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Alcohol
Jisung did what he promised. He protected Chenle as best he could. He practically lived at the Zhong household, leaving his poor Dad in the hands of the suspected accomplice. Chenle felt like he was a baby again, with people covering the corners of tables and snatching scissors from him, not that he minded much when it was Jisung babying him. The younger boy would just pull him into a secure hug, but his mom was another story.
The woman was obsessed with keeping her son safe. She refused to ever lose him again and put her family through the pain of losing the only child they had left. His dad was still unaware of the perilous situation, but he was suspicious of the rest of his family. The way they talked in hushed tones at night and immediately stopped when he walked in, the look that his wife and Jisung shared with each other as a sort of confirmation that Chenle was okay. He certainly wanted to know what was going on, but they obviously didn't want to tell.
The first sign that Chenle's mothers, whose name was Meifeng, Jisung learned, theory was correct was not obvious at all, at least not to someone who wasn't looking for it. The three were very on edge, and any speck of dust out of place scared them, so when Jisung found an almost invisible recorder placed under the lampshade, everyone had a heart attack. The house was flipped inside out as the three searched for anything else, much to her husband's dismay, as he had to go behind the trio and put everything back where it belonged. After that, it was more inconspicuous things. A car lingering too long, more salesmen at the door than normal, and the worst part: a constant feeling of being watched.
But the recorder triggered many more questions than the others. More important questions than just 'is there any more in the house?'
"I think someone placed it there, " Chenle suggested, but immediately revoked his words, "I mean, obviously, but I think I know when."
Jisung sighed and slammed his head against the table, the orange strands making the table look like a tiger. Orange was new to Chenle, and even Jisung wasn't used to his head looking like a traffic cone. All his life, his hair color change hadn't been that obvious, mainly because it most commonly switched between black and dark blue, but the more he hung out with Chenle, the more colors he discovered. Meifeng looked at the hair covering her table uneasily.
"Not only are you getting your hair near my vodka," she scolded and snatched the glass bottle away, "but that color is so vivid. What can we do about your hair?"
Jisung groaned and picked up one of the orange pieces, twirling it around his fingers. "I have no idea. I've tried everything to get rid of it."
Chenle glanced between the two, feeling neglected. "Hey," he whined, slapping Jisung's arm like a toddler, "I want attention." Neither looked at him, so invested in the orange tint to Jisung's hair. Meifeng was having a fun time trying to get it to change colors, but Chenle was watching with annoyance as his own mother got more attention from his crush than him.
"It was the grill guy!" He exclaimed and crossed his arms childishly. The two gasped.
"The grill guy?" They whispered in unison. Chenle nodded, still feigning annoyance. He pretended to not hear their begs for him to elaborate and instead played with the strings of Jisung's dance hoodie he was wearing. The hood had become his favorite article of clothing during the cold winter. He finally explained when he felt Jisung's hand on his exposed legs, the shorts he was wearing barely hanging past his thighs.
"He had that stupid briefcase, remember? You and I were judging the shit out of him," Chenle pointed at Jisung and let out a cute giggle.
"Language," his mom lazily corrected, chugging down a large sip of alcohol. She wasn't an alcoholic by any means, but she could sure appreciate a good glass of vodka during stressful situations.
Chenle rolled his eyes half-heartedly, "He was sitting on the loveseat by the lamp. Did you guys notice how nervous he was?"
"Yeah, but if it was him, that means that my mom has a mini army against us." Jisung unconsciously scooted closer to Chenle as he spoke, which went unnoticed by the two but was obvious to Meifeng.
"Who knows who all is involved at this point? Maybe she already got to the government, we never know. The important part is that we watch out for each other. Don't trust anyone, don't act suspicious, and for the love of God Jisung, hide your damn hair," Meifeng concluded as she slammed her shot glass down on the table.
"Also, I'm allowing you guys to go out tomorrow. You shouldn't be living your life in fear of such adult things. So, for one day, 24 hours, no more, you can go and be a teenager."
Jisung and Chenle squealed happily. The house was charming but stuffy, and the two were quickly getting tired of binge-watching Netflix for seventeen hours a day. They had watched basically every show on the streaming app and were moving onto Hulu.
"On one condition," Meifeng continued, wagging a finger in front of their happy faces, "It's to go on a date. I'm gonna throw up on the stupid lampshade if I see you two all heart eyes at each other anymore." The boys blushed, and Jisung's orange faded to a light pink, but neither denied her accusations. Being in the house together had made them a lot closer than either anticipated, and Jisung was just waiting for the right time to make a move. Specifically the boyfriend move.
"While you guys are gone I'll do some snooping. So, um, Jisung, I need your house keys." The woman smiled cheekily and Jisung nodded. He didn't want to be reminded of the cursed house around the corner anyway.
"I have a question though," Jisung asked as he handed over the keys that never left his pocket. Meifeng nodded for him to continue.
"If she was so against the kidnapping in the first place, why is she trying to do it?"
"I think she's panicking. You're getting older, Jisung, you're almost 18 now. Legally, she won't be your guardian anymore, and anything the government does to you would be nonconsensual. Plus, Chenle's been taking you away from her, so if she wants to get to you, she has to go through him. Even if she doesn't like your father, she needs his help, and it would be a win for both of them."
Jisung shook his head, the information equally confusing and worrying. In one swift movement, the boy snatched the vodka bottle that was on the table.
"I need a drink," he mumbled, twisting the cap off and taking a drink straight from the bottle. The liquid burned his throat, but the light tingling sensation that came after was totally worth it.
"That's illegal, you know," Meifeng commented but didn't make any move to stop him.
"I wanna try," Chenle whined from next to him. Jisung looked the boy over and decided Chenle definitely couldn't tolerate alcohol.
"I'll give you a sample," he compromised, "and if you can handle it, I'll give you more." Chenle nodded eagerly. Jisung mentally sighed and prayed Jesus and Meifeng would forgive him for this. He took a small sip of the vodka, keeping it in his mouth, and planted his lips on Chenle's. The boy opened his mouth subconsciously, as he always did when he kissed Jisung and almost gagged when he felt the burning sensation down his throat that was instantly soothed by Jisung's tongue.
"Oh my fucking God, that's disgusting," Chenle coughed when Jisung pulled away.
"I could say the same thing," Meifeng said as she looked at the two with disgust. Not at their relationship, but at the fact that she just witnessed a boy literally french kiss her son.
"Give me that shit," she cursed as she took her precious bottle back. "I need more than this to get that image out of my mind."
Chenle laughed, his signature dolphin showing through, and laid his head on Jisung's shoulder. The three spent the night talking and laughing, one drunk, one just purely overactive from the fact that he had been off his meds, and one planning a bomb date.
