ditto | woosan

lighter than air

the cold evening air wafted past san as he glided across the ice with no thoughts of falling. only flying.
he loved winter time for this exact reason. everytime winter had rolled around at the end of a long year, he prepared himself to fly. like he had always wanted.
it was mere escapism from the troubles and hardships of life. he didn't want to be stuck in the pathetic time loop anymore. the ice was where he found his freedom.
he glided, spun, twisted, jumped, all of the above onto the ice, letting his mind go blank and become one with the snowfall.

he had often wondered what it would be like to be a snowflake, gently drifting through the air with no worry.

the small area where he skated was secluded, away from the cities. all that was heard was the occasional car driving by and the soft whistles of the winter birds. he loved it that way.

san loved to be alone.

he did have friends, but one day to his surprise they just packed up and left him when he was only young. after had been alone for so many years, he made no efforts to make new friends. he had no problem with other people, and no one had a problem with him, he just preferred to take the quiet life. that was why he loved being alone. he had become so used to it, he couldn't even imagine thinking about changing that.

though, suddenly his peace was interruped for a small moment.

"ah, don't let me bother you, sorry."

and that's when time stopped.
before him stood a boy with jet black hair, wearing nothing but sweats and a beanie. his hair looked frosty from the previous snowfall, and his eyes as sparkly as the ice they were standing on.
'camcorder boy? where did he come from?' san thought to himself.

he couldn't muster up a reply. all he could do was smile.

the other had finished fixing his skates to his feet and stepped foot onto the ice, gliding and gaining speed. the way he travelled so delicately struck san instantly, catching him in a daze.
the boy twirled and leaped across the frosty plane, his eyes glistening within the white canvas. his whole body moved with passion and determination, dizzying san's vision. the boy passed san, gently brushing against his arm, encouraging him to join in.
san took up the challenge and raced the boy around the ice, the smile never leaving his face.

in a little moment, the boy brought out a camcorder. he began to film shots of his skates, as well as the white sheeted scenery, occasionally flipping the camera to his face.

he stopped the recording and held his cam in his arms, like a mother with her baby.

"you're not much of a talker are you?"
the boy asked.
san said nothing and stopped at a wall for breath.
with each exhale, he couldn't quite grasp who the boy was, or why he was here. especially on his own.

"that's okay. my name's wooyoung. you don't have to tell me yours if you don't want t—"
"san. my name is san."
"well, it's nice to meet you, san."
wooyoung smiled at him dearly, reaching out his hand. san raised an eyebrow, but reluctantly grabbed his hand anyway.
wooyoung's smile grew as he pulled san away from the wall, and dragged him along the ice. they flew together, hand in hand for the whole journey.
the two boys felt lighter than air.

"your hands are warm." san remarked. he let his thumb rub over wooyoung's knuckles, relighting the spark in both of their hearts.
"thank you..?" wooyoung giggled.

they continued to skate for hours, risking the deathly feeling of frostbite just to enjoy the moment for longer. their connection strengthened, even with only just meeting one another, they had built up a small chemistry. san was still unsure though, what if wooyoung decided to leave too?

within a couple of moments, they took another break together, now sitting on top of the wall they leaned against earlier. san enjoyed the pretty winter aurora in the sky; an array of deep blues and greys like it always had been on a winter's evening.
wooyoung, instead of looking at the sky, looked at san.
wooyoung felt safe knowing; technically assuming; that san similarly finds refuge in a special hobby that he can escape to.
in the moment, he wanted to pull out his camcorder and capture every little detail of san's face, but smothered the thought as he thought it was a little stalker-ish.

"you know, you're special. i like you. you understand me." camcorder boy remarked.

♡