Work Text:
Roksoo was swinging his little feet on the swing as he watched his classmates play together around the playground.
It was his first time on the swing, he usually preferred sitting under the shade unless the sun wasn't too hot.
He wished there was a place for him to sleep on the playground but he doubts the loud laughter, squeaky giggling and the childish screams could give him any good sleep.
Not that it bothered him, they weren't so loud that it hurt his ears or something and there was actually a sort of comfortable ambiance to it. It was just background noise when he zoned out.
He just preferred reading or sleeping whenever he had time for himself. But he wasn't allowed to because it was playtime where he should be hanging out with his friends or whatever the caretakers said.
He wasn't sure who they meant by friends.
He doesn't think the caretakers were being too unreasonable though. He had recess where they left him alone to do his own thing--reading some books the daycare had, and there was also nap time, his favorite.
Roksoo just didn't see the point or understand why that had to be something that his parents needed to know.
They assured him it wasn't anything alarming, and they were just concerned but he doesn't really believe them.
He liked reading and sleeping, was that so weird?
"Hey, you."
When he suddenly hears a brash abrupt voice, he looks up from his seat to see wide curious chocolate eyes staring right at him.
He doesn't say anything in response but the kid didn't seem to be too bothered or offended by that and instead, continues speaking.
"I'll push you."
...was the kid threatening him? What he was saying didn't match at all with how cheery the boy sounded but Roksoo got nervous anyways.
Then the kid gives him the brightest widest grin he had ever seen, as if the red haired boy seemed proud of himself. This boy couldn't possibly be threatening him, could he?
Then the nameless kid moves behind Roksoo with large childlike movements and when he feels hands the size of his touch his back, he realizes that there is a possibility he was in danger.
Just as the boy promised, he pushed and all sorts of images ran through Roksoo's head.
Him falling flat on his face or on his knees which would hurt no matter how baby proofed the floor is and the red haired kid would look down on him saying something like 'this is my swing!' like those selfish characters from books he reads where the moral of the story is sharing is caring or something.
But none of that happens.
Instead, he gets lifted in the air and wind softly blows on his face as he momentarily stops hearing the noises of his classmates.
Oh, was all he could think of before just as he predicted, he falls flat on his face.
He hears a startled squeal behind him as he sluggishly gets up on his elbows.
Then there were hands helping him up, hands too small to be one of the caretakers so he could only assume it was another classmate.
But when he turned to look, it was the selfish bad kid from the books, who was looking at him with obvious worry and tears threatening to spill in his eyes.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!"
More apologies spilled from his lips as he tugged on desperately on Roksoo's shirt.
"I wanted to push you, I don't know why you fell, please--hic--please don't tell Miss Tasha!"
Even with the boy's stubborn insistence to hold back his tears, it spilled anyways, making his face turn red enough to rival his hair and eyes get slightly puffier.
He wanted to push Roksoo but not for him to fall? Then why--
Oh, then it clicked. That's how swings are supposed to be used.
Kids his age were usually too short to reach the ground on the swing and Roksoo was already pretty short compared to his peers.
That's why there's always someone else to push but Roksoo forgot about that because he had never been on a swing before.
So the kid was actually...offering to help when he saw that Roksoo wasn't properly using the swing, noticing that his feet didn't touch the ground.
Maybe Roksoo's prediction wasn't all that perfect, but he was right about the falling as well as the pain.
"It's my fault, I wasn't holding on properly."
He said, swallowing to hold back tears of his own because wow did falling on your face hurt.
"Your lips are swelling."
The boy said, looking guiltier by the second, if the crinkling of his face was anything to go by.
Roksoo licked his lips to confirm and pain immediately shot from his lips throughout his head. It was definitely going to be swollen. He felt his eyes water more.
The boy turned to look for a teacher before an idea dawned on him. At least he stopped crying.
"I know what can help you feel better!"
He would do anything to stop the pain right now.
"What is it?"
He asked, voice weak from suppressing all the wet crying in his throat.
"It's something my mom does for me when I get hurt, and then the pain goes away!"
Then without another warning, the boy puts both of his soft, slightly sweaty hands on his cheeks and all Roksoo saw was the boy getting closer when he felt something much softer on his lips.
What was the kid doing?
Then the kid moved his head away but the tiny hands stayed.
"Did it work?"
Roksoo stared dumbly at the curious, expectant and hopeful eyes as he momentarily forgot everything that had happened.
Oh right the pain.
"What did you do?"
The boy blinked and red eyelashes came to view.
"I kissed you. Mama would kiss the hurt away. So I did it to you, did it work?"
Roksoo pressed his lips together in a thin line and just like before, pain coursed through his face and he flinched.
The boy obviously noticed because his face dropped, as if the possibility that it couldn't have worked never even crossed his mind.
"It didn't work?! Are you sure?"
His classmate said this kissing healing method should have worked but Roksoo could still feel the pain. Did he get scammed?
It seemed unlikely though with how baffled and stupefied the kid looked. That didn't stop him from looking at the kid with suspicion.
Not taking offense this time either, the boy simply huffed, determined to prove his suspicions wrong before bringing their heads together and then they were kissing once again.
Both times, the kid would close his eyes and then open them again when they pulled away, Roksoo had noticed. Why is that? Is it the proper way of kissing?
"What about now?"
He asked again with that undeterred look in his eyes when he pulled away.
Roksoo pressed his lips together, registering the pain then lightly shook his head.
The boy grumbles and his head is being pulled again. But this time, the boy pulls back only for a second before giving him another kiss, making a smooching sound with it.
"Now?"
Roksoo repeats the process of checking for pain and he still feels it, but now, it wasn't so bad that he felt like crying.
"Are you sure you're doing it right?"
The boy sighed in frustration before letting go of his head.
"I know I am, kissing is really easy! The pain should have gone a long time ago!"
The kid was really trying it seemed. He was also a lot nicer than what Roksoo originally thought.
"What's your name?"
The boy paused in his movements and all guilt and frustration was immediately drained away, replaced by energized cheerfulness.
"It's Cale! Cale henituse, what's yours?"
"I'm Kim Roksoo, thank you for trying to help me feel better."
The boy pouts. He was very expressive, so unlike Roksoo and something he was very unused to.
"I couldn't really help though, I don't know how mama does it..."
"I think you did a good job, my nose and chin used to hurt but I barely notice it now."
He comforts Cale with a small smile, and in return, he gets a pleased wide smile as well.
"Really? It really worked? I didn't even kiss there though."
Roksoo blinked as he had a thought as Cale started to think his kissing ability might be more extraordinary then his mother's.
"Why don't you kiss my nose and chin as well? It might make the pain completely go away."
"Good idea!"
He felt the familiar sensation of sticky hands on both sides of his face then something soft on his nose.
Cale could only kiss his nose when they were interrupted by a sharp noise of someone clearing their throat.
They looked to the side to see miss Tasha staring at them with an inquiring look and a strained smile.
"What are you boys doing?"
Cale answered helpfully.
"Making him feel better!"
That made her look to Roksoo with searching eyes, scanning the boy up and down before it lands on the swollen little lips.
"Oh you poor thing, what happened?"
He felt Cale freeze up beside him, no doubt feeling guilty for what happened or realizing if Roksoo spoke the truth, he was going to get in trouble.
He was going to tell the truth but Cale wasn't going to get into trouble.
"I was playing with Cale when I fell because I wasn't careful."
He reached for Cale's hand and just held it in his own hand, hoping it would send some comfort.
If Cale was looking at him with wide grateful eyes right now, Rok Soo was too busy talking to miss Tasha and getting fussed over by her to notice.
They don't know now, but they would become a big part of each other's lives in the future.
------
"How was daycare today, my little rose?"
"Eh it was okay, this girl today...."
As he babbled on with every tiny detail of his day at daycare, his mom cut his steak into the perfect sizes for him, just the way he liked it while his dad interjected every now and then with questions or comments.
Daycare may be fun but this was his most favorite time of the day because he gets to hog all of his family's attention.
Then he remembered that boy, Roksoo. So he started talking about that too.
"That's why, I kissed his lips!"
Immediately, his father choked while his mother dropped her spoon.