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When Yu finally ends his last class of the day, the boy is already on the court, waiting for him. His forehead is covered in sweat from the afternoon heat and his hair is wet too, but it doesn’t matter, because he looks way too good anyway.
Yu stays right behind the corner for a good ten minutes, just admiring the view. The sun lights up the whole court, leaving him out in the shadows. He feels a weird pull in his heart at the sight. Those particular shades of yellows and oranges bring back memories of the previous summers he spent here. The air smells like freshly mowed lawns, his ice cream is sickeningly sweet and he feels like closing his eyes just for a minute to focus on the birds singing on the nearby trees. He doesn’t want to make the boy wait for too long though.
“Hi.” He starts, finally putting his foot on the court. “You’re getting better.”
He points towards the ball the boy is holding. An adorable blush crawls slowly on the boy’s face and he struggles to choose whether he should drop the ball to the ground in order to give Yu a welcome five, or keep his distance. He still doesn’t trust Yu wholly.
“Thanks.” His voice is soft when he finally speaks, deciding to put the basketball gently on the court.
When he stands up and runs his hand through his hair, his top raises a bit, and Yu is once again left with the view of his skinny body.
“Here.” He quickly takes off his backpack and reaches inside. “I saved you a sandwich from my lunch. It’s not much, but it’s something, right?”
He offers the small package with the food to the boy on his outstretched hand, but is only welcomed with a panicked expression.
“No, no. You shouldn’t have. Really, it’s fine.” The boy nearly begs, as if not eating that one sandwich could almost bring Yu on the verge of starvation.
“Take it, Geonie.” Yu insists. His hand is still in the air, between them, and it feels heavier with every passing moment. “I hope it tastes good.”
Geon winces as he accepts the gift, but the sandwich is finally transferred into his hand, so Yu can sigh with relief. He would gladly do more, if only his friend would allow him. But it has to be enough for now. He imagines that he would be embarrassed in Geon’s place too.
They sit together on the court then, both happy to rest for a moment while waiting for the rest of the boys. Geon tries to hide it, but he eats the food a bit too fast for Yu’s liking.
They distract themselves with usual banter, then finally stand up. The way Geon grabs the ball tells Yu that jokes are over. He laughs anyway, pushing his friend away and then they wrestle for fun.
Moya and Haru join them not much later, and they are able to play a short two on two match. It feels nice to be with his friends, and Yu doesn’t even notice it, when the sun starts setting above the buildings. The oranges become deeper, darker, just as his worries became heavier.
Soon, they are left alone, when Haru waves them goodbye to join his family for dinner, and Tomoya has to rush to his piano lessons. The atmosphere gets a bit stiff once again. Or maybe it’s just Yu’s overthinking. Geon doesn’t say anything for a while though, and then Yu’s almost sure that it isn’t just him.
He wants to get closer to the other boy. He just doesn’t know how yet. It doesn’t matter though, because he’s sure that he’s gonna figure it out finally. For now, he’s glad that Geon is willing to stay here with him for a little longer. Even if the other boy is focusing on practising his dribbling for a moment, it doesn’t matter. They’ll get there someday.
(...)
“Do you ever think how it would feel to live somewhere else?” He asks when they settle on the curb in front of the convenience store some time later. He hands Geon one of the bottles he’s just bought. They’ve taken them out of the refrigerator barely minutes earlier, and they’re still freezing cold, but the hot summer air already starts to warm them up and the glass quickly covers with water.
“Where exactly?” Geon once again has a hard time accepting the gift, but he clearly has to see that his resistance is futile. “In another country?”
“No, just…” Yu struggles to change his thoughts into words. “Just… Up there, for example.” He points at the tall building not even two streets away. It’s one of the latest additions to the city and a shiny new spot for all the privileged people to hang out. There are offices on a few of the floors, but the rest is covered with fancy restaurants and the top ones are accommodated into apartments. Yu knows that because of Moya, whose father works for one of the high-profile law companies having their headquarters in the building.
Even now, the whole place is lit up and each bright window indicates someone living there, being the main character of the movie of their own life.
“I imagine if I lived up there, I wouldn’t have to worry about anything.” Yu adds, when Geon still has this confused expression on his face. “You know, graduating and going to college. Then finding a job good enough so that I wouldn’t starve. Having someone to not feel alone.”
A long moment of silence follows and he realizes that he probably won’t get any answer. But then Geon clears his throat and picks up the ball resting next to his foot to play with it mindlessly.
“I do, sometimes, think about it. But I can’t see myself being there. I mean, I would probably be a completely different person.” The boy muses. “Who knows, maybe I would be full of myself. Or an asshole.” He snickers, and Yu joins him right away.
Normally, he would crack a joke and tell him that he’s already an asshole, but something is stopping him from doing it yet.
“Yeah, you’re probably right. But still, it would be way easier.”
“Probably. Who says that life should be easy though?” Goen doesn’t lose the smile on his face, and it makes Yu feel warm inside.
Geon has a point. There is something luring in the challenges of life.
(...)
The next time they see each other, they are accompanied by Seita and Yuki. The boys don’t feel like playing basketball, and on top of that, the court is occupied by some older men who pretend as if they at least trained for the Olympics, so Yu proposes going to the small park on the west side of the city. His favorite skatepark is located there, and he feels excited to share this place with his friends.
Geon can’t skateboard, and Yu, Seita and Yuki laugh their asses off observing him try and fail all the time.
It’s nice like that. Comfortable.
Yu shows off his tricks, Seita and Yuki banter all the time. Then they share the apple pie Yuki’s mom prepared for all of them. Yu pretends to be full after one piece though, and luckily, Geon doesn’t recognize the obvious lie, when one more piece ends up in his hands.
The other boys see right through Yu’s facade but they stay silent. They are good friends after all.
The sunset is a sign for them to gather their skateboards and slowly head home. This park isn’t as dangerous at night, as Yu’s mom likes to paint it, but the deep darkness feels a bit unnerving anyway, so reluctantly, they all board the crowded train. Yuki giggles when he’s pushed on Yu by some noisy boys, and Geon smiles so widely that his teeth show. They almost miss their station with how much fun they have joking around.
Yu and Geon walk Yuki to his house, rushed by the boy’s mother’s frequent calls, and Seita says goodbye halfway there, when he spots some of his classmates hanging out nearby.
The air is still hot and humid, despite the late hour, and soon, Yu proposes a break from the walking. They sit on the curb, stretching their legs out on the empty road and leaning back on their hands. Cicadas sing in the garden of a nearby house, but besides that, it’s mostly quiet. They can’t even hear the passing cars from the main road.
“I love summer, don’t get me wrong, but this weather is a bit too much…” Yu wipes the sweat from his forehead. “Thank God the school ends soon.”
“Yeah…” Geon only nods, playing with the little stones laying on the ground. His mood has been up all afternoon, but now it seems to suddenly dampen.
Yu feels the change somewhere in his chest, as the atmosphere shifts and the tension fills the air.
“How is it at home?” He asks, although he’s a bit scared that Geon would understand him incorrectly. He doesn’t want to pry or pity his friend, the question is made out of pure worry.
He gets an answer when he’s already ready to give up and move on from this topic.
“Better, I think. Mom’s back from the hospital.”
He doesn’t know how to react to that. It’s hard. But just as Geon said, who said life should be easy?
“I’m glad.” He glances at his friend, smiling slightly. Then kicks the stone laying in front of his foot, not knowing what else to add. “Wish her all good from me, okay?”
Geonie hums and his face is clearly more relaxed now. Yu is a bit confused about the changes of his mood, but doesn’t want to dig deeper. The boy has a lot on his mind anyway. Maybe he’s worried about his grades at school, or maybe his classmates bully him again, when no one from their group sees it and can protect him. Or maybe his mother’s results aren’t as good as he would hope them to be.
Here, under the dark night sky, with only Yu and cicadas as company, Geon can feel safe. Yu hopes the boy can feel that, because he does. He feels like he could admit to the biggest crime here, like he could reveal his biggest, most embarrassing secret, and he would be heard and understood. It’s his safe space, safe time, whenever and wherever he is with one of his friends. With Geonie, it’s even five times better, more comfortable.
He’s suddenly engulfed by a weird kind of sleepiness and his head drops on Geon’s shoulder. The younger boy doesn’t make any move, he doesn’t brush Yu off or protest. He silently accepts the touch, taking his time to ponder about the situation before leaning his own head on Yu’s one. They are both sweaty and too warm, but no one makes the move to change their position.
“You know, mom said lately that she would want to meet you. You, and the boys. But especially you.” Geon interrupts the silence a few minutes later, when Yu’s on the verge of dozing off. It wakes him up right away.
“Oh…” He just says.
Because what are you supposed to say in such a situation?
Meeting your friend’s parents is mildly stressful. Sometimes it’s just a funny experience when you learn about how your friend behaves in their company. Sometimes it allows you to learn the reason for your friend’s childhood trauma. Sometimes you’re being accepted into the family and they treat you like their own child, and sometimes they are less enthusiastic and treat you like air. Most of the time, at least in Yu’s opinion, you want them to like you. That’s just how human’s nature is.
Meeting the parents of someone who you like, on the other hand, is on a completely another level of crazy.
Geon doesn’t seem to notice his reaction at all, and continues talking. About something happy, judging from his wide smile, but Yu can’t really hear his words clearly anymore. He tries to focus, but fails, so he only hums, hoping that his reactions are well-timed.
Geonie notices his lack of enthusiasm pretty quickly, but Yu pretends to just be really sleepy. He doesn't have to fake the yawn though, the day has really tired him out.
“Let’s go then, I’ll walk you home.” Geon offers, trying to straighten himself delicately, so as not to hit Yu’s head. “You can’t sleep here.”
“Hmmm, not yet.” Yu mumbles, then yawns once again. “I want to stay with you a bit more. It’s nice here.”
Geonie snorts quietly, taking the view of the empty street into his eyes, admiring the old cars parked in front of the houses, the trash cans prepared to be taken by the garbage truck the next morning, the grayness of the road and the pavement.
“If you say so…” He gently pats Yu’s head.
Maybe he does understand that in a good company, even the most boring place can look beautiful. Or maybe he doesn’t. Who cares?
Yu’s just glad that he gets to stay like that for a few more moments.
(...)
“Hey, Yu… ”
“Hey, there! What’s up, bro?”
“C- Could you get h- here? Downstairs. In front… of your building. ”
“Yeah, sure. On my way. Is something wrong?”
“I’ll tell you when you’re here. ”
Yu doesn’t hesitate before leaving his comfy bed and the book he’s been reading. It’s late, but not too late for his friends. He’s not planning on going to sleep any time soon anyway.
True to his words, Geon stands in front of the building. He looks small. His head is hanging low, and his hands are gripping his phone tightly. Yu’s heart picks up its pace, but not for the reason he would like it to. Worry fills him immediately, and he doesn’t spare any moment before approaching the boy.
When Geon turns around upon hearing Yu’s steps, his eyes are a bit red.
“Mom’s been taken to hospital.” He barely stutters. “She needs an operation immediately, or else she’s gonna die.”
The last word barely leaves his mouth, as merely a whisper.
Yu opens his mouth and closes it a few times like a fish taken out of water. Then, not knowing what to say, he simply opens his arms and pulls Geon straight into them. Geon doesn’t protest, quite the opposite - he clings to Yu’s T-shirt as if his life depended on it, hiding his face in his friend’s shoulder. A silent sob escapes his throat.
Any further conversation is futile, because Geon clearly doesn’t have enough strength in himself to explain anything besides the fact that the doctors are currently trying to do their best, and nothing else could be done in the meantime. They just have to wait.
Yu’s first thought is to offer to go with Geon to his place, to help him with gathering some stuff to take for his mother to the hospital, or at least to stay with him so that the boy could get some rest.
“No! No, I don’t want to go there right now.” Geon nearly begs in response. “I won’t be able to sleep anyway, and this place reminds me too much of… of everything.”
“Okay, okay, no problem.” Yu rubs his back soothingly. Anything to help the boy calm down. “Then let’s go somewhere else, okay? It’s not far, I promise.”
Maybe it would be helpful in allowing his friend to relax a bit, even if only for a moment. Geon’s face looks beyond tired, so Yu takes his hand and wordlessly leads him inside his building. Unfortunately, there’s no elevator for them to use. However, the building has only three floors, so although their breaths are slightly fastened, they reach the roof in no time.
Yu sees Geon’s surprise when the boy takes the place into his eyes. It’s nothing special, the view isn’t wonderful too, but the space looks cozy and clean, and safe despite the building being located in a not exactly good neighborhood.
“Come on, let’s sit here.” Yu points where a few old cushions lay on the floor. “It’s my favorite place to think when something bothers me.”
Geon follows him without questioning anything, his physical and mental exhaustion too big to overcome at this point. It takes Yu by a surprise when the boy puts his head on his lap, but he fortunately has enough of a tact to not be excited about it. It’s not the right place, nor the right time. So he just cradles Geon’s head gently and strokes his hair.
The late hour takes its toll on him too, and he quickly decides to fall back on the cushions too, gluing his eyes in the dark sky. No one says anything. It’s not exactly comfortable like that, with all the thoughts running through their minds, but it’s enough. Enough for now.
When Yu wakes up, the sun is already rising. And he’s alone on the rooftop.
(...)
The days go by excruciatingly slowly when Geonie is radio silent.
The end of the school year rolls in and then the summer break starts, together with lazy days, long evenings spent outside and over-slept mornings. Yu tries to hang out with everyone, he plays basketball, he goes to his favorite skatepark, eats tons of ice cream and enjoys the time off, knowing well that he deserves it after the effort he’s put into studying. It’s the summer right before the senior year in high school, and his mother advises him to rest as much as he can before the adult life kicks in, but Yu gets a part-time job anyway. He simply wants to help his parents a bit and show them how much he appreciates the way they sacrifice themselves everyday to raise him. Also, he actually quite likes the job, so it's fine anyway.
There's one thing missing though. Or maybe rather one person.
However, not for long.
A few days into July, Yu strolls out of his building, his skateboard in one hand and a sandwich he’s managed to grab after work in the other, just to see a boy with brown hair and gentle eyes standing there.
There's a mix of emotions swirling in Yu's heart right now. He's a bit scared about what Geonie is about to say, but he's also relieved to see his friend after so much time. The bad feelings outweigh the good ones for a moment, when Geon still doesn't say anything.
But then the boy throws himself right onto Yu's neck and buries his face in Yu's shoulder.
“She’s fine.” He says, bringing Yu even closer into the bear hug. “She's fine, the operation went well and she even woke up already. We're bringing her home tomorrow and she's most probably completely healthy.”
Yu has butterflies in his stomach just upon hearing Geonie's happiness. He can breathe peacefully now, after all he's been worried about his friend's mom too.
“I'm glad.” He says, content in the warm embrace. “I guess I have to go and see her now, huh? Congratulate her in person.”
“Yeah, you do.” Geon grins and his face is so bright. Gone are the bags under his eyes and the paleness. He no longer needs Yu's support.
Yet, he doesn't seem eager to let go of the hug.
“Do you want to go to the skatepark with me and Hyui?” Yu asks finally, when the silence prolongs and he almost gets uncomfortable with it. “Or do you go back home right away to stay with your mom?”
“I can go with you guys today.”
And those are the only words Yu needs to hear.
From then on, it's fine. The days at work can be tiring, and the summer can be too hot, and storms can be too heavy, but for now he doesn't need anything more.
And the summer is hot. And the storms are heavy. And days at work tend to be tiring sometimes, but he still enjoys them. They ride bikes with the boys when he's free, they hang out in the skatepark and play basketball. They eat tons of ice cream and sometimes even pizza.
The days finally get shorter and the nights get longer, as the months pass and the senior year in high school stops being such a distant future. For now though, the evenings are still filled with the orange rays of summer, and even if they get a bit colder, it’s nothing the boys can’t handle with the help of a hug or two.
Yu doesn’t really notice the moment he and Geon start spending even more time alone, without the company of their other friends. It’s not really that they don’t want to hang out with them, because Moya, Yuki, Hyui, Haru and Seita are still there, one call away, on their orbits, somewhere around. But they come and go, depending on their own free time and their own responsibilities. And Geonie is somehow always there, no matter how sad or happy his day is, no matter the weather, or the time. He’s a constant.
Yu is obviously happy about it. He’s been dreaming about it since he first saw Geonie on the front yard of his school, where the boy sat alone, glancing hungrily on the lunch his classmates were sharing. It wasn’t any kind of ‘big moment’ or anything, just a usual school day. But Yu tends to go back to it in his memory and he always feels a weird kind of sentiment towards those days.
(...)
On the last day of summer break, Yu has to stay late at work. Despite the vacation ending, he’s not dropping out of his job yet, instead agreeing with his boss to reduce his shifts only to weekends. But the condition is that he helps with preparations for a huge party today.
Don’t get him wrong, he loves baking. But sometimes you can get fed off even with something that’s your greatest pleasure.
He knows that Geon is waiting for him, so he’s got another reason to hate these additional hours. And when they finally finish with the last cake, when all the other employees can finally clock out, Yu has to stay and clean up the kitchen.
Ugh… Just… Ugh…
He’s just finishing doing all the dishes, with all the stoves and countertops still waiting for him, when a loud knock echoes throughout the kitchen, and a head covered with brown hair that falls into gentle eyes, shows up in the door.
“Hi!” Geon grins, seeing Yu in his work apron. It’s not the cutest thing one could wear, especially because it’s dirty, but Yu can objectively admit that he looks fairly good in it. Professional, that’s for sure. Even if he still only helps all the real bakers for now.
“Didn’t they teach you how to read? It says ‘Staff only’ on the door.” Yu points to the huge red sign hung there, but his wide smile tells everyone clearly that he’s only kidding. Geon’s welcome everywhere Yu is.
It’s the boy’s first time here, in the bakery, which makes this whole thing even more exciting.
“So that’s where you disappear for the whole time.” Geon takes a while to look at the whole place, examining all the cookers, fridges and tables closely. Yu knows it looks impressive, with the equipment painted in whites and steel grays and the space freshly cleaned. There’s a smell of lemon filling the air from the dishwashing soap too, making it appear even more serious.
“Nice.” Geon sums up. It causes Yu to burst with laughter and soon they both giggle without a care in their lives.
Yu knows there’s a piece of cake stored in one of the fridges that he’s allowed to eat later, after the job is done. It’s a leftover from something his boss baked earlier for one of his important clients, so Yu knows it’ll taste like heaven. And now that his friend is here, suddenly he’s not sure he’s gonna last another hour or so without eating it.
But he has to do the job quickly, unless he wants to sleep here. There is an angel sitting on his right shoulder now, nagging him to just take the soap and finish cleaning the stoves quickly. Mopping the floor wouldn’t take much, and then he would be free to enjoy his time with Geonie.
But the little devil, currently occupying Yu’s left shoulder, laughs at him loudly. ‘ You’re no fun ’ he teases, munching on a piece of his own cake. Yu feels saliva gathering in his mouth just at the thought.
In the end, he’s interrupted by Geon’s voice.
“What do you have left to do?” The boy asks. “I’ll help you.”
And Yu gets a bit warmer. And the orange sunset rays coming into the building through the windows get a bit deeper.
“No, no. You’re the guest, I work here.” Yu tries to reason, but quickly gets shut. Geon grabs the additional sponge and puts on rubber gloves.
Soon, he shows Yu how fun cleaning can be. When it's done though… that’s when the real fun starts.
Geon sits on the countertop, with his legs dangling funnily. He has a playful expression and something tells Yu that at that moment, he can agree to anything. So Yu commands:
“Close your eyes.”
“Huh?” Geon’s face is surprised.
“Just do it. I’ll give you something, okay?”
Geon does as he’s asked. This situation reminds Yu so much of all the other times when he shared his food with the younger boy. Now Geonie doesn’t need it as much though. His body isn’t as skinny anymore, and his ribs don’t show when he raises his shirt to wipe the sweat off his forehead while playing basketball.
Does he seem taller too, or is it just Yu’s mind playing tricks on him?
“Open your mouth.” Yu says.
Geon probably already knows what’s going on, because he doesn’t protest this time. By now, he trusts his friend. Well, obviously, as much as one can trust a teenage boy, so… Not completely. But he’s not so spooked anymore. He doesn’t flinch when someone raises their voice somewhere around too.
When the first spoon full of chocolate cake lands in Geon’s mouth, the boy moans so loudly, that Yu gets scared that someone can hear them and snitch on them to his boss. But then the sound really reaches his ears. And he can’t control his blush.
“Oh wow, that’s insane.” Geon almost opens his eyes. Almost. Yu makes sure that he doesn’t, because soon the second spoon, full of lemon cake, follows the first and by now Yu is sure that what he hears is the best sound in the whole universe. Even though he’s technically not the one responsible for making Geon create this sound, he can’t help but feel it going straight to his ego.
Knowing you’re the one making someone feel great is one of the most powerful feelings in the world.
And Yu’s conflicted now. He’s standing on the edge of a cliff, ready to jump, but still able to turn back and walk away. There’s so many emotions mixing in his heart, whirling like a little tornado. Is it only wishful thinking that he hopes it could all work out?
Would it hurt to try? If Geon doesn’t like it, if he doesn’t feel the same, Yu can always just say that he was kidding. Or that it was a stupid bet with Haru. But if Geon feels the same…
The orange rays of sunset are warming up his back when he stands in front of Geon, fits himself perfectly between the boy's dangling legs, and finally decides. He’s gonna jump. Just like that.
And he does. He puts the cake back on the countertop just to have his hands free and then he dives right into the unknown.
It’s funny, because out of nerves and excitement, he almost collides too harshly with Geon’s face. The other boy can’t know what’s about to happen, so he’s not prepared, and only Yu’s quick reflexes save them from having bruises on their foreheads. He stops at the last possible moment, takes one last look at Geonie’s closed eyes… And then finally, gently plants his lips on the other boy’s mouth.
It’s just a fleeting touch, like a delicate blow of a wind, but it does the job anyway. Geon gasps, and Yu wants to gasp too, because it feels… oh, so nice. Still, he freezes, waiting for literally any reaction. Seconds go by slowly, as he waits, and waits, and…
And then he feels Geon’s hand on his cheek, guiding him closer. He complies, curious about what else he can discover about this kiss. He wants to know the taste, he wants to learn the feeling, he wants to try the cake right from Geon’s mouth.
It’s only an innocent first kiss though, so it ends just as quickly and suddenly, as it started. They are both left with hearts beating fast, with blush on their cheeks and warmth filling in their bodies. Their eyes connect and Yu can see sparks of excitement in Geon’s pupils. He feels them too. They are probably shining just as brightly in his own eyes.
But then Geon suddenly opens his mouth and what leaves it breaks all the tension.
“Ummm… I guess that was nice, but can I have a bit more of the choco cake? It was awesome.”
Yu snorts, pretending to be hurt, but he’s reaching for the plate anyway. Halfway in the movement, he suddenly gets an idea though, and the next spoon lands in his mouth, instead of Geon’s. There's a dare in Yu’s eyes now, and they seem to speak: ‘ Take it, if you’re brave enough ’. Turns out Geon is brave.
Yu ends up running away from him, when the boy throws himself right at him, trying to get more of the cake. They chase each other around the kitchen island and luckily, the floor is dry by now, because otherwise, someone’s head might be cracked open.
The way they laugh freely in the last rays of the setting sun is nice. It’s warm. Yu hopes it never ends.
He hopes that for once, the sunrise will never come. He hopes Geon will stay for good.