Conversations; All In Blue

Three

TW: anxiety / eating disorders / picking / substance abuse / panic attacks / cognitive behaviour therapy
Chapter Text

Junhui was stunned. The man's beauty was only matched by the beauty in his photos adorning the walls of the antiques and the reverberant baritone of his voice was so unexpected.

"Mingyu sent me here," Junhui said as his brain tried to unpack a better response and came up lacking. "He said you could help me with fixing up some old furniture. I've bought the place on the beach with the low fence; over on Nautilus Drive."

Junhui watched the man's brows unfurrow into a soft smile. "Used to be the Park place years ago. Mrs Park died a while back and I guess her grandchildren didn't want a house on the beach." Junhui watched the man walk back around the counter and grab a set of keys. "I'll come and have a look at what you have. I'm guessing you went to the hardware shop first?" Junhui nodded and followed him out the door.

The breeze was cold as they walked along the road back towards the house. Junhui's morning out had kind of taken him on a loop around the small town and now he was headed back in the direction he originally came from. The silence between the two men hung heavy, not oppressive, comforting like a warm blanket. Junhui's mind was racing and he appreciated the rest from the constant need to make small talk.

"So, are you staying long?" Wonwoo asked when they'd walked all the way to the bottom of the little hill. "Three months," Junhui replied. "I've taken some leave from my job and I need a break. I picked the house up as an investment and I figured I could maybe spend some time doing it up myself."

Wonwoo nodded. "Beachside living in the winter. Not many people would sign up for that kind of disappointment." Junhui wasn't sure if he was joking and he had to look sideways to see if the man was smiling or not. To his relief, and amusement, the corners of Wonwoo's mouth were turned up just enough for him to know it was a joke and smile in return.

"The fence is a write off," Wonwoo said as he pushed at the barely hanging gate. "It's not worth saving anyway. It's fairly modern, definitely not original, and Mingyu can order in some replacement fencing for you to dig in." They walked up to the front of the house and Junhui could tell Wonwoo was excited to see what he had inside.

"Wow,' Junhui watched Wonwoo walk in and go straight over to the hall stand in the entry way. "All of this looks turn of the century, probably original when the house was built." The wood on the stand was in reasonable condition and Junhui watched Wonwoo run his hands along the grain. "It's really beautiful. It's in good condition though." "The bedroom is the worst," Junhui said and Wonwoo followed him into the room.

"This needs a lot of work," Wonwoo said as he ran his fingers along the post of the enormous bed. "It will take a lot of time and you'll have to sand most of this back by hand. It's also going to be impossible to move it so you'll have to lay down sheets and do it in here." Junhui watched him walk around and inspect the window frames of the big bay window looking out onto the beach. "This window needs fixed. Years of drafts and cold damp air have ruined it." Junhui could see the gap in the window frame Wonwoo was pointing to.

Junhui watched on in amusement as the man, technology seemingly unappealing, pulled a little spiral notebook from his back pocket. It had a short pencil stuck inside the coiled plastic spine and he began to jot down notes. "You ever done anything like this before?" Junhui's embarrassment was barely hidden as he shook his head. "I was just going to watch a YouTube tutorial or something...."