Orange is the color of a Liar
I Can be Tough
Orange air freshener. That's the first and last thing he smells in that place. The smell that fills his senses as he goes to sleep at night and when he opens eyelids heavy with reluctance to the darkeness of the morning. Above the smell of piss and human feces. The smell of smoke and damp wood, of peeling paint and something chemical. The smell of barf and sweat and dying, rotting, humanity. Out of all that, his 4-year-old nose picks up the scent of orange air freshener.
The scent of deception.
He wonders vaguely why they bother. Who are they trying to fool? Who are they hiding from?
"They're hiding from themselves."
That's what noona says.
"They're ashamed. Whatever humanity they have left recognizes how disgusting they are, what a pathetic existence they occupy. So they try and cover it up. A futile effort."
He doesn't really understand what she means until a few years later when he turns seven and he finds that woman sitting on the bathroom floor, staring at an orangy-yellow, viscous puddle of things that had been in her stomach only moments ago, an orange flask promising a smell like magic gripped so tightly in her hand that her nuckles are white. She's pressing the pump, over and over, but nothing is coming out anymore, no mist offering to disguise the shame settling into the tiles in front of her. The bathroom reeks of orange.
He accepted a longe time ago that they don't see him. For a while, he thought it was him. Maybe because he was such a 'fat pig, useless little , hiding all the ing food.' Or it could be because he was 'so ing stupid, a waste of what little air is left in this world.' But noona always shook her head and patted his hair, reassuring him over and over that it wasn't him, could never be him. He loves noona. And she love him back. It is the only thing that he can be absolutley sure of in this world. He wishes noona could be with him all the time, but somethimes her umma comes back and pounds on the door, begging to see noona. Those people always give her back, even though they know what noona's umma is going to do, even though we can all hear the noises coming from the room next door where noona lives with her family. Noona returns a few days later with the same bruises covering her body. Black, blue, and red, splayed like a painting over a pure white canvas. He's eight when they come. The men in black suits pound the door down, grab that women by her hair and shoot that man. He doesn't move from the floor, and the red spilling from the corpse reminds the boy of the red that sometimes covers his noonas legs when she comes back after spending time with her parents. That woman is begging, pleading for 'more, please, more. I need more, I'm dying. Just give me more, I'll pay you, I promise, just more, I need more'. She doesn't seem to notice the growing puddle of red leaking from beneath the man. The men ignore her and continue to search the apartment, throwing disgusted gazes when she touches them. She's panicking now, screaming, hanging onto their clothes.
"The boy! Take the boy! He can work, he's good, he can do anything! Just give me more!"
The men look at eachother and the one standing by the door shrugs and gestures vaguely with his hand. The men who aren't restraining the woman grab the boy by his upper arm and begin to drag him out of the room. She hears more begging as he's pulled dazedly out of the room, the smell of oranges fading with her voice.
The place they take him to smells of lemon, pines, floor cleaner and expensive perfume. The people are clean too, with soft, brightly colored hair and shining jewelery on their arms, around their necks, in their ears and on their faces. They quite literally shine. He soon discovers that no one goes by their real names, another method used to hide. A secret society of secret identities, all hidden under the pretext of a Family. They dub him Chubs, for his round face and stomach. It's better than what They used to call him. The boy with cropped black hair and thick lips calls himself Seven. He takes responsibility of the younger boy, offering to take Chubs around the entire building, introducing him to everyone. There's a pretty noona, older than his noona, who calls herself Gummy. She sings to the younger kids at night before they go to sleep. Her voice is beautiful, but he thinks his noona's is better. He asks about his noona often, wondering why he can't go back and see her. Two of th eolder boys, Danny and Teddy, always pat his head when he asks and say 'soon'. Always soon. There's another boy, the same age as Chubs. They call him Beast because of his thick canines, and he has a loud laugh and playful demeanor. Beast, Seven, and Chubs become an inseperable trio, doing everything together. If one of them is given a job, the other two tag along if they're free. That's how they meet the brothers.
It was a normal patrol of a deal site, often given to the younger kids because they're less suspicious than adults. Seven saw them first and immediately called out to them. Two boys, standing close together, about the same age as Beast and Chubs, maybe a few years younger. The taller one had black hair, braided close to his head. With his sharp jaw, squinting eyes, and thick arms, the three boys immediately saw him as a threat. He was using his body to cover the smaller boy behind him, and all Chubs could really see was wide eyes and thick lips.
"He looks like a pretty one. Could be useful," Said Seven. Chubs squinted.
"I don't know. Corn Rows looks like he could be trouble. We were given a job, let's just finish it and go. There's no point in making things more complicated than they have to be." ALways the practical one of the group.
Corn Rows and Thick lips seem to hear their conversation, their tense bodies relaxing slightly as they begin to ease away. That's when Chubs sees it. The way Corn Rows leans his back against Thick Lips shoulders, the jerky movement of his left leg.
"He's hurt. He can't move his leg right."
Beast and Seven are smiling now, spreading out and pincering in on the two boys. Small eyes widen in panick and a square jaw clenches as Corn Rows realises he's been found out. He pushes at the smaller boy, trying to get him to run, but Seven cuts him off. He's the one they want, after all. Chubs moves in from the front, being the biggest and hardest to get past. None of them see it coming. Thick Lips leaps like a cat from behind Corn Rows, revealing a body that's smaller but just as muscled as the older boys. He leans his body to the left as he moves towards Seven, and none of them realise what he's doing until the rock has already connected with Seven's gut and Thick Lips has his fist landing on Beasts face. Both boys are on the ground by the time Corn Rows has used his right leg to launch himself at Chubs. He wonders if hitting the concrete would have hurt less if he were skinnier. Or if there was no one on top of him. Probably. Beast is the first one up, Seven still gasping for air on the ground. How big was that damn rock?
"Woah, Woah! ing Christ, what the hell! We just wanna- Put that down, kid!"
Thick Lips has picked up a trash can lid and is approaching Beast menacingly.
"What do you want?"
His eyes are narrowed and the expression is strikingly similar to the one glaring down at Chubs from a more angular face. Corn Row's voice is shockingly soft. It doesn't sound right coming from his snarling mouth
"What do you want with us?"
"Nothing. We'r just hanging out, passing by. Seriously, kid, drop the freaking lid."
"Passing by? Then why the hell did you start cornering us?"
"We thought you might be a threat."
"Three of you, two of us, and me with a busted leg. Yeah, real threatening. Now stop bulling and tell me the truth. Why did you say my brother could be useful?"
Brother, Chubs thinks. That makes sence.
"Listen, we just- Dammit, kid! Drop the ing lid!"
Seven has finally made it onto his feet and takes a few staggering steps towards Corn Rows, whose still straddling Chubs to the ground.
"We were just doing our job, we don't want to hurt you or your brother. Let my friend up and go back home. We won't bother you again. Unless..."
Everyone looks at him, Chubs and Beast with confusion, the two starngers with distrust. Corn Rows speaks again.
"Unless what?"
"Well, judging by the fact that you two are out here in this shady place alone, one of you with a broken leg, I'm guessing any home life you might have isn't teh best. You're both pretty strong, and you need help for that leg. Come home with us. We'll tend to your leg, feed you, and you can-"
"Gangsters. ing gangsters. We don't need your help, we can take care of ourselves, beat it."
Thick Lip's voice is higher than his brothers, breathier. It reminds Chub's that the kid can't be older than nine. His tone is venemous and the profanity sounds wrong coming from such soft looking lips, making even Beast, the most rough spoken amongst them, flinch. Seven and Beast turn to Chubs. He sighs softly, looking from Corn Rows to Thick Lips and back.
"Your hyung is hurt, and it's freezing. Besides, it would kind of be difficult for us if we went back home-" the kid snorts at the word 'home'- "And told the boss that we saw you two and just let you wonder off without explination. No one is going to tie you to a table and start cutting off your fingers. You can leave tomorrow if you want to. We're just trying to help."
Thick Lips looks just about ready to start a one man percussion show with his trash can lid when Corn Rows speaks up. His face looks tired and Chubs is reminded of his noona.
"We'll come."
"Hyung! We can-"
"Gi Kwang! I can't keep up like this, we were lucky it was just some kids. Next time it could be thugs with guns, or police officers."
"Same thing," Beast mutters under his breath.
They stay for more than a night. No one is surprised. Corn Rows is Taeyang now, and the older kids have taken to calling Thick lips Ace Junior, AJ for short. It turns out he's eight (chubs can't believe it) and he barely speaks to anyone for months, spitting venemos phrases out when he has to. Beast takes a liking to him, watching him when Taeyang can't. It's three months later when he bursts into Chubs and Seven's room, jumping on their bed and screaming about having an angel smile at him. The other two boys don't get it until a week later when AJ smiles at them. After that, they start taking care of him too. Taeyang and Chubs become close quickly, their naturaly relaxed personalities attracting each other. Chubs begins to look to Taeyang when he needs to make big decisions, trusting the boys input. Taeyang slips seamlessly into their little group of three, a gentle and calming presence when even Chubs can no longer resist the hysteria that is Seven and Beast together.
He's thirteen when he decides that 'soon' has to turn into 'now'. Danny's eyes widen in surprise when he finds his hand intercepted by a fleshy fist on its way to pet smooth black hair. He looks at Teddy who just shrugs and says,
"I guess now is as good a time as any,"
And takes Chubs to the office hidden by thick wooden doors that they all know is there but have never been to. Yang Hyun Seok is a round faced man with frigid eyes and a serious mouth. He sits behind his desk and barely looks up when the two boys walk in.
"Appa, Chubs wants to go visit his cousin."
"His cousin?"
Chubs doesn't think Hyun Seok looks like a father, or even sound like one, with his breathy, nazelly voice. But then again he wouldn't know. Everyone in the family calls him Appa, so maybe that is what a parent is supposed to be.
"The daughter of the couple who-"
He fixes his gaze on Teddy then on Chubs. The younger boy is reminded of a cat sizing up its next meal.
"Why do you want to see her?"
"I want to bring her here."
"Why?"
"Because this is supposed to be a family, and she's my family."
Teddy makes a kind of choking noise as a thick black brow begins to travel up Hyun Seok's forhead.
"And her parents? What are you going to do with them?"
" I just want noona."
"....Okay."
Teddy seems to melt with relief as he puts a hand on Chubs' shoulder, squeezing slightly.
"Danny and I can take him. We're the usual carriers to that place, so-"
"No. If Chubs wants to get his noona, fine. This is a place for family's, after all. But he's going to do it alone."
"But, Appa, he's just a kid. That place is-"
"No better or worse than any place he's been before, i'm sure. He lived there himself. Besides, any man strong enough to stand by his decision should be able to do so alone. Can you stand by your decision, kid? Or do you need someone to stand behind you?"
That thick black brow is still nudging at a black fringe, and Hyun Seok puts his chubby chin in the basket of his interwoven fingers. His cat eyes sing out a challenge.
"I'm going to go get my noona."
A victorious smirk and a dismissive hand gesture signify the end of the conversation. Chubs is at the door when he hears a soft thud and that nazelly voice speaks again from behind him.
"Take this. And don't bother coming back without her."
He's never held a gun before, but he guesses it's just as heavy as a full can of air freshener.
His noona is the one who opens the door. She's changed in four years, but he'd recognize her anywhere. Her face looks bloated and there are dark circles under her eyes to match the bruises painted across her arms and legs. Swollen eyes widen at the sight of him, and she throws a panicked look behind her. Chubs can hear a male voice screaming from somwhere inside. The fear on his noonas broken face chases away any hesitation he might have had and he takes her hand, noticing the red marks on her wrists, the way her entire body flinches at the gentle touch. He's never felt angry before. It's odd, but true. Anger is an emotion for those who have the power change things. He never did. The male voice is getting closer and noona is pushing him, begging him to run, go back, be safe. Be safe. Has he ever been safe? He's a little bit shocked when the fear on her face turns into surprise and suddenly she's gone. It takes him a moment to see the thick hand holding her hair, the red face and wide mouth full of yellow and rotting teeth. He sees it moving, but can't hear anything. All sound is gone, leaving him with only images. He doesn't remember noona being so small, so weak. Her pale, thin arms reach up helplessly, pulling at the gnarled hand gripping her hair. Tears run down her swollen face and cracked lips move, forming a word he can't quite recognize.
Anger.
He doesn't recognize the feeling wellimg up inside him, doesn't understand the burning at the bottom of his chest that makes him want to explode, burst into flames and burn everything down with him.
Hate.
His pocket suddeny weighs a thousand pounds and he remembers the black machine resting there, calling his name. His fingers itch, reaching for the gun without his brain giving consent. It's still too busy trying to make sense of those swollen, red lips that won't stop moving. The hand wound in her hair gives a violent pull and suddenly falls limp. Noise bursts into his world in the form of a bang and a scream. And there's red. So much red. It reeks of smoke and fire and sweat and tears. Noonas arms are around him, her frame shaking so violently that he shakes too. Or maybe it's the other way around. They turn to leave, shaking hands clasped together.
And the she's there.
She looks so different. Her head is just a patchwork of fuzz that was once hair. What used to be arms and legs are now just bones rapped loosley in ashen flesh. Thick blue lines run up her arms and there are burns everywhere. Festering wholes left where skin has rotted away. Her once beautiful face is now just a sallow mask with a gaping wound for a mouth. He woulnd't even have recognized her if it weren't for the eyes. Long, slanted and unintentionally menacing with inky ireses at the center. The eyes that look back at him from the mirror. For a moment, those identical sets of eyes stare at eachother, both empty, clouded, and lost. Suddenly, there's a spark of recognotion, a flash of surprise, understanding, and maybe even guilt. The open wound of a mouth twsits as if trying to form a word, a name. A skeletal hand reaches for him, shaking fingers splayed out desperately. Before any sound can escape that broken throat, he lifts his right hand mechanically and aims. Another bang finishes shattering his world.
The hallway smells of Orange.
I wake gasping for air, my heart contracting in my chest, banging at my ribs like a panicked animal trapped in a cage. The smell of sweat fills me with terror until I realize it's my own. I'm so afraid. Afraid, afraid, afraid-
"Seunghyun? What's wrong?"
There's a soft rusteling and suddenly an angel peaks his head from under my comferter, blonde hair standing in disheveled spikes, eyes glazed with sleep.
"You kicked me twice, you . That's going to brooze."
The worried look on his face makes me realize that the sob that just broke the silence was my own.
"Seunghyun, what's wrong?"
"... Bad dream. Don't worry about it."
"You want to talk about it? What happened?"
"... It was... Dark. Everywhere... And..."
He puts a soft hand on my forearm.
"And you were being nice. It was the most horrifying thing I-"
A pillow muffles the rest of my sentence and I can't help the laugh that breaks its way out of my chest. It still sounds panicked, wild, but Jiyong doesn't say anything about it. He stretches his body across my chest, his weight comforting and warm.
"Go back to sleep you babo. Obvioulsy, your brain isn't ready for intellegent conversation. By the way, I called Bom noona before I went to sleep and told her we were here."
"...Why?"
"I know you like to check in with her, like the little mommas boy you are."
His messy hair feels soft under my fingers, the warmth from his body seeping into my chest.
"Mommas boy? Looks like i'm not the only one who needs rest. That was pretty weak for you."
"Hmmm."
Jiyong doesn't complain as I drag his body closer to me, wether it's from exhaustion or something else, I don't question. It's not until he's snoring softly again that I see the alarm clock reads four am.
"Ji. Jiyong, wake up."
"Whaaaaaaat?"
"Didn't you say your mom would make it in some time this morning? Come on, It'll be better to get you home now, we're pretty far from your house. You can sleep some more in the car."
He proceeds to sigh and slide further against my body, his small waist nestling easily in between my parted thighs and meeting with a small problem there. His body freezes, eyes snapping open, suddenly alert. And then the smirk. Oh .
"What's this, Seunghyunnie? I thought you had a bad dream?"
He rolls his hips lightly against mine and I can't help the groan that slips from my lips. This little...
"It's a typical occurance of the morning, Jiyong. Can't you be a little more mature?"
I expect him to bristle at the comment on his behavior, but he just bites my chest through my shirt, making sure to leave a wet spot, and grinding his hips down again. I'm not in the mood for these games.
"Get off, Jiyong. Unless... You intend to do something about it?"
I give him my best smoldering smirk, barely letting my lips quirk up at the edges, and try to hide my surprise when his only reaction is to tilt his head to the side, tounge darting out to wet pouting lips.
"Do something about it? Like what?"
"Well," I open my legs further and grab him by the scruff of his neck, dragging his ear to my lips, "How 'bout a morning blow?"
He smiles, wide and cat like and I know I'm ed. Soft hands slide down my chest and to the tops of my thighs, squeezing slightly before moving down further to hover just at the edge of my . A wet tounge traces the shell of my ear and my entire body shudders with anticipation.
"You offering? Cuz i'd love one."
And then his weight is gone, leaving me alone in blankets that smell of him. ing little tease. But as I get up from the bed and follow him into the bathroom, I realize I can't even remember my dream.
Taeyang POV
Jinki smiles at me sweetly as I take the pot from him, moving it to the back of the room. From the moment Daesung introduced us a week ago, I thought being a florist suited him. With Daesung and Jinki always in here smiling, I don't think these plants even need any sunlight. When I said this to them, they both laughed and blushed the most charming shade of red. They still deny being related, but I have my theories. Daesung recieves the pot from me in the backroom, lining it up against some others.
"This harder than youre usual job?"
"Well, there's definately more heavy lifting."
He smiles and is about to respond when the bell on the front door rings and I hear Jinki greet a customer more enthusiastically then usual. Daesung smiles at me mischevioulsy and immediately motions for me to shush.
"He's here."
"Who?"
"This guy has been coming in every day for almost a month now, and all he does is chat Jinki up. He's super attractive, too."
"More attractive then me?"
"Impossible, hyung."
There's a loud thud, a stuttered apology, and a ruckus laugh fills the shop. Daesung winces and I can't help my own chuckle. Jinki's clumsy when he gets nervous. I jerk my head back, silently asking Daesung if we should go help. The younger boy gives me his signiture smile and calls out a warning as we exit the backroom.
"Jinki, do you need us to take any more pots? Hyung and I just got the last ones, and we- Oh! Hey, you're back today?"
I try not to burst into laughter at my boyfriend's failed attempt at being discreet as a soft, amused voice replies in the affirmative. I feel like I've heard it before, but can't place where. I round the pear trees, ready to save the sunshine brothers from immenant embarassment and find them both engaged in friendly conversation with a braod backed man whose facing away from me. Again, the feeling of familiarity strikes me and I feel sick to my stomach. This person...
"Bae, could you bring me a bag of feed? Sorry, I meant to tell you when you went back, but I forgot."
I barely notice Jinki's sheepish smile as the man turns and faces me, making my blood harden in my veins. Round eyes, sharp jaw, wide nose. I find myself staring into the cold smirk of Nichkhun's younger brother, Kim Jonghyun.
A/N: AN UPDATE AT LAAAAASSSTTT!!!!! Don't worry, this is just a little background of the gang there is more. MUCH MORE!!! and next chapter, we finally meet YELLOW. Hoozah!!
Guys, I wanted to tell you how much it every comment and subscription means to me. I now i've been lazy in answering you and thanking you for all the love you give this story, but seriously I appreciate you so much. And the silent readers too!!! As a silent reader myself, I know that you don't always have to subb or comment on a fic to enjoy it. The thought that my story is brightening someones day gives me endless amounts of joy. For real. Please guys, feel free to ask me questions or give me feedback on how you think the story is going. I promise i read all of it. Thank you so much, my ducklings, It is an honor to be ur Momma Duck <3
You guyz make me This happy
GUYS!! the new chapter is CHAPTER 14!! the chptrs were posted backwards by mistake. GO READ CHPTR 14 IF U HAVEN'T!!
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