➳ lion's den

Making his way into the room, Ten lets out a quiet yawn and gazes around before taking a seat on the couch. He crosses his legs and pulls out his phone to scroll through different apps.

his presence filters in with languid strides, the obsidian heels of his shoes dragging along the floor, echoing throughout the nearly vacant room. they cease once he finds an empty couch, lean frame greedily taking up the entirety of its space, arm draped over his visage.

seeking a moment of quiet, dejun enters the room with a small leatherbound book tucked under one arm, his hands dragging up either sleeve of his thin, knit sweater up to his elbows as he makes his way to a seat.

defined brows knit together at your question, though they swiftly smooth over once your cheeks become stained with a colorful rouge, mindlessly gliding the back of his fingers over the warm skin; a silent admiration.
a little bit of both. but lucky for you, a headache has cut my playtime quite short.
he sighs and gives the younger a pointed look before striding over to the door, hands resting comfortably in the pockets of his slacks.
see you later, bunny.

he had been performing for years in front of large crowds so he was no stranger to having eyes on him and yet, he found himself strangely nervous as you seemed to observe him, clearing his throat as if that would distract from the sudden warmth surrounding his cheeks.
do people flirt with you often or is this just wishful thinking?

The rapid little taps from the bow amuse him to no end, a breathy chuckle falling from his lips whilst he carefully pushes the stringed ‘bat’ away with his index and ring fingers. The same two fingers curling under hao’s chin a moment after, tilting his visage up as if to acquire a better look.
Tread lightly, I might think you’re flirting with me if you do.

this is you trying to be nice? sounds like nothing but teasing to me-
he steps back once the hold loosens, quick to straighten up his attire before holding out his bow in warning, giving the others chest a couple of light taps as he actively ignores the attractive build standing before him.
i'll bully you back though so .. just know you've been warned-

my, and here I was trying to be nice to you.
bemused, he clicks his tongue and loosens his hold on the man's waist, not caring enough to keep one that struggles so avidly. his shoulders lift in a small shrug, giving the darling a once over before his attention is caught elsewhere.
shame, guess I'll continue to bully you.

a frown forms on his face, fueled by fluster and a growing embarrassment at how easily you managed to maneuver him around. his hands lightly grip onto the waist of your shirt, trying to tug himself free from your hold without dropping the bow.
i - well, unfortunately for me, you're not as pretty up close- hmph.

intrigued by how uncannily easy it was to sway the man off his feet, hyunjin slides an arm around the intruder's slim waist and pulls him snug against his chest with a satisfied hum.
hey, you. you're prettier up close.

the second he's pulled over, he can't help but wish he had spent less time practicing and more time hitting up a gym to build up some leg muscles that would have at least helped him stand his ground. instead, he stumbled forward like his legs were made of jelly, almost crashing into the male in front of him.
hey-!

kid? oh, dear... we don't know each other at all.
deft fingers languidly coil around the delicate bow, procuring a firm grip before he gives it a harsh tug, willing the man to come along with it.
let's fix that.

"not any harder than anyone else - if anything, i'm blessed. but without a properly trained steward to act as my understudy, the show doesn't exactly go on without me when money saunters in." he chuckled, the sound almost melodic as he tipped his head up in amusement, only for his chin to sink back toward his chest. "it sounds more like you need good hands on you at the moment." without a word, he slid a hand into his pocket, fingers brushing past his phone to graze the corner of a single dose packet a moment before he produced the acetaminophen and gestured toward christian with it. "a gift, perhaps, ian?"

he holds the bow out as hyunjin steps closer, using it to keep a distance between the two as he turns to the others in the room, shaking his head in response.
no security needed - just trying to handle this kid here-

avoid? entertain me with your 'grand' plan, I beg.
he inquires with faux confusion, tilting his head in the slightest to add to the obnoxious act. glancing at the others with waning interest, he takes a bold step toward hao, heaving a theatrical sigh as he nods toward the babysitter.
do we need security, love?

dejun had seemingly been entranced for a moment, or perhaps bemused, so he only offers a languid lift of his head to acknowledge the others in the room.

lifts his head up at the sudden commotion, his body jerking forward to cover his mouth and nose with a pillow.
Do we need to call security?

a soft, airy laugh escaped him, grateful the other was able to wave off the topic he’d accidentally stumbled upon. He did have his fair share to escape from. “Your employees don’t seem like very fun company. I hope they’re not working you too hard, Dejun.” He sunk deeper into the couch, his amusement now coating over his eyes. “I offer the finest care to my baby. You’re in good hands. And I might need some medication real soon. I can feel my eyes growing heavy but my body is killing me.”

the sound of the whistle almost has him jumping out of his skin, his grip on the bow tightening as he catches sight of the other. ing , why did he have to be hot-
trying to avoid trouble, actually.

as if summoned, the fiend waltzes into the room with a mischievous gleam in his sharp gaze, capturing sight of the violin with a taunting, low whistle.
looking for trouble. aren't you, darling?

he peeks in through the doorway, violin bow in hand as promised while he warily looks around for a certain menace.

"nothing more than the next person, i'm sure." he waved dismissively, as if he were waving away an inconvenience, and then sank back in the chair he occupied. "among other things. thankfully the fever broke easily enough. if it hadn't, my employers would have been demanding i spend an evening on an intravenous drip until it did." dejun's exhale made him appear to deflate, his clasped hands slowly opening enough to rest back against his flat stomach over the creases of his button down. "well, depending on how much cavorting he gets up to, that could be a kind benefit indeed. we can just call it you babysitting me, perhaps. do you... need anything? acetaminophen? a cool towel?"

“Do you have a lot you’re escaping from? — is this too personal. I apologize if so,” he replied, staring at the lit lighter in his hand before it was too hot to hold any longer. He blinked his daze away and his attention returned to Dejun. His brow rose. “Yeah? Was your body full of ache and pricks?” He chuckled and made his way over to the furthest couch, his prickling body immediately grateful for the pressure on his back. “the only benefit is getting written into the will. I’m sure my boss wouldn’t kind me having a seat. just for a moment.”

"you certainly don't need to thank me for that. sometimes it's simply nice to have a place to escape and i think that's worth the trade." dejun leaned forward, one of his exposed forearms resting on the arm of the chair he occupied as he clasped his hands before himself and leaned forward. a flicker of that smile tugged the right corner of his mouth more than the left. "i can almost guarantee that whatever you have, i only recently got over - 'tis the season. the underpaid babysitter should at least be able to sit, shouldn't he? or is that not in the benefits package?"

Christian’s eyes captured every little movement of the man a couple meters from him. He seemed polite enough and the tattooed man decided Dejun wasn’t someone he needed to be wary of—at least not at the moment. “Maybe. But it’s just nice to have company again. So thank you.” He laughed. “I know the owner. He practically abandoned it to adventure out with his new wife. And no, thank you. I wouldn’t want you catching anything that’s itching at my throat at the moment. Don’t worry, it isn’t Covid.”

it took only a moment for dejun to fold one arm of his glasses under and hook the frames over the buttons of his shirt with one hand and stow his phone with the other. "how unfortunate, but perhaps it's just a seasonal lull at the moment." dejun repaid the smile, though it quite clearly made it to his eyes in the way they thinned at the corners. "a pleasure, ian. a babysitter? i don't know if i dare ask the reason for the title. ah, but my manners - care to sit?"

when dejun’s eyes met his, a polite smile forms, though the smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes. he leaned against the doorframe, reluctant to get any closer due to whatever bug he caught. “maybe quite some time ago. though, the manor was an exclusive, invite only, it was always bustling with life.” Fiddling with the lighter in his hand, he listened as Dejun introduced himself. “Christian. But please, call me Ian. I’m the manor’s underpaid babysitter.”

the sudden knock shakes dejun from his reverie, his attention lifting from the quiet scrolling through emails in order to glance toward the source. at the sight of another person, he quietly plucks his glasses from his face by the left of the lenses. "like home away from home. is it usually more lively than this?" he clears his throat. "i'm dejun, by the way. don't believe i've caught your name."

Christian makes his way around the manor, going through his final round of checking on its guest when he sees someone lounging around on his phone. He knocks on the wall beside the entrance.
I hope you’re finding yourself at home. The manor is quiet these days.

/entering the room, his shirtsleeves are cuffed back to his elbows and a pair of wire-rimmed glasses sit halfway down the bridge of his nose as he walks purposefully to the nearest seat and drops down into it with phone in hand