Under the Pines
taohun & krisbaek
pg; 6.3k
in which Sehun is an unwitting protagonist and Tao is a fanboy with wanderlust
-written for floridblush at runandgun here
There are some things that Sehun doesn't want to see early in the morning, and he's pretty sure that finding his face on a book cover is near the top of that list. He blinks a few times to make sure he's really awake, but his face continues to stare back at him from the paperback Luhan is waving around gleefully, and athough he's drawn in the faux painting style of those cheesy romances (but with his shirt is closed, thank god), it's definitely still the face of Oh Sehun.
"What the hell is this," Sehun mumbles. Even though he tries to will emotion into his voice, no amount of effort can disguise the fact that he'd rather be in bed asleep, or pretty much anywhere besides the small bookstore he works at part-time.
"Look at the new book that came in today," Luhan says teasingly as he leans over the counter. Half-heartedly, Sehun reaches out to grab the book from the older boy's hands but Luhan dangles the paperback just out of reach, and Sehun can't be bothered to take a few steps forward to pull it out of Luhan's hands.
The thing is, even Sehun would admit that he's a pretty normal guy. He did all right in high school with grades that always fell somewhere in the middle of his class and after he graduated he took a year off. Although he told his parents it was because he couldn't decide where he wanted to apply for university, he really just needed a break from school.
For the first few months he flitted from job to job; at first trying to figure out what he was good at and later trying to just find something he liked. One year turned to two years and then two years became three years. Then somehow along the way he reconnected with an old childhood friend and he ended up working a small bookstore a few blocks away from his tiny studio apartment.
Yes, Sehun was a fairly normal guy.
Which is why he was surprised to find himself on the cover of a book. Or at least, he was until he saw who the author was.
"Kris!" Sehun yells as he jabs his finger repeatedly into the intercom button on the door. The jabbing motions are so rapid that it takes him a moment for Sehun to register that the button is no longer ringing and that there is a garbled voice emanating from the small grey box. "DUMB IDIOT BROTHER OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR," Sehun hisses into the intercom. He doesn't wait for an answer, instead turning back towards the door expectantly.
The door creaks open, but instead of the tall figure of his step-brother, the young man that opens the door is shorter and more slight.
"Hey Baekhyun," Sehun greets as he pulls his bottom lip between his teeth, working it as he grimaces.
Baekhyun knows Sehun well enough that he can tell the difference between Sehun's natural frown and one with emotions behind it, and this time it is definitely the latter.
"Sehun, what's wrong?"
"Is Kris home?"
Baekhyun opens the door wider so that the younger man can slip past him and into the spacious apartment. Sehun moves in a flurry of angry steps and Baekhyun has to drag Sehun back to the entryway to take off his shoes. ("You better not dirty our wood floors with those ratty old sneakers," Baekhyun shrieks and even though Sehun rolls his eyes he trudges back to the small are of tiled flooring long enough to shuck his sneakers and toss them into the closet.)
When Sehun walks in on Kris still asleep in bed, he cruelly yanks the blankets back.
Kris looks up blearily, and when he notices Sehun standing at his bedside he pulls himself upright slowly.
"When were you were going to tell me about this?" Sehun bites out, tossing a 400-page paperback onto Kris' stomach. Kris lets out a small puff of air at the impact, then he grabs the book to see why Sehun would burst into their apartment at the ungodly hour of 9 am.
"Oh, so you saw my new book."
Sehun's eyes flash. "Is that all?" When Kris looked up in confusion Sehun continued, "Nothing about the fact that you WROTE ME IN AS THE MAIN CHARACTER?"
Kris frowns, "But the name is different and the personality isn't the same because there's no way that you're at all princely-"
"Kris. Wu Shixun? What do you mean the name is different? YOU JUST TRANSLATED MY NAME INTO CHINESE."
"Just because the name is similar doesn't mean that it's you." Kris huffed, pulling the covers to his shoulder. "Isn't it a bit conceited to-"
"And the fact that there's a drawing of me on the front has nothing to do with it?" Sehun's tone is incredulous but seriously he doesn't really understand why Kris is still trying to deny that he wrote a fucking book about him.
"Don't worry, Sehun." Both turn to look at Baekhyun lounging in the doorframe. "Kris' books aren't even popular in Korea. To be honest, despite selling a lot of copies in Singapore, we usually barely break 500 copies in Korea."
"Hey!"
"Shush, you write sci-fi Korean historical novels in Chinese, you're lucky that they sell even half as well as they do."
Kris deflates at Baekhyun's words, but he doesn't bother to argue.
Baekhyun reaches up to pat Sehun sympathetically."The chance of you meeting anyone who's read it are so infinitesimally small I wouldn't even worry about it."
A few weeks later and Sehun has almost forgotten about the fact that he's now the character of a dime novel. The only lingering effects are that his friends seem to have taken to making him sing old Korean ballads at karaoke and tease him about his fall from princedom.
So when Luhan comes into work one morning with a full traditional Korean outfit, complete with a hanbok and a hat, Sehun just sighs and tries to sink further behind the counter.
"Wu Shixun! I think these belong to you!" Luhan crows as he flings the clothes on the counter. The older boy is bouncing in excitement and Sehun has to remind himself that Luhan is not only a few years older but also his boss.
"Ha ha," Sehun says tonelessly as he picks through the pile of clothes. "I can't believe you actually went through the trouble of getting all of these."
Luhan plops the hat on Sehun's head, but it's a bit big. The brim droops over one of Sehun's eyes and Luhan tries to straighten it. "Anything for my cute little dongsaeng," Luhan says grinning.
"Can I ask why?"
"Did you know today is Korean heritage day?" Luhan's voice becomes serious and Sehun frowns because he can sense where this is going.
"I refuse." He says before Luhan has a chance to order him to do anything, hoping that somehow cutting off the command will relieve him of it.
"Then I'm deducting the cost of the outfit from your paycheck." Luhan smiles cheekily at Sehun before he turns from the counter. As Luhan walks away Sehun can hear him humming the theme of Rooftop Prince under his breath.
Groaning, Sehun gathers up the clothes and heads to the restroom to change.
It takes Sehun a few tries before he manages to get the hanbok to sit right, and as soon as he leaves the restroom Luhan flutters around him checking to see that everything is satisfactory. He adjusts a few ties here and there and then moves so he can see the overall effect.
"Perfect," Luhan says at last and Sehun can hear Luhan's cackles ringing in his ears long after the older boy has left.
It's a long day for Sehun. Every time someone enters the store he glances over at the door fearfully. He hopes beyond hope that no one remotely attractive or even close to his age will come into the bookstore today and he fidgets each time the doorchime rings. The morning passes by, and then the day passes into the afternoon and Sehun starts to think that someone has decided to answer his prayers for once because the only customers so far have been a few older ladies that pinched his cheek and a businessman that barely glanced up from his Blackberry.
But maybe he was a bit too hasty because right before closing time a tall stranger walks into the bookstore. He appears a bit lost as he enters the store, glancing around the shelves with a look between interest and mild confusion. But his build is all lean muscle and he walks with the grace of a mountain cat.
Sehun watches the boy stalk down each aisle and although the dark creases beneath the stranger's eyes give him a murderous look, his face lights up into a childish expression of glee when he finds the book he is searching for. Sehun's eyes continue to follow the other's movements until he realizes that the stranger's heading straight for the counter and Sehun pretends to be busy fixing something with the cash register.
"Did you find everything all right?" Sehun purposely doesn't make eye contact as the boy approaches, hoping that maybe if he doesn't look up then the other won't notice the hat perching on Sehun's head or the long colourful robes pooling around him.
Sehun reaches out blindly for the book when a gasp stops him short.
"Wu Shixun?" The stranger breathes out as he clutches his book closer to his chest.
Sehun should probably say something about his dumb older brother or Luhan being a dick but instead he says, "Yes?"
The boy's eyes get impossibly round and he looks Sehun up and down in a mixture of disbelief and barely contained excitement. He babbles something in Mandarin and Sehun stares at him blankly.
There are a few beats of awkward silence during which the taller boy stares down at Sehun with freaking stars in his eyes. But then he seems to have a moment of recognition and pulls out a battered Korean phrasebook. Rapidly he flips through the pages and Sehun glimpses notes penned into the margins.
He starts to say something, but the mixture of archaic Korean and thick Chinese accent make it near impossible to discern what he's saying. When Tao realizes that Sehun is still staring at him, not understanding, he points at a word in the margins.
"Pose! Pose!"
Sehun crosses his arms in front of him, molding his hands into the pose that he does all in the time in photos. The one that Sehun thinks is kind of badass but Jongdae says makes him look like Sailor Sehun, defender of losers.
The boy beams at him, and his eyes crinkle adorably with his wide smile. Maybe that was what he wanted?
"I'm Tao." He bobs his head, and Sehun nods back.
Of course Sehun ends up running into the one person in all of Korea that pre-ordered the book. The one person that haunts Kris' website hoping for news of new releases ever since he first bought Sungkyunkwan Alien Invasion in a small second-hand bookstore. The one person that actually writes on Kris' online forums and shows up at book signings several hours away.
Great.
"But Prince Shixun why are you in modern day Korea?" The older boy leans towards Sehun and he can see confusion on his face.
Sehun is trying to think of some kind of answer he can reply with that won't give away that he has no clue what the Dragon Prince is actually about or how Prince Shixun actually acts in the book when Luhan cuts in.
"You actually know of his highness?" Luhan raises his hand to his mouth in a fake gasp, and it's fortunate that Tao has his back to Sehun or else he would have seen Sehun rolling his eyes at Luhan's poor acting abilities. "I found the poor boy wandering around Gyeongbokgung Palace on my way home from work."
Sehun snorts at the blatant lie but Tao doesn't notice as he's too busy hanging on Luhan's every word.
"Would you believe he actually jumped in time?" Luhan eyes widen and Tao leans forward, as Luhan's voice lowers. "One day he was searching for his poor deceased wife and the next moment… POOF! Suddenly he ends up in modern day Korea with no idea how to survive!"
Tao sighs sympathetically and nods along.
"Of course, I took him back to my house and gave him a job and a place to sleep but what he really needs is someone to show him around Seoul! I would do it myself but I need to keep an eye on my bookstore!"
Luhan sighs dramatically and then makes a show of noticing the guide to Seoul clutched in Tao's arms and widens his eyes. "Wait, do you think you might be able to- Oh no, I couldn't! It's too much to ask of a stranger but… you seemed to recognise his highless so do you think you might be able to help him figure out how to get back home?"
Tao's eyes are huge. "I would be honoured to help his highness!"
"Oh thank you so much!" Luhan coos as he shoves Tao and Sehun out of the bookstore. "Make sure you keep a close watch on him because he tends to get confused and wander if you don't!"
Sehun hears the door of the bookstore lock behind them and then Tao is dragging him down the street with a gentle - but firm - grip on his wrist.
"Hello. Luhan here."
"What was that about?" Sehun hisses into his phone.
"Oh! Shixun it's you!" Luhan sounds far too pleased as he coos into the phone and Sehun grits his teeth as he leans against the stall of the bathroom. He had practically run to the bathroom as soon as they entered the cafe, mumbling "sorry it's urgent" to the boy he left dazed at the table.
"Luhan..." He starts to say, his voice warningly low-pitched, but Luhan cuts him off with a laugh.
"Hey! Shouldn't you be thanking me?"
"I... what?" Sehun had been ready to chew out Luhan but the older boy's words stop him short.
"I saw the way you were eyeing him. Hah, I think I haven't seen you look at anyone like that since Baekhyun-"
"Can you please not bring up the crush I had on my brother's boyfriend in middle school." Sometimes Sehun regrets that Luhan has known him for so long.
Luhan cackles again and Sehun falls silent as he reads the phone numbers scrawled across the opposite wall. Call Yixing for a good time. Jongin waz here.
"Did I really look at him like..." Sehun begins, but again Luhan is quick to cut him off.
"Yup."
Sehun huffs. "I hope you realize that you strung along a poor innocent fan by recounting Rooftop Prince." He spits out at last and hangs up on Luhan laughing.
"What brought you to Seoul?" Sehun ventures after he and Tao have fallen into a lull of silence. The cafe they've stopped at is comfortable (although not as comfortable as Minseok's cafe) and there's a pleasant level of background chatter. Soft jazz music filters through the room and even if jazz music isn't really Sehun's cup of tea he can at least appreciate the calming atmosphere it creates.
Tao shifts in his seat. "I just wanted to come to Korea, prince."
Sehun uses the straw to suck up bubbles from his bubble tea, chewing thoughtfully on the small beads of tapioca. Tao had bought them both bubble tea while Sehun had been hiding out and the bathroom and Sehun has to admit that Tao chose well.
"That's it?"
"Well, to be honest, Prince Shixun..." Tao trails off and Sehun can't tell if he's embarrassed or if he's having trouble finding the words in Korean.
"It's okay," he says encouragingly. "And can you please stop calling me prince? Please just say Shixun." The Chinese name feels foreign on his tongue but he can't bring himself to ask Tao to call him by his real name.
"But prince-"
"Please, I insist." Sehun presses, and he's proud of the even way his voice comes out; as if he's actually a prince and not a part-timer at a bookstore. "So why Korea?"
Tao smiles. "It might sound stupid, but I've always felt that Korea was full of dreams," he confesses shyly and honestly Sehun does think it sounds kind of stupid but he tries to reserve his judgement for awhile longer.
"Why's that?"
"The dramas, the idols, all the images that are created! Isn't it kind of like a country of dreams?" Tao's accent thickens with his excitement and Sehun has to take a sip of tea to keep him from snorting.
"Maybe," says Sehun although he doesn't really see what's magical about a bunch of concrete and asphalt joined in narrow roads and sprawling shops.
After the cafe, Tao insists on dragging Sehun sightseeing around Seoul. Many of the sights are all too familiar to him, and Sehun tries not to look too bored when he walks through Bukchon Village or yawn when they stop at tea shops in Insadong. Their progress is further slowed by the fact that Tao stops and explains each piece of modern technology, and it takes them three times longer than usual to ride the elevator because Tao felt it was necessary to explain to Sehun how the elevator works in broken Korean.
At last Tao pulls him to the cable car that goes up to Namsan Tower.
Sehun doesn't bother to hold back his sighs because he's been here before loads of times. Especially with every person he ever dated in high school. He moves towards the ticket booth but Tao pushes him aside.
"It's probably too early for you to learn how to buy a ticket," Tao explains, although Sehun isn't sure why buying a ticket would be any more confusing than buying anything else.
Once Tao has the ticket in hand they make their way through the line and Tao can't keep still. He bounces on the balls of his feet and grips Sehun's sleeve. After they enter the car Tao presses his face against the window and gasps in awe.
"Isn't seeing the lights of the city so beautiful?" Tao looks excited from just seeing the view from the cable car, and Sehun wonders what kind of expressions Tao will show when they're at the top of Namsan Tower.
Mug and Puppy is nearly empty in the hours of late morning and Sehun finds Minseok enjoying the break from crowds.
Minseok is perched on a stool behind the cash register, paperback bent open on the counter, when Sehun drops the novel in front of him.
"I need your help."
Joonma, Minseok's bulldog and the namesake of his cafe, pads into the room and takes a few sniffs at Sehun's leg before wandering to Minseok and collapsing in a furry heap near his feet.
Minseok peers up from his book as he flips the page. "So?"
"You majored in Chinese right? I need you to translate this for me."
"What? The whole thing?" He cocks an eyebrow and Sehun flushes under his stare.
"No. Just some passages or. I don't know. What parts you think would be important."
Flipping the book over to read the synopsis on the back, Minseok snorts. "I didn't think you'd be interested in a book like this. Don't you usually like non-fiction?" He smiles angellically, and Sehun isn't sure if Minseok is joking or not because surely he can see that Sehun's face is on the front cover?
Sehun looks away to the shelves of books surrounding them. "I... it's important."
Minseok stares at him for a few seconds. "Okay. I'll get Luhan to help me-"
"No!" A surge of panic wells up within him when Sehun thinks about the I knew you liked hims that are sure to follow when Luhan learns anything about him and Tao. "You can't. Tell. Luhan!" He chokes out and Minseok raises an eyebrow.
"Why not?"
"You just... can't!" Sehun bites out with such venom that Minseok finally agrees.
"Okay, fine! I won't!" Minseok says, tossing his hands into the air, and finally Sehun can relax again.
The older boy watches as Sehun leaves the café before he grabs his cell phone from behind the counter. He flicks through his contacts and smiles when he finally reaches the one he's looking for.
"I'll just have to ask Jongdae then," Minseok grins as he presses the call button.
Although Sehun enjoys spending time with Tao, it's sometimes hard for them to find things in common, especially with the slight culture gap. So when Sehun hears Tao mention that he used to play basketball in middle school he immediately perks up.
"I used to play basketball too!" Sehun cries out. He thinks back to the times that Kris tried to coach him in the backyard and the hours Sehun spent repeating the same basketball drills until Kris was finally satisfied with his progress.
But then Sehun remembers that he's supposed to be a prince from the Joseon era, when basketball hadn't even been invented (or if it had it hadn't yet made it over to the country of Korea) and he desperately tries to backtrack.
"Um… I mean that's what Jongdae told me. About basketball. He used to play in middle school and-"
The thought of Jongdae playing basketball is so ridiculous Sehun unwittingly stops.
Tao stares at him, smiling and confused and Sehun hopes that Tao couldn't understand most of what he was saying.
"Jongdae told me about it and I wanted to try playing." Sehun says at last.
Tao grins. "Then let's play sometime."
"So, did you read it?" Sehun asks when he visits the cafe the next day.
Minseok holds up a finger showing Sehun to hold on a second before pulling a stack of papers from behind the counter. The sheets are covered with notes in Korean and Chinese and Sehun already feels a bit dizzy just from looking at the blue pen marks scrawled all over.
"So, I didn't read the whole book, but I skimmed over it and I think I understand the gist of it."
"Okay, so what happens?" Sehun leans forward on the counter.
"You know how Kris usually writes these really dumb sci-fi mixed genre novels?"
"Yeah?" The time that Kris told him about his idea for aliens taking over Sungkyunkwan and turning it into a school for harvesting scholar's brains Sehun was convinced that Kris had been hanging out too much with Chanyeol, but Kris still ending up writing it and somehow it still ended up getting published.
"Well this time there's no aliens. Instead,he wrote a story about love and friendship." Minseok flips the page over and squints at his handwriting. "So, basically Prince Shixun is a lonely misunderstood prince that only has one friend in the palace."
"Lonely?"
"Prince Shixun's only friend has been with him for years. They grew up together and Shixun cares for him dearly but a lot of people look down on their friendship because he lives in the stables." Minseok flips the paper. "And this is the part that you might not like... but Shixun's friend is called Joonma."
"Joonma?! Like your dog?" Sehun exclaims. Then he narrows his eyes. "Wait why would I not like this... what are you not telling me?"
Minseok sets down the stack of papers and looks Sehun in the eyes. "I was thinking that if you were really Shixun, wouldn't you be thrilled to find your old friend in modern day Korea? Even if he is reincarnated as a dog."
"You want me to talk to a dog."
"Look, do you want to make it look believable or not?"
Sehun sinks further into his seat, holding his head and his hands and cursing silently.
Sehun wipes his palms across his jeans. Tao's only a few minutes late, but each minute feels like an eternity because Sehun can't believe that he's actually going to do this.
Before Joonma had been left to wander around the cafe freely, but he kept disappearing behind the counter to lay near Minseok's feet and after the third time Minseok tripped he asked Sehun to take the dog away. Now Joonma is safely nestled in Sehun's lap, and Sehun can feel drool soaking into the bottom of his t-shirt.
Finally the door swings open and Tao bursts in, slightly out of breath and clutching his messenger bag.
"Sorry I'm late," Tao apologizes as he slips into the seat across from Sehun. "You said you had something to show me?"
Sehun takes a deep breath.
"I found Joonma!" He puts two hands underneath the puppy so that he can raise the dog's head above the table and he tries not to wince when he feels drool on arms.
"It's so good to meet you again... old...friend..." Even to Sehun his voice sounds stiff, but he's not the type of person that normally talks to pets so having a conversation with the little dog in his arms is difficult for him.
"I just wish that we could speak together as he used to." Sehun continues, trying to ignore the strange looks that the people seated nearby throw at him.
The one-sided dialogue goes on, and Sehun talks to Joonma in the same stilted manner while Tao watches and encourages him to ask Joonma certain things.
"What about his living quarters?" Tao asks as he leans towards Sehun. "Does he like living in a cafe, or did he prefer the stables?"
Sehun holds the puppy up to his ear, pretending to listen to his response before he nods.
"He says he likes it."
Tao's face splits into a smile and Sehun can see himself doing even dumber things in the future for a smile like that.
"I have a problem," Sehun groans as he slips onto a stool at the counter.
Minseok smiles. It's never a good sign when Sehun starts with this sentence. For Sehun, I have a problem is code for I need to talk to someone who won't give me an opinion. "You have a lot of problems," Minseok replies as he starts up the coffee press, "But which one is it today?"
"Hyung, I just can't tell him."
"I thought you were going to tell him yesterday."
"I tried but... Hyung, he just looks so excited every time I see him!" Sehun traces the pattern of the wood grain across the counter as he thinks of Tao's childish grin as they took the cable car up to Namsan Tower.
"I just don't want him to be sad because of me." Sehun admits and it sounds really dumb and cheesy once he's said it but he can't deny that it's true.
Minseok pushes a mug across the counter and Sehun takes it gratefully. The coffee is just the way he likes it: with a splash of milk and two spoonfuls of sugar.
"Well, you still have to tell him." Minseok says as he watches Sehun sip from the mug and Sehun sighs because he's right.
But for now all Sehun wants to do is enjoy the coffee that Minseok has prepared for him, and he smiles as he drinks more, the warm liquid calming the nervousness building within him.
Minseok wipes a towel across the counter to catch the drips of coffee that dribbled down the side of his mug. "Hey, Sehun I think you should say ke ai to Tao the next time you see him."
"Huh? Why? What does that mean?"
"It's just a greeting that Prince Shixun uses with his close friends." The towel stills as Minseok leans forward. "So I think it would mean a lot to him if you used it."
"Oh, okay. I'll say it then."
It's later that Sehun realizes that he's met with Tao every day of the week and he can no longer remember what his life had been like before he met him.
The weather is nice when Tao and Sehun have ice cream the next day. It's the same place that Sehun used to go to with his friends and high school, and the familiar smell of the musty ice cream store reminds Sehun of the days that he came with his friends after cram school. He remembers when they smeared ice cream on each other's cheeks and chased their crushes around with sticky fingers.
Despite all of his protests of needing time off school, maybe the real reason he never applied to university was because he was afraid of being rejected. Having average grades in high school was safe because no one ever singles out the average people and maybe that's exactly was Sehun was trying to avoid: someone else measuring the worth of Oh Sehun against application standards.
While he was dwelling over his past the ice cream had begun to melt without him realizing and Sehun scrunches his nose in distaste when he realizes his own fingers are sticky with melted ice cream. But then he looks over at Tao and as his eyes fall upon the older boy he can't help but feel some respect for someone who left everything he was familiar with behind merely for the illusion of Korea he'd seen in the books and dramas. There was something brave about chasing something that seemed so fragile, and Sehun feels affection welling up within him.
"You're amazing," Sehun breathes out and when Tao turns to him, ice cream dripping from his mouth, Sehun sees him as he is -a young boy lost in a city far away from home.
"Huh?" The melted ice cream clings to Tao's chin and Sehun laughs as he leans forward with a napkin to wipe it away.
Then he remembers Minseok's words. "Ke ai" he tells Tao and Tao's mouth curves into a smile even as his face flushes.
Luhan picks up the phone after three rings.
"I think I'm going to go back to school this fall," Sehun says in a rush and Luhan groans.
"Sehun? What time is it?" He hears a rustling that sounds like sheets and Sehun feels a bit guilty about calling this late when he knows that Luhan is opening tomorrow.
"I'm going to apply to university." The words feel heavy and real after he says them and Sehun chills with the thought that he's actually going to do this.
"Is this your version of a two weeks notice?"
Sehun laughs. "No. I mean I don't know but-"
Luhan voice is soft when he cuts Sehun off. "It's okay." The line falls silent. Sehun is just wondering if Luhan fell back asleep and he should hang up when Luhan begins to speak again. "I know you can do it. But until you get into school you're stuck with me at the bookstore."
Although tears are fresh in his eyes, Sehun smiles.
"Got it."
That day Sehun finally applies to the unversity he's been considering since his high school days. The form takes longer than he expected, and he has to call up a few former employers for reference letters, but by the end of the day he's able to click the submit button and he feels elated as he walks to meet Tao at their usual spot.
Minseok's cafe is busier than usual this afternoon and it's a few moments before Sehun can pick out Tao.
"Tao," Sehun calls out as soon as he spots the familiar head of blond hair peaking out from behind the potted fern near the corner of the café. "Tao, you'll never guess what I did today! I finally-" The words die in his throat when he the person sitting across from Tao comes into view.
"Sehun!" Kris rises from his seat and Sehun stops mid-step. Why is Kris here?
When Sehun finally catches Tao's eyes the other boy sends him a stiff smile.
"Luhan said your new friend was a big fan of mine so I wanted to meet him!" Kris grins widely, "I never thought that I would run into a fan of mine in Korea!"
Then Kris lowers his voice as he leans to to speak with Sehun. "Can you believe my latest book was his favourite? He even wanted to know all about my brainstorming process! Especially the characters."
"Well, I'll leave the two of you alone to talk." Kris shoots Sehun a wink that is probably meant to be suggestive but it just makes him look as if he developed a strange eye twitch in one of his eyes. Sehun watches as Kris walks away and he wants to punch something or someone because Kris was never supposed to meet Tao. And he wasn't supposed to tell Tao the truth before Sehun could tell him.
When Sehun was walking here he went through so many different ways to say he was sorry and explain why he lied and try to make sense of his emotions but now that Tao is in front of him he's tongue-tied, and of course his stupid idiot step-brother would show up and ruin all of his plans.
"You never told me that Kris Wu was your brother…" Tao starts timidly as he stirs his bubble tea slowly.
"Step-brother," Sehun corrects automatically before he realizes that the precise nature of his and Kris' relationship is probably not what he should be addressing right now.
"Fuck, I'm so sorry Tao. I didn't mean to lie to you, I just…" Sehun sighs as he struggles to find the right words. A million different excuses come to him, but this time maybe he should just tell the truth. "You just looked so… happy to finally meet your favourite book character and I just wanted to be Shixun. For you."
"I already knew that you weren't Shixun," Tao confesses as he smiles into his bubble tea. Then he frowns, "Although I have to admit that I was surprised that you and the Kris Wu are brothers." Sehun tries to ignore the flush that spreads over Tao's cheeks as Tao clutches his face in his hands.
"What?! What do you mean you knew?"
Tao turns to Sehun, eyeing him closely. "Sometimes you would say things that seemed a bit off, and then after you started talking about Joonma I knew you couldn't be him."
Of all the things that he was expecting Tao to say, that was not the reason he was expecting. "What about Joonma?" Sehun asks.
"If you actually were Shixun..." Tao pauses. "No, if you even just read the book you would know that Joonma is the name of Shixun's horse."
"I'm going to kill Minseok and Jongdae," Sehun mutters underneath his breath. He could hear Jongdae's teasing now: it's your fault for never bothering to ask if Joonma was a human, Sehun! But then a thought occurs to him. "But if you knew, why didn't you say anything? You could have left anytime, but you stayed. Even when I probably embarrassed you in front of everyone in the park by talking with a fucking dog." Sehun colours as he remembers his lively one-sided conversation with Joonma.
"Even though I knew, I wanted to have an excuse to spend more time. With Oh Sehun." Tao's hands find Sehun's and the two sets of fingers tangle together between the tall glasses of bubble tea. Warmth pools within Sehun as he feels Tao's long fingers stroke against his.
Maybe he owes Kris an apology, but Sehun will never admit that to his brother's face.
Jongdae stretches out on the sofa, sneaking his feet under Minseok's legs.
"Stop it, Jongdae! Your feet are too cold," Minseok complains, squirming as Jongdae wiggles his toes against Minseok's thighs.
"That's exactly why you're warming them up for me."
Minseok gives up on trying to get Jongdae to move his feet and the two of them fall quiet, each of them enjoying their own novels on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
"Hey Jongdae?" Letting his book fall into his lap, Minseok looks over at Jongdae. His fingers drum over Jongdae's arm, needling his best friend for some kind of response.
But Jongdae doesn't bother to look up, and instead the younger boys hums, "hm?" as he turns next page of his book.
"Do you think Sehun ever realized that ke ai means cute in Chinese?"
Finally Jongdae looks up and the two of them grin at each other before they start chuckling.
A few days later Sehun meets Tao at the park a few blocks away from the bookstore. It's a wide, open area with children frolicking over the lawns and Sehun picks a bench near their meeting spot to collapse onto. He closes his eyes as he leans back in the bench and he's enjoying the breeze against his neck when he feels something collide with his stomach.
The sun is shinning into his eyes, so Sehun has to block the rays with a hand before he can see Tao smirking at him.
Although Tao is still as cute as he was before, there are also times when he's confident. These times - when Tao flashes him a cocky grin or laughs as he sneaks an arm around Sehun's waist - always seem like a challenge to Sehun and he responds to each one with his own: brushing his fingers over Tao's arms or pressing his face against Tao's neck.
"C'mon, my prince." The older boy taunts and Sehun grins.
"Gladly."
A/N: written based on the prompts [1] and [2]
pg; 6.3k
in which Sehun is an unwitting protagonist and Tao is a fanboy with wanderlust
-written for floridblush at runandgun here
There are some things that Sehun doesn't want to see early in the morning, and he's pretty sure that finding his face on a book cover is near the top of that list. He blinks a few times to make sure he's really awake, but his face continues to stare back at him from the paperback Luhan is waving around gleefully, and athough he's drawn in the faux painting style of those cheesy romances (but with his shirt is closed, thank god), it's definitely still the face of Oh Sehun.
"What the hell is this," Sehun mumbles. Even though he tries to will emotion into his voice, no amount of effort can disguise the fact that he'd rather be in bed asleep, or pretty much anywhere besides the small bookstore he works at part-time.
"Look at the new book that came in today," Luhan says teasingly as he leans over the counter. Half-heartedly, Sehun reaches out to grab the book from the older boy's hands but Luhan dangles the paperback just out of reach, and Sehun can't be bothered to take a few steps forward to pull it out of Luhan's hands.
The thing is, even Sehun would admit that he's a pretty normal guy. He did all right in high school with grades that always fell somewhere in the middle of his class and after he graduated he took a year off. Although he told his parents it was because he couldn't decide where he wanted to apply for university, he really just needed a break from school.
For the first few months he flitted from job to job; at first trying to figure out what he was good at and later trying to just find something he liked. One year turned to two years and then two years became three years. Then somehow along the way he reconnected with an old childhood friend and he ended up working a small bookstore a few blocks away from his tiny studio apartment.
Yes, Sehun was a fairly normal guy.
Which is why he was surprised to find himself on the cover of a book. Or at least, he was until he saw who the author was.
"Kris!" Sehun yells as he jabs his finger repeatedly into the intercom button on the door. The jabbing motions are so rapid that it takes him a moment for Sehun to register that the button is no longer ringing and that there is a garbled voice emanating from the small grey box. "DUMB IDIOT BROTHER OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR," Sehun hisses into the intercom. He doesn't wait for an answer, instead turning back towards the door expectantly.
The door creaks open, but instead of the tall figure of his step-brother, the young man that opens the door is shorter and more slight.
"Hey Baekhyun," Sehun greets as he pulls his bottom lip between his teeth, working it as he grimaces.
Baekhyun knows Sehun well enough that he can tell the difference between Sehun's natural frown and one with emotions behind it, and this time it is definitely the latter.
"Sehun, what's wrong?"
"Is Kris home?"
Baekhyun opens the door wider so that the younger man can slip past him and into the spacious apartment. Sehun moves in a flurry of angry steps and Baekhyun has to drag Sehun back to the entryway to take off his shoes. ("You better not dirty our wood floors with those ratty old sneakers," Baekhyun shrieks and even though Sehun rolls his eyes he trudges back to the small are of tiled flooring long enough to shuck his sneakers and toss them into the closet.)
When Sehun walks in on Kris still asleep in bed, he cruelly yanks the blankets back.
Kris looks up blearily, and when he notices Sehun standing at his bedside he pulls himself upright slowly.
"When were you were going to tell me about this?" Sehun bites out, tossing a 400-page paperback onto Kris' stomach. Kris lets out a small puff of air at the impact, then he grabs the book to see why Sehun would burst into their apartment at the ungodly hour of 9 am.
"Oh, so you saw my new book."
Sehun's eyes flash. "Is that all?" When Kris looked up in confusion Sehun continued, "Nothing about the fact that you WROTE ME IN AS THE MAIN CHARACTER?"
Kris frowns, "But the name is different and the personality isn't the same because there's no way that you're at all princely-"
"Kris. Wu Shixun? What do you mean the name is different? YOU JUST TRANSLATED MY NAME INTO CHINESE."
"Just because the name is similar doesn't mean that it's you." Kris huffed, pulling the covers to his shoulder. "Isn't it a bit conceited to-"
"And the fact that there's a drawing of me on the front has nothing to do with it?" Sehun's tone is incredulous but seriously he doesn't really understand why Kris is still trying to deny that he wrote a fucking book about him.
"Don't worry, Sehun." Both turn to look at Baekhyun lounging in the doorframe. "Kris' books aren't even popular in Korea. To be honest, despite selling a lot of copies in Singapore, we usually barely break 500 copies in Korea."
"Hey!"
"Shush, you write sci-fi Korean historical novels in Chinese, you're lucky that they sell even half as well as they do."
Kris deflates at Baekhyun's words, but he doesn't bother to argue.
Baekhyun reaches up to pat Sehun sympathetically."The chance of you meeting anyone who's read it are so infinitesimally small I wouldn't even worry about it."
A few weeks later and Sehun has almost forgotten about the fact that he's now the character of a dime novel. The only lingering effects are that his friends seem to have taken to making him sing old Korean ballads at karaoke and tease him about his fall from princedom.
So when Luhan comes into work one morning with a full traditional Korean outfit, complete with a hanbok and a hat, Sehun just sighs and tries to sink further behind the counter.
"Wu Shixun! I think these belong to you!" Luhan crows as he flings the clothes on the counter. The older boy is bouncing in excitement and Sehun has to remind himself that Luhan is not only a few years older but also his boss.
"Ha ha," Sehun says tonelessly as he picks through the pile of clothes. "I can't believe you actually went through the trouble of getting all of these."
Luhan plops the hat on Sehun's head, but it's a bit big. The brim droops over one of Sehun's eyes and Luhan tries to straighten it. "Anything for my cute little dongsaeng," Luhan says grinning.
"Can I ask why?"
"Did you know today is Korean heritage day?" Luhan's voice becomes serious and Sehun frowns because he can sense where this is going.
"I refuse." He says before Luhan has a chance to order him to do anything, hoping that somehow cutting off the command will relieve him of it.
"Then I'm deducting the cost of the outfit from your paycheck." Luhan smiles cheekily at Sehun before he turns from the counter. As Luhan walks away Sehun can hear him humming the theme of Rooftop Prince under his breath.
Groaning, Sehun gathers up the clothes and heads to the restroom to change.
It takes Sehun a few tries before he manages to get the hanbok to sit right, and as soon as he leaves the restroom Luhan flutters around him checking to see that everything is satisfactory. He adjusts a few ties here and there and then moves so he can see the overall effect.
"Perfect," Luhan says at last and Sehun can hear Luhan's cackles ringing in his ears long after the older boy has left.
It's a long day for Sehun. Every time someone enters the store he glances over at the door fearfully. He hopes beyond hope that no one remotely attractive or even close to his age will come into the bookstore today and he fidgets each time the doorchime rings. The morning passes by, and then the day passes into the afternoon and Sehun starts to think that someone has decided to answer his prayers for once because the only customers so far have been a few older ladies that pinched his cheek and a businessman that barely glanced up from his Blackberry.
But maybe he was a bit too hasty because right before closing time a tall stranger walks into the bookstore. He appears a bit lost as he enters the store, glancing around the shelves with a look between interest and mild confusion. But his build is all lean muscle and he walks with the grace of a mountain cat.
Sehun watches the boy stalk down each aisle and although the dark creases beneath the stranger's eyes give him a murderous look, his face lights up into a childish expression of glee when he finds the book he is searching for. Sehun's eyes continue to follow the other's movements until he realizes that the stranger's heading straight for the counter and Sehun pretends to be busy fixing something with the cash register.
"Did you find everything all right?" Sehun purposely doesn't make eye contact as the boy approaches, hoping that maybe if he doesn't look up then the other won't notice the hat perching on Sehun's head or the long colourful robes pooling around him.
Sehun reaches out blindly for the book when a gasp stops him short.
"Wu Shixun?" The stranger breathes out as he clutches his book closer to his chest.
Sehun should probably say something about his dumb older brother or Luhan being a dick but instead he says, "Yes?"
The boy's eyes get impossibly round and he looks Sehun up and down in a mixture of disbelief and barely contained excitement. He babbles something in Mandarin and Sehun stares at him blankly.
There are a few beats of awkward silence during which the taller boy stares down at Sehun with freaking stars in his eyes. But then he seems to have a moment of recognition and pulls out a battered Korean phrasebook. Rapidly he flips through the pages and Sehun glimpses notes penned into the margins.
He starts to say something, but the mixture of archaic Korean and thick Chinese accent make it near impossible to discern what he's saying. When Tao realizes that Sehun is still staring at him, not understanding, he points at a word in the margins.
"Pose! Pose!"
Sehun crosses his arms in front of him, molding his hands into the pose that he does all in the time in photos. The one that Sehun thinks is kind of badass but Jongdae says makes him look like Sailor Sehun, defender of losers.
The boy beams at him, and his eyes crinkle adorably with his wide smile. Maybe that was what he wanted?
"I'm Tao." He bobs his head, and Sehun nods back.
Of course Sehun ends up running into the one person in all of Korea that pre-ordered the book. The one person that haunts Kris' website hoping for news of new releases ever since he first bought Sungkyunkwan Alien Invasion in a small second-hand bookstore. The one person that actually writes on Kris' online forums and shows up at book signings several hours away.
Great.
"But Prince Shixun why are you in modern day Korea?" The older boy leans towards Sehun and he can see confusion on his face.
Sehun is trying to think of some kind of answer he can reply with that won't give away that he has no clue what the Dragon Prince is actually about or how Prince Shixun actually acts in the book when Luhan cuts in.
"You actually know of his highness?" Luhan raises his hand to his mouth in a fake gasp, and it's fortunate that Tao has his back to Sehun or else he would have seen Sehun rolling his eyes at Luhan's poor acting abilities. "I found the poor boy wandering around Gyeongbokgung Palace on my way home from work."
Sehun snorts at the blatant lie but Tao doesn't notice as he's too busy hanging on Luhan's every word.
"Would you believe he actually jumped in time?" Luhan eyes widen and Tao leans forward, as Luhan's voice lowers. "One day he was searching for his poor deceased wife and the next moment… POOF! Suddenly he ends up in modern day Korea with no idea how to survive!"
Tao sighs sympathetically and nods along.
"Of course, I took him back to my house and gave him a job and a place to sleep but what he really needs is someone to show him around Seoul! I would do it myself but I need to keep an eye on my bookstore!"
Luhan sighs dramatically and then makes a show of noticing the guide to Seoul clutched in Tao's arms and widens his eyes. "Wait, do you think you might be able to- Oh no, I couldn't! It's too much to ask of a stranger but… you seemed to recognise his highless so do you think you might be able to help him figure out how to get back home?"
Tao's eyes are huge. "I would be honoured to help his highness!"
"Oh thank you so much!" Luhan coos as he shoves Tao and Sehun out of the bookstore. "Make sure you keep a close watch on him because he tends to get confused and wander if you don't!"
Sehun hears the door of the bookstore lock behind them and then Tao is dragging him down the street with a gentle - but firm - grip on his wrist.
"Hello. Luhan here."
"What was that about?" Sehun hisses into his phone.
"Oh! Shixun it's you!" Luhan sounds far too pleased as he coos into the phone and Sehun grits his teeth as he leans against the stall of the bathroom. He had practically run to the bathroom as soon as they entered the cafe, mumbling "sorry it's urgent" to the boy he left dazed at the table.
"Luhan..." He starts to say, his voice warningly low-pitched, but Luhan cuts him off with a laugh.
"Hey! Shouldn't you be thanking me?"
"I... what?" Sehun had been ready to chew out Luhan but the older boy's words stop him short.
"I saw the way you were eyeing him. Hah, I think I haven't seen you look at anyone like that since Baekhyun-"
"Can you please not bring up the crush I had on my brother's boyfriend in middle school." Sometimes Sehun regrets that Luhan has known him for so long.
Luhan cackles again and Sehun falls silent as he reads the phone numbers scrawled across the opposite wall. Call Yixing for a good time. Jongin waz here.
"Did I really look at him like..." Sehun begins, but again Luhan is quick to cut him off.
"Yup."
Sehun huffs. "I hope you realize that you strung along a poor innocent fan by recounting Rooftop Prince." He spits out at last and hangs up on Luhan laughing.
"What brought you to Seoul?" Sehun ventures after he and Tao have fallen into a lull of silence. The cafe they've stopped at is comfortable (although not as comfortable as Minseok's cafe) and there's a pleasant level of background chatter. Soft jazz music filters through the room and even if jazz music isn't really Sehun's cup of tea he can at least appreciate the calming atmosphere it creates.
Tao shifts in his seat. "I just wanted to come to Korea, prince."
Sehun uses the straw to suck up bubbles from his bubble tea, chewing thoughtfully on the small beads of tapioca. Tao had bought them both bubble tea while Sehun had been hiding out and the bathroom and Sehun has to admit that Tao chose well.
"That's it?"
"Well, to be honest, Prince Shixun..." Tao trails off and Sehun can't tell if he's embarrassed or if he's having trouble finding the words in Korean.
"It's okay," he says encouragingly. "And can you please stop calling me prince? Please just say Shixun." The Chinese name feels foreign on his tongue but he can't bring himself to ask Tao to call him by his real name.
"But prince-"
"Please, I insist." Sehun presses, and he's proud of the even way his voice comes out; as if he's actually a prince and not a part-timer at a bookstore. "So why Korea?"
Tao smiles. "It might sound stupid, but I've always felt that Korea was full of dreams," he confesses shyly and honestly Sehun does think it sounds kind of stupid but he tries to reserve his judgement for awhile longer.
"Why's that?"
"The dramas, the idols, all the images that are created! Isn't it kind of like a country of dreams?" Tao's accent thickens with his excitement and Sehun has to take a sip of tea to keep him from snorting.
"Maybe," says Sehun although he doesn't really see what's magical about a bunch of concrete and asphalt joined in narrow roads and sprawling shops.
After the cafe, Tao insists on dragging Sehun sightseeing around Seoul. Many of the sights are all too familiar to him, and Sehun tries not to look too bored when he walks through Bukchon Village or yawn when they stop at tea shops in Insadong. Their progress is further slowed by the fact that Tao stops and explains each piece of modern technology, and it takes them three times longer than usual to ride the elevator because Tao felt it was necessary to explain to Sehun how the elevator works in broken Korean.
At last Tao pulls him to the cable car that goes up to Namsan Tower.
Sehun doesn't bother to hold back his sighs because he's been here before loads of times. Especially with every person he ever dated in high school. He moves towards the ticket booth but Tao pushes him aside.
"It's probably too early for you to learn how to buy a ticket," Tao explains, although Sehun isn't sure why buying a ticket would be any more confusing than buying anything else.
Once Tao has the ticket in hand they make their way through the line and Tao can't keep still. He bounces on the balls of his feet and grips Sehun's sleeve. After they enter the car Tao presses his face against the window and gasps in awe.
"Isn't seeing the lights of the city so beautiful?" Tao looks excited from just seeing the view from the cable car, and Sehun wonders what kind of expressions Tao will show when they're at the top of Namsan Tower.
Mug and Puppy is nearly empty in the hours of late morning and Sehun finds Minseok enjoying the break from crowds.
Minseok is perched on a stool behind the cash register, paperback bent open on the counter, when Sehun drops the novel in front of him.
"I need your help."
Joonma, Minseok's bulldog and the namesake of his cafe, pads into the room and takes a few sniffs at Sehun's leg before wandering to Minseok and collapsing in a furry heap near his feet.
Minseok peers up from his book as he flips the page. "So?"
"You majored in Chinese right? I need you to translate this for me."
"What? The whole thing?" He cocks an eyebrow and Sehun flushes under his stare.
"No. Just some passages or. I don't know. What parts you think would be important."
Flipping the book over to read the synopsis on the back, Minseok snorts. "I didn't think you'd be interested in a book like this. Don't you usually like non-fiction?" He smiles angellically, and Sehun isn't sure if Minseok is joking or not because surely he can see that Sehun's face is on the front cover?
Sehun looks away to the shelves of books surrounding them. "I... it's important."
Minseok stares at him for a few seconds. "Okay. I'll get Luhan to help me-"
"No!" A surge of panic wells up within him when Sehun thinks about the I knew you liked hims that are sure to follow when Luhan learns anything about him and Tao. "You can't. Tell. Luhan!" He chokes out and Minseok raises an eyebrow.
"Why not?"
"You just... can't!" Sehun bites out with such venom that Minseok finally agrees.
"Okay, fine! I won't!" Minseok says, tossing his hands into the air, and finally Sehun can relax again.
The older boy watches as Sehun leaves the café before he grabs his cell phone from behind the counter. He flicks through his contacts and smiles when he finally reaches the one he's looking for.
"I'll just have to ask Jongdae then," Minseok grins as he presses the call button.
Although Sehun enjoys spending time with Tao, it's sometimes hard for them to find things in common, especially with the slight culture gap. So when Sehun hears Tao mention that he used to play basketball in middle school he immediately perks up.
"I used to play basketball too!" Sehun cries out. He thinks back to the times that Kris tried to coach him in the backyard and the hours Sehun spent repeating the same basketball drills until Kris was finally satisfied with his progress.
But then Sehun remembers that he's supposed to be a prince from the Joseon era, when basketball hadn't even been invented (or if it had it hadn't yet made it over to the country of Korea) and he desperately tries to backtrack.
"Um… I mean that's what Jongdae told me. About basketball. He used to play in middle school and-"
The thought of Jongdae playing basketball is so ridiculous Sehun unwittingly stops.
Tao stares at him, smiling and confused and Sehun hopes that Tao couldn't understand most of what he was saying.
"Jongdae told me about it and I wanted to try playing." Sehun says at last.
Tao grins. "Then let's play sometime."
"So, did you read it?" Sehun asks when he visits the cafe the next day.
Minseok holds up a finger showing Sehun to hold on a second before pulling a stack of papers from behind the counter. The sheets are covered with notes in Korean and Chinese and Sehun already feels a bit dizzy just from looking at the blue pen marks scrawled all over.
"So, I didn't read the whole book, but I skimmed over it and I think I understand the gist of it."
"Okay, so what happens?" Sehun leans forward on the counter.
"You know how Kris usually writes these really dumb sci-fi mixed genre novels?"
"Yeah?" The time that Kris told him about his idea for aliens taking over Sungkyunkwan and turning it into a school for harvesting scholar's brains Sehun was convinced that Kris had been hanging out too much with Chanyeol, but Kris still ending up writing it and somehow it still ended up getting published.
"Well this time there's no aliens. Instead,he wrote a story about love and friendship." Minseok flips the page over and squints at his handwriting. "So, basically Prince Shixun is a lonely misunderstood prince that only has one friend in the palace."
"Lonely?"
"Prince Shixun's only friend has been with him for years. They grew up together and Shixun cares for him dearly but a lot of people look down on their friendship because he lives in the stables." Minseok flips the paper. "And this is the part that you might not like... but Shixun's friend is called Joonma."
"Joonma?! Like your dog?" Sehun exclaims. Then he narrows his eyes. "Wait why would I not like this... what are you not telling me?"
Minseok sets down the stack of papers and looks Sehun in the eyes. "I was thinking that if you were really Shixun, wouldn't you be thrilled to find your old friend in modern day Korea? Even if he is reincarnated as a dog."
"You want me to talk to a dog."
"Look, do you want to make it look believable or not?"
Sehun sinks further into his seat, holding his head and his hands and cursing silently.
Sehun wipes his palms across his jeans. Tao's only a few minutes late, but each minute feels like an eternity because Sehun can't believe that he's actually going to do this.
Before Joonma had been left to wander around the cafe freely, but he kept disappearing behind the counter to lay near Minseok's feet and after the third time Minseok tripped he asked Sehun to take the dog away. Now Joonma is safely nestled in Sehun's lap, and Sehun can feel drool soaking into the bottom of his t-shirt.
Finally the door swings open and Tao bursts in, slightly out of breath and clutching his messenger bag.
"Sorry I'm late," Tao apologizes as he slips into the seat across from Sehun. "You said you had something to show me?"
Sehun takes a deep breath.
"I found Joonma!" He puts two hands underneath the puppy so that he can raise the dog's head above the table and he tries not to wince when he feels drool on arms.
"It's so good to meet you again... old...friend..." Even to Sehun his voice sounds stiff, but he's not the type of person that normally talks to pets so having a conversation with the little dog in his arms is difficult for him.
"I just wish that we could speak together as he used to." Sehun continues, trying to ignore the strange looks that the people seated nearby throw at him.
The one-sided dialogue goes on, and Sehun talks to Joonma in the same stilted manner while Tao watches and encourages him to ask Joonma certain things.
"What about his living quarters?" Tao asks as he leans towards Sehun. "Does he like living in a cafe, or did he prefer the stables?"
Sehun holds the puppy up to his ear, pretending to listen to his response before he nods.
"He says he likes it."
Tao's face splits into a smile and Sehun can see himself doing even dumber things in the future for a smile like that.
"I have a problem," Sehun groans as he slips onto a stool at the counter.
Minseok smiles. It's never a good sign when Sehun starts with this sentence. For Sehun, I have a problem is code for I need to talk to someone who won't give me an opinion. "You have a lot of problems," Minseok replies as he starts up the coffee press, "But which one is it today?"
"Hyung, I just can't tell him."
"I thought you were going to tell him yesterday."
"I tried but... Hyung, he just looks so excited every time I see him!" Sehun traces the pattern of the wood grain across the counter as he thinks of Tao's childish grin as they took the cable car up to Namsan Tower.
"I just don't want him to be sad because of me." Sehun admits and it sounds really dumb and cheesy once he's said it but he can't deny that it's true.
Minseok pushes a mug across the counter and Sehun takes it gratefully. The coffee is just the way he likes it: with a splash of milk and two spoonfuls of sugar.
"Well, you still have to tell him." Minseok says as he watches Sehun sip from the mug and Sehun sighs because he's right.
But for now all Sehun wants to do is enjoy the coffee that Minseok has prepared for him, and he smiles as he drinks more, the warm liquid calming the nervousness building within him.
Minseok wipes a towel across the counter to catch the drips of coffee that dribbled down the side of his mug. "Hey, Sehun I think you should say ke ai to Tao the next time you see him."
"Huh? Why? What does that mean?"
"It's just a greeting that Prince Shixun uses with his close friends." The towel stills as Minseok leans forward. "So I think it would mean a lot to him if you used it."
"Oh, okay. I'll say it then."
It's later that Sehun realizes that he's met with Tao every day of the week and he can no longer remember what his life had been like before he met him.
The weather is nice when Tao and Sehun have ice cream the next day. It's the same place that Sehun used to go to with his friends and high school, and the familiar smell of the musty ice cream store reminds Sehun of the days that he came with his friends after cram school. He remembers when they smeared ice cream on each other's cheeks and chased their crushes around with sticky fingers.
Despite all of his protests of needing time off school, maybe the real reason he never applied to university was because he was afraid of being rejected. Having average grades in high school was safe because no one ever singles out the average people and maybe that's exactly was Sehun was trying to avoid: someone else measuring the worth of Oh Sehun against application standards.
While he was dwelling over his past the ice cream had begun to melt without him realizing and Sehun scrunches his nose in distaste when he realizes his own fingers are sticky with melted ice cream. But then he looks over at Tao and as his eyes fall upon the older boy he can't help but feel some respect for someone who left everything he was familiar with behind merely for the illusion of Korea he'd seen in the books and dramas. There was something brave about chasing something that seemed so fragile, and Sehun feels affection welling up within him.
"You're amazing," Sehun breathes out and when Tao turns to him, ice cream dripping from his mouth, Sehun sees him as he is -a young boy lost in a city far away from home.
"Huh?" The melted ice cream clings to Tao's chin and Sehun laughs as he leans forward with a napkin to wipe it away.
Then he remembers Minseok's words. "Ke ai" he tells Tao and Tao's mouth curves into a smile even as his face flushes.
Luhan picks up the phone after three rings.
"I think I'm going to go back to school this fall," Sehun says in a rush and Luhan groans.
"Sehun? What time is it?" He hears a rustling that sounds like sheets and Sehun feels a bit guilty about calling this late when he knows that Luhan is opening tomorrow.
"I'm going to apply to university." The words feel heavy and real after he says them and Sehun chills with the thought that he's actually going to do this.
"Is this your version of a two weeks notice?"
Sehun laughs. "No. I mean I don't know but-"
Luhan voice is soft when he cuts Sehun off. "It's okay." The line falls silent. Sehun is just wondering if Luhan fell back asleep and he should hang up when Luhan begins to speak again. "I know you can do it. But until you get into school you're stuck with me at the bookstore."
Although tears are fresh in his eyes, Sehun smiles.
"Got it."
That day Sehun finally applies to the unversity he's been considering since his high school days. The form takes longer than he expected, and he has to call up a few former employers for reference letters, but by the end of the day he's able to click the submit button and he feels elated as he walks to meet Tao at their usual spot.
Minseok's cafe is busier than usual this afternoon and it's a few moments before Sehun can pick out Tao.
"Tao," Sehun calls out as soon as he spots the familiar head of blond hair peaking out from behind the potted fern near the corner of the café. "Tao, you'll never guess what I did today! I finally-" The words die in his throat when he the person sitting across from Tao comes into view.
"Sehun!" Kris rises from his seat and Sehun stops mid-step. Why is Kris here?
When Sehun finally catches Tao's eyes the other boy sends him a stiff smile.
"Luhan said your new friend was a big fan of mine so I wanted to meet him!" Kris grins widely, "I never thought that I would run into a fan of mine in Korea!"
Then Kris lowers his voice as he leans to to speak with Sehun. "Can you believe my latest book was his favourite? He even wanted to know all about my brainstorming process! Especially the characters."
"Well, I'll leave the two of you alone to talk." Kris shoots Sehun a wink that is probably meant to be suggestive but it just makes him look as if he developed a strange eye twitch in one of his eyes. Sehun watches as Kris walks away and he wants to punch something or someone because Kris was never supposed to meet Tao. And he wasn't supposed to tell Tao the truth before Sehun could tell him.
When Sehun was walking here he went through so many different ways to say he was sorry and explain why he lied and try to make sense of his emotions but now that Tao is in front of him he's tongue-tied, and of course his stupid idiot step-brother would show up and ruin all of his plans.
"You never told me that Kris Wu was your brother…" Tao starts timidly as he stirs his bubble tea slowly.
"Step-brother," Sehun corrects automatically before he realizes that the precise nature of his and Kris' relationship is probably not what he should be addressing right now.
"Fuck, I'm so sorry Tao. I didn't mean to lie to you, I just…" Sehun sighs as he struggles to find the right words. A million different excuses come to him, but this time maybe he should just tell the truth. "You just looked so… happy to finally meet your favourite book character and I just wanted to be Shixun. For you."
"I already knew that you weren't Shixun," Tao confesses as he smiles into his bubble tea. Then he frowns, "Although I have to admit that I was surprised that you and the Kris Wu are brothers." Sehun tries to ignore the flush that spreads over Tao's cheeks as Tao clutches his face in his hands.
"What?! What do you mean you knew?"
Tao turns to Sehun, eyeing him closely. "Sometimes you would say things that seemed a bit off, and then after you started talking about Joonma I knew you couldn't be him."
Of all the things that he was expecting Tao to say, that was not the reason he was expecting. "What about Joonma?" Sehun asks.
"If you actually were Shixun..." Tao pauses. "No, if you even just read the book you would know that Joonma is the name of Shixun's horse."
"I'm going to kill Minseok and Jongdae," Sehun mutters underneath his breath. He could hear Jongdae's teasing now: it's your fault for never bothering to ask if Joonma was a human, Sehun! But then a thought occurs to him. "But if you knew, why didn't you say anything? You could have left anytime, but you stayed. Even when I probably embarrassed you in front of everyone in the park by talking with a fucking dog." Sehun colours as he remembers his lively one-sided conversation with Joonma.
"Even though I knew, I wanted to have an excuse to spend more time. With Oh Sehun." Tao's hands find Sehun's and the two sets of fingers tangle together between the tall glasses of bubble tea. Warmth pools within Sehun as he feels Tao's long fingers stroke against his.
Maybe he owes Kris an apology, but Sehun will never admit that to his brother's face.
Jongdae stretches out on the sofa, sneaking his feet under Minseok's legs.
"Stop it, Jongdae! Your feet are too cold," Minseok complains, squirming as Jongdae wiggles his toes against Minseok's thighs.
"That's exactly why you're warming them up for me."
Minseok gives up on trying to get Jongdae to move his feet and the two of them fall quiet, each of them enjoying their own novels on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
"Hey Jongdae?" Letting his book fall into his lap, Minseok looks over at Jongdae. His fingers drum over Jongdae's arm, needling his best friend for some kind of response.
But Jongdae doesn't bother to look up, and instead the younger boys hums, "hm?" as he turns next page of his book.
"Do you think Sehun ever realized that ke ai means cute in Chinese?"
Finally Jongdae looks up and the two of them grin at each other before they start chuckling.
A few days later Sehun meets Tao at the park a few blocks away from the bookstore. It's a wide, open area with children frolicking over the lawns and Sehun picks a bench near their meeting spot to collapse onto. He closes his eyes as he leans back in the bench and he's enjoying the breeze against his neck when he feels something collide with his stomach.
The sun is shinning into his eyes, so Sehun has to block the rays with a hand before he can see Tao smirking at him.
Although Tao is still as cute as he was before, there are also times when he's confident. These times - when Tao flashes him a cocky grin or laughs as he sneaks an arm around Sehun's waist - always seem like a challenge to Sehun and he responds to each one with his own: brushing his fingers over Tao's arms or pressing his face against Tao's neck.
"C'mon, my prince." The older boy taunts and Sehun grins.
"Gladly."
A/N: written based on the prompts [1] and [2]
