12

COME WITH ME (I'LL BUY YOU ICE CREAM)

Gongchan sat quietly on the sidewalk, waiting for Jinyoung to finish his so-called business with Shinwoo. Twenty minutes had already passed since then, making the younger curious. What could possibly be taking him so long?

Sighing, he turned to look around behind him to find out what was happening inside. From the little he could see, Shinwoo was calmly sipping onto his coffee while Jinyoung was clenching his jaw in front of him. They must have had an argument—as if it hadn't been obivious already—and yet Shinwoo seemed to be confident and relaxed, nothing like the mess Jinyoung seemed to be at the moment.

Gongchan didn't really get why Jinyoung was so angry with Shinwoo, since the latter hadn't really done anything to him at all—not that he had noticed. But still, he had always been curious as to why Jinyoung always seemed to keep him away from everyone who was not him. It seemed as though he viewed everyone as a threat, but a threat to what? Their friendship? Gongchan didn't know, but for some reason he didn't mind. Maybe it was because the elder's strange antics always made him feel safe in one way or another, as if Jinyoung were protecting him.

The door of the coffee place's entrance opened, reaviling a frustrated looking Jinyoung, who seemed to be lost in thoughts as he walked right past him without acknowledging his presence. Gongchan followed behind him, worried that the male was also angry with him as well, so he kept his distance. It wasn't until they reached the corner of the block that Jinyoung turned to look at him with a smile.

"Want some ice cream?" He asked, voice gentle and sweet as always. Gongchan blinked, a bit taken aback by his sudden change in mood, but soon nodded hesitantly.

"Isn't it a bit late though?" He said quietly, picking at the hem of his sweater, even though he was actually wishing that Jinyoung would say no. "I wouldn't like mom to worry about us."

"You're with me, though. I'm sure she wouldn't mind." Jinyoung chuckled, extending his arm to grab the youngest by his hand. "Come on."

Jinyoung's hand was warm compared to the slightly cold temperature outside, and it felt nice to have it in wrapped around his own. Usually, the elder would only hang an arm around his shoulder or walk silently behind him instead of this. Holding hands just seemed so... weird, like in the movies. Gongchan blushed; what was he even thinking?

The elder lead him to the Dairy Queen a few blocks away, refusing to let his hand go despite the few looks they were given every now and then. Gongchan kept his head down all the while, not wanting to show his embarassment to anyone but himself. He had never had such strange thoughts about him and Jinyoung, so why now? It wasn't like anything had changed between them, right? Besides, holding hands isn't much different than the ocassional arm around his neck, so there was nothing to be embarassed about.

Jinyoung suddenly let go of his hand, making the younger look up, a bit sad at the lack of warmth, only to see the elder rush over to the door and open it for him. The younger gave him a shy smile, cheeks still a bit rosy from both the cold and his sudden embarassment.

"What flavor do you want?" Jinyoung asked, taking his hand again and leading him towards the waiting line.

"Kitkat," he whispered, only loud enough for the elder to hear him.

It was still weird, to