personas ; thunder/IU
personas
rating: G(ee gee gee gee baby baby)
warnings: LOL NONE THIS IS G.
A/N: written for an anon (: they wanted bittersweet thunder/IU. the unusual pairing caught my eye, so here you all go!
anon, i tried (: sorry it's so short.
----
Sometimes when Sanghyun smiles, it never quite reaches his eyes all the way. The smile's still there, but sometimes he doesn't feel like he's there himself.
He performs on stage (another day, another note, he tells himself), walking off after their performance to the roaring crowd of whatever city they happen to be in. He feels Joon patting his shoulders, feels their maknae wrestling him into a hug and chewing on a strand of hair, hears Byunghee's "your voice is getting better every time," sees Seungho's smile in all its glory.
(Sanghyun thanks and compliments them as well and compliments himself too, but it always sounds empty and hollow to his ears.
...but isn't this what he wanted?)
--
He's cooling his thoughts off later that night, really thinking. He remembers when he was little, how Sandara would play all sorts of games with him even though she was tired from work, how his mother would dote on him, the proud smile his father had when he was picked to be in MBLAQ. The smiles, the tears, the frightened whispers exchanged between his parents (the "you can visit, right?" question popped up; and Sanghyun remembered being unable to look into his mother's eyes) all comes flooding back to him, and he puts a shaking hand on the balcony railing.
(this is what he wanted, right?)
The sound of a guitar and gentle voice floating over the faint breeze snaps him back out of his thought process and he follows the sound all the way to a bench by the parkside, seeing a girl sitting there, strumming.
Sanghyun watches her for a moment, realization dawning on his face a moment later - it's Jieun (he had to rack his brain for her real name, because what's common can become so foreign overnight).
"Sanghyun?"
He snaps to, realizing she's stopped playing and is staring at him with a soft smile. "It's late, what're you doing out?"
"You're younger than me," he teases, sitting down next to her. Jieun makes a pufferfish face (much like Dara does, and Sanghyun feels a pain of longing), sticking out her tongue and moving her guitar, inviting him to sit down.
"Sometimes I watch the stars," she says, looking up with a small smile, eyes almost shining. It's at this that he realizes that she's Jieun and not IU - she doesn't have to entertain millions of people; she can simply sit out her and play her guitar. "Sometimes I cry, sometimes I sleep."
"I watch the stars too," Sanghyun replies softly, raising his head to stare up at the stars with her. "Or, well...I used to, but..."
"You don't really find time anymore?"
He shakes his head, and she nods in undersanding. Jieun seems strangely mature for her age; he finds himself wondering if there's a really large age gap like some of the fans claim.
"I have to make room," she replies quietly; and suddenly she seems so much older than her seventeen years.
They're both afraid to say the two words they fear the most
(remember when?)
but Sanghyun slips, them suddenly spilling out. Jieun smiles a soft, gentle smile, slipping her hand into his and squeezing it softly.
"Show me," is the only thing she says; and soon their "remember whens" are being replaced by laughs, giggles, and new memories.
"Lee Jieun," Sanghyun whispers, lacing their fingers together with a smile and planting a soft kiss on her hand.
"Park Sanghyun," she says back, eyes crinkling; and he's never seen a star more beautiful than the one right in front of him.
Jieun just smiles, and the stars turn into galaxies for him. Even if it's for a night where no one can see them, they can at least be themselves one last time before slipping back - she into IU; he into Cheondoong.
"Good luck tomorrow," she says, and plants a soft kiss on his cheek. Sanghyun blushes and mumbles something that vaguely sounds like words, watching her walk away. Jieun pauses, turning around and throwing a smile over her shoulder - "Cheondoong."
The name rolls so easily off her tongue that he can't help but force a bitter smile onto his cheeks as he replies with "Thank you, IU." He thinks he sees something in her face but dismisses it, both nodding respectfully as they walk off in opposite directions.
Maybe another night, they can be Park Sanghyun and Lee Jieun again; but definitely not tonight.
rating: G(ee gee gee gee baby baby)
warnings: LOL NONE THIS IS G.
A/N: written for an anon (: they wanted bittersweet thunder/IU. the unusual pairing caught my eye, so here you all go!
anon, i tried (: sorry it's so short.
----
Sometimes when Sanghyun smiles, it never quite reaches his eyes all the way. The smile's still there, but sometimes he doesn't feel like he's there himself.
He performs on stage (another day, another note, he tells himself), walking off after their performance to the roaring crowd of whatever city they happen to be in. He feels Joon patting his shoulders, feels their maknae wrestling him into a hug and chewing on a strand of hair, hears Byunghee's "your voice is getting better every time," sees Seungho's smile in all its glory.
(Sanghyun thanks and compliments them as well and compliments himself too, but it always sounds empty and hollow to his ears.
...but isn't this what he wanted?)
--
He's cooling his thoughts off later that night, really thinking. He remembers when he was little, how Sandara would play all sorts of games with him even though she was tired from work, how his mother would dote on him, the proud smile his father had when he was picked to be in MBLAQ. The smiles, the tears, the frightened whispers exchanged between his parents (the "you can visit, right?" question popped up; and Sanghyun remembered being unable to look into his mother's eyes) all comes flooding back to him, and he puts a shaking hand on the balcony railing.
(this is what he wanted, right?)
The sound of a guitar and gentle voice floating over the faint breeze snaps him back out of his thought process and he follows the sound all the way to a bench by the parkside, seeing a girl sitting there, strumming.
Sanghyun watches her for a moment, realization dawning on his face a moment later - it's Jieun (he had to rack his brain for her real name, because what's common can become so foreign overnight).
"Sanghyun?"
He snaps to, realizing she's stopped playing and is staring at him with a soft smile. "It's late, what're you doing out?"
"You're younger than me," he teases, sitting down next to her. Jieun makes a pufferfish face (much like Dara does, and Sanghyun feels a pain of longing), sticking out her tongue and moving her guitar, inviting him to sit down.
"Sometimes I watch the stars," she says, looking up with a small smile, eyes almost shining. It's at this that he realizes that she's Jieun and not IU - she doesn't have to entertain millions of people; she can simply sit out her and play her guitar. "Sometimes I cry, sometimes I sleep."
"I watch the stars too," Sanghyun replies softly, raising his head to stare up at the stars with her. "Or, well...I used to, but..."
"You don't really find time anymore?"
He shakes his head, and she nods in undersanding. Jieun seems strangely mature for her age; he finds himself wondering if there's a really large age gap like some of the fans claim.
"I have to make room," she replies quietly; and suddenly she seems so much older than her seventeen years.
They're both afraid to say the two words they fear the most
(remember when?)
but Sanghyun slips, them suddenly spilling out. Jieun smiles a soft, gentle smile, slipping her hand into his and squeezing it softly.
"Show me," is the only thing she says; and soon their "remember whens" are being replaced by laughs, giggles, and new memories.
"Lee Jieun," Sanghyun whispers, lacing their fingers together with a smile and planting a soft kiss on her hand.
"Park Sanghyun," she says back, eyes crinkling; and he's never seen a star more beautiful than the one right in front of him.
Jieun just smiles, and the stars turn into galaxies for him. Even if it's for a night where no one can see them, they can at least be themselves one last time before slipping back - she into IU; he into Cheondoong.
"Good luck tomorrow," she says, and plants a soft kiss on his cheek. Sanghyun blushes and mumbles something that vaguely sounds like words, watching her walk away. Jieun pauses, turning around and throwing a smile over her shoulder - "Cheondoong."
The name rolls so easily off her tongue that he can't help but force a bitter smile onto his cheeks as he replies with "Thank you, IU." He thinks he sees something in her face but dismisses it, both nodding respectfully as they walk off in opposite directions.
Maybe another night, they can be Park Sanghyun and Lee Jieun again; but definitely not tonight.