a long sigh. that’s the only sound she makes while waiting at the entrance, a bored glance up at the sky filled with stars she can’t see. people have left her alone for the most part, maybe sensing that she doesn’t want company or just too wrapped up in themselves, one or the other. regardless, kasper’s still waiting for someone - waiting for aron, probably the only person who could get her out of her apartment right now without much difficulty. his puppy eyes have really gotta go.
so she finds herself waiting, for him - for something. she’s not sure what anymore, but she taps at the gravel beneath her feet with a toe in time with a clock that kasper only hears in her head. because at the moment, she feels much like these animals that they’re going to see. up all night, with nothing to look forward to. ( kasper is still desperately making an attempt. if not for herself, then for him. )
⊏ she wants to lay her head on aron’s lap while they wait for their turn to perform, but kasper knows better. they’re not in l.a. anymore. so instead, she drums her fingers on her thigh, bare skinned to welcome the springtime weather as her oversized thin sweater falls over her hands. there are many things that she finds she wants to do with aron now that she would have been okay with putting aside, so maybe l.a. was a bit of a mistake. still, they’re at the performances and waiting for their turn, and instead of focusing on the way she wants to sit too close to him or fall asleep on his shoulder, she pokes him instead. ⊐ do you have your guitar? ⊏ she asks in english, tucking long pink hair behind her ear. ⊐ while we wait, let’s practice.
if kasper were thinking or even being honest, she really isn’t sure how they’ve managed to make it here but it’s not a thought that manages to stick in the fog of her brain. right now, the only thing that’s perpetually at the forefront of her mind is aron, and the way his hand feels wrapped around her waist, and the way her heart sings when their lips brush.
she’s giggling into a kiss by the time they stumble into her hotel room, tripping feet and catching each other by grabbing hands. and it’s true that maybe they did have too much to drink. kasper doesn’t slow down on the rare occasions that she does and on top of it, this is a vacation. it is a place where no one really knows their names and where no one is bound to take pictures of held hands or kisses stolen even in the brightest sunshine and for the days they’re in los angeles, she wants to take advantage. kasper convinces herself that it’s okay to let go with aron for just this week, because here, no one sees him or them and his friends encourage it and -
well, maybe they had just a little too much.
fingers brush along his neck as kasper finally breaks their kiss, falling backwards on the well made hotel bed, now with crumpled covers under the shifting of her body. pink hair fans out beneath her like a flowered halo and a sound of contentment spills from her throat - but she opens one eye to look at aron, still standing or - swaying, really. her smile is wide and all teeth because by now she knows her lips are swollen from his kiss because she can feel it. but still, she beckons him close with a finger, a beating heart and a hum. “ what are you doing standing there? just come lay down with me -” her voice turns into a whine by the end, with kicking feet and flopping arms like she’s pretending to throw a tantrum. “ i can’t sleep without you here.”
and that itself is something she wouldn’t admit had it not been for the alcohol, but they had enough where aron probably won’t remember it by morning. she would. she always remembers everything, but right now she’s much too buzzed to care.
Something tells him that Kasper didn’t celebrate such events, but it didn’t stopped him from attempting to do something. Perhaps it was part of him trying to redeem his faults, too. His plans for the day was halted at an unexpected turn of event just a few days prior, but he found time to head to the supermarket as soon as practice ended, writing little notes on the posts it as he rode the subway to Kasper’s apartment.
Perhaps it’s a wholly bad idea to spring this. What if he made things worse by doing needless things? Still, between the conflicting thoughts of ‘let’s do this’ and ‘mission abort’, he made up his mind by the time he opened the door, announcing his presence as he usually would. What happened next was a whole thirty minutes of hiding cans of red bull around the house, thankful that Kasper seemed engrossed in her game to care about him roaming the house with heavy steps.
Eventually he settled down, dropping himself lightly on the couch instead of his usual, harsh drop, and tried to stuff the last can of red bull into the pockets of her hoodie. A small note ‘I attacked your house with red bull, muahaha!’ was on it, insinuating a treasure hunt of some sorts, but he made no mention of it so as not to break her attention until she was ready, and then, “happy V-day, Kas.”
@aronrk
there are a lot of things about aron that she’s long since started to question because everything that kasper thought she knew, in the end, she knew nothing at all. more than anything, she hates being kept in the dark like a child, especially about something that involves her - though she can’t really tell why she’s more upset about aron seemingly being faulty rather than just dumping him like she would have with anyone else. maybe it’s because she gave herself a chance, and he didn’t live up to expectation. maybe it’s because he actually .. surprisingly .. hurt a heart she thought she turned off.
but whatever it is, it’s led to stiff greetings and threadbare goodnights; none of the affection that had become normal because kasper couldn’t bring herself to be normal. instead, she wanted to be cold. if she was cold enough, maybe he’d break up with her instead.
she isn’t quite sure when she turned into a coward in the face of a man.
but aron is someone who doesn’t give up, even when she can see hurt in his eyes when she won’t look at him or barely grunts a greeting - focusing instead on her video games, won’t even put her toes in his lap to keep them warm. inwardly, she wonders how and why he hasn’t given up by now but that’s a question she doesn’t dare voice because if she does, it might lead to answers she doesn’t want to hear. it’s always better to cut someone off than to lose them, and if she has a quote, unquote “ heart to heart” with him - that’s more like loss.
a sigh escapes her lips when she hears him enter with a key she doesn’t really regret giving him but at the same time, does. but there is no response to his entrance, it’s almost as if she doesn’t take notice like she hasn’t been for the past week. in her head, she thinks about the clue he won’t seem to get - her fingers are too focused and tied to the controller, playing the game on autopilot.
she doesn’t make a move even when he sits next to her on the couch, even when she sees him looking at her from the corner of her eye. she barely pulls away when he tries to touch her, and something heavy drops into the pocket of her hoodie - kasper gives him a look of warning, a curled lip. “ what’s v day .. “ she mutters under her breath, going back to her game and playing in silence. perhaps it’s guilt that starts to wriggle in her when aron gets up to go to sleep, but when he does and when she’s sure he’s dreaming, she pulls the can of red bull from her pocket.
aron knows that she likes games, and when she reads the sticky note, she sighs.
apparently he’s forgotten she doesn’t like to sleep. valentine’s day or not, heart heavy or not, she always wins her game.
// ooc note of the 10 cans to be found throughout the house and the lame notes.
+01: behind the cereal box. “rise and shine, gain some wings with this- oh wait, my mistake - angels already have wings ;)”
+02: fridge, beside a bottle of orange juice. “heard that mixing red bull and orange juice is really effective. use once only!”
+03: shelves, behind her gaming discs. “don’t stay up too late to game! >.<”
+04: corner of the couch, jarringly obvious. “da bam! congrats for breaking a new level, reward unlocked!”
+05: inside the rice container. “boo! >:D”
+06: behind her game console. “achievement unlocked: new red bull found!”
+07: dresser drawer. “looking good today too~”
+08: on top of the bathroom sink. “no worries, it’s just a red bull not a monster!”
+09: center of the dining table. “hope you’d smile today too. :)”
+10: in the furthest corner on the top-most shelf of her closet hidden by whatever’s in front of it. he had to climb a chair to reach this spot. “hey kas :) i don’t know when you’d ever find this. maybe you’d never, haha, cause i hide it way too well? ha. you’re probably rolling your eyes at how many red bulls i stuck all over your house, right? betcha didn’t know there’s one last one lurking here! ha.” “hey kas, i’m a childish person, but i think you already know that. and i really like you, but i don’t know if you know that. i don’t i can’t i think it’s not the right timing to say this out loud, so, i won’t. im lame…dumb…a brat, really. and i’m really sorry for upsetting you. at the end of the day i just want you to be happy. i hope you are, whenever you find this. i hope you’re happy, okay? :) okay.”
aron follows her whims with no questions in his smile. when she wants to wear matching ugly sweaters, he does it; when she wants to wear matching pajamas, he does it; when she wants him to spend the night with her on christmas eve, he does it. this isn’t the first time he’s slept beside her, but it’s the first night he’s slept there because he meant to. aron sleeps in ways that she can’t understand, with an ease to his brow that kasper’s sure she’s never experienced once in her entire life. ( she once heard somewhere that people are honest in their dreams. she wonders how true that is. )
when she wakes earlier than him ( because kasper always does ), sometimes she touches it gently and wonders what it feels like. he still doesn’t wake up at all.
it’s way too early on christmas morning, so much so that it’s still dark when kasper realizes that she has a gift right here where she least expects it. aron has his arms wrapped tight around her even in his sleep and she can’t help but think that no one has ever held on to her that tightly. he gives her what she wants in little concessions of his pride, but kasper finds that she much prefers waking up to him on christmas morning than anything else so far.
( this is only supposed to be temporary and she knows it, so kasper thinks it’s okay just this once to let herself fall deep. )
kasper sits somewhere between patience and impatience always, but with aron she can be gentle even when she’s eager for him to wake. her nose buries into his chest and she can feel a heartbeat and his warmth against her skin. they’re already tangled like a knot, put together like a puzzle piece but she knows this moment can’t last forever. ( nothing ever does. ) “ wake up.” she finally mumbles against him, nuzzling her nose against his chest - into the fabric of their matching pajamas.
she is red all over, and he is green. kasper thinks they match quite well.
Aron’s prepared Kasper’s gift a long, long time ago. Well, at least, a good two weeks ago, when the schedules cleared up, making him available to spend actual Christmas with his girlfriend. The timing had been great and ever since he jotted down the date in his notebook, the male went on a trip online and offline in search for the right gifts. The money he saved up from working part-time and KT allowance has added to a nice pool, and Aron decided promptly that he could just spend a tad more this year.
The reason why, he decided not to think too much about just yet.
Putting the wrapped box under the small Christmas tree when he arrived at the apartment, guitar and all as per usual after training, he placed the hand-written card, in the brown envelop that said ‘to Miss Pretzel’, on top of it. his present was a comfy hoodie and matching pair of 707 glasses in grey stripes. Once everything was in place, he skipped away, and it was the official countdown to Christmas.
AND SANTA JAWS IS COMING TO TOWN~~
Merry Christmas, Kasper the Cutie Fineapple, ho ho ho! It took me a long time to find the gift, and I can’t believe I actually got that, but I think you’d actually like it, if you don’t have it already :o I just wanna add that I’m really glad to have met you. This is probably cheesy >.<” but I really enjoyed the time we spent together, no matter how short it was. Being around you was comfortable, and I feel like I can be myself without thinking too much, and I just find myself wanting to know more about you, you know? ‘How does she make nice breakfast? How does she spend her hours awake? How does she manage to win every game? Does she like mountains better or the beach? Sunrise or Sunset? Strawberries or me?!’ Joking, haha (because you’d choose me over strawberries, right? :DD Right!)
Also, thanks for laughing at my puns, and putting up with my lame jokes. It’s only just the beginning though, so don’t think of running away yet! >:D Alright, I better end this letter here before I get more and more uncool.
Happy holidays!
Love, (cool guy) Aaron ♥
he comes over for christmas and it’s like the world brightens a little bit.
she doesn’t question the way he sneaks over to the christmas tree they decorated just a little while ago ( the only tree she’s decorated since kasper was four and idealistic with stars in her eyes - ) or about what’s in the presents, because gift opening comes on christmas morning with mugs of hot chocolate and a good night’s sleep. instead, she just waits for aron patiently to come back to her, to slip into their matching pajamas, to hold her hand and wish her a merry christmas right as it turns midnight.
kasper is a lot of things, and wishing for all the christmas clichés is but one of them. she’s happy to have a boyfriend who actually indulges in her wishes this year, even if the moment may not last until the next one. ( she pushes the thought from her mind because at least, for one year, she manages to have a family for christmas instead of money thrown in an envelope on the bedside table in her room. this year, she has him.
from flirty texts to late night visits, she finds herself in a whirlwind not of her own making - and kasper has always been her own storm, going where she will and leaving chaos in her wake. but aron somehow turns things around; he slips in through the cracks and becomes a part of her apartment and her life with a sense of frightening ease. today is different from late night calls and texts that use food in place of things they mean - today, somehow, became a date.
they don’t call it that, of course - but it’s something that doesn’t have to be said when they make their plans that involve dinner and movies and video games. it seems typical, but it isn’t, because they’re not typical. kasper knows herself well enough and she can see right through him.
but they pretend it doesn’t mean anything - even if aron’s bringing pieces of himself into her apartment and kasper can’t bear to throw them away when he does. it’s the strawberry milk in the back of the fridge and the video game he’ll bring over when he comes later since there’s no console at his place. he’s leaving pieces of himself and planting his roots there, even if he doesn’t mean to be or doesn’t realize that he is. ( she wonders if aron will ever realize just how far he’s actually come compared to anyone else. )
by now she’s biting the skin off her finger and watching the clock; seconds pass, then minutes. kasper’s mind is circling like vultures and the prey is kwak youngmin and whatever is slowly unfolding between them. she refuses to think of it as a crush that doesn’t happen on purpose, with kasper just going along with the flow to appease someone with their own feelings for the sake of momentary happiness. but even as she refuses to think it, she knows what’s happening anyway. she should stop this now before it gets out of hand.
that’s when the doorbell rings and she’s off the couch in a dash. ( and that’s when she realizes it’s too late to stop what’s been started. )
those are butterflies carrying her feet on fluttering wings. “ you’re late.” she says at the door, pretending she’s unamused but the smile on her lips says otherwise. “ i hope you’re ready to lose for that.”
