sea hue

established connections | wanted connections | face

. ･ﾟ┇⸢  JOSHUA ALVAREZ  ,  CIS MAN  ,  HE/HIM  ,  MUSE   #39  ⸥  ❛   ╾  don’t  look  now  but  ZANE  HIJAPON  is  heading  this  way  .  last  i  heard  ,  the  TWENTY  year  old  declared  their  allegiance  to  FACTION  3  during  the  last  town  meeting  .   it  definitely  makes  sense  ,  considering  the  fact  that  they’re  known  for  being  MAGNETIC  &  SELF-AGGRANDIZING  .  that  being  said  ,  they  can  also  be  quite  KINDHEARTED  &  VOLATILE  .  i  don’t  know  about  you  but  every  time  i  see  them  i’m  reminded  of  SPORTS  TROPHIES  AND  JERSEYS  THAT  NO  LONGER  SEEM  TO  MEAN  ANYTHING,  THE  GOLDEN  BOY  ELEVATING  HIMSELF  WITH  CLAIMS  OF  DIVINE  VISIONS,  THE  PAINFUL  REALIZATION  THAT  YOU’RE  STILL  JUST A  KID  IN  MANY  WAYS,  A  METICULOUSLY  WELL-KEMPT  VISAGE  HIDING  A  SOFT,  TROUBLED  HEART.  i’ve  also  heard  they’re  often  referred  to  as  the  false  god  ,  but  that  might  just  be  because  they’re  a  CAPRICORN  .  something  tells  me  it  won’t  be  long  before  they  start  to  show  their  true  colors  .  wait  ,  are  they  listening  to  SEA  HUE  by  CATTSKI  ?  i  love  that  song  !   ❜  

loyalty. if they weren’t so adverse to the idea of their former friend or anyone trying the failed idea of yet another faction without fixing the problems that led to the near ruin of the first two, riley might admire him, find his words endearing even.  “ a saccharine kinda sweet, isn’t she? ”  the corners of their lips turn upwards into a devilish grin with the slight twist of their words, but it’s as far as they’ll go with teasing her when she’s not there to defend herself. critiquing the entire faction leadership is one thing, but any personal feelings towards finn are to be left between the two of them.  

“ you’re all so hush hush over there in three. i feel like it’s only a matter of time before we start hearing about may queens being pronounced, and sweet lil finn flouncing about in dress of flowers. ”  their joke blooms and grows in their chest, but they force themself to hold a faux-serious look, not wanting to break before they reach their final punch line,  “ tell me, zane, do you feel held by them? ”  if the dramatics of their delivery don’t give away that this is all one large bit to them, the laughter that spills out surely does. not once does he consider the fact that maybe not everyone has seen the film or knows of it enough to get the punchline. ( if you asked him, the score alone does more than enough to launch it into iconic filmmaking ).

zane blinks at him, not knowing what to think as they continue to ramble. “uh... is that from that one movie? what was it called again? midsummer?” (it is not, in fact, called midsummer.) “i don’t remember a lot from that movie, but i think there’s not nearly enough white people in faction three for us to be like the cult in midsummer. the only white person in our faction that i can remember is noelle.” he says, “i saw midsummer with my friends in 2019. we thought we were watching the new spider-man movie but we just walked into the wrong room in the theater. i kept on waiting for zendaya to show up.” zane really, really does not know anything about faction politics.

       𝙽𝙾𝚂𝙴  𝙲𝚁𝙸𝙽𝙺𝙻𝙴𝚂 ,  eyes  narrow  .  but  there’s  good  nature  in  her  gaze  as  she  pinches  her  younger  brother’s  arm  .  “  i’m  going  to  prove  you  wrong  ,  “  she  says  confidently  ,  reaching  for  her  mother’s  cookbook  .  the  scrawl  of  her  handwriting  still  makes  her  heart  ache  .  she  doesn’t  know  where  their  parents  are  :  she  hadn’t  been  ready  to  lose  them  .  her  gaze  moves  to  her  brother  once  more  as  he  asks  for  the  date  .  a  squint  then  .  she  knows  the  DAY  of  the  week  …  but  she  doesn’t  necessarily  know  the  date  .  she  opens  her  phone’s  calendar  .  “  holy  crap  ,  when  did  it  get  to  be  the  27th  already  ?  “

“of... october, right?” he tries hard to suppress the misery in his tone, but it still slips through the cracks. months wasted in this hellhole. he smacks his lips together and forces himself to smile again. his ate whit needs it, he reasons. as for himself... he simply won’t think about it! classic zane hijapon strategy. “ooh, halloween is near. maybe we could ransack some costume shop together.” thievery may not be his thing, in the way it’s whit’s, but indulging in some destruction of capitalism is godly activity, if you ask him. he asks this as he sets up their pots and pans, with a glance at the windows to make sure no one can see his and whit’s hidden food supply.

❪                     “it   seems   like   you’re   projecting  a   bit,   hijapon.”   their   eyebrows   raise   in   humor,   used   to   the   consistent   bantering   back   and   forth   between   the   two.   it   wasn’t   as   if   honey   would   complain,   she   was   the   one   who   crossed   paths   with   zane   and   chose   to   stick   around.   “i   think   you’re  the   one   missing   me   ⸺   won’t   sit   here   and   blame   you.”   somehow   honey   believes   that   what   zane   states   is   true,   he   wouldn’t   be   going   anywhere.   it   wasn’t   something   she   would   admit   out   loud,   but   there   was   a   small   bit   of   comfort   that   someone   would   be   there   if   she   walked   away   then   turned   around.

   𝚆𝙷𝙰𝚃  𝙰  𝚂𝙷𝙰𝙼𝙴𝙻𝙴𝚂𝚂  flirt  .  quinn  barely  suppresses  the  full  -  bodied  laugh  that  leaks  out  ,  turning  it  into  a  chuckle  instead  .  “  you  say  that  but  there  are  some  people  who  think  i  wouldn’t  hesitate  to  turn  someone  into  a  shish  kabob  ,  “  like  eloise  .  oh  ye  of  little  faith  .  her  expression  darkens  briefly  before  she  tips  her  head  up  towards  the  moon  ,  looking  at  the  stars  for  a  moment  .  she’d  studied  constellations  when  she  was  younger  .  yet  the  clouds  in  the  sky  seemed  to  be  blocking  them  out  .  she  drops  her  eyes  to  him  again  ,  a  wry  smile  on  her  lips  .  “  don’t  think  i’d  fit  in  ,  “  she  replies  ,  tucking  her  hands  into  her  pockets  .  “  besides  …  all  families  betray  each  other  .  don’t  you  know  about  the  the  titans  and  the  gods  ?  all  those  stories  are  just  repeated  time  and  time  again  .  and  …  i  don’t  think  any  of  these  factions  are  going  to  come  out  on  top  .  “  

“you wouldn’t do that to me, though,” he coos, batting dark, shimmery eyes at her. zane follows the girl’s eyes when she looks up at the night sky. he doesn’t understand why all of this is happening, or why the god supposedly living up in the starless heavens seems to be making them suffer. his heart aches for an explanation. “it’s not about winning.” maybe it is, but it shouldn’t be. “the people in faction three, we care about each other. genuinely.”

it’s  USUALLY  moments  like  now  when  minhyuk  is  hanging  out  with  zane  that  he  wonders  where  this  seemingly  ENDLESS  burst  of  energy  comes  from.  though,  minhyuk  finds  it  to  be  a  fleeting  thought  considering  the  positivity  radiating  from  zane  is  RARE  to  find  in  new  ham  with  everything  going  on.  perhaps  it’s  in  part  to  that  that  minhyuk  feels  compelled  to  keep  zane  smiling  and  satiated.  the  last  thing  everyone  needs  is  another  negative  soul  traipsing  around  town.  ❝  we’ll  be  out  of  here  in  no  time  and  you’ll  be  able  to  stream  again,  ❞  he  answers  with  a  strange  sense  of  CERTAINTY  despite  the  severe  lack  of  it  he  has.  ❝  if  these  are  gonna  be  going  in  the  history  books  then  you  have  to  make  sure  we  both  look  good.  that’s  a  BIG  responsibility  and  i  refuse  to  have  a  double  chin.  ❞  minhyuk’s  tone  is  playful  as  he  ducks  down  a  bit  to  get  into  the  shot,  lips  curving  upward  into  a  smile  as  he  throws  up  a  peace  sign.

   ⁂     ━━━━━━     ⋆     there  were  plenty  of  different  moments  throughout  the  day  she  contemplated  her  life’s  choices .   her  decisions  were  questioned  until  it  was  clear  that  she’d  made  the  right  one ,   especially  in  the  last  few  months .   however ,   one  decision  that  never  crossed  her  mind  as  a  mistake  was  falling  into  step  with  zane .   well ,   maybe  his  infatuation  with  his  bat  was  one  of  them .     ‶  i’m  not  your  mother .  ″     she  protested ,   as  if  the  words  held  any  weight .  their  relationship  might  be  strange  to  the  naked  eye ,   but  there  is  a  lot  that  falls  beneath  the  surface  with  family .     ‶  but  i  suggest  that  playing  with  weapons  is  probably  not  the  best  idea  for  chaos  like  you .  ″    her  words  fell  as  she  shifted  her  weight  from  one  foot  to  the  other  before  falling  in  step  with  him .     ‶  but  of  course  i  want  some .   preferably  not  one  smashed  to  pieces .  ″    

“this isn’t a weapon; it’s just a baseball bat,” replied zane matter-of-factly. “if anything, i’m the weapon.” it was difficult to believe that the young man was much of a weapon, especially in those moments, where he was eating smashed pieces of apple. but he was really quite adept at handling his bat. “are you kidding me? it’s so good! the smashing gives the apple a little something. it’s juicier. very refreshing.”

𝙸𝙽  𝙰𝙻𝙻  𝙾𝙵  𝚃𝙷𝙸𝚂  ,  𝚂𝙷𝙴'𝚂  𝙶𝙻𝙰𝙳  𝚂𝙷𝙴  𝙷𝙰𝚂  𝙷𝙴𝚁  𝚂𝙸𝙱𝙻𝙸𝙽𝙶𝚂  .  even  if  one  of  them  is  zane  .  ( especially  that  one  of  them  is  zane  .  ) they  were  the  closest  in  their  family  -  both  in  birth  dates  and  relationship  .  she  raises  a  brow  as  he  enters  with  a  few  cans  of  coconut  milk  -  yet  the  expression  rapidly  becomes  a  smile  .  “  god  above  really  needs  to  fix  other  things  .  but  i’ll  take  halang-halang  for  right  now  ,  “  whit  is  almost  god-natured  as  she  grabs  one  of  the  cans  from  him  .  “  maybe  we  can  even  try  and  make  biko  after  .  but  no  sharing  that  ,  i’ll  want  it  all  to  myself  .  “  she  pauses  before  gesturing  to  the  cabinets  .  “  get  out  the  pots  and  don’t  forget  to  wash  your  hands  .  “

“‘yaw nala’g bagutbot diha.” just stop complaining. he says this with irreverence and profound respect at the same time, as is the trademark of youngest siblings. “to be fair, if you made the biko, i’d be more than alright if you didn’t share.” he’s just teasing. he’s a better cook than whit, sure, but nowhere near as good as their mother. he takes out the pack of raw chicken that he hid from the others, as well as the small bottle of silver swan soy sauce that he managed to preserve. he shakes it. there’s enough left for a few weeks, he thinks, but he also checks the expiry date for good measure. in bisaya, he asks her, “what’s the date today, ate?” the boy tries not to frown, but he’s concerned that no one’s keeping track anymore.

𝚂𝙷𝙴'𝙳 𝙰𝙻𝙼𝙾𝚂𝚃 𝙵𝙾𝚁𝙶𝙾𝚃𝚃𝙴𝙽 𝚆𝙷𝙰𝚃  kindness  felt  like  .  zane  ,  however  ,   was  always  quick  to  remind  her  .  he  had  this  …  air  about  him  .  and  despite  their  initial  rocky  start (  one  that  lacked  clothes  ) ,  she  couldn’t  help  but  to  count  him  amongst  one  of  her  friends  .  one  of  the  only  ones  she  has  ,  really  .  teeth  sink  into  her  bottom  lip  before  she  looks  towards  the  sky  -  taking in  the  night  air  .  “  i’m  alright  ,  “  she  says  quietly  .  “ don’t  be  so  confident  .  i   could  still  drown  you  .   “  but  there’s  a  teasing  lilt  in  her  voice  .  “  doable  ,  sure  .  so  is  dying  ass  naked  with  no  dignity  .  “  slyly  ,  her  eyes  drift  back  to  him  .  “  –  how  are  things  going  in  faction  three  ? “

“somehow, i find that hard to believe. i think you’d miss me too much.” the line was cheesy, but that was indeed what he thought. it was nice to find friends, even in unexpected places. “luckily, that won’t happen. i don’t know why, but i have a good feeling about tonight. it’s too pretty out here to die.” when she finally stopped averting her eyes as if he were some village maiden, he didn’t flinch. but before he could say something to flirt with her again, she asked him a serious question. “uh... we’re doing the best that we can.” sincerely, he told her, “i’ve met some really lovely people at faction three. you know, if you ever think of joining a faction, you can’t go wrong with three. we’re like a family.” a ruthless family, sure, but a family. nothing mattered more to zane than family.

﹡       her   glance   toward   him   remains   unwavering,   barely   letting   a   blink   overtake   her   features.   with   a   sigh,   eloise   rummages   through   her   bag   and   pulls   out   a   small   jar   of   banana   milk,   handing   one   toward   him.      “      right,   you   and   god   are   tight.   ask   them   when   we’re   getting   out  of   here,   or   if   this   is   purgatory.      ”      she   sits   next   to   him.

“we’ll know the answer at some point. but not now. all in god’s time,” answers zane. this is bullshit, of course. the gasp he emits when she hands him the banana milk is not bullshit, on the other hand. “shit, thanks.” he’s grateful for it, sincerely. and maybe a little overwhelmed. “ah, i didn’t bring anything to give you....” he sounds genuinely upset, because he is. but he’s back on his bullshit soon enough: “this must be the test that god was talking about. well, maybe i should head back and find a gift for you, kind friend.”

       𝙷𝙸𝚂  𝙲𝙰𝚂𝚄𝙰𝙻  𝙱𝙴𝙷𝙰𝚅𝙸𝙾𝚁  𝙳𝙾𝙴𝚂𝙽'𝚃  shock  her  .  because  he’s  right  .  she  had  seen  him  naked  before  .  doesn’t  stop  her  from  averting  her  gaze  like  he’s  some  eighteenth  century  maiden  that  she’s  protecting  the  virtue  of  .  her  eyes  track  around  the  nearby  area  ,  making  sure  no  axe  murderer  comes  to  take  him  out  while  he’s  vulnerable  -  a  low  ,  somewhat  bitter  laugh  slipping  out  at  his  question  .  “  does  it  look  like  i’m  doing  okay  to  you  ?  “  she  asks  ,  kicking  a  rock  towards  the  water  and  watching  it  sink  beneath  the  surface  .  “  what’s  got  you  taking  a  bath  out  here  ?  haven’t  you  ever  seen  a  slasher  film  ?  now  would  be  the  perfect  time  for  someone  to  take  you  out  .  “

“i didn’t say you were okay,” replies zane. agile hands catch the rock she’s tossed into the water; his voice softens — he cares, he can’t help it. “i was just asking how you’re doing.” a chuckle leaves his lips at her mention of slasher films. “i’d like to think this is some kind of psychological thriller, not a slasher. besides, god told me i’d have some company soon. looks like i do now.” if that sounds a little flirty, he can’t help that either. “and i needed it. i can’t stand just being inside all the time. i can fight, anyway... even in this state. it’d be slightly inconvenient, ‘course, but doable.”

“you sure that’s what he said?” savannah teased, letting out a small chuckle. “well, what do we have here?” she replied, unclenching her fists and putting them to her sides. “i actually agree with you for once.” she admitted. “do you do this every day? nothing, i mean.”