Nepenthe: Kim Hyojong/E'Dawn

Fly

The actual feeling of crying became numb; cheeks both dry and wet from the sudden tears that would fall. It all blended together, they simply fell without permission or will. Her nose didn't run and her lips didn't quiver, all she could do was numbly stand there and cry her tears.

Jihye was staring the void in its ugly face as it slowly devoured her whole.

The wind chilled her to the bone and made the wetness on her cheeks sting from time to time. It almost felt like she had bullet holes and the wind simply passed through her entire being. Yet somehow, nothing phased her. In this moment she was bulletproof.

Her eyes only looked forward, the only thing in her view was the sky and the tops of neighboring buildings. It seemed endless, there was no beginning or end to the sky around her. She was so close, she could almost taste the stardust on her chapped lips.

Just as she closed her eyes, the sound of the door closing only made them open back up. Jihye didn't more or look back, she already knew.

"Taking flight, huh?" Hyojong inquired as he stepped up on the ledge next to her. His voice was calm, hands in his pockets as he too looked forward.

Jihye bit her lip as she looked forward, another tear rolling down her cheek. "It's so dark," Her breath trembled. "I don't understand why it's even here anymore. Shouldn't I be my best? My happiest?" As she spoke, the tears rolled down her face and collected at her chin, each word adding a drop. Her heart was heavy; she truly did not understand.

Hyojong reached out and grabbed her hand, giving it a tight squeeze. "No one said love can fix all of your problems, Jihye. You know that." He said calmly, his thumb rubbing small circles on her hand. "I'm not going to stand up here and beg you to get down because that would make me a narcissist. We both have been up here hundreds of times and something always brought us back down, and maybe something will bring you down tonight, and maybe it won't. I will not guilt trip into forcing you to keep living unhappy.." He paused and swallowed, she could tell he was holding back tears.

"I will not force you to do anything but if you jump, god damn it I will too." Hyojong finally said after nearly two minutes of him taking deep breaths. This time, he actually turned to face her, making her turn to look at him as well. "You make the void less lonely, I've told you this many times. At first we simply numbed it but soon we took each other into our own demons. I understand and you do too. I can not stand here and beg you to suddenly forget those demons just for me, do you understand?"

Jihye nodded slowly as she let out a small sob, giving his hand a tight squeeze. "I love you so much..." She said as she looked down at their hands.

Time seemed to stop at this point as she looked at him. He looked back at her as he waited, and the street below them was completely silent. She thought about everything; all their kisses, their 4am talks, the feeling of his hands, how he would whisper to her, the taste of his tongue after he smoked, the glossy look on his eyes when he drank too much, his dark sleepless eyes after a rough day, his moans, his tattoos, his everything. Jihye loved it all, and she loved him more than living if she loved living at all. At this moment she felt what true bittersweet was.

"I'm ready."

Hyojong nodded and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips before facing forward, taking a breath.

That night two people became one. They loved each other with all they had because when they met, there was nothing. They cherished each other and numbed each other from the gnarled fingers of what true darkness is until they couldn't anymore.

And they flew.

Hi! This was really short and sweet. Not really sweet but... Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did❤