100 Fic Challenge: 011. Rooftops Hankyung/Sungmin
One more for the Challenge!
011. Rooftops, Hankyung/Sungmin
Rating: Somewhere between PG-13 and R
Archive can be found here
Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue
Genre: Nobody dies, it's not any closer to super boy band happiness
A/N: I hope this fits the criteria because though it's not really adding a third character to the pairing itself, since in my head, that translates to THREESOME! but rather, it's an additional pairing that didn't quite work out and focuses back to the original Hankyung/Sungmin later in the story.
Beta and requester of this particular number: gay_lovecompany
You never stop loving someone.
Sometimes all you’re left with is the acidic taste of the ending of a relationship filled with angry accusations and seething retorts.
Sometimes it ends softly with a last kiss when both parties have accepted the ending of a relationship and part ways.
Sometimes, it’s the realization of something that was almost, but will never quite be.
And this is the one that sears the bittersweet taste on your tongue.
This is what Hankyung thinks when he perches on the railing of a rooftop.
The wind that slices through Hankyung’s skin through the opening of his jacket it finds, reminds him exactly just how cold it is.
Hankyung was trained to be the bodyguard to a rich heir.
What he was really trained for was to be a whipping boy. He was trained to withstand the physical punishment that would become engraved into his body as he stood in place of the young successor.
Hankyung had been sold by his parents when he was young. His parents were barely able to feed themselves, much less another mouth in the family, and were more than happy to sell off a piece of their genes for the satisfaction of not going hungry for another two months.
Hankyung had been trained by spirit breaking masters. They did not care how much he cried, if he were unable to complete the task despite his broken bones, he would be not be fed tonight, tomorrow night or the night after.
Even before he had learned how to write his name, Hankyung knew exactly how much his life was worth.
He knew the value of his existence as a constant companion and a human shield to a young heir.
He served as an example of how far reaching young heir Choi Siwon’s reach was, and how everything Siwon did had both a reaction and a consequence.
‘I’m sorry,’ Siwon had whispered to him while gently tracing the newly minted pink scar across Hankyung’s back.
Hankyung merely smiled and shrugged back into his shirt.
‘So stop doing stupid things’ was what Hankyung wanted to say to Siwon, but he knew Siwon simply couldn’t help himself.
No, young, tender hearted Siwon really couldn’t help himself if he made friends with the poor alley kids, companions that weren’t appropriate for someone with his royal bloodline or if he gave flowers to the nuna who came out on the street corners at night.
Hankyung knew this, so while he did not exactly stop his young master, he paid the currency for his master’s freedom in bloody beatings and the flesh tearing sting of whippings.
After Siwon had nearly killed himself in grief one night after his father had made him watch Hankyung’s punishment, his father had another idea to resolve that.
‘Watch Siwon. Do not once doubt that your actions, do not have consequences.’ And his father took the brightly burning stoker and pressed it into the soft yielding flesh of Hankyung’s skin.
When the smell of burning flesh filled the air, Siwon’s father turned to him and said, ‘He is marked now. He is your penance. If you ever try to kill yourself again, I will kill him.’
After he was done speaking, Siwon’s father removed the metal rod and Hankyung’s body sagged lifelessly in the chains.
Hankyung spent weeks recovering from that session.
As if to mock him, Siwon’s father always left his face unscarred, untouched and as smooth as porcelain. If anyone were to look underneath the long sleeve heavy shirt Hankyung always wore, they’d see the scars that ravaged his body and in the middle of his chest, the large brand that read, ‘pith’.
Siwon came to see him everyday while he was in recovery and cried rivers of apologies. But all Hankyung did was shrug it off and smile.
‘I had always wanted a tattoo,’ was what he said to Siwon, but late at night when the house was nothing more than a silent whisper of the day, Hankyung closed his eyes and wished for death instead of this slow, scalding, soul wrenching pain.
He wasn’t supposed to fall in love.
It was something that went completely against the rules.
But Hankyung couldn’t help himself. It was unfair, he thought. It wasn’t enough that Siwon had his body on contract, but he now had his still beating heart as well.
‘You love him don’t you.’ Siwon’s younger brother said one day.
Sungmin’s deep stare was unnerving but Hankyung choose not to answer.
Choi Sungmin opened his mouth again. ‘He doesn’t love you, you know.’
Hankyung remained silent.
Sungmin’s eyes narrowed a little. ‘He’s getting married.’
Somewhere, distantly, was the sound of Hankyung’s heart breaking, and still, he said nothing.
* * *
The Chois already had an heir; the second son was nothing more than a spare, so there was no human shadow needed for Sungmin.
Likewise, there was no attention needed for him either.
So Sungmin was free to wander the halls of the manor at his will.
He was free to watch the interactions between his brother and his living shadow.
He was free to watch the longing stares that Hankyung gave his brother.
He was free to watch the raw emotion that Hankyung’s body would pulsate with when Siwon entered the room.
He was free to watch Hankyung fuel his love seemly on air alone.
He was free to destroy Hankyung’s world with one single sentence.
‘He’s getting married.’
Why couldn’t Hankyung love him?
Why couldn’t Hankyung sacrifice everything for him?
Why couldn’t Hankyung adore him?
Why couldn’t Sungmin have anything?
But no, Hankyung was always his brother’s.
So Sungmin took from Hankyung something that Siwon would never have.
His pain.
* * *
The next morning, Siwon burst through Hankyung’s bedroom with untamable excitement.
‘Hankyung! I’m getting married! You have to meet her, she’s absolutely beautiful.’
Hankyung merely smiled and wished his young master a hearty congratulation.
She was, of course, beautiful.
How could Siwon marry anyone not?
Siwon boiled over with happiness as he introduced his best friend to his blushing bride to be.
Hankyung of course was nothing less than courteous and kind. He even had offered Siwon’s fiancé needless advice and stories about Siwon’s exploits as a kid.
Siwon’s fiancé laughed quietly behind her hand, and considered Hankyung a good friend and loyal protector right there and then.
Hankyung smiled and accepted graciously.
Later when Siwon’s fiancé had left and everything had settled down for the night, Hankyung stood in front his mirror and wanted to rip his skin off.
* * *
Far below Hankyung’s perch on the rooftop, a wedding was taking place.
Hankyung had already known who had walked through the door even before his visitor choose to speak.
‘The wedding is going to start soon.’
‘I know, Sungmin.’ Hankyung replied.
‘You know he doesn’t love you right?’ Sungmin asked.
‘I know.’ Hankyung said.
‘Doesn’t it hurt you?’ Sungmin asked.
Hankyung remained silent.
‘Why can’t you move on? Why can’t you love me instead?!’ Sungmin cried.
Hankyung turned around and made his way toward Sungmin, his long coat billowing out behind him in the sudden sharp wind.
He captured Sungmin’s chin in his hand, leaned down and kissed him.
‘Because you taste like lost love.’
Placing his hand on the doorknob and opening it, Hankyung stepped through and softly closed the door to the rooftop behind him.
011. Rooftops, Hankyung/Sungmin
Rating: Somewhere between PG-13 and R
Archive can be found here
Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue
Genre: Nobody dies, it's not any closer to super boy band happiness
A/N: I hope this fits the criteria because though it's not really adding a third character to the pairing itself, since in my head, that translates to THREESOME! but rather, it's an additional pairing that didn't quite work out and focuses back to the original Hankyung/Sungmin later in the story.
Beta and requester of this particular number: gay_lovecompany
You never stop loving someone.
Sometimes all you’re left with is the acidic taste of the ending of a relationship filled with angry accusations and seething retorts.
Sometimes it ends softly with a last kiss when both parties have accepted the ending of a relationship and part ways.
Sometimes, it’s the realization of something that was almost, but will never quite be.
And this is the one that sears the bittersweet taste on your tongue.
This is what Hankyung thinks when he perches on the railing of a rooftop.
The wind that slices through Hankyung’s skin through the opening of his jacket it finds, reminds him exactly just how cold it is.
Hankyung was trained to be the bodyguard to a rich heir.
What he was really trained for was to be a whipping boy. He was trained to withstand the physical punishment that would become engraved into his body as he stood in place of the young successor.
Hankyung had been sold by his parents when he was young. His parents were barely able to feed themselves, much less another mouth in the family, and were more than happy to sell off a piece of their genes for the satisfaction of not going hungry for another two months.
Hankyung had been trained by spirit breaking masters. They did not care how much he cried, if he were unable to complete the task despite his broken bones, he would be not be fed tonight, tomorrow night or the night after.
Even before he had learned how to write his name, Hankyung knew exactly how much his life was worth.
He knew the value of his existence as a constant companion and a human shield to a young heir.
He served as an example of how far reaching young heir Choi Siwon’s reach was, and how everything Siwon did had both a reaction and a consequence.
‘I’m sorry,’ Siwon had whispered to him while gently tracing the newly minted pink scar across Hankyung’s back.
Hankyung merely smiled and shrugged back into his shirt.
‘So stop doing stupid things’ was what Hankyung wanted to say to Siwon, but he knew Siwon simply couldn’t help himself.
No, young, tender hearted Siwon really couldn’t help himself if he made friends with the poor alley kids, companions that weren’t appropriate for someone with his royal bloodline or if he gave flowers to the nuna who came out on the street corners at night.
Hankyung knew this, so while he did not exactly stop his young master, he paid the currency for his master’s freedom in bloody beatings and the flesh tearing sting of whippings.
After Siwon had nearly killed himself in grief one night after his father had made him watch Hankyung’s punishment, his father had another idea to resolve that.
‘Watch Siwon. Do not once doubt that your actions, do not have consequences.’ And his father took the brightly burning stoker and pressed it into the soft yielding flesh of Hankyung’s skin.
When the smell of burning flesh filled the air, Siwon’s father turned to him and said, ‘He is marked now. He is your penance. If you ever try to kill yourself again, I will kill him.’
After he was done speaking, Siwon’s father removed the metal rod and Hankyung’s body sagged lifelessly in the chains.
Hankyung spent weeks recovering from that session.
As if to mock him, Siwon’s father always left his face unscarred, untouched and as smooth as porcelain. If anyone were to look underneath the long sleeve heavy shirt Hankyung always wore, they’d see the scars that ravaged his body and in the middle of his chest, the large brand that read, ‘pith’.
Siwon came to see him everyday while he was in recovery and cried rivers of apologies. But all Hankyung did was shrug it off and smile.
‘I had always wanted a tattoo,’ was what he said to Siwon, but late at night when the house was nothing more than a silent whisper of the day, Hankyung closed his eyes and wished for death instead of this slow, scalding, soul wrenching pain.
He wasn’t supposed to fall in love.
It was something that went completely against the rules.
But Hankyung couldn’t help himself. It was unfair, he thought. It wasn’t enough that Siwon had his body on contract, but he now had his still beating heart as well.
‘You love him don’t you.’ Siwon’s younger brother said one day.
Sungmin’s deep stare was unnerving but Hankyung choose not to answer.
Choi Sungmin opened his mouth again. ‘He doesn’t love you, you know.’
Hankyung remained silent.
Sungmin’s eyes narrowed a little. ‘He’s getting married.’
Somewhere, distantly, was the sound of Hankyung’s heart breaking, and still, he said nothing.
* * *
The Chois already had an heir; the second son was nothing more than a spare, so there was no human shadow needed for Sungmin.
Likewise, there was no attention needed for him either.
So Sungmin was free to wander the halls of the manor at his will.
He was free to watch the interactions between his brother and his living shadow.
He was free to watch the longing stares that Hankyung gave his brother.
He was free to watch the raw emotion that Hankyung’s body would pulsate with when Siwon entered the room.
He was free to watch Hankyung fuel his love seemly on air alone.
He was free to destroy Hankyung’s world with one single sentence.
‘He’s getting married.’
Why couldn’t Hankyung love him?
Why couldn’t Hankyung sacrifice everything for him?
Why couldn’t Hankyung adore him?
Why couldn’t Sungmin have anything?
But no, Hankyung was always his brother’s.
So Sungmin took from Hankyung something that Siwon would never have.
His pain.
* * *
The next morning, Siwon burst through Hankyung’s bedroom with untamable excitement.
‘Hankyung! I’m getting married! You have to meet her, she’s absolutely beautiful.’
Hankyung merely smiled and wished his young master a hearty congratulation.
She was, of course, beautiful.
How could Siwon marry anyone not?
Siwon boiled over with happiness as he introduced his best friend to his blushing bride to be.
Hankyung of course was nothing less than courteous and kind. He even had offered Siwon’s fiancé needless advice and stories about Siwon’s exploits as a kid.
Siwon’s fiancé laughed quietly behind her hand, and considered Hankyung a good friend and loyal protector right there and then.
Hankyung smiled and accepted graciously.
Later when Siwon’s fiancé had left and everything had settled down for the night, Hankyung stood in front his mirror and wanted to rip his skin off.
* * *
Far below Hankyung’s perch on the rooftop, a wedding was taking place.
Hankyung had already known who had walked through the door even before his visitor choose to speak.
‘The wedding is going to start soon.’
‘I know, Sungmin.’ Hankyung replied.
‘You know he doesn’t love you right?’ Sungmin asked.
‘I know.’ Hankyung said.
‘Doesn’t it hurt you?’ Sungmin asked.
Hankyung remained silent.
‘Why can’t you move on? Why can’t you love me instead?!’ Sungmin cried.
Hankyung turned around and made his way toward Sungmin, his long coat billowing out behind him in the sudden sharp wind.
He captured Sungmin’s chin in his hand, leaned down and kissed him.
‘Because you taste like lost love.’
Placing his hand on the doorknob and opening it, Hankyung stepped through and softly closed the door to the rooftop behind him.