Week 1, Challenge 5: we are the pieces that were swallowed up (pt. 2)
Title: we are the pieces that were swallowed up (pt. 2)
Pairing: sechen & xiuhan
Rating: PG for now
Genre: sci-fi/magic realism
Length: 578 words
Summary/Warnings: post apocalypse!AU
-for 26: write in a different style
-continuation of this
There are ways that one learns to survive after the end of the world, and Minseok has taught Sehun all of them.
He knows that there are several different kinds of turtles that support the world, and he knows that at night time the dust rises up thicker, making it necessary to wear a mask. He knows what types of fruits grow in the old town hall and which of them are poisonous. There are seven different ways to capture a soul, and Sehun has heard them all.
So when Jongdae leans over to him and suggests that he guides Sehun through the market, Sehun smiles and flicks open the locket in his hand. He watches as Jongdae's face takes on an unearthly pale shimmer, and words peel from his throat and are sucked into the small brass container.
"You-" starts Jongdae, before his words leave him. He swallows hard and attempts to speak again. "You took my soul."
"Collateral," Sehun tells hims. Then he whispers a few words to the locket, and the metal turns black. "I hope this means that you'll provide me with safe passage." The locket is warm in his hands, and it pulses like a heartbeat.
"Did you just... seal it?" Jongdae eyes grow wide, and Sehun has never seen the boy looking this surprised. The pulse of the locket quickens, and Sehun grips it even more tightly.
"Yes." Sehun slips the locket around his neck. "Now it won't open until I want it to. Not even if I die."
"Not even if you-" Jongdae stares in astonishment before shaking himself. "Aren't soul-keepers hard to find? Where would you get a thing like that?" The business man in Jongdae is shinning through, and Sehun thinks that he's started to look at Sehun a bit more approvingly. Before Sehun was simply a mark for him to con, but now Sehun has the upper hand and Jongdae is more respectful.
"Secret," Sehun responds, and he smirks at the pout that appears on Jongdae's face. The locket is warm against his chest and the places where the metal makes contact with his skin draw trembles to his bones.
--
They head to the market later that night and the dust is so thick they have to wear masks to fight off the sickness. Sehun coughs when the air tickles at his lungs and Jongdae passes him a piece of cloth and plastic, gesturing for him to cover his nose and mouth with it. Jongdae is already wearing one himself, and the unfamiliar shadows it casts on Jongdae's face make him look younger and more vulnerable. Sehun slips the piece over his own face, wondering if he'll lose years to the market the way others have lost their lives.
The market is alive, glittering in the distance. It's ragged roofs and jagged spires poke into the smog and Sehun thinks to himself this is it. The walls pulse with promised bargains and hidden dangers. Lights flicker over top of it, and Sehun blocks the light with the back of his hand. The market is so dazzling, but the colours remind him of poisonous frogs that signal their deadliness with neon spots. Frogs that use each spot to entice your eyes even as your heart is stripped beneath them.
The locket thrums and he reaches up with a hand to quiet it, drawing comfort from the vibrations that sink into his skin.
Pairing: sechen & xiuhan
Rating: PG for now
Genre: sci-fi/magic realism
Length: 578 words
Summary/Warnings: post apocalypse!AU
-for 26: write in a different style
-continuation of this
There are ways that one learns to survive after the end of the world, and Minseok has taught Sehun all of them.
He knows that there are several different kinds of turtles that support the world, and he knows that at night time the dust rises up thicker, making it necessary to wear a mask. He knows what types of fruits grow in the old town hall and which of them are poisonous. There are seven different ways to capture a soul, and Sehun has heard them all.
So when Jongdae leans over to him and suggests that he guides Sehun through the market, Sehun smiles and flicks open the locket in his hand. He watches as Jongdae's face takes on an unearthly pale shimmer, and words peel from his throat and are sucked into the small brass container.
"You-" starts Jongdae, before his words leave him. He swallows hard and attempts to speak again. "You took my soul."
"Collateral," Sehun tells hims. Then he whispers a few words to the locket, and the metal turns black. "I hope this means that you'll provide me with safe passage." The locket is warm in his hands, and it pulses like a heartbeat.
"Did you just... seal it?" Jongdae eyes grow wide, and Sehun has never seen the boy looking this surprised. The pulse of the locket quickens, and Sehun grips it even more tightly.
"Yes." Sehun slips the locket around his neck. "Now it won't open until I want it to. Not even if I die."
"Not even if you-" Jongdae stares in astonishment before shaking himself. "Aren't soul-keepers hard to find? Where would you get a thing like that?" The business man in Jongdae is shinning through, and Sehun thinks that he's started to look at Sehun a bit more approvingly. Before Sehun was simply a mark for him to con, but now Sehun has the upper hand and Jongdae is more respectful.
"Secret," Sehun responds, and he smirks at the pout that appears on Jongdae's face. The locket is warm against his chest and the places where the metal makes contact with his skin draw trembles to his bones.
--
They head to the market later that night and the dust is so thick they have to wear masks to fight off the sickness. Sehun coughs when the air tickles at his lungs and Jongdae passes him a piece of cloth and plastic, gesturing for him to cover his nose and mouth with it. Jongdae is already wearing one himself, and the unfamiliar shadows it casts on Jongdae's face make him look younger and more vulnerable. Sehun slips the piece over his own face, wondering if he'll lose years to the market the way others have lost their lives.
The market is alive, glittering in the distance. It's ragged roofs and jagged spires poke into the smog and Sehun thinks to himself this is it. The walls pulse with promised bargains and hidden dangers. Lights flicker over top of it, and Sehun blocks the light with the back of his hand. The market is so dazzling, but the colours remind him of poisonous frogs that signal their deadliness with neon spots. Frogs that use each spot to entice your eyes even as your heart is stripped beneath them.
The locket thrums and he reaches up with a hand to quiet it, drawing comfort from the vibrations that sink into his skin.