Work Text:
moodboard by: truths
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Jeongguk lands softly in the meadow in a flash of violet and dark blue, energy coursing through him.
Not even a moment later, the wind ruffles through his hair, twin echoes of laughter floating past him. Jeongguk bites back a smile as the wind swirls around him, then continues over the grass. He goes with the wind, carefully walking through the grass and flowers that dance in their wake.
He pauses when he gets to the edge of the meadow with the familiar rumble of thunder in the distance.
One… two… three… four… five… six… seven.
Silence. Then another gentle breeze pushes him to step onto the worn path. This time, Jeongguk smiles and answers the thunder, letting the world around him flash in gray, blue, and violet hues. Lightning bolts flicker from his fingertips, but they don’t stop the wind from dancing around him as he continues up the path.
He stops when the path comes to the bottom of a familiar hill and silently urges the wind to continue on. The wind isn’t so easily swayed, weaving through the grass in front of him when he steps off the path again and starts walking up the hill. When he gets to the top, another rumble of thunder rolls across the meadow.
The wind falls silent, then teasing words are pressed into Jeongguk’s skin along with a gentle caress of his hair before the wind leaves in the direction of the thunder. Jeongguk follows the wind with his gaze, heart beating a little faster at the darker clouds in the distance.
Jeongguk slowly lowers himself to the ground, turning his palms up, and the air around him crackles. He smiles, wriggles his fingers, and sends a few bolts of lightning into the air.
This time, the thunder answers him.
One… two... three… four.
Jeongguk takes a deep breath, hoping to calm the rapid beating of his heart. Soon he’ll be here, in their meeting place, just like every year when the seasons change. Glancing at the dark clouds that move closer, Jeongguk shifts his focus to the sprawling meadow in front of him and the growing town at the edge of it.
If he focuses hard enough, the gentle rain song of the town’s inhabitants meets his ears.
Neither he nor any of the others need such things to change the seasons, but it's still something he’s come to cherish. He lifts his hands, bending his fingers to harmonize with the song, releasing sparks of blue, violet, and gray.
The thunder joins him, and Jeongguk huffs out a quiet laugh.
One… two.
The dark clouds are much closer now, just in time for the rain song to end and the town’s inhabitants to start returning to their homes. Jeongguk sends them off with another flash of lightning, then closes his eyes and inhales deeply.
The air is a little sweeter now, a little more earthy.
Jeongguk smiles and keeps his eyes closed. The wind returns, silently brushing past him, moments before the thunder greets him as it drifts over him on the hill.
It’s almost time for the rain to come, signaling the shift between seasons, and Jeongguk is here to welcome it.
One.
Jeongguk greets the thunder, sending bolt after bolt into the atmosphere, even when the first drop of rain falls on his cheek. It’s quickly followed by another raindrop, then another, his skin growing wet as the rain picks up and the thunder echoes throughout the meadow. The rain beats a gentle rhythm into his skin, and Jeongguk sighs quietly as he sways with it, knowing it won’t last for long once he gets here.
The thunder rumbles again, a teasing edge to it as it slowly moves past him, and Jeongguk simply shakes his head, lips quirking slightly. Of course — thunder and wind are often together. He can already hear the wind giggling at the other side where they dance in front of the thunder, but his attention is quickly stolen as the rain around him slows to a stop.
He knows the rain hasn’t ended though — it’s only just started — because of the soft hiss that still fills the meadow.
“Having fun?”
Jeongguk hums, pushing another bolt of lighting into the air before he opens his eyes.
A small dome now surrounds Jeongguk, the rain no longer touching him. He stands at the edge of it, rain still hitting his shoulders and soaking his hair, dark eyes meeting Jeongguk’s.
“You’re finally here,” Jeongguk murmurs. “Yoongi-hyung.”
“Hey, Gguk-ah.” Yoongi smiles and steps out from under the rain into the dome he’s created for them. His voice is low and gravelly, just enough for him to sometimes be mistaken for being the thunder spirit.
To that, Yoongi always laughs and shrugs, mumbling something about how it makes sense since thunder is his best friend.
To Jeongguk though, Yoongi’s voice fits him as the rain spirit, low tones greeting him in a gentle cadence, just as the water meets the earth and pavement.
Every one of their meetings starts like this, Yoongi’s rain kissing his skin in greeting before Yoongi himself appears and creates a dome around them. If Jeongguk asked, the dome would dissolve to let the rain pour over them both, but for now he’s okay with hiding away from the world in this little bubble Yoongi’s created for them.
He pushes himself up to stand as Yoongi closes the distance and stops right in front of him, their toes touching. They hold each other's gaze, Jeongguk taking in the subtle changes since the last time he saw Yoongi. His hair is shorter now, a few strands of silver peeking between the metallic blue and black.
Jeongguk reaches up to card a hand through it, careful to pull back the sparks dancing up his veins. He knows Yoongi doesn’t mind, loves to feel Jeongguk’s electricity warm his skin.
Yoongi tilts his head up, eyes darting over his face, before reaching out, his hands gently settling on Jeongguk’s waist. Jeongguk lets himself be pulled closer, moving his arms to rest on Yoongi’s shoulders. They stay like this, quietly taking each other in.
Jeongguk moves first, tilting his head down to gradually close the space between them. Only when Yoongi’s lips quirk slightly and he starts to move does Jeongguk let his eyes flutter shut.
Their lips meet in a gentle kiss, the dome around them dissolving to let the rain soak their skin. Jeongguk smiles against Yoongi’s lips before pulling away and tipping his head back. Jeongguk lets his lightning go, his skin thrumming with energy as the world around them bursts in brilliant light.
The rain intensifies for just a moment, and Jeongguk’s smile grows with it. It’s nice, to be held and cherished by the rain after the flowers have bloomed and the air becomes warmer.
“I missed you,” Jeongguk whispers as he tips his head back down to brush his nose against Yoongi’s. His hands return to Yoongi’s hair, playing with the wet strands. “Have you been well?”
“Mm. Better, now that you’re here,” Yoongi whispers back and squeezes his waist. I missed you too is whispered into his skin as the rain continues to fall over them, and Yoongi pulls Jeongguk even closer until his head rests against his chest, just over his heart.
With his eyes still closed, Jeongguk turns to press his cheek to Yoongi’s hair, content to stay like this.
He peeks open his eyes, watching the raindrops fall to soak the earth. The earth welcomes it, the air around them growing even more sweet.
Jeongguk exhales, letting out one final bolt of lightning, the energy inside him calming now that he’s in a familiar embrace.
As they stay wrapped in each other, Jeongguk starts to hum, pulling the quiet melody from the town’s inhabitants. The rain song is his after all, he knows it best.
Yoongi starts to hum quietly with him, low voice vibrating steadily through Jeongguk.
This is the song lightning taught the people to welcome the rain, to love and cherish it.
He’d never expected to fall for the rain. But when he first landed in the meadow all those years ago and was met with the gentlest embrace, how could he not? It’d been easy then for the melody to fall from his lips, his lightning’s energy surging through his veins.
Since then, they always meet here, and Jeongguk’s love for the rain grew with each passing season. Now, the rain’s love for him grows too.
Distantly, the thunder rumbles, a quiet call. Jeongguk knows the wind is also far, far away.
Yoongi slowly draws his arms back, then reaches up to thread his fingers through Jeongguk’s hair and press their foreheads together. He doesn’t say anything, doesn’t have to.
I love you, the rain says, caressing his skin.
Jeongguk’s heart squeezes slightly as he nods, breathing in the sweet petrichor that starts to wrap around him. He no longer has any lightning to give, sparks failing to ignite on his fingertips. Still, Yoongi knows.
I love you too.
A single tear slips down his cheek, meeting the rain still kissing his face. Jeongguk knows that the wait will be shorter this time: it’s the end of one season, but the start of the one that they share.
The rain will soon call to him, and Jeongguk will always answer.
Yoongi turns, his lips ghosting over Jeongguk’s cheek, before his hand slides out of Jeongguk’s hair and he steps away. Jeongguk doesn’t watch him go. Instead, he closes his eyes as the last of the rain hits his skin in a heartfelt promise.
Jeongguk smiles, the lighting under his skin stirring slightly, and exhales before heading back the way he came.
Until next time.