Work Text:
Achi stood still, feeling the wooden floor boards sway under his feet as he instinctively shifted his body weight in time with the waves under him to prevent himself from stumbling off the creaky wooden boat.
The small boy stared off into the distance, taking in the silhouettes of the tall building in the distance, illuminated by thousands of tiny lights left on by late night workers, bars and restaurants, or the night owls living in residential buildings; all collectively contributing to the light pollution, causing the stars to only somewhat visible when he looked straight up at the night sky.
Whenever Achi got to see towns and cities from afar like this, he couldn't help thinking about who all those tiny lights belonged to, he thought of the people in those buildings, of how while he was currently having one of the best days sailing with all his best friends, someone else was probably having the worst day. One of those late night workers was probably fighting to sustain their family or pay; one of those 'night owls' may just been awoken by a phone call delivering devastating news; one of those people sitting at the bar sipping expensive martinis may have just gotten rejected by their best friend and the love of their life, tears quietly falling into their martini like blood in water.
The curious boy dwindled on that last thought. It must feel terrible, loving someone so much but them not feeling the same. A familiar face crossed mind as an anxious pit grew in Achi's stomach.
What if that's how mine and Augar's story will end-
"Achi!"
Just then a voice pulled the deep thinker out of his thoughts, as a hand grasped his shoulder making the boy flinch as he whipped his head around to find Augar staring at him, looking terribly confused.
"I- what? What happened?" Achi managed to ask, appearing somewhat panicked as he shook his head, as if to shake away his earlier thoughts and attempt to clear his head.
"Nothing, I was just trying to tell you about how everyone's asleep already but you didn't seem to be listening, so I was just trying to get your attention." Augar explained softly, not wanting to alarm the smaller boy further.
"Oh..." Achi looked around for a second, only now realising that August who was once fishing with him and his brother now laid slumped over a bench in the middle of the vessel while both Ko's sat on the firm floorboards leaning on eachother as they slept peacefully. "Wait, when did you and August leave?" The smaller boy asked, causing Augar to chuckle before responding.
"We left to put our gear away like 10 minutes ago. We told you that we were going but you didn't respond so we just went to do our thing after which August sat down at the table while I went for a leak in the back. When I got back that puny guy was already knocked out." Augar explained, unable to keep himself from throwing in an insult at his brother despite the fact that the guy was already unconscious and unable to hear or react to the comment.
"Oh I'm sorry, I was just-... Uh... nevermind. I think I'm gonna put my gear away and get some rest as well." Achi shook his head again avoiding Augar's gaze to try to hide the blush blossoming on his cheeks, he was originally gonna try to explain himself until he looked at Augar's face and remembered the last thought he had before getting brought back to earth by the very boy he was thinking about.
"Oh-Oh okay." Augar responded as he stared at the smaller boy slightly confused, watching him walk over and dismantle his fishing gear unbearably slowly (to try to buy himself time to calm the heat that had risen to his cheeks).
Once Achi had placed everything back he stood up and turned only to find Augar staring at him silently, as if studying the shy boy, causing his cheeks to warm up again from the attention as he pointed his head down to avoid his gaze, walking past him towards the back of the boat to catch his breath away from the boy that constantly caused butterflies to form in his stomach.
Augar didn't say anything, though Achi could feel his gaze fixated on him as he walked down the side of the boat.
Achi made sure to take careful steps through the dark, holding onto the side of the boat to avoid accidentally stumbling off the vessel. Though he apparently wasn't being careful enough as he stepped of a particularly wet plank, causing him to do gymnastics as his leg flew up from under him, however just as he closed his eyes, bracing for impact with their the wet planks under him or (even worst) the water beneath the wood, when an arm grabbed his waist, catching him just in time and pulling him flush against the strong chest.
The smaller boy looked up ever so slowly, though part of him already knew who his guardian angel was; the same boy who had saved him from the older boys trying to extort him, the same boy who just earlier that day had held his hand as they stepped onto the boat to ensure he didn't accidentally slip and fall while getting on the vessel, that same boy was now looking down at Achi.
Augar's expression, at first concerned, soon began softening. As did Achi's, whose expression morthed from sheer panick to a mixture of shyness and embarrassment he began registering the fact that he was quite literally being held up against Augar's chest by his waist, feeling the way the taller boy's breaths came and went and his heart thumped in his chest, probably due to the adrenaline coursing through his body (Or so Achi guessed, his own heart thumping in his chest but it wasn't because of the adrenaline anymore, it was now caused by the impossible closeness between them).
Though Augar's hold didn't loosen as he stared at Achi's face. Watching the softest flush stretching across the smaller boy's cheeks, though it wasn't very visible due to the limited light, but he could see it. In the same way he could see his bottom lip quiver ever so slightly, or the way his chest rose and fell rapidly. But he couldn't help himself from staring into his now wide dark eyes and the way the stars above reflected perfectly in them, he was sure if he looked into them hard enough he would even see the heavens above.
"Uh... Augar." Achi spoke bearly above a whisper, finally getting the attention of the taller boy who instinctively let go, but still held his hand to ensure he wouldn't stumble again.
"Are you okay? You almost went flying just then." Augar replied, trying his best to change the subject so neither would have to face the way their hearts had beat in sync just a moment ago.
"Yeah I'm fine, sorry about that... Though... What are you doing here?" Achi asked after finally stabilising himself enough to be able to let go of the other boy's hand. "I thought you remained at the front of the boat with the others."
"You went around the wrong way, the light doesn't work on this side so it's a lot more dangerous, you should've gone around the other side. I was worried something bad was gonna happen so I followed you... I guess good thing I did, huh?" Augar chuckled slightly, feeling the heat raise to his cheeks, though luckily it was dark enough now that Achi likely wouldn't notice the colour blossoming on his cheeks. "Where are you going anyway?" The taller boy finally asked causing the other to panic.
"Uhh...I was..." Achi struggled to come up with a good excuse because he wasn't about to tell the athlete that he needed a bit of air to recover from the 2 minute conversation they had that already had Achi's heart racing a thousand miles an hour. "I was just gonna go pee." The smaller boy finally blurted out, earning a nod from the other, the answer seemingly satisfying him.
"I'll come with you, just to make sure to don't fall again." Augar responded teasingly, causing both boys to chuckle as they began inching carefully towards the light at the back of the boat, hand in hand to ensure no more almost-accidents occured tonight.
However midway through their cautious movements, Achi abruptly stopped, causing Augar to stumble into him slightly with a small "oof" and look at the smaller boy comfused.
"What's wrong?" The taller boy asked, though Achi seemed focused on something else.
"The stars... They're so bright here." Achi responded, prompting Augar to also look up at the night sky, only to be met with thousands and thousands of tiny lights high up in the sky, they were truly gorgeous, though Augar had to admit that it wasn't the most insane view he'd ever seen.
"Well yeah, it's almost pitch black here, the brighter your surroundings are the harder it is to see them-" Augar essentially cut himself off when he looked back at the smaller boy next to him.
Now this view was insane.
Achi stood motionless, his head tilted up exposing his neck in a way that emphasised his Adam's apple as he swallowed, the stars reflected in his big boba eyes again and his lips... His soft, supple lips parted slightly, somehow making them look plumper than usual as the corners of his mouth lifted slightly into the most subtle yet genuine smile he'd ever seen.
Augar found himself staring at his lips, gulping as his mind ran wild with the thought of what they'd feel like against his own, of what they'd taste like.
"Mmm, I guess you're right." Achi said as he looked back at his friend, flinching slightly once he finally settled his gaze back on the taller boy. His eyes looked darker now, sharper, hungry even. Achi had never seen Augar like this, so ferocious, it made the smaller boy want to hide, but also not, so instead he just froze. An intense heat rose to his cheeks as he stared back. Feeling like a rabbit in the face of wolf, just waiting for it to strike. He couldn't deny that Augar looked insanely attractive like this.
Within seconds, Augar seemingly returned to himself shaking his head as his eyes went back to the normal softness he sported whenever he was with Achi to avoid accidentally scaring him away.
"Hey Achi? What were you thinking about earlier? when you were zoning out." The taller boy let out, breaking the silence and Achi out the spell he'd put him under as he too began looking around, clearly taken back by the sudden question after the tense moment they shared.
"Um... Why do you ask?" Achi questioned in return, trying earn himself more time to catch his breath after he realised he had been unintentionally holding his breath during their tense moment mere seconds ago.
"I'm just curious, I've been wondering about it for a while." Augar explained in a casual note as he moved his gaze to look at the silhouettes in the distance. Achi looked out into the distance too as he wondered whether he should lie or make up an excuse by saying he was tired or about to wee himself.
"I was looking at the city lights. And thinking about how while I was having the best day with my friends, there's people in that city having the worst day." Achi ended up choosing honesty as he explained his thought process to Augar, hoping he wouldn't end up sounding stupid. He saw the taller boy glance at him for a minute before turning to stare back into the distance again. "I was just thinking about how maybe someone in one of those apartment might be awake because they just received horrible news, or that someone in one of those restaurants may have just been rejected by the person they love."
Augar stayed quiet as he listened to Achi's tender voice echo ever so softly across the surface of the water.
"And that... Made me kinda sad. I wish we could all have good days all the time." Achi finally finished, letting a comfortable silence settle between them. He could hear Augar take a deep breath before responding.
"You're definitely right. There's definitely plenty of people in the city, in the country, in the whole world actually, having the worst day of their lives." Achi looked over at Augar with a pout, he was honestly hoping the taller boy would dispute his fear rather then agree with him. "But it's not everyone, there are so many people who are also having the best day of their lives. Why do you only think of the sad people? Maybe someone in those apartments is having a party with all their friends, or someone in one of those restaurants just got proposed to. They're probably having wonderful days. Not to mention that most people are probably just having okay days, just a normal day filled with both irritating and happy moments that made the day just okay." Augar explained, looking at Achi with a soft smile that the smaller boy couldn't help but reciprocate.
"Yeah... I guess you're right." Achi agreed, taking a moment to stare back at Augar with that same tender smile.
"Plus, we all need bad days to remind us that we've had good days, if we had good days all the time then they wouldn't be good anymore, they'd just be days." The taller boy added, making Achi really need to pause to digest that statement.
"what kind of day are you having?" The smaller boy asked after a moment, watching Augar think for a couple of seconds before smiling widely at him again "The best day. And I'm just glad I get to spend it with our friends... and with you."
Achi couldn't stop the blush from rising to his face again as the last part sank in, prompting him to look away and bite his lip slightly before smiling to himself and looking back at Augar, not even bothering to hide the Rosey tint on his cheeks anymore.
"Me too." Achi responded ever so softly, bearly loud enough for Augar to hear, but he did, of course he did.
"Hey, what are you boys doing here?" Another voice rang out from the back of the boat making both boys jump and hold onto eachother fearfully, but instantly relaxed when they realised it was just Ko Neung's father. "You shouldn't be on this side, you know it's dangerous."
"We- We're sorry sir, we were just heading back actually." Achi answered anxiously, pushing Augar back down towards the front of the boat.
"Wait, didn't you need to pee?" Augar asked after the fact that they never truly made it to the back of the boat finally dawned on him.
"Uh... No, I don't need it anymore." Achi answered, though he didn't realise the implications of his statement until he watched Augar's eyes widen and move their gaze downwards, causing Achi to panic again.
"I didn't pee myself! I just... I'm fine, let's just get back." The smaller boy tried to explain but ended up leaving Augar more confused then before, though he didn't push any further and just allowed himself to get dragged towards the front of the boat.
Both boys sighed once they were back to the luminous front where the rest of their friends were still long gone.
Augar walked over to the opposite end of the box the two Ko's were leaning against and sat down, leaning his back against it before pating the space next to him, signaling for Achi to sit next to him, which he happily accepted.
The boys sat side by side, arms pressed together.
As soon as Achi had sat down he was already fast asleep. Augar chuckled to himself, knowing fully well that Achi had a strict sleep schedule of falling asleep at 10 pm and walking up at 6 am, which is likely why he was knocked out so soon.
Augar had attempted to close his eyes multiple times to join the rest of his friends who were all peacefully sleeping, however the thoughts in his head kept him spiraling. He couldn't help but think about earlier that night, the way Achi had looked while staring up at the stars, he looked genuinely ethereal and unbearably cute and innocent in a way that made Augar feel almost animalistic, it just made him realise why he was so protective of the small boy in the first place. In Augar's eyes Achi was light, he was warm like the sun, as beautiful as spring, cuter then bunnies and kittens combined. Achi was his North Star, the person who noticed when Augar was hurt and didn't laugh at him when he was weak, only quietly helped him get back of his feet. He knew Achi probably felt like Augar was his hero, his saviour, that he needed the athlete, that if Achi just disappeared someday the taller boy would be able to just move on with his life as normal. But that couldn't be further from the truth, he needed Achi in his life too, probably more then he'd ever know.
Augar thought about the way Achi's body had felt pressed up against his own. The athlete had seen the flush that blossomed across the smaller boy's face, or the way his heart thumped in his chest even long after the original adrenaline rush of almost slipping and falling into the merciless water beneath. Surely that wasn't a coincidence, right? It had to mean something. It had to mean Achi felt something for him too-
"Mmm..." Augar got pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of the smaller boy squirming beside him, causing the athlete to look down at Achi who was now leaning his head on the box, dangerously close to Augar's own face. Achi's soft lips were slightly parted again, causing the taller boy's gaze to unintentionally fixate on them, utterly unable to keep his thoughts at bay as they began spiraling again with thoughts of what they'd feel like against his own.
Augar forcefully pulled his gaze away as he took a deep breath and looked around the vessel, all his friends remained unturned. He tried to ignore it, the urge to lean in just the tiniest bit, just to put his thoughts at bay. Would that really be so bad? Especially if Achi also felt the same way, then it certainly wouldn't be so bad, right? No, absolutely not, he couldn't do that. He had no idea how Achi really felt about him. And yet...
The athlete stared at the smaller boy's face again, taking in the way his chest rose and fell steadily, the way his long eyelashes stood out against his cheek, he was so gorgeous.
Augar didn't even realise when the distance between then became less and less and less. Not untill he felt it, those soft, pump lips pressing against his own, feeling the pressure of them. Augar had to admit he had kissed quite a fair amount of girls in his time (some more out of peer pressure rather then genuine want, but he didn't really care) but none have ever felt like this, none have ever felt so right, so good. Achi's lips felt warm against his own, and for just a moment, Augar could swear he felt the lips actively pressing back against his own.
"Mmh..." Augar immediately pulled back the second he heard his brother squirm in his spot slouched over on the bench, as he leanes his head back and pretendes he too was asleep.
Only when all noises stopped again Augar raised his head and looked around again, but before he could finish scanning the area, he felt a pair of hands wrap around his arm, causing him to snap his head back only to see Achi burying himself in Augar's side and leaning his head on his shoulder.
Augar could swear he could feel the smaller boy tremble ever so slightly as heat radiated from him, as if flustered (definitely flustered). It's fair to say that for the sake of Augar's own sanity, he tried to convince himself that Achi was and had been asleep the whole time
The athlete looked up at the night sky again as he comfortably leaned his head on Achi's own. One single star stared back at him gracefully, though this star was nothing compared to his north Star.