Press, Press the Reset
Press, Press the Reset
1000 words, rated PG-13
Super Junior: Yesung/Kyuhyun
Summary: Jongwoon always wondered what life would be like if he could go back and try it all again.
Jongwoon always wondered what life would be like if he could go back and try it all again.
It was mid-September, and the time moved to the tempo of daytime drama, never quite stopping but coming so close. Jongwoon watched the sun slip from the sky as his heart sank lower in his chest. Kyuhyun’s fingers were a twitch away from his, but the distance grew longer in the silence.
The world dimmed when Kyuhyun walked away, shoulders hunched and head dipped down. Jongwoon turned around; the scenery did, too.
Brutal air filled his lungs as he passed the guests venturing home from the restaurant. Kyuhyun sat at the corner table, fingers circling the rim of his glass of water. His pale face was bundled in the dark red fabric of the scarf, and his body was smothered in a heavy black coat.
Kyuhyun never spoke to him that day; he barely glanced up. But Jongwoon stopped by the table every so often anyway, his notepad gripped tightly and nerves barely connected.
“Do you need anything else?” he said, his thumb clicking his pen repeatedly.
Kyuhyun looked at him then, dark eyes reflecting the glimmer of the neon outside. “Is today your first day or something?”
Jongwoon shook his head before lowering his gaze to the window. Snow gathered on the streets as his thoughts reorganized themselves in his mind. He felt the flush of his cheeks, the rush of his heart. He backed away then, retreating to the comfort of the front counter.
Kyuhyun reached for his wrist, only managing to brush his fingertips against the back of Jongwoon’s hand.
Jongwoon turned slowly. He wasn’t sure if he imagined the curve of Kyuhyun’s lips, but the number on the napkin that found its way into his apron was real.
Jongwoon felt the texture of the napkin, cheap and rough. The ink was little more than black smears, and he no longer smelled food but cigarettes and coffee grounds. The white walls of his first job shifted as he walked forward into the dark.
The date was to be a celebration, a good way to mark devotion. It had been a good on paper only. Kyuhyun likened it to Murphy’s Law. Looking back, Jongwoon thought it to be a sign of what was to come.
Kyuhyun’s tongue was more dangerous than the scalding coffee Jongwoon nursed. He gasped in between lectures, catching only enough information to quote back. He never really understood a word of it, and his tired mind searched the room for any other conversations.
The little food that was pushed to the center of the table, mostly overcooked and dry. Jongwoon used it as a shield when Kyuhyun got too passionate. He later found out that Kyuhyun used it as a barrier.
Topics changed rapidly, barely pausing for breath. The fight was something small, probably avoidable. But at the time, Jongwoon honestly thought it was for the best when Kyuhyun left him confused and angry at the table alone.
An hour later, when all of the words settled in his mind beneath the roars of intellect, Jongwoon decided that maybe he should have chased after him.
Kyuhyun was sitting outside the cafe when Jongwoon walked out.
“Been here long?” Jongwoon asked as he settled down next to Kyuhyun on the bench.
Kyuhyun shrugged, a bit of snow slid from his hair.
“Let’s go home,” Jongwoon said as he patted Kyuhyun’s thigh.
“Happy anniversary.”
Jongwoon smiled at Kyuhyun. “Happy anniversary.”
It was never really easy to breathe with Kyuhyun there. Jongwoon felt suffocated, like his lungs were collapsing by this new presence. His mind never strayed too far from thoughts of Kyuhyun, either.
Kyuhyun said it was probably just a side effect to being around someone new. He had called it love, once, in his sleep. Jongwoon didn’t think that was important at the time.
Snow melted from the streets as he turned around. Walls rose from the ground, beige and covered in posters. The air warmed, and Kyuhyun’s mussed hair was stuck to his forehead.
Their apartment smelled like a week’s worth of sex and Chinese takeout, which Jongwoon always associated with Kyuhyun and accumulated vacation time.
Pale skin peaked from underneath the blankets, glistening under the fluorescent lights. Jongwoon rolled onto his side and traced a vein on Kyuhyun’s arm until he reached the shoulder.
Kyuhyun’s eyes were closed, and the world felt open. Barely there and mostly sleepy, Kyuhyun’s voice changed everything.
“I love you.”
Jongwoon’s heart stopped for a beat or two; Kyuhyun was too deep in sleep to realize that the world had paused.
Jongwoon reached out to shake himself, like he was the one asleep. The closer his hand got to his own skin, the blurrier the images became. Voices called from all directions, insults and negativity, fights of the forever before. The scenes shifted too quickly; Kyuhyun’s lips trembled. The sights and sounds were too much, so Jongwoon closed his eyes to block it all out.
He woke up to the soft touch of snow. Kyuhyun’s fingers brushed against his from across the table, and he knew where and when he was. It was the beginning, the date that started them all. He had made it, and now he could erase everything.
Jongwoon stepped back just for a moment, settling his nerves and calming his mind. He reached for Kyuhyun’s hand, the same way he had before.
Kyuhyun had once told him that everything happened for a reason; he had thoughts and quotes he blurted out across the table. With their fingers intertwined, Jongwoon figured that maybe Kyuhyun had been right all along. He breathed in and lost himself in the scenery.
The sun swam back up the sky, and Jongwoon felt warmer than he had all summer. Kyuhyun’s shadow was covering his body, almost like he was touching Kyuhyun.
“I love you,” Kyuhyun said.
Jongwoon knew what would happen next; he had lived this before. But before, he wasn’t sure, of his feelings, of himself. Now, he knew.
Kyuhyun bit his bottom lip, feet ready for the retreat. Jongwoon brushed his fingers against a fragile wrist, fingers ready to pull Kyuhyun back if need be.
The sun was a sliver above the horizon, and the light was fading. Kyuhyun’s head dipped lower in defeat. Jongwoon stepped closer, fingers tangling in the bottom of Kyuhyun’s shirt.
“I love you, too.”
1000 words, rated PG-13
Super Junior: Yesung/Kyuhyun
Summary: Jongwoon always wondered what life would be like if he could go back and try it all again.
Jongwoon always wondered what life would be like if he could go back and try it all again.
It was mid-September, and the time moved to the tempo of daytime drama, never quite stopping but coming so close. Jongwoon watched the sun slip from the sky as his heart sank lower in his chest. Kyuhyun’s fingers were a twitch away from his, but the distance grew longer in the silence.
The world dimmed when Kyuhyun walked away, shoulders hunched and head dipped down. Jongwoon turned around; the scenery did, too.
Brutal air filled his lungs as he passed the guests venturing home from the restaurant. Kyuhyun sat at the corner table, fingers circling the rim of his glass of water. His pale face was bundled in the dark red fabric of the scarf, and his body was smothered in a heavy black coat.
Kyuhyun never spoke to him that day; he barely glanced up. But Jongwoon stopped by the table every so often anyway, his notepad gripped tightly and nerves barely connected.
“Do you need anything else?” he said, his thumb clicking his pen repeatedly.
Kyuhyun looked at him then, dark eyes reflecting the glimmer of the neon outside. “Is today your first day or something?”
Jongwoon shook his head before lowering his gaze to the window. Snow gathered on the streets as his thoughts reorganized themselves in his mind. He felt the flush of his cheeks, the rush of his heart. He backed away then, retreating to the comfort of the front counter.
Kyuhyun reached for his wrist, only managing to brush his fingertips against the back of Jongwoon’s hand.
Jongwoon turned slowly. He wasn’t sure if he imagined the curve of Kyuhyun’s lips, but the number on the napkin that found its way into his apron was real.
Jongwoon felt the texture of the napkin, cheap and rough. The ink was little more than black smears, and he no longer smelled food but cigarettes and coffee grounds. The white walls of his first job shifted as he walked forward into the dark.
The date was to be a celebration, a good way to mark devotion. It had been a good on paper only. Kyuhyun likened it to Murphy’s Law. Looking back, Jongwoon thought it to be a sign of what was to come.
Kyuhyun’s tongue was more dangerous than the scalding coffee Jongwoon nursed. He gasped in between lectures, catching only enough information to quote back. He never really understood a word of it, and his tired mind searched the room for any other conversations.
The little food that was pushed to the center of the table, mostly overcooked and dry. Jongwoon used it as a shield when Kyuhyun got too passionate. He later found out that Kyuhyun used it as a barrier.
Topics changed rapidly, barely pausing for breath. The fight was something small, probably avoidable. But at the time, Jongwoon honestly thought it was for the best when Kyuhyun left him confused and angry at the table alone.
An hour later, when all of the words settled in his mind beneath the roars of intellect, Jongwoon decided that maybe he should have chased after him.
Kyuhyun was sitting outside the cafe when Jongwoon walked out.
“Been here long?” Jongwoon asked as he settled down next to Kyuhyun on the bench.
Kyuhyun shrugged, a bit of snow slid from his hair.
“Let’s go home,” Jongwoon said as he patted Kyuhyun’s thigh.
“Happy anniversary.”
Jongwoon smiled at Kyuhyun. “Happy anniversary.”
It was never really easy to breathe with Kyuhyun there. Jongwoon felt suffocated, like his lungs were collapsing by this new presence. His mind never strayed too far from thoughts of Kyuhyun, either.
Kyuhyun said it was probably just a side effect to being around someone new. He had called it love, once, in his sleep. Jongwoon didn’t think that was important at the time.
Snow melted from the streets as he turned around. Walls rose from the ground, beige and covered in posters. The air warmed, and Kyuhyun’s mussed hair was stuck to his forehead.
Their apartment smelled like a week’s worth of sex and Chinese takeout, which Jongwoon always associated with Kyuhyun and accumulated vacation time.
Pale skin peaked from underneath the blankets, glistening under the fluorescent lights. Jongwoon rolled onto his side and traced a vein on Kyuhyun’s arm until he reached the shoulder.
Kyuhyun’s eyes were closed, and the world felt open. Barely there and mostly sleepy, Kyuhyun’s voice changed everything.
“I love you.”
Jongwoon’s heart stopped for a beat or two; Kyuhyun was too deep in sleep to realize that the world had paused.
Jongwoon reached out to shake himself, like he was the one asleep. The closer his hand got to his own skin, the blurrier the images became. Voices called from all directions, insults and negativity, fights of the forever before. The scenes shifted too quickly; Kyuhyun’s lips trembled. The sights and sounds were too much, so Jongwoon closed his eyes to block it all out.
He woke up to the soft touch of snow. Kyuhyun’s fingers brushed against his from across the table, and he knew where and when he was. It was the beginning, the date that started them all. He had made it, and now he could erase everything.
Jongwoon stepped back just for a moment, settling his nerves and calming his mind. He reached for Kyuhyun’s hand, the same way he had before.
Kyuhyun had once told him that everything happened for a reason; he had thoughts and quotes he blurted out across the table. With their fingers intertwined, Jongwoon figured that maybe Kyuhyun had been right all along. He breathed in and lost himself in the scenery.
The sun swam back up the sky, and Jongwoon felt warmer than he had all summer. Kyuhyun’s shadow was covering his body, almost like he was touching Kyuhyun.
“I love you,” Kyuhyun said.
Jongwoon knew what would happen next; he had lived this before. But before, he wasn’t sure, of his feelings, of himself. Now, he knew.
Kyuhyun bit his bottom lip, feet ready for the retreat. Jongwoon brushed his fingers against a fragile wrist, fingers ready to pull Kyuhyun back if need be.
The sun was a sliver above the horizon, and the light was fading. Kyuhyun’s head dipped lower in defeat. Jongwoon stepped closer, fingers tangling in the bottom of Kyuhyun’s shirt.
“I love you, too.”