whiplash

     meaningless bar work wasn’t exactly the job he’d hoped to get upon settling down in yongsa, but it was far from the worst case scenario. despite the odd problematic drunk here and there, the majority of patrons were friendly enough – providing he served them quickly. already he could pick apart the regulars from the new faces, even managing to make a casual acquaintanceships with some of them; learning a name, a favoured drink, an occupation, and despite being relatively new, taeil had already earned a reputation among customers as being the sociable one who could always flash a smile – but today that was quite far from the truth. 

     the dark circles that lined his eyes was already telling as to how exhausted he currently was; a lack of sleep as well as a busier than average schedule weighing down on him and subduing that notable charismatic personality. zoning out, a heavy sigh escaped him as he wiped down the surface of the bar with a cut of cloth, counting down the seconds until he could go back home or at least crack open a bottle of beer for himself. 

     fortunately ( or at least he hoped it was fortunate ) as he finally glanced up and around, he found a welcome distraction in the form of a familiar face, lashes fluttering in surprise during the brief moment of awkward eye contact. for a split second he was unsure if he should actually say something. it was highly likely that the guy might just want to drink in peace, but the nod of daxton’s head paired with the casually muttered greeting was enough to prompt taeil to move  closer, draping the cloth he held across his shoulder before brushing strands of dyed red hair from his eyes. 

          “ i’m three seconds away from drinking directly from a tequila bottle, but other than that, everything’s peachy. ” shaking his head with a soft snort, taeil couldn’t help but laugh despite himself. “ what about you, man? waiting for someone, or just here to kill time? ” 

The lateness of the hour meant there were more drunks, lonely women and bolder men trying to make open conversation with Daxton, so perhaps having to hang around with someone familiar wasn’t a bad idea after all. The other’s words draw a dry chuckle from his lips as he lifts his glass to his lips once again, the contents burning the back of his throat and making him wince before he responds. “What’s holding you back then?” His nose scrunches before letting his shoulders rise and fall, nimble fingers carding through his hair as he leans forward on the table but sideways in order to steady himself as he settles his gaze on Taeil. “Nah, just me by my lonesome and letting my thoughts run wild. So in other words, yeah I’m here to kill time.”

Seeking company when vulnerable was all too often a habit of his but almost always was brushed aside. Whoever told him that finding comfort in others was a weakness? He couldn’t quite recall but it was a running theme in his own family to be that lone wolf, rely on no one and let no one rely on you. And when you tell yourself something long enough, you just might come around to believing it with your whole heart and soul (as in his case). So while there were times when Daxton much preferred company, there was always something holding him back but perhaps that inhibition was to be shed tonight. There was more than enough alcohol in his system to allow that flexibility.

Daxton wasn’t usually averse to the darkness, in fact on any fine day he’d prefer laying in bed with all the lights switched off (given his roommate wasn’t awake at that time), content with the flicker of light that shone through his room’s window. But there was something oddly unsettling about this blackout, so much so that even the faintest flicker of light had been darkened out and this got to him more than he thought it would. Tonight in fact, it was way past his usual night owl hours and he still couldn’t sleep. It felt ridiculous feeling like a little child, waiting for the monster to come out from under his bed and terrify him, but that’s precisely how he felt and somehow it kept his already awake brain thinking a little too much. 

Maybe, just maybe he could try the one person who might be awake at this time of the night. Despite their last rather awkward encounter, the duo had tried to maintain a rather cordial and casual manner around each other for every time they bumped into each other at the sharehouse. It was possibly the best way to maintain their little secret without making a big deal out of it. So when Daxton pulls up his phone, eyes squinting at the sudden brightness that seemed so blinding, his fingers pause a couple of times while drafting and redrafting the message. Finally hitting send without quite expecting a response until the morning.

There’s a certain lull in activity around the sharehouse ever since the blackout and honestly Daxton couldn’t blame his fellow occupants. With much of his work having been based virtually, he was getting fidgety, almost nervous even because his savings was not all that much and without the usual gigs and uploads, he was losing out on potential sponsorship. The library sure didn’t allow him using his phone and his aesthetic wasn’t always amidst books. And his laziness always kicked in especially post classes, hampering him from wanting to be anywhere but in his bed so his backup power bank would aid him with that one or maybe two recharges to his phone but his laptop could only last maybe two hours without backup. 

Maybe he needed to find part time job but if he did, it’d have to come with a minimum term and call it spoiled kid instincts, he refused to work under others’ terms. All these thoughts mulling, he probably had just let his feet carry him in the general direction of the sharehouse. The darkness seeming almost too overwhelming that his eyes form a squint towards the faint lights coming from the main building and instantly taking a step towards it only to run straight into the shorter girl right in front of him, causing him to let out a small curse of surprise. “Shit -- I.. you okay there?!”

of course this stupid blackout had to happen right before he was going to meet with someone. of course ! because why else in the universe would it happen when he was just…sleeping ? no never when he was sleeping !! aiden huffed looking down at his mostly charged phone and a text from the person he was meeting.

he dialed the number and paced around in his room, trying to think up new plans on the spot. 

❝ hey daxton ? yeah, so i don’t know if you are without power too but that very much means we can’t work on the collab today ? i mean unless you wanna leave the share house ? ❞ he rambled.

( for @yjdaxlis )

Well, who could’ve foreseen a total blackout to actually happen in real life? Sure one could relate to movies and run through what-if scenarios in their minds but to actually be stuck in the middle of one was far from cool in Daxton’s opinions. The frustration only mounted before even the end of the first day because he’d begun running out of battery on his phone and well his whole entire life revolved around that little device that went with him just about everywhere.

So as his anxious mind kept an eye on the battery, he had shot a text to Aiden, still grumpy about the fact that their collab would probably have to wait but he wastes no time in answering the phone the moment it rings. “Hey hyung, yeah. I’m pretty much stuck in either the library or the cat cafe, mooching off the wifi but I doubt we’d want those to be our settings, eh? What do you suggest? I’m cooling with nipping off elsewhere and maybe just talking about the content.”

IT goes without saying that the title of the most annoying occupant in this share house was to be handed on a platter to Heo Minsoo. Daxton often wondered how anyone in the vicinity of the former male could stand the loudness and the overall burst of energy that seemed almost too impossible for his own self to handle. And all this was from just visiting a friend in the Haean Building. It had taken all but one afternoon where the younger wanted to chill with a cheat beer and some EDM when the ruckus began. What started initially as merely a sound of very clearly a first person shooting game in progress soon escalated to further yells and cursing that left Daxton all too easily annoyed. 

Maybe it was his demeanor of wanting peace and quiet when his sanctuary, that was the share house or perhaps just that unrealistic expectation for everyone around to conform to a single standard that he was so used to whilst growing up but hey, was wanting some tranquility really that big of an ask? “Fuck this.” He muttered, brows furrowing, ignoring his friend’s words to ignore the noise before rising to his feet and heading for the door. Well if no one else around here wanted to address this problem, then fine. He’d do that all by himself. 

THERE’S a dull throbbing emanating from the center of his brain that even through closed eyes, Daxton could feel the weak sunlight illuminating his face. All in all, the morning had already begun with regrets and foggy memories of the prior evening, so much so that it takes him a moment or so to finally realise that he was not in fact alone in this oh so unfamiliar bed. This fact alone causes him to crack open his eyes with a mild groan, hands instantly reaching up to massage his temples before his surroundings come into focus in an almost cinematic way. Strewn clothes haphazardly thrown about the small room, the metallic taste of alcohol still in his mouth and his extremely messy hair that clouded his vision were enough indicators to remind him (or rather parts of it) of the happenings of last night. 

TWENTY past eleven and despite the three beers, Daxton’s mind was still as clear as crystal (or well, he was slightly tipsy but in full control of his actions). He’d hoped for this solo outing to serve as a distraction from all the monotony in his life. There were times when his mind slipped into his overdrive mode, popping what-ifs and maybes with where he could’ve been or done if he’d conformed to his family’s expectations and this was one such evening. He didn’t really need company per say, just some alcohol and food (plus a considerably lighter wallet) to wash away these sudden wave of emotions. 

LUCK would be a tricky word to describe his current situation. Yes, Daxton did so happen to be a kid run down by circumstances but doing none too worse for the wear thanks to his natural survival instincts kicking in. No, he had no idea that his online friend (one with immense popularity too) did just so happen to be a fellow boarder at Yujaeng. Talk about the aligning of the stars and such, as his mother so loved to attribute the happenings of good things to. But this just so happened to work in his favour when the older had actually reached out to him via the SNS for a collab. One that many would only dream of and of course, him being encompassed in that population of dreamers. And in a right time too since Dax’s usual sponsors on Instagram had somehow run out of work for him all around the same time and the finances were looking tight in the near future. So much so that had left the male pondering on what kind of ramen would be passable as breakfast, lunch and dinner. 

It was their first meeting and obviously Dax had cleaned up well. He was great with first impressions, one of the many ‘rich kid lessons’ that were forced upon him and one of the few that he was actually thankful for. No one teaches you to manage you finances than the rich folks, after all. But he needed this. A collaboration with the one and only Aiden Kang would not just have his name sprung within the older’s follower circle but also boost his own confidence (and it won’t look half as bad on his CV!). They had agreed to meet after his class hours that day, so he had just about time to change into a neat shirt and flatten his hair down while lingering outside the boarding house in an attempt to speak with the older, his phone nervously turning within his palm upon having sent the last message. 

Hello, it’s nice to finally be back on Tumblr and I’m excited to get started with writing!  Please bear with me as I try to re-familiarize myself with everything here and finish up Daxton’s backstory and biography pages. But in the meanwhile, I’m more than happy to plot any kind of pre-est / new relationships (bring on fluff, angst, slice of life... you name it!) for my boy. So please never hesitate to hit me up here or ask for my personal discord. To start off, I’ve given some basics of Daxton below. Can’t wait to interact with all of you real soon!