The tea kettle in the kitchen called to Luna as she was lounging on her sofa in her apartment, an equestrian magazine in her lap while she was curled up under her knit blanket.  Sighing softly, she set the reading material aside and stood up, unfolding her petite frame to hurry into the kitchen, running her fingers through her straight brunette locks as she did so.

                Setting the kettle on an unused heating coil, she bustled about, retrieving a mug and a packet of apple cider tea, leaning against the counter as she let the mesh bag steep, taking a deep breath to inhale the spicy scent and further relax after a hard day.  Wind’s Playmate hadn’t been particularly easy to work with and she was definitely feeling it.  Especially after that fall in the practice ring.

                “Ergh,” she grumbled, rubbing her hip where she’d landed rather harshly when she fell off the sixteen hand tall horse.  Why the mare was being so temperamental, she had no idea, but she needed to get her head straight soon.  The competition was coming up this weekend and their routine wasn’t exactly down pat yet.  Ah well.  There was still time at least.

                Luna consoled herself with that thought as she wrapped her hands around the mug and retreated back to her couch, flipping through the pages of the magazine distractedly.  She had the television on in the background but the volume was low and it was a movie she wasn’t familiar with anyway.  Her attention was more focused on the gear she wanted to buy for Wind’s Playmate; and herself for that matter.  The royal purple riding jacket was absolutely spectacular and she loved the mid-thigh length with the fitted cut look.

                She was distracted enough that she almost missed the sound of someone at her door.  Well, she thought it was someone at her door, though it sounded more like they were knocking on the wall next to it instead.  Brow furrowed over her tired brown eyes, Luna blinked and took another sip of her tea, waiting to see if it would come again.  Oh.  There it was.

                “Who in the world…?” she murmured, glancing at the wall clock to see that it was nearing midnight on a Wednesday.  No one she knew would be visiting her at this hour on a weeknight.  Straightening her comfortable knit sweater, long sleeves engulfing her arms and the hem covering the top part of her legging-clothed thighs, Luna frowned and approached the door, peering through the peep hole.  When she didn’t see anyone outright, she glared suspiciously at it before another knock made her jump.  “Oh for goodness sake,” she sighed, leaving the chain in place while she pulled the door open a crack.

                “Eh?” she heard a deep voice mumble from somewhere below her line of sight.  “Yer not Junhong,” the young man blinked, dark brown eyes peering through the resultant crack, squinting at her as he was obviously having a difficult time focusing.

                “I should think not,” Luna responded with a hesitant smile, squatting down closer to his level though she kept the lock in place, her lips twitching in amusement when his eyes had a slightly difficult time tracking her.  “Can I help you?” she asked, still wary.

                “Erm…  I think I haf the wrong door,” he grumbled, lips peeling back into a gummy, embarrassed smile.  He rubbed his short, dark blonde hair with one hand and laughed, ducking his head as his already flushed face turned a darker shade of red at the admission, squinting down the hallway with what she could only presume was a glare.

                “Oh dear,” Luna giggled, eyes narrowing in thought as he looked vaguely familiar to her.  “You’re one of my neighbors aren’t you?”  She seemed to recall seeing him either downstairs in passing or perhaps on this floor.  Maybe she’d bumped into him on the elevator or the stairwell?

                “Yongguk!” he blurted, pointing somewhere down the hall in the other direction that he’d been looking, head turning to follow so that it gave her a perfect view of the silver stud in his ear.

                It wasn’t difficult to tell that Yongguk was rather inebriated and Luna stood up, finally sliding the lock free before she stepped out and peered down at him to see where he was pointing.  Ah.  The room at the end of the hallway.  Go figure.  If she wasn’t mistaken, she’d seen a tall young man come out of the door a time or two.  “Do you need a hand?” she asked, taking in his worn blue jeans, plain gray t-shirt and dark brown jacket.

                Yongguk turned his head to look back at her before flashing her another gummy grin.  “Can I haf some water?”  He blinked slowly, lids sticking shut before he pried them open while he peered up at her expectantly, hopeful and… thirsty.

                Oh boy.  Luna squatted down in front of him, wrapping her arms around her knees as she watched his eyes follow her again, his body swaying slightly against the wall as he did so.  “Don’t you think it might be better to get to your apartment first?” she asked, smiling gently though she kept her hands to herself.

                “Please?” he asked, the deep tone at odds with the almost cute expression on his face.

                Luna gave a wry smile and looked at him with one raised eyebrow before she chuckled and nodded.  “Alright.”  Easily, she stood back up and padded into her apartment, returning in short order with a glass of water and her mug of tea, handing the former off to him carefully.  “Easy,” she urged, keeping her fingers in place until she was sure he was going to be able to hold it without dropping or spilling it all over himself.

                He grunted in acknowledgment and gripped it with both hands, bringing the edge to his lips with a warm smile.  His eyes peered at her over the top of the glass, blinking slowly until he realized she was looking back at him, the expression curiously amused, at which point he took a larger gulp, spilling a decent bit out either side of his mouth.  “Oops,” he sputtered, glancing down at the dribbling liquid in confusion.  Awkwardly, he patted at the water with his left hand and set the glass on the ground beside him, almost knocking it over in the process.

                “Careful,” Luna laughed, setting her mug aside to lean over him so she could take the cup from his hand in an effort to keep him from spilling it further.  “Now you’ve gone and made a mess of yourself,” she chided with a sigh, eyes crinkling slightly at his predicament.

                With a pitiful expression, Yongguk wiped at the water on his shirt again and then reached for the cup in her hands.  “More?” he asked, unconcerned by the damp material.

                “Are you normally like this?” she asked, cautiously giving him the glass with a long look.  Only when he seemed to have it well under control did she step back inside for a towel to help dry him off.  This was certainly one of her stranger evenings and it was not at all what she had expected it to be.  With a shake of her head, she returned back to the hallway and stopped, chirping in surprise when she saw him drinking from her mug.  “Hey!  That’s mine,” she exclaimed, frowning at him as she squatted beside him with a mild glare.

                Yongguk grunted when she caught him and promptly set the mug down in front of her, pretending like he’d never touched it.  Still trying to be sneaky, he reached to his other side and picked up the empty glass, studying it very hard, clasped gently between both hands.  Luna sighed and smacked her face with her palm.

                “Of all the doors to end up in front of, you chose mine,” she laughed once with a shake of her head, finally dabbing at his still damp chin and chest with the towel.  Her smile widened when she saw him jump and realized she’d startled him.  Go figure.  She was more focused on getting him taken care of before she realized he was staring at her, watching her expression intently.  “What?” she asked nervously, sitting back on her heels with a questionable look, not used to such obvious scrutiny.

                “Yer very nice,” Yongguk told her with a slight slur and while she expected a smile, his expression remained completely serious.

                “And you’re very drunk,” she responded with a nod, swiping her hair behind her ear reflexively, unable to stop the light flush that accompanied his praise.

                “Really pwetty too,” he added, dropping his gaze to play with his fingers in his lap, the tips of his ears turning red.

                “Very drunk,” Luna reiterated as she set the towel aside and stood up, extending her hands in front of her while she reached towards him.  It was probably time for him to go now…  “Come on, Yongguk.  Let’s get you back to your apartment.”

                “Ne?” he asked, looking up at her before he reached his hands to grab hers, slender fingers curling around hers gently but firmly.

                “Yep.  Upsy daisy!” she urged, stepping back at the same time that she pulled, bringing him slowly with her, keeping her arms firm so he wouldn’t accidentally run into her.

                “Whoa…” he murmured as he blinked at her in surprise, still clinging to her hands when he got to his feet while he swayed slightly in place.  “And shtrong!”

                Luna couldn’t help but laugh and give him a bemused look, positive that this was definitely one of her weirder nights.  “Alright, Yongguk.  Let’s go,” she guided, tugging his hands towards the door at the end of the hall.  If he hadn’t been so completely harmless and pretty much inept the entire time she’d been around him this evening, she might have been more concerned that he hadn’t let her hands go yet, but as it was, he just held on and trudged along with her until they got close enough for him to lean into the door.

                Bracing himself against the wooden surface, he patted his person, “Keys?”

                “Don’t look at me,” Luna exhaled with a frown, gesturing towards his door.  “It’s your apartment.”

                Yongguk pursed his lips and nodded before he smacked the door loudly with an open hand.  “Junhong…” he whined, repeating the process when it wasn’t opened immediately.  He was very much not ready when the door opened for him in the next moment and he went tumbling inside with a startled yelp.  “Yah!”

                “Hyung!” a younger voice emerged in surprise and Luna saw a lean figure in loose pajama clothes hurrying to catch Yongguk before he could hit the ground.  Luna cringed with a quiet murmur, reaching one hand out as if she could stop him.  “Huh?” the same voice chirped, obviously surprised someone else was at the door.

                “Hi,” Luna waved awkwardly when the young man shifted into view, practically towering over her.  Granted, most people did but he had to be almost as tall as her boyfriend, though probably a fair bit younger.

                “Umm…  Hi?” he murmured in response, returning the equally awkward wave before he scratched his head in confusion, sending blonde curls shifting in every direction.  “Can I help you?” he asked, looking over his shoulder quickly before returning his attention to her.

                “Erm.  No,” she shook her head, scratching the side of her face with a short fingernail.  “I think Yongguk just found the wrong door first,” she admitted, pointing down the hall to where hers was still partially open with the glass and the mug sitting beside it.

                The young man poked his head out and winced, “Aish.  Sorry miss,” he apologized, bowing in the doorway.

                “Please don’t,” she waved in mild embarrassment, ducking her head slightly.  “Just Luna, if you don’t mind.  The miss always makes me feel old,” she giggled, nodding when he stood up.  The young men her boyfriend coached always called her miss whenever she was around them and it drove her absolutely crazy.

                It was obvious the boy wasn’t sure if it was really okay to address her by her first name though, so he compromised.  “Junhong,” he smiled, extending his hand in greeting.  His smile relaxed marginally when she accepted the gesture and jerked his thumb over his shoulder.  “Thanks for helping my brother.  I’m sorry if he was a pain,” he apologized again, once more bowing over her hand.

                “I’ll say it has certainly been an interesting evening,” she hedged gently, letting a smile play on her lips as she retrieved her hand.  “It was nice meeting you, Junhong,” she waved while turning to head back for her apartment.

                “You too, miss Luna,” the tall young man waved in response, leaning out the doorway to see her off.

                “Aish,” Luna chuckled with a shake of her head, squatting carefully to retrieve the used glasses before she nodded once more at Junhong and stepped inside, closing the door behind her and locking it.  Yep.  Definitely one of her weirder evenings.  “And he drank my tea,” she exhaled with a slightly curled up lip, wandering back into the kitchen to clean it out before she opted to call it a night.  It was going to be a long day tomorrow…