𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺; renjun x dream

𝙨𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙮 𝙨𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣

"It's not necessarily bad," the taller murmured and wrote down a few words so it looked like he was being attentive, for all it didn't matter in college what you looked like. "I haven't done those things either. I wish I had a crazy roommate or something, y'know?"

"Yeah! Someone to push me out of my comfort zone and introduce us to new people."

"Exactly. That's what we've not been doing."

Renjun paused on that thought and shrunk back into his initial mindset again. "That's all well and good, but I'm also too awkward to try any of it. Plus the guys in the apartments surrounding mine take up most of my life..."

"Yeah...so I've noticed."

The shorter didn't seem to detect any particular tone from that, and he was on the verge of staring into space again had his friend not interjected.

"Renjun, we should go get lunch after this. We haven't chatted in a little while."

•

Their plates were emptied at record speed after such a long, boring lecture. The growling stomachs had been resounding across the entire room before, so ten minutes before the class was due to end, the professor let them go early and they couldn't have been happier for it.

"I'm so tired again...like my mind won't sleep but my body will at night," the smaller Chinese adult yawned before reclining into his seat. "The exams will be on their way again for the end of this year. Can't believe it's already been this long."

"Don't stress over too much before bed. Do something relaxing and think about all the stuff you're looking forward to rather than what you have to get on with the next day. Life's too short to give a damn."

"And that," Renjun chuckled fondly, "Is why I keep you. You're like a ball of positive energy most of the time."

"Just doing my job," he pretended to paint his nails. But with all jokes aside, he really felt the time had come upon them where he needed to either change this relationship forever, or end it altogether to save himself the pain. He really wanted to spend time with this person in a different way, and act different with him. And he knew he couldn't keep up this innocent façade forever because he wasn't a masochist. He didn't hurt himself if it could be helped.

Renjun gazed at the modern lights dangling from the campus canteen's ceiling, some form of crude artwork he just knew he wouldn't keep in his own house. The whole theme was pale blue and white, a bit too close to that of a hospital for his liking.

"Jun, you've been weird all day..." YangYang then broached the subject. "You're smiling to yourself now."

"Of course, you're here," he teased, but quickly faltered from his messing around when it was clearly not the response his younger friend had been looking for. "I-I'm figuring stuff out right now, is all. No need to get so worried, I'm fine."

"I want to meet up with you tomorrow, maybe for some food. You can pick the cuisine this time," he tilted his head. "How does that sound?"

"Is there an agenda to this sudden meet-up? You're all serious now."

"Hmm...no. Just a hangout."

Renjun threw a quick look over the boy's figure and wondered inwardly if this was a safe plan to make. He didn't want to be asked out yet, and he needed as much breathing time as possible before he could properly handle everyone and what they wanted from him. But rejecting YangYang's offer was just too suspicious, and for God's sake this man was his friend. His only one, at that. He needed to stop being so stupid and just remember that first. "Okay. When?"

The brunette was a little surprised he agreed so nonchalantly, and so he cleared his throat and shrugged with uncertainty. "Uh, whenever suits you. I'm free all day tomorrow after the ten o'clock class."

"Oh? I don't have that one, so we should be fine anyway from about twelve onwards. Should we meet at one? For lunch?"

"Sounds nice," YangYang smiled faintly, but now he felt nervous. He'd been telling himself to do this all along and now he wanted to chicken out.

Man up, he mentally slapped his cheek, sitting straighter and attempting to wear more confidence. He wasn't marching to his death, he wasn't about to receive a scolding...he was going on a date with Renjun. His lovely friend. There was no need to start sweating about it.

"We should get some ice-cream. Look, they have bubblegum," the older beamed happily and pointed back towards one of the various eatery chains situated in the canteen. He didn't seem fazed, and it was a little disconcerting.

But what YangYang didn't realise was that Renjun was equally if not more terrified than he was of this hangout. He was screaming over 'what ifs' way too many times in his head and he needed to calm down.

They needed some ice-cream.

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