One shot collection

27. Too close to the Sun (KornIn)

Originally posted on AO3 for the BU/UWMA Bingo.

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My mom once told me that my name was supposed to be "Icarus", but because my father – known as an abusive and brutal man – laughed at her idea and dismissed it without a second thought, I ended up being named "Korn", and although this one should make me "smarter",  that wasn't enough to make my destiny any different from the silly man who tried to fly like a bird.

Intrigued by the ancient Greek myth, I got to know Icarus and his unfortunate fate. Considering that my father didn't want me to do anything besides inherit his business as a mafia boss, I felt even more connected to the legend though. The same way Icarus wanted to escape from Crete, I thought that I could fly away from my destiny too. This was the reason why I ignored my father's protests and studied whenever it was possible. The more I read, the more I wanted to read. No source of knowledge was enough for me and soon I was devouring the library's less required titles – also the most complicated ones.

This didn't work all the time and some days my father dragged me to wherever he wanted to, but still, I managed to become the assistant of an inventor. Coincidence or not, his name was Dr. Theseus and we quickly got along well. He was known around the city by his weird machines that, according to him, would bring humanity to its golden era. So, when I showed up at his door offering my services for a low wage, he accepted. I was smart and he needed someone who could complete his tasks in the few moments he reserved his mind for a necessary sleep or when his wife insisted on eating dinner with him. I used to laugh at his behavior – How could he abandon his life project to eat with his wife? It sounded too mundane for my inexperienced self.

"My dear boy", he used to call me like this even if I was already 20 years old, "One day you're gonna find someone that will make your stomach feel upside down and then, no invention for humanity's sake will keep you away from this special person!".

And I agreed to him when I met my Sun.

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One day I was reading a book in the park when a smiling boy approached me. I was sitting on my favorite bench under an old oak tree and he parked his bicycle not far from where I was, marching towards me as if he was a man on a mission.

"Hey, what's your name?", he asked, a wrinkle connecting his eyebrows while trying to peek at the content of the book and not quite understanding the weird drawings displayed on the pages I was currently analyzing.

"My name is Korn and I'd like to read in peace, please!", I said not giving him another look and turning back to the book.

"Oh, P'Korn! This name really suits you! I like it very much!", he said and then stopped when realized I was no longer paying attention to him. At least he thought I wasn't and that made a cute pout appear on his plump lips. "So rude!", he said getting up and leaving me on the bench alone.

In the next few days, the same routine repeated itself. The smiling boy tried to engage in conversation with me, I gave him dull, short answers, he got mad and left. "What are you reading?", "Do you like to draw?", "Why are you always alone?", "Don't you wanna know my name?".

The last question was made in such an unstable tone that it finally caught my attention. When I turned my face from the book to the boy, he was on the verge of tears. That sight made my heart ache like I never imagined it could happen.

Why was I this concerned about a stranger? It wasn't like we were acquaintances or anything that deep. Our interactions had been mostly one sided, yet I feel like I knew a lot of things about him. His uniform gave away where he studied; his polished nails and slicked back hair showed that he wasn't part of the workforce; he was always smiling, but I could notice a shadow behind his eyes. Of course we weren't mere strangers. Not when all I wanted at this exact moment was to lead him to my lap and cuddle until his breath was stable again. I sighed hard, recognizing my defeat.