up to cover brown eyes. there was a small giggle in response, inducing his own smile. "jeongguk?" soft voice called out with conviction. the hands fell away to be replaced seconds later by a face.

"how did you know it was me?" jeongguk queried, head tilting to the side. "vanilla, peaches and gardenias. sometimes, passion fruit and oranges." summer replied simply, causing a frown to pull his features closer. reaching up, she pressed a finger to the skin between his brows in an attempt to smoothen it out. "your scent." she added.

"oh," he reached up, grabbing her hand by the finger pressed to his forehead. "you know what i smell like?" one brow lifted as he laced his fingers through hers. "of course. it's very distinctive. very you." her smile was warm and soft and made him feel the same way hot chocolate on a cold winter's night did.

"what kind of nose do you even have?" he asked, feet beginning to move, urging them down the street. "a very sensitive one." she answered seriously before beaming up at him. he returned the gesture, thumb brushing over the back of her hand.

"i imagine it's what dogs feel like but a hundred times worse." she continued after a few seconds. "super sensitive nose that can catch even the slightest whiff, pleasant or not. it's a blessing and a curse." her free hand moved to brush hair out of her eyes.

he chuckled softly, glancing down at her. "i'm pretty sure you have an opinion on everything." he remarked, eyes on their intertwined hands. "of course. what are we without our thoughts and feelings?" her head leaned back as she looked up at the soft blue skies.

jeongguk blinked, letting her words sink in. he'd never thought about it but it seemed to carry such clarity, it astounded him. empty. without their thoughts and feelings, people were simply empty. bodies drifting across the earth with no soul to call their own.

he was quiet, listening to his heart beat as they strolled down the street. "i guess you're right." he turned his head to look at her and his eyes widened. his feet stilled, bringing them to an abrupt stop. "what?" gold brown eyes regarded him in question.

with his free hand, he pointed shakily. "y-your lips." he stuttered, eyes on them. they had taken on a bluish hue. the sickly kind. "they're blue." his words came out breathy. her hands came up to brush her lips, causing his eyes to go even wider.

he reached for them, gaze on her blue fingertips. those only happened to him when he wrapped a thread or band around his fingers and stopped the blood flow to them. "why?" he looked at her.

"i don't know. maybe i've been biting my lips too much? and my hand was shoved into my pocket." she offered almost nonchalantly. he almost believed her. but her eyes. her eyes flickered, giving her away. this was something else and she knew what it was. he wondered if it had anything to do with her asthma.

his eyes narrowed. "don't your lips usually get redder when you bi-" he was cut off by a small gasp from her. her eyes were no longer on his but focused instead on something behind him.

allowing himself be distracted, he glanced back. "flower shop." she pointed, sounding fascinated. "can we go?" she asked, looking back to him. "summer, we-" he started. "please?" her lips pressed together, eyes blinking innocently. he glanced from her bluing lips to vibrant eyes. sighing heavily, he nodded. "fine."

an excited squeal left her mouth and she took his hand again. they went in together. her eyes trailed over the flowers, subconsciously letting him go. jeongguk watched summer carefully until she disappeared behind a shelf of flowers.

he glanced down, finally looking at the flowers. daisies, peonies, lilies, tulips, poppies, daffodils, magnolias. he stopped in front of the sunflowers, the hint of a smile on his face. summer's favourite.

his attention was drawn to the roses, particularly the pink ones and he moved towards them. fingers brushed lightly over soft petals, feeling how fragile they were. they reminded him of summer's skin. soft, smooth, silky, delicate.

"do you like them?" a raspy voice drew his attention. he glanced up to the smiling face of a man he assumed to be the shop owner. jeongguk's head bobbed in a small nod. "want to get one for your friend?" the man's smile was knowing. "i suggest this." he pointed to a shade between dark and light pink. his voice lowered considerably. "it's for first loves."

jeongguk flushed scarlet. "i-i..." he stuttered. the man laughed, clearly amused. he grabbed a pink rose carefully by its stem, holding it out to him. "this one's on the house."

the boy hesitated before reaching for it. "thank you," he smiled graciously, face still warm. "you're welcome." the man smiled, gesturing in the direction summer had disappeared. taking a deep breath, jeongguk walked that way.

he saw her in front of the white chrysanthemums, staring at them intently. he was about to call out to her when he noticed the slight look of pain on her face. she rubbed circles on her chest before taking a deep breath. all of a sudden she was fine, running a hand over the flowers, moving on from them. his brows dipped together in a frown of curiosity.

"summer," he called softly, holding the one pink rose to his chest. she whirled around, buttery curls flurrying over her face. full lips gradually curved up into a full fledged grin. "that's a pretty rose." she remarked, gaze fluttering from the pink blossom to his face.

he took slow, deliberate steps until there was only foot between them. "it's for you." he held it out, waiting for her to take it from him. "thank you," her voice was quiet, eyes on the pretty flower.

when she looked back up, he noticed her lips had returned to their original colour. peachy. beautiful. soft. luscious. full. like the flower she now held.

"jeongguk," she breathed. "i'm guessing you know what that rose means." his hands slipped into the pockets of his jeans, shoulders slightly hunched in a vulnerable posture. her grip on the stem tightened the slightest bit which was enough of an answer for him.

he took another step, the tips of his shoes touching hers. head tilting, his eyes flickered from her eyes to her lips. "summer, i like you. a lot. whenever i'm around you, my heart starts running a marathon. sometimes it scares me. like i might get a heart attack just looking at you." he confessed quietly.

"jeongguk." she repeated, gazing up at him. "i...i like you too." it almost seemed as though it hurt her to say those words. he couldn't figure out why. her face had gone warm. he leaned down, hands coming up to cup soft cheeks.

lips touched hers in a warm embrace and jeongguk felt the fireworks go off. her plump lips moulded perfectly against his. it felt like kissing a rose. pure, beautiful, delicate. she tasted like honey and citrus. he didn't know why but it made sense. sweet and tangy just like her.

his heart had gone wild and he could practically hear the ballads playing in his head. the fire that lit his skin and entire being was welcome. the butterflies in his belly erupted in a wild dance. it was more than jeongguk could have ever imagined.

it was magic.