sunny boy

in a station of the metro the apparition of these faces in the crowd;petals on a wet, black bough park kyung, 23 year old rapper, maths genius and faery. part of the mythica rp.

[landlordbergdorf-deactivated201]

Coffee? Or Tea, Whichever.

      @mxkyung  “Hey, do you wanna maybe go get something to eat with me?  We can people watch and observe how many of them aren’t actually human.”  It was an odd request, but Kyungsoo was feeling rather cooped up as of late and he didn’t have too many friends, so he hoped the request wasn’t something that would get denied.  “We can get coffee?  Or Tea.  Whichever you prefer.”

[mxkyung]

“oh, coffee would be great.” he’s been cooping himself up in his room, secluding himself away in order to study, so he could definitely use a trip to somewhere that wasn’t the bathroom. a coffee break sounds great, especially as he’s running on the mere fumes of sleep here.  “I love this plan, let’s get going.”

[mthwasa-blog]

with or without her offer accepted, hwasa is certain that her day has been brightened. her heart softens all too easily for those with sweet smiles and gentle tones, and the faery in her company definitely falls into that group; dulcet in his actions and soft in his words. while he had tried to warn her somewhat of his power, it only made her more comfortable, if anything, to know that she’d be working with another natural rather than a human who may… freak out.

as if like magnets, hwasa stands straighter as the other man leans on the counter. “that’s right,” she acquits, fingernails drumming over marble. “plus, my, ah… preferences make it a little harder to enjoy sweet things.” she hopes that’s enough of a hint; the boy seems to be smart enough. or… so she hopes.

while hwasa was never blessed with the opportunity to revel in some of disney’s works, she’s aware of tinkerbell and thinks of the golden fairy as quite a good comparison to her possible new tester. especially with that giggle– oh, lord. she’s going to become very fond very quickly. she’s not sure if she’s anticipating it or plain worried.

“kyung… erbell?” laughing embarrassedly at her attempt, hwasa brings her hand over her mouth and tilts her head down– only for it to rise again at his words. “you will? oh, that’s great! if you have the time now, you can come through so we can talk more…?”

[mxkyung]

Kyung smiles and nods—his magic makes him sensitive to other naturals, could feel what she was the moment he came in—and he’s never been scared of werewolves. he finds them brave and intriguing, and more generally tolerable than any other of the humans out there. it helps that he’s used to them, has seen them roam the woods when he was exploring outside the boundaries of the court.

“I understand—and, I’m willing to help you.” pauses. “very willing.” it’s exciting to think he’s got some sort of a job now. he’s never had one before. sure, he has helped his mother out several times, but that didn’t constitute as a proper one; he’s always been given plenty of free time in order to pursue his studies.

there is something about the werewolf that puts him at ease; some sort of warmth that reminds him vaguely of his mother. he thinks that he’ll like this partnership, this job; and not so much because of the prospect of sweet baked goods, but more because of her.

there’s little thought about his nod, beaming at her enthusiasm. he already feels welcome to this job, can’t wait to start. “sure, yeah! I’ve got time.”

[mxkyung]

all the other kids | pjh +  pk

[pxkjae-blog]

His eyes completely switch over to looking at the faery’s, blinking with a completely confused look then his head tilts just slightly to the side– well that was something Jae had never given any thought. He always assumed that how he was was how– nearly all ghosts were. Aside from how some were visible to humans–…. did that have to do with magic?

A hand lifts up and begins to lightly tug at the ends of his hair, twisting it around his fingers while his words come out in yet another mumble, “Well actually, I’m not too sure of that myself. I’ve only met a few ghosts, and I think everyone just assumes that we know everything about our species” A small pause where he shakes his head and runs his hand through his hair, ”but nah, I’m probably just as clueless as you are.”

[mxkyung]

Kyung supposes that makes sense-- after all, ghosts seemed to be particularly different from humans. there seemed to be no ghost community from what he could discern, much less some sort of institute among them that would study them, like the fae did, and humans, and most likely the merpeople as well.

“I guess” he starts after a moment, and he wishes he had more to go on than just guessing, “that that makes sense. that you are-- I mean...I don’t know much about ghosts, I haven’t met many, but there’s...not some sort of ghost community? so I doubt there’s a spread of information..I don’t know, I’m just guessing.”

[mxkyung]

blood into ice | kjw + pk

[gray-hawthorne]

It was true that many animals tended to stay in packs for safety, wolves in particular came to mind. However, as humans, faeries, and vampires could all be said to fall into the animal kingdom, the same logic could apply. Lone vampire? The thought made him laugh. Certainly he had traveled by himself for years, but there had always been a family to return to. “No, I am not one of those. My family is here.”

Everything exploited everything else. It was simply how life worked. Lions exploited the gazelle’s soft skin with their teeth. Flowers exploited the attraction of bees to color in order to become pollinated. There was nothing inherently wrong with it. “An honor? Would those serving say that same? Should those exploited, as you say, by humans feel the same gratitude?”

“Is that so bad? They have adapted a system by which they can live comfortably in their short lives. Magic appears to work the same way, adapting one’s surroundings to suit a need. That is not to say the humans’ system is without flaws. They have much to improve upon.”

[mxkyung]

“your family?” it’s not that he is unfamiliar with the concept of vampire families. even though he makes it a general rule not to stay far, far away from vampires, Kyung still has some basic knowledge of them. it just hadn’t occurred to him that this vampire would be part of one—but perhaps he shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. “what are they like?”

the fae shrugged, not feeling like being put on the spot. he hadn’t thought much of it before, doesn’t care much for the fate of changling humans stuck in the court; figures that they’d probably had done something to deserve it. “I suppose it’s not fair to them, but I never paid much attention to them before. I never talked to them anyways, too busy with my own stuff.”

“magic is different—magic is natural. what they are doing? it isn’t. they’re bending the world’s rules just so they can do their own stuff and it’s poisoning the earth.” there was something certain in his words, something that spoke of how he couldn’t be convinced.

[cckento]

Born to Serve // OPEN

[cckento]

Their hostess is a young woman with dangly skull earrings, an ill-fitting blouse, and heavily penciled eyebrows drawn in a constant state of surprise. She gossips to one of her ponytailed cronies behind the counter, but her whispers are purposefully loud.  “The nerdy looking one is about as tall as my waist! Ohymygod that’s so not attractive. Eh, the tall one is kinda cute I guess. But did he pick his clothes out of a homeless shelter bin or what?”

Nevertheless, he shuffles right up to the counter. Considering that the dresscode within Godfrey’s place was also known as “shirtless”, he couldn’t expect a magic makeover from his new boss. Yonghwa squints at the menu and struggles to sound out every little vowel, sometimes tugging on Kyung’s sleeve when he needs help getting through a word he doesn’t recognize. Every few minutes, their impatient hostess interjects with a hasty “Are you ready to order now?”

He hurries along, but that causes him to make more mistakes and take longer than usual. It feels like under the pressure of the haughty hostess in front and the grumbling line behind, the words are blurring together. His mind keeps going blank. He’s had enough.

“I’m sorry, are you supposed to go on your lunchbreak soon?” he asks quietly. The embarrassment in his tone is real, but there’s something exaggerated with the shame that drips from it. The woman makes an exaggerated nod, then drums her manicured fingers against the counter.

Yonghwa’s smile is innocent.

“Ah, then in that case I want five hamburgers with everything on them, an order of cheese fries, one of those small boxes of chicken nuggets – only the dinosaur ones though, you have to pick out the other shapes, those nacho things with the spicy dip, one relish hot dog but with the meat cut into half inch chunks so i don’t choke, and a large soda,” he said, “Oh, and I specifically want you to make them.”

Yonghwa never planned on Kyung paying and after this outrageous order, he would never let the faery’s hand even close to the counter. He reaches into his otherwise empty wallet for the small debit card that Godfrey gave him only the night before. His instructions were that the card was reserved for emergencies and putting some meat on his bones only.

The woman behind the counter fumed and ran to get her manager, a plump woman whom yonghwa easily charmspeaked into berating the spoiled brat. Before their hostess could have any last words, the merman jumped in. “And miss? My clothes may need some patching up,” he said, “But that frizzy perm of yours needs jesus more than that magic marker pentagram drawn on your wrist. We’ll be taking the window seats.”

Yonghwa gave Kyung a little shrug.

“Sorry, I lost track of the conversation,” he said, “You were telling me how the devil’s rectum was assigning you too much homework, right? If you need more time before your midterms, we can always have their indoor sprinkler system have a small…malfunction. Just let me know ahead of time so I can loan you a rain coat.”

Jung Yonghwa is one of those people that can be beaten into the ground again and again, yet still find the strength within them to stand once more. Only, his strength came in the form of both passive aggressiveness and an abnormal level of sass. But at the end of the day, the Jung Yonghwa that Kyung knew would always bounce back.

“But in all seriousness, uh, I really want to thank you for being my teacher,” he adds, “Hey, uh, so how do I use a debit card? I hate holding the line up.“

[mxkyung]

there is a somewhat fierce protectiveness in Kyung when it comes towards his friends. it’s easy to miss and easier to chalk up to some sort of mischievous streak within his heart but no—Kyung might not outright fight, is never truly ready to physically rumble. he’s frail, and has always been, even if his heart doesn’t match his body. in fact, Kyung is always willing to make himself a smaller target; will curl inwards at the sign of danger, hiding within his clothes to present a smaller target.

but none of this lessens his protectiveness—nor the vengeful streak he’s got in him. he works the machinations of the world with a hint of magic, an exhale of energy, to direct harm’s way around his friends or pull them out of it entirely. and vengeance—the belated retribution for those who have messed with he considers his loved ones—that is even sweeter.

it’s a pity Yonghwa’s already on it—though Kyung’s impressed with his friend’s ingenuity. he makes note never to get on the merman’s bad side, somewhat worried about what he’d be able to do. he knows of the charms of merpeople from legends and stories and books—but he’s never seen it in action quite like this.

it takes the faery a lot of control not to laugh, clenching his jaws together to stop the noise from coming out—though his eyes downright sparkle with mirth. there’s laughter lacing his voice as he turns to his friend, leaning a little on the counter.

“it’s alright, I’m ahead with studying anyway. I’ll kick his ass at his own game.” he prefers showing up the teacher—surely he thinks none of the students can get a good grade. well, Kyung will show him otherwise—and if all the other people suddenly get good grades as well…they can’t pin it on him.

“hm.” for a moment, Kyung considers actually helping Yonghwa—it’s valuable experience. except…”I have a better idea.” he wrecks his brain for a moment for the best way to go about it, and then—his tongue curls around familiar words as he gets a bunch of old receipts out of his pocket, grinning at Yongwha as he hands it over to the lady.

they are very clearly old crumpled receipts—

                                                                       —and yet she takes them anyway.

“you can keep the change” he says as she tries to start counting it out, grabbing Yonghwa’s arm to drag him to the aforementioned window booth, throwing himself onto one of the comfortable seats, grinning up at his friend. “I can’t wait until she realises she’s been tricked.”

[cckento]

Born to Serve // OPEN

[cckento]

he’s too hungry to protest.

the ocean barricades their society from the rest of the world, leaving merfolk with no contact outside their own kind. as an underwater kingdom isolated from all other forms of life, it isn’t surprising that merfolk traditions and values were borderline medieval. oceana is the only life that yonghwa has ever known and he doesn’t question it.

the layers of clothing give his frail body extra padding – the illusion that he’s much healthier than he appears. he could always adjust his appearance with magic to hide the truth, but it simply wasn’t worth his energy at the moment. “i don’t think the owner of the burger shack likes me very much,” he laughed, “i pass his store too often, but it’s always on my path back to the ocean.”

yonghwa leads the way, but never strays too far from his friend. they aren’t far from a small burger joint that yonghwa’s been ogling over the past few weeks. “so what did your demon teacher do this time?” he asked, “give you five hours of reading homework again? you have to put thumbtacks on his chair when he’s not looking.”

they’re stepping inside when suddenly, yonghwa snatches up his friend’s hand and drags him to the front of the store. “kyungkyungkyungkyung you have to watch this, ready?” he said. he points a crooked finger at the large, chalkboard menus behind the counter and focuses on the first word listed: 버거

it takes him a moment to sound it out, but he recites the word “burger” with the pride of a schoolboy waiting for a gold star. he points to the word besides it, at the crisp little “케첩” written in the condiments section. yonghwa repeats that one too: “ketchup”. 

he gives kyung a real grin.

it’s one of those rare smiles that aren’t forced.

[mxkyung]

“he’s not a demon—he’s the goddamn devil itself” he says, shaking his head. it’s much easier to pretend everything is alright when he talks about his human life, so he goes along with the topic change easily enough rather than stay hanging around in the gloom of perpetual helplessness about his friend’s situation.

“he gave us a shitton of equations to do for the next day even though that midterm is in like four days” he complains, sounding so much like a normal human it is somewhat astonishing to think he’s the faery that’s spent time healing his friend’s wounds despite a lack of magic, that he has people dance to tunes only they are hearing when he feels like it—Kyung’s much more complex than he likes to let on. “doesn’t that guy realise some of us have a life? I fucking love maths but I didn’t think I’d be selling my soul to the devil for this study.”

the faery easily lets his friend drag him around—he is tiny in his human form, even for fae standard, and more fragile than humans. there is no use in resisting, especially because there’s no need to. Kyung trusts Yonghwa, after all.

there’s a curl of pride streaking through his chest, warming him from the inside. Kyung has little experience being a teacher, never really thought about being one—but there’s some measure of satisfaction that brings a warm glow to heart. it would almost make him consider becoming a teacher—but as a student he knows how much shit they put up with and he quickly reconsiders it.

he answers Yonghwa’s grin with one of his own. “nice job. you’re getting better at this. so which one do you want?” he’s already reaching into his pocket for his card, ready to pay as he glances over the menu himself and considers what he wants to eat.

[cckento]

Born to Serve // OPEN

[cckento]

“If you look at our laws, I’m listed as a belonging of the palace. If someone takes me in the middle of the night, it’s theft of royal property – not kidnapping,” he says,  “I’ve never been a person, only property.” The peculiar sounding laugh he makes is a mixture of bitterness and delirium. Overworked doesn’t begin to describe his battered body. Consistent meals, a comfortable mattress, and a proper night’s rest would only treat the bare minimum. Even if his body were healed, the crushed soul underneath would remain in shambles.

“Considering everything people like me go through, the king makes a fair master,” he says, “And if I were reassigned, I don’t think I’d ever find a mistress with a kinder heart than Princess Taeyeon.” 

The merman reassures himself with those hollow words, then closes them off with a shrug. “I should be thankful for what I have,” he adds, “I complain too much when I have a place to sleep–”

If he ever slept.

“Warm meals–”

If by meals, he meant the meager scraps that left him so thin.

“And security knowing that if I ever decide to have kids, they’ll be taken care of by the court.”

If that included trapping his future family in the same, unforgiving system of poverty and abuse. Yonghwa grows quiet because it isn’t true – he knows it isn’t true – and he sharply exhales. “This is the type of bullshit I tell myself to stay sane,” he said, ‘Say something to yourself enough times and hopefully you start to believe it.”

His tail transforms into a pair of clumsy, shaking human legs that haul him to his feet. The water leaves his clothes sticking to his body, the fabric wrapped around him like a second skin. Its easier to count his ribs and point out the swollen ones, just like it’s easy to see the hollow space where a stomach should be. His mind, body, and soul only seem to get worse and worse with each passing day.

“Hey, do you want to get something to eat?” he asks, “I uh, want to try a hamburger if that’s okay with you. I’ve never had one before, but I’ve saved up money from my new job to try one. You can tell me about your jerk of a teacher on the way.”

[mxkyung]

“that’s—how can you—Yonghwa, you are a person, how can you let them treat you like you’re less?” there’s a painful helplessness in his voice now, eyes wide and shocked and hurt. he looks so much younger this way, and at once it becomes painfully clear that while an adolescent by his own standards, he is awfully naïve when it comes to anything beyond the borders of what he knows.

yet he is a sole faery, dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge—there is little he can do to change his friend’s fate without the use of outside forces. if he could, Kyung would’ve swept him off to a better life—but he doesn’t have the magic capability for such a thing, has no right being an outside force that can barely understand the way the ocean works.

one day though, he thinks to himself, a silent vow made in the solemnness of his mind, one day it’ll be better.

Kyung has no ambitions to power—he is fine with a little study with hearth and food, and the occasional company of his friends or the thrill of a night out. he’s never considered himself much of a rebel—but he wants to instigate something now. he’d be lying if he’s paid much thought to the other Oceana servants who must suffer the same fate; it’s Yonghwa who is important to him here, his best friend the prime reason he’s even thinking about this.

the loyalty to an institution that treats him so awfully sickens Kyung to his stomach when he truly thinks about it; he wishes his words made any impact upon the merman’s mind, that he could somehow do something more—but all of these thoughts are worth nothing. there are other things to worry about.

a flick of his wrist has Yonghwa’s clothes drying up almost immediately, as Kyung can’t stand to see his friend’s suffering outlined so clearly—there’s guilt in his face for pretending not to see. he forces a smile. “yeah sure, let’s get some food. my treat, alright? I insist.”

[mxkyung]

all the other kids | pjh +  pk

[pxkjae-blog]

His eyes follow down to the faery’s hands, and there’s absolutely no attempt in masking how much something like magic impressed him– there were only few moments where he had the chance to see acts of magic, so when he did get the opportunity, it was almost like his personality did a complete about-face and show one of a child’s. 

He pushes his lips out in a pout, eyebrows furrowed together as his words end up coming out in more of a kiddish mumble, “Except it is about how much magic you have, because without any you wouldn’t be able to do that– like I can’t do any of that!”

[mxkyung]

there’s something that could be called adorable about the way the ghost is staring at his hands, tracing the motions of a trick Kyung picked up in his childhood. he wasn’t the only child around, spent many a night playing with the younger fae children; he’s always been adept at magic.

“I guess it’s different for you-- being a human and everything” he admits after a moment’s thought. “sorry--I sometimes forget that not all of you have magic like us.” he flexes his fingers, thinks. “but ghosts can do other things, right? I’m not..very familiar with your kind. they’re no ghosts among us.”

[mxkyung]

adventurous | kth + pk

[kwsoojung]

Being pointed out for his little mistake, Taehyung couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. “I- well- I’m sorry for the mistake then,” he says. “And I’m sorry that happened to you! Do you always get chased out of the blue? That sounds exhausting. I really do feel sorry for you. I wouldn’t want to have to worry about some big mean person trying to chase after me.”

Now, he wasn’t exactly sure what the fae thought of him. He probably thought he was a bit strange. Well, in that case, he wouldn’t blame him. If a mage was just screaming and yelling to a stranger, that wouldn’t be seen as the most normal thing. But that didn’t really matter. Like stated earlier, he just wants to make sure that he doesn’t want to seem like a bad guy. He doesn’t want to be thought of as one of those mages. If he was like one of them, he probably wouldn’t have that much friends, right?

Hearing his statements, Taehyung nodded his head everything he finished saying the first two sentences. “I was just on a walk,” he replies. “I mean, it’s a nice day and my mouse and I wanted to go out to the park and stuff, since it’s been awhile since we went to the park. That’s pretty much the reason why I was out here. And I just saw you and I was like, ‘oh wow! it’s a faerie! that’s so cool!’ And then everything happened, and now we’re stuck in this situation.” Hopefully that was a good reason. It was the truth, after all.

[mxkyung]

he’s never had mages apologise for the crimes of their kind before—he’s often met with resistance, with declarations that they’d never do it—if he ever is able to make his case at all. Kyung doesn’t voluntarily hang out with them, and even if they do bump into a mage, it usually involves a whole lot more running.

“not always” he admits. “like I’m not being chased now, am I?” he smiles awkwardly at the mage, a nervous gesture of tentative acceptance. “but it’s happened a few times before—they just want my magic so bad. it’s not a pleasant experience. and it is exhausting.” it’s running and paranoia, it’s waking up in the middle of the night. Kyung hates it.

everything sounds perfectly valid, and he somewhat feels guilty for his earlier hostility. yet it can’t hurt to be too careful—not for him. he’s got a life here, places where his name is on record—something that can be found out. he can be traced. Kyung needs to be careful. “that’s…that’s reasonable, I guess, yeah..” he awkwardly scratches the back of his neck before awkwardly mumbling; “can’t be too careful though.”

[mxkyung]

blood into ice | kjw + pk

[gray-hawthorne]

Maybe the faery was right, at least about children. There were plenty of adults who also bowed whenever the peer pressure called to them. Sad really. “Humans are pack animals by nature, maybe peer pressure is some sort of evolutionary tactic.”

Quiet had been the best tactic to survive in his time. Silence and a stone face. When no one knew what you were thinking, no one could accuse you of anything. Well, they could, but…He shook his head. That was a life he had gladly left behind on the day he was turned.

“Humans exploit one another.” It wasn’t an excuse, just talk. The comment about vampires stung a bit, but he couldn’t really blame the faery for being angry with him. The events of that night would haunt the vampire for many years to come. “Could it be that they evolve slowly because their lives are so fleeting?”

[mxkyung]

“many kinds of people tend to congregate in groups—not just humans. it’s safer. a lone faery tends to fall prey to…hunters more often than a family or court.” he shrugs. “besides, it’s more fun to be in a group, don’t you think? or are you one of those lone vampire types?” he’s not much for vampire fiction, but he’s seen vampire movies—while they all seem inaccurate to him, there tends to be some sort of stereotype going on.

Kyung shrugs, still feeling slightly bitter. “exploitation is such a human thing—but it happens a lot with you human naturals too. witches and mages, vampires—you all use each other.” he pauses. “I suppose even we do it—though I’ve always thought of it as a kindness and a honour for those kids to be allowed to serve.” he shrugs.

“perhaps they evolve so slowly because there is little else for them to adapt to—they adapt everything to them now.” there’s a scoff there, something akin to disdain. he finds it crude and somewhat disrespectful, even though he goes along with it for the sake of blending in.

[mxkyung]

merry jig {solo}

His heart is beating rapidly still, dancing a merrily little jig in the cavity of his chest. Worry lays heavily upon his mind—has Yonghwa gotten out? will he be able to see him? what if he loses his best friend here nonetheless? and what about the king—how is he involved? Will he ever know the truth?

It’s only after long moments of calm forest that he begins to calm down, just as weariness starts tugging onto his mind. he’s been scared all night, heart been in overdrive for so long. it’s only now he starts noticing how tired he is; he just wants to sleep. there are still lingering worries in his mind; he’s a creature of the forest, yes, but he’s spotted vampires at the feast earlier. Will they prey upon him if he sleeps?

These worries become less important by the minute as he sits down, tugging his jacket around his body. There’s a some parellels to be drawn between how he woke up and how he might take a nap. He wonders what is up with that—but Kyung is a mathematics major, deals little with parallels in fiction or real life if they don’t have to do with numbers.

Kyung curls up as tightly as possible, trying to keep out the cold. The tinier he is, the less likely they are to spot him, right? These are the last thoughts on the faery’s mind—of fear and betrayal and worry—before he is spirited away to the land of dream.

[cckento]

there’s still good meat on that // kyung

[cckento]

“How the fuck can he punish me?” he laughs, “Does it look like I have anything to lose?” The merman gives a small twirl, intoxicated on both alcohol and the thrill of invincibility. He doesn’t complete more than one spin before a look of panic seizes his eyes. The widen in fright as his face pales and a bead of sweat trickles down his temple. The merman makes a frenzied dash for the brush, doubles over, then vomits the endless alcohol he’d downed earlier in the evening.

Kyung’s sobriety enchantment takes its full effect inside his emptied stomach, now more hollow than before, and he’s left with nothing but a nasty hangover. Yonghwa leans against a tree and his calloused palms fly to the sides of his head. They squeeze tighter and tighter, but no relief comes. “Is there a spell for instant aspirin?” he whispers.

The once pleasingly saturated colors of the dreamworld forest sting sensitive eyes and makes his head throb. All he wants to do is curl up somewhere cool, dark, and damp. At least it’s incentive for getting out of the maze as quickly as possible.

He winces. “Do you think we’re close to the end of the maze?” he asks, “Whoever designed it must have wanted to guard the exit. Whatever that creature is – whose obnoxious stomping is making my brain explode – it seems perfect for scaring people off.”

He rubs his eyes and groans. “I haven’t done enchantments in forever, but…” he says, trailing off. Yonghwa hesitates.

“I think I can sing it to sleep. I could definitely make it drowsy enough for us to sneak by,” he says, “In the worst case scenario, he’d follow my voice and not even notice you.”

Despite his discomfort, he manages a cheeky grin. “And we can always have my voice lead him in the wrong direction.” His lips move, but no sound comes from his throat. Instead, the illusion of laughter reverberating from the far reaches of the forest is heard. Then, there’s whispering coming from the tree tops followed by a melodic humming that could make mortal men fling themselves off boats.

“I have a really strong feeling about this,” he said, “You can totally trust me when I’m sober.”

The earth shakes beneath them and Yonghwa’s hands fly out airplane style to keep his balance. Silence follows. “If that fucking thing is behind me, I swear to Neptune…” he wheezes, “How bad does it look?”

[mxkyung]

“he can take your life” Kyung argues quietly. he can take my best friend away is what he thinks, but he dares not voice it lest he’d give whoever might be listening ideas. the fear of losing his friend settles like nausea in his throat for a moment, but Kyung forces himself past the thought—such thoughts are unfortunate, and he should keep a clear head. he’s never fought dragons before—but he’s fought deadines and those were perhaps equally as scary.

the faery can’t help but feel a little guilty as his enchantment takes hold, and he quickly weaves something in an attempt to alleviate the pain. ever since the discovery of the abuse against his friend he’s been picking up tidbits of healing magic here and there—but he’s not quite at the level yet that he can snap his fingers and take away all ill effects. a quick whisper to soften the worst of the sting is the most he can do, with the level of energy and the focus he has right now.

Kyung is thoughtful, head snapping around as he tries to pinpoint the direct location of the source of the noise. “good thinking” he comments—after all, a dragon or other reptilian of the size that’s coming towards them might very well be the end game. “let’s hope it’s right thinking.” Kyung can’t help the grimness in his voice, but at least it’s stopped quivering like it would’ve without his magic coursing soothingly through his veins.

he grimaces, shaking his head—his stomach drops at the idea of self-sacrifice. not tonight, not when his world is already topsy-turvy with betrayal—whatever is going to happen, Kyung is going to need someone to call him out on his bullshit if need be. “are you fucking insane? I’m not leaving you behind—I’m not.”

his head snaps up, trying to pinpoint the new ethereal sound; he can almost taste the magic of it on his tongue, like ocean water and tears with an undercurrent of pure magic; enchanting even to his ears. he’s never heard the melody of a merfolk song, and for a moment it ensnares it too, eyelids feeling heavy—

and then there’s the quaking of the earth (always earth, mother nature faithful to her child as Kyung hasn’t been to her) shaking him, snapping him out of it. he licks his lips, staring up anxiously at the shadow-clad figure looming behind Yonghwa.

“how well can you sing and run?” he wonders—but doesn’t allow room for a question, snatching his friend’s hand in one of his own as he starts running. his free hand lights up like an explosion; a harmless illusion with no heat behind it. he tosses the ball of light at the dragon; his aim is shit but it doesn’t matter. the ball flares lightly like the sun, bathing their surroundings in gold for less than a heartbeat;

                      the outline of fae wings flares dark on his back, a negative in the whirlwind of light. and then the world goes dark again-- Kyung hopes it’s enough.

[mxkyung]

hi guys and hi new guys and everyone

i’m so sorry for the slow replies, i’ve been really outta steam lately, and swamped with coursework, so i’ve been prioritising event replies. i’ll try to get to all the replies somewhere later this week but i can’t guarantee anything ;; if things continue like this after the event i might have to withdraw or drop threads or something i’m so sorry

[cckento]

there’s still good meat on that // kyung

[cckento]

Keep reading

[mxkyung]

Kyung feels downright mortified. not so much at the danger, but at Yonghwa’s display. he should’ve expected the merman to utter some distaste at the royal—but it’s different from Oceana’s monarchy, he tells himself. there have never been any problems within the faery court, not as far as Kyung can think of—they are great examples, the rulers of merfolk could learn from them—or that is what Kyung is desperately telling himself.

in truth, he has no idea any longer what to think. what had his royal majesty been doing at the feast? did he put Kyung and his friends through this, or is that merely something an outside force wants him to think? he’s hoping the latter one—but at the same time trying not to get his hopes up. figures he should get used to a different worldview.

but there’s other things at hand now—he drags Yonghwa away from the shadow, grimaces. “don’t do that—don’t you realise how stupid that is? he could be watching right now and punish us for your disrespect!”

the faery takes a deep breath, drags Yonghwa closer. By the king, he’s so drunk Kyung despairs to himself. he stands on the tips of his toes, tries to get Yonghwa to bend his body so Kyung can easily look into his eyes.

“Jung Yonghwa, we are not going to find that dinosaur. we run. I am not planning to die tonight—I have a midterm to fucking ace.” there’s something determined in his eyes as they light up from plain brown to molten gold, speckled with wood land colours that swirl within—he looks absolutely in human as he tries to work his magic; he’s done hangover spells a few times, surely sobriety spells can’t be that different.

“I’m telling you this is a bad idea, okay? worse than those flowers. so let’s go.” his voice says that he’s booking no argument, his eyes still glowing with magic as his lips move, despite no sound coming out—hopefully an enchantment will do something to flush the alcohol from his friend’s system.

[cckento]

there’s still good meat on that // kyung

Drinking partners and tablemates ventured on their separate ways, leaving the merman alone with nothing but crumbs glued to his shirt and a flush of embarrassment on his cheeks. Madness had gotten to him; satisfying his own gluttony delighted him and if never interrupted, he would’ve continued eating and daydreaming about greatness for eternity. He waddled forward on intoxicated legs and a painfully tight stomach that despite all odds, still ached to be filled with more. There was nothing more humiliating than degrading oneself for the sake of greed, and he made a spectacular show of himself. Material things were a weakness of his. The simplest of desires were waved before his eager nose, taunting him until he begged like a dog to have an entire parlor of prissy elitists chuckle. He’d been hiding underneath the deserted table, falling apart in drunken cries over how much of a pig he’d made of himself, when Kyung found him.

They’d stumbled into the maze together and searched for clues that they were heading in the right direction, taking long enough for the merman to sober up somewhat.  “That was fucking bullshit,” he hissed, “Whoever that jerk was made us all look like a bunch of fools.” But what Yonghwa wouldn’t admit is that he did it to himself – that all that happened at the table was his own doing. “Tinkerbell over there is going to wake up with a pufferfish shoved far, far up his ass one of these–”

BOOM.

Yonghwa’s eyes widened and slowly, careful not to disturb too much of the brush, pressed his back against a tree.

BOOM.

“Dude, what is that?” he hissed, “It could be one of those land monsters – the dinosaurs – or whatever they’re called. The tyranna…the hippopotamus, I think it was.”

BOOM.

“Oh my god, do you think there’s good meat on that?”

[mxkyung]

magic courses through his veins once more, and the constant heart palpitations of the past few hours have mostly vanished—mostly, because they’re in a maze and Kyung can almost sense the dangers around the corners. Nonetheless, despite the most likely mortal peril, the seeming betrayal of his own king and the gnawing hunger still lingering in the pit of his stomach, Kyung feels better than he has for ages.

his fingertips give off a dim glow, meant to light the way but not attracted whatever lurks in these shadows. the faery lacks the eyesight to navigate flawlessly in the dark, and so a small measure of light is necessary despite the fact he’s worried about giving away their position. even so, he’s glad for it—if only it is because it makes keeping an eye on his still slight inebriated friend a whole lot easier.

he hovers by the merman’s side, making sure that he doesn’t wander off or do anything stupid while looking for the correct way. he isn’t quite sure if there are any limitations on his magic. and as much as he wants to blaze his way through this maze in a phenomenal display of magic that would most likely leave him drained, he doesn’t. he keeps it at simple enchantments and manipulation; easy things that don’t drain him.

a frown creases his face as he glances over at his friend. “shut up” he hisses, glancing around to see if anything is changing. nature can be vicious, a cruel mistresses changing with the least warning—and especially under the comment of the king. “don’t talk about his royal majesty like that—especially not now!” he scoffs, shaking his head. “the disrespe—“

the ground shakes.

“fuck.”

Kyung’s finger tips go dim in the span of a heartbeat, and he grabs Yonghwa’s arm. “what the fuck, no, we gotta get outta here!” he snaps under his breath, tiny fingers curling around the merman’s arm as he tries to drag him in the opposite direction of the noise. “c’mon.”

[cckento]

Born to Serve // OPEN

[cckento]

“i haven’t been sleeping well, so i felt a little dizzy while serving dinner,” he said quietly. yonghwa remembers his trembling hands delicately moving food from golden platters to silver plates, always careful to keep the placement in order. their guest is impatient – get that dull hog of a servant to work a little faster, would you? the merman remembers fighting exhaustion and picking up the pace, only to have his rundown body not cooperate.

“i spilled food all over the clothes of this nobleman visiting from another kingdom,” he said, “it would look bad for oceana if i wasn’t disciplined in front of him.” from the dull expression to the vacancy in his voice, there’s no sense that he even fought against the entitled brat who did this to him. “merfolk are as brutal as the sea.”

he winces and his fingers grip his collar, tugging it up to hide the battered body beneath. “but it’s alright, i’m stronger than i look.” ·

the strength he talks about is nothing more than hiding behind a mask and putting up an expert act. he can’t show his true feelings – he doesn’t know how – and it disheartens him, especially in front of the man he considers his closest friend.

his best friend.

“you have to demonstrate your superiority, otherwise people will ruin you until you’re back where you started,” he mumbled, “that’s alright, i like hearing about all those little things in your life. it’s always worth me time! believe it or not, those stories about midterms or hangovers sound magical to me. besides, just because we think some people have it worse in life doesn’t mean what we go through doesn’t matter.·i really like listening and…i want to…help you, too.”

his lips pursed into a tight line as he winced, hands instinctively flying up to cover his bruises. “except for my ribs and the bruising, i’m well enough to be working,” he said through clenched teeth, “thanks for um, patching me up.”

[mxkyung]

he wants to take Yonghwa home with him, shove him into his bed and makes him sleep for the rest of the week—maybe the month. but as much as he likes to, he knows he can’t take the merman from his obligations at the palace. knows he has a job, and a life, and all that.

“it’s not just brutal” he scoffs, and there’s a sharp disapproval in his voice. “it’s downright abusive—it’s no way to life. I don’t understand how your people don’t see how wrong it is. why can’t they understand you’re a person too?” once more he’s edging a little close to that original argument they had—it’s so easy for him to criticise what he sees;

bruised skin and exhaustion scrawled over his face, written underneath in the dark circles underneath eyes that seem hollow sometimes; the rigidity of Yonghwa’s body, the automatism of his servitude. it makes him want to find whoever did this to him and give them a piece of his mind, a blast of anger-fuelled magic.

“none of it is alright—you shouldn’t have to fight every day of your life, Yonghwa.” there’s steel in his voice, before his face softens and sighs. “you know you can always come to me, right? you can come to me and I’ll patch you up and you can nap.”

it pains him he can do so little for his friend—that he can’t change anything, can’t prevent anything. all he can do is soothe pain and try his best to heal wounds that have long since been inflicted; he can’t offer Yonghwa a solution. he’s helpless as he watches his best friend being crushed by a ruthless, brutal system.

“anytime, bro. tell me if there’s anything else I can do” he says gently. “and please don’t hide—it’s no hassle healing, just give me a moment..” he smiles weakly. “there’s nothing much you can help me with, really. unless you’re really sure you want me rant about my teacher screwing up or unfair questions.”

[mxkyung]

all the other kids | pjh +  pk

[pxkjae-blog]

He unintentionally pouts at the statement thrown at him, and he shakes his head a few times, “I’m not generalizing you guys! I’m only stating…..previously thought assumptions about faeries.” There’s a quick clear of his throat as he quickly nods his head, “Which is why you’re here to prove them wrong and teach me correctly about faeries—What, seriously?”

His eyes blink a few times in surprise, and all disappointment that was in mind had completely disappeared– Because honestly, despite his natural cockiness, he himself hadn’t done anything worth being impressed over. With a little excited wiggle, he moves his arm from being around the faery’s shoulders to linking with the other’s arm, “How did you do that– How much magic do you have that you can make someone think they’re making out with someone?”

[mxkyung]

“previously generalised assumptions” he corrects, but he’s not offended. he’s learned that humans have this assumption of a pretty tiny female faery, and he’s forced himself not to be annoyed anymore-- it’d drive him crazy. “that’s what I’m here for-- if you want me to.” he frowns, tilting his head. “what what?”

“enough-- it’s not about how much magic you have, it’s about how you use it.” he grins, cupping his hands together. for a moment, light grows from his palms; it blooms like a flower for a moment, dissolving into sparkles. “look-- just an illusion. no actual light.”