Station 553 | Taegyu & Heehoon

5) Old Romantics

TW: implied abuse

"Blargh!" A figure jumped out of the shadowy bushes lining the playground.

"Jesus-!" Heeseung stumbled backward, his hands coming up to protect his face. He peered into the darkness. "Sunghoon?!"

The boy doubled over, laughing hysterically. "Oh my god, you- Ha! You should have seen the look on your face!"

"Jesus, fuck, you scared me."

"Good. You deserve it for cheating on your cheating girlfriend," Sunghoon grinned. He hugged himself, his jacket lightly fluttering in the night breeze. "So, why'd you text?"

"I'm officially available now..."

"Karina and you broke up?"

Heeseung nodded, taking Sunghoon's hand. "I was wondering if... if you wanted to be my boyfriend? Make things official?"

Sunghoon immediately pulled away. "I... We agreed on no attachment, Heeseung. Strictly pleasure."

"You can't tell me it hasn't grown into something more, though. I know you feel it too. This pull. Like we're meant to be together."

The younger boy let out a dull laugh. "I don't think this is a good idea."

"Why?"

"What if it doesn't go well?" Sunghoon fretted. "What if I lose my only friend?"

"But what if we're good together?" Heeseung pressed. "What if we fall in love?"

Sunghoon shook his head. "No. That doesn't work."

"But it could!"

"It won't."

"You don't know that." Heeseung stared at the younger boy with pleading eyes.

"I do," Sunghoon stubbornly maintained.

"How?"

"I just do."

Heeseung sharply exhaled, annoyed. "Do you hate me?"

"Of course not!"

"Then what is it? You want to stop meeting?"

"No!" Sunghoon cried.

"Then why?!" Heeseung shouted. "Why are you so against this?"

"Because I already love you!" Sunghoon turned away, quivering as he hugged himself. "I already love you, you idiot. And that scares me."

Heeseung reached out, his fingers hesitantly hovering above the younger boy's shoulder. "I..."

"Don't say it back." Sunghoon let out a quiet sob, his voice soft and defeated. "Please don't say it if you don't mean it."

"I'm not there yet," Heeseung gently admitted, taking Sunghoon's wrist. "But that's only because I don't know you enough. You don't let me know you."

"I told you about the thunder!" Sunghoon snapped.

"Thunder?" Heeseung laughed crudely. "All I know is you're scared of it. Nothing else."

He spun around, collapsing onto a park bench. "You don't have to open up immediately, Sunghoon. I'll wait for you. But just know that I can't truly love you until you do."

The younger boy remained motionless. Somewhere in the trees, a mourning dove cooed.

"I'm scared of thunder because it's so sudden." He sat down beside Heeseung, drawing his knees to his chest. "Like a door slamming."

Heeseung pursed his lips, glancing at Sunghoon.

The younger boy stubbornly stared into the distance, refusing to meet his eyes. "Whenever my parents got angry—at each other or at me—they'd slam doors a lot and the sound, it just- it takes me to someplace I don't want to be."