Half of the World
There's a cliff that overlooks half of the world. He sits at the edge in the warm glow of the setting sun, with his head bowed into his hands and tears pouring into his palms. He could see so much of the world if he only lifted his head, but somehow it means nothing if he's alone. Not just alone, but without her. She's so far away from him that even if he had the courage to look without her, he wouldn't see her in this half of the world.
He sucks in deep breaths, attempts to control his crying, because if the crying ends it's just a matter of time before he can smile again. So logic would say, but if his crying softens, the back of his mind reminds him that smiling alone is practically as meaningless as seeing the world alone.. and alone is just being without her.
Two hands touch down on his shoulders heavily. He doesn't look to see who it is, because he already knows it's not her. Instead, his hands tighten on his face and his tears spill more freely into them, because he's been embarrassingly caught.
The pressure on his shoulders lessens a bit, as if the hands are afraid that they've hurt him. A moment later, the someone who touched him settles down behind him, leaning to speak calmly into his ear with a familiar deep voice.
"Hyung, don't cry."
There was nothing to having a person there with him. To Jonghyun, it was just a reason to say his emotions out loud, rather than keeping them trapped in his palms. He lowered his hands and turned at just a slight angle, lifting his head to look at his donseng's, Minho's, face.
"I miss her.", he said, and it was all he could say. Maybe Minho, who never loved anyone to his knowledge, wouldn't understand. 'I miss her', they were such simple words after all, trying to describe much more complex emotions.
One of Minho's hands lifted from Jonghyun's shoulder, wiping off his cheek. "I miss you.", he announced with a frown. Jonghyun recognized the power of simple words in that moment, where it seemed just for a second there was relief for that broken feeling inside of his chest.
He wiped a fist over his other cheek before he took hold of Minho's hand, and the two stood up together. They just began to walk away, and Jonghyun paused. "Aren't you going to look?" he asked, "You can see half of the world from here."
Minho's hand squeezed Jonghyun's, and he told his hyung in a soft voice, "There's better ways to see the world. Don't you think so, hyung?"
Jonghyun responded with a nod and a weak smile, and then the two set off together towards a darkened horizon.
He sucks in deep breaths, attempts to control his crying, because if the crying ends it's just a matter of time before he can smile again. So logic would say, but if his crying softens, the back of his mind reminds him that smiling alone is practically as meaningless as seeing the world alone.. and alone is just being without her.
Two hands touch down on his shoulders heavily. He doesn't look to see who it is, because he already knows it's not her. Instead, his hands tighten on his face and his tears spill more freely into them, because he's been embarrassingly caught.
The pressure on his shoulders lessens a bit, as if the hands are afraid that they've hurt him. A moment later, the someone who touched him settles down behind him, leaning to speak calmly into his ear with a familiar deep voice.
"Hyung, don't cry."
There was nothing to having a person there with him. To Jonghyun, it was just a reason to say his emotions out loud, rather than keeping them trapped in his palms. He lowered his hands and turned at just a slight angle, lifting his head to look at his donseng's, Minho's, face.
"I miss her.", he said, and it was all he could say. Maybe Minho, who never loved anyone to his knowledge, wouldn't understand. 'I miss her', they were such simple words after all, trying to describe much more complex emotions.
One of Minho's hands lifted from Jonghyun's shoulder, wiping off his cheek. "I miss you.", he announced with a frown. Jonghyun recognized the power of simple words in that moment, where it seemed just for a second there was relief for that broken feeling inside of his chest.
He wiped a fist over his other cheek before he took hold of Minho's hand, and the two stood up together. They just began to walk away, and Jonghyun paused. "Aren't you going to look?" he asked, "You can see half of the world from here."
Minho's hand squeezed Jonghyun's, and he told his hyung in a soft voice, "There's better ways to see the world. Don't you think so, hyung?"
Jonghyun responded with a nod and a weak smile, and then the two set off together towards a darkened horizon.