∆∆ ∆∆

"Yah! Zhong Chenle!" Jaemin exits the bakery kitchen fuming at his younger friend. Sicheng turns from the cash register, eyes wide. Chenle was the only customer since it was later in the evening.

The young Chinese boy looks to Jaemin in fear. "Hyung! It's so good to see you!"

"Don't bullshit me Chenle." Jaemin stomps over to his friend. "Why would you put your food on my wallet!?" Of course, Jaemin wasn't being literal. There was not physically a piece of chocolate cake on his black wallet. What he really meant was why Chenle put the price for the cake for Jaemin to pay for.

Chenle laughs nervously. "Oh come on hyung, I don't have any-"

"Zhong Chenle, you practically own China. Do not tell me that you don't have any money. You could buy my school if you wanted to. So look me in the eye and tell you don't have any money." Jaemin says, sitting across from his friend. After a moment of silence, Jaemin nods. "See? Now you owe me 6 bucks."

Chenle sighs. "But hyung~~"

"Uh uh." Jaemin wags his finger. "Gimme." He stretches his hand out expectantly.

"R-right now?"

"Yes."

"But I don't have any-"

"Zhong Chenle. I can see your wallet outline in your pant pocket." Jaemin points to the square-shaped bump in Chenle's left pocket.

"Oh, would you look at the time. Gotta blast hyung!" Chenle jumps from his seat and rushes out of the bakery. Jaemin groans loudly before calling Mark.

"Mark."

"Jaemin." The older boy mocks through the call.

Jaemin sighs. "You and I are storming Chenle's house."

"Why?"

"He owes me money."

"Right, sounds fair."

Jaemin gives a goodbye and hangs up. He hurries to the back, hangs up his smock and rushes out of the employee's door with his backpack. He hops on his bike and pedals out towards the richer part of town.

Taeil walks into the main part of the bakery, eyebrow raised. "What was all the ruckus about Sicheng?"

"I'm...not sure..."

∆∆

Jaemin skids to a stop in Chenle's cousin's driveway. The Chinese boy had recently moved out of Mark's house when he found his cousin had moved to Korea. This means Chenle now not only goes to the private school but also lives in the richer part of town as well.

Mark pulls up beside Jaemin, raising a brow. "Well?"

"I need my 6 bucks." Jaemin walks up the steps to the front door, knocking loudly.

"What!? Only 6 bucks!? Dude, you dragged me all the way out here for six fucking dollars-"

"Get in here Mork." Jaemin drags his friend into the house by his collar. The two boys greet Chenle's cousin, Yukhei, who tells them that Chenle was in the basement. Jaemin nods and continues to drag Mark to the top of the basement stairs. "Zhong Chenle."

"I'm sorry, but Zhong Chenle isn't available right now!" Was all he got in return.

"Give me my fuckin money or I'm making Mark go down there."

"And I'm not happy about being dragged here for six bucks, so give Jaemin his goddamn money pipsqueak."

"Fuck. Ok fine come down here!"

Jaemin sighs in relief and he and Mark make their way down the stairs. They find Chenle playing video games, his wallet next to him.

Chenle pauses his game and gestures to his wallet. "Take what you must hyung."

As Jaemin takes his much-needed money, Mark plops down next to Chenle on the couch. "Whatcha playing?"

"Halo, wanna join?" The young boy tosses the Canadian a controller. Mark catches it with ease. Chenle then tosses another controller to Jaemin. The boy sighs and takes it before sitting and joining the game.

∆∆

Jeno raises an eyebrow as he looks out the window. He wasn't fully sure, but to him, it looked like Jaemin and some other kid were biking into Wong Yukhei's driveway.

"No way, that couldn't be Jaemin. He doesn't live around here at all."

"Who are you talking to?" Jaehyun asks, coming up behind his little brother.

"No one." Jeno murmurs. He lets the curtain fall and turns to his brother.

"Right..." Jaehyun eyes him. "Well, dinner is ready."

"Ok. Coming." Jeno turns away from the window and follows his brother into the dining room where his other brother (Doyoung) and his sister (Sooyun) sit. His parents were nowhere to be seen. He sighs and sits with his older siblings.

∆∆

"I'm beginning to think you're stalking me Jeno." Jaemin deadpans as he walks down the chip aisle in a random convenience store.

"I swear I'm not."

Jaemin chuckles softly. "I know, I'm just joking with you." He puts a finger on his chin in thought. "What kind of chips should I get?"

"I don't know."

"Gee thanks for the input."

Jeno rolls his eyes. "I usually just eat whichever kind Renjun gets."

Jaemin hums in response before grabbing a bag of Doritos. "Right well, I think these will be fine." He walks to the front of the store and waits for the cashier to swipe the chips.

"So what brings you out here Lee Jeno?" Jaemin asks now that they were outside of the store.

"Just taking a walk."

"At midnight?"

"You have no room to talk, Na Jaemin." The older boy retaliates.

Jaemin hums. He tilts his chips towards Jeno, silently offering one.

"Oh, thanks. By the way Jaemin.."

"Hm?" They turn a random corner, walking into the heart of the city.

"Were you at Wong Yukhei's house the other day?"

"Was I?"

Jeno rolls his eyes. This kid was seriously sarcastic. "That's what I'm asking dumbass-"

Jaemin's laughing stops Jeno mid-sentence. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Yeah, I was, Chenle owed me money."

"Who?"

"Yukhei hyung's cousin. The little guy that sounds like a dolphin when he laughs."

"Ah.." Jeno nods, recalling a memory of this Chenle boy laughing as he ran down the street. "Why did he owe you money?"

"The little rat told Sicheng, the cashier, that I would pay for his cake while I was working." Jaemin furrows his brows at the memory. Jeno tilts his head in confusion.

"Are you friends?"

"Me and Chenle?"

"Yeah."

"Mhm, we are. The kid wouldn't survive without me and Mark."

"I see..."

"What?" Jaemin laughs. "Surprised that I have friends?"

"No, just...ah nevermind." Jeno waves his hand dismissively.

"K then." The two boys walk in silence a bit more, the bag of chips slowly growing empty. They soon find themselves at a park, the moonlight illuminating the swing set.

Jaemin's eyes sparkle as he sees his favorite playground from when he was a kid. "Oh my god, I haven't been here in years!" He shouts, running towards the swings. Jeno, slightly taken aback from the change of character, speed walks after the boy.

"This was my favorite place as a kid! My mom would take me here every Tuesday and Friday after school." Jaemin says, his smile wide as he jumps onto one of the swings. "C'mon Jeno, get on a swing."

"I didn't know this place existed."

"Didn't you ever come here as a kid?"

Jeno shakes his head in a negative answer. "No, my parents didn't like me or my siblings going out. They kept us in our rooms all the time."

"That's not much of a childhood."

"I suppose not."

Jaemin begins to pump his legs back and forth, slowly getting higher and higher on his swing. Jeno soon follows suit. Eventually, both boys were swinging high, Jaemin's smile was showing his pearly white teeth. He hadn't felt this free in a good while.

Jeno slows until his swing is still. He looks next to him, eyes following the boy that continued to swing back and forth. In the short time that Jeno had known Jaemin, the older had figured Jaemin to be a very mature and serious person. Someone who grew up too fast. Never had Jeno seen the boy's smile reach his eyes. Never had Jeno heard a genuine and loud laugh escape Jaemin's lips. So to see Jaemin now, with a large smile and an angelic laugh, was certainly something new for Jeno. But, he enjoyed it, Jaemin seemed like the kind of person who needed a good smile in his life. Like someone who needed some happiness in his life.

Jaemin stops swinging and turns to look at the boy next to him. "Jeno?"

"Can I have your number?"

"What?"

∆∆ ∆∆

∆Hey guys, here's another chapter,, I hope you like it. Thank you so much for getting this book to over 150 reads, that's fuckin crazy like oh my god ekfwekbfkrfb love that. Lmao anyways, see you soon∆