Dazed, Jongin ambled towards the common ground. Located between the cliff face and the edge of the woods, it was the place where everyone gathered for events, and where the celebration would take place later.

He still couldn’t believe he had been chosen to replace Saehyun. It was such an honour. Thoughts like ‘can I really do this?’ and ‘can I compare?’ were circling around in his mind and pressing down heavily on his former self-assurance. He’d been a little arrogant about his skill before, proud whenever someone complimented him. But he’d never led anything before.

What if he couldn’t do it?

He still had his head in these murky clouds when he reached the common ground. His arrival was met by half-hearted applause, and friendly banter from the rest of the crew, which shook him from his negative thoughts. Jongin beamed at his reception, and shuffled further forward into the open arms of the troupe still nervous but glad that no one seemed to be openly annoyed about his good fortune.

Tao and Sehun were also participating this year, and Jongin knew that was probably going to get a bit trying. As his best friend, Sehun would permanently be mocking everything he did, no matter how hard he tried, because that’s what he did to show affection. He decided not to care about him, and concentrate instead on organising which stories to tell, and in which order.

It occurred to him that he could make a story about how he met Kyungsoo - that could be interesting. He vowed to work on this later, when he had more time.

Right now, though, he needed to get all these people organised. He gritted his teeth and hoped that they would actually co-operate with him. He really wanted this to be good, to reflect well on himself- maybe he would receive another opportunity to lead in the future- and to make it a really enjoyable experience for everyone.

Well mostly Kyungsoo, because he hadn’t ever been to a festival like this before, and he wanted to make a good impression on him.

Everyone was talking amongst themselves, and consequently ignoring him. Jongin needed to think of something to get their attention and their respect if he wanted any of this to go smoothly. At the moment, they only saw him as another dancer, not the leader. He cleared his throat loudly the way Saehyun did, but that didn’t work; they were all talking too loudly.

He clapped his hands, and the sound reverberated off the rock face beside them, making everyone look at him. For half a second he felt himself shrivel up from the direct attention, but then something shifted inside him, and he settled into his new role. He began calling out commands, coaching everyone on their positions and placement. It came to him easier than he thought.

Sehun found everything hilarious, and snorted into his hand every time Jongin barked out an instruction for someone, to improve a certain stance, or perform a certain movement differently. Jongin pointedly disregarded him, determined to prove himself as a good leader for the storytelling trouper.

When the sun began to set, flavouring the surroundings a pretty tangerine hue, Jongin released his-as he now referred to them in his mind- troupe. It had only been a day and Jongin was already starting to get possessive over them, and he dreaded having to say goodbye when he was done. Well, not goodbye, as he would still be with them, but it wouldn’t be the same anymore.

The performance was scheduled to start after dark, after the fire was lit, so Jongin allowed them to have a bit of a break to catch their breath after working hard all afternoon. Jongin instructed them all to come back with specific masks, some animal and some representations of spirits, so they could play their true characters more easily. He was nothing if not dedicated to his work

Jongin was all sweaty from practice, but he didn’t have time to go all the way back to the river to wash again, and it would be pointless as he was going to get even worse later. He would just have to wipe himself off and hope he dried a little bit before the event started.

He was over thinking everything and hoping everyone was going to do well, and that Tao won’t make that silly mistake he’s been making all afternoon when Saehyun stumbled towards him from nowhere, using a stick to help him walk.

Jongin greets him politely, and Saehyun gives him a look he doesn’t quite know how to read,

“I was watching you today. I’m impressed. I wasn’t sure if you had it in you, but I was proved wrong.”

“Thank you!” Jongin’s heart swelled at this compliment, as he had been too busy teaching to notice any observers sat to the side. The whole time, Saehyun had been examining his performance without him even noticing.

“Maybe when my leg heals, we could continue with co-leadership.” Saehyun mused, to himself more than Jongin. The young man’s eyes flew open in surprise.

“Would you really consider that?” He gasped, beyond pleased with his good luck today. This man is the person he learned everything he knows about dance from, and to be considered as even almost his equal is thrilling.

“Of course. I think it would be very beneficial to both of us, and the others as well. First I need to heal, however.” He frowned at his leg, irritated at himself for allowing himself to injure himself in this way. Jongin lopsidedly smiled, sympathetic to his plight. If he hurt himself badly enough to have to stop dancing, he would be depressed as well.

Neither of them had anything more to say then, so they both nodded awkwardly, then Saehyun inclined his head, hinting to Jongin that he wanted to get past. Jongin jumped out of the way with an apology, and Saehyun hobbled along with a chuckle, patting Jongin’s shoulder as he went by.

Jongin stood there for a moment, before he remembered what he was doing and where he was going before he got caught up in that conversation with Saehyun.

Ah, that’s right, he was going to see how Kyungsoo was doing, and then after that he was going to get ready for tonight. Maybe even help Kyungsoo out, considering he probably didn’t know how to wear paint..

He set off towards his home where he last saw Kyungsoo at a steady pace, but when he got there his new housemate wasn’t there, and the house was completely empty. He remembered then that his cousin was with him when he left, and tried to think where she might be now, or where she might’ve taken him. He walked in the opposite direction of the main housing area where he lived, and towards the larger tents, where group activities and the like take place.

Maybe he’d gotten roped into helping somehow. It wouldn’t surprise him. Kyungsoo seemed to be the type of person to want to help in any way he could.

As he approached, he noticed that there were a lot of people bustling in, out and between the two largest tents. That didn’t come as a shock, since it was always this busy before a celebration. He looked around, trying to spot somebody who might know where Kyungsoo was, but came up short. Sidling up to the doorway of the closest tent, Jongin peered inside, only to be shocked when Jihyun charged outside, nearly knocking him over,

“What are you doing just standing there?!” She barked. She looked harried and nearly as sweaty as him, one hand holding a woven basket filled with raw meat.

“I was wondering if you knew where Kyungsoo was…” Her face, already twisted with irritation morphed into another unimpressed scowl.

“He’s busy helping cook, don’t bother him. Go wait at home and I’ll send him when we’re done with him. We need all the help we can get at the moment.” Jongin gaped at her.

“But-”

“No.” Jihyun cut him off, using her age against him. Jongin was used to it, though, and knew her well enough to try and talk back. He planted his feet in the ground even as Jihyun was trying to push him out of the way.

“You can’t just-”

“Go. Home.” She insisted, looking so fierce that even Jongin didn’t want to try and push his luck. So much for that, Jongin thought, turning around to head off home. He would have to wait there for hours until Jihyun was finished with Kyungsoo, all alone. He loitered on the outskirts of the cooking area for a little while, avoiding the eagle eyes of Jihyun in case she scolded him again.

He really wanted to get ready with Kyungsoo, he had been looking forward to it all day. Instead of sulking, he decided to try again. He walked inside the tent with a purposeful stride to make it look like he hadn’t just been kicked out.

Jongin spotted Kyungsoo quickly, surrounded by gossiping women and preparing food dextrously. He was once again struck by his expertise with his knife. He made a beeline towards the man, keeping a watchful eye-out for his cousin in case she tried to eject him from the premises again.

When in arms reach of Kyungsoo, he called his name. The man looked up, a little surprised, but when he saw that it was Jongin, he smiled up at him and bobbed his head. Jongin thought that motion must be something he did in the cave he grew up in. He didn’t want to ask in case he offended him unintentionally, or brought up bad memories: every time he asked him about his past he clammed up.

“Jongin,” Kyungsoo breathed. Jongin’s heart squeezed, and a smile wormed its way on to his face. No matter how hard Jongin tried, it wouldn’t go away completely, so he was left with a weird looking, lopsided smirk. He probably looked ridiculous.

He really shouldn’t let something so simple- a smile of all things- affect him like this, but there was no way of helping it.

“Hey.” Was his eloquent response. He clenched his fist, and panicked a little, trying to think of something to say. Something that wouldn’t sound stupid, or redundant. “How’s the cooking going?” He asked.

He closed his eyes. That was possibly one of the dumbest things he could’ve chosen to say. Peeking his eyes open, he avoided looking directly at Kyungsoo, instead glancing towards some of the other people working. They had all quietened down when Jongin came over, and some of them were whispering to each other. Jongin winced. He was making a fool of himself. Maybe he should have just gone home to wait,

“The cooking is good Jongin, thank you.” Kyungsoo smiled at him like he wasn’t an idiot, and Jongin’s heart rate increased. Kyungsoo turned back to the roots he was dicing before Jongin disturbed him. But Jongin wasn’t finished with him yet; if he couldn’t take Kyungsoo away right now, he at least wanted to ask.

“Kyungsoo.” He began. The man looked up again, inquiringly. Jongin cleared his throat again, painfully aware of the audience watching their exchange. “U-um, later after you’re done here, do you want to get ready for the celebration together? I could help you get dressed.”

Kyungsoo appeared to deliberate this, but nodded his head too quickly for him to have really been considering saying no. Jongin lets the tension out of his body, not having been aware that he was even holding it.

“Great, do you want me to stay here? Or go and -ah!” Jongin cut himself off after spotting his cousin storming towards him, a veritable thunderstorm swirling around her.

He didn’t know why she was so angry; maybe she was just stressed from all the last-minute organisation. Jongin’s disobedience was just too much for her to cope with. Afraid for his life, he darted behind Kyungsoo, using him as a shield against the tempest heading his way.

“Jihyun told me to go home and wait for you.” He explained, hiding behind Kyungsoo’s short frame. It wasn’t a very good hiding place, and Jihyun had already seen him anyway, so he wasn’t sure why he was trying.

Kyungsoo laughed and reached behind him to pat him on the head.

“Jongin!” Jihyun snaps. “I told you to go home and stay out of the way!” She had both hands on her hips, and Jongin gulped. Before he could figure out the words to defend himself, Kyungsoo spoke up.

“Jiyun, it’s fine. Jongin can stay here?” She hesitated just for a second, and Kyungsoo used her momentary confusion to his advantage.

“Please?” He implored, using his natural charm. Jihyun visibly deflated, her animosity dissipating instantly as she looked them both over. She was still displeased, that was clear, but like everyone else, she was unable to say no to Kyungsoo. Sighing, she regarded them both, noticing how Jongin’s hand was placed hesitantly on the side Kyungsoo’s neck, and narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

She gave Jongin a ‘look’ that he understood to mean ‘I will make you explain later’, and he cringed.

“Look, why don’t you both just go.” She waved them both out of the tent, sighing aggressively. “If the only way you’re going to leave is with this guy, then I guess you both have to go. Sorry Kyungsoo, I could do with your help, but my stupid cousin is being annoying.” She gave them one last push, and then took off to take care of something else that needed her attention.

“Thanks Jihyun! Love you!” Jongin called after her. She gestured rudely at him without even turning around. Jongin rolled his eyes, then grabbed Kyungsoo’s hand without thinking. He started walking back in the direction he came, leading Kyungsoo along.

He let go after realising what he was doing, but he could still feel the ghost of Kyungsoo’s hand on his palm. He wiggled his fingers to see if it made any difference. It didn’t.

The feeling faded by the time they reached home, to his disappointment. The walk had been fairly quiet, in a peaceful kind of way. He had spent most of the journey talking Kyungsoo’s ear off about his day with the storytellers, and telling him about his experience with Saehyun at the end. After that, he had run out of things to say, so he was glad when the house appeared in the distance.

Jongin lifted the flap and dove in. The light was beginning to fade now, so Jongin lit a shallow oil lamp before heading through to his own room. Once there, he immediately sat down rummaged through his chest of possessions. They hadn’t been touched in so long they’d gathered dust, and he had to shake them out to get rid of it all.

“Oh, gosh.” He mumbled, embarrassed that Kyungsoo is there to watch this. The other man just smiled encouragingly, not seeming to mind about the state of his things. After a little more digging around in his chest, he found what he was looking for, and stood up. Handing one item over to Kyungsoo, a tunic paired with a thick woven belt, they both began to change clothes.

Jongin chuckled awkwardly, and took off his top, and half-length pants, exchanging them for a waist wrap that would be cooler when he was moving around later on. It could get pretty hot by the fire. After he was dressed, he reached into the bottom of the chest and found a small pot of, sectioned off into four parts. There was black, red, yellow and white paint inside, which Jongin would use to paint both his and Kyungsoo’s faces.

“This is a little…help?” Kyungsoo asked, tangled up in the ties of the tunic. Jongin bit back a laugh, having forgotten that it might be difficult for a foreigner to wear that kind of thing.

“Here.” Jongin motioned for him to turn around, then untangled him from the mess he had made. It was a simple matter of pushing the cords through some loops that had been sewn on, then pulling the whole thing tight around his waist.  “There you go.” He murmured. Like Jongin, this outfit left Kyungsoo bare chested, as was common for festival outfits.

“Thank you.” Kyungsoo said, looking down in embarrassment. Jongin hummed, adjusting the waist of his tunic until it sat right on Kyungsoo’s frame, blushing all the while. He then picked up the paint pot and opened it, dipping the tip of his finger in.

“I’m going to paint your face, ok?” Jongin made sure Kyungsoo understood what he was saying by dragging his finger across the back of his other hand to demonstrate. Kyungsoo relaxed and nodded, settling down to let him do whatever he wanted.

Jongin gulped, then manoeuvred the man before him so that he sitting not standing. He crouched next to him. Kyungsoo looked unsure still, so he smiled in a way he hoped would convince him that this would be a good idea, rather than send him running for the hills.

Jongin focused his concentration on painting the correct lines and circles on Kyungsoo’s face; there were certain patterns which corresponds to rank, age, gender etc. He trailed a white line across the bridge of his nose, and painted black over his eyelids, making them stand out even more than they normally did. He finished the look with a several thick lines across his cheeks, in alternating colours.

“Is it alright if I paint here too?” Jongin asked, fingers hovering over Kyungsoo’s chest, it is normal to have more paint there, and on one’s back as well, but he doesn’t want to make him uncomfortable.

“Yes, it’s alright.” Kyungsoo answered. Jongin bit his lip, trying not to stare too long at any one part of him.

He took a breath, then painted more patterns; lines and shapes over the muscles on Kyungsoo’s chest and stomach. The dark pigment of the paint was a stark contrast to Kyungsoo’s skin, which, although it had been tanning in the sun, was still a lot paler than Jongin’s own. Using white and yellow, he outlined the planes of Kyungsoo’s upper chest, trailing down towards his belly button.

Kyungsoo snorted and his stomach muscles clenched when he ran his hand over his stomach. Jongin looked up and saw he was holding back laughter.

“Sorry, does it tickle?” He pressed a little harder to make it tickle less. If he were braver, maybe he would deliberately try to tickle him, to try and get a playful reaction, but he wasn’t.

When he was finished with the man on the floor in front of him, he stepped back to admire his handy work. He was proud of it, and he hoped Kyungsoo liked it too. He would never be able to tell that Kyungsoo wasn’t born here just by looking at him, he would fit right in.

On his own face, he marked out the pattern for his role later. It was a striking look, a red band across his eyes, outlined with black and yellow: he was to be the spirit of fire. He then handed the paint set to Kyungsoo, and waved his hand over his own body.

“Paint me now?” Jongin asked hopefully.

“Of course.” Kyungsoo agreed, taking the pot from Jongin carefully, and pursing his lips. He looked Jongin up and down for a short while, before starting. Kyungsoo was more artful with his designs than he was, tracing curling lines over his hips, and even pressing an ochre handprint over Jongin’s clavicle.

Jongin followed his fingers with his eyes and tried not to react. In an obvious way, at least. This wasn’t the most intimate thing that they’d done, not by a long shot - they’d slept in the same bed! - but the look of intense concentration on the other man’s face had Jongin’s stomach fluttering.

Kyungsoo finished up and, oblivious to Jongin’s attention, smiled happily and rubbed his hands together to try and remove the excess paint.

They sat in silence, until Kyungsoo spoke.

“Do you like it?” He whispered. Jongin looked down at himself, feeling like a work of art, then looked across at his own painting on Kyungsoo. There was clearly a big difference in skillset.

“Yes, it’s incredible. Better than what I did on you- sorry about that.” He forced out a laugh which became a little more genuine when Kyungsoo shook his head fervently, eyebrows furrowed.

“No; yours is good too!” He insisted, tracing one of the white lines delicately with one finger. Jongin smiled warmly at him, even though he knew he might change his mind because he hadn’t seen his face yet. Still, he was relieved that Kyungsoo wasn’t disappointed.

He couldn’t wait to join the celebration. Everything just became so real, so imminent. Excitement bubbled up inside of him, and suddenly he couldn’t stop fidgeting. Surely they should go soon?

He heaved himself upright, and poked his head outside to check the time. The sky had become a deep blue colour, with lighter hues in the distance beyond the mountains, and a few stars were visible through the clouds here and there. They had probably already set up the large fire.; now seemed like a good time to head back to the common ground. He still needed to go through a few last-moment ideas with the troupe.

He leaned back inside and grabbed Kyungsoo’s hand, yanking him up and provoking a yelp. The calm atmosphere from before is obliterated by his enthusiasm, and even Kyungsoo, who is usually calm and collected seems affected by his buoyant mood.

“Kyungsoo, it’s time to go! You absolutely have to come and watch me, ok?” Jongin phrases it more like an order than a request.

Already out the doorway and walking briskly down towards tonight’s venue, he keeps pulling on Kyungsoo’s hand to make him walk faster.

“Jongin! Ah! Slow down, please!” But he was laughing with him, so Jongin didn’t think he had hurt him for real, but he slowed down anyway, sighing dramatically.

“Alright, alright.” He complained, changing the pace to a brisk walk. “Better?” He asked.

“Yes. Thank you.” Kyungsoo laughed again. “You are so eager. It is nice to see you this way.” He commented. Jongin didn’t reply right away.

It was dark enough now that their shadows were barely distinguishable, and Jongin has to concentrate to avoid stepping on the larger rocks, which can be felt even through the thick leather of their foot coverings. This area could be painful if you weren’t careful. Kyungsoo apparently wasn’t so vigilant, Jongin could tell by the way he kept stalling and accidentally pulling Jongin back. Kyungsoo didn’t let go of his hand, however, so neither did he. Not once.

“Do you need me to carry you?” Jongin asked after the third time it happened, teasing but still half serious.

“No, no, I am fi- ow!” He stepped on another stone. Jongin ignored Kyungsoo trying to defend his dignity, released his hand and crouched in front of him,

“It’ll be like the first time we met,” Jongin said, from his position on the ground in front of him. He waved his hands to tell him to hurry up, but was surprised and a little dejected when Kyungsoo just walked past him.

 “I can by myself Jongin; I am not a baby.” He said primly. Jongin pursed his lips, but could do nothing but accept his decision. Jongin catches up to Kyungsoo, who had begun to walk faster and laughed hearing Kyungsoo hiss occasionally.

The closer they got to the common ground, the louder the commotion of the party became. Even though as a cave they weren’t very big- only a couple of hundred residents- the energy displayed by every single member made the noise almost equal the party on the second night of the summer gathering, where there had been over two thousand people.

The enormous fire in the centre of the field radiated blistering heat, so there was a wide space between it and the people dancing around it. A group of people playing a soft, repetitive rhythm stand on a raised platform of stone.

Everyone was decorated beautifully and much more intricately than Jongin and Kyungsoo were, wearing adornments in their hair and on their bodies. Tao was wearing a necklace with long canines threaded onto it, and has put yellow powder dye on his hair. Joonmyeon was wearing a heavy looking headdress, embellished with flowers and some small feathers. It was made specially for him by his mate, and was a true work of art.

It didn’t take long for people to notice their arrival, close friends flocking around them and handing them a drink of fermented berries. Kyungsoo took a sip and was instantly enamoured, finishing his quickly. Together, Kyungsoo, Jongin, Tao, Yifan, Sehun and a few more people that Kyungsoo hadn’t met before, talked about things they’ve missed, recount summer stories.

But when they hear the drums beginning to beat out a more solid, powerful rhythm, Jongin knew it was time for them to separate. His heart was racing in anticipation for the performance.

“Kyungsoo!” He has to shout to be heard over the noise, “I have to go now! I promise I’ll be back later on. Stay with Yifan.”

“Ok.” Kyungsoo smiles easily, and Jongin recognises that he’s a little tispy from the alcohol.

“Yifan, make sure he doesn’t go crazy with the wine!”

“No problem.” The tall man nodded. Jongin gave him a gesture of approval, then he and the other members slipped off towards the sound of the drums.

The band waited for all of the dancers to show up, and then the drums stopped entirely, signalling to the crowd that the show was about to begin. Jongin was positively thrumming with energy, unable to stop twitching. Sehun, beside him, was just the same. They shared a look, the anticipation swelling.

More space was cleared around the bonfire- the strip of land would be their stage. Having the fire behind them meant that they would be silhouetted, and lose their personality. If people couldn’t see who they were, it meant they could play their roles better.

They went to their positions, Jongin crouched near the fire, the heat radiating against his back. As the initial drums start up again Jongin looked around to find his Kyungsoo. He spied him under Yifan’s shadow, and wished he could wave, but he wasn’t sure if Kyungsoo would see him, even if he were allowed to break character.

The drums beat once, louder than before, leaving the air still in their wake. Again, for ten beats, the drums built the tension in the crowd. He closed his eyes and allowed the beat to course through him, aligning with his heartbeat.

The croon of the horn curdled in the air and Jongin grinned.

im so sorry that these are taking so long to go up!! im busier than i thought i would be at uni (aka im stupid) and monsterfest deadline is approaching lol (along with all my other fics im working on)

my twitter is here come @ me bro