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Truth be told, Jeno did come to like studying in this hell of a boarding school. The number of extracurriculars and classes he had to take to keep his average up did make his head spin, and waking up at ungodly hours to study did make him want to jump off a cliff; but he wouldn't have it any other way. Breaking a seven year habit proved difficult.
However, the story changes when his best friend, in all his stone cold glory, comes into the picture. The boy would have proclaimed himself to be too much of a goody-two-shoes to break the rules, but all it took was a simple request from Renjun to accompany him in running away for Jeno to throw all caution to the wind.
“Renjun,” Jeno starts, biting at his lip. “I don’t know if you should do this. What if you get caught? We’re seniors for crying out loud.”
“That, we are.” Renjun answers nonchalantly, petting Bongsik atop his chest. “Precisely the reason why I think running away is a good idea.”
“A good idea? It’s a dangerous idea!” Jeno hated nagging, but had a knack for it when annoyed. “Are you even thinking straight? What if something bad happens to you on the way? Who’ll be there to tend to your wounds if you fall over? Or what if you get caught? Or… or what if a bear chases you—”
“What if a bear chases me,” Renjun repeats with amusement evident in his voice.
Jeno fumes in anger. Or concern. He can’t tell. “I think you’re being stupid.”
Renjun sneaks a look at Jeno’s redding face before laughing. “I think you’re being ridiculous.”
“Fine, be that way.” Jeno pushes his glasses to sit right on his nose and swivels his chair to face his study desk. “See if I care if you get mauled by one of those stupid bears in the forest.”
“Oh come on, baby.” Jeno refuses to acknowledge the tiny pull at his heart at the usage of the endearment. “I’ll be fine. You don’t have to worry about me.”
Jeno swivels his chair back to look at him. “If only it was as easy as you make it seem, I would’ve stopped years ago.”
Renjun shakes his head at the bite, knowing there were no ill intentions in his tone. Just hidden concern. He sighs and opens his mouth, ready to respond, but Jeno beats him to it. “Is there really nothing I can say that will change your mind?”
The boy doesn’t think twice before giving him an answer.
Jeno receives a silent shrug of a shoulder.
It’s a no.
He closes his eyes and regrets the words falling off his tongue before he gets the words to process them.
“Is there… is there room for one more person in your escape plan?”
__________
Jeno lay in bed with his eyes to the ceiling and his mind floating with anxiety for Renjun’s and his plans for later tonight.
Wait till 45 minutes after lights out.
Dress up in all black and meet Renjun in the common room with nothing but pocket money. And maybe some food.
Be prepared for death (read: putting your life into Renjun’s hands).
The plan is simple, really. The execution, not so much. Neither are the events that came after said plan.
Renjun sat in front of the fireplace with his eyes stuck to his wristwatch, watching the long arm of the clock make its rounds. Twelve minutes had passed since the agreed meet up time, yet company was still nowhere to be seen.
He sighed to himself. Even with Jeno verbally agreeing to his escape plan, he knew deep down that Jeno didn’t want a tarnished record. He probably backed out at the last minute. With hunched shoulders, he promised to wait for three more minutes until he would leave alone. After all, he sort of looked forward to spending alone time with Jeno outside the walls contaminated with academic rivalry.
He was starting to grow antsy. A minute, two, three, five, yet there was still no sign of Jeno. The boy was just about to push himself up from his previous position when he heard a small plop from beside him. Renjun looked up from his watch to land his eyes on Jeno, who came in with ruffled hair and a wrinkled hoodie.
“You’re late.”
“Why, hello to you too. Did you have a lovely night?”
“What is that?”
“That?” Jeno looked at where his friend was staring. Oh… oh no. “Uh, a hoodie?”
Renjun deadpanned. “Under it.”
“Me…?”
“No, dumbass. What’s on your—” Renjun extended his hand to touch at the bump on Jeno’s stomach before the latter swatted it away. “—ouch, damn. Okay. Keep your secrets.”
“Food,” he answered. Almost too fast, Renjun realized, but it was late and they were behind on time by a few minutes. He had better matters than worry about the amount of energy bars Jeno hid underneath his clothes. He gave his friend a nod and started explaining their trek for escape.
“Right, anyway about the plan for later.”
Jeno hummed in question.
“How good are you at climbing gates?”
Thinking Renjun wasn’t being serious, Jeno laughed the question off. “Like second nature.”
__________
Turns out, Renjun was being serious.
Deadly serious.
After running across the blindspots located near the treeline at the back field of their school, making do with the lights on their phones to help them avoid the night guards, and almost walking straight into a lake, one would think they’ve been through hell and back; but for Jeno, the wave of difficulty just started.
Jeno gulped as he watched Renjun start to actually climb the front gates of their school. Or side gates. It was dark, he couldn’t tell. “You weren’t joking when you said we had to climb a gate, huh?”
“What gave… what gave you the im- impression that I was… joking!” Renjun most probably intended to make that come out as a question, but his mind was focused on not slipping down the brick gate. Props to him for his nerves of steel. Just watching him from down under sent chills to Jeno’s spine.
“I’m not going up!” Jeno whisper-screamed. Half of him wanted to yell out in anxiousness, but the other, wiser half told him that speaking at a range higher than casual conversation would get them caught. And after doing all that travelling, he would rather not have his efforts go to dust. “There has to be some other way to get on the other side?”
“Well there—shit—there isn’t. Either you’re climbing this stupid gate or I’m leaving you behind.”
“You wouldn’t dare!” Jeno’s eyes widened at the threat.
“Hah,” he scoffed. “Dare—fuck, fuck, fu—dare me, baby.”
Just how Renjun was able to engage in banter while almost falling from that height, Jeno couldn’t wrap his head around it.
“Careful!”
“Whatever, get up and start climbing.”
Jeno pressed his lips to a line and looked at the height of the gate, then to his stomach, then to Renjun, then back to the gate. “Is there really no other way?”
“I swear to God, you dumbass!”
“Just kidding,” he pleaded. “I’m coming up, I swear.”
He placed a few careful pats to his stomach and muttered a low ‘sorry’ before grabbing on one of the slabs and pulling himself up.
__________
“How long are you going to grip onto that brick?”
“Jesus! Leave me alone, I’m trying my best.”
Unbeknownst to Jeno, Renjun stood just below where Jeno would fall, if he were to, and held his arms out for support. “Baby, your best will keep you up there till Christmas. Hurry a bit, yeah?”
Considering Christmas just ended a little under a month ago, Jeno took serious offense to that.
“Calling me baby and insulting me in the same sentence? That’s a bit condescending even for—” You see, Jeno was a fan of finishing his sentences. In fact, he would have. If only his annoyance didn’t distract him from the impending truth that was that the grip of his foot was slipping off the brick, then maybe he would have foreseen the fall.
Jeno could feel his life flash before his eyes. He let out a scream as he anticipated his back crashing onto stone. But instead of that, he found himself crashing down onto something soft. Something soft with a heartbeat and arms that wrapped around his waist.
Renjun, although standing straight up, groaned as if he were the one who fell from a high place. “Goddamn, you’re heavy. I feel like I’m carrying you and your stupid cat.”
“Don’t call her stupid, she’ll hear you!” Jeno swatted his arm.
“How? She’s not even here.”
It was comical how Bongsik chose that exact moment to meow for the first time that night.
The playful smile that adorned Renjun’s lips fell off his face, now replaced with shock and confusion. It was now his turn to question where Jeno was pulling a joke on him or not.
“You’re not serious.”
He gave the smaller an awkward smile. “A bit, yeah.”
Although he didn’t want to, Jeno got off Renjun and stood in front of him. He unzipped his hoodie and scooped a very awake and very annoyed Bongsik in his arms. “Uhh,” he started. Jeno probably would have scratched the back of his neck if his hands weren’t preoccupied. “Say hi?”
“We have to leave her behind.” Renjun looked into Jeno’s eyes, hoping he would understand why he was so alarmed.
“What?” he exclaimed. “What do you mean we have to leave her here? What if she becomes the other animals’ dinner?”
“With the amount of rage your cat has, I’m sure she'll make them hers.”
“Don’t change the topic! We can’t just leave her here. We’re walking anyway, it’s me that’s carrying her! Not you.”
“That’s the problem. We’re not walking.” Before Jeno could ask any more questions, Renjun makes a jog to one of the big oak trees and pulls a foldable bicycle from behind it.
Jeno didn't need a look longer to make up his mind about the situation. “I’m not getting on that thing.”
“Do you want to walk the whole ten kilometers?”
“Ten kilometers…” Jeno repeats under his breath in disbelief. “We can’t ride on that thing when I’m carrying Bongsik!”
“Exactly. We should leave—”
“I’m unleashing my cat on you if you finish that sentence.”
“Leave the thought behind.” Renjun gave him a cheeky smile. “Let me finish first next time.”
Renjun unfolded the bike and brought it to where Jeno stood. “Any ideas on how we use this?”
“Yes,” he nodded. “We don’t.”
“Jeno, be serious for a bit.”
He gave his friend an exaggerated sigh. “I don’t. Do you?”
Renjun patted his chin. “I do, but are you alright with me sitting behind you on the bike?”
“But how about Bongsik?” He frowned. “She might slip out of my hoodie if we go too fast.
“I can hold onto her while you drive.”
“Won’t she be suffocated?”
“Trust me, I’ll be the one suffocated in this situation.”
“Meanie,” Jeno taunted. With an air of finality, he dropped Bongsik into the arms of Renjun and climbed onto the bike. A few seconds later when Renjun wrapped one arm around the cat and one arm around his friend, the latter found himself worried about something else entirely.
How the hell was he going to ride a bike for ten kilometers with his best friend’s (read: crush’s) arm wrapped around his waist?
“Hey, you’re heating up.” Renjun’s voice from behind cut him off from his reverie. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I’m alright. Probably just nerves. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, now start pedalling before Bongsik scratches me.”
“Trust me, she’ll get five in before the 30 minute mark.”
“That’s the least of my worries.”
“What’s the most?”
Renjun laughed before answering. “You, being a bad driver.”
Jeno turned his head to look Renjun in the eyes.
“I will deliberately crash into a tree just because of that comment.”
“Maybe one of these days, you’ll learn a joke, baby.” Renjun hums.
And like an elementary school boy, Jeno heated up even more at the casual slip in of the endearment. Talk about embarrassing.
“Fuck you.”
The boy let out a throaty laugh and let the light twinkle in his eyes. “Just start pedalling, we’ll talk about that later.”
God, he was a menace.
__________
But unfortunately, Renjun was his menace.
He would point out nonexistent rocks and snakes in the way to make Jeno worry to the point of forgetting that they were riding on cemented ground. And in return, Jeno laughed whenever Renjun yelped at Bongsik who threatened to bite him.
It was a game of karma, really.
Both the two boys were tired, but the whole journey had been worth the effort. Renjun never told Jeno where he intended to bring him first after their escape, but he had a strong feeling it was going to be somewhere unfamiliar.
His muscles were burning, but he kept on pedalling. Jeno did feel like stopping a few times during the ride, but the look on Renjun’s eyes when he explained why he wanted to leave so early into the academic year kept him motivated. A happy Renjun equated to a happy Jeno, after all.
Somewhere after the 1 hour mark. Renjun gave in to his tiredness. He let his head loll onto Jeno’s shoulder, who in turn shook his limb a bit to pull him away from sleep.
“Hey, Junnie?”
“Hmm?”
“Are you sleepy?” Jeno slowed down his pedalling, ready to go into a halt at Renjun’s ‘yes’.
“No,” Renjun breathed into Jeno’s neck. “Tired, yes. But sleepy, no. Just wanted to rest. You don’t need to stop the bike for me.”
“Are you sure? Because we’re too far away for anyone to come running up to us to drag us back to school.”
“Absolutely, but…” Renjun trailed off, unsure of his words. “Are you tired yet?”
Jeno shook his head, and told him no. “I can keep on pedalling, you don’t have to worry about me.”
“Yes, I know, aren’t you tired yet? Tired of accompanying me anywhere and everywhere?”
“Renjun—”
“No but seriously, why are you still here? With me, of all people? You could’ve gone with Jaemin or Hyuck. Not saying that you should, but being with them would cost you less trouble than I do.”
Jeno frowned. “Not true.”
“It is. I stick to you like quicksand, pulling you into trouble with me twenty-four-seven. And here I am again, dragging you into even more trouble,” Renjun scoffed bitterly. “The more the days go by, the more I wonder when you’ll finally pack your bags and leave.”
Jeno sat in silence to find the right words. “Do you want me to leave?”
“Did you even listen to a word I said?”
“I did. But I’m asking you right now, do you want me to leave?”
“Does it feel like I want you to?” Renjun had his eyebrows knitted with something thick wound up in his throat. Vulnerability was never his thing.
“Then I won’t.” Jeno said with a tone of finality. “No questions asked.”
“You’re saying that right now, but trust me, you’ll say the exact opposite once our parents start blowing up our phones about the school dropping us out.”
“I won’t even then, especially then.”
“Fine,” Renjun said. “Your words, not mine. Should’ve brought a recorder or something.”
“No, it’s just.” Jeno huffed. “You don’t get it, do you?”
“Don’t get what?
Jeno pedalled slower, driving the bike near an oak tree to settle their conversation without distractions. “That I would happily set myself aflame if you were the lighter that ignited the flame.”
Jeno got off the bike and leaned back onto the tree, hands in his pockets as he looked at Renjun, who looked at him as if he grew a third head. “I don’t understand you.”
The former let a hand run through his hair and sighed into the air. “I honestly imagined I’d be confessing to you in a better setting, but I’m tired and so are you, so can I just tell you I’m in love with you by kissing you?”
“Go ahead… wait what?”
“Oh wow,” Jeno blinked to himself. “If I knew it was that easy, I would have done it years ago.”
“Wait, what do you mean you’re in love with me?”
“Uh, yeah. Can I just explain tomorrow?”
“No, now what do you mean you’re in love with me?”
“Can I explain after kissing you?”
“No— okay.”
“Really?”
It was Renjun’s turn to be shy. “Yeah.”
“Cool.”
“Do you want me to come over to you or what? Because Bongsik’s definitely asleep right now and I won’t appreciate getting scratched for the eighth time tonight.”
“Oh, of course,” Jeno flushed. “Just give me a second.”
Renjun pulled on Jeno’s collar to bring him to his eye level and leaned in for a kiss on his forehead, then his temples, nose, cheeks, and went to go for one straight on the lips, before he was cut off with his other plans.
“Hey, baby?”
Goddamn, it was that nickname again.
“Yes… baby?”
“Cute,” Renjun let his hand travel from his shirt to his jaw before pulling him in for a chaste kiss. “For the record, I’m in love with you too.”
And for the second time that night, Bongsik made sure her presence was noticed by the two young adults.
“Stop fucking meowing, Bongsik. Let me kiss your dad, for fuck’s sake.”
And that was the third time.