Archive of Our Own ^beta

“You're trending on Twitter.” 

Renjun blinks, looking at Jisung in confusion. “What? Why?” 

A phone gets shoved into his face, and Renjun has to push Jisung’s arm back in order to see the screen properly. 

Trending 

Photo by Renjun 

10k tweets 

Renjun furrows his eyebrows, sifting through his brain to try and figure out what is being referenced. It takes a minute, but soon it pops into his head. Yangyang’s Instagram post. 

Earlier, Renjun had been lurking on his private account, only to see a new post from Yangyang show up on his feed. He had quickly switched back to his main account, searching for Yangyang’s name so he could like the post. When he did, he noticed the caption. 

“Photo by Renjun,” with two hearts. It was typical of Yangyang’s caption structure, and it's the truth—just a few hours prior to the post being made, Yangyang had requested for Renjun to send him the photos. 

“Technically, I’m not trending," Renjun says, and the phone disappears from his view. “That would be Yangyang’s doing.” 

Jisung taps on his screen a few times, presumably checking the tweets. “It's still your name, and referencing you. Take it as an accomplishment.” 

“It's not my accomplishment, it's Yang’s caption.”

“You're the one who took the photos.” 

“Yeah, but he posted them, and captioned it.” 

“Why are you so hellbent on proving to me that it isn't your own doing?” 

Renjun shrugs, taking his own phone out and opening his WeChat with Yangyang. “Because it isn't," he responds, typing up a quick message and sending it to his friend. 

huang baby

[screenshot attached] 

jisung is trying to convince me that i’m the one responsible for this 

yang baby 

haha 

i’m very good at trending on twitter 

huang baby

please 

name one other time it's happened 

yang baby

…

okay listen 

it's not as easy as it seems 

huang baby 

you literally trended over mentioning me in your instagram caption, i think it's pretty easy 

yang baby

i’d like to see you try. 

huang baby

game on, liu

🐥

Renjun has no idea what will come out of their proposition, but he knows one thing: He’s not going to let Yangyang win. Maybe it's his Aries placement talking, but no matter what, he won't let it happen. 

After their talk over WeChat, Renjun ditched Jisung to head to the WayV dorms. None of the other members even questioned where he was going, knowing by now that Renjun’s disappearances from the dorm are often linked to Yangyang somehow. 

During his stay, they created a game, and by extension, a set of rules. 

The goal of the game is simple. Trend on Twitter, and one point is added to whoever caused the trend. By the end of the next two weeks, whoever has the most points wins. 

Rule 1: The cause for the trend must be linked to the other participant of the game, or it does not count. It doesn't have to be explicitly mentioned in the trend, but they must be connected. 

Rule 2: If the trend contains the name of the participant who did not cause the trend, that participant still does not receive points. Only the creator of the trend will receive a point. In the event that the trend creator cannot be decided, an impartial member will be brought in. 

Rule 3: The participants do not have to inform each other about their actions, but proof of the trend and the cause of the trend must be provided after the fact. Rules on what can and cannot be posted are loose, but nothing that could cause a problem/scandal is allowed up, everything must be appropriate.

The set of rules is now tucked away in a shared notes app file, available for viewing whenever needed. There’s also two blank sections set aside for point tallies, each marked with their respective names. 

The original tweet that caused the game won't be included, and the official starting date isn't until tomorrow. That would've given them both time to think over any ideas as well as memorize the rules. 

However, neither of them decided to do that. 

Instead, Renjun is sprawled out on Yangyang’s bed, mindlessly swiping through his phone. Yangyang sits in front of his newest fish tank, which is currently empty, surrounded on all sides by fake aquatic plants and other decor.

“Dude, should I put a fake bonsai tree in the tank?” 

“Um, absolutely the fuck not.”

Yangyang sighs, and Renjun hears the sound of plastic bags being shuffled around. “I don't know what to put in this tank," Yangyang complains, the shuffling stopping. 

“Do you have Anubias plants?” 

“I don't even know what the hell those are.” 

“Just leave it, you're stressing yourself out.” 

Yangyang groans, and it's followed by a muffled thud. Renjun glances away from his phone to check on his friend, only to see Yangyang face down on the floor next to the tank. 

“You good?” 

“What does it look like?” 

Renjun bites back a laugh, watching as Yangyang props himself back up and makes eye contact with him. 

“I’m going to guess that's a no," Renjun says, raising an eyebrow. 

Yangyang attempts to glare, but he ends up looking more like an angry kitten than anything. “Come over here and try setting this up yourself, then.” 

“If you say so.” Renjun shuts his phone off, slipping it into his pocket before hoisting himself off of the bed to join Yangyang on the floor.

The tank is a decent size, horizontal and probably around 10 gallons if Renjun had to estimate. There's a heater on the ground somewhere, so Renjun makes a solid guess as to what fish the tank is for. “Getting a new betta?” 

“No, I’m moving the one I already have into this tank, since I’m pretty sure the other one is too small.” 

“You need to add some stuff for it to hide in and rest on,” Renjun says, sifting through the bags. After a bit of searching, he pulls out a decently sized makeshift rock cave. “Something like this should work fine.” 

Yangyang stares blankly at the cave, then shifts his gaze to the tank, then back to the cave. “Can you just do this for me?” Yangyang asks, sounding defeated.

Renjun opens his mouth to refuse, but one look at Yangyang has his resolve shattering to pieces. No wonder Yangyang gets so spoiled by WayV, look at those damn eyes. 

“Fine,” Renjun agrees, “I’ll do it, but you owe me.” 

Yangyang visibly brightens up, his defeated look completely wiped away and instead being replaced by a glowing smile. “You're a real lifesaver, man.”

Renjun just rolls his eyes, already searching through the items on the floor. As he does, he picks through his brain for ideas on what to have Yangyang owe him for, and it hits him right away. 

“Hey Yang, you know that Fear of God hoodie you wear all the time?” 

🐥

The next day, Renjun wakes up with an arm draped over his face and a cat lying on his chest. 

Renjun scrunches his nose, reaching up to push Yangyang’s arm away. When he does, he sees that the room around him is dimly lit, the curtains blocking out most of the morning sun rays. 

Craning his neck, Renjun finds himself face to face with Louis, who has apparently decided that Renjun’s sternum is a comfortable place to sleep. 

“Good morning, Louis," Renjun coos, scratching behind the cat’s ear and earning a contented purr. “Have you been fed?” 

Louis meows in what Renjun assumes is an affirmative, butting his head against Renjun’s hand as a request for more scratches. Renjun obliges, letting his mind wander as the heaviness from sleep slowly wears off. 

Beside him, Yangyang shifts. Leon appears from out of nowhere, climbing up from behind Yangyang’s sleeping form and settling himself in the space between Yangyang and Renjun. Louis, sensing the movement, leaps off of Renjun’s chest and settles next to the other cat. 

Renjun blindly searches for his phone, patting the mattress until his hand connects and he grabs the device. He opens the camera app to sneakily snap a picture of the cats, but then it hits him. 

The game starts today. 

Almost immediately, an idea pops into his head. Yangyang is right there, completely oblivious, and Renjun can’t miss this opportunity. 

To spare his friend at least a little embarrassment, Renjun carefully covers part of his face with his hoodie. If he snaps a single photo of Yangyang’s face for himself to keep, that's his business. His brain rationalizes it as blackmail material. 

He takes a total of five pictures, and from those, he chooses two that he wants to upload. One of them is a photo of himself, Louis’s tail and Yangyang’s arm visible on the left side of the frame. The second is a photo focusing only on Leon, but Yangyang’s partially covered face is clear at the top of the image. 

Without any hesitation, he opens Bubble, fingers darting across his screen. 

RENJUN

[2 images attached] 

good morning, happy saturday

He leaves it at that, not really knowing what else to add. The replies come in quickly, and he opens a few of them, but eventually he sets his phone back down on the mattress and looks back at Yangyang. 

He's still fast asleep, chest rising and falling rhythmically. For once, he looks peaceful—his normally bright and energized expressions are nowhere to be seen, instead replaced by softness and relaxation. 

Renjun isn't blind, he knows Yangyang is attractive, but he's never just stopped to admire him like this. Renjun hasn't thought of him as pretty before, but right now, that's all he can think. 

Louis meows loudly, rubbing his face against Renjun’s hand. Renjun sighs, redirecting his gaze to the cat. “You're talkative today,” Renjun comments, slightly amused. 

“Huh?” 

Renjun startles, causing Louis to jump away from their spot on the bed. “You're awake.” 

Yangyang reaches up to rub at his eyes, then stretches his arms towards the ceiling and yawns. After a brief pause, his arms drop back onto the bed, scaring Leon away as well. “Good morning.” Yangyang cracks one eye open to look at Renjun, a small smile appearing on his face. 

“Good morning,” Renjun parrots. “How’d you sleep?” 

“Woke up at four to see you hogging all of the blankets.” 

“Why didn't you take them back?” 

Yangyang shrugs, pushing himself into a sitting position to lean against the headboard. “You looked comfortable, I didn't want to wake you up,” Yangyang says, reaching behind himself to grab his giant panda plushie. 

“Oh,” Renjun says, not knowing how else to react. He watches as Yangyang buries his face into his plushie, going silent as morning tiredness hits both of them. 

Renjun grabs his phone to check the time, but when he does, he's met with a load of notifications. It confuses him at first, until he remembers—the Bubble messages. 

Without a second thought, Renjun opens Twitter, and a feeling of victory thrums in his veins when he checks the trending tab. 

Trending 

GOOD MORNING RENYANG 

5.5k tweets 

“Yangyang, check this out.” 

Yangyang lifts his head up, squinting against the sudden light from Renjun’s phone. He blinks a few times, most likely trying to process what is in front of him. “Is that our names combined?” Yangyang asks, his head tilting ever so slightly. 

Renjun scoffs, pulling the phone away so he can find the evidence for the trend. “That's your only question?” 

“Listen dude, I just woke up, you can't expect humanness from me for another hour,” Yangyang mutters, his face falling back into his panda plushie. 

Renjun laughs, searching through his apps and then tapping Bubble when he finds the application. “I have a point for our competition, now. I’ve got proof.” 

When Yangyang doesn't respond, Renjun frowns, looking away from his phone to check on him. The younger is completely passed out, clutching his panda close to his chest as his breathing evens out once more. His head is lolled to the left, his cheek fully squished against his stuffed animal. 

Renjun sighs, turning back to his phone to screenshot his evidence. He opens up WeChat, sending his proof to Yangyang. 

On his way out, he steals Yangyang’s ugly red hoodie, despite already wearing the one he bribed Yangyang for yesterday. Yangyang has enough hoodies as is, Renjun tells himself. Stealing one more won't hurt. 

🐥 

When Renjun arrives at the Dream dorms, he throws his freshly acquired hoodie onto a growing stockpile of Yangyang’s stolen clothes. 

Donghyuck, who seemingly decided today would be a good day to crash at the Dream dorms, has something to say about it. 

“Why are you always stealing Yangyang’s clothes?” Donghyuck asks, annoyingly chewing a piece of gum while he props himself up on Renjun’s bed. “You have an entire closet of your own.” 

“We’re the same size, and he buys comfier clothes.” 

“Just buy the clothes yourself, then.” 

“Get off of my bed, you haven't showered.” 

Donghyuck groans, but he complies, sliding off of Renjun’s bed and moving to stand next to the door. “You two trended today, and I saw your Bubble.” 

“Okay, and?” 

“Ugh, whatever,” Donghyuck mumbles. “I’ll leave you to it, then.” There's a mischievous look on his face, and Renjun already knows what's coming. 

Renjun tries to dodge, but he's too late, unable to avoid Donghyuck sneaking forward and pressing a sticky kiss to his cheek. “Bye, Injun-ah. Have fun with your little boyfriend,” Donghyuck sing-songs, pitching his voice up at the end to make himself sound even more annoying. 

“He isn't my boyfriend, prick. Get out.”

Donghyuck rolls his eyes, giving Renjun a solemn pat on the shoulder before turning on his heel to leave. “Bet you wish he was, though.” 

“Get out, Lee Haechan!” 

Donghyuck cackles, swiftly exiting the room before Renjun has the chance to push him. When the door shuts, Renjun can hear a faint “Jisungie~” being called, and he pities Jisung for being on the receiving end of Donghyuck’s shenanigans. 

Renjun loves Donghyuck, don't get him wrong, but he knows exactly how to get on everyone’s nerves. Specifically Renjun’s. 

Ever since Renjun came out as gay to him, Donghyuck has been relentlessly teasing him for it at any chance he gets. It isn't malicious—Donghyuck himself came out as bisexual two years prior—and he makes a point not to do it around members who don't know, but it's definitely annoying. 

Renjun would've told him if he had a problem with it, though, and if he did, Donghyuck would've stopped a long time ago. Donghyuck is many things, but he's not an asshole. 

Renjun’s phone vibrates in his pocket, and he takes it out, crashing onto his bed with a tired hum. The notification is from Yangyang, who seems to have finally woken up fully. 

yang baby 

yo, sorry for falling asleep again

why’d you leave?

huang baby

i didn't want to wake you up 

yang baby 

liar 

using my own words against me 

you stole my hoodie 

huang baby 

it's a very ugly hoodie 

figured you wouldn't miss it 

yang baby 

that shit was $720 

why'd you steal it if it's ugly? 

huang baby

to prevent you from wearing it 

i’m saving your idol reputation

think of it as a favor 

yang baby 

whatever you say dude 

congrats on your point, by the way 

huang baby 

victory feels great 

you'll have to do a lot to beat that 

yang baby

yeah sure 

i trended by purely mentioning you in a caption 

our fans are like little vultures 

i don't even have to elaborate 

huang baby 

you're right 

do you want me to come over again later to help you with the fish tank? 

yang baby 

you should've asked me that while you were still here 

also, i was thinking maybe i could go to your dorm?

we always hang out at mine 

Renjun freezes, his eyes flitting to the heap of Yangyang’s clothes. It isn't really a heap, but it's multiple hoodies and shirts draped over a chair, with Yangyang’s hat resting on the seat. Yangyang would tease him endlessly if he saw it. Renjun can’t let that happen. 

huang baby

my room is a mess, it's a bad idea 

plus you have your own room and i don't 

this dorm is too crowded

we also don't have good food right now 

and haechan would tease you as soon as you walk in

yang baby

jeez no need to get all defensive 

it's almost as if you have something to hide 

huang baby 

i don't know what you're talking about, sheep 

i have nothing to hide

it’s just more convenient to hang out at yours 

yang baby

i'll take your word for it then 

and yeah i do need help with the tank 

louis got into the bags and busted up my fake plants 

we should go shopping for new ones 

huang baby 

sounds good, i'll be there at noon 

hot pot for lunch? 

yang baby 

as always 

are we taking the manager’s car or do you want to drive? 

huang baby

i’ll drive 

see you soon 

yang baby 

see you, huang renjun 

🐥 

Renjun pulls his mask up further over his nose, scrutinizing the plant selection in front of him. “These are all terrible," Renjun complains.

Yangyang picks up a brightly colored pink rock, squinting at it with what looks like disgust. “Aren't fish supposed to be kept in natural looking environments?” 

“Yes.” 

“We should've just ordered online.” 

Renjun nods in agreement, resigning himself to the fact that Yangyang’s new tank won't be very pretty. 

Suddenly, Yangyang is tugging on his hand, pulling him away from the fish aisle and leading him somewhere else. Renjun opens his mouth to protest, but when they come to a halt, Renjun closes it again. 

In front of Renjun is a corner of the store filled with giant crates and cages. Each one is home to a different cat, and Renjun just about melts. 

“If Jeno wasn't allergic, I’d be taking one of these home with me,” Renjun says, not waiting for an answer before pulling Yangyang towards one of the cages, their hands still clasped together. 

He stops them in front of one of the smaller cages, peeking inside. There's a small grey kitten curled up in the corner of the cage, face tucked into its paws. “Oh my goodness, it's so tiny.” 

“She's the runt, all of her siblings got adopted already.” 

Renjun looks to the source of the voice, meeting eyes with a young woman. She has a name tag, but Renjun forgot his glasses at Yangyang’s and he can't make it out. 

“You can hold her, if you want,” she offers, moving towards the two of them. “She’s totally healthy, loves meeting people.” 

“I’d love to.” 

The woman smiles, and Renjun backs up to give her space to open the cage. Only then does he realize his hand is still tucked into Yangyang’s, and he quickly lets go, his cheeks warming up. 

The woman carefully lifts the kitten from her spot, handing her over to Renjun. “Be careful, she can get a little squirmy with new visitors.” Renjun takes the kitten into his arms, watching in awe as she cuddles into the crook of his arm. 

“She's so lovely,” Renjun says, gently petting the cat’s small head. He can feel her purring, and Renjun is really wishing he could get a cat of his own. 

“Can I hold her?” Yangyang asks, speaking up for the first time since he pulled Renjun over. Without a second thought, Renjun obliges, passing the kitten over to Yangyang. 

She looks so small tucked into Yangyang’s arms. He's being so gentle with her, softly cooing to the cat. This is a side of him that Renjun doesn't see often, a side of him that makes Renjun rethink his perception of him. He used to pick on Yangyang for calling himself soft, but as of late, he’s started agreeing with him. 

Out of habit, Renjun slips his phone from his pocket, taking a few photos of Yangyang with the cat. He also takes a few photos of just the kitten, sending those off to the Dreamies group chat. 

“Do you think Kun gē would kill me if I came home with a new cat?”

Renjun chuckles, extending his hand to pet the small ball of fur in Yangyang’s arms. “Not just him, but the managers, too.” 

Yangyang’s eyebrows furrow, and Renjun can practically see the expression he's making under his mask. “We should get going, then, before I make an impulsive decision," Yangyang says, reluctantly handing the kitten back to the woman. 

They thank her on their way out, but only after purchasing a few toys for Louis and Leon. It would be pointless to have left without buying anything, and the cats can't seem to stop getting into things that they aren't supposed to. 

While Renjun is starting the car, Yangyang speaks up. “Are you still coming back to mine?” 

Renjun blinks a few times, processing the question. “Why wouldn't I?” 

Yangyang shakes his hair out of his eyes, his hands fidgeting on his seatbelt. “I don't know, I figured since we didn't get anything for the tank then you wouldn't need to come over.” 

“You don't want me over?” Renjun asks, feigning hurt. If some of the hurt is real, that’s only for himself to know.

Yangyang’s eyes widen, though, and he quickly shakes his head, fumbling his words as he attempts to explain himself. “No! It isn't like that. I just—I do want you over, I just didn't know if you still wanted to,” Yangyang rambles, his hands moving nervously. 

Renjun laughs, pinching Yangyang’s side to divert his attention back to himself. “There doesn't have to be an excuse for us to hang out, right? We’ll go back to yours.” 

Yangyang visibly relaxes, sinking down into the passenger seat. “Right, yeah. You're right.” 

🐥

Three days later, Yangyang is practically blowing his phone up with notifications. 

yang baby 

huang renjun 

i’ve won a point 

check this out 

[image attached] 

Renjun opens the image, being met with a screenshot of Twitter’s trending tab. 

Trending 

RENYANG SELCA 

10.6k tweets 

Renjun is confused for all of three seconds, until another image comes through. It's a photo of himself and Yangyang together, taken from their trip to the pet store. Renjun remembers it being taken, remembers how Yangyang tried—and failed—to catch Renjun off guard with his camera. 

yang baby 

apparently the fans have been waiting a long time 

our only selca is from last year 

huang baby 

we have so many selcas together though? 

yang baby 

i know but we never posted them 

i didn't know it would have this effect if i did 

huang baby 

hoping that the company doesn't milk this 

our friendship isn't a marketing strategy 

yang baby 

you're right but like 

isn't that what we are doing? 

for the trend battle, i mean 

huang baby 

you have a point 

also, we never discussed a prize for who wins

yang baby

oh shit

maybe whoever wins gets to request one thing from the other person?

huang baby 

sounds like a plan 

look forward to being my personal servant 

yang baby 

your confidence is admirable 

but actions speak louder than words, huang renjun 

🐥 

“I need your help.” 

Renjun sighs, putting his phone on speaker. There's nobody else in the dorms right now, so it's not like anyone would hear his phone call. “I can’t help with the fish tank right now, Yang. I’m rearranging my room.” 

“It's not about that,” Yangyang says, and there's a foreign emotion in his voice that Renjun can't quite place. “I just don't know who else to talk to about this.” 

Renjun stops what he's doing, turning his full attention to Yangyang’s voice coming through the speaker. “What's up? Is something wrong?” Renjun asks, suddenly sensing the seriousness in Yangyang’s tone. 

“Nothing is wrong, I just…” Yangyang trails off, his usually confident demeanor nowhere to be found. “It's very personal. I trust you a lot with this.” 

Renjun’s heart rate picks up. He can't identify the reason why, though. “Should we talk about this in person?” 

“I wanted to, but I don't think I can handle it.” 

“Are you okay?” 

“I’m fine,” Yangyang insists. “I've just had a huge secret for like, three years, and I can't take it anymore, dude.” 

“You haven't told anyone? Not even your parents?” 

“No, and it's not that I don't trust them, but for some reason I just can't say it.” 

Renjun’s mind goes blank, and he sifts through his brain to find any sort of reasoning. He comes up empty. “What is it, then?” 

It's quiet on the other end of the line. Renjun's mind is going at a thousand miles an hour, thoughts trying and failing to piece themselves together. “Yangyang? Are you still—”

“Renjun, I like guys.” 

Every single thought that was in Renjun’s head disappears into thin air. “Huh?” 

“I like guys? Like, in a gay way?” 

“What?” 

The line goes silent, and Renjun feels like an idiot. His best friend just came out to him, and the only thing he can do is be confused. 

“Are you like, homophobic or someth—”

“Yangyang, I’m gay as fuck.” 

Complete silence. Renjun wants to crawl into a hole and never come out of it. Why the fuck did he just say that? 

“Uh…” Yangyang hesitates, awkward. “Me too?” 

“Well, yeah, I kinda got that.” 

It goes quiet again, and Renjun has no idea what to say. He feels terrible. Yangyang’s first coming out experience, and Renjun just had to—

Yangyang bursts into laughter out of nowhere, and Renjun jumps, startled by the sudden volume. “I’m sorry, this is just so funny,” Yangyang gets out between laughs, clearly failing to properly catch his breath. “I did not expect it to go this way.” 

“We’re so awkward.” 

“Right? It's crazy.” 

Renjun finally gains his senses back, a breathy laugh escaping him. “Sorry if I made it more awkward than it needed to be.” 

“It's fine, Jun, I kind of expected awkwardness anyway.” Yangyang giggles. “I’m glad I told you.”

“I’m glad you told me, too.” 

From there, the conversation spirals into all sorts of topics for the next hour. Renjun finishes organizing his room, his pile of Yangyang’s clothes nowhere to be seen. They're now all mixed in with the rest of his clothes, officially permanent additions to his wardrobe. 

When the call ends, Renjun screenshots the time marker, which reads 117:40. Nearly two hours. Without hesitation, Renjun takes his screenshot to Bubble. 

RENJUN 

[image attached] 

so talkative ㅠㅠ

stay safe and healthy everyone 

good night~~~

Renjun sighs, falling backwards on his bed. It's late enough to go to sleep, but he isn't tired, his mind won't settle down. 

Renjun isn't sure if it's a blessing or a curse when his door bursts open, Donghyuck’s shit-eating grin appearing above him. “Hello, Renjun.” 

“I could've been asleep.”

“Yeah, but you weren't,” Donghyuck says, unceremoniously dropping himself next to Renjun. “Besides, you're practically breaking Twitter, so I figured you'd be awake since your Bubble message was just a few minutes ago.” 

“Shouldn't you be at the 127 dorms?” 

Donghyuck scoffs, shoving Renjun in annoyance. “Is that all you care about? Not the fact that you’re winning your little game?” 

Renjun shoots up from his spot, whipping his head towards Donghyuck. “How the hell do you know about that?” Renjun hisses, trying to keep his voice down to prevent the rest of the Dreamies from hearing him. 

Donghyuck’s expression looks absolutely wicked, and Renjun thinks that if he didn't know him any better, he would be absolutely terrified right now. Maybe he already is. 

“I stole your phone a couple days ago.” 

Renjun’s entire body freezes up. 

Normally, that wouldn't be a problem, seeing as Renjun doesn't have much to hide. However, there is one thing Renjun wants to keep secret, and based on Donghyuck’s expression, he must've found it. 

“Did you go through my photos?” 

Donghyuck looks like he’s just won the lottery, eyes sharpening ever so slightly. “Oh, Renjun, of course I went through them.” 

“For fuck’s sake, Lee Haechan.” 

“What, are you mad I saw your little photo album?” Donghyuck pouts, looking up at Renjun innocently. “What was it called again? ‘Candid Yangy—’”

Renjun tackles Donghyuck, firmly planting his palm over his mouth to prevent him from saying anything else. “Tell nobody,” Renjun threatens. 

Donghyuck bites his palm, causing Renjun to reel back and curse. The younger simply watches and cackles, pushing himself up onto his elbows. “Why would it need to be a secret? Don't want everyone to know you’ve been taking boyfriend pics of Yangyang?” 

Heat shoots into Renjun’s cheeks and ears, and he refuses to look at the other. “It's blackmail,” Renjun says through clenched teeth, trying to prevent himself from strangling Donghyuck on the spot. 

“Doesn't seem like it,” Donghyuck muses, cocking his head. “Looks like someone has a little crush.” 

“You have no proof.” 

“You aren't denying it.” 

Renjun drops his face into his hands, taking a deep breath and trying to push away the headache Donghyuck is giving him. “You're an annoying son of a bitch, Lee Donghyuck.” 

“Ouch, going for the government name? What happened to Haechan?” 

“I hate you.” 

“You love me.” 

“Fuck off.” 

Donghyuck giggles, pulling himself up further and settling down next to Renjun’s side. “You should make a move.” 

Renjun sighs, accepting defeat and turning to face Donghyuck. “Like hell I will. I’m not embarrassing myself like that,” Renjun answers. 

Donghyuck raises an eyebrow, nudging Renjun with his shoulder. “So you aren't denying your crush anymore?” 

“I don't see the point.” 

Donghyuck brings his hand up to squeeze Renjun’s shoulder in feigned assurance. “I thought you'd be harder to break. Seems like I was wrong.” 

Renjun ignores him, instead choosing to grab his phone from the bed and open his WeChat. He can feel Donghyuck peering over his shoulder, but that's pretty much the whole point. 

Surprisingly, though, he's met with a notification from Yangyang, one which he must've missed while Donghyuck was terrorizing him. 

yang baby 

i saw us trending on twitter again 

and i saw the bubble screenshots

you're too good at this, dude 

huang baby 

accepting defeat already? 

yang baby 

never, huang renjun 

“You should ask him out to eat," Donghyuck pipes up. 

Renjun doesn't give him a glance. “For what?” 

“Um, a date?” 

“Your faith in me is flattering, but I don't know how successful that would be.” 

Donghyuck groans, detaching himself from Renjun’s shoulder. “Do I really have to do everything myself?” 

Renjun opens his mouth to ask him what he means, but before he can, his phone is swiped out of his hands. In the second it takes for Renjun to process what just happened, Donghyuck bolts out of the room. 

“Lee Haechan!” Renjun yells, not caring about the other members at this point. “You're so dead!” 

Renjun resigns himself to his fate, pushing himself up from the bed.

🐥 

By the time Renjun corners Donghyuck and gets his phone back, the damage is already done. 

huang baby 

do you want to go on a date? 

“What is wrong with you?” Renjun asks, breathless from all of the running he had to do. 

Donghyuck leans against the doorway, arms crossed over his chest. “You're gonna thank me for that later, just saying.” 

“You don't even know that he's gonna say yes! What if you just made it awkw—”

Ping! 

Renjun goes completely silent, anxiety hitting him full force. 

“What are you waiting for?” 

“My brain to stop thinking I’m having a heart attack.” 

Donghyuck snorts but doesn't say anything else, instead choosing to stare at Renjun from the doorway. Renjun sighs, looking down at his message thread. 

yang baby 

wait, for real? 

Renjun finds himself presented with two options:

Option 1: Tell Yangyang it’s for the game. 

Option 2: Tell Yangyang the question is serious. 

Option 1 would save him the most embarrassment, and prevent himself from being rejected. Option 2 would do pretty much nothing but cause Renjun to make a fool out of himself, and there's no way Yangyang would accept. 

The choice is, in Renjun’s eyes, obvious. 

huang baby 

yeah, for real 

“What’s taking so long?”

“Be quiet for once, asshole.” 

“Jeez, alright.” 

yang baby 

ask me again 

huang baby 

do you want to go on a date…? 

yang baby

i’d love to go on a date with you, huang renjun :)

Renjun blinks at his screen, unable to move. He did not expect Yangyang to accept. Sure, he knows Yangyang is gay, and they've been hanging out a lot recently, and Yangyang lets him steal all of his hoodies, and—

Oh. 

Maybe Renjun is a bit oblivious. 

“Finally coming to a realization?” 

Renjun shoots a glare at Donghyuck, but for once, the younger doesn't have a mischievous expression on his face. Instead, he looks almost… fond. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” 

Donghyuck smiles, all hints of wickedness completely gone. “I want the best for you, Renjun. It takes a lot to get you out of your own head. I hope you realize I’m not doing any of this out of malice.” 

Renjun chews on his bottom lip, looking back down at his phone screen. “What if he didn't say yes, though?” 

“I wouldn't have done that if I wasn't positive he’d accept.” 

Renjun furrows his eyebrows, meeting Donghyuck’s eyes again. “How?” 

“You aren't the only one who talks to the WayV members,” Donghyuck says, the glint in his eyes returning for a moment before he turns on his heel and exits the room. 

Renjun sits in silence for a few moments, but his thought process is interrupted by his phone vibrating. 

Incoming call from yang baby!  

Renjun presses the ‘accept’ button without any hint of hesitation, bringing the phone to his ear. “Yang?” 

“We need to schedule our date, don't we?”

Renjun’s lips curl up into a smile.

🐥 

The next time Renjun sees Yangyang, it's a day later, and they're on a date. A real date. 

It's nothing fancy, seeing as they can’t draw too much attention to themselves, but Renjun’s just happy they have another chance to see each other without managers. Even at the dorms, there's always another member or a manager lurking around. 

The place—which was Renjun’s choice—is a small shop which Renjun frequents. It isn't the most conventional place to have a date, but it's usually quiet and can be considered out of view from the general public, which are two of the main reasons Renjun goes there in the first place.

The third reason, however, is the shop itself. 

There really is no theme to the items being sold. The selection is pretty much just a bunch of odd trinkets, ones you wouldn't find in an average store, most of which are donated to the shop by its patrons. Renjun has bought a couple things from here before, but nothing too notable. 

“Dude, look at this,” Yangyang says, holding up a porcelain Siamese cat. “It looks just like Louis.” 

“We’re on a date, don't call me ‘dude.’” 

“Oh shit, sorry man—I mean, uh, shit, Renjun.” Yangyang puts the cat down, tugging his mask over his face to hide his blush. Renjun giggles—fucking giggles—and pulls Yangyang’s mask back down over his chin, relishing in the flush painted over Yangyang’s cheeks. 

“Get the cat,” Renjun says. “Ten gē will be jealous.” 

Yangyang seems to forget his prior embarrassment, a grin spreading across his face. “You really know how I think, don't you?” 

In lieu of an answer, Renjun takes Yangyang’s hand into his own, looking away and pretending to be interested in the keychain display in front of him. When he feels Yangyang intertwine their fingers, he bites back a smile, something fluttering in his chest.

“Hey, I think you might like this.” 

Renjun faces Yangyang again, seeing a necklace dangling from his fingers. Adorning it is a silver flower charm, and when he squints—he forgot his glasses back at the WayV dorms again—he can see that it's the outline of a daffodil, March’s birth flower. 

Renjun reaches out to take the piece of jewelry, tracing the shape of it with his thumb. “This is really pretty," Renjun muses, tilting it to watch the silver glint. 

Then, he notices it. A small diamond, nestled into the silver where the stigma of the flower would be. A real diamond, based on the price tag stuck to the end of the chain. 

“I can buy it for you, if you want.” Yangyang’s voice is nonchalant, as if he's not literally offering to purchase a diamond for Renjun. Well, a diamond necklace, but still. A diamond. 

“You saw the price tag, right?” 

“Yeah?” 

Renjun blinks, handing the jewelry back to him and shaking his head. “It’s too much. You don't have to do that for me.” 

“Think of it as payment for helping me with the fish.” 

“I don't think you can equate basic knowledge of fish care to a literal diamond.” 

Yangyang frowns, looking at the necklace for a few seconds before sighing and putting it back. “Alright, but I still want to pay you back.” 

“You don't have to,” Renjun insists. “It's nice just hanging out with you, you don't have to pay me back.” 

“I’ll find a way to do it anyway, Huang Renjun.”

🐥 

Yangyang did, in fact, find a way to pay Renjun back. 

Renjun ended up stealing one of Yangyang's hoodies, which is a regular occurrence. On his way out, Yangyang kissed him on the cheek, which was extremely awkward, but also incredibly cute and Renjun maybe wants him to do it again. Maybe. 

When he gets back to his own dorm, he goes to put the hoodie away, but he feels something heavy in the pocket. Confused, Renjun reaches into the pocket, and his hand meets a small box. 

It's unassuming, and Renjun thinks maybe Yangyang just forgot it in his pocket, but when he turns it over there's a note taped to the back. 

pay me back with a second date? :)

Renjun pulls the lid off the box, and he nearly drops it when he comes face to face with the silver daffodil charm. No fucking way. 

Carefully, he removes the necklace from the box, the diamond catching the light easily. The chain is cool to the touch, and Renjun still can't believe what he's seeing. 

Dumbfounded, Renjun sets the necklace aside, grabbing his phone and opening WeChat. 

huang baby 

what the hell, liu yangyang 

i said you didn't have to pay me back

yang baby 

i wasn't paying you back 

have you ever considered that someone might give you something purely because they want to?

huang baby 

i don’t understand why you would though 

yang baby 

just take the gift, renjun 

silver would look beautiful on you 

Renjun’s thumbs hover over his screen, and all he can do is stare at the text. His ears feel like they're about to burn off, and he doesn't know what to think, what to say, how to act. 

He takes hold of the necklace again, staring at it for a few moments before making a decision. 

🐥

“How much was this?” Jisung asks, placing the necklace around Renjun’s neck. “It looks expensive, hyung.” 

“Doesn't matter,” Renjun deflects, watching in the mirror as Jisung’s hands work behind him to clasp the chains together. “It was a gift.” 

Jisung removes his hands, the necklace firmly secured around Renjun’s neck. “A gift from who?” 

Renjun flushes, looking away from Jisung’s curious gaze in the mirror. “Yangyang," he admits. 

“Woah,” Jisung says. “What's going on with you two? You're always over at his dorm.” 

Renjun steps away from the mirror, turning around to look at Jisung. “I’ll tell you, but you can’t tell anyone anything. I know Chenle likes to run his mouth.” 

Jisung makes a gesture of zipping his mouth shut, and Renjun rolls his eyes at the display. “At first it was just hanging out, but things kind of changed. We went on a date today,” Renjun explains, choosing to omit any mentions of the game. 

Jisung’s eyes widen in an almost comical fashion, and he makes a few confused movements with his hands before speaking again. “Hyung, you're gay?” He asks quietly, almost like it’s a secret. 

“Uh, yeah?” Renjun says, trying and failing to read Jisung’s reaction. Normally, Jisung is easy to read, but sometimes his emotions show so prominently that they can't even be described. “Is that all you got out of it?” 

“Well, no, but—Wait, Yangyang is gay?” 

Renjun fights the urge to rub his temples, taking a deep breath through his nose. “That isn't the point, Jisung.” 

“I’m just surprised, sorry,” Jisung says. “I thought it was just me and Donghyuck, we’re both bi.” 

“Wait, you?” 

Jisung nods excitedly, and Renjun sighs, fondness canceling out any annoyance he had. “What am I going to do with you, Park Jisung?” Renjun says, faking exasperation. 

Jisung dodges Renjun’s attempt at ruffling his hair, running out of the room and calling out for Jaemin. Renjun thinks it’s funny for him to assume that Jaemin will protect him, when in reality, he’s most likely just going to get coddled more. 

Now that Jisung is gone, Renjun turns his attention back to the mirror, studying the necklace. Yangyang was right, the silver does look really good on him. 

For his birthday, Yangyang had already bought Renjun a necklace. It was from Gucci and had a key design, and sure, Renjun really appreciated the gift, but it's nothing compared to this. 

Renjun slips his phone from his pocket, taking a few photos of himself with the necklace. He considers posting it on Bubble for their game, but he stops himself. Something like this isn't meant to be shared with everyone. He tucks the necklace under his shirt before opening his messages with Yangyang. 

huang baby 

[image attached] 

i love it 

yang baby

i was right, it looks pretty on you 

do i get a second date? c:

huang baby 

you were going to get one regardless

but yes

yang baby 

good 

tomorrow evening, let's get hotpot together 

then we can come back to mine and watch a movie 

huang baby 

sounds like a plan 

see you tomorrow, sheep ♡

yang baby 

see you tomorrow, huang renjun :) 

🐥 

In the span of the next three days, they go on three dates, one every day. In those same three days, they trend three times. Specifically, they were caused by Renjun mentioning their hotpot date in a Weibo post, Yangyang spam commenting on said Weibo post, and Yangyang’s offhand comment about their frequent hangouts on Bubble.

The score is set even, three to three. There's one week left of their little game, and honestly, Renjun doesn't even care about it anymore. He almost forgets about it until he accidentally trends on Twitter, earning him a slew of notifications and a congratulatory message from Donghyuck. 

Yangyang probably forgot about it, too, seeing as he never notified Renjun about any of the trends. Renjun found out about everything through Donghyuck, who seems way more invested in the game than the actual participants of it.  

From a slip of Renjun’s tongue, Chenle found out about the game, and by extension so did the rest of NCT Dream and WayV. Chenle also found out about Renjun and Yangyang’s developing relationship, but he never told anyone else, seeing as he's a decent human being. 

For the first time in months, Yangyang actually ends up at the Dream dorms. The dorm is pretty much empty, save for Jaemin keeping to himself in his own room and editing photos. Sungchan and Shotaro are filming, Jisung is at Chenle’s house, and Jeno went out to get some solo biking done. It's rare that the dorm is this empty, so Renjun easily takes the opportunity to invite Yangyang over without the possibility of nosy members or general crowdedness. 

“It smells so good in here.” 

Renjun snorts at the random comment, gesturing towards his scented candles. “That's the reason.” 

Yangyang doesn't even spare the candles a glance, instead sitting next to Renjun on his bed, arms curling around his waist. Renjun flushes, but he doesn't make any move of protest, letting Yangyang nestle his face into the crook of his neck. 

“You're usually not this clingy,” Renjun comments, leaning into Yangyang’s arms. “I thought you were allergic to affection?” 

“That's only when Ten is around, but don't tell him I said that. If he finds out I like cuddling, I’ll be done for.” 

Renjun laughs, pushing himself down so his back hits the bed, bringing Yangyang with him. His grip doesn't falter, and Renjun sighs contentedly, eyes getting heavy. 

It's not often that Renjun gets to do this with anyone, let alone Yangyang. There's always cameras or fellow members around, and sure there's skinship on camera, but nothing will ever compare to how it feels to relax in only the presence and hold of someone. Especially if it's someone you care a lot about. 

“I could ask the same about you, by the way,” Yangyang says, tangling his legs with Renjun’s. “You'd tell everyone you hated skinship, but look where we are.” 

“It's different when it's you.” 

“Pfft, you're so cheesy.” Yangyang laughs. “Gross.” 

Renjun rolls his eyes, turning his head to the side and down so he can face Yangyang. “Says the one who sends me good morning texts and reminds me to eat breakfast. You always add two heart emojis, without fail.” 

“That's different.” 

“Is it really different? Would you send those to Ten?” 

Yangyang cringes, fake gagging. “Ew, no.”

“Well, then it's not so different.” 

Yangyang hums at that, seemingly won over. “I guess that's true. Ten is like an older brother to me. You're…” 

“I’m?” 

Yangyang is silent for a moment, eyebrows furrowing as he tries to place the word. Renjun can tell when it comes to him, because his eyes light up, and he presents a small smile. “My person. You're my person.” 

Renjun lightly taps his forehead against Yangyang’s, but he keeps his head positioned there when he speaks. “You sure you aren't the cheesy one here?”

“Maybe I am, maybe I’m not.” 

“Oh, it's definitely you.”  

“Maybe,” Yangyang repeats, lips curling up into a smile. Renjun kind of wants to kiss him silly. 

One of Yangyang’s arms removes itself from Renjun’s waist, and before he can complain about it, there's a hand cupping his jaw and his nose bumps against Yangyang’s. This is the closest they've ever been, and Renjun can see almost every detail of Yangyang’s irises, the way his pupils dilate ever so slightly. 

“Can I—”

“Kiss me.” Renjun interrupts Yangyang before he can even finish his sentence, but he knows what the question would have been. 

It doesn't take much to close the distance between them, Yangyang only having to slightly pull Renjun’s chin up before their lips meet. It's soft, delicate, and a very new feeling. 

Sure, Renjun has kissed plenty of guys before. Spending your adolescent years surrounded by other curious teenagers brings on experiences you don't expect. But, out of every experience he had in the past, none of them were like this. 

It's different when it's him.

Yangyang isn't just another one of the nameless trainees that Renjun snuck into the company bathrooms with. He's Yangyang, his best friend, his… whatever they are now. His person. 

His person, who is so extra and loud with everything he does, but is so gentle and careful when it comes to Renjun. Even in the kiss, he doesn't push too far, allowing Renjun to set the pace and make the next move. 

When Renjun finally breaks away, the first thing he sees is Yangyang’s bright smile and rosy cheeks, and it's so, so lovely. 

“I really like you, Huang Renjun.” 

“I know you do.” Renjun sighs fondly, pressing a short kiss to Yangyang’s lips before pulling away again, satisfied. “I really like you too, xiǎo yáng.” 

Yangyang smiles even wider at the nickname, burying his face in Renjun’s chest. “I hope you know I’m, like, super happy right now.” Yangyang’s voice is muffled, but Renjun can make it out easily. 

“It seems we're both on the same page, then.” 

🐥 

Another two days pass, and those days are spent hanging out at each other’s dorms and progressing further with their relationship, even though it hasn't been strictly defined. 

At the moment, the two are curled up on Yangyang’s bed, watching a random movie that Chenle recommended. Although, they've missed most of the movie, instead being too busy sneaking kisses—which would probably be better defined as make-out sessions, but whatever—and quietly talking to each other. 

It's really nice, Renjun loves being able to chill out with Yangyang. The atmosphere is really peaceful, and—

“What the fuck.”

Right, they probably should've locked the door. 

As soon as Yangyang hears the voice, he pulls away from their kiss, rolling away from Renjun and hiding his face in his pillows. “Oh no.” 

“Yangyang, you've got some explaining to do.” 

“Oh my god, just kill me now,” Yangyang whines, and Renjun can’t help but laugh. “This isn't funny, Renjun!” 

“It's a bit funny,” Renjun says. “What do you think, Ten-hyung?” 

Ten crosses his arms, staring at the back of Yangyang’s head like a disappointed parent. However, his role quickly falls apart, and he breaks into a wide smile. “My baby Yangyang~ Look at you, all embarrassed.” 

“Shut the fuck up, Ten!” 

Ten rolls his eyes, turning his attention to Renjun. “People these days are so disrespectful, am I right? That kid never listens to me.” 

Renjun fakes sympathy, nodding before patting Yangyang’s head. “Truly a shame.” Renjun sighs. 

Yangyang rolls on his side to face Renjun, glaring at him. “Traitor," he grumbles, but his façade is quickly broken when Renjun feels a hand slip into his own and squeeze. 

“Aw, young love! How adorable.” 

“Fuck off, Ten. I never do this with you and—”

“Shut it." Ten interrupts, holding a hand up to silence Yangyang. “It's different, because you're my baby. The baby isn't supposed to make fun of its parents.” 

Renjun raises an eyebrow, interested. “I’m intrigued, mind filling me in on the details?” 

Ten sighs, leaning against the bedframe and making a point of glaring at Yangyang. “This one is always bugging me about my… relationship.” 

“You mean your boyfriend?” Yangyang smiles innocently, blinking up at Ten. “You can call him your boyfriend, you know.” 

“He’s not my boyfriend.” 

“Who, exactly, are we talking about?” Renjun asks, eyes flicking between Ten and Yangyang. “I feel out of the loop, which is odd, because I practically live here.” 

Ten is quick to answer before Yangyang can get a word in. “It’s Kun, and don't listen to anything Yangyang says. We aren't dating.” 

“But you will be dating. Eventually.” 

“Did I ever mention how much I despise you, Yangyang?” 

Renjun giggles, ignoring when Yangyang shoots another glare at him. Again, he just looks like an angry kitten. “You look just like Leon," Renjun comments. 

“You're so right,” Ten agrees. “But we’re getting off topic. Tell me why I walked in on you two making out?”

“I mean, I wouldn't say we were necessarily making out,” Yangyang says. 

Ten raises an eyebrow. “What were you doing, then?” 

“Kissing,” Yangyang supplies, and Renjun sighs, giving up. “I just think you used the wrong term—” 

“Does it matter?” Renjun interjects, and Yangyang goes silent, but a smile starts to appear on his face the longer they maintain eye contact. 

“Listen,” Ten says. “I’m not asking for the terminology, I just want to know why I walked in on it.” 

“Well, when two people are attracted to each other—”

Renjun immediately pushes his hand against Yangyang’s mouth, glaring at him pointedly. “Shut the fuck up.” 

Yangyang doesn't resist, so Renjun removes his hand. “I think what he means,” Renjun says, “is that we’ve been seeing each other. With romantic intentions. But it's not labeled.” 

“You should've locked the door," Ten comments. 

“Yeah, I think we know that now.” 

“Actually,” Yangyang says. “I feel like you need to learn how to knock. Just saying, this is my room, you can't just barge in any time you want.” 

Renjun agrees in his head, but he doesn't say anything, watching for Ten’s reaction. He looks unimpressed, arms crossed over his chest, an eyebrow still raised. 

“You barged into my room without knocking just last week.” 

Of course he did.

“I’m a changed man now, Ten.” 

“Yeah, and a hypocrite.” 

“Listen, you always have your door slightly open!” 

“For the cats, Yangyang. You aren't a cat, even if you look like one.” 

“Well—”

Renjun, again, pushes his hand over Yangyang’s mouth. “As entertaining as this is, it's getting nowhere.” 

Ten sighs. “I’m leaving. I’ll lock the door behind me.” 

Yangyang tries to protest but his mouth is still covered by Renjun’s hand. Renjun simply wishes Ten a good day and watches him leave, before pulling his hand away. 

“You know.” Yangyang laughs awkwardly. “That was kind of hot.”

Renjun opens his mouth to speak and then closes it, feeling a flush spread from his face to his neck and ears. “Why?” Okay, maybe that was an idiotic question. 

Yangyang simply shrugs, leaning into Renjun’s shoulder and peering up at him with those stupid puppy eyes. Renjun is unbelievably enamored. 

“Don't look at me like that.” 

“Like what?” 

“Ugh,” Renjun says. “I can’t stand you.” 

Yangyang opens his mouth to speak, but before he can, Renjun shuts him up by pressing their mouths together. Yangyang makes a small noise of surprise before reciprocating, his hand coming up to cup Renjun’s jaw and pull him even closer. 

“Obviously,” Yangyang whispers against his lips, “you can stand me.” 

Renjun doesn't have to open his eyes to see the stupid grin on Yangyang’s face, but he kisses it off him anyway. He doesn't want to admit that Yangyang is right. 

🐥 

“How's your game going?” 

Renjun frowns, turning to meet Donghyuck’s eyes in the mirror. “What game?”

Donghyuck looks at Renjun as if he's grown two extra heads, his mouth dropping open in disbelief. “Your game with Yangyang? The trending thing? That ends today, you know,” Donghyuck says. 

Oh, fuck. 

“I forgot about it,” Renjun admits. “But if it makes it any better, I think Yangyang forgot about it too. We've been… busy.” 

“What were you so busy with?” 

Renjun blushes, his eyes catching on the staff and stylists milling around the dressing room. “It doesn't matter,” he deflects, fidgeting in his place on the couch. “I think we tied.” 

“You didn't." Donghyuck smiles. “Check Twitter.” 

Renjun furrows his eyebrows, looking back down at his phone. When he opens Twitter to check the trending tab, he immediately sees what Donghyuck is talking about. 

Trending 

Huang Baobao

7.8k tweets

“No fucking way." Renjun exhales. “He did not.”

“He did,” Donghyuck sings. “He totally did.” 

Renjun ignores Donghyuck's teasing, fingers flying across the screen to open WeChat. 

huang baby

why is my contact name trending 

yang baby

haha… about that… 

i may or may not have said something on weibo live 

the fact that you changed your own contact 

huang baby

you changed it first!!

this is so…

yang baby 

either way 

since the day is pretty much over, i won

huang baby

ugh 

well, a deal is a deal

what do you want me to do?

yang baby

come over tomorrow and i'll tell you 

kun and ten won't be here 

huang baby

liu yangyang, are you trying to seduce me?

yang baby 

NO

well i mean

maybe, but that's unrelated 

see you tomorrow? ♥

huang baby

see you tomorrow ♡

“You look like a middle schooler,” Chenle comments from the other side of the room. “Smiling all wide while texting. I don't know whether to pinch your cheeks or throw up.”

“If you do either of those things, I’ll punch you.”

“Aw,” Donghyuck coos. “Past you would've done it anyway. You're a changed man, Renjun.” 

Renjun wants to flip him off, but soon Mark is calling him from across the room with a camera in hand. He mouths you're lucky in Donghyuck’s direction before slipping his phone in his pocket and moving to entertain Mark.

🐥 

“I actually want two things from you.” 

Renjun cocks his head, eyebrows furrowing. “That wasn't part of the deal.” 

“I know,” Yangyang says. “But I know you'll probably do both things anyway.” 

Renjun opens his mouth to argue, but Yangyang is looking at him a certain way and he really can't. He needs to learn how to maintain his composure when it comes to that face, but for now, he’s a slave to Yangyang’s charms. 

“Fine,” Renjun says, and Yangyang lights up. “What's the first thing?” 

Yangyang points to the hoodie Renjun is wearing. “That.” 

Renjun blinks, looking down at the hoodie he's wearing. It's the red one he stole from Yangyang a while back. “Out of everything you could've asked me for,” Renjun says, suspicious, “you want your hoodie back?” 

Yangyang nods, his smile growing by the second. Ignoring his confusion, Renjun tugs the hoodie over his head and hands it to Yangyang.

He doesn't put it on, to Renjun’s mild surprise. Instead, he drapes it over his desk chair and turns back to Renjun. “Okay, now for the second thing. Grab a mask, we’re going to Namsan.” 

Renjun’s eyes nearly bulge out of his head. “What?” 

“You heard me,” Yangyang says. “Namsan tower? You know how to drive there, right?”

“Yeah,” Renjun says, trying to gain his bearings. “Aren't the managers going to question it? Won’t people see us?” 

Yangyang sighs, reaching out to grab Renjun’s hand. Renjun lets him do it, finding comfort as soon as their fingers intertwine. “You worry too much, you know? I told our managers we’re going, and nobody saw us any other time. Even if they did, they know we're close. It's not like we’ll be kissing in public.” 

“Alright,” Renjun says, his worry dissipating. “Alright. Let's go.” 

🐥 

“You know,” Yangyang says, "I brought you here for a reason.” 

Renjun hums, looking out at the view of Seoul. “I figured. What is it?” 

Instead of answering, Yangyang takes hold of Renjun’s wrist, leading him somewhere away from everyone else. Once they're out of view, Yangyang pulls his mask down and digs into his pocket, producing a small yellow lock. He also procures a black marker. 

He stays silent as he uncaps it and starts writing on it, and Renjun can only stand still, watching. “What are you doing?” Renjun asks, pulling down his own mask.

“Here," Yangyang says, handing the marker over to Renjun. The lock soon follows, Mandarin characters clearly printed onto the lock’s surface. 

Be my boyfriend? :) 

A wave of something passes through Renjun, and he looks up at Yangyang, almost unable to believe what he's seeing. Yangyang looks nervous, his hands fidgeting by his sides and his eyes full of uncertainty. 

With a shaky hand, Renjun brings the tip of the marker to the space underneath Yangyang’s writing. He spends a beat too long writing the characters due to how fast his heart is beating, but he gets it done and caps the marker. 

Yes.

Renjun slips the marker in his pocket and hands the lock back, happiness flooding through his chest as he sees Yangyang’s eyes light up upon reading it. 

“You could've asked me out loud, you know,” Renjun says. 

“Well this is more special, isn't it?” Yangyang smiles. “Now we can attach it to the tower. Symbolism.” 

Renjun wants to make fun of him, but he can't, because Yangyang is right. It is special, but so is Yangyang. 

“So,” Yangyang says. “Should we find a place to attach it, or—”

Renjun tugs Yangyang forward by the collar of his shirt and kisses him hard, unable to stop himself with all of the emotions circling through his head. Yangyang is frozen for all of two seconds before he reciprocates, hands easily settling on Renjun’s waist. He can feel the cool metal of the lock through his shirt, and he smiles, pulling away to look at his boyfriend.

“It seems we're kissing in public.” Renjun laughs, letting go of Yangyang’s shirt. “I thought you said we wouldn't be doing this?” 

“You kissed me first, I have no part in this.” 

“Well,” Renjun says. “Nobody’s around, so I guess I’ll let it slide. Let's go lock this in, shall we?”

🐥 

Trending 

RENYANG NAMSAN

8.9k tweets

Renjun looks through some of the tweets, seeing a few photos here and there. None of them are incriminating in any way, which is a relief despite the precautions they took. 

Looking back on it, what they did was super risky, but Renjun can’t find it in himself to care. He can’t when he's cuddled comfortably into Yangyang’s side, their legs intertwined and Yangyang’s hand angled so Renjun can see his phone screen. He can’t when Leon is tucked under his arm, and Louis is curled up at their feet. 

The fans will never see these moments. They'll see their dates, their interactions during NCT content, their matching clothes, their Bubble messages. But they're never going to see this—the real, unfiltered, unedited version of their relationship. 

Renjun watches as Yangyang moves to his personal Twitter settings and mutes ‘renyang’ before closing the app. When he opens his camera app, Renjun doesn't move or protest, watching the screen flash as photos are taken. 

When Yangyang is done, he selects them all and saves them to a shared album titled us, one which is already filled with nearly a hundred pictures. After, the screen turns black, and Yangyang sets his phone to the side. 

Renjun knows how easy it would be to post a photo from that album, or share it on Bubble. He knows how much it would gain attention, how it would boost their interactions, how it would increase their popularity even by just a little bit. 

But he knows that he's never going to post any of them, and Yangyang won't either. Those photos are reserved for their eyes only. 

“Stay for dinner? Kun gē should be home soon, I think he's inviting Chenle too.”

Renjun hums, absentmindedly petting Leon. “Yeah, sure. Maybe we can drop by the Dream dorms later too, I ordered some stuff for your tank and they should have arrived by now.” 

“Or,” Yangyang says, "we can do that tomorrow, and spend the rest of our day annoying Chenle.” 

“You must really be my soulmate, huh?” 

“Obviously.” 

Renjun cups Yangyang’s jaw and presses their mouths together, lingering for a moment before pulling back and making eye contact. “I’m glad, then. Even if you’re super corny.” 

Yangyang smiles. “You like it, though.” 

“No." Renjun sighs fondly. “I like you, Yangyang."

And really, that's all that matters. People can talk about them as much as they want, or even be completely silent. Their relationship doesn't have to be a huge display, because they're still together, even off camera. 

Even though the stars are only visible at night, that doesn't mean they aren't there during the day, too.