tin·tin·nab·u·la·tion

“alright…” 

he nods his head and continues to smile. for sure, he’ll probably let his manager know that it will be okay for yongnam to just sit in the lobby. but that’s for next time, or when his next shift is. as he exhales, his breathe slowly forms a small cloud and austin buries half his face into his scarf. 

he tilts his head to the side and blinks blankly for a bit. was it a special occasion that yongnam was treating him to food? however, once he heard what the other had said, he chuckles softly.

“i don’t think i worked too hard… but if you insist in treating… i don’t see why not.” 

a grin forms and he glances around, pursing his lips. where could they go to for dinner? austin didn’t really want to go somewhere too expensive, he didn’t want yongnam to waste too much money either. probably at a street vendor would be a better choice. there were too many things he should consider which makes him indecisive on what his final thoughts are. 

“should we just… go to a street vendor because you know… i wouldn’t want you to spend too much money.” 

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     the smile austin is giving him, it seems a bit mischievous. but yongnam knows that smile well, it's one given when he plays onto something. and he will play along too, smiling in return. he places his hand on his hips, face looking almost smug. "that's right. i do insist with what money I have. "

     which he knows isn't a lot. yongnam also knows that austin on the other hand has a lot of money which he definitely wishes could be him at times but he wasn't friends with the male because the other happened to be rich. money was just money, yongnam enjoyed austin's company and that was a priceless thing.

     " but you have to be feeling street vendor food," he says with a purse of his lips. yongnam stares over at austin, narrowing his eyes slightly as he tries to read the other's mind. it's just a guess but knowing austin, this could turn into a battle if yongnam constantly refused to hear the other's response as a final answer. so he'll just push this one time. "what kind of street vendor food?"

“of course, she does.” she chuckles softly and watches alice and yongnam’s interaction. by the amount of times she observed their interaction together, it seems like alice really enjoys being around yongnam. a soft smile appear as she continues to watch them. the wide smile that her daughter gives off when she is called a princess, she couldn’t help herself but take a quick picture of their interaction. maybe she’ll send the picture later to her boyfriend to see. 

she enjoys receiving the little gifts that her customers (or friends) has given her. yongnam usually gives her different sketches that he had sketched. sophia continues to smile at him and watches him pull out a piece of paper. “oh…?” 

she takes the piece of paper and looks over it. the sketch was very stunning and she was amazed with yongnam’s talent. for sure, once she gets home she will frame it and bring it back to hang it somewhere on her wall. “thank you, yongnam sweetheart. i didn’t realize you took a picture of me to draw this wonderful artwork.” sophia looks at him before showing alice the piece of paper. “alice, what do you think of yongnam’s amazing drawing?” with that, her daughter takes the piece of paper and grins widely, stating that it was pretty and hands back the drawing to sophia to give yongnam a big hug. 

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     “oh…oh yes…i hope that’s alright since i didn’t ask you for permission to take that photo,” yongnam suddenly caves in on himself, fingers fidgeting before him now that he didn’t have something to hold and district himself with. sophia sounded happy though, pleased which brought him relief. alice seemed rather delighted by it too.

     the hug calms that side of him quickly though and he feels a bit silly for that moment of worry. “i’m glad you like it a lot. you and alice. if you want you can keep it…you can put it up around here too. it's all yours now you can do whatever you want with it. and who knows maybe one day i’ll make a wall of my sketches as something,” now he’s babbling but yongnam feels a bit calmer by doing that.

     "or now. i can kind of start now too," he says this time to himself more than to sophia or alice. but he's looking over at them seconds later, since at the end this isn't his workspace. this is the other's and he's only suggesting his own flair, they'd be the one to have a final say. "anyways, if you have any requests let me know."

hyunbi admits she is slightly concerned. while she was eager about yongnam’s request, a tinge of doubt permeates her insides. after all, she was used to running a speed most faltered at. but, after a night of pondering, she deduces her worries must be senseless. right?

the girl loosens her doubts alongside her tightened limbs. her features bounce to their usual place as she offers him a smile. ❝ hello yong- ❞ her voice trails off, her eyes widening at his courteous action. she quickly follows through, mimicking his position. as she slowly stands, her gaze catches the other’s embarrassment, and she can’t help but giggle. ❝ no problem! always happy to help out! ❞

at his question, her expression contorts as if she gotten smeared by her previous concerns of last night. ❝ i usually separate my week with doing stamina, core, and strength while focusing certain body part but—! ❞ she shakes her head slightly as she tries to emit reassurance. ❝ today, i’ll do what will help you the most! ❞ she lifts her hands, each coiling into fists to put in motion her encouragement.

❝ so, yongnam. is there anything you like doing… ❞ her lips pursue a bit. ❝ like running, lifting weights or doing planks? any area you want to strengthen like do you want abs? ❞ she jokes the end, but she rethinks how it might go past him. ❝ just kidding about that last part unless that’s your goal. ❞

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     like probably most people, yongnam’s never had a fitness trainer. but he thinks in his real humble opinion that if he ever needed help such as like now, asking a sporty person would help. especially one who did things competitively like hyunbi. it made sense to. somewhere.

     “ that sounds like…quite the regime, “ yongnam points out, quietly repeating the three points she’s stated over and over again so that he could remember it himself for when she’s not around. he’ll never know when he needs it, like maybe the idea will pop up in the middle of running in the afternoon for the bus stop or something. or in class when he doesn’t want to think about anymore animal dissections.

     “i.. i didn’t actually think that far. i just said i wanted to become stronger…somehow, ” he says sheepishly, reaching his hands back to scratch at the nape of his neck. now, yongnam likes to think that for the most part he’s reasonably good at planning. the catch was he had to know what he wanted to plan for. here, he didn’t take any sports science nor did he ever actually properly work out.

     “maybe…just so i can help lift things. for people.”

     “you did do it. you absolutely did it and i’m so proud of you,” yongnam is excited, but he can’t quite find the tone he’s looking for. he doesn’t want to yell though he feels like yelling in the nice and best way for junjae. everything for junjae. if he could. but since he can’t he does his best to return the hug as tightly as possible. so that at least his appreciation could show through.

An exit from an exhausting night of practice typically prefaced the equally tiring dodge of shady individuals camped out in front of the company building. Whether or not the clock on the bank across the street read 11:53pm made little difference. All that gave them purpose was seeing someone ㅡ catching a glimpse of eyes they swore looked their way.

On nights like these, Seungbin mustered every modicum of energy left in his aching legs to escape the flashes and whispering.

‘Surprise!’

Soft, familiar, musical. Not a voice intent to catch his attention for a fleeting moment. This voice served as a source of comfort on especially unforgiving days; and one of reason when he was still an unkempt teenager.

Grinning ear to ear, Seungbin seized the other by the arm. His fingers sank into the plush fabric just enough to feel the limb underneath. The hand he kept free reached for the opening to brush against the top of the kitten’s tiny head. It certainly did not take long, however, for the girls outside to notice. Seungbin put haste in his step, guiding Yongnam away from the front of the building. They were to take the scenic route; precaution just in case someone happened to tag along unwanted.

“You really didn’t have to do that,” ㅡ to hide his flattery was a fruitless endeavor ㅡ “We should probably get you two inside though. I bet she’s getting hungry… And maybe you, too.”

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     between her and his other kitten, clawdia had always been the quieter kitten. but even though she didn't purr as loudly, the quiet of the night made her content very well known to their surroundings. it has yongnam grinning. she's happy by the attention she's receiving and he hopes seungbin is happy too from how he's patting the kitten. but their interactions were interrupted. well, yongnam expected there was a chance of this happening. they were around an entertainment business. and there were always those creepy fans as he'd like to put it. a bit too nicely.

     he allows himself to be pulled. and although he knows he's not being scolded, yongnam briefly looks down at the ground apologetically for the chaos that is out of his hand. but he quickly uses that moment as an excuse to also adjust his jacket so that the now softly meowing kitten would have a spot to rest against his chest.

     and then he's smiling again since he knows that all is well. or should be. if they ignore the commotion at the front of the building which still echoed into the night. yongnam secretly hopes that in the future even when seungbin becomes famous though, they'd still be able to meet like this even with those sort of people around. but that's for another time.

     "that would be nice for her," yongnam quickly nods. "and for me too...and you too...if you haven't eaten yet." he pauses in sudden realization. "i wanted to bring you a surprise but...i'm not holding you up right now am i? because if you need to rest or something...i can go right now."

     another pause. "but...i would love to hang out with you too. a lot."

        FOR THE LITTLE BOY IT HAS BECOME so natural to have the older male fawn over him. natural but not taken for granted. he would never take the other for that when his heart adores the older male. it would be an exaggeration to say he couldn’t live without the other but certainly junjae does believe if the other vanishes there would be a hole in his heart. one that would be difficult to replace.

          so he leans himself towards the touch and when older male pats him, laughter easily trickles out from his lips. everything feels as if it has been wrapped into some cozy simplicity around the other. a sense of a home away from home. junjae doesn’t hold back on his own affection, easily embracing the other for a quick second. then he withdraws and obediently trails into the outside cold.

❝   –   hm,   ❞  the boy ponders over it. while there is a part of him which wishes to find the freedom that comes with sliding down on a sled, he understands there could be a danger. small hill or not and there were so many other things planned already for the two of them. he bumps his arms against the other boy’s and an arm snakes around to pull the other’s arms close to him. ❝  –  no i say we’re good! we can just go to the beach. we have no snow pants on.❞

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     he doesn't think he's the best candidate for affection at times. yongnam often wonders what he's done in his life to deserve so much kindness from the friends around him. does he love them? yes he wouldn't be able to describe how much he did and it's moments like these that make his heart swell a lot. on instinct he leans closer to junjae, sides touching as they two of them walk towards the ocean. they're two people willingly glued together.

     "oh you're right! we don't have snow pants with us...i think you could fit mine...but we'd have to go take another trip," yongnam glances down at junjae and then back up at the other's eyes. junjae is taller than him and it feels weird because he remembers when the younger boy wasn't as tall as him. not that he ever bullied junjae for being smaller than him but time really does fly in moments like these.

     "if there are seagulls out there. we should try to take photos with them. or if there are any animals. since it's cold these days...they must want to hide just like us." he chuckles to himself. an idea suddenly strikes him seconds later. "next time...you should bring mochi with you. it'll be us two with your dog and we can let mochi run around the beach."

 ❝  – hey,❞  some things are so simple, such as reaching forward to embrace the other male upon seeing him. it has been a short while but junjae misses him, now that they are on separate campuses meeting together becomes a lot more difficult. but still he’s glad in the short notice that the other could still come over. 

 ❝  – i don’t know if you noticed but it’s white day today so i got you this,❞   junjae extends his hand, a bracelet in it that he then clasps around the other’s wrist with a bright smile.  ❝  – there!❞ 

     it's yongnam's secret now. even after all that's happened it's still his secret. about how his heart has grown larger than it should for people that won't notice. that's okay though, yongnam is a simple person. if junjae is content like this he will be too. even if he finds his heart beating faster when he sees the other. even if he finds himself holding onto the other in a hug for a few seconds much too long. but junjae won't notice because junjae is a good kid who lives on affection without taking it for granted and yongnam? well he's a boy who is also the same.

     "junjae...i missed you," raising his hand yongnam ruffles the other's hair. out of habit but also out of the affection he has nowhere to place. "visit me when you have some time? i now have more of an excuse to go to the kate campus too."

     the campus he can't afford. but that's a story for another day, instead he's focused on what junjae has to say. eyes grow wide in surprise at the gift but not just at it either but at the action behind it. maybe it's another secret how willing he would be to let junjae do these little things without feeling like his personal space has been intruded on.

     "it looks really nice," yongnam says. he holds up his hand towards the sky so he can get a better look under the sun. he murmurs it again and again, how nice it is and somewhere yongnam wonders if that's how he's describing junjae too. really nice.

      "actually i got you something too," yongnam states. he had debated on it for a while, but even if he didn't feel this way about junjae he would have done it anyways. reaching into his backpack he pulls out a large filled ziploc bag and hands it over. "sorry...it's small compared to what you got me. but it's homemade granola. you can take it with you to munch on wherever you go since you always seem to use a lot of energy. and you eat a lot." yongnam smiles.

but also if you're new and i haven't welcomed you like leave a word below here and i will write a starter for you!!!! cause like i said i'm lost but i'd love to write with you??? or if we don't have a thread and you wanna write i'm also okay with you dropping something!!! tdl below the cut if you aren't on it then just blame tumblr and lmk kay? kay perfect ty!!!!

     he’s never been this excited to finish his shift in a while. yongnam thinks its probably because the rush today had been extra hard compared to all the other days. though he doesn’t know why because the date itself isn’t that special. or maybe people are just really happy that they’ve finally left februrary. spring should be in the horizon unless something messes up. but at least all the busy people were nice and understanding while him and the other servers scrambled around.

     yongnam takes a deep breath. not the best thing to do in the restaurant where the food smell lingers strongly but it helps him calm down his still rapidly beating heart. he changes out of his uniform in the back and neatly folds everything into his bag. making sure he hasn’t forgotten anything, since yongnam may not be back for a while now that school has begun, with a satisfied nod he makes his way out.

     in his mind yongnam intends to go home right away with no detours and relax for the rest of the night. what he doesn’t expect is the person behind the door when he opens the front ones. angled in such a manner where yongnam who is already distracted fails to see, there’s only a loud smack when he swings the door open and it hits someone smack in the face.

          it is in the far corner that junjae spots the figure. there is a dimness to the corner where chandelier lights don’t reach as far but it becomes clear even through the crowd and the fuzzy distance that he knows the person. a hand tightens its grip around hwamin just slightly, still careful about making sure neither of them bump into anyone as he once again leads the way.

          if there is any way he could describe himself now, it would be confusion. mouth gaping when he comes forth with so many words he wishes to speak but no noise to create them. they simply roll around on his tongue while he stares in shock at the figure in the mask standing now right before him.

     what’s done is done really. and he doesn’t regret it but boy is yongnam nervous about what he’s done. there was something about asking one person out that was already never wracking but to ask two people out and on anonymous too? he might as well be committing the most dangerous act to his poor heart. but he had to. he wanted to.

     yongnam doesn’t know how to explain his own emotions. he probably doesn’t even know what they are right now. is it possible to like two people at once? or is it possible to want to be by their side at all times? to make sure they’re always happy? to make sure that he could always raise them up when they are down? and he’s very aware that hwamin likes junjae. yongnam also has a hunch the feelings may be returned and he’s not looking to barge into it if things do happen. but still, tonight was those rare moments where he just wanted to be a little bit selfish.

     if allowed. so here he nervously waits in the side with the promised blue flower tucked into his suit pocket. it had surprised his aunt and uncle when yongnam had asked to look his best instead of sliding away insisting he doesn’t need help. his heart beat loudly and quickly by each passing moment especially when yongnam spots both the two. the sound only gets louder when they near him and he realizes that he’s been figured out.

     the first thing yongnam does and probably the most unhelpful thing is to just glance at the two of them. smile a bit. well lot. a bit awkwardly too as fingers tuck themselves into his pant pockets. a few seconds tick by before yongnam finally gains the confidence to speak. “surprise?” the voice comes out unsure. probably not the best sort of introduction.

     “i...i r-really wanted to spend the night with you two,” yongnam continues after another long pause of silence. “i-if that’s okay? maybe i should have a-asked directly but.....i got scared.”

     seungjoon’s only recently become aware of how bad of a friend he is. not that he treats anyone particularly badly, but his worrying disappearances off the face of the earth without any warning didn’t bode well for everyone’s hearts. like the time his finals had coincided with the launch rework and he just about had his head roll off his neck from the amount of stress he had been put under—or that one time he had to work off his phone thanks to his internet connection completely fucking him over and saying ‘bye-bye!’ for absolutely no reason. man, he’s a stressed out guy.

     this week hadn’t been as bad, but he hadn’t answered his messages for awhile now. he sees the red bubbles pop up but this wasn’t the time or place! he had to focus, even if it meant isolating himself from society for a couple (read: many) days. maybe one day someone will tell him this is an unhealthy way to go about his day, but until then…

     knock knock.

     the foreign noise stirs seungjoon out of his daze, staring blankly at his completed project on the monitor. he rubs the glare out of his eyes and makes his way towards the door. he was a little far from presentable right now, but it wasn’t too bad…—

     oh god, his hair. 

     combing the bird’s nest down with one hand and reaching for the locks on the front door simultaneously, he ends up fumbling on the mechanism a couple of times before finally getting it open. the bright smile waiting on the other side nearly blinds him, and he blinks a couple of times before finally answering. “oh, hey,” he manages to smile back weakly, but warmly. “i’m…kinda dying, but fine. you know how it is,” he steps back instinctively to let yongnam in. “you’re a real angel, you know that?”

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     yongnam takes himself to be someone who could do an excellent job at holding himself back from any urges to laugh. he always did well in those sorta games. and he also was that one lone person who never laughed when someone fell down. he always ended up feeling bad for them, the first to help the person up. but seungjoon's entire appearance while entirely reasonable really looks like he had decided to sleep his life away until now. and yongnam couldn't help how his smile widened just a bit more at how amusing it looked.

     but at least he didn't laugh that was the important bit. nor was he going to point anything out so seungjoon didn't end up having some sort of second hand embarrassment from yongnam. and he doubts the other didn't know about it already anyways. if yongnam locked himself up away to study, he'd definitely check the mirror before meeting someone after a few days. so he decides to look perfectly normal, giving quite the understanding nod.

     "i do know it's hard," and boy was his own studies messing with him too. but his study habits were a bit different, to each their own, so yongnam had decided to give himself a mental break before divulging further into his animal biology duties. he blushes slightly at the other's comment. "it's nothing much," yongnam mumbles, staring at the ground all of a sudden.

     "but i was thinking a break is sort of good? small walk to a food cart nearby....because we need healthy food even more when we're studying."