Beneath The Shade of your Love

 

 

               Oh Sehun, the son of the Mayor Oh did not have responsibilities burdening his shoulders like the Mayor Oh, unless you counted brushing your teeth, twice, eating healthy food on time, or attending lessons as a responsibility. If you did then, well Oh Sehun was as burdened as his father. At least that is what he liked to think. A ten year old kid wouldn't have much to do anyway, other than getting dirty in the mud or having to revise whatever he learned before going to sleep.

 

 

But currently, the same Oh Sehun was out getting dirty in the mud or rather that is what he liked to call it because he was too good to be rolling around in the mud. He always hated, getting his porcelain-like skin getting tainted, because then he would like the rest of the kids, and also because he was smarter than the rest of the kids so it was an unbearable image for him.

 

 

Nope, He was doing what the big kids liked to do in their free time. Trying to shoot birds with catapults that rested within the boughs of the many trees that littered the Redwoods.

 

He and his friend Chanyeol had been trying their luck at this thing but were failing miserably. What a waste, the pale boy thought, eyeing Chanyeol's taller figure. The only reason why he had picked the self-proclaimed giant for today was his height which would have worked to their advantage if only he wasn't such a clumsy buffoon

 

 

He flopped down on the grass, picking it out absent-mindedly because he needed a new plan and new friends to spend his day. He realized that this is not gonna work. At least not anytime soon, Sehun thought, pitying himself, as he tried to bore holes at the huffing and puffing buffoon. He eyes followed the said figure as they mirrored his previous actions. Sehun just scoffed at the scene.

 

 "What do we do now?" Chanyeol panted out the words.

 

"Nothing obviously." Sehun replied in a sotto voice because he had not really planned further and he was trying to think of something. He plucked out few blades of the green grass out of boredom.

 

Chanyeol gaped at him, showcasing his missing front tooth, and a half-grown side-tooth. "What do you mean, you don't know?" His wide eyes looked every bit scandalized as he probably felt.

 

"I don't know okay. I had planned to do this because I counted on your height to help us. And we would be doing it," Sehun said, getting worked up at the subtle accusation  by his friend. "Were you not such a clumsy idiot!" The lanky boy picked out some more grass, but this time out of frustration of failure of his plans.

 

"Are you blaming it all on me?" Chanyeol shouted back, insulted at his friend's choice of words. "How about doing it yourself? before dumping it on me?" Chanyeol frowned at the insolent brat called oh Sehun.

 

"Isn't it clear?" His eyebrows shot up to match the irritation he felt. How dare this kid even suggest that Sehun do all the work. He was the son of the mayor. How dare he? He was so done with this.

 

Chanyeol gasped in reply because the nerve of this kid. He really didn't care if he was the son of the mayor or not. His parents did and that is the reason why he was out with the brat today. He shot up instantly, dusted his pants and turned to leave.

 

"I am leaving. Find somebody else to play with, you SeNoodle!" With that he left the stupid brat, his chest puffed out and his head held high.

 

Behind him Sehun had his jaw dropped at the insult aimed at him. He got up as fast as he could and with all his might, he shouted, "Like I care, You ugly giant!". His voice reverberated in the breezy silence and he was sure that his idiot of a friend had heard him, if the sound of him tripping over a twig was any indication. Sehun smugly turned in the direction of the Crystal river where his favourite resting spot was. The Maple Tree

 

 

 

Sehun happily swung the blades of the grass in his tiny palms, as he made his way to the Maple tree. As he sat down beneath the big tree, he felt calm and his anger on Chanyeol also vanished. It was so peaceful with the river flowing nearby and the breeze caressing his face that eventually he ended up falling asleep.

 

When he blearily opened his eyes, he realized that it was already afternoon and he needs to hurry home if he wanted lunch. He stood up and stretched himself and was about to leave when he spotted a boy of his age peeking up at him from behind the bark of The Maple Tree. Sehun was actually so shocked that he ended up falling on his in his haste to back away from the boy.

 

 

The boy's eyes widened and he hid himself behind the tree. It was then Sehun remembered about finding new friends because the giant was of no use to him of course and he forced himself to get over the shock of finding a stranger watching him sleep.

 

 

He went around the tree to look for the boy he had seen, gazing at him with those almond-shaped eyes and fiery red hair which Sehun thought were cute like that one plushie he slept with. But after several rounds around the tree, the boy was nowhere to be found. His eyes darted around the clearing, but there was not a soul in sight. He would have called out to the boy but then again he was a stranger so he didn't what the kid was called.

 

 The feeling of disappointment enshrouded him once again, and he headed home with a heavy heart, not understanding, why he feeling so down over a kid. For him, the day passed like a daze and he vowed himself, that he will find the boy and befriend him, no matter what.

 

 

 

 

 

The next day, Sehun got up early, had his breakfast, the moment it was prepared, which surprised his father because never had he seen his kid so hyped up. But it was good for his age he supposed, so he let him go, without questioning him. And Oh Sehun was out on his mission to find the mysterious boy by the tree.

 

 

 

He sat down beneath the tree and sub-consciously began to pluck the grasses as he waited for the boy.

 

Time passed but there was still no sigh of him. He had an idea, though he was not sure if it would work but then he had nothing better to do so he let out a fake yawn and pretended to fall asleep by the tree like he had done yesterday, hoping that this would bring the boy out of his secret hiding place.

 

 

 

He stilled himself, trying to listen to sounds that would indicate a foreign presence. After what it seemed like hours(it only had been a few minutes) he heard an odd rustle in the grass, which he was sure wasn't caused by the constant flutter of breeze in the area. It could only mean two things, either a wild animal on loose was approaching his vulnerable self or it was that strange boy, he had seen yesterday. He hoped it was latter though.

 

 

 

He peeped an eye open, trying to check who was the culprit exactly and his eyes half-opened eye widened as much as they could when he saw the boy from yesterday sitting beside him with his knees drawn to his chest. The widening of his eye hurt honestly so decided that now was the perfect time to end the charade.

 

He slowly opened his eyes and sat up, looking at the boy whose only almond-shaped eye were visible from the position he was in. But the change in his position, definitely startled the poor boy and he got up to run away again when Sehun shouted in his whiny, high-pitched desperate voice, "Wait!"

 

That did the trick as the bolting boy froze mid-step and hesitantly turned around to face the pale-skinned boy who was getting up and approaching him. The boy tilted his head, his features shifting into that of a little frown, wary of the stranger approaching him.

 

Sehun was a bit taken with the boy's features, who strongly reminded him of the plushie he slept with, his sleepy eyes enhancing the calm feeling, the place brought him. The shocking mop of red-hair resembling the leaves of the Red Maple was the prettiest shade of red in Sehun's opinion. And the golden skin which shone under the sun. And for the first time he liked a skin that was of a darker shade and nothing like his but nonetheless pretty. And he had those squishy cheeks that demanded to be pulled and squished. Overall, they boy was really pretty.

 

And he blurted out the first thing, he could come up with, "Will you be my friend?" It is not like ten-year olds could have much tact anyway and friendships hold prime importance in their lives. Sehun smiled to show the boy that really wanted to befriend him because Sehun rarely ever smiled for anybody else, the scowl being his infamous characteristic expression.

 

The boy's eyes only widened in response, and the mayor's son thought that he looked even more cute. "Why?" He managed to question in response to the previous question. Jongin seriously didn't understand why would somebody like Sehun would want to befriend a person like him. He was aware that he was the son of the mayor, who was known for being a brat to everybody but it was a surprise when Sehun asked to befriend him. He did not like kids who were brats like Sehun so he had to know the reason.

 

"Because you are pretty."The boy replied in a daze and then suddenly realized what he had said and his eyes widened comically and he slapped both of his palms on his mouth, trying to restrain himself from speaking any further and turned away, his back facing Jongin

 

His eyes widened even more when he heard laughter emanating which he assumed was coming from the tanned-skin boy and he turned around again with his cheeks flushed red.  He was sure that he was being made fun of but he was surprised that he didn't mind. He continued to observe the boy who had laughing softly earlier and was looking at him with a kind smile on his face.

 

Jongin didn't know what compelled him to do befriend the resident brat but he couldn't resist the offer so he mumbled, "okay"

 

A grin was stretching on the Oh Sehun's face, threatening to split his face in two halves. The mayor's son hopped right in front of the boy which made him flinch from the suddenness of the action.

 

He let out a toothy smile, showcasing his own broken canines and a crooked incisor which made the Jongin smile as well. "I am Oh Sehun, son of the mayor".

 

Jongin rolled his eyes at the introduction. "I know. I am Jongin." Sehun smiled wider, partially-toothless smile making him seem happier and friendlier.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Few years had passed since the incident, now both the boys were teenagers but their friendship had remained the same. Sehun might have lost or gained a few friends in those past years but Jongin was always a constant for him. But there was still a lot of things, he didn't know about the boy like who he was? Where was his family? Or where did he live exactly?

 

He had tired asking the question several times, in course of these years but he was always replied with a shrug and he didn't find it in himself to pry further, knowing that Jongin will tell him if he deems fit and he seriously hated fighting with him over such trivial matters.

 

He vividly remembers that one time as a kid, when he tried to force the answers out of him, which resulted in Jongin getting angry and leaving him all alone by the tree. And Sehun would be lying if he said he wasn't scared about his friendship with Jongin because he had just vanished from the place. And Sehun had ran away with tears streaming down his face which worried his parents. But they thought it must be something trivial so they didn't pry when he refused to answer.

 

He also remembers feeling extremely relieved when he spotted Jongin sitting by the tree, waiting for him. And then he vowed to himself that he will never make Jongin uncomfortable ever again. And then he had happily skipped over to the dark-haired boy, both of them having forgotten about their previous fight.

 

 

 

His face automatically stretched into a grin when he spotted Jongin making his way over to him, shirtless and bare feet, rustling with the grass as he walked. Jongin always dressed like that for some reason unfathomable to Sehun but he tried not to mind it, because he himself always dressed prim and proper but he found himself prioritizing his friendship first.

 

Jongin plopped down beside him, his face mirroring Sehun's and began to pluck out grasses, a habit he had picked up from Sehun.  He suddenly got up making Sehun look up curiously."Race you till the river?" And with that Jongin was gone not even giving Sehun the time to get ready. He stumbled forward and began to race after his friend who was an apparent cheater.

 

 

 When  they reached the river, Jongin was quick to sit at the edge and let his feet dangle in the crystal-clear waters of the river, his pants getting soaked on making contact with the water. Sehun reached their too moments later, slightly out of breath for having to run so suddenly and so fast. Well, Jongin always had been the better runner out of two which used to miff the younger Sehun but now he didn't mind it. With Jongin he found himself not minding a lot of things.

 

He sat himself down and rolled up his pants before following Jongin's previous actions. "You know" Jongin started randomly. "I used to think that you are a rich spoilt brat who was too good for anyone. But what shocked me was the fact that you wanted to be my friend of all people." Sehun frowned at his friend's statement but he couldn't deny it, knowing that it was perfectly true.

 

"Your point is?" Sehun asked Jongin, curious about where was he going with this.

 

"But then you began to fumble and stumble over your words and I thought to myself that you are not bad after all." Jongin  purposely left out the fact that even then he had found the lanky boy to be cute. In mock-annoyance Sehun got up and positioned himself behind Jongin, a position meant to protect him from those strong-tanned hands as they hit the person next to them, when he laughs too hard and started tickling Jongin ruthlessly, which made him double over in laughter because apparently he was extremely ticklish.

 

 

He was puffing out bouts of laughter, that couldn't help but escape his lips, as Sehun continued to tickle him viciously in the side, as a revenge for saying 'he was not bad after all' His stomach ached from all the laughter and he was breathless with tears pooling in the corner of his eyes. He vaguely heard Sehun mumbling something behind him along the lines of "I am the only bestest friend you have." " how could you?" He should have known better than to provoke him.

 

 

He ended up falling on the soft grass beneath unable to hold himself up and escape from his friend's vice-like grip over his waist. His laughter began to die down and took a large gulp of air and that is when it hit him. The position they were in all of a sudden.

 

Jongin was lying on the tall grasses beside the river with Sehun looming on top of him, looking at him with an indescribable gaze. And he felt as if everything fell away and he was hyper aware of everything that was Sehunsehunsehun and only Sehun. It was not that he always had feelings for him but somewhere down the road, his feelings grew and blossomed like a flower in spring. It had began with random moments where he had found the younger boy to be cute. But as they grew in age and body, so did his feelings for Sehun.

 

His eyes were locked with the boy above him and he couldn't help but push aside the stray hair, lingering on the porcelain-skinned boy's face who still had the same gaze, watching him intently. His eyes traced over the general features of the boy and he couldn't push away the longing that began to surface in his heart.

 

But before he could judge what was even happening, his lips had been captured by the one and only Oh Sehun, the son of the mayor, the resident brat- and well all his thoughts fell away as he tried to focus his attention of the insistent pair of lips tugging on his own.

 

When Sehun pulled away to stare at him lovingly, like he was the most precious thing on earth. He knew that what he had felt all this had been mutual. But that was not the end of Sehun's kisses, as he leaned down to kiss him breathless once more. Sehun may have been brat but he now Jongin's very own brat and he liked the thought of that pretty well, having forgotten about the implications this incident would hold for them. For now all he was bothered about was tangling his hands in Sehun's silky hair as he tugged on his plush bottom lip. Future can wait. Sehun mewled into the kiss. Definitely.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Jongin had been lying on Sehun's lap, absentmindedly looking at the night sky, full of the tiny white specks and the enchanting moon. The hand, in his hair, was making him even more tranquil than he usually felt at the spot by the tree. And Sehun seemed to be fascinated with his hair, as they couldn't stop moving. The silky red hair that Jongin possessed always made the younger curious. He always wanted to know how they felt like and were they really as silky as they seemed. And then his hands began to roam elsewhere on the golden canvas of body that he had on his lap.

 

Sehun always used to find his own skin the best but then he met the boy in his lap, and those thoughts fell only to be replaced wanting to map the tanned skin of Jongin's body which was always presented to him in all its glory since the said boy never bothered to put on a shirt because either he was too lazy or he didn't feel comfortable. Well, those were the excuses given by Jongin, but he didn't know that Jongin did it secretly hoping that it would some effect on Sehun which it did. Always.

 

 

 

 

Over the years, his body had become well defined, broad shoulders reaching down till a strong- pair of arms. well Sehun would know all about their strength remembering the way Jongin had lifted him up easily bridal style that one time when he was a spluttering mess and taken him deep into the forest to make love to him.  And not to forget the toned chest with narrow hips that Sehun always wanted to hold, extending down to a pair of long legs.

 

Sehun was initially envious of Jongin because he was clearly turning out to be a fine young man, that would make any girl swoon over him. Sehun also used to worry that someone would steal his Jongin away. Or he would end up liking some girl as they would grow more in their age because he was so damn beautiful even today that sight of the older boy itself drove Jongin crazy to the point of obsession and he wanted nobody else because nobody else was like his Jongin. Nobody ever could be. What he didn't know was that Jongin used to worry about the same thing as well, until the point Sehun kissed him by the riverside.

 

And Sehun was the same lanky boy, with some additional changes  in his arms which became more toned and his shoulders grew broad as well but his  waist remained narrow as ever making Jongin say that it was like a girl's which had earned him a bony fist to his shoulder. Sehun felt more than smug when he heard him complain about his pain. His skin still had that marble like quality which fascinated the boy in his lap for some weird reason because he liked the healthier skin tone of Jongin's better.

 

 

Jongin reasoned that he liked the contrast between their skin tones. The only thing he out-grew Jongin in was his height. But it was not much because he was only few centimeters shorter probably yet that didn't stop the tanned-skin boy from pushing him up against the Maple tree and kissing the life out of him as soon as he arrived at the Maple tree.

 

 

Jongin hummed appreciatively when he felt Sehun's fingers gliding over the expanse of his body. This did snap the milky-skinned boy out of his reverie and his cheeks tuned a little red because he had assumed that Jongin had fallen asleep since his eyes were closed and he was incredibly still. Sehun withdrew his hand but his wrist was caught in a snap by Jongin's hand brought back to their previous spot encouraging him to continue their ministrations.

 

 

His eyes were still closed but there was a serene smile on his face and Sehun fell even more of the boy on his lap because the beauty of the stars, the moon, the breeze as they sat under The Maple Tree was nothing compared to the sensual beauty in front of him.

 

 

 

But he still couldn't help but let out a huff in mock-annoyance because Jongin clearly liked these kind of things a lot yet the milky-skinned boy couldn't help but indulge him. Those plush lips smiled even wider, yet managing to look serene and then he had the urge to cover those lips with his own. Which is what he did surprising Jongin in the process. When they broke apart, Jongin chuckled softly,  as if not wanting to disturb the bubble of peace around them. "Somebody seems eager tonight."

 

 

Sehun just shrugged as if it was the answer to everything because what he could say really. Jongin was surely not aware how crazy he drove Sehun with just his presence.

 

 

Jongin suddenly shot up from his lap, making Sehun frown because he missed the warm weight on his legs despite the fact, his circulation had been long cut-off by the said weight on his thighs but like he said before, he didn't care about a lot of things when he was Jongin.

 

 

"Who were those people who come by this tree earlier today? I have never seen them before." This was clearly not the question he had expected him to ask but it seemed to be bothering him for some reason. Sehun could tell but what was it exactly he couldn't be sure.

 

 

"They were the engineers that have taken up the project of building railways in our town. Cool right? Transportation would be easier for the town from now on. It was dad's idea you see becau-"  Sehun continued to ramble about the project but Jongin's brain had stopped working the moment the word project left Sehun's mouth. It was as if his world had stopped right then and there.

 

 

"Are you alright? You didn't seem well all of a sudden. Is it