fic: You're One in a Million
Title: You’re One in a Million
Author: dria1029
Pairings: het!Jongtae
Genre: AU, Romance, Humor
Warnings: FLUFF. WITTY FLUFF. xD
Rating: PG…I think
Summary: A Peter Pan-obsessed music icon and his long time best friend, a tomboy from Busan, share a rare moment together under a familiar, beloved night sky
a/n: Originally written to cure my writer’s block, and as a dialogue exercise. Jonghyun’s character is loosely based off of Michael Jackson’s-lol and I thought it fitting because Jjong is a diehard fan. (And now that I think about it, so is Taemin…how about that.) Also, before I stfu, just want to let you all know I’m a versatile writer. It won’t always be blood and tears, but it won’t always be gumdrops and Velcro either.
“How many you think are up there?”
“How many do you think?”
Taeyeon made a quick shrug.
“Dunno. Maybe liiiiiike….a bazillion.”
Jonghyun cackled incredulously. “That’s not even a number.”
“Is to.”
“No way.”
“Uh-huh.”
“How do you know?”
“How you don’t know?”
“Because from what I remember in school, a “bazillion” wasn’t taught when we were learned our ‘123’s. There’s no such thing.”
Her head turned to her left where he was in the same position as she; arms crossed behind his head, body in a straight lay except for a left leg that was bent up and eyes ever scanning the expansive night heavens. When he finally noticed her silence, a mien shrouded in shadow from the car was facing her. She provided him a slow blink.
“What?”
“Wow.”
“What?” A lone wrinkle appeared on his brow.
“Don’t tell me the same guy who believes in the magical land that lies beyond the second star to the right and straight on till morning is the same guy telling me he doesn’t believe in a ‘bazillion.”
He let out a concealed snort through a lopsided grin. Like some smug sage.
Propped his head back up without a reply.
“Seriously though. How else can you describe how many times you’ve, like, heard your favorite song? Unless you’re some wimpy computer whiz, there’s no way to know specifically.”
“I can.”
Taeyeon’s teeth smacked as she faced the stars again. “Yeah, sure. We’ll pretend that’s possible.”
“But I can-
“Okay Professor Kim. Whatever you say.”
Something akin to a hyena chuckling pieced her ear drums. “Giiiiirl, you forgettin’ who you kickin it with right now?”
“Really want me to answer that?”
“Girl, if I wasn’t made to breathe air, you know music would be my oxygen. Of COURSE I would know how many times I’ve heard my favorite song.”
“How many times?” Almost afraid to, wry eyes shifted over to see him eyeing her with a smirk.
“A gazillion.”
Taeyeon’s loud grown echoed in the night air, free to sound off uninhibited due to the lack of buildings. Nothing but a few acres of grassy field and a crude perimeter of barb wire fence. Some cows munching on a midnight snack for good measure.
As Jonghyun laughed and rolled away a bit to escape her smack, she thought about what he said earlier; how he thought those cows just had it made in the shade. They ate grass in abundance, they shit wherever they wanted to, and they didn’t have to worry about anything except a bunch of pesky flies. “Beats mingling with shady business associates any day.”
And when she pointed out that they had would have to fear a pair of hamburger buns as well, Jonghyun winked. “Not if you’re producing the best milk in town.”
He was doing that a lot lately. Conjuring up these top-of-the-brain (or straight-from-the-ass) proverbs that meant more than what they were implying. It was driving her insane. No telling what the hell what they meant, but she could bet her bottom dollar that she’d figure out 10 years from now, in the cereal aisle of a grocery store, what nutty point he was trying to get across.
Could just be him trying to make himself look smart, but who knew with this guy. He was a regular platypus.
“You still didn’t answer me though,” she grumbled, flicking his shoulder when they assumed the star gazing position again.
“Stop answering my questions with questions, butt munch.”
“How many I think are up there?”
“Yeah,” she belched. Taeyeon felt his scrunched up glance a second later. She loved how he hated that.
“Hmm….”
“Only a wild guess. Don’t hurt yourself.”
“Shut up, goose.”
The cool laugh vibrated her body.
More silence. With the crickets literally chirping, she closed her eyes and concentrated on how heightened her other four senses were out in this abandoned haven. Fresh air, slight smell of rain and electricity when she inhaled deeply. The grass was strangely soft, seeing as it was a bit dry out there, but the weeds were like mini needles against the skin of Taeyeon’s bare legs and arms; even through her t-shirt. Every now and again, a stiff, humid breeze caressed their faces. Sometimes carrying with it the unpleasant aroma of manure, but who was complaining? A pretty quaint summer night if she did say so herself. Even if he wasn’t there with her, she’d still enjoy it.
Still nice to have him there though. The last time they were out there was short-lived and seemingly eons ago.
A buttery smile stretched her mouth when she drew her eyes back open to the twinkling cosmos.
Out of her peripheral vision, he was visually stunning. Not so much as the pile of supple, chestnut and sideburned hair spread underneath his head or the sharp, defined jawline jutting out of his side profile. Not even rosy, faintly parted lips, smooth skin and high cheek bones.
The look of true content is always handsome on anyone. And it’s always detected in the eyes.
But when that hand went to his chin, she snapped out of whatever she was going through and rolled her eyes.
“And you would THINK this was rocket science.”
“Loosely. And before you do it again, didn’t anyone ever tell you that if you keep rolling your eyes, they’re going to roll right out of your skull?”
Lucky dog, he rolled away just in time.
“Just answer please. Before its morning.”
Jonghyun made a funny face, causing her to bust out laughing when she was tempted to look over. Amidst all that, a heavy warmth had snuck its way over to her unsuspecting hand. It was taken and folded into long, lean fingers. They shared a sacred sort of look before the stars somehow beckoned the pair back to them in their will.
“Honestly?” He whispers now. “Honestly, I think there are an infinity of them. It’s so big out there, we wouldn’t even have a manmade number for them. But….I like it that way. Keeps us forever guessing.”
“One of those things better left unexplained, right?”
“Yeah, yeah. Exactly. Cause what’s the fun in knowing everything, ya know?”
“No wonder Scooby and co. kicked you out. You’re a party pooper.”
“No, Fred-hyung was just a hater. Couldn’t help that Daphne-noona was so clingy.”
Mutual snickers.
“Well, from the sound of it, it seems as if you’ve had to answer that question a lot.”
The thumb rubbing her knuckles slowed in pace.
“That so? What gave me away?”
“Who was she?”
“So you assume it was a woman?”
“Yah, stop answering a question with a question.”
“You did it first.”
“I’m allowed a hall pass. I don’t do it frequently.”
“I didn’t know we had exceptions.”
“Just like you didn’t know we had so-called rules. Now, stop holding out on me. Name?”
“Oo, look. The north star is out tonight.” A well-defined arm lifted with a pointing finger. “It’s really bright out here. Even on the ranch it only looks like a white speck but out here-
“-it looks the same because your ranch is just as open as this property. Where did you meet her?”
“I was hoping this could be listed under the ‘things better left unexplained’ category.”
“Too bad. Was she really cute?”
His lips quirked to the side in amusement. “So I’m only allowed to star gaze with cute women?”
“Was HE cute then?”
Taeyeon sputtered and mowed her teeth with her tongue in the next instant when a shower of grass suddenly rained on her. Damn, he must have been plucking it as soon as he stopped pointing at the sky.
“Glaring isn’t ladylike,” came the teasing chide without him even glancing over.
“So you’re really not going to tell me.”
“Dunno. S’not like you’re really going to give me a choice. I have all night and then some,” he mocked in an exaggerated girly voice-LIGHT YEARS away from what she sounded like. Taeyeon snatched away from his hand, earning herself a light chortle.
“If only everyone knew how much of an ass you were. ‘Dreamboat’ would be the furthest term from their minds.”
“God forbid they find out I’m the complete opposite.”
“I didn’t say that. You’re just borderline bi-polar.” Under her breath: “Sarcastic oaf.”
“Bi-polar,” he chuckled.
“NEH, bi-polar. No, no, I lied….more like a hot T-Rex in disguise as Tweety Bird.”
“But since when has that bird been an angel? Puddy Tat has been handed his ass for as long as I can remember.”
“That-yah! Stop distracting me!”
A throaty laugh, then perfect silence again. As the grass swayed around them with the wind, Taeyeon took the time to really study those big gas balls-like silver dust thrown on black velvet. Some of the clusters sparkled a misty blue….a few lonely stranglers, when brought together with the naked eye, created many pictures. It was like finding faces in a cloud….yet here, you could find so much more. There was just something about the night…
She trained her eye on one particular star. And after a few trial squints, it was determined that this star had a more orangish tint than its blue and silver neighbors. It hung in a void of its own as if an outcast; a little fella. Strange…she has never seen that star before. Such an unusual color for a star. Maybe it was a planet….no, not this close. Venus was the only visible planet Taeyeon ever seen, but that big momma could only be seen right before sunrise, at its brightest.
It’s beautiful.
“Care to join me?” came the gentle, tickled plea. To her surprise, she saw that he had sat up with his knees pulled to his chest. An inviting hand was held out as doe eyes peered at her like almond diamonds over his sturdy shoulder.
The slender woman’s lips pressed together in a sheepish grin as she took it and let him pull her up. After courteously relieving his hair of grass bits, she wrapped her arms around her legs and pulled them closer, nestling her chin in the valley of her scarred knees.
She still couldn’t tear away from that star though…
“We met in an arcade. I was in disguise. Her name…was Miyuki.”
“Japanese?”
He nodded slowly, eyes swimming in the abyss of sky before coyly faltering down to the grass he was pulling. Always the beauty of knowing one almost like the back of your hand; Taeyeon didn’t even need to fully look to see him do it. Avoiding eye-contact was a habit of his when he was suddenly thrown into deep thought.
“How did you guys start star gazing?”
“After I invited her to the set of Saranghaeyo Galaxica, a film I co-starred in back in ‘02. When were done shooting for the day, she said she was very impressed with what I was doing. Asked me what I personally knew about space and stars. Couldn’t really tell her anything except that I used to wish like crazy on them as a kid. She laughed and said we should star gaze together some time, so she could teach me what she knew.”
“Learned a lot?”
“Yeah. Miyuki was one of those people who knew exactly what they were destined for. Her? She was set on becoming an astronaut. An open field and a pair of binoculars just weren’t enough-I mean, she couldn’t even afford a telescope. But she wasn’t put off. She felt that the world beyond our small one was calling to her.” A sad smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Just like how music called to me.”
“That’s a pretty big dream….”
“I didn’t want her to settle for less than what she dreamed.”
Her eyes adverted to the grass strand he kept twirling around his finger. The breeze tousled some of the stray tuffs of hair in his face, yet she could still see the etched dread.
“….didn’t?”
“Gas station robbery. She had been working there for a couple of months….the latest shifts are always the most dangerous…”
“I’m sorry…”
He took her hanging hand when she scooted closer to him and wrapped her arm around his shoulders.
“I’m sorry too,” he murmured. “I couldn’t go to her funeral. The risk of being exposed was great but really…I just couldn’t bear to go.” As her head lowered on him, his arm snaked around her waist and tightened.
They gaped at the glittering night sky in prolonged hush.
Taeyeon finally cleared her throat.
“Did she ever tell you what her favorite star was?”
“Aldebaran….the thirteenth brightest star in the sky.”
“Sounds like a mouth full.”
A muffled chuckle. “It was when she kept having to correct me. Took me 3 days to say it right without any mistakes.” Taeyeon scoffed.
“It’s so easy to make history yet constellation pronunciation is like rearranging Stonehenge.”
“You have no idea.”
She gave up trying to shake her head on his shoulder and settled for a light snort. As if automatically, she was staring at that star again.
“So what color is it? Did she ever point it out to you?”
“Mhm. It’s an orange giant.” Her heart began to pulse like an Indy 500 when he pointed into the sky. But when she saw that his finger aimed westward, the zing dimmed down. Her star was more northeastern, less crowded. She still followed his direction though, and indeed, there was another orange star. Loads brighter the ones around it. Sort of a red hue to it.
Yet something about it lacked that special something. It wasn’t her star.
“She had good taste,” she said finally, not intending to be so lackluster.
“Apparently I don’t. When I told her that my favorite was Sirius, she rolled her eyes. ‘Everybody likes Sirius’ she said. ‘Sirius, yeah, it’s the biggest, it’s the brightest. Some think it’s the most beautiful star and won’t stand to hear different. But I tell them all the time; it doesn’t stand out like my Aldebaran. My Aldebaran-ahh, now there’s one in a million.’ So then to save face, I told her Polaris was my second favorite. Can’t even tell you what she called me then.”
“I bet I could guess. The North Star? Really?”
“Only the best.”
“Hmph.”
She wasn’t really listening to him now as he went into detail on why he admired Polaris so much. She was still too trained on her dot of gold. Such a pretty little thing….wonder why it looks as if in a galaxy on its own. Does it feel depreciated? Lost? Misunderstood? Have the other stars alienated it because of its exotic presence? Or do they feel it unworthy to be a part of them because it is so different?-not the norm? Does the star shine so bright and sweet because it is happy to be on it’s on….or does it shine so bright to fill the emptiness around it?
If she didn’t know any better, this little star reminded her of…
“Jonghyun, what’s the name of that one?”
He stopped abruptly. Curious eyes traveled to where she pinpointed the special jewel. And she was about to let disappointment settle in her gut when he stiffened like he was about to shrug…until…
“That’s Be…Betel….uh…..use….Betel-use-Betelgeuse! Yeah, that’s right. Betelgeuse. Miyuki practically beat that one into me.” A second later, her chin was being lifted to his slightly suspicious, yet intrigued expression.
“Why do you want to know?” he said thickly.
Her shiver was involuntary, but who’d believe it?
“I think it’s my new favorite star.”
“I thought I was your favorite star.”
“You know no one can ever take So Ji Sub’s place,” Taeyeon taunted emptily. “There’s Ji Sub-oppa, then there’s…”
She felt as if glass. He gazed into her eyes as if admiring the reflection of himself in her irises highlighted by the moon’s light. Him admiring himself, though? Not Jongie…
Those soul-searchers eventually flickered to the star, then back to Taeyeon. Now a look of understanding. Now one of meaning….now one of…what?
“There was, perhaps, one thing holding me back from falling for Miyuki. And I think it had to do with a certain knock kneed teenager I met outside of Baskin Robbins.”
“Was she like Miyuki?”
“In a way.”
“Resembled her?”
“Nope; night and day.”
“Acted like her?”
“Not quite.”
His voice lowered with each answer as with hers in each query. But it was pretty clear from the way his hand tightened around her waist that she needn’t be so afraid. Why is she so afraid…?
“Miyuki was Miyuki, just as this girl is her own person. Yet something about this girl’s friendship…I found something more in her.”
Taeyeon’s hand hesitantly grasped his that lightly propped up her chin. No matter how much she begged herself to tear away from his eyes, she didn’t have the backbone to do so.
“The moment I helped her wipe the ice cream off her shirt, the moment she recognized who I was through the mustache and glasses, the moment she let me feel the life kicking in her tummy…that was the moment I realized that this girl was worth holding on to.”
“And did you star gaze with her too?”
“I looked forward to it all the time,” he smiled naturally.
“Did she?”
“She wouldn’t have been the rascal I doted upon if she didn’t.”
A flood of memories came to mind as he hummed a few bars of that song. The song the radio was playing in the ice cream shoppe-the one that could be heard as the bell chimed with the opening and closing of the door.
How they dance in the courtyard-
Sweet summer sweat.
Some dance to remember
Some dance to forget
Barely aware, Taeyeon found herself stuck; she wanted to pull away. Reestablish that lightheartedness, that comfort zone they’d been in only minutes before gazing up into nature’s fairest creation with burden-free spirits.
Yet her decision was made for her when warm pallets grazed the side of her mouth and she didn’t do anything to stop them.
Her eyes closed.
She waited.
And waited.
Waited some more. His lips were still. There were some violent shuffling sounds and labored breathing …
And only when Taeyeon couldn’t take it anymore, she opened one eye with puckered lips only to see him making this weird face.
“Jong-
“HOLY SHIT! Get ‘em off! Get ‘em OFF!”
“What the hell?”
In a matter of seconds he had turned into a total nut, shaking and moving his hands all over himself like he was struck with the Holy Ghost. Like he was being attacked or something…
“OH MY GOD JONGHYUN THOSE ARE ANTS!”
“I KNOW! THEY’RE BITING TOO!”
Cursing and giggling at the same time, she leapt up and proceeded to dust and slap at him like it was going out of style. He flailed about, sometimes smacking her in the process, and she screamed for him to try to calm down whilst looking for the main place the ants were trailing; upon him scrambling up and tearing off his shirt, Taeyeon could see that they were inching up his back and around his neck. In a hasty act, she began to slap them off by the dozen then just hollered for him to run to a patch of grass (uninhabited by another nearby ant pile) and roll around.
She’d never seen anyone run so fast. And as she watched him turn into a ball of maroon hair, tan skin and demin, she couldn’t help but feel relief. Screaming out encouragements through laughter, Taeyeon could only think of the road not taken. She remembers why she’s afraid.
“You okay now?” Small, sandaled feet stopped before his fervidly-rising torso.
“Fine,” he wheezed. “I…I got them all.”
She let his checkered shirt flutter on top of his chest as she snickered. Her thumb projected back.
“Want me to get something for those bites? Got some calamine lotion in the glove compartment.”
“No, I’m okay. They didn’t bite that much.”
“Sure? Don’t let male pride steer you stupid.” Mentally counting to three, she compressed his larger hand and helped him back to his feet. He gave her the evil eye before slipping an arm through a sleeve.
“No one hears about this, Tae. Not even Jin. Not even my mother.”
“Can’t make you any promises.”
“I mean it girl.”
“Wouldn’t be the first ‘theatrical crybaby’ bed time story he’d hear about you.”
When his eyes widened lividly, she cackled and punched his shoulder.
Soon they were lying in the grass again-of course, after he’d played Captain Paranoid and was satisfied that there were no more likely “invasions”. She began to update him about Wook Jin, her son. He listens in fascination; asks her when he’d be graduating from junior high. Next May-Jonghyun’s invited to come if he wants to. If it isn’t a problem.
“I’ll see,” he says in a faraway voice.
Whether it’s from knowing how busy he’ll be within the next several months or because he is now intently staring at her favored celestial body, she doesn't know.
Taeyeon smiles proudly. “A gem, isn’t it?”
“A blind owl wouldn’t envy the all-seeing bat. The journey to site the beauty of one is a flight taken by a hundred or none.”
She groaned. “Realllllly wish you would stop doing that. Couldn’t you just say the star is pretty?”
“You should know how I operate by now.”
“Like a wanna-be Confucius?”
“Like a man who keeps a little flavor in his life.”
“Pffffft.”
He murmured, “Butterbean head” prior to curling his index finger into the base of his thumb, creating a makeshift magnifying glass to zoom into Betelgeuse. She shielded her eyes a bit from the moonlight to see it properly.
“You have good taste too,” he remarked with a catch in his voice. The hand lowered. He smiled softly over at her. She grinned like an imp. One, two, three-and eyes back to the sky.
“I think I’ll name it Betty. Less is more.”
“Bet-Oh, I see. Good one.”
“Or should I name it something else? Maybe something more befitting.”
“I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” There goes that catch again…
In fact, there goes that look again. The one he had right before….
Inwardly, she sighed. He knew. He knows.
Her smile came back tiny.
“I think I’ll Clark Kent this one.”
“A secret, huh? Glad you’re learning to appreciate the mystery of things.”
“Well, what can I say? I only learn from the best.”
“You know I hate when you call me that.”
“And you know the modest card is the oldest one played. Shut up and take the compliment for once. From me at least. You know I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t really mean it.”
He cringed a bit, probably thinking about all the times she called him “stupid sexy” and the like. And the times when she’d straight-faced slugged him when he tried to object. How wise of him.
“Betty/Jonghyun” seemed to wink down at her in agreement.
“You know what we haven’t done in a while?”
Her brow arched.
“Play the song game.”
“HAHA, I would think you’d be all ‘songed’ out from making demos every 30 seconds.”
He chuckled. “But its different with you. When I create songs away from you, I do it for the world. When I do it with you, I do it for kicks. For us.”
“Just with me, huh?”
“Just with you.”
“Dude, the last time we bullsh!t around like that, our little creation almost ended up on your Replay album.”
“Dude, you can’t tell me it wasn’t ‘hit’ material though.”
“It was PRIVATE hit material.”
Another chuckle. “You wanna play or not?”
His puppy expression faltered when Taeyeon inevitably rolled her eyes.
“Promise this stays between us?”
“Cross my heart.”
“Fine. But I start.”
He smirked mischievously. “Ladies first.”
Really simple game. All she had to do was sing a random line, and he either had to sing another line that sounded good with it or go from what he was feeling. Then it was her turn, and so on and so on until they ran out of juice. Taeyeon was no Kim Jonghyun, but she could carry a tune, so she never minded playing. And of course, having the short lummox commonly known as “Bling Bling” sing with/to you did have its perks.
The perfect inspiration lay in the onyx heavens above them. Taeyeon bit the inside of her cheek as she stared at the star that would forever hold her affections…
Then she turned to the other one in human form.
He smiled back just as meaningfully. “You’re one in a million.”
“You thought I should know.”
“That big things could happen…”
“….if you let us grow.”
Her hand was nudged; his enveloped hers when she allowed him access.
Second verse. His turn.
“I’ll be your protection,” he whispered fervently.
“I’ll be your companion.”
“If I could just have you.”
“I wouldn’t let go.” The pressure of his grasp compressed lovingly. The blush she was trying to hold back broke out any way.
“Go on,” he urged sweetly.
“Hmm….There must be a reason….?”
“I feel this connection.”
“Baby, let’s find out… what life has in store.”
Silence.
He shifted to his side and propped himself up on his elbow without breaking their fingers. And biting her bottom lip, she did the same.
From the look Taeyeon didn’t want to see, she knew in her gut that this wasn’t merely a game anymore.
A confessional, perhaps….
“So tell me the reason that you won’t let down.”
But it was getting easier by the line….
She matched his intensity, opting for a steal from the poetic department of her mind. “Those guards that imprison my blossoming rose.”
His eyes softened; touched she’d tap from that source. The one she so rarely did. A side of her he also treasured “I don’t want to pressure. But we should go further.”
“Because baby you deserve the finest in store.” So true yet not her….’not me, it isn’t me,’ Taeyeon whimpered mentally.
He must have read her mind. The discouragement in her chest melted away as soon as he licked his lips and deepened his stare.
“Your body is yearning.”
She swallowed. “It’s all in your face…”
“Not point in denying what you should embrace.”
“You say n-not to tease you…” She smoothed back a few strands of his hair, moussing it up a little to get the full feel of its wonderful texture. Her wrist was caught; a pair of rosy lips molded to the back of her pale hand. Casanova himself could take a few pointers from him, the bastard.
“But promise I’ll please you. Just let me in girl.”
It seemed to happen in slow motion, yet just as sudden as an epiphany. Effortlessly, the weight of his lower body settled comfortably on her. A finger went to her lips just as quickly whilst hair ends tickled her cheeks.
“Tonight, girl it can be the night.”
Despite herself, she slid his finger away and answered sarcastically. “We gon get it bumpin, problems all forgotten-
“Tonight, we’ll do it as you like.”
“Hmm….you just need the chance to show me that you’d give me..?”
“What you want. What you like. What you need girl…..”
His nose brushed hers.
Here they go again…
“What do you want from me?” She whispered. “What are you looking for…?”
“I’m looking for a thimble. Just one.”
His lips were just like Taeyeon always thought they were. She had an inkling of their feel whenever they’d press against her cheek in reunion or against her forehead in mock compassion. Even when those pliant motherfuckers attached themselves to her neck endearingly that time-something that was either accidental or accidently on purpose- it didn’t compare to what she was suckling on now. Lips that seemed alive, that seemed to sigh to themselves. The tease and dip of his tongue was pretty nice too but those lips…
Her own smackers were cold a minute later; Taeyeon’s eyes blew open to see him staring down at her blushingly. She graced him a flippant, lopsided grin.
“Much better than a kiss.”
A deep titter reverberated in his throat as he rolled off her and assumed a more innocent position. She wondered about the hoarseness of his voice.
“I hope you’ll forgive me for that one day.”
“Maybe. At least it’s out of your system.”
He didn’t reply, which gave me the hint that she MIGHT just be wrong. Not that being wrong was a bad thing necessarily...
“It was slick, the way you did it. I’ll give you that.”
A coy little smile. “Thanks.”
The stars beckoned them back to their glory when the easy silence settled in. She didn’t know exactly when their hands became linked again. Not sure when she gave up trying to make conversation. Betelgeuse seemed to stir them to enjoy what they had for the moment. To forget their fears and even conquer them.
Maybe that’s what made it the most special.
“Urghhhhhhh.” His back stirred on the grass. “Aissh….”
“Yeah, um…I wasn’t going to tell you now, but those were fire ants that turned your back into a picnic.”
Scrunchy face. “What’s that lotion called again?”
A tangy laugh rang out as Taeyeon arose on pins and needles and helped the shorter guy up for the second time that night. With his arm thrown over her narrow shoulder, they marched back to her car under the watchful eye of a certain star.
*********
And yeah.
Author: dria1029
Pairings: het!Jongtae
Genre: AU, Romance, Humor
Warnings: FLUFF. WITTY FLUFF. xD
Rating: PG…I think
Summary: A Peter Pan-obsessed music icon and his long time best friend, a tomboy from Busan, share a rare moment together under a familiar, beloved night sky
a/n: Originally written to cure my writer’s block, and as a dialogue exercise. Jonghyun’s character is loosely based off of Michael Jackson’s-lol and I thought it fitting because Jjong is a diehard fan. (And now that I think about it, so is Taemin…how about that.) Also, before I stfu, just want to let you all know I’m a versatile writer. It won’t always be blood and tears, but it won’t always be gumdrops and Velcro either.
“How many you think are up there?”
“How many do you think?”
Taeyeon made a quick shrug.
“Dunno. Maybe liiiiiike….a bazillion.”
Jonghyun cackled incredulously. “That’s not even a number.”
“Is to.”
“No way.”
“Uh-huh.”
“How do you know?”
“How you don’t know?”
“Because from what I remember in school, a “bazillion” wasn’t taught when we were learned our ‘123’s. There’s no such thing.”
Her head turned to her left where he was in the same position as she; arms crossed behind his head, body in a straight lay except for a left leg that was bent up and eyes ever scanning the expansive night heavens. When he finally noticed her silence, a mien shrouded in shadow from the car was facing her. She provided him a slow blink.
“What?”
“Wow.”
“What?” A lone wrinkle appeared on his brow.
“Don’t tell me the same guy who believes in the magical land that lies beyond the second star to the right and straight on till morning is the same guy telling me he doesn’t believe in a ‘bazillion.”
He let out a concealed snort through a lopsided grin. Like some smug sage.
Propped his head back up without a reply.
“Seriously though. How else can you describe how many times you’ve, like, heard your favorite song? Unless you’re some wimpy computer whiz, there’s no way to know specifically.”
“I can.”
Taeyeon’s teeth smacked as she faced the stars again. “Yeah, sure. We’ll pretend that’s possible.”
“But I can-
“Okay Professor Kim. Whatever you say.”
Something akin to a hyena chuckling pieced her ear drums. “Giiiiirl, you forgettin’ who you kickin it with right now?”
“Really want me to answer that?”
“Girl, if I wasn’t made to breathe air, you know music would be my oxygen. Of COURSE I would know how many times I’ve heard my favorite song.”
“How many times?” Almost afraid to, wry eyes shifted over to see him eyeing her with a smirk.
“A gazillion.”
Taeyeon’s loud grown echoed in the night air, free to sound off uninhibited due to the lack of buildings. Nothing but a few acres of grassy field and a crude perimeter of barb wire fence. Some cows munching on a midnight snack for good measure.
As Jonghyun laughed and rolled away a bit to escape her smack, she thought about what he said earlier; how he thought those cows just had it made in the shade. They ate grass in abundance, they shit wherever they wanted to, and they didn’t have to worry about anything except a bunch of pesky flies. “Beats mingling with shady business associates any day.”
And when she pointed out that they had would have to fear a pair of hamburger buns as well, Jonghyun winked. “Not if you’re producing the best milk in town.”
He was doing that a lot lately. Conjuring up these top-of-the-brain (or straight-from-the-ass) proverbs that meant more than what they were implying. It was driving her insane. No telling what the hell what they meant, but she could bet her bottom dollar that she’d figure out 10 years from now, in the cereal aisle of a grocery store, what nutty point he was trying to get across.
Could just be him trying to make himself look smart, but who knew with this guy. He was a regular platypus.
“You still didn’t answer me though,” she grumbled, flicking his shoulder when they assumed the star gazing position again.
“Stop answering my questions with questions, butt munch.”
“How many I think are up there?”
“Yeah,” she belched. Taeyeon felt his scrunched up glance a second later. She loved how he hated that.
“Hmm….”
“Only a wild guess. Don’t hurt yourself.”
“Shut up, goose.”
The cool laugh vibrated her body.
More silence. With the crickets literally chirping, she closed her eyes and concentrated on how heightened her other four senses were out in this abandoned haven. Fresh air, slight smell of rain and electricity when she inhaled deeply. The grass was strangely soft, seeing as it was a bit dry out there, but the weeds were like mini needles against the skin of Taeyeon’s bare legs and arms; even through her t-shirt. Every now and again, a stiff, humid breeze caressed their faces. Sometimes carrying with it the unpleasant aroma of manure, but who was complaining? A pretty quaint summer night if she did say so herself. Even if he wasn’t there with her, she’d still enjoy it.
Still nice to have him there though. The last time they were out there was short-lived and seemingly eons ago.
A buttery smile stretched her mouth when she drew her eyes back open to the twinkling cosmos.
Out of her peripheral vision, he was visually stunning. Not so much as the pile of supple, chestnut and sideburned hair spread underneath his head or the sharp, defined jawline jutting out of his side profile. Not even rosy, faintly parted lips, smooth skin and high cheek bones.
The look of true content is always handsome on anyone. And it’s always detected in the eyes.
But when that hand went to his chin, she snapped out of whatever she was going through and rolled her eyes.
“And you would THINK this was rocket science.”
“Loosely. And before you do it again, didn’t anyone ever tell you that if you keep rolling your eyes, they’re going to roll right out of your skull?”
Lucky dog, he rolled away just in time.
“Just answer please. Before its morning.”
Jonghyun made a funny face, causing her to bust out laughing when she was tempted to look over. Amidst all that, a heavy warmth had snuck its way over to her unsuspecting hand. It was taken and folded into long, lean fingers. They shared a sacred sort of look before the stars somehow beckoned the pair back to them in their will.
“Honestly?” He whispers now. “Honestly, I think there are an infinity of them. It’s so big out there, we wouldn’t even have a manmade number for them. But….I like it that way. Keeps us forever guessing.”
“One of those things better left unexplained, right?”
“Yeah, yeah. Exactly. Cause what’s the fun in knowing everything, ya know?”
“No wonder Scooby and co. kicked you out. You’re a party pooper.”
“No, Fred-hyung was just a hater. Couldn’t help that Daphne-noona was so clingy.”
Mutual snickers.
“Well, from the sound of it, it seems as if you’ve had to answer that question a lot.”
The thumb rubbing her knuckles slowed in pace.
“That so? What gave me away?”
“Who was she?”
“So you assume it was a woman?”
“Yah, stop answering a question with a question.”
“You did it first.”
“I’m allowed a hall pass. I don’t do it frequently.”
“I didn’t know we had exceptions.”
“Just like you didn’t know we had so-called rules. Now, stop holding out on me. Name?”
“Oo, look. The north star is out tonight.” A well-defined arm lifted with a pointing finger. “It’s really bright out here. Even on the ranch it only looks like a white speck but out here-
“-it looks the same because your ranch is just as open as this property. Where did you meet her?”
“I was hoping this could be listed under the ‘things better left unexplained’ category.”
“Too bad. Was she really cute?”
His lips quirked to the side in amusement. “So I’m only allowed to star gaze with cute women?”
“Was HE cute then?”
Taeyeon sputtered and mowed her teeth with her tongue in the next instant when a shower of grass suddenly rained on her. Damn, he must have been plucking it as soon as he stopped pointing at the sky.
“Glaring isn’t ladylike,” came the teasing chide without him even glancing over.
“So you’re really not going to tell me.”
“Dunno. S’not like you’re really going to give me a choice. I have all night and then some,” he mocked in an exaggerated girly voice-LIGHT YEARS away from what she sounded like. Taeyeon snatched away from his hand, earning herself a light chortle.
“If only everyone knew how much of an ass you were. ‘Dreamboat’ would be the furthest term from their minds.”
“God forbid they find out I’m the complete opposite.”
“I didn’t say that. You’re just borderline bi-polar.” Under her breath: “Sarcastic oaf.”
“Bi-polar,” he chuckled.
“NEH, bi-polar. No, no, I lied….more like a hot T-Rex in disguise as Tweety Bird.”
“But since when has that bird been an angel? Puddy Tat has been handed his ass for as long as I can remember.”
“That-yah! Stop distracting me!”
A throaty laugh, then perfect silence again. As the grass swayed around them with the wind, Taeyeon took the time to really study those big gas balls-like silver dust thrown on black velvet. Some of the clusters sparkled a misty blue….a few lonely stranglers, when brought together with the naked eye, created many pictures. It was like finding faces in a cloud….yet here, you could find so much more. There was just something about the night…
She trained her eye on one particular star. And after a few trial squints, it was determined that this star had a more orangish tint than its blue and silver neighbors. It hung in a void of its own as if an outcast; a little fella. Strange…she has never seen that star before. Such an unusual color for a star. Maybe it was a planet….no, not this close. Venus was the only visible planet Taeyeon ever seen, but that big momma could only be seen right before sunrise, at its brightest.
It’s beautiful.
“Care to join me?” came the gentle, tickled plea. To her surprise, she saw that he had sat up with his knees pulled to his chest. An inviting hand was held out as doe eyes peered at her like almond diamonds over his sturdy shoulder.
The slender woman’s lips pressed together in a sheepish grin as she took it and let him pull her up. After courteously relieving his hair of grass bits, she wrapped her arms around her legs and pulled them closer, nestling her chin in the valley of her scarred knees.
She still couldn’t tear away from that star though…
“We met in an arcade. I was in disguise. Her name…was Miyuki.”
“Japanese?”
He nodded slowly, eyes swimming in the abyss of sky before coyly faltering down to the grass he was pulling. Always the beauty of knowing one almost like the back of your hand; Taeyeon didn’t even need to fully look to see him do it. Avoiding eye-contact was a habit of his when he was suddenly thrown into deep thought.
“How did you guys start star gazing?”
“After I invited her to the set of Saranghaeyo Galaxica, a film I co-starred in back in ‘02. When were done shooting for the day, she said she was very impressed with what I was doing. Asked me what I personally knew about space and stars. Couldn’t really tell her anything except that I used to wish like crazy on them as a kid. She laughed and said we should star gaze together some time, so she could teach me what she knew.”
“Learned a lot?”
“Yeah. Miyuki was one of those people who knew exactly what they were destined for. Her? She was set on becoming an astronaut. An open field and a pair of binoculars just weren’t enough-I mean, she couldn’t even afford a telescope. But she wasn’t put off. She felt that the world beyond our small one was calling to her.” A sad smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Just like how music called to me.”
“That’s a pretty big dream….”
“I didn’t want her to settle for less than what she dreamed.”
Her eyes adverted to the grass strand he kept twirling around his finger. The breeze tousled some of the stray tuffs of hair in his face, yet she could still see the etched dread.
“….didn’t?”
“Gas station robbery. She had been working there for a couple of months….the latest shifts are always the most dangerous…”
“I’m sorry…”
He took her hanging hand when she scooted closer to him and wrapped her arm around his shoulders.
“I’m sorry too,” he murmured. “I couldn’t go to her funeral. The risk of being exposed was great but really…I just couldn’t bear to go.” As her head lowered on him, his arm snaked around her waist and tightened.
They gaped at the glittering night sky in prolonged hush.
Taeyeon finally cleared her throat.
“Did she ever tell you what her favorite star was?”
“Aldebaran….the thirteenth brightest star in the sky.”
“Sounds like a mouth full.”
A muffled chuckle. “It was when she kept having to correct me. Took me 3 days to say it right without any mistakes.” Taeyeon scoffed.
“It’s so easy to make history yet constellation pronunciation is like rearranging Stonehenge.”
“You have no idea.”
She gave up trying to shake her head on his shoulder and settled for a light snort. As if automatically, she was staring at that star again.
“So what color is it? Did she ever point it out to you?”
“Mhm. It’s an orange giant.” Her heart began to pulse like an Indy 500 when he pointed into the sky. But when she saw that his finger aimed westward, the zing dimmed down. Her star was more northeastern, less crowded. She still followed his direction though, and indeed, there was another orange star. Loads brighter the ones around it. Sort of a red hue to it.
Yet something about it lacked that special something. It wasn’t her star.
“She had good taste,” she said finally, not intending to be so lackluster.
“Apparently I don’t. When I told her that my favorite was Sirius, she rolled her eyes. ‘Everybody likes Sirius’ she said. ‘Sirius, yeah, it’s the biggest, it’s the brightest. Some think it’s the most beautiful star and won’t stand to hear different. But I tell them all the time; it doesn’t stand out like my Aldebaran. My Aldebaran-ahh, now there’s one in a million.’ So then to save face, I told her Polaris was my second favorite. Can’t even tell you what she called me then.”
“I bet I could guess. The North Star? Really?”
“Only the best.”
“Hmph.”
She wasn’t really listening to him now as he went into detail on why he admired Polaris so much. She was still too trained on her dot of gold. Such a pretty little thing….wonder why it looks as if in a galaxy on its own. Does it feel depreciated? Lost? Misunderstood? Have the other stars alienated it because of its exotic presence? Or do they feel it unworthy to be a part of them because it is so different?-not the norm? Does the star shine so bright and sweet because it is happy to be on it’s on….or does it shine so bright to fill the emptiness around it?
If she didn’t know any better, this little star reminded her of…
“Jonghyun, what’s the name of that one?”
He stopped abruptly. Curious eyes traveled to where she pinpointed the special jewel. And she was about to let disappointment settle in her gut when he stiffened like he was about to shrug…until…
“That’s Be…Betel….uh…..use….Betel-use-Betelgeuse! Yeah, that’s right. Betelgeuse. Miyuki practically beat that one into me.” A second later, her chin was being lifted to his slightly suspicious, yet intrigued expression.
“Why do you want to know?” he said thickly.
Her shiver was involuntary, but who’d believe it?
“I think it’s my new favorite star.”
“I thought I was your favorite star.”
“You know no one can ever take So Ji Sub’s place,” Taeyeon taunted emptily. “There’s Ji Sub-oppa, then there’s…”
She felt as if glass. He gazed into her eyes as if admiring the reflection of himself in her irises highlighted by the moon’s light. Him admiring himself, though? Not Jongie…
Those soul-searchers eventually flickered to the star, then back to Taeyeon. Now a look of understanding. Now one of meaning….now one of…what?
“There was, perhaps, one thing holding me back from falling for Miyuki. And I think it had to do with a certain knock kneed teenager I met outside of Baskin Robbins.”
“Was she like Miyuki?”
“In a way.”
“Resembled her?”
“Nope; night and day.”
“Acted like her?”
“Not quite.”
His voice lowered with each answer as with hers in each query. But it was pretty clear from the way his hand tightened around her waist that she needn’t be so afraid. Why is she so afraid…?
“Miyuki was Miyuki, just as this girl is her own person. Yet something about this girl’s friendship…I found something more in her.”
Taeyeon’s hand hesitantly grasped his that lightly propped up her chin. No matter how much she begged herself to tear away from his eyes, she didn’t have the backbone to do so.
“The moment I helped her wipe the ice cream off her shirt, the moment she recognized who I was through the mustache and glasses, the moment she let me feel the life kicking in her tummy…that was the moment I realized that this girl was worth holding on to.”
“And did you star gaze with her too?”
“I looked forward to it all the time,” he smiled naturally.
“Did she?”
“She wouldn’t have been the rascal I doted upon if she didn’t.”
A flood of memories came to mind as he hummed a few bars of that song. The song the radio was playing in the ice cream shoppe-the one that could be heard as the bell chimed with the opening and closing of the door.
How they dance in the courtyard-
Sweet summer sweat.
Some dance to remember
Some dance to forget
Barely aware, Taeyeon found herself stuck; she wanted to pull away. Reestablish that lightheartedness, that comfort zone they’d been in only minutes before gazing up into nature’s fairest creation with burden-free spirits.
Yet her decision was made for her when warm pallets grazed the side of her mouth and she didn’t do anything to stop them.
Her eyes closed.
She waited.
And waited.
Waited some more. His lips were still. There were some violent shuffling sounds and labored breathing …
And only when Taeyeon couldn’t take it anymore, she opened one eye with puckered lips only to see him making this weird face.
“Jong-
“HOLY SHIT! Get ‘em off! Get ‘em OFF!”
“What the hell?”
In a matter of seconds he had turned into a total nut, shaking and moving his hands all over himself like he was struck with the Holy Ghost. Like he was being attacked or something…
“OH MY GOD JONGHYUN THOSE ARE ANTS!”
“I KNOW! THEY’RE BITING TOO!”
Cursing and giggling at the same time, she leapt up and proceeded to dust and slap at him like it was going out of style. He flailed about, sometimes smacking her in the process, and she screamed for him to try to calm down whilst looking for the main place the ants were trailing; upon him scrambling up and tearing off his shirt, Taeyeon could see that they were inching up his back and around his neck. In a hasty act, she began to slap them off by the dozen then just hollered for him to run to a patch of grass (uninhabited by another nearby ant pile) and roll around.
She’d never seen anyone run so fast. And as she watched him turn into a ball of maroon hair, tan skin and demin, she couldn’t help but feel relief. Screaming out encouragements through laughter, Taeyeon could only think of the road not taken. She remembers why she’s afraid.
“You okay now?” Small, sandaled feet stopped before his fervidly-rising torso.
“Fine,” he wheezed. “I…I got them all.”
She let his checkered shirt flutter on top of his chest as she snickered. Her thumb projected back.
“Want me to get something for those bites? Got some calamine lotion in the glove compartment.”
“No, I’m okay. They didn’t bite that much.”
“Sure? Don’t let male pride steer you stupid.” Mentally counting to three, she compressed his larger hand and helped him back to his feet. He gave her the evil eye before slipping an arm through a sleeve.
“No one hears about this, Tae. Not even Jin. Not even my mother.”
“Can’t make you any promises.”
“I mean it girl.”
“Wouldn’t be the first ‘theatrical crybaby’ bed time story he’d hear about you.”
When his eyes widened lividly, she cackled and punched his shoulder.
Soon they were lying in the grass again-of course, after he’d played Captain Paranoid and was satisfied that there were no more likely “invasions”. She began to update him about Wook Jin, her son. He listens in fascination; asks her when he’d be graduating from junior high. Next May-Jonghyun’s invited to come if he wants to. If it isn’t a problem.
“I’ll see,” he says in a faraway voice.
Whether it’s from knowing how busy he’ll be within the next several months or because he is now intently staring at her favored celestial body, she doesn't know.
Taeyeon smiles proudly. “A gem, isn’t it?”
“A blind owl wouldn’t envy the all-seeing bat. The journey to site the beauty of one is a flight taken by a hundred or none.”
She groaned. “Realllllly wish you would stop doing that. Couldn’t you just say the star is pretty?”
“You should know how I operate by now.”
“Like a wanna-be Confucius?”
“Like a man who keeps a little flavor in his life.”
“Pffffft.”
He murmured, “Butterbean head” prior to curling his index finger into the base of his thumb, creating a makeshift magnifying glass to zoom into Betelgeuse. She shielded her eyes a bit from the moonlight to see it properly.
“You have good taste too,” he remarked with a catch in his voice. The hand lowered. He smiled softly over at her. She grinned like an imp. One, two, three-and eyes back to the sky.
“I think I’ll name it Betty. Less is more.”
“Bet-Oh, I see. Good one.”
“Or should I name it something else? Maybe something more befitting.”
“I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” There goes that catch again…
In fact, there goes that look again. The one he had right before….
Inwardly, she sighed. He knew. He knows.
Her smile came back tiny.
“I think I’ll Clark Kent this one.”
“A secret, huh? Glad you’re learning to appreciate the mystery of things.”
“Well, what can I say? I only learn from the best.”
“You know I hate when you call me that.”
“And you know the modest card is the oldest one played. Shut up and take the compliment for once. From me at least. You know I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t really mean it.”
He cringed a bit, probably thinking about all the times she called him “stupid sexy” and the like. And the times when she’d straight-faced slugged him when he tried to object. How wise of him.
“Betty/Jonghyun” seemed to wink down at her in agreement.
“You know what we haven’t done in a while?”
Her brow arched.
“Play the song game.”
“HAHA, I would think you’d be all ‘songed’ out from making demos every 30 seconds.”
He chuckled. “But its different with you. When I create songs away from you, I do it for the world. When I do it with you, I do it for kicks. For us.”
“Just with me, huh?”
“Just with you.”
“Dude, the last time we bullsh!t around like that, our little creation almost ended up on your Replay album.”
“Dude, you can’t tell me it wasn’t ‘hit’ material though.”
“It was PRIVATE hit material.”
Another chuckle. “You wanna play or not?”
His puppy expression faltered when Taeyeon inevitably rolled her eyes.
“Promise this stays between us?”
“Cross my heart.”
“Fine. But I start.”
He smirked mischievously. “Ladies first.”
Really simple game. All she had to do was sing a random line, and he either had to sing another line that sounded good with it or go from what he was feeling. Then it was her turn, and so on and so on until they ran out of juice. Taeyeon was no Kim Jonghyun, but she could carry a tune, so she never minded playing. And of course, having the short lummox commonly known as “Bling Bling” sing with/to you did have its perks.
The perfect inspiration lay in the onyx heavens above them. Taeyeon bit the inside of her cheek as she stared at the star that would forever hold her affections…
Then she turned to the other one in human form.
He smiled back just as meaningfully. “You’re one in a million.”
“You thought I should know.”
“That big things could happen…”
“….if you let us grow.”
Her hand was nudged; his enveloped hers when she allowed him access.
Second verse. His turn.
“I’ll be your protection,” he whispered fervently.
“I’ll be your companion.”
“If I could just have you.”
“I wouldn’t let go.” The pressure of his grasp compressed lovingly. The blush she was trying to hold back broke out any way.
“Go on,” he urged sweetly.
“Hmm….There must be a reason….?”
“I feel this connection.”
“Baby, let’s find out… what life has in store.”
Silence.
He shifted to his side and propped himself up on his elbow without breaking their fingers. And biting her bottom lip, she did the same.
From the look Taeyeon didn’t want to see, she knew in her gut that this wasn’t merely a game anymore.
A confessional, perhaps….
“So tell me the reason that you won’t let down.”
But it was getting easier by the line….
She matched his intensity, opting for a steal from the poetic department of her mind. “Those guards that imprison my blossoming rose.”
His eyes softened; touched she’d tap from that source. The one she so rarely did. A side of her he also treasured “I don’t want to pressure. But we should go further.”
“Because baby you deserve the finest in store.” So true yet not her….’not me, it isn’t me,’ Taeyeon whimpered mentally.
He must have read her mind. The discouragement in her chest melted away as soon as he licked his lips and deepened his stare.
“Your body is yearning.”
She swallowed. “It’s all in your face…”
“Not point in denying what you should embrace.”
“You say n-not to tease you…” She smoothed back a few strands of his hair, moussing it up a little to get the full feel of its wonderful texture. Her wrist was caught; a pair of rosy lips molded to the back of her pale hand. Casanova himself could take a few pointers from him, the bastard.
“But promise I’ll please you. Just let me in girl.”
It seemed to happen in slow motion, yet just as sudden as an epiphany. Effortlessly, the weight of his lower body settled comfortably on her. A finger went to her lips just as quickly whilst hair ends tickled her cheeks.
“Tonight, girl it can be the night.”
Despite herself, she slid his finger away and answered sarcastically. “We gon get it bumpin, problems all forgotten-
“Tonight, we’ll do it as you like.”
“Hmm….you just need the chance to show me that you’d give me..?”
“What you want. What you like. What you need girl…..”
His nose brushed hers.
Here they go again…
“What do you want from me?” She whispered. “What are you looking for…?”
“I’m looking for a thimble. Just one.”
His lips were just like Taeyeon always thought they were. She had an inkling of their feel whenever they’d press against her cheek in reunion or against her forehead in mock compassion. Even when those pliant motherfuckers attached themselves to her neck endearingly that time-something that was either accidental or accidently on purpose- it didn’t compare to what she was suckling on now. Lips that seemed alive, that seemed to sigh to themselves. The tease and dip of his tongue was pretty nice too but those lips…
Her own smackers were cold a minute later; Taeyeon’s eyes blew open to see him staring down at her blushingly. She graced him a flippant, lopsided grin.
“Much better than a kiss.”
A deep titter reverberated in his throat as he rolled off her and assumed a more innocent position. She wondered about the hoarseness of his voice.
“I hope you’ll forgive me for that one day.”
“Maybe. At least it’s out of your system.”
He didn’t reply, which gave me the hint that she MIGHT just be wrong. Not that being wrong was a bad thing necessarily...
“It was slick, the way you did it. I’ll give you that.”
A coy little smile. “Thanks.”
The stars beckoned them back to their glory when the easy silence settled in. She didn’t know exactly when their hands became linked again. Not sure when she gave up trying to make conversation. Betelgeuse seemed to stir them to enjoy what they had for the moment. To forget their fears and even conquer them.
Maybe that’s what made it the most special.
“Urghhhhhhh.” His back stirred on the grass. “Aissh….”
“Yeah, um…I wasn’t going to tell you now, but those were fire ants that turned your back into a picnic.”
Scrunchy face. “What’s that lotion called again?”
A tangy laugh rang out as Taeyeon arose on pins and needles and helped the shorter guy up for the second time that night. With his arm thrown over her narrow shoulder, they marched back to her car under the watchful eye of a certain star.
*********
And yeah.