The dhampir looked over to the clock on the desk, his eyes taking in the numbers that had barely moved since the last time he looked at it, 10.38pm. His head felt like a mess, a mix of emotions and thoughts he didn’t even know how to process but he supposed that’s what happened when you got bad news and were half a world away from being able to help. Jae had been trying to study, read, anything to take his mind off the fact that his mother was currently in hospital, just waiting for someone to call and tell him that he could breathe again. Instead all he found himself doing was staring at the clock, wondering how the hell he was even going to sleep, not knowing how serious it was or whether she was okay was eating up at him.

His attention was however taken by his phone buzzing, the dhampir was hopeful it was going to ring for a moment but when he unlocked it, it was just a text message saying they were still waiting for news but the doctors had informed them it was non life threatening. The male breathed a sigh of relief, though he still knew he wasn’t going to be able to sleep with his mind so full of worry. He climbed to his feet, running his hand through his hair and opening his door to look out into the corridor. It was suspiciously quiet in here for a Saturday evening which made Jae wonder where Harry and Tyler were. Heading into the living quarters he was surprised to find no one there, he must have completely missed them leaving.

The dhampir pondered for a moment what he could do to distract himself, something that didn’t require so much thought and effort, something easy. It was then that the face of the fallen star entered his mind, Jae wasn’t sure that was quite as simple as he first thought anymore but he did find that Hanseol always seemed to be able to take his mind off the world in general and he hadn’t seen him since their study session in the library. He remembered watching as the red haired star left the library, a bright and innocent smile gracing his lips and how Jae had been just about as screwed as the girls who burst into laughter around him. Before he could chicken out, Jae got to his feet and pulled his phone from his pocket. He knew Hanseol would be awake because for some reason celestials seemed to stay up til stupid hours at night.

He knew it was a little crazy but much like Hanseol had wanted to share his researching with Jae, Jae figured that if anyone could make him feel better about what was happening back home it was the celestial. Grabbing his bag he slid his phone into his pocket and then locked up the apartment and followed the familiar route out of the building. Once he was out onto the streets of Evermore he flagged down a taxi before climbing into the back and telling the male the address Hanseol had given him. As he looked out of the window of the car he took in the sights of the city at night, it was kinda beautiful, watching as the lights flashed past, serene even.

Before long he arrived in the west of the city, he’d never actually been to this part of the city before, for the most part is less crowded than the rest, wide spaces and lots of green areas, it was clear that it wasn’t as densely populated as the north of the city where Jae lived. He paid the driver before climbing out, regretting not putting a coat on before he left because it was very cold on this particular winter evening. He had to admit now that he was here he felt a little nervous but he’d made it this far and honestly he really did want to see Hanseol. Rolling his shoulders back he found the place on the address and slowly made his way up towards the door.

He started to think about whether it was too late to show up and what if the celestial had company or didn’t want to see him, Jae didn’t know why he had so many doubts, they just seemed to come out of nowhere. Still after taking a long breath he reached up and pressed on the doorbell of the place. He was shocked however when the motion resulted in loud barking of dogs inside the place. Jae’s eyes widened realizing they were probably going to wake up all the neighbors, a little panicked he looked around not really sure what to do until he heard the sound of someone on the other side of the door.

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Maybe first impressions do matter a lot more than what people wanted to say. Because it definitely mattered a lot to the Celestial, who figured maybe he should have never joined in the drinking party that was his coworkers. Now he’s forever traumatized to even try stepping anywhere near that path. Scrunching his nose in distaste, he nodded in agreement with the dhampir. “We have drinking rules?” The look masking his face was that was very similar to a question mark. Literally. The fallen star had no idea there were any existing rules to provide a guidance around the pathways. “Why wasn’t I briefed regarding the rules, then? This is so unfair.” Again, he pouted. It seems like there’s so many things that Hanseol wasn’t well-aware of, despite spending at least 2 years trying his best to learn about his surroundings and adapt to the current timeline. “Now what will I do with this kind of information?” he mumbled silently to himself. The look plastered on him was enough to cause anyone to laugh because of how he’s been gawking at the new information he received.

He saw the contempt look on Jae when he was speaking about being a natural flirt regardless of his introvert self. He wouldn’t say he was much of a flirt, but he’s been dubbed a flatterer more times than he could count in the two years. Snickering slightly, he hugged the plushie within his grasp and threw it towards the dhampir, hitting him square in the face. That resulted fits of giggles to come out from the Celestial who actually fell from the couch and woke Byul and Yeontan up from their deep slumber. Byul got down and laid herself on him, earning a ragged breath from the owner who was still trying to regain his own. He wrapped his arm around the furry husky and rested his head on the big puppy. “별아, 나 바람둥이야, 그렇지? (Byul, I’m a great flirt, aren’t I?)” he snuggled against the husky who only purr in response. Yeontan who was awake from the sudden chaos barked cutely towards him.

“I’m guessing it’s the looks.” Naturally, he’s become so much more confident and comfortable around the dhampir, so much that he was able to show this side of him so casually without thinking much of it. It was clear that Jae brought something new in his life that he never thought he had within him. It was no wonder than Hanseol grew closer with him without really counting up the tally. It was as if any negative topics that they were talking before dissolved into thin air shortly after Hanseol began falling deeper into that one particular topic. He wanted nothing more but to cheer the dhampir up with everything he had, even if it wasn’t much. The impact might not bring about the best result, but if he tried, that meant something, right?

“So not only do I look younger, I also act like like a 10 year old? Jae, you're hurting your old man's heart here.” He placed his hand against his chest, exactly where the heart was located at and frowned playfully. “별아, 이 나쁜 남자 좀 봐. 그는 당신의 소중한 주인을 재치가 없는 10살이라고 불렀다. (Hey, look at this bad guy. He called your beloved master a ten-year-old man of no wit.)” Complaining to his husky seemed to be a daily thing for Hanseol. A man’s best friend, they said. “I’m a fallen star, maybe that’s why I radiate an energy that makes people fall for me?” There it goes again, at this rate, Jae’s presence was more than enough to be the catalyst that triggers his bright side. It was possible that he decided not to dwell longer in the topics that talked about his dark side or his own because of the circumstances earlier. Jae came here because he wanted someone to talk to, someone he could go ahead and spout every single nonsense there was without being judged. And Hanseol intends to give him just that.

“Not to worry about the whole immortality charade, Jae. You are only 21 after all, you have a whole life ahead of you. Enough time to make your own choices. I know how you think you should follow every wording your family had laid out for you. But it's not like they actually paid every attention on drawing your own future plan. If that was the end of it, you wouldn't come venturing here and pursue your dreams on writing. Believe me, some families are a bit hard asses, but if they're true, they're still your family at the end of the day-- which means they'll support you through everything else. They just don't know nor see it yet. Give them time.” Being pressured wasn't something Hanseol could relate much to, considering his free settings from before. But he knew family is very much accounted for almost every step you take to leap into the world. If you have one, cherish them. Friends and strangers come and go. But true people who cared for you, such as family, they'll stay. “I mean.. They haven't you know-- disown you or something, right?” He was careful as he picked his words when inquiring, because he wasn't sure if he could have hit a sensitive button anywhere. “그건 불가능해... 결국 네 아버지가 네 어머니에 대해 말하려고 전화했어..(It's not possible... your father did call you to tell about your mother, after all.)”

“I guess this is what people call the road to life. You've never truly experienced the full length of life until you've undergone major inclusions that just puts a bump in your road.” For someone who's more leaned towards the field of medicinal, Hanseol sure did read a lot. As something to pass his spare time mostly, but having a literature major as a friend surely does upped the game even more. Maybe he could inquire the phrases and words he didn't quite understand. “Though I'm pretty sure that's something Lao Tzu would say--you've never known real love until it gives you both courage and strength?” Dismissing it quickly, he averted his gaze back to the Pomeranian that stood proudly on its four short legs on top on Jae's knee. “I mean, the only ways I punished them was not giving them treats for what-an hour?” He wasn't sure if he's ever punished them truly. “Come here.” He clicked his tongue a few times while beckoning for the puppy to come to him but boy, he was adamant into staying with the dhampir.

“I told you he's a traitor.”

He found himself taking a few minutes to himself while trying to find the answer to Jae's question. “I don't think I have much of one to ask. You should've told me earlier. I would've prepared a top 100 questionnaire list.” he stuck out his tongue before pouting. “Your question really gives a lot of opportunities for me to whip up a pun and leave you a flustered mess. That's almost way too tempting right now.” he smirked, now that part was true, seeing as Hanseol had a great time making him a red mess. It wasn't even accidental the first few times. But now, he's enjoying it. Way too much. “I've always wanted to travel to every place in the world but never got the time nor chance to do so. Since I was locked up and all that- you get the drill. I also wanted to go to school and study. Too late for me to go to a university though.” He chuckled. Seeing the kids around his age attending classes and doing mundane things, it really struck him that he didn't have such ‘childhood'.

It was almost painful how little the celestial seemed to know about social expectations, he really was relentless and frustrating at times, though Jae would be lying if he said he didn’t think there was something pure and sweet about the other male’s cluelessness “Well they’re not literally written rules but if you’re going to potentially lose control, it’s better to be around people who aren’t going to use it for their own gain” he explained with a gentle sigh of frustration, co-workers tended to side with people you wanted to be careful around but you would likely never live down your actions “Drinking can be a fun way to let go” he stated with a slight no “Around the right people” though Jae certainly didn’t trust his confused mind right now to want to go anywhere near alcohol. He cracked up laughing as he saw the look of pure confusion on Hanseol’s face.

He was still laughing when he felt the cushioned toy hit his face and he fell backward into the pillow behind him from the momentum, he couldn’t stop the laughter as he curled up a little clutching his hands against his chest as he could barely breathe with how hard he was laughing. It only got worse when Hanseol fell off the couch in spectacular fashion waking the two canines in the room. Jae was borderline crying with laughter at the other male at this point, his smile taking over his entire face in a bright grin, he couldn’t even remember the last time he had laughed this hard if he was honest. The dhampir attempted to slow his breathing to stop laughing but he still continued to chuckle regardless as he watched Hanseol snuggle with the husky pup “Too much laughter, it hurts” he stated as he leaned forward a little, his chin touching the back of the little pomeranian on his lap

Jae smirked a little tilting his head to the side as the celestial commented confidently on his own good looks, the dhampir had always found confidence a very attractive trait in others, Hanseol had a way about him that just owned his actions and self, it definitely kept Jae’s attention. “Nothing to do with the ego?” he teased back before picking up the toy that had been tossed at him and flung it in the celestial’s direction which only brought back the laughing he had just about managed to stop. It was gone midnight and the two of them were doubled over laughing at one another, what a difference from the nightmare Jae he thought tonight was going to be. It was all thanks to the fallen star, he really was a shining light in the dhampir’s eyes.

When the other male feigned offense, Jaesung shook his head, eyes moving between the celestial who was dramatically clutching his chest and the husky who was wondering what the heck was going on, he could tell the animal was enjoying all the attention she was getting from her ‘beloved master’ though “You are so dramatic, you know that?” he mused as he bit down on his lip before returning the playful smile that graced Hanseol’s lips, Jae found himself feeling more confident himself, pushing away the parts of him that would get flustered and giving back teasing remarks “And full of yourself” he chalked on when Han spoke about making people fall for him. God he could leave a guy feeling breathless. Jae reached out and nudged the celestial’s shoulder with his hand which elicited a very nonthreatening bark from the Pomeranian warrior standing guard on his lap.

The thing is that Jae did worry about it, because worrying was just a part of who he was, for the longest time he had just simply done everything his parents asked of him because they were his parents and while he wanted to make them proud, a lot of those things weren’t what he would have chosen for himself “It’s clear you’ve never lived with strict parents” he mused with a shake of his head, it had taken months of convincing for them to let Jae come to America to study and even now they wrote disapproving little comments in their letters back to him. He’d even overheard his father before he left talking about how this was a phase Jae was going through and that he’d come to his senses too. It was disheartening, knowing they didn’t support the person he was trying to be. Jae shook his head, while the relationship was rocky, they hadn’t disowned him, though he didn’t see things improving with them, his father especially wasn’t the understanding type, especially when it came to things he considered a waste of time or taboo. “I hope I never have to know the day they do” though his tone wasn’t convincing.

The words Hanseol spoke were poetic, the type of thing that you could read really deeply into, Jae had always been fascinated by words, that was what first got him into the English language, hearing how beautiful all the words sounded, he wanted to learn more and more of them. Now Jae was able to string together quite beautiful lines of his own, though, for the most part, he kept his poems secret because they were often deeply personal and attached to his deepest emotions. “What a beautiful quote” he commented with a wistful smile before hesitantly going to speak again “It was in her eyes I realized, love was not born from the sun, seas or skies, but from a feeling of warmth that filled the air, knowing without a doubt, they would always be there” Jae chuckled nervously feeling a little embarrassed to quote his own work, a poem he had written about the unconditional love he noticed between humans and animals, more specifically the dog he had grown up alongside.

The fierce little Pomeranian definitely seemed to think he was bigger and stronger than he really was which made the dhampir chuckle “I think he has pretty good taste” Jae admitted as he leaned down to press his head against the tiny dog who thanked him by licking his cheek. The dhampir scrunched up his face and chuckled “Not the kind of taste I meant” he jeered shaking his head as he sat back up again.

It kinda made him a little sad that the other male didn’t have any questions for him, Jae wondered if he was more interested in knowing the other male than vice versa but he didn’t say anything on it, just came up with another question from the never-ending list, Jae was an endlessly curious person and so he loved to hear other people’s stories and thoughts, though Hanseol, of course, took it as another chance to tease him “I’m starting to think you enjoy catching me off guard way too much” he admitted, eyes tracing over the other male’s lips as he smirked his own parting a little as he did so. When the celestial started to speak it snapped him out of it, taking in the words he heard “Study is overrated” he commented with a laugh, Jae would have gone straight into freelance writing if he could have gotten away with it but his parents really would have tossed him out for choosing not to go to college “Besides, it’s never too late, if I can delay by two years for military service then you can pick it up just as easily” after all, the male seemed to be pretty intelligent and driven.

Hanseol shook his head while still masking his face with a look of confusion. Truly, it was honestly frustrating to see how clueless and oblivious Hanseol was, but it was somewhat still refreshing. At least he wasn’t capable of lying too well-- he could but he’ll probably fail half-way. Surely, that would be a reassurance everyone else would hold him to. “God, now that you’ve said it, I wonder just what in the world my coworkers asked me to do.” The goosebumps came and made him shudder, trying to get rid of the particular memory by kicking it away from his memory lane. “I can say that it sufficed in making me think twice before acting whenever in their presence. It also gave me a bad first impression on drinking. I thought it’s supposed to be fun..I mean not the aftermath of the hangover, of course. But the whole purpose was to let loose, right? Or did Google lie to me again..” Letting out a heaved sigh, Hanseol crossed his arms and mumbled a few words of profanities under his breath, however it was quite inaudible to anyone’s ears, with the exception of his husky-- who barked in response.

“Alright, alright..I get it. No cursing. No thinking bad thoughts. Gosh, Byul. I think most of the time it’s you being the owner and me the dog, instead.” he rolled his eyes before ruffling the furs to the husky who only purr, ending the slight dispute he had with the Celestial. If it was possible to talk to animals, it’s possible that Hanseol would know. Either he’s no longer sane or he’s just understandable even with animals who seemed to be his constant company for 2 years now. Hanseol didn’t notice that he’s been staring at the dhampir who seemed to bask himself so well around the emotion of happiness itself. Maybe he was smitten, but the star couldn’t avert his gaze away from the male, and he wasn’t sure if he wants to. So far, Hanseol didn’t want to even think of the possibility to lose such a friend like Jae. The dhampir understood him in ways others never did, and it was relieving.

Scoffing at his remark, he tapped his cheeks a few times before standing up at full height. Staring at his own self a few times, he shrugged as he placed both his hands over his hips. “Could be the ego, but does it really matter when you look good like this?” He then proceeded on showing himself out by using his hands that outlined his height and body proportion. Now, he’s not usually a narcissist but it was fun teasing the dhampir, so much that he’s starting to make it into a habit now. It didn’t last long however, because the next thing he knew, he was already back to his own world of laughter as the chortling wouldn’t stop coming out from him. Pointing towards the fluffy Pomeranian within Jae’s grasp, he threw the toy Jae threw towards him earlier. “I’m dramatic in a good way, no? Some people find me too quiet, it bothered them, which I have no idea why they would feel bothered if it was only me.” Shaking his head in response, he clicked his tongue in annoyance. “People are so weird in general.. But never thought this timeline would be unearthly, I swear.”

Shaking his head, as per mocking the dhampir when they arrived at the topic of his parents, he even wiggled his index finger in front of the dhampir and told him to stop. However, when Jae still didn't get the memo, he placed a hand over his mouth-- successfully subduing all the words that might come out from him. “I am trying to make this into a happy atmosphere, darling.” he hushed the younger male and eyed the blue haired dhampir skeptically. “If I let go, you're not going to talk more about being negative, okay? I'm not the most optimistic person around but tonight's all about optimism.” After a while, the star released the hold he had and beamed like nothing just happened. “We're gonna focus on all the good things tonight. I won't talk about my past and you won't talk about yours. I feel like we have plenty of negativity molding in those sections, why not wash it away with some positivity?” He won't lie, seeing Jae smile up was like lighting up the Christmas tree. And Hanseol is like a kid who was awaiting to see the Christmas tree lit up.

Between the two, the dark haired Celestial was already paying his utmost attention to the words that came gliding out from Jae, and didn't even realized he had a stupid grin that couldn't be wiped off, on his face. Every day, much like how the star surprises him, the same thing happened to him. The quotes didn't seem familiar to him, and he thought he would ask away where he got it from, because it truly did sound poetic. “I don't think I've heard of that phrase before. Where did you get it?” It didn't occur to him that it might've been the dhampir's original work, but all the more reasons to be mesmerized by him. “Am I wrong to think that phrase says a lot about the bond a man's best friend? I mean, at the end of the day, it seemed as if only your dog would be by your side through everything else. No offense to humanity and mankind, of course.” Whilst wanting to think the best to come out, the fallen star still had a hard time believing that there were anything else in the human's dictionary these days. Or maybe he wasn't graced with them just yet. He'd like to go with the latter.

“That just speeds things up from a rhetorical view.” he quipped as the Pomeranian licked Jae's face, while running his fingers through Byul's fur as she laid her head lovingly on his knee once again. “She's got to be the laziest dog of all around. Always wanting to sleep.” But then again, he couldn't blame her. There wasn't much to go around, the only place she ever actually tried to venture at was the backyard. Nowhere outside of the neighbourhood, basically. “The reason why I don't have a question for you, is actually more to the fact that you seem to have already answered most of them. Without you knowing. If I were to have one, I'd ask what kind of person you are, what hobbies do you have, what do you like etc. All the sorts, but I feel like that's all done for. It's definitely not because I don't have any dedication nor investment in this friendship.” He wasn't sure why, but something just tells him that from the slight glimpse of the dhampir's discouraged look, the lad was questioning himself.

Quirking his eyebrows up in a questioning manner, he was surprised to see Jae debunking the whole studying topic. He would've thought he liked studying. Maybe not. “Oh? I figured that's just what most university students say.” He wheezed and wondered what kind of course he would find himself majoring in if he ever swept the chance to enroll himself. “Right, you enlisted in the military as soon as you turn 18, huh? I call that dedication. Had to admit though, the whole procedure really sounded foreign to me. Maybe it's because back in 1930, no such rule was enforced as of yet. Did you gain anything else from your many months there? Experience? What do you learn?” He was actually curious to see what it did provide. His pacifist views did not allow him to see through the layers, and he wondered if Jae was able to enlighten him better on the said issue. “I think I'm just waiting for the right time to enroll. Because I still need to juggle the operations while working as a veterinarian too. I doubt I'll have enough time, as least not as a full-time student. But I would love to study more about medicine. The technology today is very fascinating.” Out of the blue, a question began to pop up in his head, which prompted him to ask. “If there were any skills you wanted, which one would you like to master?”

Really Hanseol’s coworkers had no shame if they tried to get him drunk just so they could use the results to make fun of him, Jae had never had a job before but he wasn’t sure he’d want to be in such a toxic environment “Hey at least you learned from it” he pointed out with a chuckle, even if it meant the celestial never wanted to get drunk again, he was sure he would keep those people at arms length after that happened “It is fun” he agreed with a soft smile “My friends and I used to get our older friend to get us a bottle of vodka and we’d just go out to the fields and drink it” Jae shook his head with a wistful smile “Many hilarious conversations came out of those nights” part of him missed it but the other part of him had grown up a lot since then “The hangover was never fun though” he agreed with a laugh scrunching up his nose as he heard the celestial cursing.

That lead to a hilarious conversation between Hanseol and Byul, some might think it strange to talk to animals but Jae firmly believed they got the gist of what you were saying and had their own distinct personalities, huskies especially liked to mimic the sounds humans made “Maybe you should listen to her advice more often” Jae suggested and raised his brows in a teasing motion. The dhampir, however, started laughing again, still caught up in the moment, it had been a long time since Jae had been able to laugh quite so freely, without fearing there was some underlying objective or intention. The celestial’s staring at him didn’t escape his notice, he swore it was like Hanseol saw straight past every charade he put up for himself, it was so easy to just be Jaesung around him and not the person other people wanted him to be.

Jae leaned back onto the couch as he watched the celestial get to his feet, from here he had to tilt his chin back a little look at the other male, Jae knew exactly what the other male wanted him to do and yet he couldn’t stop himself from doing it anyway, his gaze moving slowly along the other’s torso and over his muscular arms before finally moving back to his eyes, the dhampir wet his bottom lip with his tongue, he had to wonder what the celestial was hoping to get out of all this. Jae sighed softly in defeat “The whole world would be blind to not know you’re handsome Hanseol” he spoke truthfully, though it felt strange, saying that to another male and there was the reappearance of the soft blush on his cheeks. He was glad the conversation moved on quickly because he wasn’t sure he’d be able to explain the rationale behind that particular admission without tripping over words. This time he dodged the plush thrown in his direction with a chuckle “You’re definitely something” he mused with a shake of his head, though the smile of his lips said it was in a good way.  

Somehow the conversation kept circling around to less happy topics but this time the celestial seemed to have enough of them, as evidenced when he reached out and placed a hand over Jae’s mouth, as he was mid-sentence the sound was muffled below Hanseol’s touch and Jae widened his eyes in shock at the sudden movement. This time he actually heard what he was saying, though the sudden use of the word darling caught him off guard. Jae started to laugh as he struggled playfully against the male’s hand, if he’d really wanted to he could have probably turned his head to the side to free himself but he played along instead, though he wasn’t about to let the other male think he had the upper hand and so he licked his hand just as he was letting go and then fell into a fit of laughter the moment he was released “Alright we can do positivity” he agreed though he was still snickering.

The bright smile that the celestial wore was more captivating than the dhampir wanted to admit, every time he caught the other male’s gaze with that hopeless grin on his face he swore the world slowed down for just a few seconds and Jae had to shake himself back reality. When Hanseol asked him whose work he was quoting he really did get shy, Jae was very secretive about his own writing, so much so that he refused to let anyone other than strangers hear it really, especially the stuff that was more personal. He couldn’t even form the words and so he just pointed to his own forehead “From here” he spoke in a hesitant voice. Upon the feedback however Jae nodded a little, he still avoided looking up at the other male but he explained his thoughts behind it “I wrote it one night after I’d had a really bad day and our family dog, Hayan, just refused to leave me on my own” he nodded softly, the bond between animals and humans really was special.

Jae looked down at Byul who had crawled back into the celestial’s lap and smiled softly “I mean if I was a dog and didn’t have any responsibilities I think I’d sleep all day too” he nodded slightly in the pup’s defense, if it was socially acceptable Jae probably wouldn’t get out of bed most days given the choice, he had a computer and a notebook and pen in his room, did he really need sunlight? When the male turned to the topic of why he didn’t have any questions Jae pulled a look of feign offense “Am I really that two-dimensional to you?” he asked with a sly smile “I might have all kinds of hidden talents you know nothing about” he chuckled softly, really Jae wasn’t that complex of a person so he guessed Hanseol hit the mark pretty well.

Jae laughed reaching up to scratch at the back of his neck as Hanseol reacted to his statements on study “I think if it had been my choice alone I would have gone the struggling artist route” he admitted with a slight shrug “But agreeing to study meant I got to come here and start making my own choices so” and he did actually like the course now that he was on it, not to mention if he hadn’t come here he wouldn’t have have broadened his horizons the way he had.

When Han asked him about his military service Jae shrugged a little, it was easy to be pretty negative about that part of his life but they had agreed on optimism and so he searched his mind for things he had gained from the experience “I feel like I was a pretty different person for those two years, everyone just did as they were asked to do, you know?” he shrugged softly, he couldn’t say he was especially proud of anything from it “I think I learned a lot of discipline, it really helped me to get a handle over my anger, which I had a lot of at the time” he did envy the celestial for not being required to do it though “I wanted to get it out of the way before I moved forward with my life, otherwise it would always be there to pull me back” he was the only person in his class to choose to go straight into it and he didn’t regret that decision.

Jae nodded softly, of course, he would want to know more about that, it was what he did every day for a living after all, Jae still hadn’t decided what his future occupation would be, he knew his parents were expecting journalism or something similarly secure but the dhampir still wondered if he could make something bigger from his blog. The question, however, was a little out of the blue, Jae thought about it for a moment before he answered “I tried ice skating the other day, went about as well as you’d think considering I trip over invisible objects often” he laughed “I’d love to get better at it” he nodded gently, it was fun, even though he spent more time falling than actually skating “What’s something you like that I’d never expect” he returned with raised brows.

Nodding in response to his rather ‘impeccable’ co workers’ attitudes, he still couldn't get over it fully. “Yeah, too young too dumb to realize, unfortunately. You know how some people said it's never too late to do anything? Like what you told me earlier about how it's never too late to continue my studies at a higher institution? This doesn't apply.. At all. A little too late for me to realize my choice of ‘friends’ were quite inadequate.. No it's negligent.” Maybe if one day was to come that he goes back to steer himself into the path of drinking with his friends, well if he had more than Jae, he would surely be mindful before exacting anything. Literally, anything. It did however, struck the celestial off the ridge when he found out that the male had actually drunk, maybe even before his legal age, and in Korea of all places. “I have to say, you didn't strike me as that guy haha. How old were you when you drink for the first time?” he prodded inquisitively.

Hanseol was mainly concerned of the aftermath because he knew how bad hangovers were, and if he, a supposedly 85+ year old celestial couldn't handle it, what more could others younger? With the exception of those with drinking tolerance being high over the bar. He was also curious to see how it was possible for Jae to do such a thing without being monitored. Did he get busted? Yes? No? If so, what happened after? The questions kept dabbling back and forth in his head but the fallen star made sure to only filter them into one only, in fear of being labeled as something else for his inquisitive manner. So far as he's known, the legal age of voting is the same as drinking, and in Korea; it's 19. Surely he wasn't officially 19 yet by the way he worded it? His amiable self wanted to know more in depth.

Scrunching his nose up as he protested against Jae's statement to follow what Byul had to say, he shook his head as the husky soon follow suit in mimicking the dark haired celestial. She had also nudged the male by snuggling itself against him, which he made no attempts to push her off, fortunately. Knowing him, he'll never actually stop catering to them, nor would be ever find himself denying any requests they might have. He's too soft-hearted to do that. And much like Jae worried, it might get him taken advantage off, one day. “No thank you, she mocks me all the time. Aren't dogs supposed to be behaving.. I mean,  most pets were said to be well-behaved. Yet I'm blessed with these troublemakers you call pets. Life is so unfair.” he exclaimed loudly and lets out a heaved sigh before the husky eventually got the gist of what he was implying and turned around to hit its paw on his face. “Really, the face? Come on Byul, you know better than that.”

Once again, he did not forget to miss the look that was on the dhampir as he modeled himself before him. The sudden comeback of the faint blush masking his cheeks made the celestial chortle in a boisterous laugh as he tapped his cheeks a few times. However, what he did not expect, was the comment thrown by Jae. A comment that truly shook him as it caught him off guard and resulted a stop in his system. Basically, it was like Hanseol.exe. is not working. His doe-like eyes wavered briefly before he eventually returned to reality and played it coolly. Did She just compliment him? He's received compliments before, and a few from the dhampir himself, but the star had no idea why tonight, of all nights, he felt a fluttering feeling in him. This is weird, he thought. Of course, he didn't forget to address the compliment firsthand. “Thank you.” he mumbled softly, nearly making it inaudible to other's ears.

“You're not bad yourself, if not even more handsomer than I am.” he spilled, a little bit too quickly while trying to form coherent words. Way to go, Han. You just made a fool out of yourself. As if that comment and look coming from the dhampir wasn't enough, the latter added more to the confusing pile that was seriously making the star doubt himself-- or really, his sexuality. He had placed a hand to subdue any negativity to come forming out but what he got in the end, was the lad licking his palm, which earned a small squeak from Hanseol, while also retracting his hand as quickly as he could and stared at it before training his dark hues on the dhampir. “Really?” was all that he uttered, the look on his face telling Jae that he was really amused. Without saying no more, he went to the sink and washed his hands. Yes.

“No offense to you, Jae. But I don't have to be a germaphobe to wash this off. Glad I'm a blessed someone who got graced by your.. Saliva. But no way I'm letting Byul smell it and fall in love with you. Yeontan's already smitten, I don't need you stealing Byul from me. What's a star without its own star, after all.” He remarked dryly before shaking his head in delight. Following the sentences he uttered next, to say Hanseol was surprised, would be an understatement, considering he was actually more enthralled by the male as time passes by. He admired his artistry. “Shocking but not surprising. You have a knack on making things sounded more poetic than it originally is, so you should be able to form those yourself. It's a talent, from what I can see.” he beamed. With all honesty, the first time Hanseol met him, he did not expect the male to possess such a deep and husky voice. The timbre in his tone really surprised the celestial.

“Hidden talents? Hmm, we'll see. I mean, we have all the time to showcase them one by one to each other, no?” Maybe that was an invitation. Again, way to be subtle into telling him that you wanted to see him again, Han. At this point, Hanseol was banging his head against the walls of his home repeatedly in his mind. Why was he suddenly getting flustered all of sudden? Why the sudden change of air..

He heard what Jae explained to him about his time in the military intently, all ears and eyes on him as he too, stared equally as much. That's a shameless move but honestly, when it comes to Jae, the celestial really became quite brazen. A side he never thought he even had. Quite possibly, it's been unlocked by the dhampir, without either one of the two parties knowing. This is another level of obliviousness, even for Hanseol. He's been trying to avert his gaze on him but every time he did, he only found himself glued back to his respective spot. It was really giving him a hard time because he could feel the gears whirring too fast inside him, and his breath moved at an uneven pace. “Tripping on invisible things? Did someone else trip on you? Or did you trip on someone else, again?” he inquired playfully, as he found it ironic if someone else had done the same as he did. It seems like Jae would have a habit of attracting people where they fall over him or the other way around.

The thought of the dhampir tripping and falling more times than he spent trying to skate at first try did cause the celestial to stifle his laughter using his hands. He couldn't help it when Jae was being cute in literally all senses. “Something I like that you'd never expect? Hmm.. I'd say dancing? Do you see me as someone who'd dance, at first glance? I really enjoy them as a form of hobby.” If it was up to him, he was close to saying ‘you'. It was a reflex, one he was grateful to have halted before he could spout. After a while, it hits him, a little bit late but there, nonetheless. “Wait are you calling me invisible object?” he accused as he reminisced the memory where Jae tripped over him on their first meeting.

Jae had to admit he wished that Hanseol had gotten a better example of what friends were, it sounded like most of the people he’d ever met were looking to kill him or lock him away, he couldn’t imagine that built a good basis for trust in others, add onto that the fact his colleagues seemed to like making fun of him and Jae couldn’t see why the celestial would trust anyone at all. And yet, in the time they’d known each other, he’d found it almost too easy to get under the fallen star’s skin, it was impressive how open someone could be after going through all that but then Hanseol was special somehow. Jae raised his brows as the other male questioned him on underage drinking “As the rebel?” he asked with a chuckle “Remember that anger I mentioned?” he shook his head a little, there were certainly much worse crimes.

“I guess I was 16?” he responded with a half laugh, it felt long enough ago that he didn’t remember it as vividly as he used to anyway, one of his friend’s parents had been more liberal than most families were in the city and it was that friend that supplied it, pressured the other boys to try a little. It had been somewhat of a thrill back then, a way to prove to his parents they couldn’t control everything he did, even though they never found out “We were smart enough to get away with it and in the end, it was harmless fun, we never ended up hurting anyone or getting hurt” he paused for a moment “Well except for the time I tripped over a rock and broke my arm” he admitted and scratched at the back of his neck “Had to bite down on cloth until I was sober enough to go to the hospital” Jae wasn’t a lawbreaker nowadays, his younger self probably wouldn’t recognize him.

It was almost like watching a comedy act as he watched them bicker together, the dhampir rested one hand against his cheek which he leaned into while he watched the two of them go back and forth, it could definitely be said that animals seemed to be Hanseol’s weakness, he turned into an adorable dork around them, his voice always playful and an octave higher when he was speaking to them, it was sweet. But Jae also knew that it was probably something that an attacker could use against the celestial, Jae would bet that Hanseol would give himself up to protect these animals “Your words imply disdain and yet all I hear in your tone is joy” Jae gave a knowing look between both of them and laughed as the husky pawed at the celestial “Cute” he stated with a boyish grin.

Of course he’d already noticed how the celestial looked before, they had seen one another, several times after all, but at that moment as the other male stood in front of him, he really took in the way he looked, the way his body curved from the muscle under his shirt, it was clear the other male worked hard to keep such appearance, the shape of his jawline which was soft and rounded, it made him look young and innocent at times and his eyes, dark and sometimes piercing, the kind that shone like black onyx in the moonlight. The words had come as more of a reflex than anything, words he wasn’t sure he was ready to say but there was something that felt good when he saw the celestial falter for just a few seconds, taken aback by the words Jae had spoken, as though they really meant something to him. In response to his words Jae nodded a little, he really would have to be blind not to notice what was right in front of him.

He hadn’t expected the celestial to return the sentiment and not quite so directly either, this time it was Jae’s turn to be stunned to speechless his mouth opening as if there were words to say and then closing again “Not possible but I appreciate the words” he responded and then went quiet realizing what he had just said. At this point several things were becoming more and more clear to the dhampir, the first, was that he didn’t seem to be able to keep any kind of cool when it came to the celestial and the second, was that he did indeed feel some level of attraction to the other male, which only left him with more questions than answers.

Jae was still laughing as Hanseol crossed the room to wash his hands, pressing his arm against his head as he barely to contain himself, especially when the male so awkwardly said the word saliva like it was the most offensive word he had ever heard “Yes, I definitely came here tonight to steal your dogs” he responded allowing another round of laughter to hit him, he was still replaying the squeaky noise the other had made in his mind on loop. By the time the other male had returned back over to where the dhampir was sitting, he had just about managed to get a hold of himself, enough to continue their discussion. Jae liked talking with Hanseol, he never seemed to try and make the conversation all about him like some people did and often seemed genuinely interested in what Jae had to say “I told you writing was my passion” he admitted with a shy smile finally allowing his gaze to meet Hanseol’s again “You really liked it?” he asked hopefully, after all this was the first person he actually cared for the opinion of that he’d shared any of his work with.

When Hanseol not so subtly implied that the two of them would spend more time together Jae just shrugged it off with a smile, he couldn’t see why they wouldn’t after all, the two of them seemed to bring out the best in one another, or at least he felt like the celestial did that for him, he reminded him of the protective and funny child he used to be, the one who loved to make jokes and tease his friends, Jae liked that person and hadn’t realized just how much he missed him til now.

Jae knew there was a lot of eye contact and staring going on this evening, he often found himself catching the gaze of the other male but unlike when he was younger and would get caught staring at one of the girls he had a crush on in class, this felt so much deeper. It was like the two of them couldn’t keep their eyes off one another, it made the dhampir feel a little breathless every time he would meet with Hanseol’s soft gaze “Believe me if there is something I can bump into, trip over or break, it is likely I will do it” he sighed hiding his face in his hands for a moment, Jae had always been clumsy and no matter how much he tried to shake it, it seemed to stay with him, no matter how much he practiced balance or spacial awareness “I actually met my new skating partner after she fell on me” he shook his head “Worst part is I was trying to help her and we weren’t even on the ice yet” honestly the dhampir wasn’t sure he could be much more of a trainwreck if he tried.

Noting the way that celestial seemed to think his tripping was so funny, Jae pulled his phone out of his pocket scrolling through the gallery before he found the clip of him skating that Mi-Yeon had taken, handing the device to the celestial he pressed the play button and then instantly hid his face behind his hands. After the video was done he listened to Hanseol talk about something he enjoyed that was surprised, he remembered the male had mentioned before that he liked dancing “Dancing huh?” he raised his brows with a smile “What’s your favorite kind?” Jae’s mom had actually taught him a little ballroom dancing before he attended a school dance, it was pretty fun, though he was guilty of stepping on toes. Hearing the celestial re-reference the dhampir’s previous statement Jae chuckled shrugging a little “In my defense, you were sitting in the dark when we met” he pointed out the fact that he hadn’t seen him sitting there, though he supposed he was lucky he stepped where he did now.

Nodding slowly at what Jae mentioned about his anger issues, he was reminded of the times where the dhampir didn't forget to insert in the warnings and somehow, Hanseol was glad he didn't witness the outburst firsthand. He only saw the temp rising out slowly from the male that the therianthrope had wanted to get a rise out of, that alone was more than enough to give him the confirmation he needed. The celestial didn't even want to see what was the true form of all it in the slightest. He was content with having Jae being this person now and wanted nothing part in trudging through the memory lane of his past. Just like how he disliked going back into his own. The past is the past, right?

Despite the dhampir making it out the memory to be quite vivid in his own head, he was sure the male remembered his first time drinking experience. It's just something that will forever embedded in your head, like an automatic system. His pupils dilated a little more wider than usual, the moment he heard that Jae first drank at 16. “Well, I'm glad it was harmless fun. Hangovers are already a thorn at your side, wouldn't want the climax to ruin the aftermath's run for the money.” he chuckled, wondering if the person Jae was before, were that much different from the person before him now. Sure, everyone had a rebellious streak eventually, in their youthful teenhood, if not earlier. But it was still surprising for Hanseol, though he was nothing but entranced by the details Jae had laid out in front of him. He didn't seemed to be ashamed, which made it even more genuine.

“Dhampirs have accelerated healing than usual due to their vampiric heritage, don't they? I'm sure it was fine afterwards.” he pointed out, but still trying to wrap his head around to picture a young Jae. Of course that kind of healing doesn't really work its magic alone without a little help, which meant the bone had to be relocated back to its respective place initially, first. That has got to hurt. Hanseol experienced a few broken bones throughout his days of running but nothing too serious that he could heal himself. Though, he couldn't say everything else was too sterilized. “So I'm not the only one who reckless after all. Although I gotta say, I didn't peg you as a lawbreaker, Jae. Guess you went through one of those what humans call-evolution?” he mumbled sheepishly, with a stupid grin adorning his boyish face when he recalled the dhampir tripping on him and the part where he too, broke his arm while being drunk. Being drunk was supposed to give a free pass to the affiliation, but the celestial took it either way.

“Well, if you're going to say such words, you gotta make it believable. But in this case, you can't make it believable. Why? Because these furries would literally smother you to death the next time you try waking up. They're vengeful spirits, I swear. It's unearthly to see how rebellious they can be sometimes. Just when you thought they finished surprising you, they whip another card.” Byul who only seemed to take in the tone only mimicked the celestial by hitting the male's thigh a few times with her paws. Back to his initial position, Hanseol was still taken aback by the words coming out from the dhampir, mostly because she impact it held seemed to withhold something underneath all those layers-- something he wasn't what it was. But he definitely wanted to quench his curiosity peaking.

At this point, he was sure that the fluttering mess he experienced earlier was a sign telling him something. The fallen star had always had his instincts working out for him, keeping his self-preservation conditioned at a top notch level. So it really made him frustrated to see how easily the dhampir had went through those barrier, without even trying. He was also sure that Jae didn't really intend for any of that to happen, but it just does. The attraction he felt for the blue haired male was highly doubtful to himself because he's never quite felt something like that before in his entire life. And his head was filled with wonders questioning if the attraction and feeling were indeed mutual between the two.

“Glad you found it funny.” he exclaimed with a roll of his eyes before starting at the two dogs making themselves too comfortably between their sides. “Hey, it wouldn't exactly be the first time someone's tried stealing my dogs. They're cute fluffers.. I shouldn't feel threatened because they would return to me most of the time, but with you, I have a bad feeling that they would ditch me at a split second to bask in your company.” A voice in him told him ‘I would', but once again, the celestial was forever thankful that he was able to switch on the filter in him to make sure such words don't really come out so awkwardly. Nodding vehemently at the dhampir, he expressed the quaint and intricacies with the words molded perfectly, making it sound to be more eloquent than it might've originally been. That was one of the why's Hanseol actually found him to be ethereal. It's bad enough he shone with his good looks and mannerisms, now with extra talents that makes him to be a better one? If he wasn't careful, he'd be dubbed smitten already.

Watching the video from Jae's phone about the skating incident, he enjoyed it thoroughly. Although he had to admit, he felt this strange sensation in the pit of his stomach when he saw the melodious laughter emitted by the woman, who he recognized to be just like him, from the faint glow underneath her skin. He hasn't seen her around before, but she's definitely a celestial. The possessiveness was threatening to overpower the male as he clenched his jaw briefly while watching the recording. He wasn't sure if Jae noticed it, but the feeling were mixed in a bubbling pool in his system. What in the world was he feeling? He was too much in his head that he forgot to answer or give feedbacks. It wasn't until Jae asked what kind of dances he preferred, that he returned the gesture. “Uh-freestyle dancing. I like to watch Hip Hop dancers most of the time. The fluidity in their movements really fascinates me. It helps me balance my weight better too, which eventually contributes an essential part of me throwing my hits.” It was the main reason why he opted a lot for defensive stance instead of offensive.

“Excuse you, no one has ever tripped on me for the whole time I sat there almost every week. Admit it, you fell for me.” he winked playfully as his lips slowly curved into that of a smirk. He just love the idea of throwing off remarks that would catch the dhampir off guard.

For the most part, Jae was pretty unapologetic for the decisions he had made till now, the dhampir liked to think most of them were pretty justified, albeit he had to sometimes hide the full extent of them to his parents but he had done everything he could to make them proud in the process. “Well if you ever feel like trying again, know you can trust me” he stated pretty nonchalantly, it wasn't like he had anything to gain anyway, though Jae wasn’t sure whether he trusted what his brain might spout if that well-placed filter he had was removed, he was already saying things he knew he probably shouldn’t around the male.

“They do indeed, which can be a pain in the ass if you don’t know how to set bones” he explained with a mock roll of his eyes, Jae was pretty young back then and didn’t know better, in fact, he hadn’t even realized he’d fully broken the bone until he’d shown up at the supernatural clinic hours later. Thankfully the doctor didn’t ask too many questions about what happened. Jae shook his head when Hanseol described him as reckless “A trait I never fully managed to shake, there are some things that just” he snapped his fingers “And all reason and logic disappears from my mind” he’d been pretty close to that when they had faced up to the therianthrope at the clinic but Jae had just about managed to keep a handle on himself. “I don't think bad traits ever really leave us, we just get better at recognizing them and turning them into something more positive” he nodded thoughtfully as he looked back at the dark haired male.

Jae laughed as Hanseol spoke about the animal’s behaviour, mostly because that last part was basically describing the celestial himself to a tee, just when you thought he was done being surprising he just seemed to pull something new out of thin air “Well if that’s the case then you’re just as bad as they are” he teased softly, eyes moving between the sweet looking husky who was playfull pawing at his leg and the fallen star. Jae leaned forward with a chuckle first giving the sweet husky a few gentle strokes on the head, he then shifted a little so that his eye-line was level Hanseol’s and then he smirked gently before ruffling the other male’s hair with his fingertips “Alright you two, no more fighting” his words were soft as he glanced between them and then slowly pulled his hand away “Positivity remember” he reminded the male of his own words.

Jae had always thought there were certain parts about himself that he’d always known, very rarely did he ever have to question or doubt the person he was, he thought he knew himself pretty well, but since he had met Hanseol he felt the changes slowly, the way he noticed little things about the other male that he wouldn’t normally, like the curve of his lips as he smiled or the little changes in the tone of his voice as the two of them talked. At first, Jae had just shrugged it off as nothing but this evening had really opened his eyes to the fact that perhaps he didn’t know that part of himself as well as he thought he did and perhaps that wasn’t a bad thing. One thing that did plague on his doubts, however, was how much of what Hanseol did was him enjoying teasing him and how much of it was real, did he feel the same pull that Jae was starting to admit he felt?

Jae couldn’t deny that it really touched him that Yeontan had taken such a shine to him, Jae loved animals and so it felt like a real compliment when they liked him in return, throughout the conversation and laughing the little pup had been taking part in the fun but for the most part stayed comfortably in the dhampir’s lap, it kinda made him sad that he’d have to leave at some point “I think you doubt your effect of them too much” he commented with a shake of his head “Byul is very clearly smitten” he teased with a laugh, though the look in his eyes spoke more for his own state of captivated than it did for the husky, he couldn’t say much about the Pomeranian who quite like Hanseol had been saying, seemed to be playing the traitorous game. Though Jae knew they would go back to being just as close when the dhampir had to go. Hanseol was a bright and warm person or at least the side he showed Jae gave that impression, he couldn’t see why anyone, person or animal, wouldn’t want to be around him.

Jae found the video on his phone hilarious, the dhampir had always been able to laugh at himself and his own mistakes, it was the easiest way to deal with them and he found having a good sense of humor gave you a pretty thick skin, helped you to push away those dark thoughts you might have on other people’s opinions of you. He wasn’t brave enough to post it online though, there was a line to his level of shame. He did have to admit that he thought the other male would find it funnier though, but he seemed to remain silent throughout the whole thing which confused the dhampir a little but he didn’t say anything on it. It seemed like he was snapped back to reality when Jae asked him about dance “Oooh so the kind of stuff you see in music videos?” he asked with raised brows, he was right, it was something hard to picture the other male doing and yet it made him want to see it.

And there it was again, that sly teasing that was slowly but surely making the dhampir insane paired with the signature smirk that took the breath right out of him every time, it was crazy, how easy it was for the star to make his head spin “So you make a habit of sitting in the dark and waiting for people to fall for you?” he teased back, though he realized that he repeated the male’s words a second later and pressed his hands against his own cheeks to hide his embarrassment, every time Hanseol set up something Jae seemed to to fall right into it, the male reached up to run a finger along his own bottom lip a little frustrated by how easy he made it.

Well he’d already said loads of things he normally wouldn’t and so the dhampir  figured he’d give another brave question a try “Have you ever been in love?” he knew that question was very personal and so he went quiet, waiting to see whether the fallen star wanted to answer it or not.

Was he blessed to have a friend such as Jaesung? He wasn't sure. He's never questioned his own predictability from the beginning till now, but it seemed as if the dhampir's presence in his rather colloquial dull life had sprung on its flowery path, painting every corner with colors of their own. Hanseol often found himself staring at the dhampir without knowing, as if he was the most important person he's ever had the chance of meeting. Maybe he was. Or it could him who chose to etch himself like a thorn by a side on the person he found comfortable to be with. Though, it should be a compliment, in the end. The celestial knew if he was about to restart the cycle of drinking ever again, he would definitely take up Jae's offer. He couldn't let the bad define everything, after all.

“I'll hold you up to the offer, Jae. Maybe one day, I'll try it again. If I don't have any work the next day, for sure. Which means, I need to check my schedule a lot.” The fallen star wasn't much of a workaholic but his determination usually overshadowed everything else. Some might find the trait reckless to be very burdensome, he does too. But at times, it's refreshing to see the humane trait etching itself in their personas. It reminded him that they were not at all expendable, that no one was, and everyone will eventually end up six feet underneath, one day. A rather morbid thought for the light creature that he was, but with experiences of running every time, death wasn't a foreign concept to be discussed no more, with him. “Well, I think it's good to see some recklessness at times. Not 24/7 of course, that's a pain. But I feel like it shows a lot about ourselves, in a way.” A way he couldn't explain thoroughly, do he usually just keep it to himself.

He couldn't help but to let a smile slowly curved itself on the corners of his lips when he saw how positive the dhampir was being. Their session tonight was truly working miracles. Diverting every attention away from the toxicity that surrounded them in the world, he was glad. Besides, it didn't help when Jae was still so young, and Hanseol felt that it was unfair to show the bad sides of the world they were living in to someone who still retained so much of their youth. There were still parts that makes up the beauty of it, and he intends to show it to him. Because at this point, the star was confident that seeing a smile on Jae was one way to make him happy himself. If that even makes sense.

Shrugging casually at the dhampir's remark earlier, there were some truth to what he's said. Pets usually tend to take after their owners, after all. “I guess that's a proof that they really are mine. Since they carry a manifestation of a second me. Though I can confirm that I don't sleep all day like them.” He held both hands up in defensive stance as he said so. Byul ended up sleeping not long after which made the celestial smile in content, as his doe eyes would not tear itself from the husky's white fur. When Jae ruffled his hair, he chortled loudly in delight as he made no attempts to shrug the other male off. It was a clear indication that the celestial didn't mind such affection being shown. Especially from someone like him. Wait, was that meant to bring another meaning? Someone like him? What does that even mean?

Hanseol has been pondering on the same topic ever since a couple of minutes ago as he eyed every movement being made from the latter. He was happy around Jae, but then again, he was a naturally bright persona who exudes positivity everywhere he goes. But there was something slightly different about the atmosphere that tainted the company between them both. Sure, he enjoyed teasing the dhampir, an outright extroverted thing for him to do, but why did he enjoy them? He's never been so close to someone like this, so the feeling he's been experiencing inside was very much a foreign thing. It also did not help that he wasn't sure if Jae was just withstanding his advancements or tolerating it for the sake of being the kind person he was. The anxiety and insecurity seeped in too easily that made the star doubt everything. Did Jae feel the same?

Adorning himself with his signature smirk that he's been using a lot around Jae, he smugly shrugged once again with both hands raised up to the air. “Who wouldn't be smitten by me.” He wondered why he was so confident when it comes to Jae, when in reality he wasn't as forward like this. There were so many questions that were left unanswered and he wasn't sure if he could fight them off behind the filter that secured every single word that comes out from his mouth. He decided to push it aside while he could when he saw how interested Jae was about his dancing hobby. He's never had anyone else interested in it before, mostly because he never told them of his antics displayed in the dancing routines. “Something like that.” he mumbled shyly as his free hand went to scratch the back of his head sheepishly. A soft blush came surfacing on his slightly chubby cheeks that surely did not went unnoticed by the dhampir. “I like to let my body control me, most of the time.”

Whatever that means.

“My eyesight's 20/20 when it comes to night. I suspect it has something to do with being a celestial.. All that light and all. And no, no one's ever tripped over me throughout the time I stood at the same spot every week, while I sketch.” he exclaimed, once again sticking out his tongue in a childish manner that did not suit his appearance. “You're the first. Doesn't that make it fate?” The wink did not go unnoticed for sure. It seemed to be his signature teasing move on the dhampir to pair his smirks with winks. God knows where he got all the surge of confidence from. However, just when the celestial thought he couldn't be taken aback by the male no more, he was proven wrong when he heard his next question. The star almost choked on his own saliva. “Pardon? Sorry. It's just so sudden Hahaha..” Yep, his awkward laugh didn't help the situation. “Uh.. No. I can't say that I have. I've never met anyone that I had fluttering feelings for-” he was about to resume the sentence with ‘like you', but stopped himself from making a fool out of himself. “Yeah.. Never. As you might have known, I'm very inexperienced in such things.”

Jae laughed softly when Hanseol said he would hold the offer but also explained his busy schedule, the dhampir reached up to run a hand through his tousled hair which had fallen into his eyes during his fit of laughter “You’re a hard worker” he commented with a soft smile, it wasn’t a question, just an observation that the dhampir felt like commenting on, he’d noticed that pretty quickly with Han, his whole life seemed to revolve around the animals and his work, which wasn’t a bad thing, Jae had been raised to respect and strive for good work ethic. Jae liked to think he was pretty hard working himself, though he had only been in a job for a short time, his study was important to him, he wanted to do well at it “Is it hard for you?” he asked curiously before adding more context to the question “I imagine the job isn’t always filled with easy moments” that was the reason he hadn’t been able to go that route himself, he didn’t think he could handle it.

Coming here tonight had been on an impulse, a need to get away from the state of mind he was currently in and just forget. Jae didn’t even know why his mind had defaulted to this particular place as somewhere that could help him but he was glad it did. Hanseol had an air of positivity around him that was almost contagious, it was hard to stay down around him, he was bright, in both the metaphoric and literal sense considering that several times throughout the evening he had seen the celestial’s skin become just a little more radiant. It was really beautiful, getting to see a little glimpse of a star shining and perhaps that was why his eyes kept lingering on him longer than they probably should have.

The dhampir nodded a little, he could definitely see how these animals had molded themselves to the life they currently lived, after all they did all instantly return to their beds the moment the celestial asked them to “Hey if I didn’t have responsibilities and relationships to upkeep I think I’d probably sleep all day too” he admitted with a chuckle and if on cue he yawned a little and smiled sleepily, it was crazy how quickly time seemed to pass when they were together, he’d almost forgotten all about the worries that had been constantly plaguing on his mind just a few hours ago. Jae hoped he wasn’t being a bother by keeping the celestial awake though. Admittedly he was a little surprised when Hanseol didn’t seem bothered at all by Jae running his fingers through the celestial’s soft dark locks, if anything he seemed pretty content.

It felt nice though, to be close to him, he could feel the aura that Hanseol gave off, it was captivating, it made the dhampir want to be near him, which was probably he kept finding excuses to touch him, whether it be a light touch on the shoulder or running his hand through the other male’s hair. Jae had always been quite a tactile person, which was often considered strange back home. He liked to show affection that way, he would always be the one to throw an arm around someone else to comfort them or praise them. But touching Hanseol felt different, it made him a little nervous every time he went to do so, wondering if his actions were okay, wondering what it made the other male think about him.

Jae gave a roll of his eyes when the male took yet another statement and threw it back around to that confidence that the dhampir was starting to expect from Hanseol, the celestial definitely seemed to have it in for him, always catching him off guard, making his heart flutter just a little in his chest, Jae wasn’t sure how to feel about it all, it was an overwhelming realization for him that admittedly had him scared, as much as he wished he could say that other people’s opinions weren’t important, he still managed to let them weigh on him, he was sensitive that way. Not to mention if he was reading this entirely wrong then he could completely ruin what was becoming a great friendship. His mind was somewhat of a rambling mess, tripping over his own conflicting thoughts which wanted one thing one moment and contradicted it the next. He swallowed, pressing his hand against his head.

When the celestial spoke about dancing he noted the soft redness that came to his cheeks and smiled gently, it was clear that it was far more important to the fallen star than he was letting on but Jae let it slide, after all if someone asked him too much about his personal writing he would be the exact same way “My mom taught me a little dancing” he admitted with a shy chuckle “Mostly ballroom” he added before he held his hands up as if he was dancing with someone in the air to show the positioning and then he laughed gently. “Never had an actual use for it though” he scrunched his nose a little and shook his head, he’d never really been to many formal events, never really had a reason to.

Jae scoffed a little when the other male spoke about fate and Jae shrugged a little “Never been a believer in fate myself, I think people make their own paths” he shrugged a little, if you always relied on the universe to do things for you then you’d likely never get all that far, Jaesung was a firm believer in the idea that if you worked hard then you got the things you wanted. The wink didn’t escape his notice though and Jae nudged the other male with his elbow “I’m starting to think teasing is your constant state” he commented with a shake of his head, though the wry smile on the dhampir’s lips said that he wasn’t necessarily complaining.

After asking the question, the dhampir watched Hanseol intently, studying his reaction, he could tell that Han hadn’t been expecting a question quite so personal, really Jae was surprised with himself for saying it but now that the words were out there he was curious to know the other male’s response. He caught the nerves in his voice as he responded and Jae realized he had actually managed to catch the fallen star off guard, for all the talk he did about flirting he didn’t seem to actually follow through it seemed. Jae realized he had been staring at the other male quite intensely as he listened to his answer and so he turned his head and cleared his throat for a second “I’ve never been in love either” he responded thoughtfully, part of him was glad the star’s answer had been no “At least not the kind you read about in stories anyway” as a writer he hoped to one day experience that kind of intense feeling for himself so that he could share his own thoughts on it in his work. He chuckled softly “Sorry that was incredibly personal” he mumbled as he snuck a gaze in the dark-haired celestial’s direction.

It was at this moment, when Hanseol had realized, that he's been training his dark hues on Jae's own for god knows how long. He wasn't sure if the dhampir caught him staring but he understood there was nothing weird about it. At least, not so subtly. He's caught the dhampir doing the same to him a few times, and honestly, the celestial didn't mind. No, he's actually inviting for more to come in the nearest future. He was too comfortable around him, and it still did not occur to him if this was just something normal to happen between two friends. Was it really? Hanseol wanted to see it as something normal, fearing it might push the dhampir away in a direction he didn't want him to steer away in. There was no fault in wanting to bask within each other's company, right?

Whether platonic or romantic, the fallen star, much like what he stated earlier following the question that was popped out from the male sitting next to him now, has never experienced such concept like love. Or anything similar to it, really. It's safe to say, the particular feeling and sentiment was foreign to the celestial. But it did not mean, he didn't want to feel it. He's willing to learn more about it if given the chance to trudge within such roads. Now all of sudden, he found himself blushing profusely at every compliment thrown around by the latter. Just what in the world was happening, he asked himself. This has never happened before, so what triggered it? Was it Jae? Or was it just his mind playing cruel games with him again.

His attempts to shrug off the faint pinkish blush that marred his cheeks were incredibly futile. “Thank you.. You are too. An aspiring author, haha.. Who wouldn't think that head will be filled with so many beautiful things and high imagination that could bring everything to life.” he remarked wryly, as his stare was averted lower, because let's be clear, the celestial could hardly face Jae at all without letting himself becoming redder. It didn't help when his emotions sometimes controlled his ‘light'. Whenever he was in deep thoughts, he tended to glow a lot brighter than usual. That's not subtle at all. Clearing his throat a few times, his dark hues went back and forth around the space, anywhere but facing the dhampir directly. Well, this is hard, he thought.

Ending up staring at his sweaty palms on his lap, he twiddled with both his thumbs slowly before giving Jae his answer. “I have to admit, helping animals had been the initial focus. But there are always obstacles as usual. I-um.. I was a bit scared of doing any surgeries on them the first time. It was traumatizing. I had to lock myself away from sharp tools like scalpel and syringe for a whole week, if I recalled correctly. After that, things gradually got better when I got over my fear of blood. Obviously, I didn't think it would be that much of a big deal to overpower me.” he laughed nervously, his gaze still glued on his hands that became a lot more sweatier than ever. What happened to his sweat glands now..

Chuckling at his remark about animals sleeping like it was their daily occupation, he was about to reply and forgot the whole thing about him not facing the dhampir directly. That was a bad move, obviously. Since the moment he locked his gaze on the male who yawned cutely, indicating his sleepy state, Hanseol could only smile at how adorable the blue haired male was. One minute, he'd be ethereal looking like a prince from another dimension, the other, he would curl back to being the soft fluffy cute guy that needed to be wrapped in a bubble wrap due to his recklessness. He almost forgot what to say, initially. Until he got himself back to reality and even then, he stuttered a few times while trying to get back on track to search for his words properly. Yup, he's got nothing.

Hanseol never saw himself to be a skinship guy, not at first. Maybe it was more to the fact that he's never had anyone who was tactile enough to experience what he is or wasn't. Now, it was different. He had Jae. Jae was quite possibly the only person he's been closest to, would that explain why the celestial kept getting this fluttering mess in himself every time the dhampir acted endearingly? No, it still didn't explain why Hanseol felt like he's attracted to him. Is this actually real? He wasn't sure. But he sure as hell wanted to find out before all of these emotions emitted from all the endorphins ruin him, disabling him from being able to act normally. Truthfully, Hanseol, despite all his confident and flirtatious works, was afraid to touch the dhampir because he didn't want to give any indication towards the other, especially when he himself wasn't sure what he was feeling.

“Maybe one day, you can dance with me. Never had a dancing partner before. Mostly because no one really knew I danced, in the first place.” he said shyly, because like many things, it's still in progress. The same goes for his song. He's been working on it but there was no definite closure to an end yet. Once again the dhampir surprised him with his own misconceptions on the world, subsequently earning a soft look given by the celestial. “정말 놀랍구나.. 그거 알아? 정말 아름다워..(You're very surprising, you know that? Beautiful-)” It was a habitual trait Hanseol does, which was speaking in his native tongue when he's staring into the space-- or in this case; Jae. Before he could finish them, he clamped a hand over his mouth and muttered profanities under his breath.

Deciding to shake that off quickly before the dhampir could catch him off guard again and tease him about it, he cleared his throat a few times once again. “It's surprising but I don't mind answering.. It's just Y'know.. Surprising hahaha.” Trying to play cool seemed so pathetic right now, so much that Hanseol was hitting himself internally. “Well..  Fairy tales are overrated, aren't they? You said you wanted to create your own path, this should be the same to it. Who knows, put in a few elements of angst and fluff just to make it interesting. After all, who wouldn't want to have an epic love story, no?” Don't we know it.

Every time that Jae caught the other male’s gaze his doe eyes seemed to be filled with such intent, it really was hard to look away when the star was looking like that, his hues were dark and purposeful, just a look and the dhampir found his heartbeat quickening just a little. He was glad the fallen star didn’t have enhanced hearing because that would have rumbled him time and time again. Thankfully Jae was pretty good at keeping the rest of himself in check because he on the inside he felt like a complete mess around Hanseol.

And somehow the table had been turned, Jae noted the pink hue that appeared on the other male’s cheeks which he kept trying to hide, he looked endearing, his whole face seeming to light up with the coloration. Jae felt the urge to reach out and touch the other man's face but he reigned himself in knowing that even he wasn’t ready for that kind of admission. He shifted a little busying himself by running his hand through his own hair, leaning his head to the side a little, though his eyes remained on Hanseol. He couldn’t help but notice the way the celestial, the same guy who had been making suggestive comments at the dhampir all evening, seemed to have sunk into a pit of nerves, the way he spoke becoming more and more unsure.

Jae had to wonder if it was something he had said to the other male or maybe he had been too forward and scared him? The dhampir sank his teeth into his bottom lip as he worried over it though he continued their conversation regardless, at least Hanseol wasn’t freezing him out, just avoiding eye contact at all costs it seemed “Well I don’t think I’m quite at that level yet” he admitted, though he pulled an appreciative smile, it was nice to have someone recognize his efforts, not many people thought his passion for writing would ever amount to something so to have someone praise him and what he did was refreshing, uplifting even “But thanks” he added with a nod. .

At this point the celestial wouldn’t even look at him which only worried Jae more, his hand reaching up to scratch at the back of his neck, his mind racing through all the things he had said and done this evening that might trigger such a reaction in the dark haired male. Man, he really hoped he hadn’t ruined things already, the last thing he wanted to do was confuse the feelings inside him so badly that he ended up pushing away the very person he wanted to pull close. Jae nodded as he listened to the male talk about how he got through the initial fears he had when he got into the profession “It takes some dedication to have a fear like that and keep going anyway” he commended, his eyes searching for the other male to look back at him but they remained affixed to literally everything else.

When Hanseol finally turned his gaze back towards him, Jae smiled softly, his tired eyes glad to finally see the other male’s face again. The dhampir could definitely feel the time now, exhausted from all the worrying he had been doing and from the roller coaster of emotions he had been going through that evening. Jae pressed his head gently back into the pillows on the couch, it really was comfy here, homely, it was definitely a place he could see himself fitting in, though Jae now wasn’t sure how he would handle being in the same home as the celestial every day. Would that be weird? Was it weirder that he wanted it anyway? He hummed softly to shake that thought off, tongue running over his bottom lip.

The dhampir could slowly feel the tiredness taking him over, drifting in and out of the conversation though he did his best to give the celestial the attention he deserved, the dhampirs thoughts were a mix of confusion and fondness, the more he looked at the celestial the more he was sure that the pull he felt towards him wasn’t just his imagination playing tricks on him. What worried Jae was whether he was going to be able to handle this revelation, especially in the morning when he wasn’t so caught up in the moment and in the other male’s gaze. This whole evening had been telling for him in so many ways, ways that scared him and made him want to run and hide but also ways that excited him in a way that he’d never experienced before.

Jae was so tired that he felt his eyes closing and reopening a few times as the two of them talked, his head remaining against the pillow as he looked back at Hanseol through his low gaze “That’d be nice” he muttered softly thinking about the way the other male would feel in his arms, his touch soft against his the celestial’s skin, the beat taking over the two of them as they moved together, yes he could picture it pretty clearly in his mind. Jae gave a soft and genuine smile when the celestial complimented him “I like surprising you” he commented in response, his nose scrunching a little in response to the unflattering words coming out of the fallen star’s mouth, he opened one eye as he looked back at Hanseol for a second, catching the other male looking at him once again, Jae chuckled softly “Curse words don’t sound right coming from you” he commented as he leaned his hand against his own cheek.

“Fairy tales aren’t realistic, that’s for sure” he commented with a slight nod, his eyes were closed as he leaned his head back down, though words still came from his lips “When I fall in love I want it to be real” he added not even paying much attention to his own words anymore, he felt the exhaustion reaching out for him, dragging him down towards the darkness, his breathing slowed to a rhythmic pace as he finally gave in to sleep.

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