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 doesnāt mean to be as closed off as he is to the world, but itās difficult to change the nature of someone once theyāve 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, heās learnt to take in each and every meeting, each and every day.Ā
like he had said before, itās difficult. difficult to not let resent shine on the way he views the world when heās been through more than he wants to and canāt 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 canāt fathom all the badness in the world and chooses to focus on all the good things in life. sheās 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.Ā
but at the same time, theyāre 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 donāt know, to help them when they drop things. Ā 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 shouldnāt matter. and thy rarely have time to tell each other how they feel unless something drastic happens.Ā
something like this.Ā
he almost flinches at the mere quiet mention of the bibimbap store, and he knows immediately that it hadnāt been intentional. the owner was a werewolf, a well known fact within sunseong itself and he canāt help but wonder whether he was alright or not when people hadnāt heard from him in a while now. tenās fingers brush along the table, and he swallows thickly, eyes landing on the petite girlās back.Ā
āthat would be good. your bibimbap always tastes good.ā he answers honestly, hand resting on her head as he ruffles her hair in an affectionate way. affection thatās reserved merely for her and rarely anybody else. itās a small attempt at diverting the topic but if they both tries, it works.Ā Ā
her next words are surprising, and his eyebrows raise immediately.Ā
she.. she met someone?
itās not jealousy that floods within ten at what she says, but itās more drastic concerns. when he cares about someone as much as he care about jieun and thereās a person threatening their relationship, itās obvious that his less polite side would make an appearance.Ā āare they .. a human?ā he asks, not able to let the curiosity bleed out from his voice.Ā ādo they treat you well, noona?ā
he grins at the thought of the beach, with its endless seas and coast.Ā āof course. we can stop by and stay for as long as it seems fit.āĀ
itās not like heād say no to the waters, anyways.
though he somehow finds it difficult the idea of jieunās āsomeoneā out of his mind, even as he takes steps behind her and follows her to the stores.Ā
he wonders, truly, whether jieunās happy or not.Ā
āHey soāI was thinking, we should head up the lake now so that we can return before sunset-I mean unless youād rather camp up there, I have materials and provisions for that tooā 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 āmomentā 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.Ā
nature is something that tenās surrounded himself around ever since the start of his life. it blooms, grows, it stays, whether nature comes in the form ofĀ the pretty waters that shine alongside the morning and night or whether itās the beginnings of the flower that bloom on the grass beds. itās the most constant thing thatās stayed in his twenty one years of living, and he knows thatās why he appreciates mingyuās actions for him so much.Ā
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. thereās little the fae can do to thank him for the entire trip, and heās always known that itās the little things that count the most. his eyes shine with a sort of deep founded excitement at the words.Ā ācan we really camp?ā he asks in a low, murmured voice of disbelief over everything else.Ā āi mean, we donāt need to if you donāt want to, but you know, iāve just, uh .. never done it before.ā his voice trails off awkwardly.
itās rare for ten to actually ever get worked up over this sort of thing, which is why heās perhaps beaming at this moment.Ā āiām guessing this isnāt your first time here, huh?ā
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.Ā
maybe it just comes naturally to ten when heās around pretty hunters, a softer more submissive side thatās more or less lost to pretty much anyone else that he knows. heās 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 heās 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 heās beginning to accept that not all humans come holding knives and whispering death.Ā
beginning to, maybe, but not quite there.Ā
then again holding grudges has always been something that heās kept at the back of his mind, showing an appearance once in a while to remind him that he canāt hide the resent after so long, to pretend that it doesnāt exist. he doesnāt want to be reminded of such numbing topics in such situations though, so he turns his gaze on mingyu.
fondness is something heāslearned to avoid in fear that itāll be gone one day, andĀ he wonāt 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. āyouā¦do that. iāll wait below.ā he answers, stifling a laugh at the restlessness ofthe other. āa lake, huh? you sure know what i love.ā
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.
itās in vain, though.
because itās hard to get someone off his mind.Ā
He slowly sat up and scooted to sit closer to Ten, a mischievious smirk making those lips curl āI like this bed better because youāre here. With me. Is that strange, chaiya?ā he preens and reaches out to lightly cup Tenās cheek āI to think I am very strange. And technically, I did coin the name chaiya soā¦mineā he whispers, serene eyes gazing as they sat close enough for their knees to brush āI hope saying that doesnāt offend you, handsome.ā
because thatās 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 tenās kind and have their close minded views. sunseong will be noisy like always and thereās nothing he can do about it except try to escape on some days like these. thereās a pretty hunter next to him and thereās the pretty view outside, so he thinks itāll be fine easily.
ten blinks at mingyuās sudden boldness, cheeks flushing an evident shade of red at both the suggestiveness of the sentence and the unexpectedness of it all.Ā āstrange? that.. i donāt think.. so..ā the stutter is embarrassing yet itās there, bold and in view.Ā
āyours.ā he replies without much thought, like a switch or a button telling him what to say. the hand on his cheek feels warm ć ” certainly more warm underneath mingyuās serene gazeć ” and he swallows.Ā āyou would never offend me, mingyu. never.ā
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 ā No I thinkāI think Iāll always like the bed better.ā Laying on his side with his legs curled and arm loosely around himself Mingyu grins with his crooked teeth peeking out "Iām kidding. I like you way better. for sure. I most definitely like my chaiya betterā 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.
āyes, sunseong does get a little too noisy sometimes, doesnāt it?ā he asks, though itās phrased more like a statement with the nod that follows it. in other, clearer words thereās too much back at the bustling city with large streets of people and all the crowds of humans that move as oneć ”memories heād rather forget than to carry with him to a trip like this, quietness heād rather be enveloped in with mingyu. over anything else. ābut i suppose we canāt help it.Ā the only thing we can do is try to avoid it.ā
and heās 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.Ā
ten grins at the endearing squeak the other gives out, but it molds into a half-teasing, half genuine scowl at mingyuās words.Ā āi canāt believe it. a bed instead of a fae, youāre strange.ā he answers back sharply, false hurt crossing his expressions even when heās 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.Ā āyour chaiya, huh? Ā iām glad, iād be offended if you werenāt kidding.ā he pauses, offering a genuine smile.Ā āi like you a lot more than the beds too, hying.āĀ
Ā Ā Ā āwrong boy, dumbass!ā 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 āmore than he thinksā to the back of his mind. āi meant the tall, mentally five idiot that pops up sometimes, holy shit.ā Ā
āiām not a weeaboo.ā he deadpans in the tone of someone who is very much a weeaboo, with his eyebrows furrowed and just mildly offended at the idea. heās glad for the third time that night that theyāre the only two in the store at that time, for heās certain the unnerving topics of their conversation (that they speak about so casually like theyāre discussing the weather) would turn any possible customers away.Ā
and he already barely knows anythingć ”ten voice:Ā āiām a foreigner hyung, i speak three languages, give me a break pleaseć ”about what goes in yoongiās life sometimes. so heās confused when the elder shoots him an almost exasperated, confused look with disdain.
the boy. the fae canāt 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.Ā āwhat do you mean insane? are you denying it?ā he pipes up, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.Ā
yoongi throws him the look. not just a look, but the look. the look that ten usually gets when heās about to get smacked, and whereas ten likes to take pride in his own reaction time heās 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.Ā
āhyung,ā he whines out in embarrassment at the definitely unfair treatment he had not so nicely received.Ā āhow was i supposed to know which boy it was? i donāt work in the library.ā
when the correct boy mentioned though, he thinks he can remember a certain boy he had met before fitting that account.Ā āoh, the tall boy! heās pretty too, hyung, are you in aĀ polyamoryĀ relationship? i learnt that word yesterday!ā
āI think Im moving here.ā he chuckles and wanders off hand loosening and dropping off Tenās, to pulls the long windows open and he spots a nice, small balcony outside with two long chairs set outside. ā Ten we should both move in hereā he grins over his shoulder, he didnāt 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 āChoose your side of the bedāoh hell yesā he almost moans, feeling his back finally relax against the soft surface āIm in heavenā
he scoffs, cheeks flushing an embarrassing shade of pink at the prospect of beauty that heās been faced with ever sine he was created. beauty is something that people say is in the eye of the beholder, yet for faes thereās a certain level of restriction, even for something simple like that. theyāve always been told theyāre 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 mildĀ āyouāre so embarrassing.ā
of course heās fascinated by a lot of thingsć ”the 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 mingyuās long legs and long strides before letting himself scan the area that they would be staying it.Ā ānice?ā he exclaims, voice tinged with poorly concealed excitement.Ā āitās amazing, nothing less than that.āĀ
and then he sees the single king sized bed and almost freezes right there. the idea of sharing a bed with mingyu isnāt badć ”but 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.Ā āshould we pay rent and just move in?ā he teases, tilting his head.Ā āi donāt mind, you can pick your side and iāll take the other.ā
ten nudges mingyu with a finger.Ā āhyung, stop being so embarrassing. iāll start thinking you like the bed more than me.ā
So he hugs Ten, briefly, before letting the fae go. his longer limb drop off from around the small of Tenās back and Mingyu held up his phone, snapping away pictures āChaiya, change it up a bitā he says that and switches to 'Videoā mode. He had found himself smiling at the 'peace signā 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 faeās sake ā Letās go in and explore. Iām told this is one of their 'luxuryā cabinsā
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, heās 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, itās reassuring. knowing that mingyu understands the difference between them as well and is willing to respect that.Ā
ten thinks itās odd that heās 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 heās also glad heās 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 itās meaningful so the fae canāt find it within him to complain, only complying with the elderās wishes to pose and covering his features in embarrassment.Ā āyouāre going to zoom into my pores,ā he whines.Ā
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 shoutsć ”
āitās so pretty in here and look!
there are stairs as well. itās so much bigger on the inside than it looks.
did you really hire it out for us, hyung?ā
āUm, hi? May I help you?ā 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 himselfć ”
are bamās parties.Ā
theyāre 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, theyād get a little less bold each time. unsurprisingly, they donāt, because itās kunpimook bhuwakul and he breathes partying like people do air.Ā
as soon as he gets there, heās greeted with rapid korean and excited people either offering to pour him drinks or offering to drag him into a game of strip pokerć ”and heās 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 doesnāt. and thatās when things go wrong.Ā
faces are a disorganised mess that he can pinpoint to name and he swears that heās passed the same room four times already, even without trying to. if he concentrates hard enough he can feel the unavoidable headache and hangover thatās going to attack him tomorrow, too. all in all, nothingās going perfectly and when he sees someone who looks both mildly familiar and friendly, he thinks whatās the worse that can happen.
he approaches him, head swimming and vision blurry.Ā
āi think i have a concussion.ā he announces in a monotone, collapsing onto the couch next to the other and throwing a hazy, half assed smile at him.Ā āplease take care of me.ā
āWhy? Wellāarenāt we..friends? The term probably doesnt feel right, does it? Toāā he takes in a shaky breath and exhales the words through his mouth ā to associate such a term with a humanā the sentence fall out in a jumbled form of rushed out words. He scolds himself, hissing at himself to get a grip. 'Cabin 12ā comes in his sights and heās suddenly walking fast, fingers letting go of Tenās hand and instantly feeling the loss of the familiar warmth. āThere. go stand by the door Iāll take a picture of youā Not now, he couldnāt 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, thereās 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 wonderingĀ āwhat ifā. but by now heās learned to accept the numb feeling that comes with sentences he canāt 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.Ā
otherwise, everything becomes so much more confusing.
and heās 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.Ā ānot zombie like.. i guess, theyāre just the dangers of what happens if the wrong, weak type of humans get too close to faes.ā
he blinks, but doesnāt tell mingyu how he hopes heās the right type of human.Ā
the walk continues, yet thereās something in the atmosphere thatās changed. he glances at the elder out of his peripheral vision and sees how heās gotten quieter, more absorbed in his own thoughts. pretty, he thinks, heās really pretty. he doesnāt dwell on the fact that thereās something more to the look than just being absorbed. itās upsetting in a way, and he wants to ask what exactly was in the DSEM that made him like this.Ā
ten fixes him with an almost sad look, eyebrows furrowed.Ā āof course weāre friends, hyung. why would you ask that?ā though thereās 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 mingyuās (the action saysĀ āitās okayā) as he stops in front of cabin twelve, throwing up a peace sign.
maybe theyāreĀ not perfect, but theyāreĀ good enough.
She had offered this without thinking. She knew Ten at plenty of money, but it wasnāt like she was hurting either. Her band wasĀ justĀ 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. thereās an air around him that shouts (or more like whispers, depending on how under the weather heās been feeling) quit, and he prefers to keep it that way. yet itās shattered almost immediately upon arrival when he sees to his dismay that heās unfortunately visited on one of the busy days.
figures.
even luck was laughing at him somewhere from the distance.
there isnāt really a specific reason for his downgrade of a mood, except for the pitiful excuse that heāsĀ tired. though itās not really a lie, when it appears that his eye bags are bigger than his actual eyes and thereās 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 heās 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:Ā āat least iām not the only one looking like i suffered last nightā.Ā
for some reason, theyāve 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.Ā
but it brings them back to places like this, where they make eye contact and theyāre not close enough to laugh but theyāre not that much of a stranger that they wonāt say hello and greet each other.
āoh, noona.ā he says, a half awkward bow as he allows his mouth to tug up in a polite smile. nothing more, nothing less. āiāll get something with you.ā
ā What-what do you think how much skinship is alright among friends? I mean, I donāt want you to feel you have to hold back or be 'carefulā with me just because I belong to the human kind. Among humans, Iām the odd one out soā¦Iām essentially a whole other being in my own rightā he grins brightly yet his heart thumps in anticipation. He knew exactly what he was doing, he felt it to be wrong but he couldnāt 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 thereās 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 doesnāt want to grow sad at the mere thoughtć ” 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.Ā āyou, of course, hyung. who else?ā he glances at the floor in front of him as he walks, rocks underneath shoes, nature breathed in from every corner. itās a fresh sensation that he hasnāt felt in a long time, and heās glad to finally be out there for once.Ā ānot exactly. there are beings called.. changelings. theyāre creatures, usually humans, who have become fae struck after too much exposure to us but.. theyāre never really fully fae.ā
āyou know, itās sad.ā he says, fingers intertwined naturally, sunlight a thin layer of glow atop his skin.Ā āyou humans are always so worried about skinship. i donāt know whatās so controversial about it sometimes.ā
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?Ā āi think as much as the friends are comfortable with.ā ten answers, an eyebrow quirked.Ā āpersonally, i donāt really mind skinship. itās calming. why, hyung?ā
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.
āI feel like the sun and some fresh air can make any worry melt away,ā
emotions are a topic thatās been avoided.Ā
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 itās impossible when it comes to jieun. sheās 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 sheās far too messy. scolding her like sheās a child. but itās only recently that heās noticed that heās the only one out of the pair expressing what he feels. and ever since the way heās treated her has been different. (even if she hasnāt noticed.)
itās why heās urging her to be more open now, with a unsatisfied look gleaming in his eyes and lips pressed together tightly, disbelieving every word of āiām okayā that she always says. always, without fail, like when she thinks he doesnāt see her glancing sadly at people on the street or the way that she quietens down whenever relationships are mentioned. if thereās one thing ten hates, itās 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.
heās not as dense as some people think he is, just because he smiles a little too much or because he doesnāt understand korean sometimes. heās learnt recently to take care of jieun in little ways, fixing her collar when sheās forgotten to, casually slipping his jacket over her shoulders when itās 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 itās something easy to brush off. like sheās 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 heās the one thatās choking, drowning in lies when he looks at her.
(why canāt she tell him the truth?)
āsure, noona.ā he gives up, because above all ten is weak and he swallows thickly, pretending he canāt see the way her voice wavers slightly. āwhatever you say.ā
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 jieunās hand like he has countless times before but this time she drops it, and he canāt find it within him to try and hold it again.
maybe he can try to make her feel better, but it never works.
āitās a pretty day today, don't you think?ā 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.Ā āthanks for letting me see the sun.ā
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