always ↬ leading me on || l.dh • h.rj • z.cl

·twelve·

Donghyuck, Jaemin and Jeno stared at the scene unfolding right in front of them. He didn't know why, but Hyuck felt this bubbling heat rise up from his stomach as he watched Renjun grip the other boy tightly in his arms. Jaemin's expression fell and Jeno wore a sharp glare as he overlooked the two.

"C-Chenle," he croaked out while pulling away, hands still secure on said boy's shoulders, "Chenle, I missed you so much."

"G-Ge?" The blonde also had tears in his eyes, unshed but still there and he looked at the elder with a mix of confusion and another emotion that Renjun couldn't really decipher at the moment. All he was really focusing on right now, was his best friend, stood right in front of him. It wasn't a dream this time.

Chenle was right here.

He couldn't help but draw him in for another hug, his Chenle, whom he hadn't seen in years. He couldn't believe it.

He knew that Chenle attended this school, that was the only reason why he enrolled here and Chenle knew that Renjun was transferring as well. But there was just something that pulled inside of them when they actually saw each other in real life after so long.

After all the weeks of anticipating, after sleepless nights and wasted mornings thinking about this very moment, Chenle really didn't know how to handle all the emotions he'd bottled up.

He ended up burying his face in Renjun's chest and weeping, clutching onto his shirt tightly, "ge, you're here. You...y-you're actually here I-" he couldn't finish off his sentence, too overwhelmed with Renjun's familiar scent. The calming aroma of jasmine tea and lavender that invaded his senses and brought him comfort immediately.

Renjun let a slender arm slide up the other boy's body, fingers curling up to card through his soft locks as he rocked the other gently.

"I am. I'm here and I'm not going to leave," he said, while rubbing Chenle's arms softly. "So don't cry anymore Lele, I miss your smile," his voice was like a feather-light caress and if he'd spoken any quiter, Chenle might not have heard.

His words caused the younger to smile slightly as he pulled away and rubbed his eyes. It was a simple twitch of the lips, but it made Renjun melt on the inside. He'd missed this warmth. The one that only Chenle could bring to him.

"Okay, Renjun you never told me you joined theatre?" Jeno said while marching up behind the boy and throwing an arm around him casually.

Renjun sighed, he was in the middle of having a moment here and people just had to interrupt. He answered nonetheless, albeit with an annoyed roll of his eyes, "I didn't."

"Then why are you talking to him?" he asked, while wrapping his arms tightly around Renjun's midsection and pressing his body up against the ravenette's back. His lips ghosted over the shell of Renjun's ear, tone low and sharp, "there's no other reason for you to act so familiarly with him."

What the hell was Jeno saying?

Donghyuck laughed, but there was malice dripping from every syllable in his next sentences, "there is no reason. Renjun, get away from that freak and come back here."

Renjun's head snapped back at Haechan's words, he wasn't saying that about Chenle, was he? He didn't just call Chenle a freak. He couldn't.

Then he heard a sniffle coming from in front of him and turned his head back forwards.

Chenle was crying again.

But this time, it wasn't because he'd seen Renjun again after so long, it wasn't because he was reminiscing about old memories, no. Those weren't happy tears. Chenle was crying because of what they'd said about him.

The black haired boy's eyes narrowed and he pushed away from Jeno, escaping the strong grip and ripping the taller blonde's arms from around him. He took a step towards his best friend and grabbed his wrist in a firm but gentle hold, bringing it up to look at.

It wasn't there.

The bracelet that Renjun had given Chenle before he'd left China. The one that the younger promised to treasure for the rest of his life, the one that he'd always see Chenle wearing during their video calls. It wasn't there anymore and everything finally clicked in his head.

The one that he'd seen Donghyuck wearing wasn't Donghyuck's.

Renjun grit his teeth as anger slowly started to build inside of him, he felt sick to his stomach. These people obviously didn't make Chenle's life easy for him, and he was just laughing along happily with them not even over a moment ago? He felt disgusted in himself. He felt like a traitor, like he'd just thrown away his gold for pebbles. His closest friendship — his Chenle, for them.

But before he could make any irrational moves, Chenle stopped him, tugging on the hand that gripped his as he shook his head.

"I-I'm sorry gege, I lost it," Renjun knew that was a lie, knew that Chenle would never lose something he valued so much and Chenle knew that he knew. It was Chenle's way of asking Renjun not to fight and it was at times like this he really cursed the younger's pacifistic nature.

‣‣

There was blood everywhere. The crimson liquid seeped into the sand and stained the playground equipment, Renjun was covered in it.

Nine year old Chenle didn't know what to do, his hands shaking as tears pooled in his eyes. He couldn't help but panic, what if Renjun was hurt?

Obviously, he wasn't there to witness the entire seen, he'd just about walked in when everything had ended, when Renjun was the only one left standing.

"Don't worry Lele," the elder smiled sheepishly, hand clasped onto Chenle's shoulder, "it's not my blood anyway."

Chenle didn't really know what that meant, but he'd relaxed nonetheless. Maybe the black haired boy was okay after all because although Renjun was small and looked frail, he really wasn't weak at all. He packed a punch normally - when he was angry it was far more worse.

Of course, Chenle didn't know that Renjun had beaten all of those boys because they'd been talking about the smaller boy behind his back. He didn't know that Renjun had fought them because of him.

He had realised years later though, when he'd found the boy near the back of the school, beating the living shit out of someone who'd called Chenle ugly in his last class.

‣‣

Renjun's eyes softened when he looked at Chenle and though he was still angry, he didn't want to upset the younger any further. Kneeling down, he picked up Chenle's books off the floor and took ahold of the blonde's hand, leading him through the now silent cafeteria. Everyone's eyes were on them, but for once, he didn't care as he stopped at the exit.

"Hurt Chenle and you'll die. Everyone remember that," and then he left with his friend in tow, doors slamming shut behind them.