Jongin woke up early. Too early; his head was pounding and his throat was dry from thirst. He seemed to have shuffled on top of Kyungsoo in his sleep, now he was drooling all over Kyungsoo’s bare chest. He sat up- slowly, so as not to agitate his pounding headache- and dragged a hand through his hair to get it out of his face.

It still needed to be cut, and he considered pestering Jihyun about it, but then thought that maybe he should wait a few days until she’s had time to forgive him about bothering her yesterday.

He heard movement in the next room,

“Mom?”

“Yes?” She pulled back the separating curtain and peered inside. “What is it? Do you need something?” Jongin just groaned in response, rubbing his eyes pitifully. Jongin’s mum rolled her eyes, “You drank too much. I should just leave you to suffer. Hold on,” she leaves for a second, but returns with a warm drink. Handing it to Jongin, along with a dampened scrap of fur- “for the paint,” she explained- she left to go deal with grumpy Jongcheol.

He took a sip of his hot drink, and began to wipe Kyungsoo down first, beginning with his face. He dabs gently at his cheeks, only succeeding in smearing the paint around at first. He kept at it though, and soon enough it cleared up. He moved onto his chest and this took longer, as the rag had become too dirty.

“Mum?” He called again, softly to not disturb the sleeping man beside him. “Mum, could I have some water?”

“If you want warm water it will have to wait.” She warned.

“Cold water is fine.” Jongin replied. His mum came through with a small watertight basket, half filled with water for him. As she handed it to him, she looked at Kyungsoo’s prone body and smiled.

“I’m glad you’re taking care of him.” She cupped Jongin’s cheek, and Jongin looked down, embarrassed all of a sudden. It was like she could see right through him.

“I would do it for anyone.” He pouted. His mum raised one eyebrow in question. He shook his head, flustered, and rinsed out the rag so he could use it again. He heard his mother chuckle, and then the sound of the curtain being lifted and falling back into place as she left. Deflating a little, he gets back to his task, rubbing at Kyungsoo’s skin to remove the paint and grime from the night before.

As he cleaned, he wondered again about Kyungsoo’s origins. Where did he come from? Why was he alone? Could they meet his people?

He regarded Kyungsoo intently as he worked. His muscles were softer, less defined than his own, but still noticeable. He had clearly been a useful member of whatever society he had come from- no one would throw away a pair of strong, working arms. His sunburn was fading too; he looked less red, more pinkish, and the peeling skin seemed a bit less painful than before. He didn’t seem to tan as well as everyone here. Jongin thought maybe he used to live further north, where it was less sunny.

Maybe something happened to the others he was with, leaving him alone. An accident perhaps?

He shook his head. Nothing was going to come from speculation, that was clear. Careful not to wake the slumbering man, Jongin scrubbed away at both himself and Kyungsoo until the water is an unappealing shade of brown. When the both of them were finally clean, and Jongin’s head hurt less, he laid down next to Kyungsoo and shut his eyes, as if to go back to sleep. He wasn’t tired, anymore, though.

Outside, it had started raining; he could hear it hitting the roof above him. He exhaled a long breath, and wondered what time it was. It felt early, but that could just be an effect of the celebrations the night before. He smiled, thinking back to the firelight reflecting off his friends faces, the awe that was so plain on Kyungsoo’s. It made his heart stutter.

Beside him Kyungsoo moaned softly and arched his back, frowning in his sleep. A nightmare? Jongin sat up, arms poised as if to help, but unsure. If it were his brother he’d maybe wake him and embrace him, soothe him by singing. But it would be weird for him to do that for Kyungsoo, wouldn’t it?

He pulled Kyungsoo’s head onto his lap, and began dragging his fingers through his hair, which was slightly greasy but he didn’t mind. It seemed to work. The lines on Kyungsoo’s forehead vanished under his ministrations, and the unhappy set of his mouth relaxed. It was strange how much that made him feel better.

“Jongin?” Jongin’s mum calls from outside somewhere, slightly muffled by the rain. He called back, careful not to be too loud and wake Kyungsoo. She came inside, and stood in the doorway, unimpressed. Clearly it was much later in the day than Jongin had thought- how long had he spent here now?

“You’re still in bed?” She frowned at him. “I need you to come and help me with this, and then, since you’re back, you can go and join the hunt tomorrow instead of me. I’m busy; I need to make Kyungsoo some clothes.”

Jongin looked pointedly at the sleeping man on his lap, hoping that his mother got the idea.

“Can you ask Jongcheol?” He suggested. She shook her head,

“He’s too small; I need someone who can carry heavy weight. We need to clear up all the mess from last night.”

“May I wait until Kyungsoo wakes up? It won’t be long, and I don’t want him wondering where I went.” He knew that he could just ask his mum to tell him where he’d gone, but she seemed to take pity on him. As if knowing somehow that they were talking about him, Kyungsoo breathes in deeply, and rolled over, pressing his face against Jongin’s stomach. Jongin froze.

“Alright.” His mother laughed at his predicament. “Well, make sure that you come when he wakes up.” Kyungsoo grumbled under his breath while she spoke. Suddenly, he interrupted Jongin’s response, hurling himself off Jongin’s lap, spewing apologies in both Jongin’s language and his own. Jongin tried his best to calm him down, reaching out to soothe him, but he flinched away. There was a wild look in his eyes that hurt Jongin- was he afraid? In the end, he gave up on trying to get him to sit closer again, and he let him sit with a small distance between them.

“Jongin?” His mum said pointedly, now that Kyungsoo was definitely awake. Jongin pursed his lips, looking between them.

“I’ll be there soon.” He promised. His mum nodded and left, eyes narrowed. He was not getting away without doing this heavy lifting task, he knew that. He just wanted to make sure that Kyungsoo was alright. He had been having a nightmare, earlier- maybe this was a residual effect of that?

Once she was gone, and he was sure she wasn’t anywhere in hearing range, he turned back to Kyungsoo, who was lying back where he was, but rigid in wakefulness.

“How are you feeling?” Jongin asks, concerned that he was uncomfortable waking up on Jongin’s lap for some reason. Perhaps he had been pushing it with the closeness, he admitted.

“My head hurts, but I am fine.” The alcohol must have affected him more. “Do you feel good, Jongin?”

“Yeah, um, I’m fine.” Kyungsoo smiled up at him, beginning to relax again. Jongin knew even before speaking that this probably wasn’t the best time to bring it up, but it had already been on his mind for a while, and he was burning with curiosity.

“I-uh, I’ve been meaning to ask this for a while;” he begins, picking at a loose thread, “why were you alone, that day?” Kyungsoo became a wide-eyed statue.

“Um, sorry, Jongin, I don’t-” he was lying? Jongin frowns, and cut him off quickly.

“Please don’t. I know you can understand me perfectly. If you don’t want to tell me that’s fine, I guess. Just don’t lie to me, ok?” Kyungsoo hummed in resigned agreement, but kept his gaze fixed on the blank wall opposite them.

They stayed silent for a long time. So long that Jongin was a little worried that his mother would burst in a drag him away. The rain picked up a little in that time, and Jongin was not looking forward to slogging through the mud with some trees.

Kyungsoo finally cleared his throat. “I was different than the others, and the man who- I don’t know how to say it in this language- he has special power?”

“Shaman, or holy-man?” Jongin suggested, trying to help. Kyungsoo wrinkled his nose.

“A person who speaks to, not people here, um,” he waved a hand around, trying to think of a way to explain, “special? After you die…you are like this. And they can be dangerous.”

“A ghost? Spirit? Either word works for that, but a shaman does other things as well, like healing.”

“Shaman, then. The shaman of my cave did a powerful-“ he wiggled his fingers enigmatically, “because…because I am different. They thought an evil spirit was inside me, so they made me- I can’t be in the cave anymore.”

“He cursed you?” Jongin squawked. Kyungsoo nodded, flinching away from his sudden outburst. Jongin is completely shocked; this is so utterly different than any of the theories he came up with himself. So much for him being in a hunting accident, or lost.

Kyungsoo looked like he was waiting for Jongin to kick him out. His heart twanged, and he settled back down into the bedding, trying to be as calm and steady as he could. He didn’t want Kyungsoo to get the wrong impression.

“What kind of curse?” He whispered, unwilling to speak louder than that. Kyungsoo sighed despondently.

“I can’t- wasn’t allowed to be in the cave, and I could not have my things. Only my clothes I was wearing. That is why I had no things when you found me. They were put in the fire after I left, I think.” He added miserably. His eyes were distant, as if he was looking into the past, reliving it as it happened. Jongin nodded, sympathetically. Some kind of banishment curse, then.

“I’m sorry I brought it up.” He would never be able to understand exactly what Kyungsoo had been through. All he knew was that he wanted Kyungsoo not to feel bad about it anymore. But there was still one thing hanging in Jongin’s mind, bothering him. What did he mean by different? And- wait- did he really have an evil spirit living inside him?

Maybe he did something unforgivable- was he a murderer? He couldn’t imagine Kyungsoo even holding a weapon, except for a cooking knife. But maybe since he was such a good cook, he knew which plants could cause death? What if Jongin unwittingly brought home a murderer?

Jongin glances down at Kyungsoo. His eyes are closed, and lips set in a small frown, like he’s trying not to cry. Jongin could probably forgive this man for anything.

“Kyungsoo?” He looked Jongin in the eyes for the first time since he woke up. “Can you tell me why you were cursed? Please?”

He was so afraid of the answer.

For a long time Kyungsoo didn’t answer him, and the longer he waited, the more scared Jongin is of the response.

The only conclusion he could come to was that he had done something truly terrible. He kept imagining all these crazy scenarios, all of them ridiculous, like how Kyungsoo could use a knife to all kinds of bad things.

Kyungsoo would never do anything like that. Or would he?

“I-” Kyungsoo began, voice shaking. Jongin hadn’t realised that Kyungsoo might be scared to say it. Maybe the reason he didn’t tell anyone was because he thought they would jump to the wrong conclusion, just like Jongin had been. He suddenly felt guilty for doubting him.

“Hm?” Jongin encouraged Kyungsoo to speak up.

“I-I pushed somebody. I pushed her down, and hurt her. I told them I didn’t remember, but I do. I lied to them.” Jongin doesn’t say anything. He wasn’t going to interrupt until Kyungsoo divulges the full story. He looked at Kyungsoo expectantly. Kyungsoo sighed, and tried to move further away from Jongin, but Jongin held onto his arm.

“She was…annoying. She wanted to be my mate, but I didn’t like her. I didn’t like any of the girls. She asked me every day, and started trying to touch me. Like if she was my mate already. One day, I got angry with her, and pushed her, and hurt . I think a tooth fell out; there was a lot of blood in . I remember all of it but I told the shaman I didn’t, and they thought a spirit inside made me do it.”

Something inside of Jongin was relieved that Kyungsoo didn’t deliberately hurt someone. But he was also sad; it really wasn’t Kyungsoo’s fault at all. If it wasn’t for this woman, then he would probably have lived a happy life with his family.

“How long had she been harassing you? And didn’t anyone teach her to understand when she’s not wanted?”

“My parents told me I should be glad to have attention from her, because she has a high…place? Her brother would maybe be the next leader.” Jongin sighed, maybe it wasn’t what he was expecting, but still, it was tragic, he thought. And it was definitely a relief; he was not a murderer disguised as a beautiful man.

“I don’t think that’s fair on you. Is it common for that to happen?”

“No, usually the women choose a high ranking and handsome man. I am not both of those so I was very surprised. I was happy she wanted me, but I didn’t want to be with her.” He sounded so dejected, and regretful. Jongin wanted to hold him and croon compliments and reassurances in his ear like he’d seen other mated couples do when one of them is upset.

He never used to understand why they did that, but now he gets it. He’s falling for Kyungsoo.

Jongin wished he knew if Kyungsoo might accept him. Either way he would still let him live with him, despite it possibly being difficult to not tough him sometimes. He wouldn’t though, if Kyungsoo didn’t want to-he wouldn’t want to end up like that woman after all.

He looked at Kyungsoo again and decided he didn’t like seeing him like this; sad, withdrawn, trying not to cry. He needed to do something to take his mind away from everything he had lost, to comfort him somehow.

What can he do?

“Kyungsoo?” He whispered to the man by his side, who hummed to show that he had heard him, “I have to go do something now but I’ll be back late this evening sometime, I think. Will you be alright by yourself ‘till I get back?”

Kyungsoo sat up slowly with a small intake of breath from the jostling movement on his still pounding head, and perched at the edge of the room with his back pressed up against the wall.

“Yes, I will be fine Jongin.” He assured him, fragilely. Jongin blanched; he was clearly not going to be fine, but he didn’t know what to do to make it better. Jongin had never met anyone who had lost as much as Kyungsoo had. He wanted nothing more than to stay with him all day, and hold him, if Kyungsoo would let him.

But on the other hand, this job needed to be done if he didn’t want his mother to be angry. He didn’t want to embarrass her.

“You could go sit with my mum, if you want?” Jongin suggested. Kyungsoo smiled wanly, and nodded. Jongin wasn’t convinced, but he really had to go soon, or he would be in trouble. The guilt he felt was a constant tug on his insides, but he didn’t know what he could say anyway. Maybe it would be better to just leave him to think it through a little, by himself.

He heaved himself to his feet, reluctant for the first time ever to help out. Usually he would jump at every opportunity to keep their community running, but having Kyungsoo in this state was making him far less enthusiastic. He was probably going to be worrying about him the entire time he’s away.

Jongin looked back at Kyungsoo as he exited. He had his elbows on his knees and his hands resting over the top of his head, tufts of hair grasped between his clenched fingers. The poor man looked truly despondent.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, before realising he didn’t really have anything that he could say to him. Pulling the curtain aside,

“Hey, Jongin?” Kyungsoo called out, just before Jongin left, making him pause. “Do you hate me?”

“What? No! Of course not!” Jongin exclaimed, shocked that he could even think that way. “Kyungsoo, it wasn’t your fault!” Kyungsoo laughed at that, a terrible broken laugh that made Jongin want to cry. He fell back to his knees, encircling him in his arms. Kyungsoo stiffened instantly. Jongin pursed his lips, and pulled away.

“I’ll see you again later, alright?”

His mum was sat next to the fireplace when he came out. She was working on something made from grey animal furs- wolverine, his mind supplied- and cord in the shared room. Maybe she was making clothes for Kyungsoo. He hoped so.

He crouched down next to her, and in a low voice, so that Kyungsoo couldn’t hear, explained with ambiguity why Kyungsoo hadn’t come out too.

“Mum, Kyungsoo is upset right now, and I don’t know how to make it better.” When she turned to him curiously, he shook his head and said, “If he wants to tell you, that’s fine, but I’m not going to, ok? It’s his story to tell.”

Now she was even more curious, but nodded anyway. She promised Jongin that she would take care of him while he was gone.

“He’ll be fine with me, try not worry too much, ok?” Jongin wasn’t convinced, but agreed to try anyway. He nodded. “Good. Now get moving, I’m sure the others will have started without you by now. You don’t want them to think you’re a slacker, do you?”

“What? Me? I’m offended, mum!” Jongin gaped comically, and pressed a hand to his chest, but his mum had no patience for his playfulness. She rolled her eyes, and swatted at him to make him hurry up and leave.

“Go to the common and make yourself useful, Jongin.”

Outside, the grass was damp and dewy, and the trodden down path slick with mud, but at least it had stopped raining now. He opted to put on foot coverings for today, rather than going barefoot as he usually preferred.

The journey was treacherous, and Jongin nearly slipped more than once in the mud which didn’t improve his mood at all.

When he arrived Sehun decided that it was up to him to punish him for being late, and pushed him into a huge muddy patch.

Several people made their way over to watch the spectacle of Jongin flopping around in the mud, unable to get enough purchase to pull himself up, all the while yelling at Sehun who was doubled over, laughing hysterically.

Tao and Yifan were the only ones to take pity on him and help him up, and Yifan dispersed the gathering crowd with his infamous glare. Everyone except Jongin and Sehun went back to clearing away the mess of the night before, which mostly consisted of unfinished food and heavy, wet, wooden tables, which need to be carried to their owner’s homes.

At the end of the day Jongin still had mud everywhere, even in his hair. He punched Sehun in the arm, but this only caused him to splutter into another round of breathless snickering.

“Why the hell am I still friends with you?!” Jongin his heel and stomped over to where a group of people were straining to lift one of the tables, and slotted himself into a gap. He struggled to get a good grip on it because of the slippery mud caked onto him, but he managed to not drop it and injure anybody.

Over the course of the afternoon, Jongin glared at Sehun every chance he gets, and completely blanks him every time he tries to apologise, pokerfaced. It got harder and harder to ignore him as the time passed, especially as Sehun seemed genuinely repentant.

Come evening, he was starting to see the funny side, just a little. Hs glares became less heated, and the corner of his lips twitched upwards, and Sehun knew he was forgiven.

The mud dried and some of it flaked away, leaving him looking like patchy monster, and feeling like he should go down to the river, even though it was already starting to get dark. He couldn’t bathe in the spring near his home, since it was to be kept clean for drinking, but maybe he could get some of it off if he used a wet rag. He sighed; having to wash twice in one day is aggravating.

Before he even managed to reach the spring, he was caught by his mother.

“Jongin?! What happened to you?” She grabbed his arm, inspecting the filth.

“Sehun happened.” He replied.

“You fought with him?” Her voice was still shrill, “you two haven’t fought in years!” She reprimanded, raising a hand to smack him. Despite being thin and frail, she was still able to hit hard, and Jongin ducked out the way, laughing.

“I didn’t fight him, I promise. He just pushed me into a muddy patch because he thought it was funny. In retrospect, it probably was.” Jongin conceded, stripping off his dirty top, and beginning to wash himself.

“You better not have been fighting.” She warned, pointing at him threateningly.

“I wasn’t, I wasn’t!”

Kyungsoo, drawn by the commotion, rounded the corner and gaped at the sight of him.

“Jongin, what happened?” He asked, gawking at him. Jongin repeated the story one more time. Kyungsoo shook his head, disapproving of their antics, before helping Jongin rinse his hair with the frigid water from the spring.

Kyungsoo looked considerably better than he had when he left earlier that day. He leant in a little, enjoying the feeling of Kyungsoo’s fingers in his hair. He was too close, apparently, and Kyungsoo moved away, eyebrows furrowed. Jongin frowned, wondering if he was coming on too strong.

He wanted to ask if he was feeling better now, but that might make him think about it again. Better not to remind him of it.

As he was drying off Jongin noticed at last that Kyungsoo was wearing new clothes, grey fur and leather. That must be what his mum had been sewing earlier; they have a similar design to his own clothes, with the pretty running stich pattern. The mark of her technique. Where Jongin’s featured patterns with lines and squares, Kyungsoo’s had two large circles, with more circles inside them.

Kyungsoo saw him admiring the craftsmanship and pinched it at the bottom, pulling it out so the shapes could be seen without wrinkles.

“Your mother is very talented,” Kyungsoo praised, with a grateful smile, and soft eyes.

“Yes, she is,” Jongin agreed, “it suits you. You look really good,” Jongin watched Kyungsoo’s reaction to the compliment; he turns away, but Jongin doesn’t miss the small smile. He was too cute.

“Thank you, Jongin.”

enjoy :>