a map for those who know (Flashfic Challenge 16: Steal Me)
Title: a map for those who know
Author: kallistei
Pairing: Yoochun/Changmin
Word count: 1281
Concrit?: Always.
Summary: I drew a map so we can get home or maybe come back here in the summer
Author's Notes: AU, vaguely inspired by Supernatural. For junkojjang.
The night before Changmin leaves for college, Yoochun drives up to Changmin's house and spends an hour sitting in his car, trying to work up the courage to get out and walk to the front door. It's only the thought that Changmin probably thinks he's got a stalker by now that makes him pick up his phone eventually, and say when Changmin answers, "Hey, open your door? Wanna steal you for a bit."
Yoochun knows Changmin's parents don't like him, that they think he's just the mechanic's kid from down the street who disappears for odd periods of time and leaves their son fretting until he gets back. Worse, sometimes Yoochun takes their son with him, and then their good son comes back with strange scrapes and bruises, though when they ask if Changmin got in a fight, his only answer is, "Not exactly."
The almost-brooding's cut off when Changmin's door opens, and he watches the interaction under the porch light, Changmin's mother's face clearly saying, 'you have to finish your packing', Changmin's waving hands answering, 'I'll just be a minute, it'll get done, I promise.' Then Changmin's trotting down the stairs to the street, giant grin on his face that fades as he pokes his head through the rolled down window and says, perfectly serious but for the crinkle of his eyes, "Thought you were a stalker, you freak, parking outside my house and just staring like that."
Yoochun laughs, reaching over to swat lightly at Changmin's cheek. "Just get in the car, smartass. Got places to go, things to see."
"You are not taking me anywhere!" Changmin says as he slides into the passenger seat. "No expeditions. No adventures. My mom will kill me if I don't finish packing."
"Kind of rhetorical. Today," Yoochun replies, sneaking his hand onto Changmin's knee. Changmin looks down at it with a raised eyebrow, but lets it stay there, which is more than enough for Yoochun. "Will bring you back before midnight, Cinderella. Don't want you to turn into a pumpkin."
Changmin just blinks at him for a second, then says, "Cinderella doesn't turn into a pumpkin, you twit."
"I know that!" Yoochun says. "Geez. You're hopeless." He takes his hand away from Changmin's knee to put the car into gear. "And I was gonna do something nice for you too, since you're leaving me forever and all."
He startles when one of Changmin's hands lands on his thigh, looking over at Changmin questioningly. "Not forever," Changmin says seriously. "It's just college."
Yoochun nods. "Yeah, I know. Was kidding," he says lightly. Except he wasn't, really. He knows as well as Changmin's parents do that Changmin's too good for him. "But you never know. Might get killed without you to watch my back."
"You manage without me half the time anyway," Changmin points out, thumb rubbing slow circles against the outside of Yoochun's thigh, Changmin's hand bleeding warmth into his skin even through his jeans. "And I'll be back. Promise."
"Okay," Yoochun says quietly, smiling over at Changmin. "You better not do anything stupid without me to watch your back, either."
"I will pretend to be completely normal," Changmin replies, deadpan, and Yoochun bursts out laughing.
"Yeah, good luck with that, alien boy."
Changmin's hand tightens on his leg, suddenly a lot less like comforting and more like threatening. "I can break you with my mind," Changmin reminds, but Yoochun just laughs at him again.
"I'd like to see you try," he says easily, taking a hand off the wheel to put it over Changmin's. "You love me way too much."
Changmin says, "Yeah right," but the way he turns his hand over to squeeze Yoochun's makes the words meaningless.
Yoochun returns the squeeze, turning his eyes back to the road until Changmin says, thoughtful, "Think I recognise this road."
"You damn well should," Yoochun says, smiling. "Almost there. Haven't been here in a while, right?"
"Too long," Changmin replies quietly. "I'd been wondering why."
Yoochun pulls the car off the road at last and puts it into park, leaning over to kiss the corner of Changmin's mouth. "Time never seemed right," he says, almost an apology, before he opens the door and gets out. Changmin follows him, and Yoochun walks around to join him, patting the car's hood lightly before he holds out a hand to Changmin. Lacing their fingers together, Yoochun tugs Changmin towards a barely-visible trail through the grass at the side of the road.
Ten minutes away from the road, the ground dips into a huge, shallow bowl surrounded by trees, full of tall grass and the last of the summer's wildflowers, and it's like the rest of the world beyond it ceases to exist. This is where Yoochun kissed Changmin for the first time, the summer after Yoochun turned seventeen and they discovered what was really out there.
"Romantic," Changmin accuses, laughing, as Yoochun pulls him down to the ground. They sprawl out in the grass the way they'd done when they were kids and discovered this place for the first time, counting stars and inventing constellations while Yoochun's father lied to Changmin's parents for them.
Yoochun turns on his side towards Changmin, watching the stars reflected in Changmin's dark eyes. "Gonna miss you," he says, soft.
"Come visit," Changmin answers easily, touching his face with a gentle hand. "I'll keep my door open for you."
This has got a little too serious for Yoochun's tastes. "Booty call?" he asks, putting on his best leer.
"... you're hopeless," Changmin says, laughing, the careful touch turning to a shove to Yoochun's shoulder that Yoochun goes with, flopping onto his back again with a wounded expression that Changmin ignores ostentatiously.
"Hey, Changmin?" Yoochun says after a minute of comfortable silence, sitting up again.
Changmin sounds miles away when he answers, and Yoochun sort of hates it. Always has, even before he knew Changmin was leaving him. "Yeah?"
He reaches a hand up to fiddle with the cord strung around his neck. "Wanted to give you something."
"Kind of sudden for a proposal," Changmin teases lightly, but he's sitting up too, and there's something like concern in his eyes.
Yoochun ignores the tease in favour of pulling his necklace off, thumbing the amulet hung at the center of the cord. "You can't give me that," Changmin says, wide-eyed, even before Yoochun speaks. "Your mother-"
"I'm lending it to you," Yoochun answers easily. "Have to keep it safe for me." And maybe it'll keep Changmin safe too, the way it's always done for him.
That earns him a long, intent stare before Changmin nods slowly. "Okay. I'll bring it back to you, I promise."
"With your degree," Yoochun says, leaning forward to drop it over Changmin's head. "It's yours 'til then." He leans back again to watch the stars once more, reaching out to bring Changmin with him. Changmin falls asleep not long after, breathing against his shoulder. Yoochun knows he should wake Changmin, that Changmin's parents are going to give them both hell already for being out this long.
He doesn't, though, just watching Changmin sleep until the fireflies come out and Changmin wakes up of his own accord, sleepy and content enough not to yell. Instead he curls himself in against Yoochun for a lazy kiss, then says, "Take me home, Yoochun. And you'd damn well better help me finish packing, for abducting me this long."
Yoochun laughs like he hasn't been wanting the excuse to stay close to Changmin, and says, "Sure."
Changmin pushes himself to his feet, then holds out his hands, saying, "My turn to steal you now?"
Yoochun smiles and takes them. "You never needed to."
Author: kallistei
Pairing: Yoochun/Changmin
Word count: 1281
Concrit?: Always.
Summary: I drew a map so we can get home or maybe come back here in the summer
Author's Notes: AU, vaguely inspired by Supernatural. For junkojjang.
The night before Changmin leaves for college, Yoochun drives up to Changmin's house and spends an hour sitting in his car, trying to work up the courage to get out and walk to the front door. It's only the thought that Changmin probably thinks he's got a stalker by now that makes him pick up his phone eventually, and say when Changmin answers, "Hey, open your door? Wanna steal you for a bit."
Yoochun knows Changmin's parents don't like him, that they think he's just the mechanic's kid from down the street who disappears for odd periods of time and leaves their son fretting until he gets back. Worse, sometimes Yoochun takes their son with him, and then their good son comes back with strange scrapes and bruises, though when they ask if Changmin got in a fight, his only answer is, "Not exactly."
The almost-brooding's cut off when Changmin's door opens, and he watches the interaction under the porch light, Changmin's mother's face clearly saying, 'you have to finish your packing', Changmin's waving hands answering, 'I'll just be a minute, it'll get done, I promise.' Then Changmin's trotting down the stairs to the street, giant grin on his face that fades as he pokes his head through the rolled down window and says, perfectly serious but for the crinkle of his eyes, "Thought you were a stalker, you freak, parking outside my house and just staring like that."
Yoochun laughs, reaching over to swat lightly at Changmin's cheek. "Just get in the car, smartass. Got places to go, things to see."
"You are not taking me anywhere!" Changmin says as he slides into the passenger seat. "No expeditions. No adventures. My mom will kill me if I don't finish packing."
"Kind of rhetorical. Today," Yoochun replies, sneaking his hand onto Changmin's knee. Changmin looks down at it with a raised eyebrow, but lets it stay there, which is more than enough for Yoochun. "Will bring you back before midnight, Cinderella. Don't want you to turn into a pumpkin."
Changmin just blinks at him for a second, then says, "Cinderella doesn't turn into a pumpkin, you twit."
"I know that!" Yoochun says. "Geez. You're hopeless." He takes his hand away from Changmin's knee to put the car into gear. "And I was gonna do something nice for you too, since you're leaving me forever and all."
He startles when one of Changmin's hands lands on his thigh, looking over at Changmin questioningly. "Not forever," Changmin says seriously. "It's just college."
Yoochun nods. "Yeah, I know. Was kidding," he says lightly. Except he wasn't, really. He knows as well as Changmin's parents do that Changmin's too good for him. "But you never know. Might get killed without you to watch my back."
"You manage without me half the time anyway," Changmin points out, thumb rubbing slow circles against the outside of Yoochun's thigh, Changmin's hand bleeding warmth into his skin even through his jeans. "And I'll be back. Promise."
"Okay," Yoochun says quietly, smiling over at Changmin. "You better not do anything stupid without me to watch your back, either."
"I will pretend to be completely normal," Changmin replies, deadpan, and Yoochun bursts out laughing.
"Yeah, good luck with that, alien boy."
Changmin's hand tightens on his leg, suddenly a lot less like comforting and more like threatening. "I can break you with my mind," Changmin reminds, but Yoochun just laughs at him again.
"I'd like to see you try," he says easily, taking a hand off the wheel to put it over Changmin's. "You love me way too much."
Changmin says, "Yeah right," but the way he turns his hand over to squeeze Yoochun's makes the words meaningless.
Yoochun returns the squeeze, turning his eyes back to the road until Changmin says, thoughtful, "Think I recognise this road."
"You damn well should," Yoochun says, smiling. "Almost there. Haven't been here in a while, right?"
"Too long," Changmin replies quietly. "I'd been wondering why."
Yoochun pulls the car off the road at last and puts it into park, leaning over to kiss the corner of Changmin's mouth. "Time never seemed right," he says, almost an apology, before he opens the door and gets out. Changmin follows him, and Yoochun walks around to join him, patting the car's hood lightly before he holds out a hand to Changmin. Lacing their fingers together, Yoochun tugs Changmin towards a barely-visible trail through the grass at the side of the road.
Ten minutes away from the road, the ground dips into a huge, shallow bowl surrounded by trees, full of tall grass and the last of the summer's wildflowers, and it's like the rest of the world beyond it ceases to exist. This is where Yoochun kissed Changmin for the first time, the summer after Yoochun turned seventeen and they discovered what was really out there.
"Romantic," Changmin accuses, laughing, as Yoochun pulls him down to the ground. They sprawl out in the grass the way they'd done when they were kids and discovered this place for the first time, counting stars and inventing constellations while Yoochun's father lied to Changmin's parents for them.
Yoochun turns on his side towards Changmin, watching the stars reflected in Changmin's dark eyes. "Gonna miss you," he says, soft.
"Come visit," Changmin answers easily, touching his face with a gentle hand. "I'll keep my door open for you."
This has got a little too serious for Yoochun's tastes. "Booty call?" he asks, putting on his best leer.
"... you're hopeless," Changmin says, laughing, the careful touch turning to a shove to Yoochun's shoulder that Yoochun goes with, flopping onto his back again with a wounded expression that Changmin ignores ostentatiously.
"Hey, Changmin?" Yoochun says after a minute of comfortable silence, sitting up again.
Changmin sounds miles away when he answers, and Yoochun sort of hates it. Always has, even before he knew Changmin was leaving him. "Yeah?"
He reaches a hand up to fiddle with the cord strung around his neck. "Wanted to give you something."
"Kind of sudden for a proposal," Changmin teases lightly, but he's sitting up too, and there's something like concern in his eyes.
Yoochun ignores the tease in favour of pulling his necklace off, thumbing the amulet hung at the center of the cord. "You can't give me that," Changmin says, wide-eyed, even before Yoochun speaks. "Your mother-"
"I'm lending it to you," Yoochun answers easily. "Have to keep it safe for me." And maybe it'll keep Changmin safe too, the way it's always done for him.
That earns him a long, intent stare before Changmin nods slowly. "Okay. I'll bring it back to you, I promise."
"With your degree," Yoochun says, leaning forward to drop it over Changmin's head. "It's yours 'til then." He leans back again to watch the stars once more, reaching out to bring Changmin with him. Changmin falls asleep not long after, breathing against his shoulder. Yoochun knows he should wake Changmin, that Changmin's parents are going to give them both hell already for being out this long.
He doesn't, though, just watching Changmin sleep until the fireflies come out and Changmin wakes up of his own accord, sleepy and content enough not to yell. Instead he curls himself in against Yoochun for a lazy kiss, then says, "Take me home, Yoochun. And you'd damn well better help me finish packing, for abducting me this long."
Yoochun laughs like he hasn't been wanting the excuse to stay close to Changmin, and says, "Sure."
Changmin pushes himself to his feet, then holds out his hands, saying, "My turn to steal you now?"
Yoochun smiles and takes them. "You never needed to."