Last chapter guys~

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Due to the stunning weather, Jeno felt that a fun day out was deserved. They weren't given much homework recently since the teachers wanted everyone to catch up on some 'summer fun'.

"Guys," the brunette sighed airily while wedged between the other two in bed. "Guys!"

"Mhm, what?" Renjun groaned, barely moving an inch as he slept on the younger's chest.

"It's so freaking hot!" He whined, "Why am I always in the middle?"

"Because you never disagree with us," Jaemin croaked in his deep morning voice.

Trying to peel himself away from them, he winced when he felt their sweaty skin rub uncomfortably. "Yeah, I'm not letting this happen anymore. It's the middle of summer, and you're both personal radiators. See you in the winter," he barked, quickly sitting up and feeling Renjun roll off of him.

He crawled to the end of the bed, groaning when Jaemin tried to pull him back over by his thin waist.

"Don't leave~" he cried like a child, "It's only eleven in the morning."

"Jaem!" Jeno hissed, "Instead of wasting a perfectly nice day, how about you get the hell up and do some fun stuff."

"Like what?" Renjun murmured into his pillow, "It's too hot to function."

"Hottest day of the year," Jaemin added, snuggling into his other partner regardless of what he was saying.

Are they masochists? Jeno wondered, frowning at first, but shrugging it off shortly after and wandering over to the wardrobe.

"I propose we have a picnic," he finally suggested, ripping a pair of shorts and a tank top from the hangers. "Sound fun?"

"Who's cooking?" The oldest sat up now, bed head everywhere.

"You, me, the others if we invite them."

"What about me?" Jaemin whined, propping himself up on his elbows.

"You can put the drinks in the basket," Jeno pursed his lips, trying not to giggle. Renjun didn't quite have the same reserves and burst out into laughter.

"I'm an abused soul," the youngest groaned, sliding his legs over the side of the mattress and standing up. "I finally start talking to you lot, and that makes me a target."

"Quit whining," the Chinese scoffed, peeling himself from the bed and stretching, "Regardless of your deplorable chef skills, we still love you anyway. Have we ever told you otherwise?"

That shut the blonde up, and the trio began get dressed. There were still fun and games to be had, like poking each other's stomachs and teasingly kissing necks. The immaturity was something they appreciated in the mornings.

Once everyone was ready, and Jeno was helping Renjun in the kitchen, Jaemin was put in charge of last minute invites.

"So who am I supposed to be texting?" The youngest enquired, making a group chat to save time.

"Chenle, Jisung, Donghyuck, and Mark," Renjun counted on his fingers, "Anyone have somebody else to add?"

Jaemin shook his head and Jeno smiled as if to say he was happy with the list. The youngest then started typing out an informative message with the time and place, sending it and leaving his phone to sit on the bench.

"All done," he smiled, watching the other two work their magic with food.

"Nice," Jeno hummed, looking forward to it, "I guess we'll have the whole gang together if they respond.

..........

"So hot...." Donghyuck panted as he collapsed down onto the picnic blanket, "This year's weather has been too nice for too long."

"It's supposed to be a nasty winter though," Jisung informed him, helping Renjun set everything up.

Jeno and Jaemin had gotten sidetracked by someone's puppy, and felt the need to coo over it on the huge green in the centre of town. It seemed many people had similar ideas to them.

Mark was going to be about ten or fifteen minutes late, Chenle was stopping by a shop to pick up more sugary crap that the teens definitely shouldn't have been adding to their diets, but all that aside, everyone was able to attend.

"He's so cute," Jaemin rubbed the little golden puppy's ears, "We should get a dog."

"As much as I would love one, I think looking after ourselves is still a mission in itself. Plus, it's your parents and Renjun's that own our apartment," Jeno sighed with a smile, "We shouldn't impose until we have proper jobs of our own to pay for stuff."

"Your sensibility never ceases to amaze me," the blonde chuckled, standing up from his crouched position and watching as the the dog ran back to his family's picnic blanket.

"Someday," the older murmured softly, ruffling the other's hair, "Maybe when you turn twenty, we can get you a pet."

"I'm seventeen!" He huffed, "That's ages away."

"Renjun is eighteen. That's even scarier," he laughed back.

"Alright kids!" A familiar and loud voice sounded from the side. Chenle waltzed towards the group with a smirk, "Today, I temporarily resign from my role as disciplinary committee, and shall feed you people far too much crap!"

Jisung laughed, catching a two litre bottle of full sugar coke from him while the older dropped a whole load of junk food onto the blanket.

"We're older than you," Renjun scoffed, "Who you calling 'kids'?"

"I'm younger," Jisung pointed out, and the oldest arched his brow as if to say 'you and who else?'

Eventually, after a prologued battle about respect and age, the last member to arrive showed his face.

Mark was smiling softly as he held a collection of random ice creams in his arms, unable to sign 'hello' so mouthing it instead.

"Markie!" Renjun waved, "What took you so long?!"

He oldest put the cold treats into the basket and out of the sunlight, sitting down between the Chinese and Jaemin. He then signed, "Speech therapy."

"I didn't know deaf people could undergo speech therapy...." Donghyuck murmured, watching the blonde like a new found artefact.

"Everyone," Renjun spoke up, "This is my best friend Mark." Then he spoke a little more slowly so that the older could read his lips, "Mark, that's Jisung, Chenle and Donghyuck." His finger jabbed in the direction of each.

"Nice.....to....meet.....you," Mark tried, taking a page from Jeno's book and just giving it a go. He then glanced at the younger, Jeno giving him a thumbs up and feeling somewhat proud.

Only Renjun had heard his voice before, other than his parents and therapist of course. But if he was to get more involved in his best friend's new life, speaking was going to have to become a necessity.

"He's been getting help for about...." Renjun thought, "Two years now? I'm glad he agreed to it."

"Then people won't even realise you can't hear them," Jisung tilted his head, "That's crazy."

Mark continued to smile softly, trying to pay attention to everyone as they spoke, focusing solely on their mouths in order to follow the conversation. Unfortunately, when people were speaking over each other or out of turn, he couldn't see that, and missed a lot of jokes.

Jaemin felt pity on him though, having been pushed out of many conversations when people were under the misinterpretation that 'if he can't talk back, he can't listen either'. It was a lonely world indeed.

"Sit over in front of me," the younger blonde suggested to the oldest. "That way I can sign to you."

"Jaem, you aren't being mean, are you?" Jeno asked subconsciously, still technically listening to one of Chenle's stories.

"Why would he think you are mean?" Mark chuckled, "You're really friendly."

A pang of guilt slapped Jaemin hard, realising Mark hadn't once caught onto the fact that when he visited a few days prior, Jaemin was being rude. Clearly his taunts and low key insults went straight over his head.

It was just the kind of nice person he was.

"I'm a bit of a bitch sometimes," the younger admitted, chewing his lower lip and starting to smile. "But I reckon a friend of Renjun's is a friend of mine."

"Of course!"

The conversations continued to fly around, ranging from funny, to serious, to cute and to cringey. It was all about bonding at this point, and no one felt left out at all.

As Jeno sat back and leaned on his palms, he watched each individual closely. Each friend. They had all been there all along, and he hadn't even realised it.

Jisung and Chenle, as weird as they could be, had always made an effort to involve him, even when he was an asshole to them. He should've tried harder to understand their intentions.

Jaemin was cheeky, but in the cutest way. It was really him who had pulled the brunette from his dark state, forcing him into the world he had rejected.

Of course Renjun was pushy. Feeding him when he had nothing to eat, helping him behind his back. Jeno was so damn greatful for him....for them. Without his boys, what would he have become?

Hell, he would've died by now, and not a soul would've cried over it.

Donghyuck and Mark had been welcoming from the minute they had met him, and the teen could understand why Renjun stood by them. So it was his turn to make an impact and socialise.

So yes, as he relaxed on the blanket, admiring his new family and friends, he was proud of himself.

Genuinely loving Jaemin and Renjun from the bottom of his heart managed to crack the rest of the ice, and left room for the others to join in.

Jaemin turned to him, that adorable smile of his being contagious. "Renjun thinks we should get a dog too," he laughed, poking Jeno's chest.

The older beamed, pinching his cheek.

"There's loads of time for that."

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The End

Hey everyone, I'm glad you've made it to the end of this sort of long story. I really enjoyed writing it, and some of you commenters really made my time even better.

Thanks again!
-lily