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Tears clouded her vision, the sidewalk in front of her a beige blur. She’d been pedaling so fast that her legs ached, making her sobs louder and more frequent.
When she finally arrived at his house, she threw her bike down and rubbed her eyes with her sleeves vigorously. She pulled the heavy backpack from her shoulders, dropping it next to her bike.
She glanced at their front door, hoping she wouldn’t have to knock. She’d had dinner before she left, so she figured that his family would be done as well. Her thoughts led her to the side of the house as she tried to listen for any noises over the sound of her heart pounding in her ears.
Standing on her tiptoes, she unlatched the fence gate that led around the house to the backyard. He must have heard the familiar noise, or maybe it was her continuous sniffling.
“MC!” she heard, looking up as the brunette barreled towards her excitedly. “MC MC MC MC!” he yelled, his little arms flailing as he came to stand in front of her. She returned his stare, remaining silent and watching his smile fall.
“Why are you crying?” Yoosung asked, making her rub her nose and face.
“I’m not,” she protested, crossing her arms over her chest. He tilted his head at her, making a bit of setting sunlight hit his face just enough for her to tell that he’d been digging a hole again. The simple smear of dirt on his cheek almost made her give in and ask to join him.
“Do you wanna play? Dad said I could play,” he spoke enthusiastically, wiggling in excitement. She felt anger rise in her, her face contorting.
“No! I don’t wanna play,” she grumbled, seeing his shoulders slump.
“But...” he started, huffing and pouting like he always did when he was disappointed. “My dad replaced the batteries in my lightsabers!” he offered, making her eyes find his again. It was almost enough to make her give up on her mission, but she grit her teeth and shook her head.
“I’m running away,” she blurted out, pushing down the tears that threatened to spill over again. Yoosung looked horrified, his excited movement stopping abruptly.
“Why?” he wondered, his expression making her chest hurt again.
“Because my parents hate me!” she yelled angrily, stomping her foot in the dirt and feeling her face get hot. She didn’t want to remember what had happened back at her house, but it reminded her to keep running.
“I’m here to say bye and thanks for being my friend,” she spoke quickly, watching as his bottom lip began to tremble. He shook his head insistently, not wanting to listen to her.
“You shouldn’t have runned away!” he yelled, grabbing two fistfuls of his shirt. His violet eyes began to fill with tears, making her own voice want to stay in her throat.
“Why not?” she asked quietly, wondering if he knew something she didn’t. Like, maybe it was April Fool’s Day and she forgot. Or Opposite Day.
“Because your parents will miss you!” he said, his nose becoming red as he let out a small sob. “And I’ll miss you too!” With that, he dissolved into a fit of tears, slumping to the ground and wailing loudly.
She stood there for a moment, wondering what to do. His words made her tummy feel funny, but she wanted to leave before it would get too dark outside.
But his tears and his words and his loud cries that held her name stopped her, a loud sob wracking her body as well. Before she knew it, she was crying as she melted to the ground beside him.
She’d begun hiccuping when Yoosung’s mother rushed into the backyard. She carefully picked both of them up after making sure they weren’t hurt, bringing them inside and setting them both on couch with a soft smile.
Both of their cries had started to die down after a few minutes. She felt calmer being in their home. It was a lot warmer than outside, and it smelled like chocolate chip cookies.
They were both still sniffling, not meeting each other’s eyes. Over their sniffles, she heard his mother dial a number into the phone.
She felt a wave of nausea wash over her when Mrs. Kim said her mother’s name, rushing over to tug on her pant leg in protest. But Mrs. Kim just pat her head, giving her a warm smile as she asked her mother if MC could spend the night at their house.
When her tears finally stopped, she felt like her eyes were the heaviest things ever. That was when Yoosung wandered off, only to return mere moments later. He was holding his favorite blanket in his arms, unraveling it to wrap it around her tired body.
“You will be all better in the morning,” he told her quietly, his eyes swollen but his smile as bright as ever. She gave him a tired smile in return.
They both held one of Mrs. Kim’s hands as she led them to Yoosung’s bedroom. After she’d tucked them in, making sure Yoosung’s blanket was still wrapped tight around her, they laid in silence and stared at the glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling.
“I won’t run away,” she told him, feeling very sleepy and warm. Yoosung wiggled excitedly, finding her hand under the covers and gripping it tightly.
“Promise?” he asked in a whisper. She glanced over at him, his beaming face illuminated by the gentle glow of the nightlight in the corner.
“Promise,” she whispered back.
She wanted to stay awake longer; she felt so safe and calm, and his warm smile only strengthened that feeling. But her eyes fluttered closed on their own, her energy completely gone. Their grip on each other’s hands loosened but didn’t release, and they both happily drifted to sleep with smiles on their little faces.
14 years later, as they laid together in the small twin bed in Yoosung’s apartment, she couldn’t help but smile at the memory. Sometimes she would bring it up to hear him laugh, or to see him smile, or to see him look at her in a way that no one else had.
She found his hand as it rested on his chest, intertwining their fingers and feeling his warm breath wash over her.
Turning to look up at his face, she saw that he’d already fallen asleep, but a small smile still lingered on his lips as he breathed deeply.
She delighted in the happy warmth that found her toes and her fingertips, unable to help the love she felt and would always feel for him.
And ever since that day when they were kids, she had no doubts that her home was in his arms.