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「𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐬」
⠀ ≖ ⠀ ⠀
it comes in delicate randomness, little globes of water that reflect its surroundings and crash against cement sidewalks and idle vehicles. the rain is oblivious to the life it brings, washing the world and quenching its thirst. the earth got its beverage from mother nature, while the man got his from a bourbon bottle.
the time didn't seem to fit the beverage, despite even being a little amount added to a short glass. it was still barely past noon. he didn't care though, not as he poured a little more and even less so when the liquid ran down his throat to swim in his tummy.
there wasn't anything in there yet, not when the man was too busy sleeping all morning and then tugging on a coat to come down to the club. they weren't even opened yet, but there were some perks with being friends with the one that owned it. "don't you think it's a bit early?" with perfect timing his boss, and friend, came walking up to the bar counter from the back hall. it was a glass surface with neon lighting trimming the edges.
"it's late somewhere." he took another sip of the drink and swallowed hard.
kim namjoon was the owner of club n2, one of seoul's most well known yet secretive clubs. it was an lgbt haven for those who knew it existed, and every night seemed to be one of the bests and waiting for the next to top it. his best bartender tended to hang around before they opened, as the man did now with a ring clad hand and eyeliner smudged already.
"i'm going to have to start charging you soon." namjoon said, jokingly of course. there was still that subtle level of concern laced within the words, but he never pushed the boy away — because if he was here, that was better than finding the usual trouble out in the city.
there was a wicked grin on his face, dark eyes seeming to sparkle when he spoke to his hyung. "you'd never do that, not to your favorite." jungkook said, finally putting the drink down and crossing his arms loosely over his chest. the sleeves of his work shirt rose up, revealing more of the tangled ink making pictures on his arms.
"his favorite is right here." the new male cams walking in from the back hall, where the owners office was down the hall. jin stood beside his man now, a smile and pretty eyes looking up at him. namjoon nodded, a smile sitting similar on his face too. "you're right." he admitted, an arm on the oldests waist now.
"and this is my favorite," jungkook held the glass up, "cheers." the rest was downed in one go, making the eldest scrunch up his nose. "i have no idea how you can drink that."
the ravenette chuckled, a deep raspy sound filling the space around the males. "should i start making myself margaritas?" he asked the other, raising an eyebrow and letting the corner of his lips tug up into a rare subtle smile. it seemed to light up their immediate area, no matter how small that smile was.
"margaritas are not gay." jin shot back. he had never ordered much else, nothing that wasn't in a pretty glass with prettier colors and tiny umbrellas floating on top. in his opinion, his drink of choice looked much better than the rust colored liquid of the youngests choice. they've had this argument before, tossing back insults between the two males about who was more gay when it came to drink choice and the amount of eyeliner drawn over lids.
namjoon chuckled and left the two to bicker. he had things to set up for tonight, reservations in closed off sections and performers setlist to go through with his sound guy. he would do that while his bartender got the counter and inventory ready, cleaning the surface and making sure there was enough olives. jin would sit at the bar and steal the olives.
it was all routine for them, until the other staff would come before opening at 9 tonight. the fact that it was a tuesday made no difference, this was their jobs and setting up to party all night was an everyday thing. jungkook would be working but to him it didn't feel like that. he had to benefit of working with different people every night, lonely souls and wild spirits coming to drink away their days and talk to him while they ordered. it was some of his favorite things, meeting such vastly different people while he poured them liquid magic into glasses emptied rather quickly down eager throats.
some of the best people were met in bars, over sharing a drink and small talk that turned into something more.
jungkooks charm helped with that. the charismatic nature allowed him to talk to anyone, luring them in to order more and forget about their worries for a few minutes. it wasn't even a job anymore, not when he enjoyed coming to work so much.
he may have been that escape for people on nights, but it went both ways. he needed that just as much as the next person.
"so my friends coming tonight," jin started to say, seated on a stool and leaning across the counter to steal a few olives with a toothpick. "what's that have to do with me?" jungkook asked, picking up another glass to polish before putting it with the rest of them. his narrowed eyes a bit at the male stealing his olives, making a mental note to grab more from the back.
"free drinks?" it was a attempt, knowing the outcome most likely but still trying once again. jungkook continued to polish his glasses and shook his head. "no." he said simply.
jin huffed and took another olive for the road, aka the hallway back to his boyfriends office. "i tried." he said, getting off the stool and leaving the young bartender to continue prepping for tonight.
there was no amount of prepping that could prepare him for tonight. it should have been routine, the same as always with nothing unexpected. life was funny like that, letting people feel comfortable for only a moment before coming to turn it all on it's head. jungkook knew better than to let his guard down, to allow that shield to fall and expose what was left underneath to be taken and used against him. he had no control, not when the sun set and their neon sign outside lit up to beckon people closer. he had no control over who came up to him, a pretty smile and even prettier eyes staring back at him — jungkook didn't know tonight would change everything.
