He had been forced here once before, Chanyeol remembers with a wrinkled nose and furrowed brows, the crease settling between them growing deeper and deeper with each passing moment–a local bath house owned by an overly excited couple that constantly slaps the boy’s bare back and insists that if he ever wants to find a girl, he should start eating more and putting his lanky limbs to good use. He doesn’t try explaining that he isn't’t in search of a girl, or romance of any kind, really, but a sealed mouth hasn’t gotten him into trouble before, and he really doesn’t feel like starting any now.
Of course, that does nothing to help his case, as he still finds himself being shoved by that same elderly couple into a co-ed area of shallow, hot pools of water ( in nothing more than a towel slung low on his hips, much to his dismay ), stumbling on aforementioned lanky legs until he’s all but falling into the closest one that, much to Chanyeol’s luck, is occupied by one other man whom he nearly falls flat on. Scrambling in maybe three feet of water is a challenge, but he succeeds in making it look much, much harder than i could possibly be, until he’s surfacing hot in the face and red in the ears and neck, and handing the stranger’s own lap towel back to him with doggish shame, refusing to meet the other man’s eyes. “…I’ll find another tub.”
Boredom had prodded Lu to leave the dull comfort of his library and come to a place where socializing was inevitable - or so he thought. The bath house was nearly barren, with only a few sleeping elders sprinkled around the main rooms and businessmen with towels glued to their fat faces. Accepting the prospect of a quiet bath, Lu navigated to one of the nicer rooms and settled in with a long brush of air. Maybe being alone wasn’t entirely bad. Still, his towel remained submerged at his hips, arms draped over the rough cement and head tilted back to watch orange splashes unfold beneath his eyelids.
Then there was movement. The smaller perked up hopefully. That hope drowned with the poor boy that fell face-first into the water. Lu would have yelped if this man wasn’t thrashing so vividly, his brown eyes widening despite the upheaval and hands moving underwater to try and steady him. He jumped in his seat when the other finally surfaced, his rose lips parted and gaze truly striking of a deer. He didn’t notice the fact that his towel was missing until it was tossed at him. The stranger’s embarrassment was contagious, causing Lu to stand from the water and stammer, but still he persisted, holding the towel between his legs.
“W-- wait,” He replied, reaching a hand out to touch the taller male’s shoulder. Now that Lu looked at him(with a painfully raised head), he resembled a tree. This made him spit out a bubble of laughter. His face alight with ivory teeth and glass eyes, he moved to sit again, motioning to the space next to him.
“Sit down, won’t you? Are you alright? That was, uh...well at least there was water to break your fall.”
Won Bin probably drove too fast on his way over to the church, but he couldn’t get himself to care. Luhan wouldn’t tell him what was going on and he worried about the younger man more than he wanted to admit to anyone. His grip on the wheel was far tighter than he was accustomed to, his knuckles turning white at this point. The parking job was a lot messier than he would have liked but right now he could only focus on one thing. Won Bin needed to know what happened.
He all but ran to the church doors and tore them open, looking around the aisles of seats and up to the altar. “Luhan?” he called out in the seemingly empty church. “Where are you? What’s going on?”
The corridors were empty of life, despite the soft rings of moonlight that spilled onto the red carpet. The walls were quiet. The large cross was ominous as it hung over rows of empty pews; a place of worship reduced to a graveyard of sanctity. At the altar sat a small man, barely different from his surroundings with something settled in the center of his folded legs.
He smiled immediately when his roommate barreled through the door, shifting the half-drained bottle of wine in his hand to wave in the air.
“Over here, hyung.” He sang, tilting back to drain another gulp from the glass. His sleeve wiped away the remnants with an equally lazy grin.
“It’s not sinful if it’s the blood of Christ. Let’s drink all of it.”
(`he closed his eyes, sighing thankfully that someone finally saw him as a man) Well yeah, I’m seventeen. But, I like to think I’m pretty mature for my age and I hate when people call me a baby. (`narrows his eyes slightly at the male, curious as to if he would call Yugyeom a baby after hearing his age)
[ ‘ Lu’s brows lifted, as if expecting more from his new acquaintance to fill the awkward gap of staring. He then blinked, coming around to the implication and letting out a small laugh. ]
I wouldn’t call you a baby. I hate it when people call me by my real name. What should I call you, then?
“Effort? All I have to do is open a bag,” he couldn’t help but tease the younger man. Yet before Won Bin even had the chance to pour any into his hand the other was already nosing in. Literally. He pulled the bag away from Luhan and chuckled, shaking his head slightly as he set the bag on the counter. “You should try on some time, they help your heart.”
He moved away from the other to sit back at the table, gathering his papers to set them on the side. There would be no chance for him to do any work now that Luhan was awake, but he always enjoyed his company either way.
“I was just finishing up some paperwork. What are you up to? Did I wake you?”
“Not that, you know, the chewing.” He imitated the motion by gnashing his teeth together, taking the opportunity to hoist himself onto the counter. His cheek squished against the cabinet, one hand feathering over the small knob in an absent fit of boredom, his eyes lazily tethered to Won Bin’s shape.
“Mm...no, you didn’t. I couldn’t sleep. Although you’re awfully loud when you read.” He poked, lips quirking into a small grin.
“More scriptures? What’s the plan for tomorrow, Father?”
“Lac-ri-mo-sa,” His small shoulders bunched beneath his uniform when his roommate teased. His dumpling soup didn’t look all that appetizing anymore. He tried to flash an apologetic smile - oh, did he try. No amount of warm gestures or friendly small-talk could hold a candle to the four boys circled around him, looming, picking at threads of his uniform and strands of his black hair. The new boy sitting opposite of him looked confused. At first, he’d tried to defend Lu, urging the boys to cut it out. But now something shifted in his eyes.
“Oh, you poor kid. You don’t know why he’s called that?”
Lu’s small fingers tightened around his spoon. No- not this one. Not again. His lips were curled against each other while a storm raged in his throat.
“Stop,” He uttered, waving at the hand curled through the back of his hair. The new kid was still bewildered. Cautious. His interest gave the go ahead for Lu’s demon to continue.
“There’s a big lake, huge--” The tallest one with curly hair stopped to flash a crooked smile. His expression turned too grave for any ten year old to bear. His friends wore a similar look of disgust.
“He was born on it. In the middle of a boat.”
Lu was ready flare, standing up from his seat with tears covering his brown eyes. “Feng, stop.” A hand shoved him back into his chair. Lu bit his lip until it numbed and glared at the table’s edge.
“The boat sank, and his parents drowned.” The curly haired menace continued. It was a horrible rumor he’d been teased with a thousand times. Lu began to protest that it wasn’t true, earning him another fistful of hair held captive by one of the leader’s quiet helpers. Tears were now beginning to roll in small beads down his cheeks. He sniffled. The bully grabbed his jaw and pointed to the clear solution.
“He lived in the lake for seven years, then he crawled out. Even his tears are from the water. See? Even his name means--”
“Stop!” Everyone’s eyes raised in surprise when the new kid spoke up. Lu’s glimmered with a well of hope. He knew this one was different. He knew it.
“It’s disgusting,” He hissed, standing up from his seat.
Yes. Finally.
“Who would drown their parents?”
A little more!
“You’re a freak. Can I sit wit you guys instead?” He grabbed his tray and shouldered past Lu, causing a spit up of soup to land on his sleeve from the bowl.
“I have seen the dark universe yawning
Where the black planets roll without aim,
Where they roll in their horror unheeded,
Without knowledge, or lustre, or name.”
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