Sorry for the long Hiatus, bottomline is I have a job that forces me to travel. Enjoy!

The test was over and it was the day of the coming out of test results. Everyone in the large room that is currently accommodating 20 pairs plus the test proctor putting up the list can feel the heavy tension in the air. The pairs opted to stay in the remote corners of the room, huddled and whispering to each other preferring the company of their partners. As the list was finally tacked on the bored, none dared to be the first one to look, not wanting to seem overeager. Only as the proctor finished putting up the list and have exited through the door did the immobile group break their stupor.

Slowly, they began trickling in, each individual step fueling the steps of others who do not want to be outdone. The first one took only one quick scan of the list before immediately coming back to his red haired partner with a goofy smile in his face. The red haired man only smirked at his partner’s reaction, fully expecting the outcome - confident. He spared a glance at his big-lipped companion who was jumping up and down like a little kid apparently having passed as well.

Amidst the on-going celebration happening, on the other side of the room there were two boys huddled in the corner. “Hyung, you go check.” A boy with curly hair nudged his partner beside him. His partner, the taller and older among the two boys only remaining at the corner of the room nodded and began walking towards the dreaded list. He walked slowly, occasionally wiping his sweaty palms on his pant leg. He arrives in front of the board and focuses his eyes on the paper. He first scans how many partners were written – there were only ten. He then slowly reads each of the names, begging to find theirs amongst it.

He read the first line – it wasn’t them. No problem, he says to himself that there were nine names left. It was while reading the 5^th name on the list that was not them did the dread start slowly sinking in to his system. By the 7^th he was desperate and when the 9^th came to pass, he was hoping for a miracle. He began to read the last names in his mind only to be surprised when a voice behind him spoke them out loud.

“There we are, Taecyon and Jessica number 10, look at that we almost failed because of you I’m sure, you idiot.” A girl said with an irritatingly high pitchy voice to her hulking companion with an accompanying smack behind his head. 

“What has gotten your knickers in a twist? We passed alright! That’s what all that matters and besides it was your damn potion’s fault, it didn’t imprint all the information in my brain.” The other countered.

“It’s probably because your tiny brain couldn’t hold any more information, besides -” she stops midsentence and looks at the boy who was staring at them. “Excuse you but didn’t anyone tell you it’s ing rude to stare?” She addressed the boy as she gave him one of her disgusted stares.

“You-you cheated… You used a potion to pass the exam!” the boy shouted, positively incensed with what he discovered. “That’s not fair, that’s cheating!” He said even louder, the realization that their names weren’t written, meaning they failed only adding to the anger building inside of him.

“Well obviously - what did you expect you little twerp? Did you honestly think that we were supposed to cram all the information learned by our partners in under an hour? They were testing us you idiot!” the girl said in a matter of fact tone. “It’s not our fault you’re dumb enough to actually study the material.” She added as she laughed maniacally in the face of the boy. He could only bite his tongue in contempt, summoning all his will not to lash out at the woman in front of him. He was taught to never strike a woman – no matter how much of a she was.

“Don’t mind the little shrimp, he’s probably fuming because he failed, just like some of the losers in this room.” Taecyon said as he guided his partner back to the sides of the room not waiting for a response from the boy.

The boy scanned the room and its occupants purposely skipping his companion’s gaze. He couldn’t – he’s too ashamed. He began to review the list hoping he must have missed or misread a line. He checked it once, twice –hoping. Time passed as he stared blankly at the list, only when he felt something grasp his hands did he regain his senses. His partner, the smaller boy, led him from the center of the room back to their space from a while ago, both silent both having no words to spare for each other as they try to cope with their failure in their own way.

Out of the original 20 pairs, only half has moved on to the second round. Cheers and words of congratulations can be heard throughout the room. If you however listen closely, you can hear regret coursing through some of the failed examinees veins and light heart breaks. The ten pairs who were still eligible for the next round were then ushered in to a different room leaving those who failed in the testing area.

“Here we all are, segregated like lepers, the losers” said bitterly by the taller boy in the corner of the room to his partner who could only look down at his feet. He clenched and unclenched his hands wishing for something to hit or to strangle – anything that he could release his anger on. Seeing none at the vicinity, he could only gnash his teeth making bulging veins appear on his jaw line.  The initial shock has gone by only to be replaced by a searing bitterness and anger.

“You lost the chance for a quicker way to be a guild member” said Guild Master Philippe purposely enunciating the word “quicker” as he stepped in to the room causing all the slouched and slumped postures of the room inhabitants to turn immediately straighten and correct themselves. The master came in alone, surprisingly without his usual posse trailing behind him and proceeded towards the center of the room. He scanned the crestfallen faces of his crowd and let his earlier words sink in.

“A quicker way? Then that means that it’s not the only way? Meaning there is a longer way?” asked by the same boy. Renewed energy coursed through not only him but the others around him as well upon hearing the master’s declaration. He unconsciously inched towards the master out of his eagerness to be a part of the guild and to hear what he felt to be good news that would come from the man in front of him.

“Why yes, we can’t disregard all your talents just because you failed one test. The test that you were once in was designed to siphon out the most talented among each and every one of you, but that does not mean we are not looking for people that can be taught and trained. Those who pass the test will be given an immediate rank of a fully fledged guild member.” Philippe explained as he slowly swept the room with his eyes, giving hope to the downtrodden group.

“So you will be training us to become guild members? What are we supposed to be now? Trainees? Probationary guild members?” the boy asked, confirming what he gathered from the master’s words, having the primal need to banish the fear in his mind saying that he will no longer be one of them.

“Yes, you will all undergo a rigorous training program that will span for a total of one year. When the training is over you can also be called guild members.” Philippe walked up to the boy and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. He looked at the eyes of the boy which used to hold so much self-hatred and disappointed only to be replaced now with awe and admiration. He looks at the faces around him finding the same glint in all their eyes and lastly at the boy’s partner hoping to find the same only to be met by a tangle of curly locks. He then urged the remaining group towards another set of doors - to which he explained where a more detailed explanation will be given regarding the training program.

The taller boy seeing his partner still unmoving grabs him with a smile reaching from ear to ear as he drags the other towards the next room. His dream – no, their dream was not dead yet, he and all the other participants will be given another chance to prove themselves worthy to be called guild members, though he and his partner weren’t part of the quicker process, they still however has a fighting chance in achieving their goal. 

“Three orders of Black Bean Noodle Soup, two ramyeon noodles with a side of kimchi and 2 deep fried tofus. You got all that?” Grandma Jean hollered through the serving window. It was another busy day at Grandma Jean’s Noodle house. Its fame rocketed when word got out that beautiful waitress serve its food laden tables.  It was a great marketing and advertising plan really; get an eyeful at ogling at the servers while getting your stomach filled as well in the process - bait, hook and sinker. It’s comical however that in truth, men flock over just so beautiful cross-dressing males could serve them. That secret however is only known by the people working and residing within the building.

Upon hearing no reply, Grandma Jean huffed and stomped her way inside the kitchen. She pushed the swinging door open with excessive force causing it to slam in the wall behind it with a loud crash. Her eyes scanned the room fixed with a steely glare at its occupants. She grabs her weapon of choice and marks her target, with a mighty swing of the hand, the soup ladle that she was holding turned in to a lethal projectile sailing through the air with deadly homing target like precision.  With a metallic twang, the projectile cluttered towards the floor after hitting its designated target.

“GOD DAMMIT WOMAN! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!” A man with sandy brown hair yelled as he nursed the forming lump behind his neck. ”A LADLE?!, SERIOUSLY?! A LADLE?!” he shouts incredulously as he picks up the metal instrument and places it on the wash tub.

“I asked if you got the order, you did not reply. We have a lot of waiting customers and I cannot have a deaf cook manning the kitchen. Remember, that’s how you pay off your keep for staying here in my house” Grandma Jean said steadily as if using kitchen tools as flying projectiles weren’t in the least bit out of the norm. She crosses her arms daring the other to back-talk. After a few moments of intense staring, the sandy haired man bows down and returns cooking. With an audible smirk Grandma Jean uncrosses her arms and repeats the order.

“You got that Alistair?” she asks after.

“Yeah-yeah I got it” Alistair grumbles as he opens a pot and tastes the broth boiling inside. “You old bat” he adds when he heard the kitchen sliding door close only to hear it opening once again.

“What was that?” Grandma Jean asks.

“I-I said, it needs more salt” Alistair hurriedly says as he begins to stir the pot’s contents. He sighs in relief when he hears the sliding door swinging to a close and a mumbled “that’s what I thought so”.

In the front of the store, there worked a waitress with blonde hair and full pink pouty lips. The said waitress weaved expertly through the throngs and swarms of men all wanting his attention. The waitress carries a platter of orders in each hand while balancing another on her head. The waitress carefully places the orders, making sure nothing is spilled. That in itself is already a great feat, add in evading the grimy groping hands of the male customers while still looking effortlessly beautiful makes this waitress truly special. Ren the blonde waitress, or should I say waiter, is truly filling the huge shoes that Heechul left to fill. Though there has been questions regarding Heechul’s absence in the shop, they were quickly answered by a simple “Noona has personal things to attend to and will be back in a month.” With that, the customers are satisfied and easily enough forgets the whole matter.

“Here’s your order sir” said the blonde waiter as he deposited the trays of food on the table. “Is there anything else that I could get for you?” Ren adds as he brings out her notebook stuck in the sash of his hanbok and pulls out the pencil wedged at the top of his ear causing a blonde strand to fall across his face gracefully.

“uhhh….” said the men at the table.

“Great, please enjoy your meal” the blonde waiter smiled and bowed to everyone in the table. The day is not yet over, there are still orders to be taken and hungry stomachs to fill. He goes around the shop taking orders and entertaining the customers with his cheerful disposition and graceful movements. The day quickly passed by and soon it was closing time. After saying goodbye to the last of the customers and closing up shop, the staff sat down in the kitchen area for the evening’s meal.

“Aiyo, good job everyone.” Said Grandma Jean as she sat down and massaged her neck. She inspects the table and finds two staffs missing. “Where is Baekho?” she looked at Ren who placed a huge steaming bowl of noodles at the table.

Ren shrugged before answering “I don’t know, he left with Alistair after helping in closing the shop.”

“To do what?” Grandma Jean asked as she poured herself a bowl of noodles. Upon hearing no immediate response, she turned to Ren who has his back turned, doing the dishes. Grandma Jean narrowed her eyes at the boy before sighing and getting back to her meal.

“Did they at least eat before going to god knows where doing god knows what?” asking without looking away from her meal.

“Yes Grandma, I made packed them some leftovers” replied Ren as he dried off his wet hands and sat with the matriarch of the house.  He rests his head on the small woman’s sturdy shoulder before speaking “Do you think Heechul and Hangeng-hyung are doing okay?”

Grandma Jean placed her chopsticks down and sipped her tea. “Why of course, Hangeng was trained by Alistair himself. No matter how much of an old stupid fool he is, Alistair is a good mentor. Also, don’t forget Heechul is with him, definitely nothing to worry about. I’m sure they’re at the top of the rankings.” She said confidently as she rested her head on top of the younger.

Passing the first test was not a surprise for the four friends sitting around a table in the Guild’s dining area; it did not mean however that it is of no cause for celebration. Everyone in the room from the ten partners who successfully passed the first test, to the prefects and the professors were in a festive mood. The food was made extra splendid while the beverages were overflowing giving their meal a bit more pizzazz granting the jovial occasion. Everyone was filling their plates, stuffing themselves and downing their goblets.

“Mmff—chu halfv tuf thry thisf” Hangeng mumbled as he simultaneously stuffed food in his mouth while trying to talk to his red haired partner. Food particles spattered as he talked causing the other to flinch at his disgusting antics. The red-haired male simply nodded his head, letting the lack of table manners go and tried the dish that his partner Hangeng all but shoved at him. The other stops his pig out session to watch the reaction of his red haired companion, eagerly awaiting his verdict. Heechul grabs his spoon and scoops a small serving of the dish. He slowly guides it to his mouth, while the other leans in close like an excited puppy, once Heechul places the dish on his tongue, his feline eyes widen and meets the other’s.

“Oh sheesus this is good!” Heechul said as he begins to scoop more of the said dish.

“I know right!” Hangeng twittered back in approval as he begins to stuff his face.

Meanwhile on the other side of the table were Niel and CAP. Unlike the other two, they were taking time to actually chew and properly taste their food. Occasionally, Niel would catch himself looking at the other before blushing and returning to his food. Unbeknownst to him, CAP would do the same. It was the tell tale signs of a blooming relationship. The happy chatter around the room was infectious, everyone was in high spirits at their first triumph it was however short lived when two obnoxious voices carried throughout the room.

“Did you see the look of that punk when he overheard us?” a deep male voice said followed by a ruckus laughter.

“Yeah, it was obvious that everyone here in this room passed because of some form of cheating.” A shrill female voice sounded.

Upon hearing these voices, Heechul sighed and rolled his eyes over the two’s immaturity. He looks over at his adoptive son and see’s him wearing a bothered face. He nudges him with his foot and gives him a quizzical look.

“Those boys were staying at the room in front of ours, haven’t talked to the one’s Taecyon and Jessica were referring to, but I have talked to his partner a few times. He was nice.”  Niel shrugged and resumed eating his meal.

The day moved on and the routine that they build up since the previous week were still followed. The difference however is the difficulty level and the pace that they were learning new things. Unlike last week where they were given some slack and a few breaks, the professors were pulling out all stops. They were cramming and shoving information in their pupil’s heads mercilessly which lead to longer class hours and more assignments to be passed. The brewers were given more and more parchment to study, Heechul and CAP could mostly be seen with their noses stuck between book pages throughout the day carrying bags that slowly grew a and grew each day with the amounts of notes and study materials that they were constantly bringing. To say that they were both mentally frazzled and stress was a huge understatement. One time, Heechul almost forgot to wash his face before going to class, as he was busy finishing a certain roll of parchment. It was half-way towards the dining hall when Hangeng pointed out that his usually perfect feline eyes had crusts residing at the edges. Heechul had a huge thing for hygiene, if this incident was not a proof of how stressful his life currently is, I don’t know what else could convince you.

On the other side of the spectrum, the warriors Hangeng and Niel weren’t doing better off than their counterparts, on most days they were busy using their partners as pillows during breaks out of sheer physical exhaustion. Their instructors drilled them, treating them like boot camp soldiers making each class harder and more strenuous the classes before. They had their students running, training, tackling, sword-fighting, knife wielding and mastering different combat styles within the day. The poor warriors used their free time either nursing bruises and wounds or resting their tired soar bodies. It was the second day of their second week within the guild halls as they take the infamous exam.

Each participant was under tremendous loads of stress and each of them, CAP had noted had different ways of coping through the daily stresses. CAP watches and identifies his friend’s unique stress ticks. He notices that Heechul would get a long strand of his fiery red hair and twirl it on his fingers while processing hard to understand information. When you look at the red haired man from behind, the rest of his hair would be bundled up in a high pony tail while a single strand would be left draped his back in a cute curl. Hangeng would tease Heechul every time he notices saying it looks like a curled tail which would earn him a hard smack behind the head.

‘He looks like a school girl’ CAP internally says as he watches the other begin unconsciously curling a lock of hair.

Spotting Hangeng’s tick was a lot harder. He set his sights on Hangeng who had his own way of dealing with stress which he uncovered only after a few days of close monitoring. Hangeng ate - not just the normal three meals per day eating mind you, he really eats a lot. Most of the time when Hangeng wasn’t sleeping or grumbling about his bruises, he was busy eating which was later confirmed by his partner Neil who swears that even during class Hangeng would pull out a snack from his bag and begin to consume it.

“It’s a good thing though that he’s under a strict training regime or else the extra calories would have made him fat’ he says to himself as he giggled silently when he imagined how a fat Hangeng would look like earning him a puzzled stare from his table mates.

After successfully debunking the stress ticks of what he dubbed as the “Hanchul” pair, he began to inspect his partner. Unlike Hangeng’s tick, it only took him a short amount of time to find out his partner’s tick. Niel had this tendency of sensuously biting his lips. He would first wet his lips with a lazy sweep of his tongue before proceeding to bite it. This oral ministration only highlighted Niel’s plump lips which get’s even plumper as it swells.

‘Ooop there he goes again’ CAP notes as he watches Niel his lips with his long tongue. The added moisture adding a coating with gave Niel’s lips an extra sheen, CAP swears he saw light rays bouncing off of those lips. Niel then slowly retracts his lower jaw to bring his lower lip closer to his pearly white teeth. With just enough pressure, Niel slowly sinks his teeth on his lips as if eating a ripe juicy orange peel.

‘Ohhh damnnn…’ he mumbles.

CAP’s lower jaw drops at Niel’s exhibition. He shakes and fans himself as he felt the room’s temperature go up. Looking around he saw others doing their own thing having no concern of the apparent temperature hike. Upon seeing no one else bothered by the temperature he devotes himself to his notes.

‘It’s a good thing I don’t have any ticks like these guys…’ CAP says to himself.

Unnoticed by CAP, the table’s occupants all looked at him then at each other. The three males huddled together much like what little boys do when doing something in secret.

“Am I the only one who notices?” Niel asked the two.

“What? That he actually says what he is thinking in a low voice?” Heechul scoffs while the other two nods in agreement.

“Must be a nervous tic or something” Hangeng said as he shrugs and proceeds on lying on Heechul’s lap.

It was past midnight and everything was silent. The bustling city of Ygdrassil and most of its inhabitants were fast asleep, tired and recovering from the days toil. The streets were empty apart from the usual alley dwellers and the occasional guard patrols giving the city a tranquil atmosphere as it basks in the moonlit glow.  Grandma Jean’s noodle shop nestled in the downtown area remains closed for the day. Inside its kitchen, the dishes have been dried and sparkling while the materials for tomorrow’s needs have been prepped and laid out on the table. Normally, the inhabitants of Grandma Jean’s house would have been resting and sleeping, in this instance however, a silhouette slowly and silently opens the back door to enter in to the household. For the fourth day in a row after a week of Hangeng and Heechul’s departure, this said silhouette sneaks in the wee hours of the morning.

Sidestepping a creaky floor board, the silhouette heads toward the sink and grabs a glass for a drink. Little did the unknown figure know that someone was lurking in the dark waiting as he quenches his thirst. A sound of a match being lit and the room being filled with the flame’s light suddenly reveals the two covert personalities. The first one – the one choking in surprise as he was caught sneaking in was Baekho while the other, Grandma Jean with a lit candle in hand, sitting calmly with a victorious smile plastered in her age-worn but still evidently beautiful face.

Grandma Jean gestures for the other to sit as she lights a few more candles in front of her. Baekho gapes at the woman before with great hesitation sits at the other side of the table facing her. Had it been any other time with two different people involved, it would have looked like a cheesy dinner date. Two people, sitting in front of each other with only candle light serving as illumination. The two figures stared at each other, both unwilling to be the first to speak. The older of the two having more experience kept her steely gaze and raises one archer eyebrow at the other in question.

“Okay Grandma Jean, what do you want to know?” Baekho said after trying and failing at resisting the other.

“Well for starters what’s all this?” Grandma Jean gestured at Baekho’s worn out form. His shirt was soaked through and his pant leg caked with mud. Looking at the boy closer, he had small cuts and bruises decorating his body which only added to Grandma Jean’s plethora of things to ask.

“I-it’s nothing, I just -” Baekho mumbles only to be stopped by Grandma Jean.

“Stop, I’d rather you remain quiet than say lies. It’s obvious that it’s something that you do not wish to share with me.” Grandma Jean sharply said.

“It’s just I can’t…” Baekho solemnly said as he bows his head, ashamed and unable to look at the woman who sheltered him and Ren.

Seeing the conflicted look on the younger’s face, Grandma Jean’s face softens as she cups the other’s chin to look at her. “It’s alright hun, just know that i’m here and you can tell me everything.” She lights slaps Baekho’s cheeks and gives him a warm smile. “Now lock the door and go upstairs to sleep. We have a long working day tomorrow and I can’t have a sleepy dish washer giving me dirty dishes to plate my food in.”

Grandma Jean stands up and makes her way towards the stairs, upon reaching the first step she looks back at Baekho who was staring at the door.

“What now?” Grandma Jean places her hands or hips, exasperated and a bit irritated at the other’s immobility.

“Alistair is still out there” Baekho looks at the other with a sheepish smile.

Grandma Jean’s mouth open for a while before changing her mind and closes it again. After a few moments of silence she spoke “You know what, I don’t even want to know. Good night.”   She turned back grumbling words that sounded like ‘darn my weakness for uke and seme couples’ as she made her way upstairs.

A/N:

Don't forget to give me a little sum-sum *wink