a song of ice and fire // jakehoon

vyf en twintig ;

Sunghoon and Jake sat at opposite ends of the bed as Sunghoon held one of the pillows in his arms, as if he were at a therapy session. It was really similar to that, as he'd be opening up to Jake for the first time. Jake anticipated it, but he remained calm and allowed Sunghoon to grow comfortable.

"Years ago," Sunghoon eventually began softly, "my parents put me in a skating programme. I was probably, what, twelve? I don't remember the exact age. But I was put into thus programme without any discussion, and I went through with it without questioning it. For a while, I enjoyed skating, but my parents got greedy for success. They put me in so many competitions that I ended up competing nationally. I ended up third place, and they were extremely upset I didn't come first."

Jake chose this as his first comment. "That's terrible — it should be enough that you competed nationally."

"Well, they're terrible people, I guess," Sunghoon sighed. "They didn't give up. They got me one of the best coaches in the country, and I trained every day for the next year. I was put on a diet that severely malnourished me and an excercise routine that put too much strain on my body. At my next competition, I fainted on the ice and tore my tendon, and even got a couple scratches here and there. It couldn't be fixed, unfortunately, and my skating career came to an end."

Jake still listened attentively, not wanting to interrupt Sunghoon. However, it seemed that his tears subsided for most of his story, but they soon returned. Jake prepared to hug him if anything happened.

"For a few days, my parents called me a disappointment, a failure, and sometimes a waste of space and money," Sunghoon said with a soft, self-deprecating laugh. "I… I hurt myself often. I began believing what they said — maybe I was a failure. Maybe I was a disappointment. Maybe I was a waste of space. But I got the opportunity to leave them, and I immediately took it. I was out of their hands for a while when I came here. I never saw them since coming here."

Jake spoke carefully. "Did things get… better for you?"

"Oh, it got worse," Sunghoon chuckled, shaking his head. "I was left alone with my own thoughts at the ripe age of 17, and there was nothing worse. I still hurt myself — there was no one to stop me. I tried so many times to just… end it all. To just die. But… I never could. The thought of my warmth coming soon kept me from ending it all. I tried to end my life because of what a disappointment I was to ny family. One day, it was the drawing line for me."

Jake knew exactly what day he meant.

"The day we met." Sunghoon smiled softly. "I just wanted it to be effortless and quick — and what better way than to just join the cold water that called my name? I stood on that cliff, wanting to end my life and join the waters, but I felt you. I felt your warmth. You saved me, and I'm glad you saved me. My life has seriously become one to live after meeting you. These past two weeks, I've been happier than ever."

Jake felt tears in his eyes, moving closer to Sunghoon to pull him into a hug. They embraced one another tightly and Sunghoon softly sobbed into Jake's shoulder. Jake surprisingly held his tears back pretty well, but he was quite close to crying anyways.

"I'm glad you found a reason to live," Jake muttered with a smile. "I'm proud to have stopped that. If I didn't stop you, we probably wouldn't have been able to experience this love. If you disappeared, I'd probably end up joining you, because soulmates are destined to be together." He pulled away, wiping Sunghoon's eyes with his fingers. "Screw your parents. I love you so much. You can stand up to them now, because I'm here with you."

Sunghoon looked into Jake's eyes, his eyes teary as he smiled. "I really don't deserve you, Sim Jake."

"You deserve more." And Jake kissed him, his love never fading. The kiss was filled with far too much emotion, but it was fine for them. Jake was worried Sunghoon would never open up to him, and they'd forever be in that relationship with secrets — but Sunghoon trusted him enough. He loved him enough to trust him, and he loved him enough to speak openly.

"Jake, please don't leave me," Sunghoon said softly, letting out a soft sigh. "I'd be lost without you. Please, I love you."

"I'll never let you go," Jake muttered, shaking his head.

He knew they were empty promises, however.

"I'll stay by your side. Always. We're soulmates. We fell in love and we'll stay in love." He smiled softly, gently kissing Sunghoon's forehead. "I realize that you're more than an ice prince. You're human, and you get hurt as well. You have feelings, and you get broken as well. I'll take care of you, and give you as much warmth as I can to make sure that you never grow cold again."

Sunghoon hoped that promise could be kept — his parents were quite stubborn. But he would run away with Jake if push came to shove. He'd never be held down by his family again. Jake meant the world to him, and everything would fall apart if he lost his love.

"Promise we'll always be together," Sunghoon muttered softly. "Promise that we'll always be together. That you'll never leave my side, no matter what."

Jake wanted to make that promise, to make Sunghoon happy. But even he was broken. Despite being of warmth, Jake needed some fixing too. He didn't want to damper Sunghoon's mood, as he was blissfully unaware of Jake's words being quite empty. Jake nodded, a smile on his lips. "I'll always be with you, Park Sunghoon."

And Sunghoon gave him a warm smile. For that moment, Jake could disregard his own problems because he only wanted Sunghoon to be happy. Telling Sunghoon that he'd most likely have to leave soon would only hurt him and damage him further, and Jake never wanted to ever hurt Sunghoon.

After all, he was his warmth.

[ I'm going to double update because the next chapter fits with this one in terms of info :D ]