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It’s just after midnight when Renjun decides to slip away from the party. He reached extremely tipsy a while ago and has been coming down since. Maybe he’ll grab another cup of jungle juice later but for now, he needs a breather. Of course, there’s only one place to go.
He ambles out of the kitchen, leaving Jeno and Donghyuck shotgunning beers behind him. Down the hallway, makes a right, then another right, confidently strutting down the corridor (although maybe slightly unbalanced) as if it's his own home. It might as well be, he’s over here often enough.
He finds himself in front of a dark curtain, thick enough that it bears some weight on his hand when he pushes it away. On the other side, it’s brighter than he anticipated. Sliding the door open, it’s noisier inside than he expected it to be as well. Somebody beat him there.
He takes a step forward, prepares to yell at whoever breached the closed-off space, when a head emerges out of the water. A pink head. Ah.
Leaning back against the wall, he speaks up but it comes out much softer than he originally intended, back when he assumed he was going to be speaking to a stranger and not Jaemin. “You know you’re not supposed to be here, right?”
Jaemin’s head shoots up but his surprised expression quickly relaxes into an easy grin. “What, are you gonna tattle on me to your cousin?”
At that, Renjun takes paced steps forward until he reaches the edge of the pool. “Would be too much effort on my part, I lost Guanheng hours ago. He could be anywhere by now. Might not even be in the house anymore.”
He gets raised eyebrows in response. “He’d ditch his own birthday party?”
“If he assumes somebody will watch over it while he grabs food with whoever can still drive, yeah.”
“And who’s the somebody who’s supposed to be watching everyone?”
Renjun pairs a noncommittal shrug with an easy grin of his own. Jaemin lets out a deep laugh, straight from his chest. “You? But you’re not even out there, you’re here.” With me, the words that hover between them but remain unspoken.
Bending down to peel off his socks and roll up his pants, Renjun takes his time to answer. “I said he assumes somebody will watch the crowd, not that anybody actually does. Least of all me. It’s not my problem.”
“Not your problem until some priceless vase gets knocked over by some reckless, drunk guy and Hendery gets his ass handed to him by his parents for throwing a party while they’re gone. I know how it works, Junnie.”
Renjun doesn’t doubt that; they all run in the same social circle - kids with unrestricted access to their parents’ stacks of money and an unrelenting fear of loneliness that comes creeping in whenever they have even a second of free time.
That’s why every moment they’re not occupied by extracurriculars, they’re eating at top restaurants with waiting lists a mile long or shopping at stores anyone could afford to browse through but only they could afford to leave with bags tucked under their arms. Or throwing outlandish parties, inviting a good hundred people or so (he could be lowballing that number but does he really care?) over to drink and dance and maybe make decisions that their parents wouldn’t be so proud of.
“Nope,” Renjun counters, popping the ‘P’, “still not my problem. Because Guanheng never explicitly asked me to take on any sort of responsibility, see, so my only duty here is to get wasted and disappear off somewhere.”
They’re closer now, Renjun sitting down on the ledge to slip his calves into the water. It’s not freezing, bless heated pools, but it’s cooler than the kitchen had been. The water laps against his knees calmingly every time Jaemin shifts.
“Well, you don’t seem wasted to me.”
Renjun tongues his cheek for a moment. “I haven’t exactly disappeared either, seeing as I’m right in front of you. What are you doing here, Jaem? Aren’t you usually losing at King’s Cup right around this time?” He earns a pinch to his right ankle for that.
It’s somewhat of a risky move to be asking Jaemin this sort of question, to expose himself and how much he pays attention to Jaemin when the other is not looking. A calculated risk but oh, the payoff is so worth it.
“Actually...I asked around and the general consensus was that you usually come here during parties. Thought I’d take a chance tonight and see if you’d show up.”
“Oh? Seeking me out, huh?”
Jaemin raises a single hand out of the water, slides it around Renjun’s left leg until he’s cradling the skin just under the back of Renjun’s knee. Water droplets roll down his forearm. No answer. A few seconds later, he pulls away, pushing off the wall with his feet, backward into the center of the pool. “You should come in. The water’s fantastic.”
Truthfully, Renjun does have a bag of necessities stored away in the equipment closet for these kinds of situations: swim trunks, a towel, a portable bluetooth speaker. But that’s on the opposite side of the room and right now, he doesn’t really want to get up. Can’t keep his eyes off Jaemin, who’s now swimming slow laps across the length of the pool.
“I’m good for now. You look like you’re having fun though,” he calls out when Jaemin stills and stands up in the deep end, the tops of his broad shoulders poking out of the cyan.
Jaemin gazes over at him for a moment, eyes wandering up and down his face. What he’s looking for in his visage, Renjun doesn’t know, but he hopes Jaemin finds it.
He relaxes where he sits, pulses sincerity through his muscles until he’s certain his body could be easily read. He’s not quite sure why he wants to present himself as vulnerable to the other right then. Maybe it’s a reward for Jaemin’s own admission that he was hoping to see Renjun tonight. Not that he got a clear reason why Jaemin wanted such but maybe that wasn’t the most important part of that hushed statement.
It’s silent in the room but for the gentle swish of their limbs in the water and their own beating hearts. Outside, the heavy bass of some top 100 hit thumps across the floor, vibrates against the walls. Renjun hadn’t pulled the curtain closed when he came in so neon lights spill through the entranceway.
“Can you hand me my phone?” breaks his reverie.
Renjun blinks over at the boy moving back towards him then cranes his neck to look for Jaemin’s phone. It’s on top of a small pile of clothes a couple feet away, but what catches Renjun’s eyes in the process of searching are bright lights emanating along the sides of the room. There are trios of candles burning in every corner tonight that Renjun is sure aren’t usually there.
He rises from the ground, first scooping up Jaemin’s phone and distractedly pressing it into his hand then making his way over to the corner closest to the entrance.
As he approaches, he’s hit with a rich scent, something floral and deep, a hint of vanilla coming through. He bends down to look at the label. The candle is named “Paris Amour” and he blinks. “Didn’t know you liked candles, Jaem.”
Jaemin hums, still focused on his phone. He looks up when a song starts playing over his phone speaker, some bright alt-indie thing that lilts pleasantly in Renjun’s ear, and scrunches his nose. “You like? That one’s different,” he nods over to the candles in another corner, “actually, they’re all different.” And with nothing else to say, he tosses his phone back onto his clothes and dunks his head under the water. Strange guy.
Renjun walks in the direction Jaemin pointed out, careful paces on the wet floor. This scent is still floral, but a bit fresher, a bit fruitier. It smells like the bike rides he likes to go on in the spring when the sun is out, bright and shining. “Rainbow’s End” is printed neatly on the jar. Cute.
Jaemin reemerges from under and pushes his wet hair out of his eyes as Renjun makes his way over to the third corner. Despite the multiple candles, it’s a wonder Renjun’s able to smell any fragrance when the chlorine from the pool permeates the entire room. This one is called “Oasis in the Sun,” and Renjun smiles at the ocean vibes this scent gives off. Trust Jaemin to bring a candle that reminds him of beach days to an indoor pool.
The last one is his favorite, lavender and musk. It smells a little like Jaemin after he takes a shower at Renjun’s house after a night out, stealing some shampoo and oversized clothes, then sneaking back to his own house before his family wakes up. “Moonlight Path,” he reads. That’s the perfect name for it.
“So...what do you think?” Jaemin is as close to him as the pool will allow, and he stares at him expectantly.
“Um, they smell really nice!” He lifts up one of the jars to get a closer look at the color. “Pretty!”
An incredulous laugh sounds out, echoes off the walls. “Renjun...shit, did I go too subtle, what the fuck,” Jaemin utters under his breath, “what are the first letters of each candle name?”
Hmm? A light frown paints across Renjun’s face as he thinks for a moment. Paris Amour. P. R. O...oh. The jar in his hand almost drops. He’s joking with him right now, has to be. He whips his head up to stare at Jaemin with wide eyes.
“Renjunnie,” Jaemin breathes, bracing his hands on the pool gutter as if he needs to prepare himself for what he’s about to say, “will you light up my world and go to prom with me?”
Setting down the candle with shaky hands, he mindlessly walks until he’s back over by Jaemin, settling on his knees in front of him. This sweet, dorky boy who decided to ask him to prom in the middle of a party that’s five seconds away from getting shut down by the police for being a public disturbance. God. He has to bend over an awkward amount to kiss Jaemin without hopping into the pool himself.
“So is that a yes?” Jaemin tries to break away to ask, but he’s quickly brought back in with a whispered, “Shut up, you know it’s a yes.”
“How long have you been planning this?” Renjun asks when they pull away, one hand still cupping Jaemin’s jaw and the other running along his nape, catching the trails of water dripping down from his hair.
A sheepish expression crosses Jaemin’s face. “Actually, I had something much bigger planned out originally. I, uh, toned it down because I know how shy you get with public stuff like that.”
Something warm blooms in Renjun’s chest. “You’ve been talking about how you were going to go all out for promposals for years now, though. I thought you had a bet running with Donghyuck about who could be more dramatic.”
The face Jaemin makes at him, oh, he looks so fond. It’s nothing short of thrilling, to witness Jaemin and his quiet, soft love. He’s usually performative, exaggerating his actions and his affection to get the most attention possible. Somehow, this private, simple tenderness is what captures Renjun’s focus the most.
“I guess I found someone who made me think the bet wasn’t so important after all.” And God, what is Renjun supposed to do, not kiss this boy? They’re there for a while, slow pecks along jawlines and hands entangling. In fact, Jaemin seems content to stay right there for the whole night, but eventually Renjun parts to whisper that he’ll be right back, that he’s going to get something for them to eat.
He slips out the door back into the real world and it’s a jarring moment, to leave the warm candlelight and bright blue reflection of the pool for a dark foyer, flashing lights momentarily illuminating sweaty faces in an inseparable mass of people. The party rages on in their absence.
When he comes back, he pulls the curtain shut this time, hides them away again in their own little haven. Their laughs echo off the tiled walls a little too loudly but it doesn’t matter, not to them, not to the dozens of drunk teens spread throughout the rest of the house, not to the parents who aren’t there.
It’s just them, 3 AM, passing two bottles of chilled champagne between each other and staining their mouths with chocolate-dipped strawberries and the taste of each other. The dessert is from the fancy catering menu that was made for Guanheng's equally fancy birthday party, meticulously planned out by Mrs. Huang before she and her husband left town abruptly for a last-minute business trip. Guanheng had promptly turned the party into a rager and ordered pizza.
At least Renjun is appreciating the food. Jaemin seems to appreciate it too if his tongue swiping over Renjun’s lips and dipping into his mouth is any indication.
Somewhere into the second bottle, Jaemin grabs Renjun’s hips and yanks him into the pool. He screams as the water immediately soaks through his clothes but it’s hard to stay mad for long because honestly, Renjun expected this to happen. It was more a matter of when than if. After all, he knows Jaemin well, unexpected ability to execute surprises aside.
It’s just them, 4 AM, hands holding arms holding waists, slow kisses in the middle of the pool. The water’s finally still but the thrum of their pulses beat in tandem to whatever song just came on shuffle, all deep bass and lovely little words.
Before the party completely dies down, Renjun makes Jaemin sneak upstairs to Guanheng's room to raid his wardrobe, eager to get into some dry clothes. He agrees with surprisingly little grumbling, maybe feeling a little guilty for getting Renjun into the water, clothes and all.
He’s out of the pool in the next minute, giving a quick wipe down to his chest and legs with his shirt before pulling his track pants back on hastily. Renjun crosses his arms over the ledge of the pool to rest his head on and watch, tuts when Jaemin drops the shirt back on top of his bag and moves to grab his sweatshirt. “Nope. Leave the hoodie, that’s for me.”
Jaemin lets out a small, exasperated laugh. “Couldn’t have told me that before I soaked my shirt?” Renjun raises his eyebrows, directs a pointed glance down towards his own chest, fabric free-floating and darkened in the water, then looks back up to the other. It’s a clear message. That’s a self-created problem.
Jaemin concedes with a sigh and a roll of his eyes (yeah, okay, I get it), slips out the door shirtless in the end, waistband slung low on his hips.
While he’s gone, Renjun makes himself light, tilts backward to float on top of the water.
That’s how Jaemin finds him upon returning. Water covering his ears, his eyes turned towards the ceiling, arms outstretched, just taking in the rise and fall of his own chest. He rights himself when Jaemin comes into his peripheral vision, gliding towards the edge, towards his boy.
Said boy is clutching fabric in both hands, a towel in one and sweatpants in the other. Jaemin attempts to shove both under his arm to reach out and help Renjun out of the pool but he’s waved away with a smile. Renjun heaves himself out, water rolling down his body in rivulets and swaths of fabric absolutely drooping off him. He wipes his hands on the towel then takes the bundle from Jaemin, taking a couple steps backward.
Before he can even ask Jaemin to turn around for privacy, he’s already bustling away, walking towards a corner of the room to blow out the candles. Jaemin continues making his way around, collecting the candles and picking up their trash as Renjun dries and dresses himself.
They cross paths when Renjun walks past him to pick up Jaemin’s discarded sweatshirt, pulling it over his own head with a content hum. Jaemin tries, unsuccessfully, to hide a smile when Renjun’s head pops through the neck, wet strands of hair flopping in his eyes from being flattened against the hood.
It’s nearing 5 AM when they leave the indoor pool, hands clasped together as they make their way upstairs towards the guest room Renjun has basically claimed as his unofficial bedroom in the Huang household.
The trees of the dense forest outside are outlined against the floor-to-ceiling window when they enter the room. Snow has started drifting down from large looming clouds in the time they’d been lost in their own little oasis; it’s neither completely dark nor completely light out. It doesn’t take long for them to crash, head cradled in the crook of neck and liquor in their veins and legs tangled together, replenishing the body warmth that had escaped when they left the water.
When they wake up, they’ll take care of each other’s hangovers and check in on their friends and piece together how everybody’s night went through their social media updates, but right now it’s just them and the flurrying winter sky.
“You know,” Renjun mutters into Jaemin’s collarbones right before they slip into their own dreams, “if you wanted to do a big promposal anyway and beat Donghyuck...I’d go along with it for you.” Jaemin yawns and tightens his arm around Renjun’s waist. “Noted.” And, well, that’s that.
(In the morning, when they finally make their way downstairs for brunch in the formal dining room, Guanheng doesn’t say a word about Jaemin staying over. Simply sets plates of chocolate chip pancakes and a bowl of strawberries in front of them both.
He does, however, follow his cousin with his eyes when Renjun stands up to get Jaemin another fork after he drops his on the floor.
“Hey,” he calls out, eyebrows furrowed, “are those my sweatpants?”)
—
The official promposal goes like this: after the last note is played out at their orchestra concert, after the clapping dies down, after the orchestra director says his thanks, a spotlight shines on Jaemin at the back by the bass drum.
A nod to somebody standing backstage and the thick, black curtain covering the backmost part of the stage is parted to reveal a gridwork steel frame holding up massive marquee letters spelling out “WILL YOU LIGHT UP MY WORLD AT PROM?”
“Renjunnie,” comes his voice, unwavering in front of a large crowd, “I hope I don’t get in treble for this...but will you go to prom with me?”
His voice is so smug but, oh, Jaemin has earned that, hasn’t he? Because Renjun has already given him an answer several times, mouthed it underwater, kissed it onto his cheek, whispered it against the lip of a champagne bottle. Yes, yes, yes.
“Yes, I’ll go to prom with you,” is his reply, wrapped in laughter and a little high pitched but still strong. Damn it, even after giving him permission for a big spectacle, Jaemin still managed to catch him off-guard.
Jaemin absolutely beams, teeth on full display and bright under the shining lights.
The audience erupts into cheers once more. Individual flowers are taken from bouquets and thrown on stage, their orchestra peers are whistling, and Renjun meets Jaemin at the front of the stage for a hug, close and tender, head buried in the junction between neck and shoulder.
They release and bow towards everyone in gratitude, hands linked, Renjun’s free arm coming up to cover his face in a display of shyness but he’s still grinning underneath. They both shake their director’s hand, sorry for the interruption, and everyone eats it up.
A couple days later, Renjun gets a message and a link to a youtube video.
junnie we went viral!!! thanks for indulging me <3 also..should we get matching tuxes??