The sun was giving no mercy to him; it was exceptionally hot today. Even from where he was sitting, under a small canopy near the basketball court, his skin could not be spared from the rays. Heechul sighed, holding the cold water bottle that slowly warmed up thanks to the temperature. And even so, Jungsoo was still practicing and it seemed not to end anytime soon. He sighed and rested his head on the wooden table; the hotness sent him dizzy.

But he had to bear with it. It was for going out with Jungsoo. He slowly closed his eyes and without him knowing, he drifted to dreamland.

❀

"Mr. Yoo is such a windbag. He talked for a goddamn thirty minutes. We could've ended the practice early today."

Jungsoo only smirked on his friend ramble as they were walking out of the indoor court. The fact that his coach was a blabbermouth was not new to him. And it had become the talked of the school for everyone who wanted to join the basketball team to prepare earbuds.

Wiping his sweat with a towel as they were reaching the changing room, Jungsoo suddenly halted on his track when he caught a figure sleeping on the bench nearby. And it was not anyone, it was him. It just happened to him that he promised Heechul to go out after school. 

He frowned; this boy... he had not been waiting for him all day long, had he?

"Wait, he's the one who called you 'Bitter Brownie' or whatever it was yesterday, right? What is he doing here?"

Jungsoo ignored his friend's astonishment. In fact, he was as surprised as they were. One of his teammates patted his shoulder while muttering, "Is he waiting for you?"

Jungsoo inhaled a lungful air and excused himself from the group. He jogged towards the bench and stopped right beside the sleeping boy. His smile threatened to form when he saw a water bottle secured in his clutch.

This boy was really something, he thought.

"Hee?"

He bent down and knocked softly on the surface beside Heechul's head. It worked, the boy stirring in his sleep. Heechul blinked his eyes sleepily and jolted when he realized where he was and whom he was with right now. Damn, how could he fall asleep?

"How long you've been waiting?"

Heechul snapped his head up, staring at Jungsoo whose body was glistening under the sun and gulped. He glanced at the water bottle that had completely become warm and hesitantly handed it to Jungsoo.

"Not that long."

Jungsoo cocked an eyebrow, examining the warm bottle.

"You're so stubborn. Can you wait for a moment? I'll change first and then we can go."

Heechul's lips stretched into a beam as he nodded vigorously. His smile was beautiful and Jungsoo could not lie. He shook his head and opened the bottle before he gulped a good amount of water, leaving it half empty.

"Drink. Your lips look a bit chapped. I'll be fast."

Heechul took the bottle from Jungsoo's grip and saw the latter stride away to the changing room. He looked at the water bottle and a blush slowly crept in his cheeks. If he drank from this bottle, it meant... They had an indirect kiss. Heechul dropped his head on the table as he hit it repeatedly to express his giddiness. No—he was not ready to have the kiss. His heart was not ready.

It was a pity that Heechul had no chance to see that Jungsoo was observing him from afar. Seeing how adorable Heechul behaved over a small matter, Jungsoo could not help but chuckle. He took a last glance at the boy and finally entered the changing room.

❀

"Sorry."

Heechul gaped at Jungsoo, who looked so dejected, for a view moment before he laughed softly. He nodded and smiled wider.

"It's fine. We can walk there, Jungsoo. It's not too far."

Jungsoo peeked at Heechul and shifted his gaze back to his bike whose tire was flat from a rock piercing it. If he was being honest, he got no damn about this going out whatsoever and it resulted in his forgetting it an