BUBBLE TEA [JOHNNY • TEN]

🧋4. on my mind🧋

A/N: *trips, falls, and drops this chapter* also, minor TW: the r-slur (Mark is just repeating what someone said about him, tho)

Johnny just stared at his tablet, occasionally making random lines with his stylus, just watching the different pens make different lineart. He'd been drawing when he reached a block. He had no idea where to go next.

Commissions were closed, he was on a hiatus, but he still wanted to draw. Draw what, that was the problem. He had no muse, no motivation. It was incredibly frustrating to him.

He'd been like this all day and the only times he had gotten up were to piss and to make a batch of edibles under the guise of "it's for inspiration purposes".

Weed was pretty illegal in South Korea, but Johnny didn't care. Nobody but him and Mark ever came to his house, so nobody had any reason to know. Plus, he'd picked up the habit in America and old habits die hard.

"Hyung?" Mark's voice rang out, Johnny emerging from his father's old office room and saw his brother in the foyer, home from school.

"I'm here, man. What's up?

"The house smells like weed. Again." Mark noted. "Not that I mind, but mom told you to stop that. Stop that. Please." He tacked on the 'please" again, forgetting it.

Johnny sighed and took Mark's backpack, putting it on a couch. "It wasn't... I just baked stuff for later, I didn't smoke it. Not that it's your business." He added, lying. Yeah, he didn't smoke it but he did make edibles and did eat a few. And while his high was dying down, he was still slightly calmer than usual, not too worried about his lack of artistic motivation. "Don't worry about what I do, how was school?"

"Donghyuck called me a retard again today." Mark rolled his eyes, ending his sentence with a random popping noise. "But at least I didn't have a meltdown yet."

Johnny furrowed his brow. "They haven't switched you out?" Mark shook his head and his brother frowned. "Can you ignore him?"

"No. I literally hate him. I don't understand why he's so rude to me... I guess I am a retard." Mark shrugged, walking to the fridge and opening it, mimicking it's little whirring sound.

"You're not, don't call yourself that."

Mark grabbed some cream cheese, scooping some out and onto a plain slice of bread, before walking over to his brother and peering over his shoulder.

"Why're you drawing the barista from inside Hobaboba?" Mark asked, chewing on his necklace and then the bread. Johnny was confused, but looked back at his drawing and blinked.

He accidentally DID draw the barista, cat eyes and short hair, his sharp nose turned at a modeling angle. He didn't mean to, he just was sketching what came to mind. It wasn't all that detailed or anything, but it was very clearly Ten.

Apparently he came to mind.

Fuck.

"How did you see him yesterday?"

"Window. Duh." Mark's face was unchanging. "Doesn't explain why you're doodling him perfectly from memory. You obviously wanted his number."

"No I didn't" Johnny denied, but honestly he was so unconvincing that he didn't even believe himself.

Mark let out a little giggle and walked to his room upstairs, hand trailing on the banister. He made special care to step around the Stair and head to his room.

Johnny looked back at his tablet and put his hands on his head exasperatedly. He didn't even notice he'd been doodling Ten! And from memory? That was rare for Johnny.

He opened the tablet again, his mind racing. What was with Ten? Ever since yesterday, the man wouldn't leave his mind alone. Every time Johnny's thoughts ran away from him all he'd see is Ten's beautiful cat eyes and striking features. He saw that gorgeous smile in his mind...

He wanted to see it again.

He couldn't even bring himself to draw again, way too distracted. Every time he'd tried to practice something else his mind would drift.

He groaned as Mark came back downstairs, headphones taking their usual residency on Mark's head, matting down his hair. He only came downstairs to change the temperature (which Johnny let him do because if not, he'd have hell to pay) but that gave Johnny an excuse...

...I mean, an idea.

"Do you want tea tonight? Boba tea?" Johnny asked Mark suddenly, turning off the drawing tablet.

Mark clicked his tongue and nodded. "Yeah. Boba tea." he echoed. "Boba tea"

"Stop copying me! I said 'boba tea' first! My ideas are my ideas, dumbass." Johnny joked. He knew that echolalia couldn't be controlled, but still liked to rag on Mark and claim that his little brother kept copying him.

"Ha... sorry Johnny." Mark laughed awkwardly, not actually knowing if Johnny was joking or not.

"Nah, I'm playing. Come on, get your backpack. We're going in a few minutes."

Mark gave a lopsided grin and grabbed his tiny backpack from the living room where he'd left it. He caught onto things pretty quickly unlike a lot of his friends on the spectrum, and so when Johnny wanted to willingly spend money on something semi-expensive? Without Mark even asking? Something was definitely up.

"Wow, you're really into this barista, huh?"

"Shut up"