as brave as he felt agreeing to the wild idea in the first place, chenle felt like an idiot once he'd let it sink in. even just sitting with his new friends at their table made him guilty, and he didn't want to risk it all so early in this school. he could've ended up walking with a target on his back for the next two and a bit years. but somehow it felt way more worth it if it meant jisung got his best grade.

the pair had to plan it out properly in advance too. the artwork had more or less been completed now and their meet-ups were now for ironing out the creases in their idea. just one more painting and they wouldn't have to worry about this project again.

neither wanted to part company after this, but that was the least of their worries at present.

so even now at ten in the evening in the empty kitchen where some of johnny's parties tended to get hosted, the two were figuring it out and they were close to a proper, solid idea. the slight darkness around them wasn't enough to be fearful, and having each other made it seem less eery.

"the only issue that keeps popping up is renjun," chenle sighed airily as he counted all the steps on his fingers. "even if we take all necessary precautions for getting me to your room and keeping a certain time limit and frame on this piece, your roommate could still walk in at any moment. he's disciplinary committee as well, which makes this worse."

jisung opened his legs from atop the counter he was sitting upon and rested his arms over his knees, leaning down a little to chenle who'd chosen to pull a chair around backwards and perch on that. "okay, listen. i'm not supposed to say this to anyone, and i promised that i wouldn't...but renjun's no clean slate either, alright? he's got his own lies and rules to be watching out for that makes this a little easier for me."

"what, pray tell, could this secret be?"

"you won't repeat it?"

"obviously not."

"he and lee donghyuck have been in a relationship for a couple of months now. they're literally chalk and cheese, but i won't go into details as to why i think they're weird."

"they're...dating?"

"yup. so the reprimanding that guy gives me can be thrown back in his face in the long run. if shit hits the fan we have an escape route. but i'd really rather he never knew about this...he's like my mum; naggy and opinionated."

"i-i see..." the shorter murmured before glancing down at the back of the chair between his legs. "that is interesting, isn't it?"

"you can't breathe a word. but maybe this will give you a bit of confidence to see this plan through?"

"i mean, yeah. i guess so."

"nice," jisung beamed happily. god, that smile of his could've melted the sun it was so warm and bright. "in which case...do you think we're ready? do you think we could pull this off?"

"i don't know, ji. we have over two years of social torture riding on our shoulders if we fuck this up."

"yeah, but at least we'd be together. i have faith that we can do it, and if not...we'll be outcasts together, hm?"

when he puts it like that it doesn't sound so horrible. but i don't want this for him...i don't want it for me. the chinese teen was well and truly torn about this but he didn't want to let this boy down. not at all. "fine..."

"really?"

"really," he murmured and put on a small smile for reassurance. "you better get top marks for this. and i hope i look fabulous."

"oh definitely. without question," the korean beamed with a hand over his chest. "you'll look stunning."

they took their time enacting the plan. even with a deadline riding on their shoulders, they wanted to do this properly. they had one long night to get this right and the rest would've been up to jisung to finish off from memory.

chenle edged out of his room cautiously and peered down both ends of the darkened hallways. from somewhere else in the building, it sounded as though music was blaring with the thumping bass causing the carpet to tremble. johnny couldn't have picked a better night.

jaemin and renjun were nowhere in sight and every other door was closed. save for the low murmurs of complaint through the walls about the distasteful club tunes with sickening lyrics, chenle was sure nobody was around. his soft-souled shoes didn't make so much as a sound against the floors as he slinked down the corridor in a loose-fitted button-up pyjama shirt and matching pants. if he did at all bump into someone, he'd say he wanted to get a drink. if they told him that wasn't allowed, he'd say he was new and didn't know. and of course they'd tell him to go back to his room, when he'd then find the second route.

he wished he could have his phone for this situation to both update jisung on what was happening and receive word as well. he shuffled towards a junction where the hall split off to the left but also went straight onwards. both ends were empty, it seemed.

take it slow and remember to watch the doors when you reach the ebony dorms, jisung had warned. chenle's heart felt as though it was lodged in his throat once he reached the boundary. there was nobody guarding this point, where the doors changed from painted white to glossy mahogany. his lips squeezed shut to hush his breathing before he extended his leg outward and counted to three.

landing on the other side was anticlimactic at best.

why am i getting so worked up? he doesn't live in another dimension, he had to remind himself before taking the advice from before and scanning each door for sounds and shadows as he passed them. his fingers clamped and unclamped into fists while low murmurs of roommates chatting chimed threw the tense air.

he took a left.
continued onwards in no hurry but also in a great panic.
and then took one right before finding the door he'd been told about.

"oh thank god," he whispered with a gracious prayer motion to the heavens above. chenle quickly gripped the brass door handle before he felt pressure on the other end, and it twisted without his own will. shit. his eyes widened exponentially before he darted to the side and skidded into the shadows a few metres away. another voice picked up from within that room and it wasn't jisung's.

"don't stay up late, idiot," it became clear as renjun exited the room, uniform tidy and face stern. he turned back to speak to his roommate, "i've got to deal with a party again. ten and jaemin are...struggling." chenle could've sworn he was minutely close to pinching the bridge of his nose. something about huang renjun scared him.

"mhm, just finishing homework." ji's voice then responded, and it acted as a small reassurance.

the door clicked shut and renjun sighed airily as he fixed his cuffs which didn't even need correction and glanced down both angles of the hall. it was clear he detected another presence but couldn't quite pinpoint where or who it was. chenle's eyes scanned the expanse of his figure before the elder decided to take the other direction anyway.

too close. way too damn close, he cringed and waited a full ten long seconds before creeping back out of the shadows and hurrying towards the door again. he tapped his knuckles against its hard surface three times and had his eyes closed from sheer terror. the dark wood flew open and chenle squeaked before he was yanked inside and the door was once again thrown shut.

"you made it," jisung grinned victoriously. "everything go according to plan?"

"fuck this," chenle swore, pushing past him and dropping onto one of the two beds. judging by the ugly blue paint stain on the edge of the sheets, he chose his friend's. "that was horrifying. i've never had to tap into my five senses so much before in my life—"

"but did anything happen?" the taller insisted, kneeling in front of his seated form and holding his shoulders. "are we in any trouble?"

"no. there was nobody around, but the whole building is awake, ji. i could've been caught by anyone..."

"well," he sported a lopsided grin, "we won't have to do this again. once this is over, we don't have to risk anything anymore."

chenle nodded meekly, but even as he watched the other get up and prepare his materials, something about that didn't make him feel at ease. when this was over, was it really over? did they go their separate ways and put this away as a funny and unnerving memory? was he in too deep to see the sky now?

"ready?" jisung hummed.

"yeah. let me just..." he hesitated on his top button, the wave of embarrassment now hitting him after the other adrenaline kick faded off.

he plucked the first one open, avoiding eye-contact.