» dorm five

@[f] goo hara It's... unfamiliar, the way Hara pronounced his name. In a good way, though, because somehow it made him smile.

Sunggyu stared at the writings on the wall for a moment, his expression almost poignant. This had been a completely new step for him, a step into an unknown world he was entering starting the day. Honestly, he was never good with changes. Comfort zone was where he stayed best, and for five years, he had stayed inside his own, not letting anyone else in, nor tried to get out.

The teenager boy was a man by then, but how mature could he be, when he never got out of his own world?

He didn't realize his own smile had widened at the face Hara drew on the wall.

Nodding, he watched her placing the crayons back, making a mental note to place the crayon she gave him there later on. His long, thin fingers played with it, twirling it between the spaces. Sunggyu didn't know if there would be anything he would want to tell her while she was away, but anyway, he decided to give her a firm nod stating that he noted her statement before waving back, watching the girl roll away.

The door closed with a faint click, and he took a deep breath before returning the crayon and began to unpack. In less than an hour, his clothes were already folded tidily and stacked in the closet, his other things decorating the dresser. Not really knowing what to do next, he lied down on the bed, putting Yami right beside his pillow.

And soon enough, the almost peaceful silence set him to sleep, the worries of the future forgotten momentarily.

@[f] kim sunggyu "Sunggyu." Hara dragged out the vowel as she rolled the name off her tongue and decided she liked it. His writing looked mature next to her childish scrawl on the wall and Hara felt a twinge of embarrassment. She knew she was supposed to be older than who she appeared to be but she couldn't help herself. Her therapist told her to not force the issue but she just wished she could be normal for once. To be able to walk, to feel the grass tickling underfoot. To be able to do things on her own without help.

Chasing the dark thoughts away with a smiley face on the wall, she focused on the present. At least now she had a roommate whom she could talk to. She didn't have a reason to not talk to him or to avoid conversations. He would be forced to listen to her as well. Either way, company was never a bad thing. The thought that Sunggyu may leave or be transferred out never crossed her mind, else she would not be so happy. She glanced at the clock on the wall and grimaced. "I have to go to therapy now," she told Sunggyu, placing the crayons back into their original places and positioning it carefully on her dresser. "Leave me a note if you want to tell me anything." With a cheery wave, she skillfully maneuvered herself out of the door and closed it as silently as possible before wheeling herself down the quiet corridor, pleased with the day's events. If only the rest of the day would pass as peacefully.

@[f] goo hara A better idea? Sunggyu tilted his head slightly. The more he looked at her, the more she /looked/ familiar... why was it that he couldn't place her?

The sound of the closet door closing made him blink the thought away, and he watched her rolling the wheelchair to the wall—ah.

Of course, he was totally getting it the moment the mischievous smile came—it wasn't like he had never done it before, though he usually only used his finger to trace the words on the wall. His parents would never allow the walls in their house to be filled of his writings, after all, and to be honest, he didn't even think of it because he would rather just write someplace else that doesn't give him cleaning chores.

But maybe they have no choice here. His tablet was still safely tucked in his bag, and he didn't even know if he could charge it anywhere—maybe he should ask one of the workers later on. It's much more efficient than having to write in a notebook, after all... but oh well, now at least he knew the name of his own roommate. Quite an achievement, he thought with a grin as he joined her by the wall, taking the crayon gingerly—he didn't want unnecessary skinship, no matter how minuscule the scale is.

Shaking his head as an answer, he grinned at the female, letting her know he didn't mind the smell at all—in fact, he was quite used to it. When he looked back on the wall, he stared at her writing for a moment before he sat down on the floor at a comfortable distance from her, pursing his lips.

The height was more comfortable this way, right?

'Hello, Hara-sshi,' he wrote, his quickly done with precise—a trace left of a bold personality.

'My name is Sunggyu.'

( *into his eyes )

@[f] kim sunggyu Hara tensed visibly when his gaze focused on her legs but it travelled downward, not stopping to stare any long than was needed. A grin spread across Hara's lips, not unlike the brightening of a light bulb coming to life. He respected her and she will do the same to him. Maybe this won't be so bad after all.

Up close, Hara thought he looked pale and wan but everybody looked the same here. For a period of time, she thought they put something in their food because she overheard that the easiest way to poison a group of people is by spiking their food. Hara went on a fast, only to have it broken when she fainted of hunger and nobody noticed because they thought she fell asleep in her chair.

His fingers were moving once again, but Hara didn't bother deciphering it. "I have a better idea," she told him, rolling herself over to her closet where she kept her box of crayons. After extracting the black one and placing it back into the closet, she moved towards an empty wall. Throwing a glance over her shoulder, she flashed a mischievous smile before pressing a crayon to the wall.

"HELLO, MY NAME IS HARA."

Hara gestured for her new roommate to join her by the wall and she handed him the crayons. They were a luxury she didn't have before but they let her keep the box if she didn't harm herself with them. So far, it was working out. Hara was discovering the wonders that trust could do.

"The colours wash off easily so go ahead and draw! I can just ask someone to clean it up. Unless you mind the smell of disinfectant. Do you?" Hara peered hid eyes, hoping that he would say no.

@[f] goo hara [ Lololol I will not detail her appearance because you didn't describe, though- hopefully I'm getting it right @@ does her feet look normal or not? ]

Sunggyu didn't remember ever having to wish this hard for something this simple—to be understood. But he did, and really, the relief he felt the moment she voiced it out for him was immense; faint as it was, he nodded and smiled at her, glad that she got the message.

And yet he couldn't help but watch as the girl's figure was revealed by the lack of the toy covering her body.

What was wrong with her feet? Had she been born that way?

Sunggyu blinked as she patted the bed, unsure of what she wanted him to do. Was she offering the space for him to sit down, or did she meant—oh.

Nodding in understanding, he huffed a breath and took a hold on his luggage, only for his gaze to turn towards her once more when she spoke again. The sight of her beaming at the toy somehow made his heart wrench. Innocence, again, innocence... and the male only smiled, albeit a bit sadly, while he dragged his luggage across the room, placing it near the closet on the side of the room he was getting. He sat on the bed gingerly and looked at the girl, who had backed away from the bed, thankfully, and so he tried to push his luck.

'Thank you,' he signed, biting his lower lip again afterwards.

( "revealing her whole body" sounds so suggestive OTL I APOLOGISE )

[post deleted by owner]

@[f] goo hara This was just one of the many times in Sunggyu's life when he simply had no idea what to do.

The girl eyed him, her gaze seemingly held curiosityㅡas if she actually wondered what lies beneath the fabric covering the upper half of his body to his wrists. Being looked at had always, always made him nervous, but this was nothing. Had the person in front of him be a male instead, he wouldn't be able to even breathe.

How was it possible to feel under a gaze, even when one is practically covered up? Sunggyu had no idea, but scarily, the feeling wasn't an unfamiliar oneㅡpeople out there had thrown such look on him, piercing, peeling, curious. And he had always wanted to disappear.

The somewhat tentative greeting, accompanied by the female's movements, luckily, got his mind off the wrong track to go. He couldn't recall where it was that he had seen her, and yet he felt as if he had... but then, he also shoved the thought away, seeing the expectant look she gave him. The sight was actually adorable, her head resting atop the bear's head, just like a child. Innocence had always been one of the things he craved most.

Releasing the breath he didn't realize he had been holding for the last few seconds or so, he bit the inner part of his lower lip. He had never done this. There was usually his sister or his mother to introduce him and explain that he was 'uncomfortable with strangers', and now he was supposed to explain when he wasn't sure if he could communicate with this girl. But then, it also gave him the stronger urge to do itㅡbecause after all, he didn't like having to rely on his family all the time. He didn't like being a burden.

So if he couldn't just die, then he has to do this.

Raising his hand to touch his own Adam's apple lightly with his lean fingers, Sunggyu shook his head slightly.

I don't talk.

He could only hope she understood.

@[f] kim sunggyu The door to the room clicked shut and Hara waited with bated breath, her heartbeat thundering in the silence. She squeezed her eyes shut and her grip on the bear's furry back tightened. She waited, and she counted.

One, two, three...

As the seconds ticked by, she came to the realisation that the stranger wasn't speaking. He wasn't saying anything and that confused Hara. It gave her enough incentive to risk a second peep, just in time to catch his nod in greeting.

Hara knew that staring was rude; it was something that she had been subjected to and she hated it. Despite that, despite knowing how uncomfortable that made people feel, her gaze travelled along the length of the male's body, taking in his slight build and the golden patches of his hair where it caught the light. He looked out of place amidst the orange and soft toys. Inhaling deeply, Hara ventured a tentative, "Hi...?"

It came out more as a question than a statement and as her curiosity got the better of her, she gently pushed down the bear's head until her chin was resting atop it. She cocked her head at the male, waiting for him to say something.

@[f] goo hara The unfamiliar orange walls made Sunggyu narrow his eyes at first when he peeked insideㅡit just felt... bright. Perhaps he had simply went in and out of hospitals too many times. Flawed, that's what he was branded as, and after years in which his parents refused to believe that the damage was permanent, they finally had to. For Sunggyu himself, he didn't know if someday he would wake up fine... but actually, the thought of death taunted him, and more often than not, he accepted the challenge.

It was just that people never gave him the leisure of really enjoying the blissful embrace of death.

Stepping in the room quietly after taking his shoes off, the male dragged his suitcase in, his back the first to be exposed to the room's occupantㅡuntil the door can actually be closed, but he didn't yet. When he finally looked up, it had been the pile of soft toys that greeted his eyes, first and foremost. A lot on one bed, a certain cute hippo on the other at the further side of the room, and a bear, a rabbit, a lion on the wheelchair nearbyㅡit caught his eyes.

/She/ caught his eyes.

Wide eyes, pale complexion that matches his own, soft strands of hair framing the picture. It was Wonderland and she the queen. Sunggyu, standing almost frozen at the door, didn't know what to do, or say for that matter. Does she even understand sign language?

He lowered his head in greeting, nevertheless, heart pounding in his chest as he looked back up, his gaze lingering hesitantly at the female. The light dyed a shade of his brown hair golden, almost a reminiscent of the past. He had looked different back then, of course. And sheㅡ

Why did it felt as if she was... familiar?

@[f] kim sunggyu They said she had to start sharing her room with someone else, to stop acting like a child and so selfishly wanting everything to herself.

In one of her rare moments of sanity, Hara sat huddled by the window in her wheelchair, a rabbit soft toy clutched to her chest. The blue of the toy was washed out and it was missing a ear, the other fraying at the edges. "It's not like I can choose how I want to be, Trix," she whispered quietly, burrowing her face into the rabbit's head, as though she wished she could impart her soul into the inanimate object so she wouldn't have to continue living as a Flawed any more. They weren't bad to her here and they gave her almost everything she wanted, which accounted for the numerous plushies decorating the room. Hara had even placed a toy hippopotamus on the other bed in the hopes that her new roommate would like it.

As she stared out at her own reflection, her wide eyes and pallid face, she could feel her control slipping away. However, the fear of the unknown lingered in the back of her mind and her fingers gripped the rabbit tightly. Feeling like she needed more moral support, she grabbed a nearby lion which was missing a ear and hugged it to her chest too.

Then the knock came.

Hara visibly froze and her head snapped towards the door. In a flurry of motions, Hara backed her chair into the furthest corner of the room, where a huge bear sat. She heaved it up and added it to those on her lap, successfully covering her body from the newcomer's gaze. She peeked around it and fastened her gaze on the door as it swung open on well-oiled hinges, not making a sound. A pair of feet came into view and Hara sought the shelter of her bear, realizing belatedly that the furthest corner from the door was right next to the stranger's bed.

@Hara

'Third floor, dorm number five,' Sunggyu was told, and he went thereㅡthough honestly the weight of his own luggage was killing him slowly. By the time he reached the second floor, he was panting, and when he reached the third, he had to stop at the topmost staircase just because he was out of breath. It's amazing what lack of physical exertion could do to one's already weak body.

He wore white again that day, the same color as the walls in the corridorㅡhiding the already nonexistent bruises. Five years, it's been five years, and even if the marks that guy made had disappeared without a trace, he still felt dirty down to his core. Eyes followed him everywhere he went, staring, judgingㅡit's all in his mind, of course, but how could he possibly know that when he simply didn't?

Dragging his suitcase slowly, trying his best not to make a sound because of his phonophobia, the dark-haired male counted four rooms before he stopped in front of the fifth. They say he was going to share the room with someone, a girl to be exact, to both his relief and anticipation. Sure, had he been roomed with another male, he might not even last until his second day. But then, he couldn't help thinking that this arrangement was going to be uber awkward at the very least. Would the girl not actually kick him out or something?

Bigger problem: how the hell was he going to explain to this girl that he was going to room with herㅡif she had not already been notifiedㅡwithout even using his own voice? Really, the more time he spent standing there, the more nervous he became, and finally, he just decided on doing it. Screw the counselors who said it would be better if he tried to tell her himselfㅡhe had them to blame for whatever might be happening in the near future.

So, after a hard swallow and a deep breath, Sunggyu knocked lightly on the door before he slowly turned the handle.

Whatever will be, will be.