WOUNDS & HONEY

even if it comes at him, in periodical flashes in her presence, seeing the memories of cheek burning smiles and immense palpitations of the heart, he can’t resist. memories flash of the summer sun and a water park and tight embraces that ignorantly scream forever hurt at his lungs. jung soojung has always had a knack for doing that to him. 

you know, making him think about forever. 

but it’s out of his hands, and he should’ve known. he was born and sunk himself in a pool of cynical nature, it was his childhood and forever was supposedly a hoax. so, instead of forever, they exchanged a ‘mutual’ state of ‘just friends’. 

she knows he doesn’t want it, he probably knows she doesn’t but heck, what does he know? 

he doesn’t know a thing, he can’t think when her fingers tug his wrists to jolt his laze away and a wisp of a summer’s breeze and friendly/ flirtatious escapades come to his mind. “i-i guess you’re right–” a ‘jungie’ almost slipping his lips, unsure if the comfort of the nickname would erupt discomfort. “soojung.” lips tight, stiff as ever and legs dreading behind her. of course what his (if he is even allowed to call her his…) soojung wants, she gets. 

then, she didn’t think it was possible for them to be here, now. to touch him, now.

( foolishly, a part of her quivering heart wishes to never relinquish the loose grip she has on him, to never have to see oh sehun walk away from her again. foolishly. )

“ exactly! “ regardless, her voice is tinted bright, eager not to ruin anything further ( what more damage she could do to someone as wonderful as sehun, she doesn’t want to ponder on ) as her lips curve wider, pleased. luckily, he doesn’t catch on that her mutation would have done the deed without him. that she didn’t need him.

but that would be wrong, wouldn’t it?

even she knows it, deep within the pits of denial and self-loathing, lies a frail soojung that, honestly, needed him.

but she’ll never tell.

“ where should we start? i mean, where do people usually hang these things? “ she holds up the forgotten bag in her free hand, bright eyes peering up at the taller male and curving as she inhales ( sweet musk of a summer love ) before speaking.

     “THIS IS FUCKING stupid,” the brunette murmured under her breath as she glared at herself in the mirror, clad in probably the dumbest outfit to ever grace the earth.

“first of all, i’m a girl, and second of all, it’s fucking november — why do i have to wear the santa suit?” she cursed, her eyebrows furrowing more by the second as she continued to stare at her embarrassing reflection in the mirror. “third of all, there’s also hardly any kids here — why do we even need someone wearing a santa suit? i’m pretty sure we all know he’s not real. and fourth of all, why do i have to wear the santa suit?!”

clearly, the situation was fucking hilarious to everyone but her, but she was started to regret the decision to toss on the obnoxiously red jumpsuit per the request of her sister after turning in the mirror for the umpteenth time — curse her undying love for soojung that made her an eternal sap for the younger female. ( @xmkinesis. )

the list of reasons didn’t much phase her, eyes glinting with amusement, jung soojung had already done her civic duty by pouting her way into getting her adoptive older sister to even wear one. not that she wouldn’t be the worst kind of santa to ever grace the halls of new xavier’s with her temper, but all in all -- the process of it all was nothing sort of amusing.

smartly, though, the telekinetic opts to keep this all to herself, the wrath of jung sooyeon was not one she’d like to face.

“i think you look good, unni.” soojung grins, expression careful not to be too gleeful as she steps over to adjust the santa hat placed on her older sister’s beautiful head, tip of her pink tongue poking out slightly. “you’re a perfect santa! -- besides, no one has any reason to say shit now when you throw coal at their faces and declare them nasty.”

her younger sister being one of them—maybe.

the air BITES at his skin from fingertips to shoulders, drawing goosebumps to surface until he dons the jacket hanging loosely from his arm. venturing outside—and away from sooyeon’s screeching—leaves something to be desired in comparison to the fire-lit warmth of the indoors but changmin breathes a visible sigh into the winter air and steps onto crisp, frozen leaves and snow as far as the eye can see.

even the air smells of frost, burning his nostrils into numbness while his body heats in fractions of degrees. the curse that emerges from soft, pale lips is vile to the ear, but warming to the tongue; a salve for the frustration of being chilled to the bone even through layers of leather and denim.

but of course, his attention strays even from his complaints on reaching the vicinity of the tree, curious eyes flicking across the landscape in search of any soul save his own. what greets him is a pile of strangely square mounds of snow, gathered ‘round a dark-stranded head. he watches it dip and rise along the tops of the ice bricks, while drawing closer to kneel on the other side.

unseen for the moment.

“we already have a storm shelter on the grounds.”

even so, the view was much more worth it.

and soojung found herself enjoying it even with the occasional shiver that dances down her spine.

but pretty is pretty and the telekinetic simply couldn’t find enough reason to stay outside without a task. the tree outdoors had been almost forgotten, not when her first few attempts to hang any ornaments resulted in the winter breeze sending it flying back into her face. now, forehead reddened and pride slightly hurt, soojung instead focuses her energy on her next winter project: building a snow home to “chill” in. 

of course, the process is grueling in such a weather, soojung’s rear and knees are numb at most from resting upon the cold ground, hands and mind working to both compress soft snow into a useable ice block before stacking it. and before she knew it, she had created enough to build a small section of the igloo, face delighted.

completely fixated while in an oddly comforting crouch, she barely notices the male approaching, lifting the block in her hands halfway before his voice catches her off guard; prompting a jump, a yelp, and the sound of ice cracking as she slips and falls backward, landing hard on her rear, cheeks already aflame. 

“ow!”

at 2:40am was when lee dokyeom got possibly one of his best ideas yet – and at 2:41am, with less than 5 hours till sunrise, he decided to make this actually happen.

but what exactly? simple, to climb that christmas tree in the lobby and plop (or sit? whatever is more comfortable he supposes) himself at the top and shine. like a star.

now hypothetically, this plan sounded easy. dokyeom had climbed trees in the past and dokyeom had emitted light before, so putting these actions together would be a breeze. 

this was until this mutant saw the tree, in all of its 30 some odd feet in height and then realized that if someone who either a, wasn’t in the best mood and didn’t want to see a human star at the top of the tree, or b, a staff member.

but it was to late to turn back now. the light mimic circled the tree once, searching for a solid place to start his climb and began – until he heard what he feared most. 

footsteps. 

so at 2:40am, when she finally finishes up on wrapping everything ( and soojung did go as far as to make little gift bags filled with trinkets ), she sought out to find her way down to the lobby where the great tree awaits. it doesn’t help that she’s already inhaled three cans of energy drinks ( and her pulse is wild, a rapid beating against an ivory cage ) — that she wants to do no more but maybe fly to the north pole and bring back a polar bear for authenticity.

but for now, for now, she’ll settle for decorating the tree.

footsteps teetering between light and none at all, she makes her way ( skipping & floating ) down the hall, curling a caramel lock around her finger as she hums an absent christmas carol -- only to come stopping full force at the figure climbing onto the tree.

for a second, her energized mind jumps the the wildest conclusions. was it true? was there a grinch really out there to steal christmas?

or was it some pervert just out to fornicate with their holy tree?

“hey!” she exclaims, brows furrowing as she squints up at the figure, trying to make out a face in dim lighting.