When All Else Fails, Try Harder | Himchan & Chen.
Ahhh. So Chen hadn’t been here too much longer than Himchan had. He’d only been here a few days, granted, but in comparison with Yongguk… this boy was “new” as well.
Before he could really comment on that, however, the question of what he did at the circus came, and he blinked in surprise. He hadn’t really explained it to anyone yet, not even Yongguk. His friend knew what he could do, yes… but he didn’t know what Himchan’s act really was, how Himchan had incorporated one of his previous loves and hobbies into the new curse that filled the skin of his palms.
"Oh, you know… general property damage, and a side show act…" He felt heat creeping into his ears, and he wasn’t sure if it was a response to the cold water or his being embarrassed about talking about his power. He looked down at his hands, then picked up a bottle of bodywash. It was white, and there was a black handprint on the side of it that had not been there when he’d bought it. "I haven’t really… started doing it yet… but I will be soon. If I don’t, they’ll probably throw me out."
He was joking, but he really wasn’t sure if should have been or not. There were probably consequences to not doing what you were supposed to, and he wouldn’t be at all surprised if one of those consequences were “we will leave your ass”. He lathered up the body wash and rubbed it hurriedly over his cold skin.
"What you do here as well then? Does it involve your singing? You’re rather good."
Upon hearing the others' vague words, Chen felt a curiousity poke its head through the doorway of his mind, requiring to be felt and sated. With such hesitation in Himchan's voice, though, he would have felt bad to prod at something that obviously made someone uneasy. Usually it wouldn't have, but here, in confined spaces, after he let the weight of his night wash off under the shower, he felt naked and exposed, and on a much deeper level than just physical. He thought that if he hurt Himchan's feelings at that exact moment, he wouldn't be able to shield himself from the backlash, even if he wasn't someone with much empathy to start with.
Thus he kept quiet for a moment, wondering if he could connect with the hints of compassion in himself enough to manage kind words. "I'm sure they wouldn't throw out someone in need," he mumbled, a weak attempt he hoped would work. And weirdly enough, it made a dull ache resonate through him, bringing back memories of a time when he had needed aid and had deeply wished his helper wouldn't throw him back in the bad situation he had come out of. "Junsu is a great leader. He wouldn't."
With a shake of his head, he cleared his mind from such ideas, bending down to get his body soap. Using his loofah, he began scrubbing his skin, wanting to keep it clean and free of too much dead skin. Oh, Chen would hate his skin to be gross.
His mind now set on more benign things, the answer came easily when Himchan spoke again. "Oh, thanks." He was only mildly flattered by the compliment, used to hearing it, but he had learned the hard way that most people get weirded out if you don't thank them when they try to be nice. "I do... I have signing acts every now and then. Sometimes I pair up with visual artists for a more complete show," he explained, taking care to leave out the details about his ability. He wanted to keep this revelation for later, for he knew if Himchan learned about his power, then he might grow completely immune to it. And Chen was still curious about why he couldn't react to even his strongest vibes, so he wasn't about to ruin his research by talking too much.
