GHOSTING. huening kai

01.

a gust of wind blew across huening kai's face and rose above him, lifting the cherry blossom petals from their trees and carrying them up into the sky.

they swirled together and scattered across the wind, as pink as the clouds painted peachy hues by the now-setting sun.

a notification sounded from his phone, making him sigh. kai didn't want to know who it was, so he ignored it, simply closing his eyes and leaning back against the bench, enjoying the cool breeze dancing through the trees and ruffling his hair.

he liked it here; in this out-of-the-way park that few people ever visited anymore. swings and a slide sat abandoned in one corner, while old benches stood in another. cherry blossom trees lined the borders, currently in full bloom.

kai stretched out a hand, watching a few petals flutter down and settle onto his palm. he stared at them for as long as he could, but eventually his sense of responsibility overcame his resolve to ignore the world, and he took out his phone to check the text.

it was hiyyih. 'hey, mom and dad are fighting again, maybe steer clear for an hour or two :/ didn't you say you were going to soobin's? have fun ^^'

huening frowned and turned his phone off, shoving it into his backpack. that had been his plan, before soobin cancelled at the last minute. he was distancing himself from kai, and kai didn't know what to do. all his friends seemed to be pulling away lately.

his mom said they were all just growing up, but kai wasn't so sure. he felt stuck, awkward, like a kid in a body too big for him, facing a world too scary for him. 

he felt left behind, and not just by his friends. his mom and dad's arguments had grown much more frequent lately, and it was too exhausting being at home, constantly pulled this way and that, simply a weapon in his parents' war. 

they didn't want him anymore, just the idea of him. their son. 'this is what's best for kai.' / 'it's because of you that his grades are slipping.' / 'because of me? what about you? if you were ever home, maybe you'd—'

it was okay though. kai had this place. it was in an old neighbourhood, a long walk from where he lived. close to a small convenience store and an old, rundown arcade, somewhere the night sky was unspoiled by city lights.

best of all, it was blissfully quiet. he could finally be alone.

he'd brought a manga with him, and some konbini gimbap. he could easily stay here for hours, and only return home once his parents were either asleep or apart. they wouldn't even notice he hadn't come home. that was probably for the best.

huening took out the gimbap, peeling back the wrapper and pushing a roll out into his mouth. he chewed slowly, opening his manga to the page where he'd left off, just about to start reading again when he heard a voice behind him.

"you're mean, you know, eating your stupidly-delicious-looking convenience store gimbap in front of me. are you doing this on purpose?"

kai whirled around, heart beating rabbit-quick in anxiety. he'd thought he was alone; the thought of someone being there and watching him made dread pool in his stomach.

behind him stood a boy in a worn grey hoodie and shorts, looking reproachfully at him.

"when did— who are you?"

"y/n," the boy began, "and i've been here this whole time, only you couldn't see me because of course you couldn't— wait." the boy paused, and he blinked, then tilted his head in confusion. "you.. you can see me?"

kai looked at the boy more closely. it almost looked like parts of the boy's outline were shimmery, like a reflection in a moonlit puddle. "um. yes, i can see you?"