#urbanct

summary: you and chenle go to the same academy.  you’ve never spoken before, but you’ve been interested in him for awhile. despite the troublemaker persona everyone said he carried.

category: fluff !! (with a teeny bit of angst ig??)

word count: 2.9 k

inspired by Lisa’s ( @choerrybot ) urbanct! au !!

this is my first time posting an actual fic !! i’m really nervous but i hope you guys like it. i spent a lot of time writing this, but I’m not quite happy with how it turned out ?? I just hope you guys enjoy it :)

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Unapproachable.

That’s what Zhong Chenle was.

He was the kid that everyone knew, but never personally. Sure he was cute, but he just didn’t fit in with the rest of our posh rich kid academy. When he moved to SM City a year ago everybody wanted to hang out with the new kid- that was until they found out what kind of crowd he hung out with. They called themselves “The Dreamies,” and every time Chenle was in the halls or one of the dreamies walked him to school you could hear the whispers.

“Did you hear one of them got arrested for graffiti?”

“Those boys are bad news. My mom knows Chenle’s parents and they said that Jeno boy slashed their couch and put grease stains all over it. They ended up having to throw it out.”

“Really? I heard that one of them got kicked out of school.”

“The youngest one, Jisung I think that’s what his name is, he’s one of the biggest drug dealers in town.”

I didn’t believe any of them, but they were interesting to listen to sometimes. People had their way of twisting things out of proportion. However there had to have been some truth in all of that. Ever since Chenle starting hanging out more with these kids there was something... different about him. Physically speaking, he started dressing differently. Gone was the preppy rich boy look, having been replaced entirely with a glints of metal on his ears hidden by blonde hair, oversized hoodies, and frayed jeans. Then there was that aura of his. Still shy by nature but, there was this underlying confidence that hadn’t been there before. He seemed happier, almost.

It wasn’t very long ago that Chenle had started to catch my attention. I don’t know what it was about him. He was so different compared to everyone else here, contrasting with the other boys of the academy with his dyed hair and kind smile. I didn’t know him- not one bit, but I wanted to.

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Walking to the academy has always been boring. All of the people who attended this place thought walking to school was beneath them, showing up in their fancy top model cars or flashy limos. Except for one, he was always seen walking with his group of ‘delinquents’ as everyone else called them. They could be heard a mile away with their light-hearted laughter and loud swears. The only laughter that I really heard had to be Chenles’. The way it absolutely oozed happiness and warmth. It was a complete change from how he acted inside the walls of our academy.

For almost a year now I took the same path, and for some time, Chenle and his friends did too. Reaching the school gates I could see the crowds of students hanging around waiting for the first bell of the morning to ring. The closer I walked to the school the louder the voices from the academy got. There was a couple voices in particular that stuck out though.

“Oh my sweet baby angel is going off to school! Have a good day my tiny baby boy!”

“Hyuck, please! You can’t do this every time you drop me off.“

“I can and I will. Now go along and have fun with the snobby rich kids. Me and the other dreamies will be waiting for you when you get out !!”

Turning around I caught sight of a red-headed boy coddling someone to the point of suffocation. Pulling away from who I am assuming to be Hyuck, I was able to see that it was actually Chenle being hugged and babied. It was amusing to see him like this. Everyone thought he was some sort of criminal amongst the rich, but seeing them carelessly teasing one another, I could tell the two were far from trouble makers.

As if sensing a pair of eyes on him Chenle turned towards my direction. He looked at me with curious eyes. Staring at me for what felt like an eternity, and I held his gaze. Until the final bell rung, taking us out of our staring contest.

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The first time I noticed Chenle was a few months ago in our music class. I had been in that class for months, and yet not once did I notice him.

That day our teacher told us to just play around with the instruments in hopes of getting us to explore more. Very soon it became apparent that Chenle didn’t need to though. It began with the gentle strums of a guitar, then the melodious keys of a piano being played, a violin being fiddled with, even a flute- throughout the class I grew more and more interested in the boy who was able to play every instrument in the classroom. Everyone was impressed, but it seemed as though they remembered who he was and just brushed it off. I, however, couldn’t.

After that day I started to notice Chenle everywhere we went. The hallways, our shared classrooms, or even the fancy parties our parents would drag us too. I don’t know what it was that drew me to him. Maybe it was his bright smile, the way he carried himself, or maybe the aura of carefreeness he had whenever he hung out with his group of friends. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I was bewitched in the living mystery that was Zhong Chenle.

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It wouldn’t be until a few weeks later when I would actually interact with Chenle. It was a Saturday night like any other for people within our crowd. Overpriced clothing, smiles- although fake- still quite dazzling, and mingling to make more connections. A dream for my parents, but a complete bore for me. Hours passed by while I sat there in discomfort dreaming about the comforts the cookies I planned on eating would bring me later on. After finishing my third slice of cake, I couldn’t help but overhear a commotion coming from the patio doors behind the table reserved for my family.

Deciding I had nothing better to do I went out to see what was going on. Seconds before I opened the door I paused at the sound of someone’s voice. “ Please!!! Just let me pet you! Stop running around- wait stop!” Promptly after the door swung open and out came a white dog with Chenle in pursuit. However both failed to notice me frozen in the doorway, until said fluffball knocked me down.

With the excitement of meeting a new person, the dog greeted me with great enthusiasm. Short bursts of laughter left me as the dog gave me its affection. My heart was already racing with the attack from the adorable canine, but then I looked up to see Chenle smiling. I’ve seen his smile a countless number of times, always directed towards one of his friends, but never at me. I could feel my ears heating up and pulse quicken even more if possible.

“...is the dog yours?”

His smile softened a bit before answering. “No actually, I just found her on the patio all tied up, I felt bad so I untied her for a bit. I realized a little too late that maybe she was tied up for a reason…” He finished his sentence with a timid shake of his head.

After the small exchange between us we both put the dog back onto its leash in the small patio. Continuing to play with the dog with a comfortable silence between us. Only broken occasionally by a bark or small fits of joyful laughter. I wish it was this side of Chenle people would see. With his innocent childlike demeanor and twinkling eyes. You could easily tell he wasn’t a bad kid, if only people wouldn’t let rumours tarnish their image of him. He turned around to look at me for a moment as he broke the silence,” Hey would you maybe like to-”

His question was cut off by a sharp gasp. “Y/N L/N. You get here right this instance. Get off of the ground. What are you doing hanging around with… this boy.” I could feel the atmosphere immediately take a dive. With panicked eyes I looked back to my mother and then to Chenle. I could only manage to mouth a sorry to Chenle before I stood up slowly.

“I’m sorry, but he’s not a bad kid I swear-”

“You think I haven’t heard the stories?” There was a harsh tug on my wrist as my mother tried to pull me towards the exit. “ We’re going home right now. Don’t you dare think about interacting with this delinquent again. Do you hear me?”

With one last longing glance towards Chenle I was finally being dragged home. Only this time, I wasn’t quite as excited to go home as I was earlier in the night.

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I was nervous going to school, seeing Chenle again was, surprisingly, not high on my list of things to do right now. I cautiously walked towards my music class, hoping maybe Chenle decided not to go to school today. I felt terrible about Saturday, having my mom talk down to him and me just standing there, letting it all happen. I just wish people would stop judging him, and actually get to know him. They should see him when he’s smiling with his friends, playing with a dog, or calmly playing one of his many instruments. Maybe then the way people view him might change.

Too wrapped up in my own thoughts I couldn’t hear my name being called out. Whoever was trying to get my attention finally caught up to me with a slight bump of shoulders. I turned my head slightly only to be surprised by Chenle standing next to me. “Hey Y/N!! Could you maybe, come with me for a bit?” I didn’t expect him to speak to me after what happened, my mind went blank- the only thing i could say was,“ But we’re going to be late to class??” A small chuckle left him, “That’s the point! Now come on, live a little.” He ended his sentence with a poorly executed wink. I mean, I could at least do this for him, right?

“...okay, where are we going?”

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Leaving the school was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I was always terrified of ditching during school hours, fearing that the police would show up and arrest me or something of the sorts. A bit irrational, but the thought was still at the back of my mind. Chenle seemed like he was used to this sort of thing, walking through the front doors with confidence- not caring who saw us leave. While all I could do was look around apprehension, never having done this sort of thing before my mind jumped to conclusions.

Suddenly there was a soft nudge near my hand, and I could feel Chenles’ slender fingers wrapping around my own to try and help alleviate some of my anxiety. I looked up only to see him looking ahead with a slight blush easing its way onto his cheeks. “...I uhh hope you’re hungry, I was planning on taking you to my friends food truck.”

I couldn’t help but give him a bright smile, “ That sounds great Chenle.”

The walk towards the inner city was filled with small talk between Chenle and I. Both of us talking about our lives. He told me about how he met his best friend, Jisung, when he saw him performing. From then on Jisung introduced him to the rest of the dreamies, and the rest is history. I adored how his face light up talking about the rest of the members of his friend group, his charming yet mischievous friend Jaemin, the artist Renjun, the calmest ones of the group Mark and Jeno, and Hyuck the boy with the fiery locks who I saw mothering him that day at school.

Speaking of the said redhead, we started arriving towards Hyucks fusion food truck. Taking a peek towards the side of the vehicle I could see bright letters with the words “Ppang Pan Ppang.” On the way here Chenle had explained to me it was meant to be a play on words, ppang and pan meaning bread in Korean and Spanish. The words were placed the way the were because of a Korean song called “Bang Bang Bang.” A small burst of laughter left me as he told me about how they came about the name and how clever he thought it was. With a name like that their food had to be great!

Chenle had me sit down near the curb, saying he would get the food. Rejecting my offer to pay, saying he could get it for free from his friend with his amazing persuasion skills (his words not mine.) Fifteen minutes later Chenle came back with what looked to be like a pancake and some bread with colorful frosting on it. “Okay so this is hotteok, it’s kinda like a pancake but better! And this right here is korean sweet bread, but the icing is from a mexican dessert called a… concha??? I hope I’m pronouncing it correctly.” His little nose scrunch as he tried to pronounce the foreign word had to have been the cutest thing I’ve seen. “ That sounds amazing, I can’t wait to try it!”

We both split the desserts between the two of us and ate as we observed the people walking down the streets this time of day. Although, I couldn’t stop my mind from wandering to other things. What prompted Chenle to take me out on this spontaneous adventure? Why would he be so kind to me when our past meeting ended badly? I turned to look at him as he took another bite out of the sweet bread.

“Is there something on my face? You keep staring on awful lot.”

I pointed towards his cheek, “ You’ve got a bit of the filling on your face.” With widened eyes he hurriedly wiped off his face with his sleeve. “ Okay I didn’t think there’d actually be something on my face, but you’ve obviously got something on your mind. Mind sharing a bit?” I sighed before making eye contact with him. “ It’s just- Why are you being so nice to me? My mom was nothing but rude to you last time we spoke. I don’t deserve your kindness, Chenle. I’m sorry for the way she spoke about you. I know you aren’t a terrible person, I should’ve stood up for you more than that measly attempt from the party. “ I looked down at the hotteok suddenly not feeling as hungry as I was a few minutes ago

“It’s cause you tried. Even before that, I just kinda knew that you were someone I wanted to hang out with. Just because your parents don’t like me doesn’t mean that it’s your fault. You were kind to me even when you had no reason to be. So enough of your pouting. Cause this is our first date and I want both of us to enjoy it.”

At that my ears perked up. “ Date, huh? I don’t really remember you asking me out for a date?” Chenle suddenly tensed up and started stuttering over his words. “ Well- I -uh umm wow. I mean if you’re not interested in me like that it’s fine or whatever I just hope I haven’t made things awkward now ohmygod I totally did I’m so sorr-” With a quick peck to his cheek he stopped talking and shyly hid his face in the sleeves of his sweater. “ I never said I didn’t like it.”

The sweet moment was interrupted by loud whistles and screaming from near the truck. “ I HOPE YOU DON’T MIND BUT I CALLED THE REST OF THE BOYS HERE TO COME SEE YOUR LITTLE DATE.” Yelled Hyuck. Groaning Chenle buried his face even further into his hands. “That’s it, I’m getting new friends.” A tall lanky boy with blue hair hollered a “ SHUT UP YOU LOVE US!”

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After our date, me and Chenle took the bus back to my house. The entire way he held my hand, leaving behind butterflies and a racing pulse. The bus stopped a couple blocks from my house and we walked the rest of the way up together. Instead of just leaving there, Chenle walked me all the way up to my door. “ I had a lot of fun today, thank you for dragging me out of school. I’m hoping maybe we can do this again sometime in the future?” In response he smiled with a slight nod of his head. “ Of course.” Then there was a small yet powerful voice coming from the speaker near my front door.

“Y/N!!!!! THE DIRECTOR CALLED ME I CAN NOT BELIEVE YOU SKIPPED CLASS!! YOU ARE NEVER STEPPING FOOT OUT OF THIS HOUSE AGAIN. AND IS THAT THE ZHONG KID? WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT HIM!“

“ Or whenever you’re not,,, grounded ???”

With the hand closest to the door I covered the little speaker. In a small whisper I told Chenle ” ...Or I can just sneak out, gotta live a little right?” Copying him from earlier today I threw him a wink. “ See you around Chenle.”

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: NCT (Band) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno Characters: Lee Jeno, Huang Ren Jun Additional Tags: sorry its so short omg, I wrote this months ago, NCT Dream - Freeform, this is also kinda not shippy it could be looked at like a friendship (not that i do), cursing Summary:

mark - NYU

renjun - brown or yale (his protesting and art turned into a movement and now he’s going to one of the hippie ivy leagues or at least you know the most hippie of the ivys)

jeno - sports scholarship to the big state university where they live 

hyuck - juliard (edit: seeing the anons making markhyuck a nonchalant ship, hyuck goes to juliard not only bc its juliard but bc it’s also in NYC)

jaemin - local city college

chenle - mit, maybe stanford (probably got accepted everywhere bc he’s a genius but settles on probably mit for the hacks)

jisung - taking a gap year to figure things out and focus on his competitive dancing career and see how far it takes him