18 | no damn signal!

                                    

                                          
donghyuck stared at the rain that lashed down outside the cave entrance, the storm still howling in anger.
                          
"twats, we have a problem," he said, going back to where the others were sat, and joining them to form a circle. 
                          
"well, we have several," said jaemin.
                          
"yes, smartass, but look," said donghyuck, pointing behind him to the storm outside, "it's fucking dark."
                          
renjun let out a wide yawn. "what time is it?"
                          
jaemin checked his watch for the hundredth time that day. "six pm," he said.
                          
"how is it dark at six pm?" jeno grumbled. 
                          
"because of the storm clouds, dumbass," said donghyuck, though he'd only come up with that answer right on the spot. 
                          
"we could call someone?" jaemin suggested. "we might be stuck here for ages."
                          
donghyuck clicked his fingers and nodded. "that's actually a good idea!" he said with the most patronising tone he could manage (since he was hungry and renjun hadn't let him eat the rest of the ramen), "where's your phone?"
                          
jaemin rustled through his rucksack and pulled out his phone... only to find it was out of charge. "uh... anyone got battery left?"
                          
jeno checked his and it was dead, and so was donghyuck's. luckily, renjun's phone was on 15%, to which they all burst out in cheers and claps.
                          
"call mr kim or someone, ren!" donghyuck said, suddenly cheerful.
                          
"why is your mood so fucking changeable?" jaemin asked him, narrowing his eyes.
                          
"i don't know, why didn't you feed yourself properly to have enough energy to not fucking pass out," said donghyuck. as a second thought he added, "just joking, jae."
                          
renjun, they discovered, didn't have mr kim's number. he also didn't have mark's number. there was only one other person out on the hike challenge that he could call. so he dialled the number.
                          
"um... problem, guys," he said with a long sigh.
                          
"what now?" donghyuck whined.
                          
"no signal."
                          
jeno glanced over at renjun and grabbed the phone off him, much to renjun's protest. "calm down, renny, i'm trying to find the signal," he said.
                          
"you can't just find the-"
                          
"shut up, ren, and let him do his ghostbusting."
                          
so they sat there listening to the storm whirl outside whilst jeno's footsteps echoed around the cave. and his exclamations of both victory and disappointment.
                          
"ooh!"
                          
"oh... no."
                          
"wait?"
                          
"nevermind."
                          
"hang on!" jeno yelped finally, his face lighting up.
                          
"did you find it?" jaemin asked hopefully.
                          
"...no."
                          
donghyuck let out a slightly fake cry and fell on the floor. jaemin sipped at his water quietly, feeling kind of bad for getting his friends into this mess. renjun pouted, pushing his lips outwards impatiently, ignoring the twinge in his ankle.
                          
"signal!" jeno suddenly yelled, making them all jump in surprise. "oh my god! hello?"
                          
donghyuck sat up again as there was a crackle on the other end of the line.
                          
"lucas?" jeno asked, listening in careful concentration, "okay, so renny fell in the river and then jaemin fainted and there was this massive storm and it's still all rainy and windy and shit and now we're in this cave but we lost the map and we're all fucked, can you tell mr kim?"
                          
there was a long pause... before, "what?"
                          
renjun groaned and waved out his hand to jeno. "pass it here, i'll explain to him," he said.
                          
"but-"
                          
"now, jeno!" at renjun's insistance, jeno quickly handed over the phone.
                          
"yukhei?" renjun said, his accent instantly transforming from korean to mandarin as he switched languages, "we're stuck and we need help. can you get someone?"
                          
"oh my god, chinese, thank you. what's happening, jun? everyone else arrived at the campsite like hours ago."
                          
"i know, we're stuck in the storm in a cave. jaemin fainted but he's okay now, but we're really lost because we lost the map."
                          
the others stared at renjun, watching his lips move but not understanding a single thing that came out of them.
                          
"what's he saying?" donghyuck whispered to jaemin.
                          
jaemin leaned in and after a pause, whispered back, "...i don't know."
                          
"okay, i'm getting someone, don't worry," lucas' voice leaked through the phone, "where did you get to? i'll try and find you, okay? just don't freak out or any of that shit."
                          
"we passed a long river and we were going along a rocky area," renjun tried to explain, "about an hour past a big field?"
                          
"got it," said lucas in determination, "stay calm, junnie, i'm coming to--"
                          
silence.
                          
"renny? what was that?" jeno asked.
                          
renjun sighed and showed them the screen. no battery. connect to charger.
                          
"well, fuck," said donghyuck.
                          
"lucas might find us," said renjun, but even his eyes were dim.
                          
jeno thought for a long moment before saying, "...should we play go fish while we wait?"
                          
"fucking no," donghyuck answered grumpily, "and don't even suggest irish snap."
                          
"fine," jeno muttered, and slumped to the ground, letting his head drop to rest in renjun's lap.
                          
renjun's breath hitched, but he didn't push him away. well, the cave was cold and jeno was like a radiator that was permanently on.
                          
renjun just didn't get what jeno's game was. he said he liked girls, but then he got all protective over best friend since kindergarten jaemin. it got renjun majorly confused, which complicated his feelings for jeno even further.
                          
"we should huddle to keep warm," jeno mumbled from the comfort of renjun's lap.
                          
"huddle yourself, we've still got the fire, dumbass," said donghyuck. he spread his hands out near the fire, which was slowly dying in the cold and the damp.
                          
jaemin was also sat close so donghyuck could keep an eye on him. he forced him to keep drinking water and nibbling snacks to stay awake, because if he passed out again they could be in a very bad situation.
                          
so jeno tucked his legs up, looking up at renjun's face. the chinese boy still looked cute in his hoodie, the hood still up around his face. jeno reached up and pulled the cords tight, tying them snugly under renjun's chin in a lobsided bow. 
                          
renjun felt his heart skip a beat. "thanks," he said softly, in almost a whisper. 
                          
he really wished someone would come and rescue them. he didn't know how much more of lee jeno he could take without it breaking him.
                          
_______________
                          
a | n
lol the last few chapters
been so intense aha
hope you're still enjoying :)