Grey smoke was blown by those curvy lips gently. Those eyes were blinking ignorantly towards the night sky. The long sleeves of the over-sized sweater were covering his palm, leaving those pale fingers nipped on the half-burnt cigarette. Kihyun gulped down his 1st bottle of soju, swayed his legs under the water in the swimming pool, out of the loud room of those partying hard people. Even then he was still seeking for the things to silence his loud head. 

Kihyun refused to come when the first time Minhyuk invited him to this weekly party in his house. He told him that he probably could get a person to date or just to have a fun one night stand, but that didn’t even interest him at all. He was tired from all of those part time jobs and college. Those works and assignments, and putting up with those friends and lecturers and his bosses and senior. He was worn out physically, mentally and he just wanted to sleep or playing some games alone. But Minhyuk just had to beg and Kihyun just can’t refuse it anymore. And so here he was, alone in the backyard of the house. 

He just stared when this tan big boy, probably friend of Wonho who was close friend of Minhyuk, entering the pool. He can’t understand why would a person swam this late at night in this 3 meters deep swimming pool. 

Kihyun was, at first, ignoring the whole existence that was like a whale in that pool. But the way he swam was interesting. It was the very first time for Kihyun to see someone to swim this smoothly. It was as if he was one with the water. And the sight purely gave him this kind of unfamiliar but comforting peace to his mind. So, he unconsciously stared. 

“Ah…” Kihyun flinched as the burnt in the cigar reached his fingers and burnt the pale skin. So, he pressed the tip to the ground and was about to take another one from the small box next to his thighs. 

But then, the gentle sounds of the water took his attention without any force. Kihyun was staring again at the swimming body, the water, the waves he made, the sound they made. 

Kihyun sighed as his little fingers reached out to the small box again. This time he took one out and light it up with his lighter. The stick entered the space between those lonely curvy lips. Kihyun was now feeling like he was breathing again. 

Kihyun just watched the man swam around and around the pool, across his feet, under his feet, right in front of his feet that were inside the swimming pool. Kihyun tilted his head because why did he get closer to me now in this wide pool? He then saw that body dived into the deep water, stayed at that depth and moved around before surfaced to take some air in again. Meanwhile he swayed his feet again. The man showed him a lot of how-to-swims and yet his movements were very very smooth. It was always interesting everytime he dived in and swam in some certain of depth. He felt like he was playing or at least spending time with his water animal pet. Of course, a big one. And it somehow entertained him at some level that put a bare smile on his curvy lips. 

This time, Kihyun put the fire off before it burnt his fingers. but this time, when he was taking out another one, the water rippled.

“You should stop,” the voice was deep and it took Kihyun’s whole attention. “How old are you? You should stop”. 

Kihyun just scoffed as he took it out and put it between those curvy lips, watching his fish pet swam closer to him. 

“Minhyuk told me to stop you before your third cigar under my watch,” the fish pet said with straight face.

Kihyun rolled his eyes, cursed Minhyuk in his head, taking out the lighter. 

The movement was swift and smooth when his fish pet took the cigar gently from those lips. Leaving them staring at each other for a while. 

Kihyun just sighed as he took another cigar out of the box under the pet fish’s sharp stare. 

“Hey, really,” the fish said as he held his wrist to stop it from putting the cigar between those lips. 

Kihyun stared at his pet fish emptily and he stared back just straightly, emotionless. 

Kihyun cracked a smile, flashed his dimple under those crescent eyes, but his pet fish just stared at him. 

“You’re drunk, let’s get inside,” the man said as he tried to move away from Kihyun’s front.

But Kihyun straightened his leg inside the water, stopping him from moving any further. 

The man in the pool looked up at him. 

“Can’t you just continue swimming?” Kihyun asked.

The man blinked upon the request. 

They stared at each other again and Kihyun just blinked.

It was another blink from Kihyun’s eyes, before he threw himself to the water, leaving the man surprised. And even more surprised when Kihyun didn’t show back up in front of him. The man dived into the water just to see Kihyun’s peaceful face under the water as if he was sleeping. He wrapped his arms around the thin figure and brought him up. 

Once their chests were above the water, Kihyun opened his eyes and stared again. 

“What are you doing?” the pet fish asked still surprised. 

But Kihyun just stared and the pet fish’s straight face was slowly shying away from those misty, dreamy eyes. And then, that pale hand patted the pet’s head, the curvy lips were smiling again. 

The guy stared back at him upon the pat on his head.

“How old are you? Why are you patting me? I don'think you can pat me on the head, ” he asked in confusion. 

“Hello, I’m Yoo Kihyun,” Kihyun said as he bowed his head politely. 

“Uh, I’m Son Hyunwoo,” the guy awkwardly bowed back, politely.

“You’re kinda awkward but very good at swimming,” Kihyun said as he held onto the guy’s protective arms that was holding his waist. 

“Uh-oh, thank you,” Hyunwoo said, as awkward as before. 

“I like watching you swim,” Kihyun said again.

“Uh? Um… thank you?” Hyunwoo said again, unsure if it was something to be grateful for. 

“I thought you are a fish—ah, no! you are a whale because you’re huge, but you are the water,” Kihyun said again. "Ah, no, a whale, a whale," he giggled. 

Hyunwoo looked at somewhere else and just nodded as he now was really unsure if it was a compliment. He started questioning Minhyuk as he let this drunk small friend of him being near the swimming pool in this kind of state. 

“Just let me watch more,” Kihyun said quietly between the ripples sound of the water. Hyunwoo looked up. “Just let me…” he said again. 

“Then you shouldn’t come in and stay dry,” Hyunwoo said in confusion as he now stared at the dripping wet t-shirt and shorts on Kihyun’s small frame.

“I want to watch you from close, I want to feel the water like you feel it too…. Seems peaceful…” Kihyun said again. 

Hyunwoo just blinked because, how to swim with a drunk boy?

Hyunwoo shook his head and he held the waist and brought Kihyun out of the water, sat him up on the edge of the pool. 

“I will swim for you, but you stay out from the water, ok?” Hyunwoo said as he held the waist still on the ground because Kihyun was starting to try to get into the water again. 

Kihyun just shook his head and held Hyunwoo’s bare shoulders.

“No… no…” Kihyun said in repeat.

“Stay out of the water. Just stay out of the water,” Hyunwoo said again as if he was disciplining and teaching a puppy a new trick.

“No, I’m…” Kihyun struggled to escape from those strong grips on his waist. “I’m…”. Kihyun never finished his sentence. 

“No, you’re drunk,” Hyunwoo said.

“No, I’m not, I’m not, look, it’s just my 1st bottle, it’s just my 1st bottle,” Kihyun said as he struggled.

Hyunwoo let go off him, unsure if he was drunk or he was just this mischievous as he remembered the sentences that Minhyuk told him just a while ago when he was asking permission to swim, there, my friend, Yoo Kihyun is sitting there, he is kind of mischievous and sensitive and he can be so drunk on his 2nd bottle. so please forgive him and don’t hit him if he seeks for trouble once or twice with you. He is actually pretty and sweet. Just let him mess a little with you and you can mess with him then.

Hyunwoo frowned at the last sentences that were so dirty. But seriously, now this tiny pale, probably drunk, probably messing with him, kid was being so sweet with that kind of stupid, kind of naïve, kind of innocent dimply smile on his face, all giggly and happy being in the water with him. Was this what he meant by just let him mess a little with you and you can mess with him then?

“Hyunwoo-yah,” Kihyun said. 

“No, no, I think I’m older than you,” Hyunwoo said. 

“Hyunwoo-yah,” Kihyun repeated. 

And Hyunwoo just shut his mouth up. 

“Yeah?” he answered. 

And there, water was slapping right on his face and Kihyun was laughing his off. 

Hyunwoo just blinked before he replied the water splash in this stupid-splashing-water-war. 

But just then, Kihyun stayed still and rubbed his eyes, letting Hyunwoo splashed water to him. Hyunwoo stopped at the passiveness. 

“What’s wrong?” Hyunwoo asked.

"It gets into my eyes,” Kihyun murmured as he rubbed his eyes again and again. 

Hyunwoo swam closer, even bent down a little to see Kihyun’s face. 

“Really? I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Hyunwoo said as he brushed Kihyun’s hair back so it won’t bother his eyes. “Don’t rub it, don’t rub it too hard,” he said as he helped Kihyun swept his closed eyes with his thumb just gently. 

Hyunwoo frowned as his swimming session had turned into some kind of babysitting a drunk small boy and he just can’t get out of this situation. 

And it was interesting. It was interesting how his tan skin looked under Kihyun’s pale one. And compared to his swimming friends or gym friends, Kihyun felt so soft in his hand, and small. It made him acted careful next to him because he didn’t want to break the small figure. Also, compared to him or his big friends who was naturally had high body temperature, Kihyun was kind of warm and it was chilling on his skin. 

And now the boy was clinging on his shoulder while trying to open his eyes. 

Hyunwoo sighed. 

Just let him mess a little with you and you can mess with him then. 

Like, really Son Hyunwoo? 

Hyunwoo stared at Kihyun’s face and he saw those red cheeks again. He really can’t believe that it was his 1st bottle. This kid looked a little bit cunning and he really went with his way. Well, Hyunwoo was enduring it because they just knew each other and it was his habit to leave a good first impression. So he behaved himself.

“It’s ok, just open your eyes,” Hyunwoo said as he held the thinner wrist and held it down from the face and he brushed Kihyun’s hair back so it didn’t hurt his eyes. “Just open your eyes,”.

Kihyun obliged and he slowly stared at him. 

Hyunwoo didn’t know if he was cursing or grateful to himself because Kihyun stared at him from such close distance was actually something. Those eyes were really sparkly (and a little bit reddish because water just got into it) and those slightly opened misty, pinkish lips were just such a beautiful view. 

“Wow,” Kihyun said with such a cunning smile.

“What?” Hyunwoo asked, even someone like him felt in a tiny danger.

“You’re such a handsome whale,” Kihyun said and he was obviously waiting for Hyunwoo’s expression after he heard that and laughed his off as Hyunwoo frowned harder, thinking if it was an insult or a compliment again. 

Hyunwoo rubbed his temple as Kihyun kept on clung onto him but laughing at him like he was the biggest joke this year with such a high-noted laughs. 

“I believe that was so not your first bottle,” Hyunwoo said. 

“It was!” Kihyun said. “it was my first bottle!” he said again. “And that ones behind the bushes are my second and my third! Hahahahahahahahahahah!!!!”.

Hyunwoo closed his eyes in defeat. 

“Ok, we should get out,” Hyunwoo said as he grabbed Kihyun’s waist and pulled him up out of the water again. 

“Gotcha!” Kihyun said in such a happy tone and a love shoot from his index fingers and a wink. Hyunwoo just blinked as he turned his head somewhere else because he started to feel this weirdly refreshing feeling inside and he felt rather unfamiliar with it.

“Ok, enough,” Hyunwoo said and tried to walked to Kihyun’s side and get out of the water.

But those pale, chubby hands stopped him when he was about to get out of the water.

“Stay there, my whale, stay there,” Kihyun said while giggling.

“Are you making fun of me?” Hyunwoo asked as he started to remember how Minhyuk was such a prankster, and he thought that Kihyun will not be too far away from the word ‘prankster’ too. 

“No, I’m just kidding with you,” Kihyun flashed him that childish and happy smile while making his eyes crescent moon and showing off the dimples, shaking his head, probably unintentionally, cutely.

Well, Hyunwoo was never a hater of cute things, especially if they were smaller and tinier than him. And he just dead a little inside. 

Kihyun was basically between his strong arms and his muscled torso was between those pale thighs. And kihyun was laughing on his dripping wet t-shirt which showed him his skin and basically everything under that long sleeves t- shirt. 

Hyunwoo never had a guy as a lover and he didn’t have any hate for that, but he didn’t know that the feeling that twisting his gut right now will happen in front of someone tiny that was just making fun of him since some minutes ago. It was obviously not love but he really didn’t want anyone else to see the sight in front of him right now. 

He started to think if it was not him in front of Kihyun, maybe Kihyun will be in a danger (well, he would call it as danger because it wasn’t him). Kihyun was so defenseless with that kind of small body. He wondered why. 

“Enough,” Hyunwoo said as he tried to get out of the water again but those pale hands were on his shoulders and tried to pin him down still inside the water. 

Hyunwoo gritted his teeth and decided to just tried harder to get out of the water right on his spot, in front of Kihyun. 

And it wasn’t even hard. It was actually not even that hard to push Kihyun out of his way and get out of the water. But now, Kihyun was under him on the floor, giggling and probably hadn’t realize the position he was on yet. 

Hyunwoo was a composed self. He was good at self-management and discipline. But really, those wet hair, pale face and red cheeks, and sparkly half-closed eyes while looking at him and crescent moon when he smiled and laughed, those dimples on the rather chubby cheeks, espescially his laugh and smile and those giggles and everything that was trapped under him was something he can’t just miss out. 

And what worse was that defenselessness Kihyun just showed him. Even now, he was clinging on his neck with his  right hand while trying to sit himself up without asking or telling Hyunwoo to get away from on top of him. So it was it. Kihyun’s cheek, and neck, and chest brushed against Hyunwoo’s face and Hyunwoo just sighed in a total defeat. 

He really can’t let anyone else got near Kihyun now. 

“Minhyuk-ah!” Kihyun called as he tried to stand himself up. “Minhyuk-aaaaah, I got a new frieeendddd!” he said cheerfully as he run into the room to meet Minhyuk.

Oh, no, not that dangerous guy. 

“No, Kihyun-ah! Yah!” Hyunwoo quickly stood on his feet and chased him. 

***

End