Lead Me to You| RenYang

[The Cat in the Harness]

Renjun let out a frustrated sigh, slamming his head onto the keyboard. He'd thought that maybe, just maybe, this time his teacher would actually approve of his sketches. But of course not, just like how they were rejected before, this one was no good either.

'What love means to you.'

The last topic Renjun would have ever asked for. It was simply soul crushing, this was his big assignment for the year, if he failed this, he'd basically fail his second year of digital design. 

He was always a creative person, ever since he was young. From doodling crayon masterpieces on the walls, to making sculptures out of river clay, Renjun had creativity running through his veins. 

So why was this so hard? He'd never struggled to interpret a theme before. He loved his friends, but he had no clue on how to design that. He loved himself, but he knew a lot of his other classmates had chosen the same thing, and it was kind of cringe. He loved cats, but that surely wasn't what the teacher was looking for. 

Back to square one, romantic love. That classic, fail proof choice, that would have been extremely easy 6 months ago. Though, after a year wasted, and one broken heart, Renjun didn't have any desire to look into that idea pile. Instead he came up with simple, unauthentic designs, that even he knew wouldn't cut it. 

He wasn't an idiot, it was clear that his teacher wouldn't accept these designs, but he had to submit something. There was only 5 months left of the school year, if he didn't think of something soon, he'd be screwed. 

Lifting his head up, Renjun re-read through his teachers feedback, before shutting his laptop. This was all too stressful for the boy, he didn't want to think about it anymore. Standing up, Renjun threw his black coach jacket over his grey hoodie, and slipped on his white converse. In times like these, Renjun just needed some fresh air, so even though it was nearly midnight, he was heading out. 

As his bedroom door swung open, Renjun was faced with a disgusting sight. His two roommates, cuddled up on the sofa. Renjun scowled, grabbing a hold of the TV remote. The two love birds had fallen asleep, so he took the initiative to turn off the movie they had been watching.

He did love being in his own apartment, it was a big improvement from the college dorms, and it was great sharing it with two of his best friends. Yet, their lovey dovey nature got old really quick, and sights like these, were very common.

Before he left, Renjun left a note, knowing his roommate Jaemin would flip his switch, if he didn't know where the boy had gone. With the note written, Renjun left, heading straight to the elevator. 

The metal doors creaked open, filling Renjun's ears with that cheery music. He stepped inside, pressing the ground floor button, and making sure to press the close doors button immediately after. He had vivid flash backs to when his weird neighbor took the ride down with him a couple months ago, at a similar time to now. He kept talking about how sad it was that his wife had mysteriously died, but with the creepiest grin on his face. Renjun had pretty much determined that the man had killed her, so he thought it was better to avoid him. 

Renjun watched the digital numbers slowly decrease, eventually reaching the ground floor. He swiftly abandoned the elevator, keeping fast pace through the lobby. As he left the building, the cold February wind smacked him in the face. His cheeks turned a soft shade of pink, and his nose a rosy red. His zipper growled, as he closed the gap of his jacket. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, Renjun knew that if he kept moving, he'd warm up, so that's what he did. 

The streets were almost empty, with Renjun only passing the occasional stranger. The dim yellow hue from the streetlamps, lazily lit up his path. He walked with no purpose, no planned destination. He just wanted to clear his head, and if he was lucky, find some inspiration.

Approaching the street corner, Renjun flinched, jumping back, as something small ran towards him. Renjun clutched the fabric over his heart, breathing a sigh of relief, when he realized what the creature was. Bending down, a soft smile tugged his lips. The slim, Abyssinian cat paused in front of the male, hesitant a first, but becoming more confident when Renjun reached out his hand.  

Renjun chuckled, letting the cat sniff his hand. He really loved cats, if only he could do his project on that. Keeping a slow movement, Renjun reached his hand over the cats head, stroking his soft fur. The cat didn't show any signs of distress, actually beginning the purr straight away. 

"Aww you're so precious." Renjun said, moving his hand down the cats neck. Suddenly, that soft fur had disappeared, being replaced by what felt like nylon. Peering over, Renjun noticed something really strange. This cat was wearing a harness, with a lead attached. "What the-"

"Leonnnnnnn! Leonnnnn! Where are you?!"