Applying a 2X4
Title: Applying a 2x4
Author: andersenmom
Claim: Coed School
Prompt: Table 4: 40 - cute
Fandom: rpf: Coed School
Rating: PG
Word Count: 954
Summary: Sometimes, a relationship needs a push. And sometimes, it takes a 2x4 to the head.
Notes/Warnings: Part of the Mutant!verse created by dizzy_grace and I.
Written for 50ficlets.
Disclaimer: Not mine, not true.
Table
The small size of the class gave them all an opportunity to get to know each other, and Chanmi and Min couldn't help but notice the tension between Hoon and Eli. In fact, Chanmi figured everyone knew about it except Eli. She and Min both liked Eli and had defended him a couple of times to a boy who didn't seem to get it. He'd at least stopped saying things, but Chanmi and Min had wondered before if people like him had kept Eli from seeing the way Hoon acted around him.
Or if something else had him wary.
One afternoon, though, Chanmi watched Eli head onto the grounds without Hoon, something that happened rarely, and followed him on impulse. She didn't get far before he turned around, looking angry, but that eased when he recognized her. "Are… you following me on purpose?" he asked, sounding confused.
"Do you have a minute to talk?" she asked.
"Sure, what's up?" He turned and kept walking; she caught up to him and tried to match him step for step. It didn't work.
"What do you think of Hoon?"
Eli's steps faltered. "What do I think of Hoon?" he repeated, and his brow furrowed. "He's… a good friend. Why?"
"Curious," she said. He glanced at her, and she nodded. "Really."
Eli shoved his hands in his pockets. "I hear what you guys say," he said. "About him. About me."
"And?"
"There is no way." He said it like he wouldn't move on the subject.
"Why not? He really likes you. And I mean in the way HyoYoung likes Taewoon," she added when he looked at her.
Eli shook his head. "I can't ever have anything like that."
"If you say it's because of you powers, I'll hit you," Chanmi said flatly.
Eli stopped and turned to look at her. "But it is."
Without hesitation, Chanmi slugged him in the shoulder, as hard as she could. She didn't have any energy built up, so the punch held only her regular strength. It still made him wince. "Have you even tried to talk to Kibum-sunsaengnim?" she demanded. "You do know why he teaches most of our classes, right?"
Eli shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Director Shim has abilities Hoon doesn't, and…."
Chanmi slugged him again, and he glared at her, rubbing his shoulder. "And that doesn't matter," she told him flatly. "You aren't going to kill him like you did those idiots that attacked you."
"How can you be so certain?"
"Because you're not that person any more," Chanmi pointed out. "You're not scared, you're not out of control, and even if you don't have as much control as you did, at least you know what you're doing and you know enough to get away before it gets too bad." She folded her arms. "I really can't see Hoon doing anything to make you that angry, anyway. If he could, he would have by now."
Eli shook his head stubbornly. "I don't want to risk it."
"You could ask him if he's willing to take that risk. It's not like people aren't going to try to kill us all anyway, we have to live with that. He might think being with you outweighs it."
"I could just…."
"And Taewoon-oppa has to live with the fact that anything he says, HyoYoung can overhear him. And Director Shim has to live with his partner capable of killing him. Narsha has to live with her windows getting shattered anytime her partner gets startled. Ryeowook-sshi has to live with his partner not anywhere close to him. We all have to live with something that could go really wrong, especially if we end up with someone from the school. It's no different for you."
Eli stared at her, mouth agape, the least cute she'd ever seen him. "How long have you been thinking about this?" he asked after a moment.
"A lot, and not just in reference to you. I mean… can you imagine someone trying to date Noori, and never knowing if she'd have the same memories he did? You have to decide to trust him. And yourself."
"Hoon, I trust," Eli said flatly. "I don't trust me."
"Maybe you should start," Chanmi said, and stopped herself before asking him if it could really hurt someone. He could, and she knew it. So did he. But he had to start somewhere.
"Why do you care so much?" he asked after a moment, his eyes focusing back on her.
"Because no one deserves to be alone all their life," Chanmi said. "We're set apart already. Having support sounds so wonderful, don't you think? So why are you trying to be alone - even more alone than you will be already - for the rest of your life? You know what your power is. You know how you make it work. You know how to stop it. You know how to recognize when you're going to do something you'll regret, and if you don't, find out now. The Director and all the teachers will help, you know that. Get to where you can do this, and then accept that you're going to have someone to care for and who cares for you." She stopped before she went too far. She'd had these thoughts about herself, too, although less in terms of her power and more in terms of her past. All of them had something to get beyond.
Eli took a deep breath and let it out. "I'll think about it," he said, and she knew she wouldn't get any more.
"That's all I ask," she said, and then smiled. "I'll let you go and finish whatever you were going to do."
Author: andersenmom
Claim: Coed School
Prompt: Table 4: 40 - cute
Fandom: rpf: Coed School
Rating: PG
Word Count: 954
Summary: Sometimes, a relationship needs a push. And sometimes, it takes a 2x4 to the head.
Notes/Warnings: Part of the Mutant!verse created by dizzy_grace and I.
Written for 50ficlets.
Disclaimer: Not mine, not true.
Table
The small size of the class gave them all an opportunity to get to know each other, and Chanmi and Min couldn't help but notice the tension between Hoon and Eli. In fact, Chanmi figured everyone knew about it except Eli. She and Min both liked Eli and had defended him a couple of times to a boy who didn't seem to get it. He'd at least stopped saying things, but Chanmi and Min had wondered before if people like him had kept Eli from seeing the way Hoon acted around him.
Or if something else had him wary.
One afternoon, though, Chanmi watched Eli head onto the grounds without Hoon, something that happened rarely, and followed him on impulse. She didn't get far before he turned around, looking angry, but that eased when he recognized her. "Are… you following me on purpose?" he asked, sounding confused.
"Do you have a minute to talk?" she asked.
"Sure, what's up?" He turned and kept walking; she caught up to him and tried to match him step for step. It didn't work.
"What do you think of Hoon?"
Eli's steps faltered. "What do I think of Hoon?" he repeated, and his brow furrowed. "He's… a good friend. Why?"
"Curious," she said. He glanced at her, and she nodded. "Really."
Eli shoved his hands in his pockets. "I hear what you guys say," he said. "About him. About me."
"And?"
"There is no way." He said it like he wouldn't move on the subject.
"Why not? He really likes you. And I mean in the way HyoYoung likes Taewoon," she added when he looked at her.
Eli shook his head. "I can't ever have anything like that."
"If you say it's because of you powers, I'll hit you," Chanmi said flatly.
Eli stopped and turned to look at her. "But it is."
Without hesitation, Chanmi slugged him in the shoulder, as hard as she could. She didn't have any energy built up, so the punch held only her regular strength. It still made him wince. "Have you even tried to talk to Kibum-sunsaengnim?" she demanded. "You do know why he teaches most of our classes, right?"
Eli shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Director Shim has abilities Hoon doesn't, and…."
Chanmi slugged him again, and he glared at her, rubbing his shoulder. "And that doesn't matter," she told him flatly. "You aren't going to kill him like you did those idiots that attacked you."
"How can you be so certain?"
"Because you're not that person any more," Chanmi pointed out. "You're not scared, you're not out of control, and even if you don't have as much control as you did, at least you know what you're doing and you know enough to get away before it gets too bad." She folded her arms. "I really can't see Hoon doing anything to make you that angry, anyway. If he could, he would have by now."
Eli shook his head stubbornly. "I don't want to risk it."
"You could ask him if he's willing to take that risk. It's not like people aren't going to try to kill us all anyway, we have to live with that. He might think being with you outweighs it."
"I could just…."
"And Taewoon-oppa has to live with the fact that anything he says, HyoYoung can overhear him. And Director Shim has to live with his partner capable of killing him. Narsha has to live with her windows getting shattered anytime her partner gets startled. Ryeowook-sshi has to live with his partner not anywhere close to him. We all have to live with something that could go really wrong, especially if we end up with someone from the school. It's no different for you."
Eli stared at her, mouth agape, the least cute she'd ever seen him. "How long have you been thinking about this?" he asked after a moment.
"A lot, and not just in reference to you. I mean… can you imagine someone trying to date Noori, and never knowing if she'd have the same memories he did? You have to decide to trust him. And yourself."
"Hoon, I trust," Eli said flatly. "I don't trust me."
"Maybe you should start," Chanmi said, and stopped herself before asking him if it could really hurt someone. He could, and she knew it. So did he. But he had to start somewhere.
"Why do you care so much?" he asked after a moment, his eyes focusing back on her.
"Because no one deserves to be alone all their life," Chanmi said. "We're set apart already. Having support sounds so wonderful, don't you think? So why are you trying to be alone - even more alone than you will be already - for the rest of your life? You know what your power is. You know how you make it work. You know how to stop it. You know how to recognize when you're going to do something you'll regret, and if you don't, find out now. The Director and all the teachers will help, you know that. Get to where you can do this, and then accept that you're going to have someone to care for and who cares for you." She stopped before she went too far. She'd had these thoughts about herself, too, although less in terms of her power and more in terms of her past. All of them had something to get beyond.
Eli took a deep breath and let it out. "I'll think about it," he said, and she knew she wouldn't get any more.
"That's all I ask," she said, and then smiled. "I'll let you go and finish whatever you were going to do."