For Queenhinata
~Infinite Secret Santa 2013~ *Santas Revealed!*Nothing Was What it Seemed
For queenhinata
Couple: Hojong or Wooya (I chose Wooya)
Prompt: "Without You" by Lana Del Rey, these lines in particular - "We were two kids, just tryin' to get out. Live on the dark side of the American dream. We would dance all night, play our music loud. When we grew up nothing was what it seemed."
Two guys are sitting beside each other on the bench in the playground; not talking just sitting beside each other, fingers touching, cool breeze hitting their face. The guy with thick eyebrows looks awkward meanwhile the other looks so freely enjoying the nature. The guy with thick eyebrows glanced at the other guy and plays with the hem of his shirt.
“It’s been a while right?” The other guy broke the silence between them and the guy with thick eyebrows lets out a sigh of relief.
“Yeah,” he answered and looks up at the sky, admiring the clouds are forming into different patterns and sometimes he feels grateful because he was born into the world.
Howon feels grateful because he was born into the world and he’s more grateful because he met the guy who is sitting beside him; the guy who completely changed his life, or in other word, the said guy completely makes him feel special and makes him feel he’s the one for the guy.
But everything has changed.
Both of them started to drift apart when one of them had to leave the hometown for further studying in overseas and it was Woohyun; the guy who Howon has fallen for since they were childhood. Sure, it hurts and it was hard for Howon to let go of Woohyun’s hand when it was time for Woohyun to go but he knows, deep in his heart he knows that Woohyun will come back even it takes decades, he knows Woohyun will come back.
And Woohyun did.
Here they are, sitting beside each other without talking, just enjoying the nature together; just like what they always did before. There’s a lot of questions that Howon wanted to ask Woohyun, but seeing that Woohyun is enjoying the situation between both of them right now, he decided to forget all the questions and look up at the sky.
He still remembers those times where both of them would sit beside each other under a tree every evening, watching as the blue sky turned into red and sometimes orange color; fingers touching, there was no words between them just fingers touching and their shoulders brushed.
He still remember those times where he’d called Woohyun as “Woo hyung” whenever Woohyun or whenever Woohyun did something unexpected for him. It’s true both of them are in the same age but Howon prefers calling Woohyun as hyung because Woohyun takes really good care of him.
And he couldn’t help himself but fall in love with the elder.
And he’s sure too that Woohyun knew about it but the elder never sids anything about it. So he decided to keep it hidden as long as he could until Woohyun is the first one who starts to talk about it; that he knows Howon likes him.
Or in other word, Howon is in love with him, so much.
Howon snapped into reality when he felt Woohyun’s shoulder brushed against his and he felt the distance between them is getting shorter and he couldn’t help but slightly blush; keep his head hung low so that Woohyun won’t see his face which obviously turning into pink color as their distance on the bench is getting shorter and shorter.
And he felt that time stopped when Woohyun hold his hand.
“Woo—“
Woohyun’s lips gently pressed against his lips before could finish up his words. Howon blinked before he could finally realize what was going on. It’s a close-mouthed kiss and once Woohyun moved his lips against Howon’s lips, Howon quickly pulls away. He couldn’t breathe. He really couldn’t breathe and the kiss from Woohyun was an unexpected one.
A really an unexpected one.
The elder chuckled and ruffles Howon’s hair, which makes Howon lifted up his head and look at the elder with a questioning look. The elder just gave Howon a smile that Howon always adored.
“It’s really been a while,” he says, not letting off Howon’s hand but tightened the hold of their hands.
---
Howon almost dozed off when Dongwoo came and hugged his shoulder from behind. Dongwoo is his best friend-like-hyung since they were in high school. It amazed him how Dongwoo can be so damn energetic almost 24 hours a day and maybe that’s one of the reasons why Dongwoo is his happy virus most of the times.
“You look sleepy, though. You didn’t get enough sleep?” Dongwoo asked, taking his place in front of Howon who obviously looks exhausted.
The younger yawned, nodded. “I guess so,”
Dongwoo looked amazed and he chuckled, “You rarely look exhausted. Did something happen?”
Howon nodded.
“What was it?”
Howon took a deep breath, “Do you, perhaps, still remember Woohyun?”
“Your childhood friend?” Dongwoo asked and it didn’t take time for Howon to nod.
“He—“ Howon sighed. “He came back.”
Dongwoo voiced out an “O”. “I thought that was supposed to be good news?”
“Of course it is,” Howon replied shortly. “I’m just— I don’t know how to react.”
“React?” Dongwoo asked questioningly.
“He— He kissed me and that was damn unexpected one,”
“He ing kissed you?” Dongwoo gasped and Howon rolls his eyes at how Dongwoo could be so dramatic.
“Yeah, he kissed me.”
Dongwoo cupped Howon’s face and Howon looks at him questioningly. As soon as their eyes locked, Howon finally realized that Dongwoo was going to ask him whether he’s really okay or maybe he was just pretending to be okay.
If only he knew himself better.
“I—“ Howon let out a soft sigh as he shrugged. “I’m not sure also, Dongwoo hyung. I’m not sure whether I’m really expecting for the kiss or—“
Before Howon could continue more, Dongwoo interrupted him by holding Howon’s hand softly, “I’m asking about your true feelings, Howon.”
Howon lifted up his head and looked at Dongwoo. Dongwoo raised his eyebrows and he let Dongwoo hold his hand while he searched for the answer to Dongwoo’s question. Well actually, he doesn’t know his own feelings; his own feeling about the kiss, or maybe about Woohyun. He doesn’t know whether he likes Woohyun because Woohyun was too nice to him back then or— he just doesn’t know.
“I— I don’t know,” Howon finally answered after few minutes of silence.
He really doesn’t know.
---
It’s been a while since the kiss happened and it’s been a while since Woohyun left the hometown because of work in Seoul. Howon sighs as he lies down on his purple bed. Since the kiss happened and since Woohyun came back to the hometown, he’s been sighing for many times and to be honest he’s tired of it. He knows he shouldn’t sigh for many times but when it comes to Woohyun, he just doesn’t know and lets out a sigh whenever he thinks about Woohyun.
“It’s really been a while,”
And the simple word couldn’t get out of Howon’s mind since then.
To be honest, he misses all the moments that he had with Woohyun back then, when they were still kids. He misses the times where both of them would sneak out from their own rooms and meet under the big tree that both of them used to sit beneath together, watching the blue sky together, talking about their favorites all the time even they already know each other’s favorites so damn well but they never grew tired about it.
Sometimes Woohyun would gently pull Howon’s head, telling Howon to lean on his shoulder and Howon never rejects it. He liked it, he likes the way Woohyun spoiled him back then. Woohyun was really nice and gentle back then and that’s why he couldn’t help but fall for Woohyun.
Ring ingfrom his phone brings him back into the reality. He takes his phone which was placed on the desk and there is a message from an unknown number.
Can you come to the playground for a while before I go back to Seoul?
Howon squints his eyes, trying to recognize the number but he fails. The unknown number never messaged him before and how did the unknown knew his number? He grabbed his purple jacket along with his phone and ran to downstairs.
“Where are you going, Howon?” His mom asked, stopping him from going to the front door.
“I’m going out to the playground,” He simply answered, making his way to the front door.
“Going to meet Woohyun?”
Howon lifted up his head, looking at his mom who is giving him a warm smile that he always loves. He frowns and opens up his mouth, wanting to ask something but he decided to let it go.
“I’m going,” Howon said before he went out from the house and make his way to the playground.
---
“You’ve come,”
Howon startled when a voice greeted him from behind. He turned around and his eyes locked with Woohyun’s. Woohyun smiled.
“It’s you who texted me?”
“Yeah, that’s my new number. I wanted to ask for your number that day but I forgot,” Woohyun explained and Howon nodded.
“And then your mom gave me your number,” Woohyun finished up his words and Howon looked at him disbelief.
“My mom gave my number to you?”
Woohyun nodded with a grin spread on his face.
“She didn’t ask for my permission at all,” Howon mumbled slowly and sighed. “Forget it. So—“
“I wanted to spend some time with you before I go back to Seoul tonight. It’s been a while since that day.” Woohyun explained and Howon looked at him.
“Sure,” Howon said softly.
“I wanted to apologize,” Woohyun said as they finally sits on the bench.
Howon turned his face, facing Woohyun. “For?”
“For that day,” Woohyun simply answered. “For kissing you without ask for your permission.”
“Idiot,” Howon mumbled under his breath. “Do they always ask for someone’s permission to kiss them?”
Woohyun shrugged but then he nods, “They do.”
Howon rolled his eyes and punched Woohyun on the shoulder. Woohyun laughed.
“Forget about it. It has passed.” Howon said.
“If you say so,”
They once again drowned into the comfortable silence. Sometimes, Woohyun would glance to Howon who seemed really into the panorama in the night. Woohyun brought up his hand and ruffled Howon’s hair, bringing Howon into the reality.
“What’s up?” Howon asked.
“Nothing. Just missing our old times together.” Woohyun answered and let out a soft sigh.
“Something happened?” Howon asked again as he turns his head facing Woohyun.
“Not really,” Woohyun lifts up his head, looking at the stars. “Just work.”
“Oh,”
Howon sometimes noticed that the smiles that had always been on Woohyun’s face mostly were fake. He wonders whether work are burdening Woohyun because he’d like to see those sweet smiles on Woohyun’s face again. Not those fake smiles, but those sweet and warm smiles that he always adored back then. Howon silently sits inched closer to Woohyun and let their fingers touch, letting Woohyun knows that he’ll always be there when Woohyun needs him even though they aren’t like before anymore.
Howon’s warmness beside him made him let out a sigh of relief. Letting their fingers touch is the best feeling that Woohyun ever wanted. He knows that Howon is telling him everything will be alright and he knows Howon is telling him that he’ll be by his side whenever he needs him and Woohyun couldn’t be more grateful than that. The guy beside him used to be spoiled kid that he always taken care of and now he couldn’t agree more after what Howon’s mom has said to him that Howon already grown up being a guy that he never expected.
A kid that used to cling onto him, a kid that used to follow him wherever he went, a kid that he used to pay attention to and sometimes he couldn’t believe that Howon was born in the same year as him based on Howon’s attitude. But now everything has changed. Howon has really grown up; becoming a guy that he never expected of before. He always thought that Howon will never stand up alone when he’s not beside him but he was wrong. Howon stands up proudly and most of all, he stands up alone without people helping him. And he couldn’t be happy more than that.
“Howon,”
“Hmm?”
“Remember when you used to cling onto me back then?” Woohyun chuckled, Howon glared at him but then he chuckled along with Woohyun.
“What’s with bringing up those memories now?” Howon asked, suddenly feeling weird when Woohyun brought up those sweet memories.
“Nothing,” he answered, smiling. “I’m just— I never expected that you’ll grow up like this.”
“Like what?”
“Like this,” Woohyun looked at Howon. “Being all mature, telling me that everything’s going to be okay, telling me that you’ll always be by my side just by letting our fingers touches.”
Howon blushed but then he smiled, lifted up his head, looking at Woohyun; doesn’t care whether Woohyun would notice that he’s blushing or not.
“Because I know life is hard when we grew up, becoming adults.” Howon said, still letting their fingers touch except when Woohyun linked their little fingers together; making Howon’s heart beat faster than usual.
“Because I finally realized that what we always dreamt of before, when we were kids, wasn’t like what we seemed. It’s harder than we expected. And it’s happening to you,” Howon said and he could feel Woohyun’s eyes on him all the time.
“That’s life after all,” Woohyun finally said after a moment of silence.
“And it’s fine to break from life sometimes,” Howon continued.
Their gazes locked, the smiles, the sweet and warm smiles finally spread on their faces as they stared into each other eyes, communicating with eyes, telling each other that everything’s going to be alright as long as they’ll always be by each other’s side if something happens; like their old times.
a/n; I know this is like- uh kinda out from the prompt and the title also seems like didn't fit it but cries I couldn't think anymore and this was the one and only idea that stuck in my mind so here we goes ;; I hope you do enjoy this, my secret Santa ㅋㅋ and happy holidays, guys! and happy New Year too! whispers school is reopening soon cries
StarlightSpirit: This is just so cute. i love the really innocent tentative feelings that that the pair have for each other. This was just really sweet to read! Great work! :) <3
Updates will be just me adding direct links as they come in and adding the santas to the chapters, don't worry too much :3
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