bloomin’ in the rain;; - Printable Version
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+--- Thread: bloomin’ in the rain;; (/showthread.php?tid=17939)
bloomin’ in the rain;; - Seojin Jeong - September 30, 2025
CW: subtle mentions of abuse; mentions of blood and vampire things
December 27, 1882 — Mahoutokoro grounds, Japan (13 yrs)
The Tōji holiday (Dongji for Jin) was longer than the little vampire had hoped it might be. A full week home meant a full week of tip-toeing around Abeoji, hiding in his room, and not seeing much of anyone, particularly his friends. Moon-ssi, for what it was worth, had become a staple in Jin’s life almost like breathing oxygen. He woke up and Moon-ssi was there; he had a rough day, and Moon-ssi made him laugh; he was hungry? Moon-ssi was always ready for a snack no matter what time of day or night. The little yangban that had once surprised Jin at every turn and caused a tremendous spike in his suspicions had since entrenched himself so deeply in the vampire’s life that Jin found it difficult to do— or want to do, anything alone anymore. There weren’t many secrets Jin kept from him either. They were like two dried jujubes at the bottom of a rice sack. The day the holiday ended however, Jin found himself back on Mahoutokoro grounds praying to every spirit above that he wouldn’t run into Moon-ssi. His face was a little swollen and his side ached, but the secret he held under his tongue was burning its way through every last prejudice Jin had ever heard about vampires and beings, and emblazoning itself into his soul like a hot iron brand. There was no way he could ever share with Moon-ssi what had happened over the break. Or how he felt about it.
The grounds were covered in a blanket of snow. Jin selected a quiet little corner in the cold near an old, unused hanok in the hopes that he might blend into the frigid landscape and remain anonymous at least for the remainder of the day before bed. He’d skipped the return banquet knowing full well he would have been easy to spot and now could only hope that he might be successful in avoiding Moon-ssi until he could forget about what happened or find a way to force it aside. Until then— he couldn’t risk facing the happy little quidditch player. Jin didn’t trust himself to keep such a tremendous problem to himself.
He summoned a low table and settled himself around it, casting a heating spell on the ground and arranging a clay dish with a small blue flame inside. Then Jin pulled out his textbooks and began to re-read the homework he’d already finished. It would be dark soon. Perhaps then he could escape to bed early and avoid not only Moon-ssi but all the other third years as well.
RE: bloomin’ in the rain;; - Ahn-Bo Jeong - September 30, 2025
Ahn-Bo had mostly enjoyed the break from school—it was nice to not have to go to classes and do homework, though he missed being at his best friend's side. And quidditch. Definitely quidditch. But mostly Jin-a. Just as they did every year, the palace had invited Ahn-Bo's father to the palace's festivities. This year was the first year his father decided he was mature enough to attend. He'd spent the entire day with eyes as round as saucers, taking in the lavish decorations and people of the court. There'd been a feast, which had been his favorite part, of course. Back home, his mother had had the cook make patjuk so she could spread it around and ward off evil spirits. He ignored the fact that she'd put a lot more around the door of his room than his brother's and sister's.
The return to the academy was also enjoyable—Ahn-Bo did enjoy food, and the return banquet had plenty of it. At first, he'd thought Seojin-a was simply running late. The quidditch player had eaten his meal seated at their usual table. He'd kept his head on a swivel, eagerly watching for the appearance of his friend. The minutes ticked by. By the time the banquet ended, he still hadn't shown, and a concerned frown had settled on his lips. It wasn't like the little vampire to be so late. After pestering the teaching staff, he was told that Jeong Seojin had returned and was somewhere on the premises.
His frown only deepened at that. Something was wrong, but he didn't quite know what. After checking their dorms, the library, and their usual spots, the only place left was outside. It was cold, though that didn't bother Seojin-a much. Ahn-Bo wrapped his fur-lined durumagi tightly around himself—and then trudged out into the snow. There was no plan as he wandered around the grounds. He had no idea where Seojin-a could have gone (or if he really was outside), but until he covered every last section of the grounds, he was going to continue.
It was nearly dark by the time he'd found him. He'd made a cozy little nook for himself, his head bent toward his lap—undoubtedly reading like the academic he was. Ahn-Bo breathed a small sigh of relief. His frown only deepened as he approached the vampire from behind. "Did you forget about me while you were away, Seojin-a?" It had meant to sound playful, but the light tones he usually had were replaced by heavy notes of concern. "Why are you all the way out here?"
patjuk: red bean porridge. It was believed the red color of the porridge had the power to repel harmful spirits. Some people would sprinkle the porridge around their house, on walls, or on the main gate to ward off bad luck.
RE: bloomin’ in the rain;; - Seojin Jeong - September 30, 2025
The sound of Moon-ssi behind him made Jin startled in his skin. He should have known to expect the other; when had he ever been able to successfully hide from Moon-ssi for any kind of extended period? But this time he’d needed to. This time it was imperative that he keep his mouth shut! Regret instantly filtered over Jin from the crown of his head down. Maybe he should have faked an illness...
Moon-ssi’s tone made him feel even worse as the other came up behind him sounding hurt. Jin felt like he’d done something mean on purpose and the regret deepened. Was he selfish to keep his secret to himself? Definitely. He couldn’t bear to see the face Moon-ssi might make if he told the truth though. What if his friend finally decided he was too much of a vampire to be friends anymore? What if he was grossed out and scared? Spirits. Jin couldn’t imagine how terrible it would feel to actually scare Moon-ssi away… He swallowed the thought down and turned towards his friend, voice quiet and laced with guilt.
“Moon Ahn-Bo-ssi, annyeong…” he greeted softly. They’d grown a bit closer in the last year to where (especially alone) Jin felt comfortable dropping some of the formality in his speech. Not entirely; he still refused to drop the honorifics or call Moon-ssi by his first name. (If he got a funny feeling in his belly every time the other called him by his own name, that was nobody’s business.) But it was progress.
“Of course I didn’t forget you,” he continued, offering a sad little smile. Oop. He hadn’t meant to do that. Jin cleared his throat. “I just… I wasn’t very hungry,” he continued, looking away and out over the grounds. His cheeks heated at the statement and he frowned at himself for thinking about his secret. He’d never be hungry again, eici. Rushing to breeze over it, he shifted in his seat to make room and waved Moon-ssi over. (He was here now wasn’t he?) “How was your Dongji? Did you eat many good things?”
Moon-ssi’s tone made him feel even worse as the other came up behind him sounding hurt. Jin felt like he’d done something mean on purpose and the regret deepened. Was he selfish to keep his secret to himself? Definitely. He couldn’t bear to see the face Moon-ssi might make if he told the truth though. What if his friend finally decided he was too much of a vampire to be friends anymore? What if he was grossed out and scared? Spirits. Jin couldn’t imagine how terrible it would feel to actually scare Moon-ssi away… He swallowed the thought down and turned towards his friend, voice quiet and laced with guilt.
“Moon Ahn-Bo-ssi, annyeong…” he greeted softly. They’d grown a bit closer in the last year to where (especially alone) Jin felt comfortable dropping some of the formality in his speech. Not entirely; he still refused to drop the honorifics or call Moon-ssi by his first name. (If he got a funny feeling in his belly every time the other called him by his own name, that was nobody’s business.) But it was progress.
“Of course I didn’t forget you,” he continued, offering a sad little smile. Oop. He hadn’t meant to do that. Jin cleared his throat. “I just… I wasn’t very hungry,” he continued, looking away and out over the grounds. His cheeks heated at the statement and he frowned at himself for thinking about his secret. He’d never be hungry again, eici. Rushing to breeze over it, he shifted in his seat to make room and waved Moon-ssi over. (He was here now wasn’t he?) “How was your Dongji? Did you eat many good things?”
Ahn-Bo Jeong & muse song
* eici = a more casual expression of frustration, similar to saying "dammit" or a mild curse
* eici = a more casual expression of frustration, similar to saying "dammit" or a mild curse
RE: bloomin’ in the rain;; - Ahn-Bo Jeong - October 1, 2025
With the sun setting and the soft blue flame silhouetting him from behind, Ahn-Bo couldn't make out Seojin-a's expressions. He sounded... sad, maybe? Ahn-Bo wasn't particularly skilled at defining emotions, but whatever it was felt wrong. He could almost see it, as if it were a great dark puddle of black ink. Mixing with the snow as it crept out from underneath him. This wouldn't do.
He took the offered seat in the snow next to Seojin-a, the movement fluffing the snow up around them into a thin dust that sprinkled their faces. "Of course I did. Abeoji let me come along to the feast at the palace with him this time. You wouldn't believe how much food they had there. And it was delicious. Definitely one of the best meals I've had in my life." It was a bit warmer here thanks to the little setup. His cheeks and nose were reddened from the cold air, though he didn't mind. It had been worth it. They could huddle together around the little flame for warmth if they really needed to.
He grinned and turned to face Seojin-a, "I brought you–" His dark brows furrowed as he took in the little vampire's face. It looked swollen and bruised. "What happened?" he demanded, bringing his icicle like fingers up to gently cup his friend's chin, wanting to turn his face toward the fire so he could get a better look.