Today
Title: Today
Pairing: Yoosu, Yunjae
Rating: PG
Genre: Romance, Fluff, Drama
Quote: “Want to build a sandcastle today?”
Five year old Park Yoochun notices the shade that came in the form of a curious, chubby classmate. He looks up and sees the new kid who he couldn’t keep his eyes off of this morning when Teacher Jung had introduced him.
Yoochun blinks and just stares. The new kid, Kim Junsu, blinks and just stares.
Yoochun holds up a bucket and a shovel, “Want to build a sandcastle today?”
Junsu’s awkward expression turns into a huge smile. He shouts, “Yes!” and jumps into the sand box.
That day, they built a sandcastle, which they later named, ‘Home.’
=-=-=
Ten year old Park Yoochun notices the way Junsu stares at the other kids playing soccer. The expression is both happy and sad.
Happy because he loves soccer. Sad because he can’t play.
The team captain thinks Junsu is too clumsy and geeky to be any good for the team.
Yoochun walks up to the team captain one day, “If you give him a chance, I’ll do your homework for a month.”
The team captain thinks about it for five seconds. He agrees.
In the next school year, when Junsu wins the team a Championship, the team captain throws a party and loudly thanks Yoochun.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Junsu asks later, when they’re sitting at their special place and under the stars.
Yoochun just shrugs. He picks up some sand and lets it run through his fingers. “Want to build a sandcastle today?”
Junsu smiles, “Yes!”
=-=-=
Fifteen year old Park Yoochun notices that Junsu has changed. He’s no longer that sweet, cheerful friend that Yoochun met ten years ago.
Junsu bathes in the popularity and hangs out with the cool kids. He flirts with girls and is only passing his classes because they want him to help the school win the next soccer championship.
They never talked to each other in those first two years of high school, only making short-lived eye contacts every morning when Junsu stood in his popular crowd and Yoochun walked pass with his new, not-popular friends.
Near the end of their sophomore year, Yoochun finds out that Junsu and his group had gotten in trouble for beating up Changmin. Yoochun visits Junsu’s house for the first time in two years to confront him.
“Yoochun! It’s been so long since you’ve been over!” Auntie Kim exclaims. “What happened between you and Junsu?”
“Sorry, Auntie. Is Junsu home?” Yoochun decides to avoid the question.
“He’s upstairs. Go ahead,” she lets Yoochun in as if it was his own home.
Yoochun bows politely before running up the stairs. He doesn’t bother to knock, just pushing the door open and being greeted by Junsu’s smug expression.
“Look who decided to visit,” Junsu mocks.
“Why did you guys do that to Changmin?” Yoochun gets to the point before he turns back into a coward.
“Who? That Stick?” Junsu insults.
“Look, Changmin is my friend. If you and your friends are going to bully someone then...no, you guys shouldn’t be bullying anyone at all!”
“That’s the problem!” Junsu exclaims. “He’s your friend! What happened to me? I’m your friend too! He laid a good one on me during the fight. I don’t see you caring about this bruise on my face!”
Yoochun rolls his eyes because the bruise was barely visible. Changmin, on the other hand, looked like a leopard with purple/blue spots.
“You’re not my friend,” Yoochun feels the ache as those words left his mouth. He couldn’t even look at Junsu. “My friend isn’t someone who would beat up an innocent person like that, isn’t someone who only knows how to smoke and drink, isn’t someone...like you...”
“I’m just growing up and living the life! Change, Yoochun! People need to change!” Junsu tries to convince.
“You’ve changed, but I haven’t. It just hurts that...you’ve changed for the worst,” Yoochun murmurs.
“It’s your fault!” Junsu suddenly shouts and Yoochun wonders if he imagined the crack in the other boy’s voice. He looks up to see Junsu’s moist, red eyes, “You were always so close to Changmin! I beat him up because I hate that he replaced me in your life!”
Yoochun stares in shock. He doesn’t know what to say. He automatically steps forward and pulls Junsu into an embrace.
“It’s your fault! You gave up on me! You let go of me and let me sink to this level!” Junsu continues to shout against Yoochun’s shirt.
“I’m sorry,” Yoochun whispers.
“Take me back. Take me back and I’ll change.”
Yoochun nods and Junsu can feel it without looking. They sit there silently until Junsu is down to small hiccups.
“Junsu?” Yoochun breaks the silence.
“Hmm?”
“Want to go build a sandcastle today?”
“Yes!” Junsu immediately answers, but snuggles closer against Yoochun. “After I wash my face so that I don’t look all red and swollen and gross.”
Yoochun laughs.
=-=-=
Twenty year old Park Yoochun notices the sunlight beaming through his window and opens his eyes to find Junsu sleeping next to him.
Changmin, Jaejoong, Yunho, and a couple of other friends were still sleeping; their limp bodies spread around the living room like a war scene in a bad movie production (especially when corpses aren’t supposed to be hugging each other like Jaejoong and Yunho were doing).
He sits up just enough so that he can see the empty beer bottles and junk food around his living room. He makes a note to never throw a party like this again. But yesterday was Junsu’s birthday so Yoochun knows there will always be exceptions to this ‘never’.
“Awake?”
Yoochun turns to see Junsu smiling up at him.
“Yeah,” he replies lazily.
“You know what I really want to do for my birthday? Something that we haven’t done in awhile.”
“Your birthday was yesterday,” Yoochun reminds.
“So?”
Yoochun laughs and lays back down on the floor. He tilts his head so that his hair is kind of touching Junsu’s hair. “What?”
“Build a sandcastle.”
Yoochun smiles, “Junsu, want to go build a sandcastle today?”
Junsu wakes the whole apartment with a loud, “Yes!”
=-=-=
They found a beach near the University to build a sandcastle. It’s not the same as the sand box, but it’s still Park Yoochun and Kim Junsu.
“Done!” Junsu grins happily and pats his hands together to get rid of excess sand.
“That was quick,” Yoochun murmurs, enjoying the view of Junsu’s cheerfulness. His eyes shift for a moment towards the water and then back at Junsu. “Um...Junsu, I have a question for you.”
Yoochun’s hangover was gone by this hour and he had started to recall memories from last night. It didn’t (or maybe it did) help that, before leaving, Changmin had whispered, “Do you remember making out with Junsu while you guys were both drunk last night?”
“You’re not going to ask me if I ‘want to build a sandcastle today,’ are you? We’ve already built one,” Junsu laughs.
Then Yoochun recalled what Jaejoong had said before Yunho pulled him out of the apartment, “Dude, we were playing ‘spin the bottle,’ not ‘French kiss your secret crush.’”
Does Junsu even remember what happened last night?
Should Yoochun even ask?
“Well? What’s the question?”
Yoochun plants his palms in the sand and leans back on his straightened arms, trying to look casual as he stares out at the waves. “Want to...fall in love with me today?”
Yoochun fights the urge to turn his head towards the man sitting next to him. A part of him wants to see Junsu’s reaction, but another part of him didn’t.
“No,” Junsu replies.
Yoochun’s heart smashes into tiny pieces and he leans forward, wrapping his arms around himself. He starts chuckling, “I was just...joking, you know? It’s not funny, huh?”
“I can’t fall in love with you today. I already fell in love with you the first time you asked me if I want to build that sandcastle with you, that one that we named ‘Home.’”
Pairing: Yoosu, Yunjae
Rating: PG
Genre: Romance, Fluff, Drama
Quote: “Want to build a sandcastle today?”
Five year old Park Yoochun notices the shade that came in the form of a curious, chubby classmate. He looks up and sees the new kid who he couldn’t keep his eyes off of this morning when Teacher Jung had introduced him.
Yoochun blinks and just stares. The new kid, Kim Junsu, blinks and just stares.
Yoochun holds up a bucket and a shovel, “Want to build a sandcastle today?”
Junsu’s awkward expression turns into a huge smile. He shouts, “Yes!” and jumps into the sand box.
That day, they built a sandcastle, which they later named, ‘Home.’
=-=-=
Ten year old Park Yoochun notices the way Junsu stares at the other kids playing soccer. The expression is both happy and sad.
Happy because he loves soccer. Sad because he can’t play.
The team captain thinks Junsu is too clumsy and geeky to be any good for the team.
Yoochun walks up to the team captain one day, “If you give him a chance, I’ll do your homework for a month.”
The team captain thinks about it for five seconds. He agrees.
In the next school year, when Junsu wins the team a Championship, the team captain throws a party and loudly thanks Yoochun.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Junsu asks later, when they’re sitting at their special place and under the stars.
Yoochun just shrugs. He picks up some sand and lets it run through his fingers. “Want to build a sandcastle today?”
Junsu smiles, “Yes!”
=-=-=
Fifteen year old Park Yoochun notices that Junsu has changed. He’s no longer that sweet, cheerful friend that Yoochun met ten years ago.
Junsu bathes in the popularity and hangs out with the cool kids. He flirts with girls and is only passing his classes because they want him to help the school win the next soccer championship.
They never talked to each other in those first two years of high school, only making short-lived eye contacts every morning when Junsu stood in his popular crowd and Yoochun walked pass with his new, not-popular friends.
Near the end of their sophomore year, Yoochun finds out that Junsu and his group had gotten in trouble for beating up Changmin. Yoochun visits Junsu’s house for the first time in two years to confront him.
“Yoochun! It’s been so long since you’ve been over!” Auntie Kim exclaims. “What happened between you and Junsu?”
“Sorry, Auntie. Is Junsu home?” Yoochun decides to avoid the question.
“He’s upstairs. Go ahead,” she lets Yoochun in as if it was his own home.
Yoochun bows politely before running up the stairs. He doesn’t bother to knock, just pushing the door open and being greeted by Junsu’s smug expression.
“Look who decided to visit,” Junsu mocks.
“Why did you guys do that to Changmin?” Yoochun gets to the point before he turns back into a coward.
“Who? That Stick?” Junsu insults.
“Look, Changmin is my friend. If you and your friends are going to bully someone then...no, you guys shouldn’t be bullying anyone at all!”
“That’s the problem!” Junsu exclaims. “He’s your friend! What happened to me? I’m your friend too! He laid a good one on me during the fight. I don’t see you caring about this bruise on my face!”
Yoochun rolls his eyes because the bruise was barely visible. Changmin, on the other hand, looked like a leopard with purple/blue spots.
“You’re not my friend,” Yoochun feels the ache as those words left his mouth. He couldn’t even look at Junsu. “My friend isn’t someone who would beat up an innocent person like that, isn’t someone who only knows how to smoke and drink, isn’t someone...like you...”
“I’m just growing up and living the life! Change, Yoochun! People need to change!” Junsu tries to convince.
“You’ve changed, but I haven’t. It just hurts that...you’ve changed for the worst,” Yoochun murmurs.
“It’s your fault!” Junsu suddenly shouts and Yoochun wonders if he imagined the crack in the other boy’s voice. He looks up to see Junsu’s moist, red eyes, “You were always so close to Changmin! I beat him up because I hate that he replaced me in your life!”
Yoochun stares in shock. He doesn’t know what to say. He automatically steps forward and pulls Junsu into an embrace.
“It’s your fault! You gave up on me! You let go of me and let me sink to this level!” Junsu continues to shout against Yoochun’s shirt.
“I’m sorry,” Yoochun whispers.
“Take me back. Take me back and I’ll change.”
Yoochun nods and Junsu can feel it without looking. They sit there silently until Junsu is down to small hiccups.
“Junsu?” Yoochun breaks the silence.
“Hmm?”
“Want to go build a sandcastle today?”
“Yes!” Junsu immediately answers, but snuggles closer against Yoochun. “After I wash my face so that I don’t look all red and swollen and gross.”
Yoochun laughs.
=-=-=
Twenty year old Park Yoochun notices the sunlight beaming through his window and opens his eyes to find Junsu sleeping next to him.
Changmin, Jaejoong, Yunho, and a couple of other friends were still sleeping; their limp bodies spread around the living room like a war scene in a bad movie production (especially when corpses aren’t supposed to be hugging each other like Jaejoong and Yunho were doing).
He sits up just enough so that he can see the empty beer bottles and junk food around his living room. He makes a note to never throw a party like this again. But yesterday was Junsu’s birthday so Yoochun knows there will always be exceptions to this ‘never’.
“Awake?”
Yoochun turns to see Junsu smiling up at him.
“Yeah,” he replies lazily.
“You know what I really want to do for my birthday? Something that we haven’t done in awhile.”
“Your birthday was yesterday,” Yoochun reminds.
“So?”
Yoochun laughs and lays back down on the floor. He tilts his head so that his hair is kind of touching Junsu’s hair. “What?”
“Build a sandcastle.”
Yoochun smiles, “Junsu, want to go build a sandcastle today?”
Junsu wakes the whole apartment with a loud, “Yes!”
=-=-=
They found a beach near the University to build a sandcastle. It’s not the same as the sand box, but it’s still Park Yoochun and Kim Junsu.
“Done!” Junsu grins happily and pats his hands together to get rid of excess sand.
“That was quick,” Yoochun murmurs, enjoying the view of Junsu’s cheerfulness. His eyes shift for a moment towards the water and then back at Junsu. “Um...Junsu, I have a question for you.”
Yoochun’s hangover was gone by this hour and he had started to recall memories from last night. It didn’t (or maybe it did) help that, before leaving, Changmin had whispered, “Do you remember making out with Junsu while you guys were both drunk last night?”
“You’re not going to ask me if I ‘want to build a sandcastle today,’ are you? We’ve already built one,” Junsu laughs.
Then Yoochun recalled what Jaejoong had said before Yunho pulled him out of the apartment, “Dude, we were playing ‘spin the bottle,’ not ‘French kiss your secret crush.’”
Does Junsu even remember what happened last night?
Should Yoochun even ask?
“Well? What’s the question?”
Yoochun plants his palms in the sand and leans back on his straightened arms, trying to look casual as he stares out at the waves. “Want to...fall in love with me today?”
Yoochun fights the urge to turn his head towards the man sitting next to him. A part of him wants to see Junsu’s reaction, but another part of him didn’t.
“No,” Junsu replies.
Yoochun’s heart smashes into tiny pieces and he leans forward, wrapping his arms around himself. He starts chuckling, “I was just...joking, you know? It’s not funny, huh?”
“I can’t fall in love with you today. I already fell in love with you the first time you asked me if I want to build that sandcastle with you, that one that we named ‘Home.’”