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Renjun sighed, looking at the swatches once more in the book splayed out on his lap. He had been at the salon waiting for his appointment for about 15 minutes, having gotten there early in a burst of nervous excitement. He knew what he wanted, but looking at the swatch under his fingers now in person made his heart beat a little faster in anticipation.
He had contacted Ten about 2 weeks ago, getting his information from Yangyang who said his boyfriend could absolutely help Renjun reinvent his look now that he was finally over his nasty breakup and was ready to move on. Everyone had always said that the easiest way to signify a new chapter in your life was to switch up your hair, but Renjun took it a step further, taking himself on a minor shopping spree earlier in the day with the funds he had put aside to treat himself. Now, here he sat, in the waiting area of Ten’s salon in an overstuffed leather chair waiting for him to finish up with his last client, ready to drop a lot of money on shearing off his hair and dyeing it baby pink.
He had already spoken with his job about their dress code policy, and they assured him that non-natural hair colors wouldn’t be a problem, much like the stud he got put in his nose a few weeks ago wasn’t, and many of his co-workers wished him luck and told him about how excited they were to see his new hair when he returned after the weekend. Honestly, at this point, the only person who Renjun usually saw on a regular basis who wasn’t aware of what he was about to do was his best friend Lucas, who had been out of town for the past month visiting family, and who Renjun was getting dinner with tonight since he got back yesterday. He hadn’t told Lucas about the nose piercing either, wanting to see his reaction in person when he saw him.
Renjun knew there was absolutely no way Lucas wouldn’t be supportive of anything he decided to do, but still found he was nervous about his reaction. Lucas had been his best friend for years and was the biggest support Renjun had when his ex-boyfriend ended things unexpectedly after they had been dating for a year and a half. It’s not like Renjun was thinking they were going to spend the rest of their lives together, at least not yet anyway, but he had definitely been blindsided when it happened. Lucas just means so much to Renjun that he doesn’t know what he would do if for some reason he was wrong and Lucas reacted badly to his new look.
“Hey, you ready?” Ten’s voice called, pulling Renjun back into the present moment. He hadn’t even realized that the last person had left and Ten had cleaned up already.
“Yeah,” Renjun said with a smile, getting up and following Ten to his chair “let’s do this.”
“To clean breaks.”
“To starting fresh.”
“You’re gonna look so hot”
Renjun cracked a smile at that, happy he had listened to Yangyang and contacted Ten to do his hair instead of going to the same person he usually goes to who always has seemed nervous when he wanted to try new things. He and Ten had never hung out outside of dinners with Yangyang but Renjun has always enjoyed the time he’s spent with him. Ten had a calming aura to him like you could tell him things and he would keep them if you asked him to, even if it seemed silly.
“Thanks, Ten”
“All I'm doing is helping you match the work you’ve done on the inside to your outward appearance, you’re the one who’s put in the effort and done all this work. Let’s get you processing so we can get to the good part.”
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Renjun took a deep breath as he sat at the table, waiting for Lucas. He had gotten to the restaurant early, which was starting to become a pattern for him apparently, not wanting to leave Lucas waiting if he got there first. It seems he didn't have to worry about that as Lucas had texted him about 5 minutes ago, apologizing for the fact he was running late, he got distracted unpacking his things after adjusting to the time change again and didn't realize he had needed to leave already.
Rejun looked at his reflection again, heart beating just a little bit faster, low-level anxiety thrumming in his veins. He had been so excited leaving the salon, absolutely in love with the new color and style that Ten had given him, and he felt like a whole new person in the best possible way. Every single thing he had done to change his appearance was done with only himself and what he wanted in mind, no longer worrying about if a partner or a family member would like it, but now his need for approval was rearing its ugly head again.
He knows that he absolutely doesn't need anybody else's approval to validate his own opinions but it was just so much easier to like your appearance and the things you have done if you have the approval of those you care about, and though Renjun would never admit it out loud, at least not often, he cared about what Lucas thought about him probably more than anyone else. Lucas would never tell him if he didn't like his new look, but Renjun knew him well enough to know when he wasn't telling the full truth.
Thankfully, that's a fear that doesn't seem to be warranted in the slightest as Lucas walks into the restaurant, takes a single look at Renjun, and breaks into a huge smile.
"Junnie! You look so good!" he says, taking in his appearance before pulling him into a tight hug and shaking him lightly from side to side. "Look at you, I leave and you get even prettier than you were before, and I didn't think that was possible!"
Renjun flushes deeply under the praise, pushing Lucas off of him with no force behind it, knowing they're both aware he only pretends he doesn't love the affection.
"Thanks, Lu, I actually just got the hair done earlier today. You really like it? It's something new I'm trying"
"Yeah! It's very cute on you! I didn't just mean the hair though. The clothes, the nose ring, and the way you're holding yourself... it's like looking at a whole new version of Renjun, not that the old version wasn't great as well."
"I just figured that the best way to make a clean break from the period of my life with him was to do a little bit of self-reinvention. You ready to sit?" Renjun asks, making his way to the host stand right as Lucas tries to do the same.
Lucas nods and gestures for Renjun to go first following behind him to be led to a table by the host.
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Lucas pulled up to the restaurant almost exactly 5 minutes late to a t, quickly throwing his car into park in the first spot he found and walking to the door. He was about to open the door and go inside when he saw Renjun, sitting by himself, obviously lost in thought, looking so incredibly beautiful.
He knew that Renjun wouldn’t look exactly the same as Lucas had left him. A lot of changes had taken place over the past month, and honestly Lucas still felt guilty that he wasn’t there for Renjun when he was first going through his breakup. He knew that Renjun was strong and independent and didn’t need someone else to hold his hand, but he also knew that Renjun wouldn’t mind having a hand to hold.
But seeing the man in front of him made Lucas’s worries float off to a different area altogether. Renjun looked mature and adult and just overall sexy. He had obviously done a bit of reinvention to get over his ex, and it was obviously working.
As they walked to their table Lucas couldn’t help but notice how confident Renjun looked now. He had always been sure of himself but this was a new breed of self-confidence and he couldn’t lie and say it wasn’t a very sexy look on Renjun.
“Junnie…” Lucas started as they sat down “i really don't think i can say it enough times, you look so good…”
Renjun blushed again, playing with his menu and dipping his head a bit, face breaking into a small smile
“Thanks Lu, It really does mean a lot. I know it's different but -”
“No it's perfect, you look… gorgeous. Like a fairytale creature that walked into my life as my best friend. You've always been pretty but this haircut and this color highlight your features so well... It's different, but a good kind of difference.” Lucas cut him off, flushing slightly when he realized he started to ramble a little bit.
Thankfully Renjun seems to find it more endearing than anything and is giving him a soft smile, reaching out to take his hand and squeeze his fingers as a sign of thanks as their server walks up to their table to take their order.
The rest of lunch goes smoothly, Lucas tells Renjun stories from while he was away and Renjun catches Lucas up on the drama at his workplace. Before they know it they've been at their table for almost two hours, finishing up their dessert and giggling over Lucas retelling the story of how his sister got her hand stuck in between the bars of the fence one night while they were drunk on a playground.
The bill has been paid, and a hefty tip left for how long they had stayed, and Renjun realizes that this is the first time he's laughed this hard since his breakup. The atmosphere is always so easy with Lucas, and Renjun can really just sit back and relax when they are together.
It shouldn't surprise him that Lucas can make him feel better, Renjun thinks as he watches Lucas stack his plates and silverware to make it easier for the server, he's been doing it ever since they met.
“Are you still seeing the same girl? Yuqi?” Renjun asks softly as Lucas wipes his mouth one last time. He realizes that he hasn't heard Lucas talk about her all evening once the question is out of his mouth and panics but thankfully Lucas just breaks into a soft smile and shakes his head.
“Nah, she and I never went out again past the few times I told you about. She's seeing a girl she knows from school now. I'm pretty happy for her, they're cute together and we realized we were better off as good friends than as a couple.”
“That's good. Not that you guys didn't work out but that you stayed friends and she's happy seeing someone”
“Yeah, you ready to head out?” Lucas asks, cocking his head to the side slightly and giving Renjun that little smile that has always made him feel a little funny.
Renjun nods and stands up, groaning at how full he is and taking Lucas’ elbow like he usually does, allowing himself to be led out of the restaurant and to his car.
“I had a good time tonight. I missed you while you were gone, you have to stop abandoning me.” Renjun jokes as he unlocks his door and gets in “Let's do a movie night soon”
Lucas nods at that with a slight chuckle. “I'd bring you with me next time but i dont think your work would like that all that much. You wanna come over to mine next friday? We can watch one of the new terrible netflix movies and eat too much popcorn and be too full to eat a real dinner?”
“That sounds nice, i'd like that”
“It's a date, see you next friday little huang”
“See you next friday big huang” Renjun giggles in reply, pulling his door shut as Lucas backs away from his car and steps onto the curb to wave at him as he pulls away.
If Lucas calling it a date made Renjuns stomach flip weirdly for some reason that's nobody's business but his own, Renjun thinks to himself as he merges onto the highway. He's sure it's just appreciation for how sweet Lucas is with him all the time.
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You see, the thing is, if you ask Lucas why he and Yuqi didn't work out he’ll tell you that it's because Yuqi realized she's in love with her friend from college. That's part of it, sure, but what he leaves out is that it's because he realized that he's also into someone else. Someone who’s kind of small and dainty and maybe a little faerie like. Someone he's known for a long time, and that he's been aware he's into for a while now but he never made a move on because they were in a relationship and that wouldn't be right. Someone who recently became single, dyed their hair a soft baby pink, and put a stud through their nose. Someone who may be named Huang Renjun.
It's not that he's really keeping it a secret from anyone aside from Renjun, he's sure all of their friends know, but the situation has become more of a pleasing matter now that he's back from his trip back home and Renjun is single and looks like that and is talking about how he's missed Lucas and if he wasn't already in deep he sure is now.
Lucas putters around his apartment, tidying up things here and there to try and make the place look a little more presentable. He knows its just Renjun coming over and hes not gonna care but its their first movie night in a while and he wants things to go well. Hes glad Renjun is looking happier and overall less stressed, now he just has to keep him that way. Hes got one of those “Noah Cetimeter” movies, as Renjun calls them, queued up and is going to start the popcorn maker about 5 minutes before Renjun was set to get to his house so that it was finishing up as Renjun was getting here. Lucas had a plan and he was going to stick to it.
Tonight, hes gonna woo Renjun.
Hes got it planned out perfectly. He has Renjuns favorite popcorn seasoning ready, a new full shaker of it, and his favorite blanket fresh from the dryer and warm. The room is set to just cool enough that its cozy to cuddle together but not too cold that they are still chilly under the blanket. He even has a second blanket ready to go if Renjun isnt in the mood to cuddle and wants some space, even though it will make his plan a little bit harder.
Once Renjun gets to the house he looks just a little bit tired, but the first whiff of popcorn has him smiling brightly. He trails Lucas into the kitchen, immediately starting to chatter about how much he loves the seasoning sitting on the counter and Lucas smiles to himself for making the correct decision.
They are settled on the couch, Renjun pressed slightly into Lucas’ chest with a bowl of popcorn where he should be, and everyhting is going right according to plan. That is until Renjun falls asleep not even 20 minutes into the movie.
‘Ok so maybe tonight isnt the night to woo Renjun’ Lucas thinks to himself while he situates them on the couch, gently moving Renjun into a more comfortable sleeping position cradled against his chest as he lays down. Thats ok, theres always next time maybe. The most important thing is that Renjun is having a good night. If Renjun is comfortable enough to fall asleep then thats a good thing is what Lucas is telling himself. He can always tell Renjun tomorrow, or some other time.
As the movie continues to play Renjun winds himself deeper into Lucas, tucking his head into Lucas’ chest, causing Lucas’ breath to catch just slightly as Renjun curls into him more, wrapping an arm around Renjuns shoulders and continuing to scroll through his phone, having lost interest in the movie.
Soon enough the end credits are rolling and Lucas is shifting slightly to wiggle out of Renjun’s grasp slowly. He quietly covers Renjun back up with the blanket and takes their popcorn bowl into the kitchen to put the left overs into a ziploc bag.
“Xuxi?” Lucas hears Renjun call sleepily from the living room
“In the kitchen, go back to sleep ill carry you to bed in a moment.” Lucas softly calls back, getting the mess in the kitchen cleaned up as quietly as possible and hearing Renjun hum in agreement.
“Your room?” Renjun asks softly after a moment and Lucas smiles to himself
“Sure Junnie. My room”
By the time he returns Renjun is back asleep on the couch and Lucas gently scoops him up bridal style, careful not to wake him again. He carries Renjun up the stairs and casts a look at the guest room he used to sleep in regularly. Looking down at Renjun, Lucas shakes his head and heads for his own room instead.
As he enters he makes his way over to his bed, softly placing Renjun down and pulling up the blanket to cover him. He knew there was up sides to not making his bed in the morning and one of the major ones is being able to easily put cute boys to bed when they fall asleep on the couch. Once hes got Renjun situated under the covers Lucas presses a soft kiss to his forehead, breathing out a soft “love you junnie” before moving to get himself ready for bed. He wasnt really concerned at the idea of sharing a bed, they used to do it all the time before Renjun got a boyfriend, and the only reason they stopped was because Renjun’s ex made it known how uncomfortable it made him.
Lucas makes quick work of changing into pajamas and doing his night routine. He would feel bad about letting Renjun neglect his own skincare but he hates waking him and he knows Renjun hates being woken up. He will be fine skipping it for one night.
“Goodnight junnie,” Lucas whispers as he slides into bed next to Renjun “I cant wait until tomorrow morning to tell you, and i dont think i have the guts to tell you for the first time tomorrow morning so im gonna say it now first. I wanted to invite you over to try and woo you tonight because i really like you junnie. I know we say i love you a lot but i really do mean it. I didnt tell you for a while because i didnt want to interfere with your relationship and i didnt want to put you in an uncomfortable place so i figured i would keep it to myself but now were both single and here we are. I know i keep saying it but you really do look so so good. I didnt think it was possible to get even more attractive but somehow you did and I know it hasnt been long so i dont expect you to feel the same way or even be ready but -”
“Xuxi… can we please have this conversation tomorrow” Renjun cuts him off with a raspy voice.
“I… youre awake?”
“Have been since you tucked me in, i was trying to wait for you to come to bed to say love you too but then you just kept talking and im really sorry but im starting to fall asleep again”
“So you heard it all?”
“What? Oh, yeah, i heard you loud and clear. Lets talk tomorrow ok? I wanna kiss you when im not half asleep and when we can actually have this conversation. Love you too big huang.”
“... ok”
Lucas lets out a nervous little laugh as he feels Renjuns fingers brush his own before he laces together their fingers. He presses another small kiss to Renjun’s forehead before Renjun tips his chin up and stretches to steal a little kiss on the lips from Lucas in return.
“Tomorrow morning.”
When tomorrow morning comes, it does indeed bring talks and smiles and boys in love.
Also, lots of kissing. Like, a lot of kissing. As in there might be pancakes that burn in the pan because they forget about them until the smoke alarm goes off amounts of kissing.