all four bedroom walls whistled with june’s heavy heat. jongdae stirred in his bed, the sun peeking too eagerly through his bedroom windows for him to keep his comforter wrapped around his body, even with the air conditioning whirring a touch louder than the hum of the slowly waking neighborhood. he shoved the blanket as far away as it could go with the least possible movement. his bared arms took the light well, warmth vibrating down to his bones. jongdae stretched and hissed at the burn licking at his aching joints. he pulled himself out of bed in a concerted effort that ended with him in an awkward heap of limbs on his carpeted floor.

jongdae finally pushed himself to his feet and waddled to the bathroom. he started the shower, let it run so it would get warm, and turned back to the sink. the mirror mocked his sleepy eyes and mussed hair. his undereyes sank into a bruised purple, the tight skin screaming for water. jongdae opened the cold water faucet onto his open hands and brought a quivering pool to his face. life reentered his lips, his nose. the water stung his fluttering eyelids. jongdae sighed as the room started to steam up. he closed the sink faucet and stepped out of his sleep clothes. his feet dragged the path into the shower. jongdae lathered up and hummed a tune, one of those songs that played in every store all summer but he could never remember the artist. sooner than he was aware, every word was ringing off of the pale blue tiles. he wiggled his hips and turned around so the water reached the silvery scales on his back. the chorus ran out, and he couldn't remember the second verse, so jongdae went back to the first, two hands scrubbing his hair in distracted circles. even after he'd rinsed off and left the shower, random notes ran between jongdae's lips, eager to meet the too-still morning in his apartment. 


at least it was still before jongin showed up no less than three minutes after he'd called to say he was on his way (all the way from the apartment next door), banging and scratching at the door like he had no home training. "i hear you in there! open up!" jongdae let him in with an reluctant sigh, earning him a flash of jongin's yellow-gold wolf eyes. "don't look at me like that. we had plans. go change your clothes. you’re cute, but not like that." he brushed past jongdae like he owned the place.

jongdae glanced down at his worn basketball shorts and black t-shirt, the words mermaids like it wetter and white moon beach clean-up 2014 emblazoned across the front in white. "whatever."

jongin set a black and white checkered paper bag down on the kitchen counter. "drink in there's yours. food's mine."


jongdae took out the cup and sniffed the lid. it was hot saltwater. he kind of hated mixed water in lieu of the real thing, but he'd drink for jongin's sake. the taste at least was bearable, not exactly pure caribbean seawater but he’d live. 
 


“just drink it, it’s good for your throat.” a short pause. “you never get out anymore, you know that?” jongin sat perched on the edge of jongdae’s counter, feet swinging as he tore into his meal, a take-out burger from the diner around the corner cooked so rare that it was practically half-alive. “what ever happened to your music stuff? being a studio singer and all that?”

"how do you eat that crap this early?"

"happily." a bit of food nearly flew out of jongin's mouth. "and it's 12:45, lazy."


“do you have to get your meat blood all over my kitchen? you’re not a werewolf, you’re an untrained puppy.” jongdae shoved a wad of paper towels in jongin’s face, ignoring jongin’s muffled giggles. “you know why i can’t do that anymore. after that demo got out –”


jongin snatched the towels away from his mouth and held the rest of his burger in them. “you had to contain yourself, i know. but you could write instead, or play an instrument, or something that gets you to hang out in the real world again. it's not like anyone ever gets to hear you.”


"and no one will." jongdae scoffed. “you only want me to get all social so i can be your wingman when you go out. you don’t want to look like you’re only scoping the clubs for hookups, which you are. and you think you’ll look hotter next to me, which you won’t. every time you bring someone back to your place, they barely stay an hour and then i can hear you watching naruto alone through the wall. you never keep anyone around.” jongin darted over and seized his body in a crushing embrace, spouting an array of please. jongdae could his cheeks growing hot. “stop it, you overgrown dachshund. i don’t do music to get guys, i… i’m just not feeling it.”


“fine. you suck at dancing anyways. your voice is the only thing you're good for.” jongin poked jongdae’s cheek with a greasy finger, laughing as jongdae’s eyebrows and nose pulled together in a pinch while he tried to rub the oily spot away with the back of his hand. “you shouldn’t have trouble hooking up anyway. you never have before; you’re just not trying.”

“so what if i’m not?”

“aww, are you waiting for ‘the one’? that’s cute.”
 


“whatever, biscuit breath. just finish your carcass so we can go." jongdae grinned. jongin chewed quietly, almost reverently. "you look tired. still can't sleep?"

jongin sighed. "it's not that i can't sleep, but every morning it's like there's this dream that i can't remember and it's messing me up. like i literally don't remember anything i did before stopping for food. something's off."

"maybe you should try going to a seeing spirit. we'll look around later, okay? you’ll be alright."

jongin nodded. “thanks. i know it’s weird, but…i just feel better hearing that from you.”

"it’s nothing. anyway, we have to go. these flyers need to get down to 43rd street by two.” jongdae gestured towards the cheery stack of glossy green and yellow paper sitting on his coffee table.
 


“i guess that means no movie,” jongin said through his last mouthful of food. “what is it this time? picket line? sit-in? fundraiser?”
 


“it’ll be quick, i promise. i’m not doing anything but bringing the flyers.” he squirmed under jongin’s glare. “promise! two seconds and we’ll still make x-men.”


jongin crossed his arms. “it’s avengers. we’re seeing an avengers movie.”


“whatever. i’m sure shit blows up in both. now let’s move. the quicker we get to 43rd, the quicker we can leave and do what you want. hold on, i need pants.”

"and a new shirt!" jongin yelled at jongdae's retreating back.

"as soon as big business stops contaminating our waterways!"

"oh my god."


jongin let jongdae drag him onto the downtown train to the community park on the condition that jongdae agreed to buy him food afterwards. an increasing number of creatures flocked at the park's entrance, almost every head topped by a moss green hat with a circular white logo on the front.


“hey, guys!” a bunch of green brims turned in jongdae and jongin’s direction. in the midst of the mass of green heads bobbed joonmyun, working his way through the crowd while leaving a trail of muttered excuse me’s in his wake. he grabbed jongdae into a hug upon his approaching. “nice to see you too,” jongdae said into joonmyun’s shoulder. “you’re crushing my flyers.”


joonmyun pulled away and smoothed jongdae’s sleeves with his hands, as if the new wrinkles would come out on will alone. “sorry. thanks again for these. you know, it would be great if you stuck around and helped us pass these out. people always listen to you.”
 


“you’d be just fine on your own. i mean, you completely get the importance of forestry to the tree nymph community. you’re good.”
 


“yeah, but you’re so much better than me. i don’t wanna mess up.”


“since when are you so worried about messing up? you’ve done a million of these events and you never–”


a creature tapped joonmyun’s shoulder, smiling as soon as he turned around. “hey, sorry to interrupt.” jongdae could see from the slivers of glassy wings peeking beyond their thin waist that this was a fairy. they had deep purple hair cut a bit past their ears and an unnaturally smooth complexion, their eyes, nose, lips delicate. 


joonmyun’s eyebrows drew up, raising the curtains on wide, concerned eyes. “no, no, i was just talking to some people. it’s nothing. what’s going on?” jongdae turned to jongin and mouthed just talking, receiving a smirk and stifled laugh in return.


“the other flower fairies want to know where we can hang our wreaths and signs and everything.”
 


“um, all around the fence by this corner will do. maybe a few inside the park if there are some extras.”


the fairy reached out and ruffled joonmyun’s smooth black hair. their wings fluttered, dusting the ground with translucent sky blue sparkle. “thanks joonie. you're my favorite. let’s catch up later, alright?”


“o-okay. yeah.”


“good. i’m holding you to it. i’ll be right back.” the fairy disappeared into a group of about ten similarly charming faces and glowing skin, all babbling in unison. jongdae wondered if they could all actually hear each other or if they preferred it that way regardless, buzzing all at once like a mouthful of fresh coffee.
 


jongdae leaned on jongin’s shoulder knowing that they were both trying to hold in their snark until the group of fairies was out of earshot. “so joonie made a new friend, huh?”


“baekhyun’s not a friend really, he’s just…someone i know. you know us forest creatures have to stick together. come on, jongin, you get it.”


“yeah, but i don’t blush down to my claws every time i see a tree hollow spirit. no one is just a friend. you like him. and he said he wanted to see you later. you guys should make it a date or something.”

"who's going on a date?" a figure shimmered and fluttered into being next to jongdae in a shower of smoke and blood-black feathers.

jongdae coughed and sputtered, fighting the burdened air with his hands. "can't you work on the entrance? and why are you here?"

sooyoung shook her arms to free some shedding from her coat. "the feathers are festive. they stay. also i'm here for the gossip, so who's dating now?"

jongin pinched joonmyun's cheek. "joonmyunie fell for some hot fairy dude. you should have seen his face." he pulled his eyebrows nearly up to his hairline and let his mouth hang open like he'd seen a spindfire dragon shift into its wings. "um, um, uh, love me forever please."

joonmyun batted jongin's hand away and tried to talk above the rising laughter. "i wasn't that bad. and don't call me that."

"yeah, only his boyfriend can call him that." jongdae dodged a swift swipe to the neck by a hair. "bet you're trying to impress him today. i'm right, aren't i? huh?"

"stop! anyone could --" joonmyun lowered his voice. "anyone could hear. if i say you're right, you can't say anything.

"this is sad." sooyoung combed her wavy brown hair with her fingers, not looking up from her satchel as she started to dig around. "i'm sure i've got some kind of amulet or something for this. why don't you two just get to your date if you're done here; i’ll handle this."

jongin's eyes widened. "wait, our what?"

"one of you is suppressing red energy right now. probably jongin. i mean i wouldn't want the world to know i was all over jongdae either." as if she could feel the confused stares on the top of her head, sooyoung looked up. "you're making a face. it's not like i'm allowed to lie about this stuff. it’s a witch thing. if you don't believe me, ask him." she gestured toward jongin. "come on, confess."

he didn't.

jongin helped pass out flyers, put up decorations, even talked to a few people about the forest crisis using some things he'd heard from jongdae, but he definitely didn't confess. in fact, jongdae was a little perplexed by the pronounced distance jongin maintained. even when the sun got lower in the sky and people had started to filter out and joonmyun and baekhyun had already left to hang out and "talk", jongin stayed coldly cordial, didn't even complain about missing the movie. so they suffered the awkward commute home together. 

jongin stopped at jongdae's door. "can i come in?”

jongdae sighed. “i guess.” they walked inside and sat on the couch, jongin taking the arm while jongdae plopped down in the middle.

“so today was – ”
“jongdae, i –”

jongdae played with his hands, interlocking and releasing his fingers over and over. “what were you going to say?”

“sing for me.”

“what?”

jongin moved to sit next to him. “there’s been something on my mind and i don’t what all this means with sooyoung earlier and now my head is killing me…i just want to hear your voice. you never let me hear.”

“i can’t.”

“you won’t hurt me. just…please.”

jongdae bit his lip. “i guess if you go to sleep or something right after, then it’s okay to hum. just a little. but don’t focus too hard.” jongin nodded in compliance and put his head on jongdae’s lap. jongdae frowned.

“it’s part of the experience.”

so jongdae hummed a bit, the tail end of another popular song that kept sticking to his brain. humming turned into singing, just loud enough for the both of them to hear. it felt so different sharing his voice with someone else after so long. watching jongin’s eyelashes flutter closed and the tension in his eyebrows release made jongdae’s heart race in his chest. he was about to reach the final note when he was cut off by a loud gasp.

"it's you. the voice. that's you."



"what?"

jongin sat up and turned to jongdae fast enough for his back to break. "you...jongdae..." his eyes attempted to look at the entire room at once and a dazed open pout sat on his lips. jongin cast his gaze to the floor and his body followed, slumping to the ground on his knees like a repenting sinner.
 


“jongin! what the hell –” jongdae choked on his words when jongin’s arms vined around his thighs, fingers flexing and digging into the fabric of his jeans.
 


“it’s you,” jongin repeated, “i can’t sleep because of you. you’re the dream voice.”

jongdae tried to push his hands away. “what are you talking about?”
 


“every morning, at the same time, i forget what i was supposed to be doing. this voice is like sitting in my ear and crawling around my brain, just echoing like crazy and pushing everything else out, but that’s you, isn’t it? that’s you.”

“but how would you even…oh no.”

jongin grabbed jongdae’s hands. “what. what?”

“i sing in the shower sometimes. i can't help it, but you must have... must have heard me. stupid, stupid, stupid, ugh! this is why i don’t sing! and now…” he looked into jongin’s eyes, still flashing yellow. “now you think you love me, which is not how i would have wanted this to go.”

“well, sorry.” jongin spread out on the floor, his long limbs going everywhere.

“oh, not like that. it’s just…i guess i can tell you now since you won’t remember later." jongdae took a deep breath. "i kind of see myself with you sometimes. randomly. i thought maybe someday, like on your deathbed or something, i’d tell you. but i guess that idea’s gone to hades.”

jongin blinked up at the ceiling. “why do i keep hanging out with you?”

“i’m a siren. irresistible.” jongdae laughed lowly. “sorry for making you fall for me.”

“you didn’t have to sing to do that.” jongdae peered down in confusion and jongin smiled back. “come here.”

jongdae laid down next him. “this rug is scratchy.”

“yeah.” jongin took his hand. “just for fun, if this rug was my deathbed, what would you say?”

the air was heavy and still between them, full of static. “i-i’d say you’re my friend from next door who chews with his mouth open and calls me names and keeps using my emergency key to eat my frozen pizza but i kind of like the way you smile when you do. and i want to you sleep well.”

“i’d say you’re my friend from next door who keeps making me give blood for vamps and build homes for migrating phoenixes but that’s okay. you’re also my friend who used his siren magic on me.”

“i said i was sorry!”

“yeah, but i already kind of liked you, so it was pointless.”

jongdae turned his head toward jongin, but jongin was looking away. “should we bury this here?”

“magic wears off soon right?”

“i have no idea how long you’ve been hopped up on my song, or how you haven’t freaked out before just now, so we have to wait it out at least until tomorrow when you can see a spell-breaker.”

“so if we made out now, it kind of wouldn’t count, right?” jongin turned to jongdae and straddled his waist. “that’d be cool?” his large, hopeful eyes bored into jongdae’s and it was…different.

jongdae giggled. “no, that’s not how this works. we have to break the magic, then we kiss. wait –”

“nope. you already said it, no take-backs.”

“get off, puppy.” but jongdae was smiling too. why did this feel normal? before he knew it, jongin had leaned down closer. he pressed his lips to jongdae’s mouth and jongdae let him. one hand was stroking his hair softly while the other made its way to jongdae’s hip. jongin’s lips were warm and soft and…so dead. “hey!”

jongin grinned wide, his sharp teeth showing as he hopped up and darted away at top speed. “it’s just my instinct! us wolves have to mate!”

“well, it’s my instinct to kick your ass!” jongdae heard a door down the hall slam as he scrambled to his feet and leaned against the back of the couch. “i’m gonna kill him,” jongdae muttered to himself. but he wouldn’t kill jongin, at least not today.

sirens don’t usually get pulled in by someone else, but if it was jongin, switching roles for once wasn’t too bad. he’d just have to ride the wave.