fic: Two Paths Converge {dooseob}
Title: Two Paths Converge
Length: one-shot
Author: M_K Yujji
Rating: g
Genre: AU
Pairing/Characters: Yoseob, Doojoon, DooSeob (brief appearances and/or mentions of Junhyung, Gikwang, & Jokwon)
Warnings: RPS
Disclaimer: Though real people are used as characters, this fic bears no resemblance to Real Life and these people are not owned by me.
Comments/Notes: This is the sequel to The Road Not Taken - Doojoon, Yoseob. Towards the end I was meandering all over the place, but I hope I managed to draw it all back together and close it up. It's only partially beta'd as I ended up making changes and adding to the end without running it by my beta. :x kenaressa? if you see any mistakes or tangled sentences that I missed, let me know, okay?
*sad face* There's no Dongwoon here. Sorry. I had a hard time fitting him into place in this verse. He's just not athletic enough to be on the team and I didn't want everyone to be entertainers. I did come up with a story for him, but it just doesn't intersect with this fic. Gikwang's on the other hand.... ^^;; I keep reminding myself that this verse is done, but I have a suspension that the GiWoon might get the better of me. We'll see.
Summary: Converge(verb): come together from different directions so as eventually to meet.
~*~*~
“Thanks for helping me out with this. I owe you one, Junhyung.”
Junhyung waved a hand and shook his head. “Please. We’re friends. What’s the point in having connections if you can’t use them to help your friends? Besides, apparently Jokwon has been scheming for this for years. He was thrilled to do his part.”
With a smile, Yoseob hugged the old guitar case close. “You’re both good friends.”
He wasn’t quite sure how Junhyung had managed everything so quickly, but over the years he’d found it was better not to question how his friend managed to do all of the things he did. He had his suspicions, but at least if he never asked, Junhyung would never have to answer and if the police showed up on his doorstep, Yoseob wouldn’t have to lie.
It was enough for him that Junhyung was a good guy, whatever connections he’d chosen to pursue after high school.
“All right. So I could only get you a five minute spot at the beginning of the show.” The older man shrugged apologetically. “I probably could have forced the issue, but I didn’t think you’d be very comfortable if I did and you said you only wanted to sing one song, right? Not do the entire show?”
“Five minutes if fine.” Yoseob pushed away any thoughts about what forcing the issue could entail and reminded himself firmly that Junhyung was a good guy. “As long as I can hook up into the system already set up, it won’t take long for that and it’s not a long song.”
Junhyung watched him for a moment. “You do realize that this isn’t going to be constrained to the stadium? Every person in the world tuning into the World Cup half-time show is going to see this. This is the final. Potentially that could be millions of people watching.”
“I know.”
The silence between them was heavy for a moment, despite the dull roar of the crowd as the final seconds ticked down to the half. “He might not appreciate the gesture.”
Yoseob knew that too and he nodded. It wasn’t going to take much thought for anyone to realize he was making a statement and only a little more to realize what that statement was. Yoseob was fine with it. He’d never officially confirmed suspicions of his sexuality before, but he’d never denied it either. Korea had had ten years to get used to it. The only people who still clung to the belief that he was going to settle down and marry a nice girl and have a nice family were the fangirls who somehow held out hope that they were going to capture his attention.
Even his parents had finally accepted it and they were the ones who could have hurt him by their refusal.
Doojoon on the other hand…
Well, Yoseob wasn’t sure exactly how open Doojoon was with his sexuality anymore. Somehow the idea of girlfriends and significant others just wasn’t considered as important in the world of sports and none of the interviewers he’d ever seen corner Doojoon had ever asked.
It was entirely possible that this entire night was going to blow up in his face and he’d lose any chance he had. It was a risk, but Yoseob couldn’t be anyone but himself and his life was crazy and extremely public. If Doojoon was even going to consider rekindling what they’d had, it was best that he know what he was getting into right up front.
He’d considered all of the pros and cons and possible scenarios of the entire scheme - a throw away joke from Gikwang who’d been shocked when Yoseob had actually taken the idea seriously - before he’d ever approached Junhyung to find out if it was feasible. He’d known before he picked up the phone that if Junhyung had the power to make it happen, then he’d go through with it.
Granted, he’d honestly thought he’d found the one thing that would be beyond even Junhyung’s influence.
Even so, he’d been committed from the moment he’d written the song.
It was his promise and his commitment to trying to recapture the love he'd had with Doojoon.
If Junhyung hadn’t managed to come through, he’d have simply found another way to go about delivering it - an exclusive interview or his next concert, perhaps.
He should have known better than to doubt Junhyung’s abilities, though. Even in high school he’d been uncannily good delivering seemingly impossible things.
Junhyung quirked a grin at him. “I guess rock stars have to do everything with flair, right?”
Yoseob smiled back at him, trying to ignore the elephants rampaging around in his stomach as the cheer went up to mark the end of the half. He hadn’t been so nervous in years. It wasn’t the possible millions of viewers. He was used to performing for large audiences, even if this potentially could far usurp any other he’d played for. Fifty, fifty thousand, or fifty million, it was all the same to him.
There was only one person who would see his performance that mattered. Only one that he was trying to impress.
Funny how fifty million and one made all the difference in the world.
A frantic coordinator ran by and grabbed his arm. “If you’re doing this, you need to get out there now so we can start the real show. Go!”
He took a deep breath and jogged out to meet his destiny.
~*~*~
“Are you angry with me?” Jokwon asked as he sat down beside Doojoon.
Doojoon shook his head, but didn’t look at his friend or reply. His mind was still whirling around in circles. So much all at once and no time to think about what it all meant.
When Jokwon had appeared before the final, Doojoon hadn’t thought much about it.
This was the dream that he’d been chasing his entire life. It was finally within his grasp and all he had to do was go out, play with all of his heart and soul, and pray that it would be enough. Every single one of his teammates, he knew, had been thinking the exact same thing.
It felt right to have his best friend be there.
The first half had been brutal. All he’d wanted when the halftime buzzer had gone off was to escape down into the locker room, grab some water, and try to figure out how to get around one of the toughest goalies he’d ever had to face.
Jokwon had stopped him, though. He’d insisted that Doojoon needed to see the half time show and had refused to back down even when Doojoon had threatened him with bodily harm. Jokwon knew Doojoon well enough to know that no amount of stress or pressure would ever turn him into the kind of person who would hurt his friends, but still.
So Doojoon had sighed and crossed his arms and glowered at anyone who dared come close.
Until the first performer had jogged out onto the stage, waving to the crowd in a familiar red and white high school jersey with a guitar on his back. Added to the bright blonde hair and brilliant smile, Doojoon hadn’t needed the announcer’s introduction to recognize the singer, even from the sidelines.
Yoseob had only sung one song. It was something new, he’d said, a sweet song about choosing the path to your destiny and it leading you back to places you least expected. It was ambiguous enough to fit with the idea of athletes reaching for championships and finding themselves. Doojoon didn’t think most of the audience noticed the other messages in the lyrics unless they’d seen Yoseob’s interview with Wendy Kim.
Certainly they wouldn’t know that the guitar Yoseob was playing should have been sitting in its mount in Doojoon’s bedroom back in Seoul.
“Doojoonie?”
Doojoon sighed and bumped his shoulder into Jokwon’s. “I’m not mad.”
Honestly, he wasn’t sure how he felt. He’d been rushed down into the locker room as soon as the song was over and then there’d been the second half, which had been just as brutal as the first. There’d been no time to think about anything other than the game.
The zero/zero score at the end had forced a shootout.
It wasn’t the way Doojoon preferred to win his games, but it was still good enough to bring the cup home.
It was all too much to wrap his head around, really.
A lifetime of chasing a dream and he’d finally caught it.
In the space of two hours, he’d played the hardest game of his life to win a world championship he’d been dreaming of since he was a child and the man he’d never stopped loving had declared his affections and intentions to the world.
Doojoon thought it wasn’t too much to ask to have a few minutes of quiet alone time to let it all sink in before he had to actually do anything about it.
His teammates were off celebrating their victory. He’d be expected to join them soon. Undoubtedly Junsu would have that obnoxious, marry me sign again. The brat had been adding pink glitter and kiss imprints to it the night before.
“Doojoon?”
It was on the tip of his tongue to reassure Jokwon that he wasn’t angry yet again when it registered that it wasn’t Jokwon’s voice. Jokwon never said his name so sweetly, full of hesitation and adoration.
Only one person had ever said his name like that and Doojoon glanced up to see Yoseob hovering in the doorway of the locker room, uncertainty written all over his face.
He stared in silence for a long minute before Jokwon sighed and shook his head. “I guess I’ll leave you to it.”
Yoseob moved aside to let him through, dipping his head slightly in acknowledgement though his eyes never left Doojoon’s.
The silence dragged on between them, Yoseob shifting nervously while Doojoon just watched him, drinking in the tiny details that no camera had ever quite captured.
“Are you angry?”
Doojoon’s lips twitched and he had to cough to cover up the small laugh that wanted to escape as Yoseob repeated Jokwon’s question. Then he shook his head. “I’m not angry. A little overwhelmed, maybe… but not angry.”
“Ah…” Yoseob hesitated another moment before moving over to join Doojoon on the bench. “You asked me to sing you a song.”
“I did.”
Yoseob's hands twisted slightly, then picked randomly at the hem of the jersey he wore, betraying his nervousness. “It’s been a long time…”
Doojoon had always thought Yoseob was far too adorable for his own good. Time hadn’t changed that.
“It has.”
The singer’s scowl looked more like a little boy’s pout. He’d never quite managed to pull off the fierce look that most rock stars went for. He hadn’t grown much past high school and Doojoon’s old jersey still hung loosely on him, making him look like someone’s kid brother playing dress up. “I don’t remember you being so damned enigmatic before.”
Smiling, Doojoon leaned over and captured Yoseob’s lips with his own.
He kept the kiss sweet and exploratory, reacquainting himself with the taste and feel of Yoseob.
The singer made a sound of disapproval and nipped at his lips when Doojoon would have pulled back. He wrapped his arms around Doojoon’s neck and twisted around to straddle the bench before pulling him back for another kiss.
Doojoon relented with a soft laugh, letting Yoseob deepen the kiss and sliding an arm around Yoseob’s waist.
When Yoseob finally let the kiss end, he settled his head on Doojoon’s shoulder and sighed. The sound was so deeply content and satisfied that Doojoon couldn’t help but smile.
“Now that… that I remember.”
“I missed you.” He hadn’t thought of Yoseob every day that they’d been apart and he had tried to move on once or twice, but their separation had never been about not loving each other enough. Their paths had simply led them in opposite directions. They’d tried to make a go of it for a while despite that, but it hadn’t taken long before the distance and differences had become too big of an obstacle.
They’d faced the impossible choice of either letting go of their dreams or letting go of each other.
He could feel Yoseob’s smile against his collarbone. “Me too.”
Letting go of Yoseob had been the toughest choice he’d ever made, but he hadn’t wanted their feelings to grow bitter and hateful with regret and missed chances and he’d known Yoseob felt the same.
“Do you remember what you said?”
Doojoon quirked a grin and shook his head. “I’ve said a lot of things over the years. Which particular thing am I supposed to be remembering?”
Yoseob pulled back to meet Doojoon’s eyes with a searching look. “That last day… Before I caught the plane to LA.”
“Ah…”
The trips that had been the final deciding factor in their break up. Yoseob’s music was taking him away to the US and Doojoon had had a once in a lifetime opportunity to go to Italy to train with one of the greatest players who’d ever played the game. Neither of them could find it in themselves to deny their lover the opportunities being presented to them and neither of them had wanted to put their relationship through six months to a year of little or no communication during what was likely to be a stressful time for each of them.
“I wished you good luck and told you to be safe.” He closed his eyes, the image as clear in his mind as it ever had been. Watching Yoseob walk away and knowing it was probably for good had hurt more than anything else ever had. “I told you not to be sad. If we were meant to be, fate would bring us back together.”
He hadn’t really believed his own words, but Yoseob had been crying and that had always been a punch to his gut.
Yoseob nodded looking sheepish. “I hope you don’t mind if I gave fate a good hard shove.”
Doojoon snickered and pulled Yoseob back against him. “You always were impatient.”
“Hey, I think ten years is plenty of patience, thank you very much!”
“And now you’re rounding up, too.” Doojoon shook his head and made a tsk’ing sound. “Eight years, ten months and….” He counted in his head for a moment. “Six days.”
Yoseob’s arms tightened around him. “Too long.”
Doojoon couldn’t actually argue with that, so instead brushed a hand through Yoseob’s hair and pressed a kiss against his temple. “Too long.”
“We’ve probably changed a lot,” Yoseob murmured, relaxing against Doojoon.
“Probably.”
“We’ve probably romanticized our memories… Maybe we weren’t as awesome together as we remember.”
“Could be.”
“My life is insanely public. If we’re dating again, half of Korea is going to know every thing there is to know about you… even the things you don’t want people to know. You’ll have to strike the word privacy out of your vocabulary.”
“That’s true.”
Yoseob pinched him. “That is really annoying, you know.”
He kissed away Doojoon’s I know before it could be fully vocalized.
When they separated again, Doojoon tipped his forehead against Yoseob’s, entirely serious. “Anything could happen, Seobie. I get it. And maybe it won’t be quite what it was before. I don’t think anyone can say that we haven’t both earned the right to give it another try. If you’re willing to take the risk, then so am I.”
The singer was quiet for a long moment, then he took a deep breath and smiled. “Okay then.”
“Okay then.”
Doojoon’s cellphone went off then, one of Yoseob’s earlier tunes set to the ringtone and he dropped his head against Yoseob’s shoulder with a groan as the other snickered. He didn’t need to check it to know who it was or what they wanted, so he thumbed it off and stood up, reaching a hand out to the other man with a smile. “Come on, Seobie. There’s some people I want you to meet and a sign I really need to rub into someone’s face.”
Though he looked slightly confused, Yoseob just smiled and took Doojoon’s hand.
~*~*~
fin
Length: one-shot
Author: M_K Yujji
Rating: g
Genre: AU
Pairing/Characters: Yoseob, Doojoon, DooSeob (brief appearances and/or mentions of Junhyung, Gikwang, & Jokwon)
Warnings: RPS
Disclaimer: Though real people are used as characters, this fic bears no resemblance to Real Life and these people are not owned by me.
Comments/Notes: This is the sequel to The Road Not Taken - Doojoon, Yoseob. Towards the end I was meandering all over the place, but I hope I managed to draw it all back together and close it up. It's only partially beta'd as I ended up making changes and adding to the end without running it by my beta. :x kenaressa? if you see any mistakes or tangled sentences that I missed, let me know, okay?
*sad face* There's no Dongwoon here. Sorry. I had a hard time fitting him into place in this verse. He's just not athletic enough to be on the team and I didn't want everyone to be entertainers. I did come up with a story for him, but it just doesn't intersect with this fic. Gikwang's on the other hand.... ^^;; I keep reminding myself that this verse is done, but I have a suspension that the GiWoon might get the better of me. We'll see.
Summary: Converge(verb): come together from different directions so as eventually to meet.
~*~*~
“Thanks for helping me out with this. I owe you one, Junhyung.”
Junhyung waved a hand and shook his head. “Please. We’re friends. What’s the point in having connections if you can’t use them to help your friends? Besides, apparently Jokwon has been scheming for this for years. He was thrilled to do his part.”
With a smile, Yoseob hugged the old guitar case close. “You’re both good friends.”
He wasn’t quite sure how Junhyung had managed everything so quickly, but over the years he’d found it was better not to question how his friend managed to do all of the things he did. He had his suspicions, but at least if he never asked, Junhyung would never have to answer and if the police showed up on his doorstep, Yoseob wouldn’t have to lie.
It was enough for him that Junhyung was a good guy, whatever connections he’d chosen to pursue after high school.
“All right. So I could only get you a five minute spot at the beginning of the show.” The older man shrugged apologetically. “I probably could have forced the issue, but I didn’t think you’d be very comfortable if I did and you said you only wanted to sing one song, right? Not do the entire show?”
“Five minutes if fine.” Yoseob pushed away any thoughts about what forcing the issue could entail and reminded himself firmly that Junhyung was a good guy. “As long as I can hook up into the system already set up, it won’t take long for that and it’s not a long song.”
Junhyung watched him for a moment. “You do realize that this isn’t going to be constrained to the stadium? Every person in the world tuning into the World Cup half-time show is going to see this. This is the final. Potentially that could be millions of people watching.”
“I know.”
The silence between them was heavy for a moment, despite the dull roar of the crowd as the final seconds ticked down to the half. “He might not appreciate the gesture.”
Yoseob knew that too and he nodded. It wasn’t going to take much thought for anyone to realize he was making a statement and only a little more to realize what that statement was. Yoseob was fine with it. He’d never officially confirmed suspicions of his sexuality before, but he’d never denied it either. Korea had had ten years to get used to it. The only people who still clung to the belief that he was going to settle down and marry a nice girl and have a nice family were the fangirls who somehow held out hope that they were going to capture his attention.
Even his parents had finally accepted it and they were the ones who could have hurt him by their refusal.
Doojoon on the other hand…
Well, Yoseob wasn’t sure exactly how open Doojoon was with his sexuality anymore. Somehow the idea of girlfriends and significant others just wasn’t considered as important in the world of sports and none of the interviewers he’d ever seen corner Doojoon had ever asked.
It was entirely possible that this entire night was going to blow up in his face and he’d lose any chance he had. It was a risk, but Yoseob couldn’t be anyone but himself and his life was crazy and extremely public. If Doojoon was even going to consider rekindling what they’d had, it was best that he know what he was getting into right up front.
He’d considered all of the pros and cons and possible scenarios of the entire scheme - a throw away joke from Gikwang who’d been shocked when Yoseob had actually taken the idea seriously - before he’d ever approached Junhyung to find out if it was feasible. He’d known before he picked up the phone that if Junhyung had the power to make it happen, then he’d go through with it.
Granted, he’d honestly thought he’d found the one thing that would be beyond even Junhyung’s influence.
Even so, he’d been committed from the moment he’d written the song.
It was his promise and his commitment to trying to recapture the love he'd had with Doojoon.
If Junhyung hadn’t managed to come through, he’d have simply found another way to go about delivering it - an exclusive interview or his next concert, perhaps.
He should have known better than to doubt Junhyung’s abilities, though. Even in high school he’d been uncannily good delivering seemingly impossible things.
Junhyung quirked a grin at him. “I guess rock stars have to do everything with flair, right?”
Yoseob smiled back at him, trying to ignore the elephants rampaging around in his stomach as the cheer went up to mark the end of the half. He hadn’t been so nervous in years. It wasn’t the possible millions of viewers. He was used to performing for large audiences, even if this potentially could far usurp any other he’d played for. Fifty, fifty thousand, or fifty million, it was all the same to him.
There was only one person who would see his performance that mattered. Only one that he was trying to impress.
Funny how fifty million and one made all the difference in the world.
A frantic coordinator ran by and grabbed his arm. “If you’re doing this, you need to get out there now so we can start the real show. Go!”
He took a deep breath and jogged out to meet his destiny.
~*~*~
“Are you angry with me?” Jokwon asked as he sat down beside Doojoon.
Doojoon shook his head, but didn’t look at his friend or reply. His mind was still whirling around in circles. So much all at once and no time to think about what it all meant.
When Jokwon had appeared before the final, Doojoon hadn’t thought much about it.
This was the dream that he’d been chasing his entire life. It was finally within his grasp and all he had to do was go out, play with all of his heart and soul, and pray that it would be enough. Every single one of his teammates, he knew, had been thinking the exact same thing.
It felt right to have his best friend be there.
The first half had been brutal. All he’d wanted when the halftime buzzer had gone off was to escape down into the locker room, grab some water, and try to figure out how to get around one of the toughest goalies he’d ever had to face.
Jokwon had stopped him, though. He’d insisted that Doojoon needed to see the half time show and had refused to back down even when Doojoon had threatened him with bodily harm. Jokwon knew Doojoon well enough to know that no amount of stress or pressure would ever turn him into the kind of person who would hurt his friends, but still.
So Doojoon had sighed and crossed his arms and glowered at anyone who dared come close.
Until the first performer had jogged out onto the stage, waving to the crowd in a familiar red and white high school jersey with a guitar on his back. Added to the bright blonde hair and brilliant smile, Doojoon hadn’t needed the announcer’s introduction to recognize the singer, even from the sidelines.
Yoseob had only sung one song. It was something new, he’d said, a sweet song about choosing the path to your destiny and it leading you back to places you least expected. It was ambiguous enough to fit with the idea of athletes reaching for championships and finding themselves. Doojoon didn’t think most of the audience noticed the other messages in the lyrics unless they’d seen Yoseob’s interview with Wendy Kim.
Certainly they wouldn’t know that the guitar Yoseob was playing should have been sitting in its mount in Doojoon’s bedroom back in Seoul.
“Doojoonie?”
Doojoon sighed and bumped his shoulder into Jokwon’s. “I’m not mad.”
Honestly, he wasn’t sure how he felt. He’d been rushed down into the locker room as soon as the song was over and then there’d been the second half, which had been just as brutal as the first. There’d been no time to think about anything other than the game.
The zero/zero score at the end had forced a shootout.
It wasn’t the way Doojoon preferred to win his games, but it was still good enough to bring the cup home.
It was all too much to wrap his head around, really.
A lifetime of chasing a dream and he’d finally caught it.
In the space of two hours, he’d played the hardest game of his life to win a world championship he’d been dreaming of since he was a child and the man he’d never stopped loving had declared his affections and intentions to the world.
Doojoon thought it wasn’t too much to ask to have a few minutes of quiet alone time to let it all sink in before he had to actually do anything about it.
His teammates were off celebrating their victory. He’d be expected to join them soon. Undoubtedly Junsu would have that obnoxious, marry me sign again. The brat had been adding pink glitter and kiss imprints to it the night before.
“Doojoon?”
It was on the tip of his tongue to reassure Jokwon that he wasn’t angry yet again when it registered that it wasn’t Jokwon’s voice. Jokwon never said his name so sweetly, full of hesitation and adoration.
Only one person had ever said his name like that and Doojoon glanced up to see Yoseob hovering in the doorway of the locker room, uncertainty written all over his face.
He stared in silence for a long minute before Jokwon sighed and shook his head. “I guess I’ll leave you to it.”
Yoseob moved aside to let him through, dipping his head slightly in acknowledgement though his eyes never left Doojoon’s.
The silence dragged on between them, Yoseob shifting nervously while Doojoon just watched him, drinking in the tiny details that no camera had ever quite captured.
“Are you angry?”
Doojoon’s lips twitched and he had to cough to cover up the small laugh that wanted to escape as Yoseob repeated Jokwon’s question. Then he shook his head. “I’m not angry. A little overwhelmed, maybe… but not angry.”
“Ah…” Yoseob hesitated another moment before moving over to join Doojoon on the bench. “You asked me to sing you a song.”
“I did.”
Yoseob's hands twisted slightly, then picked randomly at the hem of the jersey he wore, betraying his nervousness. “It’s been a long time…”
Doojoon had always thought Yoseob was far too adorable for his own good. Time hadn’t changed that.
“It has.”
The singer’s scowl looked more like a little boy’s pout. He’d never quite managed to pull off the fierce look that most rock stars went for. He hadn’t grown much past high school and Doojoon’s old jersey still hung loosely on him, making him look like someone’s kid brother playing dress up. “I don’t remember you being so damned enigmatic before.”
Smiling, Doojoon leaned over and captured Yoseob’s lips with his own.
He kept the kiss sweet and exploratory, reacquainting himself with the taste and feel of Yoseob.
The singer made a sound of disapproval and nipped at his lips when Doojoon would have pulled back. He wrapped his arms around Doojoon’s neck and twisted around to straddle the bench before pulling him back for another kiss.
Doojoon relented with a soft laugh, letting Yoseob deepen the kiss and sliding an arm around Yoseob’s waist.
When Yoseob finally let the kiss end, he settled his head on Doojoon’s shoulder and sighed. The sound was so deeply content and satisfied that Doojoon couldn’t help but smile.
“Now that… that I remember.”
“I missed you.” He hadn’t thought of Yoseob every day that they’d been apart and he had tried to move on once or twice, but their separation had never been about not loving each other enough. Their paths had simply led them in opposite directions. They’d tried to make a go of it for a while despite that, but it hadn’t taken long before the distance and differences had become too big of an obstacle.
They’d faced the impossible choice of either letting go of their dreams or letting go of each other.
He could feel Yoseob’s smile against his collarbone. “Me too.”
Letting go of Yoseob had been the toughest choice he’d ever made, but he hadn’t wanted their feelings to grow bitter and hateful with regret and missed chances and he’d known Yoseob felt the same.
“Do you remember what you said?”
Doojoon quirked a grin and shook his head. “I’ve said a lot of things over the years. Which particular thing am I supposed to be remembering?”
Yoseob pulled back to meet Doojoon’s eyes with a searching look. “That last day… Before I caught the plane to LA.”
“Ah…”
The trips that had been the final deciding factor in their break up. Yoseob’s music was taking him away to the US and Doojoon had had a once in a lifetime opportunity to go to Italy to train with one of the greatest players who’d ever played the game. Neither of them could find it in themselves to deny their lover the opportunities being presented to them and neither of them had wanted to put their relationship through six months to a year of little or no communication during what was likely to be a stressful time for each of them.
“I wished you good luck and told you to be safe.” He closed his eyes, the image as clear in his mind as it ever had been. Watching Yoseob walk away and knowing it was probably for good had hurt more than anything else ever had. “I told you not to be sad. If we were meant to be, fate would bring us back together.”
He hadn’t really believed his own words, but Yoseob had been crying and that had always been a punch to his gut.
Yoseob nodded looking sheepish. “I hope you don’t mind if I gave fate a good hard shove.”
Doojoon snickered and pulled Yoseob back against him. “You always were impatient.”
“Hey, I think ten years is plenty of patience, thank you very much!”
“And now you’re rounding up, too.” Doojoon shook his head and made a tsk’ing sound. “Eight years, ten months and….” He counted in his head for a moment. “Six days.”
Yoseob’s arms tightened around him. “Too long.”
Doojoon couldn’t actually argue with that, so instead brushed a hand through Yoseob’s hair and pressed a kiss against his temple. “Too long.”
“We’ve probably changed a lot,” Yoseob murmured, relaxing against Doojoon.
“Probably.”
“We’ve probably romanticized our memories… Maybe we weren’t as awesome together as we remember.”
“Could be.”
“My life is insanely public. If we’re dating again, half of Korea is going to know every thing there is to know about you… even the things you don’t want people to know. You’ll have to strike the word privacy out of your vocabulary.”
“That’s true.”
Yoseob pinched him. “That is really annoying, you know.”
He kissed away Doojoon’s I know before it could be fully vocalized.
When they separated again, Doojoon tipped his forehead against Yoseob’s, entirely serious. “Anything could happen, Seobie. I get it. And maybe it won’t be quite what it was before. I don’t think anyone can say that we haven’t both earned the right to give it another try. If you’re willing to take the risk, then so am I.”
The singer was quiet for a long moment, then he took a deep breath and smiled. “Okay then.”
“Okay then.”
Doojoon’s cellphone went off then, one of Yoseob’s earlier tunes set to the ringtone and he dropped his head against Yoseob’s shoulder with a groan as the other snickered. He didn’t need to check it to know who it was or what they wanted, so he thumbed it off and stood up, reaching a hand out to the other man with a smile. “Come on, Seobie. There’s some people I want you to meet and a sign I really need to rub into someone’s face.”
Though he looked slightly confused, Yoseob just smiled and took Doojoon’s hand.
~*~*~
fin