Don't @ Me • Luwoo

23

13 year old Wong Yukhei was a sport fanatic. Well, at least that's what his father wanted him to be.

In the thin fabric of his shorts, his thighs tensed as Yukhei leaped over the hurtles in front of him one by one. His father watched him at the sideline of the tar track. The same sharp eyes, that Yukhei himself inherited, followed the paced child. Yukhei was told by many of how much he resembled his father, down to even his mannerisms.

Although, Yukhei begged to differ. His father was composed and calm, Yukhei was everything but. The only resemblance he ever saw between him and his father was their talent. Their talent at running full sprint on a steaming track in shorts and a jersey tank with their surnames on it. His father almost always went to his track practices, this one was important. They were close to the finals of the track season. Other than that, from when Lucas started at 9 years of age til now, his first year of middle school, his father was always at the sidelines.

People described Yukhei as his father's pride. Yukhei felt a heavy weight crush him because he had to keep it that way and that's why there he was again, hopping over another hurled.

13 year old Yukhei swallowed, trying to hydrate his desert throat, his lungs bumping in his ribs. The boy glanced to his father as he had  finished another leap. The man he had known all his life stood in his usual tall demeanor, with his arms crossed, sunglasses sitting at the bridge of his nose and the wrinkles on his forehead creasing at Yukhei's diverted attention. 

The sun was now scorching down on the black of the stripped track. Yukhei's skin dripped of sweat, his chest heavily rising and falling as he jumped the last hurled, or at least tried to. Half way through the air his ankle hooked at the plastic obstacle that ultimately took him down. His knee was first to feel the impact of the hard ground before Yukhei let himself fall on his side, his shoulder slamming just as carelessly into the track.  

Yukhei's ears ringed, he couldn't hear anything, his head lolling. All his weight was at his ribs as he took a shaky breaths. Blackness spotting his vision, he cranked up his head to see multiple shoes run towards him, faint yelling and worried voices echoed. His sense of hearing tuning in and out like channels being switched on a vintage static TV. Yukhei felt sharp bangs hit him suddenly through his small frame, his knee pulsing and his shoulder buzzing with numbness.

Yukhei lifted his face from the track, ugly scratches decorating his cheek. His mouth was agape. With his torn and bleeding lip he groaned loudly now his shoulder feeling heavy and his knee throbbing intensely. 

Yukhei was 13 years old when he shattered his shoulder blade and dislocated his knee.

***********

"I wanted to stay as my father's pride..." Lucas had found himself trailing, his voice low. Jungwoo had nof met his sight and only stood next to him silently as he listened. Lucas exhaled, a bitter chuckle seeping through his lips as he peered up at the blue sky. "I was taken to the hospital and everything healed pretty well, my knee had to take a longer time to heal though. But as I said before I couldn't lose the place in my father's heart. So I lied, telling I was 100% able to run for the finals, pushed myself and added more trauma to my leg until I collapsed right there in the middle of the track during the finals. Now I have long term effects, if my knee is put through any slight trauma it aches to hell and back."  Yukhei finished.

A cool breeze swept through the two of them who didn't dare to move, both staring aimlessly into the open metal truck now that Yukhei had diverted his attention away from the sky. Wind chimes sang softly at the gust of gentle dancing in the air that had lovingly freshened the stinging heat that resonated on the surface of their skin.

The sun wasn't as relentless now, a small cloud was shielding them from a couple of rays, even though the sun was still bright behind it. The single cloud's efforts were appreciated by the two sweat ridden males. 

The chime's songs came to a silent stop, the bottom of Jungwoo's shoes scratched the surface of the pebbled sidewalk as he turned on his heels to fully face the taller be side him. The model had his vision to the ground the minute Jungwoo had made a sound to move. Lucas didn't want to look up. He was oddly afraid of something. He didn't want to be told that it didn't matter, he was handsome, all he needed was his face. He was sick of being told that, and only did he ever hear it from so many.

Sometimes, Lucas would look into the mirror and want nothing to do with the person that looked back at him. But he was scared, he didn't want to lose the spot he already had in so many other's heart, because, then, he'd be just as useless as he was to his father when he had landed on his knee on that humid evening at the track behind his school.

Jungwoo audiably exhaled and took long seconds to reach over, taking hold of Yukhei's motionless hand at his side. Yukhei felt a shiver scatter up his spine to the warmth that radiated from Jungwoo thin digits, his eyes darted from the ground down to the clasping of their palms. Yukhei's hands were more noticeably bigger than Jungwoo's. Jungwoo tugged at his hold and comfortably laced their fingers together. The sweatiness of their palms not effecting the rather sweet atmosphere in the air, Yukhei felt his chest swell.

The model lifted his gaze to meet Jungwoo's star filled eyes as a delicate and reassuring smile painted itself on the shorter's lips.

"How about we finish this up?" Jungwoo swiftly changed the subject, tenderness in his vocals as he continued his lovely speech, "after we're done I'll treat you to something for your help, hm, Yukhei?"

Yukhei gave the korean male a bashful nod, causing a dumb smile to appear on Jungwoo's face. Their hands still very much comfortable in each others, neither of them planned to let go.