#avescure

‘ ʜᴀʟʟᴏᴡᴇᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇᴍᴇᴅ sᴛᴀʀᴛᴇʀs → ᴀᴄᴄᴇᴘᴛɪɴɢ. ’

miraculously the situation doesn’t get quite close to something kuro would detest but it’s getting there- approaching that line quite fast. his hands itching to actually strangle someone and it nearly shows on his otherwise emotionless face. rare, very rare, but it happens. dark eyes stare down at the documents in slender hands as said man sits on a bench outside the hospital. who. again, who. would fuck up official documents this bad. who would note down such idiotic things to the point it looked like a child had accidentally colored outside the lines. a scowl briefly appears on his face as he tosses the papers to the ground and sits back. this was not the day to be dealing with this. the date.. his eyes trail off to gaze at the children running around and screaming their heads off. an image of a cake left alone on a counter with flickering candles flashes into his head and he’s quick to dismiss it and stands. it just so happens at that point a child decides to slam into his side and fall back. kuro’s quick to reach out and grip the kids wrist to catch him, speaking up in the usual colorless tone of his. “careful. you’ll drop your things and the last thing i want is a kid to be taken out by a doctor.” to say he lacked kid social skills would be an understatement. but somehow the kid giggles and bows  before shoving a handful of candy into the grown mans hand as a thanks. the young medical practitioner just watches as the kid runs off before looking down at his hand. “....” in his head he’s saying ‘fuck it’ and begins to unwrap a piece, just about to eat it when he hears a voice speak up from behind him.

It was never something that he deemed completely necessary for him to do. His body didn’t work like a human’s body did, therefore he did not retain fat – his body was how it had been the moment he died, hundreds of years ago. There were a few things that were different, but not physically. Just like a statue, frozen in time for all eternity. But from time to time he got questions of how he amazed to keep in good shape – white lies were harmless. A simple answer of that he worked out regularly was one that most accepted without any further question. It was normal, and he was just lucky that most didn’t press on the topic. Upon his lies, however, he had come to discover that working out was a good way to pass time. Clear his thoughts. Focus on his thoughts. He never grew tired, and only faked the exhaustion of working out in the end – but it still helped him feel normal. He was so desperate for normalcy at this point.

He always kept to himself whenever he did decide to ‘work out’ – no need for anyone to actually keep an eye on him and see ‘progress’, because really, there was none to be seen. And if he wanted, he could just stop showing up. Easy, plain and simply. Keep to himself and there would be no questions asked.

On this particularly day, however, he was a little less focused than normal, and a pair of warm, brown eyes catch his attention, noticing how they were staring right at him. He stared right back, for just a moment, wondering why she was staring in the first place. He wouldn’t ask, of course not, but he did flash a brief smile, just to see if it would get her to look away. It usually worked – but instead, it seemed to draw her attention in further.

                                           ❛ Have I just entered an alternate universe                                              or did you really just crack a smile for me? ❜

The words caused a quiet laugh to resonate from his chest, and his smile even widened– he grinned, even, as his fingers desperately fumbled to slow down the treadmill he was occupying, letting it slow gradually as he raised a brow, head tilted just slightly to the side. ❝ What, do I really look like someone who doesn’t smile at all? 

When you work at the same establishment for as long as Joohyun has, recognizing your clients -- as well as the casual visitors that frequent the gym, becomes second nature. On days she is not assigned personal clients, Joohyun is given floor duty, a chore she takes great pleasure in. It means she is allowed to walk around the premises on her own accord, providing assistance to those who ask -- and those who do not ask, but look particularly lost. 

Her personal services are usually meant for society’s upper class. She isn’t sure what her hourly rate is, but given the gym’s prestige, and her very decent pay, she assumes spending some one on one time with her must have a high price to pay. That’s why she enjoys being left to roam as she pleases, it means she gets to mingle with a bigger variety of people -- people more like herself, and less like the ones she’s tried to escape for most of her life. 

It’s also during this time that she gets to observe. When Joohyun was little she would climb into trees, and watch how the world beneath her would pass her by. She would look at people, and wonder about their lives outside the park. She would pick up on little habits, characteristics that would get unnoticed otherwise. When she receives floor duty, she feels like a little girl in a tree again, because it means unabashed observation. 

She’s noticed the tall man a couple of times before, and while it’s not uncommon for guests to look serious, or concentrated during their work outs, she finds that this man often looks particularly surly. She honestly does not mean to speak when he notices her, but when a smile tugs at the corners of his lips, she can’t help herself.

His smile broadens, and laughter rumbles in his chest, and Joohyun is infinitely thankful he did not take offense to her blunt nature.