Hollow Fusion

Chapter 2

In this country, there are suggested general guidelines, rules, and even stricter rules regarding supplying and receiving energies between two partners:

1. Never take more energy from your partner than you need.

It’s imperative for receiver to receive energy to live; however, it’s also very easy for receiver to abuse that partnership. Supplier automatically gives or loses their energy when they are mouth to mouth with someone, whether that someone is a receiver or a non-resident who does not need that energy to live.

2. People can’t force their partner to stay with them, or leave with them.

95% of the time, a partnership last for life. However there are always exception. If needs be, the partnership will be dissolved and each of them will be paired off with a new partner. This case usually affects people who move to other part of the country, or outside of the country due to personal or business reasons.

****

Taekwoon takes a small sip of his water. As he’s putting down the plastic bottle, a new thought enters his mind, and he brings the water bottle back up to his lips almost dutifully. He remembers this time to take a large gulp of the liquid. He presses his lips together and tries to recall if Hakyeon has complained about them recently.

He shakes his head to dispel the thought. He’s going to see Hakyeon later, there’s no need to think about his partner when he doesn’t have to. They have to see each other every day regardless. What did he do in his past life to deserve such a nagging person like Hakyeon?

“Your lips are too dry, Taekwoon!”

“Remember to be nice to other suppliers if you need their help, Taekwoon. Don’t embarrass them!”

“Hey, did you eat my Strawberry Ice Cream?”

“The dorm room is small, but we have this window. We should change the curtain though. Well, I want to change it even if you don’t. Hey, let’s go shopping. Now. Don’t be lazy. It’s only 8PM.”

Although to be fair, Hakyeon made that lips comment way back, maybe at the beginning of middle school? Taekwoon can’t help if his lips get dry easily in winter. Not everyone plasters their lips with chapstick throughout the day like his partner.

He turns his attention back to his laptop’s screen. The picture of his future university stares right back at him, whispering silent promises and bright futures. After the upcoming summer break, he’ll be walking there on unfamiliar school ground. For the first time in a long time, his partner won’t be next to him within reach at every hour of the day.

There’s a familiar anxiousness resides inside his stomach whenever he imagines his first week, or first month or even first year there. Life will be different: new surroundings, new environment, new faces he has to get adjust and used to. Hakyeon … his partner won’t be attending the school with him.

“What are you zoning out for?” A head with a full mop of dark hair leans over his shoulder, and looks at what Taekwoon is staring at the screen.” His partner’s familiar body presses lightly against his back, and Taekwoon relaxes his jaws, which he just realized then that he was pressing them together.

“You said you would meet me in the cafeteria, but I had to come and find you myself.” Hakyeon leans back and removes his side profile from Taekwoon’s vision. He gives Taekwoon’s shoulder a punishing jab with his finger.

Taekwoon winces in surprise and exaggerates a painful expression. He turns sideway on his chair to have Hakyeon back into his sight. “I got lost in thought.”

Hakyeon’s eyes wrinkle and he snickers; he chops at Taekwoon’s neck this time with the side of his hand. He’s way too impervious to Taekwoon’s tricks and lies. “They are serving Japanese Udon today. If you don’t hurry, there will be no more left.” With that said, Hakyeon goes ahead and closes Taekwoon’s laptop. He picks it up and holds it with one arm, as Taekwoon follows his leads, gathers up all his books, papers and shoves them into his backpack. 

They trot in the general direction of the largest cafeteria. Lunch and dinner are always served there. There are a few smaller ones in this campus for people who bring food from outside, or receive food from home. Due to jobs and various other reasons, families don’t always stay in the same neighbourhoods all their lives. Therefore in this country, a large numbers of students attend schools with dormitories. Their main goals are to stay next to their partners for conveniences and necessities.  Hakyeon and he have always been attending the same schools, from elementary grades till now. They have been sharing the same dormitory room for the duration of high school.

As they walk side by side, Hakyeon turns his head lightly and gives Taekwoon a curious look. Taekwoon sees it but he keeps his eyes straight. His head is still full of thoughts, and he has little desire to engage in any type of conversation. What’s he so worried about still? Even if Hakyeon won’t attend the same university as him, he’s still moving away with Taekwoon so they will still stay together. Hakyeon will search for a job and starts working right away. His decision is made partly due to his family’s financial situation, and partly due to Hakyeon’s desire to experience life without going to school for the first time in a long while. When he’s able to and if he does want to go back to school, he will attend a smaller college in the same city. 

Taekwoon just have to make sure he’s charged enough for the day, or he sighs silently in his head, starts getting used to receiving energy from other suppliers. There's no way he's lucky enough to have all his future classes and finish all of them by early evening to go back to Hakyeon. There are always volunteer suppliers in every school, and hospital; it’s a necessity in this country. He knows he will have no choice about it but at least Hakyeon will stay being his partner.

Hakyeon sneaks another look at his quiet and taller partner for the umpteenth time on their walk. Is Taekwoon still stressing out about moving away for university? They have talked about it, and discuss about it some more at length already.

Whenever he mentions Taekwoon’s favourite food, his partner would almost run if he could to the cafeteria. If Hakyeon complains about being left behind, Taekwoon will about his shorter legs with that annoying calm smugness of his. It’s unlike Taekwoon that he’s taking him his time to walk there today. Hakyeon wasn’t joking about his favourite food running out, and Taekwoon knows that too.

Perhaps…

“Are you low on energy? Do you want some before lunch?” Hakyeon guesses and offers.

Taekwoon’s soft instant “okay,” surprises him. His partner rarely chooses anything or even anyone over meal time. He usually rathers be weak and fills his stomach with lunch first and foremost. After Taekwoon gives his answer, their eyes meet each again. Those eyes are still unreadable and they block Hakyeon from understanding Taekwoon’s current mood and worry. They have been together for so long, but there are plenty of times when they can’t read each other well at all.

Are you changing your mind about us continuing staying together after high school? As soon as that negative thought enters his mind, Hakyeon shakes his head vigorously to dispel it. What a silly thought. He still remembers Taekwoon’s joyful and ecstatic face that day, when Hakyeon first declared that he would come along and move away with him.

Hakyeon extends his free hand and places it on Taekwoon’s elbow. His fingers wrap comfortably about his partners’ arm, with years of ease between them, and his feet start leading them away from the sidewalk, away from the crowd. They need to go behind a building or find a least a big tree with lots of shade. Taekwoon has never been big on exchanging energy when people are around. He finds it to be embarrassing. He doesn’t even want to see others exchanging energy in public even though it's a natural and common activity that every one does.   

Another old memory slips inside his mind as their feet carry them behind a large building, away from the direct afternoon sun. Why did he remember that memory now, and why did he even forget it in the first place? He instinctively places the laptop down onto the ground without the need for thought. He steps near Taekwoon and lightly tilts his head up.

Taekwoon’s eyes are not looking directly back into Hakyeon’s eyes. That is odd. Hakyeon moves his eyes down to peruse his partner’s lips, and sees that Taekwoon is pressing them lightly together. His partner is thinking, overthinking or unsure of something. That’s the type of wrong place and at the wrong time kind of activity to do before and during an exchang of energy. However Hakyeon has no room to complain since his own mind is also currently half occupied with the memory of a younger Taekwoon: 14 years old Taekwoon, who was a promising member of the National Youth Soccer. His partner’s height and build started surpassing him around middle school, the years when Taekwoon had participated in soccer.

Taekwoon still makes no move to part his lips, or puting their lips together to start the exchange. Hakyeon steps even closer since he’s shorter; the action brings their bodies right next to each other. He has to tip-toed a bit and Taekwoon finally responds in kind. His head angles down and their lips meet half way. It’s almost instinct now, how their bodies move, how their faces angle, how their lips part and meet each other. Hakyeon can even do this in the dark if there’s ever a blackout happens.  He only needs to reach for Taekwoon’s broader shoulders, and their lips will meet each other in a perfect angle.

30 seconds pass, and Taekwoon’s lips part his. They stay hovering near his own as Taekwoon stares down at him. His eyes are swimming with many emotions, and they look so raw, full of hope and fear. Those emotions slam Hakyeon right in his rib and make him momentarily loose his breath. Hakyeon’s breath quickens and he exhales loudly. He swallows and forces down the sudden big lump inside his throat. Taekwoon breaks their spellbinding eye contacts, only to follow Hakyeon’s throat movement as if it’s the most fascinating action in the world. Taekwoon’s observance strangely makes Hakyeon flushed, and he can feel his face is heating up.

He loses his reservation, and his hands move up and grabbing a handful of Taekwoon’s shirt collar. He wonder if Taekwoon can read and see the memory of 14 years old Taekwoon inside Hakyeon’s eyes. He closes his eyes, shuts down his thoughts and moves his lips up. His body yearns and his mind demands; Taekwoon’s warm lips answer and greet him, and it feels so right. Their lips move once, twice and then thrice tasting each other. Taekwoon’s long arms encircle Hakyeon’s body and keeping their bodies warm together, even in the winter shade.

When they were 14 years old, the first time the question of moving away from each other came up. It was better for Taekwoon to move away to a better school, and to a better location to further developing his soccer talent. The possibility of a permanent separation was a real and was even discussed with both families and doctor. Taekwoon had a promising and bright future in soccer. He was already in the youth division; there was a chance he could be in the newspaper, and on TV someday representing Korea in the adult division.

Middle school years were the ages when they were apart for more days than Hakyeon would like to count, due to Taekwoon’s sport training and competitions, and then the supposed permanent separation. Hakyeon was 14 years old when he was trying to make peace that Taekwoon was no longer his partner, only for the said person to show up randomly at his house one day, looking tired and worn out.

Their mouth to mouth exchange of energy, or perhaps it was their first real kiss, was longer that day. It was the first time Hakyeon gave, and Taekwoon took, so much energy from him that he was weak in the knee, literally. Hakyeon didn’t mind. He was at home anyway, and he ended up falling asleep peacefully with a snoring Taekwoon next to him. When Taekwoon was 14 years old, he gave up the chance of moving to a prestigious sport school and choosing to stay beside Hakyeon.

Note: I have plan for one more chapter of this AU. A time skip to when NEO are older.

After that I may write a short (show, not book) ShadowHunter AU. We'll see if I have time.