Work Text:
The air inside is stuffy with the smells of bitter alcohol, way too generously applied perfume, and hints of tangy sweat.
The neon lights flickering in pink, violet and blue colors make the surroundings feel a bit surreal, the feeling is almost bordering to icky. Hyunjin’s head spins even though he’s only had one mildly alcoholic drink. It hasn’t even been enough for the intoxication to start rising, and yet Hyunjin is definitely not up for any more.
He sets the cup of whatever drink is in it, just something someone had poured for him in their hazy excitement, on the nearest table and starts pushing through the crowd of intoxicated bodies. It’s almost crazy that someone would want to invite this many people to their house. But then again, the world is full of crazy people. And Hyunjin’s probably one of them.
The party is for to celebrate the end of the school year, it’s thrown in Hyunjin’s home town where he used to go to high school. He graduated already a couple of years ago, but still the people who were in his year back then take it upon themselves to throw end-of-school-year-parties that gather all the people from their high school together. People who have scattered across the country to study in colleges and universities, or to work and build a different kind of life. It’s actually pretty admirable that someone sees all the trouble to gather together the ones who come home for the summer, even if it’s just for one drunken night.
Hyunjin had felt like he had to come to the party, especially since Changbin had really wanted him to come with him. But now the younger’s really starting to regret that decision. Changbin is nowhere to be found, the music is way too loud, everything feels sticky and Hyunjin is starting to realize that he might not like drinking that much after all.
He sees a clearance in the middle of the crowd. With determined steps he rushes forward before there will be somebody in front of him again. He really needs some fresh air.
Luckily, Hyunjin’s soon in front a door leading to a balcony. It’s not as good as finding a door that leads to the front yard from where he can just run away, but right now it’s good enough. If it comes to it, he’ll just jump or climb down from the balcony and make a run for it. The house isn’t that high anyway.
Hyunjin pushes the door open and steps onto the balcony. He’s met with the fresh air, and quiet and comfortingly dark night. The nightly early summer air is still slightly cool and the coldish moisture is vibrating in the air, gradually landing on the grass and on the leaves of the flora. Hyunjin breathes his lungs full, the dewy air stealing its place from the anxiety that’s been clogging his veins, effectively calming him down a little. Luckily, the balcony is empty of other people. Hyunjin walks up to the railing.
He sets his hands on the wooden handrail and looks down from the balcony. There’s currently no one in the front yard. Weird, but one the other hand also not, since the inside of the house was so crowded. And the people who are outside are probably in the back yard where there is a pool.
Hyunjin gets to enjoy his alone time for a moment. The music is still thumping in his ears, just not as loudly as inside. Now it’s bearable. Hyunjin stares at the dark horizon, letting himself drown somewhere in his messy thoughts. He’s only broken out of it, when there’s suddenly a rather loud exclamation coming from somewhere below him,
“O Juliet, Juliet! Wherefore art thou Juliet?”
Hyunjin moves his gaze back to look down from the balcony, and there’s now someone standing on the grass in the front yard, right below the balcony. It’s a young male with slightly messy, light-brown hair and round eyes that are currently staring at Hyunjin.
The blonde boy vaguely motions towards himself and asks, “Are you... are you talking to me..?” he looks down at the other who may or may not be a Shakespeare fan.
“Of course!” comes the immediate answer, “You’re the only one here who’s pretty enough to be Juliet”, he then says, “Though, that’s not quite right. Since obviously you’re not a Juliet. Let me try again!” the boy rambles on and then clears his throat before starting again,
“O Julius, Julius! Wherefore art thou Julius!”
Hyunjin doesn’t know about the being a Shakespeare fan but he does know that the male under the balcony is drunk. Still, he can’t help but to smile at the other’s words.
“Isn’t it Juliet who says those lines though? Like ‘O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?” Hyunjin asks with amusement, and a little bit of curiosity. He doesn’t know much about Shakespeare but he’s pretty sure he knows this one. The brown-haired male lifts his hand sharply and points at Hyunjin with his finger, like the other had just made a very good and convincing argument.
“Very much possible!” he exclaims, “But that is pretty much the only line I know from Romeo and Juliet, and between you and me, I’m definitely Romeo and you are definitely Julius!”
Hyunjin can’t deny it; the boy below the balcony has caught his interest. He really feels like there’s more to the boy’s openness than him just being drunk.
“On a scale from one to ten, how drunk are you right now?” Hyunjin asks, leaning against the handrail, and trying to get a better look of the male on the ground. The other gives him a toothy smile.
“A three..?”, he says. It comes out more like a question.
“I’m guessing more like an eight”, Hyunjin laughs, “Why’d you try to recite Romeo and Juliet if you don’t know much about it?” he then asks, out of real curiosity.
“Well, the setting, you know..”, the brown-haired male says absentmindedly, “And I guess I wanted to have your attention”, he then adds after a few heartbeats.
And there it is. The latter reason comes out lot more timidly. Like the boy had a sudden moment of soberness but the honesty and openness were still left there, even without the liquid courage. And it feels innocent. No ulterior motives, just interest in a pure form. Something warm starts blooming in Hyunjin’s chest.
“Are you enjoying the party, Julius?”, Romeo then asks Hyunjin after a moment.
“Not really”, the blonde boy answers honestly.
“Are you hungry?” comes then the next question. Hyunjin wonders how the other had decided to ask just that, especially since he’s pretty much starving.
“Yeah. Anything you can find from this house comes in liquid form and contains alcohol. I’m starving!” Hyunjin says.
“I know right!”, Romeo’s exclamation comes out with strong emphasis, probably due to his drunkenness. Like Hyunjin was the only person to ever get him, “I didn’t even drink that many drinks, but since there’s nothing to eat, everything just went to my head immediately. I’m starving! You and me, we should leave and go get something. Like McDonalds food. Oh, I love McDonalds food. I’d kill for some fries and burger right now. And I’d love for you to come with me, I can pay!”
Hyunjin laughs at the drunken boy’s rambling. But he has to admit, McDonalds food sounds just about perfect right now. In his momentary confidence, Hyunjin catches himself asking, “Is it like a date thing?” because it slightly sounds like it could be. But then the momentary confidence fades and the void is filled with the creeping self-doubt.
“I mean, yeah”, the brown-haired boy answers before Hyunjin has the time to start going into a silent panic, “But only if you want to, though!” Romeo then quickly adds, giving the blonde boy a bright, hopeful smile.
“You do really realize that I’m not a girl, right?” Hyunjin still has to asks, the small uncertainty still gnawing at the pit of his stomach.
“You know, Julius, not every Romeo wants a Juliet. Some of us want a Julius”
That’s enough for the doubt to melt away, a smile to rise on Hyunjin’s lips and him to leave the balcony to meet the other in the front yard.
~~~
The nightly town is wonderfully quiet when the bass-boosted party house stays behind in the horizon. The two boys, one completely sober and the other still walking a bit wobbly, make their way towards the McDonalds, walking on the side of the highway to avoid having to take the long road along the sidewalks and cycle paths.
Romeo’s real name is Jisung. And it had been Jisung’s idea to take the short cut along the highway. Hyunjin had only agreed after Jisung had sworn and promised to not accidentally trip, land on the highway, and end up getting run over by a truck.
Jisung’s born in the same year as Hyunjin, just a few months later. And just like the older, he doesn’t live in this city anymore, he had moved out after graduating high school. There are two high schools in this town and they had attended the different ones. And the town isn’t very big, but it’s big enough that you can’t possibly know everybody.
Jisung tells Hyunjin how he didn’t apply to any universities, but instead just moved to a random city with his friend and started to work on his music. And Hyunjin is same time so proud of the younger for immediately going after his dreams, but also a little bit jealous. Because he wishes he had the same courage.
In turn, Hyunjin tells things about himself, and Jisung truly listens. Jisung seems to get just a little bit more sober with every step he takes forward in the fresh and dewy spring air. While drunk Jisung had been funny, Hyunjin likes him more and more the more sober he gets.
The quiet night is filled with their chatter and laughter, as they walk on the bumpy ground right next to the asphalt highway. And Hyunjin realizes that he’s never felt as comfortable with someone he just met as he feels with Jisung.
During their walk, there’s only three cars that drive past them. All those three times, little before the car passes them, Jisung takes a hold of Hyunjin’s hand with his own, intertwining their fingers briefly. Like extra assurance that he’s not going to trip and end up under the cars. The younger gives him a pointed look and an amused grin each time, but he isn’t able to mask the innocent, delighted glint is his eyes.
It makes small butterflies fly around in Hyunjin’s stomach. And the older wonders if it’s even possible to feel this way around someone you’ve only just met.
~~~
The fluorescent lights of the McDonalds make a striking comparison to the opaque darkness outside. Hyunjin involuntarily squints his eyes a bit, looking around the empty fast-food restaurant. The only person there beside for him and Jisung is the very tired-looking worker behind the counter. It’s already way past midnight.
There’s a radio on in the restaurant, playing music, some all-time hits and songs that will never get old. During daytime it would probably be unnoticeable, but now the faint sounds of music are lightly echoing around the empty space. It’s probably the only thing keeping the worker from falling asleep. Though, he perks up a little when he notices the two customers. He gives Jisung and Hyunjin a greeting when the two boys walk up to the counter.
“What do you want?” Jisung asks the older as they’re scanning the menu boards on the wall behind the counter.
“I’ll just have whatever you’re having”, Hyunjin says. He’s fine with anything as long as it’s food.
So they end up with matching sets of large fries, large sodas and some burgers. Hyunjin decides on a table next to the windows, rather far away from the door and the counter. The only thing to observe through the windows at this hour, though, are the light-up fascia and the dim streetlamps here and there.
Luckily Hyunjin has something so much more interesting to observe sitting right in front of him.
They did into their foods, and Jisung seems to share similar kind of thoughts with Hyunjin. After a moment, the younger suddenly says,
“You’re seriously so pretty”
Hyunjin almost chokes in his food. He lifts his gaze to Jisung again and asks, “Are you still drunk?”
“No”, Jisung says, “I’m just this straightforward”, he grins, “Get used to it”
Hyunjin smiles, “I will. I quite like it”, he then admits. It’s such a nice change when somebody doesn’t for once just beat around the bushes.
“Also, you’re seriously so pretty too”, the older then says. Jisung’s probably the prettiest person he’s ever met.
The younger’s eyes widen and a small blush start rising to his cheeks.
Hyunjin laughs, “Really? You’re all straightforward but when someone else is too, you’ll get all flustered?” he teases the younger.
“Oh, shut up”, Jisung complains and throws a fry at Hyunjin.
Hyunjin gasps dramatically, “Don’t waste food like that”, he gives the younger an offended look, as the fry lands on the floor after hitting him. He picks it up and throws it to the nearest thrash bin.
“Sorry”, Jisung laughs, but after a moment he manages to stifle his laughter, “You’re right”, he then admits, his face now turned to regret which may or may not be slightly fake.
The younger takes a long swig from his soda, and then he suddenly says, “By the way, you never told me what it is that you actually do. Just where you live. Are you studying or something?”
Hyunjin grimaces inwardly. He isn’t a huge fan of talking about it.
“Promise you won’t tell my parents”, Hyunjin starts.
“Why on earth would I suddenly talk with your parents?” Jisung asks before Hyunjin has managed to keep going.
Hyunjin lets out a laugh, “Well, you never know”, he says, “But, basically, I dropped out of university about six months ago..”
“-and you haven’t told you parents”, Jisung connects the dots.
“Yeah”, Hyunjin grimaces, “They've always had so high hopes and plans about my academic career. But it’s not something I want. I tried it out, hated it and then quit”
“What have you been doing for the last six months then?”
“Well, I’ve been working in a convenience store to get enough money for living. And I also got a part-time job as a dance teacher. Once a week I teach dancing to little kids. That is what I actually want to do with my life. Dancing I mean”, Hyunjin tells. A little timidly since the responses he’s had about his dreams have almost always been degrading.
“That’s amazing!” Jisung exclaims, “Good for you for dropping out of university and going after your dreams! Now you teach kids once a week, and from there you will just climb upwards. Soon you’ll do dancing as a full-time job”, he smiles widely.
And again, Jisung manages to fill Hyunjin’s chest with warm and fuzzy feelings.
“Thanks”, Hyunjin says smiling a little, thanking the younger for the encouragement. That’s something he could always use. Jisung gives him a smile.
Then the younger’s attention is suddenly being snatched, when there’s again a new song starting on the radio. His eyes widen with delight.
“Oh! I absolutely love this song”, he exclaims. Hyunjin concentrates his hearing to the song, and yes, it’s an amazing song.
“Oh, yeah, me too!” Hyunjin agrees and smiles widely.
Jisung jumps up from his chair, “Come on, let’s dance! We gotta dance to this song!” he stretches his hand towards Hyunjin, urging the older to join him.
Hyunjin stares at the younger in disbelief, “Are you for real?”
“Of course!”
“For a moment there, I really thought you had sobered up”
“I have!” Jisung says cogently, “This is the kind of stuff you should do while sober. Then you will remember it and have great memories! Come on!”
Hyunjin stares at the younger for a moment, before deciding that fuck it. He grabs Jisung’s hand and jumps up from his chair.
And then they dance in an empty McDonalds in the middle of the night.
The volume of the radio is too low to actually use it as source for dance music, there’s a tired worker probably giving them a very weird look, the floor is a bit too slippery, and their dance is just some incoherent jumping and swinging around while holding hands.
And it’s so much fun.
“This is now our song, okay?” Jisung exclaims and grins.
Our song. Hyunjin likes the sound of that.
“Definitely”, the older agrees and smiles widely.
“You know”, Jisung then starts speaking again. It doesn’t seem to disrupt his crazy dancing, “I have this friend in California, his name is Chan. We’ve been making music together through the Internet, but I’ve actually thought about moving there and starting to really work with him”
“Okay”, Hyunjin says, wondering where this is going.
“He knows a lot of people, and I’m sure he could introduce you to some dancer people. So, you and I, we should just run away to California together. It’s not like there’s anything keeping us here anymore. And, you know, Nevada is right there next to California, so we could just elope in Las Vegas on the way”
Absolutely crazy. And yet, after everything that has happened tonight, Hyunjin’s first thought is ‘let’s do it’. The ‘absolutely crazy’ comes only a second later. But there is still one sensible cell in the older’s brain which forces him to laugh and say,
“You really are still drunk”
Jisung gives him a pure, genuine smile, “I really am not”
Their song comes to an end. The boys stop dancing, but still hold their one hand in the other's. Hyunjin looks at Jisung, an amused smile twitching in the corners of his lips.
“Okay. But you’re gonna have to sleep through the night. If you still tomorrow think that it’s a good idea, you can call me”, the older says.
“Fine”, Jisung says, smiling widely. He hands his phone to Hyunjin so that the older can put his phone number in it. Hyunjin does, and then they drink the lasts of their sodas, take the trash to the bins, and after giving sheepish smiles to the worker behind the counter they exit the fast-food joint.
Turns out they have to walk to different directions from the McDonalds to reach their respective homes. So it’s goodbyes on the empty parking lot.
Jisung turns to Hyunjin, “Parting is such sweet sorrow that I shall say goodnight till it be morrow”
“Romeo and Juliet?” the older asks.
“Yeah”, Jisung grins, “Turns out I remember lot more lines when I’m not drunk”
“Shocker”, Hyunjin rolls his eyes. Then he gives the younger a curious look and asks, “Is that one Romeo’s line?”
“...no”, the younger says and grimaces, “I’m pretty sure that also is Juliet’s line”
“Well, maybe you’re secretly a Julius after all”, Hyunjin shrugs, and gives the younger an empathetic look.
“Never”, Jisung says, finality in his voice. Hyunjin laughs.
Jisung takes a step closer to the older, slightly invading his personal space.
“I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?” he says quietly, smiling a little. Then, quickly, he pecks Hyunjin’s lips with his own, before turning around and running away.
“Goodnight!”, he shouts while running down the street.
Hyunjin fails to shout goodnights back, because he just stands there, flustered, and a dumb, hot blush rushing to his cheeks.
Then, eventually, he manages to turn around and start walking home, his head and heart filled with stardust and sunshine.
~~~
The next morning, or more like midday, Hyunjin wakes up to his phone ringing. He grabs the phone from the night stand and looks who’s calling. The screen says Romeo, as Hyunjin had saved Jisung’s phone number last night. A wide smile immediately rises to Hyunjin’s lips. He presses to take the call.
“Good morning, Julius!”
Jisung’s bright voice greets Hyunjin before the older has the time to say anything to the phone.
The older lets out a laugh, “Good morning, Romeo”
“So, Vegas?"