Bad Blood [NoRenMin] ✔

12

Renjun was still there when Jaemin woke up despite it being (as he discovered when he checked the time) after eleven the next morning. His head pounded and he felt completely and utterly drained. He still had very little energy for all of this. Memories of the day before comes swarming to his mind like a hive of bees; ever so unwelcoming but nevertheless reaching him. He squeezes his eyes shut and twists until his hand feels the corner edge of the blanket and he tugs it over his face.

"You're up," Renjun states. Jaemin decides not to grace it with a response and Renjun sighs. "Haechan came around to fetch some of his things. He wanted to know what was up. Apparently you don't usually sleep in like this."

"I'm surprised he remembers," Jaemin whispers. Renjun doesn't hear him.

"Which, I have to say, he's right. You're usually up earlier." There's a pause and Jaemin thinks he hears the sound of a page turning (the room is just that quiet.) "Did something happen last night?"

Jeno's face flashes; he shakes his head in an attempt to shake away the image itself. He pushes the blanket off his head and looks over at Renjun; the other male looks back and tilts his head. His hair flops to the side and his lips pull into a pout, his eyebrows turn up, meeting at his forehead which wrinkled with the same concern that swirled in his eyes. It's the same concern as last night and he feels hopeless and horrible concerning the boy across the room. They barely knew each other; they were still complete strangers apart from knowing each other by name and occasionally shared a room. Yet here he was causing this boy concern.

"Nothing happened," he insists.

Renjun nods. "Do you have any classes today? Are you going to them?"

He thinks about it, and really he wishes he could say yes. Hell, he should say yes, but the part in him that had zero energy for any of this wanted to say no. He reaches for his phone and when he sees the time and Jisung's multiple, multiple messages, he nods. "I have to go to my next class at least," he murmurs. "I have a test."

"How long is it?" Renjun casts a glance his way before his eyes flicker back to his textbook. There's still an unspoken question lingering across his face and heavy in the air.

"We can leave when we're done." Jaemin climbs out of bed and grabs sweatpants and a hoodie from the cupboard before taking his towel. He looks over at Renjun. "Will you still be here when I get back?"

Renjun nods. Jaemin leaves the room and heads for the showers. He doesn't have time to linger for too long; if he did, he'd be late to class and according to Professor Kun, if you were late, you couldn't write (or at least, if you didn't arrive within the first fifteen minutes) and if Jaemin ever failed (which he's sure he won't), it would not be because he didn't arrive in time to do the test.

He rushes into the room and grabs his bag. He's just about to leave when Renjun stops him.

"I'll come and get you after your test." Jaemin doesn't have time to question it so he hurries out.

*

Sure enough, when Jaemin comes out of the classroom, Renjun is standing outside and leaning against the wall. He straightens when he catches sight of Jaemin and pulls out his earphones. "How did it go?" he asks, already walking.

Jaemin falls into step beside him easily enough and nods. Then, deciding that a nod was not enough of a response to such a question, he says, "It was fine. I think it was good, to be honest. I definitely lost marks in my essay though."

"You were the first one out?" Although it comes out as a question, Jaemin senses that it's a statement and so, he doesn't bother with a wordy response as before. He hums. "Impressive. And you do essays in this module right?"

"Yeah. Although I definitely lost marks in mine. I realized after I handed it in that I used quite a bit of contractions where I shouldn't have. Which would be fine if it weren't a formal essay," Jaemin ramles and he continues rambling and he only realizes it when he catches Renjun smiling. It's a little crooked smile that lights up his face in the smallest but definitely most noticeable way possible. Jaemin apologises and Renjun's face pulls.

"For what?"

"I'm sorry for rambling," he insists, his voice only a murmur. He doesn't know where they're going but Renjun seems to, leading him on ahead without having to constantly look where they're going.

"That's silly. Why should you apologise? If you want to ramble, ramble and don't let anyone tell you otherwise." Renjun looks ahead and tugs at Jaemin's elbow as they turn left. They almost missed it, so nevermind his thought of Renjun not needing to constantly look. "Plus, it's cute," he murmurs as his hand drops to his side. Jaemin felt a shiver travel through him and yet he feels warm. He also swears he can feel his heart against his chest.

"Where are we going?" Jaemin asks after a moment of silence has passed between them. When Renjun doesn't answer, Jaemin decides not to ask again. Instead, he tries to wrack his brain for something else to say. Renjun beats him to it.

"We're here."

It's a park. A park across from the university and only two blocks away. Jaemin's brows furrowed as he looked at Renjun in wonder, and he hoped there was a good explanation for this. It's not that he doesn't mind it, but rather he wonders why Renjun brought him here. Really, the park is beautiful. It's not like the ones Renjun remembers when he was younger. Here, the grass is greener than he's ever seen (because really, could grass be this green?) and it's so much bigger than the ones his dad took him to. There were two slides on either side of the park, a see-saw beside each one. There were two sets of swings on both sides and a jungle gym and monkey bars. In the centre of it all was a little sandpit. There were trees around the area, big and full of leaves that were falling, it gave shade to certain areas of the park. It's extremely quiet; barely a child in sight aside from a mother and her child occupying the sandpit. It's still school hours, Jaemin thinks as he takes it all in.

"It's a park," Jaemin finally says when he catches Renjun looking at him.

"I come here a lot when I need to get away," he explains once he catches the question in Jaemin's eye.

"You need to get away?"

Renjun smiles. "Doesn't everyone?"

Renjun had a point. "Who said I needed to get away?" he asks, following after the other as he walked on in the direction of the trees.

When he takes a seat, he leans his back against the tree and looks up at Jaemin with the tilt of his head. There's the hint of a smile across his lips and the twinkle of calm in his eye. He looks more relaxed than Jaemin ever saw him. "You think you're good at it, but you don't hide your emotions all that well. You have a tell," he explains; Jaemin doesn't know whether to accept it as a good thing or a bad thing.

"I have a tell?"

"Again," he starts, "Everyone has a tell."

Jaemin sits down beside Renjun and leans against the tree. Not once does he take his eye off the other and as Renjun turns, their eyes lock and Jaemin's forehead wrinkles as he frowns a little. Renjun's eyes seemed the lightest shade of brown just then, but Jaemin tells himself it's impossible. That would require a colour change of his eyes unless they had been hazel.

"Is something the matter?" Renjun asks. He's pulled a book out of his bag and rests it on his lap when he turns to Jaemin again.

Jaemin doesn't hesitate to answer. "No, nothing at all." He's mind, however, wouldn't stop in it's thoughts. Whirring as one thought after another pops into his head and he has to push it away. He shakes his head and as he looks out at the park, he thinks this is the nicest and most thoughtful thing someone's done in a long time. "Thank you."

"For what?"

He keeps his gaze set across the park, as he watches the movement of cars driving by and the people on the sidewalks. The lightest of breezes go by and it's despite all the thoughts in his mind, this is the most calm and most sense he's felt in the last twenty-four hours.

"Just thank you."