miuyi
in
thekpop100
#009 - corona
Title: corona
Author: miuyi
Fandom/Characters/Pairing: f(x), exo; krystal/kai
Rating/Warnings: g, vaguely apocalyptic implications
Challenge # & Prompt: #009 - broken
Word Count: 800w
She finds him in a nameless city that’s darker than night.
“Hey,” she says. She sits down on the curb beside him.
He glances up, smiling a little. She shades her eyes with one hand until he looks back down. “Hey. I've seen you around, I think.”
She laughs like he's said something funny. “Back at you. I'm Soojung.”
He tilts his head and thinks for a moment. “Jongin,” he says abruptly. “That's my name.”
“Really?” Soojung sounds skeptical.
“Yep. Made it up just now.”
She laughs again. Her breath fogs over, moon-silver against the black air. She's not shivering, though. Neither is Jongin.
“You're not what I expected,” she says, picking at a thread on her jeans.
“Really? People always tell me I'm incredibly bright.”
Soojung’s lips quirk like she wants to smile. “You're funny,” she says. She sways toward him as if pulled by some fundamental force, then jerks herself out of it abruptly, sitting up straight. “I want to go to the beach tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” Jongin grins. Soojung does too, once she gets the joke. “I think you're the funny one.”
“Do you really? People tell me I'm crazy. A real lunatic.”
Jongin laughs so hard he slips off the curb. He curls into himself in the gutter, clutching his stomach. Soojung watches him fondly, then stands up and holds out her hand.
“Let’s go now, then,” she says, and Jongin hesitates, then reaches for her hand. Her skin is freezing, but then again maybe Jongin is just warm.
The oceans are freezing over.
Jongin winces as they step onto the cold sand. “My bad.”
Soojung shrugs as she walks past, all the way to the icy shore. “Least of your worries.”
Jongin kicks forlornly at the sand. “Thanks for the reminder.” He glances at her back. “Is that why you came here? To remind me?”
“Originally it was to kick your ass. But like I said, you aren't what I expected.” She smiles over her shoulder at him. “So yes, I'm reminding you.”
Jongin drags his toe through the sand, drawing a circle around his feet. “You're not going to ask me why?”
“Would it help if I did?”
Jongin steps gingerly out of the circle, then draws another, smaller one a few steps away. “It might.”
“Alright. Why are you here?” She finds a big stick and helps, drawing in a circle on the other side of the first.
“I'm going to die,” he says.
Soojung stabs with her stick to draw tiny dots for moons. “Not for a while. You're still young.”
“It’ll kill everyone I've ever known when I do.” Jongin’s voice shakes.
Soojung glances up at him. “Now they're dying anyway.”
“You'll die, too,” he says, like it matters or something.
Soojung rotates around the first circle and draws another. “Is that a bad thing? That we’re mortal, just like them.”
Jongin laughs humourlessly, looking around. “Like who?”
“Don't be so sure,” she says, pointing further down the shore with her stick. Jongin squints. There's a tiny point of light, very very far away.
“A bonfire?” he asks, and Soojung nods.
“They're more resilient than you think. It's not too late.”
They finish the drawing in silence. When it's done, Jongin steps back into the first, centre circle. Soojung tiptoes over the sand, until she finds a smaller one. She stands beside it.
Jongin stretches his hand out toward her. Soojung stares for a moment, then reaches back. Their fingertips do not meet.
“Okay,” Jongin says finally. They've wandered into a forest so deep they can almost pretend the sky isn't broken.
“Okay?”
Jongin nods. “I'll go back.”
Soojung smiles at him. “Good.” She stops walking, traces the bark of a huge oak with her fingertip. “They write love stories about us, you know.”
Jongin stops walking too, watches her instead. “But we only just met.”
“I know. Crazy, isn't it?” Her finger stills, and then she turns and walks toward him. She rests her palm against his cheek. Her hand is very cold, and it is growing colder, but her eyes blaze silver.
“I'll see you tomorrow?” he offers, smiling a little.
Soojung laughs loudly. Beneath her palm, Jongin begins to glow. She steps back, and he grows brighter and brighter, until she has to turn her head away and squeeze her eyes closed.
When she opens them again Jongin is gone and it is daytime. The sunlight is warm on her face. She tilts her face skyward and smiles, and then she too climbs back into the sky and slips into orbit.
It’s cold out here, but she can still feel the warmth of Jongin’s cheek on her palm, of his light on her face. The soft edge of his glow slips around the horizon like a tentative, outstretched hand.
Author: miuyi
Fandom/Characters/Pairing: f(x), exo; krystal/kai
Rating/Warnings: g, vaguely apocalyptic implications
Challenge # & Prompt: #009 - broken
Word Count: 800w
She finds him in a nameless city that’s darker than night.
“Hey,” she says. She sits down on the curb beside him.
He glances up, smiling a little. She shades her eyes with one hand until he looks back down. “Hey. I've seen you around, I think.”
She laughs like he's said something funny. “Back at you. I'm Soojung.”
He tilts his head and thinks for a moment. “Jongin,” he says abruptly. “That's my name.”
“Really?” Soojung sounds skeptical.
“Yep. Made it up just now.”
She laughs again. Her breath fogs over, moon-silver against the black air. She's not shivering, though. Neither is Jongin.
“You're not what I expected,” she says, picking at a thread on her jeans.
“Really? People always tell me I'm incredibly bright.”
Soojung’s lips quirk like she wants to smile. “You're funny,” she says. She sways toward him as if pulled by some fundamental force, then jerks herself out of it abruptly, sitting up straight. “I want to go to the beach tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” Jongin grins. Soojung does too, once she gets the joke. “I think you're the funny one.”
“Do you really? People tell me I'm crazy. A real lunatic.”
Jongin laughs so hard he slips off the curb. He curls into himself in the gutter, clutching his stomach. Soojung watches him fondly, then stands up and holds out her hand.
“Let’s go now, then,” she says, and Jongin hesitates, then reaches for her hand. Her skin is freezing, but then again maybe Jongin is just warm.
The oceans are freezing over.
Jongin winces as they step onto the cold sand. “My bad.”
Soojung shrugs as she walks past, all the way to the icy shore. “Least of your worries.”
Jongin kicks forlornly at the sand. “Thanks for the reminder.” He glances at her back. “Is that why you came here? To remind me?”
“Originally it was to kick your ass. But like I said, you aren't what I expected.” She smiles over her shoulder at him. “So yes, I'm reminding you.”
Jongin drags his toe through the sand, drawing a circle around his feet. “You're not going to ask me why?”
“Would it help if I did?”
Jongin steps gingerly out of the circle, then draws another, smaller one a few steps away. “It might.”
“Alright. Why are you here?” She finds a big stick and helps, drawing in a circle on the other side of the first.
“I'm going to die,” he says.
Soojung stabs with her stick to draw tiny dots for moons. “Not for a while. You're still young.”
“It’ll kill everyone I've ever known when I do.” Jongin’s voice shakes.
Soojung glances up at him. “Now they're dying anyway.”
“You'll die, too,” he says, like it matters or something.
Soojung rotates around the first circle and draws another. “Is that a bad thing? That we’re mortal, just like them.”
Jongin laughs humourlessly, looking around. “Like who?”
“Don't be so sure,” she says, pointing further down the shore with her stick. Jongin squints. There's a tiny point of light, very very far away.
“A bonfire?” he asks, and Soojung nods.
“They're more resilient than you think. It's not too late.”
They finish the drawing in silence. When it's done, Jongin steps back into the first, centre circle. Soojung tiptoes over the sand, until she finds a smaller one. She stands beside it.
Jongin stretches his hand out toward her. Soojung stares for a moment, then reaches back. Their fingertips do not meet.
“Okay,” Jongin says finally. They've wandered into a forest so deep they can almost pretend the sky isn't broken.
“Okay?”
Jongin nods. “I'll go back.”
Soojung smiles at him. “Good.” She stops walking, traces the bark of a huge oak with her fingertip. “They write love stories about us, you know.”
Jongin stops walking too, watches her instead. “But we only just met.”
“I know. Crazy, isn't it?” Her finger stills, and then she turns and walks toward him. She rests her palm against his cheek. Her hand is very cold, and it is growing colder, but her eyes blaze silver.
“I'll see you tomorrow?” he offers, smiling a little.
Soojung laughs loudly. Beneath her palm, Jongin begins to glow. She steps back, and he grows brighter and brighter, until she has to turn her head away and squeeze her eyes closed.
When she opens them again Jongin is gone and it is daytime. The sunlight is warm on her face. She tilts her face skyward and smiles, and then she too climbs back into the sky and slips into orbit.
It’s cold out here, but she can still feel the warmth of Jongin’s cheek on her palm, of his light on her face. The soft edge of his glow slips around the horizon like a tentative, outstretched hand.