poems by the shore

i1

as the sun sets, the seagulls walk along the sand and fly among the clouds. "thanks for um," jisung stutters. "keeping me company." hyunjin nods, saying he's glad to any time. silence rests on them again.

jisung glances every so often the sand between their hands. he lets his hand slip closer to hyunjin's, but careful to not let them touch just yet.

the other boy had the same in mind, their pinkies grazing each other. jisung looks up at hyunjin and sees him biting at his bottom lip. does he.. please let him..

he lets his hand slip more until their skin touches, linking their pinkies together. hyunjin glances over and smiles subtly. slowly, their hands fall one on the other. "what time do you need to be home?" hyunjin asks.

jisung checks his phone for the time, it barely striking 19:00. "not till later. i can stay a little longer, unless," he trails off, afraid hyunjin will want to go home soon.

however, the boy simply nods and slips his fingers between jisung's, holding the sweet summer boy's hand with grains of sand painting their skin. "we can stay a little longer," he mumbles with his cheeks flushing a deep pink under the orange sky.

butterflies fly rampant in their stomachs as the sun sets further until the sky is a dark shade of blue with stars decorating kindly.

"do you have to go home?" hyunjin asks, their fingers intertwined.

jisung nods. "my dad's going to be home soon, and i haven't seen all day."

hyunjin stands, not letting go of jisung's hand which brings the boy to feet too. "i'll take you home," he smiles. they trudge all the beach and put their socks and shoes on at the end.

jisung's unsure if hyunjin wants to hold his hand again, so he simply continues onto the street. hyunjin stops him, tugging at the hem of his shirt. "wait," he hums nonchalantly, tying his shoe and standing, grabbing jisung's hand and interlocking their fingers yet again.

warmth spreads throughout them under the night sky as hyunjin walks him home. when they get to his door, they stand awkwardly. "i'll," jisung stutters, wanting to play with his nails but hyunjin holding his hand stops him. "see you tomorrow."

hyunjin smiles, not wanting to let jisung go until the boy's dad calls jisung's name. he pulls his hand away quickly. "you guys just get home?" his dad chuckles.

"yeah. we were at the beach," jisung replies.

when his dad reaches the door, he smiles. "that's nice. are you staying over, hyunjin?"

he parts his lips but doesn't know what to say. "can he? if it's okay?"

"yeah, of course. you can come over whenever you want," he smiles. anyone could see the tiredness playing at his eyes. jisung hurries his dad inside and heats him water for tea. "how was work?" he asks. hyunjin finds a spot on the couch and watches as the two conversate.

"long and exhausting, but nothing unusual. you know, this woman walked in and she basically threw a fit. security almost had to come and get her," he chuckles.

jisung asks about what, hyunjin no longer paying attention to what they were saying, but following jisung's every move. the way he's making sure to glance at his dad as he speaks, how he's counting under his breath how many teaspoons of honey he pours in, his hair resting gingerly above his eyes that catch hyunjin's.

he looks away. "it's good you had a good day, bud," his dad says happily. "i get off early tomorrow. you want to go out for dinner? hyunjin, if you want to come too?"

caught off guard, jisung answers for him. "yeah. what time do you get off?"

jisung's dad asked him to go for dinner, with his son who hyunjin likes. it's too late for him to deny his feelings.

"good night, guys," he says after finishing his tea, ambling to his room and leaving the two alone yet again.

they look over at each other and jisung mumbles, "i'll get the sheets again." he hurries off to his closet and sets them up neatly. he contemplates whether hyunjin or himself should use them. "you can sleep on your bed."

hyunjin stands in the doorway, his hands stuffed in his pockets. jisung makes up his mind. "no, you can sleep on the bed. i can take the sheets."

before hyunjin can argue, jisung's already stuffing his legs under the covers, forgetting he still has yet to change from hyunjin's clothes.

"you're not going to get ready for bed?" hyunjin asks, a smile playing at his lips realizing jisung would be sleeping in his shirt. probably already smells like him.

jisung stands swiftly and gets a pair of basketball shorts and a hoodie. "i'll be right back," he chuckles, going to the bathroom.

he almost doesn't want to change. in the mirror, he can finally see how pink his face gets when he blushes. "damn," he mutters. when he goes back to his room in his own clothes, hyunjin's tucked nice and snug in the sheets laid on the floor.

"i said i can take the sheets," he scoffs. hyunjin smiles. "no. now go to bed."

jisung huffs and slips into bed, turning the light off before doing so. they lay with the waves crashing again. "hey, jisung," hyunjin whispers.

"yeah?"

he hesitates. "do you want to go to the aquarium tomorrow?"

jisung nods as if the boy can see him. "sure. in the morning?"

"yeah."

hyunjin turns under the sheets and faces jisung's direction, letting his eyes close. after a few silent minutes, jisung looks over and notices, taking this moment to his advantage.

"hyunjin?" he mumbles. when he doesn't get a response, he continues with caution. "i think," he pauses, unsure if he should keep on. "i like you. i'm sorry."

the boy shuffles and turns away. he hasn't fallen asleep yet.

i like you too.