Glow

[neorouge]

#20. Glow [Donghae/Kibum]

Fandom/Pairing: Super Junior- Kihae

Length: One-shot

Rating: PG-13

Genre:  Romance, Fantasy!AU, Angst-ish

Summary: Kibum remembers Donghae from when he was younger- he just didn’t know it that at the point.


Kibum didn’t know what it was, but that didn’t stop him from approaching the fascinating light in forestry behind his grandparent’s house.

He was intrigued by the glow, not having seen anything like it in all the ten years he’d lived.

It was an eerie yet beautiful bluish light breaking through the partings in the trees. It cast a soft blue sheen on the grass Kibum stood on, as well as on Kibum, the young boy glowing pale in the young night around him.

One step at a time- almost hesitantly, but not quite- he moved closer to the light. Not knowing what to expect, the young boy kept a sharp look out for anything suspicious.

He jumped as he felt cold water flooding his left shoe. He realized that he’d unknowingly stepped into the lake behind the house. He cursed as he removed his foot from the water, scolding himself for forgetting about the lake. He lifted his wet foot in the air, displeased by the uncomfortable feeling of water sloshing around inside his shoe.

He attempted to dry his shoe by shaking his foot. Kibum let out a yelp of surprise when he felt his shoe fly of his foot. He heard the distinct sound of something heavy falling into the water and he screamed in frustration when he realized he couldn’t make out anything in the night-darkened water of the lake.

The young boy sighed and fell back into the grass. He looked back in the direction of his grandparent’s house. He’d come a long way from the safety of the warm house, and he dreaded walking back in the night, and with one shoe nonetheless. Kibum closed his eyes and growled in frustration.

Suddenly, a light flashed behind his eyelids. He snapped his eyes open and took in a startled breath.

The light he’d been chasing that night- the one he’d momentarily forgotten due to his missing shoe- was… moving towards him.

It was odd. Now that Kibum was close enough, he could tell that the light was moving underwater. He could make it out, a large, human sized glow, bright against the dark water. He could see water ripple around the initial light as it moved closer, lit slightly in the glow.

Kibum felt himself holding his breath, not knowing what to expect as the mysterious light moved closer.

When the light was directly in front of him, Kibum could feel his heart beat a thousand miles per hour.

He didn’t know what to expect, he really didn’t, so when a smiling face suddenly popped out from the water, Kibum jumped and all but screamed his lungs out.

“Shush! Quiet down! Gosh shut up!”

Kibum's screams died down into illiterate stuttering. He stared absurdly at the figure that had risen from the lake. This is a dream right?

“Here!” Kibum stared at the figure- still slightly terrified- as it handed him something. His shoe.

Kibum took the item with shaky hands. They were completely dry. But he was sure that he’d heard them fall into the water!

“You’re welcome.” The figure said, slightly annoyed.

“Oh. Um, thank you.” Kibum said, voice still shaky.

The figure, he realized, was a young boy who looked about his age. He was maybe a little taller than Kibum and wore a silly little smile on his face.

Kibum was a smart child, everyone knew, so he didn’t miss the glow on the boy’s skin or the fact that he was completely dry- even though Kibum had just seen him rise out of the water.

“You… what are you.” Kibum asked shakily.

“Hae.” The boy replied, grin on his face. Kibum looked down at the shoe in his hand, wondering what the boy meant by Hae.

When he looked back up again, the boy was gone. And so was his glow.

“Halmoenim!” Kibum smiled as he hugged his grandmother. The elderly woman hugged him back and ushered him into her home.

Kibum breathed in the scent of the fresh air as he followed the elderly woman into the house.

It’d been eight years since he’s visited the countryside and he missed it.

Sure, he’d kept in touch with his family, and they’d come to visit his parents and himself in the city, but there was nothing like getting away from the bustle and noise of the big cities.

Kibum knew he’d enjoy his time there.

The first time Kibum noticed him, Kibum was picking herbs for his grandma to use in that night’s dinner.

He was sitting by the lake a few miles from the house, Kibum could just make out his figure, staring out into the water.

He didn’t really think about it much. He was just another person.

A couple days after the first sighting, Kibum noticed a trend. The man would get there before dawn, before Kibum woke up, and sit at the shore until dusk.

It was weird.

The man intrigued Kibum. He wondered if there was something wrong with him.

“Oh, I know him. What was his name again? Oh, dear, it seems to have slipped my mind.” His grandma had said when he first asked about him. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. He’s no harm. Quite the contrary, he’s a very helpful boy.”

“Did you lose something?” Kibum asked one day.

He had finally given up on watching and greeted the man.

The man looked up at him from his seat on the shore, and Kibum noticed that he was actually just a boy. “No, I’m waiting for someone.”

Kibum felt his hearts skip when the boy smiled at him.

“Oh.” He said, suddenly at a loss for words.

The boy patted the sand beside him. “You can sit you know.”

Kibum nodded his head and quickly sat down beside the boy.

“Is that for me?” The boy asked, pointing to the wrapped sandwich in Kibum's hand.

“Oh, yea.” Kibum said handing the sandwich to him. “Because you don’t seem to eat anything.”

The boy smiled. “You notice a lot of things don’t you.”

“You do do the same thing every day.” Kibum explained, a small blush on his face.

The boy laughed. “I guess that’s true. I’m Donghae by the way.”

Kibum smiled at Donghae. “Kibum.”

Donghae smiled again, “I know, Halmoeni is always talking about you. I always thought you’d be shorter.” He sighed and unwrapped the sandwich sniffing at it slightly. “There’s no fish in here right.”

Kibum shook his head. “Fish free.”

They got close quickly.  It was really surprising when Kibum thought about it. They were nothing alike.

Donghae was hyper and loved to talk, he cracked jokes and was constantly jumping all over the place. Kibum was stoic and quiet, he didn’t like attention and mainly kept to himself.

Donghae was athletic. Kibum particularly noticed Donghae's love of dancing, and swimming.

Kibum stayed away from sports. He didn’t like getting sweaty and tired, the same went for swimming. Kibum hated getting wet.

But there was something there that drew Kibum to Donghae.

Kibum wondered what that could be as he watched Donghae splash around in the water in front of him.

“Heads up!” He hears Donghae yell before he’s splashed, and soaked in water.

“YAH!”

Donghae laughed as the younger boy chases him down in the water.

“I used to live at the ocean.” Donghae said one day as they sat by the lake. Donghae had managed to get Kibum in the water with him- after lots of arguing from Kibum's side.  A dreamy expression was on his face as he stared into the water. “I’d like to go back there one day.”

Kibum looked at the older boy, his own dreamy expression on his face. He wondered vaguely when his hearts started beating so fast around Donghae. He reached out and touched Donghae's hand under the shallow water. Donghae looked at him quickly before looking back out towards the water. Kibum didn’t miss the glistening eyes Donghae had sported. He gave the older boy’s hand a small squeeze before saying, “I’m sure you’ll go back one day. I’ll take you.”

Donghae looked at him, a wide grin on his face. “Would you?”

Kibum nodded, a smile playing on his lips. Anything for you, He thought.

“Hey Kibum?”

“Hmm?”

“If you were to be any magical creature, what would you be?”

Kibum raised an eyebrow. “What kind of a question is that?”

“Oh, come one, Kibummie! Just answer the question!” Donghae prodded.

The younger boy laughed, “I don’t know? Whatever you are.”

“Well, I’m a naiad.”

Kibum gave Donghae a questioning look. “Sure you are.”

“I’m being honest! We’re real y’know! Naiads live in the water most of the time but sometimes, they come onto dry land, like I did, but only if we have a good reason.” Donghae explained enthusiastically, the words falling from his mouth fluidly.

“Oh? Then what’s your reason for gracing our land, mister naiad?” Kibum asked, albeit sarcastically.

Donghae was silent for a moment, but then he turned to look at Kibum with honest eyes, and Kibum felt his breath hitch.

“When I was eleven, I came close to the shore of this lake. I was curious about people, about humans, and I heard that there were humans living near here.”

Kibum scoffed, “That’s you reason?” Donghae shushed him.

“I wasn’t finished! Anyways, I didn’t really mean to, but I’d accidentally attracted someone. So I hid myself, but then, something hit me in my head!” Donghae pointed to his foot, “It was a shoe! And so I went to give it back to the person who threw it, ‘cause I don’t think he did it on purpose. But when I went to give it back, I realized that- that-“

“That what?”

Donghae stared out at the lake again.

“It was love at first sight, Kibummie.”

Kibum looked at Donghae and felt a pang in his chest, like a sharp pain.

“That reminds me of a dream I had once.”

Donghae looked at Kibum almost hopefully, “Really?”

Kibum didn’t say anything for a while and then, “Nah, it’s nothing. So this guy you like, did you ever find him?”

“Yea. But I don’t think he remembers me.” Donghae sulked.

Kibum laughed. “How can someone not remember you?”

Donghae made a face at Kibum, “Well, I looked different then.”

“Oh?” Kibum asked, slightly curious about how Donghae looked when he was eleven.

“Yea! See, in the morning, naiads look like any other person. But at night, when we step into the water, we glow.”

Kibum laughed again, not being able to help himself. “Your stories are so cute, Hae.”

Donghae pouted at the younger boy. “I’m telling the truth!”

“Sure you are.”

Donghae fell silent again, and then he said, “You know, I’ve been away from the sea almost eight years now.”

“Is that bad?” Kibum asked, playing along.

“Yea. It’s been a long time. I feel weak.” Donghae looked down at his hands. “If we stay away from the ocean too long, we can die.”

Kibum looked at Donghae with sad eyes. “You shouldn’t say things like that. It’s bad luck.”

Donghae sighed, “You’re right.”

Kibum rested his head against Donghae's shoulder. “You’re so cute.” He said, not noticing that he referred to Donghae, not his stories. Kibum closed his eyes, not noticing the blush on Donghae's cheeks.

Kibum felt Donghae's hands clench under the water. “I love you, Kibummie.”

Once again, Kibum felt his heart skip a beat.

Kibum didn’t know how it happened but he knew that Donghae's lips were on his, and that their bodies were pressed together.

Kibum didn’t hesitate to touch all of Donghae. His hands roamed over the elder’s body, his toung left patterns on the inside of his mouth.

Kibum relished the sounds coming from Donghae. He took pleasure in the hands moving across his stomach and soft pressure on his body.

“So I take it that you like me the way I like you?” Donghae asked, breaking the kiss.

Kibum's only answer was to reattach their lips, and Donghae understood it all.

Kibum saw Donghae's figure along the shore of the lake and ran up to the boy. He though it was odd that he’d still be there, Donghae usually left by dusk.

“Donghae!” He called, stopping only a few feet behind the older boy.

Donghae looked up to Kibum with tears in his eyes. “I-I have t-to leave.” He chocked out.

“What?” Kibum asked with a little laugh. “What are you talking about Hae?”

Donghae looked at him with sad eyes as his stepped into the water.

Kibum jumped at the older boy, “Be careful! You could slip-“ Kibum cut himself off when he let out a surprised gasp.

Donghae… he was glowing.

“Surprise.” Donghae said in a small voice.

Kibum stood speechless as he stared at the glowing boy.

“It…wasn’t a dream?” Kibum asked, his voice as small as Donghae's.

Donghae shook his head, watching Kibum wearily.

“All that stuff you said about naiads… you weren’t joking…?”

Once again, Donghae shook his head.

“So, you’re really one? You’re not human?”

“Kibum,” Donghae chocked out. “Please don’t hate me. I didn’t want to be like this.”

Kibum growled. “So what? You’re going to leave now? Go back to the ocean and just forget about me?”

“Kibum! I have to! I’ve stayed to long already! I’ll-“

“Die.”

Donghae looked startled at Kibum's bluntness. He desperately wanted to reach out and hug the younger boy. He did, but the pull of the ocean waves lured him into its clutches. He didn’t know how much longer he could resist them.  He didn’t want to leave Kibum like this.

“Kibum, Kibummie, don’t be like this.” Donghae pleaded. “I love you.”

Kibum looked at the older boy, and felt a pang in his chest.

Kibum didn’t want Donghae to leave. He didn’t care if naiads could die if they stayed away from the ocean too long; he just wanted to be with him. He felt selfish. Donghae made him feel like that, made him feel like he could have anything in the world.

The younger boy stepped closer to the naiad and saw his face light up with hope.

Kibum shuddered as he stepped into the cold water, but continued to move closer to Donghae nonetheless. Donghae's arms opened towards the younger boy instinctively and Kibum didn’t hesitate to fill them.

“I don’t want you to leave.” Kibum cried into Donghae's shoulder as the elder wrapped his arms around him.

“I don’t want to leave either.”

Donghae lifted Kibum’s head off his shoulder and kissed the boy tenderly.

Kibum closed his eyes and melted into the kiss. He saw the light coming off Donghae's skin even behind his closed eyes and wondered what it would take to get Donghae to stay.

The younger boy felt himself getting pushed down into the water and shuddered at the coldness. But he didn’t care. He didn’t care about the cold, or the fact that his clothes were becoming soaked. As long as he could still feel Donghae's hands on him, feel his breath on his skin, feel his lips against his; as long as he could feel Donghae there.

“I love you.”

Kibum wasn’t completely sure who had said it, but he knew that they both meant it.

Kibum woke up the next morning against the sore of the lake, the dawn bright against his sleepy eyes.

He woke up alone.

Kibum couldn’t help the anger that surged through him as he fisted his hands around the sand surrounding him.

Looking at the bright light of the rising sun, he realized just how much he loved Donghae.

He realized just how much he already missed him.

“I love you.” He whispered, trying so hard not to cry, but failing inevitably.

Kibum sighed and looked out the window of his summer home.

It was by the beach and Kibum had a beautiful view of the ocean.

It’s been five years since he’s last seen Donghae, but Kibum knows he’s there, watching him from somewhere in the sea.

During pleasant nights, Kibum walks along the shore of the beach, and he swears he sees the glimmer of lights in the distant water. A soft bluish glow that he knows can only be made by one person.

And sometimes, when it’s quiet, he’ll whisper, “I love you.” And not seconds later will he hear, I love you too whispered on the ocean breeze.

It makes him smile.

Kibum knows that Donghae's not ready to come back yet. But he will. And when that time comes, Kibum will still be waiting.