A soft knock broke the silence and Jongho looked up from his book. His head was pounding and every cell in his body was screaming for sleep. But it was no use. If he didn't want to mess up his exam tomorrow, he had to study.

The door opened quietly and Jongho was surprised to see his mother in the doorway. Her short brown hair blew slightly in the breeze and her thin lips curled into a smile. "Still studying?" she asked, although it was obvious with all the books on Jongho's bed. He nodded slightly. His mother put on a worried look and entered the room completely. She closed the door quietly and then approached Jongho to sit down on the bed next to him. He looked at his mother with irritation, as it must have been weeks if not months since she had last been in his room for more than a minute.

She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and held out her hand to him. Still confused, Jongho clasped her hand and waited for her to tell him what was going on. "Did you and Lia have a fight?" she asked with a certain heaviness in her voice. Jongho pushed the book off his lap to give his mother his full attention. "Why do you ask?" he wanted to know. The slight wrinkles in his mother's eyes creased slightly as she tried to smile.

"You've been avoiding each other for days and Lia hardly talks to me anymore." Jongho took a deep breath and weighed up telling his mother everything. But was he really ready for this? "I'm just busy with university and stuff," Jongho lied.

He hadn't spent a second studying in the last few days. He was either sitting in his room thinking about Yeosang, starting to write new songs, or he was with Yeosang, giving him his full attention. He would never have thought it was possible to become this intimate with someone so quickly, but he was already at the point where he was sure that he loved Yeosang. Everything between them was just magical.

"Is it because of your fight last week?" Jongho's mother continued the topic. Jongho reluctantly remembered the evening but nodded slightly. There was probably no way around it anyway. "You know that your sister talks a lot of nonsense, don't take it to heart," she said now, squeezing his hand lightly. Jongho lowered his eyes and fiddled with his pillow. "She wasn't talking nonsense," he blurted out and although he was scared, it felt relieving.

His mother's eyes widened slightly and she looked at him questioningly. Jongho took another deep breath. "I've fallen in love with someone," he mumbled, not remembering that he had ever said that to his mother. Every time he'd had something with a girl, it hadn't been significant enough to tell his parents about. Never before had he felt the need to bring someone here and introduce them to his family. It was different with Yeosang.

His mother began to smile lovingly. Jongho knew that her smile would disappear in the next second, but he was willing to risk it. "But it's not a woman," he said as calmly as he could. He waited for his mother's reaction, expecting anything. That she would yell at him. That she would tell him he was crazy. That she would leave the room without a word. He would have been fine with anything, but his mother just sat there and stared at him as if she no longer recognized her son.

Jongho didn't know what to do. Afraid of what she would do next, he withdrew his hand slightly. He was about to justify himself, but his mother surprised him a second time when she pulled him into her arms.
A strange feeling spread through Jongho. He felt his mother's hand stroking the back of his head.

"I would be happy to meet him," escaped her lips and Jongho pulled away from her in surprise. "Really?" he asked incredulously, looking into the brown eyes that reflected his own. She nodded and actually looked happy. Jongho couldn't believe it. "Do you think dad..." Jongho began, but his mother answered before he could finish his question. "He'll understand," she said, nodding in confirmation. Jongho's shoulders slumped in relief. He would never have thought that his parents could just accept it like that.

~

Mingi pulled his helmet off his head and switched off the engine of his motorcycle. He scanned his surroundings and checked his phone for the hundredth time to see if he was at the right place. Yunho had sent him to a place Mingi had never been before. He had no idea what Yunho was up to, but his fingertips were tingling with excitement.

He fixed his hair in the outside mirror of his motorcycle. Then he walked across the path in his usual leather jacket and loose pants. He was in a park, but it had a different atmosphere to the park at the university. Every now and then a pedestrian with a dog or a cyclist crossed his path, but there was no sign of Yunho.

Mingi looked at the time and wanted to write Yunho a message. As he typed in the first letters, someone suddenly tapped him on the shoulder and he almost dropped his phone in shock. He turned around and brown hair appeared. Mingi didn't know if it was because he had never paid attention to it before, but Yunho looked different today. Prettier and more grown-up. His appearance made Mingi a little more nervous than he wanted to be.

He smiled and slipped the phone back into his jacket pocket. "So what are we doing here?" he asked, skipping a greeting. A grin crossed Yunho's face and Mingi didn't know whether to take this as a positive or negative thing. Despite everything, he let Yunho pull him along a little later.

They walked through a short stretch of forest then arrived at an open space. Mingi looked around and recognized some ramps in the distance. "You're joking, right?" he said incredulously, his gaze still fixed in the distance. Yunho smiled, shook his head and then walked to a bench not far from them. Mingi could hardly believe his eyes when Yunho pulled out a skateboard.

"Hongjoong told me that you love skating and that you used to do it in the summer. I've never tried it before, so I thought you could show me." Mingi had to pull himself together not to shout out loud and stared at Yunho, overwhelmed. He would never have thought that Yunho would be so thoughtful.

He could hardly suppress his excitement and snatched the skateboard out of Yunho's hand. Instead, he pushed his helmet into his arms and walked off.

He arrived at the ramp with the biggest smile he could muster. Yunho appeared behind him, smiling. Mingi carefully held the skateboard in the right position, then jumped on and set off. He was a little wobbly at first, but after a while everything he had learned so far came back. He hadn't skated for so long. He had almost forgotten how much fun he was actually having. Yunho sat down on a bench and watched Mingi do everything he wanted.

Overjoyed and out of breath, Mingi stopped in front of Yunho and got off the board. "Do you want to try it out?" he asked and Yunho nodded. He put the helmet down on the bench and stood up. Mingi didn't hesitate and reached for his hands. Yunho looked at him in surprise and Mingi avoided his gaze. He didn't know why, but he couldn't look him in the eyes. Not when he was so close.

With Mingi's help, Yunho stood up on the skateboard. His legs were shaking, so he shifted all his weight onto Mingi. Mingi took a step forward and the skateboard rolled with him. Yunho smiled as he managed to stay on it and Mingi looked at him proudly. He had never taught anyone else anything before, and then something he loved.

Mingi walked a little faster and Yunho started squealing, which made him laugh. The sun wasn't shining and thick clouds hung in the sky, but Mingi still had the feeling that they were in the most beautiful place in the world.

A small stone crossed their path and the skateboard stopped abruptly. Yunho fell forward but Mingi held him at the last second so that he didn't land on the ground. Relieved, Yunho straightened up and looked gratefully at his savior. Mingi, who was still holding his hand, avoided his gaze as usual and Yunho had to smile.

~

Mingi lost track of time and didn't realize how long he and Yunho stayed in this place. They laughed, skateboarded and Mingi learned things he never knew about Yunho. It was cold and Mingi's fingers were already red, but all he felt was pure joy. In just a few hours, Yunho had managed to make him the happiest person in the world.

When the lanterns came on in the park, Yunho nudged Mingi. "It's getting late and cold, we should go." Mingi pouted but listened to Yunho and picked up his things. "What about the skateboard?" he asked. Yunho took it from his hand and stowed it under the bench he had pulled it out from under in the afternoon. "I always leave it here. Sometimes friends of mine come here and use it." Mingi nodded and picked up his helmet.

Together they walked along the now almost dark path back to the parking lot. Mingi felt Yunho walking close beside him. Neither of them said a word, but it wasn't necessary. As the backs of their hands lightly brushed against each other, Mingi suddenly stopped. Yunho did the same and looked at him in question. Suddenly, Mingi grabbed his hand. Then he interlaced their fingers and walked on without saying a word. Mingi was surprised at himself. He was sure that his heart had just slipped into his pants. Although it was cold and Yunho's hand felt at least as cold, he was incredibly warm.

All too soon, they arrived back at Mingi's motorcycle. Yunho slowly let go of Mingi's hand and Mingi couldn't deny that he would have liked to grab it again. "How do you get home?" he asked, looking around the empty parking lot. They were the only ones here and the last light was finally fading from the sky.

"I'll call a cab," Yunho said with a smile and pulled out his phone. Mingi grabbed his wrist before he could type anything. "No way, I'll drive you." Yunho looked at him in surprise, then at his motorcycle. "Really? I don't want to put you in any trouble." Mingi had to smile, because Yunho had been showing him the opposite all day and doing what he wanted.

"Sure, no problem," he assured him. Then he handed Yunho his helmet. "I only have one, so you take it." Yunho shook his head but Mingi refused to change his mind and, against his will, he put the helmet on Yunho. He didn't care if he was safe, as long as Yunho was.

Mingi put on his gloves, then sat on the bike and showed Yunho how to sit down. Yunho landed close behind him. Mingi could tell from Yunho's firm grip on his shoulders that he was a little scared. "Don't worry, I'm a good driver," Mingi laughed, then he put the key in the bike and started the engine with a loud hum.

A few seconds later, they pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road. Yunho clung to him like a monkey, but Mingi didn't mind one bit. On the contrary. Something about Yunho sitting on his bike and holding on to him was exciting.

They drove through the darkness and the cold wind blew through Mingi's hair. At some point, he noticed Yunho carefully stretching out an arm and holding his hand in the air. He started to smile. This had probably been the best day of the year so far.

~

It wasn't long before Mingi pulled up in front of Yunho's house. He switched off the engine and Yunho got off. Mingi leaned forward and helped him take off his helmet. Yunho tossed his hair and smiled at Mingi. "That was amazing," he said. The light from the road sparkled in Yunho's eyes like two stars in the sky. Mingi couldn't look away. The longer he looked into his eyes, the harder it became to look away again.

"Thanks for bringing me home," Yunho interrupted the silence, as he noticed Mingi staring at him. "And thank you for giving me a chance." Mingi came back to reality and was glad that it was dark and Yunho couldn't see the heat rising in his cheeks. "You don't have to thank me," Mingi said. He was the one who should be thanking him. Without him, he would never have had such a great day. And Yunho was the first to show him his feelings so openly.

Yunho looked at the house and then back at Mingi as if he was waiting for something. Mingi's heart began to beat faster and a thought occurred to him. As soon as he thought about it, he couldn't think about anything else.

He took a deep breath and overcame his fear. He grabbed Yunho's wrist and pulled him towards him. His lips landed softly and fleetingly on Yunho's cheek and the world around them stopped for a second...

______________

Update tomorrow <33