Double update! Let's go~

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The rain came suddenly, and it came down hard. Renjun had left YangYang's in a hurry after both wished each other the best. They still had college, they were still friends...but creating a new rhythm was going to be difficult. That wasn't his primary concern as of this moment, though, while he yanked his suitcase through the puddle-ridden streets. Lampposts struggled to illuminate the mist and somewhere in the distance, two dogs were barking wildly beneath the torrent.

Renjun's coat hood barely shielded him as the water ran down his fringe and along his rosy cheeks. The things he dragged behind him were only essentials, and his ex promised to help him take the rest another day with less rain. His sneakers were already trashed through and waterlogged, but he couldn't give a damn.

The complex loomed overhead after a long journey — only made longer by the weather — back. The blonde-ravenette nearly slipped on a crack through the pavement filled with rainwater. He balanced himself against the wall and stared at the entrance for a moment, blinking through his wet lashes and shivering against the cold. This is it, he steeled himself, tugging the suitcase in an iron grip and marching along the sludgy terrain. Even if they told him to go away, he still lived here at least. This was still his home until he found an alternative.

The piercing tone of his phone ringing broke the silence and heavy patter of droplets pummelling the ground, making his heart leap to his throat and eyes widen. Could it have been them? Would this be easier if they broke the ice first? He didn't wait to think about it before halting under the shelter just outside the apartment block and sliding his phone from his pocket. It was sheened with condensation, but that didn't matter as he slid the green bar across and held it to his ear.

Unfortunately, the number wasn't one he'd gotten from the boys.

"Renjun?" His mother asked on the other end. "Are you busy?"

"Kind of. What's up?"

"Thought I'd check up on you. You haven't picked up calls in a while and I wanted to confirm a few things before I visit? Is now a good time?"

No, it wasn't if he was completely honest. But at the same time, he was teeming with confidence and wanted to go to sleep tonight having tied up all possible loose ends. Or, at least, most of them. Now he was single, next, he needed to make peace with six men he regretted disappointing. "Right now isn't a great time, but you should definitely visit as soon as you can. I miss you."

"I miss you too, Jun. I was thinking in two weeks time? I have an appointment next week that I can't reschedule."

"Yeah, sounds good."

"How's your boyfriend? Am I finally going to meet him?"

"Actually," he breathed out quietly and stared back out at the rain to collect his thoughts, "I made a huge mistake, Mum. I'm about to go and fix it though, and then...well, hopefully then I'll be able to tell you the whole story from the start. How's that?"

"Should I be concerned? Did something happen?"

"Hurricane Renjun," the adult couldn't help but smile to himself. "I happened, to be honest. Listen, I should go...but I promise I'll tell you all the good, the bad and the ugly later when you visit. Yeah?"

"Yeah, sounds good. Just..." she audibly faltered and took a second to compose her voice, "just be careful. You only get one life like this, and it's the same for everyone else."

Renjun stopped breathing for a beat, and although he could hear his heart in his ears over the cascading downfall beyond the protruding roof shielding him, he almost didn't feel connected to reality. For some reason, thinking that this really was the only shot at life he had made his stomach drop and his mind grieve for all the time he'd already lost. For all those things he could've done and chickened out of, for all the days he pushed others away and led them on. "I'll call you later, Mum."

"See ya. I'll book my train tonight."

"Bye." He hung up and quickly and shoved the phone back into his pocket. What if he really had, well and truly, ruined everything? What if this was it for him? A life of 'what ifs'?

He shook off the dread and wandered towards the doors, pulled them open and was once again greeted with Taeyong's hunched figure. He was poring over his phone and writing something on a miniature notepad beside him, but otherwise humming and nodding his head.

"Hello again," the younger male spoke up and deposited his suitcase beside him. The landlord quickly glanced up with a smile, then lingered on the luggage.

"Oh wow...you're coming back? Weren't you just by to take stuff out?"

"Had a change of heart. Cleaning up my own mess, and all that. How's everything going?"

"If you genuinely wanted to know, you'd have pulled a seat up and prepared for a long day. But I'm positive you're being nice, so I'll spare you the story and just say 'it's fine'. I'm assuming you're here for them again?"

"Still incredibly perceptive," Renjun chuckled hoarsely and folded his arms around himself. "But correct. I wouldn't put it past them to go out in that weather, but can I hope they didn't?"

Taeyong sighed airily and leaned against the desk with this expression that told more than words ever would. There was no good news in store for today. "So, I won't beat around the bush. They're gone, Renjun. They left this morning in a huge hurry."

"What?"

"I don't know what you said or did last night, but Mark was extremely apologetic earlier and chose to leave ahead of schedule." The brunette pursed his lips and put on a grim look, "tried to feed me some bullshit lie too. Something about having a movie coming up...but it's been like, a year that I've shared this place with him. I know he's troubled."

So I did encourage them to go, Renjun mentally cried and instantly fought off an onslaught of regret. His fingers tightened in his puffy sleeves and he tried not to show the desperation. "I...I don't suppose you know where they've gone, do you?"

"They didn't want me to share it," Taeyong confessed. "They said it was important I didn't breathe a word to anyone, since these things get out and Mark struggles to keep on top of it."

"Even me?"

"Even you. I'm...I don't even know what to say. I'm sorry? Should I give condolences? What even happened, Renjun?"

The younger sniffed and sucked in a long breath before wandering closer and leaning forward against the desk. His damp hair fell in his eyes and rain rolled down his coat sleeves...but he felt none of it. "I fucked up so badly. Like, I know I'm a dumbass, but this year on a scale from one to ten, I have been an eleven. An eleven on the dumbass scale."

"That bad, huh? Can I presume it was romance? Because if so, I really want to say 'I told you so'. I've been watching, don't forget, and I've listened to you seven bitch and whine and laugh this whole time. So..." he waved a dismissive hand, "was I right?"

The sad fact was that Renjun instantly started to magic up some excuses in his head as to why they weren't romantically involved and needed to cover his tracks...but he hated that it came to mind. This was a grand stand, for fuck's sake, where he'd confess to being stupidly in love with them and concede to better judgement and date them. His chest seized up, but excuses didn't tumble out. As he wanted, he stated, "Yes. Yes, you were right. All of you were, I guess. And yet now I've realised that, and they're gone."

"Still not sure what happened."

"I-I just..." his cheeks reddened and he lowered his voice, "I led them on. I messed with their feelings without meaning to, and never gave them answers to their questions. I've been such an idiot, Taeyong. Do you think they'd still see me if I searched for them? Found them?"

He shrugged, twisting a pen between his fingers against the desk. "Maybe. Depends what it is you'll say. You gonna beg for forgiveness? Ask them to be friends again? Oh, maybe even bring your boyfriend along and twist the knife in their chests?"

"It's not like that!" Renjun hissed defensively. "I'm trying to right the wrongs here, remember? I want to tell them how I feel...regardless of their thoughts. I won't live peacefully if I never get to say it."

Perhaps it was the rain soaking the small man from head to toe, or maybe it was the way he was too young for such anxiety and too lovely to watch begging...but Taeyong's lips curved downwards into a pout as he eyed him and decided that he needed to make the right decision. Mark had told him specifically not to tell Renjun where they were moving...but he probably hadn't imagined the said guy would come knocking to ask for their love back. He wanted to make this call for them on the off-chance that it would work. "You know, they did tell me where they went. I have the address here, actually. In case I need to follow up on anything with their old apartments."

"But you said—"

"Who said? What? I don't know her, but I do know that six attractive youths called two taxis at ten this morning and left for XX, a bungalow just past XX bridge. It's a ways out from the city, but maybe a movie is being shot soon enough and the location doesn't matter so much anymore."

"Tae...seriously?"

"Seriously what? Did I say something?" He chuckled and made a huge show of stretching before accidentally-on-purpose shoving a dry sticky note over the edge of the table and watched it flutter to the floor. Renjun didn't know what to say as he picked it up and read over the proper address and zip code.

"I...thank you."

"But I didn't do anything," he insisted with a wink.

"Come on—"

"No seriously, if Mark finds out I told you he'll castrate me. Let's just say you heard it from a gentle breeze and leave it at that."

"I don't even know what to say. How are you such a legend?"

"I'm an avid romance reader and you boys are like the main characters in my story. I enjoy the supporting role, I must say."

"You'll be a main character eventually. Just get a haircut."

"I shall not, but thanks all the same. Ta ta now, watch out for that rain, won't you?"

Renjun broke out into the biggest, natural smile he'd worn in weeks. Maybe even months, he wasn't sure. All he knew was that he'd been handed an incredible second chance, and giving up now would've been like shooting himself in the foot. "I love you. A lot. I'll keep in touch," he squealed excitedly and grabbed his suitcase before rushing towards the doors.

"Please do. I need to hear the ending."

"Of course!"

He ran out into the downpour with brighter eyes and a lighter body. His mind was solely on the thought of seeing them all again at last as he dialled for a taxi and waited ten minutes, even as they drove to the secrete address and talked about nothing. The windows rattled with the water, but the sound was like music now.

"Have a nice day," the driver waved once before taking off and leaving Renjun by a cottage in the suburbs. He waved back uselessly, even after the man was long gone. His gaze shifted over the landscape surrounding him and the one thought to override the boys was that if he did end up staying here, college was going to feel pretty nasty with that commute. He'd need to drive, at least. He'd need a licence. Could Chenle drive? The others were definitely too busy to be reliable.

But he had to convince them to have him back first.

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