ericâs been trying not to think about it. that day at jenoâs when they figured it out had been one of the scariest days in ericâs life, and heâd been pretty on edge since. heâd been trying not to show it though, putting on a happy, bright, unbothered exterior so that know one knew he was constantly terrified of this situation going south. heâs scared that jeno blames him for ruining his perception of his family, and probably eventually the reality of his family, since eric assumes itâll eventually come out and heâll have been the catalyst to his family falling apart.
but, heâs got to pretend everything is okay for his own mental stability right now - he canât let his worries take over, especially not this weekend when heâs got so many people to spend time with. two of those people being jeno and a long-time friend of his, siyeon. eric has heard a lot about her, and knows she means a great deal to jeno. so, he has to make a good impression.Â
only problem is heâd just fallen in the river with chaewon and had literally only minutes ago waded out and parted ways with her, sending her off with his soaked plaid shirt to cover her white dress. heâd left her with other friends, knowing he needed to get to this picnic with jeno and siyeon, even if he was soaked and shivering. luckily itâs sunny, so heâs rapidly drying off as he walks across the grass, heading for the couple he can see on a picnic blanket not far away. âjeno!â he calls out as he gets close enough, finally stopped beside the blanket and giving a slightly embarrassed smile. âuh⌠sorry about⌠this,â he gestures at his soaked self. âi fell in the river.â
honestly, thereâs a million ways her mind conjured up that this could go, but this was never one of them. really, could anyone have expected this? at the very least, itâs an interesting story to tell in the future of their first meeting, but in the heat of the moment, sheâs not thinking of that. sheâs too busy tripping over her own feet so stand up and tug him closer to their picnic blanket.Â
âoh my god, you must be freezing, come here. itâs a good thing I was embarrassingly over-prepared.â ( thereâs no shame in bringing an extra blanket to a picnic, right? or enough food to feed them four times over? or packing three different types of drink in case he didnât like the first two options? right? ) sheâs tugging the blanket from her spare bag in seconds, unfolding it and frowning at the fact that, unlike a towel which would have been so much better to pack had she ( by some miracle ) predicted this, it probably wonât be too absorbent. that being said, the summer sun is still beating down so hopefully it wonât be too long until he dries off naturally, anyway â enough to enjoy the rest of the day, at least. unless youâre having a romantic kiss under the rain, being soaked to the bone isnât really a happy or comfortable experience. hurriedly, she wraps it around his shoulders to keep him warm.Â
what she should be asking is how this happened, or why, but it doesnât really seem important. her curiosity can get the better of her later when sheâs stopped worrying that heâs going to catch a cold or worse. âjenâŚâ she starts quietly, turning back to her best friend with soft eyes â the kind of gaze only he and her grandma typically get, one thatâs full of concern and fondness. it doesnât last long, though, because rather than make things too serious, she cops out into her usual playful snark. âI hate to say it, but looking at you right now,â she turns to eric, âand what I know about you,â then jeno, âyouâre definitely related.âÂ
jeno is speechless as soon as eric arrives, staring at him with wide eyes and not sure what to do about it. that could have a lot to do with the fact that he isnât sure what to do about most tricky situations these days. decision-making isnât effortless for him because he feels like the wheels in his brain are trying to turn but somethingâs jamming them. fortunately, siyeon springs into action and pulls out a blanket to wrap around him. it all feels so weird and silly, but he isnât entirely sure what he expected. nothing involving him seemed to be conventional, and even less so when eric is thrown into the mix, too.
he doesnât become aware that he hasnât actually said anything until siyeon quietly begins speaking to him, and he turns to look at her before clearing his throat. just as he accepts that heâs going to have to make some sort of attempt, siyeon is playfully commenting on the situation which leaves jeno with a small, albeit somewhat forced, smile. âyeah...â he wants to kick himself for not saying more. he wants to, he just canât figure out what. âso... i guess i donât need to do the whole introduction thing since you both know a lot about each other already, but iâll humor the situation... siyeon, this is my... my brother, eric... and eric, this is myââ he immediately stops, wondering why he had to go and do this whole title thing. now what was he supposed to say?
ââfriend... siyeon. anyway, iâm hungry, letâs not make this too weird. i wanna know what allâs in this basket.â he pauses, considering the fact that maybe he should ask, âoh, how did you fall in the river, anyway?â