tales character sketches #1- bob
1. subin (dal shabet)/ilhoon (btob): my fairy king- queen
he'd been that unattainable creature in her class for as long as she could remember, cool eyes and brief judging side eyes, with insurmountable walls built around him, keeping everyone at arms length.
his eyes would fall shut in the back of maths after break, two seats away from her, soft breaths as nicotine clung to his clothes and she couldn't help but sneak glances, seeing the way he never fully relaxed.
maybe this influenced the way he seemed almost inhuman in front of her as chemicals coursed through her veins, abandoned by her friends in the back room of a pre-final-exams party. his skin seemed to glow with an otherwordly light, galaxies swirling in his irises, and she swore she saw a gossamer shimmer of wings as she pushed his shirt off his shoulders, her breath catching in her throat before his lips returned to her, hot and sweet, his fingers tangled in her hair, hand ghosting over the lace of her bra.
she shifted backwards, pulling him with, reluctant to let her lips leave his for even a second, sure she was under some sort of spell- one she didn't want to break as his fingers tugged at her skirt.
and then cool air was blowing gently over every inch of her overheated skin and his fingers danced up her thighs, leaving trails of lava dewdrops, and he lifted his head from her breasts and she thought something flickered deep in his eyes, his eyebrows creasing slightly and she reached out to gently trace the stars sprinkled on his cheeks.
the world spun underneath her, shifting on it's axis every time she closed her eyes and then she was trying to catch on to the threads of thought that spelled his name until they disappeared into the endless night as tremors ran through her, leaving her clinging onto him, bare feet brushing up against his jeans, his fingers scrawling his name down her thighs as they fell away.
the door banged open and she started, reaching for something to cover herself belatedly, ilhoon jolting to his feet, panic leaping from him, his breathing quickening, hands curling into loose fists.
'subin? subin!' jiyul's voice rang out and subin tore her eyes from ilhoon backing against the wall, into a corner, as jiyul hurried over to her, gathering items of clothes and shooting sharp remarks at the other people in the doorway, pulling the blanket up to subin's throat.
'subin, what are you doing?' jiyul's voice was almost-quiet and far more serious than it should have been.
'i- it's-' it's obvious, subin wanted to say.
'doesn't he have a boyfriend?' subin heard the low murmur and her breath caught in her throat.
'okay, go away!' serri's voice was strident and subin could see her pushing people away from the doorway and when the door was shut subin looked over at ilhoon. he slid down the wall, eyes fixed on the floor and subin wondered what he was seeing, what was making his hands shake.
'subin, he didn't-'
subin shook her head hurriedly at jiyul's words, because no, nothing of the sort, how could she think that?
'hey.' serri's voice was soft and subin looked up as she approached ilhoon. 'are you oka-'
'don't.' his voice was low and rough as he lifted a hand, flinching away from her outstreched hand. 'just- don't. sorry. but. please. don't.'
'um.' subin could almost see the confusion in serri's tone. 'okay. you seem a bit-'
'don't,' ilhoon repeated, something shaking in the depths of his voice, 'don't.'
subin disregarded jiyul trying to put the blanket over her again as she crawled over to him, settling herself next to him, not touching.
'hey,' she said softly, 'breath through it.' (she'd been there; monsters crawling through the cracks in the floor).
his head moved as if he was thinking of shaking it and she put her hand next to his, palm up.
she watched the milky ways on his skin change hues before his fingers twitched and his hands hesitantly moved, until it was gripping onto hers as if it were a lifeline.
'you okay?' serri asked again, and subin nodded, quite content to sit there.
'okay, well. i need more to drink, so. we'll come check on you later?' jiyul said and subin nodded. 'and for god's sakes, get dressed before then.' jiyul tossed the blanket at her again and subin smiled at her, serri casting glances behind her even as jiyul pushed her from the room.
ilhoon shifted next to her, bringing her hand up to clasp with his other hand as well, her arm resting on his raised knees, his head lowered until his breathing slowed to mid-afternoon lessons, skin warm from sunlight and nicotine clinging to his clothes.
suzy (miss a)/minhwan (ft island): i'm in love with my car -queen
sooji's first car wasn't overwhelmingly special, but she'd been allowed to choose it out from the second-hand car lot, and had dragged minhwan along to go look at it more times than he could count before it was finally hers, and all he could do was stand there and smile as she looked at it with practical hearts in her eyes (and try not to remember the time she almost crashed her mom's car the first time she tried to drive, minhwan sitting in the back seat trying to remember where his trust in her had gone).
he'd found that trust again the first time she offered (demanded) to take him for a drive; picking him up proudly in the car he knew she'd spent all weekend cleaning and polishing lovingly (he didn't think he'd ever had a longer conversation with sungjong before that day, the two of them standing retreating inside when the sun got too hot). she was still a little sunburnt, but smiling widely as she drove them to the 'far-away' ice cream place and he idly wondered if reminding her he had his license as well was a futile endeavour.
he couldn't help but feel concerned at her panic when the car broke down a year later and she asked him to pick her up from the mechanic, voice verging on tears in a way that had him immediately offering to pay for lunch (he also couldn't help raising an eyebrow at her and laughing when it was discovered the car had broke down because she didn't realise she had to put water and oil in it since she'd gotten it. 'shut up,' she whined, punching his shoulder, and he shook his head in amusement).
the first time he was allowed to drive it (under many warnings, and him insisting he was a better driver than her so she had nothing to worry about) she'd dragged him out for a picnic and stuck a flower behind his ear, him retaliating until she wore a daisy crown, legs curled underneath her on the car seat despite his admonishments to wear a seatbelt, her white sundress a strak contrast to the dark seats. he glanced sideways at her, driving them home as the day drew to a close, the sun illuminating the sky in vibrant colours in farewell, orange streaking through the window and playing on her skin and his breath caught in a way that was so familiar and he just knew that she'd always hold a special place in his heart; a place she'd carved out and called home before he even realised she'd done it.
therefore, it was only fitting that it was in her car where he finally said something, a whisper-shy confession parked outside his home with the stars twinkling in the sky outside, his hand reflexively curling around the door handle, ready to escape. but she reached out for his hand and he looked at her just as she leaned over and she pressed her lips to his, his eyes fluttering closed moments after hers did.
'i'd climb over there,' she whispered against his lips after he'd lost track of time, 'but it would definitely end in us ruining the upholstery, and i'll never like you that much.
(he thought about reminding her of those words at plenty moments over the years, but only did so once.
'it's okay,' she said to him, warm in his arms, 'we're selling it tomorrow anyway.')
yubin (wonder girls)/taecyeon (2pm): then i saw her face- the beatles
taecyeon had always been a romantic but it was only when he watched yubin sleep next to him that he thought he understood love.
technically, she wan't meant to be there, but his dad had had to be away overnight and, despite promising they wouldn't, both him and jinyoung knew they'd have company (taecyeon teased jinyoung when jaebum and mark arrived, asked if he didn't have a girlfriend or someone to sneak in, because jaebum was there every other weekend anyway. jinyoung just rolled his eyes and told him to keep his music loud enough to drown out any sounds he might make with his girlfriend. taecyeon was considerate enough to comply). so taecyeon savoured the sight of her lying in his bed, hair spread out on the pillow, moonbeams kissing her skin, tracing patterns his lips had left.
the house was mainly quiet- perhaps some soft, unidentifiable sounds from his brothers room, but taecyeon dismissed that as them talking- what they'd be talking about at 2 in the morning, he had no idea, but they weren't disturbing anyone.
the peace meant that he easily heard yubin's soft snore, and he laughed quietly to himself, his heart feeling full fit to burst.
sometimes it scared him, just how much she meant to him, just how much looking at her made him believe in a future that included children and a white picket fence (or orange. he was quite partial to orange), even as he was painfully aware of how young they were.
there were thoughts he only allowed himself to think at 2AM, when the house was silent and the stars seemed to chirp in the sky, and he thought of her in his bed every night- him in her bed- them in their bed. he thought about waking up to her face every morning, building a home together, building a future together, allowed himself to dream ahead, forgetting the blur at the edges of his thoughts.
yubin shifted in bed, eyes slowly blinking open and she squinted at the bed beside her, frowning. drowsily she lifted her head, dropping it back onto the pillow as soon as she saw him.
'what are you doing,' she mumbled, voice sleep roughened, 'why aren't you in bed.'
'coming,' taecyeon replied softly, padding over and sliding under the covers.
yubin tugged his arm until she could use it as a pillow, cuddling the arm draped over her and taecyeon pressed a kiss to her neck.
'tickles,' she muttered, drifting off again and taecyeon wiggled his fingers against her stomach, stopping with a small laugh when she lazily elbowed him.
he could dream of forever, but it was just that- a dream. he'd rather just enjoy the now, because he had no idea how long now would last.