Space Between Us
Title: Space Between Us
Author: andersenmom
Prompt: MYNAME's Chaejin walks into a club and meets... Speed's Taeha!
Fandoms: MYNAME/Speed
Word count: 1223
Rating/Warnings: Probably PG, and no warnings.
Notes: I aged them a little.
Written for intoaclub, which was incredibly fun. I would totally do it again.
ChaeJin hoped no one called the fire department or anything; more people had packed into the bakery than he knew it could legally hold. He fought his way through the crowd to the table where SeYong sat, and collapsed into a chair. "Did you know about this?" he asked.
"Jinnie!” SeYong crowed, and hugged him. ChaeJin tried to push him off, but SeYong didn't let go until he was good and ready. "Know about what?"
"The crowd," ChaeJin said, gesturing around them. "What's going on?"
"The muffins are 90% off," SeYong said dismissively. "It'll clear as soon as they run out." He checked his phone and grinned. "He'll be here pretty soon."
ChaeJin frowned. "I don't think this is a good idea."
"Why not? You are probably the loneliest person I know who has no reason to be. How could this be a bad thing?"
ChaeJin eyed him. "Because it's you, Hyung, and your ideas are routinely a bad thing."
SeYong gaped at him. "They are not!"
"Do you want me to prove it?"
SeYong scowled. "The point is, you're so shy someone has to find people for you to date, and I picked me."
"But I didn't--"
"Sorry I'm late," an achingly familiar voice said, and TaeHa sat down in the other chair. "This crowd is...." He trailed off when he caught sight of ChaeJin.
ChaeJin had to wonder what TaeHa saw now; they'd broken up about two years ago, at the end of ChaeJin's freshman year at the college they’d both attended. TaeHa looked good, ChaeJin couldn't deny.
"Yeah, sorry," SeYong said. "I forgot. What?" he asked belatedly, realizing something had happened.
ChaeJin tore his eyes away from TaeHa and looked down at his hands, clasped in his lap. How could he possibly explain to SeYong what he'd done? He had no idea of the history between them because he'd moved into the area sometime after they'd broken up. ChaeJin hadn't even known that SeYong knew TaeHa.
"It's been a while," TaeHa said, that same tone in his voice that had always made ChaeJin feel loved, the reason he'd decided to take a chance on him in the first place.
That, and his ability to make ChaeJin laugh.
"Yeah," ChaeJin said, smiling wryly. "Good to see you again, Hyung."
"So... you know each other?" SeYong asked.
"We used to date," TaeHa said casually.
"Oh," SeYong said. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."
"Which is the reason I'm not going to hit you," TaeHa said, equal amounts of amusement and frustration in his voice.
So he'd had people try to get them back together, too, huh? ChaeJin took a deep breath. "I'd better go," he said, stood up, and escaped into the crowd before he could think about what he'd just done. He had no reason to let them know it still hurt - after all, it'd happened years ago. But someone told him, he couldn't remember who anymore, "You'll never forget your first love, or your first heartbreak." As the same person had dealt both for him... no, he wouldn't ever forget that.
He finally reached the door and pushed his way out, turning away from the window in the front of the bakery. It would take him longer to get to his bus stop from here, but he didn't mind. Besides, he didn't want to hear a "no," no matter how much he tried to soften it. He shoved his hands into his pockets and turned the first corner.
"Hey." Someone grabbed his elbow and pulled him around. He managed not to stumble, and then stared at TaeHa, utterly confused. "You left pretty quick."
ChaeJin shrugged, trying not to show how weird this felt. "I didn't think I should stay."
TaeHa slipped his arm through ChaeJin's and tugged him back around so they could keep walking. He didn't let go, either, and ChaeJin wondered if TaeHa thought maybe if he didn't hold on, ChaeJin would run away. "Why not?"
They meandered down the street, ignoring the looks they got from faster-moving people. "What do you mean, why not?" ChaeJin asked. "Because we already tried dating, and that failed, and apparently, people have been bugging you about it, too."
The light ahead of them turned green, and TaeHa headed for the crosswalk. ChaeJin balked, pulling them to a stop. "My bus is that way."
"I'd like to talk to you," TaeHa said, his gaze evaluating, and after a moment (and deciding he really didn't want to do his homework just yet), ChaeJin shrugged and went with him. No reason not to, not really. Well, except the inevitable broken heart. Maybe he could avoid that this time.
TaeHa lead him to a small cafe, quiet and one they'd never visited when they dated. ChaeJin tried not to show his relief. They ordered drinks and sat down near the back wall.
"How'd SeYong-hyung talk you into this blind date thing?" ChaeJin asked, before TaeHa could say anything.
TaeHa grinned. "Something about loneliness and wasting away, probably the same line he fed you." ChaeJin nodded. "You look good," TaeHa added.
Somehow, he didn't blush. "Thanks," ChaeJin said. "You look happy."
"I've had a good year," TaeHa said, and that started it, a casual conversation as they caught up. It came as no surprise to ChaeJin that TaeHa could still make him laugh until he had a stitch in his side. It did surprise him, thought, that he made his former boyfriend laugh.
"No, wait," TaeHa said, stopping ChaeJin in the middle of a story. "I know where you're going with this." His eyes sparkled with mirth. "SungMin, right? Choi SungMin? Hangs out with that underground rapper and his little brother?"
ChaeJin froze, cup halfway back to the table. "You know SungMin?"
"I know Taewoon, actually. I've met SungMin. Small world."
"Yeah," ChaeJin said. "So he was furious, and he hasn't gotten his revenge yet. I'm not sure if he'll go after me or JunQ-hyung. More likely to be both of us."
"From what I've heard, he doesn't do things half way," TaeHa said.
ChaeJin grinned. "No."
They lapsed into a comfortable silence, and for a short while ChaeJin played with the idea that they could start over. But no, nothing had changed; the reasons TaeHa had broken up with him hadn't gone away. He finished his drink and set the cup down. Best to say no before TaeHa could, right? "I have to go," he said. "It was good to see you again, Hyung."
TaeHa looked up, startled, and for an instant ChaeJin almost lost his resolve. "You do?"
"Yeah. Homework calls, and work starts early tomorrow morning." He gathered his cup and napkins and stood. "Maybe I'll see you around?"
"Jinnie, wait." TaeHa stood up and hastily gathered his own stuff, following ChaeJin to the trash can to toss it all. "It was good to see you," he said as they stepped out into the cooling twilight. "Maybe we can do this again?"
ChaeJin shrugged. "Maybe. But the work for my senior class is really time consuming. This is the first time I've been out in a few months. I probably won't get out again until graduation." He smiled wryly; his school work had come between them last time, too. "Have a good night." He turned and walked away, and didn't look back.
Author: andersenmom
Prompt: MYNAME's Chaejin walks into a club and meets... Speed's Taeha!
Fandoms: MYNAME/Speed
Word count: 1223
Rating/Warnings: Probably PG, and no warnings.
Notes: I aged them a little.
Written for intoaclub, which was incredibly fun. I would totally do it again.
ChaeJin hoped no one called the fire department or anything; more people had packed into the bakery than he knew it could legally hold. He fought his way through the crowd to the table where SeYong sat, and collapsed into a chair. "Did you know about this?" he asked.
"Jinnie!” SeYong crowed, and hugged him. ChaeJin tried to push him off, but SeYong didn't let go until he was good and ready. "Know about what?"
"The crowd," ChaeJin said, gesturing around them. "What's going on?"
"The muffins are 90% off," SeYong said dismissively. "It'll clear as soon as they run out." He checked his phone and grinned. "He'll be here pretty soon."
ChaeJin frowned. "I don't think this is a good idea."
"Why not? You are probably the loneliest person I know who has no reason to be. How could this be a bad thing?"
ChaeJin eyed him. "Because it's you, Hyung, and your ideas are routinely a bad thing."
SeYong gaped at him. "They are not!"
"Do you want me to prove it?"
SeYong scowled. "The point is, you're so shy someone has to find people for you to date, and I picked me."
"But I didn't--"
"Sorry I'm late," an achingly familiar voice said, and TaeHa sat down in the other chair. "This crowd is...." He trailed off when he caught sight of ChaeJin.
ChaeJin had to wonder what TaeHa saw now; they'd broken up about two years ago, at the end of ChaeJin's freshman year at the college they’d both attended. TaeHa looked good, ChaeJin couldn't deny.
"Yeah, sorry," SeYong said. "I forgot. What?" he asked belatedly, realizing something had happened.
ChaeJin tore his eyes away from TaeHa and looked down at his hands, clasped in his lap. How could he possibly explain to SeYong what he'd done? He had no idea of the history between them because he'd moved into the area sometime after they'd broken up. ChaeJin hadn't even known that SeYong knew TaeHa.
"It's been a while," TaeHa said, that same tone in his voice that had always made ChaeJin feel loved, the reason he'd decided to take a chance on him in the first place.
That, and his ability to make ChaeJin laugh.
"Yeah," ChaeJin said, smiling wryly. "Good to see you again, Hyung."
"So... you know each other?" SeYong asked.
"We used to date," TaeHa said casually.
"Oh," SeYong said. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."
"Which is the reason I'm not going to hit you," TaeHa said, equal amounts of amusement and frustration in his voice.
So he'd had people try to get them back together, too, huh? ChaeJin took a deep breath. "I'd better go," he said, stood up, and escaped into the crowd before he could think about what he'd just done. He had no reason to let them know it still hurt - after all, it'd happened years ago. But someone told him, he couldn't remember who anymore, "You'll never forget your first love, or your first heartbreak." As the same person had dealt both for him... no, he wouldn't ever forget that.
He finally reached the door and pushed his way out, turning away from the window in the front of the bakery. It would take him longer to get to his bus stop from here, but he didn't mind. Besides, he didn't want to hear a "no," no matter how much he tried to soften it. He shoved his hands into his pockets and turned the first corner.
"Hey." Someone grabbed his elbow and pulled him around. He managed not to stumble, and then stared at TaeHa, utterly confused. "You left pretty quick."
ChaeJin shrugged, trying not to show how weird this felt. "I didn't think I should stay."
TaeHa slipped his arm through ChaeJin's and tugged him back around so they could keep walking. He didn't let go, either, and ChaeJin wondered if TaeHa thought maybe if he didn't hold on, ChaeJin would run away. "Why not?"
They meandered down the street, ignoring the looks they got from faster-moving people. "What do you mean, why not?" ChaeJin asked. "Because we already tried dating, and that failed, and apparently, people have been bugging you about it, too."
The light ahead of them turned green, and TaeHa headed for the crosswalk. ChaeJin balked, pulling them to a stop. "My bus is that way."
"I'd like to talk to you," TaeHa said, his gaze evaluating, and after a moment (and deciding he really didn't want to do his homework just yet), ChaeJin shrugged and went with him. No reason not to, not really. Well, except the inevitable broken heart. Maybe he could avoid that this time.
TaeHa lead him to a small cafe, quiet and one they'd never visited when they dated. ChaeJin tried not to show his relief. They ordered drinks and sat down near the back wall.
"How'd SeYong-hyung talk you into this blind date thing?" ChaeJin asked, before TaeHa could say anything.
TaeHa grinned. "Something about loneliness and wasting away, probably the same line he fed you." ChaeJin nodded. "You look good," TaeHa added.
Somehow, he didn't blush. "Thanks," ChaeJin said. "You look happy."
"I've had a good year," TaeHa said, and that started it, a casual conversation as they caught up. It came as no surprise to ChaeJin that TaeHa could still make him laugh until he had a stitch in his side. It did surprise him, thought, that he made his former boyfriend laugh.
"No, wait," TaeHa said, stopping ChaeJin in the middle of a story. "I know where you're going with this." His eyes sparkled with mirth. "SungMin, right? Choi SungMin? Hangs out with that underground rapper and his little brother?"
ChaeJin froze, cup halfway back to the table. "You know SungMin?"
"I know Taewoon, actually. I've met SungMin. Small world."
"Yeah," ChaeJin said. "So he was furious, and he hasn't gotten his revenge yet. I'm not sure if he'll go after me or JunQ-hyung. More likely to be both of us."
"From what I've heard, he doesn't do things half way," TaeHa said.
ChaeJin grinned. "No."
They lapsed into a comfortable silence, and for a short while ChaeJin played with the idea that they could start over. But no, nothing had changed; the reasons TaeHa had broken up with him hadn't gone away. He finished his drink and set the cup down. Best to say no before TaeHa could, right? "I have to go," he said. "It was good to see you again, Hyung."
TaeHa looked up, startled, and for an instant ChaeJin almost lost his resolve. "You do?"
"Yeah. Homework calls, and work starts early tomorrow morning." He gathered his cup and napkins and stood. "Maybe I'll see you around?"
"Jinnie, wait." TaeHa stood up and hastily gathered his own stuff, following ChaeJin to the trash can to toss it all. "It was good to see you," he said as they stepped out into the cooling twilight. "Maybe we can do this again?"
ChaeJin shrugged. "Maybe. But the work for my senior class is really time consuming. This is the first time I've been out in a few months. I probably won't get out again until graduation." He smiled wryly; his school work had come between them last time, too. "Have a good night." He turned and walked away, and didn't look back.