┊amusement park.

@ᵒ zhang hao. eating in line really does make time pas by faster. before he knows it he's strapped in and the machinery of the ride puffs as it sets them in position. he holds on tight and they're being pulled along, setting them up for a big fall. uh oh, this is not what he was expecting. the drop is starting to look bigger and bigger. he got no time to prepare and he's dangling off the top, zooming down.

he squeezes his eyes closed and holds tight on the handles on his seat. he's flying around, going upside down- side ways. god help him. what has he gotten himself into? he opens his eyes and it's all going so fast. he doesn't know how- but he manages to catch a quick glance of someone... familiar? huh? he knows that some of his fellow members are at schedules right now- so who is it?

trying hard to remember the location. it looked like he was sitting near the food area. alright. he just has to remember that- oh god, he's upside down again.

he's happy to get out, his legs shaking a little. but he's on a mission. to find out who was there. he holds his head and he squints. right... that way, he guesses?

[] right uh idk how to make them meet akdgfbj

@ᵃ kim jiwoong. [] alright :>

hopefully it isn't too terrifying, the ride he selected. man’s afraid of everything whether small or big, despite being a tall guy himself. his bunny ears flopped up out of curiosity while moving himself closer to the entrance of the rollercoaster. there weren't a whole lot of people in front of him so thankfully the wait wasn't too long. some swift moments later, it had been his turn. hao stepped onto the platform area and took a seat about two rows down from some parent and their kid. They were cute. he cooed, gazing over at the two for a couple moments, strapping himself into the seat and leaned back properly, prepared for it to take off. hopefully it won't be too spooky, right?

about fifteen minutes passed by and the ride ended, hao silently got off and stepped away from the small group of people who were riding with him. his bun ears flopped back down, comfortably resting there as he had a craving to now check out the snack section, wherever that may be. so what if he has to wait a bit afterwards before checking out another ride, he wanted to check out the ‘waters’ first, hoping none were too crazy for him. he walked around and eventually detected the snack stands. he wandered over to the corndog and hotdog stand, going in line to order, gaining one real quick. he thanked the crew and walked away, munching contently while also walking, going near a popular ride and staring in awe. tempting.. but he just bought a lil snack..? maybe he can watch this area for now and see if it caught his interest. hao stepped over, out of the line and stood at safe distance nearby, taking a seat there on the bench to munch and people watch.

@ᵃ gong yoo. Jiyong had an answer for the first question, nonetheless he opened his lips, left parted for a good few seconds to appear like a fish, only to bring them fused in a thin line. He decided it wasn't the best time to go on his tangent about what he thought of human nature on love, and he didn't want to bore his friend if he wasn't up for a debate conversation of exchanging thoughts. "I have been in love many times....We all know...I was a hopeless romantic about the thing."

He chuckled, his teeth clicking due to the cold or from recalling his bittersweet relationship that changed his mind about love. "Perhaps I still am, but that hopeless romantic is sleeping away for now...I know for sure, us 'oldies' have our share of love stories."

Jiyong remained closely behind his taller friend as he ordered their street food, listening to him explain his hybrid traits in hand with his acting. "Interesting...do you...sometimes wish you had control of your hybrid traits?"

The omega didn't try to interrupt back; he could if he wanted to, but he laughed softly with a gentle smile "I guess this will be a hard habit to grow out of; I- don't like the idea of leaning onto others or receiving the caring hand.... Or I'm so used to taking care of others...." Jiyong's usual scent was a mix of bergamot, vanilla, and sandalwood notes on a good day when he wasn't fighting internally from the constant waves of pain. There was a sight shift in his pheromones; with the secret turmoils that he would never share or show signs of, a hint of cigarettes lingered around him. Jiyong playfully swatted at his companion's hands, a gummy smile evident. "Oh shut it~" He said so sweetly.

Jiyong eagerly took the corndog, stepping away from the alpha to enjoy his snack without worrying about tainting Jichul's clothing with grease. "I hope we will have plenty of dates together. Aish...you and your romantic...~ Fingers crossed, I'm hoping-" His mouth is occupied with food, chewing away and once he was done, he continued, "this month coming up, I'll be able to get pregnant....so yeah...I could have a spring pregnancy." A new smile revealed itself that night, filled with so much love and joy, that he forgot the pain crippling him.

The younger male snickered, nudging his elbow into Jichul's side lightly, "You can still be old and attractive, you got that good genes in ya." He mentioned while observing the alpha's features closely, grinning and hoping to see some change of colour with the sudden closeness. "So shall we find a cafe to linger in?"

@ᵒ kwon jiyong. He should've become a father a long time ago. Jichul was naturally nurturing and caring, but he was also patient. Such traits were not always common in alpha's. They enjoyed submissive, sweet omegas that followed them around the house to ensure their alpha's needs had been met. Jichul supposed that he wasn't entirely different from most alpha's in the sense that he enjoyed submission, but only when it truly mattered and the type of submission he enjoyed was often taken care of by pheromones. Seeing Jiyong fight his touch had elicited the thought. The younger was more akin to a feral cat than a water creature: always fighting against affection and yet, craving for it in secret. The octopus recalled all the drunken texts and late night calls full of sweet words and touchy behavior. "Is it put into our brains or is it human nature to love someone...? You've been in love before." He didn't know the specifics of it, but one did not swear off love because their past relationships had been all rainbows and butterflies.

Approaching the front counter, Jichul ordered the two of them cheese corndogs and quietly ushered the two of them to the next line with a ticket number in tow. "It's easier to control when I'm acting because truthfully my body can tell it isn't real. But in real life, it's obviously much more apparent." The colors weren't vibrant perse. One would notice that his color was only a pale hue of whatever emotion he was experiencing. Blue for sadness, red for arousal of any kind: anger, intimacy, fear, and green for unwell. There were other colors, sure, but none that occurred more frequently than those.

Additionally, his body became sticky in certain emotional states, which he detested more than anything. It came in handy rarely, mostly in ual circumstances, but it could be frustrating when he tried to throw things in anger and they only ended up stuck to his body. Jichul interrupted the other almost immediately, still holding onto his coat. "I know you're not a kid...but you can still get sick like one." He took a moment to inhale the younger's scent, having been a tad bit curious of what his scent would carry today. "I wouldn't be able to smell you if you were a kid..."

When their order was ready, he stood forward to grab their corndogs, hanging one over to the other male with his smaller hand still tucked away within his pocket and his chin pressed against the taller males shoulder. While octopi could handle the cold, they could still very much feel it. "Are you asking me on a date in spring? How romantic. You're planning to be with child by then, aren't you." He couldn't hide how exciting that would be... to be able to care for him during such a time. Perhaps it was his pheromones influencing him, but even so. Something about an omega waddling with their full belly made him seriously... Jichul stopped himself from thinking in such a way, biting into his corndog to swallow down how foul it'd been to allow his mind to wander into such a filthy place. His gaze shifted to the male resting his chin against his shoulder.

No doubt he was a bit protective of the younger. He may have been capable of raising a kid on his own, but that wouldn't stop the older male from being overbearing... Jichul slowly led them toward the exit. "and I'm not old... Plenty of people find me attractive you know.." He smiled at Jiyong's harmless banter.

@ᵃ gong yoo. Jiyong scoffed at his head being patted; it was a mixed review of the gesture. He seemed fond of the jest of skinship, along with a buried survival instinct that made the omega conflicted on whether he liked it or not, like touching the belly of a cat; they never know if it feels good or if they should fight to protect themselves. There was the scoff, but the gummy smile that appeared out of the blue, revealing the conflicting feelings. "I think its put into our brains, to ask about love and life. It's something most of us crave, love I mean. Heh, oh I already have a list of close friends I wouldn't mind watching my kid, you'll be one of them."

A brow twitches over the rim of his shades, and hushed laughter dissipates from his slightly parted tiers, "Is that so? I didn't realize you had struggles with your hybrid traits and your acting....It makes it seem more impressive to see your work on the screen, to think what color was he before they redid the scenes?" The younger man blinked slowly behind his lenses, watching his friend take care of him. Being someone who always cared for others, it was odd and a new experience to be on the receiving end. "Jichul~ I'm not a little kid....mm but thanks..." He expressed in a low mumble, his gaze elsewhere, with his hand rubbing his nape. "That is true, about other things being your source of happiness, if it was just one thing, god it would if you didn't seem good at it getting to it, no?"

Jiyong clicked his tongue to his teeth at the idea of abandoning the park for a cafe. He wasn't reacting to the cold, though it was a better excuse instead of being anxious about the general public, thinking a mob would suddenly swarm the two, forgetting about their human roots. He welcomed the cold despite being an ectotherm, he was twisted like that....he enjoyed how the cold pushed his body into a survival instinct, the pain distracted him from the other pain weighing him down. The omega appreciated the warmth that suffocated his hand once it was in Jichul's pocket. The younger man closed the distance and propped his chin on his friend's shoulder, chuckling at the thought of two ectotherms huddling together for warmth. "You know what...I don't want you to freeze your old man , let's do that, get our food and head to the cafe. We can return to the park on a warm day, perhaps in the spring."

@ᵒ kwon jiyong. He had to laugh at how ironic it was to have his younger friend who’d sworn off love until the age of 50 tell him not to give up of love. Jichul reached out to pat the shorter males head. Such display told him more than enough about Jiyong, though much of what it told him was what he already knew. “I suppose it’s not wrong to ask about my love life. I think you just secretly want to know if I’m available to babysit.” The older pretended to really think about it, but his actions were merely for show. He’d said exactly what he’d planned to.

“It was difficult to control my color while filming.” He noticed the bit of the younger’s coat that was ped and promptly reached out to adjust it accordingly, fearing that the cold was causing the other to tremble. “Im not concerned about love drying up for me. I’m just content. If I find someone to enjoy the rest of my life with. I’ll be happy, but I have many different sources of happiness.” Jiyong sounded a lot more optimistic about love than he’d originally let on, which certainly provided a bit of relief. He was too young to give up, himself. The fact that he was willing to provide such optimistic advice was a good thing, wasn’t it?

Jichul hummed, waiting for the line to move so he could properly view the menu, though the moment he noticed the younger shift closer to him, his thought’s faltered slightly. He noticed Jiyong didn’t seem like himself, but chose not to pry, instead remaining a comfort to him. “Cold…?” He murmured, glancing down to see the way he gripped his scarf. “Hyung told you to dress warm, but you insisted on fashion.” To be fair, they were planning to be inside for the rest of the evening, but still. He took ahold of the younger’s hand and stuffed it into his own coat pocket before answering the others question. “The greatest gift to a man is a daughter, they say.” His gaze shifted back towards the menu in the distance, the few in front of them moving forward to match the pace of the line. “I’m certainly the sweetheart type. I have a weakness for cute things… I’m afraid I wouldn’t last long trying to be cool and mysterious.” He chuckled at his own statement, before adding. “Im not cool an mysterious with my current nieces and nephews. My noona has made that clear.”

“After we get some food, how about we go to a cafe instead…?” The older was sensitive to his friends behavior and wanted to ensure that he wasn’t pretending not to be sick, especially in the cold. However, knowing that he wouldn’t admit to it aloud, Jichul chose to indirectly suggest something warmer.

@ᵃ gong yoo. "I mean, yes...usually people want to have a kid with a partner, but I'll be okay financially with a kid, I might hire an extra hand at home in the beginning or whenever I am in need. " He shrugged his small shoulders, a grin riding on top of the motion. "Is it so wrong to poke my nose in your life? We did say we would play catch up since the last time we saw one another. You've been busy with your show, and I with my comeback."

Jiyong didn't pressure the man or rush an answer from him. He let out a subtle hum at the answer, realizing the two of them were lacking in the love department. In his younger ages, love seemed everything he wanted, to die for, now, he had a temporary hateful lense to the whole ordeal.

"I think you will know once it hits you, plus, as a friend, you are aging like fine wine, and with your recent appearance in...wait.." His thoughts jump from one cable to another, sparked by an epiphany. " Sorry, I just realized now, an octopus hybrid in a show called Squid Games, that's pretty ironic...anyways." The omega cleared his throat behind his curled fist, the corners of his gummy smile poking out from behind the coverage.

"As I said, you're good-looking and talented; love won't dry out on you. Life is too short to force it to give you something; sometimes, when you aren't looking for it, life decides to be a comedian and whip it in front of your face."

He rolled his eyes behind his dark lenses, shaking his head " Aish, nice safe~" The omega was slightly uneasy being in the line, the chattering of the strangers suddenly got louder, it was only the effects of hi withdrawal pairing with his social anxiety. Jiyong tugged the front of his scarf, casting an elongated shadow on his forehead and he even stepped a bit closer to his older friend, finding comfort in his presence. His charcoal spheres wavered on the menu's font, too far away to make anything of it, and was drawn away by Jichul's question.
"Ah, honestly, I don't care as long as I have a healthy baby....I mean...maybe a princess kwon would be cute...But I'll be happy with either or. You think you'll be the cool, sweetheart uncle hm?"

@ᵒ kwon jiyong. ()NO WORRIES <3

His brow raised at the mention of having a kid. He had not expected Jiyong of all people to say such a thing. "I suppose the two don't go together..." It took him a moment to see his friend with a round belly, nesting and behaving like some kind of maternal creature. Jichul laughed a bit to himself, perhaps because he found the image of the younger being tender cute, but also because such an occurrence seemed rare. Before he could inquire further about his friends desire for the year, however, the ball had been swiftly kicked into his court.

"Curious about hyung's endeavors...?" Jichul pursed his lips at the question about his love life. In truth, he hadn't given any of his recent relations much thought, not that there were many to think of. "I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking for." He was old enough to have experimented with both at this point in his life. "I wouldn't say I'm looking for someone or that I'm playing around either." In truth, whatever if was supposed to be just hadn't happened for him yet. He was unmarried at 45 and had pretty much given up on finding partners as soon as he turned 40. If it were meant to be, they would find him and in the mean time, he could spend his time working out or building good friendships.

"And I was going to say... your crinkled money is unique is all." He slowly began to pull them along, getting in line to wait for a turn to buy a cheese corn dog. Over the course of their friendship, Jichul had grown used to the younger's rough touch. "Of course I'll have some...." He studied the menu with his eyebrows furrowed, turning after a moment to make eye contact once more. "So are you hoping for a girl or a boy?"

@ᵃ lee donghyuck. when he sees donghyuck approaching, he smiles and waves his hand in the air at him. clutching the tickets in his hands, he excitedly wiggles them at the other.
don't worry, I just got here.
he picks one of the tickets and hands it over. he then starts making his way to the entrance.
ready to have some fun? what would you like to do first?

@ᵃ gong yoo. (Sorry for the delay dearie)

Jiyong's dark spheres swiftly met his friend's, chuckling while slightly shaking his head, "I still have fun, hopefully not too much information for my friend. I am on hiatus on love and dating for the time being, gotta heal myself before I bring someone into my life, you know? Plus, I want to focus on having a kid this year...." Now, it was the younger man's turn to flip the topic onto his companion, a bit too curious for his own sake.

"What about you? Are you looking for a partner or just playing around?" His voice, despite the lowness it now carries, was soothing, soft, and gravelly, co-existing at the same time. A lopsided grin took residency on his small, V-shaped head, waiting to see if Jichul would change another color. This hybrid trait seemed helpful for outsiders to read the older man, though not so beneficial for the man himself if he wished to keep things hidden.

The omega groaned, rubbing his hand over his sweaty visage, being mindful of his glasses, "Ugh, I wish. I hadn't touched booze in what....a year or so. You can drink for us, though~ Hopefully, you can keep up with drinking for two." He flashed a playful grin, nudging his smaller shoulder against his friend's, moving along through the amusement park.

He crossed his arms over his chest, raising a brow that could be seen poking over the frame of his shades, waiting for Jichul to finish, "A little bit.....what? But fine, you can buy me....cheese corn dogs." He points to the stall with a small line ahead of it, "Will you have some as well?" He asked as he slipped his arm around Jichul's, hooking them together. His grip was unintentionally tense, using his companion's limb like a stress ball while he was internally fighting his turmoils.

@ᵇ kim mingyu. what does one bring to an amusement park? themselves, maybe water bottles, but most importantly, money. donghyuck couldn’t think of any other items. they stuffed some extra clothes, in case they get wet or dirty, and was finally satisfied with their packing.

a few minutes later and they were at the amusement park. mingyu was immediately spotted amidst the crowd and donghyuck approached, waving at the beta with a friendly smile. “hey! hope i didn’t keep you waiting.”

@ᵃ lee donghyuck. very excited. mingyu doesn’t waste any time getting to the amusement park. he packs some essentials, water bottles, bandaids just in case, into a little bag. it doesn’t take too long for him to get there and he hops over to the entrance.
he goes ahead and buys two tickets and cracks open the water bottle to take a couple sips as he waits.

@ᵒ kwon jiyong. Ah, so there it was. Jiyong's beloved catch phrase. The man before him wouldn't do anything until he was fifty it seemed. Being so close to fifty himself, he wasn't entirely against the idea himself... though he was certain their reasons were distinctly different. "50 is a long way away. You can still have fun." Jichul found himself scolding the other once again. Wasn't mating and having children something omega's naturally wanted to do? Perhaps that was an outdated thing to say, so he would keep it to himself, but even so. Second genders tended to take over their inhibitions at least once a month. Even if they didn't want children, anything could happen in the span of 5 or so days. Jichul had seen it unfold many, many times.

Thankfully, he was mature enough to control himself, if even just a little more than most. He noticed that the two behind the counter were starstruck and immediately, he readjusted his hat. Perhaps the two of them were too distinct looking. "Are you here to drink then..?" Jichul did not ever mention his concern directly, but it was still made in subtle ways. They didn't talk about anything too deep, but there had been times in the past when the other had opened up a little... though that was mostly when he was inebriated. What little he did know, was enough for him to be slightly overprotective, though being an alpha didn't help. "I can carry you if you want to drink." Much like he always did.

The infamous Gong Yoo was known for his chiseled figure. As far as anyone knew, he could lift anything, especially a fiery little dragon. "Funnel cake sounds good... or cheese corn dogs. Let hyung pay for the food this time. Your crinkled money is a bit..." He laughed a bit to himself, remembering the wad of cash on the counter and wondering how it'd even gotten that way.

@ᵃ gong yoo. During his period of withdrawal, he didn't carry his usual calm demeanor; clear signs of annoyance riddled the omega's features as he studied the closed billard. He lightly kicked an empty, jackknifed beer across the sidewalk, cursing under his breath. "ing hell...." They came out all the way here, only to discover their plans were ruined, and the sweaty, slight man was holding back from throwing a fit. Adjusting the headscarf that shielded and protected his head, he scanned the neighborhood; his dark spheres didn't need to look that much farther as they landed at the amusement park; surely, there was something fun to do besides those horrible rides.

"You up for an amusement park, Jichul?" He revealed a gummy grin up at the man, a bit of sweat collected on his temples.

Jiyong laughed at the comment, taking it as a joke, and lightly nudged his elbow into the alpha's side only to walk over to the front of the amusement park. "Aish, you know nothing will be a date with me, maybe I'll reconsider once I'm 50~"

The omega shoved his hands into the pockets of his Chanel jacket, his heel in the middle of the street, not giving two s if a car came, "I have plenty of younger friends, but I haven't seen you in a while. Think it be good for us to bond, get some 'fresh' air and all." Motioning with his head to follow him, he continued his path to the gates, muttering at the loudness and brightness that peeked from the entrance. Fetching his wallet, grabbing a bunch of bills, and smacking it on the desk for two tickets, the workers in the booth were speechless to witness the two celebrities' presence.

Jiyong waited by the gate for the older man to join him, keeping his ticket up in the air for him to take, as his other hand fetched the comfort of his sunglasses, slipping them on to make the amusement park less of a sensory torture hell.

@ᵒ kwon jiyong. What business did he have coming to an amusement park as old as he was? He scoffed as he stood at the entrance, watching as the light-up sign flashed before them. Apparently the billiard lounge had experienced some kind of flooding during the day because when they arrived at the front door, there was nothing but a ‘closed, water’ sign hanging on its front door. Jichul glanced at the omega momentarily, hoping that perhaps he would change his mind and demand they do something… anything other than the amusement park (which had conveniently been set up right across the street from the billiard venue, no less).

“Feels more like I’m taking you on a date.” His skin was purple to indicate his nerves. He was lucky he wasn’t accidentally sticking to anything he touched. “Are you really so stir crazy you have to drag out an innocent old man…? Don’t you have any friends…?” He didn’t mean it as an insult; the two of them frequently bickered in this way. He bought the two of them a ticket and proceeded onward. His eyes shifted at the individuals around them, inhaling the sweet scent of omega’s as they wafted by and his skin returning somewhat to normal. “On second thought, maybe it wasn’t a horrible idea…”.

The sights were… sighting.

@ᵒ zhang hao. [] it’s perfect <3

practically itching to go outside, he was delighted to have found out there’s an amusement park near the apartment building. being a border collie hybrid, he is just filled with so. much. energy. and he has to let it out somewhere. either in the gym, in practice and in this case, letting yourself he thrown around in a carriage going at high speeds. it’s perfect for him.

with his nose buried in the map of the park, he wonders where he should go. but his nose catches a scent first… the sweet smell of freshly made churros being made. his stomach growls at him and he immediately whips out his wallet to buy a small bag of it. probably not a good choice to do first thing in a park- but he cannot not do it!

while chewing the delicious churros, his eyes are set on a ride that looked quite exciting. not too extreme, so perfect to try out. he gets in the line and sighs as it seems to be a popular ride and a lot of folks have lined up already. well, he sticks another churro in his mouth and walks along the slow pace the line has. good thing he got a snack.

@ᵃ kim jiwoong. hao had wanted to explore more of the apartment complex whether it had been inside the building or the city. he hadn’t been able to do so prior with schedules and getting too sleepy to look around on his own. he had recently heard about an amusement park stopping by around the area and that had instantly caught his eye. it had reminded him of the time he’d gone to Lotte World with his group and had an amazing time. he couldn’t help but ponder if this will be as thrilling as the prior experience, even if it isn’t similar. hao got all ready for casual time, heading on out to the location right after.

it didn’t take that long of a trip as it was stationed itself in the city close by to the apartment. minutes later, he arrives at the location and began to stare in awe, eyes wandering around the newer surroundings. it wasn’t as large as prior amusement parks though it still looked enjoyable enough to explore and here he is now. what to do first? a ride? a snack? he stared in confusion for a couple seconds before deciding on getting in line for some ride first, just to test the waters of them if he enjoyed them or not.

[] i hope it’s okay !