#lcfficlet

[thistle-01]

H

A

P

P

Y

‘2

‘0

‘2

‘2

Everyone!

“--get in the camera. Rok Soo!”

“On it...”

CJS  yelps as he’s grabbed from his adoring masses, hauled ass by a KRS who uses his weak fragile body to his advantage knowing CJS can’t drag his heels in for fear of breaking his fragile back.

CJS laughs, saying, “Alright. Alright! I’m coming-eep!”

He yelps--muffled--as his mouth is stuffed with a piece of frosted cake, his cheeks puffing out like a chipmunks.

“If you listened this wouldn’t have happened-”

“Ready-?”

“One

“Two

“Three--

“HAPPY NEW YEARS. CHEESE-”

The shutter snaps, the flash leaving circles in everyone’s vision for the following minutes. They don’t care, nor are they really impaired, food flying everywhere as LSH slams it into KRS’ face, CJS goes ducking, another team member laughs, and the entire party descends into mad, frantic, half-drunk revelry.

It’s merrymaking, and as KRS--Cale Henituse--blinks away the memory, his nose bleeding fresh over his lips, he drops his gaze, studying the hands that are pale, no longer scarred, so different from the hands of that memory, flinging frosted cake by the fistfuls and laughing like mad.

“...human? Are you okay?”

“...I am. Just thinking of something similar.”

Cale Henituse looks up to the roomful of his family crowded around him, a large cake lit up with candles and small handheld fireworks sizzling here and there.

He smiles, not a smirk, or a twist of his lips, a warm curve--though small--to his mouth which makes Raon perk up in brightness.

“GOOD. Now blow out the candles, this mighty dragon will let you do it this year-”

Cale scoops up the squawking dragon into his arms, scoops up On and Hong into them as well once they clamber up his legs and shoulders. They approach the cake, the flickering lights and the affection they can nearly touch, pervading the room.

“Any last minute wishes? No? Then-”

Happy New Year, Henituse Household and the Anti-WS brigade, is the caption on the cake, but it’s smudged by excited paws and a human hand soon enough.

Flinging-

End.

[thistle-01]

Keywords: Female KRS, modern, bar date, misunderstandings

Text

“Just go on a date for me—“ Choi Jungsoo begs, “ one date, then I’ll leave you alone.”

“Negative,” Kim Roksoo replies.

“ C’mon,” Choi Jungsoo whines. Collapses in a heap by Kim Roksoo’s feet where she’s sitting in an armchair in the dorms’ most quiet reading room. They’re being borderline disruptive as it is. If Choi Jungsoo doesn’t shut up within the next sixty seconds she’ll throw him out. “It’ll be fun!” Probably, he murmurs. “It isn’t healthy to stay indoors all the time. Live a little.”

Kim Roksoo snaps her book shut, “I don’t appreciate you foisting your inability to decline people on me just to avoid the consequences.” She sighs. “After this you promise not to ask me again?”

“ —cross my heart and hope to die! Thank you, thank you thank you, thank you.”

I’ll send you location and time, I forgot their name so I can’t! Bye! Choi Jungsoo flees out the door just in time.

A cushion thumps into the door behind him — the other person, just one, looks at her with a concerned expression which she ignores — before falling to the floor.

Kim Roksoo drops her head into her palms, wondering why her only friends are like this.

The bell jingles over the door of the bar.

The bar, she thinks uncharitably, looking around with a dubious expression. Who meets on a first date in a bar?

Probably not someone with a good idea of personal boundaries, and Kim Roksoo slips out her phone just to recheck the name of the place Choi Jungsoo had texted to her two days ago.

Budded Glen, is printed inside a green bubble like a joke.

There’s a map with a pin in it, also in its own green bubble.

…Let’s just get this over with and go, Kim Roksoo pushes her phone back into her bag and approaches the bar.

For the evening she’s dressed in black. Black stockings, black dress, black eyeliner to visually relay how little she gives a shit about this. She agreed purely out of a visceral response to make sure her idiot friend has a face to save, but as soon as that’s accomplished she plans to be gone.

Swifter than the wind, would be appropriate, though looking around briefly the establishment isn’t complete trash.

She might actually come back one day in the distant future.

Maybe with said idiot friend, or the upperclassman who took her under his wing. Who’s known around campus as something of an idol and god given human form.

Internally snorting, she shifts course to the man in the corner who looked up at her entrance and never looked away.

“Hi,” she says, meeting eyes with a dazed puppy like face with fluffy black hair and broad shoulders attached to it, “Are you meeting someone here?”

“Y-yes,” the guy says. Blinks confusedly, “You… I think? Why are you meeting me? You’re beautiful.”

“Thanks?” Kim Roksoo watches the guy fumble, getting up awkwardly out of his booth before he visibly seems to realize there isn’t a chair to push in for her or whatever chauvinistic gentlemanly bullshit.

Huh, he’s kind of cute.

“My name is Kim Roksoo,” she settles in comfortably. “I’m sorry, you must be wondering what happened.”

“I mean, I want expecting this,” guy says, smile uncertain. It turns increasingly more happy and carefree. Which is nice. “Not complaining though. Definitely not… I’m Choi Han.”

“Choi Han?”

“That’s right… it’s nice to meet you, Roksoo-ssi.”

[thistle-01]

kim rok soo hasn't kept a relationship going for over a month in... years. it's just on schedule this time too. it's just unfortunate that it happens around holiday season.

he doesn't expect his pattern to break, habits are powerful after all. he doesn't expect three different men to enter into his life and shift it by the axis and spin it around 180 degrees either. but it happens. and surprisingly? he finds he doesn't mind terribly much.

there isn't anything to be sad about. couples break up. life happens. the sun rises in the east every morning.

so why does he feel so shitty, kim rok soo presses his palms deeper under his pits trying to warm them as he walks down the frigid street. it's winter. snow hasn't fallen yet but it should according to the weather reports. it doesn't matter. some people are excited at the prospect of a white christmas but kim rok soo just hopes it'll pass uneventfully. he's already had enough events in the days leading up to it, if he's honest.

"watch where you're going."

"sorry."

he enters his usual hideout with the ring of the bell. it's a convenience store close to his home. there's a dog that serves as its bonafide mascot, raon, who greets him by running up to him and hopping on his feet.

"sorry," kim rok soo says, bending to scoop the dog up in his arms and walking deeper into the store. "no apple pies today."

the dog woofs agreeably. if his black fluffy ears droop it's probably just a trick of the light. kim rok soo has never given him apple pies. it's bad for a dog's health but for some reason raon just likes to sniff them. so he usually brings one by or buys one at the store for him to frolick over but today he's just not feeling it.

"...that's a lot of bottles mister rok soo." the cashier is a slip of a girl named on. she and her brother are the kids of the couple who own the convenience store. kim rok soo should know. he arrested them for child abuse.

now emancipated, on and hong are doing well for themselves. it's not like kim rok soo is keeping tabs on them though. he isn't.

kim rok soo pulls out his wallet and levels the girl with an even look. "i'm an adult. i can drink."

it sounds petty. especially when the girl looks at him in doubt and exasperation and worry all rolled into one pouty expression but kim rok soo doesn't cave.

"...i'll just have the one bottle then."

"that'll be-" on rattles off the price with a satisfied nod. kim rok soo resents that she looks so pleased with herself.

the bell over the door jingles, drawing their attention and gazes to the entrance.

"mr. rok soo?"

hong scatters the chill clinging to his hair by ruffling it with one hand. he looks happy. happy to see kim rok soo, probably, the kid's never been quiet about how much he should visit.

preferably with food. "did you get dumped again?"

"hong!"

"what?" the boy blinks innocently. then he grins, the little shit. "it's not like we weren't expecting it. it's been a month. plus you weren't that invested in making it last either."

were you? the boy asks him and kim rok soo says nothing. he can't.

"you're not saying anything because it's true," the boy singsongs.

raon skitters across the tiled floor to nip at the boy's ankles causing him to yelp and his sister smacks him upside the head with a rolled up magazine causing him to yelp harder.

"watch the brain cells. he doesn't have many left," kim rok soo offers, doing nothing to stop them whatsoever.

he fields hong's accusing and puppy dog look with a smirk and pops the cap off of his soju bottle.

"i'm heading out. stay warm. call if you need anything."

"will do!"

"and let me know when you start interviews for that part time job opening. i know someone who can weed out the creeps."

the siblings and their dog look at him with affection shining so brightly kim rok soo can't even pretend he can't see it and chirps, "okay!"

kim rok soo makes his goodbyes and leaves.

the chill hits him like a truck to the face and he shivers, hunching in his woven scarf.

he walks home.

he's alone.

he's not lonely.

he isn't.

// wip but basically:

// lazy police consultant kim rok soo and on and hong and raon as his honorary adoptive children who run a convenience store.

// then love interests.

[thistle-01]

Cale sleeping beneath a tree completely at peace. Soft breaths. Quiet. A warm breeze lightly ruffling red locks like a mother’s touch.

The kids crowd around him, whispering and fond, and by the side On works her nimble human fingers until her wreath of spring flowers is finished. She sets it by Cale’s head.

”Later, right, sis?”

”Right, Raon,” she whispers. “Now let’s let him sleep.”

The boys curling loosely against the peaceful figure. On, smiling softly, pulling a giant blanket over them all.

Sleep tight, everyone.