opposite sides of the spectrum

Jul 08, 2012 12:15

opposite sides of the spectrum
pg-13; romance, angst; sehun/luhan
summary: with so many different worlds and different futures laid out before you, what will be your choice?
a/n: this is…kind of unexplainable and weird? i’ve been playing with this idea in my head for as long as i can remember and only had the free time these past few days to write it out. title is a bit vague but i guess it covers the whole…strangeness of this fic. idek okay.



i.

in one world, sehun and luhan are rivaling superstars from two different groups, the respective companies they’re representing easily becoming two of the most well-known names in the entertainment industry. with the alarming number of rookies debuting here and there, maintaining their status as two top tier groups among many others is already a feat in itself.

and both of their successes can mostly be attributed to the two main dancers who have, undoubtedly, owned the stage time and time again.

it’s anything but a secret that sehun and luhan have been silently competing with each other ever since their rookie days, luhan’s group debuting just a few years earlier than sehun’s. sehun had been watching out for luhan for as long as he can remember, his trainee days filled with rigorous preparations and lengthy hours of practice fueled by his overwhelming want to surpass him. and luhan had been doing the same, his sole attention focused on the new boy who exuded nothing but confidence in his steps the first time he graced the stage.

they’re essentially the same when it boils down to their performances, the intensity and passion they display seemingly enough to light up the stage on fire. but while sehun is fierce and charismatic with every step he executes, capturing people’s attention with his rough moves and hard lines, luhan is all fluidity and grace, enthralling the crowd with the smoothness of his angles and that certain air of softness around him.

perhaps it’s also the reason why they find themselves staring at the other intently during stage performances, driven by the thrill of watching another dancer move with an entirely different style to the same beat and genre. or perhaps their growing interest for each other is what leads them to this, hands itching to touch every expanse of skin and open-mouthed kisses shared secretly behind closed doors.

but whatever it may be, this is them, two dancers sharing the same fervor for art (and for each other), their relationship beautiful and exceptional in its complexity.

ii.

in another world, sehun works as a dance trainer under sm entertainment, along with jongin and yixing who are also hired by the company after the group suddenly falls out of the radar (their ride to fame ended too fast, too soon; no one was prepared to have everything quickly vanish before their very eyes). can’t let that talent go to waste, the ceo had said, the wrinkles around his eyes becoming even more prominent when he smiles, and sehun thinks this is probably better than not having any job at all. he teaches young boys and girls in the same practice room where they used to dance their hearts out for the same dreams, and sehun can’t help but feel nostalgic every once in a while.

luhan stays in beijing and establishes a career of his own, effortlessly seizing the hearts of boys and girls alike with his beautiful face and smooth voice. he’s used to this, performing for a crowd of various ages and races, but sometimes, it feels so lonely being on stage by himself when he’s used to seeing five (sometimes eleven) other boys standing with him. luhan continues to move other people with his lyrics of dreams and friendship and of a hopeful love that can withstand time and distance and it’s only when he’s alone in his room does he let himself wish for the same things in his life (the latter, most especially).

they make sure to meet as often as possible (or as often as luhan’s schedule allows him to) with every intention of spending time together and catching up with each other’s lives after the group’s disbandment. they end up meeting at least twice a year and, somehow, it’s enough (but not really). EXO continues to be an unforgettable memory.

iii.

in yet another world, sehun and luhan meet in college, a simple chance encounter that eventually leads to them being joined by the hip most of the time. sehun is a first year engineering major and while luhan is in his last year majoring in chemistry, they still find the time to get together even with their clashing schedules.

despite their obvious differences in personality, sehun basically possessing nonexistent social skills and luhan being the social butterfly that he is, they end up being the best of friends, much to the surprise of their common friends (“how in the world does luhan find you interesting? i don’t even recall thinking like that about you ever, ” jongin says. sehun makes sure to answer that by kicking his shins hard).

luhan treats sehun like the younger brother he never had, always indulging the younger boy’s whims and patiently listens to him endlessly complain about stupid professors, stupid subjects why do i even have to take all of them (they always end up buying bubble tea right after sehun’s little outburst and luhan somehow finds it amusing how  sehun easily calms down after taking a sip of his favorite drink). sehun treats luhan like how he treats his own hyung, only it feels much more comfortable because it’s luhan and, really, that’s enough reason in sehun’s mind.

but sometimes, they find themselves treating each other as something more, something beyond simple friendship and brotherhood. and for someone who’s been watching the two tiptoe around the invisible boundary they have made, almost at the verge of crossing but not quite, jongin thinks it’s only a matter of time before either of them finally breaks.

either way, jongin can’t wait to find out how everything will play out in the end (he hopes for the good things, of course).

iv.

in some other world, luhan is a member of one of the most popular boy groups in korea and, really, with a face and voice and lithe body like his, it’s no wonder that companies are contacting him left and right. despite the overwhelming number of offers he has received, he finally agrees to sign himself in jyp entertainment and luhan can’t say he regrets making that decision.

over the years and several performances later, they have built a steadily increasing fanbase and luhan, just by being the face of the group, unsurprisingly has the biggest one out of all the members, something that they always feel the need to tease him for. luhan can only smile and continue to thank the fans for the tremendous support he continues to receive.

it is in one of their fansign events in seoul where he meets sehun.

sehun is a fan, luhan’s fan to be exact, and luhan isn’t entirely sure what differentiates him from the others that attended the event, but there’s something pretty endearing about the boy that immediately makes him special in luhan’s eyes.

maybe it’s the way sehun greets luhan in mandarin as soon as he faces him, embarrassment clearly written in his face as he continues to stumble over the foreign words in his mouth. or maybe it’s the sheepish smile he gives right after, his eyes turning into crescent moons that luhan thinks is too adorable on the younger boy. (or maybe it’s the way sehun’s tongue darts out every once in a while, catching luhan’s attention more times than he cares to admit.)

in the end, luhan never finds out the reason why. maybe some things are indeed better left unanswered.

their fansign event continues in three more locations and sehun is present in every one of them, that infectious laugh and kind eyes haunting luhan wherever he goes. luhan doesn’t quite know how to deal with the warm sensation spreading in his chest every time sehun stands in front of him, a small smile already on his face and a new album in hand for him to sign (how many albums does he own anyway?) but he makes sure to respond to sehun with a pleased smile of his own.

in their last fansign event in incheon, luhan sees sehun patiently standing in the line, feet shuffling and hands clutching another new album to his chest. luhan remembers how to breathe and tries to calm his racing heart.

“today’s our last fansign event,” is the first thing luhan blurts out after sehun hands him the album. luhan wants to smack himself for saying such things because, really, couldn’t he start the conversation in a more…pleasant way?

“i know.” luhan has to look up as his ears pick up the distinctive hint of sadness in sehun’s voice and hopes that nothing in his face gives him away. “i also hope you know that i wouldn’t miss this event for anything.”

luhan knows. he isn’t quite sure how; he just does.

“you’ll continue to support us, right?” luhan asks, handing the signed album back to sehun. he knows sehun will, but it doesn’t hurt to hear the answer straight from his lips.

sehun gives him a reassuring smile before answering, “of course.”

and that’s more than enough for luhan to work extra harder with his group, knowing that there’s at least one fan out there whose looking out for him in whatever he may do. and sehun, staying true to his word, continues to support and admire luhan from afar.

v.

in one more world, sehun and luhan live very opposing lives, their existence practically worlds apart from each other.

sehun is a soldier in the army, acknowledged by his comrades because of his exceptional skill in the field and his vast knowledge of weapons and their use despite being the youngest of all of them. sehun used to pride himself for being wise beyond his years, for being rational and completely in control in whatever he does.

until luhan suddenly barges in his life, unexpected but not really unwelcome, reducing whatever streak of normalcy sehun has into mere rubble.

luhan is a prisoner, a civilian seized entirely for the reason that he belongs to the opposing side, that he is born with their enemies’ nationality. having done nothing that warrants him a punishment, he is only exploited for labor, the entire troop agreeing to assign him as sehun’s personal helper, while the others are persecuted for war crimes or recruited as their own combatants.

in hindsight though, sehun thinks he should’ve never let his guard down around luhan; he should’ve never let luhan get close to him, much closer than he ever had been with anyone.

their unusual friendship starts when sehun, just out of curiosity, asks luhan about his life before this (the war, the mass killings, the imprisonment; sehun doesn’t know how to phrase any of them in their conversation) and successfully coaxes the story out of him after so many weeks of failed attempts and incomplete responses. this, of course, leads to more stories, more narrations that voluntarily just slip from luhan’s lips even without sehun’s wheedling, and sehun finds that he can’t get enough of them even if he forces himself to think otherwise.

their friendship has grown since then, from being complacent enough to talk and have at least a semblance of friendship to being too comfortable to touch, to hold, to feel. soon enough (or maybe not soon enough), quick hands are pulling each other close, nimble fingers are working under their clothes, and fleeting kisses and hushed whispers of affection are shared in the dark.

but not all good things last, sehun thinks bitterly. eventually, they are caught. eventually, sehun has to face the consequences of being in a (rather unthinkable) relationship with a prisoner.

it's far from what sehun expects though when joonmyun, one of his comrades, thrusts a gun to his hands, a smirk plastered on his face as he says, “this is the only way you can redeem yourself. either you put a bullet to his head or we do it, and you can expect that your life won’t be spared.”

the pistol feels heavy in sehun’s hands; feels foreign, as though it’s his first time to ever hold one, and it’s not until someone claps him loudly on the back does sehun finally tear his eyes away from the weapon to look at the boy in front of him. luhan is kneeling in the ground, eyes looking at him, conveying everything his lips is not allowed to speak of.

and the emotion he sees in them, familiar and comforting and almost palpable, is enough to break sehun into pieces.

sehun drops on the ground and faces luhan, gathers him into his embrace and holds him tight. it's only when he speaks, voice shaky and ragged breaths following almost every word, does sehun realize that he’s crying. “i-i’m sorry. this isn’t how things are supposed to end. i never-”

“hey, don’t be,” luhan whispers, cutting him off. sehun briefly wonders how luhan can still be so relaxed at this point. “i never regretted every single day i had with you. and i hope you didn’t either.”

sehun answers that with a press of his lips, warm and insistent against luhan’s mouth. he cradles luhan’s face with his hands and kisses him hard; hard and deep until he feels luhan’s lips go soft from need; hard and sweet until sehun forgets everything but the feeling of luhan against him. they pull away after sometime, foreheads touching, eyes closed, blissfully wrapped up in their own little world.

luhan’s next request throws sehun off, shatters the false sense of calmness sehun has temporarily made up for themselves. “do it, sehun.” when sehun refuses to listen and move, luhan repeats, “listen to me; you should do what they say. this is the only way to save your life.”

sehun vehemently shakes his head. “you know i can’t. i won’t take your life with my own hands. i will never do that.”

luhan’s eyes soften at his words and sehun knows every single word he’s said is nothing but the truth. “when i was captured, i was ready to waste my life into nothingness and die. i couldn’t find anymore reason for me to live despite having my life handed back to me by being an officer’s personal helper.

but then, you came. and you became the sole reason for my existence. you made me want to live longer.” luhan smiles and sehun immediately stores that moment in his head. “you’re everything to me and i love you. i always will, sehun.” he feels the metal in his head and hears a loud bang before he falls limp in luhan’s arms.

sehun feels luhan’s grip on him tighten, frail hands holding him close to a warm body. slowly, sehun starts to slip off into unconsciousness before he faintly hears another loud bang, luhan’s body falling lifeless against him. everything goes black.

vi.

but in this world, everything is perfect.

no more secrecy and private encounters; no more what-ifs and maybes and unspoken love; no more beating around the bush, treading softly into unfamiliar boundaries; no more hesitations and status differences and forbidden relationships.

in this world, sehun and luhan are both idols under sm, members of the long-awaited boy group that goes by the name of EXO. with their ten other members (brothers), they continue to charm the world with their talents and genuine personalities, conquering one country at a time just like how their sunbaes did many years ago. they trained hard and dreamt even harder, and now they’re finally reaping the fruits of their efforts, realizing the outcome of those long years of sleepless nights and unparalleled hardwork.

in this world, sehun and luhan are the best of friends, the closest form of brotherhood that exists in this kind of industry. despite the difference in nationality and mother tongue, they understand each other, more so than anyone that surrounds them. their bond is something to be desired for, real and unbreakable; not by differences, or age or subgroup. and, most certainly, not by distance (a hundred thousand kilometers away).

in this world, sehun and luhan are lovers, a young kind of love that makes them smile a little wider, become a little bolder with their touches and other physical forms of affection. their relationship is unspeakable, a taboo in such an overwhelmingly hostile society, but they don’t care; not when they have each other to hold on to during tough times, and members that silently support what they have from behind.

in this world, sehun and luhan find they can’t ask for anything more.

Notes:
✧ i have no more words to describe this fic. except probably strange. and pointless. (enjoyed writing this whole thing though. especially worlds iv and v. lmao)
twitter anyone? i would love to have someone to talk to/fangirl with/idk.
✧ comments are love. ♡



web counter

pairing: sehun/luhan, rating: pg-13, genre: romance, length: oneshot, fandom: exo, genre: angst

Previous post Next post
Up