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

·twenty·

"Oh my God, Donghyuck oppa!" One of the many girls in the crowd screamed as Haechan wiped away the blood from his lips.

Jeno and Jaemin were just about ready to jump in, actually, they were ready. However, Hyuck had told them to stay out of it — said he wanted to do this by himself. They stood a little ways away, controlling the group of students, that were now flocking the scene, from getting too out of hand. A boy near the front squealed as Jaemin's hand brushed against his, "JAEMIN-SSI JUST TOUCHED ME!"

"Oppa! That's not fair, what about me?"

"And me?"

"Yeah and me!?"

Jaemin rolled his eyes at the students making a commotion and Jeno ignored them. His gaze was trained on the fight in front of him, watching for any given sign that he needed to step in.

‣‣

Donghyuck landed a sharp blow to Renjun's stomach which made the boy fall back and cough. Somewhere, Jeno didn't like what was happening, he didn't like to see Renjun being hurt. He may have only met him a day ago, but in that time he'd given off the impression of a quite, witty kid with a pure heart.

Jaemin also felt the same and he felt guilt lump in his throat as he saw crimson leak from the small gash on Renjun's cheek.

Donghyuck's punches hurt the most and held the most power by far, he was tactical when it came to fighting — more brains over brawn. He used skills over strength and it made him deadly.

Jaemin couldn't imagine anyone really deserved the pain that fighting Hyuck would bring, especially Renjun. There was just something about him that made his heartstrings pull, with all the snarky comments and mock attitude that Jaemin had seen yesterday, he knew that Renjun wasn't fake, knew that he didn't see Jaemin or any of his friends as anything more than human. Which was something rare these days with everyone putting them on such a high pedestal.

He was sick of it honestly.

Donghyuck too, he didn't want to fight the ravenette. He'd actually liked his company yesterday, but what could he do when Renjun had been the one to throw the first punch?

Donghyuck let out a breathy exhale as the elder managed to knee him in the gut, his hands dug into Renjun's shoulder blades as he doubled over him slightly. Renjun glared, but didn't make any move to push him away. He wanted to, yet for some reason he just couldn't.

Not while being this close to him.

Close enough to see all the small beauty spots that lined his golden skin. Like stars that made up whole constellations, mapped out across the perpetual beauty of the sky. Renjun didn't have the heart to push him away as he got a glimpse of his molten orbs, like someone had set fire to sand, they burned furiously.

It was so enthralling, all the small features of the sun that made it shine so brightly. All the layers of heat and all the areas devoid. And Renjun swore, that as his hands brushed against Donghyuck's collarbone in an attempt to remove him and walk away, he felt a flame lick at his skin — a sunspot, where all the embers fell into one another. The warmth was so strong it made his head spin.

Why was his heart beating so fast?

But then his ears opened up to the sound of familiar sniffling and he threw the orange haired boy towards Jaemin. Within a second, he was stalking away, clasp on Chenle's hand tightening as he dragged him along.

Calls to come back from the students watching ensued, insults and jeers and taunts and mocking snickers, but the person whom they were all directed to wasn't listening. Right now, he was deaf to the world, mind elsewhere as he swam around in his thoughts. Questions washed over the dry shore that had gradually become his conscious. They made his mind fussy as his ability to think was tampered with by the saline tides that wouldn't cease to exist.

He already had a sun to orbit, one that provided him with everything he needed to be content. One that cherished him and gifted him light in return for nothing. So why did his heart stop, looking at Haechan? Why was his breath whisked away so easily by someone he hadn't even known for more than a week?

He had Chenle, he didn't need a full sun in his life, but he still couldn't help himself from wanting one.

‣‣

"-re you okay?"

Renjun snapped back to reality as he felt Chenle's worried eyes skim over his face.

"Yeah, I'm fine Lele," he replied as he brought the boy in closer by his shoulder and held him to his chest as they entered the building.

Back on the courtyard, things were a mess. Students were fighting their way through the crowd to get to Donghyuck, worried screams and requests to help flooding the air. Hyuck winced at the noise as he shuffled closer to Jaemin who had a hand wrapped around his waist. Jeno glared at everyone which caused them to shut up almost instantaneously and placed Hyuck's arm around his shoulder, supporting him as the trio started to make their way to the infirmary.

"DONGHYUCK OPPA I STUDY MEDICINE I CA-"

The shouts steadily died down and faded to silence as they stepped inside the hallway and as they advanced, Jaemin turned to look at the boy beside him. His arm left the elder's waist as he tried to touch his swollen lip, but it quickly moved back to its previous position as Haechan stumbled without the extra stability.

Jeno steadied him and sighed. Donghyuck hadn't taken a beating like this ever since they were children, he didn't like it. He didn't like the fact that Donghyuck was limping right now, didn't like that bruises were birthing on his skin, didn't like knowing that his friend held back and let himself get hurt.

And he didn't like not knowing why.