✓ | the elevator ride. (heejake)

twelve.

͙⁺˚*･༓☾

arm in arm, jake and heeseung walked home together in a comfortable silence, the ambiance of the evening surroundings acting as their soundtrack.

with every step heeseung took, his heart only thumped harder, so much so he thought it'd burst. he'd forgotten the feeling of having a crush and the pure ecstasy that came with it. it's scary to think how fast he changed his feelings about the boy next to him.

jake was obviously in heaven. having been head over heals for the latter since he met him four months ago, the fact that heeseung came all the way to walk him home was like winning the lottery. he easily walked with a skip in his step, a smile never fading from his lips.

just as the two were turning onto their street, heeseung remembered something that had been on his mind recently. "jake?" he asked carefully.

"yes, heeseungie?"

cautiously, heeseung asked, "how are you? i mean, how have you been? like, after the whole...elevator thing?"

jake wasn't really expecting such a question, linking his arm around heeseung's a little tighter from the sudden surprise. just as heeseung was about to take back everything he asked, jake answered. "i've been okay."

the older wasn't entirely buying it. they reached the front of their building, but heeseung stopped them both from entering as he faced the blonde, a serious look in his eye. "what happened to us was scary, but we went through it together, so you can always talk to me about it."

seeing such a caring side of heeseung felt foreign to jake at first, since the older always seemed so tense and annoyed when jake teased him or played his music. he wasn't so sure when his attitude began changing, but he was really beginning to love this side of heeseung. jake smiled. "there is one thing i want to ask."

"anything. what is it?"

jake took a moment before stepping closer to the latter, their eyes never breaking contact. "how come you're being so sweet to me?"

heeseung's face fell and he suddenly grew flustered from being caught. was his crush on the boy too obvious? was he being too much? he stepped back a little bit, immediately redirecting his gaze to the ground. "w-what? i– what do you mean?"

the nervous boy before him gave jake butterflies. he stepped closer again. "i mean, i thought you weren't very fond of me before. now, you seem to like me as much as i like you."

heeseung's eyes widened. he suddenly felt a little braver as he asked, "well, how much do you like me?"

now it was jakes turn to blush. he pursed his lips in thought. "hm, maybe this much," he said, stretching out his arms to both sides.

heeseung laughed. "that's it?"

"what? you gonna one-up me?"

heeseung tapped his chin. "yes, because i like you this much," he replied, copying jake's movement. with his arms being a bit longer, his action seemed to outdo jake's, in which the latter pouted.

"hey, no fair! you have longer arms then me," jake said. "well i like you that much, too, but times a million!" he exclaimed.

"times a million? wow, you must like me a lot."

"maybe. or maybe i just said that so i could one-up you and gain the satisfaction of winning."

both boys broke into laughter as they stood out front of their apartment building. a little silence lingered as a cool breeze washed over them, the night still growing.

"let's go in?" jake asked, gesturing toward the door.

heeseung scratched his nape awkwardly. "uhm, yeah, let's go in."

͙⁺˚*･༓☾

"little cuz?! to what do i owe the pleasure of this surprise phone call?"

kim namjoon's voice rang from the opposite end of the phone, a hint of suspicion laced in his tone. it's not that he doesn't love a call from his younger cousin. it's just, he doesn't always get a call without a reason for some sort of help behind it.

"stop teasing, i need serious help," heeseung pouted, phone in hand as he laid flat on his bed.

"is jay being annoying? i always thought that kid had a punchable face for some reason," namjoon thought aloud.

"what? no, it's not about him," heeseung exclaimed, sitting up. "it's about...someone i like."

namjoon, who was aimlessly pacing the living room of his own home, suddenly threw himself onto the sofa, attention grabbed. "go on," he said, smirking.

heeseung hadn't told his cousin about jake yet. but then again, he only recently discovered his deeper feelings for the blonde. maybe getting advice from his cousin would help him figure out what to do. after dropping jake off at his apartment, heeseung had walked into his own, disappointed with how the night went.

unless he was stupid, he was pretty sure there were some subtle hints of flirting outside that night after their walk. could he have been reading the signs wrong? he felt such a pang of disappointment when he entered his home, feeling unaccomplished.

heeseung laid all of this information onto his cousin, including the whole story of the elevator situation, who sat and took every word in. he'd never really heard of heeseung having a crush on someone, and if he did, he'd never been in the know. this was all new to namjoon, but he was living for it.

"for someone who has such a routinely way of living, you're thought process is sure scattered in this department, cuz," namjoon stated, heeseung having completed his rant.

"not helpful."

"just saying! anyways, you're asking me what you should do next, right?"

heeseung groaned, frustrated with this whole ordeal. he was so torn between wanting to do something and wanting to wait for jake to do something instead. "what if jake doesn't actually like me the way i like him? what if he just sees me as an older brother figure that cared for him when we were in the elevator?"

namjoon hummed, processing heeseung's question. "well, didn't you say he always bugged you before you even got into the incident? he probably has liked you for longer."

truthfully, heeseung wouldn't know. he was too busy back then wanting to slap the justin bieber lyrics out of jake's mouth for him to notice any signs of that.

"look man," namjoon began, realizing heeseung wasn't going to answer, "my best advice here is to go with the flow. gradually get closer with him and really start to feel things out. court without him knowing you're courting him, you know?"

surprisingly, it made a good amount of sense. heeseung nodded, somewhat satisfied. "i'll try. thanks, bro."

"anytime, little dude. keep me posted because i need the drama in my life."

heeseung chuckled before ending the call. was it really that easy? would it really be worth it? heeseung had never felt this way about anyone before. it scared him if he was being honest.

but maybe life isn't always about routine. maybe sometimes, for certain people, it's worth being a bit spontaneous.