Minho stared up at the towers of photo albums, blinking. I had to admit it was something to see, though it had become more of a nuisance to me. We'd had to haul Hyunjin's endless memories around with us every time we migrated somewhere new. His collection kept growing every year — we'd need a separate house for them by 2020.
"So... they all have pictures in them?" Minho said.
"Every one. Eight photos per page, eighty pages per book, three-hundred and two books."
"What if they just — toppled over right now?"
"Lord help us."
"Can I see one?"
I pulled a book from a tall stack — it wobbled and Minho and I both steadied it. I opened the book and flipped the pages slowly so he could take it all in.
"Hyunjin isn't in any of these," he said.
"He takes the pictures. He's kind of our live-in photographer."
There was a quick rush of air, and then Hyunjin was in front of us, camera to his eye. The flash went off.
"Hyunjin!" I groaned.
"What! You looked cute."
"I'm sorry," I said to Minho.
He smiled and shrugged. "Are the marmots okay?"
"Don't worry, we dropped them off on the edge of Hoh Rainforest. Marmot heaven! You two having fun in here?" Hyunjin glanced at the book. "Ooh, eighty-eight, that was a great year."
"This is all yours?"
"Sure is."
"How long have you been taking pictures?"
Hyunjin stroked his chin while he thought. "Sixty years or so."
"Can I see one from then? The oldest one?"
He sighed. "It's underneath the rest."
"Oh. Then what about the newest?"
Hyunjin walked over to a waist-high stack and picked up the book on top. He stood next to Minho, opened it and flipped to the middle.
"I took that yesterday." He poked a picture of Changbin, face in his hands, sitting at the kitchen table with scattered papers all around him. "He was being cute."
"I was not being cute," Changbin growled. Minho flinched — he hadn't heard anyone sneak up behind him. They were all in the room now, peeking over our shoulders. "I had a lot of big emotions yesterday."
"I'm sorry I left you all alone," Chan said. He turned to Minho and explained. "With Jisung and me gone, he didn't have anyone to talk to."
"I was with you all day," Felix said to Changbin.
"You don't appreciate my art."
"Moving on," Hyunjin sighed. "Here's one from our last sunny day, and here's a hunting trip we took to Goat Rocks."
"Goat Rocks," Minho muttered, looking annoyed. He pointed at another photo. "What's with this one?"
It was Seungmin, winking at the camera, his favourite umbrella slung over his shoulder. I was in the background, weary as Felix smushed one last handful of snow over my head.
"That was a snowball fight we had, like, two or three months ago," Hyunjin said.
"It was the day I spoke to you for the first time," I said. "In Bio, remember?"
"So that's why you were all wet." Minho laughed, but abruptly stopped as he noticed the next photo. "Is that me?"
The photo was of Minho in his truck, eyes wide and mouth open as he stared at me. It was later on the same day, when I'd leaned against my car, waiting like an idiot for Minho to pass by. Hyunjin had been inside the car, snapping pictures.
"Er, yeah," Hyunjin said. "Sorry. I take pictures of people we don't know sometimes."
"It's illegal," Seungmin said, "but how the hell are the pigs gonna catch up with us anyway?"
"Seungmin, no, Minho's dad is a cop," said Chan.
"I don't mind," Minho said. "God, I look like I'm having a stroke."
"I assumed you were," said Jeongin.
"Here's one of Jisung when he got back in the car." Hyunjin tapped the next picture. "Isn't he adorable? He looks like he wants to die."
"Why are we showing him boring pictures?" Felix said. "Hyunjin, find November, sixty-three."
"The thing with Kennedy? I thought we weren't supposed to talk about that."
"Dude, no, the Grand Canyon."
"Oh!" Hyunjin darted into the pile and came back with an identical black book. He opened it and held it out to Minho. "See that blip in the sky? That's Seungmin."
Minho blinked. "You jumped over the Grand Canyon?"
"Less 'jumped' and more 'was thrown,'" said Seungmin. "They wanted to throw the smallest, but Jisung and Changbin were too chicken, so I was next in line."
"Why were you throwing each other over a canyon?"
"For sport. When you're immortal, you see things like the Grand Canyon and the Great Wall, and just 'looking at them' isn't good enough."
"You jumped over the Great Wall, too?"
"No, weirdo, we raced across it," Hyunjin said.
"Show him Rio," Jeongin suggested.
"Good one, angel." Hyunjin disappeared again. One of the stacks of books trembled, and then he was back, a book from '73 in his hands. "This was from Rio de Janeiro. You ever been?"
"No," Minho said on a laugh. "I don't even have a passport."
"Neither do we." Felix popped an eyebrow.
"When you think of Rio," Hyunjin said, "what do you think is the coolest thing about it?"
"Um." Minho shrugged. "The carnivals?"
"Wrong." Hyunjin shook his head sadly. "The coolest thing in Rio is Jeongin's impression of the Redeemer."
"Oh oh, Jeongin, do it!" Felix clapped his hands.
Jeongin spread his arms and stood completely still.
"Oh, my God," said Chan, "he's so good."
Jeongin smiled, accepting high-fives and pats on the back. Minho gave him a thumbs-up.
Hyunjin opened the book to Minho again, pointed at a picture of Chan on the Selaron Steps, wearing a Hawaiian shirt and fanny pack. He slid his finger down to one of Seungmin floating in the ocean, bright blue water stretching out for miles around him. The next was of Felix and Haseong, sitting at the peak of the Pedra da Gávea, shining in the sunlight.
"These are beautiful," Minho said. "You had a dog?"
There was one picture of Jeongin walking Brush through the rainforest. All I remembered from that day was a boa constrictor trying to eat the goddamn dog, and Chan strangling the life out of it. I must have blocked everything else out.
"Oh, that's our old corgi, Br—"
"Let's not talk about it," Felix interrupted. "Here's one of Hyunjin making a funny face, ooh, ha ha."
I poked his arm. He glared at me.
"Felix, why are you and Changbin..." Minho squinted at the picture. "Kissing on a rowboat?"
"Christ, please don't get them started," Seungmin said.
"It was nineteen twenty-two," Felix illustrated, flicking his cropped hair in Seungmin's direction. "We had made a perilous journey across two landmasses and an English channel, and finally Changbin and I were reunited. We shared our first kiss on the very same river you see here." He leaned down to rub noses with Changbin. "And my love for him hasn't stopped blossoming since."
"Which river is that?" Minho asked.
"The River Tyne. That's where we found the rest 'a these losers."
"Yeah," I laughed, "we were the losers."
Felix scoffed. "Your asses were grasses. We had to let you go when that auto went by."
"You fought?" Minho said.
"They were being overly suspicious of us," said Changbin.
"You were acting suspicious," said Haseong.
"You hated me so much back then," Felix laughed at me.
"It was mutual. It still is."
"What's this one? It's more normal." Minho pointed at one of Hyunjin, Chan and me watching Sesame Street.
"I remember it like it was yesterday," Hyunjin said lovingly. "Sesame Street was one of our favourites — along with I Love Lucy and Carol Burnett. You started calling me 'big bird' after that, remember, Jisungie?"
"'Big bird'?" Minho said.
"Because he's tall and cuddly," I explained.
"And I call him Bert," Hyunjin said, "because he's grumpy and easy to piss off. And when he wants to kill me, he gets that little crease between his eyes that makes it look like he has a unibrow — like right now."
I relaxed my face.
"Do you have any more nicknames for each other?" Minho asked.
"Changbin calls me prince," said Felix, "for obvious reasons. Haseong is God."
"Jeongin is our happy pill," said Chan.
"I call him the Baby," I said.
"And I hate it," Jeongin said.
"I'm dark Changbin," Changbin said. We all laughed.
"Keep telling yourself that, small fry butter bean." Chan clapped him on the shoulder, and then pointed at me. "He's our problem child."
"Pop tart when I'm mad at him," Felix added.
"Sticks," said Haseong.
"That's a lot of nicknames." Minho gestured to his self. "What would you call me?"
Felix scoffed. "It has to arise naturally... Miracle boy!"
"Psycho killer," said Seungmin.
"Rotisserie chicken," said Haseong.
"My youngest pup." Chan sniffled. "Oh God, I made myself emotional."
Minho's smile was giddy. "Can we take a picture? All together?"
Hyunjin gasped and slapped his own face. "That's the best idea I've ever heard! Let's go somewhere with better light — go, go."
He herded us out of the photo room, into the hallway and yelled "Stop!" He ran ahead of us and looked through his camera.
"Light's good." He disappeared and returned with his tripod. "Angle's good." He squinted at us. "Changbin, stop doing that with your face."
"I was breathing!"
"Stop it. Now strike a pose, boys." He set the timer and ran up to meet us. "Cheese!"
I was about to say cheese, but Minho turned my face and pressed his lips to mine. I vaguely noticed the flash go off in the background.
"That's gonna come out amazing—" Hyunjin almost shrieked. "Nobody look, they're kissing!"
They all looked.
"Hyunjin, don't make it weird!" said Minho. I was slumped into his side, head spinning.
"My virgin eyes!" Felix wailed.
"That's enough," Haseong sighed. "I'm sure Jisung has been apologizing profusely, but I'm sorry, Minho — my sons are idiots."
"That's okay." Minho was twiddling his thumbs, proud of himself.
"Alrighty, how much of the house tour is left?" Felix rubbed his hands together. "I wish we had a basement or a panic room or something."
"He hasn't seen my garage yet," Seungmin said.
"Dude, you see one garage, you've seen them all," Changbin rolled his eyes.
"Oh! Jisung's room! He hasn't seen Jisung's room!" Hyunjin exclaimed.
"Good one, Hyunjinnie!" Felix headed toward my room, but Chan caught him by the shoulders.
"They've probably had enough of us for now," he said. Have your Minho-time, kiddo.
I nodded a thank you. Haseong and Chan shepherded the rest downstairs.
Minho took my hand and pulled me down the hall. "Where's your room?"
"The other way."
He pivoted and yanked me with him.
I opened my door and let us in. Minho stood at attention and scanned the room. I swiped a pair of jeans off the floor, hid them in a drawer. He came up behind me and handed me a shirt, and I stuffed that in, too.
"Sorry," I said.
He walked over to the wall of CDs and tilted his head sideways to read the cases. "How are these organized?"
"They're not."
"Ah." He ran his finger from the Latvian folk music to the Madonna next to it. "Makes sense. So... how does it feel? To have me here?"
I smiled. "You've been amazing, my love. But I guess I've been waiting for something to... make you run. For my brothers to freak you out. Or maybe you'll finally get how pathetic I am."
"With all this, your family... you just seem more and more normal to me."
"Really? You're in a house with eight ferocious, century-old vampires and you're thinking 'this is normal'?"
"Ferocious," he laughed.
"We're dangerous, Minho, you don't get it."
He held his finger under my chin, tilted my face up. His thumb gently plied my bottom lip.
"Love," I whispered.
"You were saying?"
"I was?"
"You're a mouse, Jisung."
"No, I'm a monster," I pouted. He laughed and slid his arm around my waist.
"Play your favourite for me," he said.
Choosing between my CDs was like choosing between my brothers. Not easy but doable. I picked up an orchestral mix off the floor, popped it into the player and turned the volume down low.
I laced my hands with his and pulled him over to the couch. He took a seat, and I curled up with my head in his lap.
~ * ~
Minho's hands were warm, pulling through my hair. His touch, his touch, his touch. I didn't hear Felix and the Baby approach the door until they were calling in.
"Anybody home?" Mind if we crash the party?
"Is it okay if they come in?" I wanted Minho's answer to be no, but I knew it wouldn't be.
"It's okay."
I clapped my hands, and Felix and Jeongin waltzed into the room. Felix sat next to Minho, reached down and pinched my nose between his fingers. I wheezed and slapped him away. The Baby hesitated a few feet behind, afraid he might freak Minho out, and leaned on the arm of the sofa.
"How's the day going so far?" Felix asked.
"How's the day going, love?" I passed the question on.
"Great. I had fun in the photo room."
"I knew you would." Felix subtly gestured toward his own head, and I bit back an eye roll. "Aw, shoot! We should've shown him fifty-seven!"
Murder. I was going to murder him.
"What's in fifty-seven?" Minho looked down at me.
"It's not important."
"I'd say it was very important," Felix smirked.
"Felix."
"He had a perm!" Jeongin cackled.
"Jeongin!" My voice was in full-on pathetic, my-brothers-are-being-mean-to-me mode.
Minho was squinting at my hair, and I had to keep from yelling at him, too.
For God's sake, did he forget? Jeongin tapped Felix on the arm.
"Oh, right, right," said Felix. "There's gonna be a storm tonight — good baseball weather. We're gonna play. And Minho should come along."
I sat up and folded my legs under myself. "What do you think, Minho?"
"Um. I dunno. Will I have to play?"
"Imagine that!" Felix mimed an explosion with his hands and blew a startlingly loud raspberry.
Classy, dumbass, Jeongin thought, but he was giggling.
"Er, no." I shoved Felix's face, and spoke to Minho. "You would watch — if you wanted to go. There's no pressure."
"What would I get out of it?" Minho said, crossing his arms.
"The pleasure of watching Jisung be an overconfident dumbass."
"The honour of watching Felix get a baseball stuck in his mouth."
"That was once! Let it go!"
I would never let it go. He choked and sputtered and ran around like a chicken without a head until Hyunjin tackled him and gave him the Heimlich. It was hilarious to watch — upsetting, but hilarious.
Baseballs are too big anyway, Felix thought. They should be smaller, slippery little shits.
"See, Minho?" Felix said aloud. "You get all that and more."
Minho's eyes fluttered. "Hmph. Okay."
"Yes! Attaboy, bro! You won't regret it!"
~ * ~
"It was great to get to know you a little better," Chan said, patting Minho's shoulder. "Don't be a stranger! Break something, rupture something, need a chat — I'm your guy."
"Thanks," Minho said. "I had a great time."
Hyunjin lurched forward and wrapped his arms around Minho. He was trying his damnedest not to cry.
"Come back soon, please."
"Promise."
"See you at the game," Felix said.
"Bring money — we're betting," Seungmin added.
"I'll keep it in mind," Minho called — I was dragging him away. We got into his truck and drove down the driveway. My brothers were still waving once we were in the trees.
Minho waited until we were far from the house to ask, "Jisungie, how does baseball work?"
———————————
so. the name is different. a lot of things are different! let me explain.
basically, there have been reports of stories just,,, getting deleted bc they're f*nfiction. i noticed one of my favourite stories disappear from my reading list, one of my moots was talking about it, and when i looked on twitter, there were people saying that their stories — with thousands upon thousands of views — were, poof, gone.
you probably can understand why i freaked out. my story is f*nfiction to its core — it's literally f*nfic for tw*light AND stray kids! i tried to make this transition as calmly and smoothly as possible but i've been panicking since friday and i just — i just wanted to make sure i was doing everything in my power to protect my book. you guys don't even know how much i love this story and the connections i've made with people who read and comment on it. it's all i live for now.
of course y'all can keep referring to it as twilight and midnight sun etc. the title has always been just that — a title. i don't mean to sound mushy here but it's what's on the inside that counts, and my story will always stay the same.
i hope you like the new names or at least can tolerate them. i think they're kinda moody and on-brand so i'm satisfied. plus i've been wanting to take the capitalized letters out of the title for SO LONG and i'm happy i got to do that.
(i also changed all mentions of the previous names in the intros/outros/blurbs/bios/etc. yes it's been a hectic few days.)
BUT THAT'S NOT THE END OF IT.
this isn't related to the title change but my dentist says i have to get a root canal. turns out my tooth is fuckin dead. i call it ms keisha now.
(can you tell i use humour as a coping mechanism?)
anyway i got that news and the first thing i wanted to do was to put it in my outro bc i like sharing my life with you guys :( lets hope i dont die
and moving on to the song of the week **drum roll please**
MISSIO - Sing To Me
this is like jisung's anthem. 'somebody told me that there's two sides to this life, what's yours? i might have accidentally let the darkness eat the light...' since this chapter has a lot of the family's past in it -- even if it doesn't go very deep into how jisung was feeling -- it makes me think about how sad he must have been while they were traveling the world. i'm so happy he's doing better now :(
now that i'm done crying about my completely made-up fictional character -- not to mention my rotten-ass tooth -- i guess i'll leave the outro here.
bye