NIGHTMARE

12 | impromptu road trip

changkyun's wishes didn't go ahead. by morning, the fine snow had blown itself out until the streets were only lightly dusted with white.

but to his pleasant surprise, he awoke with a sleepy kihyun in his arms, their limbs entangled beneath the blanket.

there were worse places to find yourself on a saturday morning, changkyun supposed.

he breathed in the smell of the teacher, identifying the vague smell of sea salt and new books. closing his eyes again, changkyun started to imagine what life would be like if they were more than just teacher and pupil...

they would wake up like this every morning, and changkyun would kiss kihyun's nose, or forehead, or lips, to wake him up. maybe some days he would flip pancakes for breakfast, or they would order in a chocolate pizza, or eat nothing but marshmallows and strawberries, dipped in fondue.

maybe they would go out and walk the streets hand in hand like no one was watching, or they would stay in and read a book. changkyun could listen to kihyun's voice all day; the steady pace at which he read, and the way the words rolled off his tongue. they would be happy, no matter how much people disagreed.

the light suddenly flickered on and changkyun opened his eyes. "electricity's back," he murmured.

"they probably got someone in to fix it, hos-" kihyun's eyes shot open. "-changkyun," he corrected himself, shaking his head. "changkyun?!"

he sat up and wriggled out of changkyun's grasp, hitting the floor with a thud.

"are you okay-?"

"i'm fine, i'm fine," kihyun answered with a wave of his hand. he hesitated, feeling a little flustered.

"at least we didn't freeze to death, right?" changkyun grinned at him.

and kihyun couldn't help but smile back. he tried to hide the smile as best he could, and cleared his throat. "i-i'm going to brush my teeth," he excused himself.

changkyun just rubbed his eyes and followed him to the bathroom. "so, got any plans for today? you could always help me with my homework, or something..."

kihyun put the toothpaste on his brush and snapped the lid shut again. "actually," he said, "i need to go and get my cat today."

kihyun started to brush his teeth, looking at his worn-out reflection in the mirror. he was in no way prepared to see hoseok again. he didn't know if he could face going back there alone, even if it meant getting misty back.

changkyun sat on the basin countertop, listening to the silence and the sound of kihyun brushing his teeth. he had sort of been hoping kihyin would stay in all day, and he could hang around to spend more time with the teacher. like, he had a dream to play video games with kihyun one day.

on the other hand, if kihyun was going back to his old place, then he needed protecting.

"so, are you gonna drive or am i?"

kihyun nearly choked on the toothpaste. he spat it out in the sink and looked at the younger, mouth agape.

"i'm sorry, what?"

"to get foggy the cat, or whatever her name is."

"misty. her name's misty," said kihyun. he rinsed his mouth and put his brush back. "can you even drive?"

"nah, haven't got my license yet," changkyun smirked sheepishly. "but i've got good music on my phone, so the drive won't be too dull."

"and who says you're coming?"

changkyun followed the little teacher around the house as he searched through his closet, and grabbed his keys, and found his portable charger (since there wasn't any electricity to charge his phone last night).

"um, isn't it obvious, sir? you need protecting, and i'm clearly the man for the job."

kihyun stopped to face him. "i need protecting?"

okay, maybe he did need a bit of protecting. seeing hoseok again scared him, and he wasn't sure he could face him alone. maybe bringing changkyun along wasn't such a bad idea after all.

"i play baseball, sir," changkyun reminded him. "and yeah, i think you do need protecting, so..."

kihyun considered this for a few moments, before unexpectedly saying, "fine."

changkyun blinked. "fine?" he yelped in joy, and he hurried after him as kihyun headed out of the apartment and down the stairs towards his car.

"yes, fine, you can come," said kihyun. "does your mom know where you are though?"

"this isn't a school trip, kihyun," changkyun groaned.

"you're still a student, and your mom is probably wondering where you are," kihyun pointed out. he got in the driver's seat and changkyun slid in beside him, and he started the engine.

"i told her i was sleeping over at soonyoung's," changkyun shrugged. "she's cool with it."

"your mom must be really gullible to believe that face," kihyun scoffed.

changkyun leaned over to grab kihyun's seatbelt, pausing when their faces were almost close enough to touch. "what, this sexy face?" he teased.

kihyun's breath hitched. then he inhaled slowly, breathing in the musky smell of whatever changkyun used, mixed with the familiarity of his own home. it was a strange sort of comfort, calming his nerves about meeting hoseok again.

kihyun exhaled sharply and pressed his palm to changkyun's face, pushing him away. "put some music on," he ordered.

changkyun just laughed and pulled the belt across kihyun's chest, clicking it into place. "what kinda music do you like, sir?" he asked.

"kihyun."

"huh?"

kihyun pulled out of the parking lot, his hands gripping the steering wheel tight. "call me kihyun," he said.

a grin spread across changkyun's face.

"only outside of school!" kihyun added quickly, feeling his face heat up. "it's weird if i'm sir on the weekend..."

changkyun gave a fist-pump and flopped back in his seat, satisfied. "well, kihyun," he said, "are you more suju or girls gen?"

kihyun cracked a smile, and before long they were out on the road, singing gee gee gee gee baby baby baby...

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