a word medley.
A WORD MEDLEY.
⇾ exo | jongin/sehun; sehun/luhan; luhan/jongin; jongin/sehun/luhan
⇾ ~4,500 words (total)
⇾ PG-13
©
i. mishaps | sekai | in which sehun's haircut gets fucked up (245w)
"He lost his grip on the razor," Sehun grits, fingers digging bruises into Jongin's arm.
Jongin doesn't even notice the pain -the zigzag down the back of Sehun's skull has completely stolen his attention.
"Oh my god," Jongin utters, staring holes into the 'pattern'. "This is..."
"Horrendous," Sehun hisses. "This is atrocious. How am I supposed to go to school like this?" His voice pitches at the end of his sentence hysterically.
"You should... I... Don't know."
Sehun wails and flops his head down onto Jongin's shoulder. Jongin sighs and rubs soothing circles onto Sehun's back, but for once, it does no good.
"I'm going to be laughing stock for a whole year," Sehun laments, fists scrunching up the fabric of Jongin's shirt.
Jongin doesn't know how to make Sehun feel better - until an idea hits him.
"I'll shave my head too," Jongin says, pulling away just enough for him to glimpse Sehun's eyes.
"You'll do what?" Sehun demands, eyes large.
"I'll shave my head too," Jongin repeats. "Same design. We can tell everyone we dared each other to do it. Proclamation of love or some bullshit like that."
Sehun's lips contort into various shapes before they relax. "I love you," Sehun declares softly. "I really do. I don't deserve you. Why are you with me? I really don't deserve you oh my god I love you so much-"
"Shut up," Jongin says pleasantly, bumping his nose against Sehun's. "You're paying for my new hair."
ii. triumph | lukai | in which luhan fights through his fear of heights (314w)
"Are you positive?" Jongin asks, scanning Luhan's face closely for any sign of uncertainty. There's a ton of fear present, along with apprehension, but Jongin can't seem to spot any signs of uncertainty.
"I'm positive," Luhan snaps, before whimpering and curling into Jongin's heat.
They're in a cable car, and their car is inching closer to the edge of the platform with every shaky breath Luhan inhales.
"There's still time to get out," Jongin says, wincing a little when Luhan's fingers tighten solidly around his.
"I'm fine. I'll be fine."
The cable car leaves the station then, and Luhan sucks in a huge breath. "Oh my god I'm not fine."
"Come here," Jongin says immediately, and Luhan dives into Jongin's hold.
"Make fun of Junmyeon," Luhan mumbles into Jongin's shirt. "Make me laugh. I feel bad that it's at the expense of Junmyeon but he'll have to shoulder this for me."
So Jongin proceeds to make fun of Junmyeon, spending a great amount of time on his caterpillar eyebrows. By the time he's run out of things to say about their best friend (Junmyeon knows that he's the butt of Jongin's jokes but he takes it in good stride), they're already halfway through with the ride. Luhan's breathing is even, and he's shifted in his seat so that he's practically using Jongin as a body pillow.
"How are you doing?" Jongin asks, peering down at the crown of Luhan's head. A mess of fluffy hair peeks back at him.
"Good," Luhan admits. Jongin nudges Luhan until the latter straightens. "What?"
Jongin leans in and plants a big one on soft lips. "Thank you for joining me. I know how hard it is for you."
Luhan sighs and tucks his head into the crook of Jongin's neck. "I'd do anything for you."
Jongin pushes his fingers between Luhan's and lets his actions do the talking.
iii. peace | sekai | in which jongin recognises sehun from years ago (449w)
"You look familiar," is the first thing out of Jongin's mouth when the volunteer turns around with a Labrador puppy in his hands.
"Um," is the answer he gets, and Jongin flushes.
"I'm sorry," he says, "but you really do. Have we met before?"
The volunteer sets the puppy down on the counter, wrapping a secure arm around its torso. "I don't know - have we? My name is Sehun, if that helps."
Jongin starts. Sehun? He knows a Sehun. From a long time ago though.
But then, it hits him like a freight train. "Do you dance?"
Sehun's face falls for a split second before it returns to its nonchalant state. The puppy bats at Sehun's chin happily.
"I used to. Stopped because of an injury."
"Did you go to this dance camp when you were twelve? It was a dance camp for twelve year-olds only."
Sehun leans away from the puppy's eager tongue and blinks at Jongin. "Yes, yes I did."
"I'm Kim Jongin -I don't know if you remember me? We went to the same camp!"
The puppy teeters at the edge of the counter but Sehun catches it swiftly. "Jongin? Yes I remember you. You were the star of the camp, weren't you?"
Jongin waves the compliment away in embarrassment. "That's nothing - we were twelve."
"Doesn't mean that you couldn't have been a great dancer," Sehun points out, passing the Lab to Jongin before bending and pulling out a Golden Retriever. It clings to Sehun's shoulder and Jongin thinks it's the most adorable thing he's seen in his life. His sister's running around the shelter squealing her head off at all the animals, and Jongin silently wills her to continue squealing for a while longer.
"What happened to your knee? If you don't mind me asking, of course."
"Busted it falling down a flight of stairs a couple of years ago. The bone shattered and my ACL tore. My fault, really. Didn't see where I was going. Ended up here. I don't mind being here, actually. I quite like it. It's heartwarming."
"Yeah, you seem to get on really well with the animals here."
The puppy in Sehun's hands twist and it nips at a finger playfully. Jongin's puppy stares up at him with big eyes. Jongin fights the urge to stare back.
"Yeah, I'm glad I do. It's really peaceful, in a sense, being able to help out these precious things and people who want to give them a home. I've been thinking about going into veterinary, but I'm not sure..."
"You should," Jongin encourages. "You'd be a great vet."
Sehun smiles shyly and Jongin hurriedly redirects his gaze to the pup in his hands.
iv. error | sekai, hunhan | in which sehun and jongin get into a fight and luhan finds sehun in a bar (520w) warning: mentions of mpreg.
They've been together for three years and Jongin still loves Sehun as much as he ever did. Things are generally good -great, even - and Jongin doesn't see an end in the horizon. Jongin loves complaining to his best friend about the little things Sehun does; leaving his shoes messily in the hallway or dropping a sock whenever he's taking clothes in the hamper to the washing machine. Luhan will listen with a smile on his face because he knows Jongin secretly loves all those things about Sehun. And hey, Sehun still wakes him up with light kisses peppered across his cheekbones and down the ridge of his nose, and Sehun still demands that they cuddle after sex. Things are good.
Until that one night Jongin loses his temper over Sehun accidentally breaking his precious vintage stereo. They spend a good ten minutes yelling in each other's faces, just inches apart. Sehun's the first one to break eye-contact, turning around in an effort to hide burning tears as he searches blindly for his shoes. The slam of the door jerks Jongin out of his trance. He dials Sehun's number - Sehun's phone vibrates happily on their coffee table. Panicking, Jongin calls Luhan.
"Hey, Sehun and I had a fight -he ran out and I've no idea where he went. He didn't bring his phone with him, and I'm really scared he'll get hit by a car or something, you know how he is when he comes to crossing the roads -"
"I'll go out and look for him," Luhan interrupts. "Don't worry. You go east and I'll head west, okay? Call me if you have anything."
Jongin darts out the door with his phone in one hand and keys in the other.
A few blocks west, Sehun's seated at the end of a bar, nursing a vodka and rum in his hands. He's halfway done with his drink (he doesn't even like it) when someone slides into the seat next to him.
"I'm not interested -"
"It's me," Luhan interjects softly. "Jongin told me you guys had a fight."
Sehun grunts and lifts the glass to his lips.
"He was really worried when you stormed out," Luhan tries again. Sehun's eyes flick towards his over the rim of his glass.
Luhan watches as Sehun drains his drink and orders another.
---
Luhan pulls up his pants and buckles it with increasing trepidation. Across from him, Sehun does the same, forehead pressed against the bathroom stall.
"I fucked up," Sehun says hollowly. "I royally fucked up."
---
Two weeks later and Luhan finally agrees with him.
"I'm pregnant."
---
"I need to tell him," Sehun mumbles, face buried in his hands. "I love him. I need to tell him."
---
The silence hurts. Sehun's about to break it when Jongin opens his mouth.
"We'll work through this. Yeah? You're my best friend and you're my boyfriend - I don't want to lose either of you because I got mad over my stereo being broken."
"This wasn't your fault, Jongin -" Sehun quietens down when Jongin pushes two fingers against his lips.
"It's easier if we just all agree that it is."
v. talk to me | hunhan | in which (almost) everyone makes fun of sehun for his stutter (437w)
It's late, and all Sehun wants to do is get home and crawl into bed. It's been another shitty day -he'd been doing okay ordering his coffee at the coffeehouse by his campus until a particular douche walked by and made fun of his stutter. Then everything went downhill and he had dashed out of the coffeehouse empty-handed and close to tears. He walked home, all 70 minutes of it, and he had spent every second cursing himself and his stupid stutter.
Pushing his key into the lock, Sehun's about to turn it when he hears an abnormal shaking noise. Turning and craning his neck, he spies a slim figure half-hanging off the chain fence separating his house from the one next door. Terrified that his neighbour's house is going to get broken into, Sehun whips out his phone and dashes over to the perp.
"What are you doing!" Sehun yells. The person hanging off the fence freezes. "If you don't come down and leave right now I'm going to call the police!"
He thanks himself for never stuttering when he really, really needs proper speech.
"I'm not breaking in," the stranger says hurriedly, dropping to his feet and brushing his hands off on his knees. "I live here. I just forgot my keys. I'm Luhan."
Sehun vaguely remembers his parents mentioning a boy next door by the name of Luhan. Frowning, Sehun lowers his hand and squints at the person in front of him.
"How do I know you're telling the truth?"
"Sometimes I see you curled up on your patio with a jug of milk?"
Sehun blushes - why, he doesn't quite know -and pockets his phone.
"Fine," he says, willing his blush to abate. "W-w-well -"
Shit, it's back.
Luhan tilts his head.
"A-are your p-p-parents not home?"
Luhan shakes his head in mild despair.
"They're out for some dinner event. They'll be home late. I went out to the nearby shop to grab something but I forgot everything but money. My phone's in there, too." Luhan gestures to the small plastic bag leaning against Sehun's house.
"D-do you want t-to come in? W-w-wait for your parents?"
Luhan brightens considerably. Sehun wonders when the attacks are going to come.
"Really? You wouldn't mind?"
Sehun decides that shaking his head is easier than reply verbally. Luhan beams before bending to pick up his bag.
"That'd be great, thanks so much! You're a kind soul."
It takes Sehun several beats to realise that attacks against his stutter will never leave Luhan's mouth. That causes a delighted smile to spread across his face - one that Luhan sees and returns.
vi. rush hour(s) | sekai | in which little declarations of love matter (294w)
It's a Tuesday, which happens to be the one day in Jongin's week in which he doesn't have afternoon classes. He spends the time cooped up in his shared apartment with his boyfriend instead, nose buried in a textbook and his pen scribbling words haphazardly into his notebook. Ever since senior year started, he's been plunged into a horrid schedule of waking up, rushing to school with toast dangling from his lips, sitting through tedious lectures and practicals, grabbing a quick lunch, sitting through more classes, before going home and crashing for a short while before waking up to Sehun's fingers running through his hair. Sehun will make him eat a proper dinner, after which they'll both take a shower (either together or separately). Time after their showers are spent on more work, and they'll climb into bed a couple of hours past midnight, only to wake up just six hours later.
They've been so busy that they haven't had the chance to go on their weekly dinner dates. Each weekend they would visit a new restaurant or a café, adding the place to their list of visited eateries as soon as they're out the door. But it's been half a semester and the list is untouched.
When the clock strikes two, Jongin looks at his phone and decides to take a break. He deserves one. Swiping across the screen that boasts a picture of a sleepy Sehun, Jongin sends a quick text to him: Hi, don't forget to have lunch. I love you.
Sehun replies instantly. I'm eating, don't worry. I love you more.
Jongin smiles at his screen and pulls Sehun's favourite stuffed toy up further into his embrace. It smells like Sehun, and it'll do until the real deal comes home.
vii. unrequited | hunhan | in which luhan is reunited with his feelings at sehun's wedding (200w)
Luhan had spent all of his high school and university lives in love with his best friend. It wasn't easy, walking around campus with Sehun by his side and knowing he'll never get to hold his hand although it would always be right next to his.
It had been a blessing in disguise - or so Luhan convinced himself - when they had parted ways for grad school. Luhan could finally grab onto the opportunity to get over Sehun; and everything had gone swimmingly well until he had moved back to Korea after graduation.
A letter in the mail informed Luhan of Sehun's upcoming wedding. Luhan's first instinct is to say he won't be going, but that desire is soon quelled by the need to see Sehun again.
On the big day itself, Sehun had stood up at the altar, looking amazing in his pressed grey suit and softly coiffed hair. Everything came rushing back to Luhan, every second of pining, every smile they shared and each proclamation of everlasting friendship.
The world came crashing down around his feet when Sehun leaned down towards his new bride, the sweetest smile on his face - the moment their lips touched, Luhan shed a tear.
viii. soft notes | lukai | in which jongin refuses to be luhan's boyfriend just because he hates rock music (287w)
Their first encounter wasn't a usual one. Luhan had been running from a particularly crazed fan, sprinting down the sidewalk with his hair flapping insanely down over his eyes with each step. He had taken a chance by bursting into Jongin's bakery in an attempt to take cover.
Jongin had recognised him - everyone knew him - but he didn't say anything. Instead, he gestured for Luhan to have some bread. That day, Luhan spent a grand total of there hours in the bakery, hiding behind the counter, only leaving when Jongin had to close up shop.
"Thank you," Luhan had said, SnapBack pulled down low over his eyes. Jongin had accepted the slip of paper with Luhan's number on it with a soft smile.
A year later and Luhan is still pursuing Jongin. They have a weird relationship, getting jealous over other people's attempts to woo the other, Jongin not allowing anyone else to be close to Luhan but refusing to accept Luhan's proposal of being his official boyfriend. Jongin's excuse is always: "I don't like rock music; I don't want to have to listen to it 24/7." It's a weak excuse, and both parties know that it's the only one Jongin has.
So one day Luhan surprises Jongin in Jongin's bakery right before closing time with a guitar and forces Jongin down onto a chair.
"This is for you," Luhan says matter-of-factly. Jongin blushes deep when Luhan delves into a ballad. Luhan's voice starts off shaky, but it blends into the soft notes of his guitar as he gains confidence.
When Luhan finishes, Jongin rubs at the back of his neck as Luhan walks around the counter.
"Please be my boyfriend; my ballads are passable, no?"
ix. time traveller. | lukai | in which jongin travels through time to piece luhan back together (159w)
It's not an easy job, Jongin knows, but he has a goal. An eon ago, Luhan had vanished from his side, leaving behind a single floating orb that shone a pale green. Jongin had bottled it, and the warmth that had seeped onto his palm was excruciatingly familiar.
Time travelling takes a toll on the body; whenever Jongin comes back from one of his trips, he will spend a week curled up in bed, staring at the bottle of green orbs by his bedside. Sometimes he'll bring one more back from a trip, but more often than not, he comes home empty handed. There are 7 orbs in the bottle to date but Jongin doesn't know how many more he has to collect.
He doesn't mind though, doesn't mind the physical strain or the mental one. He's got an eternity on earth anyway; he might as well use a part of it to put his beloved back together again.
x. milk boy | sekai | in which sehun endorses milk and jongin is his fan (531w)
Sehun gets by well enough on the money he makes through his acting/advertising. He supplements it with part-time modelling for clothing stores, and during good months he can make enough to pad up his modest savings account. His most recent job was a commercial for a milk product aimed towards young adults - a sleek, glass bottle and minimalistic writing capped off with pastel caps. The product itself is fine - it's just milk -, but the commercial has Sehun cringing whenever it comes on TV. It's the cheesiest thing ever, what with him pretending to be a high school student and gifting the 'girl he likes' with a basket of the stuff. What sane boy would give a girl a basket of milk? Whenever it comes on air, Sehun switches channels without the slightest hint of hesitation.
On the other hand, Kim Jongin, a university student who so coincidentally lives three floors above Sehun, loves the commercial. Sure it's unrealistic and tacky, but because Jongin is Sehun's not-so-secret fan, Jongin automatically loves everything Sehun is in. The commercial always seems to come on during Jongin's favourite anime, and Jongin thinks that's a sign. He has a collection of empty milk bottles - the one Sehun endorses -lined up along his kitchen counter; his goal is to get Sehun to sign one of them someday.
Despite being the devoted fanboy he is, Jongin doesn't know that Sehun lives three floors beneath him. So it's a shock, to say the least, when he bumps into Sehun at the supermarket located at the corner of their block. He's stocking up on milk, of course, and when he turns around to deposit them in his cart, he spies a very familiar figure (it's actually the silver hair that catches his attention first) bent over at the waist, peering into a freezer containing tubs of ice cream.
"Oh Sehun?" Jongin says to himself, but apparently he'd said it a little louder than he had intended to, for Sehun turns around in curiosity. Jongin blushes to his toes, but he waves timidly - and to his surprise, Sehun waves back.
Emboldened, Jongin pushes his cart over to Sehun; he doesn't miss the look on Sehun's face when the latter spots the number of milk bottles in the cart.
"You uh, like the milk huh?"
"It's alright," Jongin shrugs. "I'm a big fan of yours though."
Sehun blinks, a pink tinge spreading across his cheeks and around the rim of his ears.
"Oh," he says, suddenly unsure of what to say. "Thanks? I don't exactly meet a lot of...fans."
"I've always wanted to meet you somewhere," Jongin gushes, "didn't think I'd meet you in a supermarket."
"I live nearby," Sehun says, switching his basket to the other hand.
Jongin gapes openly. "You do? So do I!"
Sehun gives him a polite smile and Jongin narrowly avoids choking on his spit.
"Would you mind signing a bottle for me?"
Sehun frowns for a moment before shooting him an apologetic look. "I don't have a marker on me right now."
Jongin's face falls. "I don't either -wait, if you live nearby, maybe you could stop by my place before you head home?"
xi. easy mornings | sekailu | in which jongin needs shaving cream, luhan eats a lot, and sehun wants cupcakes (341w)
"We're out of shaving cream," Jongin's voice floats out of the bathroom a little muffled. Luhan looks up from his stack of pancakes and sees Jongin sticking his head out, half of his face covered with shaving cream and the other one completely bare. He's about to say something, but Sehun appears from their bedroom with a new can in hand.
"Here," Sehun mumbles, sleepily pushing the can into Jongin's hand as he walks past. Jongin holds onto his hand over the can and Sehun almost slips on the tiled floor when Jongin tugs him backwards.
"What," Sehun whines, pushing on the clean side of Jongin's face so that shaving cream doesn't get on his hair.
"You're extra snuggly when you've just woken up," Jongin tells him, pressing his cheek against Sehun's temple. Sehun indulges him for a few moments before nudging him away and gesturing to the shaving cream.
"Shave," Sehun orders, and darts out of the bathroom.
"Morning," Luhan says, smile wide from Jongin and Sehun's exchange. Sehun makes a face at him but takes a gulp of coffee before leaning in and giving Luhan his morning kiss, complete with coffee breath.
Luhan passes Sehun his fork and pushes his plate of pancakes over to the younger. Sehun looks at him in confusion. "Aren't you still eating this?"
"I already had three," Luhan says a little bashfully, and Sehun snorts before sawing a piece off and pushing it into his mouth. The tap in the bathroom shuts off then and they hear footsteps approaching.
Jongin kisses Luhan first because Sehun's still busy munching away on food; Sehun doesn't mind waiting anyway, he's a very patient lover.
"I'm meeting Kyungsoo later today," Jongin says, stretching and resting a leg on Sehun's thigh - Sehun doesn't bat an eye.
"Say hi for me," Luhan tells him, and Jongin nods before reaching out and grabbing Luhan's hand off the table. Sehun takes another mouthful of coffee and looks up from his food.
"Ask him to bake me more cupcakes," Sehun says, and beams.
xii. stallions | sekai | in which sehun prefers speed and jongin prefers heights (220w)
"Speed," Sehun says, taking a step towards Jongin.
"Height," Jongin retorts, crossing his arms.
"Speed!"
"Height!"
Sehun huffs and turns away from his best friend of eight years. "You're so annoying."
"You just think speed is better because you can't vault for shit," Jongin grins, poking Sehun in the side. Sehun yells and jerks so violently that he nearly drops the saddle in his hands.
"Excuse me," Sehun says icily, tossing the saddle onto a bundle of hay, " do you not remember the three years of show jumping classes that we took together? I stopped going because I didn't like it. I preferred the -"
"-Sense of freedom you get by flat racing, I know."
Sehun looks up from where he's brushing down his thoroughbred. Jongin's leaning against the wall of the stall, eyes trained on him and helmet buckled over his forearm. There's a shine in Jongin's eyes and it unnerves Sehun.
Clearing his throat, Sehun returns to running the curry comb through his horse's coat. "Well, if you already know," he says, leaving the rest of the sentence hanging.
He feels Jongin walk up behind him but he keeps his brushing steady. Then, Jongin's chin comes to rest on his shoulder and Sehun's movements still.
"I just like seeing you flustered," Jongin admits, "you're very endearing when you're flustered."
xiii. journeys | hunhan | in which luhan is a tour guide and sehun is in need of company (483w)
Luhan blinks at the crisp bank note and lets his eyes travel up the length of the boy's index finger, up along the curve of his arm, and towards his face. There's a faint crease between the boy's eyebrows, and Luhan can sense subtle wisps of desperation. He's free for the rest of the day, so he makes up his mind easily -standing, he tugs the money out from under the boy's finger and pockets it.
"Let's go then; Beijing's not exactly a small place."
They take Luhan's car, a modest sedan that Luhan likes to keep very clean. Luhan's sole customer - five minutes into the drive, he learns that his name is Sehun - asks for Luhan to show him places that aren't typical tourist attractions.
"Tourists leech on the life of such monuments," Sehun says, resting his elbow on the windowsill. "And I hate crowds."
Luhan glances at Sehun as they idle at a red light. Sehun's lashes are long and straight, and Luhan wonders if they're heavy on his lids. The radio's playing a mainstream Mando-pop tune, but the volume's turned down low enough that Luhan can't make out the words.
They drive for a good twenty minutes - Luhan brings Sehun to the old, worn down parts of Beijing, where culture is thick and customs are everywhere. The streets are bumpy, the surfaces cracked with age and use. Sehun doesn't seem to mind, even when a wheel hits a pothole and Sehun bangs his forehead against the car frame.
"Sometimes when I get tired of tourist attractions," Luhan says, pulling his car over to the side of the road and turning the engine off, "I come here. It reminds me of my childhood and how Peking used to be before it became known as Beijing. I don't know - the change signified something for me even though I wasn't born yet when it happened. This is the Peking that my parents knew, that my grandparents knew, and to me, that's heritage."
They walk in relative silence, down streets and around corners. Sehun peers interestedly into small home-owned shops and cramped front halls of apartments and houses. Luhan points to a street vendor and asks if Sehun's brave enough to give street food a shot; Sehun simply shrugs and tells Luhan that he'll have to take care of the medical bills if he gets sick. Laughing, Luhan buys Sehun a 煎饼 (thin pancake made of millet flour) and grins when Sehun's eyes widen in wonder at the taste.
Sehun ends up visiting all of Luhan's childhood spots and current favourite spots; far away from the bustle of tourists. It's late into the night when they finally pile into the car and Luhan heads back towards his office building.
"Thanks," Sehun says, one hand on the door handle. "For the tour. It was exactly what I was looking for."
"You're welcome," Luhan replies, smile soft. "Any time."
And he means it.
- i didn't know there were so many otl
- feel free to drabble prompt me on my ask.fm eh
- also try and guess my favourite one (hint: look at the titles)
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⇾ exo | jongin/sehun; sehun/luhan; luhan/jongin; jongin/sehun/luhan
⇾ ~4,500 words (total)
⇾ PG-13
©
i. mishaps | sekai | in which sehun's haircut gets fucked up (245w)
"He lost his grip on the razor," Sehun grits, fingers digging bruises into Jongin's arm.
Jongin doesn't even notice the pain -the zigzag down the back of Sehun's skull has completely stolen his attention.
"Oh my god," Jongin utters, staring holes into the 'pattern'. "This is..."
"Horrendous," Sehun hisses. "This is atrocious. How am I supposed to go to school like this?" His voice pitches at the end of his sentence hysterically.
"You should... I... Don't know."
Sehun wails and flops his head down onto Jongin's shoulder. Jongin sighs and rubs soothing circles onto Sehun's back, but for once, it does no good.
"I'm going to be laughing stock for a whole year," Sehun laments, fists scrunching up the fabric of Jongin's shirt.
Jongin doesn't know how to make Sehun feel better - until an idea hits him.
"I'll shave my head too," Jongin says, pulling away just enough for him to glimpse Sehun's eyes.
"You'll do what?" Sehun demands, eyes large.
"I'll shave my head too," Jongin repeats. "Same design. We can tell everyone we dared each other to do it. Proclamation of love or some bullshit like that."
Sehun's lips contort into various shapes before they relax. "I love you," Sehun declares softly. "I really do. I don't deserve you. Why are you with me? I really don't deserve you oh my god I love you so much-"
"Shut up," Jongin says pleasantly, bumping his nose against Sehun's. "You're paying for my new hair."
ii. triumph | lukai | in which luhan fights through his fear of heights (314w)
"Are you positive?" Jongin asks, scanning Luhan's face closely for any sign of uncertainty. There's a ton of fear present, along with apprehension, but Jongin can't seem to spot any signs of uncertainty.
"I'm positive," Luhan snaps, before whimpering and curling into Jongin's heat.
They're in a cable car, and their car is inching closer to the edge of the platform with every shaky breath Luhan inhales.
"There's still time to get out," Jongin says, wincing a little when Luhan's fingers tighten solidly around his.
"I'm fine. I'll be fine."
The cable car leaves the station then, and Luhan sucks in a huge breath. "Oh my god I'm not fine."
"Come here," Jongin says immediately, and Luhan dives into Jongin's hold.
"Make fun of Junmyeon," Luhan mumbles into Jongin's shirt. "Make me laugh. I feel bad that it's at the expense of Junmyeon but he'll have to shoulder this for me."
So Jongin proceeds to make fun of Junmyeon, spending a great amount of time on his caterpillar eyebrows. By the time he's run out of things to say about their best friend (Junmyeon knows that he's the butt of Jongin's jokes but he takes it in good stride), they're already halfway through with the ride. Luhan's breathing is even, and he's shifted in his seat so that he's practically using Jongin as a body pillow.
"How are you doing?" Jongin asks, peering down at the crown of Luhan's head. A mess of fluffy hair peeks back at him.
"Good," Luhan admits. Jongin nudges Luhan until the latter straightens. "What?"
Jongin leans in and plants a big one on soft lips. "Thank you for joining me. I know how hard it is for you."
Luhan sighs and tucks his head into the crook of Jongin's neck. "I'd do anything for you."
Jongin pushes his fingers between Luhan's and lets his actions do the talking.
iii. peace | sekai | in which jongin recognises sehun from years ago (449w)
"You look familiar," is the first thing out of Jongin's mouth when the volunteer turns around with a Labrador puppy in his hands.
"Um," is the answer he gets, and Jongin flushes.
"I'm sorry," he says, "but you really do. Have we met before?"
The volunteer sets the puppy down on the counter, wrapping a secure arm around its torso. "I don't know - have we? My name is Sehun, if that helps."
Jongin starts. Sehun? He knows a Sehun. From a long time ago though.
But then, it hits him like a freight train. "Do you dance?"
Sehun's face falls for a split second before it returns to its nonchalant state. The puppy bats at Sehun's chin happily.
"I used to. Stopped because of an injury."
"Did you go to this dance camp when you were twelve? It was a dance camp for twelve year-olds only."
Sehun leans away from the puppy's eager tongue and blinks at Jongin. "Yes, yes I did."
"I'm Kim Jongin -I don't know if you remember me? We went to the same camp!"
The puppy teeters at the edge of the counter but Sehun catches it swiftly. "Jongin? Yes I remember you. You were the star of the camp, weren't you?"
Jongin waves the compliment away in embarrassment. "That's nothing - we were twelve."
"Doesn't mean that you couldn't have been a great dancer," Sehun points out, passing the Lab to Jongin before bending and pulling out a Golden Retriever. It clings to Sehun's shoulder and Jongin thinks it's the most adorable thing he's seen in his life. His sister's running around the shelter squealing her head off at all the animals, and Jongin silently wills her to continue squealing for a while longer.
"What happened to your knee? If you don't mind me asking, of course."
"Busted it falling down a flight of stairs a couple of years ago. The bone shattered and my ACL tore. My fault, really. Didn't see where I was going. Ended up here. I don't mind being here, actually. I quite like it. It's heartwarming."
"Yeah, you seem to get on really well with the animals here."
The puppy in Sehun's hands twist and it nips at a finger playfully. Jongin's puppy stares up at him with big eyes. Jongin fights the urge to stare back.
"Yeah, I'm glad I do. It's really peaceful, in a sense, being able to help out these precious things and people who want to give them a home. I've been thinking about going into veterinary, but I'm not sure..."
"You should," Jongin encourages. "You'd be a great vet."
Sehun smiles shyly and Jongin hurriedly redirects his gaze to the pup in his hands.
iv. error | sekai, hunhan | in which sehun and jongin get into a fight and luhan finds sehun in a bar (520w) warning: mentions of mpreg.
They've been together for three years and Jongin still loves Sehun as much as he ever did. Things are generally good -great, even - and Jongin doesn't see an end in the horizon. Jongin loves complaining to his best friend about the little things Sehun does; leaving his shoes messily in the hallway or dropping a sock whenever he's taking clothes in the hamper to the washing machine. Luhan will listen with a smile on his face because he knows Jongin secretly loves all those things about Sehun. And hey, Sehun still wakes him up with light kisses peppered across his cheekbones and down the ridge of his nose, and Sehun still demands that they cuddle after sex. Things are good.
Until that one night Jongin loses his temper over Sehun accidentally breaking his precious vintage stereo. They spend a good ten minutes yelling in each other's faces, just inches apart. Sehun's the first one to break eye-contact, turning around in an effort to hide burning tears as he searches blindly for his shoes. The slam of the door jerks Jongin out of his trance. He dials Sehun's number - Sehun's phone vibrates happily on their coffee table. Panicking, Jongin calls Luhan.
"Hey, Sehun and I had a fight -he ran out and I've no idea where he went. He didn't bring his phone with him, and I'm really scared he'll get hit by a car or something, you know how he is when he comes to crossing the roads -"
"I'll go out and look for him," Luhan interrupts. "Don't worry. You go east and I'll head west, okay? Call me if you have anything."
Jongin darts out the door with his phone in one hand and keys in the other.
A few blocks west, Sehun's seated at the end of a bar, nursing a vodka and rum in his hands. He's halfway done with his drink (he doesn't even like it) when someone slides into the seat next to him.
"I'm not interested -"
"It's me," Luhan interjects softly. "Jongin told me you guys had a fight."
Sehun grunts and lifts the glass to his lips.
"He was really worried when you stormed out," Luhan tries again. Sehun's eyes flick towards his over the rim of his glass.
Luhan watches as Sehun drains his drink and orders another.
---
Luhan pulls up his pants and buckles it with increasing trepidation. Across from him, Sehun does the same, forehead pressed against the bathroom stall.
"I fucked up," Sehun says hollowly. "I royally fucked up."
---
Two weeks later and Luhan finally agrees with him.
"I'm pregnant."
---
"I need to tell him," Sehun mumbles, face buried in his hands. "I love him. I need to tell him."
---
The silence hurts. Sehun's about to break it when Jongin opens his mouth.
"We'll work through this. Yeah? You're my best friend and you're my boyfriend - I don't want to lose either of you because I got mad over my stereo being broken."
"This wasn't your fault, Jongin -" Sehun quietens down when Jongin pushes two fingers against his lips.
"It's easier if we just all agree that it is."
v. talk to me | hunhan | in which (almost) everyone makes fun of sehun for his stutter (437w)
It's late, and all Sehun wants to do is get home and crawl into bed. It's been another shitty day -he'd been doing okay ordering his coffee at the coffeehouse by his campus until a particular douche walked by and made fun of his stutter. Then everything went downhill and he had dashed out of the coffeehouse empty-handed and close to tears. He walked home, all 70 minutes of it, and he had spent every second cursing himself and his stupid stutter.
Pushing his key into the lock, Sehun's about to turn it when he hears an abnormal shaking noise. Turning and craning his neck, he spies a slim figure half-hanging off the chain fence separating his house from the one next door. Terrified that his neighbour's house is going to get broken into, Sehun whips out his phone and dashes over to the perp.
"What are you doing!" Sehun yells. The person hanging off the fence freezes. "If you don't come down and leave right now I'm going to call the police!"
He thanks himself for never stuttering when he really, really needs proper speech.
"I'm not breaking in," the stranger says hurriedly, dropping to his feet and brushing his hands off on his knees. "I live here. I just forgot my keys. I'm Luhan."
Sehun vaguely remembers his parents mentioning a boy next door by the name of Luhan. Frowning, Sehun lowers his hand and squints at the person in front of him.
"How do I know you're telling the truth?"
"Sometimes I see you curled up on your patio with a jug of milk?"
Sehun blushes - why, he doesn't quite know -and pockets his phone.
"Fine," he says, willing his blush to abate. "W-w-well -"
Shit, it's back.
Luhan tilts his head.
"A-are your p-p-parents not home?"
Luhan shakes his head in mild despair.
"They're out for some dinner event. They'll be home late. I went out to the nearby shop to grab something but I forgot everything but money. My phone's in there, too." Luhan gestures to the small plastic bag leaning against Sehun's house.
"D-do you want t-to come in? W-w-wait for your parents?"
Luhan brightens considerably. Sehun wonders when the attacks are going to come.
"Really? You wouldn't mind?"
Sehun decides that shaking his head is easier than reply verbally. Luhan beams before bending to pick up his bag.
"That'd be great, thanks so much! You're a kind soul."
It takes Sehun several beats to realise that attacks against his stutter will never leave Luhan's mouth. That causes a delighted smile to spread across his face - one that Luhan sees and returns.
vi. rush hour(s) | sekai | in which little declarations of love matter (294w)
It's a Tuesday, which happens to be the one day in Jongin's week in which he doesn't have afternoon classes. He spends the time cooped up in his shared apartment with his boyfriend instead, nose buried in a textbook and his pen scribbling words haphazardly into his notebook. Ever since senior year started, he's been plunged into a horrid schedule of waking up, rushing to school with toast dangling from his lips, sitting through tedious lectures and practicals, grabbing a quick lunch, sitting through more classes, before going home and crashing for a short while before waking up to Sehun's fingers running through his hair. Sehun will make him eat a proper dinner, after which they'll both take a shower (either together or separately). Time after their showers are spent on more work, and they'll climb into bed a couple of hours past midnight, only to wake up just six hours later.
They've been so busy that they haven't had the chance to go on their weekly dinner dates. Each weekend they would visit a new restaurant or a café, adding the place to their list of visited eateries as soon as they're out the door. But it's been half a semester and the list is untouched.
When the clock strikes two, Jongin looks at his phone and decides to take a break. He deserves one. Swiping across the screen that boasts a picture of a sleepy Sehun, Jongin sends a quick text to him: Hi, don't forget to have lunch. I love you.
Sehun replies instantly. I'm eating, don't worry. I love you more.
Jongin smiles at his screen and pulls Sehun's favourite stuffed toy up further into his embrace. It smells like Sehun, and it'll do until the real deal comes home.
vii. unrequited | hunhan | in which luhan is reunited with his feelings at sehun's wedding (200w)
Luhan had spent all of his high school and university lives in love with his best friend. It wasn't easy, walking around campus with Sehun by his side and knowing he'll never get to hold his hand although it would always be right next to his.
It had been a blessing in disguise - or so Luhan convinced himself - when they had parted ways for grad school. Luhan could finally grab onto the opportunity to get over Sehun; and everything had gone swimmingly well until he had moved back to Korea after graduation.
A letter in the mail informed Luhan of Sehun's upcoming wedding. Luhan's first instinct is to say he won't be going, but that desire is soon quelled by the need to see Sehun again.
On the big day itself, Sehun had stood up at the altar, looking amazing in his pressed grey suit and softly coiffed hair. Everything came rushing back to Luhan, every second of pining, every smile they shared and each proclamation of everlasting friendship.
The world came crashing down around his feet when Sehun leaned down towards his new bride, the sweetest smile on his face - the moment their lips touched, Luhan shed a tear.
viii. soft notes | lukai | in which jongin refuses to be luhan's boyfriend just because he hates rock music (287w)
Their first encounter wasn't a usual one. Luhan had been running from a particularly crazed fan, sprinting down the sidewalk with his hair flapping insanely down over his eyes with each step. He had taken a chance by bursting into Jongin's bakery in an attempt to take cover.
Jongin had recognised him - everyone knew him - but he didn't say anything. Instead, he gestured for Luhan to have some bread. That day, Luhan spent a grand total of there hours in the bakery, hiding behind the counter, only leaving when Jongin had to close up shop.
"Thank you," Luhan had said, SnapBack pulled down low over his eyes. Jongin had accepted the slip of paper with Luhan's number on it with a soft smile.
A year later and Luhan is still pursuing Jongin. They have a weird relationship, getting jealous over other people's attempts to woo the other, Jongin not allowing anyone else to be close to Luhan but refusing to accept Luhan's proposal of being his official boyfriend. Jongin's excuse is always: "I don't like rock music; I don't want to have to listen to it 24/7." It's a weak excuse, and both parties know that it's the only one Jongin has.
So one day Luhan surprises Jongin in Jongin's bakery right before closing time with a guitar and forces Jongin down onto a chair.
"This is for you," Luhan says matter-of-factly. Jongin blushes deep when Luhan delves into a ballad. Luhan's voice starts off shaky, but it blends into the soft notes of his guitar as he gains confidence.
When Luhan finishes, Jongin rubs at the back of his neck as Luhan walks around the counter.
"Please be my boyfriend; my ballads are passable, no?"
ix. time traveller. | lukai | in which jongin travels through time to piece luhan back together (159w)
It's not an easy job, Jongin knows, but he has a goal. An eon ago, Luhan had vanished from his side, leaving behind a single floating orb that shone a pale green. Jongin had bottled it, and the warmth that had seeped onto his palm was excruciatingly familiar.
Time travelling takes a toll on the body; whenever Jongin comes back from one of his trips, he will spend a week curled up in bed, staring at the bottle of green orbs by his bedside. Sometimes he'll bring one more back from a trip, but more often than not, he comes home empty handed. There are 7 orbs in the bottle to date but Jongin doesn't know how many more he has to collect.
He doesn't mind though, doesn't mind the physical strain or the mental one. He's got an eternity on earth anyway; he might as well use a part of it to put his beloved back together again.
x. milk boy | sekai | in which sehun endorses milk and jongin is his fan (531w)
Sehun gets by well enough on the money he makes through his acting/advertising. He supplements it with part-time modelling for clothing stores, and during good months he can make enough to pad up his modest savings account. His most recent job was a commercial for a milk product aimed towards young adults - a sleek, glass bottle and minimalistic writing capped off with pastel caps. The product itself is fine - it's just milk -, but the commercial has Sehun cringing whenever it comes on TV. It's the cheesiest thing ever, what with him pretending to be a high school student and gifting the 'girl he likes' with a basket of the stuff. What sane boy would give a girl a basket of milk? Whenever it comes on air, Sehun switches channels without the slightest hint of hesitation.
On the other hand, Kim Jongin, a university student who so coincidentally lives three floors above Sehun, loves the commercial. Sure it's unrealistic and tacky, but because Jongin is Sehun's not-so-secret fan, Jongin automatically loves everything Sehun is in. The commercial always seems to come on during Jongin's favourite anime, and Jongin thinks that's a sign. He has a collection of empty milk bottles - the one Sehun endorses -lined up along his kitchen counter; his goal is to get Sehun to sign one of them someday.
Despite being the devoted fanboy he is, Jongin doesn't know that Sehun lives three floors beneath him. So it's a shock, to say the least, when he bumps into Sehun at the supermarket located at the corner of their block. He's stocking up on milk, of course, and when he turns around to deposit them in his cart, he spies a very familiar figure (it's actually the silver hair that catches his attention first) bent over at the waist, peering into a freezer containing tubs of ice cream.
"Oh Sehun?" Jongin says to himself, but apparently he'd said it a little louder than he had intended to, for Sehun turns around in curiosity. Jongin blushes to his toes, but he waves timidly - and to his surprise, Sehun waves back.
Emboldened, Jongin pushes his cart over to Sehun; he doesn't miss the look on Sehun's face when the latter spots the number of milk bottles in the cart.
"You uh, like the milk huh?"
"It's alright," Jongin shrugs. "I'm a big fan of yours though."
Sehun blinks, a pink tinge spreading across his cheeks and around the rim of his ears.
"Oh," he says, suddenly unsure of what to say. "Thanks? I don't exactly meet a lot of...fans."
"I've always wanted to meet you somewhere," Jongin gushes, "didn't think I'd meet you in a supermarket."
"I live nearby," Sehun says, switching his basket to the other hand.
Jongin gapes openly. "You do? So do I!"
Sehun gives him a polite smile and Jongin narrowly avoids choking on his spit.
"Would you mind signing a bottle for me?"
Sehun frowns for a moment before shooting him an apologetic look. "I don't have a marker on me right now."
Jongin's face falls. "I don't either -wait, if you live nearby, maybe you could stop by my place before you head home?"
xi. easy mornings | sekailu | in which jongin needs shaving cream, luhan eats a lot, and sehun wants cupcakes (341w)
"We're out of shaving cream," Jongin's voice floats out of the bathroom a little muffled. Luhan looks up from his stack of pancakes and sees Jongin sticking his head out, half of his face covered with shaving cream and the other one completely bare. He's about to say something, but Sehun appears from their bedroom with a new can in hand.
"Here," Sehun mumbles, sleepily pushing the can into Jongin's hand as he walks past. Jongin holds onto his hand over the can and Sehun almost slips on the tiled floor when Jongin tugs him backwards.
"What," Sehun whines, pushing on the clean side of Jongin's face so that shaving cream doesn't get on his hair.
"You're extra snuggly when you've just woken up," Jongin tells him, pressing his cheek against Sehun's temple. Sehun indulges him for a few moments before nudging him away and gesturing to the shaving cream.
"Shave," Sehun orders, and darts out of the bathroom.
"Morning," Luhan says, smile wide from Jongin and Sehun's exchange. Sehun makes a face at him but takes a gulp of coffee before leaning in and giving Luhan his morning kiss, complete with coffee breath.
Luhan passes Sehun his fork and pushes his plate of pancakes over to the younger. Sehun looks at him in confusion. "Aren't you still eating this?"
"I already had three," Luhan says a little bashfully, and Sehun snorts before sawing a piece off and pushing it into his mouth. The tap in the bathroom shuts off then and they hear footsteps approaching.
Jongin kisses Luhan first because Sehun's still busy munching away on food; Sehun doesn't mind waiting anyway, he's a very patient lover.
"I'm meeting Kyungsoo later today," Jongin says, stretching and resting a leg on Sehun's thigh - Sehun doesn't bat an eye.
"Say hi for me," Luhan tells him, and Jongin nods before reaching out and grabbing Luhan's hand off the table. Sehun takes another mouthful of coffee and looks up from his food.
"Ask him to bake me more cupcakes," Sehun says, and beams.
xii. stallions | sekai | in which sehun prefers speed and jongin prefers heights (220w)
"Speed," Sehun says, taking a step towards Jongin.
"Height," Jongin retorts, crossing his arms.
"Speed!"
"Height!"
Sehun huffs and turns away from his best friend of eight years. "You're so annoying."
"You just think speed is better because you can't vault for shit," Jongin grins, poking Sehun in the side. Sehun yells and jerks so violently that he nearly drops the saddle in his hands.
"Excuse me," Sehun says icily, tossing the saddle onto a bundle of hay, " do you not remember the three years of show jumping classes that we took together? I stopped going because I didn't like it. I preferred the -"
"-Sense of freedom you get by flat racing, I know."
Sehun looks up from where he's brushing down his thoroughbred. Jongin's leaning against the wall of the stall, eyes trained on him and helmet buckled over his forearm. There's a shine in Jongin's eyes and it unnerves Sehun.
Clearing his throat, Sehun returns to running the curry comb through his horse's coat. "Well, if you already know," he says, leaving the rest of the sentence hanging.
He feels Jongin walk up behind him but he keeps his brushing steady. Then, Jongin's chin comes to rest on his shoulder and Sehun's movements still.
"I just like seeing you flustered," Jongin admits, "you're very endearing when you're flustered."
xiii. journeys | hunhan | in which luhan is a tour guide and sehun is in need of company (483w)
Luhan blinks at the crisp bank note and lets his eyes travel up the length of the boy's index finger, up along the curve of his arm, and towards his face. There's a faint crease between the boy's eyebrows, and Luhan can sense subtle wisps of desperation. He's free for the rest of the day, so he makes up his mind easily -standing, he tugs the money out from under the boy's finger and pockets it.
"Let's go then; Beijing's not exactly a small place."
They take Luhan's car, a modest sedan that Luhan likes to keep very clean. Luhan's sole customer - five minutes into the drive, he learns that his name is Sehun - asks for Luhan to show him places that aren't typical tourist attractions.
"Tourists leech on the life of such monuments," Sehun says, resting his elbow on the windowsill. "And I hate crowds."
Luhan glances at Sehun as they idle at a red light. Sehun's lashes are long and straight, and Luhan wonders if they're heavy on his lids. The radio's playing a mainstream Mando-pop tune, but the volume's turned down low enough that Luhan can't make out the words.
They drive for a good twenty minutes - Luhan brings Sehun to the old, worn down parts of Beijing, where culture is thick and customs are everywhere. The streets are bumpy, the surfaces cracked with age and use. Sehun doesn't seem to mind, even when a wheel hits a pothole and Sehun bangs his forehead against the car frame.
"Sometimes when I get tired of tourist attractions," Luhan says, pulling his car over to the side of the road and turning the engine off, "I come here. It reminds me of my childhood and how Peking used to be before it became known as Beijing. I don't know - the change signified something for me even though I wasn't born yet when it happened. This is the Peking that my parents knew, that my grandparents knew, and to me, that's heritage."
They walk in relative silence, down streets and around corners. Sehun peers interestedly into small home-owned shops and cramped front halls of apartments and houses. Luhan points to a street vendor and asks if Sehun's brave enough to give street food a shot; Sehun simply shrugs and tells Luhan that he'll have to take care of the medical bills if he gets sick. Laughing, Luhan buys Sehun a 煎饼 (thin pancake made of millet flour) and grins when Sehun's eyes widen in wonder at the taste.
Sehun ends up visiting all of Luhan's childhood spots and current favourite spots; far away from the bustle of tourists. It's late into the night when they finally pile into the car and Luhan heads back towards his office building.
"Thanks," Sehun says, one hand on the door handle. "For the tour. It was exactly what I was looking for."
"You're welcome," Luhan replies, smile soft. "Any time."
And he means it.
- i didn't know there were so many otl
- feel free to drabble prompt me on my ask.fm eh
- also try and guess my favourite one (hint: look at the titles)
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