CHAPTER THREE
SCRATCH that.
scratch kihyun having a pathetic crush on some boy who couldn't even look into his eyes, let alone, mutter more than one sentence to him.
scratch the letters so hard that they end up turning into dust and the only thing left was a perfectly blank, crisp sheet of paper. maybe with some creases. nevertheless, kihyun knew his crush wasn't silly, nor totally unreasonable, at least, he didn't that anymore- especially since he was sitting next to the said boy, having a proper conversation for once.
well, proper was a bit of a stretch, but changkyun kept giggling at kihyun's jokes, and his laugh sounded golden.
kihyun was cleaning the seats, as he usually did during the night shifts, until nayoung invited him over to watch her skate. he obliged, obviously, considering that it gave him the chance to sit close to changkyun, and gave him a chance to break the awkward wall that separated the two.
it was slowly falling, and kihyun thought he could easily fall also.
changkyun still didn't reach his gaze, he merely looked in his relative direction, but that didn't really matter. a few times, the dark haired boy caught the other staring at his lips. those moments lasted a millisecond, yet it still made his stomach do multiple flips, and his brain to turn into honey. kihyun wanted to stretch out his arms, cup changkyun's seemily soft cheeks, tell him he was driving him wild.
maybe his crush was a little silly, after all, and kihyun should probably read more pamphlets on 'how to interact with humans' because he was certain his heart shouldn't be beating this fast just talking to somebody.
"isn't she amazing?" changkyun breathed out, watching as nayoung did a twirl in the air.
kihyun pulled his eyes away from changkyun's face, "yeah, she is."
"this," he nodded towards the girl, "is my favourite performance of hers." he tapped his fingers on his thigh to the beat of the song.
then closing his eyes, changkyun tilted his chin up, as if he was absorbing every second of the music clashing with the sound of blades hitting ice. fluttering his eyes open again, kihyun could see something unknown within them; a story behind the tinge of sadness they held. and when changkyun's eyes started to glisten against the fluorescent lighting, kihyun realized he was crying.
"what's wrong?" his voice trembled with worry.
out of instinct, he brought a hand up to the boy's face, carefully placing his fingers on his jawline, while the other hand started to wipe away the tears.
changkyun flinched when kihyun first touched him, eyebrows slanted in bewilderment. then he quickly relaxed once he knew the other was only trying to calm him down.
"i-i just miss seeing her."
what?
"d-did you have a girlfriend?" kihyun asked, confused.
the boy almost laughed at his words, shaking his head vigorously.
"no. nayoung."
that made kihyun even more confused, because the said girl was right there, yet apparently he couldn't see her?
"but, she's-"
"i'm blind."
"you're... blind?" kihyun unintentionally loosened his hands from cupping the boy's cheeks, and changkyun immediately wrapped his trembling fingers around kihyun's wrists, stopping him.
"pl-please don't leave," he uttered. "i don't want you to leave me."
kihyun wanted to ask why would i leave you? but instead, he just brushed his thumbs under changkyun's eyes, drying away the moisture. the boy's hands were still on his wrists, scared he might run away, scared he would leave him forever. impulsively, kihyun moved his hands down, now holding changkyun's.
"i'm not going anywhere," he said.
the pretty curves of changkyun's lips returned, capturing kihyun's full attention. he only ever wanted to see the boy smiling.
"people usually leave me once i've told them i'm blind." he shook his head, words dripping in bitterness, "they say, they don't know how to be friends with someone who can't see. how should me being blind change anything? i'm still me."
kihyun's chest twisted seeing the boy so upset. so terrified.
instinctively, he brought changkyun into his embrace, holding him close. he couldn't stop thinking about changkyun's words; how it sounded like he was almost directing them towards his own self.
it wasn't important in that moment, anyways, because kihyun just held him tighter, rubbing his back gently, letting him know he wasn't going to leave him. that he wasn't going to be like everyone else who walked out on him. changkyun's unsteady breathing soon turned peaceful. slowly, kihyun pulled apart, changkyun's arms hesitantly moving away, too. he held one of his hands, as a reminder he was still staying next to him.
sitting there, kihyun looked at changkyun, seeing the small smile tug on his lips as he listened to nayoung skate.
he knew changkyun deserved so, so much better.
