Shadow | Huang Renjun

31

"No, oh my God! How many times do I have to tell you?"

Eunah covers her face, which is flushed pink with embarrassment, while Miyeon laughs.
The two are sitting on her bed, after everyone else has gone to sleep, talking about whatever comes to mind. Currently, the topic is Renjun.

"You totally like him, though."

"No I don't...!"

"You do! You're so red, that's adorable."

The Angel groans, throwing her head back dramatically.
"It's 'cause you're embarrassing me...!"

Miyeon raises her brows, leaning back against the headboard with an amused smirk.
"You two spent most of the evening staring at each other while one of you wasn't looking. There's no way you don't have some sort of romantic tension."

"Yeon, it's literally forbidden," Eunah counters. "Even if you're right, there's nothing we can do about it."

"I mean... not to burst your bubble or anything, but it's entirely possible if you're a Dark Angel."
She quickly backtracks upon seeing Eunah's worried look.
"That's a massive commitment though, so I wouldn't recommend it unless you're absolutely sure."

Eunah shrugs, going quiet with thought. She fiddles with the hem of her t-shirt, resting her head on Miyeon's shoulder.

"What do you like about him?"

The softer tone to Miyeon's voice is indicative of a genuine question, to which the Angel responds with another shrug.

"I dunno... he's just really easy to talk to. Well, he is now."

Miyeon chuckles, wrapping her arm around her friend's shoulder.
"Yeah, it's quite the change from 'I despise all Angels' to sleeping at a house full of them."

"It all feels a bit too quick, you know? But then I remember it's been months since everything started, and there aren't rules for how relationships form; platonic or romantic."

"That's true," she hums. "I don't really believe in love or friendship at first sight, but I'd say time doesn't define the depth of a relationship. That's for the people involved to decide."

Eunah breathes a faint laugh.
"Since when did you become a relationship expert?"

"Oh, I'm far from it. You know that."

Pausing for a moment, Miyeon glances around the warmly lit bedroom she's seen only a couple times before. It's decorated with fairy lights right now, and Eunah's desk is littered with notes, pens and highlighters. It's a little like how she'd imagine the Angel's mind to look like; full of thoughts and ideas, but still warm and soft with kindness and vulnerability.
Renjun's pink origami crane is sitting on one of the shelves, amongst her favourite books and a photo of her family.

"What else do you like about him?"

Humming, Eunah thinks for a moment.
"He's intelligent and witty, and... I dunno... just calming to be around. We don't always have to talk, the silence is never too awkward, and although he gets frustrated with me sometimes when I ramble, he never shouts anymore– just asks specific questions so I get to the point faster. It's a bit of a change from Mark kind of interrupting me mid-sentence, although I'm sure that's not always intentional."

"Do you think he's attractive?"

She nods, seeming to shy away by nuzzling into Miyeon's shoulder.
"Yeah, of course, I mean– look at him. But that's not– I don't consider it a priority, so I don't always think about it, you know? I mean– except for some moments, but that's obvious, right?"

"I'd say that's fair."

Sighing, she relaxes into her position.
"I just know it's probably never going anywhere, so like– why bother changing the friendship we only just got?"

"Yeah, I understand."

~~~~

Unable to sleep with so many thoughts whizzing around her head, Eunah lays on her back under the covers with Miyeon lightly snoring beside her. She sits up, rubbing her eyes, and carefully climbs out of bed without waking her friend.

Maybe a hot chocolate will help.

Tiptoeing downstairs, she's surprised to see the kitchen light on. She pokes her head around the doorframe, raising her brows at the sight of Renjun with an empty glass in-hand.
He looks cute in his pyjamas; soft trousers and a long-sleeved top with slightly messy hair.

"Can't sleep?" she mutters, unintentionally startling him as his back is turned.

"Well, not now... don't sneak up on people," he complains, sending her a playful glare.

"Sorry."
She smiles, entering the room to fill the kettle.
"You want hot chocolate? I was gonna make one for myself."

Considering it for a moment, he shrugs.
"Sure."

If he acts like he normally does, maybe she won't realise he's been craving one of her hot chocolates for a while. It's just not the same when he makes it at home.

The silence between them is comforting as usual, Eunah focused on making drinks while Renjun watches her from his leaning position against the counter. He occasionally glances at his phone, which he brought down with him intending to sit on the sofa for a bit.

"Here."
She hands him a mug with a small smile, to which he nods in thanks.
"We can sit outside if you like? There's a swing seat in the back garden with some cushions on it."

"Won't you be cold?"

Sometimes it takes a moment for her to register when he asks questions like that, still partially under the impression that he doesn't care about her all that much.

"I can take one of the blankets, it's okay."

She unlocks the sliding glass door for him, grabbing a blanket left on the sofa while he swaps his slippers with outdoor ones. The swing seat is on the patio, overlooking the small garden full of blooming flowers and a juvenile cherry blossom in the back corner. It has a perfect view of the stars, with not too much light pollution as there aren't many houses or street lights around.

They sit down together, Eunah wrapped in the blanket while he gently swings the seat back and forth with his foot. Her eyes glitter gold in the moonlight, admiring the stars above with fascination while she sips her drink. His attention is on her, thankfully unnoticed, as it often seems to be recently.

What have I got myself into...?

"Jun?" she hums, gentle gaze still on the stars.

It sounds very different when she's the one saying it. Whether that's in a good way, he's not sure.

"Yeah?"

"Are we friends?"

His heart skips a beat at the word, brows furrowing with uncertainty. He takes a sip of his hot chocolate, which somewhat helps.

"...friends?"

Eunah nods, exhaling a soft, visible breath into the cold night air.
"You don't have to answer if you're not sure."

"I... I don't know. Are we?"

"I'd like to think so."

He breathes a faint laugh, raising his head to look at the stars also.
"Then I guess we are."

Her lips curve into a content smile, body shuffling to lean against his side for a little extra warmth. Renjun doesn't push her away this time, even as her head comes to rest on his shoulder– loose sections of fluffy hair tickling his neck.

If being friends means she'll do this, he's not going to complain.

"Is this okay?" she asks, briefly looking up at him with rounded eyes.

"Hm?"

"Well, you don't do hugs, so I wanted to check."

"Yeah, it's– it's okay."

"Oh, good."

I'm so fucked.