She turned resolutely around and marched on, feeling her face turning red. How would he feel about her crushing on another guy? A small part of her, a part she was trying to suffocate, hoped he would feel jealous.
ten doesn’t mean to be as closed off as he is to the world, but it’s difficult to change the nature of someone once they’ve spent years like that. he supposes to his species, twenty one years is nothing more than a sprinkle of sand slipping between fingers. but to somebody like him, he’s learnt to take in each and every meeting, each and every day.
like he had said before, it’s difficult. difficult to not let resent shine on the way he views the world when he’s been through more than he wants to and can’t handle. he wonders more often than not, how jieun manages to stand there, sit there with the curl of her mouth and a pretty bright smile like she can’t fathom all the badness in the world and chooses to focus on all the good things in life. she’s so different to him in these aspects, in the way that his worries rest on his shoulders like a heavy burden whilst hers seem so light.
but at the same time, they’re oh so similar.
etiquette is something that is drastically the same with both of them and they know when to bow to people, when to say please and thank you, to open the door for people that they don’t know, to help them when they drop things. more importantly so, he knows they share the ability to always somehow manage to divert attention away from themselves and instead try to put it on others.
however with them, they try to take attention away from each other so much that it leaves him and jieun talking about the less important things that shouldn’t matter. and thy rarely have time to tell each other how they feel unless something drastic happens.
something like this.
he almost flinches at the mere quiet mention of the bibimbap store, and he knows immediately that it hadn’t been intentional. the owner was a werewolf, a well known fact within sunseong itself and he can’t help but wonder whether he was alright or not when people hadn’t heard from him in a while now. ten’s fingers brush along the table, and he swallows thickly, eyes landing on the petite girl’s back.
“that would be good. your bibimbap always tastes good.” he answers honestly, hand resting on her head as he ruffles her hair in an affectionate way. affection that’s reserved merely for her and rarely anybody else. it’s a small attempt at diverting the topic but if they both tries, it works.
her next words are surprising, and his eyebrows raise immediately.
she.. she met someone?
it’s not jealousy that floods within ten at what she says, but it’s more drastic concerns. when he cares about someone as much as he care about jieun and there’s a person threatening their relationship, it’s obvious that his less polite side would make an appearance. “are they .. a human?” he asks, not able to let the curiosity bleed out from his voice. “do they treat you well, noona?”
he grins at the thought of the beach, with its endless seas and coast. “of course. we can stop by and stay for as long as it seems fit.”
it’s not like he’d say no to the waters, anyways.
though he somehow finds it difficult the idea of jieun’s ‘someone’ out of his mind, even as he takes steps behind her and follows her to the stores.
“Hey so–I was thinking, we should head up the lake now so that we can return before sunset-I mean unless you’d rather camp up there, I have materials and provisions for that too” his usual tactics of not having to go back into an embarrassing situation was to start talking of something else while in his mind, the ‘moment’ they had from a while ago kept playing in his head. It felt thrilling, risky but most of all it filled his head to the brim with pure joy.
nature is something that ten’s surrounded himself around ever since the start of his life. it blooms, grows, it stays, whether nature comes in the form of the pretty waters that shine alongside the morning and night or whether it’s the beginnings of the flower that bloom on the grass beds. it’s the most constant thing that’s stayed in his twenty one years of living, and he knows that’s why he appreciates mingyu’s actions for him so much.
when he sees the elder pull up in front of their cabin, he throws him a grateful smile at the bags that are carried. ten moves to take one from the elder, placing it on the table that he sees as soon as he goes in. there’s little the fae can do to thank him for the entire trip, and he’s always known that it’s the little things that count the most. his eyes shine with a sort of deep founded excitement at the words. “can we really camp?” he asks in a low, murmured voice of disbelief over everything else. “i mean, we don’t need to if you don’t want to, but you know, i’ve just, uh .. never done it before.” his voice trails off awkwardly.
it’s rare for ten to actually ever get worked up over this sort of thing, which is why he’s perhaps beaming at this moment. “i’m guessing this isn’t your first time here, huh?”
Freedom was a tricky thing, especially for him who had made staying reserved a habit and it came easily. There were points he shut down whenever he felt like doing certain things, saying certain words, fears, and doubts plaguing his mind. So mingyu walks out abruptly, his tall figure almost bent over as he trotted down the stairs and broke into a jog for his car. He was breathing hard. I wanted to kiss him. I want to kiss him? Oh-oh how I want to kiss him. He was having a moment on the inside, answering questions posed by himself Mingyu felt himself a somewhat changed person. Months ago he would have been too ashamed and scared to admit something he just had within seconds.
maybe it just comes naturally to ten when he’s around pretty hunters, a softer more submissive side that’s more or less lost to pretty much anyone else that he knows. he’s always been polite and gentle growing up, bleeding etiquette and never doing more than he should or was told to. mingyu changes that ever so carefully, so suddenly that it almost frightens him and ten is left with the realisation, dawning truth that he’s changed in a matter of months. not in the dramatic way that people think, not in the overly dyed hair and piercings, the sharp tongued and arrogant way. but the way in which he’s beginning to accept that not all humans come holding knives and whispering death.
beginning to, maybe, but not quite there.
then again holding grudges has always been something that he’s kept at the back of his mind, showing an appearance once in a while to remind him that he can’t hide the resent after so long, to pretend that it doesn’t exist. he doesn’t want to be reminded of such numbing topics in such situations though, so he turns his gaze on mingyu.
fondness is something he’slearned to avoid in fear that it’ll be gone one day, and he won’t get itback. ten flushes at the loss of contact and clears his throat, leaning backinto the bed and pretending as though nothing had happened a mere minute ago. “you…do that. i’ll wait below.” he answers, stifling a laugh at the restlessness ofthe other. “a lake, huh? you sure know what i love.”
ten waits until he disappearsout of sight and then makes his way downstairs, quiet footsteps in the quietair and attention drawn to anywhere except emotions. he leans against thedoorway, fingers fiddling with each other like a distraction.
it’s in vain, though.
because it’s hard to get someone off his mind.
He slowly sat up and scooted to sit closer to Ten, a mischievious smirk making those lips curl “I like this bed better because you’re here. With me. Is that strange, chaiya?” he preens and reaches out to lightly cup Ten’s cheek “I to think I am very strange. And technically, I did coin the name chaiya so…mine” he whispers, serene eyes gazing as they sat close enough for their knees to brush “I hope saying that doesn’t offend you, handsome.”
because that’s the truth. humans will be humans, some will know where the boundaries lie and know not to step across the line, others will continue harassing ten’s kind and have their close minded views. sunseong will be noisy like always and there’s nothing he can do about it except try to escape on some days like these. there’s a pretty hunter next to him and there’s the pretty view outside, so he thinks it’ll be fine easily.
ten blinks at mingyu’s sudden boldness, cheeks flushing an evident shade of red at both the suggestiveness of the sentence and the unexpectedness of it all. “strange? that.. i don’t think.. so..” the stutter is embarrassing yet it’s there, bold and in view.
“yours.” he replies without much thought, like a switch or a button telling him what to say. the hand on his cheek feels warm ㅡ certainly more warm underneath mingyu’s serene gazeㅡ and he swallows. “you would never offend me, mingyu. never.”
His head tilts up, blinking at Ten from such an angle and finding the fae to be handsome in every way had Mingyu slowly reaching out when he got poked at and the spot just happened to be one of his ticklish ones. He makes the tiniest squeak and curls his body away from Ten, blush prominent because Ten had his own unique way of catching Mingyu off-guard ” No I think–I think I’ll always like the bed better.“ Laying on his side with his legs curled and arm loosely around himself Mingyu grins with his crooked teeth peeking out "I’m kidding. I like you way better. for sure. I most definitely like my chaiya better” he hardly thought of the words he spoke and they rushed out as naturally as water down down a waterfall. Truth was always hard to keep locked in.
“yes, sunseong does get a little too noisy sometimes, doesn’t it?” he asks, though it’s phrased more like a statement with the nod that follows it. in other, clearer words there’s too much back at the bustling city with large streets of people and all the crowds of humans that move as oneㅡmemories he’d rather forget than to carry with him to a trip like this, quietness he’d rather be enveloped in with mingyu. over anything else. “but i suppose we can’t help it. the only thing we can do is try to avoid it.”
and he’s glad that one day he had tried to avoid the loudness too, and went to the river. for that was their first meeting place, and the rest is history.
ten grins at the endearing squeak the other gives out, but it molds into a half-teasing, half genuine scowl at mingyu’s words. “i can’t believe it. a bed instead of a fae, you’re strange.” he answers back sharply, false hurt crossing his expressions even when he’s too busy scanning each corner of the room to take real offence to the words.
he replies with a satisfied look though at the ending phrase, a head tilted as he takes a seat at the corner of the bed. his legs are crossed and he leans slightly back, weight supported by an arm pressed into the covers. “your chaiya, huh? i’m glad, i’d be offended if you weren’t kidding.” he pauses, offering a genuine smile. “i like you a lot more than the beds too, hying.”
“wrong boy, dumbass!” another pause as he gathers himself a bit better, pushing all that about the boy with the cute canines that poke out slightly actually liking him ‘more than he thinks’ to the back of his mind. “i meant the tall, mentally five idiot that pops up sometimes, holy shit.”
“i’m not a weeaboo.” he deadpans in the tone of someone who is very much a weeaboo, with his eyebrows furrowed and just mildly offended at the idea. he’s glad for the third time that night that they’re the only two in the store at that time, for he’s certain the unnerving topics of their conversation (that they speak about so casually like they’re discussing the weather) would turn any possible customers away.
and he already barely knows anythingㅡten voice: ‘i’m a foreigner hyung, i speak three languages, give me a break pleaseㅡabout what goes in yoongi’s life sometimes. so he’s confused when the elder shoots him an almost exasperated, confused look with disdain.
the boy. the fae can’t remember his name but he remembers going to the library at least one and seeing a cute, sharp canined boy with the face that made yoongi smile for once. “what do you mean insane? are you denying it?” he pipes up, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
yoongi throws him the look. not just a look, but the look. the look that ten usually gets when he’s about to get smacked, and whereas ten likes to take pride in his own reaction time he’s too late this opportunity and therefore is met with a sharp, harsh smack at the side of his head. the first response he gives is a loud whine before he cradles his poor head in his hands.
“hyung,” he whines out in embarrassment at the definitely unfair treatment he had not so nicely received. “how was i supposed to know which boy it was? i don’t work in the library.”
when the correct boy mentioned though, he thinks he can remember a certain boy he had met before fitting that account. “oh, the tall boy! he’s pretty too, hyung, are you in a polyamory relationship? i learnt that word yesterday!”
“I think Im moving here.” he chuckles and wanders off hand loosening and dropping off Ten’s, to pulls the long windows open and he spots a nice, small balcony outside with two long chairs set outside. “ Ten we should both move in here” he grins over his shoulder, he didn’t want to think what that may have sounded as. He just knew he would love such a living arrangement. He happily roams over to the bed and drops in it , arms stretched out eagle-style “Choose your side of the bed–oh hell yes” he almost moans, feeling his back finally relax against the soft surface “Im in heaven”
he scoffs, cheeks flushing an embarrassing shade of pink at the prospect of beauty that he’s been faced with ever sine he was created. beauty is something that people say is in the eye of the beholder, yet for faes there’s a certain level of restriction, even for something simple like that. they’ve always been told they’re pretty creatures, weak, nothing else. but coming from someone like mingyu, with his beauty being praised, it causes him more happiness than he likes to say. so he just shakes his head, murmuring out a mild “you’re so embarrassing.”
of course he’s fascinated by a lot of thingsㅡthe opportunity to travel like this with someone (and not be forced to migrate from another country) had rarely turned up in his twenty one years of living. he hurries after the elder, cursing mingyu’s long legs and long strides before letting himself scan the area that they would be staying it. “nice?” he exclaims, voice tinged with poorly concealed excitement. “it’s amazing, nothing less than that.”
and then he sees the single king sized bed and almost freezes right there. the idea of sharing a bed with mingyu isn’t badㅡbut it stirs something up in his stomach that he has yet to find the name for.
he grins, hovering near the balcony and glancing down at him with fondness. “should we pay rent and just move in?” he teases, tilting his head. “i don’t mind, you can pick your side and i’ll take the other.”
ten nudges mingyu with a finger. “hyung, stop being so embarrassing. i’ll start thinking you like the bed more than me.”
So he hugs Ten, briefly, before letting the fae go. his longer limb drop off from around the small of Ten’s back and Mingyu held up his phone, snapping away pictures “Chaiya, change it up a bit” he says that and switches to 'Video’ mode. He had found himself smiling at the 'peace sign’ pose and starts walking closer slowly to take some upclose and personal footage.He was lucky today hence, he was going to make the most of it. he saves everything and tries to smile for the fae’s sake “ Let’s go in and explore. I’m told this is one of their 'luxury’ cabins”
what he thinks is one of the things he likes about mingyu the most is the fact that, even after months of knowing each other personally now as close friends, he’s still as courteous as he had been the first time they met, and the rules of manners still hover in the air. maybe for other people it would have been uncomfortable, knowing that friends still exchanged rules of etiquette . but for him, it’s reassuring. knowing that mingyu understands the difference between them as well and is willing to respect that.
ten thinks it’s odd that he’s made such a large step in such little time. from disliking humans almost madly to being able to go on a trip with one for more than a day. but then at the same time he’s also glad he’s had the opportunity to do so. (at least with mingyu out of all the other humans he had previously encountered, anyways.)
the hug is short lived, quick and to the point. but it’s meaningful so the fae can’t find it within him to complain, only complying with the elder’s wishes to pose and covering his features in embarrassment. “you’re going to zoom into my pores,” he whines.
but at the mention of going in, he shifts and pushes open the door. the first area that greets him is a large room living and of course, he turns back and shoutsㅡ
“it’s so pretty in here and look!
there are stairs as well. it’s so much bigger on the inside than it looks.
did you really hire it out for us, hyung?”
“Um, hi? May I help you?” The tone may have come off as a bit rude, but he was confused as to why the drunken boy had chosen him of all people to bother. Not once had he met him, though, he thought maybe he had seen his face once or twice before. Either way, what did he want with him?
ten thinks that the only thing worse than bam himselfㅡ
are bam’s parties.
they’re a whole other level, reminding him of exactly all the things he had missed doing whilst he was at university previously, too busy cramming his mind full of equations and book quotes to be able to party. though he thinks with the amount of money invested in them, they’d get a little less bold each time. unsurprisingly, they don’t, because it’s kunpimook bhuwakul and he breathes partying like people do air.
as soon as he gets there, he’s greeted with rapid korean and excited people either offering to pour him drinks or offering to drag him into a game of strip pokerㅡand he’s smart enough to figure out that maybe the first option is a little better. so he drinks, and drinks, and drinks and he kind of should have expected the relieving sensation that would come (after all, he had never been a good drinker) but he doesn’t. and that’s when things go wrong.
faces are a disorganised mess that he can pinpoint to name and he swears that he’s passed the same room four times already, even without trying to. if he concentrates hard enough he can feel the unavoidable headache and hangover that’s going to attack him tomorrow, too. all in all, nothing’s going perfectly and when he sees someone who looks both mildly familiar and friendly, he thinks what’s the worse that can happen.
he approaches him, head swimming and vision blurry.
“i think i have a concussion.” he announces in a monotone, collapsing onto the couch next to the other and throwing a hazy, half assed smile at him. “please take care of me.”
“Why? Well–aren’t we..friends? The term probably doesnt feel right, does it? To–” he takes in a shaky breath and exhales the words through his mouth “ to associate such a term with a human” the sentence fall out in a jumbled form of rushed out words. He scolds himself, hissing at himself to get a grip. 'Cabin 12’ comes in his sights and he’s suddenly walking fast, fingers letting go of Ten’s hand and instantly feeling the loss of the familiar warmth. “There. go stand by the door I’ll take a picture of you” Not now, he couldn’t spiral down into the heart strickening depression now. He just had to make it till Ten napped or the night fell.
the thing is, with mingyu and ten, there’s always unsaid words somewhere in the mix. it hangs in the air, over the two like a curtain that refuses to be moved and all the while keeps them both wondering ‘what if’. but by now he’s learned to accept the numb feeling that comes with sentences he can’t say, to accept that the difference between them may be too large to comprehend properly, but even him as a fae can understand that some things are better left unsaid.
otherwise, everything becomes so much more confusing.
and he’s terrified of confusion, he always has been. terrified of not knowing what could go wrong or right, terrified of having to stand there and accept that some things may go out of his already weak control. “not zombie like.. i guess, they’re just the dangers of what happens if the wrong, weak type of humans get too close to faes.”
he blinks, but doesn’t tell mingyu how he hopes he’s the right type of human.
the walk continues, yet there’s something in the atmosphere that’s changed. he glances at the elder out of his peripheral vision and sees how he’s gotten quieter, more absorbed in his own thoughts. pretty, he thinks, he’s really pretty. he doesn’t dwell on the fact that there’s something more to the look than just being absorbed. it’s upsetting in a way, and he wants to ask what exactly was in the DSEM that made him like this.
ten fixes him with an almost sad look, eyebrows furrowed. “of course we’re friends, hyung. why would you ask that?” though there’s a lump in his throat and his breath catches, he can only blink as the other hurries away and flusters over nothing. the fae squints and makes his way over to him, fingers gently brushing over mingyu’s (the action says ‘it’s okay’) as he stops in front of cabin twelve, throwing up a peace sign.
maybe they’re not perfect, but they’re good enough.
She had offered this without thinking. She knew Ten at plenty of money, but it wasn’t like she was hurting either. Her band was just popular enough to provide her a comfortable living. Plus, she was going to get a drink anyway, no need for both of them to fight the unusually large crowd.
tired is the fae that sweeps into the cafe, hood pulled up high and drawstrings pulled tight to try and avoid as much contact with people as possible. there’s an air around him that shouts (or more like whispers, depending on how under the weather he’s been feeling) quit, and he prefers to keep it that way. yet it’s shattered almost immediately upon arrival when he sees to his dismay that he’s unfortunately visited on one of the busy days.
figures.
even luck was laughing at him somewhere from the distance.
there isn’t really a specific reason for his downgrade of a mood, except for the pitiful excuse that he’s tired. though it’s not really a lie, when it appears that his eye bags are bigger than his actual eyes and there’s something similar to a headache that throbs away at the back of his mind. he fiddles with the pockets of his hoodie, yawning, eyes scanning over the menus near the entrance that show the coffees available.
though he’s met with an unpleasant (or is it pleasant? he truly never could figure out exactly what he felt for a certain someone with the name sora) greeting when his eyes fall onto her, within earshot of him and an equally flat expression on her face. all he can think is: ‘at least i’m not the only one looking like i suffered last night’.
for some reason, they’ve never gotten along that well.
and the reason may or may not be the fact that their difference of opinions when it comes to certain species (read: humans) clash, and she causes an uncomfortable sensation of resent to settle in his stomach every time they discuss the controversial topic.
but it brings them back to places like this, where they make eye contact and they’re not close enough to laugh but they’re not that much of a stranger that they won’t say hello and greet each other.
“oh, noona.” he says, a half awkward bow as he allows his mouth to tug up in a polite smile. nothing more, nothing less. “i’ll get something with you.”
“ What-what do you think how much skinship is alright among friends? I mean, I don’t want you to feel you have to hold back or be 'careful’ with me just because I belong to the human kind. Among humans, I’m the odd one out so…I’m essentially a whole other being in my own right” he grins brightly yet his heart thumps in anticipation. He knew exactly what he was doing, he felt it to be wrong but he couldn’t help but test the waters. Even after the last time when he had tried testing the waters and had been deeply hur and never recovered from the gash it had left inside.
he can try to ignore it, but there’s always the undeniable fact that him and mingyu are different beyond worlds to comprehend. maybe they share similar and the same interests, but their species are different, their occupations clash with one another and ten wonders sometimes how much longer the same interests can be used to obtain friendship. but he doesn’t want to grow sad at the mere thoughtㅡ so he lets it drop before it even starts.
with sudden boldness, the corner of his mouth turns up and he fixes the elder with an unreadable expression. “you, of course, hyung. who else?” he glances at the floor in front of him as he walks, rocks underneath shoes, nature breathed in from every corner. it’s a fresh sensation that he hasn’t felt in a long time, and he’s glad to finally be out there for once. “not exactly. there are beings called.. changelings. they’re creatures, usually humans, who have become fae struck after too much exposure to us but.. they’re never really fully fae.”
“you know, it’s sad.” he says, fingers intertwined naturally, sunlight a thin layer of glow atop his skin. “you humans are always so worried about skinship. i don’t know what’s so controversial about it sometimes.”
he blinks, shrugging at the sudden unexpected question. was there a certain extent to how much skinship was necessary between friends, as long as neither parties were uncomfortable? “i think as much as the friends are comfortable with.” ten answers, an eyebrow quirked. “personally, i don’t really mind skinship. it’s calming. why, hyung?”
She gestured for Ten to follow her, wondering if he would do so, or if he would push the issue or let her off the hook. Jieun moved as if to hold her hand out to him, but quickly let it drop, changing her mind. The idea of holding his hand was making her chest hurt. She laughed softly.
“I feel like the sun and some fresh air can make any worry melt away,”
emotions are a topic that’s been avoided.
his are always out in the open for some reason, and no matter how hard he tries to not put his heart on his sleeve it’s impossible when it comes to jieun. she’s always there for him with bright laughter and bad puns, dirt smeared on her clothes and ten has to tut at her sometimes, reminding her that she’s far too messy. scolding her like she’s a child. but it’s only recently that he’s noticed that he’s the only one out of the pair expressing what he feels. and ever since the way he’s treated her has been different. (even if she hasn’t noticed.)
it’s why he’s urging her to be more open now, with a unsatisfied look gleaming in his eyes and lips pressed together tightly, disbelieving every word of ‘i’m okay’ that she always says. always, without fail, like when she thinks he doesn’t see her glancing sadly at people on the street or the way that she quietens down whenever relationships are mentioned. if there’s one thing ten hates, it’s that he hates himself for not bringing it up sooner.
red is the blood that rushes through his veins, in his bloodstream, but blue is the colour he feels.
he’s not as dense as some people think he is, just because he smiles a little too much or because he doesn’t understand korean sometimes. he’s learnt recently to take care of jieun in little ways, fixing her collar when she’s forgotten to, casually slipping his jacket over her shoulders when it’s too cold, opening the doors for her, a hand around her waist and tugging her away slightly from the drunken crowds late at night.
he thinks after everything, he owes her at least this.
it kind of hurts his heart, the way she shakes her head and laughs like it’s something easy to brush off. like she’s never felt anything sad before, like she can lie through her teeth like that and expect him not to realise. the fae feels as though he’s the one that’s choking, drowning in lies when he looks at her.
(why can’t she tell him the truth?)
“sure, noona.” he gives up, because above all ten is weak and he swallows thickly, pretending he can’t see the way her voice wavers slightly. “whatever you say.”
the sunlight streams in through the day, too bright for the dimness that has been his apartment and he squints, a hand hovering over his eyes silently. he makes a move to hold jieun’s hand like he has countless times before but this time she drops it, and he can’t find it within him to try and hold it again.
maybe he can try to make her feel better, but it never works.
“it’s a pretty day today, don't you think?” he asks, a pitiful attempt at changing the topic. ten lets his gaze flicker over her small frame, her bright smile seeming more like a memory. “thanks for letting me see the sun.”
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