❤︎ Day 13 - 08:53 AM ❤︎
Getting up at almost nine AM wasn't something that Zai wanted to make a habit out of, but she'd forgotten to set an alarm on her phone, and there were no alarm clocks in the house. When she sat up, she noticed that Jamming had left the room, probably to eat in his kennel. The bowls that they'd used last night for dinner were stacked to the side, and in front of her was one of the most precious things that she had ever seen. Saeran was curled up beneath the sheets, only the top of his face and shoulder peeking out from beneath them. Grabbing her phone off the table, she snapped three pictures in quick succession. Who knew when she'd get another opportunity like this?
Moving slowly, she tried to get off the bed without disturbing him. She hadn't changed into her pajamas last night, so her shirt and shorts were rumpled. Instead of just putting on a new set of clothes, she decided to take a shower instead. After all, she had to go out again today.
Once she'd cleaned herself up and gotten ready for the day, she returned to the guest room to see Saeran still sleeping. Absently she wondered just how much rest he'd been getting in Mint Eye. Probably not a lot if he was constantly working to break into Seven's ever-evolving defense line for the RFA. She knew that he also did other jobs besides hacking, so he most likely didn't sleep a lot. A pang of remorse hit her hard before she shook the feeling away. There was no sense in feeling sorry about it. He was free and with her now, and heaven help that woman if she ever tried getting her hands on this boy again.
Leaning over to grab the bags off the floor from where she'd left them last night, she went downstairs to put everything away. She figured Saeran's system was mostly clean after all the tea he'd drank the day before. Any lingering symptoms were most likely psychological and had nothing to do with his body chemistry at the moment. However, she still couldn't let him out of her sight if they were in public. He'd have to dye his hair too.
While lost in thought, she didn't hear the sound of feet padding into the room until a voice cut through the silence.
"Zai?" She shot into the air and almost threw the container of tea leaves at the intruder until she realized who it was.
"S-saeran! Haah..don't startle me like that.." She clutched at her chest. So much for being relaxed. "What are you doing up? I didn't wake you, did I?" He looked almost surprised at her question as if he couldn't comprehend the fact that he'd been allowed to sleep in on purpose.
"No, I got up on my own. Do you need any help?" Setting the jar of tea onto the kitchen counter, she let the tension fall away from her shoulders.
"It's fine, I was almost done anyways." Moving the bags out of the way, she started pulling ingredients out of the fridge. "What do you want to eat? I'm going to make breakfast and then head out. You can take a shower while you're waiting, I left some clothes and towels in the bathroom for you just in case." She was so focused on thinking about what she wanted to make that she didn't notice Saeran fall silent.
"I..you bought me clothes?" His eyes widened and Zai wondered if she should've been so hasty.
"Yeah, did you uh, not want them or?" She froze when Saeran quickly walked up to her and threw his arms around her torso, squeezing tightly as his cheek brushed her forehead. Maybe if she kept her eyes closed she could pretend that her face wasn't on fire at the moment.
"Thank you...I've never..no one has ever gotten me anything before, much left as a gift." Once he realized just what he'd done he practically threw himself back away from her. "Ah! I-I'm sorry I didn't mean to-" Reaching forward, she grasped his hand in hers. If she let him apologize then she would have that much more to help him recover from, and she wanted him to know that this was okay.
"It's fine, Saeran." Giving him her best smile, she watched the uncertainty fall from his expression. "I just hope I got your size right. You can go ahead and take a bath if you want. What's mine is yours, alright?" When she noticed the blush creeping up on his face, Zai felt almost lightheaded with glee.
"O-okay...I'll just go then." His eyes were wholly focused on where their hands were joined together, and she gave his palm a light squeeze before pulling back to resume her breakfast preparations.
After he left, Zai watched the spot where he'd been standing for a moment, hand still tingling lightly.
"This is either a really bad idea or the best one I've ever had..." Leaning over to crack some eggs into a pan, she hoped that this plan wouldn't blow up on her, so to speak.
❤︎ Day 13 - 01:28 PM ❤︎
POV: Saeran Mode
It was his first time out of the house, and if he were being honest, he was a little excited. The clothes that Zai had gotten him were comfortable, and the beanie that she'd purchased to hide his unusually colored hair was soft and colored just like his eyes. When they'd left the estate, Zai decided to bring along Jamming, saying that he needed a chance to get out and explore once in a while. He'd gotten pretty excited when she handed him the handle end of the dog's leash. As much as he'd hate to admit, he'd grown pretty attached to the large black canine in the short amount of time he'd been with him.
Currently, they were browsing a salon's hair dye section. His hair color was too noticeable as it was now, and Zai didn't want to take any chances. She had also decided to cut her hair, and Saeran tried his best not to lament the loss of the soft caramel locks that had formerly spilled over her shoulders in waves.
"Saeran what about this color?" Looking over to her, he noticed the box of dye in her hand and considered it. It was red, not bright red like his hair had used to be, but a darker, more burnt version, similar to a maple leaf in fall.
"Well, it's better than what I have now." His words got a giggle out of Zai, and he tried to keep a hold on the urge to let his fingers reach out for hers.
"Then it's decided! We'll get this one. Do you think I should dye mine too?" He nearly threw himself forward but miraculously managed to restrain himself.
"N-no!" His vehement response made her eyes widen as he realized that he must have shouted it on accident. "I mean- you already look really different from what you used to. You don't need to change your look anymore if that's what you're worried about." Hopefully, that settled it.
"If you say so." She turned around to purchase the dye and Saeran let out a harsh breath as he relaxed. That was close.
It was late in the afternoon by the time they got back to the estate. Jamming was tired out from dragging both him and Zai almost everywhere, and their arms were full of bags containing food, hair care products, and various new outfits for both of them. Saeran could barely hold in his excitement. This was a whole new beginning for him, and he didn't have to worry about being in debt to anyone. He'd questioned Zai on whether or not she expected him to repay her, but she'd looked at him as though he was speaking in another language.
"I want you to have a fresh start. The only thing you need to do is promise me that you'll do your best to make your new life a happy one." She'd said. He believed her. Now he was in her home, and if he thought about it, he realized that he truly didn't want to leave. This girl had shown him more caring and compassion than anyone ever had before. There was a little voice in the back of his head that wanted to remind him of his brother, and all those promises he'd made about freeing them both. He shut that voice up quick. Saeyoung had made his decision, and if the two ever met again, Saeran couldn't say for sure whether or not he'd forgive him. But that was an issue for another time. Zai said that she'd help him dye his hair, and he didn't want to keep her waiting.
