maracmm

[maracmm]

mmjiyi‌: 

she smiles and throws a little finger heart mara’s way, pleased. she’s not one to stay in, ever, and the older girl’s suggestion sounds brilliant. it’s why she likes hanging out with the older girl – she’s smart, and great at quidditch, and cute, and she’s always got a good idea brewing up. plus, it’s much easier for them to get into bars if it’s just the two of them. ( no offence to any of the guys on the team, boys just… don’t hit right. )

“of course!” is jiyi’s reply, looping her arm through mara’s when she bumps their shoulders together. “i’ve got a craving for something sweet instead of strong, well, now… y’know any good places?” this is only her second time at this competing school, and mara’s definitely been around longer than her, so she should be a little more familiar with it all than she is. jiyi angles herself towards mara, waiting for her to think of their first destination.

Mara laughs at the bit of affection thrown her way, taking care to throw it back with equally loving measure. Leave it to Jiyi to be cute as hell about anything, even if the possible outcome (read: two hours and too many drinks later) for the both of them might be anything but. She doesn’t think about that now though, fishing her phone out of her jean pocket to fire up the search engine.

A couple of seconds pass before she looks up from the screen, smile wide in a wordless Bingo! “Pulse has Ladies’ Night. Downtown.” Free flowing taps, free of charge and free of familiar testosterone—all in all, the makings of an impossibly perfect night ahead of them. “Start there, and we go explore after? Or do you wanna save the best for last?” 

#mmjiyi

[maracmm]

mmyuanlan‌:

for a second yuanlan wonders if she said something wrong, but she brushes it off with an easy smile. ‘you know what? we can make it our own thing to come here more regularly! it can’t be easy, moving away from the place you’ve always called home.’ yuanlan can’t help but feel thankful; sometimes she misses her parents’ nagging and their small home, but at least it’s not a whole another country away. for mara, the homesickness that comes in between all the flash and bangs of yosul’s busy life must hit harder.

as mara takes her arm and they walk towards their destination, yuanlan turns her head left and right to fully take in everything. there is a sort of comfort brought by the sight of the busy shops on this busy street. she has heard of the word 'sonder’ - the realization that each passerby has a life as vivid and complex as your own, and she wonders if she is experiencing something similar to this. she relaxes at the thought of being able to soon taste some of her favourite food.

'oh, char siu bao is truly a classic. it has really been too long, honestly.’ upon hearing she can revisit the taste of spring rolls, she smiles. 'well, thank goodness! they’re a blessing from above.’ with a turn, the door comes into sight and it immediately brings a cosy and comfortable feeling upon her. 'it looks really welcoming,’ she breathes out as she pushes open the door. the warmer air inside is a stark but much-appreciated contrast to the chilliness out on the streets. yuanlan scans for empty tables, and is able to easily spot available seats on the side. there is a tiny bounce to her step as she walks over with mara and settles in, contented. she takes out the menu from the holder and leans to take a closer look. 'hmm, let’s see…’

There's a pause for consideration when really, there's no need for it. "You want to?" Her expression is serene, a light curve for a smile on the surface, but those that know Mara know how to tell she'd perked up immediately at the suggestion, eager and hopeful. "I'd love that."

Entering the restaurant, they're greeted with the smell of sizzling hot food, lively din and everything else that makes up a busy lunch hour for the day. She follows suit once the other girl finds a table, weaving through the row of tables, servers, and the low-hung Tiffany lighting before they sit down. 

While Yuanlan chooses her options, Mara waves one of the waiters over to take their orders. A kettle of tea for two appears for starters, and the man jots down the combination special that has char siu bao, spring rolls, dumplings—the standard dim sum fare—before taking it to the kitchens. 

Cue sitting idle for food, the usual waiting game. “So,” Mara starts, picking up the kettle and shifting gears to other matters at hand. She pours the oolong with flourish, stopping right at the mark of the cup rim. “How’re you liking the switch to varsity so far?” 

DRIFT

#mmyuanlan

[maracmm]

mmseonchan‌:

written w love for @maracmm .

tonight his cards are stowed away rather than in his hand or jacket pocket and maybe it’s a sign. when did his friendship with mara become close enough that he didn’t need to rely on the crutch that was divination? giving her a bump of her shoulder with his where she was next to him. quidditch was not for him. brooms and flying ? terrifying. the horrifying things they play with that are the balls ? what the hell. the point system ? who even came up with it. yet he went to every single game. a duty of being close friends with most of the team. go chollimas go! tonight was a sweeping victory for the team, not that he’s surprised. the card spread that he laid out in the privacy of his dorm room when he awoke predicted an auspicious day. but he still clapped for them like it was fresh news. hey, it’s good to be confirmed. at least he isn’t losing his touch. he lost track of daehyun today but it’s fine, mara is here in front of him and he serves up his biggest grin, nudging her playfully, amicably.  ❝you were pretty amazing out there today.❞ bright smiles are haphazardly tossed to anyone who makes eye contact that passes by them.  ❝can i take you out for some food to celebrate? maybe i’m literally starving because maaaaybe i forgot to eat before the game today? so like, two birds one stone.❞ he drags out the a and his tone gets more and more sheepish as he speaks but, it’s good to go out with mara anyway. she deserves it.

especially because, he happens to be aware thanks to a passing comment recently, that she’s been a little homesick. or at least, maybe it was just that one day but, that one time was enough for him to sympathize to the core of him. so he had dragged mei out to get the gift for her. the globe she could peer into and hopefully, relieve a bit of that negative emotion. his smile turns a bit muted, almost soft, as he hopes that she enjoys it. he didn’t tell her it was from him. it wasn’t needed. it wasn’t a gift given for the praise of feeling altruistic. it wasn’t about him. it was about her. 

At a whopping height of six foot three, he's hard to miss through the thick of the crowd. She meets him beaming, grinning ear to ear and triumphant, but that's to be expected when the match had ended in Mahoutokoro's defeat. Nothing beats the feeling of, well, beating one of Yosul's biggest rivaling teams, but now that Seonchan'd mentioned it, ending the day with a piping hot meal measures up pretty well, too. 

"My treat this time," Mara offers, nudging him back. Knows his habits of giving and giving, and to snatch the opportunity to give a little too. "I'm in a good mood today." 

It's written all over her face—a stark contrast to that spell of melancholy that’d hung like a low cloud for the past week. Home isn’t what it is until you make it that way, and when it’s off on some floating landscape that isn’t this one, the rest of it speaks for itself. This time it’d been particularly potent, enough for her to admit it out loud: I miss it. Usually that’s all it takes in order to find relief—a mere confession, and the quiet reveling of it being let free. For her own sake, than having someone pay attention to the matter at all. 

But a someone had, somehow, and gone above and beyond listening. A couple of days had passed before she’d found the blue box holding a snow globe. Inside: a replica of Hong Kong’s skyline, but instead of flurries it’d be rain one day, then clear skies the next. It sits encased and at the bottom of her backpack, which she shifts onto her shoulders by the straps. 

Taking the lead, Mara speeds the pace of her steps by double to match his stride and then some. “I’ve got something I wanna show you, too.” 

#mmseonchan

[maracmm]

190615 ⋮⋮ CLC - ME (美)

#vi

[maracmm]

mmwonsik‌:

feat. @maracmm

when it comes to curfew, wonsik has always been an expert at ignoring it. ( or any set of rules really. ) the garden near the school is his go-to place late at night, mostly because he figured out how to sneak out without getting caught ( with a little help from a senior years ago ) and knowing the schedule of the prefects’ patrolling hours definitely gave him an upper hand in times like these. 

walking down the familiar path, he takes in the scenery as much as possible, knowing that next day he would be surrounded with people, once again going through another round of boring classes. at least now, there’s no one to bother his train of thoughts ( that’s been scrambled as of late ) and it’s always somewhat comforting to be alone in a place so exposed to the world yet still safely hidden by the concealment charm.

he finds himself sitting in his usual spot when he shivers, the cold breeze making the hair on his neck and arms stand, he was sure of it. he’d forgotten to bring his jacket before leaving his dorm, cursing himself for letting it slip out of his mind. if mara was here—

no, he bites his tongue, don’t go there. the memories might still be fresh in his mind, but he doesn’t want to think about her tonight.

It's a habit she shouldn't have picked up, but like the head and the heart, there will always be that disconnect between what should be done and what is in its place. Roaming around at some graveyard hour is something she'd never committed to on her own (didn't have to, once), but she's restless and sleeping soundly for the night is a lost cause.

Up above: a full moon, obscured by the canopy of trees, light a scattered, silvery array over the dirt path. The shawl wrapped over her shoulders is enough to keep the chill at bay. Her mind is elsewhere, but having trekked through this way so many times there’s little conscious memory involved. 

When she finds the place at last, it’s relief at first, balmy and at ease. It doesn’t last, however. Not when a familiar silhouette cuts into the space, and even if it’s been months since, the realization that she recognizes it at all brings a tightening sensation in the hollow of her chest, a cross between remorse and something all too soft. 

Mara thinks to turn on her heel, give alone time in her room another chance, but as she begins to back away, she steps on a fallen branch that snaps in two under the weight. She freezes at the sound, a deer in the headlights, fully exposed. Shit. 

moonlight.

#mmwonsik

[maracmm]

mmjiyi‌:

GIRLS ; @maracmm​

the chollimas win!

and the crowd goes wild; the yosul students are cheering, and jiyi flies straight into the closest person’s broom and throws her arms around them, yelling excitedly. it’s mara – she spins them both around, gleeful, and hugs the older girl tight, ignoring the fact that they’re both sweaty and gross and in desperate need of a shower, because they won!

they go through the usual routine after  – shake hands with your opponent, wish them a good game, gather around the coach for a quick debrief – and jiyi’s too keyed up on adrenaline and happiness over their very successful match that it flies by for her, barely catching the tail end of jinhyuk calling out that they’ll celebrate at the crown’s club after everyone’s showered.

she’s still towelling her wet hair off when she spots mara again, coming out of their locker room. “unnie,” she calls, running after the older girl, catches mara by the elbow and grins when their eyes meet. “wanna ditch the guys later?”

She catches her with a whoop and a holler, face alight and alive like the rest as the stadium erupts in joy. "We did it!" Every win feels like the first, and in this very moment, heart pounding and thoughts drowned out by the celebratory frenzy, there's absolutely nothing in the world that can compare.

The come down doesn’t sink in as easy. Still buzzing, cloud nine elation, adrenaline a persistent hum beneath the skin even as she cools off with a shower and pulls on a fresh set of clothes. Heading out for drinks after a match is customary, even if it ends in devastating loss, but victory has a knack for making everything else taste so much sweeter.

Jiyi on the other hand, impish smile and all, has an entirely different, tempting persuasion that has Mara grinning with the same measure of mischief. "You don't even have to ask." Bumping her shoulder against the other's, she weighs their options. “Should we go bar hopping without them?” 

#mmjiyi

[maracmm]

mmdaehyun‌:

     he decidedly doesn’t like losing. but that itself a given. that’s human nature. competitiveness. he’s held his tongue well enough back home, barely thriving under the shadow of another. well, the proper son. (only son. what was it? you can treat us like your own family from now on, daehyun-ah. bullshit. all bullshit.) but here? within the city of seoul, far away from home, why can’t he be competitive? why can’t he strive for number one? 

     at least, sentiments can be different here. values and morals. even if he wears the age old fabricated persona like second skin, smile carved into the muscles of his face. so deeply impressed that it both feels akin to himself and—doesn’t. 

     ( but what is his and what isn’t his. daehyun doesn’t know the line anymore. doesn’t want to think about it anymore. )

     finds, in itself, passing faces like mara cheng and the challenge (spike of competition and sparks of attraction) to be more fitting to spend his time on. existential crisis and the works? maybe pencil that in for next week instead. 

     “stingy.” his brow quirks, tone accusatory, thick with humor. “i’ll keep that in mind next time you want something from me.” speaking comfortably, there’s at least some comfort in their dynamics; solely lying in the fact that there’s no particular need to act—as if she hasn’t already drawn rough ideas of his personality from the years they’ve known each other. 

     “probably, there’s some good 24-hour places around here.” rolls his shoulders absently to shake off earlier’s stiffness (salty, so salty about losing), slipping a casual arm around thin shoulders when she leans in; ghost of a smile at just how well she fits into him. “mm, okay. i think i know a place. do you wanna walk? or should we apparate?” he casts the night sky a cursory glance at the thought. clear skies, at least. 

Admittedly, there's something enticing about it all—playing right into the question of who's faster, sharper, better, on and off field. Keeps her on her toes and toeing a line like it’s the first time she’s asking for trouble, time after time again, with a Cheshire grin to match. Harmless all around, at the end of the day, and easy to fall into. Easier to do that than to look at all the endless circles they’ve walked around each other. Easiest to dismiss all of the above, and enjoy the quiet of the late evening, the slow measure of their steps.

“Like you'd deny me," she refutes, her voice carrying a wisp of laughter. Mara lifts her chin to meet his eyes, thoughtful and lingering for a handful of seconds before her gaze returns to the winding path. “You’re not that hard to convince.” Pausing, then adding on with a sense of smug self-satisfaction: “Or to beat.”

Her body language says otherwise—hand still tucked into his pocket, curling in a little closer to his form under the weight of his arm, relaxed in a way that’s all too familiar with the feeling. 

“We can walk. It’s nice out.” There are other things she’d pin down as nice too—his proximity, the warmth that envelopes her in the wake of it, but the thought begins and ends at the weather, and she moves on. “You’re not treating me to cup ramen, are you?” 

repetition

#mmdaehyun

[maracmm]

mmjunsu‌:

dear godric, he thinks frantically upon hearing his name spill out of familiar lips, dear dangun wanggeum:

he wished for nothing more in this moment than for the earth to open up and swallow him whole (including the till clerk bastard, who did nothing to help the situation, and just smirked at junsu at the look of complete shock on the first year’s face when he heard mara fucking cheng call his name).

now, he’s got two options:

one: throw whatever change his sisters gave him to the smug till clerk, take the stuff, and run. no looking back.

(option one would be tricky to execute, with the risk of having one of his favourite quidditch players thinking that kwak junsu was a rude little brat— and oh godric, we couldn’t have that! more than the sanitary products taunting him on the counter, he’d really hate for mara cheng to think that kwak junsu was disrespectful). 

so that only left option two: play it cool.

(again, tricky to execute. kwak junsu was not cool).

slowly, junsu turned to face his nightmare mara cheng, half-bowing and nodding frantically with a red face as she pointed out his chollima’s cap.

“of course, sunbae-nim!” he found himself bellowing, his normally deep voice cracking an octave at the second syllable. “go chollimas! ha-ha..ha-ha-ha.” he raised his fist up lamely to pump in salute, and silently cursed himself at his awkward laughter.

of course, sunbae is the epitome of cool as she casually places her things on the counter, acknowledging the elephant in the room with an air of nonchalance kwak junsu could only dream of (he, on the other hand, was pretty sure his face was now a bright tomato red, the top of his ears poking out of the hat tinged with the colour).

“actually, this isn’t even bulk, i have five sisters and they’re a—” he doesn’t know why he’s spilling out his life story, probably nerves, but he’s soon silenced as mara plops down one, two, three pregnancy tests on the counter (he didn’t know what they looked like, but he can read, and the tomato-colour is now deepening to a more worrisome shade).

“sunbae…”

the clerk bags his things and hands them to junsu as he gapes at the sixth year, lost for words.

(irrationally, the first thought out of kwak junsu’s mind is: ‘i’ll have to raise a child’. for the sake of the chollimas, he’ll do anything).

he finished the transaction as he hands the clerk money and takes the bag and holds it reverently in front of him. he walks outside to let mara finish her transaction, and thinks maybe he should just leave her alone, but the moment she steps outside, he’s spinning around to face her with a pout and his words spill out very seriously; sincere:

“sunbae-nim, i’ll support you. you’re my favourite chaser, you know.”                 

All this time, the one thing she'd been dreading is The Look—ladies, if you know, you know. Patronizing, interrogative, and downright sexist, but it is what it is. By some luck of the draw she gets nothing of the sort from the cashier when when her basket's emptied out, and if she wasn’t already on some spiel, Mara might’ve sighed out loud in relief: 

“Sheesh. Good thing it’s not tampons, because bulk buying five different kinds of those babies adds up fast, I’d know from—” Living with four other girls before, previous episodes of quintessential dorm life, the list of possible anecdotes goes on, but she doesn’t seem to notice Junsu’s shock. Not until he whispers sunbae and Mara looks up at him once more with a “Hm?” then turns to see just what he was gawking at and—

Oh. Right. (Oh god.) It’d slipped her mind completely to be discreet about the one, two, three pregnancy tests. Hold on, but for what? Should be no biggie. He’s got five sisters, surely one of them has sent him down for a box of strips before, but no, oh no, the frozen shock on his face tells her Junsu’s never seen these things in his entire life. 

The feeling of ease dies on the spot. Not because Kwak Junsu is judging her—he’s probably the last person on Earth to do anything of the sort—but in the awkward silence that falls splat between them rises the inevitable assumption, even though it’s far from the truth: that these are for her.  

Mustering her most pleasant, unassuming smile, all Mara can say is “See you around, then” when Junsu’s things are rung up and he leaves the premises.

Or so she’d thought. 

The second she walks out of the Olive Young, the boy is somehow still there, speaking of support and as far as these pregnancy tests are involved, what he’s not talking about is how she’s going to play in the next match.

“Um. But you already do that, don’t you?” Mara laughs, a tinge nervous. Play dumb! “Coming to our games and being our favorite waterboy and all.” 

#mmjunsu

[maracmm]

hogwarts au sentences.   let’s put those harry potter aus into good use. contains 40+ dialogue starters relating to hogwarts — some mention different houses and the occasional canon event, but a lot can be used by anybody. feel free to switch around pronouns, diction, and the like to make them more suitable for your muse’s mouth.

“ can you cast a patronus? ”

“ i saw muggle textbooks when i was visiting family for the holidays, and honestly? sure, i could maybe die falling off the stairs if i had a sleepwalking habit, but at least i’m not doing algebra right now. ”

“ do you think a dog animagi could have puppies? ”

“ how did you explain to your friends why you were switching schools? ”

“ sorry, all the other carriages are full, i’m sitting here whether you want it or not. ”

“ i wonder if there are people who can speak parseltongue but with like… bunnies. ”

“ i’m tired, and i want to go to bed, and i’ve been sitting here, trying to figure it out for like an hour, save me: what has a head but no body, but does have a tail? ”

“ what do threstals look like? ”

“ do you ever wash your cauldron? ”

“ trying to sneak into the forbidden section three times in a row is either the most badass or the most nerdy thing you’ve ever done. ”

“ if i go to hospital wing, i have to explain how i got it. i need to solve this with a spell. ”

“ no, i just never realised other people see the carriages being pulled by thin air. ”

“ when did you get the dark mark? ”

“ SOMEBODY CATCH MY TOAD! ”

“ mudblood. ”

“ who was the guy your boggart turned into? ”

“ where did you learn that? ”

“ sorry, but you couldn’t pay me to put my name in that thing. ”

“ do you still have that leaf in your mouth? ”

“ you’re the most injury-prone [quidditch position] i’ve ever met. ”

“ congratulations, head [boy/girl/pupil]. ”

“ imagine being a straight couple right now. ”

“ i’m going to have to fight my parents. ”

“ sorry, is this your owl/toad/cat? [they’re] beautiul. ”

“ do you think you could sneak to the astronomy tower with me tonight? ”

“ i actually haven’t asked anyone for the yule ball with me. ”

“ [name] got petrified, didn’t [they]? i’m sorry. ”

“ have you met the new DADA professor yet? how was it? ”

“ next time [name] pushes you again, i swear to god i’m hexing [their] arse. ”

“ i ate something and now my face is purple. i’m NOT coming out! ”

“ it’s vinegar. i knocked on the wrong barrel. ”

“ don’t look at me like that, i’m just trying to steal your body heat. it’s cold down here, okay? ”

“ how the hell can someone like you be in [house]? ”

“ come to think of it, i don’t think i’ve ever seen a ginger slytherin. ”

“ i didn’t even know i was afraid of heights before i came to this bloody school. ”

“ finding places to cuddle in would be a lot easier if we were at the same house. ”

“ are both of your parents muggles? ”

“ when you said you wanted to go to hogsmeade together with me, did you mean like… a date kind of ‘together’? ”

“ i wonder how many peole have banged in the room of requirements. ”

“ why must the plants sing? ”

“ sorry, you’re not getting the password from me. ”

“ have fun in potions. try not to punch anyone. ”

“ of course i’m fine. i mean, who wouldn’t want to be told they’re going to have a painful, grim death, on their first divination class? ”

“ are all [ravenclaws/gryffindors/slytherins] assholes, or is that just you? ”

“ dude, it was definitely two feet on vampires. how screwed are you? ”

“ how are we playing? classic or bavardian rules? ”

#dr

[maracmm]

#mu

[maracmm]

mmnara‌:

nara wouldn’t call herself an indecisive person. she is quite the opposite, actually. she knew from a young age she wanted to work with plants and worked hard to study it, she knew she liked haneul so when he stopped her after a quidditch game she didn’t let him finish, she asked him out herself. after they were going out for some time she was the one who asked him to date her. so no, hwang nara is not an indecisive person.

this seems to be the most radical thing she has ever done in her goody two shoes life, something nara never thought of before. mara has always been the rebelious one in between the two, the one who comes up with the different ideas that nara is happy to follow along.

she looks at herself, at the darkness of her hair. nara always thought she was a pretty girl. nothing striking, a bit plain perhaps, but still pretty. maybe this is what she needs to feel better about herself now, to go from pretty to beautiful. “okay,” she looks up at mara, smiling. “let’s do it.” there is certainty in her voice when she speaks. “but you promise to tell me if it doesn’t look good?” she knows mara will, that’s what friends are for and mara is the best of them.

From any outsider's point of view, this is nothing out of the ordinary. Dress up, dress down, any changes done in between just one of the many revolving rituals that happen in front of a mirror. The significance of it is only ever felt, not seen.

Heartbreak works about the same way: the aftermath of it makes you wake up and look at things differently, and maybe even want to look different. A cliche tried and true, but it’s less about keeping up with appearances than it is with genuine feelings—if it feels right, then it must be. Simple. 

“I promise.” Mara smiles. “But I’ve got you seated here so you can see for yourself, too.” She reaches for her wand sitting on the dresser top. A lock of Nara’s hair held by her fingers to her palm, she murmurs “Colovaria” and watches the tip of the wand spark red. The wandtip finds the strand and in that instant, a transformation: like Midas’ touch, from the ends right up to the roots, the color changing to a platinum blonde sheen. 

AFTER LAUGHTER

#mmnara

[maracmm]

mmyuanlan‌:

there is lightness to her steps as yuanlan breathes in the freezing air. she presses her hotteok to her cheek for warmth, and almost feels sad that she has to eat it eventually. honestly, she has always been more fond of summers than winters, of sunny afternoons and trips to the beach — but for some reason, today's chill in the air is refreshing as it enters her lungs. perhaps it’s the hint of spring creeping in; or it could be her body’s way of telling her she should get out more instead of holing up in her dorm revising. either way, she welcomes it with open arms.

she bites into her pancake and sighs in satisfaction. turning her gaze to mara as she speaks, yuanlan is once again reminded of how grateful she is for the older witch when she first joined the team. being one of the few girls on the team, she develops an immediate sense of closeness towards her fellow chinese teammate ( even if it’s just in terms of ethnicity. ) mara has been the calm voice among the rowdy team, the steadiness that gives one the comforting feeling of safety and security. spending time with mara is always a pleasure, so yuanlan is in a great mood today despite the weather.

bakery… cafe… she listens to mara list out various options intently, then lights up at the mention of dim sum. ‘ooh ooh, let’s go to the place for dim sum!’ nothing like the taste of home to put a smile on her face. 

'my family used to get dim sum almost every week, but i haven’t had much time to explore and find chinese restaurants when school started. my dad always says it’s to “not forget our roots”, but i’m pretty sure he just enjoys the food,’ she starts rambling off. 'oh my goodness, i miss the taste of shrimp dumplings and shaomai so much… i do hope they have spring rolls there too. the closest restaurant back home didn’t have them and it’s such a pity, they taste so good.’

"Every week?" She repeats in sheer awe. “I’m jealous!” Her familial unit for over a decade had been just three people under one roof: small, intimate, and terribly scattered. Conflicting night shifts and visits to foreign dignitaries made weekday dinners at home a rarity. Eating out thus became a single-person affair often by circumstance than it was by choice. 

The mention of Yuanlan’s father gives way to a knowing laugh because been there, done that. Since their move to Seoul three years ago, at every chance her own father gets. “I guess he’s not wrong. Either way,” Mara takes the girl’s free arm with a gentle squeeze. “Dim sum it is then.” 

They stroll down the cobbled street, steps quicker, their surroundings growing busier with the tick of the clock past the noontime. Past the warm, fluorescent glow of shops opening late, the distant hum of car traffic, and passersby brushing by, magical and Maeobsa alike. 

“I could go for some really good char siu bao right now.” Thinking about the taste brings upon the nostalgia: tucked near the bottom floors of The Broadway in Wanchai, a small restaurant with even smaller buns, steaming, crisp smoky sweet perfection. “You’re in luck though, they’ve got some good spring rolls there too.” 

She leads Yuanlan around the right curb at the end of the sidewalk, bringing them right to the doorstep of the teahouse. It stands before them, wide windowed and painted a soft canary yellow. Bright for when the sun isn’t out in this moment. “C’mon!”

DRIFT

#mmyuanlan

[maracmm]

mmdaehyun‌:

                                                                                          — for @maracmm

     he doesn’t recall how this norm came to be. how nights went from studying, gaming, the works to minutes, hours, spent on the field. often alone, usually not. but, daehyun supposes in the grand scheme of things, that itself is normal. how close he dances to the tipping point, then—sought for a means of venting, now. 

     makes sense, right? to let off steam before he blows his lid. reaches the point of a mental break. before the weight of falsities and fabricated smiles and i’m okay’s and that’s fine’s effectively barrels him over. etcetera, etcetera. you know the story. 

     ( you’ll hear this often. because he’ll use it often. this very excuse, cover, reason after another to justify the means of his actions. which is what? you wonder. i wonder. ) 

     his back rests comfortably against cool marble, fingers running through dripping locks while his eyes fixate on the mobile in his hands, occasionally taking an absent note as minutes pass by and the time changes from 9:54 to 10:02. 

     great. his eyes roll. she would.  

     sad, but that’s the repercussions of losing the bet tonight. 19 saves to 21 goals. maybe he was having more of an off day than he would have liked to admit it. “finally.” his eyes lift with the creak of the door, sweeping over the sharp of mara’s jaw. he steps forward then, moves with practiced ease of someone too used to the arrangement (the bet, i’m talking about the bet) when he reaches out, lifting the strap of her bag off thin shoulders to sling it over his. 

     “did you find narnia in there?” his brow arches, nudging them toward the exit. “or at least—an idea as to what you want to eat tonight.” 

     it’s his treat. what was it? second time this week? fuck.

Ending the day how it began—with an ache. The favorable kind that sinks into her muscles, adrenaline subsiding for the residual burn, all telling in how much she’d given it her everything. It’s supposed to be just in good fun, but anything that involves a Jo Daehyun never seems to stay on its intended path.

Luck had been on Mara's side this time, just long enough to toss through two Quaffles more than he could save, scoring a dinner-drinks deal where she won't have to pay a single dime and something to hold over his head all the while.The shower runs a little warmer and a little longer for that reason. Fully aware of how he's being kept waiting, and indulging in the face of it. 

Exiting the locker room at last to find him doing just exactly that only makes Mara look (and feel) all the more pleased, and it only grows as she watches him pull the bag off to carry himself. 

Both questions summon a lick of quiet, coy mischief, thick on the tip of her tongue and oh so tempting to say out loud, but she’s feeling better than that in this very moment, and holds the impulse down. 

Instead: “If I did, I wouldn’t tell you.” With one hand stuffed in her jacket pocket, the other is free to slip its way into the pocket of his cardigan, fingers curling into the knitted yarn as they walk side by side. “Will anything even be open right now?” She leans in slight, catching the faint whiff of soap with a hum. “Something warm. Soupy.” 

repetition

#mmdaehyun

[maracmm]

elkie @ icn 190225

#vi

[maracmm]

♣

♣ for a text not meant for you

( TXT LIN YUANLAN ) meet you there? ✨

( TXT LIN YUANLAN ) oh! oops...wrong person 

( TXT LIN YUANLAN ) i’ll take you the next time i go

#mmyuanlan

[maracmm]

♠

♠ for a drunk text

( TXT LI WEIQIN ) omgg g 

( TXT LI WEIQIN )  mcdonalsdasds ): 

#mmweiqin

[maracmm]

☏ ⁇

☏ for a vague text

( TXT KIM HANGYUL ) if the shoe fits

send ⁇ for a worried text

( TXT KIM HANGYUL ) that was a nasty fall are you sure you’re all right? 

#mmgyul