It was late, and it was dark, and to make matters even worse it had started to rain. Navigating his way through Busan Arts College was a challenge when Jeno could barely see a thing.
He retraced his steps from the last time he was there - waving goodbye to Renjun through his dorm window, just before they'd left him there two weeks ago. Jeno figured that it couldn't be too hard to pick out the right window again. At least, it couldn't be harder than getting the train down there in the first place. They had joked about how none of them could read a train timetable before, but Jeno had quickly realised upon arriving at the station that it was more than a joke. Getting the train had been a complete nightmare.
Jeno glanced up at the building in front of him, squinting through the onslaught of heavy raindrops that had started to fall. He was pretty sure that Renjun was on the second floor. But when he scanned the windows on the third level, only a few still glowed with light.
"Shit," Jeno sighed, checking the time on his phone. It was nearly eleven, and he was going to be sleeping outside in the rain if he couldn't find the right room.
Suddenly, there was movement at one of the windows that made Jeno freeze. The blinds shifted and a person looked out into the dark night, gazing up at the stars. Jeno instantly began to panic. It was Renjun.
Not knowing what else to do, and with nothing to hide behind, Jeno instinctively made the decision to fall - and lie flat on his front on the sodden grass. The rain began to pour. Turning his head to one side, Jeno craned his neck to see if the coast was clear. He managed to see Renjun close the window (which wasn't exactly in Jeno's favour) and disappear. The square panel of light still shone through the window pane.
Jeno exhaled in relief. He might be soaked through - from the front and back with rain - but at least he wasn't caught.
And then his phone began to ring.
"Oh, come on," Jeno cursed, scrambling to search through his pockets for the source of the noise. The ringtone echoed in the empty space between the buildings.
His ringtone was still Womanizer by Britney Spears. Which was... ironic, considering the fact that Jeno was a certified bisexual dumbass trying (and failing) to surprise his boyfriend while being attacked by the pouring rain.
"Hey," he said breathlessly, finally finding his phone in the back pocket of his jeans.
"Hey."
Jeno couldn't resist the urge to smile at the sound of Renjun's voice.
"What are you up to?" Renjun asked with a soft laugh. "You took ages to answer. Lost your phone again?"
"Nope," Jeno replied. He hoped the sound of rain on concrete wouldn't pick up too much on the call. "I, uh... I was just taking a shower."
Technically speaking, that wasn't exactly a lie. Jeno was certain he was now soaked through to the skin.
"Ah," Renjun said, "I guess you'll be going to bed soon. I wanted to call and say goodnight at least."
Jeno hesitated. If he said goodnight and ended the call now he'd feel bad, but he really needed to get up to Renjun's dorm as soon as physically possible. Otherwise, he would probably dissolve into raindrops himself and be absorbed by the wet soil he was still lying on.
"Yeah, I'm... really tired," he lied, pretty unconvincingly at that, "so I should get some sleep. Goodnight, baby. I miss you."
"I miss you too. Okay, well... we'll talk soon, then. Night."
Wow, Jeno felt awful. But he reluctantly hung up the call and got to his feet, approaching the dorm building with a new sense of desperation.
It was only two floors to climb. Up the outside of the building. In the pouring rain. Jeno slid his phone back in his pocket and walked cautiously up to the slippery brick walls of the building, mustering up the courage to scale it all the way up to Renjun's room. From a physical point of view, Jeno was completely capable. It was the logical side of things he struggled on.
How was he even supposed to make it up there?
"Come on, Lee Jeno," he mumbled under his breath, psyching himself up to the challenge.
He wedged his fingers between the bricks and attempted to get a foot up, only to fall back down on his butt again.
Jeno exhaled, determined to try again. "Fighting," he muttered, though it seemed like a useless statement in such a stupid situation, and searched for a more effective way up the wall.
That's when he spotted the drainpipe.
It was a long dark pipe, nearly invisible against the brick walls of the building, and was strategically positioned between a whole line of windows. Jeno figured that between the windowsills and the connecting points on the drainpipe, he could have just enough grip to get him to Renjun's floor.
He was pretty proud of himself for working it out all by himself.
So Jeno got to work climbing up the wall. He got a foot up on one windowsill, and then used it to propel himself up the wall, grabbing onto the drainpipe for support. The climb was difficult, and everything was slippery from the onslaught of rain, but he made it to the second floor with a little energy still left in him.
Now... all he had to do was pick the right window.
Jeno shimmied along the windowsill, perching his butt on the edge, and peered in the window to get a look. The blinds were almost completely closed, but he caught a glimpse of a red-haired girl - so he decided it wasn't Renjun's room. Also, he didn't want to seem like a pervert if he got caught, so he quickly shuffled along to get his butt on the next window over.
It was pure luck that Renjun hadn't closed his blinds. Jeno looked in through the glowing glass, catching sight of Renjun lying on his bed reading a manga. He looked cute and snuggly in pyjama shorts and an oversized hoodie, with his head of messy hair bopping along to a pop track in Mandarin that Jeno could hear through the gap in the open window.
Jeno tapped lightly on the window pane. Renjun glanced up. Then his eyes went wide, and he yelled out a curse in Chinese before promptly falling off the end of the bed.
Trying not to laugh or panic too hard over Renjun's reaction, Jeno pried the window open and stuck a leg inside. He was slightly worried Renjun wouldn't recognise him in the dark, and might push him off the windowsill.
"Shit, shit, shit, shit," Renjun was mumbling, as he scrambled to his feet.
"Wait, Jun," Jeno said quickly, climbing in through the window as quickly as possible. "Renjun, baby, it's just me-"
Renjun stared at him with his fists raised, as if Jeno was one step away from being punched in the face. The realisation dawned on Renjun's face in a whole series of emotions, before his expression settled on relieved. "God, Jeno," he exhaled, "what are you doing here?"
Jeno landed with a thump, leaving a barely distinguishable mud stain on the dark carpet. "Visiting you," he said, stopping to catch his breath before looking up at his boyfriend sheepishly. "Surprise?"
"I..." Renjun trailed off with a laugh of disbelief. "I can't believe you're really here," he admitted, stooping down to help Jeno off the floor. He wrinkled his nose. "Why are you covered in mud?"
Jeno grabbed Renjun's hands to haul himself to his feet. "It's kind of... raining," he answered, unable to take his eyes off Renjun's face.
He took in all the little details, remembering the way it made him feel when Renjun would meet his gaze with those dark eyes. Jeno wanted to kiss him, but he was currently dripping mud onto Renjun's floor.
Renjun rushed over to the window, looking down at the long drop to the ground below. "Shit, did you really climb that?" he asked in amazement.
"You know I'm pretty athletic, Renny."
"I know," Renjun scoffed, "but still. That looks dangerous." He closed the window, muffling the sound of the wind and rain. His expression softened then, and he turned back to Jeno. "You really came all this way to see me?"
"I told you I'd come and visit," Jeno said, a little defensively.
"Yeah," Renjun laughed, closing the distance between them and intertwining his fingers with Jeno's, "but I thought you meant in, like, a couple of months. It's only been two weeks."
"It's been the longest two weeks of my life," Jeno told him solemnly.
Renjun nodded, all serious then, as he agreed, "Mine too."
They stood there in a comfortable silence full of desperate longing while the lights from Renjun's Chinese lantern-shaped fairy lights made the whole room glow. Renjun watched a drip of muddy rainwater roll down Jeno's cheek and he burst out laughing all over again.
"Jen, you're filthy," he emphasised, reaching up to brush the damp hair off Jeno's forehead. "Take a shower, okay? You can borrow my clothes."
Jeno smiled then, eyes curving into little crescent moons at the way Renjun laughed at his current state. "Thanks," he said, even though he'd much rather have enveloped Renjun in an enormous hug and kiss him to death than spend time in the shower getting clean.
Renjun grabbed him a spare towel, and it was only then Jeno noticed he was wearing the red, yellow and blue hoodie he'd leant him the day they'd driven down. It looked cute on Renjun, and it made Jeno's heart melt a little. It was like a piece of him was still there and present in Renjun's life, even though he couldn't be.
After washing out the dirt from his hair and showering as quickly as humanly possible, Jeno left his clothes in a wet pile on the floor of Renjun's tiny en-suite bathroom. He pulled on a pair of Renjun's sweatpants and his baggiest sweatshirt, and went to jump on Renjun's bed, hair still damp.
"Hey, you look cute in my clothes," Renjun remarked, which made Jeno feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
"You look cuter," he said, wrapping his arms around Renjun and curling up beside him on top of the blankets.
Renjun squirmed in his grasp, giggling at the way Jeno's damp hair tickled his face. "Your hair's still wet," he protested. "Baby, you're like a wet dog."
"Harsh," Jeno laughed, pressing a soft kiss to Renjun's neck.
"Wait," Renjun said, and was finally released from Jeno's grasp to go and grab his hairdryer. "Sit down and I'll dry it for you."
So Jeno sat on the floor, while Renjun perched on the end of the bed with a knee either side of Jeno's head. Renjun turned the hairdryer on and started running his hands through Jeno's hair, gently blowing it dry.
"This reminds me of Hike Challenge," Jeno said over the sound of the hairdryer. He closed his eyes and let himself relax at the touch of Renjun's hands weaving their way through his hair.
"When you dried my hair under a hand dryer?" Renjun smiled at the memory, thinking back to the days when things between them were hesitant and uncertain, and he was barely out to anyone.
Jeno smirked. "Don't say I don't treat you."
"Wow, you really give out the luxury treatment, huh."
"Oh, yeah. Hand dryers are, like... gourmet."
Renjun turned the dryer off, satisfied with his work and started playing with Jeno's hair instead. "That's a big word, Jeno. I'm impressed," he said, trying to hide the teasing nature of his tone.
Jeno leapt to his feet with a wide smile, pushing Renjun back onto the small size double bed. "Don't make fun of me," he warned, a light behind his eyes at the way Renjun teased him.
"I'll do what I like, Lee Jeno," Renjun answered, almost like a challenge. He grabbed the front of Jeno's sweatshirt (which was actually his, and was peachy pink in colour) and brought him in for a long, sweet kiss.
Jeno's hands went to the back of Renjun's neck and they fell onto the pillows together in a tangled mess. The distance between them had been driving them both crazy, but now that they were together it didn't seem to matter anymore.
Later, when they were curled up together under the covers with Renjun snuggled close against Jeno's chest, Renjun asked, "Wait, are you staying the whole weekend?"
Jeno kissed the top of his head, breathing in the scent he'd missed so much. "Of course," he said. "You can't get rid of me that easily."
"So I get you all to myself until Sunday?"
"I'm getting the last train back on Sunday night," Jeno told him, though admittedly he may have messed up his own train times. "So yeah, I'm all yours."
_____________
this was purely self-indulgent
noren fluff but what else do you
expect from me at this point
a TON of drama to come,
with some old characters
ready to make a reappearance :)
(guess who ??)
wishing you all a good week! <3