ordinary

there's nothing wrong with being ordinary

[mmpip-blog]

shrivelfig.

starter for @mmhanbin !

pip knows the greenhouses like the back of his hand. he knows when anything’s out of place - after all it’s partly his job to keep everything in it’s spot, so when he walks in one day and notices a trowel knocked off the long table in the centre of the greenhouse, no laying on the floor in the middle of the walkway, he frowns. he knows he left it on the table with the others last night. 

someone’s been in here.

usually pip would just suppose it was one of the other herbology students, or club members, but everyone knows pip’s meticulous with the greenhouse, and that he won’t be pleased finding something out of it’s place - that’s how he knows it isn’t one of them. he’s crouching down to pick up the trowel and set it back on the table, when he hears a rustle from deeper inside the greenhouse. 

glaring in the direction of the noise pip draws his wand, leaving the trowel on the floor, and slowly moves towards the source of the noise. if it’s an animal he’ll be less angry - they don’t know any better, but his guts telling him it isn’t, that it’s another student, trying to mutilate his babies right under his nose. 

quietly, he steps into the little corridor of plants he heard the noise in and stops, eyes falling on a figure crouched low further along the aisle, picking from one of pip’s beautiful plants. “step away from the shrivelfig before i relieve you of you feet.” his voice is calm, quiet, but incredibly threatening. no one touches his babies without his permission, especially inexperienced hands.

[mmhanbin]

if someone told hanbin five years ago that he would soon resort to thievery to make end’s meet he would have scoffed, indignant at the sentiment. but oh, how the tables have turned: penny pinching and surviving off of ramyun alone has left the healer-in-training rather worse for wear. with no money lining his jeans, hanbin had no choice but to become a criminal. suffering from insomnia and malnutrition were the root of all his problems, and a euphoria potion was his fix in the morning to help him get through the day. unfortunately, his shelf of ingredients was running low, and the wares sold in wizarding shoppes were out of his price range. desperate times call for desperate measures—and his desperation was what lead him here to yosul, looming over greenhouse’s doorway. checking if the coast was clear from his periphery, he brandishes his wand, casting a nonverbal alohomora before slipping within. 

he’s familiar with the layout of the greenhouse, had been a part of the herbology club in his heyday, so it wasn’t too hard to find the necessary ingredients for the eurphoria potion he’d cook up in his meth lab ( okay, it wasn’t really a meth lab, it was actually his bathtub because he couldn’t just keep his cauldron in his living room. shit’s too big and his apartment is too small ) he travels deeper into the bowels of the conservatory, ducking under blooming flora and poisonous barbs, knocking his hip into the sharp corner of a table, eliciting a low hiss and a curse from him. he perseveres though, not letting the injury deter him. walking in circles and peering into garden beds, he’s all but ready to give up, until he stumbles upon one of the primary ingredients for his concoction of choice: shrivelfig. 

“ahh, there you are, my precious,” hanbin coos ominously, bending down and pulling out the trowel and garden shears he had packed in his rucksack. he’s gentle as he plucks them from the garden bed they were snuggled in, carefully depositing them into his bag as he searches for the other ingredients within his vicinity. he pauses in his movements when a noise from behind startles him, causing him to turn his head, confronted with an unfamiliar face. as unappealing as a confrontation was, hanbin could deal with an altercation, perhaps not within the greenhouse, where they could possibly harm the plants if things got messy. casting a quiet reducio onto his bag, he quickly pockets it before turning to face whomever caught him in the midst of his heist. “i mean the shrivelfig no harm. don’t shoot, officer.” ( perhaps now wasn’t the best time to joke around... )

[mmjaehyun]

it takes two

@mmhanbin

“oh fuck,” wincing, jaehyun presses his palm to his head, which now feels very much as if it’s pulsating along with each and every one of his heartbeats.

yep, it truly is his unlucky day. a troll stumbling upon the courtyard of campus is an extremely unlikely episode. its encounter with first-years, of all the god damn years, is even more unfortunate. jaehyun couldn’t just hide. luckily, he was able to knock it out with not one but five incantations of stupefy (trolls really are too big for their own good). on the less than fortuitous side, he wasn’t able to do so before getting thwacked heavily in the head by one of the troll’s fists. jaehyun still remembers the immediate ringing in his ears that ensued, then the empathic groans from the sixteen-year-olds standing behind him.

three knocks in quick succession on hanbin’s door. each of them sounds louder than they should be.

when the door swings open, and he finally stands before his hyung, the tone of his skin is sickly; around his eyes, veins begin to become more apparent where they weren’t before. there’s a pretty good amount of dried blood smeared on his face. “hyung, i think i broke my nose. and maybe i also have a concussion.” a pause. he gulps, then turns to the side. a little bit of vomit pours from his lips. well, there goes my dinner.

[mmhanbin]

boiling water shouldn’t be as hard as it is for hanbin, who has boiled his second pot of water into evaporation after having fallen asleep for the fourth time since he’s started studying. he just wanted to make tea, but apparently he couldn’t do even that. forgoing tea making all together, the healer-in-training settles on his perch before the multitude of scrolls, tomes, and study guides pertaining to his accursed major. only he would undertake a laborious profession without thinking of the consequences, but he was already in too deep, far too late to change majors now, so he lies in the bed he’s made for himself. continuing where he left off earlier, hanbin studies until he’s crosseyed and famished. it was just his luck that when he decides its time to eat that someone would come knocking upon his humble abode. brow furrowed, wand in his hand, hanbin steps cautiously towards his door, peering into the peephole and seeing jaehyun beyond his doorway, looking worse for wear. springing into action, he yanks open his door,  aghast at the roughened state he was in. “j-jaehyun ! come inside, hurry—” with gentle hands, hanbin ushers him inside, not caring for the trail of vomit left in his wake ( he could always clean it up later ) carefully leading him towards his couch hwere hanbin kicks away the table with more force than necessary to make space “—holy shit...what the fuck happened to you ?—” working quickly, hanbin casts a nonverbal diagnostic spell, his lips pursed in deep thought as he carefully reads the multi-colored aurora that appeared over jaehyun’s head “—you’re definitely right about that concussion. try to stay awake while i patch you up okay ?”

hanbin has always worked well under pressure, instinctually knowing what needed to be done. he starts off with the more pressing injury at hand: the concussion. while he’s witnessed jaeho and other senior healers mend concussions with magic, hanbin wasn’t confident enough to do the same. rushing into his bathroom, he opens his medicine cabinet, pulling out his vial dittany which he kept for emergency situations—like right now. returning just as quickly as he left, he unstoppers the vial, carefully grasping jaehyun’s jaw, coaxing the woozy man to open his mouth before tipping over the vial, letting three drops of dittany splash onto his tongue, “the dittany will help with the concussion and any mild concussions. for the broken nose...well—” without warning, hanbin casts a nonverbal episky grimacing in sympathy “—an episky does just the trick—” with a flick of his wrist, hanbin summons a pitcher of water and two glasses, pouring water into each before handing one towards jaehyun “—gonna hafta deal with that concussion the old fashioned way. so fluids, elevation, and staying awake are key to a swift recovery. but now that the worst is over...mind telling me what roughed you up like this ?”

[mmhanbin]

saetbyeol 

the request is sudden and her eyes drift slowly to the hill of papers she’s yet to complete but something about his tone, the way he looks has her caught – a breath against her throat; tongue at her cheek. but nonetheless, despite reluctance at her heels, she rises from her seat and gingerly pushes it back into place before she stands beside him, coat and purse in tow.

and while she wants to ask what’s wrong; she’s never outright, never upfront with what she wants to say. maybe the fear is too much – maybe the need to console is far greater. instead, she takes his hand in hers and pulls them out the door. “let’s go, you did say the soju was on you, right?”

relief floods in him, dissolving the tension that pinched his shoulders and held his spine ramrod straight. he gives her a wide berth, letting her collect herself before stepping out of her office, only to be deterred by the familiar feeling of her hand slipping into his. flabbergasted, he can only watch dumbly as saetbyeol leads them out her doorway and into the night. shaking off his earlier surprise, he quickens his gait to fall in step beside her, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. “you heard me right—” his grin is cheeky, crows feet appearing at the corners of his eyes “—can’t drink you under the table tonight though, i have an 8am shift tomorrow morning.”

as they exit campus, hanbin draws his coat closer around him, warding off the cold as he leads them down a familiar path towards one of their haunts from their yosul days. it’s quite a ways away, but the journey there had always been enjoyable, even if it were naught but comfortable silence between them or raucous laughter that echoed throughout the streets like a siren. but silence blankets over them tonight, and hanbin takes this time to marvel at seoul’s nightlife. seoul at night differed greatly from the corporate aura it exudes in broad daylight. at night, city dwellers exchange their suits for more comfortable clothing, become creatures of habit as they linger in cafes and restaurants, spending time with their familiars—just as saetbyeol and hanbin soon would. hanbin pauses at the corner store just shy of han river park, “wait for me here, i’ll go grab our shit—” letting go of her hand, he ambles into the store, making a beeline towards beverages and snagging the first six pack of soju he sees. butting into the aisles, he plucks a small assortment of snacks they could munch on whilst imbibing alcohol. satisfied with his selection, he purchases them and leaves the store, finding saetbyeol where he had left her earlier “—c’mon, lets get going, i got everything.”

in little, to no time at all, they arrive at han river park. scanning the premise, hanbin chooses a spot close to the water and settles on the dry thatch of grass there, patting the space beside him as he opens the plastic bag full of goods, immediately handing his friend the first bottle of soju before opening one for himself and taking a swig. the trail of liquid fire left in his throat is a familiar burn, and he basks in the warmth it leaves in its wake. "this is pretty familiar, huh ? haven’t really been back here since graduation. ‘s nostalgic.”

[mmhanbin]

jiyi

unfortunately, she did wake him up. at least there’s a soft cotton duvet to cushion the annoyance, because she sees none of it on his face when sleepy eyes meet her own. she laughs at how obviously out of it he is, perching on one of the armrests of the couch she’d dropped him on; hanbin seems to have noticed his mistake, too, but she can’t resist teasing him anyway. “this is my common room, oppa, it’s a surprise to see you.”

she shakes her head when he asks, reassuring him, “you didn’t! or, well,” she shrugs, making a face in the direction of her books, “i was studying, so you know i wouldn’t call this a disturbance.” she sighs and places her face in her hands, looking at hanbin. “did you have a lot of people at the med centre today? you look exhausted,” she accios a cup of water over from her table, and holds it out to the other man.

haesung’s probably fast asleep by now, so his room is out, and she definitely can’t smuggle the older man into her dorm without setting off three different alarms and a whole lot of rumours she doesn’t want around her. so instead she takes a pillow from the couch beside them and fluffs it up, tapping hanbin’s head to get him to raise it so she can slide it under his head. “don’t you wanna go home and sleep, instead? you can’t always just sleep in our common room, you know.”

“it was mine, too, once upon a time,” hanbin quips back, sending a half-hearted glare his dongsaeng’s way. yosul will always be his home away from home, that would never change, no matter how many years have passed since his departure. he practically lived here still, anyway, with how many times he’s ended up sleeping on ju jak’s common room floor. “it’s been a long time. sorry for not stopping by to check up on you all.”

hanbin still feels slightly sluggish from the rude awakening he had received, and he’s all too happy to accept the glass of water jiyi offers him. taking small sips, he relishes in the clarity the beverage gives him, quickly downing the rest before setting the glass down upon the table he had slumped over earlier, “i’m glad to be some form of entertainment to you. p’rolly needed a break anyway, retention yanno—” he taps the side of his head with his index finger, a sleepy but cheeky smile on his lips “—working at the facility is fun. we were just understaffed tonight, and i offered to stick around for a lil bit. that lil bit turned out to be two hours—” he stretches his limbs, settling into a more comfortable position, burrowing himself deeper into the duvet jiyi had conjured “—i would if i could, but i missed the bus, and yanno how i am with apparition...can’t do that shit. makes me sick, even if it’s just side-along. and it’s not like i’m taking too much space in the common room ! don’t tell me you’d turn me away, jiyi...”

[mmheeyeon]

&&. TALK FAST.

[mmhanbin]

heeyeon

( ` he’s gonna do it! heeyeon stares into his eyes as he holds her face between his hands. she’d never noticed just how handsome ❤️ hanbin ❤️ had been until this very moment– her eyes flutter shut as he whirls her into a chair, whatever he’d said going in one ear and out the other. the kiss doesn’t come, and she opens one eye with a pout to find him leaving her with a stern ‘stay here’. he shoves a glass of water into her hands, and she drinks it with no hesitation. aw, he’d wanted her to be hydrated! how sweet. ) huh ? no ! no, god, i’m not high. ( ` high off love, maybe, her brain supplies helpfully. she’s not like that han kid who’d come in a couple days ago, high off his ass– she was too poor to buy her way out of jail if she was caught with drugs. ) just- look. okay. listen. let’s go make babies, ❤️ hanbin ❤️.

not this again ! c’mon heeyeon, please snap out of it. you don’t really mean that. i think someone cursed you or something. just...hold still and let me fix this, okay ? can you do that for me ? ( ` he buries his face into his hands, groaning as heeyeon begins spouting off that same nonsense again. sure they had made a pact that by the time she’s thirty they’d bone, but hanbin wanted to experience love, to actually be in a relationship where his feelings were reciprocated rather than suffer in pining like he has been these last five years. but alas, he’s here,  half tempted to bewitch heeyeon with a sleeping charm, but that’s only as a last resort should his first option fail him. pulling his wand out of its holster, he holds heeyeon at wandpoint, murmuring a quick finite incantatem ) hopefully that worked. once i find the bastard that hexed you stupid, imma kick their ass ! 

[dovounq]

highway to heaven // doyoung

[bnxyeonghui-deactivated20191026]

@mmhanbin​

her heart skipped over a thousand beats. her body was trapped within an embrace of an unfamiliar man ( most likely an alumni ? ). the attention of the crowd zoomed in onto the pair, becoming the center of attention inside the grand dining hall. ( this situation, was uncalled for ) 

if it weren’t for the pair of a thousand eyes on her, she would have had him sent him flying to the nurse’s office. and rather than drowning from the eyes of the surrounding public, she fixed eyes onto his, glaring straight into his soul. she mouthed with gritted teeth, “excuse me, can you let me—” before cutting herself off at hearing his bold question, “can i kiss you, please?” feelings with a mix of panic, confused, and touched rushed through her own chest. an expression of being baffled and being annoyed shown on her face as her right brow twitched for a second. her ears a blushed pink with embarrassment. ( seriously, i’ll have to deal with him one-on-one later ) with honestly no where to go or escape, she quickly obliged and shyly nodded.

[mmhanbin]

he watches with rapt attention as a myriad of emotions cross her face within the span of seconds. he’s transfixed, dazzled, beguiled by a girl whose name he should have asked for before requesting a kiss—a request in which she acquiesced to. but hanbin didn’t want her reluctance; he wanted her to be sure, wanted her to be comfortable with him. he forgoes that kiss—he can always collect it at a later time—and tries to assimilate her to his touch. he starts slow by taking her hand in his, playfully tugging at her fingers before he leads her away from prying eyes, and out of the great hall—she can’t get comfortable if they’re being watched, and hanbin never did like having an audience. so he escorts her towards the benches hidden behind overgrown foliage in the courtyard. he sits, bringing her along with him and never once letting go of her hand. with their interlocked fingers between them, hanbin's free hand hovers a hair’s width from her face before he finally touches the apple of her cheek with his fingertips, brushing aside her hair to get a clearer view of her face.  “you’re so pretty—” hanbin exhales dreamily, starry eyed and cheeky “—i could stare at you all day. it’d be my favorite hobby.”

he leans forward, getting into her personal space as his hand swoops down to touch the column of her neck, settling upon the juncture of her shoulder. he lazily brushes his thumb over her nape, gauging her reaction, doing nothing more. feeling brave, he dips his head lower until they’re at eye level, maintaining eye contact as he inches closer and closer before his lips touch the corner of her mouth, testing the waters.

[mmharam-blog]

the defender. / @mmhanbin​

by near-sunset, you spot our (arguably) favorite inciter in the potions laboratory. the day’s been relatively slower than most, but haram lets it be in the interim. standing by the exit with books in one arm, he waits for his project-partner as she empties the glass flasks by the sink. yisol, a seemingly well-groomed, well-behaved student in class with decent achievements if not almost-stellar. 

yisol, with a pensive smile and fingers that fidget through her steps towards haram.

i can’t believe she got an o on that project of hers. it’s a mix of envy, pride, and greed. she’s quick to open up to his friendly bearing, spilling this and that about the girl who aced her project earlier this afternoon. how she, compared to her, can do so much better if it weren’t for the professor’s blatant favoritism. the lopsided smile that creeps up on her lips as she goes on and on, blind to haram’s smile that double-crosses.

“and, are you jealous?”

his voice brims with hospitality, but his words obviously belong on the flip-side. yisol, flustered, quickly hits back with a huffy ‘no, of course not–,’ gesturing with her hands as she babbles just about the most unintelligible weave of words in her defense. 

“you’ve had the past five– no, six years to prove yourself.” pause, then he continues with a step towards her, fixing the book that’s coming to a fall in his arm. “have you thought about how if you could’ve done it, you already would’ve?” yisol steps back in her intuitive guard, recognizing nothing of haram’s prior demeanor in the way he pries.

has he always smiled like that?

“if you just accept that fact that yoorim’s been exceedingly better than you since birth, i promise it will be so, so much easier on you.”

and with that, to no one’s surprise, she cracks. her face flushed in mahogany, she breaks down with a muffled cry, his words crushing the walls that have been covering up the truth: the one she’s been oh-so-dreading for years. her heart’s probably in ashes by the time she strides out the door with a palm over her teary eyes, and to the readers’ silent boo, haram shouts a little above the level of inside-voices with his smile still intact. 

“–lies will only add to the buildup of your fall, yisol! think on it.”

with a soft grunt, he bends down to pick up the fallen notes from her binder before shaking off the dust. clumsy, clumsy. and by the time he steps out the door himself, he’s just a tad bit surprised to see the silent third person in the scene, semi-blocking his path. though, the curtains to the show have already come to a close.

act ii, anyone?

“well, hello– can i help you with something?”

[mmhanbin]

sometimes, hanbin thinks that his kindness will truly be his undoing. he never should have offered his services to the yosul’s potions professor, who was more than happy to order the healer-in-training around on menial task runs around campus. and like the fool he is, hanbin never denies them. its how he finds himself here now, a file on the current inventory of supplies tucked under his arm, and a cup of coffee to go in hand. he walks through campus, following a familiar path towards the potion’s laboratory to see what ingredients needed restocking, and what was in surplus for him to steal bits of. he’s outside the door, hand poised over the handle when he overhears a conversation between two students within. curious, hanbin leans closer until his ear is pressed against the heavy doors. although muffled, he hears the gist of the chat, brows furrowing and lips coming down into a frown. since when were kids these day this mean to one another ? hanbin thinks as he hears someone begin to cry. concerned now that something horrible is taking place beyond the doorway, he plans on bursting into the threshold, only for it to open before he could charge in, a student having come in his way. the student in question looks up at him curiously, polite and slightly unnerving.

“not at the moment, no—” hanbin replies tersely, looking past them towards the girl who had stifled her sobs once she realized they had an audience.“—wait here. i need to talk to you after i speak with her.” with a pointed look at the man in the doorway, hanbin shoulders his way past him, closing the distance between himself and the girl, who shies away from his probing questions. ( he was only trying to help, it’s what he does best ) turning away from her, hanbin exits the classroom, closing the door behind him as he turns his attention to the other person who had been inside. hanbin had heard bits and pieces of their conversation within, listened to the cruel way he had all but crushed the girl’s self-esteem with a few scathing remarks. “i’m hanbin, the unofficial teacher’s aid for potions—” he asserts himself as an authority figure, hoping to intimidate the man into confessing his wrongdoings “—why don’t we have a little chat. follow me please.”

he leads them towards the courtyard, where students milled about, basking in the beautiful afternoon weather. taking him aside to one of the benches, hanbin gestures for him to sit while he remains standing, acting in an imposing manner as he looks down at them. “it’d be a cause for concern if the staff caught wind of bullying happening on campus, don’t you think ?—” hanbin throws out the word, hoping to elicit a reaction out of him and pin him down with a confession “—what were you two doing in there, anyway ?”

[markylee]

💖

[mmhanbin]

jungmi

her limbs were heavy through the air like treading water, thoughts a haze of chaos all centered in one direction; like a teacher asking everyone to yell out answers to a question with mixed results. because daeil is off limits, gunho, as if, daehyun would torture her more. and, if she were honest ( she’s too drunk to be anything less than honest ) she just wants to see him again. she walks the tight rope until losing balance and landing against the door with a slam. she knows this is where he still is. it’s so weird knowing that he hasn’t moved, but rather, they simply hadn’t spoken in so long ( time withers away the flowery memories of what their friendship used to be ) she craves a reconnection, especially when so many parts of her life had fallen apart recently.

standing at the door and waiting with a pout, it takes him longer than she thought to answer ( or maybe she’s just slightly drunk and impatient ) wobbling when the door opens wide to reveal hanbin. the way the air stirs around when it the door swings sends his scent whooshing at her, fresh air that’s cool and distinctly hanbin and she breathes in and then fizzles out ( flustered but then he says “oh…it’s you” and everything in her dies a little ) she bites her lip and nods, smiles too. “it’s me.” her tone is off-puttingly bright, and only the slightest bit slurred. she hadn’t ever wanted to meet him again in this typical fashion. she wanted to prove that she was different than before, like in yosul when she showed up so often, drunk, out of options. that’s only half correct this time. drunk, yes but last resort? there’s other places she could go but she wants to go here. jungmi gives him a smiles, “can i come in?” she’s already wandering closer to him with her arms out. it had been so, so long since she’d last seen him. he didn’t look different, maybe more tired, more weary. her head is foggy and she stumbles, pivoting forward right towards him and what she meant to be a greeting hug becomes more of a collision.

it takes him a moment to realize he’s not dreaming, that the ghost in front of him was in fact corporeal, and not his fraying nerves and hyperactive brain playing tricks on him. in the next moment, he’s awash with regret. words can cut deeper than any knife, and hanbin sees firsthand, the affect his words have on her. sees the tightening of her eyes, the stiffening of her spine, and the way she nibbles at her lip—he’s hurt her. pressing his lips into a thin line, he backs away from the door, granting her entry. “of course, you’re always welcome here—” he does this all against his better judgement: he’s got papers to write, tomes to read, some zzz’s to catch, but jungmi has always been the exception to everything. that hasn’t changed, even after a year of radio silence “—make yourself at home. nothing’s really changed since the last time you were here.”

he shifts his weight from one leg to the other, ready to duck out from under the doorway and run back into the kitchen, but her sudden movement gave him pause. she’s closer than he realized, and he panics, wanting more than anything to back away, to put distance between them because it was too much. the years he spent pining for her was a festering wound he constantly picked at, having never let it heal. there are days where he lays awake in bed, his mind swimming with thoughts of her until he slept. wherein his thoughts of her bled into his dreams, haunting him even in slumber. hanbin wasn’t ready for this, but if not now, when ? he sighs, stepping closer because he knew that any moment she’d stumble, and stumble she did, right into his awaiting arms, her forehead ramming right against his sternum, causing the breath in his lungs to escape him as he took on the full brunt of her weight. 

this was normal, this was routine. he’s done this a number of times for her when they were younger, back when he had first gotten his apartment. sighing for what felt like the hundredth time that night, hanbin rearranges her in his arms, taking one of hers and wrapping it around his shoulders as he splays his hand firmly over her flank, supporting her as best as he could while leading her towards the couch, and depositing her there, carefully. unsheathing his wand from his pocket, he wordlessly summons a glass, nonverbally casting aguamenti into the cup before handing it to her. “here, drink this. it should clear your head enough for you to tell me what’s up—” he retakes his seat on the floor, crossing his legs as he waits for jungmi to gather her bearings “—did something happen ? do you wanna talk about it ?”

[mmhanbin]

no, i can’t do this all on my own, i’m no superman @minhyukmm

“you’re free to go on break, kang-ssi,” the senior healer hanbin had been shadowing says from over his shoulder, sterilizing his hands under a wash. “we’ll reconvene in my office to go over your progress for the day. see where you excelled, and where you fell short. dismissed.”

with a jerk of his head, hanbin excuses himself with a bow, peeling off his healer robes, and setting it on one of the hooks drilled into the wall outside the break room. stepping inside, hanbin trudges towards the couch pushed flush against the wall. he sits it, the back of his head brushing the wall behind him, eyes fluttering shut as exhaustion blankets over him like a second layer of skin. he loves his job, truly he does. hanbin genuinely enjoys meeting new people, has fun making their acquaintance, and talking to them about the things they’d do once they leave the facility. he’s having a blast giving back to the community, to the world, that opened doors for him. what he really hated was going home to a pantry devoid of food, to the mountain of books waiting to be studied, and the unfinished papers he had yet to write due by the end of next week. hanbin truly was a glutton for punishment, procrastinating as much as he has. it sets him on edge, making him irritable, and stressed, making him terrible company. but what the fuck can he do ? nothing, apparently, so he’s content to swim in his inner turmoil

time passes slowly as he counts down the minutes until the end of his break. his stomach has begun protesting for the umpteenth time that evening, and it was slowly chipping away at his sanity. his hand twitches against his thigh, itching for a cigarette and cursing his own stupidity for leaving his unopened pack at home. he knows that he needs to ween himself off of them, but old habits really fucking die hard. hangry, and probably dying of starvation, he stands with the intention of leaving to find sustenance somewhere, maybe steal someone’s lunch. as he twists the door handle, it swings open, hitting him square in the face. “fuck !” 

[mmhanbin]

i’d be damned, cupid’s demanding back his arrow @mmeunyeong

the party’s in full swing by the time the gold wrought dessert carts are pushed past the double doors of the great hall, and parked beside the other tables displaying catered food. there was hardly any space left in his stomach ( quite hard to believe, i know ) but if hanbin was anything, he was a glutton. curious as to what yosul’s baking club concocted this year, he circles around the dance-floor, side-stepping and shouldering his way past old classmates and unfamiliar faces. finally getting to his intended destination, he’s hunched over the desserts, taking his time looking over the assortment of treats that had been handcrafted by yosul’s pâtissiers. picking a cupcake off of the display stand—a cute little thing with a strawberry garnish—he swipes a finger into the fluffy cloud of whipped cream, popping it into his mouth for a quick taste, which was decadent. flavor burst over his tastebuds, unable to help himself, he forgoes savoring the cupcake and peels off the foil, taking a delicate bite. he moans, loudly, garnering the attention of passersby, who laugh at him from behind their hands. but he doesn’t give a shit ( let a man enjoy himself, damn ) 

as he bites into the strawberry ( gotta save the best part for last, right ? ) hanbin feels an intense heat bubbling in his gut, spreading throughout his body until he’s tingly all over. heart rate picking up, hanbin lurches forward, hands gripping the table in front of him, knuckles white as he waits for whatever’s overcome him to pass. but he only gets hotter, so hot it was unbearable. he hisses through clenched teeth as he tears off his tie, fumbling over the buttons of his shirt in his race to loosen it, a few buttons of his shirt popping off, clattering noisily onto the marble floors. a worthy sacrifice now that he feels like he can breathe easier, but the uncomfortable heat remains. water, hanbin thinks, i need water. turning on his heel, he makes a bee line for the drink table. in his haste, hanbin bumps into another body ( soft, supple, sweet smelling ) he catches them before they could fall, his hands wrapping around the tops of their arms as he steadies them. letting go of them, he steps back, an apology on the tip of his tongue, but stops short once he lays his eyes upon them. a sweet face framed by dark hair, cupid’s bow lips, a piercing gaze. he staggers, awestruck by the woman standing before him. hanbin knows what this is. it’s something he’s felt before: an all consuming emotion that left him breathless, confused, and wanting when he had his first brush with it. this was love; unadulterated and irrational. 

“wow...” hanbin breathes, heart in his throat as he steps closer, towering over the pretty woman who captivated him at first glance. his love addled mind couldn’t comprehend how everything about this was wrong. he’s in love with someone else, has been for the past five years, but he couldn’t even remember her name, not when the newfound center of his universe stood before him. “you’re so pretty—” he murmurs, closing more distance between them, walking her backwards until she bumps into the table behind them, boxing her in with hands braced on either side of her hips “—can i kiss you, please ?”

[dovounq]

what is he so cute for!!!

[mmhanbin]

jiyi

jiyi’s busy studying for alchemy, one of the few students left in the common room at this time. she isn’t in it for the grades, and her attention’s only half-hearted because of it; alchemy’s fun, but the exams are terrible. haesung’s drawn up a couple of mind maps of the most important points for her, despite not even taking the class, and she’s grateful but it isn’t quite helping either.

which is why, when the common room door swings open and hanbin wanders in, eyes bleary and just throws himself over the coffee table, jiyi immediately perks up, glad to have something to break up the monotony of studying. “oppa,” she calls, carefully quiet, and huffs when hanbin doesn’t respond. she’s getting a little too used to seeing the jujak alumni in their common room, but she’s also getting much better at settling him down; it’s become an almost weekly thing to see the ymmc staff fast asleep in random corners after having missed his bus or just been too flat out exhausted to get himself anywhere else.

she conjures up a soft cotton duvet and blankets him in it, an easy leviosa bringing hanbin up and to the couch instead of the much less appealing coffee table. jiyi drops him down a little less gracefully than she’d like, jostling him as he lands onto the couch. oops.

“hanbin, hanbin oppa?” she whispers it, just in case, “did you wake up…”

he’s too tired to open his eyes, but he hears a familiar, yet faint, voice close to his ear. he hears his name, and the only acknowledgement he offers is a soft grunt before his body goes slack once again. whoever was pestering him into wakefulness, hanbin hopes they quit it soon. a cranky kang hanbin, especially one who hasn’t slept for more than three hours, is a hanbin that he wishes upon no one. he knows better than anyone ( okay, maybe heeyeon knows too ) how bad he can get in the morning: on edge, nerves frayed, hangry. in other words, hanbin turns into a whiny little bitch when he hasn’t had his cup of coffee and a biscuit to nibble on. 

he’s about to move into a more comfortable position on the surface he’s thrown himself onto when he feels something soft and warm envelope him. it was heavenly, as if he were floating on a cloud. the calming sensory information nearly lulls him back to sleep, that is, until he falls, the action jolting him awake and mentally scrambling to find his bearings. jackknifing into a seated position, hanbin blinks the bleariness out of his vision, his head swinging too and fro to gain an understanding of his surroundings. and from the corner of his eye, he sees jiyi, one of his favorite, if not the favorite, dongsaeng. 

“jiyi, what a surprise to see you here,” he rasps, rubbing his face with a hand tiredly. he takes a moment to pause, rethinking his statement before he lets out a laugh. it should be the other way around, really. he’s always stopping by in the ju jak common room unannounced. “sorry, jiyi. i didn’t disturb you did i ?—” he looks at her from beyond the couch she must have levitated him unto ( truly his favorite dongsaeng ) “—i’m sorry if i did.”

[mmheeyeon]

&&. TALK FAST.

[mmhanbin]

heeyeon

( ` almost distracted at the prospect of food. ALMOST. but she’s a determined woman, and she wants to be making a baby right now! ) no ! what ? why would i be kidding ? ( ` genuinely perplexed– they’d made a pact to get married and have kids if she was still single at 30! sure, there were still a couple more years to go, but it seems inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. they’re gonna have kids, get married, and live in a house with a beautiful white picket fence! or whatever seoul’s equivalent of that is. heeyeon’s sure they can figure out their crippling student loans along with the cost of a baby somehow, because true love always comes out on top! ) c’mon, i’m ovulating ! it’s the perfect time ! you’re the perfect guy to start a family with !everything is… perfect !

whoa, whoa, whoa, tmi, heeyeon ! c’mon quit it, this is insane ! (  ` he pulls his hand from out of her grasp and moves to grasp her shoulders, forcing her around to face him. he cups her face, holding her gaze as he takes mental notes of what he sees. physically she’s fine as far as he can see ) jesus your eyes are blown, heeyeon. did you... ( ` he leans forward, speaking in a whisper ) are you crossfaded right now ? you’re really flushed too...here let’s sit down and lemme get you a glass of water (  ` he sits his friend down in a chair, leaving her for a moment to grab her a drink. he returns pushing it into her hands ) hopefully water’ll calm you down...jesus you’re fucking wild. how could you get high without me ? ( ` he’s pouting now. a lil buzz woulda helped him stomach this event. heeyeon truly has betrayed him. was it too late to find a new roommate ? )

[booksqouted]

You never got what you wanted; you just learned to get by without it.

Celeste Ng, Everything I Never Told You (via booksqouted)

[mmheeyeon]

&&. TALK FAST.

( ` catches a glimpse of herself in the cauldron that’s holding punch. heeyeon looks paler than usual– was today’s shift that tiring? she knows the answer before the hypothetical question’s even finished. no, because she’d worked it with ❤️ hanbin ❤️. where is he, anyway? merlin’s beard, she misses him. so bad. she pushes through throngs of people, rattling off halfhearted apologies until she catches a glimpse of the familiar shirt. why did he look so good!!! it’s unfair to her and her poor heart. ) ❤️ hanbinie - oppa ! ❤️ ( ` you never call him that, why’s the sudden change? there’s a part of her brain that nags at her, but she can’t find a good reason to why she wouldn’t call her lovely ❤️ hanbin ❤️ with the proper honorifics, as he turns around and all breath is knocked out her lungs. ) i was thinking! why wait 4 whole years? let’s just have a baby now ! let’s go ! ( ` grabs his hand, intent on pulling him to the nearest broom closet. how romantic! they met in yosul, and they’ll even start a family in yosul! )

for @mmhanbin ♡

[mmhanbin]

(  ` he didn’t even want to come in the first place. soirees of this magnitude were always stifling, and were often meant for political power moves; things he had no interest in whatsoever. but the temptation of free food was a siren’s call he couldn’t resist. but before he could even gorge himself, a familiar voice calls out his name. turning around, he sees an equally familiar face: flushed as if she’d had one too many drinks. had she called him oppa? he shakes his head. no fucking way ) heeyeon! look there’s food! we don’t have to go hungry anymo— (  ` he couldn’t even finish his sentence before he was being dragged away, far from the buffet tables, far away from food, his one true love. heeyeon would have thought the same, but she was spouting off about not waiting four years and a baby. wait—) a baby? i thought that was a joke! heeyeon what the fuck? let go of me!