001
"you see the stars? the ones right above us?" renjun's soft hands aimlessly plucked grass blades where he lay beside his best friend.
"yeah.." jeno responded, arms tucked behind his head as he half opened his eyes to spot the stars that renjun was talking about, "..what about them?"
"hmmm," a sly smile grew as he replied, "they help lovers find each other."
jeno turned his head to look at the older, "really?" a scoff slipped past his lips, "how?"
"they scatter themselves... right above them." renjun glanced at the sky, then smiled towards his friend next to him.
"shut up, jun." jeno said.
he really didn't like the playful attitude his friend sported as he said those words. jeno knew he didn't mean any harm, but the joke still stung. it left an imprint on his heart – and not the good kind.
"im sorry, jen!" renjun defended, small giggles erupting from him as he saw jeno's limited reaction, "it's only meant to be a joke."
"i know..." jeno muttered.
"i wish it wasn't." he thought to himself.
❁
it was always like this: two boys sprawled on top of a field, littered with dead flowers and bunches of dry grass, often going home with some sort of plant souvenir stuck to their hoodies. they spent most of their time staring up at the sky – racing to see who could count more stars in a minute (renjun always won. he was faster.), making up stories about the moon and its inhabitants (jeno swears the moon has dogs that bounce around on their tails), and cloud watching. it was simple really, two lonely boys keeping each other and the universe company.
between the both of them, jeno had a knack for running away from home (sometimes). he hated being stuck in his room and the thought of hiding under his covers all day scared him more than death. it's a habit only he and renjun know about and once in a while, his best friend joins him (mostly weekends, that's when his parents go away for business trips). calling them 'runaways' is a little far fetched, considering the fact that they only ever stay in the area that's 20 minutes away from their neighborhood. the teenagers keep themselves hidden behind bushes and in between willow trees until they hear the early birds begin to sing and the sunrise creep up.
❁
one early morning, as he looked over at his sleeping friend, jeno promised that if he were to truly runaway someday, he would take renjun to italy with him. once there, they would start new lives and find warm comfort in small coffee shops and cobblestone alleyways. they would be reborn into different lives, but stay the same people.
"i know you can't hear me, but, sometimes, i talk to the moon about my problems." jeno whispered, staring at renjun and the way he looked under the rising sun. the taller would be lying if he said he didn't have a fuzzy feeling in his stomach every time he saw renjun. it's just the butterflies again, lee jeno.
"but, right now, i think i'm doing okay." jeno felt hypnotized. maybe he really was doing okay. maybe he was far from okay—but something about seeing renjun so peaceful made him feel okay.
renjun stirred in his sleep, his small hand frantically moving around as if it were searching for something. jeno softly reached out and intertwined their fingers, hoping it would give his friend some sense of familiarity and help him fall back asleep comfortably. to his delight, renjun held on tightly, letting out a small hum of satisfaction as he pressed himself further into the blanket they lay upon.
for the first time in awhile, jeno felt more than just fine.
jeno felt content.
he only wished he could freeze time right then, but not everything was in his favor.
