Stranger In The Sand || Yungi ✔️

6.5

I walk out of the convenience store with a hot bowl of ramen in hand, Mingi trailing behind me with his own. I make it to the park bench, sitting the bowl next to me.

"I remember doing this with my friends when we were in middle school," I smile, cracking open my water, "we'd sneak out of my house even though we had ramen there. It was just more fun when my parents were sleeping."

He chuckles, snapping his wooden chopsticks apart, "I never had enough nerve to do that when I was younger, but my brother and I would take drives at night. He'd try and get me to smoke pot, but I never did."

"Pot? Wow," I laugh, "I'm not one to judge, but I'm glad you didn't."

"Dude, that shit smells nasty," he gags, "my brother always loved the smell of it, but I hated it. Cigarettes are worse, but still. One time, my brother came home high out of his mind, and I had to be the one to push him into his room with snacks and water before my parents came home. The smell was so bad that I had to light every candle in the house."

"Did your parents ever catch him?" I question, sure that his parents would be confused about the different scents of candles and weed.

"Yup, but they just told him to not do it in the house. I didn't think they'd let him go so easily, but they did," Mingi shrugs, inhaling his noodles with a quiet slurp.

I hum, nodding along with food in my mouth. The ramen actually felt really nice since it was so hot and my body was a bit chilly. I enjoyed my time with Mingi, no matter what hour of the day it was, too. He made me feel warm.

"Hey Gi?"

"Yeah?"

"Do your parents know you're into dudes?" I turn my head to him, my ramen sitting level on my lap while my hands held it steady.

He nods, "yeah, only because of my brother and then I was forced into telling them. They don't mind, my mom used to experiment in school too."

My eyebrows shoot up, "mom for the win."

He grins with a head shake, "right? We love supportive parents. Do yours know?"

I sigh, mostly to myself, "I don't think so. I mean, I hinted at it, but they don't bring it up. I'm almost out of high school and I've known that I was gay since eighth grade, so they probably know. It's just not something I like talking about, but I know they wouldn't mind it. As long as I get somewhere in life, my sexuality isn't important to my personality."

"Oh, that's true. Sexuality doesn't define a person. I like to think of it as Mulan. The Disney movie. When she faked being Ping, was it? All the guys listened to her. When they found out she was a girl, no one listened to her. And she told the general's son, 'you'd listen to me if I was Ping, why is Mulan any different?' It's like saying, 'you'd hug me if I was straight, why is being gay any different?' You know? And her gender didn't stop her from getting anywhere in life. She got the medal from the emperor and was known as the savior of China, even though she was a woman. Gender doesn't matter, and neither does sexuality."

I look at him with admiration; I've never thought about it like that. Especially not with a well-known Disney character.

He slurps his ramen before looking at me, tilting his head in question, "what?"

I break out into a large grin, looking down at my own food. There was a light blush covering my ears, but I wasn't sure if it was because of the cold wind or me being happy.

"You're really something, Mingi."

It was his turn to smile. I could feel it without me having to look at him. He was adorable. I couldn't understand how I got so lucky to become friends with such an incredible stranger. Then again, I was the one who made the bold decision to go and say hello.

"What would happen if your parents found out you sneak out at night?" Mingi questions me.

I shrug, "don't know. Probably get scolded for not telling them. My phone taken away. Grounded. But that doesn't mean it would stop me," I chuckle evilly.

He shakes his head in disbelief, "you're unbelievable. Mine wouldn't mind. I always leave a note on the kitchen table just in case they do come home early."

"Sounds like you. You're way more soft that I thought you would be, and you listen and obey your parents."

"Why wouldn't I? Actually, let me rephrase that. Mine don't push me into different things. They're very understanding people, so I have no reason to not listen to them."

I nod understandably, "I wish mine did that. You don't know how many years my parents shoved books about becoming a doctor in my face. They only stopped once they realized I wasn't listening to them."

"Yikes, that sounds rough. At least they don't do it anymore."

We both finish our ramen silently, watching the steam from it flutter out into the wind. It hit three in the morning before we knew it. It was the longest we had stayed out together.

"Time to head home?" I question, getting up to throw our bowls away in a nearby trashcan.

"Yeah." When he said it, it sounded sad. Earlier, he seemed a lot less sad when talking about going home. It's harder to split ways when we spend a longer time together.

"I think I'll walk home," I say, "you have to go the other direction anyways."

"No, you're already tired and it's too late out. It's dangerous to be out in the town by yourself. Too many drunks and idiots. I'm not going to be the one who finds out last about you going missing or something. Get in the car," he says, his statement aggressive but his voice soft and caring.

I giggle with a head shake, "so stubborn."

-

We make it to my house, and I go to get out of the car before stopping.

"Would you like to stay the night?" I question before I could really think about it.

His eyebrows shoot up, "are you sure your parents would be okay with that? I mean- I'd love to, but I don't want to intrude or anything."

I laugh, "you won't be, trust me. They leave before I get to wake up anyway. They probably won't even know you're here. Come on, it's late. I don't want you driving out there. 'Too many drunks and idiots,'" I quote him.

He smiles, "okay, sure then." He shuts the car off, getting out and following me up the driveway. We enter from the side door instead of the front because it was more sneaky and quiet. I quickly take his hand and pull him up the stairs, not minding that he still had on his shoes.

Once we make it, I flush in embarrassment when I realize my room was a bit messy. I let him settle in and give him some sweatpants, hurriedly cleaning up before he came back.

"I like your room. The atmosphere in it is really nice and it smells like Febreze," he laughs, not noticing me kick the can of the air freshener under my bed.

"Thanks," I grin, "let's get some sleep, yeah? Do you wanna share the bed or I can sleep on the floor..? Whatever you're comfortable with."

He smiles softly, "we've shared a bed before. Plus, I like being close to you. You're cute."

I slap a hand over his mouth and push him on the bed, "I actually hate you. Stop flirting."

We get comfortable on the foam mattress, my arm around his waist while his back was pressed against my chest. It was a different position from last time, but it felt right either way.

Just to tease him, I slide my hand from his hipbone to the slight curve in his side. He squirms, reaching back and hitting my thigh.

"That's what you get for earlier," I whisper right next to his ear.

"Oh shut up and go to sleep," he snarls with a huff, playfully pretending to be salty.

"Goodnight baby," I mutter, wrapping my arms around him fully.

"G-goodnight, Yun."

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•Thank you for 1k!
Also, I changed the title of the book, if you didn't notice. Just didn't feel the Twilight title lol•