Chapter Text
He knew he was sweet from the first time they met, his hair was light blonde then, looking like a cloud of cotton candy in the wind. He kept stroking it back, trying to look unbothered and the wind kept wisping it around. He had this delicate air to him, that is until he opened his mouth.
“Took you long enough to get here,I’ve been waiting here for 20 minutes, five more and I would’ve got on the boat home again.”
His eyes were twinkling mischievously but there was not a single trace of malintent on his smiling face. The way his legs were swinging from the bench was almost childlike. Hendery swallowed.
“I got stuck in traffic, some poor dimwit drove into a lightpost.” He eyed the large duffel bag clutched in his hands, the leather squeaking slightly under his touch. “Can I carry that for you?”
“What a gentleman, are you going to open the car door for me too?”
Jaemin handed over the duffel wordlessly and sprung up on his feet, light as a feather. “So what should I call you then my chivalrous fellow?”
“Hendery.”
“I’m Jaemin," he said, a sunny smile on his face. "Well, lead the way then Hendery.” He mused, nevertheless skipping in front of him in the general direction of a parking lot.
“I parked on the east side!” He shouted after the boy. Simply shaking his head as he went in the other direction.
The drive was short, the island being on the smaller side. Hendery had always loved the serpentlike narrow, winding roads but Jaemin was holding on to his seat as if his life depended on it, looking alarmingly pale. He relaxed noticeably as the landscape opened up around them, the grey sea on one side, what colored grass on the other, grey autumn sky mirroring the sea.
"It's beautiful" Jaemin said, drinking the sight in with a look of awe on his face.
"Yeah? It's not for everyone. Most people just spend the summers here, thinking it's too depressing the rest of the year."
"Is that why your parents left?"
"Nah, my dad had these aches and the harsh weather was making it worse so they had to move to the mainland"
"But you stayed?"
"Yeah...I can't imagine living anywhere else. This is home" he says with a shrug, smiling.
“Lucky me, being alone with these birds for six months would probably drive me insane.”
“What exactly are you planning on doing during your stay? My mother only told me that you were doing some sort of scientific research on the wildlife here.”
“Ah, yes. I’m writing the final thesis to get my biologist degree, a research paper on the behaviour of seabirds. Niche subject, I know.”
“Well that’s…interesting?” Hendery cringed internally at his sudden lack of conversational skills.
"It really isn't, unless you're a nerd like me" he smiles.
___
"Home sweet home" he says as he turns onto the driveway. Jaemin jumps out, looking at the house and Hendery finds himself trying to see it through his eyes. The white paint had worn off, battered by the harsh winds, a gable board desperately needed changing, but overall the house looked...nice. Small but welcoming. He gets Jaemin’s bag from the trunk and leads the way.
The ground floor accommodates a cosy living room; filled with bookcases and a fireplace, as well as a modest kitchen and Hendery’s office. The staircase leading to a narrow hall with two bedrooms and a shared bathroom.
“The guest room isn’t much but feel free to do with it as you want. There’s more linens in the cabinet down the hall.” Hendery rubs the back of his neck absentmindedly. “My room is right across so just knock if you need anything. And help yourself to anything in the kitchen.”
He turns to move but is stopped by a hand on his shoulder. Looking back he is met with an apprehensive face and the grip on him eases immediately. He raises an eyebrow in question.
“Just… Thank you. I know it can’t be easy to have a complete stranger invade your home, but I appreciate you being so accommodating. Truly. I’ll just observe some birds and be out of your hair before you know it!” The smile on his face was blinding.
"Oh, that's..that's alright. It can get quite lonely here sometimes. It'll be good to have some company. Get settled in and I'll cook something. You must be hungry"
"Absolutely famished" he answers with another smile and the words feel strangely loaded.