signs in the clouds (chen/xiumin)
title: signs in the clouds
pairing: jongdae/minseok
rating: pg
warnings: n/a
summary: one spark gave him the idea for a revolution; this is his journey.
author's note: my fic in participation with chenpionships round 2.
At the young age of seven, Jongdae had begun to realize he was unlike any other child he had encountered in school. The first time he realized he had control over thunder, he had been in his room watching the thick raindrops pouring down the only window he could see. With the flick of a finger, white streaks of light flashed along his line of vision and - there it was - the loud, clamoring noise that filled his ears and slightly shook his room. He had been startled at the power he could manage with only a finger, but he did not think about what else he could do at the moment.
The years that gave way to aging and a broader knowledge of his powers gave him plenty more attempts to play around with what he could do. Soon, he felt relief and comfort knowing he had full control over such a powerful force in nature.
It is when he turns twenty-one that the thunderstorms begin to make themselves known, and eventually his powers also extends to control over electricity. Back then, he could only conjure and control short strikes in random places, mostly whenever it rains so no one suspected a thing. Now that he’s grown up and fully understands the concept of seasons and times when it should be raining and not, he times these thunderstorms perfectly so that people who happen to witness and study their origins would not be able to account for them - not with the amount of technology that has helped them survive over the years.
The thunderstorms happen at least twice - at most four times a day. Citizens are often left baffled at the frequent occurrences of these so much that if often leads to people dying or blackouts that would span across several cities, lasting for hours on end. It is only when Jongdae sees the headlines speak of lightning-caused accidents that he becomes amazed at the effect of his powers.
Jongdae has read books about it; he admires the way the bright lines that remain vivid against the dark sky, and the way they branch out like vines that would wrap it around objects sticking up from the ground. He often compares the way lightning strikes act like scorpions would. It is their presence that delivers fear into their victim’s minds and shivers along their skin. The loud uproar at the end of the ordeal is just the icing on the cake; just as a scorpion would sting their victim and leave as if nothing had happened.
The more frequently these thunderstorms take place, the more others ignored it and considered it an essential part of their culture and way of life. Meanwhile, as Jongdae pays more attention to the news and continues to look out for other unnatural atmospheric events, he soon believed he isn’t the only one who has control over the elements.
Minseok’s eyes brim with tears. The loud winds roar just outside his window. “A storm’s coming,” hails the voice of a female, as she looks out the window. “That’s weird. The weather today never had that as the forecast.
If there’s one thing Minseok has observed while growing up, it’s that weather forecasts are merely speculations - it doesn’t mean it’s true.
He hears the sound of the door closing just as he closes his eyes and allows the tears that have accumulated to fall quickly down his cheeks. His chest feels heavy and he feels a slight pain whenever he tries to breathe heavily. The snow outside is getting worse even as the tears continue to fall.
It’s barely dark out when Minseok attempts to cry himself to sleep. The storm brews into an unsuspecting blizzard deep into the night that leave everyone else stranded and struggling to get to different places. Minseok only just realizes his tears have crystallized as the snow that has accumulated on the ground outside his place is lifted by the strong winds, and wipes out any remaining visibility.
His emotions have stirred up a storm, both within himself, and the environment that surrounds him.
The year is 2057. As soon as Jongdae turns on his television to catch up on the news, he immediately gets word on a severe blizzard in the Pacific Northwest. Weather officials from other countries are left speculating on the possible factors that might have contributed to the creation of this natural disaster. Reporters mention that they have barely received word from the local weather officials ever since they had been found seeking refuge at a Costco outlet.
Jongdae shakes his head in disappointment; no one besides him and those who have control over the elements can explain this phenomenon. Of course, should he decide to reveal his strange ability, he’ll be labelled as a freak - a freak of nature, literally speaking.
He searches through various social media portals for a way to get more information on where the blizzard had originated; there he stumbles upon an active discussion that includes members spanning across different countries. Several hypotheses include global warming, and the unnatural and sudden drop in temperatures which might have been the primary cause. Global warming had been an issue - Jongdae remembers reading about it in a book. However, rapid technological advancements had been a huge help in mending the damages made to the ozone layer. He’s sure that’ll never happen again anytime soon.
The rapid exchange of words between every active forum member gets Jongdae unconsciously twitching in his seat. He’s never imagined such a topic to spark such comments and speculation. In the back of his mind, he tries not to think about the fact that none of the members have ever brought up the topic of people like him; or any supernatural forces that might have conjured this unnatural catastrophe.
He turns off his laptop in hopes of steering his mind away from the dangers of getting his kind exposed; the stress builds up from within his chest as he closes his eyes and releases a heavy sigh as he tries to move on.
Minseok wakes up, as if it were a knee-jerk reaction, the minute he feels his younger sister punching his arm and yelling into his ear. Her words are slowly drowning out in his head but the ones that he can make out are blizzard and Costco. He tries to remember the rest, but his mind seems to have forgotten them, like white noise to a broken television.
“There was a blizzard in Costco?” Minseok says wearily, his eyes seeking out his sister in the middle of his trashed room. As his sister takes him by the forearm and tugs him along to the living room, he spots their television still in the middle of a Breaking News broadcast.
“See for yourself,” she says.
We continue our Breaking News telecast from last night’s cataclysmic events in what could possibly be referred to as the worst blizzard in recorded history. We are situated just outside the local Costco outlet where the majority of the local weather experts have found themselves stranded for days before the worst of the blizzard had broken out. More updates in the next hour.
Minseok’s sister puts the television on mute just so she can keep an eye on the news without having to hear the ones she finds irrelevant. “Do you believe me now?” she asks.
It’s not that Minseok can’t believe his sister’s statement, as well as the news reporters’, but he has an unreachable itch in the back of his mind that tells him there’s something wrong in all this, he just can’t pinpoint exactly what.
The young man still finds himself mesmerized at the television even after the audio has been muted. Something in this phenomenon has earned his full attention but he’s clueless as for where to start. “Do you remember what time the blizzard started?” he asks, trying to recognize the reporter’s words through the motions of her lips.
His sister had left him to his own thoughts some moments ago as she’d wandered off to the kitchen instead. “I think it happened around nine last night? I can’t remember,” she replies loudly. Closing the cupboards with a muffled thud, she slinks out of the kitchen holding a small ceramic mug filled with piping hot tea.
He clearly remembers falling asleep way before the blizzard had been at its worst. Then again, it particularly bothers him how his sleep had not been disrupted during its peak. Excess fatigue might have lulled him to sleep, but surely a blizzard being hailed as the worst in history, should have done something to it. He purposely leaves out the part where he’d silently sobbed himself to sleep; no one else has to learn about that detail in particular.
Weeks pass by like seconds to a clock. The local weather experts who had originally found themselves stranded during the blizzard emerge from the Costco outlet alive. Paramedics storm the area almost instantaneously as soon as reports of the insufficient stocks of the outlet come out through various media portals.
It takes them at least a few days to a couple of weeks before they announce their findings to the press. According to them, after extensive research, they have not managed to find a concrete explanation behind the blizzard. Surface temperature, however, had been above freezing level at least a few hours before the blizzard began, until it ended a few days later. They are also unsure of the snowflakes’ origins and how they grew and fell, noting that because it had been unexpected, the signs to tell all of these also came and went as the catastrophe had.
The weather expert being interviewed scratches his head absently from time to time, in between answers. As he talks, he scans through his small tickler to even just a single hint that could help him explain this phenomenon to the citizens who have been affected. Finally, his voice ends up being drowned out by the sound of plows cleaning the slush-filled streets, and with each second that passes, he shifts his hidden tickler further behind his back. There is nothing more he can do but give up, as the rest of the team that he represents behind the camera have done also.
Eventually, Jongdae slowly realizes he isn’t the only person to have been left puzzled by this event. It only serves to fuel his motivation to search for the person who had conjured up this blizzard; even it is means travelling halfway around the world for it.
The aftermath of the blizzard has been all but forgiving to the people. Nearby airports have been shut down, major highways and roads have been closed, people have been stranded. For a generation who have had found themselves admittedly heavily dependent on technology, they have found themselves stuck and dumbfounded at what to do. Little by little, however, they’re coping with the mess they have to fix.
The more Jongdae had pays attention to the news, they less they showcase the aftermath of the blizzard. However, it proves otherwise in the forums he frequented. People are determined to visit the affected city for them to see how the people are trying to get back up from this disaster. It comes as a relief to everyone knowing there are as little as two fatalities from the blizzard. One young man and a middle-aged woman - both died of extreme hypothermia - after trying to brave the severe weather on their own.
It wasn’t long after Jongdae brought himself a plane ticket to Alberta that leaves in a week that he realized he’s never really thought about his accommodations and other things he might need to take care of. Packing up all the jackets he can find lying around his house, he prays the weather will be kind to him - somewhat.
Exactly a week later, Jongdae gets to Alberta and is shocked to see people are still clearing up the streets. I didn’t think it would be this bad, he thinks to himself. Having come from a tropical country, he shivers visibly at the extreme drop in temperature. He stands in the middle of a main road and becomes slightly mortified at the sight before him.
He doesn’t recognize the presence standing beside him until he’s offered coffee in a small Styrofoam cup. “You seem new to the town.” The guy Jongdae’s faced with is a few inches shorter than him. His features, however, tell a different story. He looks mature for his appearance. His eyes are gaunt and the dark crescents that form directly underneath them are neatly hiding behind layers of CC cream.
Jongdae hesitantly takes the cup, both his hands wrapping around it by instinct, desperately seeking warmth. It’s not just his surroundings, but even the people themselves who seem cold here, as they tired themselves out from working. “Can’t you tell?” he replies. He looks down at his jacket, the thickest one he could find at home. He remembers buying it in a thrift store at a very cheap price several years back. No doubt, it’s one the perks of buying winter jackets in a tropical country.
The guy beside him playfully ruffles the large ball of fur that keeps Jongdae’s neck warm. “No one wears these in this day and age.” The two of them can’t help but laugh at each other. The guy offers his hand, and says, “I’m Minseok, by the way. Never thought I’d run into a Korean in a place like this.”
Jongdae accepts the handshake with one of his warm hands, “Jongdae. You have no idea how relieved I am to meet you.”
The two end up at Minseok’s apartment after Jongdae told him that he was a backpacker researching on weather abnormalities. As much as possible, he’d tried getting a flight to Alberta as soon as the airports were operational just so he could get his own findings on the affected area. Jongdae hadn’t been able to find a place to stay before he decided to buy tickets and this (not so subtly) asks Minseok if he could stay over with him indefinitely.
Much to Jongdae’s surprise; Minseok was more than gracious; especially towards someone he’s barely known for a day.
The warmth that surrounds Minseok’s place leaves Jongdae frozen at the steps as soon as he gets in. “Are you sure it’s alright?” he says meekly.
“For the fifth time, it’s more than alright, Jongdae,” he replies, throwing his jacket over the couch. “I live in here with my younger sister,” he says, his voice slightly muffled as he browses through the refrigerator for something to eat.
“So it’s just you and your sister? How about your parents? What do you do?” All the questions flow out of Jongdae’s mouth endlessly as soon as he finds comfort in Minseok’s couch. The other hears him but doesn’t answer; it immediately takes Jongdae aback and hesitates from asking further questions.
The two of them don’t talk until Minseok walks over to the couch a little while later to hand Jongdae a warm sandwich. “Thought you might be hungry from your trip,” he says. The two of them sit visibly apart from each other as they eat their sandwiches. Jongdae silently observes how Minseok is very organized with the upkeep of his place; all his books are all too neatly arranged on their shelves, by size, title and color.
It is when Jongdae’s eyes are affixed on a certain portrait hanging above the dining table that Minseok disrupts the brooding silence between them. “So, you said you research weather abnormalities? How did that come around?”
Had Jongdae been focused on the portrait more than his words, he would have instantly blurted that he had full control over anything between electricity and thunder. Instead, he stutters and ends up choking on a small piece of bread crust he had been chewing at that moment.
Jongdae ends up coughing uncontrollably as Minseok pats his shoulders to relieve him of the discomfort, “I’m sorry, was that too abrupt of a question?” he asks, alternating between pats and eating from his sandwich nonchalantly.
As soon as Jongdae collects himself, he leaves the rest of the sandwich on the coffee table. He fails to notice Minseok slightly reacting violently to it but restrains himself from calling Jongdae out so suddenly, besides the fact that he’s going to be a guest of his for quite a while.
“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Jongdae says, glancing over to Minseok looking a bit relieved that his clumsiness is going to be one less thing to take care of. “I meant to say that I had a personal experience with a weather abnormality at my place a couple of years ago, when I was young. Ever since then, I became really invested in the research, especially since I can travel for it.”
It’s not the full truth, or so Jongdae likes to make himself think. Rather, he should be saying this is the first time he’s ever really motivated himself to seek out the source of the blizzard. On the other hand, he’s especially embarrassed about the fact that the substantial information he has are the things he reads on the forums; the discussions by other weather experts out there who know way more than Jongdae does.
Silence broods over the two of them again. It allows Jongdae to let his mind roam for a bit as he thinks about the chances of whether the government had actually intervened in the midst of the catastrophe. If they realized the origins of the blizzard couldn’t be accounted for and had actually been conjured by one person alone, everything would fall into chaos. International forums between different countries will be created, scientists will be forced to capture people like Jongdae and test them for future experiments. For him, the mere thought of being tested on sends visible shivers down his spine, causing Minseok to quickly glance over in his direction.
“Are you sure you’re alright? You seem very troubled by your thoughts.” Somehow Minseok’s concern makes Jongdae’s heart skip a beat. He’s not exactly sure why, but he thinks he’s going to gain plenty of stuff for research just from this trip alone.
When Minseok leaves his younger sister and Jongdae alone together while he buys food for dinner, Jongdae feels the house easing up a bit from the awkward silence it had previously experienced.
“It’s been a very long time since oppa brought someone with him here,” Minseok’s sister says. She and Jongdae are seated at the dining table, and with the way Minseok’s sister eyes him, he can tell she’s very uninterested in him.
“We literally just met this morning,” Jongdae replies, his eyes are still focused on the vague painting near them. His sister can’t tell but Jongdae has been starting to wonder who the person is on the painting and if it has any significance to them. Asking outright might make him too ignorant of anything else, so he waits for either one to explain it themselves the minute they notice him. “How long are we talking about?”
It’s probably rude of him to even ask anything about Minseok’s past, especially since there’s a slight chance his sister might come upon some personal stories that his brother would rather keep between the two of them. Then again, this whole problem doesn’t stop Minseok’s sister from talking, anyway.
“It was a few years ago,” his sister begins by saying. By the looks of it, she’s got the words collected in her mouth - ready to tell all, if she could. But then, the more she wants to continue what she’s started, the less her words are being voiced out. Heaving a sigh as if she’s bearing the burden on her shoulders, “Oppa should be telling you this, not me! I never wanted to bear the burden, but why do I feel so horrible whenever I’m about to talk about it?!”
It came to the point where Minseok’s sister freaking out made Jongdae realize that he really shouldn’t be asking these things. “I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have asked; it was rude of me to do so,” he says.
The young girl shifts her gaze away from Jongdae abruptly as she attempts to force her tears back, not wanting them to fall. Minseok lecturing her to hold her tongue in front of strangers more often is probably the last thing that’s going to happen. Mostly because Minseok rarely does that; he lets her be on her own and lets her conscience do the lecturing for him instead.
“I just --” she begins again. Her words are choking her and the air around her makes it harder for her to breathe, but it won’t stop her from telling the story. “You should know that he’s prone to emotional breakdowns, though.”
That’s not something you tell someone on the first meeting, Jongdae thinks. On one hand, he thinks he should be flattered at the thought of Minseok’s sister thinking they’re together. At the same time, the premise of frequent emotional breakdowns instills a certain kind of fear within him; one that urges himself to back away while he still can.
“The last time oppa brought someone home was close to three years ago. I couldn’t remember what his name was since oppa told me never to mention his name in this household. All I can remember was that he was sweet. He was a very sweet young man whom Minseok-oppa loved so dearly before he was gone forever.”
The silence that had followed her words soon after left Jongdae speechless. It had stopped him from asking any further questions - or even say anything else after that. It was when Minseok came back with arms filled with grocery bags that his sister had left Jongdae alone at the dinner table to assist her older brother with arranging the ingredients he bought to cook dinner with.
It plagues Jongdae to think about the circumstances of this person’s death. He wants to ask Minseok about his past life, but the pressure on whether Minseok would be willing to answer him or not itches at him like a rash that can’t go away. In the end, he keeps the question to himself primarily because this is information that should be kept from him and instead, Minseok telling him voluntarily, at his own time and pace, would be much more appropriate.
Although a part of him becomes much more interested and attracted to Minseok. Not in the sort of attraction that results in love, rather the kind that pushes someone to know a person fully - inside and out. After learning the kind of backstory his sister experiences second-hand, he wants to have a first-hand experience on how Minseok grows to love someone, only to see them die before him. This radical human emotion is certainly alien to him and it motivates him even more to become closer to that very stranger who welcomed him into his home even though they’ve only known each other for a few hours.
That very evening, Jongdae finds himself too overwhelmed to initiate any sort of conversation with Minseok. He becomes unusually quiet while they were all eating together. Minseok and his sister are talking about things they know between each other and laughing at what each has to say. The more they are ostracizing Jongdae from the conversation, the more he finds himself reflecting on what happened to Minseok’s previous lover and whether he is the unlikely source of the emotional breakdowns he often has.
The night comes to a close with Jongdae eventually having to share a bad with Minseok. The latter reasons out that their place is a mess - unusual from somebody like Minseok who looks like he prefers things to be orderly, judging from what Jongdae witnesses from the way he arranges the living room. Minseok feels quite embarrassed to say the least; he probably hopes to give Jongdae a spare room for him to sleep in alone. Then again, the only spare room they have is too cumbersome to clean out because it hadn’t been touched for years and it is close to midnight when they finally succumb to the arms of sleep.
The following days are nothing if not ritualistic and monotonous, if one had to ask Jongdae how his day went. It turns out, however, that Jongdae had underestimated Minseok if the former felt the person he was living with had nothing else to do.
Jongdae slowly discovers after accompanying Minseok in his errands around the city, that the latter is actually a successful student - albeit much older than Jongdae. However, as Minseok tells him, he personally finds his frequent mental and emotional instability a burden to his colleagues that he’d voluntarily chosen to drop out instead.
Wasted talent, that’s what Jongdae thinks they both are.
“What do you do in your free time?” Jongdae feels he’s being asked an ice-breaker question; which is what it really is. Considering he’s been too scared to ask Minseok anything after that one time he’d blatantly refused to answer a common question, Jongdae waits for Minseok to ask instead.
“I stay at home most of the day, reading through forum boards run by weather experts from different countries.” Jongdae feels goose-bumps running along his arms even though he’s under three layers of clothing. With the way he spends his days and the clothes he wears, it makes Minseok gleefully laugh under his scarf.
“Do you consider yourself an expert at that craft?” Minseok’s voice remains muffled beneath thick scarves and face masks as he laughs with every word he says. He spreads an arm over Jongdae’s shoulders that the younger is close to embracing him. “Either way, at least you’ve found your spot out there, unlike me.”
The statement gets Jongdae’s mind running. He instantly remembers that he hasn’t heard of any weather abnormalities ever since he arrived at Alberta. “Minseok-hyung.” Jongdae’s voice remains hesitant; mostly unsure of whether he’s going to get an answer or not, but he takes the risk anyways, “Have you ever met anyone who has kept you in place? Even for a brief moment?”
The words flee Jongdae’s lips like snowflakes that fall from the heavens. They’re slow and they move against the wind’s direction until they fall gently to the ground. Even though the words hang heavy between them, Minseok takes his time and collects his own words. There is no right or wrong answer, but Jongdae holds his breath, hoping Minseok’s long years of being silent finally falls apart and that he finds hope once again.
Minseok glances towards the horizon. It is midday and as the sun’s largely shrouded by thick fog, it becomes of no use either as streetlights around them are left on almost the entire day. “There has,” and Jongdae slowly releases his hold on his breath, “but I’ll tell the rest back at my place; it’s too personal.”
Jongdae’s mildly unsure of whether that’s a good thing or not, considering he’s already received a precaution from Minseok’s own sister, no less. Then again, if Minseok’s prone to getting an emotional breakdown that’s triggered by previous trauma, he’s glad he’s aware of what might happen.
What really ends up happening, however, is certainly not what Jongdae had been expecting ever since his arrival.
Minseok’s sister is nowhere to be seen the minute the two guys arrive home. Minseok doesn’t seem to be worried at all. “She has her own needs; probably just went out to spend the afternoon alone,” he says calmly, hanging his coat on the hanger beside the doorway. The strange painting above the dinner table catches Jongdae’s eye again and it makes him shiver on where he stands. Minseok doesn’t seem to notice Jongdae’s odd demeanor, however.
The two of them come home to a neat stack of sandwiches in the kitchen. It makes up for the fact that they had never even thought about eating lunch outside or even stopping for a break when they had too many errands to run on their hands.
“Who was it?” Jongdae asks in between chews. The two of them are seated facing one another, and the more Jongdae tries to observe Minseok’s facial expressions, the less he actually sees them changing.
“His name was Junmyeon. He was younger than me; around your age, if I remember correctly. He was,” Minseok stops, slightly choking on his words. Jongdae sees that he has the story set in his head, ready to be played out accordingly like a recording that has been worked on for years. But the content remains too heavy for him to speak out. “He was a sweet young man, Junmyeon. He was unlike any other; quite special, even. He had control over things. I never believed him until he took me out for walking; we ended up by a lake after journeying around the forest for nearly an hour. That was the very first time he showed me what he could do. He played with the water with his hands without getting them wet, even. It was extraordinary, to say the least. I felt spellbound by his charm, literally.”
Minseok’s voice toned down into much softer than his usual indoor voice. He wanted to stop himself from continuing the story, but somehow as soon as he had started, his feelings flowed out like words to paper. His tears begin pooling in his eyes the more he felt himself coming close to the most painful part of his past.
Suddenly, Jongdae hears a slight rumbling from outside Minseok’s place. He urges himself not to get up and take a look what’s going on, and instead he waits. There hasn’t been any sort of weather change ever since the blizzard but his gut feeling has him thinking he’s close to finding the source of the weather abnormalities.
“A day came where Junmyeon had to leave for somewhere else. He couldn’t tell me where; all he told me was that he couldn’t stay here - it was dangerous for someone like him to stick around in one place forever. I didn’t understand. In fact, looking back at my actions, I was too rash and inconsiderate of his situation. I broke up with him that very day he was due to leave town.”
“That very same scene plagued my thoughts for years; never allowing me to move on. It manifested itself in dreams and even glimpses of the mind. It was the main cause of my emotional breakdown; yet, nobody has ever taken the time to understand why these things were happening to me - except for you, Jongdae.”
Minseok’s words finally end, his past coming together now, and it’s only then that Jongdae notices that the rumbling has persisted and growing into a full-scale snowstorm that ends up lasting the entire night.
In a way, he feels horrible for pushing Minseok to his emotional limits. However, he wouldn’t have gained the answers he had been seeking all this time if it weren’t for this.
When Jongdae wakes up the next morning, still on the bed he shares with Minseok, he wonders whether it’s a horrible idea to tell the latter he also has the same powers as Junmyeon.
At the same time, he also realizes he still needs more questions answered. Probably triggering the emotional breakdown would seem horrible, but then since he’s already started it with last night’s conversation, he feels that he’s got nothing else to lose from there.
Minseok wakes up abruptly, as if he’s just been in a train wreck, jerked awake. He peers over to his side to see Jongdae as bright as the sun, seated beside him as he keeps himself busy with some old newspapers he‘s found lying around.
“What happened last night?” Minseok’s voice is hoarse and he feels the onset of a heavy migraine. Meanwhile, Jongdae seems to be feeling nothing of the sort and instead greets him warmly.
“You wouldn’t even believe what happened last night.”
“Sounds like a blast coming from you,” Minseok groans as he covers his face with the thick duvet.
“I mean it, Minseok. There was a ton of snowfall last night.”
Minseok bats away at the duvet covering his face as he sits up in a flash. “What? What are you trying to say?”
Jongdae calmly sets aside the newspaper as he runs his fingers through Minseok’s messy hair. “While you were telling me your story, there was a snowstorm outside.”
“What does that have to do with me?”
Everything. It all has something to do with you, you moron.
“I’m just helping you understand where this is all coming from.” Jongdae’s eyes are almost ethereal to Minseok’s squinted vision. For a moment it makes Minseok think about what Jongdae has done for him ever since he chose to stay over at his place but he’s done nothing in return to be thankful for the help he gets.
“So are you saying I caused last night’s snowstorm? What else? Are you going to blame me for the blizzard that became the worst in Alberta’s history, too? Come on!” Minseok’s close to raising his voice at this point, while Jongdae remains in his position and merely observes his reaction.
The two of them fail to notice, however, is that snow is falling down in large amounts just outside Minseok’s place. The more Minseok gives himself more reason to be angry, the more the weather continues to manifest itself in worse ways.
Almost there. You’re doing it.
“What if I told you all of those were your fault? What would you do?” Jongdae shifts away from the bed and stands by the window. He keeps an eye on both the progression of the snowstorm and Minseok’s simmering anger.
Just a little more.
“Why are you telling me this? Do you honestly think blaming the snowstorms on me will lessen the guilt?” Minseok gets on all fours, crawling towards the other side of the bed. He’s so close to smashing Jongdae’s head against the window and yet he tries to simmer down a bit - to see if this is actually leaning towards a different way.
Jongdae meets Minseok halfway on the bed, with two fingers cupping his chin. The action’s almost too perfect to be orchestrated.
“Because, Kim Minseok,” Jongdae’s breath is warm against Minseok’s face; his voice soft and pleasing to hear. “I’m here to help you control them.” Before Minseok even gets a chance to ask what the hell Jongdae is talking about, he feels Jongdae’s lips on his. Jongdae takes is slow; he doesn’t want to admit that he’s never kissed someone on the lips before since that might make it all weirder for the two of them. So, he relishes in the fact that he’s spent his first kiss on someone like Minseok.
Outside, the snowfall gradually depletes with time, almost as if someone has recorded the whole ordeal and replayed it in slow-motion. In reality, Minseok still doesn’t realize the extent of his control on snow. Then again, he’s sure now that with the way his heart beats to the idea of Jongdae kissing him more often somewhat keeps the snow at bay.
Somewhat.
The time it takes between the two of them locking lips to looking at each other’s eyes afterwards is more than enough for the snowstorm outside to stop. Even then, Minseok is still somewhat skeptical at what he can do.
“Convinced?” Jongdae smiles and eases his hold on Minseok’s chin. The view from the window is bright from the sunshine and for a minute, Jongdae relishes the heat he feels on his back. Now that Minseok’s slightly convinced, Jongdae can find it easier for him to be truthful about what he can really do.
Minseok treats Jongdae to coffee later that day. The place they end up at finds itself isolated between residential homes and empty streets. At first, Jongdae clearly hesitates by lagging behind Minseok as they’re walking down the sidewalk. The minute Minseok notices Jongdae’s demeanor, however, he does the same just so they’re walking side by side.
“Are you slowing down on purpose because you’re afraid I’m leading you to a dangerous place?” In reality, Jongdae has nothing to be afraid of. When they’re in the middle of a residential area filled with homes, cars and trees keeping them company, why should he be afraid - of all things to feel right now, why fear?
“I’m just -” Jongdae stops in his tracks; Minseok looks back at the young man, “I never really got used to going out most of the time. But now that I’ve been here for quite a while now, I really need to get used to this, don’t I?”
In reality, Jongdae’s not actually used to going out all the time. More than finding it hard to get used to the idea, he feels estranged, even more so. After years of considering himself a couch potato, he’s never really met anyone who would devote all their attention to him - except for Minseok.
It is then that he feels something akin to a familiar sort of warmth in his chest, the way one feels when they’ve grown too attached to a loved one. He knows he’s kissed Minseok earlier that day but there hasn’t been any difference to the way his heart beats for him. The feeling was belated. Now, he understands.
There’s something in the way Minseok asks him out every day. Whether they’re for coffee or just sitting in the local library where Jongdae reads manga, and Minseok reads books by Ayn Rand and Jack Kerouac (Jongdae calls them ‘serious books’; judging by the books he reads, Minseok really doesn’t have to ask).
Even at nights when Jongdae still insists on sharing a bed with Minseok long after the latter has cleared out the spare room, he clings to that familiar warmth seeping out from Minseok’s skin. He finds it horrible that he’s never really learned how to pay back Minseok’s gratitude and kindness. Fortunately, he knows one way to settle that.
Later that evening, Jongdae asks Minseok if he can sit by the roof. Minseok’s sister merely laughs at the idea, and for as much as Minseok asks what Jongdae has in store for the two of them, he is persistent in keeping the finer details to himself.
“I just,” Jongdae says, insisting his request actually has a purpose, “I need the roof because I have a surprise for Minseok.”
Minseok only warns him that they shouldn’t make too much noise; their neighbors aren’t really used to the idea of kids sitting on the roof and causing trouble. Then again, Jongdae repeats that they’re not going to make noise - not too much, anyways.
The two of them are lucky to even find the night sky perfectly clear in its view. It only makes Jongdae’s plan much more feasible.
“What did you have in mind?” Minseok asks, lying down by the carpet they’re using as their makeshift cushion, thrown over the metal roofing for comfort. Beside him, Jongdae remains fixated on the night sky. The two of them are in thick jackets from the harsh winter wind but neither seems bothered by it.
“I promised you that I was going to help you control your powers,” Jongdae says, looking at Minseok as if he’s finding something - a message written on his face, probably. “Before that, though. I wanted to show you mine.”
Before Minseok gets to laugh at the horrible idea, Jongdae stares at the city before them. In a flash, the two of them see lightning hitting an area between two homes. Minseok sits up, silently praying no one had been hit on accident.
“Did you see that?! Goodness, someone might get hurt,” Minseok says, softly. The young man beside him is softly giggling with one hand on his mouth.
“What’s so funny? Getting struck by lightning could get you killed!”
“You’re adorable,” Jongdae practically croons out the word and Minseok feels slightly insulted. “Statistically speaking, the chances of getting struck by lightning in a lifetime are one in 3,000.”
Minseok stutters in his speech, his mind searching for a way to rebut Jongdae’s statistical approach. “Relax,” the younger man says, his hand gripping Minseok’s tightly, “I did that on purpose; never hurt anyone in years.”
“Lightning?! Of all the things you can control, it had to be lightning?”
“What’s so wrong with that?”
“At least-” Minseok gestures to the view before them, unsure of what to say next, “at least let it be something that could match mine!”
Jongdae cringes in response. Minseok hugs him by the waist and laughs, “I’m sorry, that sounded so horrible.”
Minseok and Jongdae wake up the next morning, after they hear Minseok’s sister calling for the two of them from the living room. Both men emerge from the shared room to see a government official rambling away on television.
We have been recently informed, by means of anonymous tips, about an increasing number of weather abnormalities in different parts of the world. Although Alberta remains unaffected as of recently, we would like to ask everyone to be on the lookout for these strange creatures that pose themselves as human beings, but actually have control over the elements. Look around you; they can either be your best friend, your relative, or even someone in your family. If any of you happen to have any information about these people, we are more than willing to exchange a guaranteed protection against these abnormalities. Thank you and have a nice day.
As the current channel returns to its scheduled reruns of old dramas, Minseok’s sister turns off the television abruptly.
“Don’t think that I don’t know,” she says sternly, almost angrily, even. “I heard the two of you yelling the other day about oppa being the main cause of the horrible snowstorms in the city.”
Minseok instantly wakes up upon the knowledge that his sister knows the truth about him. He looks over to Jongdae, the younger man still squinting from the dust covering his eyes. The two of them had heard the announcement loud and clear. Slowly, the fear starts to instill itself in both of them, but neither seems fazed by it.
“I knew it,” Jongdae says groggily. He sits down on the couch with his head almost lolling to one side as he forces himself not to drift off back to sleep as he explains. “Long before I left for Alberta, I knew this was coming by a longshot.”
He’d thought about it long and hard: before he drifted off to sleep, contemplated it in the shower, and even dreamt of it at some point before the snowstorm took place in Alberta. Long before Jongdae had met Minseok and even thought about the chances of encountering more people who had control over the elements, he was already paranoid.
If ever the government learns about Jongdae and his kind - the people who had control over the elements in which the term freaks and creatures had been given the term to, they’ll forever be considered outcasts of society. Although they may not be aware of the extent of their own capabilities, with the vast innovations that have allowed the world to change through the years, scientists may be even motivated to run tests on these people and find a way to eliminate them permanently.
It is just as he expected. Over the next few weeks, local media is taken over by the government. Jongdae finds no time to look through the weather forums he frequents anymore. At the back of his mind, he hears that was taken down too. Propaganda and censorship slowly corrupts the things they frequently see around the city. At most, it took over newspapers and radio stations. The government insists nothing’s going on; putting less spotlight on the weather abnormalities happening in other countries and instead focus on the idea that these freaks of nature are to be eliminated and a status quo is to be upheld.
Jongdae fears the worst-case scenario has him staying in Alberta for good. His paranoia has led him to the idea that airports might have increased security to prevent people like him and Minseok from leaving the country. For all they know the minute they leave the country, immigration might have them labelled as fugitives and prevent them from ever entering the country.
“So, that’s it then,” Minseok says. For once in his life, he fears the idea of stepping out from the comforts of his own home. Even the idea of visiting the local library has plagued him. What are the chances of the government limiting their access to books that might give them the idea of rebellion? Very high, for that matter.
Minseok fears they are regressing as a society. He fears the government might be falling back into old habits. Back to history in which they burned books to prevent people from learning anything besides the propaganda that has been made into a staple in their daily lives.
Each day that passes becomes monotonous for the three of them. As much as Jongdae would love to ignite the fire in people’s hearts to force a rebellion against the government, he can’t. He’s not sure if there’s anyone else out there that’s of the same kind as him and Minseok. Eventually, Jongdae resolves to stay in Alberta for good, at least until this entire situation calms down.
Unfortunately, both Jongdae and Minseok know that this will never calm down; not with the way the government is slowly shrouding them in a cloud of mystery.
“Mail came in,” Minseok’s sister says. She flips the envelope back and forth but sees no return address.
“Who’s it from?”
“I don’t know, there’s no return address.”
After minutes of debate on whether the letter might be suspicious or not, Jongdae takes it from the two siblings and opens it up himself.
“See? Harmless,” Jongdae puts up the letter for both of them to see. Its only content is a large emblem at the middle of the paper.
Eventually, it leaves the three of them clueless at the meaning of the emblem and where it came from.
pairing: jongdae/minseok
rating: pg
warnings: n/a
summary: one spark gave him the idea for a revolution; this is his journey.
author's note: my fic in participation with chenpionships round 2.
At the young age of seven, Jongdae had begun to realize he was unlike any other child he had encountered in school. The first time he realized he had control over thunder, he had been in his room watching the thick raindrops pouring down the only window he could see. With the flick of a finger, white streaks of light flashed along his line of vision and - there it was - the loud, clamoring noise that filled his ears and slightly shook his room. He had been startled at the power he could manage with only a finger, but he did not think about what else he could do at the moment.
The years that gave way to aging and a broader knowledge of his powers gave him plenty more attempts to play around with what he could do. Soon, he felt relief and comfort knowing he had full control over such a powerful force in nature.
It is when he turns twenty-one that the thunderstorms begin to make themselves known, and eventually his powers also extends to control over electricity. Back then, he could only conjure and control short strikes in random places, mostly whenever it rains so no one suspected a thing. Now that he’s grown up and fully understands the concept of seasons and times when it should be raining and not, he times these thunderstorms perfectly so that people who happen to witness and study their origins would not be able to account for them - not with the amount of technology that has helped them survive over the years.
The thunderstorms happen at least twice - at most four times a day. Citizens are often left baffled at the frequent occurrences of these so much that if often leads to people dying or blackouts that would span across several cities, lasting for hours on end. It is only when Jongdae sees the headlines speak of lightning-caused accidents that he becomes amazed at the effect of his powers.
Jongdae has read books about it; he admires the way the bright lines that remain vivid against the dark sky, and the way they branch out like vines that would wrap it around objects sticking up from the ground. He often compares the way lightning strikes act like scorpions would. It is their presence that delivers fear into their victim’s minds and shivers along their skin. The loud uproar at the end of the ordeal is just the icing on the cake; just as a scorpion would sting their victim and leave as if nothing had happened.
The more frequently these thunderstorms take place, the more others ignored it and considered it an essential part of their culture and way of life. Meanwhile, as Jongdae pays more attention to the news and continues to look out for other unnatural atmospheric events, he soon believed he isn’t the only one who has control over the elements.
Minseok’s eyes brim with tears. The loud winds roar just outside his window. “A storm’s coming,” hails the voice of a female, as she looks out the window. “That’s weird. The weather today never had that as the forecast.
If there’s one thing Minseok has observed while growing up, it’s that weather forecasts are merely speculations - it doesn’t mean it’s true.
He hears the sound of the door closing just as he closes his eyes and allows the tears that have accumulated to fall quickly down his cheeks. His chest feels heavy and he feels a slight pain whenever he tries to breathe heavily. The snow outside is getting worse even as the tears continue to fall.
It’s barely dark out when Minseok attempts to cry himself to sleep. The storm brews into an unsuspecting blizzard deep into the night that leave everyone else stranded and struggling to get to different places. Minseok only just realizes his tears have crystallized as the snow that has accumulated on the ground outside his place is lifted by the strong winds, and wipes out any remaining visibility.
His emotions have stirred up a storm, both within himself, and the environment that surrounds him.
The year is 2057. As soon as Jongdae turns on his television to catch up on the news, he immediately gets word on a severe blizzard in the Pacific Northwest. Weather officials from other countries are left speculating on the possible factors that might have contributed to the creation of this natural disaster. Reporters mention that they have barely received word from the local weather officials ever since they had been found seeking refuge at a Costco outlet.
Jongdae shakes his head in disappointment; no one besides him and those who have control over the elements can explain this phenomenon. Of course, should he decide to reveal his strange ability, he’ll be labelled as a freak - a freak of nature, literally speaking.
He searches through various social media portals for a way to get more information on where the blizzard had originated; there he stumbles upon an active discussion that includes members spanning across different countries. Several hypotheses include global warming, and the unnatural and sudden drop in temperatures which might have been the primary cause. Global warming had been an issue - Jongdae remembers reading about it in a book. However, rapid technological advancements had been a huge help in mending the damages made to the ozone layer. He’s sure that’ll never happen again anytime soon.
The rapid exchange of words between every active forum member gets Jongdae unconsciously twitching in his seat. He’s never imagined such a topic to spark such comments and speculation. In the back of his mind, he tries not to think about the fact that none of the members have ever brought up the topic of people like him; or any supernatural forces that might have conjured this unnatural catastrophe.
He turns off his laptop in hopes of steering his mind away from the dangers of getting his kind exposed; the stress builds up from within his chest as he closes his eyes and releases a heavy sigh as he tries to move on.
Minseok wakes up, as if it were a knee-jerk reaction, the minute he feels his younger sister punching his arm and yelling into his ear. Her words are slowly drowning out in his head but the ones that he can make out are blizzard and Costco. He tries to remember the rest, but his mind seems to have forgotten them, like white noise to a broken television.
“There was a blizzard in Costco?” Minseok says wearily, his eyes seeking out his sister in the middle of his trashed room. As his sister takes him by the forearm and tugs him along to the living room, he spots their television still in the middle of a Breaking News broadcast.
“See for yourself,” she says.
We continue our Breaking News telecast from last night’s cataclysmic events in what could possibly be referred to as the worst blizzard in recorded history. We are situated just outside the local Costco outlet where the majority of the local weather experts have found themselves stranded for days before the worst of the blizzard had broken out. More updates in the next hour.
Minseok’s sister puts the television on mute just so she can keep an eye on the news without having to hear the ones she finds irrelevant. “Do you believe me now?” she asks.
It’s not that Minseok can’t believe his sister’s statement, as well as the news reporters’, but he has an unreachable itch in the back of his mind that tells him there’s something wrong in all this, he just can’t pinpoint exactly what.
The young man still finds himself mesmerized at the television even after the audio has been muted. Something in this phenomenon has earned his full attention but he’s clueless as for where to start. “Do you remember what time the blizzard started?” he asks, trying to recognize the reporter’s words through the motions of her lips.
His sister had left him to his own thoughts some moments ago as she’d wandered off to the kitchen instead. “I think it happened around nine last night? I can’t remember,” she replies loudly. Closing the cupboards with a muffled thud, she slinks out of the kitchen holding a small ceramic mug filled with piping hot tea.
He clearly remembers falling asleep way before the blizzard had been at its worst. Then again, it particularly bothers him how his sleep had not been disrupted during its peak. Excess fatigue might have lulled him to sleep, but surely a blizzard being hailed as the worst in history, should have done something to it. He purposely leaves out the part where he’d silently sobbed himself to sleep; no one else has to learn about that detail in particular.
Weeks pass by like seconds to a clock. The local weather experts who had originally found themselves stranded during the blizzard emerge from the Costco outlet alive. Paramedics storm the area almost instantaneously as soon as reports of the insufficient stocks of the outlet come out through various media portals.
It takes them at least a few days to a couple of weeks before they announce their findings to the press. According to them, after extensive research, they have not managed to find a concrete explanation behind the blizzard. Surface temperature, however, had been above freezing level at least a few hours before the blizzard began, until it ended a few days later. They are also unsure of the snowflakes’ origins and how they grew and fell, noting that because it had been unexpected, the signs to tell all of these also came and went as the catastrophe had.
The weather expert being interviewed scratches his head absently from time to time, in between answers. As he talks, he scans through his small tickler to even just a single hint that could help him explain this phenomenon to the citizens who have been affected. Finally, his voice ends up being drowned out by the sound of plows cleaning the slush-filled streets, and with each second that passes, he shifts his hidden tickler further behind his back. There is nothing more he can do but give up, as the rest of the team that he represents behind the camera have done also.
Eventually, Jongdae slowly realizes he isn’t the only person to have been left puzzled by this event. It only serves to fuel his motivation to search for the person who had conjured up this blizzard; even it is means travelling halfway around the world for it.
The aftermath of the blizzard has been all but forgiving to the people. Nearby airports have been shut down, major highways and roads have been closed, people have been stranded. For a generation who have had found themselves admittedly heavily dependent on technology, they have found themselves stuck and dumbfounded at what to do. Little by little, however, they’re coping with the mess they have to fix.
The more Jongdae had pays attention to the news, they less they showcase the aftermath of the blizzard. However, it proves otherwise in the forums he frequented. People are determined to visit the affected city for them to see how the people are trying to get back up from this disaster. It comes as a relief to everyone knowing there are as little as two fatalities from the blizzard. One young man and a middle-aged woman - both died of extreme hypothermia - after trying to brave the severe weather on their own.
It wasn’t long after Jongdae brought himself a plane ticket to Alberta that leaves in a week that he realized he’s never really thought about his accommodations and other things he might need to take care of. Packing up all the jackets he can find lying around his house, he prays the weather will be kind to him - somewhat.
Exactly a week later, Jongdae gets to Alberta and is shocked to see people are still clearing up the streets. I didn’t think it would be this bad, he thinks to himself. Having come from a tropical country, he shivers visibly at the extreme drop in temperature. He stands in the middle of a main road and becomes slightly mortified at the sight before him.
He doesn’t recognize the presence standing beside him until he’s offered coffee in a small Styrofoam cup. “You seem new to the town.” The guy Jongdae’s faced with is a few inches shorter than him. His features, however, tell a different story. He looks mature for his appearance. His eyes are gaunt and the dark crescents that form directly underneath them are neatly hiding behind layers of CC cream.
Jongdae hesitantly takes the cup, both his hands wrapping around it by instinct, desperately seeking warmth. It’s not just his surroundings, but even the people themselves who seem cold here, as they tired themselves out from working. “Can’t you tell?” he replies. He looks down at his jacket, the thickest one he could find at home. He remembers buying it in a thrift store at a very cheap price several years back. No doubt, it’s one the perks of buying winter jackets in a tropical country.
The guy beside him playfully ruffles the large ball of fur that keeps Jongdae’s neck warm. “No one wears these in this day and age.” The two of them can’t help but laugh at each other. The guy offers his hand, and says, “I’m Minseok, by the way. Never thought I’d run into a Korean in a place like this.”
Jongdae accepts the handshake with one of his warm hands, “Jongdae. You have no idea how relieved I am to meet you.”
The two end up at Minseok’s apartment after Jongdae told him that he was a backpacker researching on weather abnormalities. As much as possible, he’d tried getting a flight to Alberta as soon as the airports were operational just so he could get his own findings on the affected area. Jongdae hadn’t been able to find a place to stay before he decided to buy tickets and this (not so subtly) asks Minseok if he could stay over with him indefinitely.
Much to Jongdae’s surprise; Minseok was more than gracious; especially towards someone he’s barely known for a day.
The warmth that surrounds Minseok’s place leaves Jongdae frozen at the steps as soon as he gets in. “Are you sure it’s alright?” he says meekly.
“For the fifth time, it’s more than alright, Jongdae,” he replies, throwing his jacket over the couch. “I live in here with my younger sister,” he says, his voice slightly muffled as he browses through the refrigerator for something to eat.
“So it’s just you and your sister? How about your parents? What do you do?” All the questions flow out of Jongdae’s mouth endlessly as soon as he finds comfort in Minseok’s couch. The other hears him but doesn’t answer; it immediately takes Jongdae aback and hesitates from asking further questions.
The two of them don’t talk until Minseok walks over to the couch a little while later to hand Jongdae a warm sandwich. “Thought you might be hungry from your trip,” he says. The two of them sit visibly apart from each other as they eat their sandwiches. Jongdae silently observes how Minseok is very organized with the upkeep of his place; all his books are all too neatly arranged on their shelves, by size, title and color.
It is when Jongdae’s eyes are affixed on a certain portrait hanging above the dining table that Minseok disrupts the brooding silence between them. “So, you said you research weather abnormalities? How did that come around?”
Had Jongdae been focused on the portrait more than his words, he would have instantly blurted that he had full control over anything between electricity and thunder. Instead, he stutters and ends up choking on a small piece of bread crust he had been chewing at that moment.
Jongdae ends up coughing uncontrollably as Minseok pats his shoulders to relieve him of the discomfort, “I’m sorry, was that too abrupt of a question?” he asks, alternating between pats and eating from his sandwich nonchalantly.
As soon as Jongdae collects himself, he leaves the rest of the sandwich on the coffee table. He fails to notice Minseok slightly reacting violently to it but restrains himself from calling Jongdae out so suddenly, besides the fact that he’s going to be a guest of his for quite a while.
“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Jongdae says, glancing over to Minseok looking a bit relieved that his clumsiness is going to be one less thing to take care of. “I meant to say that I had a personal experience with a weather abnormality at my place a couple of years ago, when I was young. Ever since then, I became really invested in the research, especially since I can travel for it.”
It’s not the full truth, or so Jongdae likes to make himself think. Rather, he should be saying this is the first time he’s ever really motivated himself to seek out the source of the blizzard. On the other hand, he’s especially embarrassed about the fact that the substantial information he has are the things he reads on the forums; the discussions by other weather experts out there who know way more than Jongdae does.
Silence broods over the two of them again. It allows Jongdae to let his mind roam for a bit as he thinks about the chances of whether the government had actually intervened in the midst of the catastrophe. If they realized the origins of the blizzard couldn’t be accounted for and had actually been conjured by one person alone, everything would fall into chaos. International forums between different countries will be created, scientists will be forced to capture people like Jongdae and test them for future experiments. For him, the mere thought of being tested on sends visible shivers down his spine, causing Minseok to quickly glance over in his direction.
“Are you sure you’re alright? You seem very troubled by your thoughts.” Somehow Minseok’s concern makes Jongdae’s heart skip a beat. He’s not exactly sure why, but he thinks he’s going to gain plenty of stuff for research just from this trip alone.
When Minseok leaves his younger sister and Jongdae alone together while he buys food for dinner, Jongdae feels the house easing up a bit from the awkward silence it had previously experienced.
“It’s been a very long time since oppa brought someone with him here,” Minseok’s sister says. She and Jongdae are seated at the dining table, and with the way Minseok’s sister eyes him, he can tell she’s very uninterested in him.
“We literally just met this morning,” Jongdae replies, his eyes are still focused on the vague painting near them. His sister can’t tell but Jongdae has been starting to wonder who the person is on the painting and if it has any significance to them. Asking outright might make him too ignorant of anything else, so he waits for either one to explain it themselves the minute they notice him. “How long are we talking about?”
It’s probably rude of him to even ask anything about Minseok’s past, especially since there’s a slight chance his sister might come upon some personal stories that his brother would rather keep between the two of them. Then again, this whole problem doesn’t stop Minseok’s sister from talking, anyway.
“It was a few years ago,” his sister begins by saying. By the looks of it, she’s got the words collected in her mouth - ready to tell all, if she could. But then, the more she wants to continue what she’s started, the less her words are being voiced out. Heaving a sigh as if she’s bearing the burden on her shoulders, “Oppa should be telling you this, not me! I never wanted to bear the burden, but why do I feel so horrible whenever I’m about to talk about it?!”
It came to the point where Minseok’s sister freaking out made Jongdae realize that he really shouldn’t be asking these things. “I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have asked; it was rude of me to do so,” he says.
The young girl shifts her gaze away from Jongdae abruptly as she attempts to force her tears back, not wanting them to fall. Minseok lecturing her to hold her tongue in front of strangers more often is probably the last thing that’s going to happen. Mostly because Minseok rarely does that; he lets her be on her own and lets her conscience do the lecturing for him instead.
“I just --” she begins again. Her words are choking her and the air around her makes it harder for her to breathe, but it won’t stop her from telling the story. “You should know that he’s prone to emotional breakdowns, though.”
That’s not something you tell someone on the first meeting, Jongdae thinks. On one hand, he thinks he should be flattered at the thought of Minseok’s sister thinking they’re together. At the same time, the premise of frequent emotional breakdowns instills a certain kind of fear within him; one that urges himself to back away while he still can.
“The last time oppa brought someone home was close to three years ago. I couldn’t remember what his name was since oppa told me never to mention his name in this household. All I can remember was that he was sweet. He was a very sweet young man whom Minseok-oppa loved so dearly before he was gone forever.”
The silence that had followed her words soon after left Jongdae speechless. It had stopped him from asking any further questions - or even say anything else after that. It was when Minseok came back with arms filled with grocery bags that his sister had left Jongdae alone at the dinner table to assist her older brother with arranging the ingredients he bought to cook dinner with.
It plagues Jongdae to think about the circumstances of this person’s death. He wants to ask Minseok about his past life, but the pressure on whether Minseok would be willing to answer him or not itches at him like a rash that can’t go away. In the end, he keeps the question to himself primarily because this is information that should be kept from him and instead, Minseok telling him voluntarily, at his own time and pace, would be much more appropriate.
Although a part of him becomes much more interested and attracted to Minseok. Not in the sort of attraction that results in love, rather the kind that pushes someone to know a person fully - inside and out. After learning the kind of backstory his sister experiences second-hand, he wants to have a first-hand experience on how Minseok grows to love someone, only to see them die before him. This radical human emotion is certainly alien to him and it motivates him even more to become closer to that very stranger who welcomed him into his home even though they’ve only known each other for a few hours.
That very evening, Jongdae finds himself too overwhelmed to initiate any sort of conversation with Minseok. He becomes unusually quiet while they were all eating together. Minseok and his sister are talking about things they know between each other and laughing at what each has to say. The more they are ostracizing Jongdae from the conversation, the more he finds himself reflecting on what happened to Minseok’s previous lover and whether he is the unlikely source of the emotional breakdowns he often has.
The night comes to a close with Jongdae eventually having to share a bad with Minseok. The latter reasons out that their place is a mess - unusual from somebody like Minseok who looks like he prefers things to be orderly, judging from what Jongdae witnesses from the way he arranges the living room. Minseok feels quite embarrassed to say the least; he probably hopes to give Jongdae a spare room for him to sleep in alone. Then again, the only spare room they have is too cumbersome to clean out because it hadn’t been touched for years and it is close to midnight when they finally succumb to the arms of sleep.
The following days are nothing if not ritualistic and monotonous, if one had to ask Jongdae how his day went. It turns out, however, that Jongdae had underestimated Minseok if the former felt the person he was living with had nothing else to do.
Jongdae slowly discovers after accompanying Minseok in his errands around the city, that the latter is actually a successful student - albeit much older than Jongdae. However, as Minseok tells him, he personally finds his frequent mental and emotional instability a burden to his colleagues that he’d voluntarily chosen to drop out instead.
Wasted talent, that’s what Jongdae thinks they both are.
“What do you do in your free time?” Jongdae feels he’s being asked an ice-breaker question; which is what it really is. Considering he’s been too scared to ask Minseok anything after that one time he’d blatantly refused to answer a common question, Jongdae waits for Minseok to ask instead.
“I stay at home most of the day, reading through forum boards run by weather experts from different countries.” Jongdae feels goose-bumps running along his arms even though he’s under three layers of clothing. With the way he spends his days and the clothes he wears, it makes Minseok gleefully laugh under his scarf.
“Do you consider yourself an expert at that craft?” Minseok’s voice remains muffled beneath thick scarves and face masks as he laughs with every word he says. He spreads an arm over Jongdae’s shoulders that the younger is close to embracing him. “Either way, at least you’ve found your spot out there, unlike me.”
The statement gets Jongdae’s mind running. He instantly remembers that he hasn’t heard of any weather abnormalities ever since he arrived at Alberta. “Minseok-hyung.” Jongdae’s voice remains hesitant; mostly unsure of whether he’s going to get an answer or not, but he takes the risk anyways, “Have you ever met anyone who has kept you in place? Even for a brief moment?”
The words flee Jongdae’s lips like snowflakes that fall from the heavens. They’re slow and they move against the wind’s direction until they fall gently to the ground. Even though the words hang heavy between them, Minseok takes his time and collects his own words. There is no right or wrong answer, but Jongdae holds his breath, hoping Minseok’s long years of being silent finally falls apart and that he finds hope once again.
Minseok glances towards the horizon. It is midday and as the sun’s largely shrouded by thick fog, it becomes of no use either as streetlights around them are left on almost the entire day. “There has,” and Jongdae slowly releases his hold on his breath, “but I’ll tell the rest back at my place; it’s too personal.”
Jongdae’s mildly unsure of whether that’s a good thing or not, considering he’s already received a precaution from Minseok’s own sister, no less. Then again, if Minseok’s prone to getting an emotional breakdown that’s triggered by previous trauma, he’s glad he’s aware of what might happen.
What really ends up happening, however, is certainly not what Jongdae had been expecting ever since his arrival.
Minseok’s sister is nowhere to be seen the minute the two guys arrive home. Minseok doesn’t seem to be worried at all. “She has her own needs; probably just went out to spend the afternoon alone,” he says calmly, hanging his coat on the hanger beside the doorway. The strange painting above the dinner table catches Jongdae’s eye again and it makes him shiver on where he stands. Minseok doesn’t seem to notice Jongdae’s odd demeanor, however.
The two of them come home to a neat stack of sandwiches in the kitchen. It makes up for the fact that they had never even thought about eating lunch outside or even stopping for a break when they had too many errands to run on their hands.
“Who was it?” Jongdae asks in between chews. The two of them are seated facing one another, and the more Jongdae tries to observe Minseok’s facial expressions, the less he actually sees them changing.
“His name was Junmyeon. He was younger than me; around your age, if I remember correctly. He was,” Minseok stops, slightly choking on his words. Jongdae sees that he has the story set in his head, ready to be played out accordingly like a recording that has been worked on for years. But the content remains too heavy for him to speak out. “He was a sweet young man, Junmyeon. He was unlike any other; quite special, even. He had control over things. I never believed him until he took me out for walking; we ended up by a lake after journeying around the forest for nearly an hour. That was the very first time he showed me what he could do. He played with the water with his hands without getting them wet, even. It was extraordinary, to say the least. I felt spellbound by his charm, literally.”
Minseok’s voice toned down into much softer than his usual indoor voice. He wanted to stop himself from continuing the story, but somehow as soon as he had started, his feelings flowed out like words to paper. His tears begin pooling in his eyes the more he felt himself coming close to the most painful part of his past.
Suddenly, Jongdae hears a slight rumbling from outside Minseok’s place. He urges himself not to get up and take a look what’s going on, and instead he waits. There hasn’t been any sort of weather change ever since the blizzard but his gut feeling has him thinking he’s close to finding the source of the weather abnormalities.
“A day came where Junmyeon had to leave for somewhere else. He couldn’t tell me where; all he told me was that he couldn’t stay here - it was dangerous for someone like him to stick around in one place forever. I didn’t understand. In fact, looking back at my actions, I was too rash and inconsiderate of his situation. I broke up with him that very day he was due to leave town.”
“That very same scene plagued my thoughts for years; never allowing me to move on. It manifested itself in dreams and even glimpses of the mind. It was the main cause of my emotional breakdown; yet, nobody has ever taken the time to understand why these things were happening to me - except for you, Jongdae.”
Minseok’s words finally end, his past coming together now, and it’s only then that Jongdae notices that the rumbling has persisted and growing into a full-scale snowstorm that ends up lasting the entire night.
In a way, he feels horrible for pushing Minseok to his emotional limits. However, he wouldn’t have gained the answers he had been seeking all this time if it weren’t for this.
When Jongdae wakes up the next morning, still on the bed he shares with Minseok, he wonders whether it’s a horrible idea to tell the latter he also has the same powers as Junmyeon.
At the same time, he also realizes he still needs more questions answered. Probably triggering the emotional breakdown would seem horrible, but then since he’s already started it with last night’s conversation, he feels that he’s got nothing else to lose from there.
Minseok wakes up abruptly, as if he’s just been in a train wreck, jerked awake. He peers over to his side to see Jongdae as bright as the sun, seated beside him as he keeps himself busy with some old newspapers he‘s found lying around.
“What happened last night?” Minseok’s voice is hoarse and he feels the onset of a heavy migraine. Meanwhile, Jongdae seems to be feeling nothing of the sort and instead greets him warmly.
“You wouldn’t even believe what happened last night.”
“Sounds like a blast coming from you,” Minseok groans as he covers his face with the thick duvet.
“I mean it, Minseok. There was a ton of snowfall last night.”
Minseok bats away at the duvet covering his face as he sits up in a flash. “What? What are you trying to say?”
Jongdae calmly sets aside the newspaper as he runs his fingers through Minseok’s messy hair. “While you were telling me your story, there was a snowstorm outside.”
“What does that have to do with me?”
Everything. It all has something to do with you, you moron.
“I’m just helping you understand where this is all coming from.” Jongdae’s eyes are almost ethereal to Minseok’s squinted vision. For a moment it makes Minseok think about what Jongdae has done for him ever since he chose to stay over at his place but he’s done nothing in return to be thankful for the help he gets.
“So are you saying I caused last night’s snowstorm? What else? Are you going to blame me for the blizzard that became the worst in Alberta’s history, too? Come on!” Minseok’s close to raising his voice at this point, while Jongdae remains in his position and merely observes his reaction.
The two of them fail to notice, however, is that snow is falling down in large amounts just outside Minseok’s place. The more Minseok gives himself more reason to be angry, the more the weather continues to manifest itself in worse ways.
Almost there. You’re doing it.
“What if I told you all of those were your fault? What would you do?” Jongdae shifts away from the bed and stands by the window. He keeps an eye on both the progression of the snowstorm and Minseok’s simmering anger.
Just a little more.
“Why are you telling me this? Do you honestly think blaming the snowstorms on me will lessen the guilt?” Minseok gets on all fours, crawling towards the other side of the bed. He’s so close to smashing Jongdae’s head against the window and yet he tries to simmer down a bit - to see if this is actually leaning towards a different way.
Jongdae meets Minseok halfway on the bed, with two fingers cupping his chin. The action’s almost too perfect to be orchestrated.
“Because, Kim Minseok,” Jongdae’s breath is warm against Minseok’s face; his voice soft and pleasing to hear. “I’m here to help you control them.” Before Minseok even gets a chance to ask what the hell Jongdae is talking about, he feels Jongdae’s lips on his. Jongdae takes is slow; he doesn’t want to admit that he’s never kissed someone on the lips before since that might make it all weirder for the two of them. So, he relishes in the fact that he’s spent his first kiss on someone like Minseok.
Outside, the snowfall gradually depletes with time, almost as if someone has recorded the whole ordeal and replayed it in slow-motion. In reality, Minseok still doesn’t realize the extent of his control on snow. Then again, he’s sure now that with the way his heart beats to the idea of Jongdae kissing him more often somewhat keeps the snow at bay.
Somewhat.
The time it takes between the two of them locking lips to looking at each other’s eyes afterwards is more than enough for the snowstorm outside to stop. Even then, Minseok is still somewhat skeptical at what he can do.
“Convinced?” Jongdae smiles and eases his hold on Minseok’s chin. The view from the window is bright from the sunshine and for a minute, Jongdae relishes the heat he feels on his back. Now that Minseok’s slightly convinced, Jongdae can find it easier for him to be truthful about what he can really do.
Minseok treats Jongdae to coffee later that day. The place they end up at finds itself isolated between residential homes and empty streets. At first, Jongdae clearly hesitates by lagging behind Minseok as they’re walking down the sidewalk. The minute Minseok notices Jongdae’s demeanor, however, he does the same just so they’re walking side by side.
“Are you slowing down on purpose because you’re afraid I’m leading you to a dangerous place?” In reality, Jongdae has nothing to be afraid of. When they’re in the middle of a residential area filled with homes, cars and trees keeping them company, why should he be afraid - of all things to feel right now, why fear?
“I’m just -” Jongdae stops in his tracks; Minseok looks back at the young man, “I never really got used to going out most of the time. But now that I’ve been here for quite a while now, I really need to get used to this, don’t I?”
In reality, Jongdae’s not actually used to going out all the time. More than finding it hard to get used to the idea, he feels estranged, even more so. After years of considering himself a couch potato, he’s never really met anyone who would devote all their attention to him - except for Minseok.
It is then that he feels something akin to a familiar sort of warmth in his chest, the way one feels when they’ve grown too attached to a loved one. He knows he’s kissed Minseok earlier that day but there hasn’t been any difference to the way his heart beats for him. The feeling was belated. Now, he understands.
There’s something in the way Minseok asks him out every day. Whether they’re for coffee or just sitting in the local library where Jongdae reads manga, and Minseok reads books by Ayn Rand and Jack Kerouac (Jongdae calls them ‘serious books’; judging by the books he reads, Minseok really doesn’t have to ask).
Even at nights when Jongdae still insists on sharing a bed with Minseok long after the latter has cleared out the spare room, he clings to that familiar warmth seeping out from Minseok’s skin. He finds it horrible that he’s never really learned how to pay back Minseok’s gratitude and kindness. Fortunately, he knows one way to settle that.
Later that evening, Jongdae asks Minseok if he can sit by the roof. Minseok’s sister merely laughs at the idea, and for as much as Minseok asks what Jongdae has in store for the two of them, he is persistent in keeping the finer details to himself.
“I just,” Jongdae says, insisting his request actually has a purpose, “I need the roof because I have a surprise for Minseok.”
Minseok only warns him that they shouldn’t make too much noise; their neighbors aren’t really used to the idea of kids sitting on the roof and causing trouble. Then again, Jongdae repeats that they’re not going to make noise - not too much, anyways.
The two of them are lucky to even find the night sky perfectly clear in its view. It only makes Jongdae’s plan much more feasible.
“What did you have in mind?” Minseok asks, lying down by the carpet they’re using as their makeshift cushion, thrown over the metal roofing for comfort. Beside him, Jongdae remains fixated on the night sky. The two of them are in thick jackets from the harsh winter wind but neither seems bothered by it.
“I promised you that I was going to help you control your powers,” Jongdae says, looking at Minseok as if he’s finding something - a message written on his face, probably. “Before that, though. I wanted to show you mine.”
Before Minseok gets to laugh at the horrible idea, Jongdae stares at the city before them. In a flash, the two of them see lightning hitting an area between two homes. Minseok sits up, silently praying no one had been hit on accident.
“Did you see that?! Goodness, someone might get hurt,” Minseok says, softly. The young man beside him is softly giggling with one hand on his mouth.
“What’s so funny? Getting struck by lightning could get you killed!”
“You’re adorable,” Jongdae practically croons out the word and Minseok feels slightly insulted. “Statistically speaking, the chances of getting struck by lightning in a lifetime are one in 3,000.”
Minseok stutters in his speech, his mind searching for a way to rebut Jongdae’s statistical approach. “Relax,” the younger man says, his hand gripping Minseok’s tightly, “I did that on purpose; never hurt anyone in years.”
“Lightning?! Of all the things you can control, it had to be lightning?”
“What’s so wrong with that?”
“At least-” Minseok gestures to the view before them, unsure of what to say next, “at least let it be something that could match mine!”
Jongdae cringes in response. Minseok hugs him by the waist and laughs, “I’m sorry, that sounded so horrible.”
Minseok and Jongdae wake up the next morning, after they hear Minseok’s sister calling for the two of them from the living room. Both men emerge from the shared room to see a government official rambling away on television.
We have been recently informed, by means of anonymous tips, about an increasing number of weather abnormalities in different parts of the world. Although Alberta remains unaffected as of recently, we would like to ask everyone to be on the lookout for these strange creatures that pose themselves as human beings, but actually have control over the elements. Look around you; they can either be your best friend, your relative, or even someone in your family. If any of you happen to have any information about these people, we are more than willing to exchange a guaranteed protection against these abnormalities. Thank you and have a nice day.
As the current channel returns to its scheduled reruns of old dramas, Minseok’s sister turns off the television abruptly.
“Don’t think that I don’t know,” she says sternly, almost angrily, even. “I heard the two of you yelling the other day about oppa being the main cause of the horrible snowstorms in the city.”
Minseok instantly wakes up upon the knowledge that his sister knows the truth about him. He looks over to Jongdae, the younger man still squinting from the dust covering his eyes. The two of them had heard the announcement loud and clear. Slowly, the fear starts to instill itself in both of them, but neither seems fazed by it.
“I knew it,” Jongdae says groggily. He sits down on the couch with his head almost lolling to one side as he forces himself not to drift off back to sleep as he explains. “Long before I left for Alberta, I knew this was coming by a longshot.”
He’d thought about it long and hard: before he drifted off to sleep, contemplated it in the shower, and even dreamt of it at some point before the snowstorm took place in Alberta. Long before Jongdae had met Minseok and even thought about the chances of encountering more people who had control over the elements, he was already paranoid.
If ever the government learns about Jongdae and his kind - the people who had control over the elements in which the term freaks and creatures had been given the term to, they’ll forever be considered outcasts of society. Although they may not be aware of the extent of their own capabilities, with the vast innovations that have allowed the world to change through the years, scientists may be even motivated to run tests on these people and find a way to eliminate them permanently.
It is just as he expected. Over the next few weeks, local media is taken over by the government. Jongdae finds no time to look through the weather forums he frequents anymore. At the back of his mind, he hears that was taken down too. Propaganda and censorship slowly corrupts the things they frequently see around the city. At most, it took over newspapers and radio stations. The government insists nothing’s going on; putting less spotlight on the weather abnormalities happening in other countries and instead focus on the idea that these freaks of nature are to be eliminated and a status quo is to be upheld.
Jongdae fears the worst-case scenario has him staying in Alberta for good. His paranoia has led him to the idea that airports might have increased security to prevent people like him and Minseok from leaving the country. For all they know the minute they leave the country, immigration might have them labelled as fugitives and prevent them from ever entering the country.
“So, that’s it then,” Minseok says. For once in his life, he fears the idea of stepping out from the comforts of his own home. Even the idea of visiting the local library has plagued him. What are the chances of the government limiting their access to books that might give them the idea of rebellion? Very high, for that matter.
Minseok fears they are regressing as a society. He fears the government might be falling back into old habits. Back to history in which they burned books to prevent people from learning anything besides the propaganda that has been made into a staple in their daily lives.
Each day that passes becomes monotonous for the three of them. As much as Jongdae would love to ignite the fire in people’s hearts to force a rebellion against the government, he can’t. He’s not sure if there’s anyone else out there that’s of the same kind as him and Minseok. Eventually, Jongdae resolves to stay in Alberta for good, at least until this entire situation calms down.
Unfortunately, both Jongdae and Minseok know that this will never calm down; not with the way the government is slowly shrouding them in a cloud of mystery.
“Mail came in,” Minseok’s sister says. She flips the envelope back and forth but sees no return address.
“Who’s it from?”
“I don’t know, there’s no return address.”
After minutes of debate on whether the letter might be suspicious or not, Jongdae takes it from the two siblings and opens it up himself.
“See? Harmless,” Jongdae puts up the letter for both of them to see. Its only content is a large emblem at the middle of the paper.
Eventually, it leaves the three of them clueless at the meaning of the emblem and where it came from.