Closer to Despair
Title: Closer to Despair
Author: andersenmom
Claim: Coed School
Prompt: Table 4: 43 - Cry
Fandom: rpf: Coed School
Rating: PG
Word Count: 572
Summary: HyoYoung asks about what she overheard.
Notes/Warnings: Sequel to Not Quite Despair. Randomly, A&W root beer floats are a great inspiration. Part of the Mutant!verse created by dizzy_grace.
Written for 50ficlets.
Disclaimer: Not mine, not true.
Previous: One
"Oppa, can I talk to you?"
Buried in his homework (Why did they have to study physics?), Taewoon hadn't seen her come in. The play room was mostly empty because it was too nice to be inside, and Taewoon had taken advantage of that. He looked up and smiled. "Hey, HyoYoung. Sure," he said, and gathered up the papers and books spread around him. She sat next to him, oddly hesitant. "What's up?"
"I heard you talking to Shim-sunsaengnim."
Taewoon nodded, but his heart gave a lurch.
"Do you really think they'll never leave me alone?"
He could handle that topic. "I'm afraid they won't," he said. "You, and Noori, and KyuJong have these powers people would kill to get their hands on. I wouldn't be surprised that people have tried to get some of the teachers. Even ShinDong-sshi's father still comes around."
"Why do you want to protect me?"
Taewoon fought to keep his jaw from dropping. "Because I don't want you to feel like you have to live in a vault and live through all the things you see. I can't do much, really, but I'll do what I can. So you know you're not alone."
HyoYoung nodded. "What did you mean, you'd decided not to take yourself out of my life completely?"
Taewoon swore in his head, fervently. Loudly. But he'd known she might hear that. "It was something I thought about, after SoYoung got Yoosung-hyung and I back here, while you and Noori were still missing," he said. "I don't know if they knew... if they took me by choice or by chance."
HyoYoung touched his hand. "What was it you thought about?"
He swallowed and looked down at her hand. He didn't want to tell her this. "I thought about asking Noori to change your memory." he said. "To take me out of it."
She didn't say anything for a long time. "Why?"
Damn. He'd made her cry.
"So there wasn't someone they could use against you like that! But I couldn't. I couldn't leave you alone like that. I didn't want to. I meant it when I said my door was always open to you."
"What would you have done, if he'd agreed?"
Taewoon shrugged. "Leave the school. Go home, tell them I was cured, I don't know. The idea got crushed out of existence long before I got that far."
"Would you have asked me?"
"I don't know. I think Noori would have insisted I talk to you. He's an idiot, but he wouldn't have done something like that without talking to you."
She withdrew her hand, and his heart dropped. "You had to know I might hear that."
"Yes."
"And ask you about it."
"Yes."
"You could have lied."
"In this case, yes." He'd never said a word about it to anyone. "But I don't like to lie." He dared to look at her, cringing at the tears that streaked her face. "You mean a lot to me. I don't want to hurt you."
"Doing that would have."
"But thinking it can't," Taewoon said. "Can it?"
HyoYoung hesitated a moment, then looked away from him. "I don't know."
"I'm sorry."
She didn't answer, and after a moment, she wiped her eyes. "I have to think about this," she said, and got up. He watched her go, then folded his arms on the table and pillowed his head on them. Yeah, he was an idiot.
Table
Author: andersenmom
Claim: Coed School
Prompt: Table 4: 43 - Cry
Fandom: rpf: Coed School
Rating: PG
Word Count: 572
Summary: HyoYoung asks about what she overheard.
Notes/Warnings: Sequel to Not Quite Despair. Randomly, A&W root beer floats are a great inspiration. Part of the Mutant!verse created by dizzy_grace.
Written for 50ficlets.
Disclaimer: Not mine, not true.
Previous: One
"Oppa, can I talk to you?"
Buried in his homework (Why did they have to study physics?), Taewoon hadn't seen her come in. The play room was mostly empty because it was too nice to be inside, and Taewoon had taken advantage of that. He looked up and smiled. "Hey, HyoYoung. Sure," he said, and gathered up the papers and books spread around him. She sat next to him, oddly hesitant. "What's up?"
"I heard you talking to Shim-sunsaengnim."
Taewoon nodded, but his heart gave a lurch.
"Do you really think they'll never leave me alone?"
He could handle that topic. "I'm afraid they won't," he said. "You, and Noori, and KyuJong have these powers people would kill to get their hands on. I wouldn't be surprised that people have tried to get some of the teachers. Even ShinDong-sshi's father still comes around."
"Why do you want to protect me?"
Taewoon fought to keep his jaw from dropping. "Because I don't want you to feel like you have to live in a vault and live through all the things you see. I can't do much, really, but I'll do what I can. So you know you're not alone."
HyoYoung nodded. "What did you mean, you'd decided not to take yourself out of my life completely?"
Taewoon swore in his head, fervently. Loudly. But he'd known she might hear that. "It was something I thought about, after SoYoung got Yoosung-hyung and I back here, while you and Noori were still missing," he said. "I don't know if they knew... if they took me by choice or by chance."
HyoYoung touched his hand. "What was it you thought about?"
He swallowed and looked down at her hand. He didn't want to tell her this. "I thought about asking Noori to change your memory." he said. "To take me out of it."
She didn't say anything for a long time. "Why?"
Damn. He'd made her cry.
"So there wasn't someone they could use against you like that! But I couldn't. I couldn't leave you alone like that. I didn't want to. I meant it when I said my door was always open to you."
"What would you have done, if he'd agreed?"
Taewoon shrugged. "Leave the school. Go home, tell them I was cured, I don't know. The idea got crushed out of existence long before I got that far."
"Would you have asked me?"
"I don't know. I think Noori would have insisted I talk to you. He's an idiot, but he wouldn't have done something like that without talking to you."
She withdrew her hand, and his heart dropped. "You had to know I might hear that."
"Yes."
"And ask you about it."
"Yes."
"You could have lied."
"In this case, yes." He'd never said a word about it to anyone. "But I don't like to lie." He dared to look at her, cringing at the tears that streaked her face. "You mean a lot to me. I don't want to hurt you."
"Doing that would have."
"But thinking it can't," Taewoon said. "Can it?"
HyoYoung hesitated a moment, then looked away from him. "I don't know."
"I'm sorry."
She didn't answer, and after a moment, she wiped her eyes. "I have to think about this," she said, and got up. He watched her go, then folded his arms on the table and pillowed his head on them. Yeah, he was an idiot.
Table