Work Text:
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“welcome in.”
till doesn’t even glance up from his book when the bell rings.
from the lack of response to his greeting, till figures the customer is either rude or has headphones on. his suspicions are deemed correct when, not two minutes later, an office worker with airpods sets down a six pack of beer in front of him to ring up. the man pays till silently and leaves without a word of thanks or even a goodbye.
till just shrugs it off and goes back to his book. this world has some pretty fascinating literature. he’s not surprised it never interested him back in the rebel base, but then again, there were more important things to worry about back then.
it’s been six months since till woke up in this world, in an empty apartment filled with trash, moldy food, and fruit flies. the last thing he remembered was being shot down by segyein guards while he and dewey were on a reconnaissance mission. till thought he’d escaped on his bike, taking refuge in a dark alley when he ran out of fuel and doing his best to keep from bleeding out.
unfortunately, he must have shut his eyes for a moment too long because the next thing he knew, he was waking up in an unfamiliar world perfectly healed with no sign of aliens of any kind.
till had found that he could read the human language—korean—fluently, and speak it well enough too, even though it wasn’t the human language he was taught by his provider and in the garden. all for the best; korean was a much prettier sounding language.
knowing the language was one thing, but figuring out why he was in this world was another. there were no clues regarding his mysterious transportation. he wasn’t even in his mission clothes, instead wearing pajama pants and a t-shirt made of worn-out cotton.
after scouring the apartment for anything that could help him, till found that the apartment was leased to him, to choi till, a twenty eight year old construction worker who had recently been laid off after receiving a decent severance package. he lived alone, and there was a suspicious lack of family in his life.
after taking a week to explore every inch of seoul, the city he now lived in, till realized that this was the closest he could get to freedom. sure, he was alone without his friends and makeshift rebel family, but there wasn’t a trace of segyein in this world, no danger of an invasion that would devastate the human population.
instead, the greatest threats to humans were humans themselves. that was easy enough to find out after watching the news channels for a few days.
with no worries about money, till cleaned up his apartment, got it in a proper living condition again, and set out to find a job. sure, he had enough money to wallow in his thoughts for a while without worry, but being thrown into a brand new world didn’t mean till forgot everything he’d learned under isaac and dewey.
keep yourself busy, they said. try to procure as many sustainable resources as possible, even if it looks like you have enough. don’t think about the past for too long or you’ll get sucked into your depression again.
not thinking of the past was impossible for till, but keep himself busy? seek out resources? he could do that. and the best way to tackle both of those was to get a job and earn more money. luckily for till, there was no end to the different types of employment he could seek out in this world.
for the past three months, till worked as a convenience store clerk during the night shift, working from six at night until six in the morning. sure, the hours were long, but it was a relatively easy job, very simple to learn. take care of customers, clean the store, stock the shelves, all grunt work that till was happy to do.
the night shift was also interesting enough due to the different types of people who frequented at the time. weary office workers, school kids stopping by before going home, police patrolmen who were starting their own night shifts, etc.
through this job, till was able to observe all sorts of people, gleaning information from their buying habits to the fashion they wore to the tech in their hands. there was plenty to learn about this world that till still didn’t know, after all.
till figured tonight would be one of those slow thursday nights, one where the clock would tick slowly and the sun would be late to rise. it wouldn’t be the first time, and till was plenty prepared to face it.
but tonight was different.
tonight, till’s world would change entirely.
because tonight, the nearby school’s student council members had stopped by for snacks after their after-school meeting. and amongst that group of students was—
till’s eyes grew wide, mouth dropping open and heart beating faster.
there was no doubt about it. this kid was the spitting image of that guy from when they were kids. the straight posture, the black silky hair, those piercing dark eyes with the red center, the cheeky fang showing off and glinting under the lights... all of it was in front of till, in the middle of the ramen section with a couple other boys who were poking fun at him.
“are you actually going to eat with us, vice prez? you never eat ramen with us! what gives today?”
the boy chuckles, sound low and deep. it sends shiver down till’s spine as he stares bullets into the younger boy.
“oh, no reason. you’re always begging, so i thought i’d be nice to you for a change.”
“what?! i don’t beg, fuck you!”
“let it go, jaesung, haha. ivan’s paying for us today, isn’t he?”
the boy laughs. “if i must.”
when the boys’ shopping basket is filled with ramen bowls, drinks, and other snacks, the boy—ivan—steps up to till while his friends hang back. “i’m ready to pay, sir.”
till doesn’t want to move, too entranced by the sheer beauty of the boy in front of him, but ivan setting the basket on top of the counter is enough to get him going.
during the entire transaction, till stays quiet, glancing quickly at ivan every so often without making himself seem suspicious. ivan is paying more attention to the total going up on the register than till himself, so it works out. till’s eyes rove over every bit of ivan’s figure, from the fall of his bangs, down to his lashes, curving down the slope of his neck, to those broad shoulders covered by his navy school jacket.
till scans the last item, quietly says the total, and looks up properly at ivan.
ivan flashes him a smile, cheery and bright, before pulling out a card to hand him.
it’s him. it’s really him.
till’s hands are shaking as he swipes the card. his lips part, and he turns to ivan to say something, to say anything, but his mind is blank. in the end, till just hands ivan his card back and bows his head a little.
ivan grabs the items till had bagged and sends him one last lethal smile. “thank you very much. have a good evening.”
and before till could even think to reach out for him, ivan was gone, as if he’d never been there.
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that night, till’s nightmares return.
he sees and hears it clearly: the pitter-patter of raindrops, the puddles on their airborne stage, the shattered microphone, the crunch of the glass under his feet...
...icy cold lips pressed fiercely against his, long fingers wrapped around his throat, the roars of outcry from the segyein audience, the burst of gunfire, the tremors in the warm body in front of him...
...the fall of a white-clad figure at his feet, the red of blood soaking into the fabric of his shoes, the loss of light from eyes that have never once shown him malice or hatred or—
till remembers it all.
five minutes before his alarm is set to go off, till wakes up screaming.
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the next time till sees ivan, the boy is alone. it’s also two in the morning.
the boy responds to till’s ‘welcome in’ with a flash of teeth, too happy for someone awake at this hour. as the boy walks up and down the aisles, till watches him, not bothering to be subtle about it, and ponders over the situation.
it has to be ivan, there’s no doubt about it. sure, he was a high school student, but he’s the spitting image of that guy when they were younger. every detail agreed perfectly, from the way he walked to how he looked to the deep thrum of his voice.
till frowns as ivan heads to the fridges.
is this kid why he was brought to this world? is till’s fate so entwined with ivan’s that the universe sought to bring him here, to an ivan who had no idea who till was? were they destined to always be together? were they—
“soulmates?”
till jumps, not expecting ivan to have materialized in front of him while he was so lost in thought. “pardon?”
ivan points to till’s book on the counter. “the story. i’ve read it. it’s the most popular book in the market right now, a story of two soulmates who reincarnate and meet again and again across lifetimes and always manage to fall in love.”
till glances at the book and then back at the boy. “what about it?” he asks, voice more gruff than he intended.
ivan scratches his neck, sheepish. “well, i just didn’t expect to see another guy interested in a story about soulmates. i’ve read it, sure, but the book’s technically tailored for the middle-aged housewife demographic.”
“so, what?” till raises a brow. “you think i’m not as worthy as an ahjumma to be reading this?”
till’s words do the trick, and ivan giggles. “no, sir. you’re definitely worthy.” he gestures to the items he’d laid out on the counter. “just this for me.”
till scans the first item before turning his attention back to ivan. “what brings a kid your age here at this hour anyways? shouldn’t you be asleep by now?”
ivan just smiles. “no one’s at home to tell me to go to bed. besides, you were probably bored waiting for me to arrive, weren’t you?”
till drops the item he’s holding. “huh?”
“were you not?” ivan pouts. “weren’t you waiting for a nice customer to come along and put you out of your boredom? it must be rough working a convenience store at this hour.”
oh, this brat. but two can play at this game.
“you’re right, i was waiting for you,” till replies, super nonchalant. “ and you sure took your sweet time coming here. don’t you know my shift started a long time ago? in order to make up for it, you’ll just have to eat your ramen here and keep me company.”
ivan blinks. “oh, uh... can customers even eat here this late?”
till grins. “only if i like them. will that be cash or card?”
it didn’t take much from till, but there is now a light flush to ivan’s cheeks, one that till is extremely proud of placing.
even though till was half-joking, ivan does indeed heat up and eat his ramen inside the store. because there was no sidework to be done, and definitely no other customers coming in, till joins ivan at the table. the two waste time with one another, talking for two hours straight.
ivan learns a bit about till, what little till feels he is allowed to tell him at least. more valuably though, till learns more about ivan. and there was a lot to tell because just like his own ivan, this one didn’t know how to shut up.
as till figured, this ivan wasn’t dissimilar from his own. there was the knowing smile, the head tilt when he was deep in thought, the penchant for sweet snacks, the touchiness and inability to stay out of till’s bubble. it was all so quintessential ivan, only lacking the carefully built mask that appeared in front of others but never till.
till wondered if this ivan had secrets, like his did, but even if he did, till decided it didn’t matter. after all, till had his own demons to hide. they were together now, that’s what mattered most, right?
because the more ivan talked, the more till was convinced.
this is why i was brought here. it’s for him. he belongs to me.
as ivan ranted a bit about his student council’s president, till reached up slowly and pressed his hand to his heart.
something had settled there, something dark and heavy. it thrashed around inside his ribcage, like an animal caged against his will. but even then, it was resigned, as if that animal knew he was nowhere else to go, nowhere to run to.
his usual anxiety didn’t feel like this. this was different. as till gazed into the eyes of the young, shining form of his best friend, his other half, till knew this feeling wouldn’t fade away so easily. perhaps not ever. not when there was a chance that his last chance at having ivan could slip from his fingers just as easily as the first.
“till?”
till blinks and smiles, brought back to the present by the very boy that plagued his thoughts. “sorry. you looked cute going off about how shitty your council members are. did you know your neck turns pink when you’re angry?”
as if a switch had been flipped, ivan’s ears also turn a similar shade as the boy averts his eyes from till, embarrassed that till had noted something so minute of him. “i didn’t,” he says quietly, placing a hand on the side of his neck.
it must feel warm. till yearns to press his lips against that sliver of skin.
instead, till does a great job of feigning nonchalance. “like i said,” he remarks with a sharp grin, “it’s cute. suits you.”
ivan is rendered mute, and quickly busies himself with another bite of his strawberry mochi in order to avoid till that much more.
to give the boy some reprieve, till stands up, making a show out of checking the time on his phone. “it’s late. you should get going, ivan. try to get a little sleep at the very least.”
ivan seems reluctant. “but i was having fun here with you,” he says with a pout.
till’s eyes soften, and his voice dips indulgently as he looks down at his favorite boy. “you can always join me again. but my wish for tonight is that you rest. you’ll grant my wish, right? do it for me?”
ivan’s dark eyes meet till’s teal ones. without blinking, ivan breathes out the words. “okay, till. for you.”
till’s lips curl. “my good boy.”
till reaches up, gently fixes ivan’s bangs so they’re straighter. he makes note of how ivan’s breathing seems to have stopped in the moment.
“there. can’t have you looking disheveled.” till glances out the windows of the store. “be careful getting home, yeah? the cctv cameras don’t work in this area.”
ivan just nods. he gathers his trash quickly, throws it away, and mutters out a quick goodbye before running out of the store.
till isn’t bothered by it. he knows ivan better than the boy knows himself.
ivan will come back. he will.
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and till is correct.
from then on, most days out of the week, ivan enters the store around midnight and keeps till company until the earliest hours of morning. sometimes he helps till stock the fridges, sometimes he grabs a broom on his own and sweeps while till is busy with a customer, but no matter what, he’s there.
he comes back for till every time. and till knows he won’t stop.
doesn’t it make sense that ivan would feel the same pull toward till as till feels toward ivan? doesn’t it make sense that they’re destined for one another, that the universe decided that till and ivan should be one unit rather than two separate ones?
ivan couldn’t stay away even if he wanted. he really was all till’s.
the two spend hours talking, mostly about ivan as ivan always had lots to tell till. it got to the point where till knew all the names of ivan’s friends at school, all the names of his teachers, and even knew the exact address of the company ivan’s father worked for.
speaking of which...
“he contacted me today,” ivan says with a sigh. “i didn’t think he would. he usually only calls for my birthday, so it was a surprise.”
“oh?” till doesn’t look up, continuing to place drinks in the fridge, but his ears perk up. he can’t help but be interested. because everything about ivan is interesting. “what did he call for?”
ivan huffs. “something strange. he asked me if i was seeing anyone at school.”
at that, till pauses.
“of course i told him no, but he kept asking. wanted me to be sure. excuse me, i was pretty sure the first time you asked.”
“you’re not seeing anyone?” till asks softly.
ivan looks at him incredulously. “have you ever heard me talk about anyone, till? there’s no one in my life. never has been, never will be.”
“oh, don’t say that.” till rises to his feet, content with how much he’s stocked. “you never know. the right guy could be right around the corner.”
“come on, you don’t really think—wait.” ivan’s eyes widen. “guy? did... did you know i was gay?”
at this, till tries to look as innocent as possible. “was it a secret?”
“well... no,” ivan says slowly, “but... i hadn’t told you. i don’t think i have, at least.”
till hums. “it’s true you haven’t told me outright, but you did tell me in another way.”
“i did?” ivan questions. “how?”
till reaches out and tilts ivan’s chin up, ensuring that ivan couldn’t look away.
“you’re not that subtle, you know,” till teases. “every time you think i’m not looking, i am. i’m always aware of you, just like you’re always aware and looking at me. it’s nice how we’re equals, isn’t it?”
because ivan is trapped in till’s hold, he can do nothing but gulp. “i, i didn’t... d-do you—”
“yes.”
“huh?”
till lets go of ivan, lets the boy back up a step or two. it doesn’t stop his next words from coming out.
“the answer is yes. you’re the only one i look at. i hope it’s the same for you.”
from the way ivan’s cheeks burn, till gathers that his answer is yes too.
till laughs, always happy to have pulled his reaction out of his sweet boy. “come on. i’ll treat you to a snack. i’ve teased you too much today.”
he’s about to turn away when till feels a tug on his shirt. when he looks over, ivan has his head down. his words come out clear though.
“is that all it was?” ivan says quietly. “were you just teasing me?”
there’s a few seconds of silence as till registers what ivan means, but when he does, he can’t help but sigh fondly. “oh, baby. i might tease you, but i’ll never lie to you. that’s a truth you can depend on.”
this seems to be the correct answer, because ivan’s head shoots up and his eyes shine as they gaze into till’s. “promise me,” he demands. “that you’re serious.”
till takes ivan’s hand into his, pulls them up so ivan’s fingers are splayed out against till’s chest, right where his heart beats underneath.
“you have my heart, ivan,” till says solemnly.
hook.
“it’s you or no one.”
line.
“i’m yours. and you’re mine too. or am i wrong?”
ivan steps in close, hypnotized by the spell till is casting upon him.
“yours,” he whispers. “i’m yours, till.”
sinker.
their kiss is a far cry from the one they shared in another lifetime. that one was fraught with fear, with danger, with anticipation and hope and dread.
this one, this first one for this new world, felt like the sparks of a beginning.
till’s fingers threaded into silky black strands, pulled lightly to angle the boy up just right so till could devour his lips with his own. from the way ivan is grasping till’s shirt, he knows there’s no letting go for him. for either of them.
the kiss lingered longer than it should’ve, mostly because ivan wouldn’t let go and till kept reaching for him again and again.
but then again, why shouldn’t it last?
they were together. they were meant to be. they belonged to one another.
everything was finally right in till’s world. and it always would be.
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the days went by peacefully. till worked and ivan visited him. however, instead of always exchanging words, they also shared kisses, ones that heated them both up more than what was acceptable for a public place.
on a slow tuesday evening, till was expecting ivan to come through those doors just like always with more tales about school on his tongue. instead, ivan doesn’t show.
normally, this wouldn’t be a problem. ivan often had student council matters to attend to and couldn’t see till on days when he had to work on them from home. but the difference here is that ivan always texted him beforehand if that was the case.
till checked his phone for the fourth time since the hour turned. still nothing from ivan.
anxiety creeps in steadily.
for the rest of his shift, when till had nothing to distract him, he was standing behind the register lost in thought, fingers tap, tap, tapping away at the countertop. ivan hated his habit of picking his fingers, told him not to hurt his favorite part of till.
(“my fingers are your favorite part of me?” / “silly. every part of you is my favorite part. so you can’t harm any of it, got it?”)
so till released his tension by tapping. tap. tap. tap.
all in conjunction with the tick of the clock overhead. tick. tick. tick.
till’s mind raced fitfully.
was ivan okay? was he busy? was he hurt? was he somewhere where he couldn’t reach till? was he unable to reach till? was someone else involved? was ivan waiting for till? does he need till? of course he does. ivan can’t be without till, just like till can’t be without ivan. ivan needs him, ivan needs him, ivan is waiting for him.
till needs to find ivan.
till needs to find his beloved.
just when till was debating whether to close up the convenience store just for a few hours, the hour hand clicked to three and the doors to the store opened.
there stood ivan, till’s beautiful ivan, with red, raw eyes and tears streaming down his face.
till’s entire body relaxes and softens. “oh, baby. c’mere.”
within seconds, till has his arms engulfed around a trembling ivan, who bursts into a fresh wave of sobs as soon as till touches him. till squeezes ivan tight against his chest, whispers tender encouragement into his ear as ivan cries. ivan tries multiple times to stop crying, starts blubbering out words to till, but somehow ends up too emotional to form sentences.
something dark pricks at till’s heart, the same darkness that arose within him whenever he thought of the possibility of ivan leaving him again. surely, the universe wouldn’t be so cruel as to rip them apart, would it?
but his hopes are dashed when ivan finally calms down enough to tell him what has happened.
“my father... he’s arranged a match for me. i’m arranged to marry the son of one of his business partners as soon as i graduate.”
till stays quiet, lets the words simmer and register.
ivan’s hands clutch at till’s shirt, as if afraid of letting go. “i told him i was seeing someone now, and he told me to break it off, that it didn’t matter. i’ve lived freely all this time, so it’s my turn to do something for the family for once. but, but till, i don’t want to leave you. i’m in love with you. i love you so much.”
how pitiful that the first time ivan’s uttered these words has to be in a moment like this, when he’s on the verge of being broken from his lover, but little does he know that it’s exactly these words that starts quelling the storm surging inside till.
till pulls back a bit, looks down at ivan. “you love me?” he asks softly.
ivan laughs bitterly. “of course i do. i wouldn’t be so upset if i didn’t. if i didn’t love you, i would have just accepted this marriage without a word. i’ve always done what my father asked of me. i played football, i joined the student council, i kept my grades up, but this is pushing it. i want you, till. i want... i want to consume you like you’ve consumed me. you’re everything to me, till.”
what a perfect way to describe it, till thinks. ivan might not know this, but he’s consumed till from the moment ivan first entered this store, had become till’s entire world the moment he wished him a good evening that very first time.
to have confirmation that ivan would wreck his entire world and go against his family for till was everything. it subdued the monster roaring in his chest, the one that wanted to rip ivan’s so-called fiancé limb from limb, and gave till the means to reassure his favorite boy.
“don’t worry,” he says in a hushed voice, pulling ivan back towards him, tucking his face into till’s neck. “i won’t let anyone take you away from me. i won’t let anything bad happen to us.”
ivan sniffles. “i don’t know how you can say that. we can’t stop this from happening.”
till chuckles, gently petting ivan’s hair. “yes, we can. trust me. i’ll figure something out.”
ivan tilts his head, wanting to look up at till. “promise?” he asks in a small, hopeful voice.
till leans down to peck his nose. “i promise. i told you, didn’t i? i won’t ever lie to you.”
with that, till successfully elicits a giggle out of ivan. “you did, hehe. okay, i’ll believe you, till. please don’t let me go.”
till thinks back to his original universe, thinks about what his life would’ve looked like if his ivan had been half as truthful with him.
“i won’t dare let you escape me, baby. you’re mine.”
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a few days go by. there is a lingering sadness around ivan, one he tries not to show till, but till knows his ivan too well, understands that ivan’s stressed by the situation his father has placed him in. being around till seems to help though, which pleases till to no end.
on his end, till isn’t worried. he knows a solution will crop up before long, knows that the universe would go his way. after all, the hardest part of their relationship was getting ivan by his side in the first place. everything else will go well. till had more than enough faith.
because ivan loved him. ivan loved till. there was no way till would squander that, would let outside forces take ivan away from him again.
one friday evening, till is expecting ivan to walk in late after one of his student council meetings. he does indeed come by, but with another person in tow.
from the way the man decides what snacks to buy for ivan (all the wrong ones), from the way ivan won’t meet his eyes, from the way the man steps into ivan’s personal space and ivan subtly inches away, it’s obvious who this man is.
till scans the items slowly, wanting to keep the duo here in front of him as long as possible. from the way the man is watching him, till can tell the man is becoming more and more impatient.
“listen, buddy,” he says finally, “we’ve got places to be. can you pick up the pace?”
ivan frowns. “that’s rude, sungho. please apologize to till.”
the man—sungho?—raises a brow. “till? what, you know this old guy?”
till doesn’t take the bait, smiles genially instead as he finally finished bagging the items. “your total will be thirty-five thousand won. cash or card?”
“i got this, babe, don’t you worry,” sungho says smugly, as if expecting ivan to bow down to this great favor.
ivan just rolls his eyes, refusing to deign his fiancé with even an answer. till hides a smile at this, enjoying the sight of an uncooperative ivan.
when the transaction is done, sungho takes the bag without thanks and attempts to grab for ivan’s hand. ivan is sly though and starts messing with his tie to avoid sungho.
he turns, just barely, and catches till’s eye as the two start to walk out. till sends ivan his most comforting smile while ivan returns it weakly. from there, the door to the store closes behind them and till is left alone once again.
till watches the two leave through the windows, gaze continuing to linger even when ivan is completely out of view. it doesn’t take long for a plan to form in his head, one that till knows he’ll easily get away with. it was tentative on ivan’s fiancé acting first, but till is sure the man will bite. after all, ivan was worth the trouble. till knew that well.
for now, till will wait.
.
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.
at the early hours of morning, two hours before till’s shift is over, the bell over the door rings and in enters sungho, this time without ivan at his side.
till barely glances at him before turning back to his book. “welcome in.”
“cut the bullshit, man.”
the monster inside till’s chest grins, sensing the hunt beginning. on the surface, till simply closes his book and turns to look at the man. “what seems to be the problem?”
sungho looks till up and down. “i don’t know what he sees in you. you’re just some old man playing with his heart.”
till feels his eye twitch. “you’re not making sense, sir. if you’re here to make trouble, i’ll have to ask you to leave.”
“oh, come on, stop the act,” sungho scoffs. “you know exactly why i’m here. ivan says he’s seeing someone, and even though he won’t say, it’s obviously you. why else would he be so defensive of you?”
“hm. no idea what you’re talking about,” till says nonchalantly. “and even if i did, i wouldn’t discuss it with you here. i’m working, in case you can’t tell.”
sungho barks out a laugh. “yeah, sure. no one’s coming into this sad store at this hour, old man. god, you’re disgusting. there’s got to be at least ten years between you and ivan. does his father know about you?”
till shrugs. “i don’t know what ivan’s father does or doesn’t know, but i do know you’re causing a scene and we have cameras in here. i can easily call the police, you know. they’d be on my side, of course.”
“i wouldn’t be so sure,” sungho sneers, baring his teeth. “but fine. let’s play by your rules. we can talk outside. you’ll open up a bit more then, won’t you?”
“who’s to say?” but till is already removing his blue employee vest and coming around the counter. he nods his head toward the door. “after you, your highness.”
sungho gives him one last ugly look before heading out. till follows just a few minutes later.
the two end up in the alleyway right behind the convenience store.
the alley is narrow enough that the store’s neon sign above them paints both men in light despite the darkness around them. sungho leans against the wall, flicking a light open with practiced ease. the cigarette glows to life, smoke curling lazily upward.
till steps toward him and crosses his arms. “you shouldn’t smoke,” he says, voice low but steady. “ivan hates it.”
it wasn’t a lie. till had picked up recreational smoking when he was still with the rebels, and the very first time he lit a cigarette in front of ivan, his boy had gone on a rant about how harmful cigarettes were and how till was destroying his body and ‘i want you to live a long time. i don’t want you to leave me early because of something so dumb.’
needless to say, till hasn’t picked up a cigarette pack since. no reason to when his world didn’t want him to.
in response to till’s words, sungho just laughs, sharp and dismissive.
“i’m not quitting just because your little prince doesn’t like it. ivan doesn’t control me. if anything, he’s becoming my wife, so he can learn to live with what i do and how i live.”
till’s jaw tightens, but he doesn’t rise to the bait, doesn’t want sungho to know he’s affected. he just watches, patient in a way that makes sungho bristle.
so sungho keeps going, waving his cigarette without care of where the ashes fall.
“our fathers have been planning this arrangement for months. ivan doesn’t get a choice. even if he doesn’t like me now, he’ll understand eventually that this marriage is what’s best for him.”
till’s next words are uttered calmly. “you’re never going to have him.”
because sungho is easy enough to rile up, till knows he’s gotten under his skin, and just as predicted, sungho’s eyes narrow as he responds. “what do you know? you’re just an old man who thinks he can play around with some kid. you think ivan could actually want you.”
till just shrugs. “and you’re someone no one could ever want, using your family’s money to get your way, pushing and bragging and simpering. that’s all you are. and no matter what, by the end of tonight, i’ll have proven you’re meant to die alone.”
you could hear a pin drop from how quiet it becomes.
“is that right?” sungho says quietly.
till just smiles.
in an instant, the cigarette drops and sungho lunges forward.
till’s expecting it.
the fight is fast, messy, all adrenaline and instinct rather than calculation. sungho swings his arm wildly, fueled by anger and lacking any skill. but till is bigger, stronger, and above all, has actual experience fighting others from his time with the rebels. every time sungho tries to get the upper hand, punching and grabbing where he can, till shuts him down each time effortlessly, avoiding his fists and blocking nimbly and giving as good as he gets. the alley’s filled with the sounds of struggle, filling up the calm night air around them.
eventually, sungho is slammed against the wall face-first with his hands behind his back, held in place easily by till. there’s blood pouring from sungho’s nose, and the beginning of ugly bruises all over his face.
“fucker! let me go!” he yells, furious and humiliated. “i’ll fucking kill you!”
till chuckles lowly, holds his limbs in place that much tighter. he’s breathing hard, but otherwise, in perfect condition. his eyes dark, and if one looked closely, they’d see a circle of red pulsing within eyes of teal.
“what did i tell you?” till mocks, voice hushed. “i’ll prove it. you’re meant to die alone.”
he lets go, and before sungho can react, till reaches up and snaps sungho’s neck swiftly to the right.
sungho falls at his feet like a wooden puppet who’s had his strings snipped.
a shadow falls over till’s face as he looks down at the husk that was once a human. his expression is dark, delighted.
he was right. he didn’t lie to ivan. he did figure out a solution. and ivan was still his. ivan was all till’s.
without a word, till drags sungho’s cold body to the end of the alley where a dumpster sat. sungho is thrown in, landing with a thud amongst other similar pieces of trash. with his work done, till turns and walks out of the alley.
by the time he reaches the convenience store, his expression is neutral again, almost bored. he slips inside, cuts the footage of sungho entering the store from the security cameras, and resumes reading his book.
it was the same book about soulmates ivan had caught him with that first night. it’s starting to become till’s most favorite book of all time.
from the distance, the sun begins to rise and till gets ready to greet the day.
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several days later finds till getting ready for work in his apartment. he hasn’t seen ivan since the day he walked in with his ex-fiancé, but till isn’t too bothered. he knows by now the police are investigating the details surrounding sungho’s unfortunate demise.
till is just about to grab his employee vest from his closet when he hears his doorbell ring.
curious, he heads for the door. sure enough, when he opens it, ivan is standing before him.
“well, this is a nice surp—”
ivan doesn’t let him finish, instead pulling till down by his collar and capturing his lips in a heated kiss. just as quickly, ivan breaks off and pushes them further inside till’s apartment, slamming the door on his way in.
“ivan?” till tries. “baby, i thought you were in sch—”
without letting him finish, ivan grabs at till’s hand and starts pulling him toward till’s bedroom. sure, till is strong enough to stop him, but he’s never seen ivan be so forceful before, and to be honest, he’s finding it kind of hot.
when they arrive, ivan shoves till onto his bed and climbs up after him, planting himself on top of till while straddling his hips with his thighs. ivan immediately takes till’s face into his hands, starts tilting it up, down, side to side, before humming.
“well... you look okay. it looks like he didn’t hurt you.”
till clues in immediately and chuckles. “you were worried about me?” he asks teasingly, hands wrapping around ivan’s small waist. the monster inside his chest growls fiercely when the tips of his fingers just barely touch.
ivan scoffs at till’s words. “of course i was worried about you. sungho was found dead. the police knew it wasn’t me, i have my home security footage showing me at home as my alibi. but he was found behind your convenience store, so it isn’t hard to figure out what happened. i would’ve never forgiven him if he had gotten one scratch on you.”
till’s eyes blaze at the protective tone in ivan’s voice. he surges up, kisses and sucks at the soft skin under ivan’s jaw. “you’re not scared?” he murmurs as leaves marks of claim.
“scared? of you?” ivan laughs and the sound rings like wedding bells to till, joyous and happy. “i could never be scared of you, tilly.”
ivan pulls till up a bit so that he can rest his forehead against his lover’s. gazing into each other’s eyes, till watches as ivan’s eyes dilate, as those dark orbs become deep and endless, hiding secrets that may never be uncovered.
slowly, ivan reaches down for till’s hands, brings them up to his own neck. till takes the hint and wraps his hands around, thumbs pressing into ivan’s throat. he’s not choking his beloved, but he could. it would be so easy.
till is soft, soft, soft for his boy.
“i want to do so many bad things to you,” he whispers yearnfully, wantingly. “let me ruin you, baby. let me keep you chained to me. let me prove myself.”
ivan’s breath stutters and he closes his eyes, tipping his head back a bit and relaxing completely in till’s hold. “don’t go to work tonight, till. prove yourself to me instead.”
“done.”
for the rest of the night, till pulls a litany of sweet nothings and everythings out of ivan, promising his everything to ivan as long as ivan gives himself over.
it won’t be the first time blood is drawn on ivan’s behalf, but it’s the beginning of the rest of their lives.
because they’re soulmates and his hunger for ivan can only be sated when they’re together.
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