Second Guesses

By: mayangel

Rating: PG-13

Word Count: 407

Pairings: Chen/D.O., Chen/Baekhyun

Warnings: slight violence, mention of blood

They end up like this often, on the rooftop of an old factory building.

Up here, there’s only cigarette smoke invading the quiet calmness of nature.

Of course, this is only after the death-defying activities: skateboarding down slippery roads while the rain pounds down on them, the loud screech of tires on the highway, the banging of bones against metal and concrete.

The sky is bleeding a blood red, but Kyungsoo knows it’s not the end. Jongdae’s twirling a dagger in one hand, glaring at the ground as the embers in his cigarette die.

“You killed him,” Jongdae says, repeating the words for the thousandth time.

Kyungsoo doesn’t say anything, just grinds his cigarette out with the heel of his foot. The activities that seemed fun just months ago are now dangerous, life-threatening. Maybe that’s the point.

When Jongdae leaps and knocks him to the ground, Kyungsoo isn’t even surprised. He brings his hand up to his throat just as Jongdae brings his arm down, the edge of his dagger cutting through the soft flesh. Jongdae freezes, but recovers quickly, moving his right arm down again. Kyungsoo knocks the weapon out of his grasp before it can do real damage, though. They sit on the floor, breathing heavily.

It’s a fine line, Kyungsoo knows, pulling off his T-shirt to press his bleeding palm into the material. The white quickly stains a deep red. The wound will heal soon, just like the colonies of bruises covering his back and stomach. It stings, but he’s used to the pain by now, a sharp blade that never misses its mark.

Jongdae doesn’t really want to kill him. Not yet, anyway. The wound on his palm is shallow, just like many of the other wounds: enough to hurt, but not enough to take his life. It keeps him guessing, waiting for the moment that he really wants to kill Kyungsoo, when his self-control disappears, even for a second.

Kyungsoo believes Jongdae when he says it’s his fault. If he really wanted to stop Jongdae, he could. He’s much stronger than Jongdae, could easily beat him in a fight.

Jongdae makes a soft sound, and when Kyungsoo looks at him, he realizes the other is crying. He’s holding a hand to his mouth, trying to muffle his sobs as his thin shoulders quake. Kyungsoo wants to move closer and comfort him, but that position was never really his in the first place.

Foreword

mayangel