bluntly is really the only way that jiho knows how to put anything, and the above words are exactly what he said when his family informed him that they were arranging his. it's an outdated idea, but the hope was that such an arrangement might finally stop jiho's family from killing this other family and vice-versa, after generations of doing exactly that. it was all very hatfield and mccoy.
jiho had an idea of what they really wanted him to do. honestly, they would've been better off just asking him to do that instead of this whole charade. he would much rather be a trojan horse than a groom.
he'd refused. and jiho knew exactly what it meant for him when he did. ironically enough, he probably did join the two families together for real, because the day he escaped his wedding was the day that both families wanted to kill him.
they caught up with jiho briefly in the city, which left him with smears of blood on his skin - his, theirs, all blood looks the same. but he's lost enough of his own to feel weak. jiho stumbles into the highrise, unseen until he reaches the elevator. he pushes a button for a random floor and then leans against the wall to catch his breath.
it's only then that he notices that he's not alone. jiho turns his head, looks the well-built stranger up and down before casually commenting:]
Going up?
[sorry if those words mean something to you, eunsoo. sorry if they even appear across your skin somewhere. you probably deserve better than a little pink assassin for a soulmate.]
Eunsoo has just gotten back from a training session with a relatively new client and is on his way up to his apartment to get showered and changed when--well. When this. And there are a whole lot of thoughts that go through his mind all at once: is this guy okay? That's a nice hair color. Why is there blood everywhere? Wait, what did he just say?
The very strange and unfortunate thing about being alive for a Very Long Time is that, just like the mortals, it's possible to wait an entire lifetime to meet the person whose first words will match the ones scrawled on your skin. Sometimes it happens very quickly. Sometimes it can take centuries. Eunsoo has known a small handful of others whose words, when they first appeared, made absolutely no sense for the time from a technological standpoint.
Eunsoo has heard the phrase "Going up?" several times in his life, but it's never been the first thing someone has said to him. Or it's been slightly off, usually with "Are you going up?". But this time-- it's right on. It's exact. There's a strange warmth that fills him and all he can do is just kind of stare, dumbfounded, as the elevator's door closes and it starts to head up. ]
[jiho keeps his eyes straight ahead, waiting for the elevator to stop, waiting for the door to open and reveal a blood-stained brother or almost sister-in-law. he doesn't blame the guy for staring at him. he must look like hell. he must look like trouble. and jiho realizes then that he probably won't have much time to catch his breath after all, because this guy is sure to go straight into his apartment, lock the door, and call the police.
but then he says those words, and jiho's eyes are suddenly on him. jiho expected to wait a lifetime and longer, because he kept to his family, and anyone else he had words with - well, they were usually last words.
but he's not here to hurt this guy. he has no desire to hurt this guy. but he's probably going to end up dead anyway if he gets tangled up with him. so jiho reaches out, ignoring the scrawl across his wrist, all the way, and tries to get the elevator to stop on the next floor.]
You should go there and stay until morning.
[the elevator stops. the doors open. jiho gets out ten floors below eunsoo's.
[ There's a shift in the man's body, as though the words had whipped across him, and Eunsoo can only assume the meaning: that they've struck home, they mean something. His hand lifts and he clutches lightly at his chest, eyes going to the side of the elevator as it comes to a halt.
His gaze shifts back when he hears the sound of a body hitting the floor and he takes an immediate step forward, putting a hand against the door to keep it from closing on him again. ]
Lucky for you, that was my plan for tonight, anyway.
[ It's easy, so distressingly easy, to crouch down and lift him from the floor. Feel free to hit him all you want, he'll take the abuse unflinchingly if it means he can carry him back into the elevator to continue the journey upward. ]
[and the distress is all jiho's. he never forgets that he's small. the dumbest of his opponents are quick to point it out. but there are ways to compensate for that, and jiho's learned them all. so someone's size and strength aren't enough to keep him in a vulnerable position for long. normally.
jiho doesn't want to hurt him. he's done some pretty callous things, but drawing blood from people he randomly meets in the supermarket or on an elevator isn't one of them. he tries to twist and escape, timing it with the doors, but the combination of pain and a tightened hold in response kind of wrecks that plan.
he's panting by the time the doors slide close again, a few pink strands sticking to his forehead.]
Look, whatever you're looking for, I'm not the guy for it.
[maybe he thinks that finding his soulmate means a night of - gods, jiho doesn't even know. do people just go straight to it? or maybe that's secondary, and the silver-haired stranger would help anyone in need. that thought is even worse.]
[ Spoiler: it's that second part. Eunsoo is a helper, especially when it comes to humans. The fact that this is the one he's been waiting for for over a thousand years is just a bonus motivation. He looks down at the bundle in his arms and tips his head curiously. ]
You're not the one who needs help? Could have fooled me.
[ The elevator stops on his floor and he steps off, humming faintly to himself as he carries the man down the short distance to his door. He pauses for a brief moment, wondering briefly how he's going to get his key out without putting the man down, but eventually he had to suck it up. ]
I'm going to put you down so I can unlock the door. Don't try to run, I can tell you right now I'm faster. Especially in your condition.
[ So he sets him down as gently as possible and stands again to dig out his key and unlock the door. ]
did you think you were done with me, bc you're not
[sticking to his asshole brand. but needing someone's help is to get them involved, and to get them involved is to get them hurt. and he's sorry that this guy got stuck with such a shitty soulmate, he is, but the least jiho can do is try to minimize the damage to him.
which is kind of hard to do when the guy isn't even listening to him.]
Hey. [the doors open. the man keeps on humming like he's taking a walk in the park and not carrying a whole extra person around.] Hey, are your ears just for decoration?
[unlike his muscles, which definitely seem to be for function.
under normal conditions, he'd be willing to pit his speed against anyone's. but he is injured, and his logic puts jiho's pride under its heel for the moment. he's wasted too much time already, and drawing attention with this guy right now probably wouldn't end well for either of them.
so. he leans back against the wall, hand pressed against his side. as his revered grandmother once said: fuck it.]
Oh, I can hear you quite well. I'm just choosing not to listen.
[ :D
Eunsoo finally shoulders his door open and turns to put a gentle--if large--hand on the man's shoulder to guide him through it. The apartment they step in to is large, though not necessarily overly opulent. It's well maintained, clean, and for all the world looks like a space that's been photographed for "modern aesthetic". The most extravagant thing is the one wall half occupied with floor to ceiling windows, showcasing the breathtaking view.
Rich, but as not-flashy as he can be about it. ]
Go sit down. I'll get the first aid kit.
[ The door is shut and locked behind him and he takes a few steps to head off to get the kit before he stops and turns, offering him a smile. ]
I'm Eunsoo, by the way.
[ There's a faint crinkle at the corners of his eyes as he smiles and he turns back once more to go get what he needs. ]
[if he wasn't bleeding and irritated and a little unnerved, he would actually admire the comeback. maybe even smile for it. it's sharp and honest and he likes that, but maybe this thing that he refuses to acknowledge between them would have jiho charmed regardless.]
You shouldn't waste your time, this is nothing.
[don't look at him as he limps his way over to the nearest piece of furniture, anything that he can sink down into before he collapses.
of course it would be white. fuck.
he doesn't need to know his name. he wishes he didn't. and he certainly doesn't need to give eunsoo his. but he's a little distracted, pulling off his shirt and revealing a black undershirt beneath it, using the first to sit down on so he hopefully won't stain some kind guy's place all to hell.]
Eunsoo smiles to himself once he has Jiho's name and he finally disappears down a hallway, presumably to go get a first aid kit out of the bathroom. There's running water heard for a moment, and when he reemerges it's both with the kit and a damp cloth.
He comes to kneel in front of Jiho, gazing up at him from the floor. There's a gentleness to his gaze, even with the hint of worry that exists behind his eyes, and he opens up the kit as he sets it on the couch. ]
we'd have to visit one of those old, peculiar book shops that specialize in strange, occultish things. they're sure to have something on dragon sightings in the past.
lavender honey it is. well, self defense is another story. though i have to say if a dragon is trying to kill us i can't imagine it will go very well for us.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
leaves you a thing or something
bluntly is really the only way that jiho knows how to put anything, and the above words are exactly what he said when his family informed him that they were arranging his. it's an outdated idea, but the hope was that such an arrangement might finally stop jiho's family from killing this other family and vice-versa, after generations of doing exactly that. it was all very hatfield and mccoy.
jiho had an idea of what they really wanted him to do. honestly, they would've been better off just asking him to do that instead of this whole charade. he would much rather be a trojan horse than a groom.
he'd refused. and jiho knew exactly what it meant for him when he did. ironically enough, he probably did join the two families together for real, because the day he escaped his wedding was the day that both families wanted to kill him.
they caught up with jiho briefly in the city, which left him with smears of blood on his skin - his, theirs, all blood looks the same. but he's lost enough of his own to feel weak. jiho stumbles into the highrise, unseen until he reaches the elevator. he pushes a button for a random floor and then leans against the wall to catch his breath.
it's only then that he notices that he's not alone. jiho turns his head, looks the well-built stranger up and down before casually commenting:]
Going up?
[sorry if those words mean something to you, eunsoo. sorry if they even appear across your skin somewhere. you probably deserve better than a little pink assassin for a soulmate.]
you left me every thing
Eunsoo has just gotten back from a training session with a relatively new client and is on his way up to his apartment to get showered and changed when--well. When this. And there are a whole lot of thoughts that go through his mind all at once: is this guy okay? That's a nice hair color. Why is there blood everywhere? Wait, what did he just say?
The very strange and unfortunate thing about being alive for a Very Long Time is that, just like the mortals, it's possible to wait an entire lifetime to meet the person whose first words will match the ones scrawled on your skin. Sometimes it happens very quickly. Sometimes it can take centuries. Eunsoo has known a small handful of others whose words, when they first appeared, made absolutely no sense for the time from a technological standpoint.
Eunsoo has heard the phrase "Going up?" several times in his life, but it's never been the first thing someone has said to him. Or it's been slightly off, usually with "Are you going up?". But this time-- it's right on. It's exact. There's a strange warmth that fills him and all he can do is just kind of stare, dumbfounded, as the elevator's door closes and it starts to head up. ]
All the way.
i'm sure i can come up with more
but then he says those words, and jiho's eyes are suddenly on him. jiho expected to wait a lifetime and longer, because he kept to his family, and anyone else he had words with - well, they were usually last words.
but he's not here to hurt this guy. he has no desire to hurt this guy. but he's probably going to end up dead anyway if he gets tangled up with him. so jiho reaches out, ignoring the scrawl across his wrist, all the way, and tries to get the elevator to stop on the next floor.]
You should go there and stay until morning.
[the elevator stops. the doors open. jiho gets out ten floors below eunsoo's.
and promptly goes to his knees.]
stop my trash heart can only handle so much
His gaze shifts back when he hears the sound of a body hitting the floor and he takes an immediate step forward, putting a hand against the door to keep it from closing on him again. ]
Lucky for you, that was my plan for tonight, anyway.
[ It's easy, so distressingly easy, to crouch down and lift him from the floor. Feel free to hit him all you want, he'll take the abuse unflinchingly if it means he can carry him back into the elevator to continue the journey upward. ]
And now it's yours.
that just encourages me
jiho doesn't want to hurt him. he's done some pretty callous things, but drawing blood from people he randomly meets in the supermarket or on an elevator isn't one of them. he tries to twist and escape, timing it with the doors, but the combination of pain and a tightened hold in response kind of wrecks that plan.
he's panting by the time the doors slide close again, a few pink strands sticking to his forehead.]
Look, whatever you're looking for, I'm not the guy for it.
[maybe he thinks that finding his soulmate means a night of - gods, jiho doesn't even know. do people just go straight to it? or maybe that's secondary, and the silver-haired stranger would help anyone in need. that thought is even worse.]
no subject
You're not the one who needs help? Could have fooled me.
[ The elevator stops on his floor and he steps off, humming faintly to himself as he carries the man down the short distance to his door. He pauses for a brief moment, wondering briefly how he's going to get his key out without putting the man down, but eventually he had to suck it up. ]
I'm going to put you down so I can unlock the door. Don't try to run, I can tell you right now I'm faster. Especially in your condition.
[ So he sets him down as gently as possible and stands again to dig out his key and unlock the door. ]
did you think you were done with me, bc you're not
[sticking to his asshole brand. but needing someone's help is to get them involved, and to get them involved is to get them hurt. and he's sorry that this guy got stuck with such a shitty soulmate, he is, but the least jiho can do is try to minimize the damage to him.
which is kind of hard to do when the guy isn't even listening to him.]
Hey. [the doors open. the man keeps on humming like he's taking a walk in the park and not carrying a whole extra person around.] Hey, are your ears just for decoration?
[unlike his muscles, which definitely seem to be for function.
under normal conditions, he'd be willing to pit his speed against anyone's. but he is injured, and his logic puts jiho's pride under its heel for the moment. he's wasted too much time already, and drawing attention with this guy right now probably wouldn't end well for either of them.
so. he leans back against the wall, hand pressed against his side. as his revered grandmother once said: fuck it.]
Hurry.
opens arms 2 u
[ :D
Eunsoo finally shoulders his door open and turns to put a gentle--if large--hand on the man's shoulder to guide him through it. The apartment they step in to is large, though not necessarily overly opulent. It's well maintained, clean, and for all the world looks like a space that's been photographed for "modern aesthetic". The most extravagant thing is the one wall half occupied with floor to ceiling windows, showcasing the breathtaking view.
Rich, but as not-flashy as he can be about it. ]
Go sit down. I'll get the first aid kit.
[ The door is shut and locked behind him and he takes a few steps to head off to get the kit before he stops and turns, offering him a smile. ]
I'm Eunsoo, by the way.
[ There's a faint crinkle at the corners of his eyes as he smiles and he turns back once more to go get what he needs. ]
no subject
You shouldn't waste your time, this is nothing.
[don't look at him as he limps his way over to the nearest piece of furniture, anything that he can sink down into before he collapses.
of course it would be white. fuck.
he doesn't need to know his name. he wishes he didn't. and he certainly doesn't need to give eunsoo his. but he's a little distracted, pulling off his shirt and revealing a black undershirt beneath it, using the first to sit down on so he hopefully won't stain some kind guy's place all to hell.]
Jiho.
no subject
Eunsoo smiles to himself once he has Jiho's name and he finally disappears down a hallway, presumably to go get a first aid kit out of the bathroom. There's running water heard for a moment, and when he reemerges it's both with the kit and a damp cloth.
He comes to kneel in front of Jiho, gazing up at him from the floor. There's a gentleness to his gaze, even with the hint of worry that exists behind his eyes, and he opens up the kit as he sets it on the couch. ]
Alright. Show me where you're hurt.
=>haneul
how do
how do you propose dragon hunting would work?
no subject
no subject
[ DISTRESSING. ]
no subject
[ sry he likes weird things ]
are you not interested?
no subject
i guess i'm curious.
to see what kind of things they could possibly have to say.
[ and how accurate it all is. maybe it could help him find others...??? ]
no subject
no subject
what sort of snacks should i bring?
while we try to information on how to hunt a dragon.
no subject
if we do find one, i also want to be the one to kill it.
no subject
a unique snack.
[ :| ]
if there's really one out there and we find it
don't you think we should just kind of let it be?
what if it's the last one?
no subject
[ let him ponder this a moment. ]
maybe. i wouldn't want to be responsible for the extinction of dragons.
no subject
[ for the cake and also for maybe not wanting to kill the dragon? ]
you'll want an ice cream cake, right?
what flavor should i get.
[ time to hit that baskin robbins ]
no subject
what if the dragon tries to kill us?
no subject
well, self defense is another story.
though i have to say if a dragon is trying to kill us i can't imagine it will go very well for us.
no subject
no subject
it's not like fire is the be-all end-all for dragon abilities.
i would assume.
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)