serendipity ;

minki shouldn’t be as proud as he is each and every time he makes hanbin blush. but it’s cute, hanbin’s cute, so he’s just going to take it as an accomplishment each time he does. “you’re cute, i can’t help it,” he says, his grin getting bigger as he watches the other man. but then he’s calmed down and with the words minki’s smile drops. he’s mentally figuring out what’s going on later for him and when there’s absolutely nothing that he knows of, he knows he’s going to be staying here. there’s no way he’s going to let hanbin stay by himself when there’s trouble about. “well, i’ll keep you company,” he says, moving to sit on the floor next to hanbin’s feet. he knows he could get a chair or something, but he’s comfortable like this. he must look a little redicilious like this, but he doesn’t care one bit. it’s just hanbin. the least it’s going to do is make hanbin smile. “if anyone tries to fuck with the shop, they’ll have to deal with the both of us.”

every time there was something in minki able to make him blush ━comments or little nudges, things he should be used to and yet managing to color those pretty cheeks of a peachy pink no matter what. perhaps it was just sign that he was never going to get used to that, just like he wasn’t used to how that game had been influencing the lives of those who ddn’t want to be involved as well. it was some kind of predicament that scared him, truth be told. and while he was ready to comment on the other’s need for a chair that he could pick from the back room, he knew minki wasn’t going to. “ i don’t know how much of a help i can be, though. ” a sad smile curling those pretty lips, tiny fingers reaching to give the other’s head a gentle pat. he wasn’t a fighter, at all ━if not, he hated fighting with every ounce of his being. it reminded him of highschool, of the storage and the blood and his legs not being able to make a decent step, and it scared him.

the sound of the bell rings in his ears, too loudly for its little, tinkling sound to warrant. everything has been too loud lately. he ducks into hanbin’s shop sheepishly, trying his best to appear small despite his rather large stature. there’s not many people he’s spoken about all of this too         he doesn’t feel like he’s had the time to so much as catch his breath. minho’s still wearing his work clothes, and he smells like the cigarette he smoked on his way over.  “ hey, um, do you have a second to … talk? ”

he’s more thankful for day jobs and regulars more than he is anything for escorts. sometimes it’s nice to just have the rest of the night to do whatever he wanted to do. and today, he wants to go visit hanbin. he’s still dressed nicely, but he’s loosened his tie so he looks more casual. stepping into the store, he’s met with the bell, and then the chime of hanbin’s voice. sometimes it’s hard to believe that hanbin is actually real and not a fairy or something, but he is. minki’s lips pull into a small, fond smile, and he’s making his way over to the smaller man. “just you.” he’s teasing, of course, and he finishes it off with a goofy wiggle of his eyebrows. he’s not elaborating at all, and if hanbin wants to just brush the playful flirting off, he’s more than welcome to, he’s not going to push hanbin at all. he cares too much about the other man to do anything to harm him. “what are you doing?”

minki would always tease and poor hanbin would always fall for it even if he knew by now of the other’s attitude and overly confident energy, finding his own cheeks bursting into such a lovely shade of pinkish peach against soft caramel skin, eyes squeezed in a black-lined slit. “ yah, don’t... say that ! ” his voice so easily chirped in its well known soft tone, even hiding his face with those tiny hands of his. it couldn’t really be helped, with how much of a gentle and soft soul he was. 

but after he calmed down a bit he returned with such a fond smile towards the other, hand now drumming onto his laptop’s side. “ not much ! i’ve been keeping an eye on the shop, i heard there’s going to be a bit of a chaos at gangnam’s more central area and i’m afraid for the windows to get broken like last time... ” which was something saddening the poor author so much, especially with how much he loved that shop he’s bought and nurtured as a second home.

he looked oh so focused on the read, on the way he would hop page after page, devouring the ink and the yellowish hue of paper with giggles at well studied jokes he couldn’t help but let bubble out of his pretty lips ━it was always like that, with that world that felt more homey than the streets he’d walk to get his groceries or the sky above his head, that felt more soothing than the chatter of people even if he did ndeed love the streets and the voices and the sky, no doubt ! there simply was something more whenever he’d just stay in his shop, in that little gift of impulse ━the laptop open to a draft to conclude and the book resting in his hands, the fond smile for one moment turning into adorable expression of surprse when the bell at the door rung as it opened. “ oh ? ” yes, hanbin, time to return to earth where you technically belong. “ hello, please ━let  me know if you need anything ━ ”

[ PARK JIMIN, TWENTY-FIVE, CISMALE, HE/HIS ] hello, [ CHOI HANBIN ], this is the NERVE promotional discount offering 30% on the first three months of membership to whoever decides to join us in this limited amount of time ! it doesn’t matter if you’re an  [ NOVEL AUTHOR ], or if you think you’re too [ KIND HEARTED AND SELFLESS ] or too [ GULLIBLE AND SUBMISSIVE ] to live the NERVE experience, for the game is meant to be accessible to anyone. we at NERVE are well aware of how much you value your safety, especially considering [ YOU LIED AND TOOK BLAME OF SOMETHING YOU HAVEN’T COMMITTED IN HIGH SCHOOL WHEN YOU WERE THE VICTIM ] but don’t worry ! our terms of service are made to keep you and your peers safe. one of our next dares’ worth equals to 800.000KRW. so, are you a watcher or are you a player? 

                                    tw for: child neglect, bullying & sexual abuse

minho for the most part is usually ravenous, always running low on energy from lack of sleep and refuelling himself constantly throughout the day to stay awake         though not always with food, usually with something else. so give him something to eat and it’s usually gone within seconds, but not today. today he just about brings himself to take a couple of small bites, forces them down really. his stomach is churning. but he knows hanbin is right, knows that before he does anything else he has to sober up, no matter how much he wants to stay fucked.

he appreciates the LACK OF JUDGMENT in hanbin’s voice more than the other could ever possibly know         hanbin is the first person he’s told, after all. shoulders shrug gently, bottom lip quivering.  “ she called me, ”  he starts to explain, his voice still shaky and small.  “ she called me and she told me, and the first thing i asked was if she was sure it was mine         was that a dick move? was that fair to ask? i don’t know, but she said she was sure because she hasn’t slept with anyone else in MONTHS, and, ”  he pauses, catches his breath around a sob. this isn’t the time to talk about the fact that even that had shaken him, this isn’t the time to feel sorry for himself.  “ she wants to keep it, and … she was calling to let me know, to see if i wanted to be apart of … it, and then i hung up. ”  he stops again, thinking about the work his mother does with YOUNG, SINGLE MOTHERS, about the fact that if he walks away from this, if he doesn’t at least try, he’s going to realize his worst fear         becoming exactly like his father.  “ so i went out and i got really fucked up, and then this girl came onto me and i went back with her like i … ”  like he hadn’t learned anything.  “ and then i woke up and i was still drunk and now i’m here. i haven’t called her back. ”  it takes him two seconds after he finishes speaking to burst back into tears, holding the sandwich in his hands TOO TIGHT. 

minho might not be the brightest and most polished apple in the basket, but if there was something hanbin was sure, that was that the boy he had been taking care of and checking up onto like a brother of his had a good heart. it just happened to be accompanied by terrible management and control skills, which was something the author could relate to certain extents. still, he was doing his best to make sure minho could really feel him close, that his consolation wasn’t just being delivered with words, but with gestures too.

this man is certainly full of surprises. minki is once again taken aback by hanbin, and he can’t help but to let out a short breath of laughter. “a book conference?” of course his coworkers would choose some high class fancy lounge on the night there’s supposed to be a conference. they probably knew about it. minki, on the other hand, had no clue. “you’re… an author?” surely he had to be fucking with him, right? authors don’t look like this. they look like some uptight middle aged man or a woman who looks a bit like a mouse. they don’t look like hanbin does right now. it just doesn’t happen. “you’re fucking with me, right?” and then he’s running his fingers through his hair, glancing out around at the other people. “i’m here with some of my coworkers. they decided to go out and i can never really say no to alcohol, so here i am.” he’s shrugging, looking back at hanbin. “they all left to find their own people for the night and left me by myself. but now i’m not alone.” even if he’s still completely thrown off guard by hanbin being an author, he’s still interested. and unless hanbin completely turned him down, he’d continue to show his interest.

there seemed to be shock in the other’s voice ━somehow causing the flustered one to let a small chuckle off glossy lips of his, unsurprised for it was actually a pretty common reaction people seemed to be getting around him. no one would expect choi hanbin, with his ethereal presence and delicate charms, to be the author of such a successful book saga ; he’s seen people expecting him to be some old guy, or a woman using an alias to get the novels published without backlash, and the faces they’d do at the truth unveiled was always something so amusing to see. “ ah, i am not joking, no ━i am an author. my books are actually quite the talk for last few years. ” a soft smile offered to the impromptu guest, to a couple of other authors who approached to greet him, shaking hands and courtesies ( ‘ah hanbin-ssi, your prose has been such a mesmerizing wave of fresh hair!’ ‘hanbin-ssi, it’s always a pleasure to see you as one of our literary promises!’ ) ━elegantly, as if he himself was host of the event when he was just one of the many pens invited. 

his eyes cautiously returned to the other male with a flush of pink still on those pretty cheeks of his ━taking note of the other’s explanation and word choice. “ i, ahn━ i am glad you consider me some sort of good company already? wasn’t━wasn’t expecting that, no. ”

he feels GUILTY, more than anything else, he supposes         guilty for always dumping all his shit on hanbin, someone who’s too GOOD to him, who does too much for him, guilty for the sheer magnitude of the mess he’s gotten himself into & his reaction to the NEWS in the first place. he feels guilty as he watches hanbin close the shop for him. how many sales or customers is he going to lose because of him? and yet, in regular MINHO - FASHION, he doesn’t act on this guilt, doesn’t do anything to fix it. 

           they’re in the back room before he knows it, the books on the shelves a BLUR as they walk by them. the moment his ass lands on the couch, his head is in his hands, fat tears running down his cheeks. he only looks up to accept water from hanbin, and holds the glass tight between his shaky fingers.  “ you’re not gonna BELIEVE it. or maybe you will. i don’t know. i really don’t. i don’t believe it. ”  a beat passes. he downs half the glass of water and wipes his mouth. a crease forms between his brow, and his voice goes SMALL, a stark contrast to his usual self         always too loud, always too awkward, too much or too little all at once.  “ i got a girl i was sleeping with pregnant. ”  he sinks his top teeth into his bottom lip         he looks SO SMALL despite his stature, looks more like the boy he was before than he has at any other point over the last two years. he HATES the way the words sound when they hit the air, it’s the first time he’s spoken them since she rang and she told him and he … he HUNG UP and went out, in an effort to make himself feel better that only made him feel worse.

of course, he knew closing the shop early was going to have consequences, albeit minimal —maybe one or two people getting miffed because the place is in standby— minho’s clearly shaken condition being the primary worry for such a selfless heart choi hanbin was born with, always there to make sure that the one he looked on like the little brother he never had could get up from whatever hard blow always had him almost agonizing on the ground. it was a sight that made his own heart ache —seeing the younger like that when he should have a happy life, it was heartbreaking.