hands
title: hands
rating: pg
pairing: ken/hongbin
word count: 947
summary: jaehwan has a lot to say about hongbin's hands.
a/n: oh my god i literally don't fucking know i am so sorry. for sarah mostly. dialogue heavy.
Jaehwan always said that hands were a very telling feature on a person.
"Your hands have a lot of personality," Jaehwan would say to Hongbin.
"How so?" Hongbin decided to ask one day. It was late on a Saturday night and they were the only ones awake, sitting in the dimly lit kitchen. This was not unusual for them. When they first began to coincidentally meet in the dark when everyone else was too tired to think anymore, they used to joke about feeling like they were acting out a romance novel. Well, mostly Jaehwan. He took a liking to the term "midnight love affair." But they had already become used to sharing the thoughts of their restless minds in the late evening hours.
"Take a look at them yourself, babe. Look at all the stories they tell."
Hongbin looked down at his hands. A bandaid wrapped around his middle finger, a healing wound on the top of his left hand, smudges from the Sharpie he used earlier that day to sign posters on his fingertips.
"I'm not seeing it," he said.
"Oh, come on, Hongbin! And you have the nerve to call yourself a poet."
Hongbin looked up at Jaehwan and pouted.
"Be a little more creative," Jaehwan insisted.
"Okay," said Hongbin. He looked at his palms pensively. "So I'm a little messy and I get hurt sometimes. I guess I'm bad at protecting myself?"
Jaehwan grinned. Hongbin noted that Jaehwan's smile was always a little less playful and a little more genuine when they were alone in the dark. "That's cute." His laughter subdued and he looked at Hongbin knowingly. "Is that all?"
"That's all I've got at 2 am, Jaehwan."
"Hmm." Jaehwan sunk back into his chair. Silence fell upon them.
Hongbin asked quietly, "What would you say, then?"
Jaehwan smiled once more. It was his mischief face this time. "Well," he began, "do you realize how lovely your hands are, Hongbin?"
Hongbin's brow furrowed in protest, but he let Jaehwan continue.
"Because they are very lovely. Just like the rest of you. And even when you let yourself get all beat up, when you think you're messy and unruly and unworthy of all those loving eyes, they're still delicate and beautiful."
"Like right now?"
"Like right now."
Hongbin mulled over Jaehwan's words for a moment. "You sound like you're in love with me."
Jaehwan laughed out loud. "I do, don't I? Maybe I am in love with you." His eyes were set on Hongbin, steady and unwavering, and Hongbin looked back, trying his best to look disinterested but helpless curiosity slipping between his short breaths.
Hongbin's stare was scrutinizing, Jaehwan thought, but he reveled in it anyway. Because the moments when he could pick out Hongbin's doubt and fear were what made his intense gaze so much more savory.
"Our artwork is a very suitable role for you," Jaehwan finally said.
"Is that so?"
"Yes. You're very artistic. You have an artists' hands, too."
Hongbin smirked. "Still on the hands, are we?"
"I told you, hands are very telling." He bit his cheek in thought. "I'm a little envious of you for that."
"Please don't say that," Hongbin said.
Jaehwan let a small, sad smile find its way onto his face at Hongbin's candor. "It's true. I envy the way you hold your camera. I can't hold a pencil like that. I can draw, but even if I want it to be serious, it just looks funny. It's as if I'm cursed. Like I can't do anything seriously. I can't make anything beautiful."
Hongbin did not hesitate for a moment before saying, "But your singing is beautiful, Jaehwan."
"I suppose." Jaehwan responded. But Hongbin knew Jaehwan wasn't fully convinced yet.
"Hey," Hongbin started, "your gags are part of what makes you likable. Who would make us smile if not the cute main vocalist Ken? Besides, I take you seriously. I wouldn't be sitting here, practically in the dark, way too late at night listening to you if I didn't, would I?"
Jaehwan beamed. "You're so charmingly inept at being insincere."
Hongbin rolled his eyes. "Thanks. Let's go to sleep now."
Hongbin stood up from the table and Jaehwan followed behind him. Before exiting the kitchen, Jaehwan impulsively reached for Hongbin's wrist and tugged at it, causing him to turn around. They looked at each other eye-to-eye for what Hongbin felt was a little too long and Jaehwan felt was a little too short.
"What do you want?" Hongbin demanded.
"Nothing. The shadows at this time just make your features look extra good."
Hongbin scoffed. "Are you ever gonna stop with this?"
"Probably not," Jaehwan teased. "I think you owe me one, though."
"What, all my kind, comforting words a few moments ago weren't enough?"
"Hmm..." Jaehwan put his index finger to his lip thougtfully. "Nope."
"Fine." Jaehwan stood patiently as Hongbin examined his face, his body, his entire being with the utmost precision. Jaehwan thought he should probably be ashamed, but frankly, when it came to Hongbin, he didn't care.
"Well," Hongbin said finally, "your lips are very full. I guess that's sexy. Or...something." He had to look away for a moment in embarrassment. "And...your nose is really big. But I think it suits you well. It looks good on you."
Jaehwan smiled, wide, huge, so full Hongbin thought in a sleepy daze his mouth might fall off his face. But he still liked how his words made Jaehwan's face light up like a star, light up just enough to illuminate the shadows in the crevices of their late night secrets.
"Thank you," Jaehwan said. "You can go now. Good night, Hongbin."
rating: pg
pairing: ken/hongbin
word count: 947
summary: jaehwan has a lot to say about hongbin's hands.
a/n: oh my god i literally don't fucking know i am so sorry. for sarah mostly. dialogue heavy.
Jaehwan always said that hands were a very telling feature on a person.
"Your hands have a lot of personality," Jaehwan would say to Hongbin.
"How so?" Hongbin decided to ask one day. It was late on a Saturday night and they were the only ones awake, sitting in the dimly lit kitchen. This was not unusual for them. When they first began to coincidentally meet in the dark when everyone else was too tired to think anymore, they used to joke about feeling like they were acting out a romance novel. Well, mostly Jaehwan. He took a liking to the term "midnight love affair." But they had already become used to sharing the thoughts of their restless minds in the late evening hours.
"Take a look at them yourself, babe. Look at all the stories they tell."
Hongbin looked down at his hands. A bandaid wrapped around his middle finger, a healing wound on the top of his left hand, smudges from the Sharpie he used earlier that day to sign posters on his fingertips.
"I'm not seeing it," he said.
"Oh, come on, Hongbin! And you have the nerve to call yourself a poet."
Hongbin looked up at Jaehwan and pouted.
"Be a little more creative," Jaehwan insisted.
"Okay," said Hongbin. He looked at his palms pensively. "So I'm a little messy and I get hurt sometimes. I guess I'm bad at protecting myself?"
Jaehwan grinned. Hongbin noted that Jaehwan's smile was always a little less playful and a little more genuine when they were alone in the dark. "That's cute." His laughter subdued and he looked at Hongbin knowingly. "Is that all?"
"That's all I've got at 2 am, Jaehwan."
"Hmm." Jaehwan sunk back into his chair. Silence fell upon them.
Hongbin asked quietly, "What would you say, then?"
Jaehwan smiled once more. It was his mischief face this time. "Well," he began, "do you realize how lovely your hands are, Hongbin?"
Hongbin's brow furrowed in protest, but he let Jaehwan continue.
"Because they are very lovely. Just like the rest of you. And even when you let yourself get all beat up, when you think you're messy and unruly and unworthy of all those loving eyes, they're still delicate and beautiful."
"Like right now?"
"Like right now."
Hongbin mulled over Jaehwan's words for a moment. "You sound like you're in love with me."
Jaehwan laughed out loud. "I do, don't I? Maybe I am in love with you." His eyes were set on Hongbin, steady and unwavering, and Hongbin looked back, trying his best to look disinterested but helpless curiosity slipping between his short breaths.
Hongbin's stare was scrutinizing, Jaehwan thought, but he reveled in it anyway. Because the moments when he could pick out Hongbin's doubt and fear were what made his intense gaze so much more savory.
"Our artwork is a very suitable role for you," Jaehwan finally said.
"Is that so?"
"Yes. You're very artistic. You have an artists' hands, too."
Hongbin smirked. "Still on the hands, are we?"
"I told you, hands are very telling." He bit his cheek in thought. "I'm a little envious of you for that."
"Please don't say that," Hongbin said.
Jaehwan let a small, sad smile find its way onto his face at Hongbin's candor. "It's true. I envy the way you hold your camera. I can't hold a pencil like that. I can draw, but even if I want it to be serious, it just looks funny. It's as if I'm cursed. Like I can't do anything seriously. I can't make anything beautiful."
Hongbin did not hesitate for a moment before saying, "But your singing is beautiful, Jaehwan."
"I suppose." Jaehwan responded. But Hongbin knew Jaehwan wasn't fully convinced yet.
"Hey," Hongbin started, "your gags are part of what makes you likable. Who would make us smile if not the cute main vocalist Ken? Besides, I take you seriously. I wouldn't be sitting here, practically in the dark, way too late at night listening to you if I didn't, would I?"
Jaehwan beamed. "You're so charmingly inept at being insincere."
Hongbin rolled his eyes. "Thanks. Let's go to sleep now."
Hongbin stood up from the table and Jaehwan followed behind him. Before exiting the kitchen, Jaehwan impulsively reached for Hongbin's wrist and tugged at it, causing him to turn around. They looked at each other eye-to-eye for what Hongbin felt was a little too long and Jaehwan felt was a little too short.
"What do you want?" Hongbin demanded.
"Nothing. The shadows at this time just make your features look extra good."
Hongbin scoffed. "Are you ever gonna stop with this?"
"Probably not," Jaehwan teased. "I think you owe me one, though."
"What, all my kind, comforting words a few moments ago weren't enough?"
"Hmm..." Jaehwan put his index finger to his lip thougtfully. "Nope."
"Fine." Jaehwan stood patiently as Hongbin examined his face, his body, his entire being with the utmost precision. Jaehwan thought he should probably be ashamed, but frankly, when it came to Hongbin, he didn't care.
"Well," Hongbin said finally, "your lips are very full. I guess that's sexy. Or...something." He had to look away for a moment in embarrassment. "And...your nose is really big. But I think it suits you well. It looks good on you."
Jaehwan smiled, wide, huge, so full Hongbin thought in a sleepy daze his mouth might fall off his face. But he still liked how his words made Jaehwan's face light up like a star, light up just enough to illuminate the shadows in the crevices of their late night secrets.
"Thank you," Jaehwan said. "You can go now. Good night, Hongbin."