Key has a place, through meadows swaying with sunflowers, past kings castles and roaring dragon fire that he runs to when he’s angry. It’s beautiful and perfect and he couldn’t love it more.

Actually, it’s just a swing in an old park that no one bothers visiting anymore. The grass is dry and the swing is creaking- but it’s his own special place, far from the world and its dreary problems, so he is able to pretend.

Needless to say, Key is not pleased when he scrambles away from his house for a little peace, to find his precious swing already occupied. The boy doesn’t seem to notice him at first; staring at fluffy clouds and blue skies and things nobody cares about in real life. Key has a half a mind to just shove him out of his sanctuary and throw a temper tantrum, but he is a big boy now (eight) and he won’t do that.

 Instead, he just taps his foot loudly on the dirt and demands, “Who are you?”

The other boy starts, before turning to face him with a wide, dimpled smile. Paper clip bracelets decorate his arms and he is clutching a bouquet of already dead flowers. He doesn’t make a move to answer or budge from his spot, and it’s only fueling Key’s growing infuriation. Key is impatient and dammit, he wants this boy out- he doesn’t he even care how whiny his voice must be when he adds, “Why are you even here, that’s my swing!”

A mischievous grin spreads across the others face and he taunts like any other nine-year old would, “oh yeah huh? Well, I don’t see your name on it.”

Key pouts childishly, wishing he brought a marker to write his name with and prove to the boy that this little park belonged to him. Or even better- a knife to carve into the aged brick buildings by the park, or possibly the boy himself. But then blood would ruin his clothes, and that would be absolutely terrible.

A marker will just have to do, Key resolves as he prepares to stomp away dramatically, because he is Kim Kibum after all- divas are just born that way.

“Wait!” the other boy cries out just before he takes his dramatic leave. He is shifting in the swing, patting the spot behind him and littering it with dry petals. The dimpled smile is back, with puppy eyes that make even Key falter. Pausing, the boy fishes in his pockets for a moment, before drawing out a suspicious green lump. The paper clip bracelets are slipping precariously down his arms, to his outstretched hand. “I’m Jonghyun. Want a gumdrop?”

 -

Key imagines that’s the last he’ll see of Jonghyun, but nope, a few days later he finds the other boy plopped in the brittle grass, drawing circles in the dirt. When he hears Key’s footsteps, he looks up with a near jaw-splitting smile and says, “Key! I knew you’d come back!”

Though he would never admit it, Key finds Jonghyun’s bright grin contagious and he can’t help the way his lips tug upwards slightly. With a resigned sigh, he accepts the other boy will probably never stop pestering him now and decides he might as well enjoy the company. He settles down next to Jonghyun, drawing his knees to his chest and zones out. His companion doesn’t seem to mind the rather comfortable silence and resumes piling the soil and flicking grass at the ladybugs.

The day grows old this way, with the sounds of summer and a city of dirt. When the sky begins to turn a lovely shade of purple, Key reluctantly remembers that he’ll have to leave his not so lonely anymore dream world. Hours of sitting have made his muscles cramped and all he really wants is to lie back down and let the night fall above him.

Jonghyun seems just as reluctant as he is to leave, catching Key’s thin wrist and dragging him back down to the warm indent in the grass.

“Can’t you just stay a little longer?” the young boy pleads, “It’s a summer night, the parents will understand.” After a moment’s hesitation, Key nods- who hasn’t wanted to watch summer stars at some point in their life?

They tumble down together, sprawling across the floor and trying to ignore the scratching of the grass on their arms. Mosquitoes pinch at them for the whole night and ants snag on their hair, all the sort of thing Key would normally complain about but couldn’t find the heart to. Even when he gets home and the his parents throw a fit, he can’t regret the laughter and firefly sky Jonghyun brought him.

 -

Before he knows it, he manages to waste an entire summer with Jonghyun at their- it’s their now- place. There are memories of pointless squabbles and childish fights, but also of daisy chains and singing to an audience only they could see. It’s that time that Key wishes he could keep forever, but all good things come to an end eventually.

“I’m moving,” Jonghyun says abruptly one day, when fall was beginning to draw near. “I have to leave when the school year starts.”

His voice is quivering just a little bit and key can only stare. The young boy just stares and stares and stares at Jonghyun, eyes wide and uncomprehending. Jonghyun shifts uncomfortably under his intense gaze, but doesn’t seem to have any more words to say.

Just as he starts to open his mouth to add more, Key whirls around and darts away. Jonghyun reaches out a hand to stop him and Key hears his rapid footsteps, but he only breaks into a sprint. He can’t stop now; he can’t turn around and face it.

“Wait, Key. I’ll-“ Key shuts out the words, he doesn’t want to hear them.

The world is blurring a bit around the edges, but Key tries to ignore it- he isn't quite ready to face that, either.

 -

It takes Key a good four years before he goes to visit his old park with the rusty swing and memories of the singing boy with dreams to fit the sky. He feels silly saying his first love was when he was merely eight and he is sure no one quite takes him seriously, but he won’t ever be able to forget the puppy eyes and wide grin of that summer made from the movies.

As time wears on, Key misses the escape and his feet are drawn back to it. It will never be quite the same- a tad too lonely now- and yet it still makes him feel content, the way it did all those years ago. It wouldn’t do to cling too much onto something that happened when he was just eight, for gods’ sake.

When Key sees a figure in the fading light of sunset, a spike of annoyance flashes through him, they way it did when he was just a little boy. His head feels dizzy from the déjà vu, but he pays no heed to it and stomps into the field. This time, Key doesn’t bothering holding anything back, and he quite literally does try to shove the other off of his swing.

“ off, this is my place.”

He isn’t prepared for a giddy smile from the stranger and he falters a bit. There is something too familiar about the lopsided grin and flaring nostrils, but he won’t allow himself the hopeful thought. That would just be way too convenient.

“People don’t change much, I guess,” the other boy says with an affectionate smile, before hunting through his pockets for a moment. “You wanna gumdrop, Key?”