Work Text:
If you happened to ask seven-year-old Renjun what was the most important holiday of the year, he would answer - and receive a rather telling but amused eye roll from his parents - that it was Halloween, no doubt. Aside from the cartoonish decorations, abundance of red-black-orange, smell of pumpkin around the house, and warm cookies and candy his mom would offer to the children trick-or-treating by their house, it was also one of the few occasions his parents would let him be out by the late evening, and on top of that - he could dress up as whoever or whatever his creative mind would come up with. He’s always been artful and inventive so the costumes he’d worn have been made by him, partly or mostly, ever since he turned five. Renjun’s parents were glad and proud of him; not only was he very independent and skilled, his creativity also saved them trips to the supermarket in search of overpriced child costumes as well as it created more chances for their son’s usually shy self to get to know more kids his age. Halloween was when Renjun thrived.
This year marked the third time the boy has created his own costume. This Halloween he was going out as a vampire prince - elegant and scary. He kept furiously ironing the high white collar just a few hours before the dark, the black and red coat and dark pants already waiting on the clothes hanger, not a single wrinkle to be spotted. His mom had helped to sew the pants but the silky coat and all the frills sewn to the blouse were done by Renjun’s hands only. He had also tried to insist to paint his face by himself, having a complete idea in his head, but his mom had wanted to help some more, hence now his cheekbones were exceptionally visible, whereas usually there was still some baby fat making Renjun’s face chubbier and cuter even if he was a fairly lanky and skinny kid. Additionally, now his skin tone seemed paler and borderline sickly, his lips were touched with the faintest red to made them look as if they were freshly after a bloody meal. And as a cherry on top - he got to wear fake fangs, which made him stretch his lips in bright smiles more often than ever just to expose them.
The sun has set but Renjun’s neighbourhood was bright; various hollowed pumpkins, fairy lights and candles lit up the street and pavement and set the mood better than the street lamps could have. Even the fallen orange and brown leaves fit well as if they weren’t tidied up on purpose. The area looked spooky but oddly welcoming at the same time with all the commotion happening between the houses. It was a family-friendly suburb with most residents being parents with children or young people looking for a quiet location to start a new life. It was kind of secluded, at the very rim of the city. Halloween night made it seem like all the houses belonged together, not a single household denied the candy to the children and almost everyone participated in the outdoor activities.
Renjun was squeezing his mom’s wrist hard, waiting by his fence for his friends to arrive. Chenle lived just few houses down the road and should probably arrive first; Donghyuck and Jaemin were children of Renjun’s mom’s colleagues from work and would get here in a few since they lived in a different part of the city and had to be dropped off by their parents. Renjun didn’t know the two of them that well since they were only introduced to each other a month ago but they seemed very nice. Both of them were loud and funny and managed to make Renjun laugh out loud a lot so he enjoyed their company and hoped for Chenle, his absolute best friend, to like them as well. The plan was to meet by the Huangs’ house and then as the kids went trick-or-treating (since their house was the best starting point) the parents would head over to Zhongs’ and have their own adult party.
Before Renjun could do any further damage to his mom’s arm two familiar adults and a kid appeared in the seven-year-old’s field of view. He quickly let go of his mother’s wrist and started waving to the newcomers, a wide grin spreading on his face.
“Chenle! Chenle, you’re a pumpkin?!” Renjun yelled, skipping to his best friend. The younger boy shrieked in excitement, jumping on the spot and making his round costume go up and down. His chubby cheeks were decorated by orange dots and the tiniest sprinkle of glitter, on his head sat a hat resembling a pumpkin top.
The younger boy did a full spin, making his costume float in the air. “Yes, I’m a pumpkin!” He giggled loudly, shaking the little basket he was holding, which was also shaped like a pumpkin, obviously. “Are you a vampire?” He asked slowly. He was still sort of new to the Korean language.
“Vampire prince!” Renjun stood taller, brushing his coat delicately and smiling widely. Their parents were chatting on Huangs’ front yard, all of them dressed up not quite for Halloween but rather for an adults’ night out. During Halloween most parents let their kids trick-or-treat freely, always having a few neighbors volunteer to be the neighbourhood watch so others could have time off. They weren’t just dropping them off and leaving - Huangs’ and their friends were staying at Zhongs’ house which was really close as the area wasn’t too big, and although there was a forest nearby, to access it you had to pass a tall fence which the children were made to promise not to get near to, even if Renjun was often tempted to go and see if he could spot a deer or maybe a fox.
In conclusion: it was like a babysitter night for all the parents in the area.
While the boys were chatting animatedly a car parked in the Huangs’ driveway and five people got out. Jaemin and Donghyuck sprinted towards the duo by the gate as soon as they stepped out of the vehicle.
Renjun put his hands on Chenle’s shoulders to turn him around so he could introduce his best friend to the two boys. “Chenle, this is Donghyuck and Jaemin. Jaemin is Tuxedo Mask and Hyuck is, uh-”
“I’m a witch, of course,” Donghyuck smiled brightly, showing off his pearly teeth, partly in the shadow of his enormous fake nose that was slipping off his real one as he spoke. “I will collect as many candy as my cauldron can possibly fit to cast spells with them.” He patted his candy bucket proudly.
“Nice to meet you, Chenle Pumpkin!” Jaemin piped in, taking off his top hat to bow down elegantly. Chenle giggled delightedly. “Hope we have a great night together!”
Renjun let go of his friend’s shoulders and looked towards the house. “Do you think we can ask if we can go already? Kims run out of good candy very fast and they have those caramel bars they show in TV all the time,” he pouted a little, impatiently shuffling on his feet.
Jaemin nodded zestfully, putting his white mask on. “Let’s ask them!”
If Renjun had any fears about his best friend not getting along well with Jaemin and Donghyuck, they were quickly swept away and disappeared completely. All four of them shared many laughs and never left any of them out of the joke and fun. Really, Renjun shouldn’t have feared the meeting, after all he was the only one of the four of them who was shy and maybe not the most outgoing of the bunch, even if Chenle was still getting better at Korean. He was glad the evening was going as he wanted it to.
They went to maybe a third of the houses in the area, having taken breaks to check the insides of their baskets and delaying approaching the doors by playing rock-paper-scissors to decide who’s going to do a little dare they kept coming up with. It was nothing harmful - usually someone had to compliment the host, jump above the short hedge, carry all their baskets, give up one of the tastier candies. Renjun, for example, had to ask old missus Choi for her infamous herbal tea she made herself which, in Chenle’s opinion, was absolutely disgusting, then he had to drink it and not flinch. Luckily it turned out Chenle just had a weird taste and the tea was actually good, but Renjun played the role to not make the youngest of them disappointed with his lame dare.
They were near the house of Jungs when he heard it. A quiet sound, akin to weeping. Soft breaths and crooning, seemingly from a big tree growing right outside the house’s fence. Renjun halted and reached out to grab Chenle to make him stop too.
Chenle almost lost his balance but quickly composed himself. “What is it?” He asked, trying to see what Renjun was looking at. Jaemin and Donghyuck took a few steps to stand closer, too.
“I think someone is crying over there? Can’t you hear?” Renjun spoke softly, taking a hesitant step towards the tree. It was a huge chestnut with broad boughs growing next to a wall separating the backyard from the field with a beaten path towards the forest fence. It was a field where his parents took him to fly kites just a few days back but in the dark it didn’t look as familiar or friendly.
Jaemin hummed after a few seconds of them holding their breaths. “I do hear it. Should we?” He asked, and without awaiting for the others he moved in the direction where the sounds were coming from. Renjun hurriedly ran and passed him to get there first, Donghyuck and Chenle in tow with their costumes flapping in the air.
As soon as he turned around the tree Renjun almost tripped over. Luckily in time he noticed something laying on the ground… Someone’s legs. He took a step back, caught off guard.
A boy was sitting on the grass and leaning back against the tree. His clothes were ragged and tattered, his chest moved shakily with each breath he took. He quickly noticed the incomers and hurriedly shuffled backwards, trying to distance himself from them without standing up.
Renjun raised his hands, trying to not spook the boy any further. “Hey, sorry for scaring you! We heard you crying! Are you alright?”
The boy was still breathing really fast but stopped moving away. His wide eyes were rapidly scanning their faces as if they were predators looming over him. Renjun now could see the discolored patches on his face and forearms. He gasped. “Oh, are you dressed up as a zombie?”
The strange boy blinked.
“Oooh, I see! Nice costume!” Chenle interjected, stepping closer to Renjun. “You look really scary! I don’t like scary things, but your costume is so good! Like in movies!”
The boy was still not responding but has stopped looking as shocked and scared. He drew his legs closer to himself and was observing them quietly, kind of looking like he couldn’t understand what was happening.
Jaemin coughed quietly to interrupt the short silence that fell between them. “Can we help you? Did you lose your basket?” He suggested, seeing as the boy wasn’t carrying anything with him.
“Do you understand us?” Donghyuck asked abruptly before they got an answer, trying to see the reason behind the boy’s lack of any response. Renjun groaned and nudged him in the ribs. “Ouch! What, maybe he doesn’t speak Korean? Maybe he’s from abroad?” Donghyuck pouted.
“Why would he be here by himself if he didn’t speak Korean?!”
“Dunno! You and Chenle didn’t speak Korean too!”
“But we-”
“I do speak Korean.”
The four boys all turned at the same time.
The stranger was now standing up, although sheepishly, fiddling with his fingers. He seemed to have calmed down but was still unsure of the situation. His knees, now in sight, were scrapped and bloodied.
Donghyuck perked up. “Oh, good! We were really worried about you. I hate quiet.”
The boy furrowed his eyebrows. “Sorry?”
Renjun carefully took a step forward, smiling politely at the stranger. “I’m Renjun. What’s your name?”
The boy looked his way. “I’m… Jeno.”
Jaemin took off his mask and smiled brightly. “I’m Jaemin! And those are Donghyuck and Chenle.”
“Nice to meet you, Jeno!” Chenle chirped, walking the distance towards said boy. Surprisingly he didn’t flinch, and even accepted Chenle’s outstretched hand albeit still looking a bit surprised.
“So, Jeno,” Renjun clasped his hands together. “Are you alright? Did something happen?” He asked slowly, afraid he will make the other boy shut down again.
“I, uh…” Jeno reached up and scratched his head, eyes darting between the boys. He was starting to stress out again, clearly not liking too much attention on him. “I… got lost.”
“Oh, no!” Jaemin gasped and closed the distance between them to put a hand on Jeno’s shoulder. “You lost your parents? When was the last time you saw them?”
Jeno bit his bottom lip. “I-I don’t know? But-”
Donghyuck interrupted him. “Maybe you remember where you last saw them? We can go check it with you!”
Chenle shrieked. “Yes! We can help! Don’t worry!”
“So, where was the place?”
“Are you from here, by the way?”
“Was someone supposed to watch you over?”
“Oh, maybe your parents went to a store to buy candy?”
Jeno’s breathing was getting uneven again. He seemed to regain his scared posture and didn’t know where to look, surrounded by the other boys, he probably wished to disappear under the ground. Renjun felt bad for him. “Hey guys, maybe let him breathe-”
“Wait, hold up, is your knee bleeding ?” Donghyuck gasped, pointing at Jeno’s leg. “Why didn’t you tell us that sooner? It must hurt!”
Jeno swallowed loudly. “I-”
“Because we didn’t ask him about it! Don’t corner him!”
“Don’t worry, we will get you home!”
“Do you want a bandaid for you knee?”
“Can you walk on your own?”
“Jeno, where are you from?”
“Jeno?”
“Jeno!”
Jeno inhaled sharply and started backing away hastily, forgetting there was a tree right behind him. The back of his head hit the trunk with a soft thud…
… And his left eye popped out.
A silence fell, heavy and thick as a blanket. They stood there staring at Jeno whose eye was hanging from its socket on a pink nerve, slowly rocking back and forward. For a few seconds no one even moved, then one of Jeno’s hands shot up to catch the small globe and stop its movement.
Renjun released a breath he didn’t realise he was holding it. “Oh no, your costume got ruined!”
Chenle gasped loudly. “Noo! We have to fix it!”
Jeno was hurriedly trying to put his eye back to its place and wasn’t really paying attention to the rest of the boys in his haste so Renjun grabbed one of his hands and lightly pulled it to make him focus. “Calm down, Jeno. I’ll help you put your eye back in, okay?”
Said boy blinked with his remaining eye, completely shocked. Jaemin piped in, “It’s alright, we can make your costume look good as new!”
“Actually,” Renjun spoke up, having an idea, “I’d like to go with Jeno to my house alone . There’s no need for four people working on one eye,” he said and sent a pointed look to his friends, hoping they would understand. They quickly got the message and nodded; Jeno was too easily spooked and shy to be surrounded by them, especially since he panicked because of the eye. If they wanted to know more from him it was better to do it gradually. There were many unanswered questions about said boy but cracking him open against his will wouldn’t suffice.
Donghyuck grabbed Jaemin and Chenle by the backs of their costumes and started backing away, pulling them along. “We’ll continue down the street, it’ll be easy to catch up for you,” he smiled at Renjun and Jeno.
Chenle almost tripped over but still sent a grin their way. “Good luck Jeno!”
“Yeah, we’ll look forward to seeing you again!” Jaemin added.
Renjun waved them goodbye, watching as they turned right on the pavement and slowly disappeared from his eyes. He heaved a sigh and looked at his companion who was holding his hand on the left side of his face. “Let’s go, I’ll glue it back in and we can go. My mom let me use hot glue gun this year and I’m a pro at it.”
Jeno hesitated. “I’m not sure it will work…”
“Don’t be silly,” Renjun huffed, already walking in the direction of his house and dragging Jeno by the hand. “You’ll be as good as new!”
The house was dark and quiet inside as opposed to the well lit up and decorated exterior. Huangs and their guests were long gone so their house was locked up but Renjun had been taught where the key was hidden long ago in case an emergency happened.
This was surely an emergency.
Renjun dragged Jeno upstairs to his room. It was neat and clean; he didn’t like having a mess around, and recently he’d been busy with his Halloween outfit so his desk had to be cleared out for the work and easily accessible.
He pulled out his chair and pointed at it. “Sit here.”
Jeno complied, doe eyes following Renjun’s movements as the boy rummaged through his drawers in search of the device. His mom had told him to put it back in the attic as soon as he was done but he’d had a hunch the thing would come in handy soon enough. And he had been right, apparently.
Finally Renjun pulled out the glue gun and made a quiet noise of triumph. He turned back to Jeno with a smile on his face but the smile died when he noticed how uneasy the other boy looked. Only now with the light of the lamps did he get a better look at the other. Even in the dim light Jeno was horribly pale, the veins on his bare arms and hands almost black in contrast to the uneven fairness of his skin tone. His hair looked like someone tried to wash off its brown, now it was dark grey, somehow with green reflects. His lips were blue but he didn’t seem cold. Only his eyes - or rather, one eye - had a healthy black color, the depth of it almost pulsing its own gravity.
Renjun blinked a few times and shook it off. “Hey, don’t be scared,” he spoke softly, trying to calm Jeno down. “It’s just a glue gun. It makes hot glue. It doesn’t have bullets, it’s electronic, see?” He raised the cord and waved it from side to side to prove his words. Jeno breathed out and nodded, shimmying his shoulders a little to get rid off the tension. Renjun pushed a little glue stick inside the gun and kneeled down to plug it.
“Now we have to wait a little for the glue to melt,” he explained, getting up and brushing off his pants. “Then I can apply it to your eye and put it back. No biggie.”
He went to his bed and sat on it, not letting his eyes off Jeno for a second. The mysterious boy was looking down at his lap, his posture hunched, altogether looking out of place.
Renjun sighed quietly. “Do you want to talk about how you got lost? Or do you not remember much?”
Jeno raised his eyes at him and slowly nodded. “I was with my parents, we were walking through the forest together and w-we fought a bit… They thought I was still following them but I was so angry I switched paths and went elsewhere, dunno how far. Then I got over the fence and sat down by that big tree where you found me.”
Renjun raised his eyebrows, shocked by how parents would willingly take their child into that dark forest and let their eyes off it for even a mere second. It was seriously dangerous.
“So you ran away from your parents?” The Chinese boy asked to make sure. His companion nodded, head lowered in shame. “Do you want to go back to them?” This time the answer was negative. “Do you want to make them worried?”
Jeno furrowed his eyebrows. “Actually? I want to show them I’m big enough to handle myself. They think I’m a little baby who can’t do simple tasks. It’s not true!” He stomped to emphasize his words.
Renjun opened his mouth but closed it right after. He couldn’t see himself doing such a thing, he knew his parents would be worried sick if he disappeared without a word. It was a really cruel thing to do in his opinion.
The two of them must have been really different, he mused, but wasn’t going to voice it out.
After a short silence Renjun inhaled soundly through his nose. “Do you want to tag along for Halloween?”
Jeno’s head shot up. “P-pardon?”
“I see you don’t want to come back to your parents for now, so you can go trick or treating with us,” Renjun shrugged, a small encouraging smile forming on his lips. “The boys will be happy to have you with us.”
“Are you sure?” Jeno sounded uncertain, his one visible eye flooding with worry. He seemed to have a hard time believing someone would accept him as he was and Renjun found it absolutely ridiculous. The boy was fine!
“Of course, we will share candy at the end of the night anyway,” he huffed a laugh and then inhaled sharply. “Oh, I almost forgot about the glue.”
Jeno watched him with careful stare as Renjun grabbed the gun and shuffled another chair closer to his. The Chinese boy pointed at the other’s hand that was still covering his damaged eye.
“You have to show it to me so I can put glue on it,” Renjun explained, correcting his grip on the device.
Jeno bit his lip and slowly extracted his hand from his face. He moved his clenched fist closer to Renjun and only then did he open his fingers, revealing the eyeball there. The Chinese boy withheld a gasp; the eye was glistening as if it haven’t left its socket quite some time ago. It looked amazingly real and alive. Not to dwell on it too much, Renjun quickly composed himself and leaned down to access the eye better. For a second he got scared the glue will drop down but fortunately the trails of warm substance stayed exactly where he put them. Both boys were holding their breaths as the glue was being applied. After a while Renjun withdrew the glue gun and let the tension off his shoulders.
“Now, I have to stick it on…” He started saying but trailed off when Jeno inhaled sharply. The Chinese boy looked at him funny. “Something’s wrong?”
“No, not at all,” Jeno shook his head. “I just… I want to do it myself, can I?”
Renjun raised his eyebrows but decided not to comment. Maybe the other boy still didn’t trust him enough. “Sure. There’s a mirror in the bathroom, use it to aim better, okay?”
Jeno got off his chair, his legs hitting the floor with a soft thump, and hurriedly left the room. With his eyes trailing after him only now did Renjun notice the leaves and mud the two of them brought inside. Having a red alarm lit up in his head the boy quickly ran to the supply closet to get a mop and a bucket. His mom might have not minded if he came home with a boy he just met but she would definitely get upset over having dirt all over the floor.
Having the utensils with him Renjun waited for Jeno to exit the bathroom. When the boy finally emerged his left eye looked like new; he was blinking with it properly and if Renjun didn’t know which eye was the one he had to reattach he wouldn’t be able to guess.
“That’s so cool!” The Chinese boy panted, truly amazed by the effect. “Didn’t know it would look so real, wow. Like it’s alive!”
Jeno smiled, both of his eyes crinkling happily. “Thank you. And for the help, too.”
Renjun grinned right back at him. “No problem! Now, I’ll clean a bit and then we will leave to catch up with the rest, okay?”
He moved towards the bathroom to fill up the bucket but stopped when he felt a hand on his forearm. It was a touch so cold Renjun almost jumped out of his skin. He looked at Jeno, a question written in his features, as the other boy chewed his bottom lip and shuffled from one foot to the other, not letting go of the forearm.
“What’s wrong? Do you not wish to go?” Renjun asked, trying to read the situation.
Jeno breathed through his nose loudly. “I want to stay in. Can I stay in with you?”
Renjun’s lips formed a little ‘o’. On one hand, he understood; Jeno didn’t feel comfortable with a crowd and he managed to relax only after he was alone with the Chinese boy. On the other hand, Renjun’s friends were outside trick-or-treating, waiting for them. He spent a lot of time on his costume and wanted to show it off, but… Was it more important than the perspective of gaining a new friend? Jeno made him curious, he was odd, completely different than anyone else he has ever seen. And he needed Renjun’s help, Renjun’s in particular.
“Are you sure you don't want to go out?” Renjun asked quietly to make sure, even if he already knew the answer.
Jeno smiled, albeit in an apologetic way. “I’m not ready to go out yet. But we can get out later? And join the others?”
Renjun sighed deeply, not able to resist the other’s boy plea. “Okay, we can stay for some time. But if I miss out on caramel cookies I will kick your butt!”
Jeno grinned brightly, his smile lighting up the entire room in Renjun’s eyes. “Noted. I won’t let you miss out the cookies.”
Jeno was… curious about everything. Immensely interested. Smaller and bigger things about the house would catch his attention out of nowhere and start an avalanche of questions. There were things Renjun didn’t pay too much attention to that Jeno pointed out and made the Chinese boy wonder why he hadn’t thought about it sooner. Renjun couldn’t remember when was the last time he checked some of their closets, walked down to the basement without a parent or pulled some of the games from under his bed, but Jeno wanted to try everything.
So they did.
For a boy as shy and closed off as Jeno was at first, he got out of his carefully built shell quite fast. He wasn’t talking a lot or talking fast like Renjun’s other friends did but he asked many questions, spoke up suddenly but also made sure to carefully listen to what Renjun was talking about.
They played a bit, watched some TV. Jeno tried to teach Renjun how to play some card games, Renjun taught him the best routes in one of his console games, they both tried to learn how to play chess with having next to no knowledge about the game. They ate some, drank some.
Renjun didn’t find out much about Jeno. The boy was commenting whatever was happening currently and never addressed why he was there or where his parents were again. The Chinese boy wanted to ask him so many things but decided against it, seeing how more relaxed and happy Jeno seemed for a change. He wouldn’t bare it to break the bubble. Jeno was inquisirive, excited and smiling, but at the same time he was mysterious and a riddle to solve. There was something pulling Renjun in but also a small unnamed fear of the other boy disappearing suddenly like a mare.
An hour passed before Jeno gently touched Renjun’s arm and announced he’s ready to join Jaemin, Hyuck and Chenle.
An hour passed but it didn’t feel like it.
Renjun’s makeup got smudged, his teeth started to hurt from the fake fangs so he took them out, his outfit had wrinkles everywhere.
But surprisingly, he didn’t care.
“Look who finally came!” Donghyuck shouted when he saw Jeno and Renjun walking down the streets to join them. “Jeno, your costume got fixed I see. Looks like it’s your real eyes and not fake!”
Jeno grinned in a sheepish way but nodded his head. “Sorry it took so long. My fault.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Jaemin waved his hand in a dismissive way, a friendly smile dancing on his lips. “We’re just happy to have you back. We’ve collected so much candy we wouldn’t be able to eat it ourselves, and there are some houses left!”
“I would eat it by myself,” Chenle mused, checking the insides of his bucket. “But I want to share so I need more!”
Renjun was laughing when he felt a hand gently grabbing his. He didn’t have to look down to make sure who it was. He squeezed Jeno’s hand gently, letting him know it was alright, they weren’t going to part ways, Jeno was safe with the four of them. Renjun was there for him.
Together they visited a few houses. People kept complimenting their outfits and asking about Jeno, Jaemin and Donghyuck since they weren’t locals. Jeno maybe wasn’t as loud and talkative as the other two but he also wasn’t shying away from a conversation this time. It was a big change and Renjun could see the surprised and positive reactions from his friends when the newest addition to their team was talking animatedly to the adults.
It was around 9pm when Jaemin, Donghyuck and Chenle had to go back. Renjun was sad; he loved his friends and wanted to never part ways with them. With Jeno by his side he watched them walk or drive away, each one hugging them both tightly and making Jeno promise they will see each other again and spend more time together.
And then they were alone.
Renjun’s mom had asked him to come home already but he begged her to have a few minutes more to say goodbye to his new friend. His mom relented, as the kind-hearted woman she was, and told him to be inside in ten minutes or she’ll take away his brushes. The Chinese boy squeaked in delight and thanked her.
“Do you want me to walk you to the forest?” Renjun asked his friend. Jeno looked at him with an indecipherable expression but nodded.
“I think I should go see my parents,” he murmured, kicking the dirt.
“You really should,” Renjun agreed, happy with Jeno’s decision. He was really worried about what his parents could be thinking right now, they must have been worried out of their minds.
“Let’s walk,” Jeno breathed out and reached out to take Renjun’s hand.
Together they walked down the pavement towards the hidden path behind Jungs’ house. They passed the big tree and continued forward. Suddenly Renjun felt his skin prickling, as if tiny needles were pressing at his skin, not enough to pierce it or cause it pain but enough to irritate him. He shuddered, surprised that he wasn’t feeling cold despite having goosebumps all over him. Jeno’s hold on his hand tightened.
They neared the forest. Even in the evening darkness a fog could be seen, seemingly enveloping only the trees like it was cut right at the edge of the woods. Renjun exhaled, a white puff coming from between his lips.
“Are you sure you want to step inside the forest?” He asked quietly, not trusting the place one bit. Both him and Jeno weren’t looking at each other, gazing forward instead.
“I have to,” Jeno said, his voice barely above a whisper. He seemed to hesitate, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “You should come with me.”
Renjun blinked. “Into the woods?”
“Yeah,” Jeno breathed and this time he moved his gaze and looked at Renjun. “I would like you to join me. I think you would like it there.”
“Like it in a dark, cold forest?” Renjun was sceptical about the place and didn’t really fancy the idea of going there during the day let alone while it was dark outside.
“No, like it in my home.”
Renjun furrowed his eyebrows, looking at Jeno like he was saying the most bizarre thing in the world. “You live in the forest?”
“No, but to go to my home you have to pass the forest,” Jeno pressed, staring at Renjun so intently it seemed like he forgot to blink. “It’s the only way to get there.”
Renjun breathed out. “I’m scared of the woods, I don’t want to ever go there.”
“Even with me?” Jeno was persistent. “Renjun, I really want you to come with me to my house.”
“I can’t stay outside for too long...”
“Do you have to come back? Do you really want to go back and not join me?”
Renjun furrowed his eyebrows, offended with the words. “I love my family, of course I want to come back to them. I don’t understand you, Jeno, I thought you were my friend and now you’re making me do things I don’t want to. I’m scared of the woods, I don’t want to go there, and I wish you didn’t have to as well! But I also want you to go see your parents so now my head hurts because that’s too much thinking!” He huffed, clenching the hand that wasn’t being held.
Jeno opened his mouth but closed it right after. He sighed, looking at their joined hands. “Forget it. I should try to make you join me like they taught me but I can’t. You’re too lovely to go there. I’m sorry I made you upset. You’re right, the forest isn’t for you.”
Renjun raised his eyebrows, utterly confused, not really understanding what his new friend meant. “But you just said I would like it there, what do you mean?”
The smile Jeno sent his way was the most bittersweet thing Renjun has seen till this day.
“You should stay on this side and not let the dream realm eat you. I’m sorry I tried to take you with me and make you leave this place. You’re the most human person I’ve seen.”
Renjun blinked, utterly confused. “What does it mean, you’re human too!”
Jeno laughed. He threw his head back and let out a heartfelt giggle. “It’s really sweet of you to say that. But I gotta go,” he hummed, squeezing Renjun’s hand one last time before he let go of it. “I have to come back. I’m sorry we’re parting ways.”
“Why are you saying it like we’re not going to see each other again,” Renjun asked quietly, forcing himself not to pout even though he was feeling pretty sad. “You promised to play with me and the boys more.”
“I might,” Jeno admitted, a wistful expression on his face. “But not too soon. We won’t see each other for a year.”
“Are your parents that strict?” Renjun gasped. If they were like that no wonder Jeno ran away from them.
“Not my parents, it’s just the way it is.” Jeno sighed, taking a few steps backwards in the directions of the woods. “I hope to see you next year, Renjun.”
“I hope to see you sooner,” Renjun stomped his right foot and felt his vision getting blurry with tears. “I will miss you.”
“I’ll miss you too,” Jeno was beaming even with the sadness weighing him down. “And Renjun? Thanks. Thanks for… a lot. For the food, even if I can’t enjoy it. And for fixing my eye. It’s been popping out so often recently but I haven’t thought to just… glue it back in. You really helped me. It works like it’s not damaged at all.”
“Well, it’s just a costume…” Renjun murmured, completely dumbfounded.
“It’s really not,” Jeno chuckled, “but it’s sweet of you to think that. I’m glad for this night I got to be human. I can’t thank you enough. And I wish to see you here, again. See you next year, Renjun.”
And with that, Jeno walked into the woods and disappeared as if he dissociated in the air, leaving Renjun by himself at the edge of a dark forest.
The radio was humming a soft pop song that’s been pretty much everywhere recently. Jaemin was jamming to it, his fingers drumming on his thigh as he sang along quietly. Renjun was focused on the road too much to pay him more attention.
The ride to Chenle’s house from their university wasn’t long so soon enough they arrived, finding the area already crowded with cars and people.
Well, Chenle has always been known to throw the best parties.
The music could be heard even from where Renjun sat inside a car. The boy smirked, shaking his head. How many remixes of “ Spooky Scary Skeletons ” there were? Who was still coming up with those?
As soon as the engine quieted down, Jaemin popped his seat belts open and jumped out of the car. After two or three steps he noticed he’s walking by himself and turned on his heel, blinking and started waving his hand to make Renjun hurry up.
“Injun-ah!” He whined, jumping in place. He wasn’t dressed too properly for an October night. “Don’t tell me you’re going to bail on me again.”
Renjun smiled apologetically, raising his hands in surrender. “Sorry, I promised to drop by my old house. I’ll catch up with you later, you know it.”
Jaemin kicked an empty can lying on the grass near him, the thing barely getting off the ground before landing with a clack on the pavement. “You do that each year,” he murmured, eyebrows furrowed. “As if you couldn’t check on that family any other day. You were supposed to introduce me to that friend of yours, remember?”
Renjun laughed wholeheartedly. “Like you need any help getting in contact with someone!” He unbuckled his seat belt and stepped out of the car, making sure to lock it properly. “Ten minutes tops. Meet me in the kitchen, okay?”
Jaemin whined some more but finally obliged and left, heading over to the source of noise in the neighbourhood. Renjun watched him go and disappear at the doorstep before he pushed himself off his car and turned in the opposite way.
It was true that a new family moved in Huangs’ old house. However, Renjun wasn’t going to pay them a visit. He never did. He wasn’t even sure they still lived there.
He turned around Jungs’ house. Passed the big, old tree growing there. Stepped on the path and followed it.
Towards the woods. He was expected there.
Renjun barely got to the fence when a pair of strong arms encircled his torso, pulling him in a tight hug. With a sigh on his lips, Renjun returned the embrace, burying his face in the other’s neck.
“Hi, Jeno,” he murmured, his lips touching the skin with each movement.
“Hello, Renjunnie,” his companion breathed into his hair, causing a cascade of shivers to shimmer down his spine.
When they finally pulled apart Renjun looked at his friend’s face, inspecting it carefully. He barely changed this time; both eyes working properly, nose messily adjusted from where it went sideways when Jeno fell on his face one time, both ears in place. Top lip thin as ever.
“You grew taller,” Jeno smirked, his lips stretching in a smile that showed off his teeth, still in a perfect state. His hands were still lingering on Renjun’s back, barely touching it as if the boy was made of porcelain.
“Shut up, asshole,” Renjun huffed, hitting his zombie friend’s chest. “It’s not fair that you’re practically dead but still taller than me even if I was taller when the two of us met.”
“Yeah, well, it was twelve years ago, many things have changed.” Jeno chuckled, reaching down to grab Renjun by his hands. “Did anyone follow you?”
“No,” Renjun shook his head, squeezing the other’s hand. “Jaemin thinks I ditched him again.”
Jeno laughed. He swung their arms. “He’d kill me if I wasn’t dead already.”
Renjun whined loudly and pretended to get shivers from the cringe but laughed alongside Jeno. His undead friend looked up to the sky where the moon was blinking at them. “How long do we have?”
“Not much,” Renjun sighed, trying his best to not bring the mood down by tearing up at the thought. “They might start to look for me if I don’t return before half an hour passes, again.”
Jeno hummed in response. “We can always go to the forest, you know. So they won’t find us.”
The Chinese boy smiled in a sour way. “You know well-”
“-that you don’t want to enter the other realm, yes,” Jeno’s black eyes got sad. “That won’t stop me from trying to persuade you each year, though. It’s out of habit. I do think you’d fit there so much better.”
Renjun’s smile got sweeter as he reached up and brushed a stray lock off from Jeno’s forehead. “That’s kind of you. Maybe one year I’ll let you lure me in and leave this world. So we don’t have to settle for a time limit.”
Jeno took both of Renjun’s hands back into his, as if he didn’t want to ever let them go. “It’s a bit selfish of me, isn’t it? To ask you to drop everything and join me. You have a life here. But I tend to forget that each time I have you back with me.”
The Chinese boy hoped the moon wasn’t illuminating his blush and that it went unnoticed by the other. “You’re very good with words. Are you sure you don’t say that to all humans you meet just to persuade them to enter the dream realm?”
“Only you,” Jeno laughed as Renjun tried to cover his face, but not letting his hands go. “Come, love. We have barely any time left and I want to cherish each second with you.”
Renjun huffed a sigh and raised his eyes to meet Jeno’s stare. Soon enough he returned the smile which seemed almost engraved onto the other’s lips, more permanent than some of his body parts.
“Let’s walk.”