ᴡᴏɴ'ᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇxᴏʀᴄɪsᴇ ᴍʏ ᴍɪɴᴅ?

it’s not until she’d removed every strand of hair away from her face that she realized she knew the person she’d (very nicely) requested a jacket from. great! surely they’d be more willing to share—or not.   “wouldn’t it be more polite to offer me your jacket?” the response is immediate, as is the scrunch of her nose in mild distaste at the answer she received. she’d expected better from minjae – they’d eaten dinner together, once, and bonded over how shitty it’d tasted. surely that’d count for something? well—it would have to, because boa’s still freezing, and she really doesn’t want to leave if she can find a temporary source of heat instead. and honestly? minjae’s side looks pretty damn cozy. it’s without any hesitation or shame that she takes the invitation he never extended by moving forward to tuck herself under minjae’s arm, having no problems with invading his personal space. her smile, while sweet, lacks any innocence.   “what’s practical about leaving just to grab a jacket when you’re already here.”

          there’s an awkward moment of silence extended between them wherein the very air within seems to go almost static as neither of them can scrounge up what is it they’re meant to say next. with his own apologies given and the other doing their best to accept and move past them, with even the books handed off to their rightful owner and teddy’s own fingers nervously playing through the thrum of crimson energy around them ; he just doesn’t know what’s supposed to come next.   ❛   s’kinda my fault though——i mean, it was me who fucked up while tryna move your shit in th’first place  —— would’a been even shittier if i didn’t step in to help when i messed you up even more, y’know?   ❜   just because his intentions had been good when he first reached out to help didn’t negate the fact that his plans had gone so, so terribly up shit creek as humanly possible.   ❛   d’you… need a hand though? i mean, s’just —— it’s a lot… of books? i even promise not to use my powers on ‘em this time.   ❜   not with how things had ended, and especially not now that teddy actually had gotten the mind to want to help the other.

                The awkward silence that suddenly stretched between the two had the elder shifting anxiously from one foot to the other as soon as he pushes himself back up from the ground ; a cough briefly breaking the silence as he readjusts the books propped up against his hip. Interacting with new people had always been the most difficult aspect of social situations for Minjae--- though he, admittedly, didn’t find the encounter as horribly uncomfortable as he normally would’ve. The quiet wasn’t deafening--- didn’t cause the boy’s fingers to twitch with anxious energy as much as it often would have, which was possibly why Minjae wasn’t trying so hard to extract himself from the situation. “Honestly, Teddy. It’s fine,” he insists, sincerity in his gaze as he lifts it up to meet the other’s. There was really no need to confirm the boy’s name with him--- because, despite his large gap in memory, his mind was sharp, and had immediately paired up every name and face within the facility the moment he initially learned them. And while Teddy’s face was still an unfamiliar one ( as far as he knew ), he found himself ignoring his own apparent pride and determination and accepting the other’s help with a small nod, instead. “As long as you don’t mind, I guess?” Minjae continues to uncomfortably shift the books in his grip. “I mean--- I’m the one who overestimated what I’m actually capable of carrying, so definitely don’t feel like you owe me anything.”

                Had Minjae known he’d be shoved inside an underground ( and unnervingly dark ) maze this morning and suddenly forced to find his way out, he probably would’ve at least attempted to sneak in a few more hours of sleep the night before. As it was, exhaustion was currently weighing down heavily on his bones, and it was still only within the first hour of being trapped within the walls of the maze. Ever since phase one had started, however, he quickly started to take notice of the competitive nature itching beneath his skin. He had no intense desire of being allowed into the city or anything, but the general desire to win was undeniable to Minjae, at this point. It started out easily enough, really : the boy guiding himself through the aisles of the maze, one hand grazing along the wall on his left in order to start to paint a picture of the area in his mind. It wasn’t long before he was being completely thrown off his path, though— the walls twisting and turning on occasion and causing Minjae to get turned around several times and effectively halting his progress. Carding his fingers through his hair in poorly concealed frustration, the boy heaves out a heavy sigh as he loses his place once again. “Fuck,” he mumbles quietly to himself, eyes closing as he attempts to mentally recall the number of steps he had taken since the last section he had gotten turned around in. His brain works fast to calculate the twists and turns he had encountered thus far, taking into consideration how long he had been in there for and attempting to sketch out a map of the maze with the ( little ) information he currently had. It probably wasn’t the best idea to do this with his eyes closed, of course, but he found it easier to focus on the mental picture he had of the maze like this. Navigating his way without any accidents proved to be more difficult, however— if the way he suddenly collides with another as soon as he blindly turns a corner is anything to go by. On instinct, he reaches out to grab the other’s arm in order to steady himself, eyes flying open as he does so. As soon as he realizes it’s Bokyung, he’s quick to remove the grip he had on his arm— fucking biceps— shrugging sheepishly in lieu of an explanation ( because how would one explain blindly wandering around in a maze to begin with? ). “Um. Oops?” Minjae doesn’t linger there for long ; stepping around the other before pressing his hand against the left wall once again, resuming his walk quickly there after. “Pretty sure it’s this way.” He slows his pace as he speaks, pausing briefly to turn around as he addresses the other. “If… you know— you wanna follow.” Part of him didn’t necessarily want to offer, knowing he’d likely find his way out quicker on his own, but a larger part of him ( the subconscious part that seemed to know things that Minjae didn’t ) wanted to have Bokyung there. 

                                 Jung-woo chooses to ignore the sigh. Knowing that nothing he says will help matters. Accidents happened, but after rediscovering he’d a shorter temper than he had expected, and the way conversations sometimes steered with Minjae, holding his tongue was as good an idea as any. So he bides his time instead, trying to help, whether Minjae had asked for it or not. "I’m not an expert at book carrying, but maybe a box or a bag might have helped. Or fewer books? I don’t know.” He says, tone light, with a shrug of his own, a frown written across his features. “Of course I don’t mind.” A possible fib, though he was sure it didn’t matter. Actions speak louder than words, a scientist had said to him, the other day. Had he woken up in worse a mood, he might’ve offered more of a bite, but he was tired.

            Seunghyun’s aware of the fact that sometimes he can be a bit overwhelming for other people, and that a lot of people can’t handle his bright and sunny ( pun intended ) personality. But he doesn’t mean any harm, and despite his rather large and intimidating frame, mostly his height because he’s still more on the skinny side, he gives off a friendly and amiable disposition. Or at least he tries to all the time. When Minjae smiles back at him, his smile widens and he tucks the other male’s books into the crook of his arm, before reaching for the books he had put off to the side, standing up to his full height. “Oh, no you’re not pulling me away from my books.” He shakes his head, moving his hand to wave him off, before realizing that both of his arms were full of books and that would only lead to another accident. “It’s not like I really have anything else to do, so there’s no rush for me to read these books, you know?” He shifts them around in his arms. “Do you want me to walk with you to the common area? Just so you won’t have to carry all of these books by yourself? I don’t want you to drop them again on your way there..”

                A CURIOUS LOOK grazed his features at the boy now by his feet, catching some of the titles sprawled out on the floor as calvin leaned down to scoop some up with both arms, juice box ( courtesy of their charms on the cafeteria lady ) hanging from his lips. “ what are you doing with all these books, jae ? ” the older peculiar mumbled, balancing the hard covers on one arm to offer him a hand. he didn’t have his own glasses on, his own preferred contacts in place of the dark spectacles. coming back from the greenhouse was nothing short of exhausting — the long walk to and from there caused both of his calves to start hurting. if he weren’t so built for going long distances or grown fond of the other, something inside of them would’ve paid no mind to him on their way to search for some comfort and relaxation in the common room. “ three trips back and forth ain’t cutting it for you anymore, huh ? ”

           there’s no doubt about it that teddy could’ve caught the books. with no ifs or buts to prop himself against as an excuse, he simply stood there, mouth slightly parted in surprise at the sight of someone——a kid ( ?? ) by the looks of it, dropping what seemed to be his weight in paperbacks ; his powers jumping in just a second too late as the crimson wisps only managed to work against his original intention of helping to instead scatter some of the books even further out of reach from their owner.   ❛   oh——oh shit.   ❜   was this what they called an out of body experience? it had to be. watching as his own untrained, unfocused abilities made a mess of what he was certain was meant to be a neat pile of the other’s recollected books, it took way too many seconds for teddy to snap back to it, calling off his control of the energy around them as he rushed his way over in a fumble bumble of steps.   ❛   shit, m’sorry. that—— this really wasn’t my intention, i swear, i was tryin’ to help.   ❜   of course, a good lot of shit that did in the end as teddy did his best to pick up some of the fallen books as fast as possible.    ❛   i just saw you drop your books and i wanted to help i shouldn’t, uh. i shouldn’t have used my abilities, sorry. m’not really controlled yet and i shouldn’t have been testin’ them on your stuff.   ❜   the look on his face would’ve been a grimace if not for how easily his embarrassment shone through.   ❛   are you okay?   ❜   with the rest of the books collected, teddy held them out as something of a peace offering in attempt to smooth over his rough bumps.

                Minjae wasn’t sure how practical making a stack of the books was--- considering his ( clear ) inability to actually carry all of them to his desired location--- but the boy was DETERMINED to cart everything back towards his self-designated corner in the common room, and attempting to collect the paperbacks was merely the first step in doing so. Considering his luck today so far, though, Minjae isn’t ENTIRELY too surprised to see the books tumble back to the floor again a mere few seconds later. He was, however, growing more irritated by the second--- grumbling his frustrations to himself as he starts to collect the books once more, figuring some asshole with telekinesis was trying to fuck with him. Which is precisely why the sudden bombard of apologies comes as something of a surprise ; wide eyes moving to assess the other as his freed hand pushes up the frames that had started to slip down the length of his nose. “Um--- s’fine, I guess,” he mumbles alongside a shrug, his previous irritation already starting to slip away. The other c l e a r l y didn’t mean to knock the novels over, and he was at least ATTEMPTING to help, so he didn’t really see any point in snapping at the boy. And the fact that the other was still trying so DESPERATELY to apologize to Minjae was more amusing than annoying, anyways ; his lips quirking up at the ends in the faintest hint of a smile as the stranger passes over the books. “I’m sure I’ll manage to survive,” he assures the taller, his tone light--- edging on teasing, even. “But um--- thanks,” he remembers to tack on a moment later. “You didn’t have to---” he makes a half-hearted gesture to the books currently tucked beneath the crook of his arm, knowing anymore movement would likely send them all tumbling towards the ground yet AGAIN.

the garden is very pretty, boah’s come to realize. it’s probably a shame that she’s been picking at the multi-colored petals of several flowers and tearing them off, leaving them for dead, but in her defense: she’s bored. she’s been there for quite a while but hadn’t noticed how chilly it’s become until the goosebumps have spread over her arms, hair whipping in her face due to a harsh wind. absentmindedly, boa wonders where that’d come from – mostly because the glass in the greenhouse should prevent that sort of thing – her gaze straying from the now lifeless plants to look out into the horizon. (what’s out here?) it’s when she’s turning her head to remove some strands from her mouth that she realizes she’s not alone anymore, lips curving into a pleased smile because that’s perfect. company’s good, even if only for one thing.   “ it’s cold in here, ” it’s stated as a matter-of-fact, because it is. holding out her hand, she gestures at them to come closer, fingers waving at them impatiently.   “ share your jacket with me. ”

he must’ve been in the shower for quite some time, as the entire mirror had fogged up. bokyung uses the back of his hand to wipe it, finding his REFLECTION staring back at him through the condensation. it hits him, perhaps for the umpteenth time since he’d woken up with no memory of who he is, that it’s incredibly jarring to recognize the face staring back at you but not the person. there’s an itch somewhere below his skin, the need to know more about who he is, paired with frustration because he doesn’t know the answers. bokyung’s still lost in these thoughts when he walks back into the ‘bed’room in search of the shirt he’d forgotten to bring when he’d snatched a pair of sweats from ‘his’ drawer, absentmindedly toweling his hair dry. it doesn’t take him long to realize in his absence someone else had occupied the room, one brow raising up when minjae nearly falls out of his chair in surprise.  “i guess that’s one way to say hello. glad to know i have that effect on you,” there’s a hint of wry amusement that slants one side of his mouth up – minjae’s reaction to his arrival and the blatant refusal to even look at him almost makes it seem like he’d been caught doing something he shouldn’t, and that is rather intriguing. he’s (re)discovered that he’s nosy – thinks he must’ve always been, because he feels absolutely no remorse about it.  “perhaps if you hadn’t been staring at your arm so intensely you would’ve heard me come in.” he’s teasing, for the most part, but to say he’s not curious as to what minjae’d been doing would be a lie. bokyung keeps his eyes on him as he continues to dry his hair, deciding it’s enough a few seconds later and carelessly dropping the wet cloth on a bed that’s not even his. his curiosity’s gotten the better of him.  “what were you doing?”

                          More often than not, Jung-woo would set up shop in the library when time allowed. After the staff had had his attention for the morning, he took it upon himself to do exactly that now he had a few hours to himself. Pulling himself from the collection of books he’d amassed so far, Jung-woo lazily began his wander to the common room in search of refreshment; that all too familiar feeling present in his mouth. He’d spotted the figure up ahead, but didn’t think to say anything; he wasn’t feeling particularly social today so chose to STAY back. But he see’s the books quickly beginning to tumble down, fingers swiftly fail him however, fanning out toward the body as he ambles over, hoping he wasn’t dulled too much. Only to watch the books hit the floor, his attempts at aid feeble. A wave of annoyance flushes across him as eyes rest on the familiar glasses of a friend for the most part ( when they didn’t have something to bicker about anyway ). The silence through the hall falls flatly onto deaf ears, so Jung-woo hums out quietly, slow to bend the knee and help. “ I tried to stop it, ” Jung-woo offers, defeated. “ Do you want some help ? I do believe it’ll happen again other wise. Either that or company but don’t feel like you have to say yes. ”

               There was something calming about being in the library, something that put Seunghyun at ease. Maybe that’s why he spent so much time there, which would be a shock to anyone who didn’t know him. It was quiet and peaceful, and it somehow dampened to faint whispering he always had at the background of his mind, something that grew less and less faint as time went on. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he did his best to ignore it. It felt as if he couldn’t sometimes, like it was trying to tell him something, something important, but he couldn’t find out what. Even when he stayed silent and focused, mediated, nothing helped. He was still at a loss for what it was trying to say. It was like a presence that was always there inside of him, one that wouldn’t go away, although Seunghyun didn’t really want it to. Although the presence was unfamiliar to him, it felt right all the same. Like it belonged there. He dragged his fingers along the spine of some books, trying to find his favorite ones. Although some of the other people laughed at him for it, he liked to read book series like Twilight or Harry Potter or Vampire Academy. They were the ones that kept his attention the most and amused him the most. “There you are!” He cheered, his fingers wrapping around the last book in the Vampire Academy series, before he was pulling it down and tugging it in the crook of his elbow along with the other’s. He turned to go find a table to go sit at, before he heard books crashing to the ground. He frowned and poked his head around one of the book shelves, spotting a familiar face - or more like a familiar top of the head. “Minjae!” He greeted loudly, setting his books down on the nearest flat surface, before dropping to his knees to help him clean things up. “Hi,” he added, smiling at him. “Had a little accident?” He asked lightly, gathering some of the books in his arms. 

                Minjae hadn’t even noticed he’d been doing it before ... never gave much thought to the amount of times his fingers brushed mindlessly across the tattooed area of his wrist. But there was no denying the fact that his fingertips would consistently find the inked skin throughout the day without much thought. Even now, with a book sat atop his lap, feet curled beneath him in the large arm chair and his gaze focused on the pages below, a thumb was moving methodically against the crescent moon imprinted on his wrist. As soon as he registers the movement, he pauses in his reading to analyze the small picture with a narrowed gaze and a frustrated downward curve of his lips. It probably wasn’t something that MOST would think too deeply on --- it was a tattoo. So what? But even with all that he still needed to relearn about himself, he knew that he wasn’t the type of person to get something permanent so carelessly. There had to be s o m e sort of meaning behind the simple design, and it was frustrating not being able recall whatever that meaning happened to be. With his focus still heavily trained on the soft curve of the inked moon, Minjae doesn’t notice the moment someone else enter the room ; shoulders jumping and body nearly toppling out of the chair as soon as the door shuts closed. “Jesus fucking christ you scared me,” he mumbled, more to himself than anything else ; hastily yanking down the sleeve of his sweater and returning his gaze to the book once more, never lifting his eyes up to meet the newest addition to the room.