Ordinary Part 1
Title: Ordinary
Pairing: YeWook
Minor Pairings: MinKyu, ninja!HanChul
Part: 1
Rating: PG
Genre: au, romance, drama
Disclaimer: YeWook own each other
Warnings: Language
Summary: Ryeowook is just an ordinary person and Jongwoon is anything but.
A/N: The prequel/side story to I Love You.
Ryeowook smiled, satisfied, as he looked at the scene before him.
The indoor ice skating rink was packed with students from school, which meant…
“We’re going to make tons of money,” said a familiar voice.
Ryeowook smiled at the figure that was shakily skating towards him. He automatically reached out to steady the wobbly boy.
“Hyukjae hyung!” said Ryeowook as the student council president clutched the side of the rink like a lifeline. “Are you enjoying yourself?”
Hyukjae shrugged. “I can’t say my butt really likes ice skating, but I’m getting a hang of it. Besides, look at all the students here! The fundraiser is a huge success!” He ruffled Ryeowook’s hair proudly. “Only you would think of holding a fundraiser at the mall’s ice skating rink.”
Ryeowook looked down at his skates modestly. “I just thought it would be nice to go ice skating since we’re nearing holiday season.”
Hyukjae gave Ryeowook his trademark gummy smile. “I don’t know what I would do without you as my vice president.”
“Hyukjae!”
The two student council members turned to see a brunette skating towards them at full speed. The brunette skidded to a halt, just seconds away from crashing into the pair. He grinned at them, cheeks flushed. “Hey, Hyukjae, I’ve been looking for you. Hey, Ryeowook.”
“Hello, Donghae hyung,” said Ryeowook, unable to resist Donghae’s infectious smile.
“Mind if I steal Hyukjae?” Donghae asked, grabbing Hyukjae’s hands.
“Donghae, you better not be-” Hyukjae’s warning was cut off as Donghae spun both of them in a circle.
Any reply would have been unheard as the best friends became lost in their own world per usual. Ryeowook watched as his hyungs skated off together amidst Hyukjae’s ‘Donghae, you better not’s and Donghae’s ‘I love you too’s.
Ryeowook rubbed his hands together, blowing on his fingertips. It was getting a bit chilly; maybe he should go get a cup of hot chocolate.
Mind made up, Ryeowook skated towards the exit of the rink. Lost in ponderings over which flavor he should pick, he didn’t notice a figure skating towards him until it was too late.
“Oomph,” mumbled Ryeowook as his face met a black coat. He felt strong arms go around his waist, steadying him. In the warm, protective circle of the arms, Ryeowook felt oddly secure.
Until he felt himself falling backwards.
“Uh oh,” murmured a low, rough voice. It was the last thing Ryeowook heard before his head made contact with the ice.
Later, Ryeowook would think, in an ironic sense, he had stars in his eyes during their first encounter. Stars had never seemed so unromantic.
-
“I’m sorry,” the stranger apologized as he helped Ryeowook off the ice and onto a bench. “I didn’t mean to drop you like that; I just suddenly lost my balance. Are you alright? Does your head hurt? You did go down awfully fast…”
Ryeowook waved him off. “I’m okay.” He rubbed the already forming lump on the back of his head. “It’s just a bump.”
The stranger fluttered around Ryeowook anxiously. “Are you sure? The fall looked pretty painful to me. You could have a concussion.”
Ryeowook resisted the urge to snap at him. “I’m sure. Your incessant talking isn’t doing much for my headache though,” he said pointedly instead.
The man’s eyes lit up. “Oh, you have a headache. Whenever I have a headache, I find it useful to drink something hot. Let me go get you something. You’re not lactose intolerant, are you?”
Ryeowook let out a sigh of relief as the man disappeared. Bending down, he quickly undid his laces. Maybe he should just grab a hot chocolate and go home. Hyukjae hyung was more than capable of taking care of the rest of the fundraiser.
The coffee shop located near the entrance of the mall had yet to be filled with the usual afternoon customers. Ryeowook breathed out in content as he stepped into the shop, the aroma of coffee beans a welcome smell.
“Hey, you shouldn’t be walking around,” said a familiar husky voice.
Ryeowook turned around and sure enough, there was the stranger that bumped into him, holding two steaming cups of liquid.
“I bought you a drink,” said the stranger, steering Ryeowook to a table for two.
Ryeowook slid into the seat across from him and accepted a cup. After allowing the liquid to warm his fingers, he took a sip. It was delicious. “What is this?” he asked, taking a long draught.
The man shrugged, much to his surprise. “I really don’t know.”
“Then what did you order?” Ryeowook questioned.
“I asked them to surprise me,” replied the man cheerily.
Ryeowook looked at his companion properly for the first time. At first glance, he saw black. Black coat, black leather glove, black eyeliner, black: overall, someone he would pass off as a punk and nothing more. Upon closer inspection, he saw small hands, perhaps only a bit bigger than his own, lips curved up into a beautiful smile, handsome features, and liquid, brown eyes…
“My name is Jongwoon,” Ryeowook nearly missed the man saying.
“Ryeowook,” he said automatically.
“Ryeowook,” Jongwoon repeated, as though testing how the name would sound on his tongue. Ryeowook’s shiver had nothing to do with the cold.
“I have to go now,” said Ryeowook quickly, downing the rest of his mysteriously delicious drink in one go.
Jongwoon blinked and got up with him. “You’re going home? I can give you a ride on my bike…”
Ryeowook shuddered at the thought of riding a motorcycle. The things that could happen! “No thank you,” he declined politely, hoping the other wouldn’t insist.
Jongwoon, thankfully, did not pursue it. “Here, let me give you my number,” he said instead, holding out a hand. Ryeowook handed him his cell phone without a thought. Jongwoon typed out his contact information and then handed it back. “Call me and I promise I’ll make it up to you. Sorry again.”
“It’s alright,” said Ryeowook, this time meaning it. Jongwoon waved and left. Ryeowook put his phone in his pocket and forgot about the odd encounter soon after his head stopped throbbing.
-
It was a lovely Saturday morning. The sun was shining cheerily in the sky, which was blue and cloudless. Birds were singing their hearts out as children frolicked merrily about.
Ryeowook ignored all this as he walked briskly down the street. He was already late as it was; there was no point in getting distracted. Turning into the shortcut through the park, he crashed into a person standing in the middle of the walkway.
“I’m sorry,” said Ryeowook, slightly annoyed. What kind of person just stood in the middle of a busy path like that?
“Ryeowook. I didn’t expect to run into you again so soon. Although, really, it was you who ran into me this time.”
Oh, that kind of person. “Hyung,” said Ryeowook, turning around to face Jongwoon, who was once again dressed completely in black. “Sorry, but I’m in a rush and I can’t stay to talk.”
Jongwoon looked at Ryeowook expressionlessly, making the younger slightly nervous. “You can call me Jongwoon,” he stated. “I don’t mind.”
“Okay, Jongwoon, but I really need to get…” Ryeowook trailed off as he noticed something odd. Jongwoon was holding a leash. Ryeowook’s eyes traveled down the length of the leash. Attached on the end was a turtle.
“Ryeowook, this is Ddangkkoma,” Jongwoon said, noticing Ryeowook’s gaze. “Ddangkkoma, Ryeowook. I hope you two get along well.”
“He’s a very nice turtle,” said Ryeowook, at a lost for what else to say.
“Isn’t he?” beamed Jongwoon, face lighting up with almost childish delight. “I bought him because I was bored one day.”
Ryeowook nodded politely, fighting hard to keep a neutral face. “So, what are you doing with…Ddangkkoma now?”
Jongwoon stared curiously at Ryeowook as though Ryeowook were the oddity rather than himself. “Isn’t it obvious? We’re out for a walk! Ddangkkoma was feeling really energetic today and I just couldn’t refuse him!”
Ryeowook looked down at Ddangkkoma. Ddangkkoma’s only movement was an occasional blink. If Ddangkkoma was energetic, then Ryeowook was a member of a popular idol group.
Ryeowook glanced down at his watch and was shocked to find that talking with Jongwoon had delayed him by ten precious minutes. “Shoot,” muttered Ryeowook. In a louder voice, he said, “I’m really late now. I have to go.”
“You’re late?” asked Jongwoon, sounding for some unfathomable reason, amused.
“Yes,” said Ryeowook tersely.
“Has it ever occurred to you to slow down and look around?”
Ryeowook glanced around at the park, confused. There was nothing out of ordinary. “What do you mean?” he asked, looking at Jongwoon for clarification.
The older man merely shrugged.
Seeing that he was not going to get a definite answer, Ryeowook sighed. “Good bye. Pleasure seeing you again.”
“Bye,” said Jongwoon, waving merrily.
As Ryeowook walked away, he heard Jongwoon whisper, “I think you scared him off, Ddangkkoma. How could you? I won’t take you out for a walk tomorrow!”
-
“Stupid aliens!” This exclamation was followed by a string of colorful curses.
Entirely too used to this, Ryeowook only briefly wondered where his best friend learned all that language before turning back to his homework. He was so used to it, in fact, that he recognized the game over noise that came a few minutes later.
“My laptop is lagging,” complained Kyuhyun. “I could have totally beaten this level if it hadn’t frozen at the critical point.”
“Maybe you should buy a new laptop,” Ryeowook suggested helpfully, knowing the uselessness of telling Kyuhyun to just stop playing computer games.
Kyuhyun shook his head. “I can’t. I don’t have enough money to buy a new laptop. I need to buy a new cell phone.”
“Did you sit on it again?” asked Ryeowook, still amused at the demise of Kyuhyun’s last cell phone by his behind.
“What? No!” sputtered Kyuhyun. “I…accidentally put it in the washing machine.”
For someone so smart, Kyuhyun could be so stupid at times. “You should take care of all your stuff, not just your laptop and computer games,” chided Ryeowook.
Kyuhyun shrugged. “That’s what Sungmin told me. Hey, speaking of Sungmin, can I borrow your phone? I want to text him.”
Ryeowook handed Kyuhyun his phone with a long suffering sigh. “You could use our free period to do something other than gaming and texting. Like studying.”
Kyuhyun smirked. “I don’t need to study. I’m a genius, remember?” he said, with no trace of modesty. “Even Hyukjae needs to study like a madman to beat my test scores.”
Ryeowook rolled his eyes and watched his long time friend text his boyfriend.
Tall and skinny, Kyuhyun more often than not looked slightly awkward. This combined with a slightly acne-marred complexion (from too many late night games) and a tongue sharper than a samurai sword made for quite an unpleasant first impression. How this person managed to capture the interest of Sungmin, captain of the hapkido team and the most sought after person on campus, was beyond Ryeowook (and Sungmin himself too, as the older once confessed).
“Hey,” said Kyuhyun, breaking Ryeowook out of his reverie. “You have the misfortune of knowing Yesung too?”
Ryeowook frowned as he tried to recall anyone he met by that name. “Who’s Yesung?”
Kyuhyun raised an eyebrow and showed Ryeowook the cell phone screen.
“Oh, you mean Jongwoon? What about him?”
Both of Kyuhyun’s eyebrows went up with a speed that the school bible boy would envy. “You call him Jongwoon?”
Ryeowook’s frown deepened. “Yes, why? Isn’t that his name?”
Kyuhyun shrugged. “Everyone calls him Yesung though. Some people don’t even know his real name.”
“How do you know him?” asked Ryeowook, growing more intrigued by the mysterious older man. “Are you friends?”
“Friends, pfft,” scoffed Kyuhyun. “We met at the university when I was taking math classes there. He apparently like my philtrum and decided on his own that we were friends.”
“So he’s a college student,” mused Ryeowook, mentally calculating their age difference. “What is he majoring in?”
“He was majoring in computer science,” said Kyuhyun.
“Was?” asked Ryeowook, catching the key word.
Kyuhyun nodded. “Was. As in not anymore.” Kyuhyun turned to Ryeowook, eyes blazing with a passion that was only there when he talked about two things: games and Sungmin. “And you know what? As much as I don’t like that guy, I have to admit he is a genius. A genius! And you know what he is a genius of? Computer and video game design!”
Ryeowook watched fascinated as his friend continued his out of character tirade.
“He was a visionary! He was to be the Moses of us gamers everywhere! He was the future of gaming design itself!” Kyuhyun leapt out of his seat, posing with one foot on his desk and his fist in the air. His glazed eyes stared off at the wonderful future only he could see.
“Um, Kyuhyun?” prodded Ryeowook, poking Kyuhyun. The class was staring at them, attention attracted by Kyuhyun’s outburst and strange pose.
Slowly, the glazed look disappeared and Kyuhyun sighed, sinking back into his chair. “But of course, he just had to quit,” said Kyuhyun bitterly, as though Jongwoon had betrayed him to his worst enemy. “His only redeeming quality and he throws it away.”
“It’s normal for students to change their majors,” Ryeowook said soothingly.
“No, he didn’t change his major. He dropped out of college one semester short of his degree. And he even rejected the job offer from the biggest gaming company in the world,” lamented Kyuhyun, eyes mournful. “He could have been great. But now...”
“Now what?” urged Ryeowook, curiosity gnawing at him.
Kyuhyun blinked and looked at Ryeowook as though seeing him for the first time. “I don’t know. I haven’t seen him since. And I wouldn’t want to see that traitor anyways,” he muttered darkly.
A/N: I knew I had to write this when the YeWook section in I Love You turned out to be too long. This is my first attempt at this pairing, so I hope you guys like it! I wanted this to be two parts, but Livejournal wouldn't let me...I will try to get the next part up on Friday or Saturday.