twice, thrice

“and an old cripple like you should know not to try a young whippersnapper like me when they get testy,” he quips back without nearly as much bite as he normally would have, were yeongkwang any other person. yet that’s another thing that makes them such an odd pairing, in that ian certainly doesn’t mind having someone to banter back and forth with. it’s a nice change of pace from having to be rather poised a majority of the time, and he takes quite fondly to that. 

“i make promises, not threats.” ian smiles, mischief written in his very pupils as he taps the cane with his foot none too gently. “i’m looking forward to tonight.” with a wave of his hand and an affirmation, he concedes for now as they part ways.

dinner is business as usual ( or rather, as unusual  ), and ian’s decided that they meet up for food at a surprisingly smaller restaurant, contrary to his usual rather posh tastes. the side dishes here are much better though, and come with a home-cooked feel that ian hasn’t managed to find anywhere else. even as he stuffs his cheeks full of radishes and munches on them like a happy teenager, he can’t bring himself to care too much for keeping up appearances with yeongkwang.

it takes him a minute to swallow everything down, only remembering to finally take a sip of water when he nearly chokes on one that was partially still whole. he clears his throat awkwardly and looks up at the other, expression blank as if nothing had happened. “i suppose you’re forgiven now. even if he apology wasn’t verbal, food is accepted in its place.” the almost imperceptible smile on his face is teasing, and ian places a small bit of meat on top of yeongkwang’s rice as a peace offering of sorts. “and i’ll stop threatening to swipe your cane out from underneath you.”

Yeongkwang is a bit surprised by the choice in restaurants on Ian’s side, but he goes with it- he finds it all sorts of exciting, because he never ventures into restaurants such as these. He grew up so sheltered, with friends who also came from money, and so he rarely ever found himself in places like this. Not to say he never ate at McDonald’s, or some other fast food establishment- but even so. 

But Ian is full of quirks, so he doesn’t think too hard on it. 

ian’s mouth curls up in a mixture of annoyance and petulance, and he’s always thrown off when it comes to yeongkwang. the other is older and even though he has his fair share of problems, he never fails to make ian feel as though he’s one step behind somewhere. it’s an infuriating feeling, but it’s also one that he can’t seem to feel entirely displeased towards, considering it’s actually nice to have someone to look up to. no matter how much of an older, irritating sibling they might resemble. 

“i can do both, and i will do both,” he huffs out anyway, averting his gaze. “just because i’m eating with you doesn’t mean i have to acknowledge your presence. and stop poking me with that damned thing,” he hisses, swatting the cane away. “i’m gonna fucking hide it one day, or i’ll break it. either way i’m gonna trip you when it happens too, so be prepared old man.” he straightens out his suit jacket, frown still etched into his features ever so slightly. “and this isn’t a ‘sulky, immature dinner party.’ it’s simply you buying me food as an apology, since it’s clear i’m not gonna get a verbal one from you at least.”

Yeongkwang can only laugh at how Ian is acting up- even if he does enjoy it, secretly, because his stubbornness is something that Yeongkwang very much has as well. It’s their similarities that make them butt heads all of the time, but it’s also what makes him a bit fond of the young man; he wouldn’t go as far as to say that he sees himself in Ian, but it’s something quite similar. Their drive for their businesses, their mental strength, the way they carry themselves. 

There’s an edge of familiarity in Ian, and Yeongkwang appreciates that.

“and if i were to say i was, what then?” the younger glances up from where his eyes had previously been glued to his phone screen, having accidentally run into the other upon the adjournment of one of his routine biweekly meetings. it’s not often that ian meets someone who can hold his own in a conversation or even general interests with him, and he believes it’s in part due to the similarities they share ( and not to mention the fact that he’s forced to call the elder hyung no matter how foreign the word feels on his tongue ). even so, yeongkwang was of a different breed, and if ian looked up to him, well, no one had to know. 

 “all i’m saying is that you completely ruined not one, not two, but three of my business proposals when you took my laptop and shut everything down without looking at the background programs running, i have backups, but that’s not the point,” he huffs, adjusting his cufflinks as he makes to slide past the other in an uncharacteristically petulant display of annoyance. “if you’re here to say your apologies, then i suggest you do so within the next three minutes, because i’ve got somewhere to be. otherwise, i’ll continue to proceed with the current progression of things, which includes ignoring you until i get that apology.” ian steps around the other, an air of finality in his tone as he looks back and claps a hand on the elder’s shoulder briefly, “oh, and you’re buying dinner tonight. hyung.”

If anything, Yeongkwang finds great joy in riling up others, especially those used to feeling powerful and in charge in their daily lives. It’s such an ego boost to see them falter, hesitate, and crumble; to know that even if he’s the cripple, he still has the upper hand. And well, Ian is just fun to mess with- there’s just something to it, a challenge that makes Yeongkwang rise to the bait every single time. After all, it’s the reward he gets for his words and actions that drives him to continue with it. 

“I do think we’ll see at least something we recognize,” she reckons. She had been an army general once, had she not? She had protected the very scholars that are now celebrated in history books, and had been present for the creation of great palaces that are still preserved today. 

The museum is big, and lovely. The natural light coming from the windows is just right, and Chanmi wonders why she’s never come before to take pictures. 

“You do realize half the women in paintings are half naked?” 

Her smile is coy as she says it, flirty and her eyes a little bit dark, and she squeezes her lovers hand. Oh - an art session. Junhee half naked, wearing only lacy panties as she paints with oil, as she covers herself in hues of blue and yellow and presses her breast against a large canvas. Junhee in a high pony tail, a brush in her mouth, looking over her shoulder at the camera and acting as if she had been caught. Chanmi has to blink herself out of it, lest she allows her thoughts to wander too much. Something to consider for the future, no doubt. 

The first paintings are really nothing they recognize - emperors that must have existed way before they were first born. Even their outfits are a little too much from what they remembers, and as they go down the timeline, they joke about how pretty they would have looked with such a large head piece on. The ages and times in the pictures seem so far away, and yet, Chanmi can somehow picture herself perfectly in the day and age she was first born. 

“Huh, I guess we really won’t recognize someone-”

They round the corner as she says it, and just like that, they encounter a large piece in side of the room, and she has to stop, her eyes widening as she gasps softly. 

“Oh, it’s you,” she says breathlessly, staring wide eyed at a picture.

And it is. It’s Joonmyun - no, Junhee - painted over a large canvas and standing proudly in the middle of the room. In the corner, it reads ‘Slave boy’, the year it was made, and under it, a small description. 

Slaves and concubines were common for the rich clergy of this era. They represented wealth and lust for their owners, and were often problematic. This slave boy in particular - named Joon - was so lovely, he enamored his owner, a powerful army general, until he was stripped of his slave status and given citizenship in the kingdom. 

“As if shooting me half naked is anything new."

They've done a lot of soft porn type of shoots, a lot of artsy and tasteful pictorials with Junhee wearing hardly anything. Some have been published, some are just for them to keep as their private treasures. Chanmi has a knack for that too, knows just the way to capture her toeing the line of innocent and sinful. Seeing herself through Chanmi's photography has really taught her things about her own body she would have never otherwise discovered.

Besides, the nude shots sell for a lot of money.

She's about to give up as well, when Chanmi suddenly stops short in her steps, points out a huge painting on the wall- and Junhee recognizes the piece immediately, knows exactly what that beautiful shade of blue is even if decades and centuries have made the color fade.

It's a piece Chanyeol had done of him before they got married, before Joon was made a regular citizen. Back then, he'd still been a slave, a pet, and it shows in his clothing. The robes he's wearing in the painting are revealing, leaving most of his chest and even his upper stomach visible, his collar bones standing out, his delicate wrists wrapped in bangles and jewelry. He's wearing his heavy leather collar, and he's standing in the middle of the gardens, surrounded by roses that contrast the blues of his robes beautifully. It's a gorgeous portrait, one that cost Chanyeol a fortune back then. To think that it has been preserved makes something heavy weigh on Junhee's heart- nostalgia, longing, but also memories of the pain she went through in that particular life.

She steps up to the portrait. One part of her is looking at it like a stranger would, as so much time has passed, and one part of her is looking in the mirror. Even as a girl, she still looks a lot like she did back then. The resemblance is striking, as is the contrast. The pet that she was back then could not have imagined any of the lives she's lived since then.

Somewhere inside the third floor up in a building down the street. Joonmyun looks up from a sliver piece of crinkled paper in his hand— attention diverted, he makes a careful stride to window.  

“What’s wrong?” 

The man he previously been holding a conversation with lowers his drink from his lips, eyeing Joonmyun’s change in behavior. 

Joonmyun’s fingers push one of the blinds aside to form a gap wide enough to peer out the window without bringing attention to himself from the outside, “It’s just…” he starts, voice falling silent. “It’s nothing.” He replies, moving from the window. The blinds swing back into place. 

“Thanks for this.” He holds the paper up and then tucks it into a pocket of the leather jacket he’s wearing, “I know it wasn’t easy to obtain the information. I appreciate the risk you took.” He pours himself a drink from the bar then takes to swirling the contents of his glass, rather than actually drinking it. 

“What you’re doing is dangerous.” The other man speaks up, downing the last of the drink. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. “You’re crazy. The Jedi are only fighting a losing battle, forming a new order will only anger the Sith more.” 

Joonmyun only raises an eyebrow, smiling a smile that says ‘I know’ as a response. He drinks everything in his glass in one shot and then tosses a couple of bills onto the counter. “Keep the change.” is all he says instead of goodbye before exiting the room.

Outside he breathes in deep, letting the cool air of the night sooth him. Then he breaks into a run, trading the facade of being calm in exchange for one of sheer desperation, his mind won’t let him stop reliving the scene from the window.— ‘Please, don’t let me be too late’ becomes a mantra in his mind. Truthfully, he ought to just ignore it and go. Jedi get into squabbles daily, it’s not his fault this idiot managed to get caught out in the open with a fucking green lightsaber, practically an advertisement to be attacked in this part of the city. 

Why should he care? This problem is beyond him, he has better things to do and yet he can’t seem to ignore the prompting. Almost as if the presence is calling out to him specifically. A presence that’s strangely familiar. His feet move faster, and faster still. 

He arrives just in time to draw his own lightsaber. The brilliant red glows dangerously in the night, illuminating his face in such a way that the Sith gets the hint and lowers his own weapon, confused by the fact that a supposed fellow comrade is pointing their weapon at them. The hesitation is all Joonmyun needs, and makes use of the opening by raising his hand. The force sends the Sith backwards with such force, he hits a brick wall and knocks him unconscious. 

Breathing heavily Joonmyun turns away from the gruesome scene. “Come on, we need to go before he wakes up.” The thoughts inside his head suddenly go very still and all he can do for that moment is stare in disbelief at the face that mirrors his own, staring directly back at him. 

Regaining some sense of composure, Joonmyun takes a step back. He run fingers through his own hair, brushing back the hair covering his forehead in thought. “Shit. Am I…. drunk?”

Joon was already losing hope before the new Sith arrived. Even in the midst of tumbling around and clumsily avoiding being sliced into half and shooting out with his force blindly he came to the realization that it would be less painful to just take his own life- how and when he was going to do that, he hadn't decided yet. The new Sith showing up only confirms this decision, because there's no way he's going to get away from them unscathed.

Just as he's about to run into his own saber or stab himself in the chest, he stops and stares at the newcomer. His face, illuminated by the light of his saber- it's like looking into the mirror. A very strange, warped mirror- an image of what he could have been. The guy looks dark, powerful, strong, his dark hair and nice outfit only adding to the aura he has. The blinding saber though, it doesn't match up. Nothing adds up, quite frankly.

His initial attacker seems equally confused, and the pause in his movements is what brings him down. The Sith is flung across the parking lot like a ragdoll, a force which Joon can only envy, but it leaves him all the more confused. Sure he knows that the color of the saber doesn't always correspond with the moral alignment, but even so... Even so.

Is this the glitch in the matrix people talk about? Is this him, from another universe? Him, but stronger?

It's a small comfort that the mysterious carbon copy of him is equally confused, when they realize the state of things. Joon scampers back up on his feet, wincing slightly in pain, regarding the man warily. "If you're drunk, then what am I? High?" he asks, still holding his saber in his hand, not ready to put his guard down. "I get attacked by a Sith, then another Sith comes to my rescue apparently, but also looks... exactly like me? I do not understand." If this is a joke, it's a bizarre one.

Joon might not be very Force sensitive, but he does know he's in trouble when there's a dude with a blazing red light saber about to slice his head off.

Granted, he was looking for trouble. Just, a little less severe kind of trouble. Loitering around, using his small knack for the Force to pick locks and get into places, steal cigarettes and other small objects, that kind of thing. It has been his past time for years and he's pretty good at it, and even if he sometimes does get beat up, he doesn't mind terribly. He has nothing but time in his hands, and any way to prevent boredom is a win in his book.

But right now, he's in over his head. His training doesn't cover much else but which way to hold his saber, and that's not much in combat. He doesn't know much about these guys of the dark, the Sith Order, but he knows that whatever this dude has in mind for him, it's not pleasant. He's decidedly too young to die.

They're going at it on a parking lot next to an old restaurant, and the spacious venue is the only thing keeping Joon alive right now. If he didn't have the space to dodge and dive out of the way of the red saber, he'd be burnt to a crisp already. But he's been trying to formulate his escape plan for a while now, and he's not making any progress. Things are not looking up.

okay but dads @vepid @rigorxmyn you do realize that we gotta do this now