CREATURE → JIGYU

eleven

cool water rushes over jihoon's feet from where he sits on the wide, smooth rock jutting out from the river's shore. a small drawstring pouch made out of colorful patchwork fabric sits beside him, a handful of tiny pebbles inside.

halfway across the river, mingyu sits in the shallow water, picking at the muddy ground for even more stone treasures. jihoon sees him giggle, the tinkling sound drowned out by the sound of the current.

he waves his fistful of treasures at jihoon with a brilliant smile that shows of the pointed canine in his teeth, tan skin glowing in the afternoon sun. jihoon is struck, just like the first time they met, by how beautiful he is.

soft and round eyes and dark hair that settles perfectly into place. the line of his jaw and his big, strong body.

everything about him has him thinking back to seokmin's words: if you have met a god, stay on his good side. for your sake and mine. it almost makes him laugh to imagine mingyu as intimidating as a divine figure, but he knows better than to underestimate the power he holds.

mingyu has the common sense of a child and the soft, fragile skin to match. any sign of rejection has him curling in on himself, and a simple brush against a rose's thorn draws blood from his hand. he wears his heart on his sleeve, baring his soul to jihoon every time they meet, revealing his passions, his insecurities, and his dreams.

but when jihoon touches him, he can fill it under his skin— the strength in his muscle, the unearthly magic coursing through his veins. he is capable of so much more, of wielding so much power and destruction. but his isolation saved him from brutality, and now he is only soft and open.

jihoon is both glad that it was himself who stumbled upon him and terrified of the repercussions of doing so.

for now, though, he only smiles as mingyu trudges through the water to approach him, his large frame crumpling when he throws himself down onto the rock in exhaustion. a new handful of rocks slides from his palm into the pouch.

"are you happy now that you've dragged me out here? do you have enough of those things already?"

mingyu responds by rolling onto his back, allowing the sun to shine in his face. in attempt to prod him into a proper answer, jihoon nudges his foot underwater.

"mingyu. answer me."

"i'm happy as long as you're here."

jihoon kicks his foot a little harder. "i'm happy as long as i don't get a sunburn out here."

the sound of rushing water fills the space between them for a moment. mingyu's lips twitch in a ghost of a smile before falling back into place, eyelashes fanning over his cheeks. an inexplicable urge to kiss the skin under his eyes seizes jihoon suddenly.

(even though he's only ever been touchy with mingyu. even though he's only laid with mingyu. even though he only thinks of mingyu. as if he's thought of anyone else.)

but then mingyu is sitting up and taking his hand and pulling him into a hug, swallowing him in his arms. jihoon isn't given a choice in the matter, and his own arms stick out uselessly at his sides.

if their bodies weren't already tangled together like this, jihoon might not have heard him over the sound of the creek lapping gently at the rocks. "can we stay a little longer, though?" mingyu pleads.

and jihoon can hear it in his voice, the edge of desperation that he takes when their time together comes to an end. jihoon's always been a little scared of it, of what mingyu could do with that desperation, but imagining mingyu lonely tugs at his heart all the same. he can only be as firm as he needs to be.

"yes, mingyu. we can stay."