CHAPTER SIX
"WHAT do you think?"
kihyun's gaze soaked up every inch of changkyun's face. the boy's bare skin was a masterpiece, no doubt about that, but something about him wearing make-up made him looked completely ethereal.
nayoung was practicing make-up on changkyun - apparently she used to do it a lot - and kihyun could say that she succeeded. very well. light pink faded darker into a firey red, which marked his eyelids, plus, the eyeliner was like icing on top of the cake. glitter dotted under his eyelashes, a sticker shaped of a flower rested on his right cheekbone.
"it looks..." kihyun couldn't even find the right words to express his thoughts, he just mumbled, "beautiful."
changkyun's lips separated into a grin at the compliment. he attempted to cover his rosy-tinted cheeks with his hands, but nayoung grabbed his wrists, telling him he'd smudge the art.
after nayoung praised her own 'artistic' skills, the girl was now skating, trying to master her competition routine. kihyun and changkyun sat next to each other, talking about their experiences with ice skating. well, kihyun had none, but changkyun had so many interesting stories to tell, the dark haired boy couldn't get enough of his smooth voice talking about something he loved.
kihyun learnt that changkyun wanted to be a professional ice skater, and that he used to practice with nayoung all the time.
even since the accident, changkyun had a break from the sport for about nine months - understandable - but when he started going to the rink with nayoung, he decided to give his dreams one more shot. the boy never specified what exactly happened; it was obvious it still hurt him just thinking about it, so kihyun told him: 'you don't need to tell me right now, it's okay' and changkyun smiled in a silent thank you.
his eyes lit up whilst talking about how skating made him feel; like he was flying.
it made kihyun fall for changkyun just a little bit more. he knew it was ridiculous, that the other would probably never feel the same way in return, but he didn't even want to stop.
he never wanted the feeling to go away.
time flickered by too fast for kihyun's liking. all he wanted to do was spend every minute sitting next to changkyun, listening to him talk.
he knew he should be doing his job, cleaning the bathrooms, or actually polishing the skates- that time being legitimate. yet right now, kihyun's brain felt like it was gradually melting, turning into sticky sap as he stayed next to changkyun, breathing in his perfume.
kihyun looked at changkyun, noticing the way the light stirred up in his eyes, making them brighter. almost amber in colour.
being curious, he asked, "are you wearing contacts?"
"i am," he replied. "i always am. nayoung just put these ones in because she said, 'they'll pull together the whole look' or something like that," he scrunched up his nose, giggling a little bit.
then it hit kihyun.
changkyun most likely wore contacts because the blindness would make his eyes turn a cloudy-blue or green colour. at least, that was what kihyun read on the internet after his hours of research on the topic. he wanted to know more about it, so he could understand changkyun better; so he could be better for changkyun.
then again, he read that it could be different for every individual.
"well..." he shrugged his shoulders. "those contacts, or the other ones, or even none at all-" words were just spilling out of kihyun's mouth, then he finally said: "i think you always look beautiful."
he regretted his no-filter brain for exactly one second.
because how on earth could he even regret blurting out those words for long, anyways, when changkyun's smile was brighter than the sun at its highest point, when his cheeks dusted in a deep pink that resembled sugary fairy-floss. kihyun had to stop himself from making any sound that indicated that he was most definitely squealing on the inside. so, he just grinned, looking down at his hands.
he saw how changkyun's fingers slowly reached out towards him. promptly, he held the boy's hand.
kihyun swore tiny fireworks were going off inside his skin. the other's hand was so soft, his thumb gently rubbed circles on the back of kihyun's hand. he could easily tell the gesture was a way of changkyun thanking him, even though there was no need for that. whatsoever. kihyun wasn't being kind out of pity, not in the slightest. he wanted to be sweet to him.
it had always been more than just a silly crush, kihyun quickly realized.
he really did like him.
once again, time ticked by like it didn't want the two to be with each other, and suddenly, changkyun's hands were clasped together on his lap. the dark haired boy's hand was still buzzing from the other's hold, wishing he could reverse time.
involuntarily, he let out a yawn, and he just hoped changkyun wouldn't get the wrong idea.
"tired?" he simply asked.
kihyun hummed, "i work late almost every night but for some reason, sundays completely drain me."
the boy nodded, eyes unknowingly wandered over kihyun's face before he looked towards the skating rink.
"you can rest your head on my shoulder, if you want," he suggested.
shyly, kihyun inched closer to changkyun in his seat, carefully moving his head down to the boy's shoulder. he soon closed his eyes, already feeling the fatigue and exhaustion set in. he wasn't sure when he actually fell asleep; he was even more unsure if changkyun's fingers played with his hair, or if it was all some dream- an incredibly lovely dream.
but later that night, after his shift ended, the freezing air wrapped around kihyun as he walked to his car, and he could still feel changkyun's warmth.
like they were meant to be.
