The next couple days are crazy as they always are when there's a concert. The boys may get a day off before the concert to enjoy the city, but you're going none stop, making sure everything is ready. The concert comes and goes in a whirlwind, and it's again time to pack up and move on.
Shoving your last bits of clothes in your suitcase, you look around for Squirtle Wang. The plush toy is always your last thing to pack as he usually has to be tied to your backpack since there's no room for him inside. He's not on your bed which you verify by throwing all your blankets on the floor. You pull open drawers and doors, looking everywhere for the little guy. Panic sets in as you re-check everywhere.
Your mind races through the past couple days trying to remember the last time you had him. If he'd been with you while you slept, you had no memory of it. You'd been so tired that you'd passed out the minute your head hit the pillow. You for sure had him on the plane and after wards on the way to the hotel which meant he would have been on the bus.
Rushing out of your room, you make a beeline for the parking garage. The buses are already being loaded, so you're able to quickly look through them crawling on the floor and checking under the seats. No luck though, and it's nearing time to leave.
You wrack your brain on the way back to your room, but you come up empty. As you reach your door, you feel a hand on your shoulder. Turning, you find Namjoon standing behind you his brow furrowed in concern. "Is everything okay?"
"I can't find Squirtle Wang." It comes out as a sob without you meaning it to. His face falls.
"I... um..." You shake your head and force your features to calm.
"Don't worry about it. I'll be fine. It's just a toy." You choke on the last word. Taking a deep breath, you try again to be calm. "You should get going. The buses are leaving soon. I have to get my bags." You give him a smile before turning back to your door. As you start to open it, you hear a bag unzipping. Glancing over your shoulder, you see Namjoon crouched on the floor rummaging through his backpack. He pulls out a Ryan Plushie and holds it up to you.
"I know it's not the same, but maybe he can keep you company until you find Squirtle Wang." You eye the stuffed animal before tentatively reaching out and grabbing it. He's right it's not the same, but it's a sweet gesture and you don't want to be rude. You hold the toy to your chest, bringing a dimpled smile to Namjoon's face. The sight stops your breath.
Clearing your throat, you say, "You really should get going. I won't be far behind." He nods, still smiling, before heading down the hallway. You shake your head to clear the strange feeling his smile caused. The Squirtle Wang debacle has made you too sensitive, you decide.
The tour continues, and you continue to work relentlessly, though you don't give up your search for the plush toy. You check every piece of equipment and question all of the other staff members, but there seems to be no trace.
While Namjoon's Ryan has kept you company at night, you can't help but miss your original buddy. You can't fathom telling Jackson you lost him. You know you'll have to though. Once you get back home, he'll find out soon enough. Every time he visits your place he ends up cuddling with him as you two swap tales of your adventures. The longer he's missing the more you realize what a fixture the little guy has been in your life during the past years.
After yet another exhausting day of setting up, you head back to the hotel ready to crash. As you head towards the elevator, you hear your name being called. Turning around you see one of the managers waving you down. With a heavy sigh, you force a smile and walk towards the man. "Hello, sir. How can I help you?"
"I'm glad I caught you. I promised the boys I'd pick them up some snacks, but there's a bit of an emergency. If I give you some money, can you pick up snacks and take them to them?" Playing gopher was not on your list of things to do tonight, but you can't say no. You agree with a smile and march right back out of the hotel.
You're not certain what to get them, so you end up getting them a little bit of everything. You lug the snacks back to the hotel and up to Namjoon's room where the manager said the boys were gathered. Using your foot to knock, you wait patiently while the plastic bags dig into your hands. Tae opens the door, and you nearly throw the bag of snacks at him. He chuckles grabbing the food and inviting you in. Yet again, you find yourself unable to say no. As you walk into the room, your greeted with the unmistakable racket of six boys. They greet you when they see you, but soon enough their attention is glued to the food. You stand well away from the feeding frenzy, taking in the large suite.
Your room is nice, but it's not a suite. As your eyes roam, you catch sight of a familiar swatch of green peeking out of Namjoon's suitcase. The boys are still busy dividing the snacks, and your curiosity is piqued. You walk to the suitcase, squatting beside it before pulling on the slip of fabric. Squirtle Wang slides out of the suitcase, and you let out a small squeak of surprise. You turn the stuffed animal left and right, taking in the tiny rip under his arm and the black coffee stain on his leg. It really is Squirtle Wang. You clutch the toy to your chest, squeezing the stuffing out of it.
In the midst of your joy, realization dawns on you. Standing up, you turn to face the boys who still have their backs to you. "Kim Namjoon." The room stills from the ice in your voice. The idol in question straightens and swivels on his heel to face you. All the blood drains from his face when he sees what's in your arms.
"Why was Squirtle Wang in your suitcase?"
"I... um... I... f-f-found it." He stutters out.
"And you didn't think to tell me. Even though you know I've been looking everywhere for him."
"I think he took him." Yoongi pipes in.
"Hyung." Namjoon screeches.
"Did you take him?"
"What? No. I-"
"He definitely did."
"Yoongi!" Namjoon glares at the fellow rapper before glancing back at you. "I did find him."
"When?" Tae joins the conversation, a smile on his face. "Because I've seen that stuffed animal in your suitcase for the past week."
"WHAT?" You scream. Namjoon is pure white. You step towards him, and he cowers back.
"I think you should kill him."
"Yoongi!" Jin reprimands. "I don't know what's going on or what is so special about that Squirtle, but I think we all need to calm down."
You take another step towards Namjoon and he steps back bumping into the table and knocking half the snacks on the floor. You give him a satisfied smirk before marching out of the room.
Later that night, you sit on your balcony, explaining everything to Jackson. Now that Squirtle Wang is safe and you know he was never lost but the victim of a kidnapping, you feel comfortable telling Jackson everything. "I just don't understand why you would keep something you know is precious to someone from them, especially when you know they're freaking out about it being lost."
Jackson has silently listened to your entire tirade, but as soon as you finish and pause for a breather, he bursts out laughing.
"Why are you laughing? Stop it." He continues. "If you don't stop, I will hang up." You can hear his laughter faltering. Though you doubt it has anything to do with your threat. He probably ran out of breath. After a few more seconds, the laughter dies out completely, and you can hear Jackson breathing deeply.
"Are you quite finished?"
"Yes." You can hear his smile. "Thanks for that by the way. I needed a good laugh."
"You're welcome." You growl. "Now, will you tell my what was so funny?"
"I always knew Joon was a jealous type, but I never realized how petty he could be." He chuckles again, but you barely hear it. Your thoughts are frozen on the word jealous.
"What do you mean jealous? What is he jealous of?"
"And I thought you were the smart one."
"Jackson!"
"Joon likes you, and he doesn't like that you sleep with a plush toy I gave you, so he took it and gave you one instead."
"That's ridiculous." You say matter-of-factly despite the fact that your brain is a scrambled mess as it tries to refute Jackson's observation. There's no way that Namjoon likes you.
"It's the truth." He pauses, and you can hear voices in the background. "Hey, I have to go. You're back home next week right?" You answer in the affirmative. This is the last stop on the tour, and you're more than ready to be back home.
"We'll meet up next week then to talk more okay?" You nod your head and mutter an acknowledgment before the line goes dead.
Your phone slowly slides from your ear as you stare out at the city scape. "Jackson's just being ridiculous." You whisper. But you can't get the idea out of your head. The thought brings heat to your cheeks. "Ahhhhh!" You growl, shaking your head. "This is ridiculous." Standing up, You enter your hotel room and head to your bed. You're too tired to deal with this. However, your bed only compounds the problem. Squirtle Wang is sitting against a pillow with Kim Ryan to his left. You grab both plush toys and shove them in the dresser, slamming the drawer shut. Your roommate grumbles something, and you stare at her sheepishly, waiting for her to fall back asleep.
With great skill, you manage to avoid Namjoon for the remainder of your stay in the current city. You don't have the time or energy to deal with the possibility that what Jackson said might be true and the awkwardness that will result from it. Â Packing up your bag, you glare at the dresser where your stuffed animals have remained. With a sigh, you open the drawer and stare at them. Trashing them both would be cathartic, but you'd regret it later. Instead you attach both of them to your backpack and walk out of the room with your suitcase in tow.
Everyone is waiting at the buses when you arrive, and you swerve to avoid the boys' bus. Just as you think you've been successful once again, you hear your name. Namjoon stands a few feet from you, looking at his feet. You'd like to avoid this at all costs, but you suppose you should be an adult.
Walking up to him, you smile. Not that he notices. He's still fascinated by his shoes. "Look, I was mad when I found out you'd kidnapped Squirtle Wang, but I get over things quickly. I've already forgiven you."
"Then why are you avoiding me." His eyes meet yours, and your breath hitches. Your mind has Jackson's voice on repeat. "Joon likes you."
"I haven't been avoiding you." You squeak out. Closing your eyes, You berate yourself for how unconvincing that was. Opening them, You start again. "Okay, maybe I have. But I have my reasons." He looks at you expectantly, but your brain flounders for a plausible lie.
"Okay, I have one reason, but I can't tell you. And oh my gosh, would you look at the time." You glance at the non-existant watch on your wrist. "It's time to go." You spin and dart for your bus.
Adjusting to life back home is always difficult after a tour. You can't even remember your old routines, and everyone wants to meet up so establishing new routines is impossible. You're left floundering about in the midst of chaos. However, there are always brief moments of calm in the chaos. This evening is one of them. Jackson is coming over to catch up like he promised, and he's bringing food which means there's one less thing for you to worry about.
When he arrives, you spread the food out on your table and commence with the feasting. Between mouthfuls, you tell him about the tour and all the cities you visited, and he tells you about all the things he's been doing.
"Do you ever sleep?" You ask, and he laughs. "I'm serious. I don't think you know the meaning of the word rest."
"There's just so much too do." He shrugs. You shake your head. It's a worn out argument, and Jackson will never change.
As you two are about to start a movie, your door bell rings. Jackson raises an eyebrow. "Don't look at me like that. I don't know who it is. I wouldn't make plans with someone on our friendship night." He continues to stare at you. Chuckling you toss Kim Ryan at him before standing up. He cradles the plush toy in his right arm across from Squirtle Wang who's in his left arm. You shake your head at his antics and head for the door.
Kim Namjoon stands in your doorway a take-out bag in his hand. You stare at him, and he stares at you. His eyes slip behind you. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you had company. I should have called before coming over."
"It's okay, Joon. I was just leaving." Jackson says from behind. You whip around to glare at him.
"No, you weren't."
"Yes, I was." He smiles at you as he walks towards the door. He stands next to you and greets Namjoon. "You two have fun. Joon, we should catch up when you're free." The fellow idol nods but doesn't say anything. His eyes keep swiveling from you to Jackson to the plush toys in Jackson's arms. "I'll see you later, (y/n)." He passes you the stuffed animals and slips past Namjoon.
"Come in." You say gesturing with Squirtle Wang, and he does. He takes in the food containers still sprawled on the table and glances at his bag. "If you don't think, I can eat all of what I just ate plus what you've brought, then you don't know me." Shifting the toys to one arm, you take the bag from him. Your fingers brush against his sending a spark up your arm. From the look in Namjoon's eyes, you weren't the only one who felt it.
Clearing your throat, you step away from him and set the bag on the table. You throw the toys on the couch before sitting in front of the table. "You kept him." Namjoon says as you pull the food out of the bag. "Kim Ryan?" You glance back at the plush toy. "Of course. He was there to comfort me in Squirtle Wang's absence. I couldn't just brush him to the side."
"Kim Ryan?" He quirks a brow.
"I like to name inanimate objects. Is that weird?"
"No." He chuckles revealing his dimples, and you wish he wouldn't. "It's not a very original name." He continues, taking a seat next to you. You pass him a container and a pair of chopstick.
"So?" You say around a mouthful of food.
He's quiet for a minute then "I'm surprised you kept him." The words are a whisper. You glance at him to find him slouched over picking at the food. You swallow your mouthful.
"I can't hold him responsible for his dad's actions." You try to joke, but the words come out too serious. Namjoon's eyes meet yours, and you look away, clearing your throat. "Do you want to watch a movie?" You glance back at him to find his face inches from yours. Your lungs freeze while your heart starts racing. This close you can see the individual colors that give his eyes their warmth. Those eyes are fixed on your lips.
"I'm going to kiss you." His eyes flicker up to yours. You manage a nod before his lips brush against yours. It's soft and sweet and sends a fire racing through you, unfreezing your lungs. He pulls back and you're panting from the brief contact. He sits back, leaning against the couch. "I've wanted to do that for a long time." He confesses with a dimpled smile. You continue to stare at him trying to get your breathing under control.
"Did you really steal Squirtle Wang because you were jealous?"
He stares at you, and you stare back. It was a stupid question, but it's the only thing you can think to say.
"I did find him! He fell off your backpack while you were going through the airport. I just... didn't give him back." He coughs and looks away from you.
"Jackson is just a friend, but I do have sentimental attachment to Squirtle Wang. In future, I would prefer if your jealousy didn't endanger my stuffed animals." You give him a pointed look.
"We have a future?" His dimpled grin leaves you breathless and forces you to look away.
"We'll see." The squeak in your voice ruins your attempt at aloofness. Namjoon laughs while your cheeks redden.
