𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚊 {𝚑𝚎𝚎𝚔𝚒}

Chapter 6

The younger picked up the plastic bag with the stuff they bought and as he pulled out a cup he poured lemonade and vodka.

"Here you are, Heeseung-ssi. You earned this," Ni-ki passed the cup as he lit a cigarette.

Heeseung gulped it down feeling the uneasiness that was creeping in slowly fade.

"How did it go with... Em... The other girl?"

"Nothing special," Ni-ki mumbled back as some rap song was playing with the volume lowered. "She was decent I mean but I wasn't really feeling it, y'know. I'm not that easy," he said as he looked at the older.

"Shut up," Heeseung started coughing and opened the window.

Ni-ki didn't utter another word as took some puffs staring the older down.

"You jealous?" Heeseung asked.

"Of what?"

"Of me?"

"Why?" Ni-ki snorted, looking at the older.

"You wanted Byeol for yourself?"

"Nah, she's not my type," Ni-ki said as he poured some vodka in the other's cup. "Besides, I was the one who made you pick. Being mad about it would be a little childish."

"But you are childish."

"Why do you want me to get jealous?" Ni-ki smirked. "To feel better for landing a girl after nineteen years of living?" he asked playfully as he pinched the other's nose while he was drinking.

Heeseung's drink flew out of his mouth on Ni-ki's face as the other scoffed and tried to wipe it.

"That's what you get for being annoying," Heeseung bursted out laughing.

"Was I too mean?" the younger made fun of him. "Sorry baby," he said mockingly and splashed a little vodka on Heeseung.

"Tsk." Heeseung started taking shirt off, as he couldn't tolerate the sticky feeling.

"Ow, keep your clothes on, dude," Ni-ki joked.

He blew the smoke in front of Heeseung's figure.

"Your bad."

Heeseung sounded a little drunk by now as he laid his back on the door, facing Ni-ki with one of his legs folded and the other down.

"I'm glad you liked Byeol. I thought you didn't have a good time at all," Ni-ki mumbled through the smoke as he looked at the other.

"I'm always like that, there's nothing wrong with you," Heeseung reassured him. "I'm like... Like this only after a few drinks."

"So I'll have to get you drunk every time," Ni-ki chuckled as he put the cigarette butt in a portable ashtray he had.

Heeseung didn't answer and he closed his eyes, leaning his head on the glass.

He felt a strange sense of serenity through the second hand smoke, the noises of Ni-ki's movements and the turbulent call back's of his first kiss.

"How come you reached out to me?"

"I don't have any friends around here, " Heeseung admitted as he kept his eyes closed.

"Do you have friends anywhere?" Ni-ki smiled.

"I do have some, not as many as you, I suppose."

"How do you know how many friends I have?"

"You're easy to talk, even though you're kinda intimidating," Heeseung smiled as he looked at the other.

"I'm glad you feel that way," Ni-ki keeping his fingers busy with the disposable ashtray.

Silence fell between them. Heeseung couldn't decide if it was comfortable or not since he found himself simply not caring about it at the moment.

The liquor made his chest feel warm and it was almost as if there were prints wherever the girl touched him. And it was also Ni-ki's voice that made his mind quiet down.

"I'm usually the one that gets asked questions," Ni-ki said. "But now you put me in the place to be the talkative one."

"Too bad, Ni-ki," Heeseung murmured as he took another sip from the bottle. "No drink for you? I thought you were a delinquent."

"I don't want to be blamed for a crash," Ni-ki smiled.

"I bet you've been blamed for many crushes," the older chuckled.

"Byeol-ssi set the mood, huh?" Ni-ki joked.

"Byeol noona for you."

"Shut up," Ni-ki rolled his eyes.

"The other girl was a noona," Heeseung smiled as he leaned closed and held Ni-ki's hand. "Your hands are so warm," he mocked.

Ni-ki stayed still as he stared at Heeseung with a half smile. "Did kissing feel good?"

"Huh?"

"I mean it was your first time," Ni-ki shrugged, not pulling his hands.

"It was ok, I guess," Heeseung said. "Firsts aren't the best."

"Maybe she wasn't a good kisser," the younger suggested as he searched in Heeseung's eyes.

"No she was alright," he mumbled with a smile. "I'm the late bloomer."

"No surprise."

Heeseung looked at Ni-ki for a while.

"Show me the tattoo," he asked and the younger immediately took off his jacket and there it was still wrapped.

"You should get a sleeve."

"Weren't you the one that vehemently disagreed on this one?"

"Once you turn eighteen, I mean," Heeseung clarified with a smirk.

"I will," Ni-ki reassured him as he lit up another cigarette. "It's getting late. I have summer class tomorrow."

He put everything in the plastic bag and threw the jacket in the backseat as he turned properly towards the steering wheel and started up the engine.

"Fuck Japanese literature, dude," he scoffed.

"I could never in a million imagine you studying that," Heeseung laughed. "That's what you get for skipping the whole year."

"It's advanced classes, y'know, for next year," Ni-ki corrected him.

"No way!"

"Yeah, I'm an honors student," Ni-ki looked at the older with a proud smirk. "You thought I was just a bumass?"

"Well, I..."

"I study in the private academy high school thing of the town."

Heeseung looked at him without uttering a single word. "How do you even find the time for all that?"

"I'm really good at memorizing stuff," Ni-ki simply said as he blew the smoke. "Classes start at 9 AM and it's already past 3," he whined as he sped up the car.

"But we're having fun..." Heeseung mumbled.

"You finally have fun?" Ni-ki smirked as he ruffled Heeseung's hair. "We can do this any time you want."

"Stop with the hair," Heeseung moved his head. "I feel like a dog."

"Sorry," Ni-ki pulled his hand and softly slapped his cheek. "Didn't mean to disrespect my elder."

"That sounds more disrespectful."