ଘ ⱮąϚҠƐᎠ ଓ | hyunin

17

Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.
– Oscar Wilde
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the trio ate their ice cream on the veranda of the cafe. a somewhat comfortable silence in the air. though the girl was still judging hyunjin for his choice of mint chocolate ice cream as she munched on her tropical flavored sherbet. jeongin, being the middle ground between the two, decided not to take sides as he peacefully ate his own plain cookies and cream. he was just glad that the atmosphere overall wasn't awkward.

it was still winter; the days cut short with the sun already starting to set down. jeongin couldn't help but notice how the sunset during those cold times of the year flowed pink. the sun was setting behind him, his hand shone pink as he raised it against the light. he twisted it in different directions and made different gestures, enjoying the color.

a light huff was heard from across the round table -hyunjin. the younger glared at him, but once his eyes caught a glimpse of what his little sister was doing he couldn't help but smile as the girl repeated his actions. spinning and twisting her much smaller hand in an attempt of trying to understand what jeongin was looking so mesmerized about.

maybe she will understand once she grows up. learning how to find beauty in the simple things.

somehow, this all felt so natural to him. sitting outside, enjoying ice cream during a winters sunset. with hyunjin smiling adoringly at him and the sun beautifully shining, kissing his caramel skin. jeongin wasn't sure if his cheeks were red because of the cold, or because of the way hyunjin was looking at him, but he returned the smile.

"ew. get a room."

long story short, haseul ended up falling asleep on hyunjin as he gave her a piggyback. the three of them were heading back to jeongins home.

the two didn't converse, sharing side glances and smiles instead of words. hyunjin found himself enjoying the sound of jeongin humming soft melodies of whatever songs that were on his mind; featuring the sound of their shoes clapping against the ground.

the walk was relatively fast. at that point hyunjin had trouble feeling the tips of his fingers that were painted red.

jeongin fumbled with the keys of his apartment. it took him at least three times before he managed to push the flat, rigged metal into the opening and twist it open. he could practically hear hyunjin sigh in relief as he did so.

"you can lay her on the couch." hyunjin follows the instruction, taking one of the blankets from the loveseat nearby and spreading it over the girl. after hearing the heater turn on, jeongin made his way towards the two. squatting in front of the girl, he takes off her shoes and the jacket, following with any extra winter clothing and the few hair clips decorating her raven hair.

"you hungry?" hyunjin turns to look at jeongin for a moment, before looking away with a shrug. a soft smile decorated his chopped lips that jeongin found himself staring at.

"you're such a creep."

hyunjin whipped his head towards jeongin with wide eyes, clearly against the statement. "Wha- why?!"

"staring and smiling at an eight year old like that. to top it off, my sister too." the younger shot him a playful glare, making hyunjin scoff at the unreasonable statement.

"well, i'm sorry for being fascinated of your relationship!" he stocked his tongue out. "i'm the youngest, always getting babied by my parents and siblings. watching you made me remember them and how they always took care of me." the older finished off, resting his chin against his knee as he slowly rocked back and forth with no particular pattern.