crossroads
Title: Crossroads
Genre: Romance
Length: 1.8k
Pairing(s): Kim Jongin/Oh Sehun
Note: Written for Gel's birthday (August 20th) who is apart of sekaisquad! It was supposed to be a lot more fluffy than it turned out but I cannot control what I write. I have a cool two-shot idea but that's once I'm done with all these fic fests and exchanges.
Summary:
The breeze is sticky against his skin. His hair is wet and his mouth is hanging ajar. He knows without a doubt that Sehun is right behind, pressed comfortably close, and it's setting off the tangled electrical wires of his mind.
Fortunately, for Kim Jongin, Sehun seems oblvious to the way Jongin responds to him. It's a tedious thing though. It's always being within the other male's grasp but not quite close enough to dull the ache that thunders in his chest.
Sehun was his first friend when he transferred during his last year of high school to a new town, a new school, and a new life. His parents had divorced and he was left to move with his mother in her hometown - a speck on the map of Korea in the middle of nowhere - so, she could work at his grandparent's shop. It was a quiet place that rained more than it did anything else. It was warm, close to the beach, and full of more trees than Jongin had ever seen in his entire life.
And, it was home to Oh Sehun. Jongin's first real love. He hadn't known he was attracted to males and supposes it hadn't really mattered before Sehun--because until now, there hadn't ever been someone like Sehun in his life.
They became friends quickly and eventually become the best of friends. Jongin joined the swim team with Sehun even. He wasn't a very good swimmer because most of his life had been in Seoul not swimming in the ocean gaining freckles from sun exposure. It was nice though. To have a friend and a hobby.
"When you're in water you lose nearly all your grace." Sehun teases lightly, his chin finding it's way on Jongin's shoulder. His arms wrap securely around his wait and Jongin is finding it more difficult to breath as the more seconds go by. Its nothing out of the norm. Sehun is always affectionate and more so with Jongin than anyone else. Jongin takes pride in being Sehun's best friends and therefore by default the person he can be most comfortable with.
He just wishes he didn't love his best friend to this extent.
"I know. I flop around like a dead fish, right? Baekhyun hyung already told me. I'm tragically laughable." He says. He puts up with the ridicule for Sehun and their friendship. He enjoys being in the sport with Sehun even though he probably should have joined Luhan and Minseok with soccer. Sehun is supportive, always helpful, and it's more time together.
"Are you going to the shop to help your mom?" Sehun asks lugging his bag over his shoulder, hair also wet from practice, and a smile creeping over his lips. "I want to come and help."
Jongin looks at Sehun, "You don't have to do that. It's no fun to unpack boxes all afternoon with me. You're not even getting paid."
"But your mom cooks really good dinners for me. Anyway, it's an excuse to be away from home for a bit, be with you, and flirt with your sisters." Sehun smiles deviously even though he's never done the latter. Jongin's sisters are all older and married - therefore untouchable by Sehun's standards.
It doesn't stop the ache that blossoms in his chest though. Joking or not joking it's the reality that Sehun is better fitted with a woman than he'll ever be with Jongin. He forces a smile on his face and punches his friend's arm. "Don't be gross." Jongin says lightly, adding only briefly, "Anyway Monggu has missed his mom."
"Even your dog likes me better than you." Sehun teases as he hooks arms with Jongin. "Let's go before your mom comes looking for you again. I cannot believe she pulled you by the ear last time to come help her--" He laughs.
"Well," Jongin flushes. "My mom is a different sort of mom."
---
Stocking the sleeves of the small convenience store isn't hard work. It's more tedious than anything else but with Sehun's help he's done in record time. His mom doesn't scold him but sends them both out with a plate of her special ddeokbokki. Sehun has been trying to swindle the recipe from his mom since they first met but he has a feeling he's no closer than he was in the beginning.
Sehun leans against him, back pressed against the brick of the small shop, eyes falling on the sunset that rises above their small, poor, desolate town. "Jongin, I don't want to die here." Sehun finally says, lips sticking with chilli sauce. "My grandpa planted rice, my dad plants rice, and I don't want anything to do with rice. I think when we graduate I am going to move to Seoul."
Jongin looks over suddenly, eyes wide, heart jumping in his throat. "W-what?" He asks shocked. "Seoul isn't that great, Hun. It's comfortable here."
"I want to pursue my swimming professionally in a good university. My parents can't afford to send me, there aren't any good paying jobs here, and it all just feels like a never ending cycle. I just want to be more than a rice farmer that lives day by day. You don't want to die working at your ma's shop right?" Sehun asks.
"I don't have a choice. My mom cannot afford to hire anyone, my grandpa is sick, my grandma is senile, and my sisters are all married with their own lives. No one is left to help her." Jongin says quietly. It occurs to him he cannot follow him even if he wanted to. He's weighed by responsibility.
"Your mom would survive without you. In Seoul even the shitty jobs pay better than the good ones here. You could always send money back to her." Sehun says. "I want you to come with me. I don't want to leave you behind in this hell."
Jongin is quiet for a long moment. He knows without a doubt he could never leave his mom behind to make it by on her on. She's all he has. She might nag and yell a lot but she works hard to pay for his schooling, his grandparent's home and needs, and their own small house on his grandparent's property. She might be able to handle things on her own but there was no way he could make it harder on her.
"It's different." Jongin says. Sehun isn't close to his parents. In fact, Mr. Oh often reminds him what a burden he is as he nears adulthood. Jongin's mom could have left him for someone else to raise when things got rough. Instead she works from early morning to night to make sure none of her family goes without. "She's my mom. I owe her everything. Even sacrificing my own selfish wants for her."
Sehun sighs. "You're going to drown in this place. No one ever leaves. When I first met you it shocked me anyone would return to this place. I guess if you don't come with me I'll just have to check up on you. What are you going to do? Work at the shop with your mom?"
Jongin resents the way Sehun says it all. Like it's easy for him to stay behind, like he's choosing to do nothing, and like he has no aspirations. "This place isn't bad." Jongin says back. "I'm content with it. It has everything I need." It's where he met Sehun after all.
Sehun only munches his food, licking his chopsticks clean, and gives Jongin one last pitying look.
"If you ever change your mind, you can move in with me when I get apartment." Sehun says focusing on his old shoes, busted at the toes. "It's not selfish of you to consider yourself first."
Jongn smiles weakly, somehow losing his appetite and feeling sick suddenly. "Yes, it is Sehun. That's the definition of being selfish." He says softly, watching Sehun's eyes harden.
---
Graduation is bittersweet. Jongin is thankful to be done and have more time to work at the shop since his mom was adamant about him going to school. But, it means his time with Sehun is coming to an end.
After Sehun's confession they simply avoid it. They don't talk about him leaving until it's too late. Jongin carries the flowers his mother brought him for finishing high school and he finds Sehun with his cap off and graduation gown slung like a leather jacket over his shoulder. It's the first time he's ever seen Sehun look sad.
"I guess this is it." Sehun says slightly, shifting his weight some.
"I guess so. So soon?" Jongin asks just as soft, eyes falling to the ground. He tries to tell himself to not hate Sehun for this but he cannot help it. Sehun can go freely as Jongin is shackled down to his family.
"I'm taking the bus and leaving this place for good. One-way trip to Seoul. My parents didn't even show up today. Funny shit, huh?" Sehun asks.
"I wish you weren't going."
Sehun smiles weakly. "I know."
They are silent before Jongin sniffs and after a moment realizes his face is wet. It's horrifying to see the pity cross Sehun's face in an instant as Jongin tries to cover his face.
"Look, I'm sorry Jongin--"
"Don't fucking apologize to me." Jongin snaps. Sehun looks taken back. Jongin never curses. "Just go, be successful, and come back for me. Promise me you'll call me, skype me, and email me all the amazing things you see and do. One day when I can, I'll come and join you."
Sehun smiles a little, his eyes moist as well. He leans in and wraps his arms around. "I'm going to miss you so, so much." He says quietly, bold enough to place a small kiss on the crown of Jongin's head.
"I will miss you too. But this isn't a goodbye, you know. Just a see you later." He says softly as he looks up. "Sehun, you're my best friend. You always will be."
Sehun smirks, although it's more sad than smug. "You couldn't find a better one anyway."
Jongin gives him one last hit for good time's sake.
----
Dear Jongin,
I don't know why you requested I write you a lot too. I'd call you to tell you this but I don't want to listen to you cry- but, I'm coming back for Christmas. Tell your mom to prepare all the delicious ddeokbokki please. I can sleep over your place right? My dad has forbidden me from entering the house and my mom won't even talk to me.
I miss you. Seoul is great. I am getting along good at university. I work at this fancy coffee shop. I wish you were here to meet my roommate Zitao. He's from China and pretty cool. He doesn't know how to go camping though so I don't know how I feel about these city boys. Anyway, call me and let me know if your mom says it's okay if I stay for a bit.
See you soon,
Sehun.
Genre: Romance
Length: 1.8k
Pairing(s): Kim Jongin/Oh Sehun
Note: Written for Gel's birthday (August 20th) who is apart of sekaisquad! It was supposed to be a lot more fluffy than it turned out but I cannot control what I write. I have a cool two-shot idea but that's once I'm done with all these fic fests and exchanges.
Summary:
The breeze is sticky against his skin. His hair is wet and his mouth is hanging ajar. He knows without a doubt that Sehun is right behind, pressed comfortably close, and it's setting off the tangled electrical wires of his mind.
Fortunately, for Kim Jongin, Sehun seems oblvious to the way Jongin responds to him. It's a tedious thing though. It's always being within the other male's grasp but not quite close enough to dull the ache that thunders in his chest.
Sehun was his first friend when he transferred during his last year of high school to a new town, a new school, and a new life. His parents had divorced and he was left to move with his mother in her hometown - a speck on the map of Korea in the middle of nowhere - so, she could work at his grandparent's shop. It was a quiet place that rained more than it did anything else. It was warm, close to the beach, and full of more trees than Jongin had ever seen in his entire life.
And, it was home to Oh Sehun. Jongin's first real love. He hadn't known he was attracted to males and supposes it hadn't really mattered before Sehun--because until now, there hadn't ever been someone like Sehun in his life.
They became friends quickly and eventually become the best of friends. Jongin joined the swim team with Sehun even. He wasn't a very good swimmer because most of his life had been in Seoul not swimming in the ocean gaining freckles from sun exposure. It was nice though. To have a friend and a hobby.
"When you're in water you lose nearly all your grace." Sehun teases lightly, his chin finding it's way on Jongin's shoulder. His arms wrap securely around his wait and Jongin is finding it more difficult to breath as the more seconds go by. Its nothing out of the norm. Sehun is always affectionate and more so with Jongin than anyone else. Jongin takes pride in being Sehun's best friends and therefore by default the person he can be most comfortable with.
He just wishes he didn't love his best friend to this extent.
"I know. I flop around like a dead fish, right? Baekhyun hyung already told me. I'm tragically laughable." He says. He puts up with the ridicule for Sehun and their friendship. He enjoys being in the sport with Sehun even though he probably should have joined Luhan and Minseok with soccer. Sehun is supportive, always helpful, and it's more time together.
"Are you going to the shop to help your mom?" Sehun asks lugging his bag over his shoulder, hair also wet from practice, and a smile creeping over his lips. "I want to come and help."
Jongin looks at Sehun, "You don't have to do that. It's no fun to unpack boxes all afternoon with me. You're not even getting paid."
"But your mom cooks really good dinners for me. Anyway, it's an excuse to be away from home for a bit, be with you, and flirt with your sisters." Sehun smiles deviously even though he's never done the latter. Jongin's sisters are all older and married - therefore untouchable by Sehun's standards.
It doesn't stop the ache that blossoms in his chest though. Joking or not joking it's the reality that Sehun is better fitted with a woman than he'll ever be with Jongin. He forces a smile on his face and punches his friend's arm. "Don't be gross." Jongin says lightly, adding only briefly, "Anyway Monggu has missed his mom."
"Even your dog likes me better than you." Sehun teases as he hooks arms with Jongin. "Let's go before your mom comes looking for you again. I cannot believe she pulled you by the ear last time to come help her--" He laughs.
"Well," Jongin flushes. "My mom is a different sort of mom."
---
Stocking the sleeves of the small convenience store isn't hard work. It's more tedious than anything else but with Sehun's help he's done in record time. His mom doesn't scold him but sends them both out with a plate of her special ddeokbokki. Sehun has been trying to swindle the recipe from his mom since they first met but he has a feeling he's no closer than he was in the beginning.
Sehun leans against him, back pressed against the brick of the small shop, eyes falling on the sunset that rises above their small, poor, desolate town. "Jongin, I don't want to die here." Sehun finally says, lips sticking with chilli sauce. "My grandpa planted rice, my dad plants rice, and I don't want anything to do with rice. I think when we graduate I am going to move to Seoul."
Jongin looks over suddenly, eyes wide, heart jumping in his throat. "W-what?" He asks shocked. "Seoul isn't that great, Hun. It's comfortable here."
"I want to pursue my swimming professionally in a good university. My parents can't afford to send me, there aren't any good paying jobs here, and it all just feels like a never ending cycle. I just want to be more than a rice farmer that lives day by day. You don't want to die working at your ma's shop right?" Sehun asks.
"I don't have a choice. My mom cannot afford to hire anyone, my grandpa is sick, my grandma is senile, and my sisters are all married with their own lives. No one is left to help her." Jongin says quietly. It occurs to him he cannot follow him even if he wanted to. He's weighed by responsibility.
"Your mom would survive without you. In Seoul even the shitty jobs pay better than the good ones here. You could always send money back to her." Sehun says. "I want you to come with me. I don't want to leave you behind in this hell."
Jongin is quiet for a long moment. He knows without a doubt he could never leave his mom behind to make it by on her on. She's all he has. She might nag and yell a lot but she works hard to pay for his schooling, his grandparent's home and needs, and their own small house on his grandparent's property. She might be able to handle things on her own but there was no way he could make it harder on her.
"It's different." Jongin says. Sehun isn't close to his parents. In fact, Mr. Oh often reminds him what a burden he is as he nears adulthood. Jongin's mom could have left him for someone else to raise when things got rough. Instead she works from early morning to night to make sure none of her family goes without. "She's my mom. I owe her everything. Even sacrificing my own selfish wants for her."
Sehun sighs. "You're going to drown in this place. No one ever leaves. When I first met you it shocked me anyone would return to this place. I guess if you don't come with me I'll just have to check up on you. What are you going to do? Work at the shop with your mom?"
Jongin resents the way Sehun says it all. Like it's easy for him to stay behind, like he's choosing to do nothing, and like he has no aspirations. "This place isn't bad." Jongin says back. "I'm content with it. It has everything I need." It's where he met Sehun after all.
Sehun only munches his food, licking his chopsticks clean, and gives Jongin one last pitying look.
"If you ever change your mind, you can move in with me when I get apartment." Sehun says focusing on his old shoes, busted at the toes. "It's not selfish of you to consider yourself first."
Jongn smiles weakly, somehow losing his appetite and feeling sick suddenly. "Yes, it is Sehun. That's the definition of being selfish." He says softly, watching Sehun's eyes harden.
---
Graduation is bittersweet. Jongin is thankful to be done and have more time to work at the shop since his mom was adamant about him going to school. But, it means his time with Sehun is coming to an end.
After Sehun's confession they simply avoid it. They don't talk about him leaving until it's too late. Jongin carries the flowers his mother brought him for finishing high school and he finds Sehun with his cap off and graduation gown slung like a leather jacket over his shoulder. It's the first time he's ever seen Sehun look sad.
"I guess this is it." Sehun says slightly, shifting his weight some.
"I guess so. So soon?" Jongin asks just as soft, eyes falling to the ground. He tries to tell himself to not hate Sehun for this but he cannot help it. Sehun can go freely as Jongin is shackled down to his family.
"I'm taking the bus and leaving this place for good. One-way trip to Seoul. My parents didn't even show up today. Funny shit, huh?" Sehun asks.
"I wish you weren't going."
Sehun smiles weakly. "I know."
They are silent before Jongin sniffs and after a moment realizes his face is wet. It's horrifying to see the pity cross Sehun's face in an instant as Jongin tries to cover his face.
"Look, I'm sorry Jongin--"
"Don't fucking apologize to me." Jongin snaps. Sehun looks taken back. Jongin never curses. "Just go, be successful, and come back for me. Promise me you'll call me, skype me, and email me all the amazing things you see and do. One day when I can, I'll come and join you."
Sehun smiles a little, his eyes moist as well. He leans in and wraps his arms around. "I'm going to miss you so, so much." He says quietly, bold enough to place a small kiss on the crown of Jongin's head.
"I will miss you too. But this isn't a goodbye, you know. Just a see you later." He says softly as he looks up. "Sehun, you're my best friend. You always will be."
Sehun smirks, although it's more sad than smug. "You couldn't find a better one anyway."
Jongin gives him one last hit for good time's sake.
----
Dear Jongin,
I don't know why you requested I write you a lot too. I'd call you to tell you this but I don't want to listen to you cry- but, I'm coming back for Christmas. Tell your mom to prepare all the delicious ddeokbokki please. I can sleep over your place right? My dad has forbidden me from entering the house and my mom won't even talk to me.
I miss you. Seoul is great. I am getting along good at university. I work at this fancy coffee shop. I wish you were here to meet my roommate Zitao. He's from China and pretty cool. He doesn't know how to go camping though so I don't know how I feel about these city boys. Anyway, call me and let me know if your mom says it's okay if I stay for a bit.
See you soon,
Sehun.