HIKE

26 | piggyback attack

"aren't team dream leaving yet?" mr kim asked mark about twenty minutes later whilst he was seeing one of the other groups off for their last trek.

mark hastily steered the teacher away from the boys' packed up bags. "yeah, yeah, they're just about to go, i'll stay back and see them off, okay, sir?"

mr kim frowned a little unsurely, but allowed the taller mark to guide him to his car. "are you sure they are alright after yesterday?" he asked.

"of course!" mark exclaimed, passing off his nerves with laughter, "jaemin's right as rain now, and renjun-"

he clamped his lips together and tried not to look suspicious. fuck! he wasn't supposed to mention renjun - mr kim had no idea how badly his ankle was injured.

"what about renjun?" mr kim asked, only one foot inside his car.

mark blinked innocently at him. "renjun's... great!" he wanted to facepalm with the level of cringe he was experiencing right then.

"oh, okay," said mr kim, looking rather puzzled.

mark urged him into the car and shut the door for him. "i'll call you if i need anything, sir, bye!"

breathing an intense sigh of relief, he watched mr kim's car finally disappear down the road.

thirty seconds later and the dream team boys had jammed all of their bags inside mark's car and were ready to set off. donghyuck had stuffed various biscuit packets into his jean pockets, and was clutching his phone and a bottle of fanta to his chest. jaemin had the emergency map in his hands, and a new compass hanging from his neck.

jeno rolled up the sleeves to the elbows of the flannel shirt he wore over a plain tee, tensing the veins in his forearms as he did so. renjun watched from where he leaned against mark's car, lips parted, absorbed. the flannel was actually his three-sizes-too-big-flannel that he burrowed in when it was cold, but it looked hot on jeno.

"come on, renny," jeno called, shooting renjun a cheeky grin.

renjun limped over as jeno crouched down, getting ready to lift him up. "you sure, jenny?" he asked one last time.

"just jump, i'll catch you," jeno told him reassuringly, and so renjun followed his orders.

jeno carried his weight easily, letting renjun sit comfortably on his hips, and gripping hold of him by his thighs. renjun looped his arms around jeno's neck and clung on.

"wait, did you just call me jenny?" jeno said suddenly

"yeah," renjun answered confidently, "it's my revenge."

jeno let out a laugh in disbelief. "what, for calling you renny? aw, come on, admit that you like it..."

"no way, it sucks," renjun disagreed with a pout. "jenny sounds just as fucking stupid, and it's staying until you quit using that shitty name."

what renjun wasn't telling him was that he actually had a soft spot for the renny and really just wanted to tease jeno back. he wanted to give him a name nobody else had yet.

jeno smirked, though renjun couldn't see it. if renjun was going to call him jenny, he would never give up the renny. renjun nicknaming him gave him a warm feeling and made him smile.

"you guys ready to go?" mark asked, still looking extremely nervous at his encounter with mr kim and the truth.

"heck yeah," said donghyuck with a scoff, "let's finish this damn hike."

mark smiled then, because they were about to hate his sudden idea. "okay, then everyone put your hands in..."

there was a chorus of groans but mark insisted and they all put their hands in the centre, piled on top of each other. then mark yelled 'go... dream!' and they all cheered. that hyung was good at getting the mood up.

"hike-chall-enge! hike-chall-enge!"

they kept up the chant until they were well on their way, spirits up and hope rising. with mark's help, they could definitely finish the challenge, for sure.

"holy mother of han solo," said jaemin a little later on, practically beaming, "we're actually going the right way."

"fucking nerd," donghyuck teased. "do you want a cookie, ren?"

"yeah, please," renjun replied, "feed me." he opened his mouth like a goldfish and donghyuck shoved a cookie inside. renjun smiled and munched on it happily.

"gimme one, hyuckie?" jaemin asked hopefully, outstretching a hand towards the packet.

"geez, what a turnaround," donghyuck gasped, "you didn't call me fat that time!"

"oh, shut up, you know i'm joking," jaemin grumbled, looking embarrassed as he shoved donghyuck's arm.

donghyuck laughed cheerily and roughly ruffled jaemin's hair. "just don't call me fatty again, you bitch," he said.

"fine, fatty," said jaemin, rolling his eyes. "can i have a cookie please...?"

donghyuck threw him one, which jaemin deftly caught and chewed on, shaking his head in mock annoyance.

"feed me a cookie, renny?" jeno leaned his head back to try and look at renjun with pleading eyes.

"hyuckie?" renjun reached out to donghyuck with grabby hands, and fed the cookie to jeno, brushing the crumbs away from around his mouth as jeno crunched on chocolate chips.

"is that another hoodie from the jeno collection?" donghyuck raised an eyebrow at him, which made renjun shoot him a glare. it was a bright orange hoodie this time, instead of the primary colour one he'd stolen from jeno for the last twenty-four hours.

jeno just laughed lightheartedly and secured his grip on renjun's thighs so he wouldn't slip down. "yeah, we swapped clothes so ren wouldn't get cold."

"good, maybe you can stop 'borrowing' my white hoodie," jaemin put in, throwing his best friend a joking look.

"maybe nancy can start 'borrowing' it instead," donghyuck remarked, and when jaemin went red, he winked at him knowingly.

"actually die," jaemin mumbled.

"am i missing something here?" jeno asked in confusion.

renjun stopped playing with jeno's ears for a moment to flick one of them. "you must be blind, jenny," he said.

"ow," jeno objected. "maybe i was concentrating on other things..."

renjun could hear the smirk slide its way into his voice and started fiddling with jeno's ears again, making him squirm.

"stop it!" jeno squeaked, "i'm ticklish there..."

renjun burst into laughter as he cupped jeno's ears with his hands. "all the more reason to do it then," he said softly.

for once on that problematic hike challenge, the mood was merry and bright. nothing could possibly go wrong from here... right?

___________________

a | n
noren are the softest istg
chapter countdown begins!
this book will end in... 5 chapters?
not sure yet but there's
not much left to go!

if you are too invested tho,
don't worry bc all the characters
will be back in the spinoff/sequel!
i'm super hyped to start writing
it since it will take place during
exam season/summer which is
where i'm at right now :)

tysm for reading, love you! ♡