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‘We assumed you would decline the invite. We’re sorry Hyungwon, we thought you wouldn’t be interested. We promise to ask next time, ok?’ Everyday, it was always the same excuse, assumptions made by others about him because of his nature. Hyungwon had never been one to decline an invite somewhere except on occasion when his social battery for the week was completely drained. People would always make assumptions about him because he was known to keep to himself during these outings, they would believe that he never actually had fun and would only accept the invite out of pure obligation. In fact, the opposite was true, Hyungwon did enjoy these outings, or at the very least being invited to them. Even if he were to decline, it warmed his heart at the fact people were thinking about him, and wanted to include him in their plans.
It had even gotten to the point that even his family who by that point, after knowing him for 24 years, really should have been accustomed to the ways of Hyungwon’s brain. If he wasn’t exclusively invited somewhere, he wouldn’t attend. Hyungwon had never been one to invite himself along to plans, if someone didn’t directly ask him if he wanted to join, he wouldn’t go. It was clear to him that he was an afterthought, and being somewhere where he clearly wasn’t wanted made him uncomfortable.
Hijacking someone’s plans had never been in his nature, even when it came to his family. There had been multiple instances where he would hop on facebook for a bit and see something super disheartening. ‘I had so much fun this weekend with everyone! I hope we can all do it again soon” the caption of the facebook post would say, accompanied by the photo of a reunion that he had no knowledge of even happening. He would skim the photo and realize that even distant family members he hadn’t seen since he was a child had been invited. He had grown so used to it, that he had learned to just let It go. However that didn't stop him from commenting under the post with a simple, ‘I hope you had fun ! Sorry I couldn't attend.’. Is it a bit petty to comment that despite the fact he was never invited to even begin with? Yes, but being forgotten by his own flesh and blood… stung.
He had gotten used to this treatment by strangers or even occasionally, friends, but family was a whole different beast, a whole nother level of hurt. He would receive replies from countless family members all littered with excuses to spare his feelings. ‘Ah! Hyungwon, we’re sorry we missed you!’ ‘We thought you were busy this weekend, with college exams coming up and all.’ , ‘I hope we can catch you next time, miss you little brother. <3’. It was a never ending cycle of excuse after excuse as to why he had been forgotten, he had become numb to it at this point.
To say that his way of living had become pathetic and sad was an understatement. It was utterly miserable. These days, his average routine would consist of four things, school, work, video games and sleep. His original goal was to rinse and repeat every day until he eventually rotted and died. However, there was only one thing… or, should he say, one person preventing that from happening. His roommate, and childhood friend, Yoo Kihyun. After all, who would split rent with him if his other half just up and died on him out of nowhere?
These days, Kihyun was rarely ever at home, every night was a new adventure for him. New friends he had made at the university would invite him someplace almost every single night. It had gotten to the point where he saw these strangers more than he saw his own family, albeit for only a second while they came to pick his roommate up for their adventure. While they would never invite him along, they would never be outright mean to him, something he was grateful for. They would exchange simple pleasantries with one another before engaging in conversation with the person they had actually come to see.
There had been many times where Kihyun had tried to invite him, but seeing the discomfort in his friend's looks, Hyungwon had declined. He appreciated the sentiment, but Kihyuns friends clearly didn’t want him to tag along. Kihyun had known him for long enough to know that he had a huge issue with ‘pity’ invites, people who felt they had to invite him to avoid unintentionally hurting his feelings. Still, that didn’t detour Kihyun from inviting him to their activity every chance he got, in the hopes that maybe just one day, he would join them, because to Kihyun, this was far from a pity invitation. This was him wanting to make someone important to him feel included.
“Hey, Won. Me, Changkyun and Jooheon are headed to the mall for a bit. They opened a new Barnes & Noble there, and we plan to check it out. Wanna join?” Kihyun would ask him one day, fully expecting the same answer he always received every single time. A simple ‘No thank you.’ Followed by an excuse as to why he couldn’t join, this time however, he received a different answer, moreso a follow up question to his question.
“Why do you always invite me?” Hyungwon would ask, "You've been doing this ever since we were kids, and the answers never changed.” Kihyun would simply scoff and shake his head, hands on his hip, “because you’re my best friend, and you really should get out more. God, just look how pale you’ve gotten from the lack of sun!” He’d say as he grabbed his arm to show Hyungwon the state of his complexion. “Not to mention, social interaction is a basic human need, you can't live your life on ramen and video games. You’re my best friend, and I just want what's best for you, but.. I'll never force you to join.”
Ah. So that's why, despite Kihyuns Tsunderesque response, it warmed his heart now that he cared about him that much. Still, he would decline just as always, glancing at Kihyun’s friends who were off to the side silently watching the scene unfold. Kihyun’s kindness, immediately followed by the judgmental stares of his friends, would make him decline per usual. Kihyun's friends seemed nice, it was clear they didn’t mean much by their actions, but Hyungwon was a chronic overthinker. Their silence and forced smiles were enough to make him reject Kihyun’s invite once again.
His response earned a sigh from Kihyun as he glanced back at his university friends before giving Hyungwon his attention once again. “Alright, suit yourself, but I’ll bring you something back, ok? Also there are leftovers in the fridge, no take out. It’s not good for you. I’ll see you when I get back.” He said with a soft smile as he looked at his friends and nodded, indicating that he was ready to go. He grabbed his keys and wallet, sparing Hyungwon one final glance before leaving.
Despite Hyungwon’s insistence on declining every single invitation, Kihyun always brought something back for him, No matter how small or big the item was. It felt similar to his elementary school days, when his older siblings would attend middle and highschool field trips, and he couldn't go for obvious reasons. As the field trips were exclusively for his siblings and their classes. They would always bring him some kind of souvenir back, mostly out of obligation though. As their mother would scold them if they didn’t. Similar to what Kihyun was doing now, although he had no real obligation to bring him anything back. It was just out of the goodness of hisnheart that he did. It was easy for Kihyun to forget about his existence the moment he stepped foot outside the apartment, but he didn’t, he was always in the back of his mind and it made him feel.. strange.
Most nights, Kihyun wouldn’t return home until 2 AM the next morning, he would silently sneak in, being as quiet as possible as to not wake up Hyungwon. More often than not, Hyungwon would still be awake, all thanks to his bad insomnia and worrisome mind. Kihyun was a responsible person, always had been. Even when staying out as late as he did, he would always act responsibly when with his friends. Still, Hyungwon liked the security of knowing that Kihyun had arrived back home safely, so he’d wait for him.
Kihyun was none the wiser as he snuck into Hyungwon’s room and left the item he had brought for him on the nightstand before heading off towards his own room. Once he was sure Kihyunb was gone, Hyungwon sat up in bed as he reached over and turned on his bedside lamp before grabbing the wrapped gift. He unwrapped it curiously, a smile forming as he saw the contents of the present.
“He remembered…” he mumbled as he stared at the gift.
It was a book that he had been waiting months for. These days books had become some sort of luxury, they were so incredibly expensive, so honestly, Hyungwon never saw the point in spending his money on them much anymore. Especially with him being a full time student, and having to split rent with Kihyun, he barely had any money left for himself after everything. It was a generous gesture for Kihyun to go out of his way to buy him this. He hugged the book comfortably against his chest before opening his nightstand drawer to grab a notepad and pencil.
“Kihyun. Thankyou for the gift. You know you never have to bring me anything back, and yet you always do. Thank you.” He wrote, followed up by a small hand drawn heart, neatly folding up the note he headed for Kihyun's room. Most nights, Kihyun would almost immediately pass out the moment he returned home. Made sense considering he stayed out late for hours on end, doing God knows what. It made sense that he'd be as exhausted as he was. Hyungwon creaked open Kihyuns door just a bit and peaked in, glancing around before his eyes fell on a familiar looking blob of flesh under the covers. As expected.
He silently entered under the cover of complete darkness as he felt his way towards the boy's night stand. He placed the note on top of the stack of textbooks from university before silently heading back out the way he came. Before he was able to get very far, there was a sudden shift under the covers. “Hyungwon?” A sleep sounding voice mumbled as the bedside lamp turned on. Hyungwon turned back around as he smiled softly and went to sit on the edge of the bed. He took in the sight of Kihyuns disheveled appearance as he sat up and chuckled, “Someone's tired.” He teased as he reached up and brushed down the messy mop that was Kihyun’s hair.
His comment would go completely ignored per usual as Kihyun rubbed the sleep away from his eyes. “...need something?” Kihyun would ask, the tiredness evident in his voice. Hyungwon just shook his head as he continued messing with his hair. “Just came to thank you for my book, I didn't mean to wake you.” he said softly, keeping his usual calm tone to avoid disturbing the tired Kihyun any further.
“It was no problem.” He replied as he flashed a quick smile as he laid back down, turning his body towards Hyungwon. “You know. I wish you'd join us, some time. Even if it's just for a couple hours.” He paused for a moment before following up with, “I miss you.’
There was no response from Hyungwon, so Kihyun took that as a sign to continue. “It's just… I love Kyun and Joo to death, but sometimes they are way too high-maintenance for me. It is exhausting being with them every single day, God, it's almost like I'm their mom.” He said jokingly. He paused, staring at Hyungwon for a moment, before continuing, “I can see the gears turning in your head from here. You’re going to give yourself an aneurysm at this point. Stop. Over. Thinking.” He said as he reached towards Hyungwon’s forehead, putting emphasis on each word by flicking him.
That action earned a quick glare from Hyungwon as he rubbed his now bruised forehead. “AH! Hey. I don't appreciate this abuse.” He teased, attempting a subject change, but his whining fell on deaf ears as Kihyun just rolled his eyes in response. Even when tired he was just as bratty as ever.
“I’ve known you for long enough at this point, I know how your brain works. You think my uni friends hate you, don’t you?” another pause. “Your silence just confirmed my suspicions.”
“Kihyun.” Hyungwon started, “You said so yourself, you know how my brain works. Your friends really don’t seem all too fond of me, so I stay out of their way. I don’t want to be in the company of people who don’t want me. I don’t want them to feel like I hijacked their plans by tagging along. They don’t know me like you know me, so it makes sense that they’d be as standoffish as they are. Besides, my social battery is completely different from yours. An hour of socializing and I’m done for the next week. Do you really think your friends want to hang out with someone like that?”
“Then let them get to know you, Won. I won’t lie to you, sometimes they do question why I’m friends with you, when our personalities are as different as they are. I just tell them, they don’t know you like I know you.” Kihyun admitted, followed by a small chuckle. “ We’re like night and day, You and I.”
“Y’know, I’m jealous of you Kihyun.” Hyungwon paused for a moment as he looked away crossing his arms. “You make friends so easily, making friends is like second nature to you. I.. can’t do that. I’ve tried, I’ve tried to make friends like you, I’ve tried to leave my comfort zone, but it’s not that easy for me, it’s never been that easy for me. It’s.. not fair.” Uh. Oh. He was starting to shut down, this wasn’t a good sign. Kihyun had dealt with this Hyungwon many times before in the past, and this time Kihyun wasn’t having any of it.
There was no response from Kihyun as Hyungwon felt the bed slightly shift, before feeling a pair of tiny arms wrap around him. Silence, just.. Silence. The only sound in the room being the ticking of the wall clock in the corner of the room. More silence, and next thing he knew it, he was pulled down into a lying position, he let out a small yelp as protest at his new found position.
Hyungwon embraced his new position, it’s not like he had a choice, as Kihyun showed no signs of releasing him. He let out a sigh as he pulled his legs onto the bed and curled up slightly, he shifted his body so that he would now be facing Kihyun. “Sorry,” he whispered. “It's just.. Frustrating.”
“Don’t apologize.” Kihyun softly replied, voice barely above a whisper. “You’re not the only one jealous. Won, you always find a way to have fun.. By yourself. That’s never been something I could do, I only ever have fun when I’m in the company of others. I admire you because you always find a way to entertain yourself. Whether it be reading a book, or enjoying a single player video game.. Somehow you always look like you’re enjoying yourself. I.. can’t do that. Deep down, I know that I’m not the most entertaining person, the only way I have fun is if I’m bouncing off of others’ energy.” Kihyun let out a soft sigh, “basically.. what I’m trying to say is.. Be yourself. Don’t try to be someone you’re not, don’t try to change who you are because you think people will like you better. In my experience, people like you best when you remain true to who you are, and if they don’t.. Well fuck them.”
That last comment earned a small chuckle from Hyungwon. Kihyun smiled in return as he reached up and pushed Hyungwon’s hair out of his eyes, “There’s that smile.” he softly said.
“All I’m hearing is that the, ‘Oh so great Yoo Kihyun’ is jealous of me.” Hyungwon finally asked.
“Seriously? That’s the part you decided to fixate on? God you’re so pathetic.” he mumbled as he pulled away and rolled onto his back, crossing his arms while pouting. “Idiot.”
“Kidding.. Kidding.Deep down, I know you're right, I worry way too much about what others think of me, I let fear run my life, and honestly? It’s not a very fun way to live. People’s perception of me always change the way I view myself, and I know it’s not healthy to let strangers do that. Trust me, I know.” he took a deep breath as he closed his eyes. “It’s hard, Ki. It really is.”
“I know, Won, I know.”
Silence. Neither of them uttered a single word as they both silently considered their next course of action. “Hey-” They both said in unison, sending them both into a fit of giggles. “You go first.” Hyungwon mumbled.
“Ok. Well, Tomorrow I’m going to Six Flags with Changkyun and Jooheon. I know your answer will most likely be no, but you’re free to join us if you’d like. I have an extra ticket.. If you want it. You wouldn’t be hijacking our plans, I had previously mentioned to them wanting to bring you, that's the whole reason I even brought another ticket to even begin with. I… no, WE want you there Hyungwon. Don’t feel pressured to join, but if you’re interested, we’re meeting at Momo cafe tomorrow at noon.” he let out a soft sigh. “Why do I even bother.. forget I said anything, ok? I don’t want to pressure you and, perhaps, I'm being far too straight forward. I’m sorry.”
“No…No, Ki. You’re fine and I appreciate you thinking about me. I like being invited even.. If I decline. I’ll tell you what, I’ll consider it, ok? I won’t make any promises but.. Text me the ticket QR code and I’ll think about it.” Hyungwon rolled over and glanced at the clock on the bedside table, it was 3 almost 4 in the morning, “It’s late.. And if you.. or.. we’re going to six flags tomorrow and we should get some shuteye. It was nice confiding in you, we don’t do that much these days, do we?”
“Right.”
Hyungwon sat up as he stretched his limbs a little. “Night Ki. See you in the morning.” he said as he headed for the door. “And Kihyun?... I’ve missed you too.” he mumbled that last part barely above a whisper.
“What was that?”
“I said, I wish you’d get punched. Night Kihyun.” he said quickly, shutting the door, leaving Kihyun in stunned silence, Kihyun heard exactly what he said the first time. He just wanted him to repeat it.
“Jerk!” he yelled after him, grabbing his pillow and throwing it right as the door shut.
__________________________
The cafe was bustling, baristas running from table to table, students coming in and out for their daily study period, the long line whittling down bit by bit as people got their morning coffee. It was really no surprise the place was as busty as it was. To be fair, it was lunchtime on a Saturday after all. Kihyun & Changkyun were sitting at their usual table, silently munching on their brought snacks as they waited patiently for Jooheon to join them.
“God.” Jooheon mumbled as he plopped down in the chair directly across from Kihyun. “I’m so glad I work nights here, I would never survive the morning shift.” he commented as he took a sip of his iced coffee. “It took me forever just to get to the front of the line. I’m surprised my manager didn’t ask me to work or at least ‘help out’, one she saw me come in. honestly though.. She should know by now that the answer would have been a hard NO. I have plans already, and I am not going to deal with the hell that is lunch rush, right before going to an amusement park on a hot summer day, no thank you.”
Changkyun chuckled at Jooheon’s complaining, “You’re not even working today, and you’re already complaining about this place. Maybe we should have chosen somewhere else to meet up.”
Jooheon just rolled his eyes, “What’s the point of working in the food industry if you can’t complain about it? Yes, this includes days that I’m off. I live to rub it in my co-workers' faces that I’m off today and they’re not. I’m not too worried about them poisoning my drinking or anything in retaliation, they know they’d be absolutely screwed if something happened to me. I’m the best they’ve got, after all. They didn’t make me a shift leader for nothing.” he said braggingly as he turned to Kihyun.
“So.. think he’s gonna show?” jooheon asked, tone becoming serious all of a sudden.
“Honestly? I don‘t know. We talked last night, it was nice. He seemed interested, but I didn’t get a definitive answer. Just remember, if he does come today, please try to include him? For me? And no more judgemental stares, I know it’s just your resting bitch face Kyun.. But he took it as a sign that you hated him.”
“I have a resting bitch face?” Changkyun asked, eyes widening in surprise.
“Yes.” Jooheon and Kihyun both replied in unison.
“I don’t like how quickly you two said that,” The youngest mumbled, pouting slightly.
“Well. It’s true, it's part of the reason your only friends are the two of us. You scare everyone else away with your stare alone.” Kihyun teased. “We still love you though.”
Minutes passed as the three of them engaged in idle chit-chat, Kihyun’s eyes drifting towards the cafe door every few minutes throughout their conversation.
“I don’t think he’s gonna show, Ki. I’m sorry. We should get going, we want to beat the lines.” Jooheon said as he quickly finished his drink before standing up and pushing in his chair.
“Wait- I.. he’ll come, he has to.” he mumbled as he checked his watch. “11:59.. I told him noon.”. He had really thought this time he would come, “.. maybe you’re right.. Let's-”
Before he was able to fully finish his sentence, the door to the cafe opened. A familiar looking figure walked in, as he looked around the cafe with a confused look on his face, before his eyes settled on what or who he was looking for. He smiled softly as he walked up to the trio.
“.. you came..” Kihyun said softly, before reaching up and pinching Hyungwon’s ear. “You jerk ! We almost left your ass. You’re late!”
“Ow, Ow, Ow!” Hyungwon cried in pain, “Late? I’m not late- I’m right on time.” he asked in confusion as he pulled out his phone to double check himself and look at the time. That response earned a scoff from Kihyun as he tugged the poor boy's ear one last time before releasing him.
“He’s right, y’know. We’re just early, he’s on time.” Changkyun pointed out, as he flashed Hyungwon a smile in affirmation. Jooheon just nodded in agreement, which only earned him a punch to the groin from Kihyun.
“Hey! Kyun said it, Why am I collateral for agreeing?”
The banter between the trio caused Hyungwon to chuckle softly, maybe.. Things wouldn't be so bad after all? He was right to actually trust his gut for once. Kihyun’s eyes met his as the two smiled at each other before erupting into fits of laughter.
“Ok. Here’s the plan for today.” Kihyun started.
“Uh-oh.” Changkyun groaned in annoyance. “Here we go, again.”
“What?” Kihyun asked.
“Does everything really need a schedule? Can’t we just play it by ear and see where the day takes us?’ he asked.
“Absolutely not.” Kihyun said, this was one thing he refused to budge on, he needed to have some kind of organization to his day lest he go insane by not being prepared for what was to come. Besides, he had perfectly crafted this one on the off chance that Hyungwon actually decided to join them, it was made to suit his needs perfectly.
“Ok, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted. I think it’s best if we take two cars down there, ok? It’s about a 2 hour drive, and it’ll be easier in case something were to happen to any of us.” he explained, this decision was made mostly asx an ‘out’ for Hyungwon. He was putting his needs above all else and ensuring today went swimmingly. He knew how Hyungwon’s social battery worked, and there was no telling how long they all planned to stay out. This way, if needed, he and Hyungwon could head back whilst not ruining the others' fun. Everyone wins.
“The basic plan is, 3 or 4 hours of rides, food, carnival games. Home. Does that work for everyone?” he asked as he scanned the three of them looking for any objections. They all quickly shook their heads. “Great. No objections, let’s get going before traffic gets too bad. I’ll ride with Hyungwon, You two take Jooheon’s car.”
“Bossy…” Jooheon mumbled.
“What was that?”
“Nothing! Nothing! Great plan Ki, let’s get going, we’re wasting precious daylight and we have a 2 hour drive upon us. Kyun, race you to the car?”
“Oh, You are so on.” Changkyun replied as he gathered his trash before leaving the cafe.
Jooheon only smirked in response. “See y'all there. Don’t take too long, ok? Last one there is a hot tamale.” he said before following Changkyun.
“See what I mean..? High-maintenance, it’s like I’m their mother. I love them, but it's incredibly tiring. Thanks for coming. I was starting to think you stood me up, you almost made me look like a real idiot there.” Kihyun teased as he elbowed Hyungwon playfully.
“Almost?” Hyungwon chuckled, “Besides, I never actually agreed to coming. If I recall correctly, I only promised to consider coming. It was a hard MAYBE from me, so if I decided against it, I wouldn’t have technically been in the wrong. FYI. You do look like a complete idiot for having way too much faith in me, sometimes.”
Kihyun scoffed, “Yeah, whatever. EXCUSE ME for having faith that my best friend wouldn’t stand me up and would actually take last night’s conversation to heart. Apparently I’m in the wrong for being a good friend, my bad.” he pouted as he crossed his arms in mock annoyance.
“Ok! Ok.. you’re not… the worst friend in the world. I appreciate your confidence, really. It meant a lot that you even waited for me to begin with. It would have been so easy for you to just leave me behind and figure that last night was just wasted breath. Thanks Ki.”” hyungwon said softly.
“..yeah, no problem. It’s my job as your best friend. Now, let's get going? We have a.. Long drive ahead of us. You wanna drive there, and I can drive back?” he asked, making sure to take into consideration how Hyungwon’s social battery & mental stability would be at the end of the night. An entire day of socializing with mostly strangers, in a crowded amusement park was sure to do a number on him. It was something he wasn’t used to, and who knew just how long he would last being this far out of his element. It wasn’t to say he didn’t trust hyungwon to drive them home, more that he wanted to give the boy the freedom to put in his headphones and relax on the ride back home if he so chose to.
“Sounds like a plan.” Hyungwon replied with a smile, knowing exactly why Kihyun had suggested that order of events. His thoughtfulness was always appreciated. The two of them left the cafe together and Hyungwon started heading towards his car with Kihyun following close behind. He and Changkyun had ridden in Jooheon’s car on the way there, so Hyungwon really was his only option. Besides, it wouldn’t have made sense for them to all take separate cars down there. This was all stuff he had made sure to consider when they all brought up a fun day at the amusement park. If Hyungwon really hadn’t shown up, he would have just ridden in Jooheon’s car like he did earlier, so he had a backup plan if push came to shove.
As Hyungwon unlocked the doors, and Kihyuns climbed in the passenger seat, he immediately reached for the aux cord. Only to be stopped by Hyungwqon. “Nuh-uh-uh. My car, my rules, my music. Besides, your music taste is garbage anyways.”
Kihyun gasped as he took offense to that. “What, and like yours, is any better?”
“Far better than yours, you listen to nerd music. Really? Video game cyphers and rap battles? Come on Ki, you were listening to a sonic the hedgehog Villain cypher just yesterday. That’s nerd music if I’ve heard any.” he tased as he pulled out his phone and plugged it in. “Besides, I need the aux cord for the directions anyway,”
“Hey. Don’t bash on my boy Cam Steady, he may make ‘nerd’ music but his songs are absolutely bop. You just don’t have taste, better than those tunes from that 2D anime group, ‘vivid bad squad’.” he pouted as he crossed his arms and looked away. “Ok. Maybe we’re both nerds.” Hyungwon admitted as he pulled up the directions to the amusement park, before opening up spotify. “Still. My car, my rules, but I guess.. Since it is a 2 hour drive, I could let you use it when hour 2 is upon us, sound fair?”
“Deal.”
The car ride was fairly uneventful for the most part, as Hyungwon played ‘cinema’ from vivid bad squad through the speakers and Kihyun talked to him about anything and everything. Usually whatever his biggest fixation was at the moment. Kihyun had always been one of the few extroverts who would rarely ever deplete his social battery, especially since Kihyun never actually expected any response from him. Just a smile and nod would show that he was listening, and that was usually enough to suffice. About an hour and a half into the drive, Kihyun’s phone started ringing. He picked it up, seeing that it was Changkyun/
“Hey. What’s up?” Kihyun asked, confused on why he was calling him now when they only had about half an hour left.
“Hey. Just wanted to let you know, we stopped at Wendy’s for food, So we might be a little late.” Changkyun’s voice blared through the phone, he was clearly trying to make his voice heard over the loud background noise around him. It must have been a busy place.
“Seriously?! We only have half an hour left. You guys couldn’t wait till we got there?” Kihyun asked, immediately starting to scold them. “Also, do you really think eating before going on rollercoasters is a good idea? Remember what happened last time you had a chilli cheese state and rode the superman, you threw up all over me. I swear to god, Changkyun if you mess up my new sweater-”
“Woah, woah. Calm down Ki, Jooheon just wouldn’t stop complaining about his growling stomach, I’m personally not hungry, so I’m only having a soda while he eats. We’ll be quick, alright? Also he promised to be careful. Perhaps we should switch around your schedule? Has Hyungwon eaten anything today?” Changkyun asked, concern evident in his voice. He recalls that Hyungwon had arrived at the cafe right as they were all headed out, while he didn’t know about the boy's eating habits, he still had every right to be concerned.
Kihyun sighed as he glanced at Hyungwon whose eyes were glued to the road, trying to ignore the conversation happening right next to him. Kihyun took in his expression, “Hungry?” he asked softly, only earning a slight nod from Hyungwon. “We’ll be there in five.” Kihyun said before ending the call abruptly.
“Idiot… Why didn’t you tell me you were hungry?” he asked softly. “You didn‘t have to power through for me.” he sighed as he pointed towards an upcoming exit, “Wendy’s is just up here to the right.”
“I know how particular you are with time and your schedule. So I didn’t say anything.” he admitted as he took the exit Kihyun had pointed out to him. Only a short while before they turned into Wendy’s parking lot.
“Even so. Don't go starving yourself. You know I don’t like when you do that, now c’mon let’s head inside. I see Joo’s car, so they must still be here.” he said as he climbed out and stretched. Oh god, it felt so good to stretch after being sat down for so long.
“You stretch like a cat.” Hyungwon teasers, hoping their previous conversation about food would be forgotten, replaced by their usual everyday banter.
Kihyun glared at him but didn’t reply as they both headed inside, he scanned the restaurant for the rest of their crew before spotting them and heading over. Plopping into the seat right across from Jooheon who by this point, had already devoured his food. Hyungwon headed up to the counter to order, and about 10 minutes came over with. A burger, two small bags of fries, a soda and a shake. He sat down next to Kihyun, the tray down as he started to disassemble it. He set the shake and the second bag of fries in front of Kihyun’ Kihyun glanced at him, confused by his actions as he hadn’t asked him to buy anything.
There was silence before Kihyun finally broke and grabbed the second bag of fries, munching on it silently. A couple more moments of silence before Kihyun finally uttered a small. “Thanks.” He was so caught up on the fact his plan had essentially been thrown out the window, that he had neglected his own needs. He was too proud to admit that he, too, was a little bit hungry, but Hyungwon had seen right through him, even going as far as to buy his favorite flawed shake.
Kihyun started to loosen up slightly as the four, or mainly three of them engaged in idle chit chat as they waited for Hyungwon to finish his food. It wasn’t long until Hyungwon finished and got up to throw his trash away, taking Kihyun’s finished shake cup and empty bag of fries with him. Kihyun checked his way and by now it was only about 2:00. By his calculations, they should arrive at the park around 2:45 or so. The damage wasn’t as bad as he had originally thought, they had only lost about half an hour, which wasn’t bad in the slightest.
“Everyone ready to go?” Kihyun asked as he was the first to stand up, with Hyungwon following behind him. “Ok. Before we ride any rides, let’s play a few carnival games first, ok? Why? Because I don’t trust YOU on a rollercoaster with a full stomach right now.” he said as he pointed at Jooheon, who simply raised his hands up defensively. “Changkyun may have been the one to ruin my shirt last time, but I am n o t taking any chances this time. Besides, I hear it’s better to ride roller coasters at dusk or night time anyways, smaller lines and feels.. Different riding them at night. Any objections?”
They all shook their heads no, besides, what Kihyun was saying was absolutely right. They probably wouldn’t fare well riding rides right after stuffing their faces. The four of them all bid farewell, as they went their separate ways back to their respective cars. This time Kihyun grabbed the aux cord with no objection from Hyungwon as he put on some of his music, per their agreement.
Once again, Kihyun spent most of the ride talking Hyungwon’s ear off, and before he knew it they pulled into the six flags parking lot. “Ah- we’re already here?” he asked as he looked up at the big flashing sign that said, ‘SIX FLAGS.’ he checked his watch, and they had actually arrived 15 minutes before his originally predicted time. He was about to ask Hyungwon about that when he was cut off.
“No traffic.” Hyungwon immediately said, fully expecting to be questioned about their description in time. To say he hadn’t speeded.. Just a tad would be a lie. Kihyun just shook his head in disappointment and decided to drop his incoming interrogation as a similar looking car pulled up right next to theirs. Jooheon climbed out of the driver's seat, with Changkyun climbing out of the passengers. They smiled as they came up to the pair. “Ready?” Jooheon asked.
“Yes. But, it looks like you’re the hot tamale.” Kihyun said with a chuckle, bringing up Jooheons previous statement back at the coffee shop. Jooheon simply rolled his eyes, “Yeah, that’s because your pal here drives like the police are hot on his trail.” he said teasingly.
That statement earned an embarrassed blush from Hyungwon as he quickly averted his eyes, and started heading towards the front entrance without a word. Kihyun glared at Jooheon before quickly catching up to Hyungwon. He elbowed him playfully, “Aww, Joo was just kidding.” he said softly. He was fully aware that he wasn’t aware about how the three of them talked to one another. Their banner as a trio was very similar to the banter the two of them have had since they were children. But seeing as Hyungwon barely knew Jooheon, it made sense he would act like that and misinterpret his words.
They all entered the park without incident as they showed their tickets to the ticket master and were granted admission. Kihyun let out a soft sigh as he looked around the park, it was busy as expected with kids running from point A to point B, people walking around the park with food, some on dates, and others just out to have fun with their friends, much like they were.
He glanced at Hyungwon worriedly, maybe a place as busy as this wasn’t such a good idea, knowing how he wasn’t the best at dealing with crowds.Hyungwons face showed no sign of worry as he looked around the clock with wonder. He seemed almost.. Ecstatic in a way? Perhaps he had nothing to worry about. He turned to the group as he started walking backwards, as a way to easily talk to them. “Ok. Where to first? Remember your promise to me, No roller coasters for at least an hour or two. So those are off limits for the time being, but anything else is fair game.” he pointed out.
“Right-” Jooheon nodded, understanding that he had promised him to hold back on coasters for a moment. They walked around the park for a moment before Changkyuns eyes caught something, it was a small indoor arcade. He smirked, “Wann play a few games? Our tickets came with 80 free tokens, so we might as well use them to our benefit, right?” he said with a chuckle as he went inside with the other three following closely behind.
They decided to make a competition out of it, Kihyun & Hyungwon vs. Changkyun & Jooheon. Whoever won more games would owe the other pair a funnel cake. “Oh. You’re on.” Kihyun said with a smirk as he elbowed Hyungwon playfully, “Good thing I have a professional gamer here. You’re going down.” Their first game was a tracing game, and first up it was Hyungwon vs. Jooheon. Ironic that the two who drove them there would be the ones battling for first place in a racing game. Kihyun stood behind Hyungwon as he massaged his shoulders as if he was a boxer headed into the ring. “You got this. Remember your years of mario kart, ok? This game is almost exactly like that, without the threat of a banana peel in the middle of the street or a red shell. You can do this.” he said encouragingly.
Changkyun on the other hand went a different route, “You better win this, or I’m not buying you something from the gift shop like I promised.” Ah yes.. The threat route.
As the countdown began, the two riders had very determined looks on their faces as they revved their engines, readying up. A couple seconds later, the two of them were off, all eyes were glued on the screen as they drove around the track. The first lap, Jooheon came out on top by just a few seconds. The second lap only had the same result. “You can do it, won…” he mumbled as Hyungwon leaned further ahead, and as they closed in on the finish line, Hyungwon came out on top at the last second. He had only beat Jooheon by a couple seconds.
“You did it… YOU DID IT!” Kihyun exclaimed.
“I did?... I did!” Hyungwon declared as he climbed off of the motorcycle. He had a joyful look on his face as he pulled Kihyun into a tight hug, picking him up slightly in the process. It may have just been a game, but honestly Hyungwon didn’t think he would win. He chuckled as he put Kihyun back down and turned back to the losing pair. Kihyun smirked. “That’s 1-0, where to next.”
Changkyun playfully hit Jooheon, “You. were. So. close.” he said, emphasizing his words every single slap. “Ow. ow. Ow. I’m sorry, ok?” he said, holding his abused arm as he looked around for a moment before his eyes settled on the donkey kong machine.”Donkey kong? Send in whoever you think your best player is, and whoever has the best score, wins.”
The others thought for a moment before nodding, “I’ll take this one, sounds good?” Kihyun asked, Hyungwon nodded in agreement, he had played donkey kong in the past, but it was never a franchise he found any real interest in. He knew that he would get his ass handed to him if he played, so it was better for him to let Kihyun do this. The other two had ultimately decided that Jooheon would take this round as well, he was apparently amazing at Donkey Kong, that’s part of why he had suggested it in the first place, he thought this would be an easy win. He was clearly underestimating Kihyun, as the boy wasn’t too shabby at the game either.
Jooheon decided to go first as he started playing the game, having a look of intense focus as he played the game, carefully crafting his movements almost as a perfectionist would. He really was good at this game.. After about half an hour, the boy walked away with 60 '000 points. That slightly worried Kihyun as it was now his turn to play. Nervously he started to move the joystick, but he ended up losing almost immediately, walking away with only about 3,000 points, it was clear who the winner here was.
“Wow.” was all Jooheon said.
“Don’t- start.” Kihyun said cutting him off, knowing he was about to get so bullied for that pathetic display. This was honestly embarrassing, while he didn’t think he would win, he thought he would at the very least get somewhat close to Jooheon’s maximum. This was embarrassing.
Hyungwon covered his mouth with the back of his wrist as he tried to muffle his chuckles.
“If I knew you’d do this badly, I wouldn’t have tried as hard as I had.” Jooheon commented as he burst into a fit of laughs with Changkyun following suit.
“So you admit to try-harding!” Kihyun said, trying to find any way to defend himself from that pathetic display of skill. Looking for any shred of dignity he may have even had left. “Ugh. 1-1. Let’s just find another game.” he mumbled as he stomped off and started to search the arcade for a new game. His eyes settled on a DDR machine, and a small smirk formed as he made eye contact with Hyungwon and nodded secretively towards the machine. Hyungwon caught on as he nodded in agreement. This was one game he was confident he could win, after all dancing was a favorite pastime of his, and Kihyun knew as much, which is why he suggested it.
“DDR.” Hyungwon simply said.
“What was that?” Changkyun asked, confusion evident in his voice.
“Let’s play a round of DDR.” he elaborated.
“Ah..” he nodded in agreement as a smirk formed. “You are so on.” he said as the two of them went up to the machine. It seemed it had already been decided on who would play this round. Kihyun leaned against the railing as he watched the two choose a song, eventually deciding on michael jacksons, ‘smooth criminal’.
3…2…1…and the round started. Hyungwon chose extreme, while Changkyun chose expert. Changkyun had questioned him previously, asking if that was the mode he REALLY wanted to choose, and to his surprise Hyungwon was positive. As they started dancing, Hyungwon was like a machine, hitting every single note either perfectly or with a great, while Changkyun seemed to struggle to even keep his combo. He was a good dancer, he knew as such, but he was being blown out of the water by Hyungwon here, that much was evident.
As the song came to an end, Hyungwon walked away with a combo, while Changkyun came away with a simple. ‘Too bad.’ He let out a sigh as he looked at the new exhausted Hyungwon and held out his hand, “Good game.” Hyungwon smiled back as he accepted the hand and shook it.
Kihyun ran around to him as he jumped on his back, “I knew you were a good dancer, but DAMN.” he said as he playfully ruffled the taller boy’s hair affectionately. Hyungwon almost lost his balance at the sudden influx of weight that was weighing down his body. “Woah-” he said, wobbling slightly as his body adjusted to Kihyun’s weight. Kihyun climbed down after a moment, “Sorry.” he mumbled apologetically.
“Damn.” Jooheon mumbled. He had no witty comment or remark this time, just a simple ‘damn’. A hidden talent from THE Chae Hyungwon, it seemed. Over the next few hours, the group spent their time running from game to game. They were both pretty evenly matched, but ultimately Kihyun & Hyungwon came out on top, with 2 more games won than the other duo. While they wouldn’t have won, at the very least the other two could have tied things up, it wouldn’t have wounded their ego as much.
Kihyun and Hyungwon happily took their tickets to the prize room as they walked around for a moment before Kihyun stopped in his tracks. “Ki?” Hyungwon asked as he noticed Kihyun wasn’t next to him any longer. Kihyun was stood in front of the wall of stuffed animals, staring at one stuffed animal in particular. A medium sized turtle plushie that fit perfectly in his arms, it was only about 50 tickets, and they had over 100. So they could easily get it, but after giving it a quick squeeze against his chest, he put it back on the wall and continued walking. “Let’s keep looking.”
Confused, Hyungwon grabbed Kihyun’s arm, stopping him in his tracks. “Why don’t you get it? You clearly want it.” he questioned. He was curious as to why the boy wanted the plushie,but decided not to question it.
Kihyun shrugged, “Too expensive, besides, we won these together. We should find something we both will enjoy.” he said as he flashed a small, but sad smile. Hyungwon scowled as he shook his head and grabbed the plushie off of the shelf, before scouring the shelf quickly. His eyes lit up as he spotted a small hamster plush of similar size and grabbed it. “Look! It’s us!” he said with a big smile on his face. “This hamster looks just like you. I think I’ll keep it.” he said as he held his hamster against his chest before holding out the turtle. “C’mon.. I know you want it..”
Hyungwon was right, he really did want it. Kihyun hesitated before snatching the turtle and holding it against his chest. “Yeah.. and this turtle is basically you. Lazy eyes, sleepy.. It’s you.” he said with a chuckle. “Let's get them.” he said as the both nodded in agreement before heading to the front to cash in their tickets, after they were all checked out, they went to meet up with CVhangkyun and Jooheon who had their own set of goodies.
“Took you two long enough.” Jooheon pulled out his phone and checked the time. “It’s about 7PM, think enough time has passed since we ate? Can we FINALLY go on some rides, now?”
“What? Oh! Yeah.” Honestly, Kihyun would be completely lying if he said he hadn’t forgotten all about the fact that they were at an amusement park, whose main attraction wasa roller coasters, but they haven't actually been on any yet. “But.. before that, let’s see if there’s a gift shop that sells drawstring backpacks, just so we have a place to put our prizes and we won’t lose them.”
“Lets fucking go.” Jooheon said excitedly, practically sprinting out of there as the other three followed him out. “Ok. Where to? There's the super man, the goliath, the viper, this park is our oyster!” he said as they started to wander the park. The children were starting to clear out with their parents, leaving mostly teens and young adults left to enjoy the park. That was good, no whining little kids, or long lines. Perhaps waiting this long to get on rides wasn’t the absolute worst idea ever.
They entered a gift shop in the corner of the park and grabbed a small backpack that only cost about 6000 won, Kihyun stuffed his and Hyungwon’s stuffed animals in the pouch, before offering to put Changkyuns and Jooheons prizes in there to, seeing as there was more than enough room. They graciously took the offer as they put their stuff in the bag before leaving the gift shop.
“Why not just get on whichever one we see first.” Kihyun suggested as they wandered the park, and right as he said that, they came face to face with the goliath. “Looks like the goliath it is.” he said as he looked up at the gigantic coaster. He had never been one to really be scared of roller coasters, he found them fun honestly. But he couldn't say the same about Hyungwon who had never actually been on one before. He elbowed him to get his attention before leaning in, “You ok?” he asked, noticing the worried look on his face. The only response from Hyungwon was a nod, as he took a deep breath as Hyngwon followed Changkyun and Jooheon down the queue with Kihyun following close behind.They were only in the line for about 5 minutes until it was finally their time to get on. Kihyun could see Hyungwon’s hesitation and the worry evident on his face, as he leaned in to whisper into his ear.
“We can turn back if you want to.” he whispered, “we’ll just say your stomach hurts.” but Hyungwon shook his head, he was hesitant.. Sure, but he wanted to ride this thing. He took another deep breath as it was now their time to board, as they were allowed in. Changkyun and Jooheon naturally took the very front row, as Kihyun and Hyungwon climbed into the frow behind them. Kihyun glanced at Hyungwon again as the baw lowered, strapping them in. If Hyungwon held any tighter onto the bar, he was for sure he would somehow end up snapping it. Kihyun sighed softly as he reached over and placed a reassuring hand over Hyungwon’s to help quell his worries.
As the coaster started, Hyungwon put his palm face up, as Kihyun took it as a sign to hold his hand. He took his hand, as he intertwined their fingers. The coaster stopped at the very top, preparing for the gigantic drop, and.. Whoosh. There they went, as the wind around them muffled the sounds of the passengers screaming, either out of joy or fear. While Hyungwon was scared at first, eventually that fearful scream turned into a joyful one as he released the handlebar and held up the hand that was intertwined with Kihyun’s up in the air. He looked at Kihyun as he smiled brightly, and before they knew it.. The ride was over.
That was more fun than he thought it’d be as he released Kihyuns hand and clumsily climbed out of the cart, and tried to quickly regain his balance. Kihyun followed behind as he held out his hands to stop Hyungwon from falling backwards. Joioheon and Changktyun were just as ecstatic as ever as they met up with them at the end of the exit lane.
“God. That was fun. More. More.” Changkyun exclaimed, Gods he loved the adrenaline rush that riding on amusement park rides gave him. Over the next hour or sao, they all bounced from ride to ride to ride. While the three of them never seemed to run out of energy, there was one person who was actively running out of energy. Soon it became too much for him as Hyungwon silently excused himself and went to take a seat at a nearby picnic table.
“What’s up with him?” Jooheon asked as he watched Hyungwon excuse himself without another word, Changkyun elbowed him as he glared. It was kinda rude for him to say that. “Sorry! Sorry.. Just asking.” A frown formed on Kihyun’s face as he looked at the tired Hyungwon before looking back at the two boys. “It’s been fun, but I think we should call it a night. Thanks for inviting us and including him, it’s been a blast.”
“But-” Jooheon objected as they still had so many rides they hadn’t even set foot on yet. He had so much he still wanted to do.
Kihyun cut him off as he shook his head. “You two are free to continue hanging out, but there’s one thing you have to understand. Hyungwon isn’t like you two, he’s not used to this kind of daily activity, he can only be social for so long before he starts to slowly deplete. Please understand.” he said as he tilted his head towards Hyungwon’s direction. Hyungwon was sitting there, barely an expression on his face as he tiredly scrolled through his phone. “Think about someone other than yourself for once, and try to see things from his perspective. See you later.” he said as he opened the drawstring bag and handed the gifts the other two boys had won earlier, before going over and sittingnext to Hyungwon.
Hyungwon barely noticed Kihyuns presence next to him, until he felt something hit his shoulder. He glanced over to see Kihyuns head leaning against his shoulder, “Ready to head back?” he asked softly. Hyungwon shook his head, “What? No… no, I just.. Needed a moment. We can keep going on rides, we can-”
“Ok, I’m gonna stop you right there. You are exhausted, your social battery is completely depleted and you want to go home, so let’s go home.” Kihyun said sternly, leaving no room for argument.
Hyungwon went silent as his eyes started to fill with tears. He hated this, he hated that his friend who had so graciously invited him out had to make accommodations for him like this. It wasn’t a good feeling, knowing that he was ruining his fun like this. Kihyun was someone who stayed out until 2, almost 3 in the morning, and it was only 9 PM.
“I tried.” he mumbled as his voice broke, as he looked away. Kihyun sat up from his leaning position before turning towards Hyungwon. He sighed as he reached up and cupped the others face, wiping away the onslaught of incoming tears. “You’re an ugly crier.” he commented.
“Fuck you.” Hyungwon said in disbelief, but there was no venom behind his words.
“You’re also an idiot. Did you come today because you thought you had to prove something?” he asked. “Is that why you joined, you wanted to prove that you could keep up with the rest of us?”
Silence.
“God. Did nothing from yesterday's conversation even register to you?” he continued. “Chae Hyungwon. You have nothing to prove to me, or to anybody else. You do not need to change who you are in hopes that others will like you. We all had fun today, Joo and Kyun? They absolutely adore you.” he paused for a moment. “I adore you,” he said softly.
More tears slowly rolled down Hyungwon’s cheeks.
“I thought that if I couldn’t keep up. You would realize I wasn’t worth your time, that you would leave me behind like everybody else.” Hyungwon blubbered out as more tears littered his face.
“...so that’s what this is about.” Kihyun mumbled as a few things started to dawn on him, abandonment, being replaced, all things that worried Hyungwon. “Idiot. Idiot. Idiot. I swear you’re dumber than a bag of rocks sometimes.” he mumbled as he continued wiping away the tears as soon as they fell. “We’ve been friends since we were kids, and you really thought that 15 years later, I would abandon you because of how different we are? Because I found ‘new’ friends?” he asked. “I did not hang around you this long, for me to just.. ‘Give up’ on you. Absolutely not. You’re someone precious to me, and honestly.. I take offense to you having such little faith in me.” he scoffed.
“Hyungwon. Moral of the story is.. Be yourself and all that crap. God, sorry I’m terrible at consoling people.” Kihyun said as he released his hands from hyungwon’s face as he looked away, suddenly at a loss for words.
“No… no. You did perfectly,” he sniffled as he wiped away his tears. “Thanks Ki.” he mumbled. “For everything. I mean it.”
“It was no problem. I just.. Said what I was thinking. C’mon, let’s get going before it gets too late.” he said as he stood up, holding out his hand,
Hyungwon smiled as he took his hand in his as he stood up, only for Kihyun to pull away. “I meant your key’s youdope. I’m driving back, remember?”
“Ah! Oops.” he mumbled as he pulled his keys out of his pocket and handed them to him, before they started heading back to the car. As they climbed in, Kihyun removed the bag from his back and reached into it, pulling out the hamster plush before handing it to Hyungwon who was already in the process of leaning the car seat back.
It was fairly silent on the ride back, as Kihyun had the music at a low volume, while Hyungwon already had his own headphones in. The car ride back was just as uneventful as the car ride there, as they boy just kind sat in silence. Contrary to popular belief, Kihyun knew when he needed to just shut up, and this was definitely one of those times as Hyungwon clearly didn’t want to be bothered, and he respected as such.
They arrived back at their shared apartment around 10 PM, as Hyungwonn silently climbed out of the car, still clutching the hamster plushie close to his chest as he headed inside without a word. Kihyun grabbed the drawstring bag as he followed after him setting it on the couch and the key’s in the bowl as he watched Hyungwon head towards his bedroom and shut the door behind him. He let out a soft sigh as he went towards his own bedroom and plopped down on his bed. Exhaustion finally starting to settle in, is this how Hyungwon felt every time he did a social activity? He would hate living like this.
He was about to nod off when he heard a soft rat-tat-tat at the door. “Come in…” he mumbled as he sat up in his bed, his eyes met Hyungwon’s as he smiled softly. “Need something?” he asked softly as he moved over in the bed, making room for the boy to join him.
He shook his head as he walked over to the bed and climbed in. Not a word was said between the two for a moment before Hyungwon finally broke the silence. “Mind if I sleep in here tonight?” he asked. “I brought Kihyun.” he said as he held up the hamster plush.
“Really? Won’t that get confusing, I’m Kihyun and you named the hamster after me.” Hyungwon shook his head as he laid down, turning to face Kihyun who laid down as well.
“Not at all.” he said with a smile. “You might both be named Kihyun, but you’re the real thing and he’s.. not. I’m so lucky to have both the real thing and a hamster version of you.”
“Right.” Kihyun said, he didn't fully get it but he decided to just let it go. More silence engulfed the two as Hyungwon shifted closer.
“Remember when we used to do this as kids? Heh. There came a time where I slept in your bed more often than my own.” he chuckled softly as he recalled some of their precious childhood memories. It was true, he slept next to Kihyun so much as a kid, but eventually they just.. Stopped.
“I’ve missed it.” Kihyun admitted. “So have I.” Hyungwon mumbled as he rolled over onto his back to look at the ceiling. “And.. I’ve missed you.” he said softly.
There was a bout of silence as he rolled back over to see Kihyun faking sleep. “You jerk! Did you really fall asleep while I was being sentimental?” he teased as he playfully punched him. Earning a chuckle from Kihyun as he opened his eyes as their eyes met again.
Another moment of silence as Hyungwon reached his hands up to cup Kihyun’s face, he smiled softly as he rubbed Kihyun’s cheeks with his thumb. “You may be a jerk. But at least you’re a lovable one.” he admitted as he continued his motions.
Only silence followed as they just silently took in each others beauty within the slight moonlight seeping through the window, neither of them know which one leaned in first, but moments later their lips were meeting in the middle as they softly kissed. There was no denying the tension that had been building up between them all day, and now to see they were finally acting on it.. Was a breath of fresh air. Their lips moved in a comfortable rhythm, but Hyungwon was finally the one who pulled away for a quick breath. He chuckled to himself as he heard the small whine that escaped Kihyun’s lips at the loss of contact.
He let out a sigh as he leaned his forehead against Kihyun’s. Letting the comfortable silence engulf them as Hyungwon’s mind traveled back to the event’s of the day. Today had been a day full of experiences, many that he doubted he would have ever had if it weren’t for Kihyun’s pure confidence in him and even just his mere existence. It was thanks to this short stack of a tsundere boy right in front of him, that he even had the confidence to even get out of his element. He had taught him that while trying new things wasn’t bad.. It was best to know your limits. Don’t push yourself or feel like you have to do something in order to please another, go at your own pace.
It was a hard.. But needed lesson for him to learn, and he thanked Kihyun for teaching him. He thanked him for everything.