All In

The Greenhouse/Daisy

When they stepped through the faded, opaque glass doors it felt like a whole new dimension. The whole building smelled like Blue Nightblossom, and the people trickling in slowly seemed too warm and human to even exist in a world like this. There were blue flowers crowding every corner, filtering the low, gray light of the dusk sky into a soft bluish tint.

There were only four others, but they had presence. It seemed like they all knew each other, too.

"Shownu!" one of them called from the opposite doorway.

"Ah, guys, this..." he paused to wave him over. "is Kihyun." His fond smile said everything, but Kihyun didn't seem to notice.

"Hey, um..." Kihyun came over to him and leaned up close to whisper something in his ear, holding his shoulder to steady him. He didn't catch the quick breath Shownu sucked in, nor the way his neck flushed, simply backed up and looked at him inquisitively.

Shownu cleared his throat. "This is my little brother and his... best friend." He quirked an eyebrow at Kihyun, subtly referencing something the two younger boys didn't get. Kihyun's mouth twitched up into a small smile, and he nodded.

"Well, then. I'm guessing you've never met the Clan, right?" he asked, addressing them.

"I haven't said anything before today," Shownu explained, watching Kihyun nod slowly.

"Okay, well, I'm Kihyun, that over there," he gestured to a guy grinding some purple paste. "That's Changkyun." The man looked up, waving at them then gesturing for Kihyun to come to him. Shownu watched, lips pursed, as Changkyun pulled the older down, their faces close, and smeared a line of purple across Kihyun's cheek. He brushed his thumb gently over Kihyun's chin, then sat back, both of them smiling softly. Kihyun looked back at them.

"Uh, that," he pointed to a man who sat beside Changkyun, his tight shirt showcasing his thick arms and chest, "is Hoseok. I mean, that's what his dad calls him, and I mean, he isn't too fond of his dad. We call him Wonho. Don't let the muscles scare you, they're just to please the old man. He's a real softie.

"And finally, the master of the Soda game, Jooheon," he gestured to a guy in the centre of the room, who was already grinding serenely at some Nightblossom flowers in a mortar and pestle.

"Hey," Jooheon greeted, not looking up from his flowers, which he was watching intently. "Um... 'm almost done this, then we'll light the fire."

Minhyuk looked over at Hyungwon, trying to ask him what the hell that meant using only his eyes. Hyungwon just shook his head, shrugging. and sat down to watch as Jooheon dumped the blue paste into a pot of water. Minhyuk sat down beside him while they placed the pot over a little fire pit and lit the charred wood inside it. It caught slowly, the flame growing and crackling, smoke curling up around the sides without ever quite touching the pot.

When the fire started, the intimacy in the room changed in the blink of an eye. What had once felt new, quiet, almost awkward even, now felt like a reunion of lost souls, like they all simply belonged here. Jooheon stirred the pot just a bit, the little spoon he used knocking up the blue that swirled on the bottom, and he sat back.

"Finish the paint?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow at Changkyun, who just scoffed and picked up two cups of the paste.

"That's not all, either," he laughed, putting them down and picking up another pair. Purple, blue, pink and yellow.

"Beautiful, hand 'em around then?"

As the paint circulated and the water began to boil, Jooheon picked the pot up off the burner and swirled it around, then poured it through a mesh bag into three different bowls and set it down beside him.

"It's still warm, but it's drinkable now." He picked up two of the bowls and handed one to Changkyun and one across the circle to Hyungwon. "Try it, it's just like tea," he explained when the older seemed nervous.

"You try it first," Hyungwon replied, obviously nervous, as he handed it back to Changkyun. The older laughed, then took a long gulp. He cleared his throat, a soft smile gracing his face, and he handed it back to Hyungwon. The younger sipped it cautiously, swallowing with a hum.

He turned to Minhyuk, nodding and lifting the bowl up to the boy's lips. Minhyuk sipped slowly, looking up at Hyungwon's happy eyes.

He heard a snicker from Kihyun, then a soft "you're right, Shownu."

It clicked suddenly, and Minhyuk closed his eyes, trying his best not to cough up the soda. He knew he was blushing, but there wasn't much he could do except swallow the last gulp of soda and mutter a soft "shut up".

"It's good, right?" Hyungwon asked.

Nodding and timidly handing the bowl off to the next taker, he wiped his lips on the hem of his shirt. "Is that all?"

"You won't need any more, I promise," Shownu laughed, passing along a bowl of yellow paint. Hyungwon snatched it and dipped a finger in the pigment, smearing it across Minhyuk's nose. With a gasp, Minhyuk felt his face with his finger, examining the colour. Then, quickly, he dipped his finger in the paste and dragged it down Hyungwon's face.

Suddenly, the room started to feel foggy. It wasn't, but it felt like it was. Either his heart started to beat faster or he started feeling it more, and his body tingled pleasantly. It felt like carbon bubbles in that bitter, golden can of beer from Hyungwon's dad's fridge; he looked back down to the people around him, feeling different for the better. He was brought back to the moment by a finger trailing down his cheek.

"Now you're like a daisy," Hyungwon smiled. "Yellow," he mumbled, tracing over Minhyuk's nose. "and white for the petals," he finished, running his fingers through Minhyuk's hair.

Minhyuk smiled back, he couldn't stop it if he wanted to. "A daisy?"