"So, let me get this straight," Vernon says, a small frown plastered between his eyebrows. "You brought me all the way to the park so I could show you what you've dubbed as incredible skateboarding skills?"
Daehyun has a stubborn look on her face, one she uses to get out of doing Friday night dishes after her roommate's house parties and demanding the remote on Sunday mornings. Well, Sunday mornings BV (Before Vernon). Now she has her Sunday mornings cut out for physics, as crazy as the idea seems.
"Once upon a time, a long time ago, you told me you could skate in passing like it's the most natural thing in the world," she says. Vernon looks uncertain, leaning her old sticker-covered skateboard against his leg as she looks up at him with an unmoving adamance. It's like talking to a brick wall, except if the brick wall had personality. "But you never showed me your moves."
He cringes at her casual use of the word 'moves', having heard Joshua use the word in a much different context multiple times, many of which were part of conversations revolving around her. "It's been a long time since I skated."
"You never really forget," she says promisingly, with the air of a wise old white man. Gandalf, perhaps. "And you know all the air dynamic science crap. You should know how to work it just as well."
He sighs heavily, awkwardly picking at the hem of the singlet top under his bomber jacket. Well, her bomber jacket, because apparently, he had looked cold when she'd picked him up from the flat. "I don't know," he says dubiously, sliding his thumb over the glossy surface of a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sticker on the board. "I could trip and fall, maybe even sprain myself."
"Eh, like it matters," Daehyun says airily, spreading her arms along the top of the stone bench's back. It's the first time she's let her hair down in a long time (mainly owing to the fact that she broke the rubber band trying to stretch it too much) and there's a nice, cool breeze going in the park. She grins up at him, and his confidence in his ability to say no falters. "Even if you do sprain yourself, big deal. It's not like you're going anywhere."
"I'm touched to see you care so much about me," he speaks with a small pout, looking away as if afraid to be blinded by the glory of the grin she's directed at him. It feels like an attack—like she knows exactly what effect she has on him, and is not afraid to use it. But that couldn't be, could it? "Why are you so intent on this anyway?"
She shrugs exaggeratedly. "The sun is out, we're young, you're wearing something other than those flannel shirts for once," she says. "You don't go out often enough. Your skin needs that vitamin D, or whatever that is."
His eyebrow twitches. "You weren't too happy about me wearing 'something other than those flannel shirts'," he says, narrowing his eyes. On second thought, he doesn't look like he's cold. The bomber jacket seems excessive, and it's barely October. "Something about gentlemen shouldn't show too much skin?"
She throws a piece of lint at him. "That was a joke and you know it."
"Do I?"
Daehyun scowls. Another piece of lint appears in her hand, and she catapults it towards him. "You're so annoying."
That makes him smile. He shakes his head, dropping the board to the ground, and puts his foot on it, sliding it experimentally. It feels natural enough, but it's been years since he stepped on a skateboard with the intention to skate. And besides, he's the one who fixed this particular one. The knowledge doesn't work to reassure him.
Vernon glances up, looking around him cautiously for any bystanders who could see his future embarrassing fails. There don't seem to be many people except for a few joggers, who probably care about more than a kid with a skateboard being peer-pressured into doing a kickflip. Other than that, the field seems clear.
He glances at Daehyun again, and finds her still looking back at him expectantly. The t-shirt she's wearing isn't loose for once, and creases in all the right places, the navy blue complimenting her sun-kissed skin perfectly. Except for that little scar on her lower lip, she could be Aphrodite for all he knew. Okay, scratch that. Scar included.
The sun is out, they're young, and he's wearing something other than a flannel shirt for once. And her hair is down for once. And her t-shirt is a perfect fit for once.
"Okay," he finally concedes.
Immediately an even wider grin breaks out over her face. "Great!" she exclaims, bringing her hands together in an excited clap. "So what are you gonna do first? An ollie? A powerslide? That three-sixty degree flip thingy trick I still don't know the name of?"
"Woah, woah, slow down, McQueen," he mumbles, but can't stop the small smile from gracing his features. Her excitement is infectious, and he can't help but look forward to trying it out again a little bit. "Nothing big like that. I'm just gonna start out slow and we'll work up from there, all right?"
"And then you can teach me your ways," she finishes, and flashes him a double thumbs-up. "Go team!"
He shakes his head with a small smile, and toes the skateboard onto the boardwalk before kicking himself onto it. The skateboard seems to slip out from under his feet at first, and his heart jackrabbits in his chest before the sudden slip turns into a slow cruise. Vernon steadies himself, experimenting with the motion for a few times as his confidence grows with the passing seconds.
"Hey, it's working!" he calls out, and hears Daehyun whoop from behind him. He drags his sole slightly against the road, skidding to a stop, and turns around.
Daehyun's standing now, watching his progress with a smile so wide it's as if she's the one riding instead of him. The bomber jacket suddenly feels a bit warmer as the breeze speeds up, picking up a few strands of her hair and settling them against her shoulders.
The surge of confidence that comes right after is his first big mistake.
Vernon kicks the board to a one-eighty with his foot, and cruises down the boardwalk again, this time towards her. All his promises to Joshua about not caring or making a move go out the window, and he bends his knees slightly, preparing to do a little kickflip.
But instead of looking forward like they're supposed to, his eyes glace sideways to look at Daehyun as he crosses her, and the gleam in her eyes is all it takes to dissolve the rest of his timidity. Instead of focusing on the little bend in the road, his thoughts turn to the fruits of his exploit.
Second big mistake.
Just as he reaches her, Vernon kicks up. It all works great up until then—the board flips exactly like he's supposed to, his feet positioned just above like they're supposed to, the unzipped bomber jacket flapping upwards and making him look cooler than he is (but not as cool as he feels) like it's supposed to. Then it all goes wrong.
His feet connect back with the board, but the board does not connect with the solid, steady boardwalk like it's supposed to. Being unused to the jarring sensation that comes after a kickflip, Vernon only realizes something is very, very wrong at the last moment, and by then it's too late.
The wheels at once side skitter over the edge of the elevated concrete, and the board flips under his feet like the wind gods have decided to haul him over. Vernon yelps, his feet skimming the edge of the board before slipping off completely. The board's motion comes to an abrupt halt, and he trips (quite literally) over his own feet, falling to the ground like a knocked-over tower of Lego pieces, except not half as put-together. His elbow skims the concrete protecting his head from the hit, and though the sleeve of the jacket prevents most of the bad stuff, a searing heat goes up his skin.
"Oh, crap," Daehyun cries out in alarm, and is by his side in moments. Vernon stays on the ground, wide-eyed and confused, too shaken to even register what happened. She's much stronger than she looks, and hooks her hands under his arms and hoists him up. Vernon tries to stand up, but a flare of pain goes up his left foot like someone's jammed a hot rod up his heel, and hisses in pain, leaning heavily against her for support.
"I think I sprained my ankle," he says in a small voice.
"What happened to starting out slow?" she asks, but there is no accusation in her tone, only concern. She supports him as he walks (read: is dragged) to the bench, and sets him down heavily on the red stone before seating herself.
"I read about first aid in sixth grade, but I don't remember what you're supposed to do for a sprained ankle," he says, looking at his foot worriedly. It looks fine, but trying to twist it slightly sends up a flare of pain along his foot. It doesn't hurt too much, but he's not accustomed to any kind of pain.
"Just stay put," Daehyun advises, brow furrowed in worry as she fishes out the device from her pocket. "I'm going to call Joshua."
"For this?" he asks, frowning indignantly.
"Well, what else do you want me to do?" she fires back, and he falls into a brooding silence. He knows she just sounds angry because she's concerned and frustrated because of her inability to help, which is visible from the way her knee bounces impatiently under her hand. "I don't know first aid either."
He screws up his face, trying to look angry to hide the embarrassed flush that spreads across his cheeks at the thought of her being concerned—and because of tripping himself up in the first place. "You could kiss it better," he mumbles unthinkingly.
"What?"
"Nothing," he mutters, turning his face up and away from hers as she makes the call. He can't really hear anything over the phone, but he swears someone laughs at the other end. Well, nothing he can do about it.
Even when the call finally ends, they're left sitting in silence. Vernon picks at the now-frayed material at the elbow of the jacket, unsure what to say.
"I'm sorry for forcing you to skate," Daehyun says at length, her head hanging. Her elbows are propped up against her parted knees, hands clasped together tightly. "If I'd been a little more patient, you wouldn't have gotten hurt."
He blinks at her in surprise. "It wasn't your fault," he says a little more warmly, closing his fingers into a fist. "I got braver than I should've."
She laughs at that, and he smiles softly. Daehyun leans back, hugging her elbows. Seeing this, Vernon shrugs the jacket off and holds it out to her. She glances at his outstretched hand and then him, shaking her head and pushing it back towards him. "You're cold."
"You're colder," Vernon counters, proffering the jacket. The cool breeze feels almost pleasant against his bare skin and shoulders, soothing the skid burn on his elbow. "And besides, it already served its purpose protecting me during the fall."
One corner of her lifts at that, and she takes the jacket. "It did, didn't it?" she says, as if she'd always known the jacket's destiny as his fated protector. "You looked like a kitty cat when you fell," she continues, making him groan. "I swear I could almost see your tail."
"That again," he says with a good-natured roll of his eyes. "I'm not your kitty."
"Aren't you?" she asks, ruffling his hair fondly. The gesture makes his heart do a gymnastics routine.
"I'm not," he says decidedly, not really meaning it.
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this early update is brought to you by:
1. vernon's singlet top (and biceps) in the left and right inkigayo performance
2. left and right first win
3. this picture:
please adopt a kitty hansol i beg thee