screaming nightmare

candymaker || jongsuk X yunho

ex-cirque-yunho

Although his current fellow booth worker kept lingering around him, Yunho did a good job of ignoring the guy, until of course squeaks come from a certain direction and he is soon after asked for a band-aid. All monkeys on a stick, this guy was truly the weirdest one Yunho had yet encountered. But alright, cutting your finger was never a nice thing to go through and so Yunho actually provided the other with a band-aid from the first aid kit - with the necessary amount of ‘are you fucking serious?’ and ‘dude you must be kidding me’ stares going along with it. Yet he was back at the grill not long after, turning sausages and hamburgers over so that they wouldn’t burn and focusing completely on his work once more. Until… - and this seemed to have become the word he used most when it came to his momentary companion - …someone dropped their head on his shoulder and Yunho found himself tensing up lightly as the other was standing there leaning on his shoulder. Which was really not a manly thing to do. In fact, it was the most non-manly thing that Yunho could come up with off the top of his head.

He would’ve shrugged the other off in any other situation, but he was in the middle of turning meat, plus the other gave him an introduction and stated a very peculiar thing to say. Very peculiar, especially considering the fact that Yunho’s ability was to put people’s powers on hold, and with Jongsuk now leaning on his shoulder that meant the other was negated completely. Whatever special thing had led him to be a part of the circus had now temporarily disappeared, and it was that thought that had Yunho letting the other keep his head where it was - for now.

“Well that’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me,” he piped up with the most fake flattered tone one could ever manage. Raising his eyebrows lightly, he turned his head a little to give his current companion a ‘dude what the fuck are you talking about’ stare once again. It seemed that was really the only kind of look he could give the other, the only kind of look that made sense too. “Best prepare yourself for when it won’t be all that peaceful anymore, it’s not going to be much longer. I hope you can operate a grill because the end of my shift is right about…” Lifting his wrist to check his old digital watch, he smiled innocently at it. “…now. Bye, have fun.” And with that he turned, stuffed the grill fork he was holding in Jongsuk’s hand and calmly turned away to exit the booth, apparently not giving a damn that he was abandoning the other right before the huge stream of people would come.

#cirqueyunho #p:candymaker

Jongsuk hummed a little tune as he moved around the small confined space, readjusting most of the canisters so that they were in optimal reaching position from the cashier. He bites back a yawn as another night of aimless sleep rushed forward with a vengeance, steps slowing considerably. The male flickers his gaze over at his partner and squints, studying him blearily.

Yunho doesn't like talking out loud (evident as he ignored most of the comments Jongsuk threw out into the wind) but he expresses his opinions through facial expressions - his eyes to be more exact. Jongsuk dully notes this as he blubbers a few words of apologies to the male handing him a band-aid with absolute contempt written across his features.

Yunho has the kind of personality he made a point to avoid; truthful and blunt, much too difficult to approach. So, as he leans his head onto his shoulder, it comes as a surprise to Jongsuk himself how much he likes this man. Something past the prickly personality was oddly comforting, and Jongsuk finds himself drawn towards it.

He snorts at the sweetened tone and blinks slowly when the rush of noise filters into his head again. It takes him a moment to adjust to incoming noise level, to push it back into the boundaries of his mind and when Jongsuk returns to the world of the living, he purses his lips staring at the grill fork in his hand stunned. It takes him another few seconds before the words registered into his memory and Jongsuk gasps, gaping at Yunho's back in horror.

Letting out a muffled cry (mostly from anguish), he tosses a paper cup at Yunho's head. "Come back, I'll burn this tent down if you leave me alone. Yunhooooo!" With a little whine, Jongsuk finds himself bolting out of the tent, latching onto the older male for dear life, pride be damned.

cowwgirl

#vis

Jongsuk x Min || Breakdown

Min’s head travelled upwards to try and see what had caught the man’s attention, eyes drifting over the stars with mild interest. It had been a while since she had taken time out to enjoy the shining lights and make patterns in them, having often drifted off daydreaming when she was meant to be a sideshow, getting odd looks from the customers. However tonight she couldn’t draw patterns in the stars, a frown appearing through concentration until the girl gave up, her eyes drifting back down to Jongsuk before finally reaching their place on the ground. “Min… please. I haven’t been called Minyoung since I was in school.”

He was trying to comfort her, she appreciated it and couldn’t deny that it was working somewhat. Min couldn’t think of a way to truly express how she was feeling, how she had felt, the girl had never been any good at this, always living behind a mask of happiness which at one point became her true face. She gently shook her head as he told her not to dwell upon the subject, true Min could not change what had happened now yet she could have done at the time. This was what hurt her the most, how she had just stood by, completely helpless, and watched Tao take the attack for her. If Min had been smarter, quicker, she could have found an object to attack the other one before he had reached them. But Min hadn’t wanted anyone to get hurt, her innocent longing for peace simply creating more pain for others.

“You’re thankful?” She asked, head raising once more to attempt and read Jongsuk’s shadowed expression. “Why… why are you thankful? I don’t think we ever spoke before…” For Min, it was difficult to understand that a person’s presence can be appreciated even if it is in the background, or that some people long for other’s safety even if they never knew them. Though she did those things Min had always believed herself to be unique in that aspect.

Min pouted defiantly, wanting to shake off his ‘cute’ compliment, a habit she had developed over the years. She was an adult, only children were called cute, surely? Not only that, Min did not want to be permanently seen as a child despite the fact that she truly was at heart. However the man did not know this, to deny this would be an insult to his kindness and at this point in time, despite denying it to herself, all Min longed for was a bit of company and kindness.

Slowly, Min got to her feet, legs stiff from the cold and having been sat for goodness knows how long now. She carefully patted herself down and followed Jongsuk, peering into the tent warily. The telekinesis recognised the sleeping faces, a small and cheeky smile spreading across her lips as they lay exhausted from the night’s performances. It was odd yet funny seeing them all in this light, any image they tried to maintain during waking hours simply gone.

It was obvious which bed belonged to Jongsuk, however Min was still too nervous and aware that she was intruding in his personal space to dare move from her spot just past the entrance, her hands clenching one another tightly before her after hastily wiping away any remnants of tears.

Jongsuk slowly nods his head in understanding, repeating her name again to cement its place in his wandering mind. He understood the need to step away from a given name, to associate the self with a word of personal creation; though in his particular case, Jongsuk was never given a name, he was bred for it. Years of attachment to the only word that that defined you as a separate identity (but that was wrong, because it wasn't and he was still just a copy) had shifted into a fond liking for Lee Jongsuk. As such, the dark-haired male detests nicknames more so than anything else.

"Min," he repeats eyes skimming past her features as figments of her dream replayed itself in his mind (a bear, blood, dead, dead, dead) fingers reaching out to soothe out the waves of hopelessness and regret that washes over her delicate face. He ends up stroking her cheek.

"We haven't," he confirms her statement. "I believe I was first informed of your presence the eve you left." Jongsuk withdraws his hand into his lap and thinks for a moment. "You don't need a reason to be thankful. You just have to feel it," he smiles.

"I am thankful because I feel thankful. Living is a pleasure we forget and suffering blinds us until we fall into a state of shock but," he picks up a rock and bushes out some of the dirt to reveal a thin weed. "We're pretty strong don't you think?" Jongsuk dusts off his hand ruffles her hair, "so I'm glad you got up. You didn't have to, but you did. Good girl."

He waits for her to take another step inside the tent but chuckles slightly when Min remains frozen in her spot by the entrance. "Really, they sleep like bears," Jongsuk jokes pressing one hand into the small of her back ushering her inside. "Come on before we both turn into popsicles now."

Jongsuk pulls the covers of his bed over the cot and settles on the edge. He pats the spot next to him and smiles, "I won't eat you. You don't like to look so afraid."

#cirquemin #p:breakdown

Breakfast Time || Jongsuk & Jongup

Jongup found himself smiling a little as the other relaxed and scooted back to where he was sitting before. He didn’t want anyone to think badly of him, or think that his power was scary when it was really harmless. He did, however, find himself flicking his fingers as people moved around them.

“Yeah, I mean I’ve tried to.” Jongup sighed. “I can’t really stop it. It’s bothersome.” The other seemed to empathize so Jongup assumed he understood what that felt like. “The more energy I take in the faster my heart beats. It starts to hurt after a while and I have to get rid of it. You’re right though, with everyone moving here it’s a bit difficult to deal with.” He looked up and watched the other fiddling with his glass, wondering why anyone would be interested in an ability as weird as his.

Jongup sighed when the other replied to his question. “That must suck.” He mumbled. He didn’t imagine many people here had nice dreams, and given that the other was empathetic about not being able to stop a power from working, he figured the other must see a lot of messed up dreams. “Can you stop yourself from doing it, or can you not turn it off like mine?”

He really didn’t consider that Jongsuk might have seen his dreams, thoughts like that seemed to escape Jongup easily. So he found himself watching the other calmly, feeling fairly empathetic. He wouldn’t want to have to see other people’s dreams, dealing with his own was difficult enough.

Jongsuk tilts his head watching Jongup's fingers with piqued interest, "your heart beats faster?" Out of simple curiosity, he leans forward on the wooden table to press a finger on Jongup's chest to check the other's heart beat. Lips pursed in concentration as he counts, Jongsuk pulls away after a moment, a perplexed look settling across his features. "Your ability is more useful than most I've heard about. Energy, after all, is channeled into almost every motion." Shaking his head in amazement, Jongsuk grins, "at least a lot better than mine. Dream manipulation is practically worthless if you really think about it."

Propping one cheek in his hand, Jongsuk exhales slowly, "I'm unable to negate the sounds unless I lose my ability completely. Hearing is part of the viewing process, although my ability to channel nightmares seems stronger than normal. The sounds allows for easier access and eliminates the need for a physical presence to control certain elements." He purses his lips, "though thanks to it, I cannot remember the last time I got a comfortable night of sleep."

Jongsuk pauses, quirking an eyebrow at Jongup wondering if the blond boy would catch on to the implications of his ability, would flinch away like everyone else, would perhaps grow to hate his intrusion on the most private part of mind...

Well, Jongsuk wouldn't hold it against him if he did.

He would hate him too.

morning call || jongsuk X jaehyo

ex-cirque-jaehyo

The pause had Jae wondering what would happen next, when suddenly his personal space was being invaded on a level he certainly didn’t like as much as the first one. “Yah, so mean! Respect your hyung!” He batted Jongsuk’s hand away with a huff, though he smiled coyly when the other moved into his lap. “Would you like to moan my name?” Jaehyo countered easily, the will to sleep quickly leaving him as he thought about breakfast sex. “I could eat sausage off of your sausage~” A wide grin split across his features at the innuendo.

Jongsuk’s threat was derailed by the touch to his lips, the elder stretching lazily after he moved the finger. “If you’re going to touch my lips, I can think of a few things more deserving than just your finger.” He winked playfully, messy hair falling into his face as he noticed his friend checking him out. Granted, he didn’t see the shirt coming, but he was laughing too hard by the time it was pulled over his head to care. “You’re too easy! Don’t check me out so obviously, if you ever want to prove a point!”

Flailing a little bit, quite attractively, he was sure, a sense of relief filled him when Jongsuk helped him get the stupid shirt on properly. The touches were quite common between them, so Jaehyo should be used to them…though of course that never stopped the thoughts. “Please. You know I’ll just get both of you then.” He scoffed, before turning to let out a small breath of pheromone-laced air, just enough to get his partner flustered.

Even as Jongsuk dropped onto the bed, he rolled his eyes, knowing the other likely wished for more sleep just as much as he did, even if he had to be the one reinforcing the rules. Yawning again, he stood up and went to add jeans to his sweater, then applied deodorant and some cologne, before going to get his shoes on. When he was ready, he walked over and laid down on top of the other, then yelled in his ear, “Oi! Time to get up, lazyass!”

#cirquejaehyo #p:morning call

"What do you mean?" Jongsuk counters with a childish pout, "you don't treat me to anything, so why should I respect you?" He's usually not so rude, respect was important to him - Jaehyo just tended to remain an exception to the rule (that and he's sure the older male doesn't really care). Eyes narrowing at the creepy sounding innuendo, Jongsuk tackles him back down on the bed, tickling Jaehyo's stomach in vengeance. "Sorry sweetheart but we don't have time to eat since someone decided to sleep in instead," he coos.

Shrugging off the rest of the come-ons with a scowl, the younger boy nudges Jaehyo with his boot again, "I wasn't checking you out, stop being so egoistical. You look like a mess in the morning you know that right?" He brings up a hand to flatten Jaehyo's bed hair, blaming his racing heart and flushed cheeks on the gust of pheromones (while trying to ignore the fact that he'd probably feel the same without its presence). "I thought we agreed to not use that crap on me," Jongsuk grumbles with a frown. "Besides, I don't like threesomes remember? No sharing, too much hassle."

Head nestled within the sheets as the other got dressed, Jongsuk yawns, feeling sleep wash over his body like waves. The pressure of another body spooning him elected a soft moan from his lips, but that quickly disappeared as Jaehyo shouts in his ear. Jumping up, looking like a bristled cat, he twists around to peer at the three other lumps in the tent. When no one appears to have stirred, Jongsuk manages to sigh, relaxing against the bed.

"Can you be a little more sensitive? God, I'm up. I'm up." Sniffing indignantly Jongsuk points to a jacket hanging on the wall, the male curls his fingers beckoning him, "gimme."

Breakfast Time || Jongsuk & Jongup

Jongup frowned, it seemed he managed to explain his ability wrong. Why don’t these things come with instructions, it would have made his life so much easier. He shook his head toward the other with a small smile. “No, it’s not parasitic in the least. I don’t take any energy from people, I just get the energy they release. Like, when a leave falls it’s because of energy, right?” Jongup had to think back to what he had learned in physics class when he wasn’t sleeping, before nodding to confirm the thought. “So when that leave is falling, I get that energy that’s made it fall, but the leave doesn’t stop falling because of me. And even though you keep moving, you probably haven’t felt any extra tiredness since I got here. I absorb the leftovers, I guess. I know I can’t take anyone’s energy away from them.”

Jongup stared at Jongsuk as he spat out his milk. Had it gone foul? He shrugged, but couldn’t help his eyes from widening at the other’s ability. “Do you see people’s dreams then?” He asked quietly, his voice a little faint and nervous sounding. Dreams seemed like a thing that should be secure. Something that stayed between you and your mind. The idea of having someone see, and even more so, control, someone else’s dreams seemed a little scary to him and he stared in intrigue across the table.

Jongsuk attempts to not look so relieved by the statement of explanation but fails miserably as he scoots back onto the bench with an apologetic smile adorning his face. "Oh well," he pauses for a moment to look at the leaves on the trees around them in thought, "you can't turn it off?

He makes a face full of understanding, knowing the pain of being forced to adapt to an ability that doesn't seem to shut itself off, "what happens if you take in too much? Energy is everywhere isn't it? Take the trees around us alone... multiply it by the circus members and... wow, that's just kind of crazy." Fingers tracing the pattern of a leaf his half empty glass, Jongsuk blushes a little at his own excitement; dropping his head, he mumbles a quick apology before taking another sip of the warm milk.

If he was being truthful, Jongsuk would admit he heard the underlying suspicion in the others voice, but he's not, preferring to forget why he didn't approach people first. He tries not to flinch, smiling brightly despite the bitter taste spreading in his mouth.

No lies on the tip of his tongue.

"Yes," he hears himself reply, "I don't like it either." Jongsuk sets down the glass, picking at the wood on the table as he waits for Jongup to react to his answer; what would this gentle looking boy do?

candymaker || jongsuk X yunho

ex-cirque-yunho

Yunho was too amused by how much he’d been able to bug the guy about the way he was serving customers to be the least bit offended by how he got a box of popcorn thrown at him. When the grunt came to check the butter, he quietly did as was expected of him, mainly because he was used to doing it in this job. From there on out everything became a routine again and he almost mindlessly cleared order after order from the impatient customers. Luckily the line dwindled more easily with the two of them and after not too long considering everything, he turned to find the other collapsing down on his chair. A slight frown started to form on his face, but the comment the other made cleared it away to make room for a grin.

“You’re lucky they wanted hardly anything other than drinks and popcorn. It’s worse when they’re all hungry and come here for hotdogs, hamburgers or any of the Korean food,” he stated loosely. “Which is in about…” He leaned over to check the sky. “Well I’d say half an hour tops. I suggest you get your butt out of that chair and start slicing sandwiches for those things.” With slight amusement, Yunho walked over to the place where the sausages and hamburgers were to be grilled, as well as where the other food was to be heated up. He’d done this for years on end so he knew the routine and could do this with his eyes closed, but that was not something he would brag about. Hardly reason to brag, really, knowing how to do the crappiest job in the circus. “Make sure to cut them flat, or you’re going to have a hard time later.” The use of the singular was on purpose. After all, Yunho had taken his break only now, but he had a limited amount of hours to work that day and he felt bad in no way whatsoever to quit right as the heap of people would come to order their food in a hungry rage.

Turning on the grill, he started to unpack the other food, pouring it into their respective bowls and soon after turning on the heat so that this would all warm up to a decent temperature for the people to eat. Luckily it was all pre-made so all they had to do here was warm it up and serve it in the plastic boxes, but that was about as far as their luck went, because they still had to serve it in the plastic boxes, and boy was that a horror. But none of his concern anymore, because that would be the other male’s job. His was just to heat this up, and wasn’t that the easiest job out of them all? Although it may look like the hardest at first, especially compared to slicing bread, this was definitely the easiest thing as you only had to make sure nothing burned. Once all the food was starting to warm up, he calmly turned to the grill, picking up the boxes with sausages and hamburgers and pouring them onto the grill carelessly. With the provided materials he fixed them all next to each other so that there would be space enough for each of them to get properly grilled. All of that happened in silence, as he did not feel up to the small-talk unless it included cursing at customers or bugging the other, so his focus was completely on the meat in front of him.

#cirqueyunho #p:candymaker

He spares somewhat of a glance in Yunho's direction and then hides his face into his legs to avoid the grin forming there, "what are you so chipper about?" Jongsuk's voice takes on the ending tilt of a well-practice whine as other continues to talk, shaking his head like a child being denied candy, "why must humans eat so much?" His cheeks puff out as Yunho ignores his ridiculous question, heading to the grill with stacks of frozen burgers and hot dogs in absolute silence. Somewhat sullen by his non-talkative partner for the day, Jongsuk kicks the half empty bag of kernel with his foot, "don't they know that they'll gain weight?"

Finding it difficult to keep up a conversation with himself, Jongsuk sighs, stretching out his back with a grin. He pokes his head over Yunho's shoulder and stares at the meat on the grill in awe, "you think Hongki will get mad if we put nutritional information on these signs to scare the customers off?" Jongsuk steps around him and picks up the bags of hamburger buns and prepackaged bread from the miniature fridge the stocked in the back of the tent and lays them out on the counter. Looking around for a knife, Jongsuk hums a little as he unties one of the knots (miraculously getting a cut on his finger without touching anything sharp, in which he squeaks and asks Yunho for a bandage while the other stares at him in utter disbelief) and continues to slice bread in a singular motion.

Jongsuk carefully places the sliced bread and premade buns into a row next to the plastic boxes, ready for the incoming mass of customers after the first showing before skipping over to Yunho's side by the grill. He pokes his head around the other's back to look at the row of sizzling meat before resting his chin on Yunho's shoulder.

"I'm Jongsuk," he adds cheerfully, "for some reason, I think it's really peaceful whenever you're around."

morning call || jongsuk X jaehyo

ex-cirque-jaehyo

Jaehyo liked to consider himself a man of simple pleasures; he liked sex, pretty ladies, good clothes, and sleep. A lot of those things weren’t available to most people, but he liked to think that he appreciated them all well enough to deserve them, in his own strange way. He appreciated sex and pretty ladies together by treating the latter well with the other, he appreciated good clothes by allowing them on his sexy body, and he appreciated sleep by worshipping his bed for at least ten hours a night.

Now this was a sacred ritual that even Yunho and Daesung couldn’t ruin for him, no matter how they tried to mess with him in his slumber, so he had adapted well enough that he couldn’t be woken by them. Or most things. If the Cirque ever was robbed in the middle of the night, they’d be kind of fucked if they relied on him, though he wouldn’t see why they would in the first place. His power couldn’t exactly help with those armed with bullets to get what they wanted. So his conscience idled away in pitiful solitude as he caught up on his z’s.

The only downside to his habit was that he needed to wake up ridiculously early for his job, and often had to make his way back to the circus to help out after it was done anyway, giving him some of the longest hours offered at the place! It was ridiculous and he refused to stand for it! Jae would have boycotted it from the safety of his own bed, but he had one huge problem: his partner, Lee Jongsuk.

Now him and Jongie got along pretty well, he liked to think; they had fucked around quite a bit, and he had no intentions of stopping anytime soon. But this also led to a weak point; one realized when he suddenly felt the younger’s body on top of his own. He truly hadn’t heard any of the other threats, but the promise of potential sex had his body waking up quickly in more ways than one. Laughing a bit roughly in his sleep clogged voice, he called, “Moan my name like that and I might just wake up~”

#cirquejaehyo #p:morning call

Jongsuk smirks a little in satisfaction when a rough voice rang out the instant he threw himself over the sleeping lump; Jaehyo was really too easy sometimes, even the prospect of something as innocent as this could be enough to stimulate the elder's sex drive. He purses his lips (choosing to not dwell on the deep rumbling tone that makes him want to smile) and leans over, pinching the other's cheek in squinted annoyance, "I didn't moan your name you egoistical bastard."

Jongsuk snickers a little as he scoots himself onto Jaehyo's lap without much thought, picking on the other's bed sheets with a finger as he gestures to the sleeping people around them. It's relatively early and Jongsuk is not eager to find out what Daesung and Yunho will say if they see them like this; God knows the last thing he needs is to have the two tricksters holding something else over his head.

He presses a slender finger to Jaehyo's lips to shush the man before he could retort and narrows his eyes teasingly, "my threat still stands, I will cockblock you for an entire month if you don't get up right now you lazy lump." Jongsuk lets the words sink in for a while, eyes straying across Jaehyo's half-naked chest before grumbling, reaching over the body to snag the sweater he had hooked earlier onto the head of the bed. Fingering the material for a second, Jongsuk smiles at him innocently before jamming it over Jaehyo's head in annoyance, "sleep with a shirt on dumbass."

Rolling off his lap so he could help him adjust the sweater from behind the bed, Jongsuk looped his arms around his waist, "I know your type. I'll steal every last one of them from you if you don't do as I say." He pouts a little and drops his head onto Jaehyo's shoulder, "so get up because I don't want to." Yawning a little as he steps away with a laugh, Jongsuk falls back onto the bed, burrowing his head into the covers, "you have five minutes to get ready."

Jongsuk x Min || Breakdown

It confused the girl as to why this person was hanging around instead of making sure she was alive and then tottering off. Despite having known the face for years this man was pretty much a stranger to Min so why would he have the care and concern to stop and talk with her? Him changing his position only seemed to make it more permanent. She gave a small nod as he repeated her ‘nice night’ comment and watched him, careful, wary and yet the same time warmed and intrigued.

“Lee Minyoung.” She muttered back. “Or Min as most people call me.” She shuffled about so that she could face the man properly, lowering her knees to cross her legs and rest her hands in her lap, making the whole situation much more friendly, worried that it was her making him feel nervous and not the other way around. Though she didn’t trust the kindness, Min still found it quite easy to talk to him. However a frown flickered across her face as he mentioned missing people, heart skipping a beat as if he knew something he shouldn’t. But what was there to know? And was there anyone she did miss? Min found herself lost in thought for a moment as she ran over names and faces in her head, yet the only one which sprung to mind was Chunji, the person who had been kindest to her. Jaehyo’s was a possibility but she had never spoken to the man and something about him terrified her, so she quickly dismissed this idea.

Yet at the end of the day missing people wasn’t the reason. “I did miss people here in the Cirque… kind of. But that’s not why I came back, I came back because I had to because…” She paused as her expression dropped at the memory of what she had seen, eyes glistening with tears she had thought dried up long ago. “I came back because really bad things happened. Bad things I can’t tell you or anyone…” Her voice had diminished to a mere whisper at the end of the sentence, head hanging low as she tried to rid the images from her minds eye.

It was only at Jongsuk’s questioning that she realised how cold the air was, all her senses had numbed up to this point and all awakened at the same time. The air was crisp but cold, causing a chill to run down her body, a shiver she hoped he didn’t notice. Min didn’t want him to think that she was weak, that she needed protecting, despite how true it may be.

“I’ll be fine, I’ve slept in worse places than these and I’ve always left unscathed.” She tried to muster a smile at this but doubted it would fool him, as even she didn’t believe this. True she had indeed slept in worse places and was left unscathed, but she always had the intention of leaving that spot back then. Now, here, all she wanted to do was stay curled up and eventually become one with the elements like she had seen the Panda do.

However when it was obvious that Jongsuk became embarrassed by his offer, her own guilt rose. Carefully, Min reached out a hand and took his in hers lightly, trying to catch his gaze and attention once more. She liked this man, he seemed to truly care even though he didn’t know her. Min knew it wasn’t anything special about her and just because he had that kind of heart, but nevertheless it warmed her. And people with that sort of heart shouldn’t have their wishes denied.

“But… but if you really are worried about me I suppose I can come inside, just for a bit, just to warm up. That is… if that really is okay for you?”

Somewhere during the course of their conversation, Jongsuk had turned his attention onto the night sky, mouth partially open as he traces a ridiculous pattern (hey, that one looked like dragonboy with his awkward feet) while she spoke. He turns his head slightly to the right in order to study her face, filling the name away for future reference as a smile slips over his own, "Lee Minyoung... or do you prefer Min?"

Fingers curled around his jeans in thought as he listens her voice diminish with each word that slipped out of her lips, Jongsuk shuffled a little closer to the small form huddled in front of him. A shallow smile growing on his cheeks in an attempt to comfort, he reached out an hand to rub her head gently, "you shouldn't dwell on things you can't change. You're safe now and at least, I'm thankful for that." He's not sure what else to say less he gives himself away, the flash of her fears that jutted into his head as he picked up her thread now coming together in his head. Jongsuk withdraws his hand, almost embarrassed that he knows, tucking both hands into his lap as he rocks back and forth gnawing on his lip.

He manages bite back the inward scoff at her outspoken bravery and relaxes enough to arch a brow at her expectantly, "right, I'm sure you have. Doesn't mean you can't have a change of scenery right?" Though he was teasing, a frown quickly mars his face when Jongsuk catches the weak grin she attempts to shoot in his direction, hands automatically reaching forward to carefully zip up the jacket he had tossed over her shoulders earlier. "I know it's not much, but maybe it'll ward some of the cold," Jongsuk explained as he propped up the hood. "There," he mumbled, leaning back with a grin, "you look cute, all puffed up like that."

He perks up a little when Min takes his hand and Jongsuk laughs, "just to warm up," he repeats with her. Smiling as he hopped up from the ground, Jongsuk unzipped the tent, pulling the flap open for her as he waits for Min to pass through first. Wrinkling his nose as he takes a peak in, Jongsuk rubs the back of his head, "you'd have to excuse the smell. I did warn you about the three other monsters I live with."

#cirquemin #p:breakdown

ex-cirque-ara-deactivated201412

lifeless mine || jongsuk X ara

Nodding lightly at the guy when he asked her if he stood at a corner of her tent she then watched how the guy proceeded to crouch down and then cut himself. It also took him a while before he managed to bind the tent to the nail in the ground. Apparently he wasn’t all that great of a handy-man. Frowning lightly at him from underneath her sunglasses she stood up again once the man had let himself fall down on the ground. Keeping the side of the cloth in her hands she moved over to the second nail at her side, crouching down there it didn’t took her as long as it had taken the guy to bind the rope to the nail. Looking up at him when she was done Ara then slowly moved over to the man. Seeing him suck on his fingers, she merely passed him by so she could make some small adjustments to the edges of the tent. Even when it had taken the guy a while to bind the ropes to the nails, he still had done a good job and she knew that on her own she hadn’t been able to put up the tent at all so she truly felt grateful for his presence. Although she didn’t show this at all to the male.

Turning her back to him when he questioned her about the sunglasses, she decided to ignore him as she went to inspect the third and last edge of the tent. Ignoring his other questions too, she picked up her bag before she made her way over to him again. Opening the bag on her way she wanted to take one of the decorations out of it so she could hand it to him. But right when she wanted to put her fingers and hand around the small box in her bag, Ara tripped over one of the nails of the tent. Things like this tended to happen when she was wearing her sunglasses during the night. Falling forward a small surprised and soft gasp escaped her as she quickly pulled the bag to her chest and got a hand out of it so she could try to break her fall. But luckily Ara didn’t have to meet the ground next to her tent since apparently the not-so- handy-man had been close enough to catch her.

Putting her right hand on his chest, so she could regain her own balance, Ara looked down at her own bag which she held against her chest with her left arm. Breathing out a slightly sheepish smile she looked up at the male. Wanting to thank him for catching her she realized the moment their eyes met that she wasn’t wearing her sunglasses anymore. Staring into his eyes for a small moment she was able to feel every single emotion this man was feeling at this moment in time. Being overwhelmed by the amount of the different sensations this man had to deal with, she averted her eyes from him after a second or three. Although even she felt like more time had passed between them so god only knows what the man thought right now. Taking a couple of steps backwards she looked at the ground as she searched for her sunglasses. Finding them a small moment later she crouched down to pick them up and put them back on. “Thank you.” She stated in a neutral voice as she straightened herself again. “You don’t have to help me with the decorations.” Passing him, she didn’t glance at the man anymore as she vanished inside of her tent. Trying to create a distance between her and the guy and hoping that he would leave her alone now.

#cirqueara #p:lifeless mine

Jongsuk would go as far to say that he revered silence; as such it was difficult for him to have silence, his brain automatically filling in scathing words between lulls in conversations, awkwardly penetrating his low concentration with hellish screams that drifted past his nonexistent conscious. Then silence greets himself in his front door; Jongsuk hates it.

So through their silent exchange, Jongsuk keeps a ear pressed on the edge, desperate to hear the noise that confirmed his life; the catch of conversation that floats behind hills, the crunch of dirt beneath feet. He flinches upwards and laughs to cut the cords, eyes trained on the girl stumbling in front of him like a ghost of his past.

he's not sure why he's still there,

or why he lies in wait,

but it only takes him a second

for it to all come clear.

arms nestled into her side,

eyes that catch

to the sunrise of oceans,

he's not sure why he's still there,

but he's drowning

and it's okay.

It's not okay. Jongsuk manages to release the breath he doesn't even notice he's been holding and time snaps back into pitch as he's jumping backwards. He inhales and there it was, the smile he's been trained to keep on his face as he cracks off some joke, "and this is why you don't wear sunglasses at night."

He talks to keep the conversation flowing. He talks to keep silence at bay. "I'm Lee Jongsuk," he supplies as he follows her into her tent, "and you're not mute?" With some dopey grin on his face, Jongsuk pokes her backpack, "wasn't there something you wanted to give me? Let me help you."

yes, indeed, he hates silence.

love me, love me.

yeah, you're drowning.

morning call || jongsuk X jaehyo

Somewhere in the crack of mid-afternoon sun, Jongsuk manages to roll himself off the cot and into the chill of the setting spring weather. It was necessary to get to there early, to catch them before the evening rush came in and humans hid behind closed doors. The sun, their unspoken clock; when it sits, the town jumps under locks. Not even Jaehyo was useful if there was no one around to influence.

Jongsuk allocates an hour for Jaehyo. Stepping into the brisk air with a sweater in his arms, he tiptoed past the silent snoring tents, almost tripping over a thread or two littered messily on the ground, and ducked into the chocolate brown flaps. Treading carefully in order to not alert the other three (which just so happened to include Daesung and Yunho, his two favorite people), Jongsuk kicked Jaehyo's hanging leg with his boot. "Yah, up."

Scowling at the less than positive response, Jongsuk dropped to a squatting position, tugging on the other's ear to hiss, "Jae if you don't get up now I'm going to cockblock you for the next month. Do you hear me? The entire fucking month."

He waits in vain.

"Yah, yah, yah, Lee Jaehyo, I will seriously kick your sorry ass if you don't roll yourself out of bed right this moment," Jongsuk's voice escalated several octaves from frustration as he kicks Jaehyo's leg for the nth time. He waited for a second as Jaehyo remained in dreamland before the exasperated male flipped the covers off, shoving the lump with his hands. "Come on you lazy ass, we got work to do." He sat himself down on the edge, hanging the sweater off a random hook and crinkled his nose, "would it kill you to sleep with a shirt on?"

In a final, desperate measure, Jongsuk threw himself over the male and whined, "Jaeeeee."

#cirquejaehyo #p:morning call

candymaker || jongsuk X yunho

ex-cirque-yunho

The night was progressing as usual; slow and with a lot of people wanting food. Yunho was getting more tired of people demanding him to hurry up with the second and he was this close to throwing the popcorn or whatever in these people’s faces. Why on earth had anyone ever thought of putting him alone in this booth? He always had a partner to do these things with, where on earth was that guy now? He had hoped in the beginning that the second worker would somehow show up at any given moment, but so far no luck and he was losing hope. It had been hours now and the longer he was facing new impatient people, the more he felt like becoming a mass-murderer. Right here in the middle of this god-forsaken circus where people were coming and going to see and point at the freaks as if they were monkeys in a zoo. Yunho could only be glad that he was not up for looking at by those stupid no-brainers because he looked so mundane. For once in his life being mundane was a good thing.

He was praising his ability to keep his calm after several hours of the same busy work routine and could not imagine any of the others managing to keep their anger in check like him. He also had the plus point of not having any tell-tale signs for anger. More like his smile only grew wider the angrier he got, until eventually it burst and people got hurt. Usually he threw a few punches at the people who bugged him, but he couldn’t do that with customers. They were the ones paying for his food, after all, however hard he despised them for the way they did that in exactly. That night, however, he was slowly reaching the ending point of his patience, especially because he’d asked for back-up what seemed like hours ago and he was not getting any so far.

And then, all of a sudden, some guy bypassed the customers - which was already a good way to get on Yunho’s bad side - but the way he stopped in front of the counter and saluted; well, that had every strip of patience he had left get shred to pieces. The other merely jumped over the counter and waved at him, as if that was going to make anything in his life turn better. Yet he wasn’t going to say no against a break, especially not if this guy willingly offered to do the whole thing on his own. And so he took a few steps further back behind the counter, pulled up the only chair there and sat down. His feet were up in no time and he easily leaned back against the back rest of the chair, closing his eyes for a moment to let the impending headache ease up a little. Yet he didn’t keep up the closed eye thing long, since he just loved the idea of watching the back up struggle with this long line of displeased customers.

“Yo, dude, don’t forget to pack the popcorn with a lid. And fold the boxes properly,” he spoke with a smirk, straightening up a little and stretching his neck in order to be able to see the way the guy was handling the line of customers. “More popcorn there, dude! You’re letting them pay too much for what you’re giving them,” he complained after a moment. Only to state a little later; “Dude, she ordered a coke, not the stupid sprite!” He went on with a few more comments on how this guy was serving the customers. Eventually he sighed deeply. “Ah, I thought they could at least send me some proper back up but it seems I was better off without you,” he stated then, finding this whole encounter already easing him up a little more because he could comment on this stupid guy’s behaviour to blow off some steam. Getting up from the chair again, he easily walked over to the counter and turned to the next customer in line, deciding to clear off this line of customers first together with the other before he would bug the guy some more. He was more than used to the serving so he went fast now that his annoyance had cleared up and there was another person suffering the same fate as him.

#cirqueyunho #p:candymaker

As a strained looking smile started to make its way across his cheeks and into his eyes, Jongsuk’s hand tightens a little more noticeably on the handle of the machine as he pours out another cup of pepsi (excuse him, coke as Yunho snips from behind) for another nameless face in the sea of endless hands. He grits out a semblance of a thank you, barely avoids throwing the chump change at the man who shoved the bag of popcorn demanding refills in his face and…

and…

Jongsuk grinds his teeth, snarling like a caged beast, as the voice behind him pipes up once more to criticize the way he was pouring popcorn into a bucket. He was pouring fucking popcorn into a fucking bucket; there was no way to get it wrong. Knuckles tightening dangerously white as Jongsuk snaps the lid on with an audible clack, he twisted his head before Yunho could open his mouth again to snicker something about how he could do so much better and no, you should always have the lid turned counterclockwise and add a special magical voodoo doll because dude, that’s the way we do it here and god, can’t you even do this right and—

“Dude,” he mocked, “just shove that stick higher up your ass and get her a medium salted popcorn already.” He tosses the paper container at Yunho as the other male stretched forwards to the empty cashier to Jongsuk's right before reaching for the tower of cups. Shoving on the lid with barely a glance downwards, Jongsuk practically throws it across the counter for Yunho to catch (he knew the other would of course, though the swears might be unnecessary).

The instant it was out of his hands, Jongsuk ducked behind the table to drag out a five pound bag of kernel, tearing it open with his teeth as he struggles to lift it into one of the empty machines to their left. He manages to somehow pour a little over half the kernels into the machine and flips the switch to ‘on’ with a kick of his feet, pointing to the pot of melted butter with one hand as he attempts to fill up another order of soda with the other. Grunting something intelligible to Yunho (who thankfully understood caveman enough to check the consistency of the butter) before turning to take over his neglected cashier, Jongsuk smoothed out his frazzled hair with a heavy smile on his face.

“Hi, welcome to the Midnight Circus, how may I help you?”

It takes nothing short of a miracle (and some ridiculously good coordination of grunting and half-disguised scowling) before the line slowly dwindles down into a trickle, partly owed to the main tent’s outrageous opening display of acrobatic feats in preparation for their biggest show of the night. With the last couple gone from their sight and no one within a five mile radius making a beeline towards the concession stand, Jongsuk collapses onto the chair with a whimper.

“I never want to see popcorn again in my life.”

xcirque-hayi

for the gentleman · jongsuk + hayi

Hayi didn’t know if it was something about the night air, or specifically the atmosphere of the circus grounds during performance time, or even the newness of performing, but she felt as if she were walking on sunshine. Which, she supposed, was ironic, considering how dark it seemed to be around her. The circus was lit, of course, but not as brightly as it could; probably so as to not raise suspicion, she supposed, from authorities around the area. Nevertheless, it hardly bothered her what her surroundings were like; there was something magical about it all, about everyone performing their skills and talents out for the enjoyment of others without being judged or casted out. Here, they were appreciated, held in awe even; and she loved every single of it, finding herself smiling even more than she’d expect to ever do.

Handing out flowers, too, had become enjoyable. Her woven basket containing the dry flowers drained quickly, due to her fondness for using her ability. Not to mention she loved the look of confusion and sometimes even horror on people’s faces as she presented them with a dead flower. Soon after she’d hold it up for them, she give a small smile, and change it before their eyes; then came the look of wonder as the flower would be healed by Hayi’s ability, and oftentimes the delight brought forth by the recipient of the flower would make Hayi break out in a grin - once she’d walked away, of course.

However, her flowers couldn’t last forever, and she finally came to her last wilted bloom - one she knew to be a red-tipped white carnation, one of the most beautiful flowers and a personal favourite. It would be hard for her to decide who to gift it to; almost all the couples in the circus grounds had received a bloom, and many others had as well. A part of her wished to seek out someone special, or a member from the circus - someone who seemed to be working hard at their job. Smiling, she glanced around her, only to spot a glowing light in the far-off distance, at what she assumed to be the entrance to the circus’ performance area.

A slight spring still in her step, she floated across the grassy space, towards where she saw a distinct figure standing at the entrance. Letting a smile rise to her lips, she lightly grasped the flower the woven basket hanging on her arm, and held it behind her back. As she reached the entrance, she let out a quiet, “Hello?” and waited for the circus member to glance up at her. Once he had, she held the dead flower in front of her, filled with a small burst of courage. “A flower for the gentleman, working all alone out here in the near darkness?”

Giving him a bright smile, she waited to see his reaction at the dead flower, before focusing her gaze on the flower’s bloom. Her eyes turning their purple shade, the flower slowly became anew in her lifening touch. Once it was completely healed, her eyes became their natural blue colour again, and she glanced back at the stranger, holding the flower out further, beckoning shyly for him to take it.

#cirquehayi #p:for the gentleman

Sometimes he ends up resting his eyes, closing it against the pulsing lights and filtered voices as he attempts to get a nap into his system. Sometimes he forgets his job, letting people pass him by as he glazes blankly out into the darkening forest. Sometimes he remains high on alert, anxious smile darkening as fingers tap into a deafening rhythm on his thigh.

Keeping his back pressed against the cool bark of the tree, Jongsuk raises a lazy arm to ruffle his hair, pushing it upwards to let his forehead breathe. It's sticky with sweat and he winces, letting the unruly mess fall back into disarray. The chill of light spring showers had settled into a dull mist, falling over everything in a wonderful cool silence, the drone of shouts behind him lulls his eyes in closing. He stands there for a second then pushes himself upright at the first sound of gravel, a charming smile sneaking past his cheeks as eyes twinkled to rehearsed greetings.

Sometime closer to the dead of night, when the circus settled into full bloom and no one strayed near the entrance, Jongsuk is left to himself once again as he closes his eyes against the pounding headache gnawing the back of his head. He almost didn't hear her, a quiet voice meekly greeting him from behind, and Jongsuk turns, trained smile plastered in anticipation.

His lip quirks a little as the male finds himself tilting his head in a genuine smile at her words. Jongsuk grins easily, reaching forward as fingertips ghosts past her hand to take the dead carnation she offered him, "thank you little lady."

To his surprise, she doesn't let go, smiling up at him innocently before dropping her head in concentration. Jongsuk's fond smile nearly falters as he peers down at her curiously (what a lovely shade of purple). Reaching forward to cup her face, Jongsuk tilts her chin to peer into her eyes, staring intently as the girl fidgeted under his sudden touch. A few seconds of silent contemplation and no answers (as if suddenly realizing what he had done is extremely rude) Jongsuk lets go with an awkward laugh, pedaling backwards to give her some space.

Blinking precariously at the renewed carnation, as if the flower would give him the answers he wanted, Jongsuk knelt down until they were level in height. Taking the flower clasped in her hands, he brings it to his lips and kisses the red lined tips, "thank you," Jongsuk repeats, reaching forward to tuck the flower behind her ear. He smiles a little at the sight, "it looks more lovely on you."

Jongsuk manages to fight down the blush threatening to stain his cheeks and rubs the back of his head in embarrassment, "excuse my behavior earlier, I never seen eyes change color like that."

Breakfast Time || Jongsuk & Jongup

Jongup found himself smiling again. It was easier when someone else started a conversation than having to do it himself, it made everything more comfortable. He was glad Jongsuk didn’t seem upset by his sudden reverie because he had felt a little guilty for just kind of leaving mentally. He had seen the other throw out his food though and guessed that maybe he was the kind that got lost in thought too. Quiet, silence, it was comfortable but in this case i wasn’t what was right. He really hadn’t known what to say though, he had no gift in these things.

“Yeah, I’m new.” He said softly but his smile was still there. “Or sort of new, I guess. I’ve been here for about a week.” Again he was faced with the ever unanswerable question, what the hell was his ability. “I guess I kind of absorb energy from movement and then shoot it. Or use it to run or lift things. I don’t really know. What about you?” He rubbed his neck awkwardly. Jongup had begun to think that everyone here were more interesting than the rest of the world. There were so many cool abilities and skills and most people understood what they could do much better than Jongup did. Then again, maybe the longer he was here the more he would understand it.

He flicked his gaze over at the younger boy and before swallowing a lump in his throat, "isn't that quite... parasitic?" Jongsuk grimaces at Jongup's description of his power and puts the glass of milk back onto the table again. "Just... what would happen if you accidentally take it from someone relatively weak... wouldn't they just kneel over in exhaustion?" Jongsuk wasn't worried, no, that wasn't why his voice grew a thinner and why he slid a little further, absolutely not.

He pursed his lips and waved a hand around nervously, reaching for his glass of milk in order to stabilize his voice, "I manipulate dreams." Jongsuk takes a quick sip and almost spits the warm milk out onto the grass, "then it gets reflected into the waking world." He wipes his mouth with the back of a hand and attempts a smile, "it's no big deal though considering some of the things people here can do. I don't have a flashy ability though it's useful at times; it's quite difficult for people to avoid sleep after all."

Jongsuk's stomach rumbles a little in agreement and he takes another sip of the milk to pacify the gnawing hunger. He licks his lips and looks down at the table, counting the burn marks in his head, unsure what to say anymore.

Jongsuk x Min || Breakdown

There was movement in front of Min however the girl paid it little attention, she had been so used to people simply walking past her without paying her much notice before she left that she didn’t realise her sudden return might change their view on her. Or at least how momentarily interesting she was now. The girl frowned when she noticed the shadowy figure didn’t walk on like expected, wondering if the movement was just her mind playing tricks on her or a drifting cloud having found it’s place in front of the moon, however her hopes were dashed the moment it spoke.

Slowly, Min raised her tired head to look at the person who was obviously speaking to her, unless if someone else quite invisible to her stood nearby. Just enough light shone from the nearby tents and the moon to make the face somewhat recognisable to her. She had seen it over the years, however never learnt a face to the name. Probably, at some point, Min had accosted the person before her in an attempt to make friends with them, judging by her lack of knowledge about them she figured that she failed.

“It’s a nice night. I’m fine sleeping out here.” She murmured, not appreciating the ‘welcome back’ too much as she wasn’t quite sure she would be welcome once everyone found out what had happened. On top of this, she had still broken the golden rule, even though it was necessary. Was she even truly welcome here?

“Who are you?” She eventually asked, confused as to why he continued watching her carefully, did he truly worry about the fact that she was prepared to sleep out in the cold post-winter air? Or did he just find it humorous, it being too dark for her to read his expression.

He shifts again under her steady gaze, finding the squatting position to be too difficult to maintain and falls onto ground thoughtlessly. "It is a nice night isn't it?" he offered, turning to look up at the waning moon with a smile ghosting his lips. Jongsuk didn't recognize her at all, but considering how he barely even knows the people he slept next to for the past three years, it's not much of a surprise either.

"Lee Jongsuk," he supplied after a beat, drawing legs up to his chest, rocking back and forth curiously. "You were one of those that left aren't you?" he pointed out, no malice in his words, "who'd you miss so much that you came running back?"

Jongsuk winced a little at the sensitive topic he chose to start their conversation and then rubbed the back of his head apologetically, "nevermind I bet you don't want to tell a stranger all that anyways." Looking around the silent campgrounds searching for something else to say, he tugged on his thin jacket and shivered. "Are you cold?" as he spoke, Jongsuk slipped off his jacket and lifted it over her shoulders, "you're a girl, I don't think you should be sleeping out here all alone."

He pursed his lips and spared another glance at the tent behind her, "I don't think they'll be awake any time soon... want to come inside?" Jongsuk paused and then backpedaled, "I mean, if that's alright with you. I don't want to get you in trouble or anything for going to another man's room in the middle of the night." He rattled on a breakneck speed, "it's just that it's dangerous outside and I would have offered a walk but you seem tired and sleep really is helpful when you're tired but even though you said the ground is okay isn't a bed much nicer?"

Jongsuk stopped (forced to take a breath) and then groaned ducking his head down into his arms, "forget it" he mumbled, highly embarrassed.

#cirquemin #p:breakdown

Breakfast Time || Jongsuk & Jongup

It was a relief when the other looked up and smiled, clearly he had been zoning out or daydreaming or thinking or something of the kind and Jongup never liked interrupting such things. But he really just wanted to sit down and eat somewhere and sitting down without permission could be considered rude. The other seemed friendly enough too, which was always relieving. Jongup smiled back at the boy and sat down before shaking his hand. Another person I’m meeting, Jongup noted in his head. The amount of people in the cirque certainly was startling, he seemed to be meeting more and more people every day. If he had realized the cirque was so filled up he probably would have thought a little harder about joining, but now he was here and that was that. He would get used to it eventually, he could get used to almost anything given time.

“My name is Jongup.” He said softly, the smile still ever-present on his face. “It’s nice to meet you too.” The other seemed kind enough but Jongup recognized and immediate need to eat. His stomach growled and so he quite calmly withdrew his hand and started eating. Looking over at Jongsuk’s food briefly, Jongup wondered if he had been there for some great amount of time, his food didn’t look very good at all. Not that Jongup’s food was anything special, he wasn’t exactly the best at cooking so he had just made himself some ramyun. That seemed to be all he was eating lately, he would have to learn to cook other things soon or he would be eating the same thing for the rest of his life.

Jongup let his mind wander off onto how he would learn to cook and certain foods that he really wanted to eat. When he was tired it was really easy for him to just zone out like this and forget about his surroundings. Luckily, he some how kept himself eating, almost mechanically, while lost in thought. When he snapped out of it he realized Jongsuk was still was still there and felt a little guilty, but he didn’t know what to say anyway.

"Jongup," he repeated easily before nodding his head, filling the information away with the color of his thread and the nightmares that filtered through his head. He waited a beat for the other to say something else (perhaps introducing his ability or maybe why he came to the circus or better yet, why did he ask to sit here of all places) but ended up chuckling as the boy dived straight into his food.

Sparing a glance at his own pitiful excuse of a breakfast, Jongsuk manages to salvage a part of the toast that hadn't been slogged down in the musk of spring air before tossing the rest of the lumpy mess into a nearby trashcan. He picked up the neglected glass of milk on the table and turned it around in his hands, playing with the coating of white that appeared and disappeared to each and every spin across his fingers.

They sat there like that for a while, each in their own little world, until Jongsuk shifts in his seat, the unending silence grating on his nerves (he blames this need for noise on the nightly exposure to nonstop screaming) and snaps the glass of untouched milk back onto the wooden table.

"What do you do?" he asked trying to get some type of conversation flowing so that he could distract himself from the buzz roaring in his head. Jongsuk frowns the instant the words come out of his mouth, not intending for them to sound so rude, "I mean, well... you're new aren't you? I haven't seen you around here before."

He picks up the glass again, thumb grazing the rim in a nervous tick, "why are you here?"