Three years had passed and Namsoon could still taste that sweet flavor on his lips every time his eyes meet with Heungsoo.

Just once had they crossed that thin line that lay between being lovers and being in the relationship the two of them normally had - more than friends, but not enough to be a couple.

"It's getting hot," he heard Heungsoo say quietly. Heungsoo's head rested on his arm and his face was hidden from the sun that shone into their classroom. "Too hot."

Drops of sweat were making their way down on Heungsoo's forehead - the only visible part of his face. Eyes focusing on the wet spot on Heungsoo's shirt between his best friend's scapulae, he thought why not take your shirt off then? But he didn't say it out loud.

Heungsoo was right. It was getting hot.

"Did you already talk to Jungho?" Heungsoo quickly asked, after Teacher Kang had already entered the classroom and told them to open their books.
 

Leaning a bit towards his best friend and watching the front, hoping not to get noticed, he asked back, "About what?"

"Haeundae. Is he coming or not?"

"Ah, no, he can't. Said he's busy, but I think he just doesn't want to go with us," Namsoon smiled when he remembered the conversation he had with Jungho the day before. Go on a trip with you and Heungsoo? And watch the two of you gaying around and inconspicuously touching each other all the time? No, thanks.

Well, understandable.

"That punk should take a ing break for once. Since he left school, he has done nothing but work all day and nigh- Ya, who the fuc-," Heungsoo said loudly after being hit by something hard on the head. But he shut up quickly after seeing Teacher Kang standing in front of his desk and smiling down at him.

"I know that the two of you have a looot to say to each other, but why don't you wait until my class is over? Or would you like to continue? Guess, you want me to give you private lessons after school? Transcribe another 100 pages?" he spoke to Heungsoo and Namsoon, who both immediately answered, "No, we're sorrry!" which caused the class to break into soft giggles. "Then shut up now!"

As Teacher Kang made his way back to the chalkboard, the two of them looked at each other - Namsoon mouthing let's talk about it later and Heungsoo nodding.

**

"Seriously, I could just emigrate because of our ing hot summer. I really can't stand the heat." Heungsoo was leaning against the wall, standing in the small part that was covered by the shadow of the building nearby. He was fanning his chest and face with a notebook he must have taken on the way down to the school yard and holding his shirt away from his body with his other hand, exposing some skin.

Namsoon watched him quietly – again. Yes, it has been getting hotter these days, but that wasn't caused by the sun. At least not for him. Still he didn't say anything and just leaned against the wall next to his friend, leaving a few inches of space between them.

"Yikyung and Jihoon aren't coming either. They'll be working. They got a good-paying summer job," Namsoon explained after a while.

"Guess it'll be just the two of us then," Heungsoo looked at Namsoon meaningfully, but he was probably just imagining it.

Namsoon smiled cutely at his best friend who stopped fanning for a while and just stared back at him.

"Ya," he said mouth slightly apart. "Buy me some bread."

"Huh? Why would I, all of a sudden?" Namsoon asked, punching Heungsoo lightly on the shoulder making him stumble to the right. "Didn't you just eat three of them?"

"I'm a big guy."

"And I'm not?" Namsoon looked at Heungsoo, both of them smiling at each other and Heungsoo already knowing what was going to come. "Alright then, but only two!" Namsoon conceded.

Satisfied with himself, Heungsoo followed his best friend back into the building to the snack shop.
 

"And some milk."

"Ya! I'm not your sugar-daddy. Buy the milk yourself." Namsoon ed but he paid for it anyway. He passed them to Heungsoo and pressed his lips together smiling.

"You know that I love you, right?" Heungsoo said, sounding so innocent that Namsoon thought for a second that Heungsoo actually meant it the way he always did when he told him those words.

"Of course," he answered lightly, hiding his inner thoughts and got nearly tackled down by the long and heavy arm Heungsoo slung on his shoulders.

They sat down right next to the air conditioner and made space for a few other students, who, just like Heungsoo, seemed to be having a summer-phobia.

"It's gonna be great with just the two of us," Heungsoo suddenly started and threw his empty milk box into the trash bin, smiling happily when it went right in. "It's been a while, you know, since the two of us have had that much time for each other."

Namsoon had no idea how to take that statement, out of the blue. On one hand, he was sure that he was again just interpreting this the way he wanted to, and that is Heungsoo actually referring to the two of them finally having time to be alone and... do stuff. On the other hand, Namsoon wasn't sure if those thoughts were really exaggerated. They had had something going on before, after all, and at that time it hadn't been just him wanting it. Heungsoo had seemed to be just as much into him as he had been into Heungsoo, but...

How would he know for sure what was actually going on inside that head of his best friend?

"I'm kinda glad the guys already have other plans. I'm kinda sick of them, always sticking around. They even sleep over at your place all the time now."

"Well, they seem to like us."

"You should just kick them out." Heungsoo sounded mean, but Namsoon knew that he didn't really mean it like that. After all, he had been the one to introduce his place as an available hangout-spot in the first place.

"You like them as well."

"I do, but when was the last time we had some time alone? It's been ages."

"We see each other every day, nearly 24/7, Heungsoo. I don't think it is even possible to see each other more than we do."

"You know what I mean, you punk," Heungsoo got a bit louder, finding his opinion very easy to understand and not getting why Namsoon wasn't approving, "it's different when it's just the two of us."

Again that meaningful look and Namsoon was questioning his best friend's statement. What did Heungsoo mean?

Their eyes locked for a long time - longer than normal - and all of a sudden Namsoon didn't feel that insecure anymore about those thoughts he had been having for months. Trying to guess where their relationship was going and if the two of them would ever cross that line again.

For once, Namsoon was sure that Heungsoo actually meant it the way he wanted it to mean.

"Yes, I know," he said.

Their eyes interacting with each other were interrupted by someone walking into Namsoon from the side and him having to hold on to Heungsoo's arm so he wouldn't fall.

"Sorry," the person said, someone a year younger, and disappeared again without being forgiven.

"That punk," Namsoon looked at the departing figure and let go of Heungsoo. "Let's go back to the classroom," he said without failing to notice that Heungsoo was still looking at him that way.

"Before that..." Heungsoo said and came a bit closer, Namsoon being shocked as , all of a sudden. "Buy me some melon ice cream, will you?"
 

"Ya!"

"Come on, it's hot," Heungsoo said in his defense and Namsoon sighed.

Yes.. it was hot.

**

Their last day of school before the summer holidays had arrived. Namsoon was busy being hugged and saying goodbye to his friends, while Heungsoo waited for him at the door, both of their bags already slung over his shoulders.

"Guys, Heungsoo is waiting. It's not like we won't see each other during the holidays. I'm only gone for a week," he tried to calm them down without any success. In the end, he even got scolded for being to cold.

"Seriously, I'm leaving!" Heungsoo's annoyed voice sounded from the other side of the room when Namsoon was finally able to free himself.
 

"See you soon," he said as he waved to his friends one last time before joining Heungsoo.

"Sorry, I'll buy you some ice cream, okay?" Namsoon grasped his bag and put his hands together, begging in front of Heungsoo and smiling when his friend finally gave in.

"Get me the most expensive one."



Finally with ice cream in their hands and every worry off of their shoulders, they sat down on a bench not far away from Namsoon's house.

"My dad'll come home today."

"What?" Heungsoo stopped his ice cream at once and looked at his friend in shock. "No way! Why didn't you tell me? I was gonna sleep over."
 

"Heh, you can still sleep over. My dad likes you, did you forget that? He was happy when I told him that I would bring you after school." Namsoon smiled at the thought.

It would be like old times. His father hadn't been around much because of his job, but every time he came home, he would buy three portions of the most expensive meat and a few bottles of soju, letting them drink, even though they were still underage.

"Well, I had something else planned for today, but I guess I'll still stay then. I haven't seen your dad in a long time either." Heungsoo sounded kinda disappointed at first, but smiled, obviously thinking about how delicious today's dinner was going to be.

"Something else?" Namsoon asked curiously and flipped the empty popsicle stick over his shoulders into the bushes.

"Well... guess."

Namsoon was eyeing Heungsoo inquiringly when his friend finished his ice cream as well and looked back at him seeming even more confused than him.

"...Namsoon?"

"Yea, I'm thinking. I've no idea. What did you plan?"

"What do you mean you have no idea? Isn't it obvious? I was thinking that the two of us might finally have some time to get things going," Heungsoo didn't even notice how wide Namsoon's eyes had gotten, "but I guess we can wait for that until we're in Haeundae. It's only gonna be another three days, after all."

Heungsoo stood up and grasped his bag again, looking down at Namsoon who was now staring back at him with an opened mouth.

"What?" Heungsoo asked and was trying to figure out what was going on. When Namsoon didn't answer, he had an idea. "Well, not like you, I don't have any problems speaking what's on my mind, Namsoon."

When there was still no reaction from Namsoon, Heungsoo scratched his head and was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable.

Of course, he had noticed the tension between the two of them getting stronger and stronger every day. From the moment he had seen Namsoon again, on the day he had found him being beaten up by Jungho, he had seen it in Namsoon's eyes... that the thing that had happened between them, shortly before losing contact, was still on Namsoon's mind.

Namsoon hadn't forgotten, just like him.

"Listen... I'm not going to pretend anymore," Heungsoo explained and grasped Namsoon's arm to pull him up. "What happened between us... it was real. Not something to just forget and pretend it never happened, and I know that you feel the same way. So I don't see why we have to pretend to be just friends, when we can finally be more."

Namsoon was swallowing hard while hearing those words and finally getting what the looks Heungsoo had been giving him all the time had meant.
 

Just like him, Heungsoo had been waiting for Namsoon to say something about that... to do something, but in the end, he hadn't... so Heungsoo had taken the initiative.

"We're on the same page on that, right?" Heungsoo asked, suddenly feeling a bit insecure. Had Namsoon's feelings changed?

"Yes," Namsoon answered immediately wiping away Heungsoo's worries. "Yes, we are."

Namsoon couldn't help smiling brightly at Heungsoo who was standing in front of him and still holding on to his arm. Heungsoo tried not to show his bliss so he let go and turned to the side a bit.

"Ya, it's seriously way too hot," he said and started walking again, but Namsoon soon caught up with him.

The two of them didn't say anything anymore on the way to Namsoon's home, just kept stealing glances at each other just to see that they were both equally nervous, but happy.

 

When Namsoon opened the door and stepped inside his house, he saw his father's shoes and immediately glanced around.

"Dad, we're home. I brought Heungs-," but before he could finish, his father had already appeared in the hallway, with a huge grin on his face and a spatula in his hand.

His dad hugged Heungsoo. They spent the next few hours talking about random stuff and their future plans while eating meat and drinking soju. After their plates and bottles were empty, the three of them had to lean back because their stomachs had gotten so heavy.

"He's sleeping over, right?" his dad asked and Namsoon nodded. "I'll take the bed, the two of you sleep here. Let's call it a day. Good night, guys!" He made a huge deal out of standing up and walking to his son's room before closing the door behind him. The two boys heard a loud noise, which sounded like Namsoon's father falling on the bed. It was immediately followed by soft snoring sounds indicating that Namsoon's father was fast asleep.

"Just like always, we didn't get much of the soju," Heungsoo complained, but had to laugh at his best friend's father's typical behavior.

"But we got most of the meat."

 

For the next half hour, the two of them just lay on their backs, heads resting on pillows Namsoon had taken out, and stared at the ceiling.

Yes, it was definitely different when the two of them did that alone.

"You tired already?" Heungsoo asked and turned his head to Namsoon, who immediately looked back at him.

"Yes."

"Me too."

They stood up and took out a blanket to sleep on and before Namsoon could take one to cover them as well Heungsoo reminded him of the heat.

"I guess you don't have a shirt for me?" Heungsoo looked down at his school uniform when Namsoon looked at the closed door of his room.

"It would wake him up. Let's sleep like this for today." And without thinking a lot about it, Namsoon took of his shirt, pants and socks and lay down on the blanket, arms crossed behind his head, watching Heungsoo who was for a moment just standing there and looking down at him but followed soon after.

The two of them lay down next to each other and it didn't even take a minute for them to turn around.

While facing each other and silently staring, Heungsoo put out a hand to touch Namsoon's face, but he got stopped in the middle. Namsoon trapped his hand between their heads and entwined their fingers while smiling at him.

"Don't. We won't be able to stop."

"I was just going to kiss you. I can't even do that?"

Namsoon tried to resist the urge of letting his hand go and let Heungsoo do whatever he wanted, but failed. In the end, Heungsoo smiled mischievously as he moved closer to Namsoon and finally touched his cheek lightly with the thumb of his left hand.

"Your skin was softer three years ago."

"Well, excuse me."

"No no, I like it. It's manly," Heungsoo started and his grin slightly vanished. "Kinda hot."

"You don't like hot."

"I like that kind of hot."

His fingers moved and he softly touched Namsoon's earlobe, then his neck, down to his collarbones and up to his chin. And that whole time their eyes didn't leave each other as Heungoo slowly explored that part of Namsoon's body.

"You should stop," Namsoon finally said when he started to feel something down there, "just a few more days, you said so yourself."
 

"I know," Heungsoo sighed, desperate to do more but had to pull himself together.

They looked at each other some more, Heungsoo's hand now resting on Namsoon's arm when he bent forward a bit and pecked Namsoon on the lips, just once.

"Goodnight, Namsoon," he said with a satisfied subtle smile on his face before turning his back to him and closing his eyes.

"Night," Namsoon whispered back and was glad about not having to hide his smile.


Just like he had done some days ago, he looked at Heungsoo's scapula and remembered...
 

Three years had passed. Their bodies had changed so much. Heungsoo had gotten so much taller. His own skin wasn't as soft anymore.


But the flavor of Heungsoo's lips was still the same.