poems by the shore

i2

hyunjin sits up, careful to not make too much noise from the shuffling sheets. he looks over and sees jisung still fast asleep. why does he look so sweet? 

he inches closer to the edge of the bed, arms holding him up as he watches the sleeping boy. jisung shifts in his bed, his leg now hanging over the edge. hyunjin pushes his leg back onto the bed, trying not to wake him.

he doesn't do well enough.

jisung's eyes slowly open, hyunjin stopping and taking his hand away from jisung's skin. "your leg was sticking out," he stutters. half awake, jisung hums and snuggles his head further into his pillow.

he's surprised the boy didn't jump or move away, but nonetheless he's glad he didn't. hyunjin decides to not let himself get caught gazing and goes to brush his teeth. he looked so cute he thinks to himself.

when he goes back to the room, jisung's sitting up with his phone in his hand, typing tiredly. he wants to ask, about last night, if jisung was joking or being serious, but he bites his tongue.

he sits back on the sheets and mumbles, "when do you want to go?" jisung looks over, his brow raised. their plans clicking the next second. "we can go after we eat?" he suggests.

they agree.

after they've washed up and had a quick breakfast, jisung gets dressed to go. he stops for a moment. "i can let you borrow some clothes," he hums. hyunjin shakes his head.

"it's okay. i'm fine with this."

he finds a t shirt and holds it out. "you let me borrow your clothes last time." hyunjin bites his lip when he remembers. jisung looked so cute.

he takes the shirt, smiling. "thanks."

jisung nods and goes to get a pair of joggers for him. he's not sure if his jeans would fit the boy.

hyunjin takes the outfit to the bathroom and changes there as jisung dresses in his room. is the shirt even going to fit him? jisung scoffs a smile when he thinks of hyunjin in a crop top.

the boy walks back into the room as jisung puts his socks on. "you ready?" hyunjin asks. with a yes, they make their way down the steps and street to the bus stop a few minutes away.

silence plays between them with few cars driving by and a handful of people having small conversations on their ways to wherever they plan. they get on the hour long bus ride, ready with snacks they packed before leaving.

they listen to music for the majority of the ride, stopping when they've only got about twenty minutes left till they arrive. hyunjin looks out the window, trying to avoid having to look at jisung when he asks, "were you being serious?"

his voice is a bit muffled, so jisung looks over, confused.

"last night," hyunjin lets out quietly, his confidence slowly going away. both their cheeks flushed and holding their breath, jisung asks what he means.

hyunjin turns to face the boy. "i heard you last night, what you said."

fuck.

"were you being serious?" he asks again, fear almost infused in him. their hearts are pounding so loud the other might as well hear it. jisung stutters, not being able to to get a single word out before hyunjin interrupts.

"'cause," he pauses with a moment's hesitation. "i think i like you too."

did he hear the boy right? he's not sure why this doesn't soothe him. if anything, his heart rises up and he's close to passing out. there's no way hyunjin likes him back.

he clears his throat. "what?" is all he can say.

hyunjin rethinks everything. did jisung mean he likes him the way hyunjin likes him? there's no way he can be wrong. if it wasn't the way hyunjin does, then why did he mumble it so late at night?

jisung's lips part widely, the path the conversation's taking suddenly hitting him. "i," he stutters. "that's not," he can't form a sentence. "i was being serious," he finally lets out, dropping his eyes to his hands resting in his lap, fidgeting with his nails.

a smile sneaks onto hyunjin's lips. his heart can't slow down.

jisung peeks over at the boy, noticing the smiles playing at his lips. he looks away again. slowly, he moves his hand towards hyunjin's. his heart thumps. the boy takes jisung's hand, interlocking their fingers confidently.

the butterflies rise for the bushes and bees from the flowers. they run about and he turns to hyunjin, smiling lightly at the ground when his cheeks begin to blush.

they reach the stop by the aquarium and get off the bus, carrying their bag and each other's hand. jisung pays for their tickets and they go on around the building, never letting go of the other. the warmth of hyunjin's hand gets jisung feeling things he can't yet describe.

a couple hours pass, they've had their snacks and lunch, shared jokes and laughs, and they've reached their last stop before they leave. jisung's watching the fish with wide eyes as they swim about far and close to the glass.

hyunjin steps back, their hands separated after they'd spent the day having not let go. he takes his phone out and takes a picture, one from behind and one beside. jisung looks over and smiles, holding up a v sign.

when he's taken the pictures he wanted, they hold hands again and head to the bus stop to go back home. "you like the aquarium?" hyunjin asks.

jisung nods, maybe a bit aggressively. "i like watching like national geographic and animal documentaries."

the boy smiles and they get on the bus, jisung getting the window seat this time. hyunjin's phone buzzes in his pocket. he checks the message and quickly stuffs it back in.

jisung notices. "you okay?"

"yeah," hyunjin hums happily.