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Lattes and Laughs (Open to Sunmin and Astraea) [COMPLETED]

It was hard to believe that he had been living with Hanseol and his boyfriend for several months now, time seemed to move so fast since then and everything was new for Sunmin. He still kept to himself mostly but in the mornings he would catch the two of them eating their breakfast together, usually they'd insist that he eat something which he would protest because he didn't want to be a bother but one thing he had learned already was that it was hard to tell Han no. He spent most of his time away from the house though, it was their home and he didn't want to get in the way of their plans, he really only returned in the evenings to sleep. Sometimes he could tell Han wanted him to be around more but he was still figuring out this whole family thing.

To make it up to them for letting him stay, Sunmin had been doing odd jobs and using it to pay Hanseol rent, if the other male refused to take it he would find creative places to hide it to ensure that he got it at some point. He had also into the process of getting himself an official identity, which had taken months of back and forth and some help from the Celestial Wayfinder but about a week ago his passport had arrived. He was officially an American citizen. Things were good, as much as he hated to accept help he realized now how much he had needed it. And to his luck, last week he had been given a job offer to work in a little cafe across the city. He was sure the owner had taken pity on him but it was something, a start to figuring this whole member of society thing out.

He had been mailed the uniform which he was now wearing as he rode on the subway across the city, he hadn't told anything about the job because then he figured if it went horribly and he couldn't continue then he could just quit and no one would know. When the train stopped he hopped off of it before heading to the exit, he kept smoothing down the shirt he was wearing because it didn't feel like it suited him at all. He wouldn't say he was nervous but he was definitely curious to see how working here would go. Thankfully he was a pretty good learner and didn't think he would need long to be up to speed.

He made it to the cafe about 15 minutes before opening but the front door was locked, he frowned for a moment wondering if there was some kind of mistake but before long he noticed someone popping up from behind the counter here and there, looked like they were cleaning. He knocked lightly on the glass to alert them to the fact he was here, it wasn't until he caught her attention that he realized that he recognized that face all too well. His eyes widened for a moment and he looked around for a moment wondering if he should make a dash for it but before he could do anything she was already at the door.

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AurazinPermalink Reply by ✓ Astraea Wu on September 8, 2020 at 22:06

She saw the way he chuckled and though she wasn't sure which part was funny, it did make her smile, she managed to make him laugh more times than she expected so it was a good progress on her part. "I haven't seen a lot of things, mind you" she scowled playfully and huffed, admittedly she did binge watch a lot of things back home but she didn't have time to go to musicals or cinemas to watch the others. "Cats are independent creatures" she nodded in agreement, though she resembled a puppy, she would classify herself to be more of a cat person. When he said he didn't come here looking for family, that's when Astraea let out a small noise of realisation, so that's what he meant. It was understandable from his perspective that everything could be overwhelming. "Your brother doesn't know that, does he?" she questioned, "He doesn't want to erase your hardships, I'm sure. From what you've told me, he seems like a good guy. Perhaps he's doing all of this because he's not sure what you feel. Have you told him that the idea of family doesn't appeal to you while you're living with him?"

Being called foreign wasn't something new to her but it does feel interesting coming from him. "I'm supposed to be foreign and out of the world. I'm not from this world, remember?" she jested. There was a certain pride to it, knowing she lived in another realm sometimes. Astraea was visibly taken aback when he suddenly said to end their conversation there, it left her speechless and flustered as she tried to compose herself, "I mean… if you want to? I don't know, it feels nice to talk to someone after a while." Obviously, she didn't spend a lot of time talking to the others, it has been decades since she last ventured Earth as an empath so her time in the void as a shepherd might have left her people skills slightly rusty. "Celestials are one of the few with the best eyesight" she pointed out, it feels like she should share her information on what she knew about his kind, to encourage him. "I don't usually walk around in this form but this is how I looked like in my previous life" it feels more comfortable in this vessel even if it's nostalgic.

She wanted to tell him this, a part of her realized that she's been wanting to talk and let it out for a while now. The Aurazin is just grateful he gave her his time to hear her out like that. The pat to her head was random and surprising but it felt comforting. For the first time in a long while, Astraea felt comforted instead of being the one comforting. "They did break me though, for a while. I was so angry when I died because they gave me a small hope that I could survive. And my mother was there in front of me." Astraea wasn't stupid to think they would let her go then, the damage was already done and they needed to weed it out. But a very small part of her wished the blade severed her rope instead of making a cut to her throat. "But you're right, I'm still here so the fight didn't end there." Normal, why could she relate to that? "You won't be the first supernatural I've met who wanted to be normal. I'm sure most Celestials wanted this too, being hunted down for what you are is not the ideal life they have pictured out, you know" in a way, he was spared of that.

"If I was normal, I wouldn't die young. My mother wouldn't be too worried about me either. If you were normal, your life might have turned out to be better but… you're not." There was no point in wishing to be normal anymore. "You still have the chance to turn your life around, you don't have to run from hunters, and you are not tied down by your identity anymore. Knowing what you are and where you come from gave you a bit of a relief. Take that." She wasn't going to keep him here either, and while she enjoyed his company and wished for more of them in the future days while she's here, she couldn't keep him there. "Contrary to most people's beliefs, I was not… well me. I can't remember much because it's been a while but I can remember that I was the opposite of me today. So… maybe not a troublemaker but a hard-headed rebellious teen? Yeah. My mother aged faster because she was dead worried about me" she chuckled, it was actually a good memory.

There were times when he looked stiffly weird and awkward but he was doing well for a beginner, and the determination was radiating off him. "Mhmm, you just need to know your own balance. Keep doing it and you'll find it." Astraea took the plates, cups and tray from him and placed them aside. "Unless you wanna try the whole chapter from princess book and use books to balance stuff, I think you can just keep on doing the same ratio next time." she teased.

CelestialPermalink Reply by ✓ Sunmin Park on September 9, 2020 at 22:26

She seemed to pick up the context about what he was saying with ease, which told him that she was good at reading people like he was, though it was almost scary how easily she could see beyond the picture he put outward, almost like she had some secret mood detector. “I might be a harsh guy but even I don’t have the bravery to crush his hopes like that” he responded in a solemn voice, it was clear the more time he spent with Han that he really wanted a family, honestly he wouldn’t be surprised if the elder star had wished for one. He felt guilty for feeling the way he did because he knew that no matter how many times Han said it was okay for Sunmin to be distant, he was always wishing for more than that. He didn’t fulfill his wish. “Wouldn’t it be right to give a little white lie in this case?” he felt conflicted by that because Sunmin was usually the blunt type.

The way she responded when he said about ending the conversation made him chuckle “See what I mean, I can’t even make a joke without you misunderstanding it” he didn’t spend time around people unless he needed to and even then, he didn’t go out of his way to be around others. Though he did find that sometimes others went out of their way to be around him. He tilted his head as she explained how she could go around in other forms if she chose to but this was the one she had chosen right now “So this is the real you” he commented in a soft voice, he had to admit he was wondering when she first mentioned it, how were you supposed to know what a shapeshifter really looked like, after all.

The fact that she was so open and honest about something that clearly upset her, made her stronger than most people he had met. She wore her heart on her sleeve even though it could get her hurt and she seemed to choose to see the good in the world, despite all the evidence that it wasn’t a perfect place to be. “Some might argue it made you stronger” he spoke softly, nodding his head slightly in thought “Though no one should ever be punished for being what they are” he’d been lucky enough to escape the fate of a normal celestial but he had heard the stories Han told about it and they were horrifying. “That’s the thing for me” he commented in a soft voice, a hint of a smile on his lips as he lifted his gaze to look at her “I have no idea what a good life is for me, all I’ve ever seen is the bad side of it” which was a sad but true admission, he wasn’t raised with these ideals of what his future would look like, he lived his whole life on the run.

She seemed to brighten up a little when she talked about the person she used to be and how she had been pretty wild and interesting “I think that probably makes me a permanent rebellious teen” he commented bluntly, letting a small wry smirk cross his lips as he tried to imagine what a younger and more troubled version of her might have been like. He’d managed to get the hang of balancing things enough to double the amount he could hold which he decided he was going to take as a win, he grinned when she took them away before jesting about being a princess and balancing a book “I’ll leave the princess duties to you” he teased with a smile “Besides, I get the hint, you wanna get home and relax” he chuckled untying his apron and hanging it up before grabbing his stuff and glancing at her over his shoulder “I’ll see you tomorrow Astraea” he nodded before heading out the door.

AurazinPermalink Reply by ✓ Astraea Wu on September 10, 2020 at 14:34

She couldn’t help but smile when he said he didn’t have the heart to crush his brother’s hopes like that, it tells a lot about the kind of person he is, and Astraea was tempted to point it out. But knowing him, she decided against it and only chuckled. “It’s not easy to just break someone’s heart like that, no matter how unimportant they are… I can’t imagine it’s easy to say no to your brother” even if he was someone he just met, siblings are siblings at the end of the day. “You know, it’s fine not to fulfill everyone’s wishes” she reassured, there was nothing to it but she just wanted to tell him that expectations are always going to be there, it didn’t mean he had to adhere to every single one of them. Was it right to give a white lie? Perhaps she could understand his situation but personally, she also doesn’t like lying, in any form. However, it did sound like it was fine to use it in his current circumstances.

Her cheeks were flushed when he pointed out the sarcasm was there for a reason and she didn’t understand it, “Admittedly, I am new to a lot of things…” she mumbled defensively, she truly did need to learn more about satire and sarcasm. It seemed to be his second language though. “Yes, this is the real me” she beamed, smoothing the edge of her blouse as if she was feeling proud of herself, it wasn’t often for Astraea to walk around in her real form. Any other day, she would say it was to make sure nobody recognized her but secretly she knew it was due to her insecurity. Nobody would recognize her, everyone she knew died centuries ago, it was just an excuse for the Aurazin. She could understand his surprise though, she would be wondering what a shape shifter’s real form is too if she was in his shoes. She has only known him for a few hours but that alone was more than enough to want to get to know him better. To call him an enigma would be a clear understatement in her case.

It did make her feel better to hear that he thought it made her stronger, she needed to hear that and despite being friendly with the people she has consoled over the centuries, they all forget about her before the day ends. What was the point of confiding in them? “No, they shouldn’t be punished for being what they are… it’s not as if they could choose what they were born as.” It was something she resented, she never forgot how she died until today and she took it as a reminder as well as a warning. It did make her feel relieved to know he didn’t have to go through the horrendous experience of running away from the hunters. She heard about them when she learned about the Celestials and everything about them screamed tragic and sad. Maybe it was pity that drove her to push this but from her interaction with Sunmin, she genuinely wanted to befriend him. He did save her, after all.

She was used to hearing the snark lacing his voice almost every time so when it sounded different and softer, she was taken aback, “It’s hard to be positive the entire time. But there’s always going to be good and bad, maybe you need someone to show you the good part of it. It must be boring to be on the bad side all the time” she teased coyly, she didn’t want to pity him, because she could understand why he thought that way. “Make it” she urged, you couldn’t go back to change the past but you can make it anew now if you try. A laugh escaped her when he said he would be a permanent rebellious teen, “I mean not to say rebellious teens are a pain, they can be quite witty and charming.” If she could remember more, perhaps she could recall how she was when she was younger. “You’re not gonna stop calling me that, are you?” It didn’t bother her, as sarcastic as it sounded from him, being called a princess sounds like a compliment to her. Maybe Astraea wanted to be a princess sometimes. Why not?

“Don’t put words on my mouth” she scowled playfully and nudged him, “But yes, I am tired and you are too. That happens when you take a double shift, star boy.” By the time he glanced back before exiting, she had already waved her goodbyes at him with a smile, “See ya…” Maybe today wasn’t so bad. She made a new friend, and the customers were tolerable. She gets to see another face she would be looking forward to for tomorrow and more days to come as well.