better not romp with me! | apex legends huh

tell me your woes | platonic cryptage

POV: 3rd Person
WHEN: After the Season 3 trailer
WHERE: Mirage's Bar
TRIGGER AND CONTENT WARNINGS: None
GENRE: Kind of angsty

—

Joon can still remember the moment when he had found Renee again after she'd dropped off the grid. It was one he dreaded and loathed with every inch of his being.

He was sitting in a bar that was almost completely empty except for the owner and his "employees" while the most recent Apex Games recording is replayed on a small boxed television; and there she was.

Her hair in a bun and her eyes completely lost, she was there. After three years of not knowing where she was... and then finding out that she was participating in the bloodsport that was created by those who had framed him for the death of his sister?

'Hey, bud–' Joon quickly turned and saw the bartender standing in front of him. He must of looked starstruck from what he saw on the TV if the bartender had come to check on him— 'are you going to pay for you drinks or what?'

Ah. Of course that was the reason why he was over here and not to comfort him over just seeing his girlfriend who he had assumed was deceased until this point.

'Ye–' He kept his gaze glued on the TV as he fished out the wallet from his pocket and— fuck.

His wallet had nothing in it, apart from twenty cents and a letter from Mystik that he was refusing to burn.

'I–I'm sorry, I don't have anything on me and—' The bartender laughed. Was he laughing at him? At the fact that he couldn't pay for the drinks he had ordered? Maybe.

The bartender looked around the room and– worried if he had been cornered by hostiles– so did Joon. All the employees from before seemed to have just vanished with the other customers because it was only them who remained in the room.

'I think I can make an exception this one time,' Joon was relieved; for two seconds. 'with the price of you telling me why you were bringing down the vibe in my bar.'

Joon was confused as fuck with what vibe meant and the fact that he was made the guy chuckle. 'Oh come on, you don't know that meme?'

'What the fuck is a meme?' Joon asked.

'It's a– uh, nevermind.' He stammered out, taking a seat on the stool beside him. 'Just tell me what's bothering you.'

'You wouldn't know,' Joon's eyes glazed over as he replayed the moment over and over in his head, what he'd say to her when he sees her again. Would she even care? She did leave him alone and let him mourn for three years.

'Try me, there's a lot that people think I don't know at first glance.' The bartender smiled at him like a fat kid in a candy store, which... I guess to an alcoholic, that's what a bar is. 'Even if you don't feel like opening up, I'll serve us a few drinks. On the house.'

'Thanks,' Joon looked for the mans name tag, before finding it was embroided onto his hideous neon yellow... shirt? 'Elliott.'

'It's no biggy,' Elliott cheerfully chirped, unlike any other bartender Joon had met. They all seemed like assholes and—

Elliott had his gaze on Joon like he was waiting for something.

Your name, dumbass.

'Oh. It's...' He hesitated for a second. Telling him your real name would get you into trouble, so avoid that as much as possible.

'Hyeon.'

this sucks but I love it, thanks for coming to my ted talk <3