Chapter Text
Sunlight. It's warm. He can feel. He can feel his feet on the ground and... And something wet dripping out of his nose. He wipes it on his hand. Blood, dark and vibrant. Cold.
"Renjun!" Kun yells.
Renjun jolts upwards. Holy shit, he thinks. Bright sunlight filters in from his window. Renjun remembers this. He's late. And he can hear Kun coming up the stairs.
Kun throws his door open. "You're going to be late," he says. Renjun takes a moment to absorb the serious look on Kun's face and tries not to burst out into laughter from his sheer glee at the moment. It worked, he thinks. It worked. "Renjun!" Kun repeats.
"I know," Renjun says. He yawns. "I'm getting up." Kun raises an eyebrow. He opens his mouth but Yangyang once again beats him to it. Yangyang launches himself onto Renjun's bed, landing on top of Renjun with a heavy thump.
Yangyang bounces up and down on top of him. "Junnie! Get up," he shrieks.
This time, Renjun just laughs. "Good morning Yangyang," he says.
Kun smiles at the two of them. "Be sure to get up, okay?" he repeats. "Cereal's on the table when you're ready." When Kun leaves, Yangyang follows suit.
-
Renjun couldn't finish breakfast any faster. Kun worried he would choke to at the speed at which he was eating.
"What's got you in a rush?" Kun asks.
"Nothing much," Renjun says. "Just excited to see my friends." Kun shoots him a questioning look. Renjun ignores it and all but runs out the door. "Bye!" he shouts.
Renjun sprints to pick up his books from his locker. If he remembers correctly, Mark should be coming by any second...
"Hey! Renjun!" Mark calls. Renjun turns around. He's never been so happy to see Mark. Mark is standing there, a wide smile on his face.
"You still on for tonight?" Mark asks.
"Of course," Renjun answers.
"Awesome," Mark says. He gives Renjun a finger guns before running off to class. Renjun sighs in peace watching him run off. He turns around to start going to his own class when he remembers.
"Jaemin," he says, stopping short.
"Renjun," Jaemin says. "Didn't think you saw me." Renjun tries to suppress his smile.
"You're not as sneaky as you think," he retorts.
"I wasn't hiding," Jaemin insists, pouting. "You're just kind of oblivious sometimes."
"Mhmm," Renjun hums. He drinks in the sight of Jaemin before him. Jaemin, honey hair and warm eyes. Jaemin, comforting embraces and endless patience... Jaemin...
Jaemin's dead body in his arms. The scent of his blood on his skin, on his clothes. The pure jolt of fear sent into his heart almost sends him to the ground. No, Renjun thinks. He won't let it.
"Jaemin," he says this time. Jaemin tilts his head and waits for him to continue. "I love you," he says.
Slow surprise colors Jaemin's face, warming it up like an orange sunrise. "I love you too," he says softly, grinning ear to ear. Jaemin leans in to press a tender kiss to him. "But what's going on?"
"Who says there's anything going on?" Renjun challenges.
Jaemin rolls his eyes. "I'm not saying I don't believe you," he says. "You just seemed... Kind of sad just now."
Renjun chuckles fondly. "How do you know me so well..." he murmurs. "A hug will make it better," he decides.
Jaemin laughs and pulls him in tight against his chest. Renjun loves the way he can feel it rumble against his head. "As much as I love hugging you," he says. "We're going to be late."
"Shit," Renjun says. He wishes he could just skip. He did already sit through this class before. "See you later I guess." Jaemin waves him off before practically skipping down the hallway.
-
Renjun doesn't know what he'll do when he sees Ten. The door to the art room has never felt more ominous. It looms before Renjun. Like a gateway to hell. Renjun takes a deep breath. Everyone's still okay. For now. He just has to pretend for one more class.
"Hey Renjun," Ten greets.
"Hi," Renjun says, and prays it doesn't sound too stiff. He doesn't say anything else as he wraps the apron around and picks up his painting from its place. He can't even bring himself to look over in Ten's direction lest he... do something. Renjun wants nothing more to throttle Ten right here and now. But it's not the right time. Renjun knows what he has to do now. How to catch him properly. He just has to get through this... Just an hour.
"We'll just be working on our paintings today," Ten says. Renjun doesn't acknowledge him. "Renjun?" he says. "Are you feeling okay?" Footsteps signal Ten approaching him to place a hand on his shoulder.
Renjun stiffens automatically, reminded of Ten leering over him in his torture basement. Of the way the straps dug into his skin. And before he knows it he's flung Ten's arm off of him.
Shit. If he screws up anything here Ten might not go for Jisung at the same time he did last time. Renjun needs everything to remain the same. For now.
"Sorry," he says. "Just—" He gestures vaguely. "Tense. Boyfriend issues." Couldn't be more untrue. But Ten doesn't know that.
Ten nods in understanding. "Don't worry," he says. "I understand. Boys can be fickle."
Renjun laughs uneasily and is grateful as more of his classmates begin to enter, essentially ending the conversation there.
-
Renjun arrives at Mark's house at the same time. He did test his powers earlier, just to make sure he really does still have them.
It's surreal to see them all downstairs in Mark's basement. Something buried in Renjun leaps at the sight. Donghyuck's lazing on the couch, leg strewn over Jeno's lap. Mark is standing by the TV fiddling with something. Jaemin is seated on the huge brown chair in the corner. Chenle and Jisung as both sprawled out on the floor. At his entrance all of them look up and give him various forms of greeting. But Renjun stands still there, drinking in the sight of them all. Alive. Healthy. Happy.
The sights of their bodies are something he knows he'll never forget. But a few tweaks, a few differences and Renjun knows he can make that reality gone. It'll never happen. And in a few years, it'll be nothing more than some horrible nightmares for him.
Someone's calling him.
"Renjun?" Chenle repeats. Renjun almost jumps out of his skin. Looking up, he's still surrounded by them. It wasn't all just a fever dream from his delirious body in the hospital. It's all real. "What’s wrong?" Renjun smiles wanly, the motion feeling too stretched out and foreign. He supposes he hasn’t had much to smile at recently though. “Nothing,” he says. “I’m just happy to see you all.”
Donghyuck snorts. “When did you get so sappy?” he says.
“Aw,” Jaemin coos, slinging an arm around Renjun. “We love you too Junnie.” Renjun contorts his face into one of mock disgust. Beside him, Mark trips over his own foot, making Donghyuck burst out laughing. He shoves him playfully, and then the two are off, running and chasing each other. Jisung’s talking about some new game with Chenle. Everything couldn’t be more right to Renjun. It would be so easy to let himself get lost back in his friends and his life and forget about the threat looming over them all.
Just a little bit, he thinks. He has a little time. So he turns towards Jaemin, and presses a kiss on his lips like it’s the last time he’ll see him. Somewhere in the background Donghyuck whistles while Jeno hollers. Chenle's screaming about something to Jisung. It's chaotic, and loud, and messy, but Renjun couldn't feel more at peace at right.
"I love you so much," he whispers. Jaemin smiles, eyes crinkling slightly as he beams.
"I love you too," he says right back and Renjun wonders what he did to deserve him.
That night he makes an anonymous call to the police, giving them exact directions to a cabin in the woods owned by a certain art teacher. Renjun gives explicit details on how to open the door to the basement and what they might find there. Nobody he knows is dead yet, but Renjun has an inkling that his friends weren’t the first of Ten’s victims.
Ten’s arrest makes the news. News reporters and vans are parked outside of the school for days. Everyone wants to interview the students, ask what they thought of the art teacher who was a murderer. Kun makes him stay at home for a few days, even makes him hot chocolate.
“That’s so scary,” Yangyang says. “To think he was so close to us all this time.”
“Yeah,” Renjun agrees. It’s over then? Ten is removed from school. His friends are alive. Renjun feels relieved, but also just tired. He feels older than he should be. He needs a nap. “I’m going upstairs,” he calls to Yangyang.
Renjun texts Jaemin. And the group chat.
renjun: hey
His heart didn’t used to pound like this when he was waiting for his friends to reply. He knows they can’t be by their phones 24/7, and that they’re all fine because Ten is gone. And yet anxiety creeps up on him as he waits for someone to reply.
jaemin: hey <3
chenle: ?
Renjun breathes. They’re fine. Everything’s fine.
To: Jaemin
renjun: come over?
jaemin: coming!
To: dream chat
renjun: nothing
donghyuck: ….
Jaemin arrives a few minutes later. Renjun all but flings himself at him.
“Woah,” Jaemin says, pleased but surprised. Renjun buries his face in Jaemin’s chest.
“Just missed you,” Renjun says.
“I saw you earlier today though?” Jaemin says. Renjun knows he isn’t usually like this. To his friends, it’ll be like he suddenly and drastically changed personas. But he can’t help himself. He can’t sit there and pretend like everything he experienced didn’t happen, even though to this world and timeline it didn’t. It’s ingrained in him now. Renjun doesn’t think he’ll ever forget it.
Jaemin sits down with him. “Kun said you weren’t feeling well?”
Renjun shakes his head. “Just shaken up I guess.”
“Yeah,” Jaemin says, “It’s weird to think about.”
“I’m just glad you’re all safe,” Renjun says. Jaemin looks startled by the depth of his sincerity to the comment.
“Me too,” Jaemin says, equally as sincere. Renjun is so glad that he’s the only one who will remember those horrible times. He winces as the sight of Jaemin’s dead body crosses his mind. Jaemin’s sunken face as each friend disappears. He doesn’t want Jaemin to ever look like that again. For them, he will bear this pain alone.
“I love you,” Renjun whispers.
“Love you more,” Jaemin says teasingly.
“Not possible,” Renjun says. If only he knew what Renjun has done for him. Maybe someday he’ll tell him. Someday he’ll tell Jaemin about his ability, and about the terrible things he has seen and done. And he knows when that day comes to pass Jaemin will hold him the way he is now, and comfort him as he cries. But today Renjun doesn’t want to think about that Not just yet. For now, he is content just to be here.