You and Me
Title: You and Me
Pairing: KaiSoo
Rated: G-NC-17 (for different chapters)
Type: Slice of Life
Word Count: 1,586 words
Summary: Kyungsoo is your average teenager looking for a way to kill time over the summer. He meets Adventure one evening and begins to live for once in his life.
Author's Note: I was supposed to post this a few weeks ago but I never really got to ^^; This story was supposed to occur as summer (here in the U.S.) progressed but eh, I might just go with the flow~ Enjoy!
"Life is either a great adventure or nothing."
- Helen Keller
He stares at the white expanse of his ceiling looking for an answer. With his arms and legs sprawled against his bed, he continues to question his very existence in life. This type of thing isn’t new to Kyungsoo, oh no not at all. This topic, in fact, comes up once in a while when he’s run out of things to do or think about.
'What am I doing with my life?' Kyungsoo asks himself as he sighs into the emptiness of his room. This was the beginning of his summer vacation: a whole two and a half months of doing whatever the hell he wanted. School had ended about a week ago and in the time being Kyungsoo had submerged himself in soft sheets and fluffy pillows (he wanted to catch up on all the sleep he failed to acquire during the school year). With more than enough hours of sleep, Kyungsoo wasn’t sure what to do next.
Grabbing the phone that lay on his night stand, Kyungsoo was quick to unlock the device and send a text:
Yo, wanna hang out today?
He made sure to send several texts out to his closest friends. He didn’t really care who replied, just as long as he was able to get out of the confinements of his rooms and breathe fresh air once again.
All the replies he received in the following minutes denied Kyungsoo of the adventure he sought:
Sorry, meeting some family right now.
Can’t. Movies with my girlfriend.
Gotta study!!!
Kyungsoo scoffs at the last text he reads. Who the Hell studies over summer? With a sigh, Kyungsoo drags himself out of his bed. If he’s going to be bored, he should at least be bored somewhere else than inside his house.
Throwing on a white v-neck and shimmying into a pair of denim jeans, Kyungsoo heads out and begins to wander through town in hopes of finding adventure.
-
Adventure’s name is Kim Jongin.
Adventure is tall, has sun-kissed skin, and thick lips that spread over blinding teeth when he smiles.
Adventure has a sultry voice and twinkling, brown eyes that shine with mischief.
Kyungsoo meets Adventure at the corner park near his house. After failing to have an enjoyable time in town-he watched three movies (all of which had over-the-top advertisement that surely lacked to portray the suckiness of the actual film), went shopping (he bought some more v-necks and a pair of swim trunks that he might not even use but got it for the sole purpose of just wanting to own one), and played some arcade games (DDR isn’t as fun when you’re playing by yourself with a bunch of little kids mocking you with their annoying laughter and pointing fingers)-Kyungsoo thought he would try to uncover the meanings of life-and by that he means just sit there on the swings while he complains how boring life actually is-at the park while sipping on a bottled iced tea.
When he shows up with his hand gripping a sweaty bottle and a palm press inside his back pocket, he doesn’t expect to see a figure sitting on top of the slide.
Kyungsoo huffs out a disappointed sigh. He was looking forward to being alone as he bathed underneath the setting sun. But with the appearance of a complete stranger, Kyungsoo’s mood was shattered and all he wanted to do was slump against the headboard of his bed as he flipped through the endless channels on his T.V. He pivots on his heel to leave when he’s stopped by the sound of sneakers jogging behind him. As he turns, Kyungsoo realizes the close proximity of the stranger and takes a step back.
“Want some?”
Kyungsoo stares down at the hand that’s extended just above his waist. In the middle is a small pile of gummy bears mixed in with what looks like popcorn. He continues to stare at the offering and takes note at how filthy the surrounding skin looks; it’s obvious that the stranger had been fooling around on the playground equipment. Kyungsoo questions the stranger’s taste in food and hygiene but shrugs it off and takes the handful, reassuring himself that he’s not going to get some weird disease because his healthy immune system will fight the pathogens off before they could do any harm.
The stranger gives him a toothy smile before reaching into a Ziploc baggy and popping a gummy bear into his mouth (Kyungsoo takes note that it’s a green one). The stranger makes his way back to the slide, scampering up the small slope before resting at the top. Kyungsoo follows in pursuit and settles down at the opposite end, picking out a red gummy bear and popcorn piece from his portion.
“Why are you here?” Kyungsoo asks in an attempt to make conversation. He might as well get friendly with this stranger. After all, the guy gave him some food for free. Who doesn’t love free food?
“Because I like the look of the park. It’s really nice.”
The park was anything but appealing, in Kyungsoo’s opinion.
Years of pouring rain and hours underneath the baking sun had damaged the equipment. What used to be a glossy, blue slide was now a sheet of metal with spots of white-obvious marks of fingernails chipping at the layers of paint-and a ladder with missing steps. The cherry-red swings were now rusted with age, the chains eerily squeaking whenever someone sat down on the banged-up seat . Where flowers used to blossom in the Spring, weeds cluttered the ground, thriving with pricks and thorns. The soft, luscious grass was gone as well, patches being the only evidence that they had once flourished amongst the cracked dirt.
“Yeah, sure, nice,” Kyungsoo mumbles to himself as he glances around his spot. He can see a few ants crawling around his shoes so he brings his legs closer so that he’s propped up on the slide. As Kyungsoo continues to eat the snack he was given, he realizes that gummy bears and popcorn didn’t taste half bad. The sweetness and squishiness of the gummy bears counteracted the saltiness and crunchiness of the popcorn. Kyungsoo hums to himself when he finishes his food, wiping his hands on the sides of his denim jeans before taking a sip from his warming iced tea.
“I’ve never seen you around,” Kyungsoo starts as he stands up and begins to walk. He’s lived in this neighborhood since he was in middle school and not once has he seen this stranger. Even if the stranger didn’t attend the same school he did, Kyungsoo would definitely remember seeing a handsome face like his out in the streets.
Kyungsoo drops his bottle when the stranger breaks out into a loud chuckle. Kyunsoo ogles at him like he’s some alien before reaching down and grabbing the now dirtied bottle. Groaning, Kyungsoo wipes the dirt onto his pants and declares the bottle "good as new".
“That’s because,” the stranger laughs, simultaneously chewing on a gummy bear, “it’s my first time here.”
When Kyungsoo gives him a questioning stare, the stranger smiles once again. “I’m not from here. I’m from America.” And before Kyungsoo could ask, the stranger answers, “Just here for some family, is all.”
“Ah.” Well that explains his tanned complexion, Kyungsoo thinks as he stands from his spot and begins to walk. Kyungsoo’s standing underneath the tree in the corner. His hand reaches out to scrape the bark, the pads of his fingers feeling the history lying beneath each groove. He remembers when he first climbed the tree as a sixth grader or the time he found a stray cat on one of the branches. He circled around to the other side and saw the small carving he engraved at the bottom of the trunk. He chuckled to himself as he recalled how much he treasured the small pocket knife he found on the sidewalk.
“What brings you here?” the stranger speaks out, breaking the trail of thought Kyungsoo was in. Kyungsoo stares up the length of the tree, realizing just how small it actually looked. As a child, Kyungsoo thought it was the tallest object. When he climbed branch upon branch, swinging from each limb, he felt like he was on top of the world as he gazed down the streets. But standing here six years later and having grown well over a foot, Kyungsoo sees it as another ordinary tree in a beat down park in another crowded city. What did bring Kyungsoo here?
“I’m...not really sure,” Kyungsoo admits. And as if he had an epiphany, he gasps to himself and casts his eyes downwards as if he dropped his reason and he could find it laying somewhere in the dirt.
“You alright there?” the stranger calls out but Kyungsoo can’t really hear him. All the boy can really hear is his heart pounding against his ribcage and his ears drumming. His hands feel all sweaty and he’s starting to get a headache.
“Adventure.”
“What?”
“That’s why I’m here.”
“Um...”
“I’m here for adventure.”
Before Kyungsoo realizes it Adventure is standing right in front of him with a goofy smile and twinkling eyes.
“My name’s Kai but call me Kim Jongin.”
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