Chapter Text
“Mama, please!” Jake whines, his tiny hands tugging on her sweater. “Please, Mama, I really wanna go to the park!” He had been asking all week, and his Mama promised she’d take him. He wasn’t being bratty, per se, but he had definitely been making his feelings known throughout the whole week.
ₓ˚. ୭ ˚○◦˚.
Heeseung and Jake went to the same kindergarten. It was a small private school, averaging about 20-30+ kids per class, the smallest class being the youngest- preschool. But that’s not important. They were classmates, but Jake’s pretty sure Heeseung doesn’t know him. Well- really know him. Heeseung knows Jake’s name, sure, but in their class of 12 girls and 15 boys, they never really interacted. The guys had their cliques, and girls had their own. The different groups didn’t usually swap- with the exception of games. Their class loved games. So much so that their little 5-6 year old minds collectively came up with their own version of tag with so many different complex rules that left teachers and parents very confused on how even the quietest, least energetic kids came to them all scratched up with faces red from the loss of air.
Jake was one of those quieter kids, one of the ones who would happily sit in the corner and color or read- well, as best as he could. However, he was a loud kid when games were involved. He’s a competitive kid. Suddenly, everyone knows Jake once the gym teacher says to get into teams. He’s a fast runner, loves the games, and is a good sport.
Heeseung was one of the cooler kids. Older kids liked him, eighth graders would play soccer with him, all the teachers knew him… Jake’s friend Jungwon told him that Heeseung even went into the teachers lounge one time! The point is, there’s no way he knew Jake. The two only talked during the weekly games of tag, or when teachers paired them up. But hey, they’re kids. Jake’s always paid attention to Heeseung. But does Heeseung pay attention to Jake?
ₓ˚. ୭ ˚○◦˚.
Jake was walking through the park, holding his mom’s hand. He had just come from the library. Now they are each holding a couple books, planning on finding a nice spot near the playground to sit, eat, relax, and play. Jake skips ahead towards the playground, letting go of his mom’s hand.
She smiles at him and calls after him, telling him to stay close by. By the time Jake got to the playground, there’s about 3 other kids a little older than him. He skips over to the swings and hop on, kicking his legs. Back and forth, back and forth. These kinds of days are Jake’s favorite days. When his mom finally makes it to the playground, she tells him she’s going to sit on the side and read a book. Jake nods and continues swinging, kicking back and forth. Best. Day. Of. His. Li-
“Jake?!”
Jake looks up, startled. Who just yelled his name?
“Hi, Jake!” Heeseung runs over, waving and beaming. “Mama this is Jake. He goes to my school. We’re like best friends”
Jake raises his eyebrows. Best friends? These guys barely even interact at school. Only during group work and tag.
“Jakey, wanna play?”
“Oh! Yeah! Hi, Mrs. Sim,” Jake beams, flying off the swing and to Heeseung’s side. Heeseung grabs Jake’s hand and drags him off to the playground. Yeah, Jake can’t wait to hang out with his new best friend.