A Warrior's Heart

Chapter 4; Helping at the shop

Am I the only one who can picture Joon as the owner of a small shop? It just fits his vibe I dunno.
Also I didn't know what for gif to put here so enjoy some dust uwu

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"How are things at home?" Namjoon asked after a couple hours. They had just finished unpacking some stuff which had been ordered and they were putting it all on the shelves in the small shop, tidying up a bit now there were less customers. The small shop didn't get a lot of customers and it was quiet most of the time but there were some regulars who dropped by to buy stuff every once in a while.

"My brother is still worried about our finances." Taehyun replied as he picked up a few things, setting them down in a box which he proceeded to lift in his arms, carrying it to the back of the shop. "The real estate market is dead, he hasn't sold anything in months."

Namjoon nodded knowingly as he followed the boy down the stairs, a big box in his hands as well and his glasses were a bit dirty due to the dust and some strands of his hair were falling in front of his forehead now but it suit him, made him look attractive so he didn't mind it.

"It looks like we're gonna have to move eventually." Taehyun continued, a frown appearing on his features. "I wish I could do something to help, even if it is just a little." He said as he thought about it, his mind drifting off to when he had to program something on a computer in class once. "Maybe I could make an app or something..." He trailed off.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs Taehyun set the box down, sighing in relief as the weight was off of him, the muscles in his arm tingling a bit. He set his hands on his hips and sighed as Namjoon set his box down as well, right on top.

The open space laying beneath the shop was actually quite large, but small compared to other shop's storing areas. It had wooden shelves on the side, silk blankets hanging from the ceiling, cozy and domestic lights hanging on the walls and some boxes and crates scattered over the floor. He had to admit it was a bit messy, but despite that it had a welcoming feeling to it, feeling homey and it was a nice place to be.

"What's this?" Taehyun asked as he approached one of the big crates in the middle of the room. He hadn't seen it the last time he was here so he was guessing it was also another shipping. It didn't look like the ones they regularly got though, so he couldn't really guess what it was.

Namjoon looked up from where he was writing something down on a paper being attached to the box he had just been carrying, probably some notes about what was inside. "Oh that's a new shipping from my far away cousing in Beijing." He replied and shrugged, turning his attention back to the paper. "You can open it if you want."

Taehyun nodded and looked around, letting Namjoon work on the other boxes while he searched for something to open the crate with. Eventually he found a crowbar being tucked away at the bottom part of a shelve. He reached for it and wiped the dust off of it a little, blowing it away when it flew up in the air and watching as it floated away.

He set the end of the tool in a little hole where the sides of the crate were attached to each other and pulled it towards himself after it got a good grip. With a little effort and a groan the wood broke, detaching from the sides and the nails falling to the floor. He bent down and picked them up, not wanting anyone to step on them and hurt their feet. Not that anyone ever came down here that much, but just in case, you never know.

He continued his assault on the crate and it didn't take him all that long to take the lid off. Namjoon had walked up to him after he finished the paperwork and had been watching him silently, the occasional snicker leaving his mouth when the young boy was struggling.

Through the hay that filled the box to prevent anything from damaging its contents, dark iron was visible. It looked like the iron of a triangle shaped lid, covering the opening of the basket. Taehyun reached out and removed the hay as much as he could hold in his hands and dropped it onto the floor. He'd clean that up later.

"Namjoon Hyung," He said. "What's this?" He asked as he eyed the object. The man stepped forward, reaching a hand up and brushing his fingers over the drawings engraved into the iron. It were two persons, and it appeared it were both girls. "It has been in my family for a very long time now." He answered, looking away from the box and towards the wall, Taehyun's gaze following.

On the wall hung countless of pictures and drawings, all from a person and the basket. They all looked so strong and handsome, their eyes dark and set on something that wasn't captured in the picture. All of them held a hand out, touching the basket's lid lightly, grazing the top with their fingertips.

Taehyun looked back at the basket, tracing his fingers over it as well. It was smooth and the drawings engraved in it were a bit off from reality, but that didn't matter as it looked so beautiful and it fit the old look of the basket so well.

"Do you like it?" Namjoon asked him then as he stepped away, grabbing something from a shelve and replacing it to another, finding it better suit there. Taehyun nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I do. It's beautiful." He said as he let his gaze fall on the girl engraved in the side. Namjoon saw and smiled. "The dancing princess." He explained, giving the name of the girl.

A laugh left Taehyun's mouth at the older's words, his lips parting as he smiled. "It looks like she's breakdancing." He replied as he started to mimicking her pose, arms up and bend in the air and legs twisting and he came up with a beat on the spot as he started dancing a little. He wasn't that great of a dancer but he enjoyed doing it from time to time.

"I don't think so, Taehyun." Namjoon said, shaking his head and interrupting the boy from beatboxing. He turned around to face him. "She lived a long time ago. She saved her land from the Barbarians when they attacked it. Talk about brave - she, was brave." He said, raising his finger and pointing to the basket. "This little girl could kick butt. Big time."

Taehyun listened intently, his eyes wide and drawn with interest. He looked back at the basket and Namjoon walked away, setting something else down somewhere else. That man could never really keep everything in one place, he always moved stuff around. It was a personality trait and the brunette found it endearing and it suit the man, suit his messy style of living.

"Well where should I put it?" Taehyun asked then, snapping away from his thoughts and remembering he was at work and he should help the older guy get this stuff put away and settled for new customers.

The blonde hummed for a moment as if thinking about it, but then his face broke into a small smile. "How about your house?"

Taehyun furrowed his eyebrows and opened his mouth to say something, only to close it again when he couldn't think of anything. He tilted his head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"I mean as in a gift." Namjoon answered, nodding in confirmation. "A present." Taehyun blinked a few times before shaking his head. "No, Hyung I can't accept that." He said.

"Why not? You watch the shop whenever I'm away on vacation and you always get customers with a smile and you never complain. See it as a way of thanking you."

"And you're already paying me way too much for doing that." Taehyun retorted, not wanting to burden the guy by taking something that had been in his family for so long

Namjoon raised an eyebrow. "Refusing a gift is very bad manners, Taehyun." He said, softly smiling as he did. Taehyun stared at him for a moment, his eyes searching the features of the handsome man in front of him before he was slightly nodding.

"Thank you, Hyung."

Namjoon's smile widened, his dimples showing up again. "You're welcome." He said as he bowed lightly, showing a bit of respect even if he was older.