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“People are staring.”
Haknyeon’s quiet voice was swallowed by the bustling city around them, but Sunwoo heard it. He took in the faces of the people around them, on their way out of the morning rain. Hak was right, most of them were staring.
His grip on their shared umbrella tightened, fierceness igniting within his veins. “Let them,” he growled as he reached out his free hand, intertwining their fingers. Haknyeon’s gaze trailed anxiously from the pavement to the shining ring Sunwoo wore on his thumb. He ran his own thumb across the cool metal, just to make sure it was real.
They had yet to talk about... whatever they were, and it had been gnawing at Hak for the past two days. Two days spent building up the courage to brave the answer he was terrified to hear. Two days of anticipating an end to their nameless relationship, if it even was one. He knew the depth of his feelings for Sunwoo, it was the other boy’s feelings that confused him.
One moment they were making up stories about the lives of the other students in the library, or unraveling the conspiracy about the librarian who was almost certainly a poorly disguised reptilian from the hollow earth. Then within seconds, everything in Sunwoo would suddenly shift. He’d hardly speak, and could barely look him in the eye. It was as if the boy would collapse in on himself, which worried Haknyeon endlessly. ‘Is this my fault? What did I say?...’ These intrusive thoughts crept their way in at night and cast shadows over his daydreams about the way Sunwoo’s whole face lit up when he smiled. They crept in and took root until he was compelled to get to the bottom of what was draining Sunwoo’s warmth. He had to know if it was him.
“What are we?” That question lingered on the tip of his tongue. He needed to know, but he dreaded asking. What if Sunwoo didn't want to even be friends anymore?
“What do you mean?”
Haknyeon froze mid-step, the glint of silver metal filling his vision as he processed the fact that he really had just said that. Out loud. Slowly he slid his eyes up to meet Sunwoo’s. Or he would have, if Sunwoo had been looking at him instead of their clasped hands. “I, I didn’t mean to say that, it just kind of came out and-”
Sunwoo flicked his eyes to Haknyeon's, squeezing his hand before quickly looking away again. He licked his lips apprehensively, “What do you want to be?”
Squaring his shoulders, Haknyeon turned and grabbed Sunwoo’s other hand, not caring about the umbrella that clattered onto the pavement or the drizzling rain. He could feel the heat building in the space between their palms, but he only held on tighter. His expression must have shown everything he could not yet say, as Sunwoo finally met and held his gaze. ‘Is that.. fear?’ Haknyeon thought before realizing Sunwoo was waiting for him to speak.
So he said, “I want to be your boyfriend.” Then he closed his eyes, braced himself, and waited.
“I was hoping that’s what you’d say,” Sunwoo whispered after a moment. Haknyeon opened his eyes in time to see the boy draw their clasped hands up to his mouth and kiss his wrist softly, lips curving into a radiant smile. “I want you to be my boyfriend too Hak, & I’ll be yours.” His calm, charming voice was betrayed by the blush that dusted his cheeks.
A matching pink glow blossomed on Haknyeon’s face. All of his emotions welled up within him, the fullness of his heart a pleasant weight in his chest. He leapt forward, wrapping his arms around Sunwoo. Burying his face into the other's hoodie, he whispered, “I would like that very much.”
Sunwoo stroked his hand lightly across Haknyeon’s back, pulling him in closer. “Now they’re really staring,” he said, the words softened by his smile.
Haknyeon laughed and turned his head to look up at his boyfriend, beaming. His boyfriend. His.
“Let them.”