Ship/Member: Soonyoung/Jihoon Major Tags: N/A Additional Tags: exes to lovers, reconciliation, AU - apocalypse, but dw they don't die Permission to remix: Yes -- gimme the break-up HAHAHA
***
They run into each other once again, as one does these days, during a supermarket raid.
Soonyoung darts around people with ease -- people scrambling for water and canned goods, the kinds of things they try to grab when they're at a point of desperation. Luckily, Soonyoung isn't one of those people. Luckily, he doesn't have to resort to things like violence to get what he needs.
Doesn't mean he shouldn't make it quick, though.
With a practiced precision of years of dancing (kind of a useless skill nowadays, but he's glad some of them are transferrable to the situation), Soonyoung pivots into a mostly empty aisle. Before all This, the aisle was used for dry goods. Nowadays, people didn't have electricity or even fire.
Poor babies, Soonyoung muses, walking over to grab a five-pound bag of rice. It should be enough to last him a month until the next raid. He stuffs the grain in his duffel bag, before continuing down the aisle for some cup noodles.
When he turns to the next aisle, he stops in his tracks.
He could recognize that battered black hoodie from anywhere, the hunch of his back, pale fingers holding onto a ten-pack of instant rice.
"Jihoon," he says. The name rolls off his tongue, and his mouth tingles with excitement at the muscle memory of a familiar feeling. A familiar person.
The person freezes. Slowly, he faces Soonyoung.
Soonyoung's heart pounds frantically in his ears.
"Young-ah."
*
They sit in an abandoned park. Pretty risky, but the sun won't set for another hour. It was enough time for Soonyoung to make it back to base with no issues.
Jihoon's fingers are tucked in his pockets, the pack of rice snugly tucked into his hoodie. It looks like he's hiding a strangely deformed baby in his sweater, and the sight makes Soonyoung chuckle. He shakes his head, looking up at the sky in disbelief.
"It's good to see you," Soonyoung says aloud. Jihoon scoffs, an empty way to shield himself against Soonyoung's pleasantry. "It's been a while."
"It has," Jihoon at least agrees to that, nodding his head. "Do we have to do the small talk thing?"
Soonyoung grins smugly. "You mean you don't want to talk about the weather, Hoonie?"
Jihoon snorts ungracefully, rolling his head back to look at the sky. "You thought I was dead."
The bluntness makes Soonyoung hiss from the impact. I did, Soonyoung thinks angrily. I thought you were gone. I thought that I fucked up for real by letting you go last time.
Soonyoung instead lifts a shoulder in a half-hearted shrug. "Well, you're not."
"I'm not," Jihoon exhales, the air causing his lips to briefly trill.
Soonyoung tilts his head to examine Jihoon. He still sports the same pale skin, a stark contrast to the longer hair falling across his cheeks down to his collarbones. Jihoon had fashioned something like a chopstick to pin his hair in place at the back of his head, but it doesn't do much to keep stray tendrils from falling and shrouding his face. His cheekbones are slightly more pronounced (Soonyoung wonders if he's been eating much), but he still has enough fat and muscle on him to fill in his hoodie.
Soonyoung doesn't say anything about the dark circles under his eyes. It's not his job to worry about how Jihoon was surviving. Jihoon specifically told him not to.
(Soonyoung was always a bit of a rebel, though.)
Since we're skipping pleasantries - "I missed you."
Jihoon doesn't look at him, but Soonyoung watches the apples of his collarbones flush pink in the afternoon light.
"I'm glad you're okay," Soonyoung continues honestly, looking away to stare up at the sky. "I was worried."
"You had bigger things to worry about," Jihoon shoots back.
"I didn't." Soonyoung scoffs. "You were worth worrying about, Jihoon."
Jihoon lets out a croak of laughter. Soonyoung tilts his head sharply to look at him.
He's laughing, despite the lines of tears sliding down his cheeks. He's laughing, even if his nose begins to look splotchy. He yells -- his usual response when he's feeling too much, when there's too much to say, but the words are stuck in his throat because he's on the verge of being too honest, too vulnerable.
"Did you ever stop?" he finally asks. Soonyoung watches him chew on his bottom lip. "Worrying about me?"
"No." Soonyoung shakes his head, earnest. "Never."
"Why?"
"Cause I love you." It has always been this simple for Soonyoung. It had to be. Sometimes, when everything is falling apart around you, the simplest truths are the easiest to hold onto -- and Soonyoung loves Jihoon. Simple. Not necessarily easy. But simple enough.
Jihoon turns to look at him, watery eyes and all. He's visibly annoyed, based on the way he's rubbing his face with the sweater paw he created on his right hand. "I should've picked the small talk," he mutters, almost like it's an apology.
Soonyoung shakes his head. "It doesn't hurt to tell you that," he says. "Loving you wasn't the painful part, you know."
Jihoon nudges Soonyoung sharply with his shoulder. Soonyoung laughs and shakes his head, turning away again from Jihoon. The sky shows beginnings of the sunset, once pale pastel colors now turning vividly pink and purple. Loving Jihoon is like that -- pale, blooming beginnings, turning into vivid emotions that turn the sky different colors almost too beautiful to look at.
That hits Soonyoung like a tidal wave. "Why?" he asks, fighting back the lump forming in his throat.
"Do you remember what you said to me once? That you could only help me by loving me?" Jihoon shrugs, letting out a deep breath. "Well, you did love me for a moment. And it helped me. It has always helped me."
Soonyoung snorts, a watery sound that makes Jihoon burst into genuine laughter. "I wouldn't call it a moment," Soonyoung replies defensively, tears rapidly spilling out of his eyes. "You gotta give me more credit than that, Jihoonie!"
"Well, I'll give you something else, then." Jihoon meets Soonyoung's watery eyes with his own, shining brightly against the sunset. "I love you too, Soonyoung. Life's too short for me to deny it, anyway."
Soonyoung lets out a choked sob. He's crying, but when was the last time he felt like this? This thing that reminds him of hope?
Jihoon's arm moves to wrap around Soonyoung's shoulders. The contact makes Soonyoung even more emotional, his own arms sliding around Jihoon's waist. He's spent too much time repenting and lamenting letting Jihoon go. There's no way he's doing it again. Not now. Not when he has another chance.
"What are we gonna do with all this rice?" he wails against Jihoon's shoulder, the other shaking with laughter underneath him.
"Well, who knows when the world's ending? Let's eat it together."
[FILL] even if the world ends tomorrow
Major Tags: N/A
Additional Tags: exes to lovers, reconciliation, AU - apocalypse, but dw they don't die
Permission to remix: Yes -- gimme the break-up HAHAHA
***
They run into each other once again, as one does these days, during a supermarket raid.
Soonyoung darts around people with ease -- people scrambling for water and canned goods, the kinds of things they try to grab when they're at a point of desperation. Luckily, Soonyoung isn't one of those people. Luckily, he doesn't have to resort to things like violence to get what he needs.
Doesn't mean he shouldn't make it quick, though.
With a practiced precision of years of dancing (kind of a useless skill nowadays, but he's glad some of them are transferrable to the situation), Soonyoung pivots into a mostly empty aisle. Before all This, the aisle was used for dry goods. Nowadays, people didn't have electricity or even fire.
Poor babies, Soonyoung muses, walking over to grab a five-pound bag of rice. It should be enough to last him a month until the next raid. He stuffs the grain in his duffel bag, before continuing down the aisle for some cup noodles.
When he turns to the next aisle, he stops in his tracks.
He could recognize that battered black hoodie from anywhere, the hunch of his back, pale fingers holding onto a ten-pack of instant rice.
"Jihoon," he says. The name rolls off his tongue, and his mouth tingles with excitement at the muscle memory of a familiar feeling. A familiar person.
The person freezes. Slowly, he faces Soonyoung.
Soonyoung's heart pounds frantically in his ears.
"Young-ah."
*
They sit in an abandoned park. Pretty risky, but the sun won't set for another hour. It was enough time for Soonyoung to make it back to base with no issues.
Jihoon's fingers are tucked in his pockets, the pack of rice snugly tucked into his hoodie. It looks like he's hiding a strangely deformed baby in his sweater, and the sight makes Soonyoung chuckle. He shakes his head, looking up at the sky in disbelief.
"It's good to see you," Soonyoung says aloud. Jihoon scoffs, an empty way to shield himself against Soonyoung's pleasantry. "It's been a while."
"It has," Jihoon at least agrees to that, nodding his head. "Do we have to do the small talk thing?"
Soonyoung grins smugly. "You mean you don't want to talk about the weather, Hoonie?"
Jihoon snorts ungracefully, rolling his head back to look at the sky. "You thought I was dead."
The bluntness makes Soonyoung hiss from the impact. I did, Soonyoung thinks angrily. I thought you were gone. I thought that I fucked up for real by letting you go last time.
Soonyoung instead lifts a shoulder in a half-hearted shrug. "Well, you're not."
"I'm not," Jihoon exhales, the air causing his lips to briefly trill.
Soonyoung tilts his head to examine Jihoon. He still sports the same pale skin, a stark contrast to the longer hair falling across his cheeks down to his collarbones. Jihoon had fashioned something like a chopstick to pin his hair in place at the back of his head, but it doesn't do much to keep stray tendrils from falling and shrouding his face. His cheekbones are slightly more pronounced (Soonyoung wonders if he's been eating much), but he still has enough fat and muscle on him to fill in his hoodie.
Soonyoung doesn't say anything about the dark circles under his eyes. It's not his job to worry about how Jihoon was surviving. Jihoon specifically told him not to.
(Soonyoung was always a bit of a rebel, though.)
Since we're skipping pleasantries - "I missed you."
Jihoon doesn't look at him, but Soonyoung watches the apples of his collarbones flush pink in the afternoon light.
"I'm glad you're okay," Soonyoung continues honestly, looking away to stare up at the sky. "I was worried."
"You had bigger things to worry about," Jihoon shoots back.
"I didn't." Soonyoung scoffs. "You were worth worrying about, Jihoon."
Jihoon lets out a croak of laughter. Soonyoung tilts his head sharply to look at him.
He's laughing, despite the lines of tears sliding down his cheeks. He's laughing, even if his nose begins to look splotchy. He yells -- his usual response when he's feeling too much, when there's too much to say, but the words are stuck in his throat because he's on the verge of being too honest, too vulnerable.
"Did you ever stop?" he finally asks. Soonyoung watches him chew on his bottom lip. "Worrying about me?"
"No." Soonyoung shakes his head, earnest. "Never."
"Why?"
"Cause I love you." It has always been this simple for Soonyoung. It had to be. Sometimes, when everything is falling apart around you, the simplest truths are the easiest to hold onto -- and Soonyoung loves Jihoon. Simple. Not necessarily easy. But simple enough.
Jihoon turns to look at him, watery eyes and all. He's visibly annoyed, based on the way he's rubbing his face with the sweater paw he created on his right hand. "I should've picked the small talk," he mutters, almost like it's an apology.
Soonyoung shakes his head. "It doesn't hurt to tell you that," he says. "Loving you wasn't the painful part, you know."
Jihoon nudges Soonyoung sharply with his shoulder. Soonyoung laughs and shakes his head, turning away again from Jihoon. The sky shows beginnings of the sunset, once pale pastel colors now turning vividly pink and purple. Loving Jihoon is like that -- pale, blooming beginnings, turning into vivid emotions that turn the sky different colors almost too beautiful to look at.
"It's probably why I'm alive," Jihoon admits. "You loving me."
That hits Soonyoung like a tidal wave. "Why?" he asks, fighting back the lump forming in his throat.
"Do you remember what you said to me once? That you could only help me by loving me?" Jihoon shrugs, letting out a deep breath. "Well, you did love me for a moment. And it helped me. It has always helped me."
Soonyoung snorts, a watery sound that makes Jihoon burst into genuine laughter. "I wouldn't call it a moment," Soonyoung replies defensively, tears rapidly spilling out of his eyes. "You gotta give me more credit than that, Jihoonie!"
"Well, I'll give you something else, then." Jihoon meets Soonyoung's watery eyes with his own, shining brightly against the sunset. "I love you too, Soonyoung. Life's too short for me to deny it, anyway."
Soonyoung lets out a choked sob. He's crying, but when was the last time he felt like this? This thing that reminds him of hope?
Jihoon's arm moves to wrap around Soonyoung's shoulders. The contact makes Soonyoung even more emotional, his own arms sliding around Jihoon's waist. He's spent too much time repenting and lamenting letting Jihoon go. There's no way he's doing it again. Not now. Not when he has another chance.
"What are we gonna do with all this rice?" he wails against Jihoon's shoulder, the other shaking with laughter underneath him.
"Well, who knows when the world's ending? Let's eat it together."