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"I'm so weak." Jaemin holds his head in his hands. He groans, gently smacking his hand against his forehead, muttering "stupid stupid stupid stupid" over again. Jaemin and his "stupid" ass had agreed to meet Jeno just to get the guy off his back. The blonde boy had been begging, asking for "no more than an hour", and telling him that "you don't need to forgive me, I just want you to understand".

Now Jaemin wasn't stupid. He knew it would be horribly unfair to both him and Jeno if he didn't let his ex talk. But agreeing to meet up in a cafe on a beautiful Saturday? Jaemin was not very excited.

"I'm surprised you actually came..." The soft and breathy voice of Jeno snaps Jaemin out of his trance. He takes his hands away from his face and meets his ex's eyes. Even after all this time, Jeno's beauty was still able to take his breath away. "But that doesn't really matter all that much." Jeno cautiously sits in front of Jaemin, who just blinked at him silently. "Ba–" he pauses, shaking his head. He wasn't allowed to call Jaemin his baby anymore, he needs to remember that. "Jaemin..."

Coming back to reality, Jaemin blinks a few times. "Yes?"

"Thank you." Jeno smiles. "Thank you for at least letting me explain. This might not mean much to you, but it means a whole lot to me. So thank you."

Jaemin hums, fiddling with his fingers. "I'm not that crazy, plus our situation is different compared to whatever they show in the movies. But you're welcome, I suppose." His voice was soft, afraid that if he spoke any louder, it would crack and he'd start crying.

"I'm sorry." Jeno adjusts himself to fully face his ex, his bright eyes now serious. "I really am. I never wanted to hurt you, I really didn't. But I thought, that maybe..." He sighs and Jaemin looks at him. He knew the talk would be difficult but Jeno already looked like crying. Jaemin wanted to comfort him, tell him it was ok, that things would get better. But he didn't. He couldn't.

"I thought that maybe if I ended things now, then you would be hurting less in the future. Then that you weren't being held down by me–"

"I wanted to be held down." Jaemin's feelings finally erupt, coming out in a hurry. "I wanted to be told to wait for you, to not look for someone else...I mean I didn't anyway but still. Hell, I even talked to my sister about you. I asked about you from Sooyun noona, I called a few times even, in a dying hope that you would pick up. Nothing worked, clearly."

"I know. Noona told me. She told me how you were, and how I hurt you almost beyond repair. I hated hearing it, knowing I was the reason for your suffering. I told noona to text you once a week, just to check-in. I tried my best to still be there for you, even when I was far away..." Jeno sighs, his eyes now on the table, lips trembling. "I never want to hurt you like that again. I really don't...It was never my intention to cause you so much pain."

"I know Jeno...I know."

"I really, truly, horribly am sorry Nana." Neither of them noticed that the nickname slipped out, not like it mattered much anyway. "I understand if you don't forgive me..."

"I know Jeno."

"But now at least you've let me talk, and I guess that's enough–"

Jaemin's eyes sharply look to Jeno, his gaze holding an emotion that the older boy couldn't decipher. "So you are giving up?"

"H-huh?"

"You said this was enough. So are you giving up?" Jaemin's cold voice rang through Jeno's head, giving him a moment to think about his next words.

"I don't want to, but–"

"Then don't." Jaemin had no idea what he was doing, nor why he was doing it now. But he had let his emotions get the better of him. He was weak. Weak when it came to Lee Jeno. Weak when it came to the boy he met on the club rooftop. So weak. "What's stopping you now? If you don't want to give up, then don't. Fight for me Jeno. Fight for me. You have 7 months to make up Lee Jeno. You have to prove yourself again after losing those 7 months."

"Huh-?" It was still taking Jeno a moment to fully understand the situation.

Jaemin's gaze softened. "Jeno..." He stands.

Still in a bit of a daze, Jeno nods slowly. "Hm?"

"I need you...to fight for me Lee Jeno. I need to know that this will all be worth it. So fight, and don't ever give up." With that final sentence, Jaemin leaves the cafè tired. He still had plenty of work to do plus he agreed to have a "girl's night" with Donghyuk. He still didn't understand his friend, but he wasn't complaining. Plus, he could finally tell Donghyuk about all that happened today. He was emotionally drained and knew that as soon as he reached the apartment, he would start crying right then and there.

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Jeno watches Jaemin's retreating figure in excitement. Jaemin was giving him a chance– no, Jaemin was forcing him to try again. He was being let back in, and this time, Jeno really wasn't gonna leave. He broke that promise once, but he wasn't gonna break it again.

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∆hi, sorry this update is kinda late in the evening but it's here now! Thanks for reading, I love you∆