season greetings | oneshots

Second Chance

And when they lose their menacing stance, all that appears are the memories of the past. Jaehyuk could almost see a montage of his love life on the drywall, flashing for an instant before being enveloped by the shadows of a dying romance. Scenes reenacted in his mind, as vivid as the day they occurred. 

In this exact alley, when he and Jeongwoo had run through as though the devil were on their tail. It had been a mistake, telling ghost stories from a time before they met. 

It had also been a mistake for them to dare each other to go through the alley without getting scared. 

A simple "meow" from a well hidden black alley cat had been enough to send them hightailing it to the other end. After realising what had happened, they had sat down together on the pavement, breathlessly teasing each other on how scared they each were. 

Knocking himself back to reality, Jaehyuk stared at the narrow, dimly lit corridor. It's exactly similar to the one at home, except with the lights turned off. What makes this one so difficult to cross? 

Now or never, today will be the day he got rid of Jeongwoo's ghost once and for all. He shrugged his shoulders, and took a step forward. 

"Hey!"

His foot had yet to hit the pavement when the gruff voice echoed from down the street. 

"What's a cute guy like you doing out so late…"

Jaehyuk didn't even think twice, dashing into the alley with the drunk dude hot on his heels, though it wasn't long before the taller man caught up. 

"How dare you run away from me-"

His sentence was cut short by a single kick upon the back of his knees, causing him to fall backward. Jaehyuk felt his cold, weak hand being taken and led away by a strong, warm one. 

They were a few blocks away before Jaehyuk even took a glance at his rescuer. He looked around his age, dressed in a white hoodie and jeans, and he too was panting heavily. 

"You… good?"

"Y-yeah. Thanks for saving me back there."

"Don't mention… it."

"Now's my turn to ask if you're good."

"Don't… worry. I just… don't really exercise that… much."

"That's slightly concerning."

"Well, I don't go out much anyway."

As hoodie guy stood up, Jaehyuk glimpsed more of his face in the moonlight, and a memory popped up in his head. 

"You look vaguely familiar, but I can't place it."

"Oh, do I?"

"Yeah… Have we met before?"

"Possibly, but like I said, I really don't go out much, so I don't know where you could have."

"Are you usually this dry?"

"People call me a robot, so yes."

Robot? That rang more bells in Jaehyuk's mind.

"Are you really a robot then?"

"System does not compute. Please try again later."

"Okay well, thanks and bye."

He turned to leave, but the other held him back. 

"What were you doing in that alley?"

"It's none of your business."

"Sorry, I know I shouldn't intrude, but that alley is really dangerous."

"And how would you know that since you don't go out?"

"It's a sixth sense."

"I don't think I believe that."

"You saw what happened to yourself, didn't you? Better stay safe than sorry. Bye."

Hoodie guy walked off down the street, facing the moonlight. All Jaehyuk could see was his shadow. 

"Wait! I don't even know your name!"

He turned around, giving the other a small smile. 

"You'll remember me when you do. Give it time, I know I'm not particularly memorable either. I'll see you around, Jaehyuk."

"Hey, this isn't fair! How do you get to know my name when I don't know yours?"

Jaehyuk spent the rest of his night hunting through his apartment for a random name he knew might never turn up, but somehow had faith it would. 

An old yearbook. 

Dated a number of years back.

Highschool.

Fond memories flooding back, and with it, many names. Treasure. 

That had been their clique back then. Twelve of them, all so different, yet fitting together so perfectly like a puzzle. 

Of all his sheer dumb luck, why did he have a polaroid of he and Jeongwoo stuck between the pages?

It was on that final day of school that Jeongwoo had asked him out. Jeongwoo, Jeongwoo… Why does everything lead back to Jeongwoo?

Shaking his head, Jaehyuk flipped to the next page, and all his questions were instantly answered.

A fun clique picture, with all their names on the back. Despite having not seen so many of them in years, he could instantly name all of them. 

"Yedam, Hyunsuk, Hyuk, Junghwan, Dobby, Yoshi, Ruto, Jihoon, Mashi, Jeongwoo, Junkyu and…"

He drew in a breath.

"Asahi."

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Word count: 1370 words

Songs: Rush Hour by Monsta X, Fallin Flower by Seventeen, Get Cool by Stray Kids, For Lovers Who Hesitate by Jannabi, Runaway by TXT, Given Taken by Enhypen, Answer by Ateez, Inside Out by Nu'est (used in the poem fjsjdndj)

For asahiluvbott's fest

Dedicated to asahiluvbott!! Hope you enjoy this likely going to be two part oneshot Emma!!