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kat_lair***
Title: leave-taking
Author:kat_lair
Fandom: Ateez
Pairing: Kim Hongjoong/Park Seongwha
Tags: Spooktober, Ficlet, Autumn, pre-enlistment
Rating: G
Word count: 425
Disclaimer: Not real!
Summary: In the end, they make plans to enlist at the same time.
Author notes: And so begins Spooktober 2024. 31 seasonal prompts, 31 different fandoms (both different from last year's) selection too because where's the challenge otherwise I guess (haha. ha. RIP me). Spooktober 2024, Day 1/31. Prompt/theme: Autumn.
leave-taking on AO3
In the end, they make plans to enlist at the same time, Seongwha a good six months early, Hongjoong double that. Different regiments, of course, they’d never be allowed to serve together and even if they were, Hongjoong doesn’t think he could deal with that. It will be easier to be a carefully curated version of himself among strangers. Safer too.
Hongjoong doesn’t have to enlist yet, he could wait until next autumn easily but that would add a year into their separation. When Seongwha asks why, Hongjoong thinks about deflecting but he’s so tired of that, doesn’t want to hide himself now when he still has a choice about it. So, he tells the truth, watches Seongwha’s smile soften into something real, something shy.
They say their goodbyes in private, opting to release only a few candid photos of a whole group dinner, members laughing and hugging, holding hands, piling together like a wolfpack sensing the approaching winter. The management is not happy about the lack of a videoed spectacle from the base but they’re too popular now, have too much power of their own, for that to be any real threat. The fans understand.
The next day, the last day before, Hongjoong drives them out of Seul, thin October sunshine in their eyes the whole way. He picks a place in random, something small enough to feel different and safe, but big enough that they won’t stick out too much simply by virtue of being outsiders. There’s a park, one with tall trees and benches and not very many people.
They circle it twice, and then a third time with food and drinks Hongjoong buys from one of the vendors near the entrance. Seongwha watches him do it without arguing about paying once.
They talk but not a lot, just small anecdotes about friends and family, songs they’ve liked recently, industry gossip. Nothing important. Nothing about the future.
Not until it’s time to head home.
“When we’re back,” Hongjoong says, his fingers catching hold of Seongwha’s coat sleeve.
Seongwha stops, gravel shifting under his feet, the wind blowing leaves all around them, yellow and red, the deep brown of his eyes as they find Hongjoong’s.
“When we’re back,” he repeats, so easy to say this now, so easy to trust Seongwha to understand, “I want to do this again. A lot. With you.”
Seongwha nods, expression somehow both sad and happy at the same time, fingers cold as they tangle with Hongjoong’s own. So easy to do this now.
And so hard too.
***
Title: leave-taking
Author:
kat_lair Fandom: Ateez
Pairing: Kim Hongjoong/Park Seongwha
Tags: Spooktober, Ficlet, Autumn, pre-enlistment
Rating: G
Word count: 425
Disclaimer: Not real!
Summary: In the end, they make plans to enlist at the same time.
Author notes: And so begins Spooktober 2024. 31 seasonal prompts, 31 different fandoms (both different from last year's) selection too because where's the challenge otherwise I guess (haha. ha. RIP me). Spooktober 2024, Day 1/31. Prompt/theme: Autumn.
leave-taking on AO3
In the end, they make plans to enlist at the same time, Seongwha a good six months early, Hongjoong double that. Different regiments, of course, they’d never be allowed to serve together and even if they were, Hongjoong doesn’t think he could deal with that. It will be easier to be a carefully curated version of himself among strangers. Safer too.
Hongjoong doesn’t have to enlist yet, he could wait until next autumn easily but that would add a year into their separation. When Seongwha asks why, Hongjoong thinks about deflecting but he’s so tired of that, doesn’t want to hide himself now when he still has a choice about it. So, he tells the truth, watches Seongwha’s smile soften into something real, something shy.
They say their goodbyes in private, opting to release only a few candid photos of a whole group dinner, members laughing and hugging, holding hands, piling together like a wolfpack sensing the approaching winter. The management is not happy about the lack of a videoed spectacle from the base but they’re too popular now, have too much power of their own, for that to be any real threat. The fans understand.
The next day, the last day before, Hongjoong drives them out of Seul, thin October sunshine in their eyes the whole way. He picks a place in random, something small enough to feel different and safe, but big enough that they won’t stick out too much simply by virtue of being outsiders. There’s a park, one with tall trees and benches and not very many people.
They circle it twice, and then a third time with food and drinks Hongjoong buys from one of the vendors near the entrance. Seongwha watches him do it without arguing about paying once.
They talk but not a lot, just small anecdotes about friends and family, songs they’ve liked recently, industry gossip. Nothing important. Nothing about the future.
Not until it’s time to head home.
“When we’re back,” Hongjoong says, his fingers catching hold of Seongwha’s coat sleeve.
Seongwha stops, gravel shifting under his feet, the wind blowing leaves all around them, yellow and red, the deep brown of his eyes as they find Hongjoong’s.
“When we’re back,” he repeats, so easy to say this now, so easy to trust Seongwha to understand, “I want to do this again. A lot. With you.”
Seongwha nods, expression somehow both sad and happy at the same time, fingers cold as they tangle with Hongjoong’s own. So easy to do this now.
And so hard too.
***