Believe Again: First Words

A/N: I made a couple of changes from chapter 1. For those who read it before I updated it, basically Saeran's eyes are mint green, not yellow, and he has bandages covering his tattoos (which I did not mention when the reader saw him without his sweater).

You had always thought a baby's first words to be the most special, in a way that few people could understand. The privilege of being addressed by them as they took their first steps out of intelligible blubbering to crawl closer to you, bit by bit, could make anyone's head giddy with rapture.

He was most definitely not a baby, but his first word to you had a greater impact on you that you could have anticipated.

It had just been another Friday, and you were heading back as usual. Friday evenings had become special to you, since it marked the weekly ice cream date the both of you would have together. Up till now you had never exchanged words with each other, not even a simple greeting. It was just the way things were, and you were both fine with that. It was perfectly pleasant, just being able to enjoy each other's company as you savored your ice cream in silence. The occasional crunch of the wafer of the cone was the only sound that either of you permitted yourselves to make when you were seated together.

It was a strange relationship you two shared. You didn't even know if there was a relationship at all, considering you didn't even know his name. Then again, even though you didn't know his name, you felt a unique, pronounced connection to him, one that may have to do with the peculiar feelings in your chest that sprouted whenever he crossed your mind.

It wasn't exactly a romantic attraction, nor was it mere curiosity. You had spent hours pondering over this question while laying awake in your bed in the deep hours of night, and in middle of day when you could spare some time to space out a for a little while.

All you could conclude was that he was an enigma and that your relationship with him was of an alien nature, one that, perhaps, had been birthed only between the both of you.

The sun was already setting as you neared the park. A swirl of pink and marigold colors dusted the cloudless sky. It was exceptionally beautiful today, and you couldn't help but wonder what he thought of the scenery today, being the avid sky-watcher he was.

Your feet found the clean brick path that you took each evening, and you kept your eyes peeled for a mop of messy red hair being tousled by the wind. Confusion struck you, however, when you found no sign of him, even though you were certain that you were looking at the right bench.

You quickened your pace towards the bench, and stopped in front of it. He wasn't there. You scanned the vicinity, and spotted the usual children and elderly folk around, greeted with the same scenery as always, except for him.

Was he gone?

The thought unsettled you. It unnerved you to the core.

It dawned on you then that you had become more attached to him than you thought you had been and would be, evident in the invisible weight on your shoulders dragging your spirits to rock bottom, and the gaping hole in your tightened chest.

It wasn't as if this was an arrangement that the both of you had agreed on. It probably wasn't even meant to last, or at least, not as long as you would have liked it to be. You knew, but despite that you were disappointed, more than you should have been.

Perhaps the best thing to do was to not over-think things. There was no point to it. Maybe he was just busy today, or for some reason couldn't come. It wouldn't be right to jump to conclusions just because he wasn't here all of a sudden. Besides, surely he had better things to do than sit here in the evenings to watch the still sky. You resolved to continue on your way back home, brushing thoughts of him aside.

That is, until you heard footsteps approaching you from behind. You sensed a familiar presence behind you, and without a moment's hesitation you were spinning around to find out who it was.

Relief flooded you, and you couldn't help the smile that your lips pulled into, when you found yourself standing face to face with that man. It was your first time standing this close to him, and you weren't expecting him to be this tall. He was almost half a head taller than you. You had to tilt your chin up slightly so you could meet his soft mint eyes.

From here, even though you were standing just a little further than an arm's length away from him, you could catch the faint scent of his shampoo, the one he used every day.

He had two ice cream cones in his hands, and now he was holding one out towards you.

"Here," he spoke, in a quiet but deep, strong voice that took your breath away. You needed a couple moments to register that he had just spoken to you, and that he was offering you a chocolate ice cream cone. You blinked a few times at it, as if it was an illusion that would vanish in the blink of an eye.

It didn't.

You looked up again. Your gazes met, but only for two seconds, because then he lowered his eyes, appearing slightly embarrassed. You noticed the light pink creeping up at the corners of his ears that were partially hidden by his messy red locks.

This was the first time he had lost a staring match against you.

Dumbly, you looked at the ice cream cone again, and then you slowly raised your hand to accept it from him. As he handed it to you, your fingers brushed against each other. The light, feathery contact made your heart skip a beat and your face flush. It seemed to have an effect on the man too, for he let go a little too quickly, nearly causing the cone to drop entirely if it weren't for your fast reflexes.

He mumbled something that sounded like an apology under his breath before he sat down again on the bench, licking his ice cream. You were still admittedly puzzled by the change of events, and so you continued to focus your attention on him, waiting for him to explain himself. He didn't say anything, however, having apparently returned to his silent self.

Well, you supposed his intentions weren't that hard to figure out, from the way he had approached you earlier. He probably just wanted to make it up to you, for having treated him to ice cream for the past two Fridays. A smile played on your lips as you sat down, having a taste of the ice cream. Maybe it was just you, but it tasted sweeter than it normally did.

"Thanks," you said aloud. Your voice caught his attention, and he looked over at you, with his eyes widened ever so slightly. He looked like a deer caught in headlights, and you wondered what on earth was so strange about you thanking him for his kindness. He looked rather cute as he visibly attempted to formulate some sort of response. The sound of your chuckling seemed to put him at a greater loss for words, and you watched in amusement as his ears began turning red.

At times like these, with his guard down, he was like an open book, his thoughts showing quite plainly for you to see.

At last, he managed to restore the perfect poker face he always had on, and settled for a dismissive "Mm," before returning his gaze to the open sky.

With some interest, you noted that his ears remained red for the rest of that evening.

A/N: I promise the next chapter will be longer and fluffier. ;) Thanks for reading!

Also, to Rishia (because I couldn't send you a PM) thanks for the sweet comment haha. And the medal. ;) I might do the thing you suggested, or not… we'll see hehe. Thanks for making me smile so much with your review! ^^