Chapter Text
Renjun continued to message Junhui over the next few days, content to get to know the man slowly; a good morning, how are you, pictures of cats he saw on his way to work. Junhui sent back the same; well wishes, pictures of coffee cups and friends' dogs.
Chenle got many of the same messages; the good mornings, the pictures. Junhui sent texts in a similar way they did, he noticed, swapping from Korean to Chinese, probably when he remembered to switch keyboard, when he remembered he didn't have to use Korean with them. Chenle didn't respond as much as Renjun did. A lot of short answers, many messages left on read. He didn’t know why, or didn’t want to think too much on it. Junhui was nice, attractive, he made Renjun smile, he could help them, so why was it so difficult to just text the man back?
He was staring at his text history with Junhui when Renjun came through the living room, squeaky floor announcing his presence.
"Hey, Chenle? I'm going to go meet Junhui at the park. Do you want to come?" Renjun asked, already putting his jacket on.
"Is it a date?" Chenle looked up from his idle scrolling.
"Not really. We're just meeting up so I can get a grocery gift card from him. I don't really have time for a dinner date right now." Renjun shrugged. As much as he would like another date with Junhui, one of the restaurants sometimes played piano for asked if he could play more nights while their usual pianist was unavailable. He wasn't going to pass it up. Junhui understood that, it was money and an opportunity to get his name out there more.
Chenle turned his phone off and sat up. "Grocery gift card?"
"Yeah, remember he said he'd buy our groceries? He asked where we usually shop and got a giftcard loaded. I didn't think you'd be okay with me giving him our address to have them delivered or drop the card in our mailbox."
"I'll go with you." Chenle was quick to get up and grab his own jacket and shoes. He took Renjun's hand as they headed out. "He didn't say anything about the groceries to me."
"He said you barely respond to him. He's not bad, Le, if you talk to him you'll see." Renjun frowned at him. "Junhui asked this morning if I thought you actually wanted to try dating. He doesn't want to keep poking at you if it's making you uncomfortable. Talk to him please? Right now in person or over text, just something please."
Chenle sighed. "He's not making me uncomfortable. I just don't know what to say."
"Good morning. My class was super boring. It's a really nice day, wanna go for a walk…" Renjun listed off possible responses. "Anything. You met him, he's not the serious guy we thought he would be. He's actually kind of goofy, I think."
Chenle shrugged. "I guess. I don't know. Maybe it's not him as much as it's me? You hit it off with him really well. I could see that the second you came home from that first date. I don't think he and I hit it off like that."
Renjun stopped walking and Chenle along with him. “You don’t think I like him more, do you?”
“No? Not consciously. I don’t know, Junnie. You saw him, I saw him. I know the whole ‘get a sugar daddy to help us out’ thing was a shared idea, but you were a lot more enthusiastic about it.” Chenle shrugged.
Renjun had hit the nail on the head, not that Chenle wanted to say it in as many words. “He can give you things I can’t, not until I actually finish school and get to a point of working that actually pays more than pennies.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Renjun turned to face him, hands still together. “Chenle, look at me. Yes, more money would be great. I’d love for us to stop struggling to keep our shit together every month, but I love you more. I don’t care that the shower faucet leaks or the sofa is third hand or none of the dishes match and we don’t have a dining table. I care that I get to have a leaky faucet and eat off of mismatched plates on a shitty sofa with you.”
Chenle was quiet for a moment, eyes fixed on Renjun despite the odd looks from passers-by. “That might be the stupidest, sweetest thing you’ve ever said. And a very weird way to say I love you. I love you, too.”
Renjun smiled. “Of course, I love you. We don’t have to keep talking to Junhui if you don’t want to. I can tell him to go home, call it all off.”
“No. Don’t do that. You weren’t wrong calling me out on all of that. He’s nice. I was just a little insecure, afraid you’d choose him over me somewhere down the line. I should have just talked to you about it instead of ghosting him and ignoring you.”
“Yeah, you should have, but what’s done is done. Just message him back now, yeah? I think he’d like it. And maybe ask him to go out again, get to know him without me there. You admitted he’s hot, too.” Renjun turned from serious to teasing, trying to get Chenle to smile. “Come on, let’s go. Our grocery money awaits.”
- - -
Junhui was waiting for them as they walked across the park, looking like something out of a romance movie, just sitting on a park bench watching people pass by. He smiled and waved when he noticed them coming towards him.
"Hey. I didn't know you'd both be coming. Not that that's bad. It's a nice surprise. It's nice to see you, Chenle, I was just expecting Renjun since he-"
"It's fine. I get it." Chenle cut him off with a laugh. "Renjun told me where he was going and asked if I wanted to come along, so here I am. Sorry for kinda ghosting you since our date. I really don't have an excuse."
"It's alright. I honestly thought we had gotten off on the wrong foot or I said something to offend you. I really do mean it about getting to know you better. I thought a few messages would be more comfortable than immediately asking for another date." Junhui tried to explain his own thoughts, not wanting to appear pushy to the younger men.
Chenle waved his worry away once more. "No, it was nothing you did. It was all me getting in my head about some things."
Renjun gave him a nudge as if to say 'I told you so' before piping up himself. "Not that it isn't great to see you two actually trying to communicate, but I am kind of short on time."
"Oh," Junhui looked disappointed. "I was honestly hoping I could steal some time and get you a coffee or something small."
"I'm sorry. I really would love to, but I can't pass up work like that. This place is good exposure and people actually tip well."
"You don't have to apologize, Renjun. It was presumptuous of me to think I could spring a date on you, even a casual one. I'll ask next time, plan something when you have time." Junhui understood completely.
Renjun getting a string on evening performance slots was the reason they hadn't been on another date in the first place. "Here's the gift card. I won't hold you up any longer if you're in a hurry."
"I may be in a hurry, but Chenle isn't." Renjun put the gift card in his pocket and turned from Junhui to Chenle, who looked almost shocked to be thrown back into the conversation.
"Huh? I mean, yeah, I'm not too busy, I guess."
"Cool, so you two can get coffee while I go to work. Junhui gets the date he wants and you won't be sitting alone at home while I'm gone for once."
Junhui seemed just as caught off guard by Renjun's quick date arrangement as Chenle was. "Don't feel like you have to. I can handle being told no."
Chenle shrugged. "Renjun is right though, if I go home, I'll just sit there with the tv on waiting for him to come home. Might as well have some company for a bit and coffee doesn't sound bad either."
Junhui smiled softly once Chenle agreed. "Then we'll get coffee." He looked at Renjun and Chenle's hands, still clasped together between them. "Do you have much longer to stick around, Renjun?"
Renjun checked the time and immediately slipped his hand out of Chenle's. "No, not if I want to get there without running." He pecked Chenle on the cheek. "I love you, I'll be home at 11:30." Then turned to Junhui. "First night I have free, I promise, we'll go out. Have fun!"
With that, Renjun turned and started walking back in the direction he came, leaving Junhui and Chenle. "I passed a place on my way here that looked promising, smelled like cinnamon sugar when I walked by. We could go there?"
Chenle nodded. "I would like that. Lead the way."