SEASHORE. － k.yk + y.ty

09

He looked like an excited puppy, dark hair flopping on his forehead and shooting off drops of water in every direction, as he ran up to Youngkyun who sat on the latter's towel, overly stiff and admittedly a tad shy as he watched Taeyang jog over to him, soaked from having just left the sea.

"Youngkyun, come swim with me! The water's great!"

Youngkyun instinctively flinched away from the other, watching the droplets land a few centimetres from his feet and then dragging his sight to the side.

"No thanks," he murmured, rubbing his palms along his biceps and tightening his arms across his chest, "You know I'm scared."

"What if I'm right beside you? I'll fight off any monster that comes our way."

The brunet peered up at Taeyang's heroic pose, flaunting his lean yet toned limbs with pride, and Youngkyun briefly envisioned himself as a defenceless citizen and his friend as a superhero － an image which made him smile.

"Aha! I've convinced you!"

"Not at all, actually."

Taeyang pouted at the let down, drammatically sagging his shoulders and releasing a sound akin to a whine.

"Come on, Kyunie. What if I hold your hand all the way?"

Something within his ribcage shattered and his thought process stilled.

He didn't know what to focus on; the overwhelming emotion which hearing his old nickname again, after so many years, brought on, or the electricity which coursed through him at the suggestion of them two holding hands.

Either way, his heart was sent into a frenzy and his cheeks burned pink, a colour too vibrant for Taeyang to not notice.

Taking a chance, the boy squatted and set a hand on one of Youngkyun's knees, offering a honey-sweet smile when the latter's glinting eyes stared back at him in surprise and, what he interpreted as, expectation.

"How about just wetting your feet? A small step for mankind, a giant step for Kyunie."

The longer they held one another's gaze, the more Youngkyun felt his defences weaken to the human's urging.

He should be fine with wetting so little of himself, and if he kept refusing he may make Taeyang angry. The mere thought almost made him panic. Taeyang was his first human friend, funny and kind. When Youngkyun was with him, he felt like they were the same, as if he were never different at all.

He couldn't risk losing him.

"Alright."

Taeyang beamed in satisfaction and patted at the other's knee, shifting to stand upright then extending his hand for Youngkyun to take.

"Come on, now."

His eyes blinked from his smile to his offered palm, and Youngkyun didn't let apprehension get the best of him before setting his palm atop the other.

Tugging him up, Taeyang positioned them until they stood abreast each other, facing the sea. His fingers subtly moved over Youngkyun's skin, entangling themselves with those of the shorter, and exhaling in contentment when their touch was fully intertwined and Youngkyun didn't show any negative reaction.

Unbeknownst to him, the sensation of physical contact after being so starved of it made Youngkyun lose all focus, and when they slowly stepped into the water, Taeyang continuously peeping at him so as to assure that he wouldn't start panicking, Youngkyun felt incredibly happy.

The seawater was lapping just marginally above his ankles, and he looked down at his human feet in glee.

"See?" Taeyang softly spoke, grip gentle but firm, "My presence is scaring all the monsters away. You're safe with me."

And Youngkyun believed him.

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