Chapter Text
“Thank you!” The woman sobbed as Ken handed her the infant in his arms. Ken grinned wide. He loved being able to help the citizens of the city, and he liked that he was different from most super heros. He didn’t have a stupid fancy name or a stupid fancy cape or a stupid fancy mask. He was just Ken, who just wore a mask over his mouth with different designs and a name that let him be closer to his neighbors. No Captain Whatever or Super Who Cares. He was just him. Just Ken.
“If you ever need anything again, call for me.” he said with a grin. Sure, she couldn’t see his mouth his eyes held enough happiness for the world to see.
“Thank you again.”
“Get home safe, okay?” Ken patted her gently on the arm before turning away. In a flash, he was gone.
He was one of the rare supers, one that had more than one power. Most only had teleportation, or flight, or future vision, but Ken had more that. He was fast - faster than a speeding bullet - and could see into the future to boot. He was able to save people from burning buildings in the blink of an eye and stop robbers before anyone could even realize they pulled out a gun. He could punch down a villain before they could even open their mouth to monologue about their dastardly plot.
Ken was a hero of the people. The people adored him, and he adored them.
But something wasn’t quite right. He didn’t know what it was, but something seemed off in his peaceful city. Sure, there were petty crimes here and there, and accidents happen daily, but other than that… everything seemed fine.
“Ravi…” Ken whispered, realizing what was different. The one villain who never stayed down - the self proclaimed dark prince himself - Ravi, hadn’t been seen in days. Ken was always first in line to stop the villain, with his comically cut hair that seemed to change every week and a deep voice that absolutely was an act.
The villain was an enigma to Ken. There was an unspoken rule that if a hero saw a villain in civilian clothing - or vice versa - they weren’t to do anything. At that point, they were normal pedestrians. Ken was pretty good at spotting the different villains out of costume, and he kept an eye on them while they ran errands. He understood that each villain had their own trauma that caused them to do the things they did, and he wasn’t one to judge someone’s past. He was just there to stop people from getting hurt. Ravi, on the other hand, managed to evade Ken’s watchful eye. It was as if the only time the villain existed was when he wanted Ken to see him.
Ken sighed as he pulled off his mask, locking his apartment door behind him. Ken became Jaehwan in an instant and he collapsed on the couch. He was always tired after using his powers. There was something about going fast that always caught back up with him eventually.
Jaehwan dragged himself from the couch, his whole body aching with the effort. He stumbled into the bathroom and flicked on the light, hoping a hot shower would fight off the pain long enough to take some painkillers and go to sleep.
He loved what he did. He loved helping people, but it was so exhausting. On top of being a hero, he had to work to pay rent as well. He managed to work from home, writing short stories for an online blog-type publication site. He submitted the short stories by chapter, and he needed to submit at least one chapter a week. Thankfully he managed to shit out several chapters a few weeks ago, so he had a bit of a break, but he was coming up on the end of his overage. The thought of having to get back into writing made his stomach churn. It wasn’t that he disliked writing - he loved it as much, if not more, than being a hero - but he was just so tired he thought he was going to cry.
His reflection stared back at him and Jaehwan wondered when he lost so much weight. He knew he needed to eat more, but he barely had any time. Especially recently - normally his main calorie intake came from the sugary coffees and pastries he would mindlessly eat as he wrote, his local cafes knowing his order by heart, but since he hadn’t been writing recently, he hadn’t been eating much.
It didn’t help that using his powers left him nauseous nine out of ten times.
He turned on the shower and stripped as the water warmed. He caught sight of his body in the small mirror and grimaced. He used to have a nice body, but now it was covered in scars. He had been slashed and burn and bruise and stabbed and shot - any kind of wound you could think of, he had received at some point during his time as a hero. The worst one wasn’t even from a fight - it came from a car accident several years before.
It was from his second year of being a hero. There was a deadly crash on a backroad. He managed to get there in time to save the little boy in the back seat, getting soaked in the dripping gasoline in the process. He was fast enough to throw the boy towards the parents on the grass, several hundred feet away from the car just in time for the gas to catch on fire. Ken was thrown back from the explosion, his sweatshirt catching and flaring up in seconds.
He was in the hospital for weeks. Thankfully the doctors were sworn to secrecy, so his identity wasn’t in danger, but his body was disfigured. The burn stretched from his ribs, up his chest and licked up his chin, leaving red painted across his jaw. That was the main reason he switched from an eye mask to a face mask. Eyes were recognizable, sure, but a scar like that would have given him away in an instant.
Jaehwan sighed, his eyes catching on the rest of the scars on his skin. He didn’t hate them, but he hated how they made other people see him. He couldn’t wear short sleeves out anymore, even as a civilian. Once, a cop pulled him aside and asked him carefully if he was in an abusive relationship. Jaehwan smiled softly and told the nice officer that no, he just had a fairly dangerous job. He could see the cop’s understanding, and he let Jaehwan go, but after that he only ever wore long sleeved shirts.
He shook his head and stepped into the shower, letting the steaming water hit his shoulders. God, he didn’t realize how tense he was until the warmth was soaking into his muscles.
It was only when the water started cooling off that Jaehwan turned the shower off and stepped out again. The hot water never lasted as long as he needed it to. He knew if he just… found a better apartment he could have nicer showers but his paycheck wasn’t quite enough. Plus, he was content the rest of the time. His neighbors were nice and his room had good air conditioning and his only needed to call the landlord about once a month to fix various issues around the apartment.
Jaehwan threw on a pair of boxers, not bothering to dry his hair completely before flopping down onto his bed. Thunder rumbled outside and he whimpered, even after the hot shower, the sudden storm made his scars ache. That was the part he hated the most - he could never enjoy storms without his body throbbing.
He whimpered again into his pillow, falling asleep within minutes.
Being a hero really drained you.
He took a breath and strengthened his resolve yet again. He had been toying with the idea of running away for years, but now he was finally doing it. Not forever - no, he loved his city too much. He was just… taking a vacation. He packed his laptop, his notebook and a backpack worth of clothing and headed to the bus station.
No one looked at him for too long. He knew why. They would make eye contact, then their gaze would go down. Their eyes would widen when they saw the scar on his jaw and then quickly look away. It used to make him self conscious, but Jaehwan quickly learned it was helpful. He didn’t really like small talk that much.
“Would you want a return ticket?” The young woman at the desk asked. Jaehwan thought for a second before shaking his head.
“No, I’m not entirely sure when returning just yet.” He smiled kindly at her and he saw her cheeks warm a little.
“Ah, I see,” She looked away with a small smile. “I’ll just… print your ticket now.”
“Thank you so much.” He winked and her blush doubled. He looked around the bus station as he waited for the ticket to print, taking in the people around him. He saw some familiar faces - people he’s helped in the past, off duty officers reading newspapers, even a villain that he had stopped a handful of times feeding the birds that got stuck inside the building.
“Here you are sir,” The young woman came back, a ticket and a pamphlet in hand. She smiled at him as she handed them over. “When you’re ready to return, this pamphlet can help you book a ticket from your phone so you don’t have to wait again. If you have any issues, my number is- is on the bottom there.” She blushed and looked away shyly.
“Thank you so much,” He took the pamphlet with a shining grin. “I’ll be sure to call if I run into any trouble.”
“H-have a nice day.” She squeaked before leaving the window and going farther back into her office. Jaehwan smiled to himself before going to wait by his bus terminal. It made his chest light to know that even disfigured, people still found him attractive. Not many, it seemed, but at least the bus girl thought he was cute. Too bad he wasn’t into girls, he thought with a silent chuckle.
“Bus number 315 now boarding!” A driver called. Jaehwan checked his ticket and stood, gathering his belongings and going to wait in line. He wouldn’t be gone too long, he reasoned with himself. The city was able to function for years before he was even born. He could disappear for a few days and return with everything still intact. The city wouldn’t implode without him there.
He sat in the plush seat and put in his headphones before the bus even finished loading. His ticket destination was technically the last stop on the route, but if he got off somewhere else no one would notice. The bus filled and the door closed, and Jaehwan watched the city he loved so much get smaller and smaller in the distance as he went towards who knows what.
Before long, he started to drift off to sleep. He had several hours before they made it to the last stop, so he had time to rest. His eyes slid shut as the music changed. Soft notes filled the earbuds as he rested his head against the window.
“Wha-?” Jaehwan suddenly blinked awake. He checked his phone and realized he had only been asleep for about twenty minutes. What woke up him then? He noticed the bus was stopped and only a handful of people were getting off. He settled back into his seat just as the driver did last calls for the stop. Just as the driver was about to close the door, Jaehwan shot up in his seat. He quickly apologized as he rushed off the bus, feeling bad at the nasty looks given to him by the other bus goers for delaying the trip more, but he needed to get off at this stop.
Just as they were about to pull away, Jaehwan had a vision - one that seemed… off somehow. He saw Ravi, who had been suspiciously quiet recently, but he was different. He was smiling and laughing and seemed… happy.
But Jaehwan knew where a villain was present, bad things were going to happen.
He shouldered his bag and stepped out of the bus station, only to stop in shock. Even though he was only twenty minutes from the city, the town in front of him was like nothing he had seen before. He had been born and raised in the city, so seeing how small this town surprised him.
He could tell he was in the downtown area, but the only shops they had were a grocery store, a handful of smaller stores that sold clothing, jewellery and food, a small pharmacy and a gazebo smack dab in the middle of a large lawn. In the distance Jaehwan could see some houses, with white fences and nicely trimmed grass.
The first thought that went through his head was how cute everything was. The second thought was that finding a hotel for the next few nights might be harder than he anticipated. When he boarded the bus, he expected to end up in another city to it never dawned on him that finding lodging would pose a challenge. He sighed and hiked his bag back up again.
A look around town couldn’t hurt, right? Jaehwan stopped in the stores and looked around, making a mental note to stop by again and buy the pretty blue scarf he saw in the one. He bought a sandwich at the deli and went to sit in the lawn. It was a nice day out, and even though he had no idea what he was going to do in this town, he wanted to enjoy the first day of his runaway-vacation.
He set his jacket on the ground and sat on it, setting his sandwich off to the side and digging his journal from his bag.
His journal was his life. He brought it everywhere with him. He had gone through several already, the worn leather cover scuffed and nicked from all the times he shoved it in his bag or tossed it onto his table. All of his stories were written in it, or at least the brainstorming for all his stories.
Flipping open to the page with the bookmark, he grabbed his pencil and started to jot down ideas for a new one. He had finished his last short story, and had a few ideas for his next one, but none of them were fleshed out enough to start writing.
He picked one that wouldn’t draw on too long and started plotting, writing down bullet points for what he wanted to happen. This was always the most interesting part, because this was where he laid down the foundation.
An hour passed of Jaehwan mindlessly eating his lunch and writing in his journal. He took some time to sketch out his characters as well. His drawing skills were nothing compared to his writing skills, so in reality the sketches looked like they were done by a child, but it was enough to help Jaehwan keep their appearances consistent.
He crumpled his trash and stood, cracking his back loudly. He grabbed his jacket and journal, looking around to find a trashcan when he heard something odd. Around the gazebo was a crowd of children, their parents lounging on the grass a little farther away. They were silent, which was the most unsettling part of it all. Jaehwan had never come across a child that could be absolutely quiet, but when he saw what they were watching he understood.
There was a man in the gazebo, using it like stage. He grinned down at the kids as he spoke. Jaehwan could see the wonder in the children’s eyes as the man talked. He looked to be about the same height as Jaehwan, but with soft brown hair that fell into sleepy looking eyes that seemed to glow with excitement.
“And there he was!” The man grinned, pointing off into the distance. Some of the kids turned to look, but most continued to watch him. “The hero himself! He held his sword over his head and called down to the enemy, ‘You will never defeat us,’ he shouted to them, ‘for we have the blessing of the gods on our side! They fight alongside us!’ The enemy army scorned the hero, scoffing and mocking him. ‘The gods?’ they laughed, ‘Aren’t you too old for fairy tales?’ The hero paused before laughing back. ‘Fairy tales? Think again friend.’ and the hero’s friends stepped up next to him. They were shining, dressed in the finest armor. The enemy army gasped, for there before them truly were the gods of old. Men and women alike, standing ready for battle.”
“What happened next?” A boy in the front yard shouted, causing the man to grin. Jaehwan felt his breath catch. The man’s smile was gorgeous.
“The hero raised his sword,” He said, raising his own arm as if he was the hero himself. The crowd gasped. “He shouted CHARGE and his army raced down the hill towards the enemy army. They didn’t stand a chance! The battle was over in the blink of an eye, and the hero stood victorious over the enemy. ‘You saved your country,’ one of the gods told the hero. ‘You care kind and just, and will do many great things.’ The hero smiled gently but shook his head. ‘I am not a god, like you,’ he said as he sheathed his sword. ‘I do not do great things on my own. I only do what I can to make life better for others.’ The god smiled at him, and placed a hand on his cheek. There was a FLASH! And suddenly all the aches and pains in his body vanished. When the hero opened his eyes again, the gods were gone. He smiled again and turned to his friends. They helped the injured and returned home victorious.”
Jaehwan smiled as he watched the children explode. As a writer himself, he could absolutely appreciate a story teller with the amount of talent that the man did. The parents of the children started coming up to collect their kids, thanking the man for his story and asking when he would be back.
“I’ll be back here tomorrow at the same time,” he said softly, his eyes looking at the children with a mix of joy and affection. Jaehwan could tell he really cared about the kids in his town. “Will you be able to make it?”
“Oh of course,” the woman laughed and picked her son up, resting him on her hip. “If we missed, he’d never let me live it down.”
“I’ll look forward to it then,” He laughed before saying goodbye to the boy with a gentle smile. Jaehwan watched from a short distance, clutching his journal in his arms. Just as he was about to turn away, the man looked over at him. Their eyes locked and the man offered him a smile. “Usually my audience is more in the… five year old range, but I welcome all listeners.”
“You caught me,” Jaehwan laughed, looking down. His ears burned a little. “I couldn’t help myself though. You’re an amazing story teller.”
“Thank you,” His grin widened, his sleepy eyes turning up. “That means a lot coming from someone as handsome as you.”
“H-handome…” Jaehwan’s voice cracked, his entire face lighting up bright red. He looked away, hating how his face looked when he blushed. The red made his scar stand out even more.
“Ah, hold on,” The man turned away quickly. “I have to get Butt.”
“But what?” Jaehwan started to ask but the man was already sprinting back to the gazebo. Within seconds he was walking back with long strides, a small dog tucked in his arms. It had been a long time since Jaehwan had seen a cream frenchie. They weren’t exactly common in that area - people tended to go more for the yorkie/pomeranian type dogs, much to Jaehwan’s annoyance.
“This is Butt,” The man smiled down at the dog once he was finally completely in front of Jaehwan. He noticed the man was a little taller than him, which was definitely something to notice seeing how tall he already was. “He goes everywhere with me.”
“He’s adorable.” Jaehwan reached out for the dog to smell his hand. He took it as a good sign when he wasn’t bitten, so he gave the pup a small pat on the head. Butt’s tongue lolled out as he closed his eyes, and it almost looked like he was smiling.
“And I’m Wonshik, by the way.”
“Jaehwan.”
“Don’t think I’ve ever seen you in town before. Visiting someone?”
“Ah, not really,” Jaehwan shrugged a little. “I needed to get away from everything for a while. I was going to ride the bus to the last stop and see where it took be but… something told me to get off here.”
“Where are you from?” Wonshik asked as he put Butt down. He made sure to have a grip on the leash before letting the dog lead the way. Jaehwan followed them, enjoying the leisurely stroll through the park.
“From the city,” Jaehwan chuckled a little. “I’m a writer, but I was getting… I felt stuck there, so I ran away for a little bit. Thankfully I work from home and don’t have any friends, so no one will really notice I’m gone.”
“That can’t be true.” Wonshik glanced at Jaehwan from the corner of his eye. “Someone like you? With no friends? I don’t believe it.”
“What makes you say that?” He laughed again. He honestly couldn’t remember the last time a conversation felt so natural.
“You’re way too personable,” Wonshik shrugged a little, his ears turning red. “I’m not… I don’t really talk to strangers all that much. I’d rather talk to kids, because they’re so open and understanding. Adults can be… critical. You, on the other hand…” Jaehwan risked a glance at the taller man and felt his cheeks warm at the look he was receiving in turn. “You caught my attention instantly. It was like I was drawn to you.”
“That’s so greasy,” Jaehwan laughed, his chest fluttering a little. “I bet you get all the ladies like that.”
“Surprisingly, it works better on guys than girls,” He at least had the decency to look embarrassed. “Which works in my favor seeing how I like guys more than girls.”
Jaehwan could feel the tension radiating off Wonshik. He stopped walking and looked at the other man fully. He could see the sudden worry in Wonshik’s eyes when he suddenly stopped.
“Good for me too, it seems,” Jaehwan couldn’t help but giggle a little. “Seeing how I also… play for the other team.”
“Oh thank god,” Wonshik let out a huge breath, causing Butt to jump ad Jaehwan to laugh louder. “You have no idea how many guys I’ve hit on ended up being straight.”
“Does any part of me say straight to you?” Jaehwan laughed, his eyes turning up as he smiled. Wonshik returned the smile and shook his head.
“Nah, you’re pretty gay.” he said, turning his back to Jaehwan and stretching his arms above his head.
“Hey! Say that to my face you coward!” Jaehwan whined, not noticing how pale Wonshik suddenly looked.
“What did you say you were in town for?” he asked, not turning around.
“I needed a change of scenery,” Jaehwan looked around the quaint park with a small smile. It was like nothing he had really seen before. “It’s gorgeous here.”
“What sort of work do you do, Mr. Handsome?” Wonshik asked.
“I’m a writer,” He tucked his journal back in his backpack as he walked, easily keeping up with the taller man. “I write short stories for an online blog. I’m about to start a new one, but needed a change of scenery.”
“I get that,” Wonshik breathed softly. “Sometimes it can get a little claustrophobic, even in a big city.”
“Exactly,” Jaehwan had never met someone who instantly understood him before. Usually when he tried to express his feeling of being… trapped, people would scoff. The city is so big, they would say. If you feel trapped, go a few blocks down to the park. “It’s suffocating sometimes. There’s this… pressure and I never feel like I live up to what people want me to be and I want to just… give up, but I can’t because people depend on me.”
“It’s even worse when you have to do things that aren’t necessarily good in order to provide for those people that depend on you.” Wonshik’s voice was almost inaudible, and Jaehwan wasn’t entirely sure he heard right.
“I-”
“You said you came here on a whim,” Wonshik cut him off abruptly. “Which probably means you don’t have a place to stay, right?”
“Um, no I don’t,” Jaehwan coughed awkwardly. “I was hoping to find a… hotel or an Air BnB or something.”
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you want anything like that you’re going to have to go to the next town over,” Wonshik’s grin widened as Jaehwan deflated. “Though I guess it’s your lucky day. I just happened to have the spare room in my house redone recently, so if you wanted to stay with me, you have a bed already made.”
“I- you’d let me stay with you?” Jaehwan was floored. “But… but you don’t even know me-”
“I can tell just from this conversation that you’re a good person,” Wonshik continued to walk down the well kept path. “And what kind of person would I be if I left someone to fend for themselves? I’d have to be a villain.”
“You? A villain?” Jaehwan couldn’t help but laugh. “No way.”
“You’d be surprised.”
“Sure, and I’m a five foot german girl with pigtails.” Jaehwan pulled a face and Wonshik couldn’t stop the choked laughed that jumped from his mouth.
“Cute and funny? I think I hit the jackpot.” The taller man’s lopsided grin just aided in Jaehwan’s blush growing brighter.
“Shut up…” Jaehwan muttered with no fire behind his words. He held onto the straps of his backpack like a shy schoolgirl.
“I don’t live too far,” Wonshik’s smile softened. “It’s just down the street.”
“Sound good.”
“So you’re okay with staying with me?” Wonshik raised an eyebrow and for the first time Jaehwan took note of how well manicured they were.
“I mean, I’d rather stay with you than try to test my luck in the next town,” Jaehwan tried to play it cool, but Wonshik could tell he was flustered. “Besides… I’d love to hear another story, if you’d humor me.”
“I think I could handle that.” Wonshik nodded, his eyes turning up with his smile.
“Lead the way then!” Jaehwan held out his hand. He mainly meant it as a joke, but he didn’t try to pull away when Wonshik’s larger hand laced through his fingers. Both men blushed, but neither commented on it as they walked down the street.
Jaehwan was amazed. It seemed like everyone in town knew Wonshik. Every ten feet he was stopped by someone to say hello, or would removed his hand from Jaehwan’s to help someone carry something before going back to the other man’s side and taking his hand once more.
“You’re pretty popular.” Jaehwan remarked, after the fourth time they had been stopped. Wonshik chuckled and rubbed the back of the head with the hand that was holding Butt’s leash. Jaehwan thought he was cute when he blushed. He looked like a puppy.
“I do a lot in the community,” He said, almost shyly. “There are a lot of low income families in the area, so I do what I can to make their lives a little easier.”
“That’s amazing…” Jaehwan looked at Wonshik with wide eyes.
“The whole story telling thing started because the daycare in town closed down,” Wonshik’s smile faded a little. “The parents didn’t have anywhere for their kids to go after school, so I started putting on shows in the park to occupy them. The parents that can watch over the kids come and volunteer to make sure no one gets hurt or goes missing. They’ve tried paying me, but I don’t need their money, you know? I do it because I can.”
“You’re like a hero,” Jaehwan said without thinking. “A hero without powers… didn’t think that was really a thing anymore.”
“How do you know I don’t have powers?” Wonshik teased lightly as they turned the corner to a road lined with small, well kept homes. “I could have a thousand powers for all you know!”
“Like what?” Jaehwan teased back. He tripped on the uneven pavement, clutching onto Wonshik’s arm a little tighter to keep his balance. The taller man easily held him up, and they gave each other a shy smile before turning away. Jaehwan didn’t let go of Wonshik’s arm.
“I want to hear your ideas first.” he nudged Jaehwan with his elbow.
“I dunno, the power of seduction maybe?” he said, pretending to be serious for a moment before the sound of the taller man’s barking laughter made him break character. “Or the power to hypnotize… I was pretty enchanted earlier.”
“I can’t say I have either of those powers,” Wonshik said through his laughs. “But I’m flattered that you think I could.”
“You absolutely could,” Jaehwan held onto Wonshik’s arm a little tighter. “Hypnotize me all you want, I won’t complain.”
He winked and sent Wonshik a flirtatious look, which made the taller man’s cheeks light up. Wonshik grinned and pulled Jaehwan into his side, his arm easily wrapping around the writer’s waist, as if it was meant to rest there.
They walked in silence, Jaehwan gently bumping into Wonshik as they went. Wonshik pretended not to notice, but Jaehwan could see the taller man glancing at him and smirking each time he did it.
“Ah, we’re here.” Wonshik said, leading Jaehwan up a small pathway to the front door of a small home. Jaehwan’s eyes sparkled as he took in the house. As someone who lived in a city, he never even humored the idea of owning a home, so seeing Wonshik’s house was something akin to magic to Jaehwan.
The front was colorful, if not a little messy compared to the neighboring homes. The front garden had a menagerie of plants of all shapes and colors and heights. They were slightly overgrown, but Jaehwan could see there were no weeds which mean Wonshik took care of the garden but didn’t want to trim the plants themselves. The lawn was tidy, but would be needing a mowing in the next week or so. There were even a few knick knacks tucked in the plants - the first one Jaehwan noticed was a little gnome peeking out behind a large orange flower.
Wonshik opened the door and Jaehwan’s eyes widened more. The house itself was… perfect. There were pictures hanging on the walls and every surface had something on it - papers and books and little statues and what looked like art done by children. They shuffled into the kitchen, where Wonshik knelt to undo Butt’s leash. The dog didn’t move as his owner started to pour kibble into a bowl, just sitting on the kitchen floor with his tongue sticking out and his eyes looking in two different directions.
The kitchen was a bit of a mess, but it made Jaehwan’s chest flutter. There were dishes in the sink and the fridge was covered in notes and pictures and colorful magnets. The appliances were mismatched and the chairs at the table were obviously from different sets. Even the dish towels were different patterns and in different states of distress.
The house was so lived in and it made Jaehwan long for… something. He didn’t know what, but his chest ached painfully.
“Here, I’ll show you to the guest room and let you settle in,” Wonshik said as he straightened from giving Butt his bowl. Jaehwan smiled a little when he heard the taller man’s knees crack loudly. His knees did the same thing. “You hungry? It’s almost dinner time, and even though I have very minimal cooking skills, I can attempt to make something.”
“Yeah, I could eat.” Jaehwan’s ears burned. When was the last time someone cooked for him? He couldn’t remember.
“Perfect,” Wonshik’s smile was blinding. “Here, this is the guest room. The bathroom is directly across and my room is at the end. I know it’s not a big house but it’s home.” he chuckled a little and Jaehwan placed a gentle hand on his arm.
“I love it,” He smiled softly. “It’s so alive. It’s… beautiful.”
“It’s a mess, but thank you,” Wonshik blushed again. “I guess a writer is good at weaving compliments.”
“I can weave a couple more if you want.” Jaehwan winked again, liking how flustered he could make the taller man with just a few words.
“I- um, food,” Wonshik pointed back towards the kitchen, looking anywhere but at Jaehwan’s smirk. “Come on out when you’re ready.”
“Will do.” Jaehwan let Wonshik scramble out, the cat-like smile never dropping from his face. He turned to look at the room and his smile softened.
It wasn’t super decorated, but Jaehwan could see touches of Wonshik there and there - the framed movie poster on the wall, the duvet that didn’t match anything else in the room, the dresser that had three different types of knobs.
Overall? It was perfect.
Jaehwan didn’t have a whole lot to unpack. He didn’t know how long he would be gone, and figured packing light would be best. It only took him five minutes to unpack his things, and the entire time he wondered why he was even bothering to unpack. He was more of a live-out-of-the-suitcase-for-two-weeks-after-the-trip kind of person. He never unpacked, but a small part of him wanted to feel like he lived there, he guessed.
Growing up, his house had always felt cold. His parents were strict and meticulous - the house was spotless and modern looking. It was always so, so cold. Jaehwan’s room was the only spot in the entire house that had any personality, and even then his parents would try to pressure him into making it more uniform. The day Jaehwan moved out of the house was the the day he promised himself he would never be like his parents.
He sat on the edge of the bed and let his situation sink in. He ran away from the city, leaving behind his apartment and his hero persona without a word to anyone. He got on a random but and got off at a random stop. He lowkey fell in love with the storyteller in the park and is now staying at said storyteller’s house for the extent of his who-know-how-long vacation in a town he doesn’t know.
“What have I gotten myself into?” He mumbled, resting his face in his hands. His head was starting to hurt, but he ignored it. He could choose to accept or decline his visions - the latter took the largest toll on him. He repressed the images and it caused a pressure to swell behind his eyes but he didn’t care. He didn’t want to see what was going to happen. For once, he wanted to be normal.
The sound of pots clattering together in the kitchen knocked Jaehwan out of his thoughts. He could hear Wonshik talking to Butt as he cooked, and a small smile made its way onto his face.
Jaehwan stood from the bed and went to the kitchen. He crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame and watched Wonshik work for a moment, taking in the sight of the taller man arguing with his dog over how much salt he should put in the pot for ramen with a smile.
“Need a hand?” he asked, letting Wonshik know he was there. The taller man turned to him and grinned as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
“Could you grab two eggs from the fridge?” he asked, putting the pot on the stove. “Hope you like ramen, cuz that’s all I really have right now. We can go grocery shopping tomorrow.”
“Yeah, ramen sounds amazing.” Jaehwan didn’t show how Wonshik’s words affected him, but hearing the other man say ‘we’ so casually made his heart skip a beat. It was all so… domestic. So normal. So… perfect.
“You want veggies?”
“Sure, I’m not picky.” Jaehwan squat down, groaning a little as his body cracked. Wonshik chuckled as he glanced over and saw Jaehwan petting Butt with a content smile.
“At least one of you are,” he laughed, pulling a knife from the wooden block and putting it on the cutting board. “Butt is so picky, it took almost two months before he would actually eat properly because he didn’t like any of the foods I gave him.”
“That’s not true, right Butt?” Jaehwan cupped the dog’s face and kissed his forehead loudly. “You’re an angel. Wonshikie is just a big old meanie.”
“Sure, I’m the bad guy,” Wonshik laughed, pulling various vegetables from the fridge and closing the door with his hip. “How old are you anyway? I don’t think I ever asked.”
“Oh, I’m twenty seven,” he said as he stood, groaning again as his joints protested. “You wouldn’t think it, seeing how loud my knees are, but I swear I’m only twenty seven.”
“Well shit,” Wonshik huffed. “I’m twenty six.”
“Ha! I’m older!” Jaehwan puffed up his chest like a peacock and grinned at Wonshik, who watched him strut around the kitchen with a gentle smile.
“Guess I should call you hyung then, shouldn’t I?” He said, turning back to the cutting board. Jaehwan’s chest instantly deflated as his face blazed red. He cupped his own cheeks, hoping the coolness of his fingers would calm the heat radiating from his face. Who did Wonshik think he was, throwing that out there so casually-
Just then, time seemed to slow. Wonshik slipped, the knife falling right towards his foot. Jaehwan didn’t think. He flashed forward and pulled Wonshik back in the blink of an eye. The taller man was on the other side of the kitchen before the blade even touched the worn tiles of the floor.
Wonshik blinked, trying to comprehend what just happened. He turned to Jaehwan, who was looking a little green, then to the knife on the floor where he had just been standing, all the way on the other side of the room.
“Jaehwan…”
“I can explain!” Jaehwan rushed out, panicked. He didn’t want to admit it, but Wonshik hating him for having powers was all he could imagine in that moment. How many times have people turned their backs on him for his powers? How many times has he been cut from sports teams due to his ‘advantage’ or disqualified from competitions for his ability to ‘cheat and look into the future’? “I- I-”
“Thank you,” Wonshik said with a smile. “You saved my foot from a painful trip to the first aid kit.”
“Wonshik-”
“Come on, the water is starting to boil,” The taller man walked away, leaving a swaying Jaehwan by the table. “The sooner we eat the sooner we can sleep and I don’t know about you but I’m exhausted.”
“R-right.” Jaehwan moved carefully, his head foggy from using his power. He wasn’t sure what just happened. Wonshik didn’t seem to care about his powers. So why, then, did the younger man look so terrified for a moment?
Wonshik was hiding something, and Jaehwan wasn’t sure if he wanted to know.