#offleurs

     getting a pet together had been something the two of them talked about for a bit now. more specifically, a dog — because haneul really couldn’t stand cats. he wasn’t bothered being around one, but the concept of raising a cat wasn’t interesting to him. he was glad seonhwa voted on a dog as well. they hadn’t been on an active hunt for one, since tour was so demanding of their time. now, that was changing. tour was over and they were all settled in together with him officially moved in. the timing just felt right. his girlfriend was the one to find a pomeranian litter of four up for adoption on the shelter’s website. if han was being honest, pomeranian wasn’t his top choice for a breed. he would have preferred a bigger dog, like a husky or doberman. however, one glance at seo’s pout had the bodyguard agreeing to being open to all options. the look of the dog of the shouldn’t matter. what mattered was the connection. apparently, it just clicked when owners found the animal that was meant to go home with them. they would see if today was one of those days.

      the two arrived at the municipal animal shelter in the late morning. haneul kept a tattooed hand against the small of seonhwa’s back to keep her nearby. as they were led down the hall towards the meet and greet room, he leaned down to murmur: “ i read that pomeranians only grow up to be 3.6kg. that’s fucking tiny. ” he couldn’t even properly imagine something being that small. the employee opened the door for them and he nodded in silent thanks, leading them both inside. the sight of four puppies caused him to pause. there were two cream ones, one brown, and lastly and the smallest of the litter, an orange one. han hadn’t even realized his expression softened as he watched them bark and playfully tussle each other. as always, his girlfriend had been right. the breed didn’t really matter. glancing over, a half-smile formed at the adorable expression on seonhwa’s face. she looked so happy. “ okay fine, they’re kinda cute. ” he admitted, perhaps a bit reluctantly. really cute, if he was being honest. pressing a kiss to seo’s temple, he nodded towards the puppies. “ alright, jagi. pick one for us to meet first. ” haneul was curious to know which one was calling to her first. for him, the sleepy orange runt shied away in the corner was appealing. they seemed to be the least chaotic of the bunch.

     la boqueria reminded jinnie so much of the markets back in seoul, always bustling with activity and smelling so delicious. she felt right at home right now. sure, the language barrier could be a bit confusing but being there with seonhwa made her feel far more at ease. the woman was so sure of everything; it was easy for the maknae to feel safe in her presence. keeping her arm linked within the soloist’s own, jinnie’s excited gaze flitted from stand to stand to survey their options. there were vendors serving fresh meals like paella and croquettes, but there were also booths to shop at or buy groceries from. she wasn’t even sure what they should try first. her attention span had never been the best in places like these. if jinnie had it her way, she’d try it all. 

      “ where do you want to go first, unnie ? ” she inquired in her usual happy tone, looking over at the other as she spoke. it had felt like forever since jinnie had last gotten to properly hang out with her, so she wanted to make the most of it. a part of her still couldn’t believe that she did get to be around her like this. “ are you thirsty ? i saw a coffee booth. but if you’re hungry, that paella over there smells really really yummy. ”

It was finally happening. The tour the company, everyone, had prepared so hard for was finally there and the first show was just a few days away from happening meaning that all of those who were to attend were far too busy.  Jaemin, as a manager, felt as if he was drowning with tour preparations and never ending meetings, in fact, he was finally returning home after one of those long meetings after a busy day. He was exhausted.

"I’m home!” He exclaimed once he enteredinto their home, before changing out of his shoes into a comfy pair of slippers. Slowly the male made his way around the apartment towards the kitchen, looking for his girlfriend and once he saw she wasn’t there the manager just left there the bags of food he had bought for their dinner before he continued his search. He finally found her on their shared bedroom, her back towards him and not being able to resist, Jaemin found himself hugging her from behind, Jaemin resting his chin on her shoulder after leaving a kiss on it as a greeting. “Do you need help, love?”  Brown orbs moving to the suitcase in front of them, something he still needed to do but the impromptu meetings had made sure he left to the last. “I brought dinner...it’s your favorite.” He said while smiling sweetly at her, “let’s go and eat while it’s still warm” Jaeming said yet he made no attempt to move away, instead he nuzzled deeper on the crook of her neck, finding the spot rather comfortable after a day appart from each other.

    considering how competitive both haneul and seonhwa were, it shouldn’t have come to much of a surprise that they decided to do the scavenger hunt. the team who solved all the clues the quickest would get a prize and while he doubted infinite would actually have something they would want, the mere satisfaction of beating everyone else would be more than enough for him. in one hand, his tattooed hand clasped his girlfriend’s, keeping her close as they walked down one of the camp trails; in the other, he held the paper full of instructions and clues. “ we have to collect all the items on this list. apparently, some of the clues lead us to places where the items will be waiting. ” he explained, glancing over at his partner in crime. it honestly sounded like fun. he was an expert camper, but he usually did adrenaline-based activities. nothing like this. “ first one’s a location: i’m full of water where winged friends take a sip, or if they prefer a proper splash and sip. . . ” the bodyguard handed the paper over, so she could read the clue as well. his lips pursed in contemplation. “ well, winged friends are obviously birds. ”

    haneul was fully aware that he could be a bit of an adrenaline junkie, but he wasn’t apologetic about that fact. life was way too short to approach it in boring ways. if he was going to be traveling all over the world, then he was going to do it the way he saw fit. naturally that meant the moment he spotted the paragliding brochure at the concierge desk, he knew how he was going to explore rio de janeiro. it hadn’t taken much to convince seonhwa; his girlfriend had always been a willing participant to his daredevil tendencies. they didn’t discuss much other than what day they would be able to do it, and soon enough, that day came. the two of them slept in that morning, savoring as much rest as they could after a concert night, before they ordered room service for breakfast and got dressed for the day.

     there were several ways to get to pedra bonita, the location where they would meet their paragliding instructor, but the two had decided on the easiest and fastest — renting a car to drive to the top. as always, the bodyguard offered to do the driving while his girlfriend was responsible for the directions. adjusting his sunglasses, he used one hand to drive up the winding road while the other rested against seonhwa’s thigh. a half smile curled onto his features as he spotted the approaching summit, his tattooed hand giving her a gentle squeeze. he parked in the dirt before he let her out on the other side. “ it’ll be fun, jagi. ” haneul reassured, as he always did when they were doing something more spontaneous. this wasn’t his first time paragliding, so at least he spoke from experience. “ bungee jumping’s worse, honestly. at least this time, you don’t have to prepare for this huge drop. ” his smile widened as he leaned in to press a kiss to her forehead.

     the air smelt like heaven, and haneul didn’t use a word like that lightly. to describe the scent in the air as just coffee felt too lazy for what it actually was. he didn’t have the word for it just yet but already, he felt like he was in a lighter mood. his arm wrapped protectively over seonhwa’s shoulders as they walked into through the starbucks reserve. it felt less like roastery and more like a speakeasy, almost. the vibes of seattle were very chill and eclectic to begin with, and the bodyguard felt like that permeated the interior of this place. as his dark gaze bounced between the roaster area and mixology bar, he couldn’t help but wonder wheee the hell they should start. at least there was no rush, they’d booked the private tour and had time to really take in the reserve before the next part of their tour: the chocolatier. 

     “ let’s grab a drink first. i heard they offer items here that they don’t offer anywhere else. ” han wasn’t really an excitable person, but even he couldn’t deny that it was etched in his tone. his arm dropped so that he could rest his hand over the small of his girlfriend’s back, leading her over to the main bar. that barista greeted them warmly as she handed him two menus. he nodded his thanks before turning his attention back to seonhwa, handing one of the papers to her. “ irish cream whiskey cold brew ? fuck, that sounds good. ” he muttered, scanning through the english words easily. that guatemalan pour over also sounded great. there was no way the two of them were walking out of here without being at least four cups deeply caffeinated. “ they have a raspberry cheesecake, jagi. ” han tilted his menu to her to see. he knew how much she loved the dessert.

     new york had always been a cool place, but one that haneul didn’t go to as often as others in the states. somi had promotions here in the past, but not as often it seemed as los angeles. truthfully, he didn’t really have a chance to spend more than a day or two in the city. it felt only right to experience it fully with seonhwa. though it may not have been an official stop on the tour, he’d had this trip planned out for the two of them for months now. it was one of his girlfriend’s christmas gifts finally coming to fruition. two weeks in new york, a stay at the bowery hotel, and of course: this. the aerial studio they were headed towards was apparently one of the best in the cities. knowing how much gymnastics made seo smile, it only seemed right to give her some private time to practice to her heart’s content. she’d been so busy with tour and album preparations, and now she had a moment to breathe. he didn’t really have an idea of what to expect of the studio but he was very much looking forward to the show. already, han knew he wouldn’t be able to keep his eyes ( or hands ) off of her. aerobatics were a difficult art to master but just like everything seonhwa did, she mastered it flawlessly. it would be a pleasure to watch, that he was certain.

     “ look, jagi. madison square garden. ” haneul pointed out as the two walked down 31st street, nodding in the venue’s direction. in the music world, it was such a notable landmark and he didn’t want his girlfriend to miss it. honking taxis and rushing pedestrians whizzed past the two as they walked to their destination. media didn’t lie, this place really was bustling with so much activity. for both security and comfort purposes, the bodyguard was already ready to be inside anywhere. “ two options. ” he proposed as he wrapped an arm around seonhwa’s shoulders, protectively pulling her closer to him as he eyed the people walking by. “ we can head straight to the studio. it’s just one more block. or — ” he turned to give her a knowing look. “ there’s a coffee shop on this corner if you want to grab a pick me up first. ” nine times out of ten, seonhwa would always pick coffee. it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if this was one of those times.

     haneul kept his arm wrapped around seonhwa’s shoulders as they entered the barcade. it was around ten o’clock and the clientele seemed pretty lively. all around them, couples and groups of friends were enjoying themselves over drinks and food. all adults, considering the place has a strict 21+ only rule. the energy was good but even still, the bodyguard found himself on alert though he was off-duty. it couldn’t be helped. he was protective of all of the people he cared about but that trait was even more elevated around his girlfriend. one wrong look or accidental bump in her direction, and he was more than willing to step in if need be. he’d done it before and he’d do it again if that meant she was comfortable.

     he stuck close to her as he carefully led them through the crowd, heading for the bar so that they could order their drinks. “ hey. ” han greeted the bartender in english with a simple, polite nod of his head. absentmindedly, his arm dropped so that he could place a tattooed hand against the small of seonhwa’s back. “ can i get cranberry vodka and a double whiskey neat ? ” he pulled out his credit card to hand over and immediately, the bartender leapt into action to prepare their drinks. so far, haneul liked the vibe of chicago. everyone here was chill and friendly, and people tended to mind their business. leaning over, he pressed a kiss to seonhwa’s pink tresses as they waited, his thumb rubbing circles against her back. “ if they’ve got space invaders, prepare to lose, jagi. ”