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Morning lectures are the creation of a devil-incarnate and Lucas doesn’t know why he’d subject himself to this type of torture.
Fortunately, it’s his only class for the day (MW, bless up) so it’s not terrible to wake up early, and besides, it’s his favorite one through the entirety of his major.
As Lucas stumbles mindlessly out the lecture hall and into the absolute chaos of university students rushing to their next location, he goes so thoughtless that he doesn’t notice someone with villainous intent standing right under his nose.
“Hey sexy, remember me from last night?”
It’s said so loud that some students side look with prying eyes in his direction and Lucas almost throws his helmet. He really wants to throw it, a good bonk to the head, but the satisfaction isn’t worth the consequence.
Yangyang smiles sleazily at him, slapping a crumpled wad of bills on his chest.
“I hate you so much,” Lucas sighs, grabbing the cash and holding it between two fingers. “What do you want?”
“Practice what you preach, I want that new butterfly pea flower green tea Mark said his job was making for the summer,” he replies.
He sighs again and takes a good look at Yangyang. Psychology majors scare the hell out of him, and he’s known Yangyang for years, so now the deeper Yangyang studies and hones his abilities, he becomes a little more unhinged. And every time they meet, it’s like the other can flip his organs inside out and read him so well Lucas might have to do identity fraud just to feel okay.
“This early in the morning?” he asks, eyebrow arched. Yangyang blinks blankly back at him.
“10:30 is near lunchtime. If you get it, I’ll pay for lunch with the others later,” Yangyang says, smiling because he knows food and friends is what gets Lucas going.
“Fine,” Lucas grumbles in defeat. “See you at lunch, then. Tell Hendery he owes me.”
He bolts down the stairs, missing what Yangyang says under his breath. He shoves the cash in his jacket and swerves out of the way of bikers on the university loop, running across the path when he deems it safe. Lucas speedwalks until he reaches the parking lot, politely smiling at people walking past until he gets to where he parked earlier this morning.
His pride and joy. Lucas digs the keys out of his backpack and slots and turns it into the ignition, revving his engine before making sure his backpack’s on him securely. He swings a leg over his bike and runs a hand through his hair before pulling the helmet over his head.
Lucas revs the engine again, knocks his kickstand up, and he’s off to Mark’s job at a popular boba place.
He and Mark go way back to like, middle school, when they were doing dumb shit and having the time of their lives. They’re roommates now, too, so it only solidifies the fact that they’re best bros. He knows Mark’s schedule, phone number, and classes by heart, he knows all the dirty little secrets he has, he’s seen him naked so many times, he’s the first person everyone turns to when they ask about Mark.
It’s great.
A driver almost crashes into him on the freeway, but luckily Lucas avoids dying and arrives in about 10 minutes.
There’s a free spot right in front of the shop and he zooms over before anybody else can set their beady little eyes on it. After making sure everything’s fine, he pushes the door open and the chime of a tiny bell announces his arrival.
Lucas feels eyes scanning him up and down.
He knows he looks good. Of course he does, tousled hair, great smile, even greater voice, and the one factor that gets everyone weak in the knees is that he’s tall. 6’0” on the dot, baby. Oh. And the muscles too, he worked hard for this body.
It could also be the leather jacket and tight fitting all black outfit, colors that don’t match the bright light and scorching heat outside, but honestly, who gives a damn.
“What’s up man, what are you doing here right now?” Mark greets. They do their little dance that they made a year ago, which has people looking at them in amusement. He places his helmet on the counter.
Lucas leans closer. “Yangyang wants that new drink you mentioned last night, he threw money at me when I got out of class and out of the goodness of my own heart, here I am.”
Mark laughs, the one where it’s contagious as hell and soon enough he’s laughing too. Mark calms down and nods his head.
“Anything else?”
“Can I get an Okinawa brown sugar, uh, Hendery probably wants a thai tea with boba, you know your boyfriend’s order better than I do, Jaemin probably has coffee already, I know Jen wants taro with boba, get Jisung a strawberry ice blended, Chenle, hm, get him that new drink too.”
“Dang, you guys are having lunch without me? I feel left out,” Mark says, “So you said 1 Okinawa, 1 thai tea with boba, 1 taro also with boba, 1 strawberry ice blended, 1 peach green tea, and 2 butterfly pea flower green teas?”
It totals up to 29 dollars, so Lucas grabs Yangyang’s crumpled up bills out of his pocket and also his own 25 dollars and slides it over.
“Keep the change,” he tells him, pushing his helmet to the side and stepping left from the register to let the next person order.
Mark slaps his order number next to his helmet and looks up at the next customer.
“Oh, hi Renjun, I didn’t know you were coming too.”
Lucas turns his head and finds himself staring at another boy, slightly shorter than him and smaller in build. He’s swamped in an oversized sweater, dark shorts, and a little bucket hat that makes him look really cute, a simple silver necklace, strapped sandals, and a canvas backpack to really send home that college boy look.
“I didn’t think I’d be here today, if I’m being honest,” the boy says, and it comes out soft. Lucas strains to hear more.
“Well, I’m glad you’re here. Renjun, meet my best friend, Lucas,” Mark introduces, and Lucas immediately waves and smiles, hoping he wasn’t just caught staring, “and Lucas, meet Renjun, he’s friends with Jaemin and Donghyuck.”
Renjun smiles and waves back (albeit a little more shyly) and Lucas’s heart dangerously goes thump thump in his chest.
“Nice to meet you,” he blurts. He holds his fist out and Renjun looks at it for a moment before fist bumping him.
“It’s nice to meet you, too,” Renjun replies. “I hope I see you around more.”
Lucas is all sweaty in his jacket, and all he can do is agree with him. Renjun lets out a little laugh before he turns back to Mark to place his order. He zones out for that time, only snapping out of it when Renjun scoots out of the order here! line.
He’s standing next to Lucas, fidgeting with his phone for a few minutes and Lucas doesn’t want him to feel awkward, especially now that they’re probably going to see each other more often, so he clears his throat. Renjun snaps his head up at the noise.
“So, uh, are you also going to lunch with all of us later?” Lucas asks, and Renjun shakes his head.
“Nah, I have a class in a bit,” Renjun replies. He makes a sound, and before it can get awkward again, Mark reappears with a drink in hand.
“One honey milk tea with boba,” Mark chirps, shaking a drink and handing it over to Renjun. The latter plucks a straw out of the holder and waves goodbye to Lucas. He also says bye to Mark, but Lucas is too busy looking at his retreating figure open the door.
That thump thump is back and Lucas has the oddest feeling. As he watches Renjun disappear around the corner, he tilts his head and thinks for a moment.
He’s got the oddest feeling he’s gonna fall in love with that boy.
Huh.
〤
Lucas forgets about the encounter after a few days, school up his ass and no room to really breathe.
He’s flipping through a textbook on the sofa when the door to the apartment opens and closes. Mark’s body shuffles in three seconds later and he looks like a zombie who somehow got on the soccer team. His bag drops near the entrance and Lucas sighs.
“You look like shit,” he says. Mark throws him a nasty glare, but there’s no bite to it.
“Yeah,” Mark scoffs, “feel like it too.”
“Go shower man, I’ll warm up some leftovers,” Lucas gets up and heads to the kitchen. He pauses for a moment before calling over his shoulder, “Hey, you wanna smoke?”
Mark looks hesitant and Lucas goes over to give him a hug.
“Look, your coach won’t know, Hyuck doesn’t have to know, and even if he somehow did find out, he’s so in love with you he’d understand. Just this once, you need a break,” he coaxes. He counts it as a small victory when Mark’s shoulders slump in defeat.
“Alright,” Mark mumbles, “but just this one time.”
“Yeah yeah, I got it, go shower, you stink,” Lucas teases and avoids getting hit.
There’s a small drawer in his desk that hides all his shit. They don’t live in the dorms anymore, but Lucas still likes the idea of having it out of sight. His jar has a few buds left, he’s got a box or two of papers, and it takes a while to find his new grinder, but he eventually spots it next to his stash of printer ink cartridges.
Lucas doesn’t really know why it’s there, but he figures after Yangyang gave him shit for having a plastic one, when the new one got delivered he just put it there.
When he’s done rolling the joint he walks back out to warm up some pizza for Mark. He can hear him walk into the kitchen two minutes later, so he passes the joint and plate and tugs Mark out onto the balcony.
He leans against the railing while Mark sits on the lounge chair, wolfing down his slices of pizza and reaching for the lighter.
“So,” Mark starts, “Hyuck said we should head to Monterey tomorrow for a trip. He would’ve texted you about it, but he’s busy with the school newspaper so I told him I’d ask you. You wanna go?”
“Who’s going? If it’s a date thing I don’t wanna cock block the entire time,” Lucas answers, watching the smoke rise into the air. Mark rolls his eyes.
“Literally all of us are going. I think Renjun’s coming, too, so that’s why we’re bringing three cars,” Mark says.
Oh. The cute boy from the boba shop is going.
“Yeah, of course I’ll go,” Lucas says back, “You know I wouldn’t miss out on a trip like that with you guys.”
And he’s not lying, but the icing on the cake is that he’ll see Renjun again, which means they can start talking to each other more often, just like the words he’d said to him at the boba place.
“Cool,” Mark views the clouds moving, but Lucas sees them still. “We’re leaving around 9, so wake up early.”
“Who’s driving?”
“Jaemin, Hyuck, and Hendery. I don’t think anyone trusts Chenle or Jisung driving that far.”
“Well. I guess I should sleep early tonight. Hey, wanna watch Rush Hour 2 with me again?”
〤
They wake up early and drive to pick up Hyuck, who forces Mark out of the driver’s seat and tosses back a bag of Flamin’ Hot Fries to Lucas.
“Aw, you got me my favorite.” He fake sniffles, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye. “If Mark wasn’t dating you, I’d marry you for this.”
Donghyuck barks out a laugh while Mark whines about how that’s not fair at all, making Lucas laugh even more when Donghyuck turns back to wink at him.
“So why is Mark not driving?” Lucas asks, holding out his bag of chips to Mark.
“Because he’s an idiot who doesn’t know how to rest and take care of himself,” Donghyuck hisses, “And I don’t know who the hell he thinks he’s fooling, when he’s had classes, practice, and a night shift the day before.”
The car goes silent for a moment, because as far as anyone knows, it’s true. Mark works the most out of all of them. He’s a business major, he’s captain of the soccer team, and he works nearly most of the week at the boba shop. There are days when Mark comes home and stumbles into bed without showering or eating, falling comatose until he wakes up at the ass crack of dawn.
“You missed the exit,” Lucas breaks the tension, watching as Mark shoves a mini pancake into Donghyuck’s mouth.
“Mhmn mmph uck,” Donghyuck garbles around the pancake. Lucas snorts while Mark rolls his eyes.
“I said, I’m picking up Renjun,” he coughs, motioning for Mark to pass him his water.
Lucas’s heart does that thump thump it does whenever Renjun’s mentioned, and he finds it so weird that his body is reacting like that so he chooses to ignore it.
They eventually arrive at Renjun’s place and Donghyuck honks. A few moments pass before Renjun’s rushing down the driveway and opening the back door. A head peeks out the front door and Mark waves. Donghyuck leans over and shouts, “Hi Mrs. Huang, I love you! We’ll be back before midnight!”
She smiles and tells them to have fun and be safe, then closes the door.
Renjun’s got clear glasses and another oversized sweater on, but this time with ripped skinny jeans and a fanny going across his chest.
“Hey,” Lucas beams, and Renjun startles a little.
“Oh, hi, sorry, my mind’s going like—it’s just kinda hectic because I woke up a little late. But hey, Lucas right? Nice to see you again,” Renjun pants, catching his breath. “I was running around so much I was worrying my parents.”
“No problem,” Lucas assures, holding his fist out. Renjun fist bumps him and makes the explosion gesture, a soft boom escaping his mouth, and Lucas is starting to think that this boy will seriously be the death of him.
“Hey Renjun,” Mark waves. Donghyuck turns back to look at him.
“Hey nerd, thought I told you to set an alarm,” he taunts, but he goes to pull off the sidewalk and back into the street.
“Well, you were texting the group chat all fucking night and being the greatest friend I am, I stayed up playing Among Us with your dumbass,” Renjun fires back, and Lucas starts losing it in the back seat.
Donghyuck flips him off and the car ride starts. Mark’s playing music from the aux cord, Lucas finds himself sharing snacks with Renjun as they talk about how their week has been, and they pull over two hours in because Lucas has to take a quick leak at the gas station.
He zones out for the rest of the car ride, dozing off—
—until they’re in a parking garage and Renjun lightly pushes his shoulder.
“Huh?” Lucas croaks blearily, rubbing the crust out of the corner of his eyes. Renjun retracts his hand and smiles.
“We’re here.”
Here, apparently, is near the Monterey Aquarium, and also here is the rest of the gang. He ruffles Chenle and Jisung’s hair, pulls Hendery into a bear hug, pokes Jaemin and pats Jeno’s ass, then sticks his tongue out at Yangyang.
To Lucas’s delight, they go to the aquarium first. He’s practically bubbling, too excited to stand still and when Donghyuck pays for all of their tickets, ("Ten owes me money, it’s technically his treat,” Donghyuck grins) he latches onto the two people closest to him.
“Woah, didn’t know you’d be so excited to be at an aquarium,” Renjun’s voice comes from his right, but he’s allowing himself to be tugged away.
“He’s a marine biology major,” Hendery points out, knowing that there’s no way out of this. “He’s gonna either spill everything he knows about the animal or outright start babying them. I’d be careful when he gets near the otters.”
“Didn’t expect that,” Renjun murmurs, and Hendery laughs through his nose.
They stop in front of a exhibit and Lucas squeals, “Oh my fucking god, you’re so cute!”
The little sea otter is swimming on its back, banging the hell out of a clam on its tummy, and Lucas stares, mesmerised by the animal.
“They eat shellfish, so they have a rock called an anvil they keep on their stomach to smash food open,” he explains, awing when the otter does a tumble, “fun fact though, did you know otters are necrophiliacs? Scary, but I gotta forgive them. They’re so cute.”
“Are otters your favorite?” Renjun asks.
“He has a photo of one wearing a hat as his home screen,” Hendery stage-whispers, flicking the back of Lucas’s head when he starts cooing again.
“C’mon nerd, we have to go find the others,” he continues, yanking him away from the otters.
“Bro—”
〤
“So, what’s your favorite bending style,” Jaemin says, sipping his disgusting, 8 shots of nasty ass espresso coffee. Everyone watches him with mild repulsion.
After the aquarium, they’re at some burger joint, stuffing themselves on carbs. There’s so much fat and grease, Lucas feels the cholesterol clogging his arteries already.
“Fire,” Donghyuck calls, snatching a fried pickle from Jeno’s tray. Jeno makes a noise and kicks him under the table.
Donghyuck glares at him. “Ow, you bitch.”
“You only say that because the fire nation boys were hot,” Renjun retorts, “don’t think I don’t remember you going crazy over Zuko and Iroh II. You’re just a whore for Dante Basco’s voice.”
There’s that sly smile on his face, the kind that’s up to no good.
“I have my own fire nation boy,” Donghyuck says simply, and Lucas watches Donghyuck’s hand drag down Mark’s thigh and squeeze it, making Mark choke on his burger.
Everyone at the table gags, Yangyang dry heaving into his tray and Chenle rolls his eyes.
“Y’all are nasty,” Jisung groans, “and I thought Yangyang was the worst one.”
Yangyang lets out an affronted gasp and throws a french fry at him, causing Jisung to throw one back, and it almost turns into a food fight if not for Jeno, being the reasonable one, stepping in and kicking both of them under the table.
“Did you know that one time,” Lucas starts, “I was taking a shower right, we have two bathrooms, and suddenly the shower door opens and Mark’s in with me and I was like dude what the fuck, I got my dick out and everything, he’s like ‘Bro I got a date with Hyuck in thirty minutes and I just got back from practice and I’m too lazy to use the other shower’ and that was the first time we’ve taken a shower together.”
“First?” Renjun repeats.
“Weren’t we talking about our favorite bending styles,” Chenle says, and Lucas shrugs, stealing a curly fry from Renjun, who stares at him before looking back at his fries.
“My favorite bending style is missionary,” Jaemin declares. He slams his coffee on the table and everyone yells. It’s a surprise they haven’t been kicked out yet.
Lucas makes sure to put extra for the tip.
〤
His eyes open and he’s panting.
It’s so hot in his room, his body is burning, and he just knows his eyes are glazed over, dark and mouth droopy.
His last dream has him so sensitive, kicking off the sheets just to feel the air leave goosebumps all over his body. Even trailing his own fingers down his torso has him emitting a soft moan.
He checks the time on his phone, 8:32AM appearing in front of his eyes, and he tosses it somewhere on the bed, desperate to have any kind of friction. Blindly swatting his headrest shelf, he grabs a small bottle and uncaps it, the sound echoing through the silence of his room. Lucas tosses the bottle in the same direction as his phone.
When he strokes himself slowly, he’s already so gone. He turns his head into his pillow to muffle the noises escaping out of him, fucking up into his hand languidly.
It’s like that for a while, hips twitching every time he swipes over his slit, and he’s so close to cumming, legs locking up periodically and toes curling. The slick warmth has him tipping over the edge. He’s so close, whining quietly into his other hand.
“Fuck, ah—”
His phone rings and Lucas jumps, sitting up to grab it before falling back onto his pillow.
“Hello?” he grunts, breathless, trying so hard not to jerk off while he’s calling someone.
“Hi Lucas,” Renjun says, “sorry, did I just wake you up?”
Lucas stares at his dick, wondering if the gods are really testing him in this moment, before groaning. “Nah, you’re good. What’s up?”
“My fucking printer broke on me,” he stresses, “and I was wondering if you had one I could use. I’d ask Donghyuck, but he’s in class right now, and Jaemin’s filming something for Donghyuck, so I can’t really ask anybody else.”
“Uhhh,” Lucas drags out, “yeah, I do. Are you coming over right now?”
“If that’s okay with you,” Renjun replies, and there it goes, that sweet voice being so nice, so soft, Lucas crumbles.
“Sure. I’ll text you my address.”
“Thank you so much,” he gushes, “I’ll pay you back, I swear.”
He hangs up before Lucas can even get another word out.
Shit.
He scrambles out of bed, sliding his windows open to get rid of that stuffy feeling, shoving his lube into his bedside table, lighting a candle, and shrugging into basketball shorts. Lucas hurriedly brushes his teeth and combs through his messy hair.
It’s bad timing, and Lucas is left to suffer sitting on a bar stool in the kitchen. A knock comes a few minutes later and he goes to open the door.
Renjun’s holding plastic bags and his laptop, shifting nervously in place.
“Um, hey, sorry for the short notice,” he apologizes, and Lucas shakes his head.
“No, it’s all good, I know how it feels like to have your printer die on you,” he laughs. He scoots over to let Renjun come in, who toes off his shoes and looks around.
“Wow, you guys have such a nice place,” Renjun says, setting the bags and his laptop on the bar counter. “How much does it cost to live here?”
“Oh, this is Ten’s old apartment. He gave it to me because I get family privileges, and I asked Mark to be my roommate because it was the most logical thing to do.”
“You’re related to Ten?”
“Mhm. We’re cousins.”
“Wow,” Renjun whispers. “I got us some food because I didn’t want to intrude empty-handed. Um, I might have to stay for a bit to finish my thesis though. Is that okay?”
“Of course, make yourself at home. Uh, the printer’s in my room, so just let me know when you need to print. Do you want anything to drink?” He rambles, opening the fridge.
Renjun drops his backpack on the sofa and walks to open the bag on the kitchen island instead. He looks up at Lucas.
“You have a tattoo?” he notes, tilting his head.
Oh fuck. He’s shirtless.
“Oh, uh, yeah, I got this lion,” he points, and turns around, “and I got this back piece. Sorry, I was so busy cleaning the place I forgot to put a shirt on.”
That’s a damn lie, the place is always clean because Kun likes to make surprise visits and he knows it has something to do with Ten’s nosy ass. It’s because he was too busy panicking about his room smelling like sweat and the remnants of his wet dream.
“No, it’s fine,” Renjun blurts, and Lucas doesn’t miss his rosy pink cheeks, “I mean, it’s your own house after all.”
He smiles at him before sorting through the fridge.
“Dang, we only have beer and oatmilk,” Lucas says, closing the door. Renjun looks at the mess on the door. It’s littered with polaroids, sticky notes, and a small whiteboard that serves as their grocery list.
“Hi baby, you’re gonna win the game, love you!” Renjun reads, and scrunches his nose. “Oh, they’re hella corny. Wait until I get on Donghyuck’s ass for this.”
Lucas grins, staring at a polaroid of them at one of Chenle’s basketball games.
“It’s cute though, let them live.”
“Do you have any tea?” Renjun wonders as he tries to find the silverware, which Lucas points to the drawer.
He reaches up into one of the cabinets and opens it, displaying a very large tea collection. He blames his family for being avid tea drinkers, making him become a slight tea elitist.
“I have too much tea,” he mutters. Renjun glances up and laughs.
“I’ll take that ginger green tea.”
Lucas has to bite his lip from smiling too much.
That’s his personal favorite.
And when the tea’s done, they fall into a routine as if they’ve done this before. Renjun types away at the table while Lucas flips through a photo album, Renjun peeking over every once in a while to look at old photos of him and Mark. They eat their food (his mind supplies the ‘together’ part) after he’s done typing, Renjun prints, and he leaves at lunch time.
“Thank you,” he says softly again as he walks through the front door.
“Anytime,” Lucas replies. His feet pound lightly against the floor of the hallway, and Renjun takes the elevator back down along with Lucas’s own thumping heart.
〤
The opportunity presents itself when summer break starts and the spring quarter is over. Everyone’s drained but relieved that they finally have time, and Jeno proposes that they should do their annual camping trip at Dillon's Beach, near San Francisco.
Lawson’s Landing is everyone's favorite spot to camp, there’s a special camp site behind a sand dune that blocks out the wind and has a path that leads directly to the beach.
Three campsites reserved later and five cars parked in the grass, they’re setting up four tents.
Mark, Donghyuck, Lucas, and Renjun get the biggest tent, Chenle and Jisung share with Jeno and Jaemin, Hendery and Yangyang have their own tent, and Ten and Kun set their tent up in five minutes flat.
Lucas helps Jisung and Yangyang carry firewood out of Jeno’s truck (that he borrowed from his dad) while Renjun and Donghyuck drag the tables and benches to the middle site. Chenle’s hammering a stake into the sand and Hendery’s helping Mark set up the tent, the fancy one with two separate rooms and a middle commons room.
Jaemin, Ten, and Kun are nowhere to be seen until he sees them carrying food out of Kun’s SUV, crates of ingredients, three coolers and a few pots, and then Jeno appears with the portable propane burner.
It takes about two hours to set up everything, everyone’s bed rolls and bags in the right tents. The fun begins at noon. People change into swim trunks and head to the beach, where Jaemin’s taking photos of everyone.
“Ah, the water’s cold,” Chenle shrieks, climbing onto Jisung’s back, who complains that his legs aren’t letting him move.
Lucas scans around until he spots who he’s looking for.
“Renjun, c’mere,” he calls, ignoring Yangyang’s all-knowing, cheshire grin in his direction. Of course he knows something’s up, that scary, scary man.
Renjun’s head perks up and he comes over cautiously.
“You’re not gonna toss me into the ocean, are you,” he jokes, making Lucas roll his eyes. He grabs Renjun’s hand and interlocks their fingers, pulling him closer. Renjun’s eyes widen and Lucas wonders if he can feel his pulse beat rapidly. Or maybe feel his hands go clammy. He’s always had a problem with heating up too quickly.
Hendery yells something in Cantonese which has him flipping the other off.
“Nah, just wanted to see how far we can get into the ocean,” he laughs, and they venture into the cold water, water licking up their legs.
He hears shouting and looks over. Mark’s being carried by Jeno and Donghyuck into the water, swinging him a few times before letting go. Mark splashes under.
Renjun giggles. A bigger wave comes by, making Renjun stumble a little. Lucas uses his other hand to hold him steady at the waist, whereas Renjun’s other hand grip Lucas’s arm in surprise.
“Is the tide coming in?” he asks, and Lucas looks down to the shore.
“Nah, we’re too far out,” he answers, letting go and stretching. “Get on my back, I’ll carry you.”
He piggybacks him back to shore, and Lucas can’t help but feel at ease. Renjun’s body heat seeps through his back and it makes him feel super fuzzy, making him more floaty than any high he’s ever had.
Kun’s pho is done, so they gather around and take a seat, slurping the broth and making pleased noises because it just hits the spot.
An Uno match somehow erupts, an inkling suspicion that Yangyang brought the cards with him, and they’re having a serious time playing.
“+4, red,” Jaemin says, placing down the card. It’s Mark’s turn next, but he’s not fooling anybody with that faux innocent smile. Jisung wails out, “Don’t you dare put down that fucking card, Mark Lee, I swear to—”
Mark smiles even wider, slapping another +4 down onto the pile. “Green. Have fun, Jisungie.”
Jisung tells him to fuck off and picks up eight cards. The game continues like that, Ten finishing his food and leaving to go take a romantic walk with Kun along the beach.
“Anyone have a reverse card?” someone asks, yet Lucas is too busy stealing a meatball out of Renjun’s bowl.
A green reverse card sits quietly in his deck.
〤
The second day of camping is even funnier. They’re sipping on hot cocoa and coffee, watching the sun rise. It’s a little windy, and everyone’s huddling around the campfire trying to warm up their frozen hands and feet.
A fox runs by, making everyone run back into their tents for safety, only to emerge after two minutes pass.
“Hey, y’all wanna play hide’n’seek in the dunes?”
That’s how Lucas finds himself going under the rope barrier and into the dunes, where there’s nothing but big splotches of tall plants. He slides down a slope, goes through a tiny plant tunnel, and ends up in a little valley.
He situates himself against the hill and waits.
Suddenly. there’s a rustle of leaves and a small grunt. Donghyuck falls beside him, grinning.
“What’s up, good looking,” he purrs, giving Lucas a pointed look. He gets slight déjà vu, shakes his head at his antics and tugs Donghyuck a little closer.
“How’d you find me?” he whispers, just in case someone is near them. Donghyuck shrugs.
“I didn’t have to do much. You’re tall as hell, so it was kinda easy just to follow you. Although, I do gotta say, this is a good spot. I think Mark’s finding people on the other side.”
They talk about whatever; the conversation flows smoothly between them just because they’re sociable like that. Halfway in, they devise a plan to cuddle and pretend to sleep, just to make whoever finds them confused as hell.
It happens as soon as they tangle their limbs together, a figure shoves the grass above them and chokes.
“Oh,” Renjun rasps, looking down at their position. Mark pops up behind him and laughs.
“Stop stealing my boyfriend from me,” he complains, whacking Lucas on the arm.
“Hey, he’s the one who came into my hiding spot,” he defends, holding his hands up.
It’s the end of that conversation, something about breakfast being done and Lucas’s stomach growls on time. He takes a glimpse at Renjun, who seems lost in his thoughts, and Lucas grabs his arm gently, guiding him back to the present reality.
“Huh?” he startles, looking at Lucas.
“Let’s go eat, yeah?”
“Yeah,” he breathes. They head back.
The rest of the day follows sort of like yesterday. They splash water at each other, start building a sand fort, and before they know it, night falls upon them, sending the wind to blanket their bodies.
Stars twinkle brightly above. Renjun’s staring at him and Lucas wonders if the stars in his eyes are from something else.
“The stars are pretty,” he murmurs. He excludes the ‘but you’re prettier’ part because even he’s wincing at how cheesy it sounds. It’s the truth though. He finds Renjun prettier, the way the moon shines on him, lithe figure buried under a blanket, the light in his eyes when he’s concentrated on counting every glowing dot in the sky.
S’mores are one of Lucas’s favorite activities. The smoke swirling around them, the giddy atmosphere of seeing who can toast the perfect, golden marshmallow (which Kun and Chenle do perfectly on the first try) and who’s got the creepier ghost stories (Hendery does).
Lucas also learns more about his friends, like how Jisung finds being a STEM major a nice challenge, Yangyang’s final project had him spying on an assigned classmate and analyzing how they reacted to different people, Renjun’s a theater kid at heart, Jeno’s clothing business is launching its summer collection (his wallet’s screaming at him), Kun’s producing a song for a client he won’t name, Donghyuck’s still stressing about being the journalism club’s president, Mark’s got to man soccer tryouts next month, Chenle might get a new job, Hendery’s getting an internship at a pet hospital, Jaemin wants to start vlogging, and Ten's still learning the ropes of his family's technology empire.
“What about you, Xuxi?” Mark yawns, signaling that it’s time to wash up and knock out.
“I’m waiting for things to fall into place,” he says, watching the flames slowly die out.
〤
The pieces start to align the night Jaemin texts the group chat in all caps, hollering about Donghyuck’s birthday being hosted at the local bowling alley.
Hey, Lucas texts Renjun, do you want me to pick you up?
It’s as simple as the yes that shows up seconds later, it’s as simple as Lucas grabbing the spare helmet hanging off the wall, and it’s as simple as Lucas sending him a quick text of, hey, in front of your house, ready?
Renjun walks out in a denim jacket, seeming almost bashful as he stands in front of Lucas, who’s leaning against his bike.
“I—a motorcycle?” he stammers. Lucas chuckles at his flustered face and passes him the spare helmet.
He’s so dang cute.
“Yeah, thought it’d be better. You’ve never been on one before, right? I figured now would be a good time, the summer breeze feels nice. Don’t worry, I’ll keep you safe. Just gotta hold on tight, alright?” he says quietly, tilting his head up slightly and grinning.
Renjun stares at the helmet, takes a deep breath, then pulls it over his head. His grin gets wider.
He gets up and mounts the seat, motioning Renjun to sit behind him. “Alright, so once you sit behind me, you see those pegs? (Heh, pegs.) Rest your feet of those. Scoot as close as you can to me. Wrap your arms around my waist. If you get scared, cling on tighter, I don’t bite,” he smirks, winking.
The younger huffs out a laugh of disbelief, but does as he’s told. Lucas can feel his heart hammering in his chest, and when Renjun drapes himself over his back, he just knows the other can feel the thump thump , no space in between them to hide.
“Ready?”
“Go for it.”
In the beginning, Renjun clutches onto him tightly. But gradually, he relaxes, even going as far as cheering loudly as Lucas speeds down the highway.
Because of that, they arrive a few minutes early. Lucas lifts the helmet off his head and turns back to see Renjun do the same. They share a small smile, something Lucas will tuck into his heart for safekeeping, grabbing his hand and walking into the bowling alley.
He spots Jaemin immediately, if the constant camera shutters and blinking white lights weren’t a dead giveaway.
Lucas lets go of Renjun’s hand and goes to Yangyang. He’s got a blank expression on his face, but he knows that he’s being analyzed.
“So, you and Renjun, when,” he states, bluntly too, and Lucas leans in to whisper in his ear.
“Shut up, maybe when I’m more confident,” he hisses. Yangyang raises a brow at him.
He looks over Lucas’s shoulder before looking at him again. “You really like him, don’t you? That’s cute.”
He shoves at his shoulder before standing up and cracking his back.
“Alright, who’s ready to get fucking destroyed?”
(They all get their shit rocked by Donghyuck’s older brother, Jaehyun, and when they watch him get a strike for the hundredth time, Lucas’s heart feels like the pins, all wobbly, waiting to get knocked over. It doesn’t help that Renjun’s arms are slung comfortably around his sides on the ride back. He pretends he doesn’t feel Renjun press a small kiss between his shoulder blades.)
〤
That night, Lucas dreams of a familiar smile.
〤
The parts connect when he least expects it. They’re in Ten’s house for a pool party when Renjun goes, “Ooo, you wanna kiss me so bad.”
It’s a joke that started only because Lucas said his lips looked really shimmery and Renjun teased him for staring at his lips.
“Yeah, I do actually,” he agrees, licking his lips. Renjun’s eyes watch him do it.
It goes silent, both of them not knowing what move to make. Lucas decides to take the initiative, trapping him against the display table in the living room. Anyone could walk in and watch Lucas cup Renjun’s cheek before pressing a thumb to his bottom lip, watch how Renjun’s mouth parts so easily, letting it slide in.
Warm, wet, and it’s got Lucas all riled up and stuffy under the collar, heat pooling in his stomach as he feels Renjun's mouth open a bit more.
They part as quickly as it happens, Lucas breathing harshly through his nose as the heat disappears from this thumb. Renjun’s chest rises and falls just the same.
“Let me take you on a date,” he mumbles, and the sigh that leaves Renjun is confirmation enough.
Back outside, everyone’s either swimming or chilling on the lounge chairs, watching Johnny flip ribs on the fire.
“Did you even get enough sleep last night?” Taeyong accuses Mark, squinting at him, which has his best friend cowering.
“No?” He answers hesitantly.
“That’s so fucked,” Xiaojun nods, tipping his beer back. “You seriously need to plan a better schedule.”
“Hendery can save me, he’s a doctor,” Mark says, looking at him. “You’ll save me, right?”
“Motherfucker, I’m studying to be a vet tech, not a nurse. Does it look like I wanna save you?”
Xiaojun spits his beer out and Lucas cackles, grabbing a chair to hold himself up.
Oh, life is moving so well for him.
〤
Let me take you out on a date means Lucas wants to impress. But, he’s also kinda treating this as a pat on the back, you deserve this type of situation. He loves sushi; it’s his favorite sushi place, damn, maybe he wants it to be special, so what?
They arrive a couple minutes before their reserved time, sitting in the lobby as they wait to be seated.
“I love sushi,” he whispers, sliding an arm around Renjun’s waist, “and I really wanted to take you to this restaurant specifically, because it’s my favorite and I know you like taking photos for Instagram.”
Renjun makes a face at him but laughs anyways, unlocking his phone and bringing the camera in front of them. “Smile for my story,” he says, trying to get the perfect angle.
He finds one he likes and takes a picture.
“6:00 reservation for Lucas Wong?” the front desk lady calls, and Lucas stands, Renjun following them into the dining area.
“I feel underdressed as hell,” Renjun says, so quietly he almost doesn’t hear it. He’s about to make a joke about that sentence, his immature sex monkey brain kicking into action, but saves his own ass just in the nick of time.
“Nah, you look cute as hell,” he assures. They’re seated and Renjun politely answers their waiter that they want a roasted rice green tea, please, before playing footsies with him.
“Thank you,” he preens. Lucas has the urge to kiss his flushed cheeks, bring him a little closer, but refrains for now.
“No need to, just speakin’ the truth.”
He turns even more red, and Lucas decides to lay off the comments for a while.
He lets Renjun order off the menu, occasionally helping him around the menu and they’ve ordered. They talk about food, how hot summers are in California, and when the food arrives, he lets Renjun take all the photos.
He pays against Renjun’s will.
“You can pay for the next date,” he says, and Renjun smiles in victory.
Before they step into the car, Lucas pulls him in and kisses him on the forehead, a simple peck that only lasts for a second.
“I had a lot of fun tonight,” Lucas confesses, brushing a stray hair away from Renjun’s face.
There are stars in his eyes, but Lucas knows that this time, they’re all for him.
“So did I,” he admits, and he kisses his forehead again.
〤
Renjun comes over one day, and Lucas knows Mark leaving earlier to Donghyuck’s place has something to do with it.
He’s learned that Renjun’s really not good for his heart, especially when he shows up at the door with a bag with extra clothes and his laptop. It’s an impromptu sleepover, something he’s been thinking about for a while, and he thinks that telling Mark has somehow gotten Donghyuck involved.
“Well, make yourself comfortable,” he says, and there’s not much to it. Renjun’s been over enough times to know where everything is.
“I will,” he beams, a thousand watt display, blinding. That’s dangerous, and Lucas doesn’t know if he’s planned this through properly.
The first few hours go the same as the other times, they watch random YouTube videos, Renjun sits at the bar to finish some of his summer homework, Lucas changes his lock screen to a photo of him and Renjun at a crepe place.
Renjun convinces him to try cooking this recipe. He learns that Renjun’s very good at cooking, and for someone who has a disaster of a cook for a roommate, he doesn’t do too shabby.
After their late lunch, Lucas allows himself to get dragged to the couch, resting against the armrest with Renjun laying on his chest, watching Studio Ghibli films to pass the time.
They’re watching a scene when Lucas notices something. “Hey, isn’t that your lock screen?”
Renjun reaches for his phone on the coffee table and powers it on. It’s a close up shot of pink flowers. He unlocks his phone and it’s Lucas kissing his forehead under a red maple tree.
“Yeah, I really love Studio Ghibli art,” he confirms. He snuggles in closer, making Lucas hug him tighter.
They keep watching the film when something in Lucas’s chest bubbles over. He leans and rubs his nose on Renjun’s temple.
“Hey, Injunnie,” he mumbles, and Renjun pauses the movie to blink up at him.
“Yeah?”
“Be my boyfriend,” he says.
The words are out in the open. There’s no going back from here, and Lucas has never been so sure about wanting something in his life.
Renjun closes the laptop and places it on the table before looking back at him.
“Of course,” he giggles, kissing Lucas’s cheek. “I’ll be your boyfriend.”
His grip around Renjun goes tense.
“You’re mine,” he breathes. The other laughs, coming closer to put their foreheads together.
“Yes dummy, we’re together now,” he says, kissing his nose, “Never thought you’d be the possessive type, but I’m not too worried about it.”
“M’not that possessive,” he whines, and Renjun pulls away to scan his face.
“You’re not,” he agrees.
Renjun slithers his hands up Lucas’s chest, resting them behind his head as he swings his legs over his lap, straddling him. Lucas brings his hands up to his waist, half in shock, the other half of him racing to conclusions.
He snaps out of his stupor when Renjun kisses him on the mouth, slowly, and Lucas follows, closing his eyes. He shuffles a bit to have his back on the sofa, running his hands up and down Renjun’s back.
Lucas carefully bites at Renjun’s bottom lip, taking the lead, flicking his tongue into his mouth, kissing a bit more roughly, gripping his hips to anchor himself down. It’s all hot, lips bitten, kissed, slicked up with spit.
They pull back to catch their breath, but Lucas has a better idea. He plants a wet kiss under Renjun’s ear and travels down grants himself free reign over the expanse of pale skin, all his to mark up. He kisses down Renjun’s neck, a particular spot making him shiver.
He smiles against his neck, licking over that same spot before he starts nibbling on it, marring the skin a bright red. Renjun’s hand flies to his hair, holding his head in place, soft pants and noises coming out of his mouth.
Lucas continues doing this, on his neck, on his collarbones, and one very sensitive spot under his jaw. He’s so mesmerized.
Then, Renjun shifts in his lap, and it’s got Lucas pulling away and moaning.
“Shit, baby, hold up—”
“Shhh,” Renjun hushes, a finger over his swollen lips. It feels like a threat. At the moment, he contemplates if he’s right.
No, he knows alright. Because the grip on his bicep is a threat, clamped onto him as if he'll tuck his tail into his ass and scurry off. There's a soft press of wet skin against the shell of his ear and his palms sweat so bad it's gross. And when Renjun shifts in his lap again, he lets out an embarrassing choked groan, all scratchy and high-pitched, just like the ones in those shitty pornos he takes his chances on.
He stays where he is, already melting and becoming one with the sofa. His body is aflame, he’s so horny he can’t even form a proper thought in his head. When he glances up at Renjun with heavy eyes, this is where he dies.
Eyes dilated, sweat on his forehead, entire body flushed and burning just as much, looking like absolute sin. Renjun’s lips are the real killer here, plump and so slick Lucas has an out of body experience. He’s pretty sure his dick twitches and Renjun huffs.
“Excited, aren’t we,” he says coyly. It riles him up even more.
“I’m so hard it’s not even funny,” he grits out, and Renjun bursts out laughing at his honesty.
He collects himself and smiles devilishly at him.
“We should fix that then, shouldn’t we?”
Needless to say, Lucas sells his soul to the devil that night. He thinks he dies a peaceful death, pulling Renjun’s body closer as he passes out for the night.
〤
He can really get used to mornings like this.
“Good morning sleepyhead,” Renjun shyly says, burying his head into Lucas’s chest. Oh, he’s so fucking in love.
“It’s never not been you,” he realizes, voice groggy from a good night’s sleep. “From the first day I met you, I had the weirdest feeling I was gonna fall in love with you.”
“Isn’t that called love at first sight,” Renjun yawns, pulling the blanket up more.
“No, because I didn’t fall in love with you as soon as I saw you,” Lucas explains, looking down. “But I somehow knew that one day, I would. Spending time with you has been a ride I never want to end.”
Renjun’s head peeks out from under the blanket and Lucas panics when he sees tears welling in them.
“Baby,” he coos, and Renjun groans.
“If you don’t shut up and kiss me— ”