it really shouldn’t happen this way. and it shouldn’t happen this way because he didn’t spend so much time putting up layers for words to tear them down so quickly. and so gently.
and that’s the problem. when andrei says it it’s so gentle. it’s so slow too, not quick, not in the heat of bodies against one another or anticipation of it. it’s a little bit after. when both slow their hearts to a manageable pace, hyungwon manageable by position and andrei just manageable by heart. but andrei’s got leverage, hands pressed on either side of the bed and gaze unmoving. peeling without prying and looking without searching.
hyungwon’s phone is somewhere on the countertop and all energy to retrieve it dies down. not when he catches the look in andrei's eyes but because he catches his breath. slowed, almost erratic to the point where he found that to focus on instead of the eyes on him.
and he’s used to that. he’s used to cameras, eyes through cameras, judgement and expectations, piercing gazes and pitiful ones all the same. he’s memorized them and filed places where they go so they don’t reach his core. he does that with everything. but andrei’s, andrei’s is too much. and it makes him want to look away. he doesn’t have a place for it, nor a word for it.
“god you’re beautiful.” and if hyungwon’s body were so inclined, it might stiffen. and it wants to wants to show how much the words mean and that they mean nothing. that they resonate as nothing. but he doesn’t stiffen. he falls into the pillow, turns his head and pretends that all it is, is his face sinking, not his heart turning or anything like that. visible even in dark of the room because the kitchen light fitlers through the door and the penthouse windows let in the night.
“stop it.”
“stop what.”
“whatever it is you’re trying to do.”
“i’m just telling you the truth, you’re really something.”
“you’d think that of everyone after a night like that.”
and hyungwon’s not crude, not meaning to be he’s just - cutting, tearing apart the sweet that he gets into something truthful. because things like this don’t always come so easily and softly and he’s trying not to fool himself. but andrei doesn’t flinch, doesn’t even move, if only once to look out in the direction hyungwon is. at the window, out the window, at the moon maybe before he looks back. all eyes all attention all words made to turn hyungwon into something.
“you’re really gorgeous, i’m sure you know, but I gotta tell you.”
“don’t expect something back.”
“not expecting anything.” and everytime hyungwon tries to search for sincerity, tries to mold words into it he always ends up short and with jagged pieces of hope. but this time, when he doesn’t hope or search of expect, he’s hit full force. when his eyes turn and see andrei smiling, shrugging, genuine. he doesn’t really have words for it, except that it does take half the breath out his lungs.
“you’re too much.” he doesn’t scowl though, doesn’t smile but doesn’t scowl.
“right back at you.”
“get off me.” he doesn’t make a move either, doesn’t squirm or reach or pull.
“i can’t, I’ve lost my way back, you’ve trapped me.”
he smiles. it’s small but it’s there. found it’s way up after all the doubt gets knocked one by one by the male still hovering above him. and if andrei sees it he doesn’t let on. he just stays over hyungwon, pressing small kisses to his face, cheeks, nose.
“stooooooop.” because hyungwon hates kisses. hates the intimacy. hates the permnancy of feeling lips on his skin for days and wishing for it. hates the thought that he might really truly miss these kisses as the glide over. and andrei stops, partially, lips on hyungwon’s cheek until they move up. up up up and hyungwon doesn’t flinch, doesn’t shrink, doesn’t shove when he thinks he should. instead he’s got lips pursed in something of a pout, small and only for the male grinning smugly before him.
“stop being so gorgeous.”
“you’re unbelievable.”
“and you’re---”
“don’t.”
“beautiful.”
there’s reason why it shouldn’t happen this way. reasons why hyungwon remains so strict and guarded. because he’s let a few in and let a few sweet words by and had them slice through. but andrei’s land like butter instead of a piercing passion it’s a soft simmer. taking over his body until he can’t turn enough to hide the flush on his cheeks. and boy can he feel it. and boy does he want to hide.
“cute.”
“don’t you dare.”
“your secret’s safe with me.”
and for some reason hyungwon’s got the feeling it’s more than a secret that’s safe with andrei. but this is the beginning of one.
It starts with a text. It’s been awhile since she could play around like this but she considers it to be building the suspense.
Minzy sends it early, mischief fresh on her face.
( sms outgoing jae ♥ ) [IMGATTACHMENT] had to leave early. I’ll see you later!
He’s probably not awake yet, and that’s okay because when he finally does wake up with an absence of warmth she’s quick to get the symbols that show just how much he doesn’t like it. She does admit that even with the start of it all, she already misses the morning routine, waking up with small shuffles under the covers and gentle kisses. It’ll all be worth it though.
For now she sticks to the memory and hopes it’ll be enough.
( sms outgoing: jae ♥ ) red or pink? [IMGATTACHMENT] [IMGATTACHMENT]
( sms incoming ) pink looks better on me tbh.
( sms outgoing: jae ♥ ) you won’t be wearing it you dummy!
( sms incoming ) I will if you show up wearing it.
( sms outgoing: jae ♥ ) this is why you get coal for christmas.
( sms incoming ) that’s not how I remember it.
( sms outgoing: jae ♥ ) gtg!!!!!!
Frankly speaking Jb’s starting to become too much for her heart. He’s always been a little too much for her to take in the beginning but right now he’s catching her when she’s already yearning and it’s unfair. After all this time Minzy knows he’s still the master at this game but she’s caught up. She doesn’t underestimate him as much anymore because as much as his words have her blushing where she sits she knows the pictures have him rolling. She’s getting just as good at this.
( sms outgoing: jae ♥ ) Photoshoot keut! [IMGTATTACHMENT]
( sms incoming ) as expected of my beautiful talented girlfriend who’s on her way home right now.
( sms outgoing: jae ♥ ) I’ve got dance.
( sms incoming ) let me come.
( sms outgoing: jae ♥ ) don’t you dare you’ll distract me, I’ll be home faster!
( sms incoming ) cruel woman.
( sms outgoing: jae ♥ ) rest I know you need it. I’ll be home later.
It’s a red flag because really they would get no work done if he showed up, but also because he has a tendency to jump up and run over whenever he puts his mind to something and they absolutely cannot have that. Not right now. She knows the feeling, she’d rather have him here even if was to distract her but not today. Minzy swallows the burn in her chest and wonders when she’d become this needy for her own boyfriend. It’s a good thing though. It helps her smile throughout the dinner and on her way to the practice room.
Just for him. All for him.
( sms outgoing: jae ♥ ) I’ll be home late okay, don’t stay up!
( sms incoming ) ㅜㅜ ㅜㅜ I have all these days off and you’re so busy. you’re neglecting me in the beginning of 2017.
( sms outgoing: jae ♥ ) [IMGATTACHMENT] don’t be a baby
( sms incoming ) cruel woman.
( sms outgoing: jae ♥ ) love you too. ♥
She’s been in the practice room for over two hours and she can pick up on how used to his presence he is. Not even that but the movements she’s picked up from him and him from her, minzy’s always been a little wild and fluid, jb precise and strong and even now her trainer’s looking at her with a knowing smile.
“You’re really going at it aren’t you.”
She has to. Two more hours and several runs later she gives in to her heart.
( sms outgoing: jae ♥ ) [IMGATTACHMENT] im so tired
( sms incoming ) now I know you’re just teasing me.
( sms outgoing: jae ♥ ) you have no proof.
( sms incoming ) they say the longer you spend with someone the more you become like them.
( sms outgoing: jae ♥ ) hoho then someday you’ll be the one melting instead of me!
( sms incoming ) how about you come by and we test that theory.
( sms outgoing: jae ♥ ) >< bye.
She is on her way though. She’s tired as hell but the bounce in her step is both one of anticipation and carefulness. How can she not be excited? It’s funny though, for so long Minzy had pretend there was no way she could be so helplessly devoted to someone yet here she is starved of affection. She understands his pain though, she had been busy this past week and the time they were looking forward to ended up cut short. He was as understanding as he could be and patient and right now she couldn’t ask for anything better. Especially after a day like this she understood.
A few hours apart and Minzy already misses him. A day without starting it with her kisses and hugs and she thinks she’s running a little low on energy. Maybe calling him her energy is pushing it but calling him her strength which he is seems a lot better. Despite the long day she’s had, the meetings, the practices, setting up and putting final touches minzy’s practically rushing to the apartment. The bundle in her hands makes things difficult but that doesn’t stop her. Only one thing is on her mind and it’s him him him.
He’s been tired lately with finishing schedules for the year and trying to get the clear just to have his schedules wiped for the first week of January. He deserves it. Hence the reason for her hectic schedules and even more hectic day.
Minzy’s not sure what to expect when she reaches the door. Jb has a habit of surprising her more often than not so when the lights aren’t on she panics. If he’s here that’s great though she didn’t expect him to be asleep but if he isn’t she’s in trouble. Dougie is at her feet in seconds and she wants to greet him really she does but her mind is on a roll right now.
“Hey dougie, where’s appa? is he sleep?”
“I knew you’d greet him before me.”
Minzy’s not as startled as she should be, his hands are a little cold but other than that there’s warmth everywhere instantly. She falls back into the hold despite her need to scold him for nearly scaring the hell out of her. She embraces it despite the voice telling her she’s got things to do because suddenly he’s everything she’s missed and everything she’s wanted and it’s only a day but she feels it like a lifetime.
“Yah, it’s your fault for lying in complete darkness.” Jb doesn’t say much for a while but he also doesn’t let her move. The bundle in her hands is covered though and she lets out a sigh of relief at planning ahead. It’s so easy, too easy to just fall back into the embrace, give him the bundle and just let the burn in her body take over. Minzy’s lasted all day though and breaking now would just be a disappointment.
“The bed wasn’t right without you there.” She knows the feeling.
“Aigooo you laid on the couch all day?”
“Yes I’m sore take responsibility.”
“Okay I’ll be there in a second, let me put my stuff down though.” It’s supposed to be a bit of a scolding because she really needs him to let go but she also doesn’t want him to, not for the whole night. He doesn’t pick up on the message really and that has her wriggling from the grip and the kiss on his cheek is quick before she scurries to the kitchen. It has to be done right. She’s not putting in all this work to get sidetracked right before the main event. “I promise I’ll be there now go shooo.” He seems to get the hint and she thanks her acting skills before watching his feet trudge off to the bedroom, Dougie in his arms. She hears him mutter something about being cruel after abandoning him all day and that makes her laugh.
“Yah!”
Project almost forgotten she peeks her head into the bedroom to see him on the bed, stomach down and eyes focused on his phone. He can be really cute without even trying and her resolve almost breaks right there. The lights are off and his focus is completely off her. It helps her though, she can sneak the box onto the counter before jumping right on his back, legs on either side of his body.
“Are you upset?” Maybe she expects a response, maybe she’s not at all surprised when he tries to turn over but her hands remain planted in in his back. “Did you miss me that much?” Minzy has the control for the moment and if he looks up at her she’s going to fail.
“You’re here now so I guess it’s alright.”
“Are you still sore?” That’s how her hands start pressing down, with a question and a response right at his ear. She’s going to do this right. She starts at his shoulders because it’s easier to reach, and the easiest to draw from. The sigh? It comes out unexpected and rough but he doesn’t turn around. “....you’re really tense, didn’t I tell you to get rest today?” It’s because she’s in control that she can do this and it’s because she’s become more like him that it’s easier.The words still come out as if she’s shoving them out because despite it all she’s still nervous and new to it.
Minzy’s being a little selfish actually. Going an entire day without so much as a hug or kiss has taken it’s toll on her as well. So when he hands press down and linger she knows it’s not totally for him. She bites back a grin at that thought and only continues. This is the language she thinks they know better and after being deprived of it for an entire day she thinks this is the best way to finish off.
“You know it’s kind of hard to gauge if I’m doing this right if you’re going to be this quiet?” She’s really become like him it’s almost scary.The words are of course a little rusty when they slip off her lips, not as smoother she thinks but they have the desired effect. It’s either that or her hands pressing down into his shoulder blades and down his back. Trying to concentrate with Jb groaning like that is challenging but she makes it work for the most part. The heat that rolls up her body at each noise she lets ripple through her fingers and onto his body. Every part of him she couldn’t touch this morning she starts to claim now. Every sound and touch that’s usually hers for most of the day begins to melt between them. The first few moans break by and by now Minzy understands why it’s so hard for him to keep her hands off her when she’s like this. What she wants to do is swallow them up but there’s a swell of pride in her knowing she causes them so she keeps going.
Kneading. Digging. Pulling.
At some point his shirt comes off and neither of them are concerned about the fact.
Kissing. Grazing. Smoothing.
He’s not quiet. He’s not shy with letting her know she’s doing a good job and as thankful as she is it makes her body burn even more. It’s a good feeling. It helps her dig deeper, push harder and draw for more. Minzy’s always known Jb was fit, always known that he’s got the admirable physique of a dancer but she gets to appreciate i this time. She gets to look at it more and the pride she has shouldn’t even be her own but it is.
Even if her lips ache for his, this isn’t that different. Even if he’s not on her, flush against her she’s still hot, the room is hot and her fingers burn against every spot they touch. She usually lets him make a map, he’s usually the one scanning across mountains and claming spots and today it’s all hers and instead of nail marks there are gentle bits of red. She likes it for the moment that she has it.
It’s when her hands reach the small dip in his back that he starts squirming.
“Stay still.” she whispers above the skin, fingers curled around his hips. He’s not going to she knows that but it’s good to try. He’s always been a little sensitive by his back and truth be told despite handling it all well the flush that jumps up her chest when he lets out that grunt is a little too much. She feels it course through her whole body.
“Minzy.” His words go straight to her chest.
“Nope, don’t be a baby.” It’s unfair.
“But--- ah. It hurts.” That groan is too.
“Shhhh.” She presses.
For some reason he does though. The first few minutes of pulling at the muscle hurts. That’s what she was told and she prepared for that. But she also prepares for when the hisses die down and mold back into pleasure and she’s got so much pride in her chest she doesn’t feel his body relax until it melts into their bed. Minzy feels like magic.
So she slides up, not realizing how hot her body had been until presses against his. The sigh of contentment Jb lets out doesn’t go unnoticed and she can’t help but smile as she kisses his shoulder, a giggle deep in her throat. He’s a few seconds away from dreamland but she hops out the bed, knowing her moves are left unnoticed for the moment. Remnants of her heat between her fingers and his skin still linger allowing her to shuffle around by the corner of the bed. It takes a few seconds and he’s probably a little too jaded to comprehend it. It’s good she feels good, wonders if it was moreso for him than her.
Minzy checks the clock on her phone first.
12:15 am.
January 6, 2017
Cake in her hand she leans over to perch her chin on his shoulder planting yet another kiss on it.
“Did you fall asleep yet?” A grunt is all she gets as a response and she works with it standing up fully with the candles on the cake now lit. “I need you to do one more thing!” It’s a little cruel considering after every massage she has she’d rather lay like putty in the bed but she’s practically bouncing in her spot, light illuminating her face as she does. When he does move he makes a point of exaggerating his groan. This is why she doesn’t spoil him as much. She’s still smiling, shining more than the candles themselves.
“Happy Birthday.”
The next few seconds are devoted to the realization, to Jb finally snapping out of it and inspecting what’s exactly before him. The cake, her, the memory, the day. Minzy doesn’t pay attention to when he sits up slowly, not to when he’s inches from the cake or her body is suddenly pulled between his legs. She’s got loads of butterflies scurrying through her veins that she’s glad he grabbed her first because the way Jb’s looking at her.
“Blow!” She says it to stop him but he pauses between it. He’s just as cruel as she is actually. There’s one glance at the cake and then another at her lips before he’s leaning in to blow it. She knows her boyfriend well though, oh boy does she know him. The moment the candles are out and she’s clapping and done setting the cake on the nightstand he’s leaning over for a kiss and that’s when her hand full of icing meets his lips.
“If you think that’s going to stop me------” it won’t, that’s why instead of waiting for him she’s the one who presses on. If her lips open a little more than necessary to swipe the excess icing off the top of his lip she’s not going to mention it. If she’s swiping her tongue at icing that’s no longer there she won’t talk about it. It’s slow. It’s sweet. It’s really sweet and she’s burning up. She uses her fingers in his shirt to steady herself because she feels it. Minzy feels the last bits of control leaving her. He’s leaning back, fingers hooked into her sweats waistband and he’s pulling her back with him.
She’s doesn’t move back for the life of her she can’t. Even when he’s fallen back and she’s atop him, uncoordinated and attached she doesn’t move. Thighs pressed against the sides of his legs, his hands deep in the small of her back and moving lower and lower until she lets out a squeak when they cup her butt. It’s not like it’s anything new but she’s still squeaking and shuffling against her chest with what strength she has left. She’s breathless and he’s looking up at her with a look that means she has less than ten seconds to get this out before he’s back at it. Five judging by the way his hands run up and down her butt. She breathes.
"It’s your birthday and you get me all day today, so I’d like it if I wasn’t exhausted for all of it.”
Minzy must have said something funny because Jb starts laughing, right under her, hands still gripping her butt as if it were a common gesture.
“You, should’ve thought of that before you got me like this.”
Well yeah. She should’ve.
“Okay but we can go on a date for your birthday. I got a new dress and everything.” To that he shrugs and she’s going to smack him if he weren’t drawing shameless sighs from her lips.
“It’d come off anyway.”
“Jae-------” He kisses that statement away and for a moment Minzy thinks she’s lost but he just smiles.
“I’ve got you all day right? So what if I want to spend all day in bed?”
“I-----------------” it’s dark and he can probably still tell she’s blushing.That and his damn hands won’t stop moving so she couldn’t get anything out if she wanted to. Truth of the matter was she was just as riled up as him and it would be a lie to say that wherever this was going she wanted it to stop. She finds the last bit of strength in her voice. “Fine.”
He’s ready to take the green light but she has one last word to get in.
“How was the massage?”
At that Jb seems to think for a moment. Despite it all Minzy’s still nervous, more nervous than she’s been in a while and she gets a few seconds to sit in it before he’s turning them around.
“I’ll show you.”
And damn if she wanted to get anything out she fails because his lips are on her neck, hands running everywhere and all he gets is exactly what he wants.
The rest of the night is spent with him fulfilling his promise to show her and between Jb’s name mixed against his lips and into the air Minzy’s sure she gets a good enough answer. His back is once again filled with nail marks, her body mapped with red and the air only knows the sounds of love once more. If she had any plans for the day they’re cancelled in favor of them against each other, sweaty and sated. I love you’s exchanged more times than they can count and even if things didn’t go exactly as planned ( as if she didn’t expect it ) Minzy can’t shake the pride in her chest at the happy birthday boy beside her.
she didn’t love them or hate them. she wasn’t indifferent either. she found her little joys in days like this as well as her irritations. it was all situational and sometimes all it depended on was who strode into the bar on days like this.
more often than not she’d get the strays looking for shelter. she’d bring out the blankets and the tea she keeps stashed in the back for them, making it sweet with chai and cinnamon for them to curl up in the back of the tavern. regardless of the reeking smell of unruly animals and musk the tavern kept it’s homey, cozy appearance. she liked that.
she liked the huddle of boys and girls of the same fate, crowding near the fire, no longer jumping at every movement or snarling in fear. she liked the small surrender to their inner human and the fold into their own comfort. she gave them smiles she would otherwise save for regulars who didn’t cause trouble.
she didn’t like the loud rumble of the men who would burst down the door demanding shelter, scaring the smaller rogues and latching onto the bars and the stools like leeches. they’d drink themselves silly because they cannot go anywhere, drown and drown and after a while it was all nonsense and war stories and even she was laughing. she would scrunch her nose at how mannerisms came from the raging outside the walls.
she may not like how crowded and smelly it could get. grown men smelling of the undergrowth in the forest and whatever latched onto them when they ran. she may not like the smell clouding up the bar and the laughter breaking the comfort but she falls into ease. it’s a rainy day, everyone gets a day off. even as she works she considers it a day off for her too. so she smiles.
rainy days meant the smell of downpour in pine and mud, the smell of musk and pure primal energy all around them. the smell of a fresh kill mixed in grass dew, wet fur and alcohol, burning wood and meat. everything blended together and even if she couldn’t filter things out it smelled like home.
she wasn’t indifferent but she wasn’t smitten. the crowds the rain brought in only sought to tip the scale in whichever favor but put her at ease. it was a comfortable balance that sought to fall with the appearance of one.
this one didn’t like rainy days. this one more often than not found herself slinking over to the warmth of the tavern on days as such, claiming she didn’t have a fireplace in her area and she forgot to leave before the storm hit. jae just smiles, offering tea with a drop of whiskey and a smug smile.
“don’t get the wrong idea.” jae’s hands rise in defense, one giant keg lifting as the other reveals manicured nails.
“it’s just funny, keen nose as yours I would expect you to smell the rain a mile away.” most of them do and come rushing into the tavern before it hits.
the town is small but she finds their kind like to gather together when it does. she’s not sure why. maybe the smell of one another blocks out the smell of everything blending and making them vulnerable. she supposes that’s why hayeon hates it. she doesn’t delve though, serves her the same set as always and offers the same smile. she does however make a habit of tweaking hayeon’s nose when no one is looking. it earns her a small snarl, brandished teeth and jae only laughs as she saunters away.
“jj, is it true that if lightning strikes us during a change our fur will have electricity in it?” honestly what are they feeding the younger ones nowadays? she can only blink at the group staring over at her from the fire. the tavern has grown quieter and no one really pays much attention to the questions of the smaller ones. well except jae. she hears a scoff from hayeon who’s sitting across from her on a stool, head buried in a book. she’s been trying for half an hour to get her head out the book but all she gets is a shoo and a leer. getting hayeon to look up however is victory enough.
jae sets the glass she’s cleaning down before leaning over.
“so get this? once upon a time a guy came in not too long ago, he was a rogue like you young’ins. always snooping about and not listening to anyone. going out in the rain because he thought he was so tough, went out during lightning storms too.” once someone gets jae started there’s no telling where she goes. but she has the attention and she rolls with it.
“so he comes by right? always doing reckless things when there’s a storm, like climbing trees and mountains and weird reckless ish. Anyway one day a little one went missing, lost the scent of everyone in the rain and wandered to the power plant down the road. the old one no one uses? so he went out looking but the storm was serious, back then we had more trees, more wires, things were lighting up that night.” she can feel hayeon’s eyes shift to her.
“so he goes out looking for this kid. we don’t hear from him for hours. then lightning strikes, lights up the whole tavern. we hear a howl! no one goes out. someone comes in. it’s the little one who got lost. says he got caught in some wires that fell. in untangling him, our hero was struck by lightning getting him out! body became bristles of electricity, crackling everyone, eating up everything. he was a walking powerhouse! we never saw him again but sometimes.....
sometimes on really bad storms he’ll come in to warn the newbies about going out on days like this. or else they’ll end up like him, cursed to only appear in the form of lightning. if he catches you out on a storm like this and not with your pack....he’ll shock you!” that does it. she’s slamming her hands on the table and the whole group practically jumps. that gets a laugh out of them and another scoff from hayeon.
“stop telling fairytales.”
“you listened to the whole thing.” she doesn’t get a response to that. in fact he swears she sees a glimpse of a...fluster? no. probably just her hopes. but there’s a smile, annoyed as it is hayeon smiles and looks back down at her book.
“you didn’t make it scary enough.”
“could you do better?” suddenly everyone is looking over, challenge echoing through the still of the storm. jae didn’t expect anything but a rebuttal and a roll of the female’s eyes. instead she gets a raised brow and watches hayeon glance around at expectant stares.
and that’s how that starts.
by the time it ends, two of the girls are leaning on jae’s shoulder, a rather small one, the runt is sitting in her lap, all tuned in to hayeon’s story, all shivering and shaking, wide-eyed and completely enthralled. hayeon’s voice is husky at times, low and perfect for the story. velvety and focused and she puts emphasis where it’s needed. the boys are the first to glance around when it ends, swallowing with their pride in check. that’s before jae lurches forward and they launch out the stools. she nearly doubles over as the girl in her lap jumps out to go chase after. hell even the older guys and the pains in her ass were listening. a calm chill fell over the tavern and everyone enjoyed the exchange of stories.
she supposed this is what an elder did, brought together, whether she knew it or not. hayeon is back in her book and sipping at her drink while jae hovers dangerously close.
“what.”
“I didn’t know you were good with kids.”
“I’m----- not! I----- I’m good with you aren’t I?” Jae expects a save like that and instead takes to wiping down the table.
“I could kiss you right now.” she knows better so she makes a smacking sound with her lips that has hayeon ignoring her existence for another twenty minutes. when the storm dwindles down and people start to leave jae gets busier making sure they get out safe.
“jj will noona tell stories next time?” one of the boys asks her. it’s shocking because he never calls anyone noona. nevertheless she looks over at hayeon who she knows has heard him, rain spraying over her face and his head when she pats it.
“if you promise not to shit your pants. go on now they’ll leave you behind!” so he’s off and it’s quiet. as the rain begins to halt she gets her last fill of the pour, standing out for it to accumulate all around her, for her to drown in small dances against her skin and the raw smell of the place she’s considered her own. she takes it in, she doesn’t even realize she’s turning around and smiling. she must look rather foolish, that being said,
“you know it’s creepy to watch someone. or are you falling for me again?” she stops finally, eyes peeking from under soaked strands at the female. hayeon stands in the entrance, a sheet of rain separating her from jae’s paradise. the only thing standing between them and a momentary bliss of chosen solitude is a step. jae takes that step. hayeon steps back.
“it’s fun!” two more steps back, into the tavern this time. jae takes her hand, hayeon’s shrouded in dry warmth and hers burning with fiery downpour on her palm. she pauses, and just stares, takes in her options, takes in hayeon. hayeon here and for the first time looking rather nervous but also contemplating. so jae holds her hand a bit longer, determination she’s known for becoming apparent. so she gets a sigh and two steps forward and that’s all jae needs to yank the woman forward until the downpour. slowly becoming a light rain and mist over their bodies she stills stands within it.
“I used to feel so powerful, dancing out in lightning storms like this?” she used to dance around and around jae did. she used to scream her ambition and her hates into the stormy air. now she simply laughs. it’s only an occurrence when everyone has gone early and hayeon, well she counts as a special circumstance. jae sees her though, catching small droplets in her palm, glancing over ever so often. racking her brain to find jae’s fascination with the act. so she takes both hands and leans over to say, “don’t think about it,”
because sometimes when she sees hayeon she’s thinking too much, making sense out of too much and trying to understand too much. she does that with jae and jae’s not a girl to be categorized, or filed and understood. if she is that’s great but jae doesn’t understand herself quite yet so someone reaching before her is ridiculous. so she’s pulling hayeon out into the fray not caring so much as to what they do or how they do it. for a second she imagine retaliation and it shows momentarily in hayeon’s eyes. she sees her letting go and walking back into the tavern or just shaking her head and getting her things. jae doesn’t ever intend to make hayeon angry but she can’t spend the whole time worrying over if she might or might not. she takes a chance, steps on a ledge and before she knows it hayeon is just shaking her head and looking up letting the droplets washing over her face.
jae doesn’t know what she’s thinking and she won’t ask. she won’t step out of line either. she doesn’t think about anything really. not how she notices hayeon’s lips part and amidst the flurry catch some of the drops. she doesn’t watch her eyes open and close ad a quiver of a smile, a semblance of peace. she doesn’t want to take in her like this, she feels it isn’t fair really. she dares to tear her eyes away, away from water clinging to usually fitting clothes on a fit body. she really shouldn’t, so she goes back to herself acting as if parts of her didn’t include the female beside her.
the thing about rainy days is just as senses blend together, just do people. one moment jae is beside hayeon and minding her own business and then suddenly she finds her arms are slung around the female neck, chest to her back and chin on her shoulder. she can smell hayeon everywhere and nowhere at all and for the moment she wants to make sure she doesn’t disappear. the fact that the female doesn’t say object, only objects with a glare is enough.
“i’m tired don’t be cruel.” she doesn’t need to lie but she doesn’t really want anything to mess up the moment. jae isn’t particularly this sentimental, touchy yeah but not sentimental. she doesn’t want to ask why but wen hayeon instead walks back to the tavern with her still latched on and they get inside the smell of the outside and the rain slowly dissipating into the two of them, she doesn’t care. she doesn’t give hayeon the chance to order her off, she slinks off with a smile and a bounce in her step to go get two towels.
the thing about rainy days is they almost always ended up outside. whether it was hayeon telling her to come back inside because jae was doing unnecessary things such as howling or yelling the many attractive things she finds about the female. whether it was running out to chase off an unwanted customer or even give someone an umbrella to get home, someone ended up outside, someone ended up fetching them and then they ended up wet and together and sometimes if jae’s lucky, with both of them laughing.
they end up with both jae and hayeon perched on bar stools and while jae takes to drying hayeon’s hair happily she only gets about five seconds of glory in before the towel is out her possession. that’s okay though. jae shakes her hair out naturally and gets scolded by her, gets smacked with the towel twice before being told to dry off properly. small naggings she would otherwise lose to a sunny day.
they end up closer than expected despite the lack of a bed and the lack of lust. closer when they’re covered by a blanket in front of the fireplace and as hayeon puts it, waiting for the end of the storm. but the downpour has all but drowned into a small haze across the town and she thinks hayeon can leave whenever she wants. she doesn’t wish it though, they’re both bundled under the covers and though they’re sitting apart jae would have it no other way.
even on rainy days the relationship between them even blurs.
“we used to do that on stormy days.” sometimes hayeon breaks the silence and sometimes jae just basks in it. she doesn’t ask for much but takes what she can receive. “sit around and tell ridiculous stories. not just when it rained though, when people were scared, when things were going to shit, when we just needed each other? sometimes you didn’t remember the story at the end of the day, just someone’s head on your shoulder or your head on someone else’s and the fireplace.” it’s all she gets. so much all jae does is nod and smile.
on rainy days everyone’s blurred together into a mass of confusion and smells and inhumanity. if it wasn’t clear before that they were beasts it’s clear now. even still, when all the scents cloud together and cloud up her mind one person remains a little more potent than usual. one person who jae could filter out of everything else.
and sometimes on rainy days she’ll find herself going to sleep and feeling the shuffle of that person against her chest. and on the next day she wakes up early to put the blanket and such away knowing the female is already gone, rainy days blur things out, distractions, barriers, all into a comfortable gray zone they slide into every now and then and once the morning dew slides on and everything clears out she just holds the gray close to tackle the black and white.
Hyungwon liked to categorize things, make them easier, cleaner and simpler. His sister tells him it’s going to be the death of him, trying to understand and file everything that happens in his life. Everyone and everything that comes his way can’t make a mess if he has it figured out before it can. And messes are easily filed as messes or mistakes and he moves past it. It’s really that simple. A mistake is a mistake and thus he remembers never to make it again. A mess is a mess and he learns how to clean it up.
So this mistake? He finds himself ripping off the label over and over especially in times like this. He finds himself racking his brain for what to call it and where to put it. See this person, this situation has found itself lying around his brain and eagerly awaiting decision. What he’d originally thought was simply to label this as a one night stand, and then as a slip up and then as a complication, pending title.
He’s trying, in fact he’s trying pretty hard to find somewhere to put this so that it doesn’t completely stress him out. That’s what he calls this little situation. A work in progress. That same situation is, five minutes after one am with hyungwon still sifting through designs for fashion week and andrei sitting in the couch before him, grinning watching and sipping from a mug.
It’s not as smart a decision as he initially thought. Why? Andrei cannot sit still, he simply cannot sit still and just watch Hyungwon do his work and if he does he’s just smiling with this goofy look that makes the designer think he should ask if he’s slipped liquor in that glass. It’s apart of his field notes, that Andrei likes to be distracting but the reason he cannot overcome it escapes him. That frustrates him. Almost as much as the male staring from over the couch, glass in one hand and chin in the other. Staring, unwavering, making Hyungwon’s skin prickle not with discomfort but he hasn’t quite filed this one yet either.
“Don’t you look comfy?” It’s an observation and doesn’t beg a response. He keeps quiet, doesn’t even look up to acknowledge the grin he knows the male still bears. He keeps focused on the papers first and foremost and any other thoughts he can easily call unnecessary and toss them out. Looking up? Responding? Even making a comment was uncharacteristic and he could chastise himself for that later. It’s a small observation and nothing more. It’s not as if he spent the entire time glancing up to find the male in that same position. Besides he had work to do, he could focus on his relationship with the male after providing he was in the mood to.
'Who put salt in your coffee?' It was true that when it came to late deadlines, stressful last minute switches and important decisions for exhibitions, Hyungwon was very visibly stressed. In fact so stressed he tried not to let other people see him as such. They knew he handled a lot just never questioned the manner. Most would prefer not to be in his company during such a period and yet here was Andrei. Hyungwon did tell the male to make himself comfortable without expecting any attention but he's not really sure why he even considered the decision much less made it. He doesn't relish company during times like this and lord knows he doesn't need someone as distracting as Andrei. Yet there he is! And here they are.
They could sit in silence for the remainder of the night, listen to the shuffling of the papers, small sighs and white noise of the tv filtering into silence. It'd be simple, easy. ‘For someone who loves what he does you seem awfully tense.’ Of course Andrei had other plans.
"For someone who promised not be a distraction you're certainly sounding like one." Usually everything blends into the background. It would take pots and pans to pull him out a trance when he's working and yet one word from this male seems to avoid all barriers and find its way right to his attention. That's annoying as well. Normally the words leave with no repercussion but he finds a slight repercussion and need to take it back. Instead he’s looking up and Andrei as always is grinning. As if he expected it. That's annoying too, well not as much because the smile is nice. It’s warm, lazy, stiff with intrigue. Hyungwon can almost see the charm that the studios have when Andrei walks in. He looks back down once invasive thoughts make themselves known and clears his throat to continue.
"The selections are done it's just some people were sloppy with the details of the exhibition, I'm not supposed to handle the business aspects so directly and yet here I am covering their asses so my boss doesn't have mine."
'Oooh that mouth.' a smug grin and another sigh from opposite ends of the room, nothing but the small pathway between the desk and the couch separating them.
However irritating the notion it’s true. It's a delicate situation. As far as luxury groups and guests were he didn't sign under the company to take part in any of it, just backstage and presentation. His hands crumple over the papers before a sigh pushes his pencil forward and his hands push through his hair. He really doesn’t like company to see him stepping out his natural charisma. It’s not that he doesn’t like showing weakness but the expectation is to always be in control of everything, especially for him. Even something like a mere slip of the tongue can be detrimental and yet he doesn’t find anything wrong with slipping in front of the male.
‘Must be nice to know you’re covering their asses.’ there’s another slip up and Hyungwon’s nose wrinkles at the comment.
He wonders why he's even entertaining this kind of banter. He's not so much stressed anymore as he is annoyed. Annoyed at incompetence, at the time and the fact that he hasn't slept since he arrived to the suite and the show hasn't even begun. Any thoughts of thoroughly enjoying himself were readily thrown out the window.
"Don't you have somewhere to be? I'm sure here are plenty parties going on to celebrate the show." It doesn't come out bitter because at this point he's assured himself it doesn't need to. It's simple, rational. Andrei is still new to the scene and therefore should be out partying with the models.
'Are you encouraging me to go pre-show?'
"I'm encouraging you to stop bothering me."
He doesn't want to shoo the male out his space and he finds he doesn't want to urge him into the fray of the parties. He's trapped and he doesn't like feeling quite so tongue-tied. But he can cover it with snappy remarks, he always has. It’s not so much a defense as it is a simple escape. He doesn’t really want the company gone but in normal circumstances he would, so he tells himself it’s natural to feel the same now, he presses for it. In the industry Hyungwon works in, pressing for the norm is a death sentence so with everything around him changing and venturing into unknown territory he’d rather keep things around him simple.
It’s simple, he should be here working on designs until his fingers cramp up and he finishes, arranging and rearranging to the satisfaction he knows is expected of him. Andrei should be out dancing, engaging other models and other, guys. Them too yes. Hanging not with his own kind but not with such stifling company. Any other day he supposes his company would be preferable but not tonight. It makes sense, so he urges for it even if he finds he doesn’t like certain aspects of it. Like something akin to the night they first met.
For the moment he thinks it works because Andrei is quiet. There's that bitter taste on his tongue he was adamant about releasing but he sucks it up and returns to the outlines. That's until a hand finds itself on his desk and on the notebook he's been glued to.
'Know what I think?' He doesn't know what compels him to, trail his eyes from fingers to arm to frame and look directly in the male's eyes. Now isn't the time to crack so Hyungwon folds both hands over one another and props his elbows up. Words catch in his throat at the sudden appearance of the male so he lets his gaze arched eyebrow and all do the talking. He's been good at that recently too. Being trained to restrain any emotion from his expression he's also trained himself in what to show and how.
'I think you need to----' His voice is smooth, soft,
"Don't say take a breaks or so help me----" and Hyungwon finds he can’t take it so he stops it,
'Loosen up.' just as quickly as Andrei stops him.
No rebuttal. No snappy remark. No file. Just silence. Silence he's always craved since the night began and yet he finds his stomach twisting at it. Not because he has a problem with Andrei being right but he can sense the mischief in his tone, can feel it creeping with the hand that gets closer to his.
"You're kidding." He deadpans. He has to. He wants to find the right slot for this, the right response but everything becomes jumbled at once and he's a few steps away from just going with it.
He's closer than he thinks because Andrei's hand has his and his body is circling the desk to pull Hyungwon from the seat. No coaxing, no words just eyes locked and a small inkling of trust. He doesn't get up right away, instead he scoots back from the desk and contemplates his options. He hears his sister say he’s too meticulous somewhere in his mind.
"No funny business?" Andrei's hands rise quickly, innocence that he's seen more of lately finding its way to his face. Hyungwon likes it like that, and he thinks it's the reason he lets a final sigh go and stands from the desk body stretching up and a well deserved stretch moving through his body and out his lips.
That's when he hears the music and he probably thinks he should've thought this through all the way. Andrei was sneaky but the depth of it Hyungwon didn't really know until tonight. And before he can move to sit right back down a hand takes him and ushers him from his safe haven. From the desk that he can glue his eyes to and avoid temptation. It's easier that way, burying himself in even more work when the male's around.
"You can't be-----"
'Relax, just trust me will you?' Andrei’s getting a little too good at getting him quiet. But for right now he finds he doesn’t mind.
That's not what really does it anyway, it's the fact that the moment Andrei starts moving them back towards the middle of the suite he's moving his hips. All simplicity has broken with the sound of Latin music entering his ears.
He's not sure when he started, he's not sure how long it took for him to mold but he wouldn't want to backtrack anyway. That's the thing about Andrei, once Hyungwon strays he doesn't worry about finding his way back. He doesn't worry about where he needs to be or where he should be. Doesn't worry about the fact that someone could come in any second and see Andrei pulling sneakily at his tie, and moving his hips dangerously close to his without so much as a hitch or a draw. He worries about nothing and instead takes it all. Takes in the look of bliss on the male's face, the simple steps hat he catches into quickly and the hips that are probably the reason he's in this mess.
And he doesn't keep track of time. Doesn't worry about a schedule about if he loosens up so much it's morning by the time they're done. It's not but it's a funny thought, sun coming up over the horizon and passing through the windows. Sun on Andrei and the sun in him. It's an entertaining thought truly. He just moves, moves and moves.
Closes in and separates, closes in and separates until he realizes the distance is the problem and not the repetition. When he realizes that they're getting closer and closer and he doesn't worry about what might happen next just that it might. It could. Whether it should or should not is longer a concern. What might happen those moments Andrei’s lips are inches from his ear, chest to his, hands in his and they’re just moving. He focuses on that, them moving. The smell of cocoa and cologne other than stale paper and charcoal. The feeling of gentle fabric and softer hands, not stiff paper and draw sheets.
He's not as good as the male but he keeps up, he holds on because once it starts he's sure he doesn't want it to end. He thanks his parents for the various dance lessons they pushed him through all for the sake of being well rounded and it's not hard to imitate the movements after a few tries. He gets a few chuckles but he also gets a wider smile and something else. The moment they start moving together and not Andrei just pulling him around the center, the moment the music starts to be something to move with and not chase, he finds he understands. He finds he's not trying to figure out what it is even though it's relatively simple. He's not trying to label anything just move with it and Andrei.
Yeah he probably just wants to just move along with Andrei too. Take it as it comes and ignore how it should be or what it could.
these realizations come within seconds of each other, one minute he won't look at the man and the next he can't take his eyes off the hips that are suddenly pressed against his. Can't take his hands off them and his own lips off a neck. Fast as things move its all very slow, all very gradual and in the end they just end up laughing. Hyungwon misses a step, laughing when the next song is faster than the last, laughing when Andrei does fancy moves he doesn’t even try to do. Laughing and spent out on the couch. Andrei is seated up against it on the floor and Hyungwon is draped over the entire cushion, tie exceedingly loose and shirt ruffled. he actually hasn't felt this relaxed in a while.
'So,' of course Andrei is the one to break the silence. 'Where'd you learn to move your hips?'
"Just watched you." He can barely speak. For more reasons than one. He finds he wants to say a lot and nothing all at once. He’s tired and excited and anxious all at once.
‘Well I know you were watching me,” that gets the male a pillow right on top of his head, and laughter from both despite the roll of Hyungwon’s eyes. ‘but that’s not enough to move like that.’
“Wasn’t that good.”
‘Wasn’t that bad either.’
he doesn’t really realize they mean a little more than that until he catches Andrei looking up at him. He doesn’t go right out and say it but Hyungwon can tell he wants to say it, so he turns on his back and glances up at the ceiling instead.
“Okay it wasn’t that bad.”
‘Told you you need to loosen up.’ he hears the male’s voice growing faint and he sees that Andrei’s moved from his position, stood up in fact and is now standing at the back of the couch, hands gripping the edge.
“Next time I’ll listen to you.” He should probably get up.
‘Well next time.....’ now the voice is close again, too close. ‘can’t guarantee it’ll end exactly like this.’ and hyungwon thinks he’s just going to stay in the couch for a bit, right after tossing another pillow in the direction of the retreating male. the laughter dies out, the silence follows. it’s an hour before he really gets up, they sit there and talk for a bit, put on a few shows but the minute Hyungwon goes back to work he’s done within an hour. It’s four am, Andrei is fast asleep on the couch and he’s almost too stuck in the events of the night to sleep so carefully.
He hasn’t really found a name for this yet, hasn’t really found where this fits into his life, where the mistakes start and end. Where the joy seeps in or the pleasure of any of the things he’s experienced tonight. He’s not asking what this is, but more wondering how long he gets to be in it.
One more look in the direction of the couch and he’s finds he’s just smiling. Discovery or not, confusion or not, tonight wasn’t bad at all.
( summer days + jaeyeon @aumiliieu
is this gonna be a series or what )
summer days. filled with hot tempers and hot heads.
there aren’t a lot of females of her kind in town. jae makes the observation more times a day then she can count. it becomes more apparent on days like this when she’s working and it’s hot and the only thing to cover her up doesn’t leave much up to imagination. she supposes it’s because the wolves in this town are a little rowdier than the city bunches, a little more traditional in terms of male dominated packs and patriarchy. she belongs to none of them so her sovereignty is both a challenge and a gift.
it doesn’t help though that her mere presence is both a challenge and a welcome game. it doesn’t help that she happens to egg them on sometimes. hot tempers in the hot sun and the broiling bar.
jae is loose in her attire. she likes feeling free. she likes the breeze that slips in every once in a while when the doors open. she likes smelling of the charred remains of the fireplace sometimes and even the drips of beer on her skin. she likes worrying about nothing other than which table which order goes to and she likes being in her own skin. she doesn’t hear much about it in terms of resentment and though she’s not exactly hiding it she has a decent body. she works out enough to be able to fend off hands that more than wander. she needs it to fend off violent impulses akin to her kin and she likes knowing she can defend herself.
days like this it comes in handy.
days like this when even the cabin finds the heat slipping through the windows and the tavern. days when it’s so crowded to avoid the heat they bring it with them. days when it becomes apparent just how outnumbered she is by the males in her own towns. the women in town avoid the bars on hot days, and if they’re not avoiding bars they’re already with their significant others. heat is heat. brought on or stumbled upon.
she’s wearing a tank top, it’s shrunk a few times so her mid-drift is showing. she’s wearing shorts and if it were any other fall day she would only get a few stares and a few comments from those form out of town. but she’s in her shorts and her combat boots and the bar is packed and the stench of desire is so thick she has to tell the kids to beat it and go crash somewhere else.
it’s hot. everyone wants to jump out of their skin and onto someone else. heat makes them agitated, thirsty, hungry, lusting. everything pours in at once and she finds herself having to handle hoards of wolves at once. the stares, the gropes, the words.
never once has she felt uncomfortable in her clothing attire. she’ll smash a bottle over the heads of the right ones, swat away the wrong heads, even crack a few arms if she needs to. everyone knows not to go too far with her simply because jae isn’t so easily messed with and she’ll be damned if anyone thinks they hold something over her. title? strength? position? in this bar they mean close to nothing.
so when she saunters through the tables and feels a hand grip her thigh all she does is smile when the beer keg finds it’self missing the table and instead falling on a head. boisterous laughter erupts throughout the bar because everyone knows better. people will still try and she’ll entertain the thought but she doesn’t let anyone escape.
during summer days it’s all in the flow of the bar and she doesn’t mind.
she doesn’t mind but that isn’t to say someone else doesn’t.
it’s not jealousy no she wouldn’t label it even if it made it taste a little sweeter. it’s a little more than that. jealousy seemed so....petty. so humane. as much as jae would like to admit they aren’t human not anymore. such emotions, such trifles don’t really weigh as much anymore. not everything is so easily grounded in such either.
if she could sum it up to anything it’d be possession. needless to say jae owns herself before anyone else and there isn’t a title on whatever it is they have. whatever it is they are. but recently anyone can smell the scent of the female lingering around her more often than not. hell they can smell the results of the first night hovering around the back cabin if they tried. no one speaks on it and no one wants to believe it. the stares don’t stop. the gropes don’t cease. but something else lingers for the first time, the threat, the annoyance. tested patience sitting in eyes at the end of the bar.
just as she feels every other eye on her she knows no matter how hard hayeon may try she doesn’t always keep her gaze away and she doesn’t always keep her gaze under control.
so maybe possession isn’t the right word? dominance? honor. honor would be a factor if there were a title which there is not. there’s simply gray space and occasional defiance.
jae feels the curl of her own lips despite putting down another failed attempt to mess with the torn ends of her shirt. she’s running out of bottles she’s willing to smash and she’s wasting to much beer here. but she doesn’t claim annoyance instead she laughs. it’s all in their nature, the primal, rough instincts of pack members and the need to dominate anything around them. as long as her thing didn’t have a title she was on the market and as long as she was open game the first person who claims gets claim.
despite the fire in hayeon’s eyes each time a hand goes too low or a word rings too loud, she doesn’t think it’ll ever reach that level. a claim.
jae can’t help but find it entertaining to think it might.
“I forgot you don’t usually come around here on hot days.” hayeon actually only recently began frequenting the bar and at first it was met with disapproval but jae ran her bar as she saw fit. she kicked out who she wished and allowed who she wished and well the alcohol was too good to pass up. it only its jae after she comes back from her rounds that this is their first really hot day spending in the tavern.
hayeon doesn’t speak for a moment and jae swears the little fire is still swimming around in her eyes. when she looks up however and instead sets her eyes on the glass before her she settles against the counter.
‘I forgot how barbaric your bar could be.’
now there’s laughter. leave it to hayeon to completely revert to common small talk. jae doesn’t mean to laugh but she admits to finding the situation thoroughly amusing. “oh c’mon it isn’t all that bad. they’re just being guys. I prefer this, I make more money this way.” she feels looser this way, at the top of her game. any chance to openly express her strength is always welcome to her. she loves the commotion too, jae has never been a quiet settle down girl even if her cabin alludes otherwise. ”besides it’s hot, they’re a little rowdy.”
‘is that an excuse?’ she didn’t expect a slip that fast but when she catches hayeon’s eye again she’s all but reverted to her glass once more. jae’s smiling, she’s not even openly testing the other and she wants to.
“no but it’s natural, they’re just trying their luck.” with that she wiggles her hips, sprawling out completely over the bar and giving herself her first real stretch of the day. her joints are a little loose from holding and carrying all the bottles and reaching. the point is that it’s not intentional. she loves feeling like this, unrestrained and unapologetic about it.
what she loves even more is the small cough that slips hayeon’s lips the moment she does so. it’s easy, it passes for a cough really it does but jae knows better. she’s all but filtered out the whistles from behind her in favor of that little cough. “looks like they’re not the only rowdy ones?” now comes another cough and though it’s less as genuine it’s more deliberate. the whistles and vulgar comments she hears she may ignore but they don’t fly over hayeon that easily. “it’s really not a big deal. it’s hot everyone is a little caught up.”
‘I understand it’s hot but is that an excuse to egg them on?' for the moment jae pauses. she looks down at her clothes and she’s never been so ready to fire back,
“Well if you mean my outfit you know I dress like this normally----” but she catches herself when hayeon starts again. it’s quick, it’s not so much cutting each other off as it is she understood before it needed to be said.
‘Don’t smile at them when they do it, break them.’ so jae smiles again. smiles and gives her joints one long pull before releasing her body from the stretch of the counter and reaching over to down the rest of hayeon’s drink.
“unfortunately I need the customers. and I can’t go around breaking every guy who looks at me.” she notices the tension though, though with hayeon it’s hard to tell what it stems from. jae has gotten better at that she thinks. so she slips down, making for the empty kegs that are stashed under the counter but dipping close to her companion’s ear. “Neither can you.”
it’s not really a challenge. hayeon knows better than to start an all-out war. well not that anyone would really war or something so trivial as looking at jae wrongly. but the air was still thick, everyone loose meant everyone was fired up, excited but agitated, agitated but easy to ignite. hayeon could read situations well.
and above everything else, they didn’t have a claim. argument or not it would go nowhere. she seals the words with a gentle brush of her lips against the female’s ear and a reassuring smile. so sure she wasn’t challenging hayeon but it was fun as hell to tease her.
did jae know she had the figure to drive anyone wild? she did. she didn’t need to do much to get a few howls of approval. she never tried and she didn’t care to. she never egged on the guys either, it just happened that things were the way they were.
she thinks back to the the slip. the glimpse of desire in hayeon that only shows when they’re alone, when they’re shrouded and she can just blame midnight urges and loneliness on closed space between them. jae knows the power she has over the guys but hayeon? well that’s a different story. it’s intriguing.
maybe it’s the heat getting to her but it’s tempting.
she’s not the type to let anyone’s hand wander where it shouldn’t, by her own standards. but if it just so happens someone pulls her and the beer spills on her shirt and she to tie it up? if it happens that she’s smiling a little too knowing at hayeon when she passes by and her hair’s tied up and one of the guys thought it was funny to cool her down with water. she kicked him out of course. it it happens that no amount of beer could get her drink but she does get a strange flush about her cheeks when she does she can’t help if her looks as hayeon get a little more prolonged.
see it’s tempting. it’s hot. she’s free and she knows. it’s a dangerous combination.
jae’s seen that look before. either hayeon is about to snap and leave or she’s going to snap at someone. regardless she knows what she holds over anything that can be said towards her. she makes sure she knows before she proceeds with any plans and so far out of any and everyone staring at her as she goes around the bar laughing and about her freedom, she’s sure there’s only one person’s attention she cares about. it’s childish.
anything childish and stemmed from human emotions is bound to burn in the face of them and who they were. and it happens.
it happens when someone smacks her rear and jae seeing who they are decides to ignore it. rarely do pack leader make their way into the bar but hayeon’s presence might have caused some unwanted attention. crowded days like this and she chose to attend, someone was bound to come by. so yeah he not only smells hayeon but he smells traces of hayeon on jae and he also smells what seems like a challenge he can paw at. so he smacks jae’s ass. once and she tells him to knock it off. she chooses her battles swiftly because half his pack is here.
twice and she’s snapping and he’s laughing. she serves and wants to walk away. she can feel hayeon staring. she can feel the air starting to heat up. he offers her a seat in his lap and she instead offers a stick up his---- that’s when he tries to pull her down.
there’s a snap. it breaks the tension. breaks the game. it’s hayeon’s voice. clear as day from the bar. she’s not even looking over and it doesn’t take a scientist to know why. they all know why. jae can fight her own battles, it’s common knowledge between them, that’s not what this was about.
“don’t you know when to keep your hands to yourself? it’s funny, last time I checked you were already partnered up with a nice one. black hair? kind of feisty? doesn’t take nicely to cheating or where else did you tell everyone that scar on your wrist came from? if you don’t want another one and not from me, I’d leave.”
sharp words and thick atmospheres. everyone chooses their battles carefully and everyone takes note of the atmosphere before anything else. so he lets her go first, doesn’t pay for his stuff and takes his pack with him.
things slow down as it grows cooler and the day draws to a close.
tempting? yes. childish? yes. fun? slightly.
hayeon hasn’t really said anything since. she’s settled down jae can tell but she hasn’t said anything. jae just cleans, arranges and thanks the customers. she laughs and continues until the last one is out and finally she can breathe.
she’s okay with letting the other talk when she wants and she’s too tired to have anything to say. most things between them were unspoken, as much as jae talks. so she takes to going behind the counter, pulling her hair into a ponytail and moving to wash beer smells out her shirt from the sink.
it’s not that she’s surprised at the presence behind her. she just smiles.
“excuse me ma’am, there’s a very angry lady at the end of the bar that doesn’t like it when I’m being touched.”
‘i’m not touching you am I?’ her voice is thick with something only the two of them recognize. thick with all the emotions from the day, the restraint, frustration, exhaustion, release.
“well......not yet. but you can wait. you’re not messing up my bar.”
‘I’m not messing it up, just leaving a message.’
she doesn’t really expect anything at this point. not the hands that turn her around or that lift her onto the sink. jae complains about primal instinct this and rowdy boys that but the look in hayeon’s eyes well...she’s a little biased she’ll admit. summer days though? summer days with hot tempers and hot touches? are the best.
minzy was a patient woman. she was patient, secure, sure of herself and among other things confident in herself. she prides herself in just how confident she is in how she looks and how she carries herself. it’s not anything for someone to comment on it, it’s only enough that she know it and feel good about it.
good enough that even her relationship wouldn’t throw her off guard. except that it did. normally a person with no doubts to cloud her judgement and tighten her heart she ran into the most controversial person she could ( aside form GD that is ) and finds her caught up into a swirl of something she never imagine, insecurity. she didn’t like to admit it though. that she might have some doubts, that every stare not directed her way could be directed at someone else.
minzy wasn’t so vain that she demanded attention or his eyes on her all the time especially with how she carries on when that is the case. however, the fact that he’s been known in his past to have his eyes wandering, not so much in the leech sense but in the nature of a man having a good time she can’t help but be wary.
well she was wary.
it’s true that minzy’s patience and unrivaled confidence have bee praised as ideal by her male friends. who doesn’t love a girl who won’t have issues when they’re talking to another. she didn’t care that it was ideal. she liked it for herself. made her feel good. strong. she was far too comfortable to let jealousy seep into her heart. far too busy and her friends assumed it’d be a trivial matter. the first time she realizes jb is a lot looser than she anticipates she automatically sets herself up for the barriers that strike when her heart’s in danger. a player is the last thing she needed.
falling for one wasn’t even considered. it was out the ballpark. inconceivable!
yet here she is, coming to surprise him at one of his events. she’s free nowadays and though a mask and some form of covering is still very much necessary she can go about as she pleases. she lets the mask cover her mouth and her hair pulled into a bun through her cap. she looks quite sporty for the event, sporty and loose even if it’s not as fashionable as she hoped. the thought of seeing him puts a spring in her step despite the weather. no one expects her here and everyone expects him and the other models participating, they won’t pay attention to someone else.
well...unless they deem her competition. minzy didn’t like to entertain the notion. they’re so past that stage and well the first time she showed that jealousy could affect her was the last time she let it.
she’s used to seeing hoards of girls coming from his events, she’s used to seeing the posters and the banners erected for her boyfriend. oh that’s right...he is her boyfriend. the thought still has her practically warming under the mask and the heat doesn’t help much. nevertheless she’s used to girls screaming the name of the man she finds herself tangled up with, not that she’s complaining. she’s used to it is all. she doesn’t mind as much. she even told him once she could understand why, with the charms he exuded. but why did he have to be so charming!
honestly was it necessary? did he have to be such a charmer? all the men in the world and she was stuck with the Casanova? all the personalities her significant other could have and it’s this? suave tot he max? minzy wasn’t thankfully as tired by the fact as she used to be. now she sighs and smiles when she sees the girls, thinking she’d probably do the same.
well she’s smiling until she hears the declaration. usually she drowns out the words of everyone because she wants to focus on getting out as soon as possible before her cover is blown. but she hears,
“can you believe jb oppa did that?!” the squeals follow suit and she takes her sweet time walking by, even pauses to hear because well, minzy has always been too curious for her own good.
“I can’t believe how long he did it for too Miyoung!” more squeals.
“Complete eye contact for five minutes and you got it on video!” squeals again.
“He kept looking back at you even when he got scolded, he was definitely checking you out!” a roll of Minzy’s eyes oops.
“I told you guys Miyoung’s so lucky, she’s pretty and runs a fanclub, he totally looks at your every time you come to his events. That’s why she came to this one, it’s nice outside so she dressed up.” Now she’s paying more attention.
MInzy isn’t one to deny someone compliments but she sucks air in at the idea that the girl is attractive because she is. She really is! Cat eyes, full lips, and well facial features aside, nice makeup aside her outfit didn’t leave much to imagination. It was a cute sundress, Minzy happened to be a fan of florals as well. JB was a tight-fitted dress man so if he was looking well if-----
ANYWAY.
all this aside she looked nice and Minzy didn’t care much that she was in a button down jersey t-shirt and bermuda shorts, she felt good releasing her body from cover up once in a while. still, that dress was cute. the thought nagged and she sighs ready to make her move out the vicinity.
“he made hearts too! looked like he was winking at her!”
“If JB looked at me like that I wouldn’t hold the camera steady!”
“Ahhhh save some of the looks for us we couldn’t get anything!”
“you kept hogging the attention!”
“I thought I saw a smirk!”
“No way! No way! Let us see!”
she wants to see the video. she really does. a small crowd has gathered around the female. Minzy is sure she’s continued walking to the entrance but for some reason her eyes are now feasting upon the video of her boyfriend.
the video is a little over five minutes, well the compilation as it’s multiple videos. feels like thirty minutes. feels like her cheeks are heating up. from what she can’t tell. well she can’t she won’t admit to it. every little smile, every little wink, every playful glance. she doesn’t realize she’s just standing there until, “um excuse me aren’t you gong minzy-ssi?’ dammit.
“it is you! ah minzy unnie what are you doing here?”
“how have you been?!”
“are you a jb fan as well?”
“can you sign our hats please?!”
“are you and jb-ssi close?”
“ah unnie no fair you’re too pretty!”
it’s a little too much to process, though she is smiling inwardly at the last comment. if it weren’t for the presence of jb’s manager carefully escorting her into the building she’s not sure how it would have played out. tastefully of course because she had no reason not to be tasteful. even if jb had it in him to be more than cordial with all his------- when she gets her hands on her----
“and you tell me not to cause trouble when you’re working.” boyfriend.
“you!”
“me.”
“you----!”
“me?”
“Was she that cute?”
“excuse me? was who?”
in the past when jb did something minzy just pushed it aside, didn’t let him atone because she figured it was just his nature, especially things like this. it’s in his nature to be well, him. it was inherent, although it’s not the reason she pretty much fell for him, it’s the reason for his reputation. so she pushed it aside and let issues like this build up and build more barriers of impossibility between them. she was unaware that he’d change for the sake of what they could have.
now that he knows, now that certain obstacles broke through rather dramatic developments in the pat well, she’s raging. it’s a good thing they’ve walked away for now, well stormed.
“do you have to be so charming!?” it comes out louder than intended. her nose is turned up, eyebrows furrowed and minzy’s sure the maturity she’s accumulated in all her years has dissipated.
“I mean I-----” she doesn’t let him start, she doesn’t.
“I mean with the winking and the eye smiles, you know how deadly your eye smiles are and when you add that smirk do you have to add the smirk? Only I get the smirk what is wrong with with. Well sometimes the camera but that’s beside the point. Hearts? When do you ever give me silly hearts like that? You’re unbelievable.” Maybe not this exact instant because they aren’t that far from the door. Even though only staff surrounds them the spectacle is still a spectacle.
It’s been a while since things like this ever left her mouth and in such a manner. Cool and collected is her thing, their thing, unless they’re driving one another nuts. For other reasons though. So he’s speechless when he shouldn’t be and she doesn’t know why but she just wants to turn away and leave. They’re past that aren’t they? Showing each other their backs?
“Gong Minzy are you jealous?” He always uses her full name when he’s amused. But the amusement is a little different this time. Because even though he’s smiling the confusion isn’t because of who she is. It doesn’t take long for it to hit really.
The confusion isn’t because he expects her to be too confident for this as he once did. Not because she never showed indication because she has, she’s pinched him before, rolled her eyes and walked away, ignored him for days for behavior. This is different.
“Forget it, give her all the hearts and winks you want.” she pokes her tongue out, crosses her arms and looks away. It’s not long before his arms tie around her chest. She doesn’t budge, but she has no intentions of walking away either. She all but melts into the embrace, well she wants to. She hasn’t felt this heated in a while and she doesn’t even know why.
“So you are jealous....” he only speaks after their breathing has all but slowed into one. Heartbeats too. Even in her fury his heart stills with hers.
“Nope.” she says it almost too fast. “I mean....I’m just really busy nowadays....” she doesn’t really get to finish the thought before he’s moved right in front of her and she swears if he kisses her she will smack him.
“rather cruel of you, depriving me of sights like this for so long. if you’d showed up to the game like this without warning I’d have been in an ambulance.” there he goes again.
“Not funny.”
“On the contrary. What I find funny is your jealousy.”
“Excuse me?”
“Well, you should know. With how much you’ve got me under your thumb, I doubt I’d have any time to even think of thinking of another. I mean with how I feel about you, the thought is kinda hilarious to me. It’s almost as if you don’t know how I feel about you. Which if you don’t, means I’m doing a poor job showing it.” now there he goes. making her speechless. making her feel that when she’s fallen from grace, from this picture perfect ideal of confidence and barriers, that it’s okay. when he reminds her the extent of relationships and she feels open and exposed he only wishes to cherish and nurture wounds. it’s rather a to to take in. so much that usually she ends up just staring with this dumbfounded look on her face. dumbfounded. smitten. loving. however someone would like to name it.
“you.....still gave her elbow hearts.” she mumbles.
“I’ll give you elbow hearts too.” he kisses her cheek.
“yeah but those smirks are mine.” she scowls.
“if you won’t reject them they’re yours.” he kisses a corner of her lips.
“finger guns?!” she throws that out there, her heart speeds up.
“you’re pushing it.” his forehead presses to hers.
“you’re unbelievable.” he smiles.
“I’m yours.” so this time she kisses him because yeah he is. he’s undoubtedly his and she knows this. maybe she just wanted to hear it. wanted to feel it when she wraps her arms around him, pulls him close and knows only she does. when she feels that small curve against her lips the moment she does.
“so,” she finally breaks the silence on the way home. “was the camera girl cute?”
now he’s choking. “I....plead the fifth?”
“that’s the story of how jb got no kisses for an entire week.
Her fingers have started picking at the frill, she feels like getting up again, taking a better look. If anything, it’s making her smile, she doesn’t know why she’s putting up such a front, he does have good taste. At least enough to not get something that wouldn’t fit her or make scrunch her nose in total distaste. It must be why she let him drag her in and push the dress in her hands without much protest. It must be why she lets him dress her up even though she knows she won’t take it, she refuses to take it. It’s not pride or anything, it’s just, she doesn’t want to. “Well, if you’re going to play dirty with my ice cream I will cry and ignore you for a whole week.” Is she joking? Not entirely so, at least not about the crying part. God knows, she’s good at faking her tears. Worked against her dad when she wanted him to be careful about something.
He listens closely for the sign of crocodile or authentic tears. He’s been around enough females to know he won’t be fooled. “A whole week?” As if he knew a punishment worse. Staying all night in one of his father’s overnight brainstorm sessions. Well truth be told his father never stayed but he made a habit of telling Hyungwon he had to. Only sparingly could he use the early morning classes excuse to get out of it. Sparingly. Excuses didn’t work with her. Neither did threats. Just good old fashioned truth. “I’m going to buy you the ice cream regardless.” A fact they both knew. A fact he rarely admitted aloud. “Just let me at least see you in it? I won’t take any pictures, well maybe one.” He can’t help his own excitement as these occasions were rare. He can’t even consider it a submission or a victory just a small window of prosperity for his own attempts. “C’mon you know you look nice why not flaunt it for a few seconds?”
