⚘ ㅤlounge。

/when you both seem to agree to a simple request, i mumble something about going to my place before, only briefly hesitating, i take a step back and slip both of my hands into one of yours each; gently tugging, i lead you from here, taking you back to my place with intent of essentially mother both of you while in my home

Something's better than nothing. /repeating after Wonsik in agreement, my hand gently squeezes your shoulder and I relax just a little further when he lets go of your face; when you make your request, I wait to see his response before agreeing to such a simple request as well/ That sounds like a good idea, sweetheart. The three of us can talk a little better in private without the walls overhearing.

It's something. Something's better than nothing. /coming to terms with only a small percentage of what's been forced upon me in such a short time, I look from you to him and my hands leave your face; your request draws my attention once more, and I nod once in agreement though my gaze flicks back up to him/ Sure. You choose the place. Just don't try throwing me again or else we're all gonna have a problem, alright?

wonsik-- i dont.. i dont know what it is i feel about you. it may not be to the same extent -- he's got quite a few years on you for that -- but its something. its the same thing that made me pause and think about him. /swallowing thickly, my lashes flutter for a moment as i look up at wonsik, and upon feeling ryan come up behind me, i let my head hang slightly before i speak up once more, my voice soft, and quiet
can we go somewhere private, please? and talk? i'll even take care of the both of you. aches, pains... b-busted lips...

/for a moment I catch myself agreeing with Wonsik and his estimation of himself, though I can sense my wrath rising and I swallow it down; your words surprisingly hit me square in the chest, the recognition that you're falling for the man in front of you is too strong to ignore, whether you would say it outright or not; when he approaches you, his hands up, I'm already on edge, and I move to the edge of the cushion and ready myself to jump up; when he touches you, it's a sense of anger toward him and not protectiveness toward you that keeps me from resting in my seat, and I rise slowly, stepping behind you, placing your form between ours and a hand gently on your shoulder as my expression remains flinty when turned upon him/ Knowing what you know now doesn't change... whatever it is the two of you had before, you realize. This is just new information to define what you already knew.

A prize. Some piece of Cracker Jack plastic I'm sure. /even with your demeanor making you seem so small, so fragile and delicate and so much like I had seen you that first night, I'm all too aware of the strength in you now; your words cause me to glance toward Ryan, my eyes narrowing when I look to him, and receiving a similar glare in response, though his expression seems to be hiding something at first; when my gaze returns to you, searching your features, I lift my hands helplessly at first, then my palms cup your cheeks and even with my slow movements I witness the man still seated on the couch tense and jerk forward as if about to stop me/ I wish I didn't feel the way I do right now. I would get on my knees and pray to that vicious son of a upstairs right now not to if I thought it would do me any damn good. But you're telling me that you feel about me the way you feel about the guy who calls you his soulmate?

/while ryan stays silent, i find myself suddenly growing very unsure, especially as wonsik's words hit me harder than i would expect; slowly, i drag my hands up to clasp over opposite arms, hugging myself with my sleeves resting over my hands and hiding my fingertips; quickly shaking my head, i take a step toward wonsik, nibbling on my lower lip as i speak quietly
for the first night, yes. but after that-- after that i realized-- i couldnt do that to you. i wasnt just going to toss you aside, and i didnt think you were a toy, at any point. you really were, and still are, a prize, wonsik. and it-- this only ever happened to me once. once, and you're not going to want to hear it but it happened with that man over there. i was never going to toss you aside, i was never going to /use/ you. i just needed-- to find a way to tell you this... but this wasnt... what i wanted.

/sitting in silence, not cowed but obedient for lack of anything better, I lean back, bringing my hands to my face to better coif my hair as I realize the disarray it's in; my hands fall to my lap and I look between the two of you in silence, your words having made it certain that I'm not allowed to speak; when Wonsik seems to calm, at least from a blind rage, his words strike me; it wouldn't be a surprise that he might have developed feelings for you, and there's a part of me that, with the stinging in my cheek, wonders if you return his feelings; I cross my legs and clasp my hands together to rest them atop my knee while watching him, making sure that he won't lay a hand on you, even as I remain outwardly silent/

/my hands shake at my sides as I try to compose myself, and when you speak I busy myself with rolling my sleeves up my arms, securing them at my elbows; the mention of sapor, the word foreign to me, has me rolling my sleeves back down and covering the tattoos inked into my skin if only to keep myself from compulsively scratching at my bare skin; when I glance from you to him, the pit of my stomach feels empty and I give a shake of my head/ So I was just a toy to you. You can call me a prize, but I was still something you were going to use and throw away in the end. . And you knew you were going to use me from the beginning. God dammit! /still angry, I clench my shaking hands into fists at my sides/

/my hand stings from the impact of two well deserved smacks delivered, though for the most part the adrenaline of the moment has me forgetting about the pain of my throbbing fingers and palm as i glance between the two of you; when you both seem to settle, i reach up to rub my face, sliding my hands through my hair as my cardigan falls off one shoulder and i collect myself, beginning a slow, measured pace as i walk in a circle, though keeping my focus on both of you when you both calm down
shut up, ryan. not right now. the reason why ryan's not freaking out about you sleeping with me, wonsik, is because its what we do. fallen angels, i mean. not necessarily through sleeping with each other but-- listen to me, wonsik. if you want to react, then react. but you dont lay a hand on him. if you want to do something - ryan stay out of it - then hit me. shake me. whatever. but he has nothing to do with this, its just you and me right now. fallen angels, in order to become full fledged demons, need something from humans. its called-- sapor. and its what i do, what i've been doing, for years... and i had the intention of doing that, with you. but.. but things.. happened...

/with everything having happened so quickly, I lose track of events, save for hands at my face, and then your face in my vision after his leaves my view; when you slap me I'm stunned, my head snapping a few degrees to the left before I look at you in equally stunned silence; my hands fall to the cushions at either side of my lap for a moment, though a hint of satisfaction enters and leaves my expression as I watch Wonsik wipe the blood from his lip while I sit largely unaffected by the blow, aside from the red hand print left on my cheek which matches his in the shape of your palm and shapely fingers; after filling my lungs with a breath I didn't realized I needed quite so badly, I give a small, pointed shake of my head/ I think we're done. Though if you slap me again on behalf of a mortal I'm only trying to subdue, Hakyeon, we will have words about it. I think, otherwise, we're both listening.

/my own hands come to scratch at the face of the man pinned beneath me, but before I make solid contact and do more than graze his brow, your hands are on me and I feel air beneath me; with my form yanked away from my target and practically thrown off of him, I'm dazed just from reaching my feet; when your hand comes across my cheek, turning my head, my eyes staring at an empty spot on the wall as my vision explodes in white and gold fireworks; when I turn my head back slowly it's to wipe at the corner of my mouth, my lip split and a spot of blood beading on my skin as I witness you hit him and then enter into your tirade; the only sound that leaves me as the taste of iron fills my mouth is a low, angry grunt/

/with everything happening so quickly around me, my eyes are wide and everything is a mess within moments; for a moment, im left stunned, unsure of what to do or how to fix it, but in my anguish upon watching the two of you basically go at each other, literally at each other's throats, i let out my own frustrated scream; reaching up, i tug at my hair at first, though with quick steps in blind rage, i reach wonsik's side and grab him by his arm, instantly tugging with strength not usually exhibited by me to rip him off of ryan; next comes the slap across wonsik's cheek as my eyes flash, teeth clenched, though my focus remains on him for but a moment before i reach over to ryan, grasping him by the front of his shirt and giving an equally hard, if not harder simply due to the fact i know he wouldnt hit me back, smack to his cheek; with heavy pants, i shove wonsik's chest, hard, pushing him away from the couch before looking between the two of you, fists clenched, standing an equal distance between the two of you as if to bar either one from going at the other, my hair mussed and standing up at potentially wild looking angles as my dark gaze flicks between the two of you, clearly not pleased with the performance, my voice pitching with each syllable as i yell at the both of you
what.. the actual ? are you two ing serious? you two are acting like two ing /school boys/ fighting over the pretty girl at school. grow the up! wonsik, we are /trying/ to explain this bull to you, but if you dont listen, then you'll never ing understand. if you want to leave, put this behind you, then go. ing go. but do /not/ attack him, for any reason whatsoever. ryan, you are pushing my buttons. you and i have two very different ways to go about this, and violence is not one of them. he's a /mortal/. a ing /human/ - dont you dare put your hands around his throat ever again, or so help me god, i will find a way to kill you and keep you dead this time. is anyone going to /ing/ listen to me? are we /done/ here? or are we going to keep up this nonsense and cause even more trouble?

Wonsik-- /caught off guard by the sudden snap, the first thing I think to do is let go of you at my side and I bring my hands up defensively, pushing back against Wonsik even as he pushes me forward; it doesn't matter how much more muscular or how much broader I am than him when he has me unaware and attacks more like a wild animal than a man on his feet and by the time I'm on my back on the opposite couch it's with a fresh but throbbing pain in the backs of my calves and my heels and minus a shoe that the table had robbed me of on my way backward; my hands rise and thoughtlessly clasp about his throat, squeezing at the artery in the side of his neck if only to rob him of enough blood to make him lightheaded and less of a threat/ Get off of me. Get off. We're trying to explain this to you and your limited frame of mind. Get. Off.

/whether it's him calling you his "soulmate" or your request for calm that sets me off hardly matters, but before I know it I'm up on my feet, teeth bared, and a guttural yell exits my lungs and lips; my hands come to his shoulders, shoving him backward and his arm comes loose from about you before propelling him three steps backwards, feet tripping over a heavy coffee table on which I bang my shin with an audible thump and his back on the opposite couch cushions as I hover over him with eyes wide and wild; my voice hits the same fevered pitch the moment my knee hits the couch in the space between his muscled thighs/ How are you so calm with this you son of a ? The is wrong with you? Why aren't you pissed off that I ed your-- your soulmate?!

wonsik, please-- /cut off as ryan speaks, my gaze upturns for a moment as he comes to my side, and i slump a little in my spot, unsure of what i could say or do to make this situation any better, and yet an unwanted feeling of fear that nothing i could do would make it better rises in my system; suddenly hit with the fear of losing either one of you, i take a step back, my eyes flicking between both of your features, and i swallow thickly before i speak in a quiet voice
can we all please just-- be... calm? and talk this out? and not jump to conclusions? please?

Look, it's a lot to take in. I didn't exactly take it great when he told me either. /rising from the couch, I grasp the front of my shirt, giving it a slight tug downward before coming to your side and placing an arm about your shoulders to hold you to my side; for a moment, I consider biting my tongue, knowing that I shouldn't interfere with your explanation and yet I'm unable to stay silent when you seem to be finished/ Obviously you can believe whatever you want to believe. But he's telling you the truth. And I can't believe I'm trying to get my soulmate's mortal lover to believe him when I can tell it would be easy enough to get you to walk out now, but I'm telling you that you shouldn't jump to conclusions.

I'm just-- Jesus I thought there was something going here, and now this... /gesturing vaguely, and without purpose, I look over to the man seated at my right, observing his figure, the way his eyes rest on you; the jealous bile that rises in my throat is no comfort, and when you come to stand still I don't feel any better; if anything, seeing you so dejected only makes me feel worse and I'm uncertain why; I bring a hand to my hair, carding my fingers through silver strands and push them back from my forehead with a long, deflated sigh/ Yeah, yeah it got us somewhere alright. .

i didnt do anything else, wonsik. i swear, i didnt. i couldnt, even if i wanted to. /not wanting to admit right then and there that i was getting feelings for wonsik, especially not when ryan was there, i bite my lip to keep myself quiet, and finally i come to a stop, looking rather dejected as i stand still, facing the couch, my arms hanging at my sides and the sleeves falling over my fingertips as i let out a heavy sigh
its who... i am. i dont do evil things, wonsik, but im not exactly carrying around a halo. what i did-- it wasnt right, but its what i do. in the end... what i did got us somewhere, right? silver lining... jesus explaining things is hard--

/the words "God damn" manage to elicit a quiet snicker from me, though I silence myself with a large hand pressed over my mouth before I regain my composure; my gaze is on you for the better part of your explanation, though when Wonsik speaks again I flick my eyes to him and I nod, knowing that in this moment I value comforting you over any malicious desire I might have toward the mortal who it seems clearly has a piece of your heart/ He's speaking the truth. He's not one to lie about these things. If he says he only traipsed through your dreams the one time, then I'm sure he did. Besides, we're fallen angels, not demons. Yet.

I've never felt so violated in my whole God damn life. /my hands form fists that rest on my knees, fingers curled against my palm and my eyes squeeze shut for a brief instant the moment I realize what this means; opening my hand, I hold it up as if to stop you in the midst of your explanation, but with you pacing and the soles of your shoes hitting the floor, it's clear you're not focused on my own gestures; anger rising, I open my eyes and look to Ryan seated at the other end of the couch still, his gaze having left me to focus on you and the look in his eyes one that I find myself wanting to slap away/ So the rest is genuine? You didn't do anything else? You didn't make me feel-- any kind of way?

that... that's a little harder to explain, wonsik. /though i dont outright admit to it, its clear im not denying wonsik's claim, and i know wonsik's thinking of the night we had first met, when i had strategically placed myself in his grasp; for a moment, im fool myself into thinking things are okay, though all of a sudden the warmth of hands over mine leaves, and im left glancing between the two of you for a moment before i once more pick up my pacing
its hard to explain-- i... i wanted you, wonsik. i didnt know why, but i did. and so.. yes, i planted that dream. i made you want me, in the long run, and i came to your job looking for you and it was all a part of a stupid plan. but i didnt know, you know, that i was choosing you based off of... things. i just thought i looked at you and realized wow, he's hot, cause ha - you are. you really are. but - its not what im doing anymore, wonsik. im not touching your dreams, or anything. im just being-- me. and you're being you. im not doing anything to influence it anymore. i did it-- once.

/when you manage to get Wonsik to calm down enough to sit, I remain where I am, though I angle myself to face him more and keep an eye on him while his hackles still seem to be up; when you offer to explain, and he affirms that he's listening to you, I keep quiet, though with you near enough, I gesture between you and him as if encouraging you in silence to continue; there are few words left for me to offer as is/ Go on, sweetheart. You know best what to say.

You-- you ed with my head, didn't you? /the first thought that crosses my mind is that dream that started it all, and that first moment we met in the liquor store; I shake my head, wanting to pull myself away from you, and not daring to look toward the larger, gruffer version of myself seated on the couch still; the warmth of your hands seeps through the fabric of my shirt and I place my hands over yours for a brief instant, reminding myself that you're flesh and blood and that I've touched you all the same; dejected, my stomach roiling, I take my hands from yours and move toward the couch to take a seat/ I'm listening.

wonsik, please hear me out. please? /reaching up as wonsik rises, i take a step forward, my hands coming up to gently rest on his chest as i brush my fingers over his clothes; letting ryan speak, i offer a small, almost sheepish smile, giving a small nod, lifting one hand to gesture to the couch
please, sit? its hard to explain. i can explain it, if you want, and not him. but he's right. im telling the truth, and its not like you're in danger. you never could be.

/the moment Wonsik rises from the couch I move to the edge of the cushion, not about to lunge up and further agitate the fragile human trying to piece it together; instead, I hold up my hands, gesturing for him to calm down before looking from you to him and clearing my throat before I speak up/ He's telling you the truth. Now take a deep breath, and calm down. We're not mortal like you are. We both were once, though it's been a lot longer for him. Just sit back down and listen, alright? You're not in danger and no one's trying to "sell" anything.

You've gotta be ing joking-- /before I have a chance to truly get riled, I take a deep breath through clenched teeth and slightly parted lips; your words and his are closer to a chaotic salad in my head than a cohesive solid, and when you continue on by saying that not only is he still dead, but so are you, my eyes briefly widen and I push myself up from the couch, stretching out a hand between the both of you/ Alright I don't know what kind of crazy bull you're trying to sell here, but-- dead? You're dead? No. No I don't believe you.

wonsik, please-- dont start getting mad like this. just-- hear me out. /taking in a deep breath, i let ryan explain for a moment, though i dont both trying to say anything as i pick up a solid pace once more, heaving a sigh; once i regain my composure, i nod a little to ryan, pursing my lips a little before i speak up once more, quietly, though i dont stop pacing
technically... technically he's still dead. technically, so am i. but... we're just-- wonsik, we're fallen angels. you know, supposed to be in heaven. but... not... stuck on earth instead...

Ouch. /my voice is almost mocking when the concept registers with Wonsik, and at last I lean back on the couch; my back rests against the upholstery and I lazily turn my limpid gaze toward him/ I was dead, and my sense of direction didn't lead me right to his doorstep when I set foot on mortal ground. So he found you in my place. /turning my gaze back to you, I give a slight shake of my head when you mention that the similarity wasn't on purpose/ Darling, I'm not saying it was. Though I think it's time you talk about the elephant in the room... don't you?

/the way he's able to reach you even when you seem like a caged animal isn't beyond my notice, and it's clear that the two of you have a history without you having to say a word; my eyes follow the movements of your hands, distracted for just long enough that the word "dead" doesn't register right away; when it does occur to me that you're telling me the man next to me was dead, I snap my head up and look between the two of you with sharpened eyes/ Hold the ing phone. What do you mean he was dead? /my gaze settles on you in spite of my indignation/ You telling me this guy was a stiff?