It was a Thursday afternoon and Doyoung was taking Jeno out for lunch. 

Despite both of their busy schedules as idols, Doyoung had managed to keep up this lunchtime tradition since they had met in 2013. Once a month, just the two of them, eating samgyeobsal in the one restaurant which would never dare allow es with huge cameras inside. 

Doyoung wasn't sure just how much Jeno liked it, but he would make sure they did it no matter what. 

Waiting for their meat, Jeno unabashedly reached to the other side of the table for some kimchi. 

"How are you feeling about Resonance part two?" 

"Sleepy," Jeno admitted. 

"Oh yeah, you're in the title track this time." 

"I'm a little bit dead. I can't imagine what part one was like for you, being in both title tracks and all." 

"The company seems to like me. I have to pay the price by being busy all the time." 

Jeno chuckled. "Poor, sad Doyoung, too busy to get a girlfriend." 

"Hey!" Doyoung whined. "Once promotions are over I'll get a break. Maybe then I can have a girlfriend." 

"When was the last time you dated, 2017?" 

"Just because you have a good relationship doesn't mean you get to gloat." 

Jeno smiled cheekily. "Yes it does." 

Doyoung rolled his eyes, hiding his smile. "Speaking of...how are you and Jaemin?" 

Simply at the word Jaemin Jeno smiled that smile that reached all the way to his eyes, practically making his skin glow. He'd always smiled like that when it came to Jaemin, even back in 2013. 

"It's good. We're good, of course. That's never changed." 

"Ah yes, Jeno and Jaemin: the world's most stable and cute couple." 

Jeno's smile was so proud and unashamed that Doyoung felt proud too; he remembered a time when Jeno didn't feel that way. 

"It's been weird though, not practicing with him, and it's gonna be weird not promoting with him. Better than 2017, of course. But still weird." 

Ah, yes. Doyoung remembered 2017, when Jaemin was gone healing and some of the light left Jeno's eyes, when Doyoung wasn't sure whether Jeno and Jaemin were co-dependent, or just soulmates. 

"Anything's better than 2017." 

"For sure. No matter what I get to come home to him. We can just shut ourselves in our room and be at peace." 

Doyoung gave Jeno a look. "Are you two being safe-" 

"Hyung!" Jeno cried a little too loud just as the waittress brought their food, both looking up at her sheepishly. Once she was gone, Jeno continued. "Yes, yes! Yes we are! Why do you have to ask every time!" 

"Because I'm your hyung. It's my job," Doyoung answered as he put the meat on the grill. 

The two fell silent for a moment, listening to their food sizzle deliciously, and Jeno's expression became serious. 

"You know...it's been nice, though. Working with you. Like in 2018 and predebut. I always just feel....safer." 

Slowly, Jeno smiled. "That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me." 

But Doyoung could understand why Jeno said that. 

A lot of NCT members weren't around back then but Doyoung remembered, when he first came to the company and Jeno was a newbie too, far too young in Doyoung's eyes to even think about training. The middle schooler who was a little bit quieter than the others his age, called his parents a little bit less, was a little too clingy to Jaemin (who, luckily, returned his clinginess tenfold). 

But Doyoung was a bit quieter too and didn't expect Jeno to be the adult he was absolutely ing not and Doyoung was shocked by how it one Jeno's respect, admiration, confidence. So Doyoung became the person Jeno asked for opinions on his skills on, the one who always lent an ear when Jeno wanted to talk about Jaemin for a little too long. And when Jeno called him hyung, it began to not just feel like a moniker. 

So Doyoung was shocked when he found Jeno sobbing in a dark corner of the SM building hallway, phone abandoned on the floor. Thirteen year old Jeno's skinny frame, shaking, and Doyoung could barely make out the words but there was something about him and Jaemin kissing and Jeno's parents promising to never speak to him again. And Doyoung started shaking too, it made sense but wasn't Jeno too young to be gay, too young to have these kinds of feelings, wouldn't it be dangerous for him? 

But he couldn't leave him alone. He couldn't; his heart ached, and he let Jeno cry on his shoulder as he searched and searched and searched online with shaking fingers, just trying to understand. 

And he learned. 

He learned that there was no such thing as too young to realize your uality, that was dangerous no matter if you were gay or straight and safety mattered across all ualities, not to mention that gay people were no more ual than straights and it was offensive to think they'd do it more, and younger. He learned that it was common for families to abandon their gay children but it was so devastating to their psyche, that everyone needed a family figure, chosen or by blood. So Doyoung took a deep breath: he would have to be Jeno's family now, if no one else would. He would have to be his older brother. 

And he learned that as a straight man, he'd never understand fully. But he would understand as best as he could. 

So when Jeno's tears finally dried and he looked up at Doyoung, eyes full of fear, Doyoung answered him with a smile. 

"Wanna go get lunch?" 

And as they sat to eat samgyeobsal in the restaurant where the paps and the sasaengs couldn't go, Jeno told Doyoung all about his and Jaemin's childish love, embarrassment deep in his eyes, and the exact cruel words Jeno's parents had inflicted on the young, young boy. And Doyoung answered with everything he'd just thought: Jeno would have a family in him, a chosen family, and Doyoung would defend him forever as family should. 

Sitting across from Jeno, seven years later, that terrified thirteen year old boy now twenty years old and proud, Doyoung thought about his promise. He had absolutely fulfilled it: educated himself and Jeno (and Jaemin too), praised them for the smallest acheivements of their love, made sure anyone opposed to them stayed far, far away. Sneaking them into pride every year since they debuted, bucket caps and masks and sunglasses on, going down alleys to avoid even a chance with a manager, showing them that although they may feel alone as the only LGBT people in NCT, that they weren't alone, and they never would be. 

If Jeno's parents wouldn't parent, somebody had to. And Doyoung was happy to take that role on as long as he could.