Hierarchy

Come Back Home

    The city was dull and empty that night. It's lack of teens and adults almost too much to bare as the trio stared out into the streets. Temperatures reaching certain lows must've been one of the large factors as they watched only the rare citizen pass by with at least three layers of jackets on. There was no noise inhabiting the shops or the restaurants at all, as only cars passed by in soundless travel. The shops had started to close early due to the lack of life in the plaza, as workers started to head home for the night. Only making the stake out much bleaker, it wasn't long until Chenle had pulled out his DS and started to casually play some Pokemon. Although it didn't immediately affect the others- as Jisung pressed his face against the window and Xiaojun used one of the binoculars to explore different angles. Unfortunately, they too had soon lost their focus and were starting to doing their own thing.
It was about a ten or so minutes into hour three before the nineteen year old had suddenly sat up in his seats.
"This is fucking boring," He had complained harshly, shifting the gears. "Let's go scope the area at least. I need to do something before I die of boredom."
With that they were on the road and driving around Goldenleaf, searching for suspicious behaviour. Of course, it had nearly the same outcome as when they stayed in one place, as the houses were packed with it's owners; leaving the rest of the town void of any other life besides the critters that roamed around during this time. Jisung would've easily called it quits after another hour of just hanging around. Except he didn't- because he was actually starting to enjoy it all.
Looking out the tinted windows of the back seat. Staring at the streets and their unique flares that distinguished certain financial classes. Observing each house and trying to guess in his head what they do for fun or how their life in general is going. The calming ambiance of the lights glowing along the streets, making the perfect background for a photo. Watching the empty parks, playgrounds and such, only begging him to come by.
Listening to the music that Xiaojun on his playlist, which was oddly calming. Hearing the guitar strumming along while his two other accomplices chatted about certain things. Mostly about YangYang and his relationship with the infamous teen. Just watching the conversation go on, with the mostly red teen was rather disarming. Chiefly since the blue haired boy had previously saw him as someone to be terrified of. But the multiple times he heard some story of soft interaction from the guy was enough to prove himself wrong. Sure there were some points where Chenle would start to yell or raise his voice in some manner and Xiaojun would snap back. Otherwise, it was just really calming hearing their voices almost become one with the music.
And as Jisung continued to stare out the window, he started to grow fond of the isolation. He wondered if everyday could be like this if he just hung around with Xiaojun more. It would be a bit harsh on his future, but in the end... Did he want to be successful or happy? It was an idea he was starting to like.
"So you're saying Jisung gets letters from the serial killer. And not only are they covered in blood, but they are also hinting at the next possible murder?" Xiaojun's tone was giving away how confused he was about it. Honestly that wasn't exactly the wrong reaction to have in this situation.
"Yep," Chenle continued to play with his game nonchalantly. "We thought they were giving us time with the time of the letters arrival to the time of the murder."
They truck took a slow turn left and cruised at a sluggish pace through another neighbourhood. Jisung stared intently at the large variety of basketball hoops lining the driveways. The kids here must've have been athletically inclined. Perhaps having a specific passion for basketball maybe?
"And you guys aren't trying at all to make use of it?"
"We don't really have enough of an idea what the serial killer thinks." The dancer muttered, only half focused on the conversation as he tried to find out if anyone in these houses went to his school.
Xiaojun hummed, staring in his rear view mirror to take a gander at Jisung. "Looks like the kid can speak after all."
"He's not exactly wrong though!" Chenle defended and the two boys made eye contact for a moment. The blond smiled. "I think we would need to figure out more with the help of the messenger."
Lips turning upward in a smile, the dancer felt his heart stop momentarily before he bashfully went back to staring out the window. However, Xiaojun didn't seem to notice the interaction and only drove on further without looking back at Jisung.
"So what exactly does this messenger need?" He queried. "I mean I get he has all the information on the evidence you have. So why doesn't he figure out the serial killer with that?"
"First of all, don't consider this messengers gender." Chenle chastised, earning a grumble from the other. "Second, I think we—"
The unexpected sound of a police siren abruptly interrupted the boys train of thought, causing everyone to jump in their seats. Glancing behind them, they were all greeted by the unpleasant sight of a police car, with a grumpy looking man seated in the drivers side. Although not looking extremely threatening to their case, he was still a policeman. And that very fact made Jisung's blood drain from his whole body.
"Shit." Xiaojun cursed, getting ready to pull aside. His head jerked to the black tarp in the passengers seat. "Quick. Grab that and drape it over yourselves. Find a way to squish against the door on my side."
Exchanging nervous glances. Jisung quickly made the first move to sit against the door while Chenle swiftly snatched the dark sheet from its seat. Each doing it as wordlessly as the physically could.
Making sure he was as flat against the surface as possible, the blue haired boy failed to notice how this plan would go. And it was already too late to panic or hesitate about it as his blood roared in his ears, distracting his mind from everything along with his heartbeat. He found it a bit hard to breath properly, as if something was pressing against his chest. His eyes flickered along with the movement of the officers shadow as he went up to the drivers window.
Just as it rolled down, Jisung's breath hitched. The cold air must have snapped him out of his initial fear.
"Is something wrong?" Xiaojun's tone was back to a harsh note. His body language was anything but friendly, and more or less annoyed. There was no way in telling if it was genuine or all just an act.
The officer stared at the younger with cautious eyes. "What the hell are you doing at this time of night?"
The dancer was hardly able to focus properly on the conversation as he tried to grapple with the realization of how close Chenle was to him right now. Feeling the older's back pressed against his chest. While Jisung had found his taller figure near engulfing the blond in a weird kind of embrace. He could feel his crush's breathing against his knees as they tightly made contact with the seventeen year olds body. It was obvious before that this would most likely be the case. But Jisung wasn't exactly expecting being flush against the other. And because of their somewhat dire situation, they had to squish in further, forcing him to wrap his arms around Chenle's waist to pull him closer- if that was actually possible.
"I'm out for a night drive." Responding casually, Xiaojun started to burn holes into the officers head with his intense gaze. Yet the older man didn't seem affected at all really. Instead, it seemed to aggravate him.
"Just out here enjoying the view of everyones house at a particularly slow pace huh kid?"
"Am I not allowed to enjoy the beauty of this fucking town?" The dark haired teen practically growled in response.
The soft blond hair on Chenle's head brushed softly against Jisung's chin and against the crook of his neck. He tried not to gulp back  the skittish feelings forming. There was no risking it when the other would obviously feel it. But what was the point in hiding it right now? There was no doubt that the seventeen year old could feel the younger boys heart beat furiously. His whole face was getting hot with the extreme amount of red.
A light started to shine in the backseat making Jisung flinch. A gentle pressure pressed against his hands as Chenle held them; his own figure trembling in fear as his breath became uneven. The flashlight was only centimetres from brushing against the blond's sneaker, which was covered by the tarp.
"I don't know what you're up to." The officer turned the light off and stepped back. "But if there are any bad things that happen today, you'll immediately be held accountable. I hope you know that."
"Heard ya loud and clear." Xiaojun scoffed, waving his hand.
With eyes narrowed, the police officer stepped back and walked back to his car. The dark haired teen cursed under his breath some more and rolled up his window. As Chenle started to shift from his spot, Xiaojun just about barked.
"Stay there." He growled, starting to get back on the main road. "He may be looking to see if I have anyone else in the truck. You guys will need to stay like that until he leaves us the fuck alone."
The way the nineteen year old swore was a bit scary, yet the two complied either way. Turning his head a bit to glance back at Jisung, the blond smiled weakly.
"How are you doing?" His voice was barely a whisper.
Swallowing his uneasiness, the dancer smiled back. His own voice was so strained it was all but audible. "Fine. I'm fine."
Letting out a relieved sigh, Chenle went back to resting his head against Jisung's neck, almost making the sixteen year old yelp. But before the two others could even comment about it, the students phones buzzed almost simultaneously. And in pulling out their devices they found similar messages.
"Who is it?" Xiaojun seemed to have calmed down after a minute of driving on.
Jisung's heart dropped a bit as he read the text. "It's Taeyong.... he's wondering where I am..."
"Kun asked that too.." Chenle reported, unlocking his phone to reply. There were still hints of fear in his voice as his fingers trembled above the keyboard. "W... what am I supposed to say? What if he was the one who reported it to the department in the first place?"
"I doubt that." The dark haired man scoffed, making a turn right. "Probably just worried that you're not there at home. Just say that you're at each others houses." Xiaojun smiled slightly. "It worked for me and YangYang before."
Without a second thought, the two went to work with the lie. The blond hesitating more then Jisung as the dancer put his device back in his pocket. Meanwhile, the smaller teen was hesitating in sending his message. Only staring at it for a few second before slowly pressing the send button.
"I hope it works...."
"Of course it will, it worked for us all the time." The oldest stated like it was pretty obvious. His tone shifted slightly as he started to go on with a different subject. "At this point I think we should stop the search too. Do you two have any place in mind to hide out? Discuss somethings?"
"I have a hide out in that is in the forest. The one behind the schools courtyard." Jisung mentioned. He was starting to get more comfortable with where he was at the moment.
"Great." Xiaojun nodded, switching gears and making a journey to his new destination. "Anything else?"
"We need to steal the evidence in the police department to." It seemed that the blue haired boy was starting to regain all of his sense of logic. He was returning to the Renjun state of mind once more. "The messenger can only figure out what the evidence leads to if he knows what the evidence is.. probably."
Chenle looked back in shock, not expecting to see this side of his friend. In contrast, Xiaojun grinned.
"That's the spirit."