lying on the grass like this, chanyeol finds kyungsoon incredibly beautiful, her long hair fanned out against the foliage. her blunt bangs lie right below her eyebrows, and her eyes are bright and wide as they stare up at the sky. chanyeol can almost see the rosy tinge on her cheeks beneath the dim lighting of the crescent moon; a light breeze causes her to shudder.

chanyeol wishes he had a jacket to offer her, but instead, they shiver together, a light summer breeze too cool for nightwear.

he remembers receiving a text that said, come over, and walking into kyungsoon’s backyard. seeing her sitting there already, clad in her nightgown and face bare from any cosmetics, he was stunned. her knees were pressed up against her chest and she only noticed his presence when he asked (shouted), “are you crazy? it’s freezing out here!”

she had shushed him and patted the empty area next to her.

now, chanyeol is lying down next to her. he feels dandelions sprout beneath him. florets are dancing in the air, following the breeze to a silent tune. kyungsoon’s quiet voice seem to sprout with the dandelions when she says, hushed, “they look really pretty tonight, don’t they?”

chanyeol doesn’t say anything, just swallows.

“i feel bad for them,” she continues. her eyes are no longer fixated on the sky, which is orange with the reflection of city lights. her vision seems to be guided by the floating florets, flittering about with less care in the world than any human has. “every night, they dance, but no one comes out to watch them. they just stay inside and sleep. they shut their windows and read a book. watch tv. but no one comes outside and watches the dandelions. no one comes outside to connect the stars.”

her voice remains low. chanyeol wonders what she’s afraid of disturbing, the flowers or the neighborhood. he’s quiet as she continues to speak, “it’s not fair, either. they look so pretty, and everyone calls them weeds. everyone just stomps them out when they see them on their lawns. everyone hates them because, what, they give them allergies?”

she scoffs.

chanyeol smiles softly and speaks, finally, “you’re too kind to the flowers and not kind enough to people.”

“shhh,” kyungsoon brings her fingers to chanyeol’s cheek, tips of her index, middle, and ring brushing delicately against his skin. “you’ll wake them up with that deep voice of yours. they’re shy.”

chanyeol isn’t sure what she’s talking about, but he takes it in stride and shushes, scooting closer to kyungsoon and watching the ballet the dandelions perform for them.