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Who: Nam Soon and Heung Soo
When: IC 11/22
Where: The Shopping District
What: CYBuddy shopping, basically...
Rating/Warning: Should be nothing.. other than them having a pottymouth when it comes to the word bastard, I guess.

[ To be fair, they didn't exactly expect to end up here at the store. Heung Soo sure didn't, either way - his main goal was to get some proper food for the both of them that was still simple enough for them to be able to prepare it themselves instead of having nothing but ramen and kimchi lining the shelves of their cupboards and the fridge. Especially when he knows what this place can do. The time when it was so cold, and the time with those murder clowns everywhere.. there are going to be times when it's just easier to not bother with going outside, so it's always good to have some stuff stocked up in advance.

Besides, it's oddly relaxing to be out with his bastard like this. Especially when there's nothing going on for a moment, when he doesn't have to worry about as many things at once - when they can just be them, and do disturbingly normal stuff and be themselves, even with the threat of this place pulling something weird on them again lurking on the horizon.

For now it seems like a far-off kind of thing though. Especially since Heung Soo suddenly finds out Nam Soon stopped walking and is staring at some storefront he just passed by.. he raises an eyebrow as he looks at his best friend, shifting the bags he's holding a little bit. ]

What are you looking at? [ Not even really annoyed, they can take their time, after all.. there's nothing pressing going on today. His tone is just curious for the most part. ]

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Wouldn't be the first time.

[well, that'd one of them would be marked as a thief, at least. it doesn't really stop him from looking amused at the whole thing, though. even if heung soo is embarrassed to hell and back, it's hard not to smile seeing that duck nestle into his hair that way. it's almost like the duck is nesting there now, and that's enough amusement for him.

it's definitely a bit on the strange side how real they seem—while also seeming to so cute and harmless. it's marketing genius really, since nothing about them seems very robotic at all.

and since they've made this decision, there's probably not much use in hanging around. so nam soon picks up the small dinosaur, awkwardly scooping it up like a toddler (how does he hold this, he's really not sure). it'll take a minute of squirming and shifting for the dino to find a comfortable medium, and nam soon will just give heung soo a nod, then.]

No turning back now. Let's go. [who is oddly satisfied about this? nam soon, of course.]

[ And if Nam Soon is oddly satisfied, how can he truly complain? Maybe a little on the surface, sure - the usual grumbling and sighing and eye rolling - but nothing that he truly means. Because if something makes his favourite bastard in the whole wide world happy, then there's no way he can fault it in any way. He's already surrendered to the fact they're going to take these home.

Isn't that how it always goes? He's so whipped for this guy, seriously.

The first few steps are a little careful, since he's thoughtful enough to not suddenly want to knock the duck off his head with sudden movements despite it being a robot, but it truly seems immovable from its spot, so then his steps fall into a more normal rhythm. ]

At least we won't have to take them on walks.

[ Dryly... who knows how robot pets behave though compared to normal ones. If they end up chewing on the furniture, then Nam Soon better teach them to not do that. Not Heung Soo. He's totally not the one who's okay with this situation. Not at all, why would you ever think so!! ]

[it's not as if it isn't a two-way street. if the roles has been reversed, nam soon would have been the whipped one here. he'd do just about anything to make sure that heung soo is happy, healthy and comfortable—as much as can be so while they're stuck here, at least.]

Maybe not a duck. [he muses somewhat idly, smile still present on his lips as he eyes both heung soo and the comfortably nuzzled duck. granted, both pets may be robots, but people probably still walk their robodogs, right? if for nothing else than the sake of just adhering to some kind of normalcy.

but what about for a dinosaur? it's not exactly a standard pet. granted, this doesn't seem like much of a standard baby dino from all that he remembers learning of them (which, let's be real, isn't terribly much with nam soon's track record of education), but he's got no idea. neither one of them is likely well suited for taking care of pets, even if they're going to try. and learn, dammit.] Maybe this guy will want to.

[come on, heung soo-yah... it could be fun. they both could probably use not holing up in the apartment so much anyway, even if nam soon would generally agree that hanging out at home with comics and ramen is tops.]

You want to go around walking a dinosaur?

[ Look, he's not really going to protest walking around if it's together with Nam Soon - is there anything he minds as long as he has the other guy's company? That's not the problem here. The problem is that walking a dinosaur is just.. going to look weird. Even in the middle of animes abound land.

So after a moment he drops the exasperation, since as long as he doesn't have to do it by himself or anything, it's not like he minds all that much.. instead he nudges his elbow a little against Nam Soon's arm, trying to grab his attention and turn it towards one of the nearby displays. ]

Buy it a leash too then. I don't want to set loose a tiny dinosaur on the city. [ Like some weird anticlimatic version of Godzilla. ]

He's not going to grow fifty feet and tear the city down.

[probably...

well, really, there's no telling. after all, these are issued by CERES. they probably could make the little guy turn into some godzilla-like creature if they so choose. but nam soon isn't really concerned about that for the time being.

even as he grabs a leash from a nearby hanging rack, the small dinosaur is making a grab for it, biting on the packaging pretty harmlessly... much like a little kid or another small animal. it's cute so it's hard to imagine it being terrifying.

(then again, isn't nam soon the same way himself?)]

We'll try it. [but if little dinosaur bro doesn't like it, nam soon probably won't force it and find another way for them to go out with their new pets.]

[ It really is sort of cute like he's trying to bite the packaging.. especially since this dinosaur isn't really dangerous. It's like it's supposed to be terrifying, but instead it ends up being oddly cute.

(Definitely like Nam Soon has always been in Heung Soo's eyes, too.)

But since there's a little less aegyo being poured all over him here, Heung Soo can slowly drag himself somewhat out of his tsun mood, instead grabbing a second leash (in case the duck would like something like that too) and dumping it straight into Nam Soon's arms. ]

If they don't like it and you want walks that desperately.. I'll walk you. [ Yeah, see, it's either being tsun or being an annoying bastard, there's no midway here. ]

Don't worry, Go Nam Soon.

[ This is the kind of smug face that deserves a punch, honestly. ]

[really, heung soo? really?

of course, nam soon's initial response is to look at heung soo with that expression that sits somewhere between surprise and annoyance, slightly incredulous and ready to punch his best friend in the face. and honestly, he probably would... if not for the fact that his hands are full with a robo-dinosaur and two leashes. what the hell is this, you bastard? heung soo doesn't have his hands full at all, just a duck securely nested in his hair.]

Aigoo, this bastard... [he clicks his tongue in an effort to display his mild annoyance. but there are ways to get back at heung soo without actually punching him—like the fact that his hands are full meaning his can't easily make an effort to pay for any of this.]

You pay. [yep. he went there. nam soon's definitely a bastard too.]

.. Fine.

[ There's that small moment of hesitation. Mostly since he knows Nam Soon is just saying it for the hell of being a bastard about all this, but.. honestly, Heung Soo doesn't really mind paying for it. In the end they always more or less end up sharing all their income and expenses with each other since they do pretty much everything together, so it's not like it makes a difference who pays for this stuff.

So a moment later - before Nam Soon would have the chance to protest, if he would - he's already letting all the stuff be ringed up (manually, since he's sure not going to remove the CYBuddies from respectively his own hair and Nam Soon's arms) and they're ready to leave. ]

Better go home right away with them.

[ You know, before one gets unruly and escapes and they spend the entire afternoon running after a small robotic animal.

Please don't do that to him, you bastard. ]

Mm.

[there's a satisfied rung to his voice, one that clearly states that nam soon is pleased with this outcome. in some ways, and only for heung soo, he really can be like a little kid. he saw something he liked and got what he wanted out of it, so it's not as if he really has all that much to complain about. being a bastard about things has its limit, after all.

nam soon takes a moment to readjust the small roboanimal in his arms again, then hands the bag with the leashes to heung soo. the duck is on his head, so nam soon figures that bastard can handle holding something else in the meanwhile anyway.]

They need to get used to the apartment, anyway. [and get used to each other.] ...Names, too.

[ He easily takes the bag without protest. For all the teasing they might pull on each other, it's not like he minds doing small things like this.. they should divide things evenly between the two of them by now anyway now it's not about making anything up to each other anymore. Not as much, anyway.

Although he hadn't even thought about the names thing, and that's what makes him glance back at the other. ]

What were you thinking about naming them?

[ Since he sure doesn't have an idea.. he's not creative enough for this, okay. And it's not like he's picky anyway, so Heung Soo is sure he'll just agree with what Nam Soon says. Unless he's a bastard about it and says Heung Soo Jr. or something like that. ]

I don't know...

[nam soon's not enough of a bastard to name it after either one of them. funny as it could be, it would also get confusing and kind of weird, wouldn't it? so nam soon frowns, almost lost in thought for a moment.

but after a moment, he gets an idea.]

Ssangdungie. [which heung soo would know is just a slightly affectionate way of referring to twins. he smirks a little, feeling a bit proud of this. nam soon looks between the dinosaur and heung soo, almost expecting heung soo to be annoyed by this.] Since he looks so much like you, Heung Soo-yah.

[ He knows that Nam Soon is just waiting for a reaction. That grin on the other's face tells him as much easily, and Heung Soo knows the best way to react would be to not react at all, but..

.. well, this is just how it always goes, it's almost instinctive at this point - the way he frowns at the other, near-pouts, clicks his tongue in tsunnoyance. ]

You're really going to rub this in, aren't you, you bastard?

[ Even if it's not like the whole dinosaur thing is a new joke at this point, or anything Heung Soo still gets truly offended at beyond his tsun-like behaviour. ]

Feel lucky that I don't want to wake this thing up. [ The duck on his head, he means-- and yes, that's in the "or I would have punched you for that one" sense. But like even their playfighting is anything new by now, right.. And yes, he might actually already be growing a little closer to the CYBuddies, sue him. ]

[at first, that shit-eating grin isn't leaving nam soon's face. of course he's going to rub it in, because that's exactly how the nature of their relationship works. it always has, and even with all that's happened, that much certainly isn't going to change. and truth be told, nam soon is already fond of the name; it's not like he'd be really any good at naming pets anyway.

it sounds cute to him, and the dinosaur is voicing his approval with a sound—like a baby lion's pitiful attempt at a roar. only somehow much, much cuter. this is how it ends for them both, at the hands of cute robot animals. and seemingly satisfied with that, the newly christened ssangdungie is nuzzling itself against nam soon, content to start getting rest this way. which is surprising to nam soon, but it's also... really nice? he's not really sure about the feeling, since it's so new. but it's not until he looks back to heung soo again that the feeling hits his chest a little more.

the duck resting atop that bastard's head, heung soo's reluctant softness about it—there's something endearing, strange and comfortable about it. and in the back of his head, nam soon knows that it's not right to be taken by that feeling, because it's probably fabricated in some way by CERES, but he can't help it. maybe going so long not allowing himself any semblance of happiness catches up to him at times like this, and it's a weird vulnerability that he'll only allow for heung soo to experience. so his gaze and smile alike both soften, but his words still chide gently.]

More than a mother hen, I guess you're a mother duckling now.

[ There's a moment where his face twists in that way that makes you able to tell he's about to near-pout.. but then he seems to give it up midway through the process, instead letting out a small sigh before his shoulders lose some of the tension. No need to really be that stubborn about it when it's just the two of them walking here together.

Besides.. ]

Look who's talking. [ Not that the sight of Nam Soon with that thing - even if it's a dinosaur of all things - snuggled up in his arms isn't entirely adorable either.. especially since Nam Soon looks so strangely happy about it all. And if there's anything in this world that could put Heung Soo's heart to ease, it's that fact. Just this bastard being happy, even ife it's just in these small moments.. that's more than enough.

He moves a little - so he can purposefully bump his elbow lightly against Nam Soon's, a little more subtly than the usual near-childish way Nam Soon has of bumping into him. More like he just happened to hit the other lightly as he's passing by. ]

.. we'll live well. [ In this place, he means. Since it's been hard enough to even find small ways to be comfortable inbetween all the messes that keep occuring, but it seems they've at least settled into something for the moment. Even if the paranoia about what might still happen in the future can still play in the back of their heads. ] Somehow.

[the way heung soo bumps into him is comfortable and familiar; it's subtle to anyone who may witness it, but nam soon knows and understands the intent behind it. and really, that's all that matters right now, because nobody else could grasp that the way they do. their forms of nonverbal communication remain stronger than what's spoken aloud—nam soon is happy for that much. having grown so used to living in silence, there's something warm about someone understanding those things easily. and it goes both ways, of course, since heung soo is much the same.]

Yeah. [he agrees quietly, eyes darting up at the sky for a moment. that's what they have to do, isn't it? they can't live in fear of what terrible thing may happen next, or if they're ever going to get back to seoul. even if it's hard to keep any sense of positivity, even if they don't know what's to come, they can't just not live. nam soon knows that, since he already spent three years of his life not living at all because of his strife and guilt. they can't do that now, and he won't let heung soo fall into that hole the way he did in the past.

the have to keep moving forward now, they have to find the things that make it all a little better while they wait. it doesn't mean becoming complacent or ignoring the problems they have. but if there's no way back, if this is all they have left, then they have to live. nam soon gets that, even if the notion that one of them just disappearing without the other is another fear that can sit in the back of his mind, remaining unspoken until there is a reason to bring it up. right now... right now is about finding the positives in this bullshit circumstance, though.] It's all we can do. We have to... we have to live as well as we can.

[ It's not as if saying it that way doesn't border on a lot of Heung Soo's fears as well. He also knows the fear of one of them disappearing all of a sudden, even if it didn't happen to him last time around - but even aside from that, saying they have to live well..

It makes him think of for whose sake, and then he just thinks of his sister, and then he thinks of the still unconfirmed story of their worlds being destroyed or not.

Of course it makes his stomach turn over, but he forces the feeling into the back of his head, trying to focus on Nam Soon being there, on the slight weight resting on his head. He has to stay grounded in the here and now and his current company in order to be able to live, anyway. Otherwise all he'd do is worry about her.

Heung Soo releases a deep breath he didn't realise he was holding until now. ]

Let's not make it too sappy, you bastard. [ Since Nam Soon calls him out on that all the time, it only feels right to do it in return for once, okay. Karma's a bitch. ]

Yah...

[there's a slight sharpness to his tone, the one that says "don't go turning the topic on me, you bastard" in far fewer words. he doesn't say it all, because he knows he doesn't have to. there's that underlying knowing why the words come out, and that heung soo is just deflecting a bit to keep the heavier topic at bay.

nam soon knows this, so he doesn't press hard, and he doesn't dare to bring up heung soo's sister at all. just like those unspoken words of his own, he knows what this bastard is thinking of, and he knows that no amount of reassurances will ever really sate the way heung soo misses his sister. how could it? he knows he doesn't have any words of his own to offer, that there aren't really any comforts he can bring by way of putting the focus on that topic—so he doesn't. instead, he shifts his weight again (holding a tiny robodinosaur is an adjustment) before bumping his shoulder against heung soo's arm.

it's another silent statement, another set of words that go unspoken but resonate loudly from him. nam soon gets it. he knows. he understands.]

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IT'S MIDNIGHT AND I'M TOO LAZY TO RENEW RN pretend it's the headtilt icon ok

i love that i knew exactly what icon you meant, i got you

i knew you'd know.. no one is as intense about bastards as us

and nobody probably ever will be bc no1curr like us

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