oafish penguin

"Do you have any swimming trunks I could borrow?"

"What?" Luhan's voice cracks in the middle from the lack of sleep, and he groggily opens his eyes. He blinks repeatedly at the sight of a very familiar teenage boy rambling around his closet, throwing each pair of pants he finds into the floor.

"Swimming trunks Luhan, we're going to the beach today!" The boy said excitedly from behind the piles of clothes he has created. His light-chocolate dusted hair pipes up, and he grins innocently at Luhan, who is blinking confusedly, still floating between dream and reality.  

"Sehun," he said finally, voice laced heavily with sleep, "it's six in the morning.” Luhan yawned widely, “when did you come into my room?"

"Just now, from the window - ah found it!" He swings the trunks in the air. He jumps over the mess on floor easily, the wind under his feet pushes him forward before he lands gently on Luhan's bed. "I got yours too, so let's go?"

When Sehun hears no response, he pulls the blanket that covers Luhan's face carefully. His lips curve into a smile at the sight of peaceful looking Luhan sleeping again with soft snores coming out from his slightly parted lips. Brushing the stray bangs on Luhan's forehead, Sehun leans forward and gently kisses him. Swimming can wait later.

    “Come on Luhan, faster!” Sehun taps his feet childishly on the white sand, “the sun won’t wait for us!”

“I’m trying!” Luhan yells in reply. he grips his crutches tighter and takes small but quicker steps towards Sehun. He’s two meters behind from the latter quick steps (even though Luhan never sees Sehun’s feet touch the ground once.) Sweats are starting to pool on his forehead as it takes more effort to move with four ‘legs’ all at once instead of two. He begins to think that this isn’t a good idea. There’s no beach sport he can do when one of his leg is barely functioning anyway.

Sehun seems to feel a bit guilty at the tired groans and sighs that Luhan made. He slides his fingers gently towards his friend, making a small beckoning move without the other notices. Luhan has to hold his shrieks as the wind answered Sehun’s call and his feet are suddenly hovering an inch in the air before Sehun moves his fingers again, pulling Luhan into him in one swift whoosh. 

“Sehun!” luhan yelps in shock. He winds his arms around the Sehun’s neck, his crutches are long forgotten on the ground as he struggles to find balance. 

Sehun’s grin has never been wider as he sweeps Luhan’s legs up, carrying him like he weighs off feathers. He presses light kisses to Luhan’s hair as the latter buries his head on Sehun’s shoulders, too embarrassed to be seen by many people. 

“… people are looking.” 

“Let them--they need to know how beautiful you are.”

    On the last days of summer, the leaves on trees begin to brown, dry and crumple - such as the state of Sehun is now. He is feverish from cold, shivering and wheezing under layers of thick blanket that Luhan has prepared for him every year during these times.

“Lu—,“ he says weakly, the sound muffled under the blankets. He wiggles his fingers, and Luhan can feel a slight push of wind to his back, so soft that it did nothing to move him. Luhan grabs his crutches and drags himself towards the bed.

“What is it?” His hand gentle brushes Sehun’s hair, slowly, affectionately that it makes the latter’s heart feels like bursting.

“Come here.” Sehun shifts his body a bit to give some space before pulling Luhan to the bed. His cold arms wraps around Luhan’s waist, holding him tightly. 

Luhan latches his fingers on Sehun’s, wincing a bit when an odd feeling of sheer coldness struck his skin. Sehun was always warm, like a morning light that greets him the first time he wakes up everyday. But now his skin is pale, almost translucent, and it freezes all over. Luhan feels like crying, but he holds himself tight. This happens for several years already and Sehun needs him to be strong. He rubs Sehun’s back gently, smiling as the latter peppers kisses all over his face. 

Through the open window on his room, bright with the lamp from his balcony, Sehun can see a sliver sight of brown leaves falling from its tree. his limbs feel numb, heavy—very heavy. With the last of his strength, he leans more to the man beneath him. whispers of sweet words and love from his lips dance around the room, embedding themselves into the wall like a beautiful painting, enough for Luhan to remember him until next year.  

Sehun doesn’t want to go. 

      When the morning comes on the next day, Sehun is gone. Luhan clutches his hands into the bed sheet, where the lingering feeling of cold from Sehun’s skin still stays. The soft rustle sounds from the windows snap Luhan out from his thought and he walks towards it. The morning breeze welcomes his coming with playful dancing, playing with his bed hair with ticklish but lovely feeling. He smiles as he feels the wind brushes his cheek, stroking it gently like kisses. 

Sehun feels a soft surface touches his forehead. He blinks awake. His mother’s face is an inch from his.

"Oh you’re awake?" She asked, surprised, but still smiling anyway. She gets off from the bed, reaching to turn off the ringing alarm that just blasted off. "That’s like half an hour early."

Sehun rubs his forehead absently, feeling it a bit moist from slight lipstick mark. “Did you do this everyday?”

She looks at him, a little bit offended at her son’s remark. “Maybe,” her eyes spark in mischief. “Why, can’t I kiss my only son?” She proceeds to steal a peck to sehun’s forehead again before the boy rolls off the bed. “Rude,” she pouts.

"Aren’t you suppose to leave early?" Sehun gets up finally, his head pounding heavily. Today is no different afterall.

"Ah yes, the meeting." She hurriedly takes her bag and a pile of documents from sehun’s desk. "I’m going then, sehun-ah. Don’t be late to school."

"Hm," sehun mumbles a yes. He shifts forward, arms circling her mother’s petite figure in a back hug. "Drive safely, mom."

Her smiles then is as bright as the morning sun. “I will, sehun-ah.”

        He remembers that there was a yellow-grass field. He also remembers that he was sitting alone on a chair in the middle of it. There was also gust of winds, hurricane of sounds and blast of dust in front of him, but the rest of the dream are blur.

        It’s now seven-thirty and there’s no sign of huang zitao anywhere.

Sehun looks at his phone. He already sent six messages and twelve calls to tao’s phone but none of his reply comes. Their class starts in half an hour and they need at least twenty minutes to reach the school.

Five minutes passed and sehun checks his phone again. Nothing.

Their first class for today is chemistry, and sehun is currently very afraid of mrs. Kim, their chemistry teacher who also partimes as a witch (according to popular belief.) He already got his score cut in half for his last experiment and he doesn’t want to repeat that experience for his lateness today.

Sehun considers to go by himself but he is a good friend. A good friend never leave a friend behind, especially tao, who apparently knows karate (it’s wushu actually but sehun of course just calls it as he wants) and can kick any asses to the sky and back.

Knocks come from the front door.

Sehun pulls the door open with a speed of light. “Huang zitao!”

"Morning, sehunnie!" The boy chirps, still in the high-pitch voice of his that seems never get to experience puberty. His panda eyes curve up into slits as he grins.

Sehun is ‘this’ close to slam the door back shut. But he stops his hand as the surrounding suddenly grows quiet, too quiet. Behind tao, the rush of people walking on the sidewalk stops, and the air stays in place. Sehun glances at the clock.

The secondhand isn’t moving.

Tao smirks. “Ready to go?"

        He remembers the wind moved towards him, along with the loud roar. He remembers it pooled around his hand, pulsating and spinning on top of his palm.

And then he woke up. Sweats trailed from his forehead and his body feverish all over.

        Sehun moved his fingers lightly towards the tree. A soft breeze suddenly blows around the leaves and branches, pushing the baloon enough to float to his hand.

"Here," he said to the little girl. Her smile wide and the pigtails on her hair bounce as she skips towards him. She takes the baloon from his hand, gripping the string tighter now to not lose it again.

"Thank you so much mister!" She lisps cutely, rosy cheeks colored her round face. She dashes back to her mother, arms flailing animately to tell her what happened.