freedom ;; xdinary heroes

twelve

Jiseok pushed himself forward on the board, balancing himself quite well. He showed a proud grin to Seungmin, stopping just before the boy. "Teach me some tricks."

"Don't fall."

"Yeah, I already know how to do that," Jiseok giggled, rolling his eyes playfully. "Come on, I haven't had a one-on-one with you in a long time. Teach me something."

"I would, but there's one board between us," Seungmin said, pointing at the skateboard under Jiseok's Vans. "Besides, you're good enough as a skateboarder. You don't need my help."

Jiseok simply smiled. "Thanks, Seungminnie."

Jiseok and Seungmin had a moment of silence between them before they heard someone clear their throat behind them. Gunil stood with his arms crossed, pointing at his wrist as if he had a watch on. "6pm, guys. We're closing up, time to head home."

"Oh, sorry," Seungmin apologised, quickly dipping his head. "Jiseok-ah, I'll walk you home."

Jiseok nodded, and the two bowed to Gunil before leaving the skate park. Silence enveloped them comfortably, not really finding the need to talk about anything. However, to Seungmin, the silence felt deafening. He needed to say something to Jiseok, but he just couldn't figure it out.

"It's tiring these days."

Seungmin looked at Jiseok, a frown forming on his face. "Tiring?"

"I don't know, I'm just... tired," Jiseok sighed, shaking his head. "Whatever. Maybe I just need to rest."

Seungmin pressed his lips together, confidently reaching between them and gingerly grazing their fingers. Jiseok looked away, wondering if it was an accident. He pressed forward, somehow pulling up enough courage to gently interlock their fingers. Jiseok yelped in surprise, looking up at him in confusion.

"Wha—"

"Just let me do it."

Jiseok nodded, gathering up as much courage as he could to step closer to the other. The proximity between then lessened slightly as the two walked along the quiet road on their way. The silence surrounding them was much more comfortable at that point, not needing to say much.

"I'm glad you're here, Seungmin." Jiseok looked at him, and the other looked at him in confusion. "I guess I can say it now that I've long moved on from him, but... I..."

Seungmin looked at him in worry. "Is it difficult to say?"

"No, it's just..." Jiseok fell silent, shaking his head. "He's still in my head sometimes. He wasn't a bad person, but... definitely a liar. I hate people like that. Our relationship annoyed me."

"Relationship? Oh, do you mean Choi Seokwoo?"

"... you know him?"

Seungmin panicked at that moment, not sure if he should tell a white lie or be honest — so he went down the middle lane. "Uhm... he used to attend the park a lot up until a few months. He mentioned having a boyfriend and... spoke about you a few times."

"Oh... glad he was proud of me, at least," Jiseok chuckled. Seungmin grew even more curious, his full attention on Jiseok at that point. "Seokwoo and I... liked each other. A lot, I'd say — but he was... probably embarrassed to be dating me. He pushed me to the side often, disregarded me, and probably gaslit me into thinking he genuinely loved me. Probably wasn't the case at all, because he broke up with me so easily."

Jiseok looked sad enough to cry, but didn't. His eyes weren't even teary — he was just sullen. It seemed that he had cried about it enough in the past. Seungmin gently rang his thumb across Jiseok's hand, catching the other's attention. "Thank God he's out of the picture, huh?"

Jiseok smiled, nodding slightly. "I guess there's no need to keep thinking about him — when I have you."

Seungmin stopped walking, his gaze falling softer as he looked at Jiseok. The other released his hand, bringing Seungmin back to Earth. He cleared his throat, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "R-right. Here we are — home. I'll see you around, okay?"

Jiseok nodded, stepping away from the other. Seungmin waved his hand, ready to walk off, but Jiseok quickly walked back to him. The shorter stood on the tips of his toes, planting a soft kiss on Seungmin's cheek. The other yelped, placing a panicked hand on his cheek.

"Wha—"

"Don't think about it too much," Jiseok said, a small grin lingering on his lips. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Seungmin was still in shock as Jiseok left, waving his hand cutely as a last goodbye. Reality quickly kicked in — and Seungmin realised that Jiseok had just kissed his cheek. He grew highly excited within a split second, punching the air with a tightly clenched fist. "Yes...!"

Seungmin was elated at that moment, clearly very happy that the one boy he liked kissed his cheek. It was a small step, but a step regardless. He couldn't help but feel as if he was walking on clouds. Was this an indication? Have they finally reached the point of physical flirting? Seungmin enjoyed the chase — but now he was one hundred percent sure that he would enjoy the result even more.

Jiseok would be his — one way or another.

•

Jungsu had been talking to Hyeongjun on his phone for the past ten minutes so far, feeling like a little schoolgirl talking to her crush for the entire duration. He had a smile on his face that couldn't be wiped away with anything — there's no way, at that point, he'd hide that Hyeongjun made him happy.

"I mean, we were just playing the match and people were leaving for no reason too. It was really annoying, and— hey. Are you listening? Should I stop talking about video games?"

"No, don't stop," Jungsu hummed, biting his bottom lip to prevent his smile from growing. "It's making me miss you even more."

"O-oh. B-but that's not good, you shouldn't be—" Hyeongjun stopped himself, unable to talk further. He cleared his throat, earning a small laugh from the other. "To be fair, I... miss you too. I didn't get to see you often today because you didn't come to the park..."

"Ah, I had after-school classes," Jungsu complained, his voice pouty. "I would have much rather been with you, to be fair. It's more enjoyable than doing calculus."

"Let's be fair — even when we were friends, you just watched me play Call of Duty," Hyeongjun laughed. "But I'm glad you enjoy my company more. I'm doing my best to not be annoying."

"Jjunnie, you were never annoying," Jungsu said softly. "You were always worth my time — even more so now. I'm beginning to see you differently as we mature, and... I think you'd be a great boyfriend."

"R-really?"

"Yeah," Jungsu laughed, nodding as if Hyeongjun could see him. "So be more assertive, hm? Hold my hand on your own. Kiss my cheek. Tell me I'm pretty, I love hearing that. Don't be scared to look at me in my eyes, okay? I'm okay with being more... vocal and public now. So do as you'd like."

"Really? You're... letting me?"

"... yeah."