Healing

II - weird

       "Are you a stalker?" Jinyoung asks, taking a step backwards and eying the young man, Im Jaebeom, with suspicion. Why and how can he know him?

"What?" Jaebeom stutters, confused and blinking quickly. Jinyoung tries to step away and break the contact, but the other man doesn't let go, instead he holds him a bit tighter. "No! Of course no I just... I mean...I know because I'm..."

"A stalker," Jinyoung repeats, this time a statement, nodding and accepting.

His tone confuses Jaebeom, clearly, because he just holds on to those words without thinking and says, "Yes, that."

Jinyoung snorts a bit, trying to hold his laughter as he sees how Jaebeom realizes what he said, shutting his eyes tight and looking like he wanted to slap himself.

"I mean no! Not that." Jinyoung has to press his lips together not to laugh at how worked up Jaebeom looks. It's endearing and he doesn't even know he he's teasing him instead or stepping away when there's a guy who doesn't want to let go of his hand. "I mean you look like a Park Jinyoung."

"That's a very lame excuse, you know that, Mr. Stalker?" Jinyoung smirks, watching how Jaebeom turns bright red.

"I'm not a stalker!" Jinyoung can't help his chuckle this time, but he doesn't want to stop teasing the man in front of him.

"It's okay, acceptance is hard but it's the first step," he adds, patting the hand of the man with his left, trying to be comforting.

Jaebeom cannot come up with a reply, just gaping at him with his cheeks red as Jinyoung continues smirking.

"Stalker or not, you should let go of my hand. I did say I wasn't jumping," Jinyoung adds and just then Jaebeom realizes he hasn't let go. With now even his ears turning red, Jaebeom releases Jinyoung and steps back, looking down and mumbling to himself something Jinyoung can't quite grasp.

"I'm sorry, I came out weird," Jaebeom mutters, still embarrassed and hiding a bit inside his black hoodie. Jinyoung feels this weird urge to wrap his scarf around the young man to help him hide his embarrassment.

"It's okay, weird is fun. Unless it's creepy weird," Jinyoung reassures with a tiny smile, but this gesture flatters when Jaebeom looks up, still a bit hidden inside his hoodie, just his narrow eyes focused on Jinyoung. His stare is intense, as if the other man was trying to memorize him, and it makes Jinyoung feel hot, like he's suffocating as his heart starts beating way too fast for someone who isn't even walking.

"Am I creepy weird?" Jaebeom asks and Jinyoung can see a bit of vulnerability in those piercing eyes, some fear of what Jinyoung might answer.

Yes, he should answer. The man in front of him is somewhat creepy in the way he looks at Jinyoung as if he already knew him. Instead, he answers, "No. Just weird."

"Then would it be creepy if I ask you to grab coffee with me?"

It's Jinyoung now who feels his cheeks warming up so he looks away, willing his heart to calm down, not knowing why he feels so excited for some simple invitation.

"Are you asking me out, Im Jaebeom-ssi?" Jinyoung asks, staring at the horizon. The sun long gone, the night sky an endless blackness with only a crescent moon shining. The lights from the other bridges are a rainbow being reflected in the dark waters underneath.

"Would it be creepy if I do?" Jaebeom asks, his voice lower and it makes Jinyoung take his eyes off of the scenery to be trapped in the other man's stare, making him catch breath.

"N-no," he stutters, trying to sound calm but his voice is a bit higher. "But why?" he asks, trying to take some control of the situation by asking the questions instead. "Did you fall for me?" He laughs, trying to tease the young man.