Characters- Alberu, Cale
Shippings- Albecale
Ratings- K+
Four Seasons
Part 2 [Summer]
Cale = 17-15
Alberu = 20-18
Highschool AU
The jangling sounds filled the empty hallway, Cale opened his door, slipping the phone between his shoulder and ear.
Alberu sighed as a ping sounded loudly in his background, “I’ll get back to work, yeah? So, hang up for me.”
Cale nodded, “See you in a week then hyung. I’ll disconnect now.”
The phone pinged as the call ended, leaving Cale in the silence of his own home.
He looked at his doorway in silence for a while, before keeping his luggage away.
He closed his eyes, remembering the time they had as high school students. Well, it was two years ago, there wasn’t much of a gap. The time that they had their first kiss always crossed Cale’s mind. It wasn’t that sudden, more gradual than one would expect.
‘Mint ice cream on a summer day.’
That’s what it tasted like.
Although Cale had dated once or twice when he was sixteen, this kiss was the most memorable. Was it because it was the most recent or was it because it was with Alberu? He had no idea.
The summer was the same as a year ago. Sultry and humid as usual.
The bell rang through Cale’s ears, sonorously waking him up from his afternoon nap. He lazily opened his eyes, as they scanned the room casually. He could see various people with different features, from fins to wings. After all, he was in a different universe. His eye caught a person waiting at the doorway, causing most of the students to flock around him.
The blonde gave a painfully obvious fake smile, as he waved at Cale. The fake gold pools reflected the noon sunlight, accentuating the spark of the yellow strands of hair. His clear aquamarine jewels fit so perfectly in his sockets, almost like a doll’s. His skin was pale and near snow, although it was no match to his own, which was already as white as the roofs on Christmas. Cale could admire Alberu for all eternity. Of course, that would only be natural as Alberu was his elegant and chivalrous prince.
‘So he came to pick me up, huh.’Cale swung his backpack and got up to greet the other boy.
“Sunbae~” He cooed cheekily, trying to divert the attention, “Should we leave now? There are too many people around.”
Alberu smiled, but Cale knew that it was all but a farce, and that his true feelings were more akin to sighing in exhaustion of Cale’s antics. “Sure, my lovely dongsaeng. Why not? We need to get going anyway.”
It had only been a couple of months since he had been asked out by this boy. A third year who was about to graduate in two months, that was his boyfriend’s identity. Alberu had the aura of a prince and was called such by many. Some said it in jest, while some called him so in admiration.
Although no one knew of their relationship, Cale did enjoy the affections he indulged in along with Alberu in private. Well, he was the very few who knew of his secret.
The fact that the famous prince was a dark elf and not your average human.
Dark elves were often looked down upon because of their consumption of dark mana. Cale however, quite loved Alberu’s dark elf form from the first time he saw it.
Mesmerising was the only way he could describe it, really. His dark brown hair was as warm as hot chocolate on a summer evening.
Almost scorching heat that would melt one’s tongue.
His skin resembled citrine with its dark and sparkling texture and his eyes felt like they were glazed over like a slab of brown granite, ever so fixated on him.
One thing Cale always loved about Alberu in his dark elf form was the freedom that came with it. He knew that the time Alberu truly felt he was free was when he was in that form. But then again, that was only natural was it not? Anyone would be the happiest in their own colour, in their true forms.
As the two walked quietly, the heat started to get to Cale. “Should we get some ice cream?”
Alberu snapped out of his thoughts “Huh? Ah yeah sure.”
The cashier rang up two mint creams as the humid air from outside cooled down in the air conditioner.
Cale wondered why Alberu wasn’t talking that much today. It was odd, especially considering the fact that it was the norm for him to engage first.
As Alberu paid the cashier, Cale was a bit surprised.
‘Alberu never paid for my share.’
“Oh, I’m out of cash. Could you lend me 500 ₩?”
“Sure.” Cale handed him the money stoically, easily hiding his panicky suspicions.
“Thanks.”
‘That’s strange too. He doesn’t thank me for these kinds of things either. Today is so damn strange. Is he planning something?’
As the two walked out of the store Cale dug his wooden spoon in the ice cream.
‘Mint.’
Alberu too did the same, and slowly continued to walk.
Cale on the other hand was even more confused and had alarms blaring in his mind as to why that was, ‘WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING??? IS HE GOING TO BREAK UP WITH ME? IS THAT WHY HE’S BEING SO NICE AND QUIET??’
In the middle of the footpath, Alberu stopped to throw his trash in a nearby trashcan and so did Cale, even though he wasn’t done with his ice cream. The shade nearby was the only relief unless the ice cream wasn’t in his mouth.
“What’s wrong?” Cale said cooly, putting a spoonful of ice cream in his mouth while his inner self was screaming in happiness, ‘Finally, you finally said something.’
“C-c-” Alberu stammered.
“Yeah?” Cale asked inquisitively, awaiting an answer.
“Could I hold your hand right now?” He asked, his face red, and his hand inching towards Cale’s.
“Eh?”
Cale was speechless to say the least. ‘Why is he being so coy about holding hands!? We hold them everyday! Does he have something planned? Oh, is he finally going to—’ His thoughts got cut off when Alberu slid his hand into Cale’s and whispered something into his ear, “And, after this, c-can I kiss you?”
Cale looked at him, eyes widened.
‘Oh.’
The weird signs all made sense, despite the fact that they were flimsy ones.
The mint ice cream, the silence, the blush, the extra niceness. Oh god. His partner was an idiot. And he loved that idiot. He was his idiot.
Cale cracked up in relief, “Really? That’s it? So, that’s why you were acting so odd.”
Alberu’s blush went redder and face was tinted with surprise because Cale laughing was so rare he too had never seen it, “What do you mean odd!?”
Cale had never laughed so much in a long time. This time, it wasn’t a bitter sarcastic chuckle, not a fake laugh to keep the other entertained, but a genuine one from the pit of his stomach.
“Pfft- You even bought me ice cream, not to mention pffftttttt—,”Cale struggled to contain his laughter as he spoke, “It was fucking ice cream, how did you think that would work, hyung!? Aren’t you supposed to be the genius here!!!??”
“Shut up.” Alberu huffed with no real bite, trying to walk in front leading the younger man who had lost all sense and reasoning behind him before feeling a tug at his hand.
Cale’s grip tightened on the other, wiping away his tears, and his face returned stoic, “So, let’s do it, shall we?”
Alberu looked around incredulously, trying to wave off the hand stuck to him, “Of course not here!”
“Let’s move somewhere more private then.” Cale pointed at an empty playground at the corner.
“How about there?”
“Why is this so convenient?” Alberu muttered as his ears turned a distinct shade of red, as he led Cale to the playground.
Even though Cale’s face had returned stoic, Alberu could tell that the bastard was definitely happy, judging by how he had more of a bounce in his step.
They sat on the bench for a while as Cale looked at his cup of ice cream.
‘Oh, it’s melted,’ he looked at the older boy and then back at his ice cream, his visage stained with a smirk that looked like he wanted to mess around. ‘He should also suffer a bit for toying with me this entire afternoon shouldn’t he?’
Cale asked Alberu nicely, “Open your mouth.”
“Okay?” He said, obliging, but definitely picking up on the fact that something was horribly wrong with the current situation.
Cale took the remnants of the former ice cream and poured it in Alberu’s mouth, electrifying his tongue and making his closed eyes fly open before sending him into a coughing fit at the unexpected liquid sliding down his throat.
“You wanted it so much, so you might as well have some more you know?” Cale said as Alberu coughed out the liquid, regrettably staining his blazer with the dripping ice cream mixed with his saliva. Alberu looked at Cale in annoyance as the bastard smiled that sham of a smirk that dripped with contempt and definitely some amount of pettiness.
Alberu pulled him down in a fit of annoyance, before taking a moment to quiver before he could grace Cale’s lips with a gentle peck.
‘Ah. It’s soft as expected.’ Cale thought as he touched Alberu’s lips.
‘I guess he wasn’t wrong to choose the ice cream.’
Right after a second of their lips touching Alberu pushed him away, as Cale’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, before his eyes met Alberu’s face.
His face was tinted with the recognizable red blush he had seen a few minutes ago. Cale’s stoicness returned before he pulled Alberu into him for another kiss, while the stunned Alberu could do nothing but oblige with his partner’s outrageousness.
And with that the innocent pink petals of spring fell to the ground and the now bare bud bloomed into a green tinted flower of summer.