#freakhimchan

Remembering their last altercation at the showers and how Himchan had insisted on speaking throughout their cleaning routine, Chen was barely surprised by the request. Of course it still slightly weirded him out to think that someone other than Sehun wanted to use the term “friend” for him, but somehow, with Himchan, he didn’t deem it impossible.

Jimin puffed out his cheeks at Himchan feigning hurt at words he was hearing too often lately.

"Yahhhhhh" he said with a playful groan "Im not adorable. Im suave and manly" he said, puffing out his chest as best he could.

His cheeks deflated as his pretend anger passed with a laugh, his hands fidgeting with the lock in his hand, thinking to himself as he lay sprawled out next to his closest friend. “Am I really Channie? Everyone seems to think so and its not like i try to be that way I just… let my nervousness get the best of me” he said with a sigh.

"Its nice to hear though." Jimin started "At least these people mean it. Not like…. my parents".

No. He wasnt going to do this. He had come here to escape the sadness and put his doubts to rest not lay them bare till some string quartet came along to play a woeful miserly tune to accompany it.

He was here to put an end to the charade that was his family’s love and acceptance of him.

Here it could really happen. 

Dara’s eyes narrowed at Himchan. Most of the time, being called cute (even under such circumstances) would make her smile, but not from this guy. This guy had become quite possibly the most irritating nuisance in her life. After everything he had put her through, he seriously thought that something like that was ok to say to her? She reached out and smacked him on the upper arm with her wrench.

"Eh? Excuse me?" Yoochun had just come back from practicing his ability along with his tae kwon do. Lately, mostly out of boredom and wanting to give himself a bit of a challenge, he’d taken to seeing how he could incorporate his electricity and the other skills he’d learned from his time practicing martial arts. Admittedly, the idea had stemmed from the interest he’d had in cartoons as a child. The shows that had managed to make their way to American from Japan, especially, had been a big influence. Many of the heroes in them fought with martial arts coupled with some kind of supernatural ability and it had always struck him as particularly cool as a child and, for whatever reason, had stuck with him as he grew up.

So, now that he had the time and the means to make it possible to achieve his boyhood dream, he decided to give it a go. He wondered, briefly, if this person had seen him practicing—though it wasn’t anything special as yet—but he doubted that. He would have noticed him, surely. He’d faced all directions while he’d been practicing in the glade he’d found. He would have seen the other. And yet, dressed in sweatpants and a sweat-drenched wife beater, loose strands pressed to his flushed face, this guy was asking to be his friend? It wasn’t that he was going to refuse—he hadn’t heard anything about this guy, though he’d seen him around camp, and Yoochun liked to take that as a sign he wasn’t an awful person—but he had the oddest sense of timing.

A thrill of excitement passed through Wonshik’s frame, the man wishing the weather was cooler than this summer heat, even at this time of night, so he could have a jacket to clutch in excitement, rather than just his bared arms. The time was ripe for visiting a bar, so of course he had to visit, hearing what he heard about the man that could tattoo people without a needle. He had never been squeamish about those kinds of things, nor was he a stranger to pain, but the paranoia that loved to chew him up from the inside wouldn’t let him near needles, for fear of ink poisoning or worse.

Needless tattoos, on the other hand, didn’t even raise his hackles, the inner anxiety that usually only watched slipping away in their own boredom. Even they had trouble figuring out how someone that could make shapes on skin with energy, or whatever, could harm them, so they went mercifully quiet, only speaking up to warn him about the shady roads he walked down by himself, this time of night.

Those, Wonshik were used to ignoring, considering how he came from a town like this one, and was used to the people that would hide in the shadows to jump innocent passersby. This had happened to him before, but rather than increase his fear, this only reassured him that he knew how to use his powers in this situation, and could easily fix it for himself, should it really come to that.

Thus, he found his way to the old bar, slipping in effortlessly, since they would only check his ID if he wanted to buy a drink, in this kind of place.

Approaching the bar, he asked in soft, simple Korean, “Where is the tattoo man, please?”

Blinking slowly at the guy, he bit his lip, worried he hadn’t conveyed his purpose well enough, until the man jerked with his chin to a door in the wall to the left.

That looked…promising?

It had been a long night. Tiring, long night.

Chen did love his shows, singing with all of his heart and soul while on stage, but it required such concentration to keep his ability at a certain level that it often left him drained and craving for a nap. He was only heading toward the shower area that already he thought about how great sleeping would be, even thinking perhaps he would stop by Sehun's tent to ask if a sleepover would bother him.

Bag of shower supplies in a hand with a change of clean clothes in the other, the singer headed to the showers area, hoping he would manage to get a few minutes of lukewarm water that night. He didn't mind much if he didn't, however, used to the icy temperature after a few weeks with the cirque, or because of the fact he had to share a shower with a few girls back when he was still in shady business, before Sehun happened to him. He wasn't sure which had rendered him the most immune to cold showers, though, and he shook his head, not wanting to ponder over the matter any longer. With the warmth the arrival of summer was bringing along, anyway, cold showers weren't as bad as they would have been in winter.

Humming a light tune, he hooked his things up on the shower wall as he undressed, neatly folding his clothes before he placed them over the wall, so they wouldn't get damp. He allowed himself a few stretches once he was completely bare, muscles a bit stiff at the end of the day, relaxing his body and mind at the same time. He let his guard down, as well, seeing as no one was within hearing range for now, which meant he was relatively safe from his own ability.

Sandara Park was known for having a really low tolerance when it came to alcohol. It only took a beer or a shot and she would be gone. Lately she had been drinking much more often than she should have been. It was probably because of her frustrations when it came to not getting Jiyong to EVER respond the way that she wanted him to. Was it so weird that she had come back as a totally different person than she left? The whole situation always made her incredibly angry.

Today had been another awkward hi and bye match with him and she decided to tackle that bottle of vodka that she had been hiding under her cot. It took her one small drink and her face had quickly flushed, that hazy smile that had recently become her best friend lingering on her lips. She found herself happily with vodka bottle in hand, standing under a tree just at the edge of camp. It was in a place that no one really ventured to go and she was starting to find that she didn’t like being alone. However, the thought of walking more than a few steps made her dizzy, so instead she just leaned back against the tree.

“Yooo-hooo~ Is anyone arouuuuuund?” She called, giggling before taking a swig of the alcohol that was far bigger than it should have been. She frowned when she looked around and no one answered. A huff escaped her lips and she closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the hard tree trunk.

“What are you doing, Sandara?” She whispered to herself, heart aching for the closeness of somebody -- ANYBODY. She didn’t care if it was one stupid one night stand. Switching from android back to having human feelings had to have been one of the stupidest decisions that she had ever made. Now she found herself questioning everything. Did she belong there? Had Jiyong really missed her the way that he kept saying? Was she even attractive enough for anyone to care about?

Footsteps pulled her out of her depressing thoughts. Her eyes snapped back open and they trained on the person coming closer. THe face was an unfamiliar one, but she figured that he was most likely a part of the circus. A smirk pulled over her lips and she raised her hand to point at him. “Youuuu, come here~” She called to him, voice thick and slow with alcohol.

Chanyeol walked around the empty tent, a small sigh leaving him. He remembered that it wasn't too long ago that he shared the same tent with three other people. What ever happened to them? Oh well, there wasn't anything he could do about it.

It was too empty, too quiet, he thought. Another sigh left him, and he fell onto his bed. To think, he was just getting used to having people around him again. 

"Oh well..." He said to himself, staring up at the top of the tent. "I guess it was too good to be true." With an ability like his, he wasn't surprised that he was left alone once again. "Maybe I'm just not meant to be around people?" He frowned, a look of disgust on his face. "Maybe I should keep to myself." Though, he knew he wouldn't be able to do that. He couldn't keep away from Kyungsoo, no matter how hard he tried. 

"Well... In a sense it's kind of nice." He continued, talking to the air. "Now I have all of this space to myself." He said, a grin forming on his face. "It's all mine." He felt like a kid again, to be honest. He was free to do whatever he wanted... even walk around naked if he chose to.

His time alone was soon cut short when he saw the flaps of his tent opening, someone walking in.