Work Text:
Hueningkai’s head lulled backward. Music tuned out as he stared towards the ceiling. His back rested against the foot of Yeonjun’s bed. Pink was spotted from his peripherals, as he shifted his gaze towards the sleeping male beside him.
Kai sighed, letting the other rest his head on the brunette’s shoulder.
“I wish you would tell the truth..”
---
“Hueningiee~” A pink-haired man shouted. He sat at the bleachers, hand flailing obnoxiously. His soft features clash with the surroundings. Though, he paid it no mind.
Having his attention caught, Hueningkai made haste towards the barren, with the exception of the loud dyed-haired man, bleachers. A complaint written on his face so painfully obvious.
“Didn’t I tell you? Just call me Kai.” Hueningkai scolded, standing a good meter away from the bleachers.
“Ah, why?” Yeonjun questioned, sparkling eyes directed towards the younger. “Huening is a cute name!”
“Exactly, I don’t want to be cute.”
Yeonjun lets out an airy laugh. His posture relaxed as he leaned back on his seat. A playful grin lighting up his face. Hueningkai thought the older was pretty like this.
“You’re so tough, Hueningie.”
“Thanks.”
“I didn’t mean it as a compliment,” Yeonjun teased. Enjoying the little pout that presents itself on Kai. In his mind, Kai is cute. No matter how much he'd deny it.
“Why are you here anyway..” Kai muttered, still donning a childish pout. Yeonjun felt the need to hold himself back from messing with the younger’s hair.
“You forgot your lunch!”
Kai looked at the other with a raised eyebrow. “I never bring lunch?”
“Exactly! That’s why I made it for you.” Yeonjun smiled. He handed Kai a lunchbox that was neatly wrapped in a soft pink fabric. Typical Yeonjun. Kai fought the urge to smile at the gesture.
He tried to not show how much that affected him. In a good way, of course.
“Eat it up okay? I worked so hard on it,” Yeonjun said, the backs of his wrists resting comfortably in the crooks of his waist.
He stood up and gave the brunette a gentle pat and before Kai could even refute, Yeonjun was already halfway across the fields.
Once he sat down, Kai was greeted with all of his favorite dishes.
---
Yeonjun hadn’t always been a part of Hueningkai’s life. With the glaringly obvious differences, the two were unlikely friends. Despite that, the pastel-loving boy integrated himself easily into the younger’s life, beginning all the way from last summer when they met for the first time.
It was two weeks into vacation, and Kai found his house unbearably stuffy. Even the wind coming in from the window in his room wasn’t enough to satiate his needs. With just a handful of necessities, Kai took off on his self-decorated skateboard.
There was a new skatepark that opened just earlier, around the beginning of summer holiday. Kai hadn’t had time to check it out back then.
The feeling of the wind passing through his hair was euphoric to him. Yes, he wasn’t wearing a helmet. Nor knee pads. A sight he’d never show towards his overprotective mother. He wasn’t in the mood to put up with another hour-long lecture.
Kai tried not to think much of it. Instead, he focused his attention back on the wind that sifts carefully through his hair.
He barely noticed the fast-approaching skatepark.
--
It didn’t take long for him to get acquainted with the slopes and layout of the whole park. After an hour or so, He’s marked it all down to a T in his head. Anyone seeing him would be able to see the cogs shift within his head, far too entrenched in his own world to bother.
It was when he sat down for a breather, a cold drink was offered to him.
“Huh?” Was all he could say.
Back then, His hair was a light shade of yellow. Quite radiant. So much so that Hueningkai almost mistook him for the sun. The yellow-haired man gave a gentle smile and invited himself to sit beside the brunette, setting down the drink by Hueningkai’s side.
“Sorry, I noticed you didn’t bring a drink and I didn’t want you to be dehydrated.” The stranger said, casually leading the conversation from a too-stunned skater.
Kai looked towards the drink, before looking at the other.
“It’s grape juice.”
“Ah!” He nodded in haste. He looked at Kai with a sorry look and gestured towards a machine across the park.
“I had limited choices, they ran out of water so I hope you don’t mind.”
Kai took a moment to process and took the bottle gratefully. He mumbled a soft “thank you”, noting the way this stranger’s face lit up.
He swallows down the words, “it’s my favorite, actually.” For it takes more than a bottle of grape juice to bring his pride down a peg.
--
Kai learns of the stranger’s name moments after meeting him. Initially, he didn't think much of the man, who so resembles the sun, and had offered him a drink.
However, from that day and the continuing days onward, it wasn’t rare to see the two together. They would sometimes hang around the skatepark or at a local arcade. Kai was eventually introduced to Yeonjun’s friends, who accepted him right away.
Kai doesn’t remember the last time he had fun like this.
--
It was a new day and Kai finds himself in Yeonjun’s room. Their newly-formed friend group that consists of the two and three of their other friends, with the addition of Beomgyu who is one of Kai's closest friends, had an impromptu sleepover last night. But it was 11 am, and everyone had gone home. ‘Cept for Kai, that is.
“Hueningkai!”
“Kai,” he corrected. Yeonjun only smiled and gestured to him to come closer to where he was seated on the couch. It was nearly the end of summer, meaning the two had spent approximately two weeks together. Though it felt longer to him, Kai would never admit it.
“There’s this movie that just came out!” Yeonjun said, scrolling upwards on his phone to show Kai.
“That’s a kid’s movie.” Kai deadpanned.
“It’s Ghibli! It’s not just for kids!” Yeonjun protested, fists gently punching on Hueningkai’s shoulder. Kai ignored the way his heart leaped.
“Whatever, I don’t want to watch it.” He said, with a sense of finality, and got up from the couch.
“Kaiii,” Yeonjun whined. He sprawled himself on the cushion, showing the movie poster towards the indifferent brunette. Despite Kai's best effort in keeping up his facade, it failed, and Yeonjun mentally reminded himself not to bring it up.
“Come on, please?” the, now, pink-haired pleaded. “Soobin and Taehyun are on a date, and Beomgyu ruled me out for a game.”
There it was. Kai’s weakness. Yeonjun was sporting his pleading eyes. However possible, it always managed to look glossed and sort of sparkling. Kai’s resolve melted almost instantaneously.
“Fine.”
--
Kai had never felt so out of place. His dark-colored clothes clashed intensely with the bright and soft palette with the movie. He kept himself nestled into his seat, trying to somewhat enjoy the passing time.
The movie wasn’t bad, Kai just has too big of a pride to admit. At the time, he realized he didn’t need to keep up his act. To tell the truth, he’d found solace in the elder much earlier. Though, he decided to keep the internal conflict for a later date as he didn’t want to let his brooding manifest physically. Yeonjun is an extremely sensitive person, after all.
He turned to look at the other. The movie added a glow to his face. A genuine, soft, almost innocent glow. Kai thought it was worth it. To see him smile this way. It was worth watching a million ghibli movies.
As Kai got lost in his admiration, Yeonjun shifted his gaze towards Kai due to the stare weighing down on him. He had a complaint lodged at the back of his throat, however, he was pleasantly surprised to see Kai giving him just as a fond look as he had always given.
Yeonjun smiled. With that radiant glow. And oh, oh, Kai realized he’s got it bad.
Really bad.
--
It’s nearing autumn. The seasons changed, the temperature started to drop. Primetime for highschool student-hosted parties to try and keep the morale up to help ease them into winter later on. The season of snow and final exams.
With the seasons passing, it meant that it’s been months since Kai let his feelings for a particular man fester and develop.
Hueningkai found himself invited to another party hosted by a guy on his basketball team. Luckily, Beomgyu was invited too, as he was part of the cheer team. Kai thought It’s nice to have a familiar face, at least.
He didn’t expect to see his friend group at the venue.
Kai found out that Beomgyu had invited Soobin as well and wherever his boyfriend goes, Taehyun is sure to follow. For Yeonjun, a place where there is a party, his friends, and Hueningkai, is a place he won’t miss.
Kai doesn’t mind. He just needed to steer clear away from Yeonjun.
Not only because their dynamic is wildly unexpected for the most part, Hueningkai finds himself letting go easier around the elder. He’s not about to let the rest of the basketball team find out how he really acted.
It didn’t last long. Of course, it doesn’t.
In a circle of jocks and the popular kids, Kai found himself seated right next to Yeonjun. The pastel-boy insisted on sitting beside Kai, thankfully not drawing much attention to the pair as the others were heavily intoxicated by the minute. Soobin and Taehyun had excused themselves way back. A night stroll, is what they said. Really it’s just to sober Soobin up before Taehyun can take him back home.
“Okay! Truth or dare time!” Beomgyu announced. He set down an empty beer bottle, one he had previously emptied by his lonesome. His nose was red, clear sign of tipsiness.
Kai isn’t doing that well on his own either. Without Yeonjun to monitor him all night, he’s consumed more than that of his limit, his consciousness barely by his wits in the late hours.
A teammate, Kwanseok, took it upon himself to start the game. It took a few seconds for Kai to realize that the bottle landed on him.
“Truth or dare, Kai!” He prompted.
“Dare!” Kai challenged. Cheeks flushing and head buzzing with the alcohol. Yeonjun looks on with a worried look.
“I dare you to chug this whole drink down!” Kwanseok said, taking out a soju from the inner pocket of his jacket.
Kai’s eyes widened as he broke into a boisterous laugh. Kai loved challenges. This was no exception. Yeonjun’s eyebrows furrowed.
With a swift motion, the cap was off and Kai was chugging it down as if he was dehydrated. Even Beomgyu was whooping for the first half. But as Kai drank, his cheeks flushed more and his eyebrows furrowed. The others didn’t notice. Heads too clouded on their own.
“That’s enough,” Yeonjun commented, swiping the bottle away, with only a little under a half worth of booze in it.
The crowd erupted into complaints and boos, others egging Kai on to finish what he had started. Yeonjun shared a glance with Beomgyu. Kai’s alcohol tolerance isn’t that high.
“Hyung! What the hell?” Kai slurred, face flushed from the neck up. Yeonjun thought he’s drunk. Kai thought Yeonjun looked even prettier when mad.
“That’s enough, Kai.” Yeonjun addressed. Kai was taken aback. He knew that Yeonjun would call him Kai around others as it was his request to the elder. But, in that moment, Kai would’ve preferred Huening.
“Yeonjun-hyung, you’re no fun,” complained Kai, to be followed by a chorus of agreement with the others in the circle.
Yeonjun took a deep breath. “We’re going home.”
“What! You can’t do that!”
“You’re not staying here any longer.”
“You can’t tell me what to do!”
“Would it kill you to admit that sometimes,” Yeonjun yelled exasperatedly. Hueningkai watched as Yeonjun’s torso raised along with his tone and watched as he reeled himself in. The gaze the man was giving him sent shivers down his spine. Yeonjun's eyes moved frantically across Kai's features, mirroring the hundreds of words and sentences he's conjuring up within his head.
“I wish you wouldn’t be so reckless sometimes.”
A whisper. But it was enough to shatter Kai from within. Enough to snap himself out of his intoxication. Kai wanted nothing more than to take the elder into his arms and apologize.
The room was silent. Tears were pricking at the corners of Kai’s eyes and he’s gathering every last bit of resolve to keep them in. They stood. Noses inches away from each other. Yeonjun had never raised his voice at Kai like this.
“Guys!” Beomgyu interrupted, intending to divert the others’ attention. All eyes fell on him almost instantaneously. The moment felt too intimate. Much more vulnerable than anyone was comfortable participating in.
Yeonjun let his anger dissipate, showing Kai how worried he really was. Without sparing a look, Yeonjun took his leave.
Kai’s feet ached. His nervous eyes trailing after the elder’s figure, stopping in its tracks once Yeonjun left his view.
Kai had never run that fast in his life.
--
An hour after their initial fight, Hueningkai found himself in Yeonjun’s room. The elder fell asleep due to his exhaustion.
An hour was enough for Kai. Enough for the fog in his head to clear up. Enough for the argument to repeat in his head at least tens or hundreds more times. Enough for the silence to gnaw at his heart. Enough for Kai to question himself.
“Hueningkai..?” Yeonjun said, softly. Kai’s heart twisted at just how fragile his hyung sounded. He felt the weight leave his shoulder.
Yeonjun stirred from his sleep. Kai realized they’d been listening to the same song on repeat.
“How are you feelin-”
“Are you bored yet?” Hueningkai cut. Yeonjun gave him a confused look.
“With me, with how I am,” Hueningkai said, breath catching in his throat. “Are you getting bored?”
Yeonjun’s face softened. His gentle hands reached up to Kai’s face, stroking away at the tears that fell without the younger’s permission.
“Hueningkai..”
“Do you even like me? Or hanging out with me?”
Many more questions that piled within Hueningkai’s heart failed to be voiced, because he received his answer the moment Yeonjun’s lips crashed onto his.