𝐸𝑇𝐻𝐸𝑅𝐸𝐴𝐿 // 𝐶𝐻𝐸𝑁𝑆𝑈𝑁𝐺 [✔️]

five

jisung wakes up that morning gently and peacefully unlike he did the day before. a blanket is spread over him and chenle is curled up against his side. he wonders for a moment how long it had been like that—if chenle cuddled up on his own will or if this was a habit done while asleep.

if jisung hadn't checked the nearby clock, he would have assumed it is still nighttime. the black-out curtains made it almost impossible to see, so he turns his phone light on and notices it's a little past seven in the morning. he received a message during the night from renjun asking if he wanted to watch a movie later. jisung declines, claiming he's busy with house chores.

sweaty and itchy from a weird night's sleep, he decides to crawl out of bed and get a shower. putting on fresh clothes over a clean body should do him some good, and he'll grab breakfast for the two once he's showered. knowing chenle, he wouldn't be up for a while.

quietly, jisung rummages through his bag to fish out the t-shirt and jeans he bought last night. the bag crinkles from action and chenle fidgets but remains asleep. he usually could sleep through louder things, so jisung lets out a sigh of relief and proceeds to the bathroom for a hot shower.

he undresses, taking a moment to process that it's morning and time to continue where they left off yesterday. the shower runs as background noise though now it incessant hum of water on the bath drifts further and further away as jisung becomes consumed with his thoughts. he almost loses a sense of where he is, of who he is.

but then, he passes it off as sleep deprivation despite the solid seven hours he got last night.

he basks under the hot water a lot longer than he expected to. the steam causes his mind to wander even more—to how things are going back home, then to their new plans for the day. how far had chenle wanted to go from their hometown? how much longer until jisung could feel like they've settled down?

after drying off, he dresses and puts his shoes on. chenle is still very much asleep, so jisung snags a room key off the dresser and makes his way out of the room to grab breakfast. he knows that chenle enjoys waffles—so he'll probably just get two and split them up. he mentally debates stealing some of those granola bars and cereal cups for later. money may get tight so he should take advantage of the free food.

as the waffle batter cooks, he looks both directions to make sure no one is staring. he hurriedly tucks a few cereal cups into his bag. there isn't any harm in that, right?

feeling as if he committed a heinous crime (not referring to the one he's currently living in), he quickly puts the waffles on two different plates and scurries off to the elevator. he spares a glance at the receptionist, the same lady from yesterday, bows at her, and proceeds onward to where chenle is still sleeping.

...

"where are we going today?" chenle asks once the car is started and on the road. he's surprisingly still hungry after eating his whole waffle and the other half of jisung's, so he munches on some of the dry cereal they stole.

truthfully, jisung doesn't know the answer to his question. as far as he was concerned, he was just driving on the highway until the road ended or at least they got to an airport. he doesn't really think this trip required an itinerary. "was there somewhere you wanted to go?"

chenle simply shrugs. "not really. the adrenaline rush from running away is pretty much gone, now i'm just bored. we could crash a party or something. maybe go to a club."

"there's two problems with that. one, we should probably do something a little less suspicious since we're underage. two, even i know that you cannot un-see the shit going on in a club at noon on a wednesday." jisung wants to continue putting forth his opinion—that he enjoys just driving and talking more than anything—but it's obvious chenle enjoys the thrill of making bad decisions. it's always been like that.

the elder lets out a sigh. "a casino, then?"

"can't get in if you're underage. and neither of us have fake i.d's, so."

"go to a party?"

"it's the middle of the day."

chenle sighs again, this time more loud and dramatic as he crosses his arms and tilts himself towards the passenger door, away from jisung. "well, you're not much fun, then. you know, jisung, you're not under your mom's control anymore. you don't have to be a prude. live a little bit."

that's the thing. jisung doesn't want to. he enjoys the innocence he has, he likes just sitting and talking rather than going to parties and making bad choices. in high school, when chenle started drifting apart from him in that sense, he supported it. he wasn't sure if he had any other options.

"it's not that," he says, trying to find a believable lie. "i just have a headache. that's all."

"then let's stop at the pharmacy and get some medicine." chenle suggests, pointing to the nearest highway exit where there's advertisements for said pharmacy. "pull into that lot, there. i'll run in and grab you something."

jisung stops the car as he's told and turns it off. he watches chenle hop out of the seat and skip all the way inside. in a new area just off the highway like this, he should be at least a little bit worried about his best friend going inside by himself...but he could really use a moment of privacy. one more minute with chenle and he would have exploded.

"get yourself together, jisung." he whispers to himself. "he's not dead. he's not dead. it's the same chenle as before, this is all in your head. it'll all be back to normal soon. get your shit together before you mess something up, seriously."

it isn't much longer when chenle emerges from the store with a full brown bag in his hand. he smiles when the two make eye contact, causing jisung's heart to nearly flutter out of his chest. he pulls it together when chenle sits down again.

"i've got an idea."

chenle buckles in his seat as jisung pulls back out on the road. "do tell."

"let's go to a club tonight. i'm sure i can find a way to get the both of us in."