuck's eyebrows flinched at his response.
They heard chatter and Donghyuck immediately removed his hand as they brought their attention back to the group. Jeno found himself almost missing it when he adjusted his legs while Mark walked in with the youngest ones on each arm, an amused grin on his face.
"Guess what they were doing."
Donghyuck and Jaemin both opened their mouths but he answered before they could utter a word.
"They found UNO cards on Jaemin's desk and got distracted. Litteral kids, I swear," he shook his head, but the fond smile didn't leave his lips as he squeezed himself between Jaemin and Renjun.
"Can't blame them. UNO is super fun," Jeno muttered, looking down at his fingers carding through the carpet.
Donghyuck tried to discreetly remove the three bills from the table but Renjun immediately caught him. With a single look, he got Donghyuck to raise his hands in surrender before sliding the notes back to their respective owners.
"What was the bet?" Chenle asked.
He sat down on the floor and Jisung came next to him, both of them facing Jeno and Donghyuck across the coffee table.
"We bet on Jisung-"
"So, Jaemin, what's your game?" Jeno interrupted Donghyuck, and Jaemin sat up excitedly.
"Paper, pen, and bowls please." He showed his open hand and Chenle slid the items across the table.
"I thought of a spin the bottle game, but a little more spicy." He wiggled his eyebrows, and Jeno felt his stomach churn.
He never participated in these silly games when people played them at parties. He usually would find a way to eclipse himself from the scene, but there was nowhere to run today when it was just the seven of them.
"We spin the bottle, and whoever it lands on has to pick a paper from each of the three bowls." He pointed at the three empty bowls on the table. "The first bowl has actions written on it, the second has a body part and the third has our names on it. For example, let's say I spin the bottle and it turns to Jeno. He picks a paper in the first one that says kiss, the second says stomach and the third says Mark. He has to go and kiss Mark's stomach. You can choose whether you do it over the clothes or on his skin. If you don't do it, or we think you completed your task too poorly, you have to take a shot."
Everyone was paying attention, and nodded once he finished his explanation. It was a first, Jaemin thought, for them to be so attentive when they usually would be shouting or changing the subject within seconds. Maybe the few drinks they already had managed to calm them a bit.
Renjun raised his hand. "If you pick your own name, what do you do?"
"You can either try to do it on yourself, for example if it says touch and hand, you can actually do it. Otherwise, we ask you a question and you have to answer truthfully. If you don't do either of those things, you have to drink," Jaemin replied, and there was a collective hum of agreement. "So, are you guys up for it?"
Jeno wanted to run, he wanted to hide, but the others were already all in. Again, very surprising of them to agree so quickly but Jaemin's birthday means they indulge Jaemin with whatever plan he comes up with. He's one of the babies after all.
"Great! Each take a piece of paper and write your name. I'll write the actions and Renjun will write the body parts. Fold it only two times so we can't tell who wrote what, okay?" Jaemin passed a paper to each of them, before stomping his feet excitedly. "Argh! This is gonna be so fun!"
Jeno wrote down his own name and carefully folded the paper two times, as he was told.
He wondered if his lucky star would be with him tonight, so he would pick everything but papers that read kiss and lips.
"Who should spin the bottle first?" Jaemin asked once they were all set, and Mark brought an arm around him, squeezing his shoulder.
"You're the birthday boy, go ahead."
Jaemin happily complied, and spun the empty soju bottle. It turned, Jeno mentally repeating "not me, not me, not me." over and over again. It slowed down, and it seemed like it was about to stop in front of him. It kept turning agonizingly slow and pointed at Donghyuck. Jeno sighed in relief, glad he wasn't the first one.
"Donghyuck! Our first player of the night!" Jaemin exclaimed.
He shoved his hand in the first bowl and picked a paper. "Lick. What the fuck?"
The boys erupted in laughter at his reaction, the usually confident Donghyuck now not so in control.
"Cheek. Oh, okay, that's pretty chill. Now, who's gonna have my tongue on their face."
He looked over at the others and they were all internally hoping their name wouldn't be the one to come out.
"And the winner is… Jaemin!"
Jeno was relieved, although he felt a small tug at his heartstrings when he saw Jaemin immediately present his face towards Donghyuck. The latter grabbed it without hesitation before licking a strip up his cheek.
"Mhmm, I'm sensing some earthy flavor coupled with braised pork," Donghyuck teased, and Jaemin grimaced as he wiped the saliva off with his sleeve.
"You guys are disgusting." Renjun sighed before spinning the bottle again.
It turned fast, Jeno almost felt dizzy from following it with his eyes and holding his breath until it hit a glass and stopped immediately in front of Chenle.
"Yellow card! Shouldn't we spin it again?"
"No, Chenle, the bottle has spoken." Jaemin held out the bowl and shook it, Mark cooing at how cute he looked from the side.
"Kiss… okay." He put the first paper back in, and picked the two others simultaneously. "Nose and Renjun. Whoa."
Chenle squeezed his eyes shut, blindly throwing the papers back into the bowls. He physically cringed before standing up and leaning over the table to reach Renjun. Renjun brought a hand over his mouth to keep a distance between their lips as Chenle got closer and dropped a quick peck at the tip of his nose, barely touching him.
"Hey, hey, that wasn't good!" Donghyuck waved his arms in the air to contest the action, and Jeno and Jaemin joined him. "Redo or drink!" He raised a shot full of vodka in Chenle's line of vision while the two were circling their fingers to demand a do-over.
"Fine. Fine." Chenle gave up with a sigh, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. "I'll do it again. You guys are the worst."
Renjun glared at Donghyuck and mouthed an 'I will kill you.' to which he sent him a flying kiss in response. Chenle's second attempt satisfied them, and the bottle was spinning again in no time.
Jeno's gaze focused on Mark, who was staring at Renjun from the side with a fondness shining in his eyes that would make the prettiest of flowers shy away from its light. It was so obvious, yet discreet all at once, silent stargazing as the star remains unaware it was adored by a boy who didn't dare voice his admiration. He wondered if that's what he looked like whenever he looked at…
"LEE JENO!"
He heard loud cheers and snapped back to reality to see the bottle pointing at him, everyone's eyes on him like a scorching bright spotlight. He took a minute to compute what was happening, and a hand on his back made his brain freeze. It was Donghyuck.
Maybe he knew how Jeno hates these games, maybe he knew that he prefered to simply chill and eat instead of having all this unwanted attention on him, maybe he knew… no. He couldn't possibly know that, they've never talked about it.
He shook his head and tentatively reached for the first bowl, his heart hammering in his chest. The paper doesn't look like it's been picked before. He sure hopes it hasn't, he doesn't want to lick anybody, and even less kiss anybody.
He fumbled with it, Jaemin's foot impatiently tapping on the floor urging him to go faster.
He saw the four letter word he dreaded: kiss. It was enough for his heart rate to pick up. He showed it to the others without a word, Chenle's hand coming to pat his head as he shouted about how cute he looked. He almost couldn't focus on his repeated touch bc of the hand still stuck on his lower back, that was taking up all his attention.
As he mixed the papers in the other bowl, his brain was still running a hundred miles per hour, still nervous of whatever word he would find. The weight in his stomach got heavier when he read lips. He hates this game.
The others didn't seem to notice how much quieter he had gotten since his name had been called out. It was weird, almost as if he was detached from them, the only thing grounding him being Donghyuck's contact over his shirt. His palm soothing the wrinkles of the fabric, soothing the growing nerves that were threatening to spill.
Their remarks was just chatter to his ears, and Donghyuck's quiet presence was keeping him alert. He drove his hand to the third and last bowl, praying his own name would be the one to come out. He opens it and Donghyuck's hand stops in its motion, along with Jeno's heart.
He reads it again, wondering if his brain wasn't making him see things he wanted to see. But it said Haechan, in a handwriting that could only be his and no one else's. Jeno would recognize it anywhere, the little sun scribbled at the corner of the paper was just so Donghyuck.
He looked over at him and found him staring at the paper over his shoulder, nibbling on his bottom lip. Their proximity was already too much, Jeno didn't know if he could make it. He had to kiss Donghyuck, on the lips. Oh, how he hated this game so much.
"Whose name is it? Jeno? What name does it say?" Renjun asked, and Chenle snatched it from Jeno's hand to read out loud.
"Oh! Donghyuck! Lucky boy of the night."
A couple of "I'm so jealous" and "Rigged" resonated in the air, everyone showing their disappointment over not having been picked.
Jeno tilted his head in confusion. "Why are you guys saying that?"
"You're the only one who's never kissed anybody in our friend group," Jaemin explained.
Jeno was stunned. How could they know? How did they know? He's never said it, he always dodged the subject or vaguely answered whenever he was asked about past experiences.
"I mean, there's Jisung, but it's normal because he's a baby and hasn't even had his first kiss yet. You, on the other hand… you only gave that chance to people outside our circle. Such a shame, really. We deserve to get a taste too." He shook his head in exaggerated regret, Mark nodding along with him and passing a soothing hand over his shoulder in compassion.
Jeno exhaled roughly, relieved he meant it in a completely different way than what he understood. Before he could even feel the tension leave his body, he was pushed head first towards Donghyuck's chest by an impatient Chenle.
"Now, kiss!" he exclaimed, and the boys joined, chanting "Kiss!" over and over again.
Jeno felt himself slip away when he looked up and found Donghyuck looking back at him with a small smile. It was a reassuring smile, not the smirk he usually wears at moments like this one where teasing Jeno was just so so easy. Instead, he keeps his edges smooth, keeps his touch light on Jeno's arms, and keeps his gaze rounded with warmth and understanding. There was no way he didn't know, judging from how gentle and sweet he was as he cupped Jeno's face and asked.
"Cinema kiss or real kiss?" he whispered, low enough so that nobody but Jeno could hear. "If you still wanna wait for the right moment, I can pretend and make sure our lips don't touch right now."
Jeno's eyes jumped from one eye to the other then down to his lips. Pretty, heart-shaped lips that he would give anything to kiss. His eyes found their way back to Donghyuck's, and he simply couldn't handle the weight in the air between them.
"Because you think I could ever find the right moment with you, of all people?" he teased, grinning lightly.
"Because I know you want it to be, someday," Donghyuck replied all too seriously.
Jeno hates this game so -Donghyuck leans in, asking again with his eyes- so -Jeno whispers a quiet "Let's pretend,"- so -Donghyuck's thumbs come to cover his lips and he comes closer to kiss them- so -Jeno closes his eyes. Their faces are so close, too close. The feeling of his thumbs pressing on his lips made him crave a real kiss even more than all those times he caught himself staring at Donghyuck wishing he was peppering every inch of him with touches of adoration- so - Donghyuck pulls away after what seemed to be an eternity, and Jeno almost chases after him.- so -Instead he sat back, probably red from the base of his neck all the way to the tip of his ears.- so much.
"Woohoo! I wanna kiss Jeno too! Me, next!" Renjun cheered, his nose and cheekbones flushed pink from the few drinks he probably had while waiting for Jeno and Donghyuck to finally kiss after whispering incomprehensible things to each other.
Mark laughed and stopped his hand from reaching into the bowl. "Renjunnie, the bottle has to turn to you first. Chill, you'll get a kiss, alright?"
"Fuck the bottle, I w'nna kiss Jen too. If Donghyuck gets to, it's only fair I do. We have this healthy competition thingy going on," he tried to push Mark's hand but Mark was much, much stronger than him.
They struggled a bit, but soon enough Mark was holding him in a tight embrace, Renjun leaning over his legs with his back flush against Mark's chest and a pout on his face.
Jeno needed to get out of here. He was hyper aware of the warmth Donghyuck's body exuded next to him, of his breath tickling his neck. He heard the bottle spin again, and his head started spinning along with it. It could stop on him anytime, or the others could pick his name, and they probably wouldn't be as understanding as Donghyuck.
He pretended to yawn, mumbled something about having had too many drinks and being sleepy before stumbling out of the room. He heard some protests, an "I didn't get my kiss yet" from Renjun and a whine from Jaemin but he didn't really care.
His hands patted the wall, trying to find the door knob in the obscurity of the corridor. He finally found it and barged into the room. It was Jaemin's room, with white beams from the streetlights pouring through the open window. Finally, some air. He breathed in deeply, his head buzzing from the blood rushing in his body and from the little alcohol he had. He didn't get to enjoy the silence and the calm enough before he heard footsteps approaching. He sat on the bed and waited for whoever decided to come and bother him, hoping it wouldn't be Donghyuck. Jeno didn't think he'd be able to hold back if he found himself alone with him, in a room away from the noise and from the others.
Staring at the wall straight ahead, he could vaguely discern pictures of Jaemin and them, polaroids taken at every birthday party or every time they get together to study before exams.
"Hey."
He could recognize that voice anywhere, even when it was only a soft whisper in the middle of the night.
"Hey, Donghyuck," he replied, still staring intently at the pictures.
"You didn't even look at me, how did you know it was me?" he asked as he stepped closer, his smile evident in his voice.
"I just…" The words got lost on their way when he heard the mattress creak as Donghyuck sat down next to him. "know you," he murmured.
"And I…" Donghyuck brought a hand to his face and turned it so he would look his way. "know you, Jeno."
Jeno couldn't look him in the eyes, so he did the next best thing and stared at his cute, round nose. He couldn't tell the difference, right?
Donghyuck didn't say a word, Jeno could tell he was waiting for him to speak up first. He had so many questions, he didn't know where to start first, the palm on his cheek burning hot as he tried to think.
"How did you know?" he finally asked after a moment of silence.
Donghyuck breathed out a chuckle, the familiar smirk on his lips again. He would hate to admit it, but Jeno had missed it.
"I'm a genius," He tapped his temple with a wink. "Super smart brain. That's why."
"Not buying it."
"Are you calling me stupid?"
"Damn, maybe you are as smart as you claim to be," Jeno teased, his shoulders scrunching up as he laughed.
Donghyuck tapped his arm with a whine, complaining that he was indeed smart and that Jeno was patronizing him. Or some other big word, Jeno didn't know, he was too busy trying to fight the urge to grab Donghyuck's face and kiss his pout away. Not now, not yet. He managed to hold out this long, a little more wouldn't hurt, right?
"How did you know about that, though? I don't remember ever telling anybody," Jeno confessed when they had quieted down, his eyes fixed on his own hands playing with the short sleeve of Donghyuck's shirt.
"Remember that night you all stayed at my place for my birthday? You were drunk and told me you hadn't had your first kiss yet. I asked you if you wanted me to help you with that, and you said 'In time, you will. For now, secret.' before passing out." He breathed out a laugh at the memory, a messy haired and shy Jeno that didn't look much different than the one right in front of him. "But I don't get why you kept it a secret, were you embarrassed?"
"It's not that I was embarrassed or anything, but people always react a certain way and it just pisses me off."
"They act like it's such a big deal," Donghyuck added.
"Exactly. But it's not. I just… hadn't met anyone I really wanted to kiss." Jeno could feel the nerves bubbling under his skin, wondering how long he could resist.
He wondered how much longer he could keep his hands to himself, restricted to brushing against Donghyuck’s arm as he twisted the fabric of his sleeve between his fingers. He wondered just how much longer he could hold himself back, when he was so close to the brightest star in his universe. The same star he was used to admiring only when it was looking away. Now, it was looking right at him, burning every inch of his skin with his gaze and his soft spoken words.
"And you have now?" he asked.
Donghyuck already knew the answer, but asked anyway.
"You say you're smart but you keep asking stupid questions."
Jeno looked up at him again with a smile, and Donghyuck's eyes were wide open in surprise. Maybe because of Jeno teasing him, or maybe because his smile had a certain effect on him. Either way, Jeno could see his cheekbones lightly flushing, his mouth agape as he tried to respond but somehow couldn't. Tonight was a night for many firsts, Jeno thought, as it was the first time he saw Donghyuck unable to retaliate with a snarky comment.
Instead, he simply cupped Jeno's face like he did earlier. It seemed to calm him, to clear his senses, but for Jeno it was the total opposite as his heart started hammering in his chest.
Donghyuck whispered, "I feel like now's a good moment. Isn't it?"
It was the first time he caught Donghyuck's eyes almost crossing as they focused on his lips and Jeno nodded in agreement, holding his breath.
Donghyuck closed the distance separating them until their lips met. There was nothing between them other than a small pocket of air that disappeared the second he locked his lips with Jeno.
It was the first time Jeno was kissed, and it felt… just right. He gripped Donghyuck's shirt on his sides to stop them from shaking and let him take the lead. He felt him pull on his hair a little and leaned his head slightly to the side, allowing Donghyuck to have better access to his lips. Slotted together, Donghyuck moved slowly, his touch oh so gentle on Jeno's cheek.
Jeno couldn't think. He didn't even try, nor did he want to. All he wanted was to feel every single second of it, and he did. As he finally grasped the rhythm, his hands relaxed on Donghyuck's waist and he responded to his movements. But he felt like he couldn't breathe anymore, no air reaching his lungs. He started feeling dizzy, wondering whether it was from the excitement or from the fact that he kept breathlessly kissing Donghyuck.
The answer came soon enough, when Donghyuck slowly pulled away to catch his breath. Although he was panting, Jeno immediately chased after him, and Donghyuck giggled quietly at his eagerness.
"Let me breathe for a second." He moved one of his hands down to his chest, palm flat over his heart. "You need it too, you can barely breathe."
"Maybe mouth-to-mouth is what I need," Jeno huffed.
"You're the worst." Donghyuck bit his lip, the fondness in his eyes shining despite the darkness surrounding them.
The light from outside illuminated Jeno's features, and Donghyuck wanted to enjoy the view forever. But forever had to wait, because Jeno wanted him right now, and Donghyuck had no more patience left in him either.
He took a handful of Jeno's shirt and pulled him close again, but stopped right before their lips met to breathe him in.
"Ready?" he whispered with a grin, and Jeno was nodding eagerly before he had even opened his mouth.
Donghyuck complied, pulling on his shirt for their lips to connect again.
Jeno was more confident now, his fingers digging in Donghyuck's hips as he licked his bottom lip. Donghyuck parted his lips, and Jeno could feel him smiling slightly against him as he let his tongue enter.
Is it supposed to feel so good? To feel like every single molecule of his body was burning hot the more Donghyuck let him take of him, the more he let him taste every part of his mouth.
His heart was pumping faster with every stroke of Donghyuck's thumb on his cheek, and it threatened to break out of his ribcage when he heard him moan. His hand slid under Donghyuck's shirt, and he inhaled another moan.
"Donghyuck hyung!"
They immediately pulled away when Donghyuck's name was called from the other room, clearing their throats as they looked over to the door. Jeno glanced at his hands, which were just grazing the skin of Donghyuck's side, and he mentally cursed whoever interrupted them.
"Yeah?" Donghyuck responded, annoyed.
Jisung popped his head in the room. "Where's your charger?"
He didn't seem to think much of Jeno's face that was beet red, or Donghyuck’s lips that were more pink and plump than usual.
"It's in my uh- fuck. I'll come give it you. Be right there." He dismissed him with a wave of his hand, and waited until he could no longer hear his steps to tap Jeno's knee. "Wait for me, please?"
"As long as it takes," Jeno replied, and Donghyuck melted.
He left a quick peck on his cheek before running out as fast as he could.
Jeno smiled to himself when he heard him scold Jisung when he found the charger in plain sight. He could hear Mark's giggles and Renjun's drunken whines as Jaemin bothered him with yet another embarrassing story.
He heard Chenle's screech when Jisung seemed to have fallen on top of him because of Donghyuck, judging from the screams and Jisung defending himself saying that "It wasn't me, it was hyung!".
Jeno's smile widened when he heard Donghyuck's quick steps approaching again.
He no longer had to wait for the right moment because, from now on, every moment he spent with Donghyuck would be the right one.