Nɪ-Kɪ Oɴᴇsʜᴏᴛs

-40-Sᴜɴᴋɪ(💗)

The moon hung low over Seoul, glowing like a watchful eye as Ni-ki slipped through the iron gate of the school’s greenhouse. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and blooming jasmine. He loved this place—his sanctuary.
“Perfect night, isn’t it?”
Niki froze, the soft voice cutting through the stillness. He turned slowly, heart racing. Sunoo, the golden boy of their school, lounged against one of the tall potted plants, his posture casual, almost inviting.
“What are you doing here?” Ni-ki’s tone was more defensive than he intended, but trust didn’t come easily to him.
“Just… hiding.” Sunoo shrugged, a flicker of vulnerability in his eyes. “You know how it is. Everyone expects me to be perfect all the time.”
“Hiding from what?” Ni-ki crossed his arms, skepticism lacing his words.
“From being the perfect student, the perfect athlete, the perfect everything,” Sunoo sighed, running a hand through his hair, the moonlight catching the golden strands. “Sometimes I just want to breathe, you know?”
Niki studied him, unsure whether to feel pity or suspicion. “You really think you can just hide in a greenhouse?”
“Why not? It’s peaceful. And you’re here too, so I’m not alone.” Sunoo flashed a grin, one that made Ni-ki’s stomach twist in an unfamiliar way.
“Yeah, well, I was here first. This is my place.”
“Then I guess I’ll have to share it.” Sunoo leaned closer, his breath warm in the cool night air. “What do you grow here anyway?”
“Mostly succulents. They’re low-maintenance, like me.” Ni-ki’s voice softened a little, the tension easing.
“Lowmaintenance? I doubt that.”
“Why do you care?” Ni-ki snapped, but the edge had dulled.
“Because you’re interesting. I mean, everyone sees you as the quiet one, but I know there’s more to you.” Sunoo’s smile faded, replaced by earnestness.
“Interesting? You don’t even know me.”
“I want to.”
Niki’s heart raced again, but he shook his head. “You’re just bored with your perfect life, looking for a distraction.”
“Maybe. But I like this distraction.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s real. I’ve had enough of fake smiles and scripted conversations. I want to talk about something that matters.”
“Like what? Your next big game?” Ni-ki scoffed, but he couldn’t help the flicker of curiosity.
“Like why you come here every night.” Sunoo stepped back, hands in his pockets. “You come here to escape too, don’t you?”
Niki hesitated. “It’s… different for me. I just like plants.”
“Sure, just plants.” Sunoo rolled his eyes playfully. “Alright, let’s make a deal. You tell me one secret, and I’ll tell you one.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because we both need someone to talk to.”
Niki squirmed under the weight of Sunoo’s gaze, but a part of him wanted to share, to open up, to connect.
“Fine,” he relented. “I don’t have a dad. He left when I was born.”
Sunoo’s expression softened. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s whatever. I have my mom.”
“Your turn.” Sunoo leaned closer, eyes sparkling with mischief.
“I once tried to grow a Venus flytrap, but it died.” Ni-ki couldn’t help but chuckle at the absurdity of his confession.
“See? Not so scary, right?”
They exchanged secrets that night, and with each confession, the walls between them crumbled just a little more.
“Can we do this again?” Sunoo asked, his tone hopeful.
“Maybe.” Ni-ki shrugged, trying to play it cool, but he felt a strange pull, a warmth blooming in his chest.
As the nights turned into weeks, their rendezvous became routine. Ni-ki would sneak out, and Sunoo would be waiting, like the sun breaking through the clouds.
“Hey, look!” Sunoo exclaimed one night, holding a tiny succulent he’d bought. “I named it Ni-ki.”
“Seriously? It’s a plant!” Ni-ki rolled his eyes, but a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
“Exactly! Just like you—unique and a bit prickly.” Sunoo grinned, and Ni-ki felt his cheeks heat.
“Prickly? You’re the one being all… charming.”
“Oh, I know. It’s my specialty.” Sunoo winked.
They laughed, shared stories, and slowly, the greenhouse transformed into a world just for them. The moon became their witness, the plants their audience.
One night, as they sat side by side, Sunoo leaned in closer, the space between them shrinking.
“Niki?”
“Yeah?”
“You ever thought about what happens when the sun comes up?”
“What do you mean?” Ni-ki’s pulse quickened.
“About us. About this.” Sunoo waved his hand between them. “What if people find out?”
Niki swallowed hard. “I don’t know. I mean… we’re just friends.”
“Are we? Because it feels like more than that to me.”
“Sunoo, this is all new for me. I’m not… I’m not like you.”
“Maybe you’re better.” Sunoo’s eyes were intense, searching. “You’re real, Ni-ki. I can be myself with you.”
“But what if they ridicule us? What if you lose your perfect reputation?” Ni-ki’s voice trembled, uncertainty flooding his mind.
“Sometimes, being perfect means you’re lonely. I don’t want that anymore.” Sunoo’s honesty pierced through Ni-ki’s defenses. “I want to be with you.”
“Together?”
“Yeah. Just us, without the noise.”
Niki felt his heart leap, but fear crept in. “What happens when the sun rises? When everyone sees us?”
“Then they see us. I don’t care. I care about you.” Sunoo’s sincerity wrapped around Ni-ki like a warm blanket, but doubt still lingered.
“Can you really ignore what they say?”
“I’ll try. I promise.”
“Okay.” The word slipped from Ni-ki’s lips, a cautious agreement wrapped in hope.
Their fingers brushed, an electric spark igniting between them.
“Wow,” Sunoo breathed, eyes wide. “Did you feel that?”
“Yeah.”
“Good.” Sunoo leaned in, and their lips met, a soft collision that sent fireworks through Ni-ki’s veins.
“That was…”
“Perfect?” Sunoo finished, a teasing glint in his eyes.
“More like unexpected.”
“Let’s say it was an experiment.”
“An experiment?” Ni-ki raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah! You know, like a science project. We monitor our feelings and—”
“Sunoo!” Ni-ki laughed, shoving his shoulder playfully.
“Okay, okay. But seriously, can we keep doing this? Even when the sun comes up?”
“I want to. I just… I’m scared.”
“Me too. But I want to be brave. For us.”
Their laughter mingled in the moonlight, blending with the rustling leaves.
But the next day, whispers began to swirl through the school like wildfire.
“Did you see Sunoo and Ni-ki together?”
“Total scandal.”
“Not surprised. Sunoo’s just a flirt.”
Niki felt the weight of their stares pressing down on him. Every laugh behind closed doors felt like a dagger.
“Niki!” Sunoo called, jogging up to him between classes.
“What?” Ni-ki snapped, the hurt bubbling up.
“I wanted to talk—”
“About what? The rumors? The whispers? Is that why you’re here?” Ni-ki’s heart raced with anger and fear.
“No! It’s not like that!” Sunoo pleaded, desperation in his eyes.
“Then why do you care what they think?”
“Because I care about you!”
“Caring doesn’t change anything!” Ni-ki’s voice rose, drawing attention.
“Stop! Just… let’s talk in the greenhouse tonight. Please.”
“Why should I?”
“Because I don’t want to lose you.”
Niki’s heart clenched. “You won’t lose me.”
“Then let’s meet. Just us.”
“Fine.”
That night, Ni-ki arrived at the greenhouse, his heart pounding. Sunoo was already waiting, anxiety etched across his face.
“Hey,” Sunoo greeted, his voice soft.
“Hey.” Ni-ki crossed his arms, bracing himself for the conversation.
“I wanted to apologize,” Sunoo began, shoving his hands into his pockets. “I didn’t think the rumors would spread like wildfire. I just wanted to be honest.”
“Honest?” Ni-ki echoed, feeling a lump in his throat.
“About us. About how I feel. And I’m sorry it got complicated.”
Niki sighed, frustration bubbling beneath the surface. “So you want to just pretend it never happened?”
“No!” Sunoo stepped closer, urgency in his gaze. “I want to fight for this. For us.”
“Fight? How? Everyone’s going to talk.”
“Let them. I’m not letting go of something real because of other people’s opinions.”
“You think you can just ignore it?”
“I don’t care! Ni-ki, you matter to me. I want to be with you, rumors be damned.”
Niki felt the warmth of Sunoo’s words wrapping around him, but doubt still lingered.
“What if you get hurt?”
“I’d rather take that risk than pretend to be someone I’m not.”
“Sunoo…”
“Stay with me. Let’s face it together.”
The tension hung thick in the air, but Ni-ki felt something shift inside him.
“Okay,” he breathed. “Together.”
“Together.” Sunoo grinned, relief washing over his features as he reached for Ni-ki’s hand, intertwining their fingers.
The world outside faded, leaving just the two of them, roots tangled in the soil of their connection.
As weeks passed, they navigated their way through the whispers and laughter, finding solace in each other’s company.
“Look!” Sunoo pointed at a new flower blooming in the greenhouse. “It’s like us—growing despite the chaos.”
“Yeah, but flowers can get crushed,” Ni-ki said, glancing at the door nervously.
“Only if we let them.” Sunoo smiled, squeezing Ni-ki’s hand.
And in that moment, Ni-ki knew he would fight for this, for Sunoo, for what they had.
“Let’s make our own garden then,” Ni-ki said, a small smile breaking free.
“Deal! We’ll make it the most beautiful garden in the world!”
“Just us?”
“Just us.”
With laughter echoing through the greenhouse, they began to plant the seeds of their future together, ready to face the sun, hand in hand.
In the end, love wasn’t about perfection; it was about finding someone who made the chaos worthwhile. And in the moonlit greenhouse, they discovered a world where their hearts could bloom freely, unafraid of the light.