for you page × chensung

eleven

[ you can achieve anything you are willing to pay the price for. ]

Jisung bought five I Heart New York shirts on their first stop in the lively city, much to Chenle's annoyance. He almost refused to be seen with Jisung when he strapped a fanny pack around his midsection and put on the most obnoxious pair of red pants. It took Jisung three hours and a kiss to convince Chenle to explore the city with him before the fan meet the next day, and it was one of the best days of his life. They climbed to the highest point in the Statue of Liberty, managed to catch a showing of The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway, and took a stunning picture of them in front of Rockefeller Center (minus the "fucking annoying red pants").

Traveling was a luxury for foster kids unless they were transferring to a family out-of-state, and Jisung never strayed far from his hometown. Sure, he had his dance competitions in other states, some big cities like Atlanta and Seattle, but there was a certain aesthetic to being a New York tourist. Jisung wasn't marking through his dance every five seconds or fidgetting with his costume and checking his hair. He was walking with the boy he liked by his side, hand-in-hand and being as obnoxious as he could be. He felt like a little kid, and it was magical.

Chenle finally drew the line when Jisung tried to buy a pair of sunglasses shaped like the Statue of Liberty with a mustache that dangled from two short chains. He had to drag Jisung away from the stand and back to the hotel by the strap of his cursed fanny pack.

"Those were the ugliest fucking sunglasses I've ever seen," Chenle said when the hotel door shut behind them.

Jisung unclipped his fanny pack and tossed it on their bed (a shared one, mind you). It bounced off the fluffy mattress and to the floor with a concerning smack, and he mentally noted to check his phone later for any fall damage. "I thought they were cute."

"You think everything's cute, even the ugly things." Chenle discarded his button-up for Jisung's college T-shirt and dove under the bed covers. New York wasn't freezing yet, but there's was a sort of nip in the air that made your nose red and toes freeze.

"Hey, Chenle, you're pretty cute. Does that make you ugly?"

"Save it, Park. I'll kill you in your sleep."

Jisung held his palm against Chenle's cold cheek and softly placed his lips against Chenle's cherry-coated ones. He tasted like the pizza they had for lunch and warm sunshine. It heated Jisung's body from the core outward and made his spine tingle. Chenle arched into his hold with a breathy sigh, and Jisung saw stars.

He pulled away and rested his forehead against Chenle's. "I want to be better for you," he admitted quietly.

Chenle smiled and brushed Jisung's bangs away from his twinkling eyes. "And I want you to be better for yourself. I think we can make that work, hm?"

Jisung wanted more than anything to make it work, so work it did. The fan meets were spectacular, and when Jisung went to sleep at night, he missed the adrenaline of the crowds and the overwhelming amount of love. It felt good to be in a room full of people who loved him, even if they knew nothing about his past. From 12-5, he wasn't Park Jisung, the foster kid with parents who would prefer he was dead and a brother with undiagnosed depression. In that conference room, with all those loving people, he was the Park Jisung that danced like his body was made for it and was hopelessly in love with Zhong Chenle. Nothing more, nothing less.

In Atlanta, they snagged tickets to the Coke Museum and the Aquarium, both of which were boring as hell. But Chenle's smile was all worth it. In Miami, Chenle burned to a crisp at the beach, and Jisung spent the entire fan meet purposely slapping his bright red shoulders. When they got to the hotel, Chenle almost strangled him until he offered to put aloe vera on his back and chest. What happens in Miami stays in Miami, Jisung says now.

On the return flight home, Seungmin gave them both a warm hug (unexpected from him) and a promise to stay in touch for the already highly anticipated second fan meeting tour. Jisung's suitcases were bulging with fan gifts, letters and dog plushies since his fans liked to call him a golden retriever. Chenle's neon green suitcase, more annoying than Jisung's red pants, was filled with dolphin stuffed animals.

"I'll see you this weekend, right?" Chenle began as he grabbed his suitcase from the conveyer belt. "Dance on Saturday? Renjun's been raving about how famous his teacher is to Mom."

Jisung slung his bookbag over his shoulder and headed towards the exit, smiling all the while. "Wouldn't miss seeing Renjunnie for the world."

Chenle scoffed and punched his bicep. "What about me, jerk?"

"You too, of course. But, yeah, I'll be there."

Chenle hummed and wrapped Jisung in a hug. His body molded into the contours of Jisung's like a lock clicking into place. "Thank you for trying, Jiji." He whispered into Jisung's chest, kissing the fabric over his heart. "I'll see you." Chenle pulled back and unlocked his Mom's car with her hot pink set of keys. Jisung fetched his own from the pocket of his hoodie and sent a final wave in Chenle's direction before starting towards his own rust bucket.

After removing venue pricing, camera pricing, and paying Seungmin, Chenle and Jisung were left with almost 15,000 dollars each. Jisung was practically buzzing the entire way home, excited to show Jaemin his earnings. 15,000 dollars could pay for almost a year of rent and the light bill for the month. 15,000 dollars meant Jaemin would come home before ten and sleep in after six. 15,000 dollars was the price of getting his brother back, and Jisung was willing to pay it.