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If there was one thing Jake hated, it was how much he procrastinated, put things off until the very last second. He had to admit he had a very distracted mind – not to mention a pretty addictive personality – and it didn't help that summer was his favorite time of the year, mostly because of all the free time he had. And as a result, Jake found himself that muggy, far too hot Saturday afternoon inside his cramped bedroom, dealing with way too many pending assignments that he should've completed the first few weeks like both his friends had done.
It certainly didn't help that a few feet away lay Lee Heeseung himself, strung out on the bean bag with his guitar, strumming a tune he conjured up with his band no doubt, that really did not mix well with math problems scattered across Jake's bed at that moment.
"Heeseung," Jake spat.
Heeseung halted. "Yeah?"
"You gotta stop with the strumming, man. I'm trying to concentrate here," Jake replied, raking a hand through his hair.
"Sorry, my bad. Forgot you've got the attention span of a three year old," was Heeseung's response.
"Ha, hilarious." Jake flipped the page, flicked his pen between his fingers, and a second later, something to his left caught his eye. It was the window of the neighboring house, currently illuminated by the indoor light. Someone bounded up to the window, pushing it open, and Jake felt himself rolling his eyes, a twinge of annoyance but also fondness sprouting inside his chest.
"What's up, Jake?" Park Sunghoon greeted, his smile harboring mischief as always, before nodding at Heeseung. "And Heeseung."
"Pleasure to see you too, Sunghoon," Heeseung yelled back, and Jake rolled his eyes the second time. The three of them had been friends since they were snotty-nosed kids; he had no idea why they were acting formal all of a sudden.
"Hey, Jake," Sunghoon tried again, the wind ruffling up his hair and checkered shirt. If he moved any further through the window, he just might fall off – even though that was unlikely because ever since freshman year of high school, he shot up a few inches in height and became like Heeseung: an aggravating noodle. No, Jake was not jealous.
Jake shut his math textbook. "What, Sunghoon?" he shouted back.
"Why did you say it like that?"
"Say what like what?"
"My name. You said it in such a weird way. Like – Sunghoon." Sunghoon frowned. "I don't like it."
"I didn't say your name in any particular way," Jake argued. "Sunghoon."
"See?" Sunghoon faced Heeseung. "You heard it, right? Tell me you did."
Heeseung stopped strumming his guitar. "What are you guys even arguing about?"
"Whatever." Sunghoon shook his head. "Anyway – Jake, you wanna have dinner with my dad and I tonight? You already know your parents won't say no."
"The shithead left all his assignments until the last minute," Heeseung added unhelpfully, "and you know how much he sucks at math. And how pissy Mrs. Kim gets – the way she gets like every year, man."
Jake flung a pencil in Heeseung's direction – which he dodged by the way (dang it). Jake wanted the guy to shut his mouth, not only because he had a lot of pride and hated showcasing his weaknesses, but also because he knew Heeseung mentioned his predicament on purpose, considering how... nosey and obsessive Sunghoon could get at times, especially when it came to matters concerning Jake.
"Really? I could come over! With my help we'll get those math problems solved in no time," Sunghoon assured.
Just like Jake had predicted. Jake could even hear him bumping into something – probably his dresser 'cause he put his sneakers on too quickly.
"Listen, Sunghoon," Jake began just as Sunghoon removed his flannel, leaving him in a white shirt that adorned broad shoulders and firm arms. Heeseung's smug smile infuriated Jake. "I really appreciate it, but I really don't need much help –"
"No, it's okay. I'm like, a math genius, remember?" Sunghoon was right; he was the vice president of their school's robotics club, after all. "Also, you know I went fishing with my dad earlier 'cause the weather was fine. Though I'm not sure how different it is down there..."
Aaand there it is.
"Also, for dinner, would you like milk instead of fruit juice?" Sunghoon added, his eyes twinkling while Jake's jaw ticked. "Heard it helps with bone growth."
"Do you want to die?" Jake threatened, Heeseung's high-pitched laughter reverberating in the background. "You do know you're entering my house, right?"
"Your face being the last thing I see before I leave earth won't be so bad, I think," said Sunghoon, smirking, knowing he got the reaction he wanted out of Jake.
It had always been like this. From the moment Sunghoon had stumbled his way into Jake's life, or more accurately, stolen the seat next to Jake from some other unsuspecting classmate, he'd frequently found a way to tease Jake – push his buttons. Being playful was how Sunghoon showed that he cared, and Jake was his target more than half the time.
"You noticed it, right?" Heeseung voiced out the second Sunghoon exited his room.
Jake frowned. "Noticed what?"
"How... big he's gotten?" Heeseung mused, fiddling with the guitar pick. "I mean, I work out sometimes. Do some boxing and all." As if to demonstrate his point, he proceeded to perform some lackluster punches, but then gave up and sunk back into the bean bag. "But Sunghoon, he's got some muscle now. The kinda muscle you get from working on the docks with your dad all summer." A pause. "He got hot."
"Jesus, Heeseung." Jake grimaced, wrinkling his nose while his heart ran a mile a minute within the confines of his ribcage. "Date him yourself then."
"Woah, who said anything about dating him?" Heeseung asked. "And, I swore once senior year began, I'd be celibate. No more hookups, dude."
"Yeah, good luck with that."
"Plus, Sunghoon's like – family. And he likes cucumbers. I don't fuck with that." Heeseung tapped the strings of the sleek red guitar. "Plus, didn't you see how he was basically stripping in front of you –"
"Oh my god." Jake jumped to his feet, his heart leaping to his throat just as the doorbell buzzed. "Keep talking and I'll murder Howl in cold blood."
Heeseung immediately pulled his bass guitar close to his chest. "You wouldn't."
He was right. The instrument was the one thing his father had left him before he passed, the one thing from his family that didn't drive him nuts. Jake wouldn't take that away.
Jake could already hear his little sister Minhee dashing for the front door, already giggling because she thought Sunghoon resembled one of those kpop idols she fawned over. Then Sunghoon's soft voice echoed, most likely asking her if he could come in as if he wasn't already allowed to enter Jake's house whenever. And, really, fuck Heeseung, because if he hadn't said what he had earlier, Jake's mind wouldn't be storming with all sorts of stupid thoughts, neither would his chest be cloaked with this weird kind of warmth.
"Hey, the hell did I do?" Heeseung raised his hands once he noticed Jake glaring his way.
"Asshole."
"Still don't know what I did.”
Jake didn't have the chance to reply because the bedroom door creaked open right then, and in stepped Sunghoon, smelling of the sun and the ocean, his dimpled smile radiant and directed right at Jake.
"Hi," Sunghoon greeted.
For whatever reason, Jake's mind blanked. "Hi."
"So, am I just gonna third wheel here, or what?" Heeseung uttered.
"Shut up," Jake snapped.
"Alright, alright."
It was a no-brainer to everyone who knew Jake Sim in their small, middle of nowhere town that he didn't really give two shits about school. And Heeseung had been right about him having the attention span of a three year old. Okay, he may have overexaggerated a bit like he tended to do, but Jake really had a hard time focusing in his classes. It didn't help that their teachers' lessons could put even the most enthusiastic, eager to learn students to sleep (looking at you, Mr. Choi from Korean History).
By the time lunch rolled around, Jake almost kissed the concrete the moment he, Heeseung and Sunghoon were allowed to leave the front gates. Like, he was nearly on his knees and everything, not caring in the slightest if his school uniform got dirty.
"What's up with him?" Jake could hear Heeseung asking Sunghoon.
"Don't question it," Sunghoon mumbled back. "Probably communicating with his ancestors down there – oh."
Jake glared at him. "You think you're so funny, huh. You have like, three inches, tops, over me, at best. S'not like you're Mr. Jack and the Beanstalk over there."
Heeseung gasped and placed a hand on his chest, mock offended. "I am feeling very targeted right now, just so you know."
"Well." Sunghoon shoved his hands into the pockets of his slacks, smiling the way he always did when Jake did something he found endearing. "It's fun teasing you. Plus..." He stepped closer, locks of his hair falling over his eyes. "Those three inches have to mean something."
Heeseung coughed. "That's what she said."
"Gross, Heeseung," Sunghoon groaned.
Jake, in the meantime, averted his gaze and kicked at a spare pebble to settle his wayward heartbeat. What the fuck was going on with him?
Jake swore his favorite place in the world, after his bedroom of course, had to be the convenience store near their school. It had all sorts of snacks, way too many options to pick from, which was kind of paradise for Jake, to be honest.
Jake ditched Heeseung in one of the aisles as the guy surveyed a variety of chips. Heeseung was even worse at decision-making than Jake, so much so that he'd take even longer than a sloth to choose what he wanted – which was gonna be honey butter chips in the end, anyway.
Jake himself was going to pick some kkokkalcorn, two of them for him and Sunghoon since they both liked it. Problem was, the snack had been placed a little too high. In fact, it was on the top shelf, and Jake's teeth gritted, boiling on the inside.
A shadow loomed over Jake a moment later, then an arm that bracketed him, before said arm effortlessly plucked two kkokkalcorn snacks from the shelf.
Jake pinched the bridge of his nose, already knowing what would come of this interaction.
"You're welcome, by the way," Sunghoon said, tossing one to Jake, then a can of soda. The brand Jake liked.
Jake held Sunghoon's gaze and allowed himself to study how dark his eyes were, the faint freckles gracing his nose and cheeks, the slight tan he'd developed after working under the sun all summer – even the way his school shirt no longer hung off his frame but instead hugged his torso and the swell of his biceps.
But Sunghoon, he's got some muscle now. The kinda muscle you get from working on the docks with your dad all summer. He got hot.
"Hello?" Sunghoon waved a hand in front of Jake's face, startling the shorter. "Earth to Jake?"
Jake's breath caught in his throat, his heartbeat more like a swarm of butterflies now.
So this was new in the way Sunghoon's undeniable transformation was, and Jake didn't dig new. He'd lived in the same town all his life, had familiarized himself with the same neighbors, the same roads, shops. Hell, even the weather barely changed. So this... thing, whatever it was, was uncharted territory, and Jake, Jake wasn't so sure he liked it.
So Jake decided to deflect, tried to distract himself. "Can you also get me a choco pie?" He pointed at the snack close to the kkokkalcorn.
Sunghoon pretended not to hear him, like the little shit that he was.
"I said." Jake proceeded to pinch Sunghoon's arm, igniting a strangled yelp from the taller. "Can you please get me a choco pie?"
"Bitch." Sunghoon winced, but a grin broke across his face when Jake laughed. "You're a dick, you know that right?"
"And you'll do whatever I want, just 'cause I asked," Jake replied.
"That is so presumptuous of you, Jake Sim," said Sunghoon, hands on his hips.
"Yeah, yeah. Get going, buddy." Jake raked his fingers through his hair, satisfaction rippling through him when Sunghoon conceded and got him the snack a few seconds later. But there was also relief, because despite Sunghoon's changes, he was still an annoying dipshit who liked teasing Jake about his height, but was at his beck and call in the end anyway.
So it was fine. Things between them were normal. Fuck whatever Heeseung said on Saturday.
Things were not fine. And honestly, fuck Heeseung for what he said on Saturday.
It'd been nearly a week since that thing at the convenience store happened, and while Jake had been able to drown himself in school work, skateboard throughout the neighborhood, help Heeseung out with the lyrics for the new song his band was working on, and catch up on the new season of his favorite show, today was Friday. Which meant he, Sunghoon and Heeseung did what they always did every Friday evening: they went to the lake with Sunghoon's cousin Jongseong, laid out on the pier, and watched the blazing sunset while downing whatever bottle of liquor Jongseong had managed to sneak past his parents.
And then while Jake and Jongseong were moonwalking across the wooden platform, Heeseung performing air guitar riffs nearby, Sunghoon had looked into Jake's eyes, the sunlight hitting his profile just perfectly like they were in some coming of age movie.
Of course, Jake hadn't known what to say right then. His words seemed to have died in his throat up until they packed up and Sunghoon had walked him home, for that matter. And because Jake was just so lucky, Heeseung was staying at his own place today 'cause his grandma was coming over with her famous tteokbokki, something even Heeseung's mother and her lousy boyfriend couldn't stop Heeseung from indulging in.
And now here Jake was an hour later after Sunghoon left for his house next door, standing in front of the mirror, contemplating his entire existence.
Jake examined himself. His hair was a wavy chestnut brown – just like it'd always been, and he had the same almond eyes and square jaw, but now all he could think about were the moles decorating Sunghoon's face and how they resembled a constellation – for whatever reason.
Jake looked the same. But there was something there, underneath it all, that definitely hadn't been present before. Something brewing in those eyes that became more apparent the more Jake observed himself, clutching at strands of his hair. Want.
He wanted Sunghoon. Christ.
A heavy thump on the bathroom door shattered the anxiety ridden silence, Jake narrowly barreling into the toilet of all things due to the noise.
"Hey, are you done?" Minhee yelled. "I gotta pee!"
"One second!" Jake sighed. He could hear the rainfall slamming down on the roof, and figured he could save the late night pondering/am-I-into-my-best-friend freak out for his bedroom anyway.
Jake didn't get a chance to recuperate, however, 'cause the moment he slumped on his bed, his phone vibrated on top of the nightstand.
He hated the way his heart raced once he saw who messaged him.
Hoon: winow
jake: ?
Hoon: imat th wondow
"What the fuck." Jake rushed for his window just as something rapped against the surface. Frigid raindrops chilled Jake’s skin the moment he pushed the window open, and he cringed, but the sight of Sunghoon in front of him hurriedly rendered him speechless. He was soaked, his dark hair nearly shielding his face from view, but his fanged smile was bright. Playful.
"Are you crazy?" Jake almost yelled, his heart pounding away in his throat. "How the hell did you even climb up here?"
Sunghoon pushed his damp hair away from his face. "You forget I've got some super long limbs." A pause. "Unlike some people –"
"And you forget I've got the upper hand here, Sunghoon," Jake said. "I can just push you, and you'll fall to your death."
Sunghoon's smile didn't falter, the guy already making his way inside. "Nah, you wouldn't do that. You like me too much."
Jake wanted to argue, but he had other pressing matters – like how Sunghoon was currently dripping water all over the carpet. He groaned, heading for the wardrobe.
"Don't know why you just couldn't enter through the front door like a normal person," Jake began, grabbing a gray tee and a pair of shorts that Sunghoon definitely left the last time he slept over.
"I like the thrill, the secrecy," Sunghoon answered, accepting the clothes. "Thanks. Plus, boyfriends do this all the time when they sneak into their girlfriends' rooms."
We're not dating though, Jake wanted to say but couldn't, because right that moment Sunghoon decided to yank off his shirt, thereby frying the entirety of Jake's nervous system.
"I'm gonna leave you to change," Jake told his friend before he could question anything, racing out the door in less than a second.
The last time Sunghoon stayed over, they watched a movie, so that was what they also did this time around. Problem was, thirty minutes into the shitty romcom, Sunghoon had somehow gone from talking crap about the subpar acting to sneaking 'subtle' glances Jake's way – like Jake wasn't currently a couple centimeters away.
Fuck. Jake was only a couple centimeters away, in the same bed.
"So." Sunghoon whistled at some point, the harsh light from Jake's laptop framing his handsome features, a rosy blush sponging his cheeks. "Uh."
Jake swallowed, far too aware of how their elbows and thighs brushed, and how much heat Sunghoon's body radiated. "What?"
Sunghoon watched him, and for a long moment, he didn't say a single word. Then his brows furrowed. "Just... noticed how small your hands are, oh my goodness."
"They're not that small –" Jake rushed to say, about to start bickering only for him to freeze, realizing something. "I get it now."
Sunghoon frowned. "Get what?"
"You teasing me about my height is just you putting up a front, isn't it?" Jake started, casting the laptop aside to lean in. Sunghoon, on the other hand, leant back. "Because I make you... nervous."
Sunghoon rolled his eyes, yet he remained in the same position. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Yeah you do," Jake pressed, confident. That was, until it dawned on him how close he and Sunghoon were to each other, the bedroom enveloped in silence now that they'd paused the movie. Then all of Jake's sudden bravado vanished into thin air, and it certainly didn't help how his heartbeat roared inside his ears, his whole face bursting with warmth.
"My hands are decently sized, okay?" was what Jake decided to end with, and Sunghoon chuckled, his twinkling eyes creasing at the corners. It was kind of infuriating how pretty he was. He was also mesmerizing to look at – something Jake didn't think would ever change.
"Um." Sunghoon rubbed his neck. "Sorry if I just made you self-conscious about your palm size –"
Jake shut the distance between their mouths. And oh god, it was probably clear he didn't have a single clue what the hell he was doing because he couldn't move. But Sunghoon's lips were on his, and they were soft. So soft.
Sunghoon released a quiet sound of surprise that snapped Jake back to the present. He pulled back, his heart thumping away in his chest. "I'm sorry –" he started, but Sunghoon held his face and kissed him, properly this time around, tasting faintly of the vodka they drank earlier. It was almost overwhelming; Sunghoon's scent and his presence and his gentle touch – the way he held Jake like he was all that mattered in the world.
Jake then allowed himself to thread his fingers through Sunghoon's hair, loving how responsive Sunghoon got, how he instantly melted into his embrace. It felt nice.
Okay, who was Jake kidding? This was fucking awesome.
When they finally pulled apart for air, Jake kind of felt like he'd just stepped off the craziest roller coaster of his life, his entire body sizzling with sparks. Sunghoon himself didn't look much better, his eyes dark and ears beet red.
"Y'know," Sunghoon began, holding Jake's hand.
"Oh boy." Jake pretended to sigh, his heart skipping a beat once Sunghoon entwined their fingers.
"I've wanted to do this since..." Sunghoon squinted in thought. "Since forever, actually.”
Jake's heart missed another beat. "Since forever?"
"Well, yeah," admitted Sunghoon, as easily as breathing. "I've wanted to kiss you since forever."
There was an emotion in Sunghoon's gaze. Something deep – poignant – that the Jake of the past would've shied away from, pretended he'd never noticed. But Jake kept looking, and while change still scared him, he was no longer bothered by it. He still had Sunghoon, and besides, they had all the time in the world to nurture what blossomed between them now.
So, Jake grinned, patting Sunghoon's back. "You can kiss me again – only if you confess you made those height 'jokes' just 'cause you were crushing on me."
"Whaaat." Sunghoon scoffed, his ears rivaling a stop sign. "Plus, I need to be compensated for almost breaking my back while kissing you –"
"Alright, I've had enough." Jake cast the laptop aside and tackled Sunghoon, the taller rushing to escape his wrath and nearly dying of laughter. His laughs transformed into loud ass shrieks however when Jake began tickling his ribs, showing no mercy. But then something must've happened, because a few seconds later Jake ended up kissing Sunghoon again.
And again.
And again.
And Jake would've been a big fat liar if he said he hated it. As the hazy moonlight streamed through the curtains, Sunghoon hugged him close, and then they fell asleep in each other's arms, just like they always did whenever Sunghoon stayed over. It was easy, simple. Familiar. It was like coming home.