"It's so cold!" Sammy exclaimed as they got back to the apartment, "I never realised how cold the world would be!"
"It's not always this cold," Jin-kyu grunted as he shucked off his thick coat and hung it up on the wooden peg rack. "It'll be warm again come the summer."
He narrowed his eyes as he watched Sammy disappear over towards the kitchen sink area.
Just how long am I stuck with this kid for? How long do curses even normally last?
Okay, so Jin-kyu realised this whole problem technically arose from a 'wish', but the stars evidently had a very sick sense of humour.
That was the last time Jin-kyu Kim trusted a giant firey ball of gas.
*
"What do we do now?" Sammy asked, after they had put away all the groceries in the previously very empty fridge and very ramen-filled cupboards. Sammy had also managed to eat his way through two packs of organic vegetable chips and a family-sized pot of hummus.
"Now we sleep," Jin-kyu replied with an exhausted sigh, "you can take the bedroom, I'll sleep on the couch."
"I don't mind sharing!" Sammy declared with a worryingly enthusiastic look.
"No," Jin-kyu shook his head adamantly, "you might turn back in the night and I don't want to roll over and shatter you, I'll have nothing to show at the exhibition."
Sammy frowned as his face fell, "I can't turn back tonight," he mumbled under his breath, "we bought pancake mix for breakfast tomorrow."
Jin-kyu sighed deeply as he got down from the bar stool he was sat on whilst trying not to look at Sammy licking hummus off his fingers.
"I'll get you some sweats to wear in bed. You should go brush your teeth," Jin-kyu instructed, changing the subject.
A little while later, Sammy appeared in the doorway of the bathroom, dressed in oversized grey sweats bearing the name of Jin-kyu's old college. He was holding the toothbrush in an outstretched hand.
"I er..."
"You don't know how to use it." Jin-kyu stated, not taking his eyes off the T.V.. The Mexican melodrama he liked to watch was currently on and Marissa had just discovered she was pregnant, again.
"I'll figure it out," Sammy mumbled as the commercial break started and Jin-kyu finally looked up. Sammy was flushed and wearing a frustrated expression as he stared stubbornly at the toothbrush.
Jin-kyu wondered for a moment what exactly Sammy did know? Clearly he could speak English and understood some basic concepts, however tooth-brushing was obviously not one of them.
Jin-kyu figured such questions could be left until the morning, and perhaps after a few more Tylenol...or the entire bottle.
Sammy turned to go walk back into the bathroom but Jin-kyu couldn't help but feel a stab of guilt at the ashamed look on the younger man’s face as his head hung low, shuffling out of the living area.
"Here, I'll help you," Jin-kyu relented gruffly as he pushed the door to the bathroom open a moment later. He paused as he saw Sammy stood motionless in front of the mirror, staring intently at himself.
"Had you...had you seen yourself yet?" Jin-kyu asked, frowning.
Sammy shrugged and shook his head, "You made me funny looking," he commented thoughtfully.
"What are you talking about?" Jin-kyu snapped, suddenly feeling defensive, "I made you perfect."
He froze as Sammy's head jerked towards him. "I mean...I made you...you know what never mind. Just give me that damn toothbrush."
Jin-kyu sighed as he squeezed toothpaste onto the brush, rolling his eyes at the packet which promised a 'Ceramic white in just fouteen days!'.
"Look at me," Jin-kyu commanded as he took hold of Sammy's chin with his other hand, turning him away from the mirror so he was facing Jin-kyu again. "Open your mouth."
"You didn't like me doing that before," Sammy said with a sheepish grin before parting his lips wide.
"Yeah, well we're not in public right now," Jin-kyu grunted before sticking the brush in Sammy's mouth and starting to rub the bristles against the younger man's teeth.
Jin-kyu was so lost in concentration that when a trail of frothy paste started to dribble down Sammy's chin, he simply went to wipe it away with his finger.
The familiarity of the touch surprised him, the muscle memory of that bone structure beneath the pad of his thumb. The way Jin-kyu had run his fingers up those cheeks, applying pressure to hollow them slightly.
The sweatshirt Sammy was wearing was now gaping at the neck, showing a large section of collarbone. Jin-kyu frowned as he realised there were more small dotted birthmarks across Sammy’s skin that he hadn’t noticed before, so dark they were basically blue.
Realisation dawned, the splattered blue paint. It hadn’t just hit Sammy’s eye but the rest of his body too. Jin-Kyu paused for a moment, wondering how far down the inky speckles had travelled?
"Jenkee?"
Jin-kyu jumped as Sammy attempted to say his name around the toothbrush and a mouthful of foam. He pulled the brush out quickly, shoving it into Sammy's hand.
"Do it yourself. You know how now," Jin-kyu said, shaking his head as he stalked back out of the bathroom.
"It's just a bad dream," Jin-kyu muttered as he made his way back to the couch, shooing Coppélia and Galatea out of the way so that he could lie down.
He threw his arm across his face with a deep breath, "I must have just mixed up too many pills. Everything will be back to normal in the morning. This is all a giant hallucination."
"Good night, Jin-kyu."
Jin-kyu flinched and pulled his arm down to see Sammy standing awkwardly at the bedroom doorway.
"Good night Sammy," he grunted.
"Good night Coppélia, good night Galatea," Sammy added before turning to walk back into the bedroom. Just as the door was closing Jin-kyu swore he heard a whispered, "Good night Darain."
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