a/n: thank you for being so supportive and understanding of me. i'm so so so lucky to have such lovely people here
enjoy the chapter! ♡♡
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
"THIS shirt?"
humming, kihyun tilted his head to the side and looked at the shirt changkyun was holding up.
"yeah," he smiled. "red looks really pretty on you."
a dark rosy-pink shade decorated changkyun's cheekbones, and kihyun didn't know if he was talking about the shirt in the boy's hands or the blush on his cheeks anymore.
mumbling a quiet thank you, changkyun continued to search through his cupboard. kihyun had asked if he could help, let the other tell him what he felt like wearing that day, but he simply shook his head, saying he needed to learn how to dress himself because one day somebody won't be there for him. kihyun frowned once he heard those words: he thinks he'll be alone? it shouldn't hurt so much, it shouldn't bother him at all, really, but he sort of hoped they would end up together. maybe live in a cute complex, just big enough for them; flowers on every windowsill, ones that have a nice scent, because at least that way changkyun could smell them if he couldn't see them.
but maybe he was getting too far ahead of himself.
"i'm going to go change," changkyun announced, already exiting the room.
kihyun watched the boy until he was out of sight, making sure he didn't bump into anything. it was unlikely. changkyun moved around the furniture so gracefully, completely opposite to himself- he would have kicked his toe somehow.
picking up his phone, kihyun noticed he had one new message from nayoung. he groaned, already expecting to see a suggestive text about how he spent the afternoon with changkyun. probably something involving his 'little crush' on her cousin, maybe a teasing 'have you kissed him yet?'. you know what, kihyun thought, nevermind, he decided and locked his phone before placing it on the bedside table without even reading nayoung's message. every moment with changkyun felt too special to share with anyone else. too precious. he sighed: too ridiculous.
is it possible to love him too much?
"kihyun?"
great, he closed his eyes, now i'm even hearing his voice in my head.
"kihyun?" changkyun's sweet, soft voice in his ears once more, that time, however, it was louder: "forget what i said before, okay, i can't do anything alone. i need help. i... i need you."
jumping up from the bed, swiftly moving towards the bathroom, kihyun felt hurried to be with changkyun. taking in a deep breath, he knocked on the door and opened it, head turned away, eyes focused on anything else other than the boy who called out to him.
"you-" kihyun held his breath, hoping it wouldn't shake, "-need me?"
"yes. i'm sorry. it's just- my foot. it's stuck in the damn rip in my pants."
finally looking up, kihyun understood exactly what changkyun meant. involuntary, he let out a giggle, and then simultaneously, smacked a hand over his mouth.
"don't laugh!" changkyun shielded his face with his hands that were covered by the cloth of his cuffs. the same shirt being inside out and back to front.
of course, shaking his head with a smile on his face, kihyun thought, only changkyun.
he stepped over the random items of clothing on the bathroom floor, kneeling down in front of changkyun, who was seated on the ground, foot sticking out the fabric below his knee. as gentle as ever, kihyun's fingers reached for the jeans, fixing the boy's foot out of the tear before carefully pulling the hem of the pants up to his hips. now, kihyun awkwardly admitted to changkyun that his shirt wasn't on correctly, asking if he could adjust it for him. kihyun should not have had said that; definitely not that.
because as his fingertips lightly dragged over changkyun's soft skin, he wished they could stay there forever.
he's beautiful.
kihyun held his breath again.
so beautiful.
"sorry," changkyun whispered. "this is embarrassing."
"no," kihyun didn't even realize he was talking before it was too late, "this isn't embarrassing. nothing is with you, okay? especially not when i care about you the way i do."
silence.
kihyun abruptly removed his hands from changkyun's shirt, holding them close to his chest. he really, really shouldn't be allowed to speak another sentence. syllable. never. ever again. duct tape—duct tape might solve that problem.
the silence followed them to the dining table, and kihyun hoped he wouldn't choke on his breakfast and ruin all the peacefulness. maybe the so-called 'peacefulness' was a bit of a stretch. kihyun's mind was on fire, and not the good kind, either. it was like all the files on how to have a normal human conversation with a human were slowly burning, and all that he was left with was a permanent picture of changkyun's lovely smile. no doubt, kihyun knew he was screwed.
staring at a single grain of rice stuck to his chopstick, kihyun prayed he would magically grow as small as the rice; so tiny someone could easily squash him.
changkyun cleared his throat, "about what you said before."
his voice sounded unsure. was he uncomfortable?
i really messed up big time, kihyun squeezed his eyes shut. he wanted to open his mouth, hastily mutter he didn't mean to just blurt out all that. but he knew it was the truth, that it was something he shouldn't cover up and lie about. there was no use, anyways, because changkyun was speaking again, and kihyun suddenly wished he could go back in the past and repeat that sentence a thousand more times.
"wait," changkyun held out his hand towards kihyun, "pass me your hand."
as told, he lay his palm on top of changkyun's, waiting for whatever was supposed to happened.
"kihyun," changkyun whispered, "i care about you, too," and he brought kihyun's hand up, closer to his lips. then, with no warning whatsoever, changkyun kissed his fingers. a short, yet lasting kiss. warm, soft, almost as light as a feather, but it felt so heavy in kihyun's heart.
the words, the feeling of changkyun's lips against his skin. even if it was just a peck on his hand- it was everything.
he was everything.
