crowning the princess
pairing: kai/sehun
rating: pg
word count: 1,700 words
genre: fluff
warnings: girls!au
author's notes: written as a fill for this prompt.
“Sehun,” Jongin calls out softly, when she is done with her artwork. For the past half hour she has been working flowers into a crown, despite her friend snickering at her, telling her she was so old-fashioned, such a shigol girl. Jongin knows it’s not meant as an insult, rather it is Sehun’s way of telling her that Jongin is different to everyone else, to the people around Sehun. When it comes out of Sehun’s mouth, the word country bumpkin doesn’t sound so harsh
Sehun was born and grew up in Seoul, whereas Jongin only moved here, to Seodaemun-gu, not even a year ago. And while other girls don’t like to associate with the new countryside girl much, Sehun doesn’t seem to care. In fact, she has been quite clingy, claiming you’re mine when they bumped into each other two weeks into the school year. Jongin with her sociable nature couldn’t have been happier to finally find a friend among these stuck up city girls who made fun of her dialect and didn’t bother to get to know her (Jongin thinks her personality is quite okay and that it’s her strongest quality). No, those girls are too busy dollying themselves up and showcasing the newest watches, handbags, high heels and fashion to even glance sideways to a waving Jongin.
Sehun has fallen asleep, head pillowed on Jongin’s legs, the tanned girl realizes and she smiles, mimicking the soft expression on the other’s face. Jongin leans back against a tree, taking in breaths of fresh air. She enjoys the green space that paints the city in more natural colors far better than the signs and billboards of a huge metropolis do. What she has been missing the most is a place to breathe more freely and the feeling of grass tickling her bare legs, there, where it’s not covered by shorts and her dress. “Cute,” Sehun has said when they met up and smiled at the pink flowery patterns on the cream white chiffon, staring a little too long for Jongin’s taste. Jongin didn’t say anything in reply; just tucked a strand of long, black hair behind her ear, hoping the other girl didn’t catch her light blush.
Sehun in her washed out denims and black tank top, the acronym ‘gtfo’ running in a neon green across her chest, blond dyed hair cut boyishly short and piercings is quite the opposite of Jongin. She is the opposite of all their classmates, too. Sehun is what Jongin has always imagined a rebel to look like. Her personality is nothing like that though. Her appearance might not be the norm, breaking all of the school’s dress code, but inside, Sehun is just as soft spoken, gentle, and obedient like any other good daughter. If she wants to. And by now Jongin’s mother is convinced Sehun is not a trouble maker and bad influence to her own daughter. In fact, it is the opposite, because it’s Sehun who helps with Maths and Chemistry homework and greets Mrs. Kim with a winning smile, always bringing small presents when she comes over to Jongin’s house.
Sehun is quite an interesting person and Jongin admits she is more than glad to have found a friend like her. Befriending people in a city like Seoul has been much harder than she has thought, when everyone is so similar to each other, in style and behavior. It is difficult to run into someone as special as Sehun, but Jongin would never admit it openly. While Sehun is friendly, really, she can close herself off, too, when one directs words to her she doesn’t want to hear. And Jongin soon learns that it is words of affection that Sehun doesn’t like. It’s really a pity, because Sehun deserves a lot of adoration, as well as love, just as what every princess should be met with. And despite Sehun hating the label princess, Jongin can’t imagine any better title to match her friend.
Sehun, even with this haircut, still looks like a princess. Especially when she is sleeping, when her frown eases into a peaceful expression, a light smile even, she looks like the lovely girl she tries to hide inside of her. Sehun’s skin is white and smooth, nearly flawless with only a light scar on her cheek. It’s supposed to be a flaw, but all Jongin can think is how this imperfection makes Sehun even more perfect. It’s just human. There are a few light freckles, too, and they are cute, Jongin has always thought, but Sehun just shrugs when someone mentions them.
Sehun’s eyes are of a deep brown, calm and mysterious like the ocean. They give her a more mature look, fitting a queen more than a princess, but when Sehun smiles, they twinkle with happiness, so bright and lively with the mirth only a young girl, a princess can possess. And then there are those lips, plush and just the right, pink tone. Alluring, yet still innocent. Jongin has once wondered if they have ever been touched by another pair of lips. Probably not(?).
Sehun’s super short hair is just a minor problem, because it can be solved with a long haired wig. Preferable a nice shade of blond or a warm brunette, Jongin thinks, having seen Sehun with different hair colors already. From more natural tones like black, browns and blondes to the most artificial ones like green, violet or bubble gum pink. Sehun has once shocked everyone with a whole color palette on her head, though after the initial surprise, Jongin had been quite pleased with the rainbow hair. Maybe long blonde curls with streaks of red, pink, violet, green and blue wouldn’t look too bad, matched with a pretty gown, and Sehun would look like the picture perfect princess. Even without make-up.
“Sehun,” Jongin calls out again, but there comes no reply. The other girl is still sleeping soundly and Jongin feels bad for trying to wake her. Instead, she just lets out a soft sigh and stares at her friend’s face, admiring the way it glows in the sunlight. Her cheeks are a light rose. She must be warm, laying in the sun with these rather warm clothes. Jongin wonders if anyone else had ever seen Sehun so up close, and before she knows it, Jongin is putting the flower crown on Sehun’s head, completing the princess image she has drawn in her mind.
Sehun startles and sits up before Jongin can adjust the crown though, and the look on Sehun’s face is a displeased one. “What are you doing,” Sehun hisses and sits up, the crown hanging at a very weird angle, nearly falling off her head. Jongin scoots away, light blush to her face, and mumbles a quiet apology. How can she forget that Sehun likes to be a strong woman, not falling into any kind of female stereotypes and clichés. It is a pity, really, because Jongin would like nothing better than dressing Sehun up, putting her in different, feminine or girlish dresses and use a little make-up on her, although she knows it is difficult to prettify an already truly beautiful person, and she wants a Sehun with long hair, so she can play with it, braiding and styling them up into the nicest hair styles. Sehun is perfect already, but if Sehun was a little more feminine, she would be even more so.
Sehun stares at Jongin, waiting for a reply, but all the tanned girl is thinking about now, is how she would love to run over green meadows, hand in hand with her friend, both with dresses and long hair dancing with the summer breeze. She has done it before, back in her hometown, and she misses those times spent with sweet girls.
“Hey,” Sehun says, and nudges Jongin. There is a frown on her face, lips the shape of a reversed ‘u’, and Jongin can just laugh at that.
“Sehun,” she says, deciding to be honest. “Why do you hate being girlish this much? It’s not a bad thing to wear crowns and dresses and be all cute.”
Sehun blinks, frowns, and then she shoots a glare her friend’s way.
“I’d rather be a guy,” Sehun declares boldly, her look a challenging one.
“Why?”
At that, Sehun’s cheeks color visibly. “There are reasons,” she says quietly, after a long silence. Jongin keeps her eyes on her friend, not straying away. She tries to figure out just by looking into the other’s eyes, but it’s difficult to read in them, when Sehun is hiding her emotions, shutting her friend out. There is a flicker of something, but it’s so short Jongin can’t figure out what she has seen. She waits an explanation, in vain, when a sigh is what she gets instead.
Getting impatient, Jongin reaches out and adjusts the flower crown, smiling when Sehun doesn’t move away. “It’s perfect like this, Sehun. You are perfect. You make a much better girl than a guy, so stay this way.”
And then it all goes very quickly. Jongin leans forward and brushes their lips together in a fleeting movement. It’s barely a kiss, but she is content with the bright pink on Sehun’s face, when it has been her to color the white canvas that is Sehun’s skin.
“What was that?” Sehun scoffs, embarrassed, and she pats her cheeks repeatedly. It’s a cute reaction and Jongin really can’t imagine Sehun as a guy, when everything about her is just so innocent and girlish.
“You’re so weird,” Sehun says. Jongin grins.
“You’re such a princess,” she says and slaps Sehun’s hand away when the other girl tries to remove the crown on her head. “But it’s okay. You’re my princess anyways.”
Sehun doesn’t protest after that. She just sighs, but Jongin can see the smile the other girl tries so hard to suppress. It’s a beginning, she thinks, and she is anticipating Sehun’s future changes, until Sehun is a princess inside out. Although Jongin is a girl, too, one that enjoys being a girl, she doesn’t mind being the prince for Sehun. Because flower crowns fit the pale beauty better and judging by their looks, Jongin would make quite a handsome knight in shining armor.
*시골 [shigol] means rural area/country side and can be used neutral. Used on people it often has a light negative connotation, which is why i used the english "country bumpkin" later on.
*Seodaemun-gu is a district in the Northern part of Seoul. Yonsei, Ehwa and Sogang University are located there [Sinchon & Idae station], as well as Hongik University [Hongdae].
i have nothing to say bc in the end i wrote it entirely different from what i thought of at first and i am just super sorry ;u; someone teach me how to write. please.