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It was one of those starry hazy nights, deep in the pocket of summer, when Jaebum and Jinyoung decided to camp out on a hilltop−just the two of them.
The two quiet thinkers spent their entire vacation with their noses stuck between the pages of books, exploring unknown worlds until reality was a myth, often after dinner sharing a skype call in which they discussed theories and interpretations in whispers (and underneath their blankets when they were supposed to be asleep.)
This was summer to them, rapping at each other’s doors with their secret knock that Jaebum claimed was too corny but enjoyed way too much. Jinyoung sitting on Jaebum’s bed patting Nora as he finished up another box of banana milk. The two of them lying on Jinyoung’s floor with their eyes glued to pages; all this without a single glance at a clock.
...Until one day, they decided, hey. Maybe we should go outside. Maybe we should live in our own storybook, do something fictional folk would do, be adventurous.
They looked at each other, Jaebum at his desk and Jinyoung sprawled out on the bed, a fan between them blowing strands of hair against their sticky foreheads. Jaebum blinked. “Well, any ideas, Jinyoungie?”
Jinyoung looked down at his phone, some fancy new iPhone 4. Sometimes he would read eBooks on it. Jaebum was appalled by the thought. Library books would always be the best.
“Well I was looking at something earlier,” Jinyoung said, tapping at the glass screen and finally finding the page he'd been searching for. “There's a meteor shower coming, see?” He scooted up on the bed and pushed the screen to Jaebum, who rolled his chair a bit closer to read the article. His eyes lit up in excitement as he took in the details.
“That's tonight! And it isn't arriving in another, like, thousand years!”
Jinyoung pulled his phone back with a grin. “We have to go see it, hyung."
So the two bookworms dug through Jaebum’s basement to find a spare tent, rolled up Jaebum’s softest blanket, and grabbed a bag of their favourite flavour of chips, then headed off to their hill.
It could've been described as somewhat of a safe haven for the pair. Forever ago, Jinyoung had found Jaebum sitting there with tears streaming down his cheeks. He was mumbling the name “Nora” over and over, and Jinyoung had sat down with him and asked, as politely as he could, what was wrong. "My cat," Jaebum had said weakly. "She's lost."
If he were honest, that could've been the most heartbroken Jinyoung had ever seen the older boy. Later as they searched around the neighbourhood together, Jaebum seemed to regain himself, no longer swiping at his shiny cheeks, but Jinyoung couldn't miss the lingering worry in his eyes.
Jaebum always saw it as some sort of superpower, Jinyoung's ability to read him without effort most of the time.
He couldn't believe he could allow himself to cry so freely in front of a boy he'd never met before, but he couldn't help it. It was Nora. Jinyoung still snickered at him for that until this day. (But he hardly meant it, because really by now, Jaebum had helped him through much worse.)
Somehow it'd all happened on this hill; the secrets they shared heard only by grass blades and dandelion seeds. Through springs, autumns, winters, and summers, the two had become inseparable.
They arrived their destination when the sky was turning a tired shade of chartreuse, peppered stars just beginning to show their faces. Neither of them really knew how to set up a tent, but Jinyoung ended up figuring it out in the end, Jaebum hardly surprised that he'd been beat to it. Then they sat on the blanket, munching on the chips, waiting. Jaebum pulled at weeds while Jinyoung worked on making a chain out of surrounding wildflowers.
"Look over there," Jinyoung said. When Jaebum turned away, Jinyoung deftly dropped the flower crown on his head.
Jaebum looked up in surprise, almost reaching up to pluck it off, before he saw Jinyoung smiling at him softly with eyes turned to pleasant crescents. He felt his cheeks warming and even the empty complaint on his tongue couldn't seem to escape.
Jinyoung admired his creation and the seemingly sour face on his model. "You look beautiful, hyung."
"Of course I do. It's all thanks to you, Jinyoungie."
Jinyoung giggled and dodged when Jaebum's hand shot out to try to pinch his nose.
The blue above continued to grow darker in shade, and the temperature began to drop, goosebumps appearing faintly on the boys exposed skin. Jaebum decided to lift up the blanket from beneath them and wrap it around their shoulders instead. Jinyoung was shivering a little. Jaebum shuffled closer, hoping to share a bit of his warmth.
“Cold, Nyeongie?” Jaebum could hear his teeth chattering inches away.
"I'm okay, hyung,” Jinyoung replied, but Jaebum wrapped an arm around him anyway, and his warmth felt almost like the summer heat which they resented so much, but certainly not more than the cold. Jinyoung leaned into him, muscles relaxing.
Their breaths rose and fell quietly against each other while the wind blew against their tent in calm whispers. The blue in the sky waved goodbye, giving full reign to the pitch black.
“You sure that phone of yours isn't a liar?” Jaebum murmured, eyes closed as the cold wind fluttered against his face.
“You're ridiculous, hyung. Just wait. Trust me.”
“Ok. I might fall asleep, though.”
“Try your best,” Jinyoung said, his own voice showing signs of dozing off, “to keep your eyes peeled. We can't miss this. We have to be—”
“Part of history,” Jaebum said with him.
And of course, he agreed.
A smile grew on Jinyoung's lips.
Did they end up dozing off, in the black silhouette of a tent that cut a tent shaped hole among the twinkling backdrop of stars? They absolutely did. The two boys fell asleep in each other's warmth, busy minds finally quieted under the soft light of meteor tails dashing past.
The stars smiled at the story they'd written just for them.