young & hostile.

          ‘  thanks,  ’  minki muttered as he reached for the banana milk to steal a swig, grateful for the momentary reprieve. he really hadn’t thought any of this through at all  ---  had blurted it out one day to another coworker, unaware of the way it might spread through their little group like slow-catching wildfire. minki had never been one for gossip growing up, if only because he hadn’t really had anyone to gossip about. but he certainly understood it these days, couldn’t even fault them for managing to share his lie with everybody else.  &  the fact was that he had enjoyed the lie at first, enjoyed its protection as well as the warm possibilities he could think up at a moment’s notice  ---  possibilities that had never happened  (  with anyone, thus far  ), a now-pathetic little extension of silly and occasional fantasies. he had a brief moment to feel relief underneath his shame, that she at least wasn’t angry or hurt, until clara was getting almost to the heart of it with no warning.  ‘  i wasn’t trying to push you away  !  ’  about this he was adamant. because that was where her assumption faulted  ---  he would never. but it had been one of the main culprits of their teasing who he’d first told about his new girlfriend,  &  he couldn’t pretend it didn’t embarrass him whenever they brought up his relationship with clara, leave him flustered and forgetting orders.  ‘  it wasn’t like that. i just... wanted them to stop bringing it up all the time, you know  ?  ’  he was flushed again, even more self-consciousness curdling his stomach as she confirmed that it was all a joke anyway.  ‘  &  it worked, right  ?  you all believed me... except i guess i only really felt weird lying to you.  ’  &  that was the truth of it  ---  he could certainly keep this up with the others if it meant a reprieve from the commentary whenever he and clara would come back from a shared break.

          minki wasn’t sure in that moment if he’d ever felt like so much of an idiot  ---  although realistically, he had many times before. her first response made him glance back at her,  &  he nearly winced at the stunned look on her face. he huffed out a little sigh, feeling the beginnings of a stomach ache coming on, the kind he’d gotten far more often as a kid when he’d managed to embarrass himself like this. but the subject was changed,  &  then he was the one looking a little surprised, lips parting as he raised his head an inch.  ‘  um... sure,  ’  he agreed, though in truth he didn’t much feel like eating right now. still, he couldn’t refuse,  &  reached forward to grab one and take far too large of a bite, a long moment of silence passing as he struggled to chew and then swallow. but he felt awkward,  &  although now he was in desperate need of something to drink, he found himself clearing his throat and then blurting a little pathetically:  ‘  you’re not upset  ?  ’  he thought that he might be if anyone had been lying to him for weeks about something so stupid. it really was true that this sort of thing could snowball  ---  though his own lies were usually much smaller and less time-consuming, untruths to hide a potential unkindness, or as a somewhat more mischievous distraction.

          minki swears, if he has to answer one more question about his fake significant other, he’s going to lose it. the minute he’d made the mistake of telling the other he’d met someone, he should’ve taken it back  —  but it’s gone too far now, two months of his own bullshit passing before his eyes. when it started, he even enjoyed it. pretending. the person he’d made up for himself was nearly perfect,  &  even the fight he’d once told the friend sitting opposite him about had ‘ended’ well, made-up as it was. but they couldn’t seem to let it go, or at least that was how it felt now that he was getting tired of the charade. he’s been fending off answers about his relationship for a minute too long, now, flush on his skin only growing more pronounced the longer he’s made to feel uncomfortable,  &  it almost feels as if he’s being pushed into a corner. finally, before the other can even finish the last sentence, he blurts out far too loudly:  ‘  i lied !  ’  he presses his mouth into a thin line, avoiding their gaze as he takes a deep, shuddering breath.  ‘  i… i lied, okay ?  i’m not dating anyone. i made it all up. everything. they’re not real. so just  —  just stop asking stuff.  ’

        it’s with little ceremony that alex barges into the other’s bedroom, a quickly shot-off text of  ‘  u home  ? can i come in  ?  ’ all the warning he’d given before arriving home himself. his bag gets dropped to the floor and he nearly launches himself onto the bed, face-planting into an unused pillow with every ounce of dramatic flair he’s got left in him after the day he’s had. after a second, he turns his head, pouting openly. ‘  today was total bullshit, ’  he mutters, raising a hand to tap his new roommate’s knee. he lets it rest there after. it brightens his day a little bit anyway to see their face, be able to see it whenever he wants to  ---  he’s not going to think too hard about that at the moment.  ‘  you gonna make fun of me if i say i need a hug ?  ’

          now that silas had had more time to sit with the idea, the most exciting thing about this wedding-and-fake-relationship might be that he was easily able to goad some money out of his step-mother by telling her he had a fancy date and needed it for a new suit. of course, she’d had to take the request to his father herself  ---  there was no way just claiming to have a real date after years of solitude would have cracked that man’s particular shell, but his wife certainly could if the somewhat flashy, burgundy silk suit he was currently trying on meant anything. it wasn’t a perfect fit  ---  not yet, that was what any leftover cash would be for  ---  but he gave himself a look in the mirror nonetheless as he spun around to get a look at his backside.  ‘  hell yes,  ’  he muttered,  &  then he was flinging the curtain open with gusto to show dawn, striking his most model-esque pose.  ‘  okay, i swear this is the one  !  what d’you think  ?  boyfriend material  ?  ’

          usually, samsoo would be the first to cause a scene if a patron did something he was uncomfortable with  ---  but he hadn’t quite felt his usual self tonight, stressed from exams and life in general. so he’d attempted to ignore the way the man kept too close, far too at ease with pulling soo towards him again and again even as he scowled halfheartedly and tried to draw away, until finally nails had formed half-moons in samsoo’s skin and he’d barked out a hey. it was lucky that someone else had noticed  ---  because despite his less argumentative mood today, there was only so much he could take before he lashed out regardless,  &  he always liked to think of himself as more of a lover than a fighter  (  physically so  ). he was admittedly surprised and relieved at not being forced to give the customer a tongue-lashing that might get him hurt in the end, but once it was over, all he could do was stare for a long moment at aiden. then he tucked his chin and swayed backwards an inch or two, heart rate up just from his own irritation and the adrenaline of watching someone be knocked right out.  ‘  i’m fine,  ’  he said shortly, arms crossing over a bare chest. he scowled again despite himself, annoyed at the situation rather than the man before him  ---  at everything about today, in fact.  ‘  he was just being pushy, it’s  ---  whatever.  ’  part of the job. samsoo sighed, then,  &  brushed a hand through his hair, trying for nonchalant rather than stressed as he asked:  ‘  can i just... take a break  ?  for a little while  ?  ’  he thought longingly of the joint he’d stashed in his backpack  ---  but no, the scent would make it too obvious what kind of de-stressing this break was for.

         bash raises an eyebrow when she leans closer to him, laughter hidden within his eyes and the little smirk that settles over his mouth at her words.  ‘  i know,  ’  he agrees. it’s the truth. instagram doesn’t seem to do either of them justice  ---  but it had certainly done more than enough to get them both here. maybe earth people’s obsession with this social media thing had some interesting points to make about the viability of casual hook-ups  ---  something he hadn’t learned until recently, far more likely to just find himself at a place like this club  (  he’s made his way here in particular more than once in a haze  )  &  figure it out as he went along whenever he felt the urge. but as he gives her an obvious once-over, leaning shamelessly to the side so he can peek around her to get a full view  (  &  unable to hold back a brazen grin when he does  ), he figures he could do it this way more often. weeks of online flirting paying off. who would’ve thought  ?  ‘  so are you,  ’  he adds, leaning back into his chair to take in the features that had actually drawn him in.  ‘  i mean, the high-def alone...  &  what d’you call it  ?  3D  ?  ’

           things are getting a little wobblier than silas is entirely comfortable with as he holds onto the top of the ladder with one hand, other raised with yet another perfectly sized lightbulb  (  this one will fit, he swears  ). he’s focused on the task at hand  ---  if only because he can feel jinyoung watching him  &  refuses to fail at something so simple again  ---  when the slap comes, making him fumble further with the bulb. he tucks it beneath his arm as he turns to glare down over his shoulder, gripping the ladder two-handed now.  ‘  you trying to kill me  ?  ’  he accuses, though he starts making his way down nonetheless.  ‘  you should at least wait until you’ve taken a life insurance policy out  ---  ’  &  of course this is when he steps on his own foot, tries to lift it automatically to no avail,  &  goes stumbling backwards off the ladder. thankfully, he’s only a foot from the floor by then and manages to right himself without dying, though he’s wide-eyed, an arm raised to grasp jinyoung’s  ---  the one formerly having wedged the bulb against his body. he presses his lips together at the sight of it shattered on the floor, glancing up at jinyoung with poorly hidden amusement.  ‘  well....  ’  your fault, his tone implies.  ‘  don’t go smacking my ass when i’m trying to get shit done. lesson learned.  ’