Jongin likes to ask questions.

"What are you looking at?"

"When does school start for you this year?"

"Why does ice cream taste so good?"

Kyungsoo likes having answers.

"The scenery."

"Late August."

"It just does."

Jongin doesn't always like his answers.

"But there's nothing here but old cars and vandalized buildings."

"You start before I do."

"That's not a good explanation."

Kyungsoo never bothers arguing though.

"Tough, then."

Ideally, they shouldn't work. They shouldn't meet, shouldn't talk, shouldn't eat ice cream together outside of an old ice cream shop, the seats made of plastic and the heat of the summer sun beating down on them. They shouldn't even know each other.

But Jongin never liked rules and Kyungsoo was sick of expectations the summer they met, young but not too young, restless yet also too listless to do anything but sit beside each other with their pink cups filled with ice cream.

"I'm Jongin."

"Kyungsoo."

Many would argue that that was a nice place to stop - appropriate for acquaintances. But formalities made Kyungsoo uncomfortable, and Jongin didn't care for them, so they threw the arguments out the window as Jongin scoot in closer towards the shade and looked into Kyungsoo's cup.

"Vanilla. How boring."

Kyungsoo hesitated in replying at first, but upon noticing the small grin on the younger's tanner face, he let himself relax a little. "Chocolate's not exactly wild, either," he finally said, and he liked the way the other's lips quirked at that.

"Better than vanilla."

And somehow they got into a fight over ice cream flavors, then they moved onto condiments. Kyungsoo argued that ice cream was fine as is without the additional sweets, and Jongin only chuckled, finding that "a typical answer from a boring guy" because sprinkles were apparently the epitome of "the wild side".

The next day, Kyungsoo had sprinkles on his ice cream - albeit they were pushed to the side by the time Jongin arrived - and Jongin laughed before taking the sprinkles and scooping them into his own cup, disregarding sanitary rules and whatnot.

Kyungsoo hated it, but at least there were no more sprinkles.

No more sprinkles, and a lot more of Jongin.

They meet every summer outside of that ice cream shop. Sometimes, Kyungsoo is there first, sitting at the only table available and slowly eating away at the content of the cup. Other times, Jongin arrives early, leaning against the wall in the shade while trying his best to slow down his eating so he could wait for the older.

They learn a lot about each other during the days of summer.

Their first summer together, they learned the basics.

"How old are you?"

"Sixteen."

"Oh. I'm fifteen."

"Hah, you should respect me more now."

"As if that'll ever happen."

"Do you live nearby?"

"No, but I take classes at the building down the street."

"All summer?"

"Just for June and July."

"Then why are you here? It's August 4th."

"Obviously for you."

"... I see..."

The basics are that Kyungsoo is older but Jongin is ier, that Kyungsoo is a singer and Jongin is a dancer, that Kyungsoo is a neat-freak and Jongin is a slob, that Kyungsoo likes vanilla ice cream and Jongin likes chocolate ice cream, and a lot of other things. But the simplest fact is the reason they stick around: that Kyungsoo interests Jongin and that Jongin thrills Kyungsoo.



 

Their second summer together, they dug deeper.

Jongin revealed his soft side by accident as he pays for a kid who didn't have enough money to buy his ice cream.

Kyungsoo revealed his darker side when a girl whose chest was larger than her brain approaches their table and tries to drag an unwilling Jongin with her, leading to Jongin hearing Kyungsoo snap for the very first time.

Little by little, parts that weren't very 'basic' but much more meaningful were discovered. Jongin learned the song Kyungsoo hums under his breath, and Kyungsoo realized why Jongin never talks about his family.

As they dig deeper, they let each other relax as well. Jongin's questions became (if possible) increasingly ridiculous, as he knows Kyungsoo will answer them all anyway.

("Do you think polar bears like ice cream?"

Kyungsoo shot a glare at him. "No, they like fish," he answered, rolling his eyes.

"Don't they like Coke? I mean, their commercials have polar bears."

"Fish," Kyungsoo deadpanned.

"What about -"

"Please shut up, Jongin.")

That summer, it was harder to separate than the last. Their bond was stronger with their new knowledge of each other, their weaknesses and strengths, their secrets and so on.

"School's tomorrow."

Jongin didn't look up from his empty cup. He only nodded once in understanding.

"Aw, come on, Jongin," Kyungsoo said, his voice soft as he leans over to poke Jongin's shoulder. "We have next summer. We'll have more things to talk about."

Jongin looked up, smiling a bit. "And maybe you'll have a girlfriend?" he teased, causing Kyungsoo to fall back, red and spluttering. "I'm joking!"

Kyungsoo glared. "That's not funny."

"It'll obviously be a boyfriend," he continued, a big grin spreading across his face as a flush carried up Kyungsoo's neck. But Kyungsoo didn't say anything; he only got up and threw away his cup before storming off. Jongin chuckled as he hurriedly followed.

"Hey! Hey! Kyungsoo, wait up! Man, how do you walk so fast with your short legs," Jongin said, panting as he jogged up to the older's side, whose arms were crossed and eyebrows furrowed.

Kyungsoo wasn't waiting for an apology; that wasn't very Jongin-like. But he was waiting for something, and he wasn't exactly sure what that was. Whatever it was, it made Kyungsoo shaky with anxiety.

"I'll miss you," Jongin finally said, putting a hand on the shorter's shoulder. "Take care, okay?"

That wasn't what Kyungsoo was waiting for, but he still smiled weakly. "I'll see you next summer. Don't be late." And then he was off walking downtown as Jongin walked the other way, off towards the bus stop, back to home and school and - worst of all - not Kyungsoo.


 

During the school year, Jongin brought vanilla pudding for lunch everyday until it made him sick.

And Kyungsoo bought a chocolate bar from the vending machine after school before he made his way home.
 

This is their third summer together. It's odd, thinking they've only known each other for three seasons, each time separated by a year of school and work. And yet, when they meet, they know that it's time to relax and enjoy their time, enjoy each other.

This summer, they take chances.

Jongin grabs Kyungsoo's hand without warning.

Kyungsoo leans into Jongin unconsciously.

Jongin brings a Pororo doll to tease Kyungsoo with, but he's blushing when the older takes it and smiles brightly in thanks.

Kyungsoo sings to Jongin for the first time on a lazy evening and Jongin thinks he can dance all day to just his voice.

And their words mean more than they used to.

("You're cute."

Kyungsoo flushes, averting his gaze to his leftover, melted ice cream. "Stop that," he mumbles.

"Stop what?" Jongin grins, enjoying the way he can easily fluster the older with simple words.

"Stop joking around like that. It's not funny," he grumbles, trying not to focus on the intensity of Jongin's gaze.

"But I'm not joking.")

Still, there's an unspoken, foreboding mood that settles at the beginning of August. They ignore it at first, their ice cream and conversations much better topics to talk about.

But then the day comes when Jongin has a question and Kyungsoo doesn't have an answer.

"When will you be back?"

"… I don't know, Jongin."

And Jongin wants to beg him to answer, beg him to say 'soon' or maybe even 'I'll never leave.' He wants a definite answer more than anything now, because this is Kyungsoo, the biggest question of his life.

Cars pass, time flies, and soon Kyungsoo is standing up to throw away his cup. Jongin watches quietly before following. They walk a little, stopping in the parking lot when Jongin grabs the older's hand and whispers, "Come back soon."

Their faces are close, and Kyungsoo's breathing is uneven. Jongin's eyes dart to from his eyes to his lips over and over, and he's leaning in when a truck drives by and the sound startles both of them apart.

Kyungsoo chuckles nervously while Jongin smiles weakly, pushing his hair back. Kyungsoo leaves with a quiet goodbye, and Jongin watches him go. It's suddenly cold despite the warm breeze.



 

Kyungsoo grows up, but Jongin doesn't. Kyungsoo goes to school far away while Jongin graduates and attends a nearby arts school. He drives by the ice cream shop everyday, but he never goes in.

During the summer, he returns though. Jongin orders ice cream and sits down in the front, his eyes scanning for a familiar face that never shows up. Day after day, he eats less and less ice cream.

But he never stops showing up.

Two years pass without Kyungsoo.

 

It's a mid-June day and Jongin has finished half of his ice cream. He doesn't seem like he's about to eat anymore, and he gets up to throw away his cup when he bumps into someone.

"K-Kyungsoo," he stammers, his eyes wide with surprise and something more.

Said man doesn't answer. He looks down at his cup, at the chocolate ice cream still leftover, and before either of them can say anymore, lips are on lips.

"You taste like vanilla," are the first words Jongin hears from him for two years, and he's never loved hearing a voice this much.

"I -" Jongin can't even speak, can't really think when Kyungsoo is there, warm and sticky from the summer heat but there.

Somewhere between Jongin's blabbering and Kyungsoo's soft laughter is the explanation behind the vanilla. Jongin, who hates vanilla, ordered it everyday after Kyungsoo stopped showing up. Maybe Jongin wanted to remember Kyungsoo, or maybe he wanted to keep him alive. Or maybe it's all of that and much more.

The answer is lost between kisses and ice cream.




 

Jongin likes to ask questions.

"Why didn't you come back?"

"Do I kiss well?"

"Did you miss me?"

"Do you love me?"

Kyungsoo likes to have answers.

"I was taking summer classes so I could graduate earlier… and come back to you faster, for good."

"Well..."

"What do you think?"

"If I didn't, I wouldn't have taken those classes."

Sometimes Jongin doesn't like his answers.

"You could've taken them here."

"Hey!"

"I don't know what I think, so why don't you tell me?"

"Do. You. Love. Me."

But Kyungsoo doesn't care enough to answer anymore, because he's pressing sweet pecks on Jongin's tan skin (each of them saying, "I. Love. You. So. Much."), and that's enough to answer all of the questions.

And as for me?

Well, I have all of the answers.


 

"Hey, Mr. Lee, do you think chocolate or vanilla is better?"

I smile. "Personally, I think they're best combined."

a/n: I spent the longest time contemplating whether or not to add that last part with the POV being the ice cream shop's owner, but I decided it'd be cute so I did it anyway lol He's like a magical, all-knowing shop owner. (and uh that's why I didn't describe the kiss because how awkward would it be if the shop owner knew how the kiss was. super duper awkward, that's what.