Fic: Long Overdue
Apr. 9th, 2026 10:35 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
andersenmomCreator: andersenmom
Title: Long Overdue
Rating: G
Type: Fic
Size/length/word count etc.: 716
Prompt: 048: Pumpkin
Fandom/Ship: Enhypen; Sunghoon / Jay
Notes/Warnings: None
Summary: Sunghoon comes to a realization while Jay carves a Pumpkin.
Jay sat cross legged in the middle of a tarp in the kitchen, a pumpkin in front of him, knife held like he didn't know what to do with it, when Sunghoon came home. He took his shoes off and padded over to lean on the counter. "What are you doing?" he asked.
"Carving this pumpkin," Jay said without looking up.
"How are you going to do that?" Sunghoon asked.
"However I can," Jay said.
He stabbed the knife into the top, just off from the stem, and started sawing. That didn't go so well, so he stabbed it again and again, making a jagged pattern around the stem.
"I don't understand," Sunghoon said, watching him work.
"It's an American thing," Jay said, working to get that top off. He managed and it came off with strings of innards and seeds.
"Yuck," Sunghoon said.
Now Jay did look up at him, grinning at him with the sort of mischievousness that made Sunghoon step out of reach, one eyebrow raised. "Yuck?" he repeated.
"Yes," Sunghoon said. "It looks messy."
"It is," Jay said easily. "That's why I have this tarp down." He went back to the pumpkin, reaching in and pulling out a handful of innards and more seeds.
"You Americans are so weird," Sunghoon said. "This is normal?"
"Perfectly normal," Jay confirmed, putting the goop he'd scooped out into a bowl Sunghoon hadn't noticed.
Sunghoon said no more, watching him empty out the pumpkin, eventually picking up a large spoon hidden by his leg to scrape the rind clean. Then he picked up the knife again. "Now to make a face."
"What sort of face?" Sunghoon asked, not at all sure why he still watched this. Maybe because in all the weirdness of living in America, Jay was the closest to home that he had. And because maybe he owed it to Jay.
Jay looked up at him, and his expression changed, from happy to something less happy. "I don't know," he said, looking back down at the pumpkin. "I haven't decided yet."
"Can I help?" Sunghoon asked.
Jay shrugged, his shoulders moving like they weighed a ton. "I don't know," he repeated.
Sunghoon hesitated. "Do you want me to leave?" he asked softly, reverting to Korean.
"Leave where?" Jay asked without looking at him, also in Korean.
"The room. The apartment. The city. The country," Sunghoon said, leaving out the last one he considered - the world.
Jay didn't answer immediately. Sunghoon's heart sank. "No,"Jay said finally. He didn't sound certain.
"Should I anyway?" Sunghoon asked.
Jay regarded the pumpkin, and then stabbed the knife into it again, just above the middle between top and bottom. "I don't care," he said.
"Okay," Sunghoon said, and left the kitchen. In the bedroom, he looked around, and then pulled out his suitcases. He packed quickly, used to it, knowing what to take, how much he could live on and how much he could take.
He should have done this years ago.
When he finished, he collected the documents he'd need, made sure he hadn't left behind anything he couldn't live without or replace, and padded to the front door, setting everything there. He'd get a flight home when he got to the airport.
The pumpkin was finished when he returned to the kitchen, a grimace of anger in the angular features. Jay stood at the sink, washing his hands. Sunghoon set the key to the apartment down on the counter where he'd leaned earlier. "I'm sorry," he said softly.
Jay looked at him, in his direction like he always had, not meeting his eyes or even seeming to see his face. "Sorry?"
"I'll keep paying rent if you need it," Sunghoon said. "As long as you live here."
Jay blinked. "You'll keep...."
"I'm getting out of your way," Sunghoon said. "Live well."
He turned away and strode to the door, putting his shoes on. Jay didn't try to stop him as he walked out the door, one more evidence that he was doing the right thing. He took the elevator down to the street, caught a cab to the airport, and settled in to wait once he had his ticket.
He hadn't had a home in a long time. Maybe he could find one back in Seoul.
Find the table with the list of fics here
andersenmomTitle: Long Overdue
Rating: G
Type: Fic
Size/length/word count etc.: 716
Prompt: 048: Pumpkin
Fandom/Ship: Enhypen; Sunghoon / Jay
Notes/Warnings: None
Summary: Sunghoon comes to a realization while Jay carves a Pumpkin.
Jay sat cross legged in the middle of a tarp in the kitchen, a pumpkin in front of him, knife held like he didn't know what to do with it, when Sunghoon came home. He took his shoes off and padded over to lean on the counter. "What are you doing?" he asked.
"Carving this pumpkin," Jay said without looking up.
"How are you going to do that?" Sunghoon asked.
"However I can," Jay said.
He stabbed the knife into the top, just off from the stem, and started sawing. That didn't go so well, so he stabbed it again and again, making a jagged pattern around the stem.
"I don't understand," Sunghoon said, watching him work.
"It's an American thing," Jay said, working to get that top off. He managed and it came off with strings of innards and seeds.
"Yuck," Sunghoon said.
Now Jay did look up at him, grinning at him with the sort of mischievousness that made Sunghoon step out of reach, one eyebrow raised. "Yuck?" he repeated.
"Yes," Sunghoon said. "It looks messy."
"It is," Jay said easily. "That's why I have this tarp down." He went back to the pumpkin, reaching in and pulling out a handful of innards and more seeds.
"You Americans are so weird," Sunghoon said. "This is normal?"
"Perfectly normal," Jay confirmed, putting the goop he'd scooped out into a bowl Sunghoon hadn't noticed.
Sunghoon said no more, watching him empty out the pumpkin, eventually picking up a large spoon hidden by his leg to scrape the rind clean. Then he picked up the knife again. "Now to make a face."
"What sort of face?" Sunghoon asked, not at all sure why he still watched this. Maybe because in all the weirdness of living in America, Jay was the closest to home that he had. And because maybe he owed it to Jay.
Jay looked up at him, and his expression changed, from happy to something less happy. "I don't know," he said, looking back down at the pumpkin. "I haven't decided yet."
"Can I help?" Sunghoon asked.
Jay shrugged, his shoulders moving like they weighed a ton. "I don't know," he repeated.
Sunghoon hesitated. "Do you want me to leave?" he asked softly, reverting to Korean.
"Leave where?" Jay asked without looking at him, also in Korean.
"The room. The apartment. The city. The country," Sunghoon said, leaving out the last one he considered - the world.
Jay didn't answer immediately. Sunghoon's heart sank. "No,"Jay said finally. He didn't sound certain.
"Should I anyway?" Sunghoon asked.
Jay regarded the pumpkin, and then stabbed the knife into it again, just above the middle between top and bottom. "I don't care," he said.
"Okay," Sunghoon said, and left the kitchen. In the bedroom, he looked around, and then pulled out his suitcases. He packed quickly, used to it, knowing what to take, how much he could live on and how much he could take.
He should have done this years ago.
When he finished, he collected the documents he'd need, made sure he hadn't left behind anything he couldn't live without or replace, and padded to the front door, setting everything there. He'd get a flight home when he got to the airport.
The pumpkin was finished when he returned to the kitchen, a grimace of anger in the angular features. Jay stood at the sink, washing his hands. Sunghoon set the key to the apartment down on the counter where he'd leaned earlier. "I'm sorry," he said softly.
Jay looked at him, in his direction like he always had, not meeting his eyes or even seeming to see his face. "Sorry?"
"I'll keep paying rent if you need it," Sunghoon said. "As long as you live here."
Jay blinked. "You'll keep...."
"I'm getting out of your way," Sunghoon said. "Live well."
He turned away and strode to the door, putting his shoes on. Jay didn't try to stop him as he walked out the door, one more evidence that he was doing the right thing. He took the elevator down to the street, caught a cab to the airport, and settled in to wait once he had his ticket.
He hadn't had a home in a long time. Maybe he could find one back in Seoul.
Find the table with the list of fics here
