Chapter Text
“Youngjae.”
“What.”
“Why are you naked? Not that I’m complaining—actually, haha, just kidding, I am fucking complaining because my parents are literally just downstairs waiting to check out our place.”
Youngjae throws Daehyun an unimpressed glance.
“I’m preening.”
Daehyun looks slightly hysterical, straightening things unnecessarily in a last ditch attempt to make their very poorly furnished apartment look less shitty. “Yoo Youngjae, put your dick away this instant! I had to spend hours convincing my mom that you are the most wonderful little angel before she even considered letting me live off campus.”
“Well,” Youngjae shifts his dark auburn feathers, “that was very literal of you.”
“Yoo Youngjae.”
The door intercom buzzes.
Daehyun looks visibly relieved when Youngjae comes out to greet the Aunty and Uncle less than three minutes later, immaculately dressed and wings nowhere in sight. Seriously, Youngjae thinks as he pours tea for the four of them and Daehyun shows his parents around the apartment, that idiot needs to give him more credit. He mastered the skill of conforming to socially acceptable outer appearances when he was four years old.
“I don’t believe this.” Daehyun says when he gets back from seeing his parents off to the station, sagging against the door as soon as it closes behind him. He makes an exaggeratedly dazed expression and slides down, one bent wrist placed at his forehead in apparent despair.
“What.” Youngjae says from the sofa. He finally got some of the ruffled feathers on the right wing sorted out.
“They loved you? They called you a ‘nice, well-brought up young man’? What about me? I’m the perfect son!”
“Last semester you drunk texted your dad.”
“I am the perfect fun loving son then.”
“with pictures.”
Daehyun shudders. “Not my best selcas.” He removes his wrist from his eyes, and appears to notice the cocoon of feathers that is Youngjae on their sparse couch in their new, sparse living room for the first time. “Youn-I-are you naked again?”
Youngjae sighs. “Preening, okay?”
“Why does Youngjae have to get naked to preen?” Daehyun sighs into his popcorn.
“You want some popcorn with that butter soup?” Himchan asks, glancing at Daehyun’s popcorn bag disapprovingly. “Also, the skyfolks’ skin gets… feathery when the wings come out. Youngjae probably wants to smooth out the smaller feathers on his… well, places.”
Daehyun glares at Himchan suspiciously. “First of all, this is the perfect popcorn-butter ratio determined through years of experimentation. Second of all, how do you even know that? What kind of kinky inter-species sex have you been having?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know.”
Yongguk sighs. “We actually really, really would not like to know. Can we just, actually watch this please?”
Jongup turns to Daehyun from his position squished between Yongguk and Himchan as the opening credits starts rolling “Speaking of Youngjae hyung, where is he?”
“He said he’ll be here after a shower. Did you know his preening took him three whole hours?”
“Same length as your skin care routine then,” Himchan scoffs, “so what?”
Daehyun flushes, “It’s just… I never thought about it before, you know? Their wings are always so nice and soft and stuff. Do they have to do this preening thing often? Does it bother them if they don’t? I mean like, I can go without my skin care… maybe… for a couple of days? I guess?”
Himchan puts a hand over his lips “As your hyung, I order you to shut up, the beginning of this movie is art.”
“Why didn’t you ask Youngjae hyung? He probably knows best. Or Junhongnie.” Jongup comments
“I couldn’t just ask? He was naked? It’s not polite to ask your roommate personal hygiene questions when they are naked? Also, Junhongnie arrives tomorrow...maybe I should ask him, yeah.”
“Can’t believe you had Yoo Youngjae naked with you and didn’t at least ask to take pictures.” Himchan says whistfully
“Hyung.”
“Kim Himchan,” Yongguk interrupts, eyes apparently glued to their TV screen, “please shut up.”