BO-YOUNG
I sit next to Jungkook in the dark playground, contently eating a sandwich and looking up at the clouds. They're darker than what I'm used to and much denser than they have recently been. Despite this, sometimes there is a small break in the thick veil of clouds revealing the dusk sky.
Suddenly, the street lights turn on, startling me. My ears spring up, much like they did when Jungkook and I first ran into each other.
Jungkook seems caught off guard by my startled movement but soon starts laughing, me joining him in laughter.
"You know, if those lights hadn't turned on and caused your ears to jump up like that when we first met, I might not have met you," he tells me, his voice trailing out of laughter into light chuckles.
"You'll never know the panic I felt then. In retrospect, it was the best thing that's ever happened to me, but at the time, I was mortified," I tell him, my words laced with the remnants of my laughter. "I would either be dead on the streets or still living in alleyways, convincing myself that my misery is happiness."
"Or maybe you would have bumped into someone else," he suggests.
I look at him.
"The world isn't that kind to hybrids, Jungkook. Most people would spare me a pitying glance, at most offering me food or water. You're an anomaly," I say.
He says nothing to this, his lips only pursing as he looks at me with both fondness and a lingering glint of sadness – a pity for what could have been. I place my hand onto his hand, grabbing it and lacing our fingers together.
"Don't look at me like that. We're here now, and everything worked out," I tell Jungkook, diverting my gaze from him back to the sky. I hear Jungkook sigh before leaning back to look at the sky, our hands remaining laced together resting on the soft quilt.
I enjoy the moment of solemn tranquility between us, the silence being occupied by the whistle of the wind. The cold doesn't seem to affect either of us as we sit and stare at the sky. I sigh in contentment.
After a few minutes of enjoying the moment, Jungkook sits up and refills out cups with hot chocolate and rum. I take a sip, the now-familiar warmth of the alcohol lingering in my throat as it warms me back up. I help Jungkook pack up the figuratively-cheesy-picnic-food, filling the wicker basket back up with the empty containers.
Jungkook stands up when he suddenly stops and reaches his hand up into the air. Against the darkness of the playground, I see small snowflakes glide down from the dark clouds above. First, it's just a few, but soon more snow starts to gracefully make its way down, harmlessly falling to the quilt under us and melting.
I stand up too, turning to look at Jungkook.
Half of his face is lit by the warm glow of the streetlight, specks of pure white snow landing in his tousled hair as we sit in the light snowfall, a familiar smile gracing his face.
"Jungkook?" I ask hesitantly. He looks at me. It's silent for a few more seconds as he patiently waits for me to continue.
"Remember when you confessed to me?" I say. He hums a yes. "And I told you I couldn't because I wasn't ready – because of the power dynamic."
He nods, looking slightly downtrodden by the memory despite the small smile on his face.
"Well, I think I'm ready now. I like you, and I shouldn't let my insecurity get in the way of that. I'm ready now." I look down, embarrassed by the words leaving my mouth – embarrassed by the vulnerability I'm showing. With Jungkook, though, I'm comfortable. With Jungkook, I can be vulnerable.
He takes my cold hands in his, taking a step closer. He's right in front of me, a fond smile on his lips. I look up to meet his eyes again, sure that my cheeks are red from blushing. He leans in, his lips pressing against my forehead before he pulls me into his arms, holding my cold body against his.
"Let's go home, you're freezing," he says, his voice quiet and so very fond.