HAPPY ENDING | markhyuck/renhyuck [ ✔️ ]

07. Heart On The Line

❝ (𝑯𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝑴𝒚 𝑯𝒐𝒕 𝑪𝒉𝒐𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝑪𝒖𝒑) ❞

8:30 renjun was a mess, hair barely combed through and clothes wrinkled as ever. donghyuck wanted to laugh. "i am so fucking sorry for being late." renjun sighed, stress making him try to unconsciously tame his hair with his fingers. donghyuck scoffed, "you should be," and sipped his chocolate drink empty.

"i was just so tired after all that..." renjun stared at the cup in front of him. "i haven't been doing that great either so, naturally that much action had me winded." donghyuck blinked. renjun hadn't been doing great? was that what he said? something ran through donghyuck's veins. something like... desire. desire to hold renjun's hands that kept fiddling in his hair out of nervousness. desire to tell him, "come here" and hug all their feelings away. desire to-

"so why did you wanna meet?" donghyuck asked, breaking himself out of his thoughts. oh, so they were getting into it now. right. "i needed to see you that's all." was renjun's reply. "well, you've seen me. you can go."

ah- donghyuck immediately regretted saying that. by the look on renjun's face, the boy was heavily taken aback. curse this tongue. "wait no... i'm sorry- stay."

some moments passed. time felt stretched. other customers faded into the background, their indistinguishable chatter reduced to just that. donghyuck could only focus on renjun and vice-versa. neither could even imagine thinking of anything else.

"truthfully... i miss you, hyuck."

donghyuck never knew there could be different types of pain. he only knew one, where you wanted to scream and cry out because something hurts and it's really bad and you can't take it, you feel it where it hurts and it overwhelms you and you're in pain. this only happens when bad things happen to you. but there was another. this one washes over you, pricks you in every spot like your heart and you feel it in the tips of your fingers. this is emotional pain and it's associated with something good, oddly enough.

donghyuck had never felt emotional pain before up until that moment in front of huang renjun.

"you... miss me?" a sad smile accompanied a small nod from renjun. donghyuck felt tears well up in his eyes. the emotional pain he'd been storing and keeping to himself built up and sitting here in front of huang renjun, who was telling him he missed him, finally released all of that. he felt free.

"i actually do, hyuck."

ah, there it went again. it had to be renjun calling donghyuck by a nickname. that set it off for him.

"god... i'm so- i'm so fucking glad you feel that way," donghyuck breathed out, exasperated from this new feeling he'd found. "t-thank you for seeing me."

"anytime, hyuck." aw, he had to be doing this on purpose now.

donghyuck didn't remember anything else after that, save for the fact that he and renjun exchanged the tiniest of talks as if they were acquaintances meeting for the first time. well, in some way they were, weren't they?

renjun did in fact finish his not-so-hot chocolate during their talks (mainly out of nervousness but donghyuck didn't need to know that). he felt like the state of his drink represented their relationship perfectly. lukewarm, neither hot nor cold; will they get closer after this, or will they just drift further apart?

donghyuck thought it was the right time to pull his million dollar question, "do you... do you still believe in that text you sent?... back then?" his expectant eyes saw renjun's ones freeze on a spot on the table. he knew he caught renjun off-guard and rushed to patch up the situation, "it's fine if you don't know, i really get it. i don't really expect a solid answer right now, so it's really fine if you-"

"maybe."

renjun didn't know. he really didn't. but he also wanted to give donghyuck an answer, like, really badly. he had to figure this out sometime at home by himself.

donghyuck paused. "okay," he nodded. "maybe is good. maybe is okay. i'll take a maybe."

"i... i do feel something, yes. but i don't know if it's love. i don't want to overwhelm you with feelings if they end up not being true." renjun reached out for donghyuck's arm that was laying on the table.

"i dont want to hurt you, hyuck."

a hundred times better than just a vague 'maybe'. this was all donghyuck needed to smile the rest of the week. renjun was smart. renjun was kind and sweet and caring.

if it were anyone else, donghyuck would think twice before trusting them. but it was huang renjun. and donghyuck had always believed in him.

a small smile crept up donghyuck's face and he knew renjun could see; he didn't even bother to hide it.

hell, he'd even put his heart on the line this time.