─────── • ❥ • ───────
The continuous flow of time ran past the group living together in the complex. Days were turning into weeks, and the taste of change was upon them. The practices were becoming less frequent, for Jisung was getting much better. The kisses, the adoration, the bonding...it was all natural now like breathing, rather than blush-worthy or awkward. Mark was already talking about another film coming up, and it was putting Jaemin in a bad mood. In fact, nobody wanted to see him disappear for hours and hours. Or, if going far away, weeks and weeks.
"Aha, you're a saint," Renjun hummed as he sipped his tea while standing up and watching the news on the communal flatscreen, ignoring the couch behind him. Jisung had trailed in around mid-morning with a yawn and waddled straight past the trap his neighbour had set on the coffee table by him — the iPad.
"Hm?"
"You didn't pick it up. Nice job."
"Fuck, you're right."
"Morning, hoes," Chenle stretched and trailed in after. She was a girl again, after having been a boy for about three or four days. Donghyuck skipped over behind her and bypassed everyone to get to the large kitchen. Taeyong was nowhere to be seen, so they could make a racket without being too conscientious about it.
"It's like, Wednesday," Hyuck gushed and poured himself some cereal. "Don't you have college, Renjun?"
"Uhuh, I'm leaving in a few."
"Skip it. Be lazy with us~"
"Correction; be lazy with you and Jisung," Chenle dropped onto the sofa and sank into the leather. "I have work at one and Jaemin and Mark are spending some time in the Sapphire Dome together later."
"Where's Jeno?" Jisung frowned. "Oh wait, he was the one who left at six this morning, was he? Another short film?"
"Yeah, think so."
The four of them went about their morning as one normally would. The ravenette flicked her long hair back off her shoulder and stole the remote to change channels, causing Renjun to glance around with an infuriated glare. "Uh, excuse me? I was watching that?"
"You're not sitting down, are you? I get remote privileges."
"I have school in like, twenty minutes! Give me ten more minutes!"
"It's the news though," Chenle arched her brow and sniffed nonchalantly before choosing some ridiculous cartoon. "Mornings are for relaxation, not boring info we can hear about tonight."
"You aren't serious~" the older whined and clasped the mug in his hands tighter. "Switch it back. Now."
"Make me."
"I see where this is going," Donghyuck snickered faintly to Jisung as the pair observed silently from the sidelines. "Someone's frustrated, huh?"
"Chenle is? Really?"
"What, you can't tell?"
"He gets whatever he wants all the time. He should not be frustrated right now."
"Well..." the brunette shrugged and nibbled on his toast with no crusts (because Mark babied him too much and now he ate like a child), "I think he's hungry for Renjun."
"Please shut up. Hearing you when you're not little gives me whiplash. Keep the innocence."
"And delude you all? Please, do I come off as innocent in bed?"
Jisung choked on his tea and slapped his own chest to fight the onslaught of suffocation.
"Zhong Chenle, stop acting like a brat and do as I say!" Renjun started to switch into Chinese as he placed his mug down and crawled onto the couch to start ripping the remote from the taller's hands.
"Oh, I'm so scared. What are you gonna do? Huh? Huh?!"
"Do I hear drama and violence?" Jaemin suddenly dashed down the staircase and skidded to a halt to figure out what was going on. "To think I have a date day today and I can start it with a bitch fight."
"What happened to wanting us to act more 'normal'?" Hyuck scoffed. "Mr. I-Got-Arrested-For-Public-Indecency."
"That was like, a lifetime ago. Let it be, you little shit-stirrer."
"I won't let you live it down, because you're so high and mighty!"
Jisung sunk away from that battle and cautiously checked if the two Chinese residents were still bickering; and they were. He wondered where the most peaceful spot to watch the chaos unfold would be, and presumed the stairs might've been a great bet.
"Compromise then! Hand it over and we'll watch something together," Renjun gave the other small, innocent eyes filled with glittery stars and cuteness. He was already tangled up with Chenle on the sofa, and neither were relenting too easily.
"Y'think I wouldn't see this coming? You're just gonna steal it."
"Dead right, you little bitch. Give it here!"
"Your curses in Mandarin are endearing," the younger stuck out her tongue, then flipped them over with her legs and sat on the boy's waste before switching the channel back to what she wanted. It had been flicked and changed multiple times during their battle, but she was winning.
"Wait, what time is it?" Renjun hissed, sitting up and stabilising the taller's figure on his lap so she wouldn't fall. "Someone tell me."
"Time for you to get a wat—"
"Jisung, I will not hesitate to castrate you."
"It's nearly ten to nine..."
"Fuck, fuck, fuck," he groaned and gently pushed Chenle off before standing in the middle of Jaemin and Donghyuck's argument, taking his bag off one of the countertops and swiping his keys as well.
"Bye Hoe," Chenle called happily and turned up the volume of the cartoon to rub his victory in.
"Oh, bye," Jaemin, Hyuck and Jisung all waved simultaneously.
Renjun could only utter a quick 'see you' before sprinting out of there and rushing straight in the direction of his college. His brow produced sweat once he was nearly there, and his bag felt even heavier now that he was too tired to carry it.
He had almost arrived late, but it seemed their professor hadn't quite made it either. Instantly he collapsed down in his seat beside YangYang and huffed out a small 'thank God' before taking deep breaths.
"Well, good morning?" His friend chuckled softly. "Wake up late?"
"I got into a cat fight," was all he managed to whisper in his mother tongue, and the younger tilted his head, brows furrowed with confusion.
"Meaning?"
"Never mind."
YangYang nodded slowly and tried not to deflate at having things being kept from him. As usual. It was starting to feel like a long lasting ache now, one you just didn't know how to deal with. He wound up chewing on his thumbnail and staring off into space, chest tight with emotions and nerves.
"Yang?"
"Mhm?"
"Yang, are you listening?"
"Hm? What? I am listening," he returned his gaze to the smaller hesitantly. Damn it, maybe had Renjun not been so beautiful, or had been a little more cold, it would've been easier to handle how he felt. But it was ultimately impossible not to fall for someone who openly made him laugh and smile and had the face of a fucking angel.
"I didn't say anything, I just saw you spacing out." He made the peace sign to sarcastically infer that he was just trying to be annoying.
"Oh," he laughed nervously, shrinking into his big hoodie. "Um, Renjun..."
"Yeah?"
"I really should tell you something, but I don't know how. I feel like I'm being annoying at this rate...acting all shy and stuff."
Oh no. Is this the question I've been expecting? Is this the moment? Am I about to deal with this now? I'm not ready. Not ready at all. Shoot! "I-I hadn't noticed," the shorter lied, looking away and down at his space on the lecture theatre's desk. "What's up? Ehe..."
"I've been really confused as of late. Also, you're quite secretive, aren't you? Sometimes I wish we could just talk everything out, because it was all so much easier at the start. Back when you hated those neighbours of yours and we used to laugh it all off."
"Wow...nostalgic, huh?" He was being a bit rude about it for sure, but he needed to redirect this conversation a.s.a.p.
"Tell me what's happening with you right now? Just, normal life things, I guess. I don't want to feel this...separated? Is that it?"
"Yang, I didn't mean to make you feel that way," he panicked and looked back at him, self-consciously tucking some of his black fringe away and poking the wall of his cheek with his tongue. This was a catastrophe; an absolute tsunami was now destined to crash against his shore and he had no weather warning.
"Renjun, I..." the younger exhaled heavily before straightening his posture. "I—"
"Wow, what's with this professor, huh? He's like, five minutes late," the blonde-ravenette finally cracked under the stress and stood up way too quickly to be natural. "I'm gonna head to the toilet before he shows up. If he's here before me, sign my name on the role call, yeah?"
YangYang's eyes glistened a bit with a lot of unsaid pain and emotions, and he looked just about ready to be swept away by a current that wouldn't return him. But he nodded nonetheless, glancing down at his hands on his lap.
Renjun felt like shit, but he hadn't been ready for that. Thus, he sprinted away to the bathrooms and threw up from the stress eating away at him.
─────── • ❥ • ───────
Okay, so that was all very dramatic but kind of necessary. We have one chapter left of Jisung's sequence before we're finished the rensung section 👏
I really hope you're enjoying this still, and I hope you're all happy and healthy ~
Stay safe!
-lily