- ̗̀ destiny managed ̖́-
dhwjunhee:
quite frankly, junhee welcomes ahri’s accusatory glare when she declares that she knows what she’s doing. if she’s occupied with that, then it means that it’s less time she’s spending trying to embarrass him. even if there’s no truth in her words, junhee always finds himself easily flustered by ahri. it’s partially because she’s, well, her — and she knows him better than most people. and the other part? well, ahri does specifically seek to make his life harder (in the most loving way she can manage, but still).
“you don’t sound very convincing, you know.” he replies with more confidence now that he’s no longer the centre of attention. junhee, despite being a princess, has never been one who has been completely comfortable in the spotlight. he’d much prefer to be on the side, letting other people shine, while he slips through life unbothered by drama and, well, following fate. “hyunsu hates me,” he says quietly, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. “or at least, he doesn’t like me much. we didn’t ever really make up, not like you and kihyun hyung. it’s different.” and we’re both boys, he adds in his head, although that thought wavers. he isn’t really sure anymore what the truth is. he’d been raised to believe that relationships and love were between males and females, but the longer he lives, the more he questions whether that’s really all there is to the world.
it’s all too clear to him that there’s a lot more going on between them, but if neither of them are willing to acknowledge it, then junhee isn’t sure what else he can do. the thing is, he wants them both to be happy. sure, it had been a big blow in his plans for the future when he’d realized that not only did ahri not believe in their destiny, but that she was in love with kihyun. it had seemed like all his dreams had crumbled to dust. he knows that she keeps promising him that if he really wants to, they can get married.
but it brings junhee no comfort to think that perhaps, even if they do follow destiny, he’ll be making ahri miserable. he doesn’t want that. he would never want that.
“i just think there’s more,” he murmurs softly, and he sighs a bit. “i only want you two to be happy, you know?” he says with wide eyes full of earnest appeal, glancing up at her before he directs his gaze back down to the menu. “anyways, what do you want to drink? and eat?”
ahri’s eyes do get a little soft when junhee points out that hyunsu hates him, despite her displeasure early from him trying to get sneaky and change topics from his love issues to her love issues, even if those words are brought up just briefly, just to illustrate something to her, it’s hard to shrug off the urge to tell him that hyunsu doesn’t hate him, because hate is too much of a strong word to be used between them, because she knows how junhee is affected by that and it’s just her second, if not first, nature to try to comfort the other, to just protect him in general, something she definitely tributes to the person that she once was who was so deeply connected with the person that junhee once was.
“but i still think you’re on the right track.” and for once her tone isn’t teasing or trying to make junhee embarrassed. “to build your friendship again, it might be a little slow but you’ll get there. if kihyun and i managed to patch things up even if that silly butt disappeared on me for four years, then you two can do it too.” ahri has absolutely no idea why hyunsu is so adamant in not getting along with junhee, but she’s sure that it can’t be anything worse than what kihyun pulled on her when they were younger, just shutting himself down without a single warning and for something so— ahri doesn’t want to call it stupid nor ridiculous, because she admits that it’s important that kihyun learns how to control his powers to some extend, she knows that. but she can’t help it but call it stupid and ridiculous anyway because kihyun acted like he’d hurt someone when ahri knows better than anyone else that he never would do that even on accident. or maybe she’s still bitter and upset that he shut her out like they weren’t friends, like he didn’t care enough to let her know, like he didn’t trust her to be around him when he possibly needed people the most.
it hurts even now when she stops to think about it so she just doesn’t. she and kihyun already had enough fights over it at this point and she likes the peaceful moment of their friendship of the moment— or as peaceful as it can considering that he’s acting weird since she got a (fake) boyfriend (another thing she doesn’t really dwell too much on).
but then the whole point of this is that hyunsu and junhee don’t hate each other, perhaps there is still some hostility and discomfort between them but not hate. at least not anymore. but then the whole point is that junhee is trying to make this about her and kihyun, but either way ahri can’t be mad at the other when he pulls such a cute speech like that, telling her he just wants them to be happy like he means it. ahri knows he does and that’s probably what makes her heart the warmest, what makes her think that for him, she’d follow whatever she needed to make him happy too. “we— i mean, i am happy.” because in the end she can’t say it for kihyun anyway. “so you shouldn’t worry too much, that’s my job. yours is just to be pretty and let everyone spoil and coddle you.” she goes back to teasing, to get the mood between them a little playful again.
“hm” ahri finally looks at the menu. “i think i might be in the mood for some wine. and for food, i guess i still need to think about it.” she comments airily. “what about you?”















