RENDEZVOUS

32 | lost property

when exam season finally ends, it usually calls for a celebration - maybe a huge party with family and friends, loud music and a lot of laughter.

renjun didn't feel like celebrating.

a week of living in fear of the world around him had turned the chinese boy into an insomniac, and he wasn't sure he could remember the last time he'd had a restful night. life felt like a neverending void, a constant repeat of waking up, avoiding conflict, stressing out and crying. too much crying. all of that had taken a toll on his body, and that's why renjun found himself waking up on saturday morning to a bout of shivers and a cold sweat, head pounding, skin ablaze.

he was sick.

and as always, he found himself alone, waking up to an empty house.

his mom was on overtime again, that much he was certain. she was always working overtime, always doing more hours than should be humanly possible. it had been like that ever since his dad had been made redundant - it was always his mom struggling to make ends meet while his dad struggled to find motivation to hit the job centre. it was him who'd brought them to korea in the first place with a new job that seemed like a brilliant opportunity. renjun knew his mom blamed dad for making them poor, for ruining them like she always said.

renjun couldn't find it in him to feel anything but hatred for that woman though.

she needed to find someone else to use as a punchbag.

shifting over under the covers in another round of shivers, renjun blinked in the morning sunlight of a saturday morning. he had some vague recollection of his dad heading out to do the weekly shop, and he knew he was alone. he wished someone would come - someone who cared, and would take care of him until he got better.

his head ached and his throat was dry. maybe someone could just come, just to bring him a glass of water and some painkillers. anyone. renjun grasped at his phone in desperation and hit speed dial on instinct.

"...hello?"

the voice sounded confused, uncertain, and in his dizziness renjun barely registered who it belonged to. whose number was every single one of his speed dials, and he hadn't the heart to change it yet.

"c-can you bring me w-water?" renjun croaked, teeth chattering through his apparently fever.

"renny, are you okay?"

the voice was worried now, insistent, and it drew renjun back to his senses - like a knife to the chest.

jeno.

"can you come over?" he blurted, though it came out more like a whimper.

"what's wrong? are you sick? what happened? i'll be right over, just hang on, okay?" there was a rustle on the end of the line, like the sound of someone rushing around in a hurry.

renjun pressed the end call button and flopped back onto the pillows, curling up into a ball of frustration. he felt like shit, looked like shit. he was supposed to be mad at jeno, yet here he was inviting - no, begging him to come over. but his head was pounding and he squeezed his eyes shut to try and get it to stop. he couldn't even think of any good reasons to hate jeno in that moment. it all seemed so stupid.

he wasn't sure how long he lay there shivering for until his phone rang again.

"ren... i- can you open the door?"

renjun dropped his phone on the mattress and struggled out of bed, stumbling down the stairs and across the hall. he was desperate, too desperate for someone to care for him, to love him. so he opened the front door and fell into jeno's arms.