chenle and jisung were running around the park. school was out for the year, but they still wanted to spend as much time together as possible.
"get back here!" jisung screeched, jumping over tree branches and pets alike, "that's my food! give it back!!!!"
chenle let out a giggle as he bit into it and hide himself behind a tree.
"i know you're here, le. give it back! i'm starving!" jisung whined slightly, trying to rush around the large tree trunk and grab back his selfmade meal.
chenle laughed "never!" as he continued to scale around the tree, just out of jisung's reach.
jisung rushed around the opposite side, too fast for chenle to react, and went for the food.
they knocked heads— a surprisingly common occurrence between them— and fell on the ground. "ow! fu-"
"no cursing! jisung!" chenle scolded, flicking the younger's head.
"what? i know the curse word. why can't i use it?" jisung pouted as he rubbed his head and stood himself up.
he snatched his food from chenle and turned to walk back to where their small families were eating.
"sungie! pull me up too!!!" chenle yelled after the younger, who was already halfway across the park.
the younger sighed with a small roll of his eyes and a slight smile before returning back to chenle and grabbing his hand.
their fingers interlocked, and chenle was pulled up, only for jisung to slip and fall.
"ha! loser!" chenle teased before jisung tugged the boy back down with him.
"this time you get up first," jisung huffed, nudging chenle encouragingly.
chenle huffed, standing himself up, relocking his hand with jisung's, and pulling him up.
their hands stayed together that day.
—
"chenle?" the boy's mother called as she entered his room that night. the boy paused the game he was playing and turned towards her.
"sweetie, this is really easy to understand, okay?" she assured, kneeling down in front of him, "i regret not telling you this before, but- okay?"
chenle nodded, what was so important that she had to use that tone?
"sweetie, you can't hold hands with jisung, okay? or any boys. and you can't kiss or date them either. understand?"
chenle ignored the kissing and the dating. he was nine; he didn't care. but...
"but... i like jisung's hand, and i wanna hold it. why- why can't i?" chenle glanced down at his hand and imagined it in jisung's with a bittersweet smile.
mrs. zhong tensed at her son's words, "chenle, it's bad. just don't do it, okay? if you do, i will hate you, and you will never see jisung again. ever. got it?" her grasp on her son's shoulder was tight as she stared him down, making it clear that she was serious.
chenle pouted, he wanted to see his friend everyday.
maybe he could still hold jisung's hand in private...?
he hoped so.
but for now, he just nodded his head, lips turned down in a frown when his mother smiled at the response.
