"You know what would be funny?"

 

Daehyun curiously raised his head when Jongup suddenly spoke up. They had been quiet for a while now after finishing their ice cream earlier, the warm May breeze and the noise of the people in the park thankfully making the silence less thick and awkward.

 

"What?"

 

"If I could make him jealous. It's not that I want him back, I just... I want him to realize what he lost. It'd be nice to show him what he could still have if he... if things had been different."

 

"Probably... And how would you do that?" Daehyun asked curiously.

 

"Well, we could date," Jongup replied as if it was the easiest thing to do and Daehyun almost choked on his spit as he stared at the younger.

 

"We... what?!"

 

He watched wide-eyed as Jongup quickly raised his hands, blushing faintly.

 

"N-no, I... I mean just as a p-prank! We could... um, you know... pretend..."

 

"Oh."

 

There was a small smile on the younger boy's face and Daehyun leaned back against the bench they were sitting on, thoughtfully tilting his head. He really liked that smile, and he knew it would disappear as soon as he turned down Jongup's idea. But dating? Wasn't that too much? He had never dated anyone before... but then again, it would only be a prank. He didn't have to be good at it, right? And maybe, just maybe... Jongup would smile more.

 

"What if it doesn't work?" he asked carefully and the other dropped his gaze to his hands in his lap, curling them into fists.

 

"Then... then at least I tried."

 

"Okay, I'll do it."

 

"It's fine, you don't have to-"

 

"Jongup, I said I'll do it."

 

"Oh."

 

For a few seconds the younger looked too stunned to react at all, but then he let out a small, happy squeal, throwing his arms around Daehyun's neck and pulling him into a tight, bonecrushing hug that made the older gasp in surprise.

 

"Thank you!" the boy muttered against Daehyun's neck, making him shiver slightly. "I promise I won't be clingy or annoying or anything, you did so much for me already. We only have to... you know, act like a couple in public."

 

"Okay, just..."

 

"Just what?"

 

"Let me... breathe... maybe?"

 

"Oh... oh! S-sorry!"

 

Jongup was smiling sheepishly after he released Daehyun out of his hug again and the older smiled back with a chuckle. Their eyes met and for a second it was silent again as Daehyun tilted his head a little.

 

"You know, maybe we should practice."

 

The younger boy frowned slightly in confusion and the way he slightly, subconsciously pouted his lips made Daehyun's heart throb faster. He didn't wait for Jongup's reaction nor did he explain something, instead he simply leaned in, brushing his lips against the boy's soft ones. It felt different from all the kisses he had gotten before, gentle and fleeting instead of hungry and bruising, but it felt great nonetheless. When he leaned back again he caught Jongup's wide-eyed stare.

 

"Was that... um... p-practice?" the boy stuttered and Daehyun hesitated for a second before putting on a nonchalant expression, leaning back and letting his eyes scan the park as he nodded with a smile before letting his gaze fall on the boy again.

 

"Yeah, that was practice."