Paper Boats // xiaodery

seven

July started yesterday and the weather was definitely showing it. It has been so hot, everytime Xiao Jun stepped outside he would begin to melt in three minutes.

And that's why he's staying inside his home, where there's air conditioning. Honestly, the AC was a true blessing to this world.

But he was not alone.

Hendery would come over almost everyday and the two would hang out. Xiao Jun didn't mind at all, in fact, he found himself enjoying it.

"Are you ever gonna go out on your boat again?" Hendery asked curiously, whirling around in Xiao Jun's spinning chair.

"It's really hot, I don't know if I wanna be out there." the other honestly replied. "And it's my parents' boat, I'm broke, I could never afford one myself."

"Ah." Hendery halted in his spinning session because he was starting to feel dizzy. "But you haven't been outside in four days."

"Your point is?"

Hendery got off the spinning chair and stalked towards the bed where his friend was. He grabbed Xiao Jun's wrist, tugging him slightly.

"What are you doing?" Xiao Jun looked up from his phone.

"I wanna go on the boat." Hendery stuck his bottom lip out, forming a pout. He made puppy eyes for a few seconds until Xiao Jun sighed heavily.

"Fine. Bring water though, I don't want either of us to pass out." he finally agreed, scooting himself forward and eventually getting off his bed.

He knew he would regret this later, but who could resist that innocent, pleading look Hendery did?

The other boy smiled in victory.

They left the house, making their way to the harbor. Xiao Jun could already feel the sweat trailing down the nape of his neck and forehead (gross), as he carried two mini coolers filled with water bottles in his hands.

Hendery carried more water (he said they were bringing too much, but Xiao Jun insisted the more they had, their chances of dying from heat stroke decreased), so he had a cooler in his hands as well.

Setting the coolers down, Xiao Jun hopped onto the boat, Hendery following. They sailed out of the harbor, the sun rays beating on their faces, the light breeze from the moving boat making the temperature slightly more tolerable.

Once they were a good distance away from the docks, Xiao Jun stopped the boat and reached into one of the coolers for some water.

"Despite it being super hot, this is really nice." Hendery said, taking a sip from a water bottle.

Over the past month and a week of knowing this boy, Xiao Jun noticed Hendery loved the ocean. He loved everything about it, from the way it looks, to the creatures living in it. But most of all, Hendery just liked being surrounded by water, so he could admire the setting.

"You really like these boat rides, don't you?" Xiao Jun asked, turning his head to the male sitting next to him.

"Mhm." Hendery hummed. "They're my new favorite thing."

The other nodded his head, staring out to the sea displayed in front of them.

"Xiao Jun?"

"Yeah?"

"How long have you been living here? Like, near the harbor?"

"Ever since I was born." he responded. "My dad use to take me out on this boat all the time." he smiled, feeling the nostalgia wash over him. "He use to show me the constellations at night. He would point to one and name it, have me point to it and repeat the name so I could memorize it. That's why I know all the shapes the stars make."

"That's so cool." Hendery beamed. "I don't know shit about the stars, or the sky in general, so I consider that amazing."

Xiao Jun breathily laughed, a little pain laced through it. "I can teach you the constellations sometime if you want."

"That would be great." he grinned.

Xiao Jun leaned back in his seat, staring off into the sky as he weakly smiled. He missed doing that with his dad.

"Wait, do you still have that manual?" Hendery suddenly asked, turning in his seat in search for the object.

"It should still be here. Somewhere." the other male replied, looking around as well.

They eventually found it, and Hendery tore off not one, but two pieces of paper this time. He handed one to Xiao Jun, who gave him a puzzled look.

"I'm gonna teach you how to make a paper boat while we're floating on a real boat." Hendery explained.

Xiao Jun rolled his eyes playfully. "You're such a dork."

"Anyways," he cleared his throat, ignoring Xiao Jun's comment. "First, you fold the paper in half. Simple, right?"

Xiao Jun followed the instructions, folding his paper into two equal parts.

"Next you fold down the corners."

He listened and watched Hendery perform the rest of the steps, attempting to follow it himself. In the end, Hendery's boat was neat and perfect, while Xiao Jun's was a little...rough.

It still had the shape of a paper boat, but the folds were uneven. He was hoping it would still be able to float.

The boys bent down by the edge of the boat, letting the little origami boats drift into the sea. Xiao Jun didn't believe in this soulmate stuff, but he still did it anyways, just for fun.

Hendery blew a kiss at the paper boat, as usual. And this time, Xiao Jun melted internally. Externally as well, since the weather was literally an outdoor oven.