kian’s spent way more hours avoiding work than actually doing what he’s supposed to at the shop, and whenever he’s not engrossed in writing a new song, he’s longingly gazing out of the massive windows up front; watching people live their lives. instead of organizing vinyls and cleaning shelves, he’s taking in the sight of other seoulites on their way to work, or fawning over couples entangled in one another as they share ice cream from the nearby parlor, or even witnessing people being hollered at by the convenience store owner on the corner; his booming baritone heard all throughout the block whenever kids try to pocket pokémon breads without paying, or whenever skateboarders loiter near the front entrance. though, once in awhile, a particularly handsome someone can be seen kick-pushing his way through mapo, and if kian’s lucky on any given day, he gets an opportunity to see him. every single time that man glides by the kim family’s modest musical “emporium,” kian’s sights are locked onto him; admiring the warmth of his sun-drenched skin, absentmindedly drooling over his bare arms that often break free from his sleeveless shirts, and wishing he could cradle the sharpness of the stranger’s jawline with his fingertips—wondering if they’ll get cut as a result of his featherlight touch upon a razor’s edge.
he’s dreamt up many romantic fantasies involving him and the man in question, and one day, he finally got his chance to talk to him. sure, it wasn’t the best circumstances as he was dressing jun’s wounds after he took a tumble outside, but their conversation flowed smoothly, and after that, they started to chat more often. he’s slightly embarrassed by it, but back then, every time they talked, kian felt as though he was trapped in some sort of web comic or television drama, and he still feels that way even now. their bond blossomed into a sweet friendship, one that he genuinely wasn’t expecting, and the more he got to know junho, the more interested in him he became. not only is he attractive physically, but his energy is also heavily appealing, too; to kian, at least. there’s a potent intensity that beats from his heart, and his soul feels like a fiery blaze of summertime heat. he feels safe; warm even.
kian’s so happy to be blanketed in that feeling as they walk side-by-side; a musical skip in his step to combat that nerves that electrify his limbs. it’s really hot out, and he knows that this late afternoon pick-me-up is going to hit the spot, especially since he’ll be mirroring the couples he occasionally envies by indulging in frozen treats with another person. though, he tries not to get too ahead of himself. he has no idea if this hangout is meant to be anything serious or not, and he’s chosen not to obsess over the details. he wants to enjoy his time, not spend all of it lost in his mind deciphering hidden meanings to everything jun says. that being said, however, it seems like he hasn’t let jun get many words in during their walk; his nerves not only affecting his physical energy, but also causing him to chatter about the fun facts he learned earlier in the day, or giving into the urge to go off on tangents about how much money some people spend at the shop at times; the price tags on rare collectibles being crazy.
before he’s able to steamroll the conversation entirely though, jun interrupts him, and his words cause kian to stop in his tracks; his heartbeat beginning to pound harder than before. a blush of vibrant crimson paints over his cheeks, and its felt so deeply that the hue travels up to the tips of his ears, as well. a giddy smile tugs at the corners of his mouth, and all he wants to do is smash his face into jun’s chest and wrap his arms around him in a bear hug, but he hesitates; standing still in the middle of the sidewalk instead, holding back giggles from pouring out of his mouth like an effervescent waterfall. “w—wow, thanks!” he finally replies, taking a step closer to jun. was it rude of him to accept the compliment so easily? should he have been more modest? kian doesn’t know, and just when he’s about to offer jun a compliment in return, his actions are halted once more, but this time by his hand being grabbed.
if it’s even possible, his blush becomes even more noticeable than before, and out of sudden anxiousness, he’s tempted to pull his hand away in case anyone sees them, but decides to allow his palm to be overtaken. honestly speaking, the feeling of jun’s larger grip on his is a little too good to pass up. peeking around his shoulders to make sure no one’s staring, kian tiptoes up and pecks a kiss onto jun’s cheek—hoping the boldness is welcomed with open arms. though, not wanting to waste much more time or let the moment become awkward, he decides to resume the journey to their destination; tugging junho in the direction of the parlor. “c’mon, i don’t wanna miss out on getting my favorite flavor! they always run out of it early!” he chirps, then leads the way; their fingers still woven together tightly as he proceeds forward.
God, he’s so smitten. It’s a little ridiculous, really. That this boy he’d not known that long had somehow wriggled right into his veins, like a drug he’d grown instantly addicted to. He’d taken to skating past the music store even when he didn’t have to; when it made his journey longer than it really needed to be, just in case he got a glimpse of the cute boy. He’d never had the courage to go in, though, not even to browse and ask stupid questions. Not until he’d been so distracted by staring at him that he’d tripped and eaten asphalt. Kian, like an angel, had descended upon him, first aid kit in hand, ready to patch him up. For a second, head spinning a little, he’d really thought he was hallucinating, his brain conjuring up a delightful image to help soften the blow to his body, and ego. Luckily, it had led him here—standing on a street with Kian’s hand clasped tightly in his own, his thumb rubbing circles into Kian’s skin.
For a moment, he worries that taking Kian’s hand had ruined things. He can sense a tension in him for a moment, as though he’s unsure of how to respond. But then, like a warm tide, he washes Jun’s worries away with a kiss to his cheek. The bubbling sensation in his stomach, the little somersaults and flutters he feels intensify and he bites back a great smile. “Okay.” He responds, almost in a daze. A mere kiss to his cheek and he can almost feel his knees tremble. He lets Kian lead the way, his eyes locked on him once again, a smile stuck to his lips. He’d been a bit stressed recently; with his new trainee status, adjusting to the changes in his life and trying to figure out how he’d tell his parents he’d dropped out of college to become a trainee. But with Kian he feels those worries melt away, replaced only by a warm like that of the summer sun. Jun likes him a ridiculous amount already.
“What’s your favourite flavour?” He asks, quickening his steps a little to match his stride to Kian’s, letting his free hand come up to gently fix a couple strands of Kian’s hair. It had looked fine, if he’s being honest, but he’d not been able to hold himself back from touching it. Everything about Kian looked soft. His cheeks, his hair, his hands, his lips. He had some angular parts, a boyish figure, and yet he still had a certain softness to him. Frankly, it drove Jun crazy. Keeping his hands to himself had never felt so hard. “I can never pick a favourite. I like nut ones, like pistachio and peanut butter, but then I also like cookie dough, and fruit ones.”
