baihuamp

[baihuamp]

Hua leaned into the hug, rubbing In-soo's shoulder with his thumb. He couldn't help the smile that crossed his lips as they embraced, returning the other man's kiss without a word. This was a much bigger step for him than usual, and he was...terrified. But if there was anyone he wanted to take it with, it was In-soo.

"Yeah." He nodded. "It was just happenstance. We didn't talk for long. Ran into each other on the way to and from places." He shrugged. "She was probably on patrol, like you said. But she was nice." He smiled.

"Me either," Hua mumbled, shaking his head. "Yeah, that sounds good." It certainly sounded better than the cold, silent forest they had just steered away from. Quietly, he changed directions, intertwining his fingers with In-soo's once more.

"Thank you" In-Soo whispered. Hua’s next words made his heart swell and his eyes shone with an emotion he hadn’t felt in a long while. Happiness, of course, but also nervousness. He felt his body vibrate with excitement as he pulled the other into his arms, hugging him as tightly as he could. "I love you too, Hua" he whispered, rubbing his thumb against the younger man’s cheek and leaving a quick kiss on his lips.

They resumed their walk, the vet grinning like an idiot, nodding at his boyfriend’s suggestion. His ears perked as he mentioned meeting Chang’e though, she hadn’t told him anything about that. "Oh, did you ? She likes to patrol at night though so I’m not surprised." She had found a few new tenants for the shelter this way. "She’s my boss, yeah. She is really lovely." And she was their upstairs neighbor too.

"I’m not too sure I want to know the answer to that" In-Soo answered, shivering slightly and moving to the next window. It was getting really late and a veil of quietness was slowly covering the city. "Mm… Should we go home ? We can get snacks at the convenience store near the apartments and I’ll make us tea." He just wanted for them to be able to relax in the coziness of his place, Bomi purring on their knees.

[baihuamp]

mpxdavina·:

baihuamp·:

Club Light’s 

Davina felt empowered by his response. Davina only knew what others told her, but her drunk mind did not care to remind her of that. Instead, she basked in the the feeling of expertise his few kind words had granted her. “Strawberry is the best to me, and they are the cutest too!”  She continued, fueled by his interest. “Pomegranate too! As long as it is sweet, I am happy!”

Hua’s switch in language did not startle her. And, she responded back in Chinese to him, though the alcohol did slur the language as well. “Of course, I can speak Chinese. It was a part of my home-schooling. Guess it work for me!! How embarrassing would it be to be a demigoddess of the Chinese pantheon and not speak the language!!” She exclaims with enthusiasm. Leaning forward, the demigoddess wrapped her arms around his waist in a snug hug, forgetting the dance as she rested her head against his chest. “We both are out now! And free! That’s why we have to drink fruity drinks and dance and be happy!”

Hua nodded, grinning slightly. “Strawberry is a good flavor in general, to be honest. Best in ice cream, I think, but good in other places. It kind of just fits in anywhere, you know?” He nodded again. “Sweet tooth, eh?” He chuckled. “That makes sense. You might like some pineapple drinks, then?” Partway between an offer and a sentence. He shrugged.

Hua laughed, nodding at her response. “I feel you.” At her movements, he blinked, somewhat surprised—though he tried not to pull away. “Yeah,” he murmured, nodding. “You’re right.” His lips quirked sideways in a half smile as he glanced down at her. “I don’t know any dances, though.”

[baihuamp]

Hua blinked, the realization finally setting in. Oh. Duh. "Obviously," he grinned, shaking his head—and resisting the growing urge to shove his face into his hands. Instead, he shoved his hands into his pockets, nodding along as the goddess continued to speak.

"That makes sense," he agreed, looking around at their surroundings aimlessly. For a moment, he let the silence sit between them before he shrugged. What the hell? he thought. A bit of information couldn't hurt, right? "I get it. Not completely, obviously," he chuckled, "but the...solitude." Hua nodded. "I was pretty similar." He glanced sideways at Chang'e. "Guess we're more similar than we look."

"And I live in the floors above you both, yes." Chang'e smiled a little bit more while already feeling somewhat fond of the demigod before her. Really, she could see how the two suited each other now that she's personally met them both. It's even more wonderful that they are both part of her pantheon and give her even more reasons to watch over them as well.

"I see, that does make sense." She added, nodding lightly at the demigod's explanation. At the shift in subject with Hua's question, Chang'e let off a small hum of thought. "Well... it was just me on the moon. I was by myself as far as I knew. I was once mortal, you see. So I'm not quite... legendary per say. Compared to the other gods and goddesses. I never really had much contact with the other gods, I can't even remember if I've met any at all. Then I left the moon and came here." She explained lightly, leaning back slightly as she looked at the sky.

"I wandered this plain until I found this place."

[baihuamp]

Hua laughs at her response, nodding. "Drunk people are generally braver than their sober counterparts. That's normal." He shrugs. "I know I've done things drunk I wouldn't do sober." He grins, shaking his head as he finishes off his own plate. "That was really good, by the way."

Hua shrugs. "Yeah, I guess. When you don't know what you're missing, though, you don't miss it." At her question, he laughs a bit. "No. Very small family; it was just me and my mom. And our neighbors, which I guess was kind of like a family, at the end of the day." He gives her a small grin.

baihuamp​:

He smiled slightly, shaking his head. “Well, as long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters, I guess.” At Davina’s continuation, he laughed, taking another bite of food from the plate. “Oh, please. Drunk you is not that different from sober you. It wasn’t hard to deal with.” He raised his hands in mock surrender. “Alright, alright, threat received! I’ll be more careful in the future, then.”

Hua pursed his lips, nodding at her explanation. “That’s…interesting. So you basically run a village?” He couldn’t really see how that could be…calming—people were stressful to talk to, much less to manage—but to each their own. He shook his head. “I never played many games as a kid. That…wasn’t really the kind of thing my family had.” He shrugged.

Davina was rather happy. Even if her friend seemed to stray to the negative side, he was one of the few individuals since she arrived to the island that seemed to tolerate her silliness. For that, she was grateful. “I don’t know. I think drunk me is a lot braver. Sometimes, a bit too brave.” She admits as she finishes off the last few bites of her food. Pulling her legs to her chest, she grabbed her drink as she watched him. 

“Never played games? That sucks.” She huffs, pausing to take a sip of her drink. She never quite knew what others went through, and even though hers was safe and secure, there was a lot that she had got to missed in different ways. “Did you grow up with a big family? A mom and dad?” Davina questions innocently and genuinely interested. “I was raised by a group of nannies. I was spoiled with games, but I think that just made their lives easier.”

[baihuamp]

"Really?" he replied, raising his eyebrows with a small smirk. "Somehow, that's not what I expected." Though perhaps he should've expected it. The sheer amount of tattoos covering the other man's skin should've been an indicator. He shrugged. "That's pretty neat. What's the name of the shop? I don't think I've run across it yet."

Hua cocked his head at the offer. "...maybe in the future, yeah," he mused aloud, nodding. He could almost feel the red string wrapped around his arm, the mere thought of the tattoo causing a small burn against his skin. Brushing off the thoughts, he nodded again. "I'll definitely have to keep it in mind."

There was something that shined in his eyes. Was it kindness? Maybe, some understanding too - he missed the outside world and all the adventures it held, but, he'd given it all up to get there so the least he could do was give it a chance. "I can confidently say you'd like it.

The music was pleasant, pretty calm for the bar but upbeat enough that there was no room for stale silence or glum thoughts at all. "Ah, well - I do a bit of everything." A devious note rang in his voice as he grinned. Not many would feel proud of the number of skills under his belt... stealing, forging, killing, painting, photography, sculpting, they all fit in the spectrum of 'Noel things'.

"But mostly, I tattoo for a living. There are some painting commissions here and there as well." He finally admits, unwilling to show all of the tricks up his sleeve. Thieving was something that belonged on the other side of the bridge and the ex-con had left it there in hopes of a new life. "You interested in something?"

[baihuamp]

"Boy, does it." Hua chuckled, nodding. "I'm in the Chinese pantheon. From Hong Kong." He cocked his head. "I've never been to Greece. I've heard it's really nice, though." He'd seen pictures in books before, the old monuments and greenery sticking out to him even then. Sure, that may not have been where the other man was from initially, but his fact still stood, nonetheless.

"So, Sungjin," he asked, taking a sip of his drink. "Why are you all the way out here? What makes this your form of entertainment for the night?" He smiled slightly.

the look of surprise on the stranger's face made sungjin realize the man didn't get that question, or small talk, often *because* he was just like sungjin. a sly smile appeared and disappeared, never staying long.

"mango soju," he replied, holding up and tilting his drink towards the man in a mock toast. "vodka's a little rough for me, but it gets the job done. i'm sungjin. kai sungjin, greek pantheon. you?"

another smooth sip of boozy mango went down as sungjin took a moment to take in their surroundings. despite it being a weeknight, it was getting rather crowded in here, not that sungjin minded-- better for people to not notice him.

[baihuamp]

Hua shook his head, watching the other man kiss his hand. He squeezed their fingers tightly, smiling. "Not at all." He let a beat of silence pass between the two before whispering again. "I love you." The words still sent a thrill of nerves through him, but in a good way.

"I can talk to Hunter." He nodded, swinging their hands as they continued walking. At In-soo's continuation, however, he couldn't help but grin, laughing lightly at his words. "Chang'e would likely love to have one of them." He glanced sideways. "She's your boss, right? I met her a few days ago—she seems nice."

Chuckling at his boyfriend's guesses, Hua shrugged. "That's possible, honestly." He looked through the shop window absentmindedly, eyes scanning across the products. "And as good a guess as any." With how the deities on this island seemed to act, it wasn't too far out of the question. "Still begs the question of what is haunting it, though."

In-Soo slightly whined as Hua looked down at him, smiling. Why did the younger man like to tease him so much ? It wasn’t fair ! The blush on his cheeks was burning and he wondered how red he exactly was. However, the younger man’s expression softened and their hands met again.

"I’m glad" the vet answered, a big grin on his face. "I was afraid that you would think I’m too pushy." He was happy and excited but also worried and nervous. He hadn’t been with someone that way in a long time, especially not a person he had a strong bond with. "I trust you too" he added, bringing Hua’s hand to his lips to kiss it.

In-Soo chuckled, pinching Hua. "You could ! But in all seriousness, and if Hunter agrees, I could make posters for the shops to expose." He had done that for the kittens and it had been a success. It was worth a try again. "Sundrop is taking one so five ? I think Chang’e is interested though, that would be on brand for her." The lady in the moon and her bunny, it had always been one of his favorite stories.

"Bad forest, bad !" the vet exclaimed before as the trees quickly disappeared from their sight. He turned back to the well lighted street ahead of them. "Good question." He stopped to look at a novelty shop’s window, noticing a nice pair of earrings.

"Maybe the gods hid a treasure there ? And they use whatever is haunting it to stop us to find it" In-Soo proposed, choosing laughter over panic.

[baihuamp]

He smiled slightly, shaking his head. "Well, as long as you're happy, that's all that matters, I guess." At Davina's continuation, he laughed, taking another bite of food from the plate. "Oh, please. Drunk you is not that different from sober you. It wasn't hard to deal with." He raised his hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright, threat received! I'll be more careful in the future, then."

Hua pursed his lips, nodding at her explanation. "That's...interesting. So you basically run a village?" He couldn't really see how that could be...calming—people were stressful to talk to, much less to manage—but to each their own. He shook his head. "I never played many games as a kid. That...wasn't really the kind of thing my family had." He shrugged.

Davina frown slightly thought she knew he was trying to joke. But, to joke like that, she wondered how much of it that he secretly agreed with. "That's not fair! I've made my decision, and it was great!" She states confidently with what little sense of authority someone like her could grant. "Maybe not the part where I had to make you deal with me drunk, but regardless, you are stuck with me for the rest of your life! And that is a threat!"

Though whatever sense of seriousness does not last, soon giggling after her words. She did rather mean them, but she also didn't want to ruin their mood. "Animal Crossing is game where you have a village that you make improvements to and do daily tasks. It's very calming for me." She reached to grab her tea to take a sip. "Do you play games at all? I think you would like it."

[baihuamp]

"Hey," Hua replied softly, glancing at the other man with a small smile. "I missed you, too." He knew he'd been obsessing a bit, but he couldn't help it. Every time he thought he was okay, his thoughts would just go whirring back to that phone call in the dark of night. About whether or not—

No. None of that. Not today.

He grinned, returning the hug tightly as he took a deep breath. "So do you," he responded, taking In-soo's hand when offered and pulling himself to his feet. "I'll be honest," he chuckled, "I don't even know what's here. I wasn't able to come the first day, so I'm not even sure where to begin." He glanced sideways at his boyfriend as he interlaced their fingers, leading them towards the nearby path. "Are you hungry? Should we grab food first?"

He was having a nice dream, the first one in an eternity, smiling in the light sleep that had fallen upon him. There was a sudden waft of a very familiar perfume, one he had come to love, burying his head in dark hair or a pale neck to let himself drown into it.

In-Soo opened his eyes, blinking at the bright light. He slightly shifted and Hua was there, sitting next to him. "Hey" he whispered, his voice still hoarse from sleep. "I missed you." And it was true. He hadn’t wanted to submit his boyfriend to his nightmares, renouncing to their nights together with a heavy heart. He wished he had been able to do more, knowing how worried Hua was for his friend back in Hong Kong.

He had promised to be there for his boyfriend and he felt selfish and awful for not always be able to keep his pledge.

"You look dashing" the vet complimented, leaning in to wrap Hua into his arms. He kept the contact just a bit longer than necessary, enjoying the warmth of the younger man against him. He kissed his cheek and got up, offering his hand to the other.

"Let’s go ! What would you like to see first ?"

[baihuamp]

He closed his eyes for a moment, squeezing In-soo's fingers before following him down the hall. The easiest way at the moment for him to deal with everything he'd lost was to focus on what he still had. He didn't know how he would've made it through this if he didn't have In-soo.

The walk didn't take overly long—even so, Hua found himself leaning into the other man, eyes somewhat downcast to avoid running into anyone he might know. Never had he ever been so happy that he wasn't a great socializer. Thankfully, In-soo kept to the quieter streets, and they moved through uninterrupted.

He simply nodded at his boyfriend's words, tugging off his shoes as he situated himself on the blanket nearby. Taking the lantern from In-soo's hands, he glanced up at him, returning the other man's smile—even if it didn't quite reach his eyes. "I know," he murmured, nodding again. "Thank you."

In-Soo felt his heart break when Hua appeared at his door. He looked small and exhausted, not even able to keep his eyes on the vet. The older man reached for him, taking and kissing his hand. "Let’s go then" he offered, squeezing his boyfriend’s fingers. The gesture had become their way to tell they could count on each other.

Soon enough, they were outside and In-Soo pulled Hua closer, shielding him from both the sun and any curious stare they could meet. The vet took the direction of the sea, preferring the smaller, less busy streets. He could hear the sound of the waves and smell the salty air playing in their hair as they approached and his grip on his boyfriend tightened.

Fortunately, the beach was empty, none of them in the mood to deal with other presences. In-Soo settled the blanket he had brought on the sand and sat down, inviting Hua to join him. "I will prepare the lanterns." He removed his shoes and went to work, delicately unfolding the paper lanterns and lightening the small tea candles inside.

"Here jagiya, this one is for you" In-Soo explained, handing the bigger one of the two to Hua. He took advantage of their closeness to push back a strand behind the other man’s ear, offering the most gentle smile. "I’m here, ok ?"

[baihuamp]

YEONJUN ✧ SUGAR RUSH RIDE

[baihuamp]

(230422) sugar rush ride ending fairy ✙ venue 101

[baihuamp]

"Of course." He nodded, taking the pendulum display and setting it to the side. It made sense—the easiest way to avoid thieves was to keep items in plain sight...literally. He turned, eventually placing it nearby. That looked good.

At Nephi's announcement, Hua nodded again. "Fine," he murmured, watching the other leave. No sooner had his new co-worker left the room than he leaned against the counter, letting out a heavy sigh. Something felt...weirdly off about the other man, but there wasn't much he could do with a gut feeling.

He couldn't get Nephi's smile out of his mind and shook his head to clear it, making a mental note to tell In-soo to be more wary when he came around the store. Until he could figure out what the other man wanted, a warning might not go misplaced.

Nephi looked at the amulet, remembering when and where he had found it, deeply hidden in the ruins of his father’s temple. Even his mother had never known he had it, unaware of the precious object’s existence. He had sacrificed one of his precious hearts to put a powerful protective spell on it. Hua didn’t need to know about that either.

The Egyptian demigod inwardly chuckled at the other man’s reaction. He had found a sensitive point, something that was not supposed to come to light right now, especially not in front of a stranger. Apparently, it was time for a change of direction in the discussion. He handed Hua the pendulums’ display. "Those are made of precious stones, Hunter wants them to stay in the counter’s vicinity."

Nephi smiled when their eyes met, painting an open and friendly expression on his face. His new teammate probably wouldn’t buy it but it was worth a try. This man was special and he knew he would have to be careful around him.

"There’s a couple more boxes" he announced, taking back the way to the storeroom. "I’m going to get them."

[baihuamp]

Hua couldn't help but laugh at In-soo's blush, shaking his head with a grin as the other man stopped him. "I know what you're asking, In-soo," he chuckled, looking down to meet his eyes. It was just too much fun to tease him; seeing the color rise in his cheeks. He smiled as his boyfriend fanned himself, turning towards him when the other spoke.

He couldn't help the way his smile softened as his boyfriend spoke, quiet and serious. When he finished, Hua reached down, carefully taking the other man's hand in his own again. "I trust you, In-soo," he whispered, nodding; as if the answer to the question was obvious in his eyes. "Of course. Yes."

"I'd better get some advertisements for them up, then, huh?" he teased, grinning at the other man. "How many are left? I know they're a less typical pet for a lot of people." He hoped that wouldn't affect their chances of adoption. At In-soo's latter words, he chuckled, nodding. "That's very true."

"Me either," Hua mumbled, quickly following his boyfriend's urges to get off the path. He shuddered, shaking his head. "Creepy-ass forest." He glanced over his shoulder at it one last time before turning around, heading down the new street. "I don't know why they haven't done something about it, honestly."

Oh dear. They really were going to have that conversation. "Hua. Are you that dense ?" He felt the blush of his cheeks deepening and he faned himself with his hand. He pulled on his boyfriend’s arm to make him stop walking for an instant. He looked up at the other man, trying to keep his eyes unwavering. "Jagiya… Do you really ignore how much I desire you ?" His mouth was dry as he whispered. "I want to sleep with you and have all the intimacy you’re willing to share with me." There, it was said. He only had to anxiously wait for the answer.

In-Soo nodded, there was many thing in this world that they didn’t need to know if it wasn’t necessary. The trauma was big enough without that. His fingers briefly separated from Hua’s and he rubbed his back in support. "You are here now, you are safe." And I’ll protect you even if I must give my life for it.

He smiled. He liked Hunter a lot, getting to know him as he hung around Jinxxed, waiting for Hua to finish his shifts. He hadn’t met the new employe yet and, according to his boyfriend, he’d better stay away from him. He trusted the younger man and would do everything necessary to stay away from the Egyptian. "I’ll get one of the bunnies if some are left behind." He grinned back. "And I still can get a bigger place."

Of course, strange noises resonated in the night as they passed near the tree’s edge, sending a cold sweat down the vet’s back. "I don’t want to know what that was !" In-Soo squeaked and quickly pushed Hua in the closest street, putting as much distance as possible between the forest and them.

"Perfect" he added, nuzzling Hua’s cheek. "Just perfect."

[baihuamp]

fit + style

Hua's nights hadn't gotten any easier over the past few days. He found himself staying up later than usual, messing around aimlessly on his phone in the unfounded hopes that Jin might call him back. He'd never realized how exhausting it could be, waiting for a reply you knew was never coming.

Regardless, he was hoping the Sunshine Festival would be able to distract him long enough for some decent time alone—or, rather, alone with the only other person he considered himself able to spend alone time with. Speaking of his boyfriend, as Hua approached the park at the center of Mount Phoenix, he didn't spot the other man right away. It was only once he got inside the entrance that he noticed In-soo, leaning up against a tree trunk nearby.

With a small smile, he crossed the path nearby, carefully taking a seat next to him. He knew the other man hadn't been sleeping well—he'd mentioned the nightmares, as well as Hua noticing that he looked more exhausted than usual—and he didn't want to disturb the other from catching a much-needed break. Besides, he looked so peaceful that it felt like it would be a crime to wake him.

a date with spring + closed

for the always amazing @baihuamp

one + two

In-Soo had been able to take a whole day off, letting the clinic and festival’s booth in the good and caring hands of Chang’e, Sundrop and the volunteers who completed the team. He had been able to sleep for a few hours after another night of terrifying nightmares that left him wide awake for hours afterwards, his chest hurting from crying.

After a fun and cute cuddling session with Bomi, the young man had taken his time to get ready for his date. Despite everything that currently was going on in their life, Hua and he had decided to spend the day together at the festival. As always, he was quite impatient to be with the younger man again.

He was almost late when he arrived at Central Park, finding a shadowy spot near the entrance from where he could see his boyfriend arrive. Exhaustion fell upon him again as he waited, now that the adrenaline of the preparations was wearing off. In-Soo leant his head against the tree behind him and his eyes closed.

[baihuamp]

Hua nodded in appreciation, cocking his head. "I should go sometime." He wanted to visit as many places as possible now that he was out of Hong Kong, and Mexico seemed as good a place to start as any.

At Noel's question, he let out a wry laugh, shaking his head. "Home? No." He glanced up at the other man. "But Hong Kong? Yeah, absolutely," he admitted, shrugging. The city was very different from the small-feeling island of Mount Phoenix. Not in a bad way, but most certainly in an intimidating manner.

"What do you do?" he asked, taking a sip of his drink as he nodded to the other man.

His enthusiasm was contagious and honestly, any kind curiosity about where he was from was always appreciated by him - pride swelling in his chest at the thought of being able to do his home justice in other people's eyes. "It's very lovely, also. Colorful and filled with life."

Even if they both seemed to enjoy the island so far, Noel knew what missing a place could be like; he'd left a piece of his heart in some places and he'd always miss them terribly, but at least that made it easier to go back to them, right? "Yeah, I mean... it's not all the time that there's a place filled with people like us." Once it might've been a bold assumption, but knowing the island's nature, there wasn't a single soul inhabiting it that wasn't at least a little bit magical in some way. "Do you miss it? Home, I mean."

[baihuamp]

Hua nodded at the other man's response, acknowledging his presence. He wasn't quite expecting the question, however, and blinked at him in surprise for a moment. Most people didn't want to talk to him, thanks to a combination of his intimidating aura and generally pissed-off demeanor. "Vodka." He cracked a small smirk as he nodded again. "What about you?"

He hesitated for a moment, his unease at meeting new people returning, but his drink arrives, and he nods to the other man as he takes a sip. "I'm Hua. What's your name?"

after a particularly rough shift, with several callers in crises, sungjin was beelining to the closest bar. it was almost automatic, walking in, taking a soft seat, keeping to himself. wave the bartender over with a gentle raise of two fingers, politely order a mango soju. he needed that burning sweet taste to get his racing thoughts to slow.

and then someone sat next to him, so sungjin politely turned his body away slightly, nodding in response. "hey. no problem. whatcha having?" it was the basic bar chat, speak for a moment about alcohol preference and part ways forever.

but something was different about this man. he had the same edge that sungjin felt inside, pissed off but appreciative of the smallest things in life. the world, as they saw it, was shitty and cruel, but they would have a good time while they were were.