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Heeseung sighed as he sat down in the sand, looking at the horizon. The sun was setting, soon to be engulfed by the ocean. The sky burned with vivid reds and oranges, the waves reflecting the colored clouds. He could hear the screams of the seagulls, the soft sounds of the waves, the sea breathing in and out.
He dug his fingers in the fine sand. He didn't particularly like being alone. When he'd asked his family if they would join him for a quick walk by the shore, they all had rejected the idea, saying that they'd walked the entire day already, which was true, but Heeseung enjoyed looking at nature. Not just nature, anything breathtaking, honestly.
Aside from landscapes, flowers and skies he liked jewelry, lightshows, fireworks and most of all, people. He loved people with eccentric clothes, unique facial characteristics, people who expressed themselves so unapologetically.
He was simply a sucker for pretty things, as small as they come. Which was why he carried a camera at all times, to capture the view.
He took his camera out of his backpack. It was a lila polaroid camera, a string attached to it so the owner wouldn't lose it. Another thing about Heeseung: he lost things more often than he'd like to admit. Probably just the artistry in his veins.
Because next to beautiful things to look at, he enjoyed beautiful things to hear as well. He was almost eighteen, one year after the summer left of highschool before he'd be off to college. And Heeseung hoped he'd get into the HYBE University, a university for all expressions of art. He called himself an aspiring artist, not nearly professional enough, but the small group of people he'd sung and played the guitar to said he'd make it. But they were his friends and family; obviously they would say that.
He sighed again as he took the picture, hoping it'd turn out nice. He had just clicked the button when he shivered. It was cooling down and he had forgotten to bring a jacket, only wearing simple jeans and an old t-shirt. He stood up reluctantly, not wanting to go home yet.
"Are you cold, by any chance?" A voice asked behind Heeseung. He nearly jumped, but could hold it in and turned around instead. His breath got caught in his throat. In front of him was the most beautiful human being he'd ever laid his eyes on. Sure, he had seen a lot of gorgeous people, but nobody who came close to this very person. Their skin was a milky white, covered with moles. The ones that especially caught Heeseung's attention were the three on their face, one between their the bridge of his nose and their eye, one on their cheek and one on their chin. They had a sharp nose and jawline, kind eyes with long wimpers, strong eyebrows who were raised to almost disappear in their chestnut brown hair. Their lips were a soft pink, stretched to a smile, showing off their teeth. They had slight bunny teeth – cute, Heeseung had thought unconsciously – and had fangs, almost like a vampire. The lips moved, snapping Heeseung out of his daze.
"–re you cold or not?" The stranger finished their sentence. "Because I saw you shudder."
Heeseung took a breath before answering. "I am kind of cold."
The stranger smiled again, showing their fangs, and to make it even harder for Heeseung not to fall on his knees, they had dimples too. "Would you like to borrow my jacket?"
"U-uhm, sure." Heeseung stuttered out. They took off their plaited jacket, holding it out for Heeseung to grab. Once he had put it on, they said: "I'm Sunghoon, what's your name?"
"H-Heeseung." He even had a hard time saying his own name now, great. He hoped Sunghoon hadn't notice, although there wasn't anything to distract the beauty from his voice. So he asked: "Aren't you cold now?"
Sunghoon grinned, smile brightening the surroundings immediately. "Nope, as a figure skater, the cold never bothered me. Just like Elsa said."
Heeseung laughed and saw Sunghoon laughed back. "The jacket was just for the show, my mom always goes on on how she doesn't want her son to freeze to death."
"You're a figure skater?"
"Yup, been doing it since I was eight years old." Heeseung nodded, impressed. "I'm sixteen now," Sunghoon added. "It's been eight years."
Heeseung nodded again, not sure what to say next. He was really embarrassing himself in front of an angel.
"Do you live here?"
"I wish," Heeseung answered. "I'm just here on vacation with my family."
"Same here." Sunghoon squinted. "It's getting dark, we should go back. Where are you staying?"
Heeseung pointed to the tall building, across the road, at the end of the street. "That hotel."
It was getting darker, to Heeseung's dismay, because it was harder to make out the other's features, but he was pretty sure Sunghoon looked disappointed. "Oh. We're on the camping site nearby."
They said their goodbyes, turning to walk back in the opposite direction of eachother, when Heeseung stopped Sunghoon.
"We should exchange numbers."
It was hard to see Sunghoon now, the sun having drowned in the sea for a while now. When Heeseung didn't hear anything from the other boy, he added:
"So I can return your jacket." Definitely not to see Sunghoon again. Well, maybe.
Sunghoon moved forward, unlocking his phone before giving it to Heeseung. Heeseung was glad he had once forced himself to remember his own number. He quickly added it, naming his contact in Sunghoon's phone simply 'heeseung', no capital letters.
He handed him back his phones and they exchanged goodbyes again.
Once Heeseung was back in the hotel and layed in bed, he couldn't stop thinking about Sunghoon. From his gorgeous features to the the fact he was figure skater to his pretty laugh to him being funny.
The image of Sunghoon in the sunset was the last thing he saw before falling into a deep slumber.
–
When Heeseung awoke, the rest of his family was still asleep. He quietly reached out to his phone to check the time.
9:23 A.M.
He saw a notification and with the memories of meeting the beautiful boy rushing back, he clicked on the notification instantly. Was it embarrassing? Hell yeah. But, Heeseung reasoned, anyone who'd met Sunghoon would've had the same reaction. What was probably even more embarrassing, though, was how dissapointed he was when he realized it was just a text from his best friend Jake asking when he'd return back home from vacation. He typed his answer before leaving his bed to change.
Heeseung had a quick but quiet shower, and when he left the bathroom, everyone was still asleep. He came from a long line of deep sleepers.
The sound of his stomach rumbling interrupted the sounds of his family breathing and snoring softly. He was hungry.
According to the website of the hotel the buffet was open from 8:30 A.M to 10:30 A.M.
Heeseung put on his shoes and hurried to the elevator. It was just around the corner. A 'ping' sounded before opening. It was empty. He stepped inside, being greeted by his own reflection. His wavy hair was still slightly damp from the shower he took, his freckles being a lot more visible due to his constant exposure to the sun.
He was practically starving once the elevator opened to the buffet.
A lot of people (read: his brother) made fun of his choice of breakfast. It may be childish, but Heeseung just preferred the sweet stuff over the savory. Once he had loaded his plate full with pancakes and such and had settled down by a table, his phone buzzed.
He clicked on the notification. It was a message from an unknown number and it read: "hey! it's sunghoon :]"
He didn't let out the squeal he was about to produce, because he was in the public after all. But a smile formed on his face as he added Sunghoon to his contacts and texted back.
"hi! shall we meet today?"
–
sunghoonie, 8:43 A.M:
we should meet up today!!
you, 8:45 A.M:
how are you up this early
and yes, sounds fun!
sunghoonie, 8:45 A.M:
im a morning person
i was thinking about collecting seashells by the beach after lunch
you, 8:46 A.M:
sure, ill meet you there
sunghoonie, 8:46 A.M:
see you soon :D
Heeseung and Sunghoon had met up a total of eight times after that evening on the beach, and Heeseung had to admit: he had a crush on Sunghoon. He was convinced it was love at first sight.
But Sunghoon's face was not what had him swooning over the younger, it was how he laughed when Heeseung said something remotely funny.
It was the way he walked, waddling like a penguin.
It was the way he dressed, some days comfy, other days bold and daring (Heeseung had forgotten how to breathe when Sunghoon had greeted him with glitter and little gems decorating his face. Sunghoon's little sister, aspiring to be a make-up artist, had practiced on his face. Heeseung didn't know if he had to thank her for making Sunghoon look so irresistible, or if he should've complained that his heart couldn't handle it).
It was how Sunghoon got a bit of ice cream on his nose everytime he ate it. The amount of times Heeseung had resisted the urge to wipe (or, when he was feeling bold, kiss) it away were more than a hand full.
And it was definitely how he danced. Heeseung had managed to convince Sunghoon to dance for him, to show a bit of a random routine. Sunghoon had swirled around, moving his body like he was telling things that couldn't be expressed in words. Of course, in return, Heeseung had sung a song for him. The way Sunghoon had been all big eyes and compliments had Heeseung blushing.
Heeseung had arrived first at the beach, snapping a few pictures of the water before sitting down on a rock, close to the bar.
He closed his eyes, enjoying the sum caressing his face. Then, suddenly, he felt an actual hand caressing his face. It was a slender hand, and Heeseung had the feeling it belonged to the most beautiful boy in the world. Upon opening his eyes, his feeling got confirmed. Sunghoon was inches away from his face.
"Hi." Heeseung breathed. The close proximity with Sunghoon made his cheeks burn. He was sure the other had noticed by now.
Sunghoon smiled. "Hi." His hand was still on Heeseung's face. The other seemed to realise the position they were in and removed the hand, but not without poking the older's cheek first. "Shall we get started, then?"
If Heeseung had to describe inner peace to someone, he would probably use this as an example. Running around on a beach with a beautiful boy, in and out, on his heels, while searching for little seashells buried in the sand. The sounds of the city life seemed to drain away with every step, every time Sunghoon's body brushed against his, every time the ocean send its waves to shore and everytime those waves returned home.
By the time Sunghoon was complaining that he needed an ice cream break, they had found forty-seven shells already. It was more than they could carry home, so both picked one. Heeseung picked one colored red and orange, similar to the sky when he first had met Sunghoon. The latter picked out one of the biggest, brown colored with tiny golden spots on it. Heeseung made sure to capture all of it through polaroids.
Heeseung had remembered the ice cream flavors Sunghoon would choose. Always the same duo: caramel and honey.
Which was exactly what he ordered this time. Heeseung ordered two scoops of cookies and cream, because in his opinion, nothing could top that flavor.
They slowly ate their ice cream, wandering around on the shore. And of course, Sunghoon had gotten some ice cream on his nose.
Heeseung was almost done with his ice cream when he noticed. "Sunghoon..." He started, but trailed off when the younger's gaze fell on him. Gosh, he looked so cute. Eyebrows scrunched up slightly, confused look on his face. Heeseung really wanted to kiss the bit of ice cream away and he leaned forward–
–And stopped himself in time, clearing his throat. "You've got a bit of ice cream on your nose." He turned around, eating the last few bites of his ice cream, just to do something to distract himself. How embarrassing. He almost kissed Sunghoon's nose there. He couldn't look at the beauty, opting to look at his now empty ice cream holder.
"We should swim." Well, that was definitely not what Heeseung had expected him to say. But he did.
"Here?" Heeseung questioned, eyes still not meeting Sunghoon's.
"Yes! The vacation's almost over, I want to swim in the sea before we have to go home again." Heeseung didn't want to be reminded about the limited time they had left together. After his action he had expected Sunghoon to leave, only for them to never speak again. However, he was there with him, offering him to swim together.
"But we aren't wearing our swimming trunks..."
"So?"
A lot of ideas flashed through Heeseung's mind. He was sure he was, once again, blushing.
"We could just strip down to our boxers, right?" Right, Heeseung told himself.
Sunghoon didn't wait for an answer, dragging the older with him. They got rid of their ice cream holders when they found a trash can on the way to where Sunghoon was taking Heeseung, who couldn't guess where exactly.
When Sunghoon stopped, they were seperated from the other people on the beach, it's coast stretching out kilometers long. This part of the beach was empty.
Soon enough both stepped into the water. Even though it was summer, the water was freezing. Heeseung closed his eyes, to try and not shiver, and also: Sunghoon was close to him, almost entirely bare.
"Heeseung?" He felt a hand grab his. The hand pulled his, urging him to step forward. Slowly, Heeseung let himself be guided forward, water soon hitting his chest. It was then when he opened his finally opened his eyes.
Sunghoon was already staring at him, face just as close as a few hours ago.
"Are you cold again?" Sunghoon asked while studying his face.
"Maybe." Heeseung decided to answer.
"I don't have a jacket to offer this time, but..." Sunghoon didn't finish his sentence. He just pulled Heeseung into an embrace.
The older felt his breath hitch in his throat when their chests flushed together. Sunghoon didn't stop there, nuzzling his face into the crook of Heeseung's neck.
Heeseung tried calming his breathing, but Sunghoon was just so close, his breath hitting his neck.
The water was suddenly not unbearably cold anymore. It was unbearably hot.
"Heeseung?"
"Hm?"
"Hold me." He didn't need to be told twice, wrapping his arms around the younger. They stayed like that, for quite a while, until Sunghoon broke the silence again.
"Heeseung, look at me." The older obligated, leaning back to stare into Sunghoon's kind eyes. Heeseung saw him take a deep breath, never losing eye contact.
"I like you. I've been trying to tell you, hell, I've been flirting with you, but, no offense, you're kind of dense. I though you liked me back, but... I can't figure you out. And I get that you wouldn't start a relationship like this, because soon, we're going home. But I wanted you to know."
This was a lot to take in for Heeseung. Sunghoon, the gorgeous boy, the talented ice skater, the ice cream loving, cute and funny Sunghoon liked him.
And suddenly, it all made sense to him. All those times when Sunghoon's touch lingered a little longer than it should've, when Heeseung felt his gaze upon him to the point it felt like he was looking through his soul, when Sunghoon complimented him, when he stayed closer to the older than was considered normal.
"Say something." Sunghoon's brown irises were pleading, pleading for an answer.
"I like you too." Heeseung blurted out. He wished he could've said it more gracefully, expressing what he felt for Sunghoon, how he made him feel. But when he saw the younger light up at the confirming words, his worries washed away with the seabreeze.
Sunghoon's smile was so bright, it challenged the sun. And when he realized he had been staring at his lips, the other had lowered his gaze to Heeseung's own as well. He had no other option than to kiss Sunghoon, kiss him like the sun kissed the ocean every evening.
And so he did. Sunghoon's hands appeared from where they had been under water, putting them on Heeseung's chest. Heeseung's own hands cradled Sunghoon's face, pulling him closer.
When they finally broke apart, Heeseung leaned his forehead against Sunghoon, breathing in his scent. He softly kissed the moles on his face.
"I like you so, so much, Sunghoon."
"I like you more."
"Impossible."
Sunghoon kissed his lips, kissed his nose and his forehead. "Would you like to stay over tonight? Just for tonight."
–
A few hours later, they arrived to Sunghoon's camping spot. It was filled with three tents.
"This one's mine." Sunghoon pointed to the blue TENT.
Heeseung zipped the tent open, revealing an air mattress with a sleeping bag on top.
"Don't mind the mess." Sunghoon chuckled. "Do you want to change first?"
Heeseung nodded. "Sure."
He had brought his pyjama's from his own hotel room and quickly changed. He came out of the tent again – and nearly stumbled – and gestured to Sunghoon that he could go in.
It was dark already, and his pyjama's didn't do much to fight off the cold. Heeseung studied his surroundings for a while. Big trees, dried out grass, a cabin for the common washrooms. A lot of tents scattered on numbered spots. He looked for his bag that he had thrown down in front of the tent and once he finally found it, he reached inside to take a picture of the view.
"Heeseung?"
"Coming!"
He grabbed his bag and crawled into the TENT, settling down on Sunghoon's air mattres.
Sunghoon sat at the other side of the mattress, turning on a nightlight. "It's small, but I think we'll fit."
"...What?" Heeseung said, confused.
"The air mattress, dummy. And the sleeping bag as well. I guess we'll have to cuddle."
"No complaints here."
Sunghoon laughed. Heeseung wished that he could hear that sound forever.
So, as they laid down, with his arms around Sunghoon, he told him that.
"Your laugh is so pretty, I wish that I could hear it forever."
"Not as pretty as your voice when you sing." Sunghoon shot back from where his head was laying on Heeseung's chest.
"Not as pretty as you are. That evening, when we first met, I was starstruck."
"Really? I had the same thing... Your big doe eyes, wavy hair and those little freckles, they were so cute."
"Nothing comes close to your moles, though." Heeseung looked down, gently touching the moles on Sunghoon's face. Sunghoon just stared at him.
"Can I kiss you?"
"Always." Heeseung replied.
–
Hours later, the two boys were still awake, talking about everything: their childhoods, their futures, their hobbies, their friends, and... them.
"Do you think we can stay together?" Sunghoon sounded a little down when he asked.
"I- I think so. Maybe not physically, but I won't let you go."
"You promise?" Sunghoon's eyes bored into his.
"I promise." Heeseung vowed. He softly combed Sunghoon's hair to remind the other he was here.
"Then I will too." Sunghoon's face broke into a smile, making Heeseung smile back. He couldn't resist when it came to Sunghoon.
Heeseung wasn't sure what he had done in his last life time for fate to decide that he was allowed to be in Sunghoon's life, but he was glad it did.
It had been a summer he would never forget, knowing that when he'd look back at it, years later, the only thing stuck in his memories would be Sunghoon. His laughter, his lips, his moles. Him running around on the beach. Them telling each other stories through the sound of the waves breaking.
As Heeseung was falling asleep, he pulled Sunghoon closer.
It was their summer, and many more would come.