anticipation - stray kids

aspectabund

(adj.) letting or being able to let expressive emotion show easily through one's face and eyes

no surprises - radiohead

"you look so tired, so unhappy"

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

6 years ago

jeongin had never been so aware of the air around him. every breath felt heavy as he followed seungmin through the labyrinth of streets, each one more foreign than the last. the city buzzed with life, sounds and colors blending into a chaotic mess that jeongin couldn't quite process. the towering buildings, the flashing lights, the constant hum of people—it was all too much. and yet, his attention kept slipping back to seungmin, the strange vampire who had, without hesitation, offered him safety.

jeongin's heart pounded in his chest, his mind racing with uncertainty, but it wasn't fear driving him. it was something else—something he didn't quite have a name for. his dark eyes followed the sway of seungmin's crimson hair, the way it brushed his neck with every step. there was an unspoken tension between them, but it was mostly one-sided, seungmin was like a wall. jeongin was certain that he must feel it too, yet the vampire's face remained unreadable, a mask of calm detachment.

as they turned down a quieter street, away from the bustling crowds, jeongin's gaze drifted to seungmin's profile. the vampire's expression was stoic, his eyes straight ahead, betraying nothing of what might be going on beneath the surface. jeongin, on the other hand, could feel every emotion bleeding through his own features. his brows knit with worry, his lips pressed into a thin line, his eyes darting between the unfamiliar surroundings and the vampire beside him.

"where are we going?" jeongin finally asked, his voice soft but edged with curiosity. his emotions were raw, naked on his face.

seungmin didn't stop walking, didn't even turn to look at him, "somewhere safe."

the words were simple, but they did little to ease jeongin's concerns. he could sense that seungmin wasn't trying to hide anything, but there was also an emotional wall between them, thick and impenetrable. it was strange to see someone so composed, so unaffected by the weight of the world around them.

jeongin glanced at seungmin's hand, still clutching the strap of his bag, knuckles pale against the black fabric. there was a tension there, even if seungmin's face refused to show it.

"you're not like the others," jeongin murmured, his voice barely above a whisper, but loud enough to carry in the silence between them.

seungmin slowed his pace slightly, finally casting a sidelong glance at him. there was no obvious emotion in his eyes, no visible change in his expression, but jeongin caught the briefest flicker—something in the way seungmin's gaze softened, just for a fraction of a second.

"you don't know me," seungmin replied, his voice calm, measured, "not yet."

jeongin's stomach twisted. he couldn't help but feel exposed in seungmin's presence, as if the vampire could see straight through him. every fleeting thought, every emotion, every fear—it all played out on jeongin's face, and he hated it. he hated how easily he gave himself away, how vulnerable he was in this moment, in this place where he knew nothing and no one.

but seungmin remained unreadable. even now, as they stood on an empty street, surrounded by nothing but the quiet hum of the distant city, seungmin's face was a blank canvas, free of any telltale signs of what he might be thinking or feeling. jeongin couldn't understand it. how could someone live like that, so closed off, so impossible to read?

jeongin swallowed hard, his throat dry. 

"why are you helping me?"

seungmin stopped walking. he turned to face jeongin fully now, his blood eyes meeting jeongin's gaze with a calm intensity that sent a shiver down his spine. for a moment, jeongin thought he saw something in seungmin's expression—a fleeting emotion, perhaps curiosity or even sympathy—but it was gone as quickly as it appeared.

"you remind me of someone," seungmin said quietly, his voice barely audible over the soft breeze. his eyes remained impassive, giving nothing more away.

jeongin's breath hitched. it wasn't the answer he had expected.

"who?"

seungmin shook his head, a small, almost imperceptible motion. 

"it doesn't matter."

but it did matter—to jeongin, at least. his emotions churned, a mixture of confusion, frustration, and something else he couldn't quite name. his heart felt too big for his chest, his thoughts too loud in his mind. every question he had, every fear, every uncertainty—they were all right there, visible in the way his eyes darted to seungmin's, in the way his hands fidgeted at his sides, in the way his lips trembled slightly, betraying the storm of emotions inside him.

seungmin, on the other hand, was a mystery—a perfect, infuriating mystery. and yet, jeongin couldn't help but be drawn to him. there was something in seungmin's calm, something in the way he moved, in the way he spoke, that made jeongin feel safe. even if he couldn't understand it, even if seungmin's face remained a mask of neutrality, there was a quiet strength in him that jeongin couldn't ignore.

seungmin took a step closer, his eyes never leaving jeongin's, "you need rest. and food. we'll figure everything else out after that."

jeongin nodded, his emotions still swirling just beneath the surface, but he followed seungmin's lead. he didn't know where they were going or what would happen next, but for the first time since he had entered the city, he felt a sliver of hope.

maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't have to face this strange new world alone.

- hyunwaffles

seungin, the cutesy besties