𝓼𝔀𝓸𝓸𝓹𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓲𝓼 𝓫𝓪𝓭.

“  touché.  ”    the blonde rounded the couch to sit on the arm. he waved a hand at the other’s notion.    “  psh—just cause i’m in a band means nothing. there’s plenty of great undiscovered artists. i sense modesty.  ”    his shrugged, lightly. some might’ve disagreed, but he’d remained humble through all the success. jem nodded at jonas’ question.    “  that, and the calloused fingers. tends to be a giveaway you play a string instrument of sorts. you could’ve played violin for all i knew, but i got guitar vibes.  ”

despite his own frustration with music lately, he had a curiosity about other musicians. he always liked to pick their brains. each person tended to approach playing or songwriting differently and many times he could learn from them.    “  so, what’s on the setlist tonight, jonas?  ”    jem wiggled his eyebrows and cracked a grin. so, maybe he’d press jonas to play for him, just a tad. surely, if the other ever wanted to pursue music further he’d have to get used to playing in front of an audience. hey, jem was just one person, so no biggie! of course, if it turned out jonas didn’t want to play he’d respect the choice.

jonas couldn’t quite explain why, but he reddened slightly with the other calling out his attitude as modesty --- while he by no means thought he was the most talented person alive, he knew he had something to offer the world. even if he kept it completely hidden from view. “ tends to translate better than arrogance. sometimes, at least. some like the whole i’m better than everyone else thing. ” he looked down at his fingertips, rough with callouses, and shrugged as if to show jem that he agreed with the reasoning. “ fair enough. my hands might be a bit too big for a violin. guitar works just fine. ”

🇲🇰 = ever eaten snails?

answered.

🇱🇻 = do you have any scars with an interesting or grisly story?

“ its not really interesting or grisly of a story, but i do have a little scar on my forehead that i got as a baby. i was minding my own business, you know, crawling as babies do, then crawled right into the corner of the table in my parents’ living room head first. it’s like harry potter’s lightening scar except way less cool. and less lightening bolty. and a lot smaller. so not like it at all, i guess.”

🇲🇪 = pizza or pasta? 

“ pasta for sure. its super easy to mess up pizza, but not so much pasta. unless you put alfredo sauce on it. ”

🇮🇹 = currently in a relationship?

“ hell yeah. since i was like, thirteen. alistair is my boyfriend. ”

🇮🇪 = favourite tv show?

“ uuuuuh, i don’t know if i have a favorite. but the last one i finished was merlin with junseo — so that one right now, i guess. ”

🇸🇰 = how many languages can you speak?

“ three ! korean, italian, and english. i can read a some latin and understand some spanish and french, just because they have a lot of similar stems that come from latin…. but i couldn’t speak either to save my life. ”

🇸🇪 = have you ever been to ikea?

answered.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 = do you prefer summer or winter?

🇸🇪 = have you ever been to ikea?

“ i don’t think i have? i think i’ve just seen it in movies and stuff. ”

🇲🇰 = ever eaten snails?

“ not that i can recall, no… don’t the french eat snails? i should totally ask daphné if she has before. ”

🇮🇸 = if you could chose one thing to be in your future, what would you choose?

“ just one thing? dragon age 4. i’m losing hope everyday with that happening, so if i could choose it being in my future… well. no, i’m kidding. if there’s one thing i could have be an absolute certainty in my future, i think i’d want it to be family or friends. ”

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 = do you prefer summer or winter?

“ if i had to choose between the two, i’d choose summer! i’ve never gotten all that used to things getting that cold. i’d avoid it, if i could. ”

🇪🇸 = do you take naps during the day?

“ i couldn’t ever, for the life of me, manage naps during the day when i was younger. but in the past, like… eight months or so i’ve gotten better at it. ”

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 = ever made a mistake you really regret?

“ sometimes i regret not trying in the slightest for college entrance… i also sometimes regret not wanting to go to university at all. but, then i see how much students have to pay for books, or sometimes i’ll hear them complaining about how tough classes are and think i’m better off without it. who knows… ”

🇳🇱 = when did you last see your mom?

“ you mean, outside of video chat? i think it’s been a little over a year and a half, now. the last time i went back to florence was for my twentieth birthday. if you’re asking in general, like seeing her through video chat or just a picture… it’s been just a few hours. ”

she rolls her eyes at jonas’ teasing, though it’s probably for the best that he leaves before she can come up with a good retort ; waiting for him to return with the tantalizing smells right under her nose is almost painful. still, she manages somehow, busying herself with arranging the food she’d bought in the middle of their table where they’ll both be able to reach.

the time passes quickly, and a soft ooh escapes her as he sits down.    “ i’ve been absolutely craving those corn dogs, pass them over! ”    one of said corn dogs is in her mouth only moments later — turns out his restraint is much greater than hers. at his question, however, she swallows quickly, just as eager to catch up with her friend as she is to eat.    “ work’s been good! the kids are pretty well behaved at the moment, and i got permission to lead an art class, which has been amazing. kids can be so creative, and they keep coming up with ways of doing things i’d never have thought of. it’s like a new adventure every day! ”    it would be impossible for her to stop the grin that appears when talking about her job, so she doesn’t even try.    “ how about you? any interesting people come to the cafe or to buy books recently? ”

as the pleasant smells of each of their hauls reached his nose, his expression turned into a dramatically pained one. still, he’d made a point to listen to xiaohui before he dug in; even when she went in right ahead with eating. “ an art class? that’s huge, hui, ” a newfound smile crossed over his lips, as genuine joy for his friend filled his system. “ is it an every day class? i’m sure the kids are excited to see you when they come in. ”

the way dabin’s guts are twisting and hands are becoming clammier by the second is far from casual, but he doesn’t have to say that out loud. his lips quickly turn up into a smile, albeit sheepish, as he physically waves away jonas’s concern. “it’s really not as bad as i made it sound, i promise! one cup of ramen isn’t going to kill me, dude. even if it did, that’s on me. i’ll be haunting someone else, like my boss from the karaoke place i work at who’s always scheduling me last minute.” then, under his breath: “that prick.”

he snaps to attention at the sound of the kettle shutting off, eyes wide with anticipation as he watches jonas go through very familiar motions. dabin wasn’t the type to be particularly fond of soggy noodles, so he’d peeled his lid off a minute early just to ensure that the noodles would be firm when he took that first slurp. he doesn’t mean to make a sound akin to a moan as the spiciness of the ramen coats his tongue and coaxes him back into an even unhealthier lifestyle, but it happens anyway. it’s all too good to be mortified. “okay, i’m not sure gnocchi’s better than ramen to me right now. i really missed this taste. like, who engineered this? it’s just way too good to have just come about randomly.” he cuts off his tangent by shoving some more noodles into his mouth, eyes wide again when he looks at jonas and nods enthusiastically. he hasn’t had pasta in forever; it’s kind of a luxury for a guy who lives off of microwavable rice and whatever side dishes that one grandma at the night market smuggles into his hands when he passes through. “next time then!” he says, cheeks full of noodles. “i don’t really have anything i can give you in return, but i could get some snacks or something from jeung’s?” 

a little voice in the back of dabin’s brain tells him he’s doing pretty well with the whole acting normal thing right now, so do not screw this up. he swallows what’s in his mouth ( with some difficulty ) before turning to lean against the counter, the steam rising from his cup fogging up his glasses a little. he feels relaxed for once, even if there’s still a little bit of something that’s keeping him on his toes around jonas. “this is kinda nice,” he says before his brain tells him not to, gaze flicking over to jonas. and, before there can be any misunderstanding at all: “th-the ramen, i mean.” smooth save, dabin.

jonas wasn’t entirely convinced by dabin’s words; his eyes narrowed in suspicion to communicate as much. “ if you die after this i’m blaming me and blaming you for doing it, dude. ” and he left it at that.

his jaw dropped in feigned offence, at the very idea that instant ramen was at the top of the list for the other. “ you’ll change your mind once you have gnocchi. i guarantee it. ” a risky choice; but his words were only out of fun. in all honesty, he was glad the other hadn’t simply passed up his offer of an impromptu dinner --- he hated the instances of coming home late and having to eat alone. he allowed himself a bite of noodles as dabin talked, and shook his head repeatedly when he talked about things to give in return. “ i don’t need anything. especially if you mean stealing snacks from work. you know, just promise to eat with me if you see me eating alone. that will do. ” he nodded.

she couldn’t, try as she may, believe her eyes. never in a million years would she think that she would meet him this way. olive watched him closely, nervousness seeping into her system. god, why couldn’t she have had a bit of a warning? a tiny heads up to mentally and emotionally prepare herself for this long overdue meeting. her heart burst in her chest when he spoke her name, fingers twiddling together as her gaze fell upon the floor. she chuckled lightly, struggling to keep herself together. “yeah, it’s me… in the flesh.” cue the ever-so corny finger guns she always resorted to in the midst of an uncomfortable situation. but as the seconds ticked on, olive couldn’t stop her face from slowly twisting to mimic his. a large shit-eating grin that showed teeth and dimples. it was all genuine.

“ahh - that.” her smile faltered, but she only allowed the slip in her demeanor to last a moment. what should she tell him? the bare minimum would be best. “long story short – i was living and going to school in the city and it was all just getting to be too much,” olive cleared her throat, eyes dodging around the room as she tried to center herself. “monotonous, you know? i needed a change of scenery, slow down and smell the flowers… that kind of thing.” she nodded, pleased with her explanation… plus, it wasn’t a complete lie. “i ended up getting in contact with a cousin of mine, asked him what he was up to, where he was living…” she motioned around the room with a small laugh, “and now i’m here… in front of you. after all these years!”

amusement spread even more with her gesture. god, he was reeling. it had to be a dream, didn’t it? the very person he had told some of his worst teenage angsts to on the internet --- right before his very eyes. it certainly felt like a dream, something he could seldom imagine. the weight of his damp clothes was the only thing that kept him grounded in reality. “ yeah, totally in the flesh. i just... can’t... wow. ”

jonas listened on as olive answered his question, and a new sense of interest crossed over his feature with each syllable to leave her mouth. sure, they had shared innumerable things with each other when they were younger, but now they were adults, who had a few years since the passing of their intense sharing. the act of listening to olive simply made jonas feel nostalgic. like he was a silly directionless teenager. well, he supposed, not much was different. at least, not with the directionless front.

“you don’t even have to diet, you look good already,” dabin all but blurts out, nails digging into his palms as he half-turns away from the other like he’s about to run right out of the kitchen. it really hadn’t been this hard to keep himself together before; why had he chosen tonight to be the night when he finally loses it completely? he realizes he’s been holding his breath, turning back to jonas and busying himself with tearing the plastic covering off his cup ramen like he hadn’t said anything at all.

“uh, i’m not really healthy or anything,” he says, mentally patting himself on the back for sounding semi-normal. “it’s just that the money i was spending on individual cups was adding up, i got these weird heart palpitations that made me think i was getting a heart attack… y’know. i was scared?” he’s taking his sweet time peeling back the lid of the cup, making sure he stopped right at the line before folding it in half. “so, you were right not to think i’m healthy. because i’m really not.” he isn’t sure why he’s trying to convince jonas of this like it’s something to be proud of.

just to keep doing things to avoid making another dumb decision, dabin leans over to retrieve two sets of chopsticks from the drawer and turns to set them on the table. “like i said, there really isn’t a reason for you to diet. and i’ve got no muscle to maintain anyway,” he continues with a laugh, finally looking at jonas without wanting to melt into the floor. “i’m kinda surprised you’re not cooking pasta. you should make it for me sometime!”

the compliment, expressed so casually, almost felt like a mere comment instead of what it was to jonas; a compliment. jonas glanced at the other, mouth left ajar, and found nothing but silence as dabin turned away from him. he wasn’t entirely sure if the younger had been joking or not. he allowed himself to chuckle. “ you think so, dude? ” maybe inquiring wasn’t the best decision, still did “ i don’t know if you’d say the same if i had a five o’clock cheeto shadow, but, i guess it’s the thought that counts. ” he reached out to slap the other on the shoulder, albeit rather gently as if not to startle him; dabin seem preoccupied.

surprise crossed over jonas’ features with dabin’s explanation for not having the processed noodles in quite some time. who was he to encourage eating them? “ a heart attack? dude --- i don’t know if i should be giving you these noodles anymore. what if you, like, die? that’d be my fault. do you want that on my conscience? ‘cause not cool. your ghost would probably haunt me. ” was he being over-dramatic? certainly. did he believe it was warranted? absolutely. “ if you’re ever interested in being healthier, i’m your guy... though, i’m not too good at keeping people on track. i can hardly do that for myself. so maybe i’m not your guy. ” he shrugged, unaware that he was talking absolute nonsense. sometimes he just felt the need to keep talking.

olive felt like she was losing her mind. pushing and pulling all the containers in and out and around the fridge. this couldn’t be right… she knew for certain that THIS was the fridge she placed her leftovers in last night. yes, she was terribly tired and groggy but her memory was always pretty good. olive closed the fridge door and leaned up against it, scratching at the top of her head. she didn’t want to believe the obvious.. that someone else set their sights on her food, heated it up, and ate it. she peeked into the fridge once more, blowing out a puff of air strong enough to fluff her bangs up. 

she headed over to one of the counters, standing there in absolute silence as she thought about her next move. “ugh, so bothersome,” she mumbled to herself, snatching her purse off of the table. looks like she was going to have to leave to get some dinner… even though she had saved her food from yesterday for this exact reason. 

olive tugged her phone out of her bag, she had to check her bank account balance just to make sure she had enough money to eat. however, as per usual, she bumped into someone, water droplets flicking onto her. she gasped for a moment, before laughing slightly and glancing at the person she bumped into. “ahh, it’s okay. it’s just as my fa-”

olive blinked a few times, obviously confused. she knew him.. she could’ve sworn she did but… no. no way. the world could not be that small.”please excuse me for the word vomit that’s about to spill out but aren’t you…?” she laughed nervously, tucking her hair behind her ear. this was embarrassing. if it was really him and he didn’t recognize her… she’d crawl into a hole and spend the rest of her years there. “jonas?”

there was relief that spread through jonas when the person he bumped into whilst sopping wet didn’t receive him with contempt, and instead told him that his half blind clumsiness was okay. he was prepared to apologize again, anyhow, but wasn’t quite able to manage such; her voice began to fill his ears once more before he could manage. confusion passed through him as she spoke, and he could only mentally curse at the fact that he could only hear her, and not see her clearly. even so, her voice sounded astonishingly familiar.

xiaohui shakes her head at his question, grin still present on her face as she removes her backpack from his seat.  “ nah, a couple left right after i got here, so i grabbed their table. the worst part was having to wait and smell the jajangmyeon from the booth over there. ”  she sighs dramatically, an exaggerated pout forming.  “ i’m pretty sure they made it extra spicy tonight just to torment me. ”  she can’t hold the expression for long, however, before her customary smile breaks through and she stands up.  “ i’m gonna go grab some food, mkay? ”

the hardest part of their meetings had been figuring out how exactly to get the food ; the constant movement of the night market meant that someone had to stay to save their table, yet neither of them wanted the other to foot the entire bill, and buying two of each dish always ended up with something being wasted. eventually, they had decided upon the perfect solution — she would buy a few dishes, he would buy a few more, and they would share the food between them ( and then go back for dessert, of course ). her slim figure easily maneuvered through the crowd as she squeezed her way to her favorites booths, returning after only a few minutes with a drink tucked under her arm and three different boxes of food balanced precariously in her grasp.  “ okay, i got jajangmyeon, some tteokbokki, and two things of kimchijeon ; your turn! ”

almost as soon as he sat down, xiaohui was up and ready to get food. the most he could do was nod for a moment when she began to wander off, but after a moment he shouted out “ get something good! ” like it wasn’t a given that she would do exactly that. left to watching their stuff, jonas idly drummed his fingers on the table and watched the nearby residents and tourists wander around the night market. she came back minutes later, much to jonas’ excitement; she always got the best of what the night market had to offer. it often made his choices seem rather lackluster in comparison, but he didn’t mind. it just mean that they’d be eating good food. “ you take my top choices, it’s not fair. ” he teased as he rose from his seat, and a frown soon after took over as he caught a whiff of what xiaohui had bought. “ i’ll be right back. ”