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The brunette panted as he worked his flimsy legs to keep up with that before him. The plank of wood on wheels below him was a mere obstacle, which he would have loved to abandon to catch up with the boy who seemed so far now. All he’d been working for through the past few months was catching up to him. Wherever Jisung was, Minho’s biggest target was to land his dart directly beside him. Beside him where he felt warm and fuzzy, where the butterflies now permanently in his stomach fought to escape. Jisung was everything Minho wanted to fill that missing spot in his life puzzle, and they were carved to be together.
“Jisung!” The smaller boy shouted at the top of his lungs. He was exhausted and he had a cramp.
Skateboarding was not a piece of cake, as Jisung preached it! It was hard and Minho wasn’t the athletic type, but it was necessary. It was necessary to gain that piece of cake at his and Jisung’s wedding, which he imagined so vividly in the future.
“Tired already?” Jisung chuckled, jogging up to Minho with his own skateboard under his arm. They stood on the side of the road. The road wasn’t busy, nor was it too public, which made it the perfect place to practice. “We’re training your endurance, silly! Of course you’ll be tired!”
Minho pouted, adjusting the hem of his hoodie and fanning his face with the hanging sleeves of the garment,
“But I’m exhausted! Can’t we rest for a bit?”
Jisung’s eyes lingered on the face before him for a few seconds, in which Minho closed his own to shield them from the sun rays.
“I do think it’d help to take off that hoodie of yours-”
“No! I love my hoodies!” Minho protested.
“Yes, I know it’s a sensitive topic! Let’s take a seat for a water break,” Jisung proposed, much to his partner’s delight.
Seats were taken and water bottles were drawn from backpacks as the boys regrouped for further training. Since the incident at the skate park (which went rather miserably for Minho), the latter lightened up, as his luck glowed brighter. Jisung found the “impress Jisung” mission hilarious and adorable, as he himself had been observing Minho from a distance like a National Geographic cameraman for ages. The fluffy little nerd who never left his hoodie at home or even out of reach was just as delightful to Jisung as he himself was to said nerd. And as much as this could be debated from his look, Jisung was quite the shy guy himself, especially when it came to such cute little guys like Minho. He never gathered the guts to approach, but when the boy he couldn’t look away from came flying up to him, landing on his butt right there before him, he just couldn’t miss the chance.
The past few months were filled with unforgettable encounters and very mild bruises that made Minho tear up, as Jisung carried out his promise of training the latter on his skateboard. Minho was really trying his hardest, but his feet slid apart and grew heavy when he attempted the kick-turn and seemed to build a mind of their own when the tick-tack was near. It really wasn’t his cup of tea, but Jisung persevered, assuring he took years himself to learn and chuckling ever so slightly at his clumsy friend.
And now here they sat after a mind-boggling two dozen minutes of skating down the street (having taken two breaks); on their third rest period. The day was warm, as the summer had not yet disappointed with its numbers that year, and the sun shone brightly on the two main characters of this lovely story.
“So, what have you been up to this week? This is the first time I see you all week.” Jisung turned to Minho, catching an astonishing sight. The boy had taken off his hoodie and now lay on the bright grass in a pastel purple T-shirt. Jisung smirked at the smaller boy, rubbing in his point once more; exercise requires minimal clothing.
Minho gasped at the other’s eyes as he rolled over to cover himself, exclaiming,
“Look away! I’ve abandoned my hoodie! This never happens! Never ever!”
Jisung laughed as he lay beside Minho,
“Only in P.E class have I seen you without your hoodie.”
Minho gasped again, turning over to face Jisung (which generated an unexpected blush),
“You saw me without my hoodie?”
“Of course I did! The only reason you can wear it so often is that you sit in your air-conditioned house all day. Now you’ve got to go lighter. It is summer, after all, and we’re skateboarding!”
Minho frowned,
“But I love my hoodies. I feel incomplete without them.”
“One day I’ve got to come over and see your hoodie collection,” Jisung chuckled, “but for now you’re hoodie-less! You still look just as cute in a T-shirt, trust me!”
The experienced skater poked the smaller’s stomach playfully before jumping up to resume skating. Minho blushed harder at every detail. Jisung wanted to come over! Not to mention that from that day forward, Minho’s closet would make up equal part hoodies and regular shirts.
~~
“Where’s your mom? I want to say hi,” Minho inquired, searching the surrounding space.
“Oh, they aren’t home yet, my parents. They own a bakery and work there all day long, so they’re both out.” Jisung smiled at his wholesome guest.
Minho nodded, his eyes never resting on their observation journey. The apartment was cool in physical feeling, but seemed warming in a way. It was vast and held minimal objects, save for essential ones — which led to the thought that Jisung’s parents were quite keen on tidiness. As Jisung spoke again, Minho’s eyes forgot the mission they had set on and flicked quickly back to the skater boy that painted tiny hearts in place of pupils on the brunette.
“Are you hungry?” Jisung questioned, as he dug determinedly in his pantry.
Minho thought briefly,
“Do you have popcorn?”
“I actually do! Somewhere…” Jisung didn’t give up his search before he returned with a bag of cheddar popcorn and another of caramel popcorn.
Minho was delighted at this sight, the sight of one of his favourite snacks. With these snacks and bottles of Coke, the boys were off to Jisung’s room for movie time.
~~
“Minho,” Jisung whispered, gently pushing strands of hair out of the brunette’s eyes.
The pair were snuggled up on Jisung’s bed—where they had been engaged in a movie. That engagement faded slowly as the evening drew near and soon darkness fell. Minho was drained of all energy from skateboarding, and his eyes fluttered shut before he knew or realized it. He fell asleep beside Jisung, dreaming sweet dreams and wondering just how real they could get. The other boy chuckled at him now, but the warmth beside him was too comfortable to disturb (as Minho was wrapped in the fluffiest blanket he could find). The two boys were comfortable and didn’t dare move.
Jisung stared at Minho’s sleeping face and felt a rush of happiness through himself. Minho is such a loving, sweet and beautiful creature that no one would push away, especially not Jisung. And not that it had even come to him once. He was teaching him to skateboard and Minho would learn the sport. After that, still, Jisung will keep him around for that comfort and happiness he brings. That smile he brings to Jisung’s face is worth every second of skateboarding lessons. Jisung sank back into the pillows behind him. He set aside his phone and lay facing Minho.
The smaller brunette seemed to glow. He must have been having a good dream, Jisung thought. But how could anything around this ray of sunshine even dare be bad? Jisung turned to his back, as he assured his racing mind that he was indeed laying next to an angel.
“I like you, Minho.” He whispered unconsciously.
And as he settled down his floating thoughts to rest, he thought he heard a reply from somewhere between reality and dreams, which fell from Minho’s lips,
“I like you too.”
They slept in and were late to school the next day.