hold me 𐦍 yeonbin

025 ᯓᡣ𐭩

Yeonjun wakes up in a human bed again. He can hear Soobin's heart from the kitchen and the roaring sound of the machine that makes smoothies. The sun is high above the water surrounded by blue sky and few clouds. Seagulls fly low over the harbor as several groups of humans clutter on the pier where he and Soobin were last night.

He rolls out of the bed and stops in front of the door when he remembers that humans wear clothes in front of other humans, not robes.

Yeonjun finds his favorite pair of shorts folded on the surface across from his bed and a white sweater next to it. Humans wear uncomfortable articles of clothing to make up for their lack of physical color diversity. It's important to humans that the other humans around them wear clothes that they find attractive.

Yeonjun doesn't understand, but he covers himself in the clothes anyways before meeting Soobin downstairs to continue their lessons about humans.

The smoothie machine stops when Soobin sees Yeonjum in front of the kitchen.

"Yeonjun!" Soobin beams. Joy. "The blender didn't wake you up, did it?"

Humans don't normally wear big jackets and hats inside their homes. Soobin is preparing to leave. He hands Yeonjun a cup filled with a smoothie that smells like fresh berries.

"You can take it with you in the van as long as you promise not to spill," he says.

"Where are you taking the van?"

"You'll like it."

"I didn't ask if I'd like it. I asked where you're taking me. It's dangerous outside."

Soobin drops a straw into Yeonjun's smoothie and beckons him to follow to the door.

"We won't be outside for very long. We're going to another inside place."

"Another human home?"

"It's more fun than that. Put these on." Soobin nudges a pair of boots into Yeonjun's feet, then steps into his own.

"What if I don't want to go?"

Soobin pauses like he hadn't considered the fact Yeonjun doesn't have to follow just because Soobin says so.

He will follow, but it's a bold assumption.

"Then I'll be meeting the fish alone, I guess."

Yeonjun knows fish. He learned about freshwater fish from a documentary. Taehyun taught him very little about Terra fauna aside from mammals, like humans and deer. Some fish on Terra are similar in shape and texture to fish at home, though much smaller, and they usually don't leave the water.

"You don't have to come," Soobin says, even though he really wants Yeonjun to come with him. "But there's going to be birds too."

Birds can fly like pixies. They couldn't always fly, and very many of their ancestors went extinct from Terra millions of calendar years ago. The dinosaurs that did survive evolved the ability of flight without the help from magic or dust. Yeonjun is curious to see a bird up close, instead of watching the seagulls out his window and wishing he could fly up himself to greet one.

Before he leaves, maybe he'll fly to meet the seagulls just once.

Yeonjun sets his smoothie on the ground and pulls on his shoes.

"I'll come," he says, "if you promise there will be birds."

"I promise. Most of them will be pretty small, though, so, don't expect anything too exciting. There are rodents, too. And frogs. And snakes."

Yeonjun freezes, dropping the boot and stepping back from the door.

"Where the hell are you taking me?"