my first and last || renmin

T h r e e - Metaphor

As Renjun waited for his mom's car to appear he noticed Jeno going at it with a blonde, Winter, they were eating each other's faces like there was no tomorrow.

Between the kisses Renjun heard the two constantly say "Always. Always."

"Literally."

Renjun turned to see the handsome boy, Jaemin standing right next to him.

"I thought we were in a church basement but apparently we're literally in the heart of jesus." Renjun smiled.

"What's your name?"

"Renjun."

"No, your full name?"

"Huang Renjun." Renjun answered, confusion laced in his voice.

Jaemin nodded to himself, smiling, his eyes were still fixated on Renjun.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because you're beautiful." Renjun was taken aback, nobody has ever called him handsome before, let alone 'beautiful'.

"I like looking at beautiful people." Jaemin smiled.

"I'm not beau-"

"Hey Jaemin." A pretty girl walked past them, Renjun wasn't surprised that girls knew him.

"Hey Giselle." Renjun turned back to Jeno and Winter pawing at eachother.

"Always. Always." Renjun heard again.

"What's with the always?" Renjun's nose scrunched at the sight of Jeno squeezing Winter's boob like a clown horn.

"'Always' is their thing. They'll 'always' love eachother and what not." Renjun and Jaemin stood in silence as they continued to watch the show.

"Let's watch a movie." Renjun was surprised.

Yes!

"Oh. Um. Uhh.. Sure. Yeah. I'm... free this week-"

"No, I mean now." Jaemin interrupted.

"What? What do you mean 'now'?" Jaemin shrugged.

"I've got a car." Renjun has never seen anybody so confident before.

"You could be a serial killer." Renjun laughed.

"There is that possibility... Come on~ Take a risk Huang Renjun." Jaemin smiled as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

Renjun's mouth opened in disbelief while Jaemin flipped the box open and put a cigarette in his mouth.

"Really?! There's always a hamartia, isn't there? Even though you had freaking cancer you give money to a corporation to acquire even more cancer?!" Renjun sighed.

"You were doing so well. Not being able to breathe sucks, you don't want to experience it." As Renjun ranted, Jaemin watched, his flirty smile still on his face.

"They don't hurt you unless you actually light them." Renjun didn't find this as amusing as Jaemin was making it out to be.

"Sorry?"

"I've never lit it. It's a metaphor. You put the thing that kills between your teeth but don't give it the power to kill." Renjun was impressed.

Jaemin held his gaze and then Mrs. Huang pulled up.

"Hey Junnie. Ready for some 'model'?" Renjun looked at Jaemin, the cigarette dangling from his lips, he looked cool as hell and extremely handsome.

He looked back at his mom.

"Not tonight, I have plans with Na Jaemin." And with that, Renjun walked off.

Mrs. Huang looked at the boy with the cigarette in his mouth.

***

Renjun was terrified.

Turned out Jaemin was the world's worst driver, when he would brake Renjun's body would fly forward and when he would hit the gas, Renjun's neck would snap back.

"I failed multiple times." Jaemin said after seeing the look on Renjun's face.

"I guessed that." Renjun said, holding on for his life.

"So... what happened to you?" Jaemin asked, as another brake forced Renjun to fly forward.

Renjun let out a little laugh before sighing.

He's told this story before but somehow today felt different.

"I was 13 when they found it.. stage 4 thyroid cancer.. I had surgery first, then radiation, then chemo.. All worked for a while but then they stopped... my lungs filled with water, I was supposed to die." Renjun looked out the window as the memories came back.

Mrs. Huang stands over Renjun, giving him a kiss on his forehead.

"Are you ready Junnie?" Mrs. Huang asked through her tears as the doctors get to work.

The anesthetic started to take hold, Renjun's eyes were slowly starting to close.

"I'm not gonna be a mom anymore!" Renjun heard his mom cry into her husbands chest before everything went black.

"But I didn't. The antibiotics kicked in and they drained the fluid from my lungs. In time I got better. I was even part of an experimental trial, it didn't work for over 70% of patients... but it worked for me." Renjun looked at Jaemin who listened carefully while looking at the road.

"My lungs still suck but they can work like this for a little while." Renjun continued.

"Wow." Jaemin said, finally processing everything that Renjun just said.

"Yeah..." Renjun rubbed his nape awkwardly.

The rest of the ride was silent but comfortable.

"Well.. we're here." Jaemin quickly parked, breaking the comfortable silence.