LTN/ElmerGlue128
Pariring: Tablo/Eunhyuk
Summary: Because Tablo loves Hyukjae and only Hyukjae
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It's cold, midnight, and Tablo finds himself standing at the corner of a sinister, dark street. Glancing around the area, he suddenly feels like a fallen prey to the weird creeps lurking in the shadows. Then, he's distracted.
A seasoned prostitute is waiting for her first customer of the night just a few steps away and his mind starts spinning a story as words gather into rhymes about the tragic life of a street worker. His eyes cloud over as he grabs an old receipt from his wallet and the pencil he always carry around to jot down verses to the impromptu beats playing loudly inside his head. An older woman with cakey make-up and a skimpy, raggedy dress pimps her body night after night on the same corner so she'll have enough money for her next cocaine fix while her two little kids are crying for their mommy at home all alone comes alive on paper.
Coolly, she saunters over to Tablo and shakes her chest suggestively and runs a weathered hand along her exposed, bluish-white legs visibly shivering against the chill. She grins to expose her cracked, yellowed teeth. He's disgusted and captivated at the same time as she gazes at him with those dim, street eyes.
The words keep flowing together in rapid succession as he scribbles down everything in his rushed, messy handwriting in a vain attempt to keep up with his thoughts. Music composes itself, getting softer and louder, darker and drearier to accompany the climax of this bleak story unfolding before him. The prostitute is just about to speak through her blood-red lips and Tablo silently anticipates the words that will link together into the haunting chorus of his unfinished song. She bares those stained teeth again and the first syllable is just about to come out –
A giggling, drunk couple accidently stumbles into his chair and knocks the pencil right out of his hand. His eyes stop clouding over; his mind reconnects with the physical presence of his body seated at a cutesy table set right outside a festively decorated café on a busy street. Everyone around him is happy and laughing because it's supposedly the most romantic night of the year, Valentine's.
Tablo curses as he chases after the pencil rolling away from the table and off the sidewalk. Getting there just a second too late, the stupid thing plops resolutely into a muddy puddle and sinks to the very bottom. Great, he was only half way through with scrawling down everything down and now he doesn't even have anything to write with.
The task of waiting back at that sickly-sweet place with its red-and-pink dangling lights, frosted window decals, and cheesy love songs piping through the speakers seems even harder to deal with now that he has absolutely nothing to do. Even more ridiculous is all the couples that end up posing in front of the small tree over-laden with sparkly lights, giant hearts proclaiming words of undying love, and cupid glass ornaments situated right behind his chair. What idiot thought of a freakin' love tree anyways? Tablo thinks he might need to slap some sense into that person.
Don't get him wrong, Tablo enjoys the holidays just as much as any typical person does but he's just getting too old to be at places like this. He feels like a man almost in his thirties as he stays standing on this sidewalk amongst the middle and high school kids stomping by in swarms. Stupidly rejecting all invitations to some of the best parties happening tonight, he can already imagine what sarcastic and humiliating things his friends would say if they ever saw him here instead.
Tired of looking at random strangers and afraid someone might recognize him if they look closely enough, Tablo turns back around and is already frowning as he steps towards the café until he spots a familiar back hunched over his table and wearing a dark blue beanie. Suddenly feeling less grumpy, Tablo slides into his chair and entertainingly watches the other.
