𝐒𝐔𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐑 𝐏𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐇

#.. THIRTY-EIGHT

walking out of their first therapy session, jiseok deemed the tension as awkward.

gunil and him just told their counsellor about their individual struggles and how they affect their relationship.

she took plenty of notes, aiming to get to know the two better, before the actual therapy would start.

gunil was more on the happy side. to have finally reached that step.

holding each other's hands, they walked down the street. "i heard there's that one new music store that opened downtown" the elder announced.

and jiseok's eyes immediately sparked up. "really?" he asked happily. "can we go? gunil, please!"

gunil couldn't help but laugh at jiseok's excitement. "if that's what you want, of course."

they received the advice to start over, to pretend like nothing has happened before. and like their meetings were like their first dates.

so that was their first date - at the music store.

driving there on the bus, jiseok laid his head on gunil's shoulder, a small smile on his face.

it was quiet between them, just enjoying the warmth of each other. besides, what were they supposed to talk about?

the music shop was right at the stop they got out, which was perfect. many people were inside, yet that didn't hinder gunil and jiseok from being the way they wanted to be.

"there's actually a composer who was called debussy that's so funny" jiseok chuckled, making gunil cackle. "this can't be true."

they walked through the cd section, jiseok practically glued to the alternative rock shelf. "i was thinking - should i get the radiohead cd? or would my chemical romance be better?"

gunil chuckled. "that's up to you." so jiseok just grabbed both of them without any further comment, continuing to walk down the aisle.

"oh, vinyls! i gotta buy a debussy vinyl! he's amazing." gunil, still amused by the name, helped jiseok to find a vinyl by the composer, which happened rather quickly.

gunil hasn't seen jiseok that happy in such a long time - seemed like music truly was jiseok's calling.

"you want something else?" the elder chuckled, seeing jiseok's hands being full with the two cd's and the vinyl.

the younger was thinking. "i mean i'd also go to the guitar section but i think i'll do it another day. let's go pay."

[...]

arriving at jiseok's place, gunil noticed that it was the first time he was there. and it was the first time meeting jiseok's parents.

"oh, you must be gunil!" his mom smiled, reaching out her hand. said boy just smiled back, a little overwhelmed as he gently shook her hand.

"yeah, i am.." he stuttered awkwardly, looking towards jiseok as he silently begged for help.

what did his parents know about him? was he just a friend for them? or did they know that he was their son's boyfriend?

his mother seemed to be delighted by him. "jiseok told us a lot about you!" she exclaimed, looking at her son, who signaled his mom to shut up.

but the woman didn't care. "oh, he's so in love with you. you can be sure that he won't ever cheat on you!"

well, the statement was... something. gunil laughed. so they knew about their relationship, what actually calmed him down.

"i know he does. and you don't have to worry about your son getting his heart broken."

gunil realised that it happened several times. he stepped on jiseok's heart plenty of times before, did he also tell them that?

seemingly not, because mrs kwak seemed happy. "glad to know that!" them she talked to jiseok.

"food's in the fridge. your dad and i have a meeting in fifteen minutes, please stay upstairs in that time."

[...]

in jiseok's room, jiseok put the newly bought vinyl into the player, a soft classical tone adding more warmth into the vibe.

jiseok's room was a mess, in the most positive way. there was not a single centimetre of wall; posters, printed out pictures and drawings stacked onto one another.

his clothes were piling on his chair, his tissue box still on his bedside table. which wouldn't be as bad if it wasn't for-

"ignore this!" jiseok squeaked as he quickly grabbed the used napkin, throwing it away.

oh. oh! it took gunil some time to register what happened, yet jiseok's cute expression made him forget it.

the younger forced gunil to stand up, silently inviting him to dance with him.

the shared moment made both of their hearts race, chests pressed against one another as they danced to the slow, romantic melody.

neither of them knew how to dance, sneaking in insecure giggles and laughs in between, but it felt right because they were together. and they actually had so much fun.
 
the dancing eventually made both of their feet hurt, collapsing on top of each other on jiseok's bed as soon as the vinyl ended.

breathing heavily, jiseok felt his feet ache. yet it wasn't any different for gunil.

shuffling into a more comfortable position, with jiseok lying on top of him entirely, the younger nuzzled his head against his chest.

and gunil felt so warm. so that's what love feels like.