ᴡʜɪᴛᴇ ʙʟᴀɴᴋ ᴘᴀɢᴇ

#writer meets reader; lhg & kji

#jonginstr #;p: writermeetsreader

jonginstr:

With an understanding nod, Jongin started to back away from the customer and go back to “cleaning” the bookshelves. However, Jongin’s curiosity got the best of him. He kept an eye on the customer, curious as to which book he was going to choose. The customer was also looking at the dollar shelf, which made Jongin raise a brow. There are a few who go there and Jongin makes up one of them. For a moment, he felt a jolt of excitement wash over him to find out that he wasn’t the only one that treasure ancient novels. Oh, how he wished that he had the courage to go up and talk to the customer!

The Little Prince was the novel of choice for the customer. A classic that Jongin absolutely loved, ever since he was a child. He had spent his lonely childhood days reading this novel, jumping into the fantasy within, escaping from the reality he was facing. Jongin secretly wished that the customer would stay to read for a while and perhaps he would muster hp some courage to talk to him about his choices. He had to. He couldn’t stay friendless and alone forever.

Even as he was focused on searching through the discounted books for another potential buried treasure, Honggi was still plenty aware of another presence. The employee had never left, and he could feel the man's gaze on him still. It didn't make him uncomfortable the way prying gazes usually did, it was gentle and curious, and soon enough had him turning his attention back to the other with a small, shy smile. Still clutching his first find under his arm with great care, as if the tattered book was fragile and highly valuable, he quickly side-stepped over to where the other male stood and took in a small breath before daring to strike up conversation.

"Do you... have any recommendations?" It stood to reason that someone who worked in a book store and had been looking at the very same shelf Honggi was would be an avid reader and possibly know of some interesting titles that he hadn't read yet. "I like uh... fantasy, stuff like that. Childrens books or young adult or whatever are good for that. I like classic literature and all, but, yeah.... fantasy fiction. That’s my favorite." There was some obvious anxiety in his speech as he rambled in a pitchy murmur and averted his gaze to look back to the books lining the shelves. Honggi wasn't always so odd about speaking to others, but he had distanced himself so much in recent times that he wasn't quite sure he remembered how to speak to people he didn't already comfortably know. It was rare for him to meet a stranger anyway, having grown up in Strobe and knowing most everyone in the small, quiet town.

🌿 unraveling » hg + lh

strluhan:

With lights turned on the smell of greasy food filling his nostrils, Lu Han doesn’t feel as scared anymore, his previous reaction seemingly too much as he stares down at the strong grip he keeps on the deodorant can. Slowly, he peels his fingers off, dropping it on the sofa as he waits for his body to calm down, not yet willing to take a seat because he knows his legs will betray him and wobble if he tries to stand up again without properly waiting. “I’m okay now, just a little startled I guess.” He laughs it off, giving one last sigh because he came here to comfort, not be comforted, so he lets himself be tugged to finally sit on the cushions.

Hesitantly, he takes the money Honggi offers, noticing it’s more than what he would have asked in case they were to evenly split it. Lu Han knows the other is too proud to accept it back, a frown appearing on his face as he stares at the bills in his hands, lips pursing to the side. To solve this, he decides to stay quiet about it for now, and even once he has to leave and accidentaly forget it somewhere in the living room. He folds the money in half, keeping it on the back pocket of his jeans until he comes up with a better plan, body slumping down when he’s done. His body feels tired from tensing his muscles during the movie, he can already feel it in the way his neck and shoulders hurt as he rolls them.

“Being healthy is good, but you should treat yourself something dangerous a little more often.” He jokes, watching in amusement as the other slowly eats his slice, and his own stomach complains at the scene. “Get some for me.” He makes his best whiny voice, only moving his back from the sofa so he can rest his head on Honggi’s shoulder. “Please, I can’t do it.” He makes feeble attempts at reaching the pizza box, wiggling his fingers and all, huffing when he fails and tugging at his friend’s shirt, mouth hanging open as he waits for the food.

Glancing to the deodorant can that had been dropped on the couch, Honggi picked it up between two fingers and gave Lu Han a quizzical look, complete with raised brow, before he set it off to the side on the small table beside the couch. It certainly wasn't where the deodorant belonged, but he would return it to its rightful spot later. At the moment, food was a priority, as he had a rather large slice of pizza still in his opposite hand and he couldn't simply tidy up the house and eat simultaneously. The grease on his fingers would make a mess of everything. And honestly, the more bites he took, the more his stomach seemed to angrily remind him that he hadn't been feeding it enough lately, so he was very much engrossed in his meal.

"I treat myself to dangerous things," he retorted, attempting to make a joke of it himself but unable to hide the bitter edge to his voice. Perhaps he didn't indulge in junk food as often as his friends or his brother would like, but there were certainly some unhealthy hobbies that he found himself wrapped up in from time to time. Chewing another bite of the food, though, he was starting to wonder if perhaps it would do him some good to treat himself more in the way of pizza and candy than in the wine bottles that littered the apartment on his bad days. It was something to consider, at least, even if he wasn't necessary up for breaking the habit yet.

The comfortable weight settling on his shoulder caused the elder of the two to roll his eyes as Lu Han leaned against him, continuing to nonchalantly work on his slice of pizza as if oblivious to his friend's pleas to be fed. It was when his shirt was tugged on, though, that he gave in with a faint chuckle, reaching for the pizza box and lifting the lid again to set down his half-eaten slice and pick up a new one for his friend. Bringing it up to the boy's lips, he waited for him to take a bite, then after realizing what he was doing he quickly nudged the other by shrugging his shoulder a few times as he huffed, "Hold it, you're not a baby, you can feed yourself!"

phalanjaes-deactivated20160816

🌿 regret » hg + jh

Caffeine ran thru his veins along with sugar from a vending machine chocolate bar and left the nurse in an energetic state. He was eight hours into his shift, having been clocked in since six in the morning, and had yet to take a lunch break so he survived solely on vending machine snacks and coffee, which weren’t exactly healthy and clashed against his frequent health related lectures he gave a few of his patients. But, in Jaeho’s defense, it wasn’t as if he had the time to stop and eat an actual meal nor did he really want to. So he ate like a struggling college student instead.

After flinging his third cup of coffee into the trash and passionately scrubbing his hands to the point that they were red, the nurse was very ready to meet his next assignment, who he greeted by poking his head into their designated room with his body soon following. “Hellooooo!” For someone who had slept for only three hours, plus the fifteen minutes when he crashed on the couch in the nurse’s lounge prior to his shift beginning, Jaeho was incredibly cheerful and peppy. It was almost disgusting. But surely that had to be better than interacting with an angry doctor or a nurse who would much rather be at home in bed than here. His eye bags were almost nonexistent, covered with concealer purchased just for that reason, which gave off the impression that Jaeho did not spend last night working a double shift and was as healthy and well rested as possible. Blond locks toppled into his eyes when he bowed - the vibrant hair colour often causing older patients to give him a look of disdain mixed with horror - and swooped to the side when raising his head. “I’m Kim Jaeho and I’ll be your nurse for today.” It was a dorky way to introduce oneself and Jaeho was almost certain he’d soon be asked to fetch a doctor instead like every other patient, but he kept that smile on his face regardless.

On a shelf sat a box of vinyl gloves and the short stack had to rise to his tiptoes just a hint to grab at a pair, Jaeho accidentally pulling out three and having to shove the lone extra pair back into the box before standing flat footed again. “Now, what seems to be the problem?” It was a foolish question, considering this patient’s information was sent to his tablet computer and Jaeho could very well assume what needed to be done just by looking at the screen and from the cloth clinging to the male’s arm. The cheerful and hopefully comforting smile on his lips was soon covered when a surgical mask was fastened around his ears and covered both his mouth and his nose for hygiene related purposes, yet his eyes remained happy. Jaeho plopped himself down on a chair with wheels and used his short little legs to propel him over to his patient, though not without grabbing the trashcan and dragging it over with him just in case. Now that he was closer to the temporary homemade bandage and tourniquet, he could get a better look at it, eyes scanning his patient’s wounded arm yet not yet moving to do anything about it without permission. “Mind if I take a look?”

#strjaeho #;p: regret #tw: self harm

The sudden, chipper call of a greeting didn’t seem to fit the bleak atmosphere of the emergency room, and it honestly jolted Honggi out of his thoughts with a reflexive jump before he looked over to the source of the voice with a perplexed expression. It was, presumably, his nurse, a young looking man who couldn’t have been any older than Honggi himself, if not younger even. That was certainly unexpected. Raising his brows but saying nothing, his eyes followed the other while he moved about getting prepared with a mask and gloves in order to tend to his patient, the cheerful way he carried himself still feeling odd and out of place compared to how Honggi had been treated thus far. It was jarring, but at the same time, welcoming, and as the eyes turned to him again he did his very best to manage a weak smile, though it turned out to be little more than faint twitching at the corners of his mouth.

“I cut myself doing dishes,” he repeated like a broken record, the lie coming out easily now that he had said it so many times, no stutter to his voice as with the first times he rambled off the excuse as though it were a mantra. Not waiting for the nurse to ask for him to elaborate, he went on without any prompting, voice cracking from his dry throat as downcast eyes focused on a random spot on the floor, “There was a knife in the water, I ran my arm into it, and it cut me. On my wrist… pretty deep. I tried to stop the bleeding myself, but it wouldn’t, so I wrapped it up and came here…” His story hadn’t changed, but he couldn’t guarantee it sounded very believable, especially when the wound was actually visible and was clearly a more deliberate and precise cut with a tool much sharper than a kitchen knife. He couldn’t afford to admit the truth, though, no matter how warm and kind the other seemed to be. There was too much stigma and too much at risk for anyone to believe it was anything more than an accident, and he wouldn’t let his resolve melt away just because this young stranger appeared so caring. Honggi knew how some people were on the job; even he was much warmer and more animated at the daycare center when dealing with children or speaking to parents, it was part of the work persona, being in one’s element. He didn’t distrust it per se, but he was wary of it all the same.

There was a distinct hesitation coupled with a flash of panic in his eyes when he was asked to show the cut, aware he’d have to sooner or later but all the same dreading the questions that may follow, but as he creased his brow and kept his stare focused more intently on the floor, he lifted the wad of cloth from his wrist and held his arm out for the nurse to see. Already, the limb was trembling, nerves and wooziness making it hard to remain perfectly still, and the swell of anxiety in his chest made him take in a series of sharp, shaky breaths as he gripped the blood-stained fabric until his knuckles turned white, feeling the warm wetness of more blood rising to the surface of the wound now that the pressure was gone. He felt faint but fought against it, licking over his lips tensely before his gaze flickered up to look at the other male’s face wordlessly, trying to gauge his response.

#writer meets reader; lhg & kji

Jongin was more than ecstatic upon discovering that the one dollar bookshelf was restocked. He immediately walked over to the said bookshelf and ran his gaze over the perfectly shelved novels and their worn spines. After glancing side to side for any danger figures, he carefully picked out a novel, using his long, slim fingers to pry out the rather torn book. It was indeed ancient, judging by its faded cover, browned pages, and deteriorating spine. However, Jongin believed that it was these kinds of books that held the best stories. With a new (or old) novel in hand, Jongin leaned against the bookshelf and opened it up to the first page.

A chapter into the novel, Jongin sensed a presence nearby. He quickly picked his head up and fixed his gaze on the man that silently communicated with him. The employee tensed up as he cleared his throat and acknowledged the stranger. “Are there any novels you are looking for? I could help,” Jongin managed to say, mentally telling himself that he was an employee, not a customer. Later, he even forced a smile, which was incredibly awkward that even he was aware of it.

#jonginstr #;p: writermeetsreader

Feeling himself growing a bit shy, Honggi managed a tight-lipped smile before shaking his head quickly at the other's question, dropping his gaze to instead focus himself on skimming the book titles on the shelf. The small lapse of silence that followed let it sink in that perhaps he was rude for not verbally responding to the offer for help, though, so with some hesitation he found himself answering softly, "No, thank you, I was just... just browsing." The dollar shelf was usually a mixed variety, as any and every genre could be put up so long as it was discounted, and sometimes he quite liked the fact that he didn't know exactly what his options were until he took the time to browse around.

One thing that easily caught his eye was an old, slightly tattered copy of The Little Prince, clearly used and attempting to be re-sold. Unable to resist, he picked it up and started to flip through the pages to make sure they were all intact, and he was pleased to see they were; nothing had been ripped out, so despite its condition, it was perfectly readable. Immediately, that was tucked under an arm as he would undoubtedly be purchasing it, eagerly skimming the rows of books to see what other treasures there might be.

🌿 unraveling » hg + lh

strluhan:

He’s satisfied when he apparently won their little prop blood discussion, even more so once his hair is ruffled, and he shifts a little on the embrace, the corners of his lips slightly tugging upwards at his victory. “I’d tell you too, don’t worry.” Lu Han almost snorts, but instead, he only shakes his head, muttering something or another under his breath about how Honggi was no fun and didn’t even bother to entertain him and go on with his little play. Sometimes, he feels as though his friend only reserved his creative playful side for when he was with kids at work.

They were so stupid for going on with this, the movie obviously to much for them when all they could do was lean into each other and even go as far as close their eyes to ignore the scary stuff, chit chatting in the middle of it. In his mind, he’s chanting with the other, not entirely convinced the thing isn’t real, especially when the doorbell rings and he’s left screeching senseless words, along with some colorful curses he’s not very proud of. “Oh my god!” He wheezes, voice still high-pitched, arms and legs tightly wrapped around Honggi, which made it really difficult for him to untangle himself when he finally came back to his rightful mind. “Right. Pizza. Ha.”

Despite his fear and uneven breath, Lu Han stands up, wobbly feet taking him to the door, hands feeling around for the money and anything to defend himself with, in case there were a murderer on the other side of the door. Cautiously, he pries it open, sighing in relief when he spots the usual delivery boy, taking the boxes from him and not waiting for the change, thinking it was a generous enough tip as a thanks for not actually killing them. “Here.” He mumbles while placing all their food on the coffee table, telling himself his arms were shaky because of the weight and not because he was afraid, ignoring the deodorant can he was gonna use to protect himself.

As Lu Han scurried off to answer the door, Honggi was still trying to coax his racing heart into a normal rhythm once more as he kept a hand over his chest, laughing quietly to himself while he came down from the surge of terror he'd felt. It was only when he'd fully calmed himself that he realized Lu Han had gone to pay, and soon the elder was perking up and preparing to jump to his feet and follow, opening his mouth in protest. "Hannie, I--" Words dying on his lips as his friend reappeared, already carrying the pizza boxes, Honggi frowned a little and eyed the boy for a moment. "Let me pay you back for the food." Lu Han had already arrived with a bag of snacks he'd purchased himself, and while Honggi didn't make good money, he still would not allow one of his best friends to pay for every little thing, especially with the amount of food they'd ordered.

"Here," he offered once he'd fished his wallet from his pocket, having to peek inside hesitantly and make sure there were enough bills to count out before he held them out to his friend with a quiet huff, pride making him stubborn. He was always the one meant to take care of others, and it didn't sit well with him, letting someone else pay his way. He didn't really have the financial means to always cover everything on his own, but he certainly did what he could, when he could. Noticing the way the other's arms were trembling once he'd set down the food, his attention was drawn to that and he arched a brow, "Are you okay? Still scared?"

Tugging Lu Han down to sit beside him and placing the modest wad of money into the younger's hand, he busied himself with opening the food boxes, already picking up a slice of pizza. He didn't indulge in junky food often, and hadn't eaten a lot in general, so he eyed the slightly greasy slice warily before biting into it, not wanting to make himself sick but also unable to resist the temptation. Sighing contentedly then as he chewed, he waited until he'd swallowed to murmur out before taking another, larger bite, "I can't remember the last time I had pizza."

#writer meets reader; lhg & kji

#jonginstr #;p: writermeetsreader

jonginstr:

Sipping on his morning coffee with a book in hand, Jongin was enjoying his morning, as always. He set his mug down and picked up his toast, decorated by a spread of jam, and bit into it. After a few chews, he washed it down with another sip of his coffee. Upon finishing his breakfast, he started to get ready for another day at the bookstore. He hoped that the one dollar bookshelf was restocked, so that he could take a look at it and pick out something interesting.

After his shower, he dressed casually, slipping into a pair of black jeans and a simple white t shirt. He wore his usual pair of black Converses and went on his way to work. It’s weird how Jongin feels like a customer, rather than an employee at the bookstore; maybe it’s because he spends most of his time reading there instead of organizing. He often sees customers reading an interesting novel and wants to ask them about it, but his damned personality prohibits him from doing so.

Soon enough, he arrived at the bookstore, embracing the smell of the books, both old and new. He walked to the counter and picked up his employee card and hung it around his neck. “Kim Jongin,” it says in black font, with the words “sales associate” under his name, in a smaller font. Immediately, his footsteps took him towards the one dollar bookshelf, in search for old books in need for someone to read them.

The morning air felt nice, the sun hadn't risen fully and brought sweltering heat with it, so for the time being it was cool out and the slight breeze was refreshing as Honggi approached the book store. He'd gotten an early start, something he often did after a sleepless night, and buying a coffee then roaming around the book store was one of his favorite ways to kill time before he was due in for work. Already, he had a caramel macchiato in hand, the hot beverage really not suiting the season, but he never could kick the habit of preferring his coffee drinks to be just below scalding regardless of how cold or warm the outside weather was.

Sipping from the cup as he perused the rows of shelves, there was an obvious pause in his step as he noticed the display clearly marked for new releases and best sellers, a look of longing crossing his expression for a few fleeting seconds; one day, something he'd written would be there, he hoped. Some days it felt like some pipe dream he would never achieve, but other times he would have a flood of inspiration with his writing and feel that the special something he needed was just out of his reach. Sooner or later, he reasoned, he would have a breakthrough. Until then, though, he would still be the quiet, inconspicuous daycare worker who wrote alone in his apartment late at night.

Patting the pocket where his wallet was kept, he took a moment to debate whether or not he had the cash on him to justify buying a couple books, but he was short on money this month and wasn't certain it would be excusable. Heading towards the shelf that contained the discount books, he decided to try there for something more affordable, his steps at first quick with purpose but gradually slowing down as he drew nearer and saw an employee already standing there. Not speaking a verbal greeting, he upnodded to the other male and smiled faintly, averting his gaze to start skimming over book titles.

🌿 unraveling » hg + lh

strluhan:

He refuses to give up on his arguments, even though Lu Han is sure Honggi’s are stronger and probably right, so he only mutter his reply when it’s already a lost battle for him. “Not… not all jellies have sugar in it.” Pursing his lips in thought, he guesses his last comeback actually makes sense, and he spends a longer moment feeding the idea in his head. “Like that kind of flavourless jelly people use in their food to make it, well, jelly-like.” He tries to explain once he’s happy about the way his sentence sounded so convincing.

“Me too.” It’s a good thing they are agreeing on something now, and his neck relaxes just a tad bit as he settles for leaning completely over the other’s body. “Would you tell me if there were a ghost haunting me?” He asks after Honggi finishes his explanation, nodding slowly and mulling over it, wondering about all ‘what ifs’ his mind could come up with in such a moment. “Or maybe if there were a serial killer following me?” Lu Han moves his head until his chin is resting atop his friend’s shoulder, looking at him as he waits for an answer, using it as an excuse to distract himself from the movie playing out in front of them and scaring the soul out of his body.

At this point, both of them were cuddling more than anything else, trying not to get too scared about the gory scenes going on. In all honesty, Lu Han doesn’t mind, rather welcoming the warm embrace and definitely tuning his mind out once he almost jumps out of the couch due to a specially dramatic change in the music’s volume. Quietly whimpering to himself, he wraps both hands around the one caressing his, taking comfort in the way the soft touches ground him to the safe reality they are currently in, eyes closing and breath evening out as he calms down.

As Lu Han continued to argue, Honggi only took in a slow breath then exhaled it deeply, the heavy sigh being the only response offered to his friend from this point forward. While perhaps there were some valid points made, he still wasn't certain it was entirely true, and the realist side of the older was aware it was silly to go around in circles endlessly over the matter when it didn't even particularly matter. Still, Lu Han was rewarded for being distracting and a bit amusing during the movie as Honggi lifted one hand away from the boy's and instead ruffled his hair, letting his friend's chin rest on his shoulder while they sat together.

"I don't know how I'd know a ghost or serial killer were after you without you knowing too," he began after some thought, clearly choosing his words carefully as his forehead creased and a look of thought crossed his face. "But... yeah, if somehow I saw a ghost messing with you or some killer stalking you and you were oblivious, of course I would tell you." The words were spoken with a quiet laugh, because Honggi found it a bit silly to be asked such a thing; of course he would tell the other. Even if someone he didn't know or didn't like was in danger in some way, he would jump to warn them, so naturally he would be watching out for one of his best friends in such a situation.

Feeling Lu Han's other hand joining the one he was already playing with, Honggi lowered his own free hand until he had taken the boy's hands into both of his, linking their fingers together and giving a gentle squeeze. His cheek rested against the top of the boy's head as he tilted his own to one side to lean it on top of the other's, and when he heard Lu Han whimpering in obvious fear, he gave another comforting squeeze to his hands while shutting his eyes tightly to block out the images on the television screen. "It's not real," he reminded, both Lu Han and himself honestly, "It's not real, it's not real, i-- fuck!" Nearly jolting off the couch as the doorbell rang out, he released one of his friend's hands to instead clutch his chest, breathing sharply before shakily laughing as realization settled in. "Oh... the pizza."

#strseiji #;p: laundryrescue

🌿 laundry rescue » hg + sj

strseiji

"Here," Honggi spoke up as he passed a cold can of soda to the boy sitting on his couch, always remembering the manners his mother taught him. Never forget to offer beverages to guests. It didn't matter if this particular guest was a childhood friend who would know by now to simply make himself at home. Giving Seiji a small but genuine smile as he turned to continue what he had been doing, the older boy moved about the living room to tidy things up, apologizing as he did so, "Don't get me wrong, I am really glad you're here to hang out, but this is my only off day this week and I have a ton of cleaning and stuff to do. We can watch a movie or something when I'm done, okay? Make yourself comfortable until then."

Despite his tendency to keep to himself, there were a small handful of friends he would happily allow to come over unannounced, and they knew it. Seiji was one of them, the boy being his oldest childhood friend except for perhaps Lu Han. They were both like brothers to him, and regardless of his mood, he was happy to have them roaming his apartment like they owned the place. He just felt pressed for time, wanting to get things organized so he didn't have to worry about tending to his apartment until his next off day. Finishing early also meant a chance to hang out with his friend, and perhaps do some writing in the evening.

A gust of wind ruffling his hair, Honggi turned to glance to the open balcony door, one of the sheets he had strung up on the clothing line outside waving about with the flow of air. Making his way over, he caught a glimpse of darkened clouds forming, wondering aloud more to himself than to Seiji, "Is a storm blowing in?" Picking up the empty clothes basket to start gathering the laundry before they were rained on, a gasp soon ripped itself from his lips when another gust of wind hit as he was unclipping some clothespins, a few loosened clothing items being carried off with the breeze and landing a ways away from the apartment. "Shit," he cursed, peering over the balcony's edge helplessly before he turned to hurry back inside, heading for the front door and explaining as he passed his seated friend, "Hang on, I have some clothes to rescue."

🌿 regret » hg + jh

strjaeho

The hospital was freezing. Maybe blood loss had something to do with that, but not much. Hospitals were always cold. The rational side of Honggi's brain knew this was to keep the environment sterile, but it didn't make things any less uncomfortable for him. Not that he had much to be comfortable with at all, really. While he'd only personally had to visit the emergency room a few times in his life, he could remember the wait being long, likely because the injuries and sicknesses that brought him there in the past weren't serious enough to rank him very high on their priorities list. This time, though, it went quickly, which was possibly the only positive thing about the experience thus far.

#strjaeho #;p: regret #tw: self harm

🌿 blame it on the alcohol » hg + my

strmiyoung

It was weird, how things came to this. Normally when Honggi drank, he chose to do so alone. Sometimes he could be seen at a bar, when he was wound so tightly that he needed to escape for a while and didn’t know how to soothe his nerves other than downing a drink or two while huddled in the corner of the local pub, but for the most part, he was reclusive when the urge struck. It was unlike him to do this with a companion, and yet here he was, sitting on his couch with an open bottle of wine and his head slightly spinning from the drinks he had already consumed before taking this bottle out, a friend sitting beside him to keep him company on his journey into intoxication.

Granted, Miyoung was much more sober than he, but she’d put a dent in the glass she was currently holding and it seemed to have made her relax quite a bit. This wasn’t the direction he’d imagined things going when he invited her over upon finishing his shift at the daycare center, but the day had taken its toll on him and he desperately needed to unwind, something he found he couldn’t quite wait for once they were alone in his apartment. So it seemed, despite nether of them being social drinkers by nature, that getting tipsy was also on the agenda for their casual get-together; or, in Honggi’s case it seemed, full-blown drunk, as he was undoubtedly feeling the effects.

“It’s getting late,” he observed quietly as he glanced to the window that overlooked the street outside. The sun was starting to set, and this coupled with them both being inebriated made Miyoung taking the trip home alone unsafe. “Do you want to stay here tonight?” Remembering that she cared for her grandmother, he pursed his lips upon realizing she probably wouldn’t be comfortable leaving her alone overnight. “Or I can call you a cab when you’re ready to go home...” Leaning himself over to the girl, comfortably laying his head on her shoulder, he stared at his wine glass and swirled the drink idly before tilting his head to look up at her. “It’s up to you.”

#strmiyoung #;p: alcohol

🌿 unraveling » hg + lh

strluhan:

Lu Han begrudgily huffs, a little put off by not having the support he wanted in his opinions, eyebrows furrowing as he thinks about a comeback. “Well… the prop blood might be made of jelly, you never know.” He ends up muttering, pulling the blanket higher around his neck and never taking his eyes off of the television; although he admits to himself that he’s scared, he’s still entranced by the bloody scenes playing on the screen, showing all that’s twisted and sick about human’s imaginations and thirst for crimes originality.

“I know, but still.” He’s being especially stubborn tonight, solely wishing for an agreement to what he says on the matter at hand. “But maybe it would be scarier because then it’d look more real and they could make it so the killer can still dodge the cops and get away to go after the characters again and again.” He doesn’t stop talking to breathe in between words, the new movie murder taking too much of his lungs’ capacity as he gasps every now and then. This time, it even made him jump on his seat, but since Honggi was quiet about it, he’s going to keep his mouth shut as well.

It’s a little disgusting when they look for evidence on the new victim’s body, so Lu Han tries to shift his focus to the older and the way they’re leaning close to each other. “Do you think this was real somewhere?” He asks all of a sudden, eyes quickly glancing up, even though he can’t really see his friend’s face from this angle. “I think it would be worse.” Lu Han’s mumbling, looking back at the television and sighing when he feels the music go tense on more time.

"I'm pretty sure movie blood is made from corn syrup and food coloring," Honggi challenged, though the argument was mostly conversational as he wasn't all that concerned with winning the fight, he was simply spouting off what he knew from memory. Where even was it that he'd heard that? He was certain he had before. "Maybe in vampire or cannibal movies and stuff where they have to drink blood they use jelly, but for stuff like this... it'd get everything sticky if all the blood had sugar in it, wouldn't it?" At first, he had been speaking without looking away from the movie, though after giving himself more to think about, he blinked a few times and turned his head to glance to Lu Han for answers, though he wasn't sure why his friend would know either.

"I don't know why people who are stalked by killers or ghosts don't just move," he remarked a moment later, seemingly already abandoning the previous topic as the movie caught his attention once more. "I mean, sometimes they do, but only after people actually die. Wouldn't you want to get out of there at the first sign of trouble? Especially with ghosts... there's always one character in the movie that refuses to believe anything is wrong and won't leave, wouldn't you be afraid to risk it? Even if it was nothing, if there was a chance it could be something, I wouldn't stick around." It was unlike him to be so chatty, especially nowadays, but one of the few times that Honggi found it impossible to stop rambling was when he grew anxious. It was a tell-tale sign something was making him nervous, and at the moment, the film certainly was.

Feeling tension in the other's body, he gently nudged their heads together before reaching for Lu Han's hand, taking it between both of his and idly playing with the boy's fingers while his teeth chewed at his lower lip thoughtfully, mulling over his friend's question. "I think screenwriters and directors take artistic license to make movies more interesting, but yeah, I'm sure stuff like this really happens... they have to get the inspiration for movies somewhere, you know?" The thought seemed to unsettle him, and Honggi leaned himself more into the boy beside him, the dramatic rise in music inevitably leaving up to a jump scare that had him exhaling a startled curse before he turned his head to look away, effectively pressing his face against Lu Han's shoulder.

jjeongukie-deactivated20190926

#; reflect

🌿 unraveling » hg + lh

strluhan:

His body visibly relaxed when he felt arms wrapping around him as well, getting comfortable with the idea of protection from the television screen. “Sorry.” He mutters, drawing away for a total of twelve seconds to pull the blanket corners around Honggi’s shoulders too, and soon after that, he’s assuming their previous hugging position. Lu Han tries really hard to tune out the background music that’s slowly making him go tense all over again, hands tightening their hold and lower lip caught in between teeth to prevent any shaking or whimper sounds.

He thinks he’s holding it all very well up until a screaming is heard and one of the support characters appears dead in a bloody pool and he may not have taken anatomy classes, but he’s pretty sure limbs are not supposed to bend like that. “That blood is so fake, it’s obviously jelly.” The laughter that comes with his words is uncertain, his wide eyes betraying how he really feels about the scene, and he tries to hide his face by tugging his fringe further down and burying the side of his head on the other’s comfortable embrace.

“Horror movies characters are always so dumb, right? They always go to the obviously unsafe places and don’t even call the police.” He huffs a little, an unsettling feeling coiling on his stomach so Lu Han brings his feet to the couch as well, managing to tangle them with the other’s own as he looks for a position that seems unharming but still made possible for him to run for it in case his life depended on a sudden escape. If asked, he’d just say he missed his friend and wanted to stay closer to him to make up for the lost time.

"I don't... think they use jelly for blood, I think they use some kind of... gooey... prop blood," he reasoned thoughtfully, a visible cringe on his face as he stared at the screen with morbid curiosity. The violence was a little graphic for his taste, but of course, blood and guts was to be expected with most horror films these days, so he couldn't say it was entirely unexpected. He likely would have gotten unsettled and turned it off a few minutes into watching if he was viewing it alone, but with someone else close to his side, it of course was jarring, but he found significantly more bearable.

Still, he agreed with Lu Han's next point, "... But yeah, they never have common sense in horror movies... they always do things that will get them killed. I guess that's to keep the story moving, though? If everyone did the smart, rational thing it would be a boring movie and would end quickly..." Just as he trailed off, another killing took place, this one intentionally coming without warning to create a jumpscare. It did its job, as well, because Honggi was visibly startled as he exhaled another embarrassing squeak sound, immediately followed by nervous chuckling as he started to laugh at his own strange noises. "Fuck... that actually scared me."

Huffing, he dug his teeth into his lower lip and chewed at it anxiously, welcoming the closeness when his friend tangled their legs together. Normally, he would tease and taunt that the other was afraid, but truth be told, Honggi was as well. He was smart, and he wouldn't risk saying anything to make the other pull away and thus take away his feeling of security. No, he'd save his playful jabs for later. For now, he hugged the other closer, fingers idly winding in the material of Lu Han's shirt while he leaned their heads together comfortably.

🌿 unraveling » hg + lh

strluhan:

“The food should be here in thirty minutes.” He says, distracted by the popcorn bowl being handed to him. It’s a lot of responsibility, he thinks, because if Lu Han’s the one holding it, the popcorn might end too soon. So, he decides to place it on the coffee table with everything else, picking one by one like any well behaved soul should, sipping on his soda to make it even slower; anything to make their movie snack last longer. He’s in the middle of taking a particularly large gulp when he feels the softness suddenly hitting his body, which almost makes him choke on his drink.

“Hey!” His protests seem useless, but he doesn’t stop the pouting and frowning and overall acting like a spoilt child until his half empty glass is secure on the table, pillows nicely arranged around him, and blanket framing his shoulders like a superhero cape. Now it’s a little bit late to say so, but an action movie sounds like a good idea to him, except he kind of already promised to watch the scary stuff and he can’t back up now as it would only make him look frightened, and Lu Han surprisingly still has an ego to take care of.

When the dvd turns on, everything seems a bit too real, and he only hopes Honggi won’t remember the lights aren’t off, because he would certainly freak out at any strange shadow moving. “Sure.” He gulps, thankfully managing not to stutter. “Is it, like, ghosts or serial killer type?” If he were honest, there wasn’t a better option in this case, but he wants to be prepared for whatever might come, although he’s been composed so far. That is, until the older sits by his side and Lu Han’s launching his body against him, arms tightly wrapping around the other’s shoulders.

It was only once he'd sat down that Honggi noticed Lu Han wearing the blanket like a cape, and the sight actually managed to bring a snort of laughter from him. Luckily, the room wasn't all that chilly so he wasn't interested in having the cover shared between them both, but he still gave his friend a gentle nudge in the side with his elbow all the same as he mumbled sarcastically, "No, don't worry Hannie, I didn't need any blanket." After years of friendship, his tone should be clear that he was strictly joking. It wasn't often that he allowed passive aggressive snark to slip past his lips, but it did happen. Now wasn't one of those times.

Before he could answer about the film's specific genre, he was suddenly latched onto, which visibly took him by surprise as a squeak escaped from him followed by a shaky laugh once he’d recovered. It shouldn't have been a shock, as his friend was a very affectionate person and would naturally get clingy during a horror film. This was perfectly fine by him, as it made it significantly less frightening to him as well, so his own arms looped around the boy's thin frame before he brought his legs up onto the couch to curl up a bit and tuck himself against the other, holding onto him tightly. "Come on, nothing's even happened yet," Honggi chided softly, though he didn't loosen his hold.

"And it's uh... a slasher movie, so serial killer," he finally answered, glancing towards the screen as the opening scene played out. Everything appeared rather innocuous so far, but he wasn't about to be lulled into a false sense of security, because the slight change in music set an appropriate mood and told him the actors were in for trouble very soon. "I haven't watched this one yet, so I don't know what happens... guess we'll find out." He squeezed Lu Han gently as he said this, hoping he didn't feel as tense to the younger as he really was.

🌿 unraveling » hg + lh

strluhan:

In a minute, his phone was out and he starts looking for their local pizza delivery number, thankful that Honggi didn’t comment on the tactic he learnt in college, painfully aware he probably uses it at work too. Making an okay sign to the kitchen door, Lu Han’s already talking to the junk food place, requesting for two of their biggest pizzas with different toppings each. Apparently, this place has some new kind of partnership and he ends up ordering more than enough fried chicken wings to feed at least five more people. When he’s done, he turns around on the couch, smiling as the other brings a popcorn bowl for them.

“Why do you need so much food for? Do you let your brother have five servings now?” He jokes, placing his phone face down on the coffee table, a strategy to keep him from distracting himself, although he’s pretty sure that wouldn’t be necessary in this situation - just a precaution because he doesn’t want to ruin the movie’s mood as well. “Sharing is caring.” He mutters, taking a handful of the popcorn as soon as it comes close enough.

He’s nodding hurriedly, puffing his chest and faking a bravado he’s never had, trying to swallow all of the popcorn he put in his mouth before speaking again. “Sure! If you want it, I can do it for you, it’s just a movie, right? And you’ll be here to protect me.” Lu Han supposes there is no problem as long as it isn’t based on a true story, so he shrugs, looking over the dvd cases and squinting to read the titles, but he’s not very successful at this task. “It’s on you, really.”

"Feeling a little lazy, I guess," Honggi admitted when asked about the quantity of food, pursing his lips thoughtfully. It was rare for him to take the easy way out of things, because he generally liked cooking and making sure his brother didn't live off of junk food was important to him, but he had been so exhausted in recent days that he couldn't bring himself to put forth the efforts he usually did. "Don't feel like grocery shopping or cooking, and Yoongi won't care if he eats pizza and chicken for a couple days, so everyone wins." He could only hope that his brother didn't take advantage of his lapse in motivation and try to encourage delivery dinners more often from this point forward.

"Hang on," he murmured once he'd passed Lu Han the bowl of popcorn to put down, turning to make his way out of the living room so he could gather things his friend would need to spend the night, emerging from the hallway minutes later toting a blanket and a small stack of pillows, both of which he dumped on top of the other boy with a playful smile, one of the few he’d worn in days. "Make yourself comfortable, I'll pick a movie. Nothing too scary, I promise." Personally, Honggi scared easily himself, but there was still something entertaining about a creepy film; enough so that he would indulge on a rare occasion, if he had some company to make it less frightening.

Those DVDs were in a separate cabinet, not on the rack their commonly-watched movies were kept, so he approached the entertainment center the television was displayed on and opened a small door to shuffle through a modest row of movies there, finally selecting a case. Taking the DVD out and putting it into the player, he fiddled with the appropriate buttons and soon was turning to join Lu Han on the couch, grabbing a handful of the popcorn on the coffee table as he passed before he flopped onto a cushion at the boy's side.

🌿 to the rescue » hg + zt

strzitao-blog

Zitao found it highly unlikely that his body would be able to ‘relax’ as he would command it to do. He sat comfortably, however, staring blankly at the floor as he awaited the other to come to his rescue from the horrid hangover that was bound to come. Everything in the room was spinning, blurred, and double vised, making the other slightly sway with each movement of the objects around him. His mind couldn’t help but begin to wander around the current feelings that burned at his skull, no matter how much he pushed them backward.

Why was he like this? He was a child. He had to be constantly cared for. All he truly brought was trouble to those around him, and he couldn’t do a single thing about it. He constantly felt as if he was perfectly fine, but even in this drunken state, a part of him knew that that was not the case, whatsoever. He had just taken a large amount of money from the older man, plus the slumber he could have been having at the very moment, plus, chances were, he was going to get a headache, too, and won’t be able to go back to sleep. Zitao felt like a worthless piece of shit, though not a single nerve in his body moved to vocalize them within the emptiness of the bedroom. No one was listening, and so vocalizing would do nothing better than it would if he was thinking out to himself. He wouldn’t want to burden anyone with his feelings and thoughts, either.

Perhaps that was why he constantly went to parties. He wouldn’t be alone with these terrifying thoughts that only pushed him closer to the edge, and it was never quiet. He hated the quiet with every fiber of his body, and even a tad scared of it. He had no idea why, maybe because of his past, though either way, the quiet was something that never sat well with Tao. Listening to the terrorizing thoughts that constantly punched at the back of his skull and having no way of escaping the truth within them scared the shit out of Tao, and he couldn’t do a single thing about it. Parties were his guilty pleasure, a habit he couldn’t get away from even if he tried with every strand of himself.

Tao watched as his motherly figure walked into the room with a large tray that seemed to push weight onto his shoulders. His eyes were dull, puffy, and red, which seemed to be the only color that accompanied the features of his face. Nodding slowly as the other rushed out of the room once more to obtain more, his eyes scanned over the contents of the tray, pursing his lips to one side as he tried to properly process everything. Despite his eyes looking over all the objects, he never realy analyzed anything, his mind and reaction time too slow for it. His eyes then stared back down at the floor in a blank gaze while he waited for Honggi to return.

By the time he had came back into is room, Tao was slightly swaying to the side, tilted a little to the side, like a tree about to fall, hanging on by a few strands of its bark. Inhaling slowly as he was handed the small tablets, he stared down at the pills in his hand and listened to each explanation, nodding slowly. He couldn’t help but mumble the details to the hangover pill out of pure memorization of something he had read not too long ago, “B complex has thiamine, riboflavin, folic acid, cobalabin, and pyridoxine…” His voice still slurred, he himself wasn’t all that surprised he had been able to obtain this information in his intoxicated state. He was a very smart boy, though he made stupid decisions too easily, and hence never looked all that smart. He quickly took them with a few swallows of water, groaning lowly once they were down the hatch.

Tao was alright with the tea. He drank a lot of tea and water, but the noodles he had a problem with, and it was obvious Honggi knew. His half hooded eyes watched he steam lift and evaporate from the contents of the bowl, finding it rather unappealing. “I’m not hungry, hyung.” He bit back, his voice at a low, slurred grumble. Lifting a tingling hand to run through his jet black hair, Tao shut his eyes to listen to the voice of the other, opening them once he felt the hand on his skin. Pursing his lips again, he reached a hand to take the tea into his hands, sipping at it at first, and after a moment of sitting there enjoying the warmth against his hands, he moved to gulp all of the tea down at once. He wanted to get it over with and let the other rest, because he knew he had made his night a living hell already.

With that being said, Tao knew he needed to eat. Not for himself, but for the other. He needed a victory, and it was obvious that Zitao owed him one. His eyes lifted to look over Honggi’s expression, sitting there in pure thought before his hands moved to take the chopsticks, his body shifting to lean down and eat a small bite from the provided food. His body pushed to reject the noodles, but he bit them back, shutting his eyes harshly. He could hear the voice in his head screaming at him, telling him to throw it back up. Despite these words he constantly heard, he swallowed the high sodium treat and forced himself another bite, and another after that. Once the fourth bite was over, Tao couldn’t anymore. His body had taken in way more than it was used to, and more than it even wanted, and Tao could feel all of it stirring in his stomach. He wanted to puke, run a few miles, and puke some more. His body couldn’t take this. Gagging slightly, the young boy lifted his shaking hands to run through his hair to calm himself, shutting his eyes tight and giving a low whimper. Despite it all, he shook his head and lifted his hand to shoo the older man to allow him to get rest, because he deserved it and Tao couldn’t keep being a child.

”I’ll be fine, Gi Hyung. Go and rest.”

It was a lie, but he couldn’t keep doing this to him.