we the cursed, nct dream ✔

part twenty-four

"Do they only work on that sketchbook, or with a specific pen or marker?" Juno's full of questions today. His flair truly fascinates her.

"No, I just like these ones specifically. Otherwise I could draw anything anywhere and it'd work."

"That's so cool."

"I guess the flair itself is super rare, so they test on me a lot more than others. Scientifically speaking, my flair is among the more confusing ones."

"Sometimes I wonder," she starts musing aloud. "They don't mention it at all, but I think about what effects these abilities could be having on us. Physically, scientifically, even mentally?" Her hair falls past her face as she cocks her head, and his fingers itch to reach out and tuck the locks away. "Like, did those "manic episodes" they talk about in their ads happen to all of us? Also is our physical and mental composition different because of these superhuman things we can do? I don't know."

Renjun sets his paintbrush down. "Before you came here, I thought I was the only one who ever wondered about that stuff. Nobody else seems to notice or care."

"Maybe they do, but it's just easier to ignore it all."

His eyes rove over her face. Attractive as it is, the fact that he can actually see past her usual cool mask into the stress and anxiety she's really feeling is concerning. Wordlessly, he sets up a blank canvas on the easel in front of her and hands her a brush and a basic palette. At her puzzled gaze, he gestures towards the set up. "Paint. It's like, free therapy."

And so she hesitantly takes the brush and begins moving it over the paper. Renjun returns to his own work, but periodically steals glances in her direction as they paint in silence.

After a while, Juno sets the brush down and leans back in her stool, picking it up again telekinetically instead. But this is more difficult; as strong as she's become, her flair control leaves much to be desired. Her brows furrow and lips purse involuntarily as she focuses on painting carefully, and soon she's able to get the hang of it somewhat. She doesn't feel she's as talented of an artist as Renjun, but she's not terrible. Just like that, she can't even remember why she was feeling so anxious.

Renjun doesn't realize he's been staring at the little smile upon her lips until Juno suddenly turns her head in his direction, finished with whatever she's painted. Caught, a bright red flush promptly takes over his face, and he coughs uncomfortably. But if she notices, she doesn't mention it. "I do feel much better," she admits.

"Yeah, well, it's a great stress reliever." He shifts his own stool closer to her own to examine what she's painted, cheeks still warm. And then his eyes widen. "Oh, wow."

"Don't tease me." Juno elbows him. "I know it's nowhere near your level, but-"

Renjun is quick to shake his head. "No." On her canvas is an apple, sitting on a table next to a window. Nothing special, except she's painted it with the light from a sunset shining in through the opening, bathing the lone fruit in extremely bright and vivid colors. "It seems simple, but your shade use is amazing," he tells her honestly, with a little disbelief. "And you did all this with your telekinesis?"

Juno nods, lips stretching into a bashful grin at the praise. "Most of it, yeah."

He settles back down into his chair. "I don't think you give yourself quite enough credit," he says thoughtfully, gaze shifting from her back to the canvas. "The same flair you struggled to control just months ago made this, because you decided you'd master it. And even as much as you complain about your grades, like in Bio, just a few tutoring sessions made your mark skyrocket because you were determined." The corner of his mouth lifts. "It's almost like you're invincible when you set your mind to something. I think that's so cool."