The sky overhead was cloudless, flawless, infinite in its clarity. It was the warmest day of the year so far, and it brought with it an overwhelming overload of memories. Every smell, every sight, every sound brought to mind a million memories that were bittersweet enough to bring a salty sting to the surface.

It was fifth period and technically Jongin should’ve been in history, but his mind was too full, too overflowing, to even really consider sitting through another of Ms. Park’s coma-inducing lectures. So he’d found refuge on the steeply-sloped hill behind the cafeteria. He was bathed in the warm caresses of the sun, a sweet breeze ruffling his hair. Down below, he could see a physical education class having a soccer scrimmage on the field, their voices floating to him on the wind every couple of minutes or so.

He sighed and took a long drag off his cigarette, relishing the way the calming nicotine flooded his veins. It was very nearly the end of the term, and this should have made him beyond happy. Jongin had never been academically-inclined. Rather he was destructively apathetic. But this year was different. At the end of this year, he would be leaving. Maybe for good.

Kyungsoo was his best friend. Okay, Jongin was able to admit that Kyungsoo was probably his only friend. He wasn’t exactly easy to get along with. He suffered from terminal apathy and a sharp tongue, so people weren’t really lining up to befriend him despite his pretty face. Only Kyungsoo. It had always been only Kyungsoo.

They’d been best friends since Jongin’s family had moved in across the street ten years ago. It was strange how Kyungsoo could put up with what others couldn’t. Jongin could tear him down in a moment of anger and the older boy would only smile and pat his hand and wait until he’d calmed down enough to sob an apology into the front of the elder’s shirt. Jongin could shoot down every single one of Kyungsoo’s offers to go somewhere and do something, and yet Kyungsoo would still sit at home with him on a Friday night and watch movies or play video games even though he didn’t particularly like video games and Jongin always kicked his anyway.

Jongin wasn’t exactly sure when those platonic feelings changed into something more. When he finally came to terms with the fact that he was probably most definitely in love with his best friend, he realized that the soft touches, lingering gazes, late nights cuddled up on the couch had caused his heart to flutter dangerously for a long time. The thought was crippling to Jongin.

He wasn’t exactly embarrassed by himself, but he never once entertained the idea of being good enough for Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo was a sweet-smiled angel, well-liked by everyone. He was valedictorian of his class, president of the student council. He was in an ungodly amount of school clubs, and what little free time he had between school and hanging out with Jongin was spent volunteering around the community. The mayor may as well have just given him the key to the city already. There was no way that little slacker Kim Jongin would ever be good enough for him. The very idea was laughable.

Jongin took another drag off his cigarette, pretending he didn’t feel the tears stinging behind his eyelids, exhaling smoke upwards to mar the never-ending stretch of blue sky above him.

“I think you might do you better in school if you actually went to class once in a while.”

The voice was so familiar, every lilt and cadence and inflection memorized, that Jongin didn’t even have to look. He kept his eyes trained up at the cloudless sky, squinting against the brightness. If he looked, he would have to acknowledge, and that was something Jongin had a hard time with. So instead he inhaled sweet smoke into his lungs and said, “What? You don’t have student council to do? I thought you were up to your ears in paperwork for the end of the school year dance.”

He sensed rather than saw Kyungsoo shrug, slipping down to a sitting position beside him. “Eh, sometimes just taking a breather is important. You have to learn how to prioritize.”

A silence fell between them, and Jongin didn’t like it. Normally, they were fine without talking – they preferred it, even. Theirs was a relationship that didn’t need to be filled with pointless words. Their bond ran deeper than that. But now the tension hung between them, both knowing what should be said but neither wanting to broach the subject.

It was Kyungsoo who cleared his throat. “I’m serious, though. You really should go to class. You’re never going to graduate at this rate.”

Jongin snorted out loud, crushing out the cherry of his cigarette with his fingers and tossing the aside. “Who cares if I graduate or not?”

“I do,” Kyungsoo said sternly, watching as Jongin fumbled in his backpack for his crushed pack of cigarettes, desperately needing more nicotine because just being beside Kyungsoo was pushing him over the edge. “How else will you get into college?”

“University is not on my to-do list, thank you very much,” Jongin said tersely, his hands trembling so much it took him forever to light his cigarette. He knew Kyungsoo noticed but the elder didn’t say anything. There was another pause, and Jongin spoke without guarding his words. “I can’t believe you’re leaving me.”

So it was him. It was he who had brought it up. Go figure.

Kyungsoo sighed, automatically reaching for his hand. He’d done it a billion times before in their lengthy relationship, but Jongin’s breath caught in his throat at the gentle touch. “I’m not leaving you, Jonginnie. Not really. Not for good.”

“But for a while.” Jongin couldn’t keep the sullen tone from his voice.

The elder sighed again, his fingers tightening around Jongin’s. “Yes. I have to go to college, Jongin.”

“Why?” He sounded like a petulant child but he couldn’t help it. There weren’t words to express the devastation, the despair, the complete and utter loneliness that would swallow him whole if Kyungsoo wasn’t there. As cheesy as it sounded, Jongin’s whole world revolved around Kyungsoo. He wouldn’t even know how to stand on his own two feet once his friend left.

Even though he was obviously exasperated, Kyungsoo let out a short laugh. “Because I have to get an education. You know how important it is to me.”

Jongin glared down at the cigarette burning to nothing in his fingers. He did, in fact know, because Kyungsoo had been talking about college since they were ten years old. He’d never doubted himself, knowing where he wanted to go to school and what he wanted to major in and what he wanted to do afterwards. Jongin had always been awed by his determination, his knowing what he wanted. Jongin didn’t know of anything that he wanted out of life except Kyungsoo.

“You’ll have to make sure to pull your grades up next year,” Kyungsoo said lightly. “So you can join me at college.”

Jongin snorted again. “Why on earth would I go to college?” he demanded, tossing his cigarette aside and resisting the urge to reach for another one. He hadn’t been this stressed out in a long while, and it was starting to take its toll.

“Because I’ll be there,” Kyungsoo said simply.

Well, when he put it like that, it seemed like a damn good reason to go to college.

He swallowed something hard. “Y-you want me to go to the same college as you?”

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. “Don’t be an idiot, Jonginnie. You’re my best friend. Of course I want you to go to the same college as me. Do you know how impossible it’s going to be to get through a year without our movie nights? Or playing video games? Or talking until three o’clock in the morning even when we have to get up early? I definitely won’t make it through four. So you have to work hard and join me, okay? We can even get an apartment together.”

Jongin remained silent for a long moment, lost in thoughts of living in the same space as Kyungsoo. Sharing a kitchen, a bathroom…a bedroom. He shivered at the thought. He’d known for a while that he wanted to spend the rest of his life waking up next to Kyungsoo, but it was a far-fetched, impossible dream. He sighed heavily.

Kyungsoo squeezed his fingers again to bring him back to reality. “What are you thinking about?” he asked when Jongin turned to look at him.

The younger huffed out a humorless laugh and looked back down at their clasped fingers. “It’s nothing,” he muttered.

“It’s not nothing,” Kyungsoo insisted stubbornly. “Please tell me what you’re thinking. Do you not want to move in together?”

How could Jongin tell him? How could Jongin possibly tell him that living together, seeing him every single day and night and not being able to touch him, to kiss him, to make love to him, would tear him down brick by brick until he didn’t even have a foundation to stand on anymore? How could he tell Kyungsoo that he worshipped the very ground beneath his feet, the sly smile he would show to Jongin alone, the crinkle-eyed laugh that no one but Jongin got to hear?

He simply shook his head again.

“Kim Jongin, if you don’t tell me right now what’s bothering you, I’m never going to make you my kimchi spaghetti ever again,” Kyungsoo threatened.

Jongin laughed again, tinged with genuine amusement and also sadness. Who knew how long it would be before he got to hear such useless threats again. “I was just thinking about the end of the year dance,” he lied.

“Oh, really?” Kyungsoo perked up at once. “Because I wanted to talk to you about that, actually. Have you asked anyone yet?”

Jongin shook his head. He couldn’t ask the only person he wanted to go with, so to be honest he was thinking about skipping the whole thing altogether even though he knew Kyungsoo had put his heart and soul into planning it.

The elder clucked his tongue disapprovingly. “Jongin, the dance is next weekend! If you don’t stop putting it off, all the good ones will be taken!”

“Well who are you taking then?” Jongin shot back. He wished he hadn’t asked it the second the words left his lips. He didn’t want to know. He didn’t want to think about somebody else swishing around on the arm of the man he loved. He didn’t want to think about corsages and goodnight kisses, of memories that would be made with someone other than him.

Kyungsoo turned an alarming shade of red. “I haven’t actually asked anyone either,” he admitted, and Jongin couldn’t help but let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding.

“Why not?” Jongin couldn’t help but ask, his thumb rubbing comforting circles on the back of Kyungsoo’s hand. “I mean, you’re supposed to be popular, right? You can have anyone you want. Everyone knows that.”

Kyungsoo blushed cutely. Jongin had always loved the way he blushed. It started in his neck and moved up until his entire face was as red as a tomato. When they were kids, Jongin had relentlessly just to see that adorable blush. “I’ve sort of been waiting for the right person to ask me, but I’m starting to think he’s not going to. I’d rather go alone than settle.”

Jongin frowned down at their laced fingers. Of course Kyungsoo had someone he already liked. He wouldn’t be surprised if it was that straight-laced oh-so-perfect Kim Junmyeon, the student council vice president. Kyungsoo spent almost as much time with Junmyeon as he did with Jongin, and it was no secret that Junmyeon was almost as perfect as Kyungsoo.

“What about you?” Kyungsoo asked, and now he was the one rubbing soothing circles over the back of Jongin’s hand. “Why haven’t you asked anyone?”

“Eh, the person I want to ask would say no so I didn’t bother,” he answered past the lump that had formed in his throat.

Kyungsoo’s fingers became more insistent against his. “Why do you think they’d say no?”

The younger shrugged, his whole being buzzing with hardly-disguised tension. His fingers itched for another cigarette but he refrained; he knew how much Kyungsoo despised the habit. “Because they’re pretty ing awesome and I’m just me, which is pretty much nothing.”

“Don’t say that,” Kyungsoo said earnestly, and he turned his body so that he was facing Jongin head-on. “I think you should go for it. The worst that can happen is that they’ll say no.”

Jongin barked out another laugh. If that was the worst that could happen, he would’ve asked Kyungsoo out a long time ago. But he treasured Kyungsoo as his best friend too much to it up by confessing. Not being able to kiss him and hold his hand and tell him how much he cared was hard enough on Jongin; he’d probably die if he couldn’t even hang out the way they always had.

“Seriously,” Kyungsoo insisted. “I’ll even help you. Pretend I’m the person you like and ask me to the dance.”

Jongin snorted. “Seriously?”

“Yes, seriously.” Kyungsoo slapped his playfully on the arm. “Now do it. And do it properly, or I’m going to make you do it again.”

The younger swallowed something and shifted his weight so he was facing Kyungsoo. His friend was staring at him so earnestly, so openly, that he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t take Kyungsoo saying yes when he knew it was all just pretend. “Forget it,” he muttered, closing his eyes and running his fingers wearily through his hair.

“No way!” Kyungsoo insisted. “You’re a big chicken, Kim Jongin! Just do it!” He slapped his friend on the arm again as if to reiterate his point.

Jongin groaned but forced his eyes open again. Kyungsoo still wore that same expectant smile, like he was waiting for a Christmas gift or something. He swallowed again. “Willyougotothedancewithme?” he mumbled under his breath.

Kyungsoo cupped his hand around his ear. “I’m sorry, what was that? I couldn’t quite hear you.”

The younger glared. “I said, do you want to go to the dance with me?”

Kyungsoo popped his lower lip out as he pretended to think about. “Hmmm, I’m not sure…” he drawled playfully.

Jongin slapped him on the side of the head. “You’re such a jackass.”

The elder laughed, rubbing his head where he’d been hit. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Of course I’d love to go to the dance with you. See? That wasn’t so hard. Now all you have to do is ask the person you want. I have faith in you.”

“Hmph.” Jongin didn’t believe it was that easy. His heart was already pounding and it had just been pretend. “Do you want to go to the dance with me?” The words were out before he could really comprehend that his lips and tongue were forming them.

Kyungsoo gave him a wry smile. “The exercise is over, Jongginie. You’ll do fine. Just ask the person you like.”

“I am,” Jongin muttered, looking down at his hands. “Do you want to go to the dance with me?”

“Oh,” Kyungsoo replied, his voice betraying his surprise. “Oh.” There was a short pause, during which Jongin was fairly certain he died a hundred times over. There was no way Kyungsoo was going to say yes, there was no way he would want to go with Jongin, he had probably just- “Okay. That sounds great.”

His head jerked up so fast he was pretty sure he got whiplash. “W-what? Really?”

Kyungsoo was beaming as he reached for his friend’s hand, lacing their fingers together again. “Yeah. I bet it’ll be loads of fun.”

They sat there in silence for a while, each lost in their own thoughts, hands neatly tangled together. Jongin’s heart was pounding so hard he was fairly certain Kyungsoo could hear it. Mostly to mask the very obvious sound of his heart, he said, “I’m sorry that you have to settle. I know there was someone you wanted to ask you.”

Kyungsoo gave him a quizzical look, tilting his head in an adorable way. “What are you talking about? I’m not settling.” His lips quirked up in a teasing smile. “The person I wanted to ask me finally got the nerve to do it.” 

For DarkDreamer

Prompt: Just a simple talk between the two and a cute interaction between the two

(I used a different picture but I hope you still like it XD)

I got cavities from writing this. Seriously. 

<3