Day 50: Tiresome [Tao]

by lessvocals

Tao/Onew | 442 words. They’re both tired. Kindred spirits or something like that.

Nobody said it was going to be easy. On the contrary, they’ve been warned that the price of success might not be something that they can take in the long run. But Tao had a big dream and an even bigger determination. He wants to be up there, surrounded by the lights and the cheers.

It was never a question of how, just a question of when.

And he’s on his way.

He’s not Huang Zitao anymore. He is Tao.

He wants to believe that he’s steeled himself enough for this, for the never-ending schedules, the country-hopping, the rabid fans. He’s knows that one way or another, he’s going to lose his privacy just as his seniors did when finally tasted stardom. He just didn’t think that things would be moving this fast.

He’s been Zitao for 18 years. But he’s only been Tao for six months. And yet, it feels like a lifetime already.

He’s tired. This is what he wants but he’s just so tired.

He’s probably looking for a short escape. Yeah. Just a few moments where he can be Zitao again and remember all the reasons why he gave up so much just to be here.

He gives Kris a small smile before slinking quietly out of the room. They’re celebrating the last SM Town concert for the year and everyone else is a little too drunk to notice his quiet retreat. He heads to the roof which is probably empty at this ungodly hour. But that’s what he needs, a quiet place where he can just breathe.


He’s been trained to expect the unexpected so he isn’t surprised to see a lone figure leaning over the ledge. There isn’t much to see, an empty space that looks out into the city. The buildings around seem just as desolate at this time of night and Seoul seems so utterly dreary that Tao has to wonder to how he even found this place incredible. He wants to be miffed that the rooftop has one person too many, but then the figure turns to face him and oh.

It’s Lee Jinki.

Or rather, Onew.

“It’s you.” Tao blurts out. He tries to remember if he’d seen him at the afterparty. But everything is hazy in his mind.

Onew gives him a sad smile before turning back to face the ledge. “Yes, it’s me.”

Tao doesn’t want to read too much into it. But there’s something in Onew’s tone that feels like he’d much rather not be himself. But well, Tao’s got his own problems to sort out although he can somehow understand. They’re kindred spirits or something like that.

Day 54: Things I Couldn’t Say [Luhan]

by mara_ciro 

Lu Han/E-young (After School) | 550 words. | Some love stories aren’t meant to happen.

A/N: Dedicated to my friend Anne, who celebrated her birthday on (October 1, when I started writing this) She is EXO Planet RPG’s E-Young whose endgame is Lu Han. ^^;; Inspired by Juniel’s “Illa Illa” MV.

Lu Han gripped onto a cylindrical tube with his left hand as he opened the door with a shaking right hand. The familiar smell of lilacs and roses caressed his senses as he stepped into Les Floralies, the local flower shop. There was something about the place that seemed like a safe house to him. No, it wasn’t the beautiful, mute owner who ran the shop. Who was he kidding? No Yiyoung used to be a friend of his in school until her family got into a freak accident and she was its sole survivor. She had become mute and she lost most of her memories about their friendship. Lu Han had gone to the flower shop, day in and day out, hoping against hope that she would remember him someday.

He walked over to the table where she was hunched over and knocked on it to catch her attention. He couldn’t help the smile on his face as Yiyoung slightly jumped. She stared at him with wide eyes and a hand over her heart before she bowed and smiled. Lu Han began telling her everything that happened to him that day, trying to hide his disappointment that she still couldn’t remember. He’s been there every day, talking to her, visiting her, hoping she’d remember the deep friendship they once had. At some point, he began to entertain the notion that maybe he loved her. After all, there was no other reason for him to keep at it. Most of their other friends had given up years ago.

He refused to give up. He didn’t want to go with the knowledge that he failed to get her back. Ever since the accident, she had become distant, almost as though she refused to let people into her life. Maybe it was easier for her to forget everything, but she had no idea how it killed Lu Han to see her doing this to herself. She wasn’t paying attention as he rambled about things; he knew that. He wasn’t sure how he was going to tell her… Tell her that it was the last time she would ever see him. Keeping his grip on the cylindrical tube and the bouquet of forget-me-nots he always bought from the shop, he knocked on her table once again.

“Yiyoungie?” he said, looking into her eyes. “I – I’m leaving for China tonight. I’m going there to study and uh…” This was a lot more difficult than he had anticipated. There was a hint of pain in the perpetually lost look in her eyes. “Aish.. This is harder than I thought… But… I like – no, I love you. I’m sorry I only said it now but yeah… I love you and I’ll miss you.”

Lu Han dropped the both the cylindrical tube and the bouquet on her table as he ran out of the flower shop. He couldn’t bring himself to look at her reaction. He was afraid of what he’d see… The default lost expression that he couldn’t understand or something just as heartbreaking.

Had he looked back, maybe he would have seen Yiyoung opening the cylindrical tube to see a sketch of herself and letting the tears flow out of her eyes as she said in sign language,

“I love you too and I’m sorry…”
 

Day 52: Game Over [Chanyeol]
by elaineleyn
Chanyeol/Heechul | 160 words. Chanyeol plays a game of guessing.

Yesterday, Heechul kissed him rough and unpredictable. The usual taste of cherry lip balm was replaced with the taste of the sea, until there were tears trickling down the elder's almond brown eyes. Chanyeol chose to stay silent because it had always been that way.

Today, Chanyeol pretends not to notice how Heechul arcs his back and curls his toes even with the slightest touch. Desperation and anxiety, the desire to be loved, he reads and wonders how accurate it must be. During moments like this, Heechul seems so fragile that Chanyeol fears he might break him in his arms.

Tomorrow he will pretend not to hear when Heechul moans a name that isn't his. Siwon-ah. He wipes the beads of sweat on the elder's forehead and lets the elder fall asleep on his bare chest.

The day after that, he will wake up to an empty space beside him and pretend it does not hurt a bit.

Game over.