as discretely as he could, jaemin pushed open the door of jeno and renjun's shared bedroom late at night to slip inside the dark room. staying in his rabbit form not to attract attention on him, the hybrid hopped on the cabinet that was placed facing renjun and jeno's bed, hoping to catch a nice view of the two boyfriends from there.

and he did have a nice view of their bed and them from where he was. but unfortunately, this view didn't put a smile on his face as much as it used to when he observed them after being adopted.

tonight, the room was not a mess of entangled limbs and synchronised snores with a faint smell of sex and love lingering in the air. no, certainly not.

tonight, jaemin could clearly distinguish two bodies under the covers, each of them lying on an end of the bed and pulling on the covers to get a compensation of the warmth they both lost by not hugging to sleep. and if only it was just that... but no. the boys slept with their backs facing each other, both snoring loudly in a complete disharmony; as if each of them were living their own life independently from the other.

the hybrid sighed sadly at the sight in front of him.

he recalled those days when nothing else mattered to jeno and renjun but each other.

he recalled those days when they were so in love with each other than he envied them.

and now that he was finally starting to matter to someone, everything around crumbled.

in fact, jaemin didn't need to think too hard to realise that everything had started going downhill between the two humans he had developed feelings for when he appeared into their lives in his human form.

since jeno had discovered about nana's real identity, he had started hiding things from renjun, such as the fact the rabbit he hated was actually a human that he hung out with more often.

and then, when jeno and jaemin had come up with the plan to make renjun like nana more, renjun had also started to hide things from jeno, as for the fact he was seeing jaemin more, and slowly falling for him.

so, yeah. jaemin was the cause of this big mess.

and this could mean only one thing: he couldn't be selfish anymore, and he had to do something to arrange things between the two lovers who seemed more like strangers these past days.

but what could he do...?

⊗

"i think i did something bad..." the hybrid muttered with his head hanging low, his rabbit ears dangling by the sides of his head.

"what makes you think that way?"

"lots of things..." jaemin sighed, leaning against yuta who was seated right next to him.

it had been a few days since jaemin had come to the realisation that he was the start of this whole mess. a few days of overthinking and blaming during which he tried to find something to do or to say so that the two boys he had developed feelings for stopped ignoring each other. but of course, he had no idea what to do... and this had led to this urgent meeting with his friends during which he decided he would bring the real truth to the light and take in his friends' opinions about all of this.

"i am guessing this is about jeno." taeyong stated, remembering the conversation him and the two other humans had had with jeno before he left without jaemin. and he also could clearly remember the devastated look on jaemin's face when he had realised that the human had left without a warning.

"and renjun too." jaemin nodded slowly.

"what happened with jeno and renjun?" mark asked, tilting his head to the side in curiousness. "are they mean to you?"

"no, it's... complicated..." the bunny hybrid sighed.

"you can tell us if you'd like, jaem." donghyuck spoke, placing a comforting hand over jaemin's shoulder. "we'll all try our best to help you with whatever is bothering you, i promise."

the bunny hybrid swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat, taking a deep breath and thinking carefully about how he could explain this whole situation.

"don't be scared, min." doyoung said with a bright smile, seeing that his hybrid friend was overthinking once again, as if he was scared of telling them. "we won't judge you. we are just trying to help."

and these were the comforting words needed for jaemin to start his monologue about how everything had started and how their situation had slowly worsened to get where they were now.

he explained it all with as much details as possible.

how the auction unrolled and how renjun and jeno adopted him.

how jeno started caring for him immediately and treating him like the most precious thing in this world.

how renjun had been very jealous of jeno's relationship with him in his rabbit form.

how jeno and renjun had fought for the first time when he was there.

how jeno had discovered about his identity.

how he had kept jaemin's identity under silence in front of renjun who still wasn't fond of the rabbit.

how they came up with a plan to make renjun like the rabbit more.

how jaemin met renjun for the first time at the hospital after his accident – speaking of which the hybrid had been able to take off the cast over his nose days before, and it hurt him considerably less now, even though he still had small scars of his operation.

how renjun and him had started meeting more.

how both renjun and jeno lied to each other.

how jeno started being more protective and attentive towards him.

how renjun did too on his side.

how renjun was starting to realise he was falling for jaemin.

how he planned on making jeno breakup with him.

how jeno started acting weird as well after he met jaemin's friends.

and of course, how he had developed feelings for both of them and tried to arrange things between them, but only ended up worsening everything.

he explained it all, and the more he spoke, the more he realised how awful he had been.

"a-and... yeah... i-i... i don't know what to do n-now... s-so... i'd like to hear your thoughts..." the bunny hybrid finished, not daring to look at his six friends.

and he somehow did well, because the six of them had their mouths agape and their eyes wide, all wondering what had happened in jaemin's head to keep doing nothing when the situation was so fucking messy.

also, the three humans – who had jeno's side of the story and the exact explanation why he had started acting weird – were even more aware that this was all a big misunderstanding.

"i-i... h-huh..." mark stuttered, blinking a few times as he tried desperately to search for the accurate words to voice out his thoughts.

"i did something bad... didn't i?" jaemin asked, biting harshly onto his bottom lip in hope not to let his tears fall. but with each second passing, the feelings were becoming more and more overwhelming, and not crying was becoming almost impossible.

"i-i wouldn't say it's bad..." sicheng spoke, looking up at his boyfriend and friends, trying to make them speak.

"...more like terrible." taeyong said barely above a whisper, earning a slap on the shoulder from donghyuck who was by his side.

"...yeah, it's... messy and complicated." donghyuck continued sicheng's sentence. "but this doesn't mean it cannot be solved, huh?" he added, glaring at the two other humans.

"yeah, exactly." sicheng nodded, trying his best to show jaemin a comforting smile.

the hybrid was a bit reassured by his friends' words, making a hint of hope spark within his body and allowing him to smile a bit.

"i'll do anything if it means they are back happy together." jaemin assured.

"but what about you?" doyoung asked.

"i-i... seeing them hurt pains me so much." the hybrid explained truthfully. "i want to see them happy together again, and i have no idea how to do that. this is why i really need your help."

"jaemin... it's hard for us to do that when we're not involved in it..." donghyuck explained.

"i am involved, and i've tried doing something, but nothing worked. but i trust you, and i know that you'll try your best to find the best solution for me." jaemin spoke, looking successfully at his friends whom he loved dearly. "w-won't you?" he added, a bit more unsure.

"no, of course, we will!" mark assured, as him yuta and doyoung nodded their heads energetically.

"but..." taeyong started, catching jaemin's attention. "...what if this solution implies that you get hurt..."

"hurt?!" yuta gasped. "but we'll find a solution in which jaemin won't get hurt!"

"one of them will end up hurt anyway, pup." sicheng explained, patting his hybrid boyfriend's head. "but the real question is, would you accept being hurt if it means that everything goes back to normal, with jeno and renjun being the loving couple they were in the beginning..."

all eyes turned to jaemin, the six friends waiting for the answer to this painful question.

would he be ready to be hurt for the sake of jeno and renjun's happiness.

jaemin stayed silent for a few seconds, processing the words that had just been spoken, and questioning himself if it was worth it or not.

but who was he kidding? he knew the answer to this question very well. he had come to the conclusion that this would end up happening any way, and so, he had taken his decision already.

he had been selfish for long enough; and now that his selfishness compromised jeno and renjun's wellbeing, it was time for karma to punish him for being too greedy with their love. and this necessarily meant that it was his time to get hurt for the sake of their love and happiness.

"i don't mind getting hurt." jaemin assured, his voice not trembling at all, surprising the six other boys. "as long as jeno and renjun are happy together, i'll be happy. nothing else matters but them."

the three humans and their hybrid boyfriends were shocked once again by jaemin's words, definitely not expecting such an assured answer, and even less an answer which compromised jaemin's well-being.

but as much as they were shocked, they knew that there was no way jaemin won't end up hurt, and that the solution that had come to their mind, although it would sadden jaemin considerably for a while, was the best solution that he would have, because this messy situation wasn't liveable anymore.

"s-so... can you think of a solution...?" jaemin asked again, looking at his six friends with a begging look. it was no secret that jaemin was desperate to find a solution to this whole mess, hoping to arrange things the quickest possible.

"i..." taeyong started, glancing at all of his friends – and his boyfriend – to get their approval to voice out the solution that had come to his mind. the five other male all nodded, silently allowing him to go on with his idea.

"i believe the best thing for you to do is to tell renjun that you should stop seeing each other, first because he has a boyfriend, and then because you won't reciprocate his feelings..." taeyong told, looking at jaemin from time to time to measure the harshness of his words and make sure he wasn't hurting him too much.

jaemin held himself from crying as his heart broke inside his chest. the boy bit onto his lips to refrain himself from crying and appear weak.

"a-a-and f-for j-jeno...?" he asked in a trembling voice.

taeyong sighed, knowing how painful this was for jaemin. but it was the best solution, they all knew it, and he believed that jaemin knew that too, otherwise he wouldn't be there, telling them the whole story in the smallest details and waiting for their opinion.

"and i think you should tell jeno that you're moving away and that you won't be able to see each other ever again."

wow, this was all so hard to hear and process.

but jaemin was aware that, at that point, this was his only solution to make things better between the two lovers. and his frieds knew him so well... they would know what was best for him, he trusted them with his whole life... in the end, as he had been repeating to himself for the past days, as long as jeno and renjun were happy together, nothing else mattered.

so, he would take his friends' solution.

⊗

"why the hell is he still with me with how much of an asshole i am to him?!" renjun growled to himself, tugging on his hair in despair.

it had been weeks since renjun had distanced himself from jeno in hope of having the younger male losing his feelings for him and breaking up with him. weeks of ignoring jeno the best he could, acting cold to him, coming home late and leaving early. weeks of acting like a stranger to someone he loved dearly and was closer to than anyone else.

and yet, jeno was still his boyfriend.

renjun's plans didn't go as they were planned at all.

he expected jeno to break up after a week, maybe confront renjun a few times to give him the opportunity to be even worse with his boyfriend.

but none of that had happened. in fact, it seemed like after a week, jeno had started distancing himself from renjun too. and so, both of them acted like complete strangers as if it was normal, but at the same time, lived in the same house and shared the same bed.

at first, renjun had hoped this breakup would come early, so that he didn't have the time to get hurt too much by the situation. but now, it seemed like he had tangled himself in an endless mess which hurt him more with each day passing.

of course, renjun still had feelings for. more than ever. oh, how he wished to pull the fragile boy in his arms and pamper him in kisses, whispering sweet nothings in his ear while letting his fingers trace over his perfectly muscular body. there was nothing he wanted more. but he couldn't do that. not when he was starting to feel the same things with someone else.

and so, there was only one thing to do now; make sure that jeno would break up with him. renjun was painfully aware of that. and if this meant that he would need to act twice more bitchy and awful than he did now, then he would need to do it... as much as it pained him – he deserved it, anyway.

the chinese male took a deep breath, looking at his surroundings to find something he could blame jeno for. he knew that this was the ultimate bitch move, but hopefully, this will help jeno breaking up with him. jeno wasn't very confident, and he couldn't protect himself that well. it was one of his weaknesses, and was there a better option to make jeno break up with him than pick him on his weak side when he was supposed to be very aware of that and to help him get more confident with that?

"lee jeno?!" renjun screamed, his voice trembling and his heart clenching in his chest. "come to the living room, now!!"

a few seconds later, jeno walked inside the living room, looking at his boyfriend – could they still call each other that? – and raising a brow.

"you called me?" he asked curiously.

"hell, yeah. i called you." renjun snapped, his tone harsh. "how many times did i tell you to switch the fucking lights off whenever you're not in the room, huh?"

"h-huh..." jeno stuttered, glancing up at the ceiling lamp which was on. oh, yeah, he may have intentionally forgotten to switch it off in order to piss renjun off and maybe make him break up. "i forgot, yeah..."

renjun scoffed. "you forgot..." he rolled his eyes. "of course, you did! you're not paying the electricity bills, so how could you understand that keeping the lights on all day costs money?!"

jeno's eyes widened slightly at this sudden attack. renjun often was pissed when jeno forgot to switch the lights off, but he had never been this harsh.

"i-i know that- "

"no, you don't." renjun cut jeno's words. "you don't have a job, you don't work, you don't earn money, and you definitely don't get money withdrawn from your account each month for the electricity you use!"

jeno was somehow at loss of words. he didn't understand what was happening. renjun was almost attacking him, reproaching things that jeo didn't have any power on.

"i-i..." he blinked in confusion. "i-i'm still studying..."

"yeah, you better be studying well." renjun continued. "this way you'll find a nice job and earn lots of money. and then you'll be able to repay me all of the money you made me loose because of your bullshit."

jeno's mouth opened on its own at these words, every ounce of self-confidence he had gathered the past months thanks to nana crumbling because of renjun's words. what the hell was happening? why was renjun behaving like that?

could it be that renjun was starting to get fed up of jeno who was distancing himself and that he was trying to find a justification to break up with him? if it was the case, jeno would be glad his plan worked, but at the same time, he had expected his boyfriend to do it in a gentler way. he knew how bad jeno's self-confidence was for fuck's sake.

"r-repay...?" jeno let out, getting mixed feelings about this conversation. he knew that this would be his chance to have renjun break up with him, but at the same time, did he really want that? renjun had done so much for him, he had helped him feeling more confident and powerful. was he ready to live without this boy that had become a pilar of his life?

he wasn't sure, but he knew he would have to. because he couldn't do as if nothing had happened, as if he hadn't developed feelings for another man while being with renjun... it would hurt, but he deserved it.

"y-yes!" renjun exclaimed, the words leaving his mouth with more and more difficulty. "can you imagine how expensive you cost?!"

and there, jeno seized the golden opportunity for his plan.

"h-how expensive..." he stuttered out. "i-if i'm s-such a horrible boyfriend, w-why don't you break up with me?!"

and here was the bomb dropped. he had finally done it. he had managed to voice it out.

now renjun only had to say it, and it would be done, his plan would be complete.

but on the other side of the room, renjun stood there, his eyes wide because of jeno's words.

jeno had just suggested that renjun broke up with him. but this wasn't what was supposed to happen. it was supposed to be the other way around. jeno breaking up with renjun. not renjun breaking up with jeno.

"why would i be the one to break up?" renjun asked, trying to keep his voice as steady as possible when he was in reality a complete wreck at the thought of breaking up with his boyfriend whom he loved more than anything else. "just break up with me if you don't like this situation!"

"y-you're criticising me and claiming that i'm too expensive to you, and i should be the one to break up?" jeno continued, his voice getting louder and his tone harsher, as if to match renjun's. "i-i'm very happy taking advantage of your money. just break up if you don't like that!"

"well, you should break up yourself, because..."

the two of them were too caught up in their endless argument that they didn't notice how this had turn in each of them listing the other's flaws and attacking each other on them to give more reasons to break up. anyone would have noticed how fake this all sounded but both jeno and renjun were too engrossed in accomplishing their plans that they were not aware of how farfetched it all looked.

and not only they didn't realise how stupid they looked, but they didn't notice the rabbit hopping towards them with his eyes wide and transforming in his human form the second he realised what was happening.

"no, stop fighting!"