estoria | ( closed )

Entry tags:

( closed )

Who: Nam Soon and Heung Soo
When: IC 12/24
Where: Their apartment
What: Heung Soo decides to do something for his best friend's birthday. Dumb stuff ensues.
Rating/Warning: Bastards. That's all.

[ Heung Soo hasn't deceived himself. He knows this place isn't normal, and he knows that every semi-normal moment they can grab is already a precious commodity. Inbetween losing their senses or body or having to deal with killer clowns or piercing cold or other people finding out the most awkward and painful things about them, it's rare to get a moment where they can just live normally. And even when they do, it's not like it's even a single bit like back home in Seoul.

But even so, he can't just use that as an excuse to let Nam Soon's birthday pass by without anything special. He knows that Nam Soon probably isn't used to anything special either way and probably wouldn't mind to begin with, but Heung Soo would mind. It's exactly why he would mind - they spent three years apart where Nam Soon probably had birthdays that were the same as any other day, so now they've reconciled, he better get proper birthdays once more.

Even if he has to be the bastard to ensure that happens.

It's why he's tried to untangle himself from the other's limbs and escape the bed a little earlier than usually this morning. His hair is still a little messy since he didn't bother to get up early enough to take care of that alongside everything else - it makes for a surprisingly domestic scene, everything considered. Heung Soo trying his best in the kitchen (which already takes a lot, although he's at least been getting a little more practice with that here), hair a little ruffled, two curious critters hardly identifiable as robots attempting to climb onto the kitchen counters to get a better view of what's going on.

In fact, he's so busy with it that he probably won't even notice if Nam Soon got up in the time it took for Heung Soo to try and make the traditional seaweed soup -- he's currently way too busy trying to (gently) push away the tiny dinosaur as it's peering into the pot, mumbling something to the CYBuddy under his breath about this being for that bastard and not for it. The duck is starting its climb up Heung Soo's leg to try and get up there as well, there's a small piece of seaweed stuck to his cheek, but..

.. well, it's a scene where an attempt is being made pretty hard, okay. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ For another moment, Heung Soo is quiet again before he continues. It's almost as if he'd be eating something here too, really, although he's still going without breakfast until Nam Soon's finished his soup. He doesn't really have an excuse for not immediately speaking up again. It's just that he doesn't really know how to word this in a way that doesn't come off as majorly embarrassing - but on the other hand, he doesn't want it to go unsaid. He wants this to be a definite change between how they've lived for the past years and how they should live from now on. ]

Properly celebrate your birthdays from now on.

[ It's sort of an odd request, but it's not really what it seems, anyway. He does mean what he's saying, but Heung Soo means it in a bigger sense. Don't withdraw like that again, don't pretend like there aren't things in life worth celebrating even in the smallest of ways - don't lock him out all over again, until it had grown so bad that the tables were flipped and Heung Soo instead tried his damnest to lock Nam Soon out instead.

Let's not go back to that. Let's keep staying like we are now from this point on..

It's that sort of thing. ]

Yeah.

[he responds softly, quietly, because nam soon knows why that request is being made. maybe if someone else had heard it, they wouldn't know or understand the subtle implication of a request like that. they wouldn't know that's a request to keep moving forward, to put those three miserable years behind them. it's a request for him to start living like a person again, and even though that's been a difficult adjustment to try and make over the last few months... he's trying.

he's trying, and he wants to try for heung soo's sake. part of that may be his selfish desire to not be alone anymore, or to not lose heung soo like he did in the past. but more of it is wanting to be that much better because it's what heung soo wants. they may not really ever be able to go back to way things used to be in precise way, but they need to move forward like this; nam soon knows he needs to be a little better in order for that to happen. and on a day like this, where heung soo is putting in such a strong effort while also being a supporting shoulder and source of encouragement...

well, why wouldn't he want to try?]

It's not like you'd let me forget, anyway. [his teasing is subtle and just as quiet, coming with a bit of a nudge as he finishes the last spoonful of soup in his bowl.]

You should eat.

[ It's not like Heung Soo could even deny the teasing. He's a meddlesome bastard and he knows it, he'd make Nam Soon seaweed soup every birthday for the rest of his life if that would be what it took. As long as Nam Soon can keep taking those steps forward, as long as they can do it together.. Then it's fine. They'll find their footing, even if it's pretty hard to be adults for punks like them.

And while he's entirely aware of the fact that Nam Soon is right about his own breakfast, he instead finds himself clicking his tongue. ]

I don't think I can stand even turning on the rice cooker after all this. [ These were way too many kitchen shenanigans for a boy who sucks at doing pretty much anything in the kitchen, okay. Not that he minds putting in this effort for his best friend at all, especially not since it goes a long way, but.. Geez. ]

I'll eat later.

Lazy bastard.

[okay, so nam soon knows that it really has nothing at all to do with laziness and everything to do with the fact that he busted his ass at the crack of dawn to make soup... but he can't help himself. their relationship is entirely built on being able to make remarks like that comfortably, and now is no exception.]

All that, and you're going to make me get up to turn on the rice cooker. [he shifts a little, aiming to get up—not that he really wants to, since this is a really comfortable position to be in, but he'll do what he has to. he doesn't really want heung soo to wait on breakfast when he's already been up for this long. them running out the door with barely any time to shove rice in their mouths may be something of a norm, but on a day like this, how can he expect this bastard to do that, or even wait. he can't be the only one who's eaten.

...heung soo may be a mother hen all the time, but when when it comes to him, nam soon can be just that way too. you're supposed to eat well, you bastard.]

[ A thought bubbles up in the back of his mind that's so embarrassing he can't even say it, instead forcing it down as quickly as it pops up - that's what living together is like, you bastard. (Sure, it might be their current reality, it might have been their reality for months already, but there's still something embarrassing about acknowledging it out loud, as there always is with them.)

Instead he moves just enough so it won't upset their balance if Nam Soon stands up, but not further than that like he's going to get up instead. He could take care of himself, yes, and he doesn't really want to make Nam Soon do the work on his birthday, but.. well, he's not going to do it instead when the other is already getting up. It's something about their mutual pride. Something like that.

So instead he just glances at the other. ]

Is it so difficult? Even they could do it. [ Heung Soo gestures towards the dinosaur and the duck still sitting there. ]

Aigoo, you miss the point.

[nam soon clicks his tongue in annoyance once again, but it's not as if he's really annoyed at all by it. truthfully, even if it is is birthday, heung soo takes precedence. always. his well-being is most important, and if that means sacrificing his comfort or laziness for a few minutes to tend to it, then he will. it's the least he can do after all that's happened in the past, especially when what nam soon wants more than anything else in the world is for heung soo to be happy and live well.

...which, of course, also means being well fed enough and having his own damn breakfast. it's really not the point at all that their tiny robot animals could have enough smarts to turn on the rice cooker, it's about heung soo being a lazy enough bastard to not want to get up himself and do it for one reason or another. and maybe that's why as nam soon pulls himself up from the floor, he gives heung soo a light kick in the side. it's definitely not enough to actually hurt him, but it's still enough of a nudge to be irritating as he makes his way across the room to turn on the rice cooker and put some rice and water in it.] Our Heung Soo-yah is so hopeless...

[ Even if the kick had been a little harder than it is, he probably would have found it pretty hard to find any sort of annoyance at it - let alone at a weak kick like this. Maybe it's just the atmosphere right now, or the way he's feeling, seeing Nam Soon acting so normal in the middle of the chaos that is their every day life here.. he just knows they have to take these moments for all they're worth, because from one moment to another everything can be shitty again.

And this situation definitely isn't shitty. It'd be a little normal by most people's standards, just eating breakfast together without having to rush out of the door while doing so, but Heung Soo likes normal. He likes just existing with Nam Soon like this, just going through the normal things in life together - just that is enough. Even if it means surpressing thoughts of his sister when he sees Nam Soon moving to make breakfast like that, when he speaks those words. ]

Look at the punk who's saying that. [ Let's be real, neither of them are exactly poster children for good life decisions. ] If you learn to remember your birthday, then maybe I'll give you the right to complain at me.

Did I have a reason to before?

[he says it with a casual tone, not really thinking all that much of it. to nam soon, it's a simple truth—he didn't really have a reason to remember his birthday specifically beyond a passing thought. it wasn't anything to celebrate or make note of, there was nobody to share it with or remind him of it.

maybe from here on out, he won't forget. but as it stands, he stands by the notion that it's not so strange for him to forget. of course, he's grateful—happy, even—that heung soo remembers and goes this far for his sake. but still, it's a lot to get used to, and it definitely makes him feel a bit on the awkward side. it's a level of care and affection he's still not adjusted to after being alone, which is why it remains easier to deflect it. instead, he's just standing, hovering over the rice cooker as if that will make the process go faster.

(it won't, and he knows it, but this is awkward.)] You don't have to make a big deal out of it, you dumb bastard.

[even if he doesn't really mind at all. what is coping.]

Aigoo.. who's the one making a big deal out of it?

[ Sure, he won't deny (although not verbally) that he's making a big deal out of it too. But it's just.. he doesn't want to hear that carelessness in Nam Soon's tone. How he can say that so casually, like it doesn't matter whether he celebrates his birthday or not. It's just part of living well, and it's part of care, and those are the things he doesn't ever want this bastard to have to go without anymore.

But Nam Soon is making a big deal out of it too by shrugging it off so heavily. Then again, that's sort of just what they do, huh? ]

Look at this punk. You have a reason now, so don't whine.

[ Said reason being that Heung Soo is never going to let him forget. Ever.

He's looking at Nam Soon, even though the CYBuddies have spotted their chance for some attention now the two of them aren't sitting next to each other anymore and are currently trying to climb into the guy's lap, struggling to get space for the both of them. ]

Fine, I got it, I got it.

[he clicks his tongue a little in pseudo-annoyance; all he's really doing though is conceding to the fact that it's an argument he'll never a win (a fact nam soon already knows). sure, he can contest it for days, weeks, or months, but it'll never change the fact that a meddlesome bastard like heung soo orchestrated this perfectly so that he'd have no good reason to protest.

(not that it's all that bad—having heung soo care for him enough to go through this kind of effort, even if he sucks at admitting it verbally.)

but nam soon allows things to fall into a comfortable state of silence while the rice cooks, idly tapping the spoon against the machine. it's nice, he thinks, that they can exist in this way, with no words needed but leaving a sense of warmth in the air. there are a lot of thoughts—some idle, some more tiring—that float through his mind until the rice is ready. and when the cooker beeps, he scoops some into a bowl and turns to come back to his comfortable spot next to heung soo.

...only to be greeted by the sight of the CYBuddies having taken residence in his lap.]

Yah... [of course, it's directed at them and not heung soo.] I get up for a couple of minutes, and they're doing this already...

[ The CYBuddies don't even seem particularly guilty even when Nam Soon talks about them going at it. They're just comfortable like this, and they like getting attention (the duck in particular keeps pushing its beak against Heung Soo's hand until the latter finally pets it a little idly), so they're fine with the current situation.

And to be honest, Heung Soo doesn't even look all that annoyed, per se.. he's gotten used to the shenanigans of these things. And it's a lot easier to deal with than people, particularly the people here, that's for sure. ]

They're energetic. [ But Nam Soon already knows as much too. How often haven't these two caused messes by now?

He grabs the bowl from the other. ]

Thanks. [ It's genuine, really, but there's probably a vague hint of gloating-like teasing in it. Hey, he got Nam Soon to do this for him, that's an accomplishment, okay. ]

Too energetic.

[listen, okay. it's still way too early for them to be running around with this much energy, being mischievous and seeking attention.

...or maybe nam soon is just a selfish little child when he wants to be, and he wants heung soo's attention to be undivided right now. and with the bowl of rice out of his hands now (and perhaps a bit of a snide expression at that teasing) before he pops back down...

—and of course, purposely bumps into heung soo with a little bit of force. who's gonna be a dumb child about this? nam soon, of course.]

[ An adorable dumb child though, if you'd ask Heung Soo. Not like he's ever going to admit that much out loud, but it's all too true that he's way too fond of his best friend. It's not like he hasn't missed just them being them for those years they were seperated - and even if them being them is different now than it was back then, it's still nice.

So much so that it's hard to not fall back into old patterns, and he grins at the other in return to the bump, turning his head to make sure Nam Soon can see as he moves to shove the first rice into his own mouth. ]

It's almost as if you want something. [ Well, duh. Even Heung Soo recognizes these signs - or maybe especially Heung Soo. Doesn't mean he can't make Nam Soon's life a little harder over it. ]

Yeah, for you to choke on that rice if you keep making that face.

[seriously, this bastard!! nam soon knows that he's doing this on purpose (because when has that ever not happened, and obviously, he doesn't really want heung soo to choke. but seriously, this bastard is so obnoxious at times like this.

how he can go from being a total mom, getting up at the crack of dawn to cook seaweed soup to a smug little shit in seconds... well, it's impressive, even if it's fully expected at this point. it's frustrating, but also endearing in its way, even if nam soon is, of course, going to be a childish shit about it and not actually say what it is he wants. not that he really has to—he knows heung soo already knows, after all.]

[ If there's anyone who knows that there isn't any bite to those words, it's Heung Soo. He's seen the worst of Nam Soon before, after all, and he knows what sort of things he's said in the past when he was more of a punk. Compared to that, these sort of words.. they hardly mean anything, and he really can't stop himself from grinning when he shoves some more rice into his mouth (to a point where you'd almost have to start worrying he might actually choke on it).

Swallowing the bite, he shakes his head a little. ]

You really worry too much, you bastard. [ As if Heung Soo would ever want to give more attention to anyone other than Nam Soon.. that guy is the most important person in his life, and he doubts that's going to change anytime soon. If he couldn't forget about him even during that gap of years.. well, then how could he ever actually forget about him? ]

I must have picked it up for a meddlesome bastard like you.

[it's the same song and dance every time. how many times have they had a conversation that's been led down this exact path? a conversation so base probably shouldn't feel like a comfortable norm, but nam soon is quick to embrace the banter.

of course he worries. it's a different sort of worry, since nam soon's are based in years of insecurities and feelings of guilt for the wrongs he committed against his best friend. even now, when they've reconciled and gone far beyond just being civil, or even just being best friends, it's a feeling that's near-impossible for him to shake. it haunts him to his core, because there's no way for him to change the past. there's always a lingering wonder of when the other shoe will drop, no matter how well things go these days. it's something he tries to bury, cover up and hope heung soo won't focus on, because that bastard is meddlesome and worries—and it's something he doesn't want to be a burden about.

and that's exactly why he covers it up with this sort of banter, and why he nudges and prods, and makes faces that indicate some sort of faux sense of distaste.]

Aigoo, you really are going to choke on your rice, you dumbass.

[ Maybe Heung Soo senses that sort of weird feeling in the air - the usual atmosphere between them tinged with something more (although it's not all that uncommon, considering how much shit has gone down between the two of them in the past already). Or maybe it's just dumb, pure luck.

But one way or another, apparently Heung Soo has decided to make things even a little bit lighter. When Nam Soon says he's going to choke he looks half offended for a moment before swallowing his current bite, picking up more with his chopsticks..

.. except instead of eating that, he's just shoving it straight at the other's mouth, trying to force it into there. ]

Maybe it's since you made it wrong, huh? [ No matter that you can hardly mess up making rice... ] Want to try and see?

[ Nudge nudge. He'll flip you over to feed you if he has to, don't challenge him on this one. ]

Yah!

[not that nam soon's initial refusal matters, because he's now getting a mouth full of rice regardless of what he actually wants. so naturally, he grimaces as he chews—seriously, this bastard!

granted, it's good for keeping the mood a lot lighter, especially given the fact that it doesn't really take all that much for nam soon to begin spiraling into something of a dark place. but really, he probably could have done without having the rice shoved directly in his mouth like that.]

If anyone is making rice wrong, it's this coddled bastard. [he nudges back. nam soon's been making rice all by himself for years. well, there's that and the fact that it's really hard to mess up rice... in a rice cooker... but it's more fun to tease heung soo about his lack of prowess in the kitchen for much beyond ramen (even if nam soon himself isn't all that much better).]

Go eat some of your own soup. [it's not bad, despite the retort.]

[ See, he can't even say anything in return to that, since it's just.. well, true. He's grown up in a household of women, so of course he never had much of a reason to cook for himself. Even when he was nothing but a troublesome punk during the years after Nam Soon didn't show up that evening at the hospital, his sister still cooked for him. He's never had to do it for himself until he arrived in this place, unlike Nam Soon.

It's why he probably looks awkward for a split second since he can't think of a good comeback..

.. although that'd just be the surface level reason. The real reason is more just that he's worried the soup tasted terrible now. He knows he's not good, but he did really try his best since it was Nam Soon's birthday soup, after all..

But he can't voice that worry out loud. It's bastard code. So instead he just grumbles in return, since obviously that's more productive communication. ]

Is it that much of a chore to eat it, you bastard?

Yeah. Listening to you struggle early in the morning makes it a chore.

[there goes nam soon, not really helping the situation at all. but he's purposeful in his choice of words, because the truth of the matter is that it's far from a chore at all.

seriously, why would this bastard even think that's a chore? he better not take it seriously, especially not after the conversation they had just a little while ago as a result. heung soo's word choice and reaction show enough to nam soon that it's something that worries him; it doesn't need to be voiced directy. he knows what his best friend is always thinking at times like this, after all. it's a two way street, the way these things work. so once again, he nudges lightly, but instead of pulling away, he keeps his shoulder gently pressed against heung soo's arm.

it's a quiet, subtle gesture, but not one that nam soon would do without reason. granted, the fact that he's not very good at conveying his feelings means it's a shot in the dark that his point will get across, despite his harsher words—but that's just the way nam soon is, right? definitely not a paragon of good communication, which is why they're two peas in a pod right now.]

[ There's a moment where it's definitely hard to tell whether Heung Soo is picking up on it or not. He's being quiet, not even replying, like the words and Nam Soon's physical contact are warring for attention in his head right now as he silently eats on, actually shoving the food into his own mouth this time.

All the way until he finishes, putting the empty bowl down but not moving from the spot he's sitting at. ]

Next time I'll make sure to drop the pot so you can sleep even less.

[ .. yeah, that's playful enough. Maybe not in tone, but the content of the words at least make it obvious enough that he's not too fussy about it anymore. Nam Soon might be hard to understand to some people, but Heung Soo of all people can at least read him enough to get the situation here. ]

[truly the bastard way, to make those silences suspenseful and worrisome, only for it to end in sarcastic snark that indicates that nothing has been wrong all the while. even if it does initially cast worry on nam soon, it dissipates as soon as he hears those words; he can relax in knowing that his tone got across just fine.

though he probably shouldn't be surprised by that, not when heung soo is the only one who always gets it.]

Aigoo, our Heung Soo-yah will throw a temper tantrum... [he ribs a little, letting out a laugh. now that the air is definitely clear of any misunderstandings, it's fair game to just be an asshole, right? right. we'll go with that.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

( closed )

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject