☆[nostalgic] summer romance!au bang chan
birthday present for my favorite stay! | other skz aus
you don’t like the sun, ergo you don’t really like summer
you’ve never been fond of the heat or the bugs or the overwhelming sense of emptiness that comes with watching the ice in your favorite drink melt too quickly for your liking
so when you are forced to pick up some sort of activity for the summer by your schools requirements you sign up for summer reading with the public library
the library is inside - it has air conditioning - it’s not outside and under the sun
“so explain to me why we are sitting outside, where there is not air conditioner, under the sun in a park when this is supposed to be everything but that?”
hyunjin, the other poor student who’d signed up for the same program, turns to you with a thin lipped smile
“because we’re supposed to recruit kids into the program and where are all the kids during the summertime?”
you sit down in the plastic chair set up in front of a small white table that features the public library’s branch name and a sheet for kids to sign up on
there’s a pile of recommended summer reading for children of all ages stacked up neatly and untouched
no kid in their right mind is going to sign up to read while they’re having fun chasing a ball around - this is literally so dumb.
you ruffle around in your bag to see if you brought extra sunscreen in defeat and hyunjin puts his hand out for it without a word
hours pass just like this
some parents try to usher their kids your way but give up in the end to hold their attention, offering you and hyunjin nothing but polite and sorry smiles
you try to scour out any place with shade to no avail
you have an entire month left of this hell
somewhere in the distance you can hear the sound of laughter and a loud whistle
you ask hyunjin who has started, out of boredom, reading an old copy of the magic tree house (an offered book on the summer list)
“yeah - i think that’s the field for soccer camp.”
you put your sweaty forehead down onto the table and groan
“even eight hours of soccer sounds better than this.”
your first day is uneventful and still somehow extremely draining
when you get home you lay face down with the fan on blast and think about calling the library to quit
but guilt clouds over you: what about the kids who might want to sign up for the program, what about leaving poor hyunjin out there by himself, what about…….these stupid credits for school
in the end you decide you’ll stick with it - maybe you’ll pick up crocheting to help you pass the time
the second, third, and fourth day all pass the same way
one kid signs up for the program and it isn’t even a kid - it’s their parent who spends half an hour at the table telling you and hyunjin about how stressful raising children is
you two just stare up at them and melt under their ramblings and the unforgiving sun
on the first friday of the worst decision of your life - hyunjin almost quits and you have to bribe him with ice cream from the truck so he doesn’t leave you
he agrees, for the price of two strawberry cheesecake bars
when you head to the truck to retrieve the briberies you notice a long line of kids all dressed in soccer uniforms
they’re crowding around someone who is ordering at the window
his shoulders are wide and muscular underneath a tight sports top and he has an accent that makes itself more prevalent when he tells one of the kids to hold on a minute - laughing when they seemingly pout up at him
you’re curious to see what that person looks like - you assume he’s one of the counselors from that soccer camp
but you miss the opportunity as he gathers over ten different types of ice cream in his hands and is hoarded onto by the kids
when you get to the window the poor ice cream man tells you not to order the sonic ice-pop, he just sold out
“do you know any of the people working at that summer camp?”
you as hyunjin as you hand over his ice cream and he shakes some hair from face as he peels open the packaging
“i know changbin, he’s supposed to be working there this summer with some new guy - apparently he just moved here.”
you think that this ‘new guy’ is probably the one who was in front of you in the ice cream line
you stop mid sentence to watch the strawberry ice cream melt over the wrapper and hyunjin’s fingers and right onto the pile of library books.
yeah. this is definitely the worst decision of my life.
hyunjin is apparently “sick” on monday. so you’re alone at the table when a lone soccer ball rolls right to your feet
you look up from the ‘how to crochet: for beginners’ video you’re watching on your phone to pick it up.
“sorry, i had no clue i would kick it this far!”
you look up and squint in the sun to see the person standing before you
but the accent gives their identity away immediately
smiling down at you are kind brown eyes and perfectly straight white teeth
the beads of sweat on his forehead look more like diamonds, and he smells good - which must be a feat if you’re running around under the scorching sun playing sports all day
you lose the ability to speak for a second before you realize his hands are out stretched for the ball
he thanks you and tucks the ball under his arm, “is hyunjin not here today?”
he gives a deep chuckle, “not really. changbin - the guy i work with does. he said he’d be here but i only, well i only see you.”
‘i only see you’. someone so hot should not be able to just say that so casually
“ah yeah he’s out “sick” - note the air quotes.”
this time the chuckle is a genuine laugh and he uses his free hand to hold his stomach
“now i know why he’s changbin’s friend. i’m bang chan by the way.”
he extends his hand out at first and then jumps back a bit, “sorry - my palms a little sweaty”, wiping it on his side and then offering it again
you take it and try not to think about how much larger it is in comparison to yours
you tell him your name and chan seemingly wants to stay, when a loud whistle from the field catches his attention
“i gotta go, but i’ll see you around yeah?”
he waves and jogs off, leaving you in a bit of a limbo
it wears off after a bit of time and you go back to doing absolutely nothing but flipping through the books again and trying to help some parents here and there get their kid to stand still long enough to sign up
when the day ends you realize you’re going to have to carry everything back to the library by yourself
you groan, even though it’s already evening, the sun isn’t letting up and you start to clear the table slowly
you turn around and chan is there, a duffel bag over his shoulder and a towel around his neck
“oh it’s fine, the library is around the block so-”
he doesn’t even put his things down, just easily tips the table over to fold it up and picks it up on it’s side
you don’t even have time to refuse the help again, so you just gather your sheet and books and follow him out of the park
“are you here every day?”
he asks and you sort of try to put your hand on the table, but chan manages to stay enough steps ahead of you
“j-just the weekdays. and it’s fine i can carry the-”
he laughs, but shakes his head
“two pairs of hands are better than one.”
you return everything to the library, usually you get a mini lecture about the lack of kids who’ve signed up, but this time even the librarian seems starstruck by chan’s looks and friendly charm
you are trying to think of a way to thank him without looking like a fool and stuttering over your words
when chan points to the left, “i gotta take the bus home.”
you blink and point in the opposite direction, “the bus is that way.”
chan’s ears go red and it turns out he’s the one stuttering as he explains that he only got here at the beginning of the summer so everything is new and confusing
without thinking you go, “if you want i can show you around some time.”
realizing only after you’ve said it how forward that is
only chan brightens, his already cheerful smile seems to glow stronger
“i’ll take you up on that offer!”
you say goodbye to one and other - and you try to ignore the thumping of your heart in your chest but it resounds into your ears
so loud you can barely hear anything else as you make your own way home
i mean, he’s just being nice. he seems like the type to do that - just be nice to be polite. so let’s not think anything of it.
hyunjin is out sick again the next day, he texts that a summer flu can last up to a week! to which you reply to with several choice emojis, but once again chan is there at the end of the day
helping you carry everything back to the library
you finally learn that he is definitely working at the soccer camp and he moved from overseas for school
when you ask what he’s studying, he gives kind of a faltering smile and says he’s going in undecided
something seems sad in his tone - and you think it’s a little contradictory to move to another country for a university program you aren’t even majoring in
but you don’t push it and confess that you’re kind of iffy on your future too
chan seems to perk up slightly at your openness, he jokingly goes: “becoming an adult is harder than you think, right?”
you heave your shoulders in agreement but go, “it’s inevitable though. we all have to grow up some day.”
the librarian ignores you completely this time, fawning over chan for his kindness
when you say goodbye to each other this time - chan says he’ll help you tomorrow too
tomorrow comes and finally hyunjin is back, but even so chan still shows up when it’s time for you two to pack up and hyunjin immediately reads his gaze
becoming aware of something you are still clueless too
picking up the stack of books, hyunjin leaves you to help chan with the table
of course, chan carries it himself, and you just keep stride at his side and listen to a lighthearted story about one of the kids at his camp
this sort of becomes a routine for the next week or so
chan shows up after work to help you and hyunjin pack up, but hyunjin always insists on leaving first - giving you and chan the alone time of the five minute walk to the library
you suspect hyunjin is doing it on purpose, and you think he’s teasing - but chan always seems to give him a look that hyunjin reciprocates and you just can’t seem to read
one day, chan shows up an hour earlier - he says work let out right after afternoon practice and he thought he’d come by and help you and hyunjin out
you tell him he’s free to come fry in the sun with the two of you, to which chan asks
“sounds like you’re not a summer person?”
“the sun and i are on questionable terms.”
chan looks around and clicks his tongue, “and there’s no shade in this park. well maybe this will help?”
he pulls a light sports jacket out of his duffel bag, walking over to you and draping it over your head - the darkness of the fabric enveloping you before you can fully register what’s going on
“kinda like a sun cloak?”
chan says, squatting down a little to lift the collar hem and look at you
the distance between your faces goes from a lot to very little
up close like this - chan is somehow even more handsome, you can make out the strong lines of his jaw and the way his nose curves down almost perfectly.
he opens his mouth, but no words come out - you both get lost in a seconds long stare
which hyunjin breaks up with a loud clearing of his throat and a, “you two really just need to get a room.”
chan shots back upright and almost tips over from the speed, his neck goes red and he tries to say something back to hyunjin who just tilts his head knowingly in both of your directions
you can only do one thing - pull chan’s jacket over your face
when you finally emerge, hyunjin is gone and chan is sitting in his place and twiddling his thumbs
you tell yourself to think of a way to make this less awkward, but your mind is blank and you’re stuck between dying from the embarrassment and maybe want to find hyunjin and chase him up and down the entire park
“you know…” chan starts and looks at you - you push all your courage up and look back
“if you’d like to still show me around some time, i guess it could also be a …. date?”
when hyunjin comes back, he sees both you and chan are exchanging numbers. with a triumphant grin he sits between the two of you and throw his hands over your shoulders
“so - am i invited on the date too?”
the first place you take chan, when you two meet up on the weekend, is to your favorite fast food place
only to realize that he’s probably a healthy eater and you try to find something on the menu that is more green and low in carbs
but chan just tells you, he’s a person - and he has cheat days - so you two splurge and chan even gets a milkshake after
when he can’t finish it he offers it to you absentmindedly and you don’t even know what flavor it is until you take your first sip
strawberry, maybe we are soulmates
you take chan everywhere you can, you try to fill up the day with as much as possible
and as the evening dwindles down, chan comments that he never knew you had so much energy - you always look so down when you’re at the park
you mutter that it’s the fact that you’re in one place - you should have picked something that at least let you move around
“you can come coach soccer with me?”
you look at chan with an eye roll and he grins back
“i don’t have the endurance and i can’t handle more than one kid at a time.”
“ah yeah, then you’d have an issue with your co-worker.”
“changbin. there’s already one kid too much on my plate.”
you giggle and chan bites back his lip, stopping on the sidewalk as you slow down too
“is there any place in town that you really love?”
it takes you a moment to understand his question
“like a place that’s special on another level, i’ve never had one because i move around a lot but people say they have places in their home town that really mean something.”
you think and then nod, chan out stretches his hand
it’s actually on the other side of the park and field you and chan have been spending your summer in
it’s the side that is more green, with actual shade, but less foot traffic because it’s still dirt in some places and nothing has really been built there for a while
past a couple of old benches, you show chan a bush that sits between two big trees and look at him with an apologetic sigh
“i used to hide here when i was a kid. i know it’s not really beautiful, not a sunset on the beach or top of the mountain thing. but when i was smaller i could just sit here and be alone. and the trees always kept the sun out.”
chan looks at the small matted center between the branches, neither you or him can fit in their anymore
you imagine your younger self there, picking petals off of wild flowers or writing in your old diary
you look at chan and he seems like he’s also thinking about something, maybe he’s seeing himself there too
“remember when i told you i don’t know what i want to major in?”
he starts without returning your gaze
“the reality is my family wants me to become an athlete. actually, not even my family - it feels like the whole world wants that.”
the deepness of his voice falters, like a guitar suddenly playing an out of tune note
you do what’s natural and step closer to him, your hand squeezes his palm
“don’t get me wrong, i think it’s what i’m meant for too. i mean - i’ve always been good at it and i like it but-”
this time he does look at you, and the summer moon is suddenly showing its face over his shoulder - illuminating him softly
“but i don’t think i’ll be happy if i do it.”
“just because every one else thinks so, doesn’t mean you’re meant to do it chan.”
the words fall from you before you can stop them. you know what he’s feeling and you want to let him in on the lesson you’ve been learning yourself.
“you are meant to be happy, and you’re meant to grow for yourself and not for others. you become an adult for yourself, you live life for yourself and not for any one else.”
he swallows and turns so his entire body is facing your own
“i want-” he can’t finish the sentence, you’re not sure if it’s because he’s just pausing himself or if he really doesn’t know what comes after
instead he leans in and pulls you up close. he doesn’t kiss you, he seems to waiver because he wants your consent, and so you give it to him with a small tilt of your head.
that night you lay in bed thinking about everything chan shared with you and what you said to him
it makes your heart ache, but when your eyes close you think of the softness and curve of his upper lip.
you think about the way he holds your waist with both his hands clasped around you.
“i always knew he was in to you by the way, that’s why i kept leaving you two in your little love bubble.”
hyunjin says the next day as you’re setting up the table in the park
“and how did you know oh wise one?”
“he looked at you and it was written all over his face.”
“how come i didn’t see it?”
hyunjin shrugs, “because it was written all over yours too.”
the days fall into each other again, but now they feel less and less sluggish because chan comes around more often
bringing his hoard of campers with him sometimes and even changbin who asks you right off the bat how you’d rank chan as a kisser
chan gasps and covers the ears of the kid closest to him but you shyly raise your hands up to show all ten fingers
changbin gives chan a slap on the back that resounds all throughout the park
your dates with chan all endless laughter and conversation and showing him what life is like in this town while also getting to know more and more about who he is
slowly it comes out that the muscle and sporty attitude is just the top layer to someone who is so deeply creative and passionate about music and the arts
you have so much new music to listen to because of him and he goes way harder than you expect when you, him, hyunjin and changbin go out to karaoke
of course chan’s never ending energy is able to be soft and tender, as it is when he kisses you - everywhere he can reach and how he reels in the strength to handle you with the utmost care
when the librarian sees him give you a kiss before you go in to get your things, she stops you and for the first time all summer gives you a thumbs up
of course, summer can’t last forever, and the early signs of fall show their face
the soccer camp ends and you go to the final game - held against another local camp to cheer chan on
he looks so natural on the field, and he looks even more natural with the kids
it’s no surprise that a career in sports would fit him - but finally the topic of school comes back up
and you sit cross legged on the empty soccer field, chan’s jacket around your shoulders and his soccer whistle you stole around your neck
he pauses and tries to give you the look that is supposed to get him out of these situations, it doesn’t work and you ask again
he stops again and then sits back you get up and stand over him, looking down into his handsome face
you take it in your hands and ask again
“chan, tell me the truth and only the truth. what do you want?”
he pulls you down and ontop of him, supporting your fall with his own body as he kisses you
as much as you want to let him leave you breathless, you pull back and open your mouth to tell him to please be serious
but chan knows what you’re going to say before you do so he finally blurts it out
“i want to do music. i want to major in music.”
a smile blooms on your face - chan swears it nearly brings back the summer sun as you embrace him with a flurry of happy noises
he rolls you two over and grins down at you
“now that i told you, can we go back to kissing?”
in the future, years down the line, you look back on this moment with him and chan swears he wouldn’t be here - doing what he loves - if it weren’t for you
as you look around his music studio, you see all his hard work, you say that it was all chan
the stupid summer sun had a little to do with it back when you were younger, but you’re never going to admit that out loud
when chan gets up from his work, placing his headphones on the table and letting you lead him out to get dinner he jokingly goes,
“never in a million years.”
