Disclaimers: I don't own Mystic Messenger, Cheritz does.
White Day for Saeran
Saeran rolled over, grasping for his phone squinting at the harsh light emitted by the phone as he brought it to his face. 9:45 am. Oh. Usually he was up earlier. He sat up and stretched, fixing his bed before leaving his room. He crossed the short dark hallway and equally dark living room to go into the kitchen illuminated by a warm yellow glow. He was greeted by Saeyoung in a white frilly apron, a spatula in hand.
"Good morning, sleepy head! I didn't think you were ever going to wake up!" he sang.
"Good morning." He glanced over at the calendar hanging on the fridge. Today was March 14, he saw through blurred vision upon waking—it was 'White Day,' according to the calendar and hearts scribbled in the box in MC's hand writing. He quirked an eyebrow at his brother.
"Shouldn't you be doing something with MC, today?" he asked, grabbing a glass from the cabinet and a carton of milk before pouring. Silence. Then an unexpected burst of laughter erupted from the bespectacled twin causing Saeran to slightly jump and spill some of his beverage.
"You probably shouldn't be cooking either." Saeran added, looking his brother up and down to emphasize his statement.
"Nonsense, I could do this much!"his twin responded grabbing an egg and cracking it over the pan in the stove. He pulled the shell apart and watched with anticipation only to groan in disappointment as a part of the yellow center broke and begun to spread into the white parts. A small chuckle escaped Saeran.
"It's ok, Saeyoung, I'll take-"
"N-No!" interrupted Saeyoung, grabbing another egg quickly and cracking it open, this time without ruining the center.
"This one's yours!"he decided, hands on hips, nodding with satisfaction.
"If you say so." Saeran said with a shrug, sitting down as his brother served him the perfect egg.
Saeyoung sat across of him with his disfigured egg and bright smile.
"So, about MC..." Saeran started, looking around as if he would find a trace of her.
"She is spending today with Jaehee, so that means YOU..." Saeyoung paused for dramatic effect, "Are stuck with me!"
"O...Okay...?" Saeran managed. What could his brother be planning for him on White Day?
"Now, hurry up and finished and get dressed, we have all day today!" Saeyoung chimed.
Saeran just complied, he didn't really have any expectations and as far as he knew his brother had it all covered.
Saeran found himself in the garage filled with his brother's 'babies.' It took about an hour before they left from then as he couldn't decide which one to take, and he took plenty of time to rub up on each one to show his love. Saeran couldn't understand it, but this was probably one of the most normal quirks about his brother, his obsession with honey buddha and phd pepper was probably his most high-key and well known one.
What went on in the car was relatively normal. Saeyoung was driving normally... although he heard of some stories, he has yet to demonstrate them to him. K-pop music blasted on his radio, and he memorized the lyrics, singing along with every song that played. He seemed to enjoy rapping the most. His face contorted in ways even Saeran didn't know was possible with each word he rapped, hands flailed into the air on occasion, fingers gesturing in all sorts of ways. The longer the smaller twin watched, the more he couldn't contain his himself. Before he knew it, he lost himself in a laughing fit, clutching at his sides as they ached with every breath he took as he attempted to recover.
As he laughed he heard himself louder and louder, realizing that Saeyoung had lowered the volume down almost to zero. Saeyoung stopped jamming, growing suddenly quiet, his face flushed He was staring straight ahead at the road that stretched before him, but Saeran knew he was peering at him from the corners of his eyes. At the awkward silence, Saeran's own laughter finally died down.
"...That...that was so cute!" Saeyoung exclaimed, his blush fading. Instead, it seemed to have transferred onto Saeran.
"S-Shut up!" the green-eyed boy retorted, turning around and puffing his cheeks.
"Now, now... even though it's at my expense, I'm really glad I get to see you laugh like that," Seven said with soft voice and a gentle look on his face, "Look, we're here," he said as a view of a mall came up. He did a couple of loops in the car and found a parking spot.
Saeran quirked an eyebrow. The mall. Was he serious? What could he possibly be planning at the mall? The idea of being around people was quite daunting. However, he really had no choice now. He felt his throat constricting and his stomach doing somersaults.
"Are you ok, Saeran? Don't worry, just walk beside me, you'll be fine!" Saeyoung said with a cheerful grin.
The twins walked through the mall and as they did so, Saeran only felt his anxiety build. He tried to distract himself from the thoughts in his head that made him feel awkward and out of place. He watched people, how they dressed, how they interacted as he avoided physical contact with strangers as people navigated the mall. There were many instances of awkward hand touches with his brother. But that was ok, it was his brother after all... They were actually a welcome distraction as his mind seemed to warp the experience into negativity that he internalized in silence. Saeyoung stopped in front of a mini playground marked with a balloon arch with the words "KIDZ ZONE" and gestured for Saeran to follow him in.
"Saeyoung, we are not children." Saeran stated flatly, but followed his brother in anyways. They took off their shoes and put it in a cubby and sat on the little benches. Seven's eyes twinkled, like he wanted to be the one rolling around on the padded floors or climbing the little obstacles. Saeran was grateful he hadn't because he could already imagine being pleaded to join and he knew he couldn't possibly refuse. So instead they watched the kids play, some of them with their parents actively playing with them. Saeran watched, expressionless. From the corner of her eyes he could see his brother with a strange look on his face—like he was about to cry, yet his eyes weren't exactly sad, his lips forming an awkward sort of smile. Somehow that look seemed to mirror what Saeran felt looking at the children and families playing together. Memories of a time past flashed in his mind, superimposed onto his current vision. There were rare moments he and his twin had that were similar to what he was watching now, but there was something a little different in this scene. The feeling of anxiety that seemed to hide in the pit of his stomach, the dread of happy and peaceful moments slipping through his fingers... he didn't feel them here.
"We used to be like those kids... somewhat." said Seven, leaning back into the little bench they were on.
"Yeah. Somewhat." Saeran repeated. Only on the outside. Only those rare moments... He treasured them, there wasn't many good ones after a certain age. Actually... maybe there weren't any at all? After a certain point all his memories felt hazy, like he was in some long dream—or rather a nightmare. Yet watching the children right now, he felt like he could live vicariously through them, and build up something like memories from what he saw.
"Ready to go?" Saeyoung asked him, getting up suddenly and stretching.
"Sure." He agreed. He wondered where else his brother was taking him this time.
The pair walked a pretty long stretch of the mall and happened across an ice cream kiosk.
"Look Saeran! Icecream!"
Before Saeran could even say anything, his brother was already talking to the ice cream vendor. His happy-go-lucky smile was back on his face and it was infectious, because the young lady selling the frozen treat seemed to light up with life as he approached. Seeing that, a small smile made its way onto Saeran's lips as well.
"Saeraan! Saeraaaan! What flavor do you want?"
He was more excited than Saeran was, and ice cream was more Saeran's thing. The green-eyed twin shrugged to him self and walked over to his loud, flailing brother's side. What a dork he thought, his ears turning pink at second-hand embarrassment for his twin.
"I'll have 2 scoops of strawberry cheesecake... Saeyoung. You can stop now."
"B-but! I'm just SO excited! I can't contain myself!" he responded, his arms still thrashing around and his fingers wiggling about. It seemed like they were doing a dance in the air. A familiar one, like the ones they would do across a keyboard. He could imagine what codes his fingers were inputting into the air. He didn't stop until the woman handed them their ice cream. Saeran looked at his modest 2 scoops of ice cream and at his brother's 8 layered soft serve.
"Are you going to finish that?"
Even for Saeran it was an intimidating sight.
"Do you wanna help me?" the glasses twin asked, his tongue out, poised to lick his treat.
"Uh. No thanks, I'm fine."
"Suit yourself," Saeyoung said followed by loud slurping noises.
Saeran hunched as he did that. Was it too late to pretend like he didn't know him? Crap. He had his face. Dammit, Saeyoung, please stop, he thought to himself. He picked up the tiny pink shovel spoon his ice cream came with and took his first bite to distract himself. A medley of sweet and tart invaded his mouth, and the texture of the graham cracker pie crust. pieces completed the experience. Oh. He thought before digging in. As they ate their treat, Saeyoung lead them to their destination.
Before even seeing what it was, Saeran already had an idea what they were going to do next as a repetitive, whimsical, slow, dizzying song filled his ears. The sight of colorful horses set on a rotating circular platform confirmed all suspicions. A small family had just gotten off as they came up to it.
"Let's get on it, Saeran!"
Saeyoung ran to the gateway and waved Saeran over, already paying for their tickets. He followed after him, hesitating a little bit. Two grown men on a carousel... From the kids' playground to the carousel, his brother sure knew how to up the ante. He remembered not being able to get on a carousel or do much growing u because of his health. Even his energetic and inclusive brother had a tendency to stop him at the peak of excitement out of worry. They both got on a horse each and they spun around slowly at first but quickly picked up speed so that the whirring sound of being spun around and the music, amplified from somewhere above them drowned out Saeyoung's exclamations. Time seemed to move slowly on the horses. The combination of the motion of the entire ride turning whilst the horses moved up and down, a blurring scrolling scene, and the repetitive god-forsaken music lulled Saeran into a kind of trance deep inside the recesses of his own mind.
There were so many things he missed out on. It was either because of his health, his circumstance in his past or his own decisions. He also resented so many things and so many people. His brother especially. But here he was doing...things. It was invigorating. There were lots of things he wanted to see and wanted to do... These little things now for some reason felt like the beginning. Visions of possibilities played before him like a film reel.
"Hey, it's over. Are... you okay?"
Saeyoung's gentle voice broke through his reverie. Saeran looked at him slowly, his hands reaching up to his swollen and slightly wet face. Had he been crying? Before he knew it, he found himself buried in his brother's chest.
"Don't worry, I know how to put a smile on your face!" He exclaimed.
Saeran soon found himself in a pet shop with his brother, the latter crooning as soon as they walked in. Unfortunately, Saeran couldn't match his brother's mood, at least initially as he watched the cute dogs behind the glass. Looking at them reminded him of himself, their big eyes mirroring his in the past a longing to belong and find a safe and happy place that he could really call home.
"Saeran! They're all SO cute! Let's play with one!" Saeyoung suggested after many rounds of tapping on the glass windows and talking to the dogs behind them. His twin nodded mutely, glancing all around at the many faces of the dogs.
"You pick one!" He said excitedly.
After a little bit of consideration...Saeran's body seemed to have moved on it's own towards one of the windows. He bent over a little to look the dog in the face. He lightly placed a finger to the glass.
"This one." Saeran said plainly, turning from the glass to look at his brother with a grave expression.
"Hah! It looks like a mop!" Saeyoung chirped, "Komondor... eh?"
"Yeah, looks like you need it."
"Ow! low blow, bro!" the bespectacled twin said, feigning a pain in his chest dramatically.
They got the sales associate to take the dog out and they waited inside one of the tiny pens.
"Be sure to sanitize your hands~" Saeyoung sang placing his hands under the hand sanitizer dispenser and making a show of cleaning his hands.
Saeran rolled his eyes but he couldn't help but smile as he followed suit. Soon the dog was placed in the pen and Saeyoung did not hesitate to start petting the animal. It was like him to just jump in and throw himself out there. Saeran cautiously held his hand out to the dog and allowed him to sniff his hand. The dog's wet nose was on his hand for a good minute or so before the dog decided to lick his fingers, causing him to chuckle lowly.
"Who's a good boy? You are! You are!" Saeyoung sang.
Soon Saeran warmed up enough so that he was the one mainly holding and playing with the dog as his brother watched him. He couldn't stop himself from laughing and smiling even if he wanted to. It's been a long time. Actually, he couldn't even point out a time when he felt like this.
"I'll call you-" Saeyoung began but he was cut off abruptly by his brother's protest
"Unless we are keeping him, I don't want to give him a name."
Saeyoung pouted but soon agreed. They weren't allowed to keep pets where they lived.. Even if they were allowed, Vanderwood wasn't going to have it. It was best to just not start anything when it came to Vanderwood.
"I guess we should give this guy back to the shop then? We still have time to kill... hmm what else should we do?"
"Are we really going to be out all night? Are you really ok with not spending time with MC?"
"Saeran. You're my brother. Also, MC really doesn't mind. She's probably cheering us on right now."
"Ok, but when she starts throwing fits and... 'things'- keep me out of it." Saeran joked.
"You... you have a mean sense of humor sometimes Saeran!" Saeyoung cried.
The sales associate came by and took the dog from the twins. They got up and left the pen and Saeyoung looked at his phone.
"Actually the mall closes at 9:00 pm, we have ten minutes... however, there's one place here we can go... besides you might be hungry."
They both stepped out and wandered off to their destination.
"An arcade. Saeyoung. Are you serious?"
"Uh huh. Let's eat!" With that, he grabbed his brother's hand and found a booth to eat. They ate pizza, both too hungry to really talk. They did exchange trivial conversation, many stemming from people watching as they ate, commenting on games they were interested in playing. Once they finished they went straight to games. There were games that Saeran dominated in, Down the Clown, Skee Ball, Red Cup Challenge... There were games that Saeyoung killed Saeran in like Trivia, Mario Kart, Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots and Pump It Up. Then, there were games they were even in like Air Hockey and Fruit Ninja.
Finally, the time came for their tie breaker game. The twins chose Connect Four as it seemed like it would be the most fair compared to the rest of the games. They decided on the best out of 7. After a couple rounds, they both were tied at 6, Saeyoung finally turned to look at his brother and give him his signature impish smile. Saeran did not return the look, looking back at his brother with furrowed eyebrows and a scowl. There was no way he was losing such a simple game. He knew he could be ahead of his brother. He proved it... for the most part. They swiped their cards on the machine and the last game began. A red light flashed on Saeran's side.
"Looks like you're first," Saeyoung muttered, a competitive edge in his voice.
Good. Saeran thought. This way he'd have the advantage. He pressed the right button until his light aligned in the middle. He hovered on the spot before deciding that it was too obvious of a move and placed his piece all the way to the left. Saeyoung decided he would take the middle spot. They continued on with the battle of their wits. Blocking each other and attempting to make the coveted four piece connection. With intense focus, Saeran noticed his brother was going to make four if he didn't stop it and dropped down his piece. Heh. He thought, feeling smug, as he thwarted his brother and not only that, just a little more and he would get a win on him. Not just any win. He had a connect 6 waiting on him. But then Saeyoung went and he dropped his piece.
"Yes!" He exclaimed pumping a fist into the air. He turned to look at Saeran his hands on his hips with a triumphant gleam in his eyes. Saeran looked confused with his hands still on the buttons not knowing what just happened until the words 'Game Over' flashed on the top of the screen scrolling to reveal that 'Player 2' had won. Saeran growled and looked at his brother who gave him a shrug. How was that possible. What the hell just happened!? Then he looked closely and saw the the flaw in his moves. His brother indeed connected four, somewhere in the maze of blue and red attempting to obstruct each other in their goal to connect.
"You got lucky this time, Saeyoung!"
Saeyoung stuck his tongue out in response, placing both his hands on the back of his head.
"Ready to leave, bro?" he asked a teasing tone in his voice.
"Hmph. Yeah, I'm over this place." Saeran admitted, stepping away from the machine and heading towards the exit.
They made it to Saeyoung's baby. It as a quiet walk. After all that activity they were both really exhausted. Once Saeyoung was in the driver's seat he turned the key and he lowered the volume. It was different when they first arrived at the mall. Saeran leaned into the car door against the window, placing his cheek on the cool glass, closing his eyes. After all the noise, they both welcomed the silence.
"Are you tired already, Saeran?" Saeyoung asked, tapping his brother's shoulder before placing it back on the wheel as he pulled out of the parking space.
"Mmm..."
A soft chuckle escaped the bespectacled twin.
"I have another place I'd like to show you," He said shifting gears.
Saeran remained silent. His plans hadn't changed. He'd let Saeyoung lead him around. It was the end of the day, was it really ok with MC? Or did he want MC to be some excuse because he was already so exhausted mentally, emotionally AND physically. But it really wasn't bad. It was just quite the roller coaster ride. Saeran closed his eyes and allowed sleep to take him.
Saeran opened his eyes when he felt himself being shaken awake. He yawned and let his eyes adjust so that he could identify his surroundings.
"We're here." Saeyoung told him, with a gentle smile. It was rather dark and they were illuminated only by the soft silvery light of the moon.
"Where... are...we?" Saeran asked slowly, turning his and shifting around in wonder.
"We are at the park."
The reply was simple. It was also said in a good natured 'where did you think we were, silly?' kind of way. The green eyed twin raised an eyebrow.
"Let's get out and follow me."
The twins ended up on a hill in the middle of the park. Right on top of the hill, Saeyoung collapsed on onto the grass, with a thud. Saeran sat down and lowered himself to mime his brother, head behind head, eyes heavenward, staring into the velvety sky.
"Are we here to look at stars? You were so prepared. No telescope?"
"Saeran, I don't want to spend time like that. We could do that another time, I wanted to feel a little more free—more relaxed."
"You have always liked the night sky, Saeyoung." Saeran said softly.
"Yeah, I do... I mean look at it, it's beautiful," He breathed, his breath like the sound of the wind softly blowing through their red manes.
"There are many reasons I love the night sky, Saeran, but want to know what one of them is? In the dark there are stars that pierce through the blackness, they shine so bright, they give hope. It's mysterious and full of wonder... and one day I want to reveal a lot of those mysteries to you... brother." Saeyoung finished, his voice cracking at the end.
A few moments of silence passed. Then.. an explosion of laughter. Not bitter. Not mocking. A very easy going laugh. Just the kind that was needed. The kind that broke through tension and awkwardness.
Saeran coughed, composing himself.
"It's like how I have many reasons why I love clouds. Even like this I think I can appreciate clouds. Even though I don't get to point and say they look like something I may have seen in books, or what little I had seen in person... One day maybe I could tell you more about that too..." Saeran admitted and now it was his turn to feel a bit embarassed.
"I think I may understand..." Saeyoung drifted off, pushing his glasses up from the side.
"Do you? You aren't the only one riddled in mysteries here," Saeran challenged.
Saeyoung chuckled. "I suppose you're right..."
They both breathed in deeply and let their breaths go slow and even in perfect synchronicity.
"This was nice... This IS nice..." Saeran admitted,a lopsided boyish grin on his face. It was like he lost a couple of years. Like he was that boy again who snuck out just to see some clouds.
"Yeah, we should do this a lot more. We should do a lot more things together."
"I agree..."
Saeyoung sprang up and dusted his clothes of the grass and dusty earth.
"Next time we can roll down the hills too!" he suggested, and just like Saeran he was the boy back in their childhood as well, daring his twin to do things that could get them into trouble. "But right now, are you ready to go home?"
Saeran followed suit, taking his brother's outstretched to help him stand.
"Let's go home."
"Yeah, MC is waiting for us!" Saeyoung teased, as he sprinted off in the direction to the car.
"Hey! Wait for me!" Saeran called, chasing after him.
~End.~
A/N: So this is my story I wrote for someone on White Day because they got me a Valentine. It took 3 months and it's long and there were things that did not make it. But I am happy I finished it and like the way it turned out.