* ARTISN

𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐀𝐓𝐄 1𝔁1 𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐆. .

[chaoscrowdsarch]

"i'm not trying to fool anyone." he finds it entertaining how silas often tries to resist his schemes, but he gets his way at the end every time. lips purse into a pout at silas' question, knowing that he has a point. "i didn't want to do this... but you're not supposed to say no to me, you know. it's literally out of your job description." he laces his fingers around silas, lips carrying a grin. "it's not even that big of a deal — why can't you just let me be nice to you?"

[artisn-arc]

“ brat. ” the word is always spoken with fondness, never malice. the wonder of witnessing this hidden side of the prince never quite fades. it’s a gift. one he doesn’t take for granted. he cherishes it more than anything he’s ever been granted. a smile tugs at the corner of his mouth, laughter hovering at the edge of his breath as his brows lift in amused disbelief at freddie’s latest trick. “ first, you lie. now, you blackmail me. what happened to my angelic prince? ” but then his tone shifts, still gentle yet serious. “ you know why. ” because he needs to feel equal in whatever this is between them. he can’t bear the thought of freddie believing he would ever use him for gain.

[chaoscrowdsarch]

"i didn't!" freddie exclaims — a lie, but his gaze is almost too innocent despite the creeping smirk. "first of all, you should know better than to slander a prince." he begins, "second, you can't stop me from accidentally ordering too many new clothes for myself and gifting some of it to my favourite bodyguard."

[artisn-arc]

“ you don't fool me. ” he shakes his head at his lover, but there’s no trace of sternness in his expression, only a gaze far too fond to carry any real reprimand. “ who's going to tell on me, mhm? ” he shakes his head, yet again. there’s no point resisting, freddie always gets his way. “ i can't stop you, and you can't stop me from refusing the gift. ”

[chaoscrowdsarch]

"i'm not sugaring anyone..." freddie sighs, fingers running through his tresses. "just replacing what i ruined. sounds more than fair to me."

[artisn-arc]

“ you did it on purpose. i know how much you hated this shirt. but, i can't reward bad behavior, thus i shan't let you buy a new one. ”

[chaoscrowdsarch]

"don't worry, i'll buy you another one." / @artisn

[artisn-arc]

“ we talked about this, freddie. you're not my sugar daddy. ”

[chaoscrowdsarch]

while seoah was initially annoyed by the arrangement of gaining a partner on her missions, it has become clear today that he’s not exactly a useless addition to the equation. maybe, contrary to her initial belief, they can find a way to work together. “just seoah.” she says sternly, rolling her eyes at the previous names he tried to coin for her. she’s about to ask if he’s still doing alright when he parts his lips to request pain meds. “i do.” her gaze drifts to where his hand covers hers, and instead of flinching away, she puts her other hand over his and gives it a light squeeze. “just wait, i’ll be back in a minute.” that might be as gentle as her words have ever been in his presence. soon, she’s by his side again with a packet of painkillers and a glass of water. popping one pill out of the package, she offers it on her open palm along with the glass of water. “you might need two.”

[artisn-arc]

“ you're no fun. ” he shall acquiesce to her request, nonetheless. despite today’s impulsiveness, yunho is not completely incapable of following orders. just selectively so. dire situations have a way of loosening his better judgment. still, the corner of his mouth twitches when she squeezes his hand. the warmth in her voice is like sunlight breaking through storm clouds. unexpected, comforting, and blinding in its intensity. he holds on to it, stores it away like a keepsake, something to pull out when the world grows too cold. “ one will do for now. ” he regards the offered painkiller with a bit of a wary eye. clarity is a necessity, not a luxury, in a place like this. he can’t afford to let his guard down, not here, not ever. he leans his head back against the wall with a faint sigh, a flicker of mischief dancing in his gaze despite the weariness painted into every line of his beaten blue body. “ am i done getting lectured or should i brace for round two? ”

[chaoscrowdsarch]

“… so?” kyungsoo asks. “plenty of kids go to school alone at that age.” besides, it’s right outside the house rather than miles away, which would necessitate transport. still, he reminds himself that he has never been a parent before, and it makes sense that eden’s fathers would worry. he watches with wide eyes as eden greedily gulps from the bottle, especially knowing how strong the liquid is. he laughs softly when eden coughs from its afterburn, then shrugs. “guess i have no one else to blame but myself for putting myself in this position.” he should have known he’d have to drag eden back the moment he suggested they go out for a stroll with that bottle in hand. taking a sip himself, he settles the bottle down in the sand next to him and turns his attention to eden as he leans back, arms supporting his weight. “feeling better?”

[artisn-arc]

“ tell that to my overprotective dads. ” even now, well into adulthood, his parents’ overprotectiveness hasn’t lessened. when he’d announced his decision to study abroad, they had all but combusted, hearts heavy with worry at the thought of their son being half a world away. that worry never really faded. daily check-ins have become ritual, an act of love disguised as routine. milan, of course, doesn’t get off any easier. he pouts when kyungsoo laughs, a huff slipping from his lips. “ don't make fun of me, ” he follows it with a mock glare, half-hearted and entirely see-through. “ you should have known better and now you're stuck. tough. ” it’s not like kyungsoo hasn’t seen him like this before — tipsy and flushed but somehow, being here, under the open sky with the ocean whispering nearby, it all feels more real. he exhales slowly, long and measured, before offering an answer that tastes true, even if it’s simple. “ i do. i feel lighter. i was suffocating back there. ” eden shifts slightly, mirroring kyungsoo’s posture, and lets his gaze rest on the older man’s face. a small smile tugs at the corners of his mouth. “ thank you again. it means a lot to me that you chose to waste your evening with me when you didn't have to. ” his voice is sincere now, devoid of the teasing lilt that often coats his words. this — whatever this is — feels safe, and that safety feels like everything he didn’t realize he was aching for.

[chaoscrowdsarch]

this cannot be easy for milan, she thinks, to come to terms with the fact that someone related to him is capable of such cruelty. even though the crimes weren’t committed by him, she can imagine the weight it must place on his shoulders. “that’s true.” she nods in agreement, sighing softly. she looks at him for a moment, searching for the questions swirling in her mind, and realises she doesn’t necessarily want to know more. what would knowing more about eden and kyungsoo help alleviate the agony her brother is going through right now? “it just sucks to watch him get hurt.” not only by minjun’s then-boyfriend but also by the best friend he’s considered a brother for years. “kyungsoo… well, he’s like a brother to him. to me, too.” her fingers fidget, and she glances down at them instead. “just shows how much you can’t really ever trust a person, doesn’t it?” neither her brother nor she seem to have much luck in love, it appears.

[artisn-arc]

“ but unconditional love is meant to be that, isn't it? ” milan’s voice is quiet, almost hesitant, not an attempt to absolve eden of his mistakes, but rather a plea for her to understand him — his position, his unwavering loyalty, the impossible tug-of-war he’s been caught in. he isn’t asking jia to forgive, nor to forget, but perhaps to see that his love for his brother doesn’t nullify the care he holds for others. at the end of the day, eden’s betrayal doesn’t sever the bond that binds them. it doesn’t erase the brother he grew up with. “ of course, it does, and he doesn't deserve what he's going through. ” milan likes him even if he’s never been quite as close to him as jia is. still, minjun is kind, and undeserving of the pain he’s been dealt. “ have you thought about talking to kyungsoo? i know you have a lot of anger toward him at the moment but getting answers, as unpleasant as they might be, is better than pondering. ” he doesn’t reach for her hand the way he yearns to. instead, he shoves his fidgety hands deep in his pockets, grounding himself against the urge. “ trust is fragile, but i don't think bad experiences should shape one's opinion regarding people being worthy of trust. don’t miss out on good connections because of a few bad ones, jia. ”

[chaoscrowdsarch]

the last rays of sunlight feel warm on his sun-kissed skin; it’s been a while since he was last on a beach, and he’s soaking in every drop of it. he can feel eden’s gaze lingering on him when he comments on the breathtaking sight, yet he pretends he doesn’t notice—pretends he doesn’t understand what it means, pretends he doesn’t grasp the weight of everything unspoken between them. he can’t, he can’t, he can’t. “why would it drive them nuts? isn’t the whole point of owning a beach house to get out and enjoy the beauty it offers?” he asks, a smile curling his lips at the nostalgic memory eden shared with him, painting an idyllic picture of childhood summers spent by the shore.

[artisn-arc]

he should be questioning things — really questioning them. the sharp edges of discomfort that surface whenever he’s with his boyfriend. the slow, simmering irritation that clings to him like a second skin. the way that same irritation fades — almost vanishes — in kyungsoo’s presence, replaced by a quiet that feels suspiciously like peace. eden knows better. he knows he’s sitting on a fault line, that every suppressed thought, every swallowed truth only builds toward an inevitable collapse, but self-awareness doesn’t always lead to action. so instead, he buries his head deeper into the sand and pretends the storm isn’t brewing inside him. “ i was eight. ” too young, really, to be wandering alone, and yet he remembers how thrilled he’d been to escape the confines of his room, how the sun and salt air made the world seem bigger and more reachable. his dads had been half-panicked, half-relieved that their introverted child had found a passion that could pull him outside. he drops onto the sand with a thud, the sea breeze tugging at his hair. he pats the space beside him in invitation, then takes a generous swig from the bottle he cradled all the way there. the liquor burns its way down his throat like fire, and he grimaces through the aftershock, coughing once with a soft wheeze. “ you may have to drag my derrière back to the house later. ”

[chaoscrowdsarch]

jia nods, feeling an ache in her heart at how unbearably gentle he is, even now. it feels heartless to stay mad at him for a crime he didn’t commit, and it seems unfair to think of him as guilty by association. “who knows, maybe i would do the same if i were in your shoes.” despite her words, however, the conversation doesn’t lighten. “except i wouldn’t even be there because mj would never do such an awful thing.” she blinks, realising she might have said too much, but she soon shrugs off the pang of guilt. it should be eden and kyungsoo who feel terrible about what they have done. besides, it should be no secret to milan how jia feels about eden at the moment. doesn't matter how much she appreciated him as a friend and a partner in crime, the deliberate acts done to hurt her brother are unforgivable. “is there… anything else i should know about?”

[artisn-arc]

milan tilts his head slightly, conceding with a silent fair enough. a few months ago, he might’ve argued eden would never cross a line like that — especially not with someone so close to the people involved, but time has a way of peeling back the comforting illusions built around beloved people. humans are messy. they make choices that contradict the very values they swear by. sometimes, they follow a feeling so powerful it steamrolls logic, loyalty, and consequence. “ being a sibling is not always fun. ” there’s affection there still — it never quite goes away — but also the quiet ache of disillusionment. maybe he should’ve kept his distance from eden’s circle, but at the time it made sense. it was easier than starting from scratch, easier than braving a foreign place alone and truth be told, he’d grown genuinely fond of everyone. especially her. “ about them? no, that's all there is. ” but if she meant something else … well, milan isn’t brave enough to go there. not right now.

[chaoscrowdsarch]

it occurs to him that minjun and eden are fighting more frequently than they used to, but the specifics of these quarrels aren’t his to know if neither party wants to share. perhaps what eden needs most right now is someone who will simply be there for him, rather than an advisor who can offer solutions to fix what’s been broken. kyungsoo is taken by surprise when eden takes his hand, the warmth stirring something deep in his chest, but he doesn’t pull away. laughter bubbles in his throat as they run toward the shore, the sand flying beneath their hasty footsteps. he pants slightly, his waist bent and hands resting on his knees once they reach their destination, his lips blossoming into a radiant grin. “you’re right.” his gaze takes in the merging colours of orange and blue, the indescribable beauty of the moment unfolding before them. “it’s breathtaking.”

[artisn-arc]

eden’s laughter weaves seamlessly with kyungsoo’s, the sound softening the frayed edges of his nerves. with each step they take, sand kicking up behind them in their mad dash toward the shore, he feels the warmth of the other man's presence settle deep in his chest, along with the last golden ray of sunlight brushing against his skin. “ i told you. ” his eyes wander, momentarily pulled from the blazing horizon and land on kyungsoo. just for a second, the sunset pales in comparison. he shakes his head, huffing out a quiet laugh. “ i used to sneak out of the house to sketch the sunset the summer i first got into drawing. it drove my dads nuts. ” he giggles at the memory, vividly recalling the stern lectures that followed — him cross-legged in the sand, sketchbook balanced on his knees, grinning ear to ear even as they scolded him for disappearing again. it was always worth it.

[chaoscrowdsarch]

if she were the one in milan’s position, what would she do? the thought seems unthinkable to her — someone as kind as minjun committing such a cruel act against someone he’s supposed to love. thus, the possibility of her finding herself in that damned position feels near zero — at least, that’s what she believes. it’s almost comical that the one person she finally allows herself to fall for, after isolating her heart for so long, is now entangled in this burdensome dilemma with her. “i know.” it wasn’t milan’s secret to tell, nor was it his accountability to bear, but does keeping the secret make him an accomplice in all of this? questions spiral out of control in her mind, causing a dull ache to bloom in her head. covering her face with a sigh, she quickly wipes away the stray tear that has escaped. “i don’t want to be mad at you.” yet, here she remains, stranded and unsure how they should proceed when the two people they love with unwavering depth are at odds.

[artisn-arc]

“ you have a right to be. ” milan wouldn't flinch away from her anger — he would welcome it if that’s what she needs. he’ll stand there and take it, or sit in silence if that’s what she prefers, or listen, patiently, if she chooses to untangle the knot of her emotions one word at a time. whatever path jia takes, even if it’s one that leads away from him, he’ll understand. he’ll respect it. he would hate to lose her. not because of the feelings he harbors, but because she is one of the best people in his life, one of the rarest and most genuine souls he’s ever had the privilege to know. “ you have a right to feel betrayed, hurt because a lie by omission is still a lie. ” still, he doesn’t regret what he did because the secret wasn’t his to tell and though it hurts him now, maybe more than he’ll ever say, he wouldn’t have done it any differently.

[chaoscrowdsarch]

“of course it does.” how else is he supposed to talk eden out of being mad at his best friend if eden doesn’t share what’s bothering him? but he doesn’t push it, knowing that such a tactic wouldn’t work on a man like eden. he’ll find out when eden is ready. soon, they step back into the warm glow of the afternoon sun, leaving behind the cool, artificial air of his air-conditioned room. “anytime.” it shouldn’t feel so natural being next to eden like this, but it does — a thought he’ll forever keep to himself. “it’s going to be sunset soon.”

[artisn-arc]

“ it doesn't. ” the words are final, clipped but not cold. they’re laced with a quiet exhaustion, a need to let the weight of the unspoken drop between them and be buried beneath the sand they’re now racing toward. he dodges further questions with narrowed eyes that melt into reluctant fondness, his frustration no match for the effect kyungsoo has on him. because that's the thing about them — it just works. whatever storm brews inside him is quieted in the older man's presence, as if kyungsoo's steadiness soaks into his bones and makes everything a little easier to carry. “ hurry, hurry. we have to get to the beach to see the sun sets. it's breathtaking. ” he laces their fingers together, grounding himself in the moment, and tugging kyungsoo forward, he breaks into a near-run down the winding path from the house to the sand, eyes already searching the horizon. maybe, for a little while, they can leave everything else behind.

[chaoscrowdsarch]

fingers fidget where they meet the skin of her arms, clutching tightly as if that could somehow pacify her turmoil, but to no avail. even though she knows rationally that it’s not milan she should be mad at, she can’t shake the feeling of betrayal that has settled deep within her. yet, she understands that it would be wrong to hurt him with her words for such a misplaced crime. her heart sinks at his answer, heavy enough to silence even someone as loquacious as she is. pursing her lips together, she struggles to process the information and her own tumultuous emotions regarding the matter. well, well, isn't her luck quite something? it wouldn't be so tricky if she didn't already grow to like him so much. “i know.” she nods, feeling something suffocating in her chest, a weight that only grows heavier. “and he is my brother.” the person that eden has hurt with his infidelity.

[artisn-arc]

“ i know. ” herein lies the heart of the struggle — tangled and suffocating. at the center are two people who mean everything to jia and milan. people they've grown up beside, trusted beyond measure, loved unconditionally. people whose happiness and heartbreak alike ripple through their own hearts with undeniable force. milan cannot bring himself to condemn eden for chasing something that clearly lights up every part of him. he has never seen his brother so alive, so certain, so unshakably content. and yet, admiration is not the same as approval. love doesn’t erase accountability. no matter how much he understands his brother's heart, he cannot ignore the hurt his actions have caused — especially to someone as significant to him as jia. milan’s loyalty is not divided, but torn. so, he stands in that impossible space between empathy and disappointment, silently shouldering the burden of both. “ i'm sorry. ” the words fall softly, stripped of pretense, raw in their honesty. he doesn't elaborate because how could he? how do you apologise for something you didn’t do, but were complicit in by silence? how do you untangle sorrow that’s shared but not quite owned? it’s an apology for everything. for the truth he didn’t tell, for the pain now resting heavy in her eyes, for the fracture he couldn’t prevent, even if part of him hoped it would never come to this.

[chaoscrowdsarch]

he wasn’t going to say no — the task seemed impossible when it came to eden. now that please has been added to the request, it becomes even more impossible for kyungsoo to refuse. the soft spot he harbours to the man is no longer a secret to himself, but he refuses to acknowledge it fully when it'll only bring him headaches. “what did he do?” kyungsoo asks, though he knows that the more he learns about their argument, the more awkward the position will become for him. drying his hair with the towel one last time before tossing it over his shoulders, he answers with a nod. “let’s go,” he offers, before heading back to the door he had just walked through mere minutes ago.

[artisn-arc]

“ does it matter? ” the words come out sharper than intended, edged with something raw and aching. eden doesn’t want to go there — not now, not with the storm already threatening to pull him under. he’s grasping at what little control he has left, and kyungsoo’s presence feels like the only solid thing in a world that’s quickly unraveling. the victorious smile that spreads across his face as he follows close behind is almost boyish, light breaking through the heaviness, if only for a moment. the bottle clutched in his arms is an afterthought; what matters is the way being near kyungsoo quiets the noise in his head. he gently bumps his shoulder against the older man's side, voice softer now, laced with a sincerity he doesn’t always voice. “ thank you for saying yes. ” it's not just about going out, not really. it's about showing up, again, when eden needs him.

[chaoscrowdsarch]

his answer is the one she least wants to hear. now, the disappointment in her eyes isn’t just for eden; it’s for milan as well. even when the fault isn’t his, when this isn’t a mess he’s created, and when the responsibility of being forthcoming shouldn’t rest on his shoulders, it doesn’t change the fact that she still feels betrayed and deceived. white lies count as lies, too, right? she crosses her arms over her chest, remaining speechless for a moment as hot tears pool in her eyes, struggling to grapple with the waves of complicated emotions crashing over her like relentless tides. taking a deep breath, she finally asks despite the dread for his answer. “for how long?”

[artisn-arc]

her disappointment cuts deeper than any raised voice ever could. it sits heavy between them, thickening the air and settling like a weight in his chest. they weren't supposed to have silences like this — not between friends, or whatever fragile, promising label they were building toward. milan knows it wasn't his secret to tell, but that doesn’t absolve him. he could have done something, guided her toward the truth with gentleness instead of silence. “ since they started dating, so a few months ago. ” the rift had already been growing, a quiet tension ever since eden broke things off with minjun, but they'd managed before — awkwardly, a bit messily, but still together. this, though, feels different. final, and it breaks something in him. “ i can't begin to imagine how you feel, and i'm not presumptuous enough to, but i couldn't — ” milan struggles, the words knotting themselves in his throat, “ — he's my brother. ”

[chaoscrowdsarch]

beyond furious and disappointed would be understatement for how jia feels towards eden right now, someone who’s supposed to be a trusted friend and a good boyfriend to her cherished brother. but milan? it’s not exactly his fault that eden has messed up, that’s his own business and no one else’s. “it’s not your fault.” the words leave her on autopilot, though there’s something more suffocating lingering in the air. if it’s not his fault, why does milan feel the need to apologise. gaze falls upon him and her curiosity nags at her like a prick of a rose, almost luring her to hurt herself and ruin what could be beautiful with a sharp, unforgiving cut. “unless…” her voice trails off and her fingers curl into a fist by her side. “you knew all along?”

[artisn-arc]

unlike ariel, the youngest of the kwon siblings hadn’t known, not until he was explicitly told. he’d never paid enough attention to eden and kyungsoo’s interactions to catch on to what brewed quietly behind closed doors. still, with the truth out in the open, milan understands. he understans jia’s anger, the depth of her betrayal, the pain carved into her expression when she speaks about her former best friend and the empathy with the ache her brother carries as a result of the betrayal. if he were in her shoes, he knows he would have reacted the same way. “ i knew. ” he admits, voice soft but steady. there’s no point in lying. lies only make messes that grow harder to clean. “ i found out a while ago. ” he doesn’t try to defend himself. he doesn’t offer hollow apologies for staying silent. milan was placed in an impossible position, torn between loyalties, and did what he could to navigate the conflicting tides of guilt, understanding, and love the best way he knew how.

[chaoscrowdsarch]

the way eden storms into his room makes him near jump from his seat. " — but i just got back." it's evident from the way his hair is still wet with seawater, his bare chest now sun kissed from his earlier swim. "what happened?" it's evident in his tone that he's not saying no, however, especially not when he can well recognise the expensive bottle that eden is holding before he even mentions the price tag. "what's got you looking like a kicked puppy?"

[artisn-arc]

“ please? ” his gaze lingers — just a beat too long — on the sliver of exposed skin, the sight seizing something deep and primal within him. catching himself, he tears his eyes away, dragging them back up to kyungsoo’s face. his expression shifts, softening and eyes widening some more, quietly pleading. “ your best friend is a moron that'd deserved to get drowned in the sea. ” at the moment, the origin of the argument with mj eludes him, the trigger lost to a haze; and all that remains is the roaring inferno that erupted and left nothing untouched. “ i just ... i just need to get away for a bit, but i don't want to be alone. ”