"What?"
"It's really urgent, can you please just accompany me?" Ricky sat up after being woken up by a phone call from y'all guess who. Kim Gyuvin.
"Can't you just ask your friends?" He asked, rubbing his left eye, a frown on his face. "I would have. But Gunwook is on a date with Ryu and I'm not that close with my other friends." Gyuvin spoke from the other side. The blonde frowned even more to that. "We're not close though." He spoke. He wanted to say they weren't friends but he restrained himself. What if Gyuvin got upset after hearing that?
"Can you stop making excuses and come along?" Gyuvin asked, voice a bit whiny. He was determined that he most definitely would make the blonde boy his company. "Do I really have to? It's holiday today, Gyuvin."
"I'll buy you a strawberry drink! I know an awesome place, you'll love it."
"You don't have to, just go with someone else." He spoke, almost desperately. He needed his sleep and besides there wasn't much he could do being outside anyway.
"Pretty please?"
Ricky pinched the bridge of nose and sighed. Was there even a choice? Gyuvin was determined and he was getting convinced. "Fine." Ricky was stunned hearing the squealing cheers and 'I love you' from Gyuvin's side. Did the brunette actually need him that much? He wondered to himself while getting dressed.
Like those rare times, Ricky decided on a white top and paired it with a black pant. He didn't bother to style his hair much and just let it be.
And of course he forgot to ask where they would be meeting at. He took out his phone and texted Gyuvin.
—
Gyuvin was standing near the gate of Ricky's apartment building, with his back leaning on a lamppost. Ricky squinted his eyes a little to make sure it was actually Gyuvin and not some random hot dude. In his defense, Gyuvin was dressed in a white t-shirt, tucked in a black jean.
When Ricky got closer, the said boy smiled at him, running towards him excitedly. Ricky was sure that he was indeed Gyuvin but why would Gyuvin look so good? Ricky was used to seeing him in hoodies all the time. His mind was a little jumbled at how he could subtly see the lines along his chest. His waist looked so small and—
"Ricky!" Gyuvin cheered in an English accent.
"So where are we going?"
"You look so good in white! And your hair's not styled too, I like this look." The brunette ignored the previous question and complimented the elder instead. "Though you look great in black and styled hair too! It's just not your usual style and it's pretty."
Ricky was flabbergasted. He liked how Gyuvin didn't say that his usual style was unattractive or something. He complimented both of his styles and he was grinning brightly.
"Thanks, you look nice too."
"Eyy of course I do! I actually took time to get ready today." Gyuvin confessed, a proud expression resting on his face.
"So what is that urgent thing you need me for?" Ricky asked after a while. They were already walking but he wasn't aware of the destination yet "How about I tell you after getting you a drink?" Gyuvin asked. Ricky quickly shook his as a 'no' and spoke, "You don't have to. I didn't agree because of that."
The younger showed a cheeky grin. "You will need it."
Ricky stopped for a moment. "What?" He uttered and stared at the latter with a bemused look on his face. "Uhh it's nothing." Gyuvin replied, nervously. Although the blonde had no idea what was happening, he decided to just trust the latter and walk ahead.
They soon arrived at the café Gyuvin was talking about and oh well.
"We're here!" The younger cheered and without giving Ricky any chance to speak, he entered the shop, practically skipping. Ricky quickly followed him, both confused and surprised. He spotted Gyuvin talking happily with the barista, aegyo dripping from his voice.
"Hyung, I've brought a friend today." The kind smile of the barista vanished soon after, being replaced with an agape mouth. "Ricky?" He exclaimed, a little bit stunned.
"Sup, Hanbin hyung." The blonde said, smiling a bit.
"Wait– you know each other?" Gyuvin asked, frantically looking back and fourth at them.
"That's my cousin's boyfriend." Ricky confirmed.
Gyuvin gasped dramatically. The world seemed such a small place to him at that moment. No way his high school senior, Hanbin was Ricky's cousin's boyfriend. "You never told me Hao hyung is Ricky's cousin?" He asked, this time directing the question to the eldest.
But before he could get an answer, Gyuvin asked again, "Wait that means we both get free drinks, right?" Ricky quickly protested at that, saying they shouldn't get free treats all the time. He managed to convince Gyuvin about actually buying the drinks. But of course Hanbin just treated them with free drinks.
In the end, they bid their goodbyes with the said barista and actually headed to where Gyuvin had some 'urgent' thing to do.
The blonde was a little suspicious at how Gyuvin was not telling him what he had to do or where it was. His eyes were squinted when they stood in front of a hiking starting and Gyuvin cheekily grinned at him. "We are here to hike!" He announced, bringing his hands together and clapping like a malfunctioning seal.
"What?" Ricky asked in a high-pitched voice. He hoped it would be just an unforeseen prank or something. He wasn't gonna hike with his broken back. Heck he couldn't even climb up some stairs without gasping for air every second. How was he supposed to climb to the top of a freakin' mountain? Gyuvin was definitely just joking around.
"Yes, hiking. I've been wanting to do this for a long time now and none of my friends want to tag along. So I kinda tricked you into it." Ricky took a deep breath to control his anger. He wanted to punch that stupid grin away from the younger's face but he restrained himself.
He calmly composed himself and said, "Well, I'm out. Good luck, buddy."
Gyuvin obviously didn't let him go that easily. He whined at first and it didn't work. He switched to saying how much it meant for him to hike with his newly made friend, which Ricky corrected that they weren't. His last resort was reasoning how Ricky got out of his abode and not hiking would just be a waste of his energy. He also mentioned the fact that if Hanbin wasn't his cousin's boyfriend, Gyuvin would've bought him the smoothie.
"You know what? Let's just go." Gyuvin did his little jump cheers when the elder finally gave in.
They started off strong with Gyuvin leading the way. It was just stairs but after like ten minutes, Ricky started getting slow. His back hurt a little when they were seventeen minutes into this whole climbing thing. He stopped a little after every few steps and panted. His breathing got unstable, resulting him to heave for more air.
Although he was basically clutching onto Gyuvin's arm for support, it just wasn't enough. He was clearly tired and they still had a few more stairs to climb in order to reach the very top.
"Ricky, we don't have to climb anymore if you can't." The taller boy assured. Ricky shook his head in denial. "I can and we already got so close." Even when he spoke, his voice trembled a little.
Gyuvin stopped in his tracks and the latter threw him a perplexed look. He bent his knees and scooted infront of the blonde. "What are you doing?" Ricky asked.
"Just hop on. I can carry you the remaining path."
Ricky didn't agree. He explained why he should not drain Gyuvin's energy anymore. "It's okay, really. I'm not tired and I want to see the sunset with you." The brunette confessed. Ricky immediately went silent. It was just a simple sentence but he felt like he was someone prominent and important in Gyuvin's life. He wanted to do something with Ricky and that alone made him feel so included in something.
So, without complaining anymore, he got on Gyuvin's back. He cautiously wrapped his arms around the latter's neck. It was a little awkward for them at first but they got over it when Gyuvin squealed, seeing the top at a reasonable distance.
"We're so close!" He cheered and surprisingly his speed increased.
"You can put me down now." Ricky tried to convince but the latter but he didn't agree. He liked carrying the elder, he wasn't too heavy and Gyuvin was warm at their skin contact.
They reached the top and Ricky finally got down from Gyuvin's back. He immediately longed for the body warmth again. He wasn't cold, he just liked it. Gyuvin's scent was homely and it somehow made him feel safe. He wished the touch could linger a little longer but the cool wind soon replaced the fuzzy feeling. That wasn't bad either ; Gyuvin's natural brown hair got a little messy and honestly Ricky found him so beautiful. Like there was just something in the younger, something so genuine.
"Ricky! The sky is turning orange!" Gyuvin's words diverted his attention towards the main attraction of that time, the sunset and sky.
The chilly weather made both of them subconsciously move closer to each other with their eyes focused on the iridescent sky. There was this silky collision of different colors. Orange, pink, purple hues were prominent but mixed, creating a magnificent symphony of the shades.
Ricky took a peek at the boy beside him. Gyuvin looked the prettiest at that time. Sparkly eyes, disheveled hair, exposed forehead, agape mouth and a stunning smile— all blooming at their finest beauty. He left squeaky giggles as the sun was almost setting down. He turned his head around to point it out to Ricky and their eyes met.
His smile didn't disappear any bit, instead he uttered, "I always want you to know that no matter what you do, whether you do well or not, I'm proud of you." He continued, "This probably means nothing to you but I forever want to remember this colorful moment with you, Ricky."
The blonde blinked softly once and didn't think twice to engulf the other in a proper hug.
Ricky wrapped his arms around Gyuvin's shoulder and squeezed in his body as much as possible. Gyuvin, despite being surprised, returned the gestured and hugged the latter's waist. He could feel the elder breath in and out calmy.
"Thank you so much, Gyuvin." He spoke, not breaking the hug.
"I'll always be there for you. You're not alone and you'll never be." Gyuvin didn't know but those words brought out the smile Ricky lost years back.
They stayed like that for a little more before breaking apart from the comforting embrace.
"Seriously thank you. You made me so happy today." The brunette showed a cheeky smile before proposing that they should be get going.
"Gyuvin." Ricky called out and the latter hummed.
"I was wondering if we could hang out next weekend too. I really want to repay you with some happiness, if not the same I felt today." He offered shyly, mumbling the entire sentence and acting as if his fingernail were the most interesting thing in the world.
"You don't have to repay me for today in any way. I wanted to bring you here myself." Gyuvin answered, taking a step forward. He took hold of Ricky's pretty hands and squeezed on them lightly with his own ones. He showed an assuring smile and before he could let go, Ricky quickly held them tight. "Then.."
"How about we hang out as friends?" His nervous gaze melted Gyuvin. He chuckled lightheartedly and nodded.
"For sure."
And that night, after getting home, Gyuvin felt content. Because he not only made Ricky smile, he also made a friend that evening, a very very precious friend.
2k words
okay they are finally making some progress y'all ! And i'm finally invested in writing the next chapters too :D