14

BLUE EYES

"I like you." Shinwoo whispers softly, a smile forming on his lips.

For a moment, everything seems to stop, not in a good way, but in a moment of panic. Gongchan stares at him, unsure of how to react towards the sudden confession. No one has ever said something like that to him, how is he supposed to react? What is he supposed to say?

"I—" He stutteres, not knowing what to say. Then a rustling sound comes from the bushes next to them, loud enough for them to both hear. Gongchan looks at Shinwoo and notices how he tenses up, it seems as though his ears are slightly twitching with every sound.

"What is—" A finger is pressed to his lips. Gongchan looks at him, confused. What is happening?

Then he hears Shinwoo mutter something under his breath as he turns back towards him. He passes his fingers through his hair and sighs deeply, almost annoyed.

"I have to go," he says clearly, a lot louder than necessary. He seems uneasy, like he usually does whenever Jinyoung is around. But Jinyoung isn't around, is he?

"Nice seeing you." A pat on the back.

"Oh, uhm... yeah." Gongchan whispers as he watches Shinwoo walk away. Then it's only him standing alone on the sidewalk, clutching onto his sweater as the cold air begins to seep into the fabric. Maybe it would've been a good idea to get that ride. Wait, what is he even thinking? Is he even thinking at all?

The rustling sound from earlier startles him again, althought this time it doesn't stop. Gongchan takes a few steps back, not knowing what could possbily be inside those bushes. What if it's a snake? An alligator? A monster?

"Ahhh!" He yells out, tripping over his own feet and falling onto his . His heart races against his chest—and this time it's not because of Shinwoo's strange ways. He breathes heavily, watching the creature in front of him with wide eyes. Is that—is that a...

"Fox?" He whispers to himself as he blinks a few time in disbelief. Sure the alligator idea wasn't too realistic either, but a fox in the city does seem a bit out of the ordinary as well. He laughs a bit nervously to himself and rubs the palm of his hands against his jeans, all while the white animal just stands there, watching his every move. "This is what Shinwoo was so nervous about?"

He shakes his head, not understanding why the elder would be so nervous about this. Sure foxes can bite, he guesses, but for some reason he doesn't see them as such a threat.

Gongchan shrugs and gets up, then picks up his phone from the spot beside him. As long as he doesn't touch or get close to the thing there's nothing to be afraid—what is rubbing against his legs?

Oh, no.

"It's touching me, it's touching me!" He yelps, standing still in his spot. Now there is something to be afraid of, apparently. "What do I do, what do I do?"

This entire thing reminds him of something, but he doesn't know what. It's not like he's ever been so close to a fox before, right? But still, he doesn't really feel like he's in danger at all despite having a strange animal rubbing all over his legs like a cat leaving its scent. Wait, what?

"Uhm... get off?" He says, moving his legs a bit so that the fox would get out of the way. "It's not really early, so... it would be nice if I could go home now..."

The white fluff looks up at him, flashing his blue eyes, then moves towards his side and waits there patiently. It's almost as if it could understand him somehow.

"Let's go? I don't really live far from here, just a few blocks... a good twenty minutes..." he sighs as he continues to walk down the sidewalk. It's a lot darker than it used to be a few minutes earlier and it makes him feel uneasy, but the slightly intimidating animal walking by his side is enough to calm him down a bit.

They end up at the door step twenty minutes later, them meaning the fox and Gongchan. Although it was quite strange for him to walk home with a wild animal, it was also quite nice. The fox was actually quite a good companion compared to Jinyoung sometimes. But overall nice.

He slips his key into the lock and opens the door with ease, the smell of his mother's cooking greets him soon after. She's home early. Gongchan takes of his shoes and places him by the entrance, then turns to look at the open door where the fox was standing just moments before.

"Where did yo