Jaemin is on the sofa when Renjun makes it back to the student dorm.

The boy seems fine, sprawled across the sofa with a bag of popcorn on his lap and his phone mere inches from his face, a flurry of songs and voices stuttering from the device as he swipes through TikTok, never settling on a single video. But when he looks up at Renjun, he watches the elder carefully. He holds his breath, doesn't utter a word, waiting for the Chinese to bring up the topic he keeps avoiding.

"Hi," Renjun says simply, dumping his bag on the kitchen table. He tuts at the disarray of dirty bowls but returns to the living room without dealing with them. "Budge up." When he pats Jaemin's legs, the younger gives him space to sit.

"Hi?" Jaemin frowns, a brief but telling expression, and Renjun masks his own concerns about Mark to focus on his friend. "How are you? I haven't seen you around much these days."

"I wonder why that is." Jaemin winces at Renjun's stiff remark.

Renjun didn't have any ill intent. The comment slipped out, nudged by his own erratic thoughts, so he brings a hand to rest on Jaemin's thigh as a silent truce. A promise, perhaps. He doesn't know. The fabric of the younger's sweatpants is warm and soft, yet nothing like Mark. The buzz in his heart stems from relief and comfort more than it does romance. It feels mundane, sweet but mundane; a mere connection between friends. He wonders if it was always like that, or if his previous feelings for Jaemin really have faded, overshadowed by those for Mark.

"Sorry," Jaemin mumbles, gaze cast down. His phone buzzes. Donghyuck has sent a string of hearts.

Renjun watches the conflict in Jaemin's eyes and draws his hand back to rest on his own lap. "You going to reply?" He asks when the boy still hasn't moved.

"Oh... yeah..." Jaemin types a response. The corners of his lips flutter into the faintest of smiles, but it's there and Renjun nearly smiles too. Another message lands, and Jaemin's smile grows. He ducks his head to try to hide it.

"I take it you spoke to Donghyuck, then," Renjun starts, easing them into the conversation. He remembers Mark's advice to make it casual, to not force anything, but then he remembers the sudden tears and fiddles with his soulmate necklace. The smooth glass is as cold as a lump of discarded metal.

"Yeah. We spoke," Jaemin confirms.

"So... how did it go?" Renjun asks. Jaemin's smile brightens, and he looks up, not hiding it anymore.

"It went well, actually."

"That's great!" Renjun blinks in surprise when the news fills him with happiness instead of jealousy. "I'm so proud of you, Min."

Jaemin laughs, then is cut short by tears welling in his eyes, so Renjun dives forward and tackles him into a hug that has them both laughing again, squished together on the sofa that isn't big enough, legs tangled and trying to find a comfortable position without sliding to the floor.

"He was angry at himself," Jaemin begins. He keeps his voice low, and the tears scratch his throat until the words are jagged, but when he buries his face in Renjun's shoulder they soften once more, small as much as the emotions are big. "He shouted, but never at me. He was so upset and I felt so, so guilty. We went on a walk," he wipes his eyes with his sleeve and runs a hand through his hair, shifting to lean his back on the arm of the sofa. "Yeah. We went on a walk and I told him, Jun. I told him about how I felt suffocated and like I wasn't enough and was afraid of losing him."

There's a beat of silence as Jaemin gathers his thoughts. Renjun's chest tightens seeing his friend with sore eyes and bitten, chapped lips. For the first time in a while, he doesn't want to kiss those lips. The thought doesn't even cross his mind. Instead, he wishes he could hold Mark like this as he softly prompts Jaemin to continue, keen to hear the rest of the story.

"He took it well. He listened to me. He held my hand through it but didn't push anything else. I asked him to respect my boundaries, and he promised. We pinky promised to communicate and not hide anything from each other, to just listen to each other. And we agreed to try to do it without always coming back to you, like you said. I hugged him after, and he burst into tears." That raises Renjun's eyebrows. He doesn't think he could even imagine Donghyuck crying. As emotional as the boy is, it's always a stream of positivity and brightness that tapers away as soon as he isn't feeling himself, blocked by a steel dam. "We cried on the park bench. We must've looked like real idiots."

Jaemin shakes his head, laughing through the tears, and Renjun smiles fondly. He unwraps his arms from around the younger, letting him go.

"I kissed him, Renjun."

Renjun hums, eyes wide in soft understanding. Jaemin looks up, licks his lips as their eyes meet, and he apologises for getting emotional. "It's okay."

"I kissed him out of my own will. It felt... God, it felt so good."

Renjun squeezes Jaemin's hand. Jaemin squeezes back, albeit weakly, and a tiny apology tumbles from his lips.

"Don't be sorry. I'm happy for you." The younger meets Renjun's eyes again. "Really, I am."

"It felt right," Jaemin whispers through a voice crack. "It just felt right. But admitting that feels so wrong."

"It's not wrong. You're soulmates Jaemin. That's a beautiful thing," Renjun says before he can even process the words in his head. He would scoff if anyone said the same to him, yet he keeps going, letting the words solidify and take root in his brain. They're a comfort for himself, too. "You need to go for it. As I said before, you deserve a beautiful relationship and Donghyuck is the one who can provide that for you."

Renjun taps Jaemin's cheek to get him to nod in understanding. "Not me. Not anyone else."

When Jaemin finally nods, it's barely noticeable. But Renjun doesn't push it. He just accepts it and hugs him again. The tears slow down until the younger's shoulders quiver silently and his nails grip the back of the elder's shirt. Renjun tells him it's okay, that he's proud of him and is ready to let him go, and Jaemin nods with more confidence this time. Warmth spreads between them, but it's nothing more than that. In a blink of clarity, Renjun notes it feels the same as it always used to. And that what they had was nothing compared to what Jaemin and Donghyuck have, compared to what he feels around Mark.

That fuels the confidence he needs to let go, releasing the hug with a long inhale that Jaemin mirrors, smiles on both their lips.

"Can I come in?" Donghyuck lingers in the doorway. His hair is ruffled from stress rather than the wind, and his leather jacket doesn't match the softness in his eyes, nor the softness of his voice.

Jaemin looks back at Renjun, who nods and moves to make space for Donghyuck on the sofa.

"Stay," Jaemin says just as Renjun turns to leave the room. "I think... can we all talk? The three of us?"

Renjun seeks Donghyuck's approval. His spine shivers when Donghyuck looks up at him and there's a brief moment of pause, a spark of tension, until Jaemin pulls Renjun back down and he doesn't have a choice.

"I texted to say I was on my way back," Dongyuck starts. His hands dance on his lap, stiff and irritable, as though he longs to grab his soulmate's hands but knows he shouldn't. Renjun watches his dilemma with a spot of pride. Donghyuck really is keeping the promise.

Jaemin picks up his phone. He unlocks it with one hand as his other rubs his eyes. "Sorry. I didn't see the later ones."

"It's alright. I didn't mean it like that. I'm not annoyed with you," Donghyuck clarifies when he notices Jaemin lean away ever so slightly. "Just worried. But I didn't realise you'd been kidnapped." He teases Renjun, who rolls his eyes in response.

There's quiet again while Donghyuck examines the dried tear tracks on Jaemin's cheeks, his own eyes wide enough to cry in solidarity.

"I didn't hurt him," Renjun says after a moment. The couple turns to him, Jaemin laughing and Donghyuck frowning in confusion. "The tears." He makes a vague gesture at Jaemin's face. "They're happy tears, right?"

"Very happy tears," Jaemin repeats. His voice is still prickly, the rips not quite sealed, but it's strong enough to convince Donghyuck, who visibly relaxes, hands still now.

"That's good to know." Donghyuck nods. He keeps his sentences short, like he's not sure what to say or how to act with Renjun in the room. Renjun doesn't think hesitation suits him but keeps quiet.

"I told him to speak to you." Renjun says instead, leaning to see Donghyuck past Jaemin, who is wedged between them and doesn't know who to look at. His body melts towards Donghyuck as the minutes pass, until his head finally lands on his shoulder. They do fit together, Renjun realises. The jet black of Jaemin's hair brings out the depth of Donghyuck's eyes, and the curious twitch of Donghyuck's nose reminds him of the cat printed on Jaemin's favourite hoodie.

"Thank you for giving him a push," Donghyuck says.

"I had to tell him more than once, though. But I'm sure you know that expressing his feelings and opinions can be a little difficult for him at times."

"I am here, you know," Jaemin grumbles.

"Yep, we know." Renjun pokes his friend's shoulder. There's still no spark, just the crease in the sleeve of his hoodie.

Donghyuck draws in a breath, then rests his chin on Jaemin's head as his gaze softens, thoughts taking over. When he does speak, it's quiet, reserved and shy but oozing with genuineness.

"I..." He starts, only to pause. Jaemin takes his hand, which makes him smile a little and helps him think about what he wants to say. Renjun's eyes drop to their intertwined fingers. "I went to speak to Renjun, too. I was so worried, Nana."

The nickname surprises Renjun, but he smooths his expression back to neutral, not wanting to put them off.

"I knew I was pushing you away but didn't know how to fix things. I assumed things would be fine after we bonded." Donghyuck throws a guilty glance in Renjun's direction, but Renjun shakes his head to show it's fine. He doesn't mind that it all happened on his birthday. It's not his business.

"I owe you a big thank you, Renjun." Donghyuck looks away, shy. "Jaemin told me a bit about your relationship together, and it seems you were so good to him. You still are, in fact. Always looking out for him and stuff."

"I'm still here, guys," Jaemin mutters, but a smile graces his lips now, tone teasing.

"It sounds like you helped him. A lot. I've got big boots to fill."

Renjun picks at his nails and shrugs as though it's nothing, when inside he's blushing with pride, with happiness and relief and joy. Every positive emotion he could possibly list.

"You can totally fill those boots," Renjun replies. "You're a good person. And I may have been kind of awkward around you, but I promise there are no hard feelings between us. I can be tetchy without meaning to hurt people. It doesn't mean I don't like you."

"Yeah," Jaemin agrees. "He's a real softie, even if a little grumpy at times." He squeaks when Renjun prods his ribs, and his startle knocks Donghyuck's chin and he whines, all three swept by a wave of laughter. "Just buy him a new plant or offer to make him his precious tea in the morning. That'll win him over."

"Hey." Renjun warns, but it's through a gasp of laughter. When they calm down and bask in their combined relief of smoothing over the cracks in their relationships, he continues. "But seriously, don't let our past together change things. I've got Mark to be thinking about now."

The joke rubs the wrong way as soon as it leaves his lips, but the other two don't pick up on the discomfort, instead agreeing and promising to just be normal around each other.

"We could go and grab coffee together or something," Donghyuck suggests.

"Renjun doesn't drink coffee," Jaemin stage-whispers. "Unless it's got a ton of froth on the top."

"Oh, well, um... we could..." Donghyuck tries to correct himself, then gives up with a pout when the other two laugh at him.

They move into the kitchen and Renjun directs them through the recipe for his favourite hot pot, since they bought the ingredients on their last big shopping trip together. It's a system they use, not wanting to argue about which loaf of bread belongs to who at seven in the morning, or about whether they've all transferred money if someone offers to cook dinner.

Jaemin and Donghyuck dance around each other, sneaking kisses and holding hands, attached at the hip while Renjun does most of the work himself. But he can't find the capacity to complain. Not when Jaemin is so happy. He's happy, too, and he buzzes when their other dormmates return home one by one after a busy morning.

"Hot pot?" Chenle exclaims in delight as soon as his shoes are discarded by the door and his piano music placed on the shelf in the corner of the living room.

"Of course," Renjun says, tossing the last of the vegetables into the pan.

They may just be a bunch of students still figuring out budgeting and life without parents and love, but Renjun is grateful when they squeeze around the table to eat. It's the first time they've all come together for a while. Their voices sing through the kitchen as they pass the rice and bicker about video games. They complain about assignments, listen to each other's stories, plan a trip into town to frequent the local second-hand shops. When Renjun says he's not sure he can spare the money this month, Chenle offers to cover the cost of anything he wants to buy, expecting nothing in return. When Jisung gets worked up about an upcoming module test, Jeno offers to help him study, even if it's only reading out flashcards with him the night before.

Renjun meets Donghyuck's eyes across the table a few times. Instead of shying away or clashing in a bite of tension, they smile at each other. Renjun doesn't dwell on the suspicious way Donghyuck's hand sneaks under the table in time with Jaemin's, just glad to see them finally navigating each their hearts without straining themselves.

The topic finds its way to Mark thanks to Chenle's curiosity – although sometimes nosiness seems more fitting – and Renjun doesn't mention the events of the morning. He knows his friends wouldn't hesitate to give advice, that they'd all be concerned and try to help, but he can't bring himself to focus on the issues with his own soulmate so soon after finally solving everything else.

"Mark is so cute."

The others all coo and cheer, Chenle punching Renjun's shoulder when he laughs out loud, and Renjun just accepts the teasing.

"You're definitely in love. I might have had my doubts before, but now? Nope, you're in love!" Chenle sings.

Renjun doesn't deny it. He just smiles, even though there's a nagging at the back of his head that tells him to leave the table and check up on Mark.

𓆩♡𓆪

So... the next chapter might be the first bang... kind of... I'll try not to keep you waiting too long *evil laughter* No but seriously things are coming now...