Bold is Junhui, Italics is Minghao!
Surprise! I'm alive I guess!

[Still August 2, Tuesday] 

For the first time in his life, Junhui’s excitement about getting free ice cream was in only second place. He had even nearly forgotten about the free ice cream as the day went on, remembering only when they finally left the arcade in favour of walking around the mall some more. Every now and then, he would playfully point out something cute and ask whether Minghao would buy it for him, promptly earning him a scoff in return. When they reached the floor below, he tugged on Minghao’s hand.

“Can I get my ice cream now?” the blonde boy asked cheerfully, already walking towards the store.

“Will you accept no for an answer?”

“Of course not,” Junhui replied as they headed inside. “I won this fair and square.”

The brunette sighed, but the other boy could tell that it was just an act; there was an obvious curve on his lips that meant Minghao must have been smiling this whole time, too, easily amused by Junhui’s antics. Good, that was the plan, after all. Seeing Minghao enjoy himself was worth more to Junhui than free ice cream, but the added treat was also welcomed.

“What flavour do you usually get?” Minghao asked as he examined the row of ice cream tubs.

“Lemon.”

There was a pause as Minghao turned to face him with a look of confusion, “lemon?”

“Yeah, why?” Junhui replied innocently, biting back a grin. He got that sort of reaction a lot and it never failed to amuse him, especially from Mingyu the first time the other boy found out about his obsession with lemon flavoured sweets. He could tell that while it did greatly confuse Minghao, the brunette was also trying hard not to show his disapproval. 

In the end, Minghao gave a quick nod, “interesting choice.”

“What about you?” The blonde asked, smiling as he spotted a few more flavours he actually liked eating and secretly hoped Minghao would order. 

“I don’t eat ice cream.”

“You what?” Junhui asked, jaw dropping in shock. “And I thought I was the weird one who liked lemon sorbet, but you don’t even eat ice cream?”

Minghao chuckled, “not a fan of cold things in general.”

“That’s such an ancient Chinese practice,” the taller boy replied, vaguely remembering how his parents would tell him about how warm foods were good for the body and how cold foods were generally bad. It was a long lost memory, but he never did take it seriously. He waited a while for Minghao to say it was a joke, but the words never came, and Junhui was left shaking his head in astonishment. 

“For someone who gives such cold replies, this is a shocking revelation.”

“Have I been cold to you at all today?” Minghao questioned, glancing down at their linked hands for a brief second. “Maybe I should just let go—”

“I’m kidding!” The blonde said, a bit too loudly, as he gripped the other boy’s hand closely. He could feel his cheeks flush at his outburst, but soon found himself distracted by the way Minghao was laughing. It was such a sweet, soft sound, matching everything else about him that Junhui was beginning to like more and more as they spent time together. Nonetheless, he shook himself out of his thoughts and huffed.

“No fair, Minghao,” Junhui whined, just as they were next in the line at the counter.

After ordering, the two found themselves in one of the store’s booths, sitting across each other. The lack of warmth next to him made Junhui pout for a moment, but it was soon pacified by the fact that he could now see Minghao’s face better. The latter had rolled his eyes when Junhui mentioned it, but didn’t seem to mind the way Junhui had continued to stare, unabashed. It was hard not to, after all. He wished he could remember the sight forever.

“This reminds me,” Junhui stated, digging into his pocket for his phone.

The brunette’s calm stare soon turned into one of realization as he quickly brought his hands up in front of his face.

“No pictures,” Minghao groaned at the same time as Junhui’s elated giggle.

“Come on,” the blonde said coaxingly, aiming his phone at the other boy and taking pictures regardless of whether he even captured anything properly or not. Mimicking what Minghao did to him just earlier that day, Junhui took hold of the other’s hand and brought it down to the table, locking their fingers together firmly. He grinned, “stop hiding your cute face, Minghao!”

“Never,” the younger boy replied, using his free hand to cover as much of his face as possible. He made no move to remove his other hand from Junhui’s though.

After a few more minutes of coaxing and teasing—such as Junhui claiming that he could always secretly take a photo, but wouldn’t it be much better if Minghao was prepared?—the brunette finally relented and brought his other hand down. There was an obvious blush on his cheeks due to the struggle, but it was a welcomed look, although Junhui no longer pointed it out. 

“Smile for the camera,” he said, snapping a shot just as Minghao managed a shy smile.

It was a lovely photo, if Junhui had to judge.

The boy’s brown hair looked soft and fluffy, matching the way his smile was presented almost perfectly. Minghao probably didn’t notice, but their interlinked hands were also still in the shot, tucked away in the corner of the photo. The pink hue on his face was the cherry on top, Junhui thought