Renjun hands the last canvas over to his mother who eyes it for a moment before placing it into the trunk with the others. Renjun had his mum pick him up since he didn't feel like dragging 4 huge canvases home with him. He needed Jeno to see them.
They weren't due until tomorrow so he could take them home tonight and get them back to school for grading in the morning.
"These are...good" his mother says as she closes the trunk of the car and moves to get in.
His mother has always been very supportive of his art, however this project was very different from his usual work.
"Thanks" Renjun mutters, making himself comfortable in the passenger seat and pulling his seatbelt over him. The engine roars to life and his mum begins the short car journey home.
They sit in silence for a moment before the older woman decides to break the comfortable silence "I thought you'd finished your project, why bring it home?" She asks, her eyes still glued to the road ahead.
"I just want to look them all over again" he shrugs, not really knowing how to respond "see if there's anything I can add".
His mother only nods in understanding, thankfully not questioning it any further. Finally they pull into the driveway and Renjun's mother helps him get the canvases out of the car and up to his room.
"I'll leave you to it then" his mum says as she heads for the door but stops and stares at his window for a moment "what happened to your curtains?".
Renjun's eyes move to the small shreds in the bottom of the fabric, his mind going back to the day before when he'd found Jeno huddled and helpless int the corner. "I left the window open and a bird got in, I thought I told you about it" the lie rolls off his tongue too easily. He hated it. Him and his mother never had secrets between them, however since moving here he felt like he never saw his parents half as much as he use to and kept a lot from them.
"Ah I must have forgotten" she laughs a little at her forgetfulness "you shouldn't open that window as much as you do, it's always so cold up here" she says before leaving the room and pulling the door closed.
Was it cold?
Renjun hadn't noticed the chill for a while but he guessed it was still there.
Renjun gets to work on setting the canvas up against to wall in a line so they could be viewed easily. He was very proud of this project and truly believed it was his best work yet.
"Jeno?" He asks into the room, waiting a moment for the ghost to appear. His brows scrunch in confusion and he repeats the name a second time, his heart dropping slightly.
No, he can't have gone
He thinks, his eyes darting to every corner of the room.
He rushes to his closes and swings the doors open, only to find it empty.
"Jeno?!" His voice becomes more panicked as he rummages through the paper on his desk looking for a note or something.
He wouldn't have gone without saying goodbye.
"Jeno" he says again, his voice breaking as he begins to tear up, a lump forming in his throat.
"Renjun" a voice says and he spins around, his eyes landing on the ghost stood behind him. Renjun doesn't waste a moment before throwing himself at Jeno and wrapping his arms around him, his sobs coming hard and fast. "Woah what's wrong?".
Renjun pulls away and slaps Jeno's arm "I thought you'd gone without saying goodbye!" He yells, glaring up at the ghost "where the hell were you?"
"I was down the hall" he replies, taking Renjun's hand and pulling him back in for a hug "that rose you placed under the tree is beginning to grow more flowers" he explains as he keeps the brunette safe in his embrace. "I'm sorry for worrying you".
Renjun stands for a moment, enjoying the feel of Jeno's secure and safe embrace and he tried to calm down.
He wasn't gone.
Not yet.
"I-I um want to show you something" Renjun says and she steps away from the ghost, reaching up and wiping away any stray tears. He grabs Jeno's hand and leads him over to the wall that the canvases leant against. "Tah-dah" Renjun says and Jeno's eyes move over each and every painting.
The ghost steps forward, analysing each canvas in detail. He stops at the one of the outstretched hand for a moment, looking at this one for the longest until moving to the last one, depicting Jeno's resting place. The tree was was in full bloom, clearly set in the summer time. And instead of one singular potted rose, Renjun had painted a whole garden of flowers. Every sort of colour, every sort of flower.
It was amazing.
The ghost turns to look at Renjun, his eyes glossed over slightly. "W-why paint these?" He asked, glancing back at the paintings one last time, eying the one of himself trapped within the house. "Why?" He repeats and Renjun shrugs.
"You told me to paint something I love" he says, reaching out for Jeno's hand and pulling him closer. He reaches up and places a tender kiss to his lips. He could taste the saltiness of tears that had made their way down Jeno's face. He pulls back, a hand cupping Jeno's cheek as he looks up into the ghosts eyes. "I painted you, because I love you".
YOU ARE READING
Haunting; Noren NCT
Fanfiction{On going} "Don't tell me to get out of this house, I lived here before you this is my life! I won't let a stupid kid like you ruin it!" "Your a friggin ghost! You don't have a life!" A story in which Renjun's parents move to Korea due to his father...
