[b.a.p] ignorance is bliss, but then you're stupid?
Who: B.A.P (Yongguk, Himchan; Daehyun, Youngjae; Jongup, Zelo)
What: 1900w, PG
Summary: Sometimes stress gets the better of even the best.
"B.A.P must succeed," Himchan says into the quiet of the living room. Yongguk glances up but doesn't stop writing.
It's something they've been told often by TS. Perhaps being older, Yongguk and Himchan feel the technical gravity of the statement more than most of their groupmates.
"You know the worst thing about not being young and stupid?" Himchan asks rhetorically, continuing unprompted: "It's looking at the staff on hand, their probable wages per annum; the clothes we wear; the logistics involved-plane fares, coach hire, food, allowances and accommodation…" He counts the list on his fingers. "Seeing all these things in approximate monetary terms and looking conversely at how much income we generate, and knowing that we don't really break even. The digital sales, the endorsements…" His frown looks acid-etched into his forehead as he purses his lips. "It's not enough, Gukkie. If we don't make it seriously big, more jobs are at stake than just ours. What if TS goes broke? What'll happen to Chocolate and them? Our backdance hyungs? The audio-visual crew? Marketing? Director Kang? What about Untouchable?"
Yongguk sets down his pencil. TS isn't big-each 'department' Himchan has named amounts to two, maybe three people-but they are family. The enormity of the gamble TS took throwing such a huge percentage of its limited assets behind B.A.P's debut gets to each of them occasionally. Tonight just seems to be one of those nights for Himchan.
Yongguk shrugs and clears his throat. "You just gotta… do what you like. And love what you do."
Himchan glares over the coffee table. "Don't quote your stupid tattoo at me, Bbang."
"It was a tattoo on my heart long before it was ever on my skin," Yongguk says, hand brushing over his shoulder. He laughs at Himchan's irritated growl. "I just mean… not just you. Everyone, in our TS Family and like…"
Himchan raises a pointed brow at Yongguk's lapse in eloquence and Yongguk rolls his eyes. This isn't Lululala or some shit. He shouldn't need to talk pretty here.
"I mean. Nobody's in this industry because they have to be, Channie. Not us and not our staff. It's just for the love of the game."
With a graceless snort, Himchan mimics Yongguk's rap and makes gangster signs at the ceiling: "Wha'ssa name~ of the game? B.A.P!"
"You're an idiot," Yongguk says, though not unfondly as he goes back to the rhyme on his notepad. "But, y'nam sayin'?"
"Yes. Idiocy is underrated." Himchan flops back onto the couch, dramatically boneless, and Yongguk pretends not to watch the pretty line of his throat as he talks. "With any luck, by the time Jongup and Junhong are old enough to worry about things like this, TS will be more blue chip than venture capital. And by TS I mean us."
"A little luck," Yongguk chuckles, "and hard work. Dedication. Smart decisions…"
"Yeah, yeah, all that good stuff…" Himchan waves a hand and drops it over his eyes, scrubbing tiredly. He looks exhausted in more ways than the physical and Yongguk decides it's time for both of them to sleep.
"Don't stress about it too much," he advises and picks up his notebook, tapping it against his left shoulder. Himchan peeks out at him from between his long piano fingers, and it's almost cute-except for how it's not, because it's Himchan. Yongguk grins. "If you give yourself wrinkles there'll be nothing standing between Daehyun and the top of the leaderboard."
Himchan looks like he wants to reply snidely, but his mouth closes into a pout instead. He reaches out toward the hem of Yongguk's shirt, fingers wriggling in a lame attempt to touch it without moving from the couch.
Yongguk tries to keep the judgement off his face, he really does. (Not.)
Himchan's bottom lip sticks out even further. "…Gukkie, don't leave me." And a smirk finds its way into Yongguk's eyes.
"Don't think I've heard you say that since Ta-Dah."
It feels like they filmed that show years ago, but Himchan's sudden scowl clearly says he remembers it like yesterday. "If you abandon me again here, Bang Yongguk, I swear I'll-"
"I'll grab some blankets," Yongguk says, completely patronising, and pretends not to notice how Himchan's face lights up with his goofy-ass smile. "…it's a pretty small couch, though."
"You can sleep on the floor," Himchan says. Then adds quickly, when Yongguk makes to walk off on him, "or we could just cuddle up…"
Yongguk returns with the blankets off of Himchan's bed, and Himchan obligingly shuffles over. It's a close fit since neither of them are particularly small people and the couch isn't as big as it could be, but Yongguk figures he's slept in worse places. (Like last night, faceplanted at the studio computer with the keyboard imprinting squares on his face.) It's comfortable enough with Himchan's warm weight at his back and Himchan's arms around his waist.
"Don't try anything stupid," Yongguk warns before closing his eyes. "We've got early practice tomorrow."
"You mean early practice in three and a half hours," Himchan snickers.
Yongguk grunts in displeasure. Nights are never long enough.
"...I don't want anything stupid anyway," Himchan says after a moment. Petulance creeps into his tone. "I just don't want to hear that stupid Junhong sleep-telling me to concentrate on improving my own game. Again. It's not my fault I worry about everyone."
"Riiight," Yongguk says around a yawn. He pats Himchan's hand. "That's just what moms do."
"Exactly," Himchan says and wiggles a bit closer until Yongguk can feel his stupid perfect nose against the back of his neck. "And I am an awesome mom."
"Da best, Channie," Yongguk agrees. "Now shut the hell up 'n sleep."
*
"…warning, warning, warning, warning," Daehyun stage-whispers, sticking his head back into the B.A.P communal bedroom.
"What? I thought you were going to make breakfast!" Youngjae hisses, quickly tugging his shirt down over his head.
Closing the door behind him, Daehyun resists the urge to go over and poke Youngjae in the tummy. "Nah, the hyungs are on the couch like a two-pack o' sausages 'n don't look like they gonna wake up anytime soon. I say we get ramyun."
"A two-pack of what," Youngjae deadpans.
"Seconding ramyun," Jongup chimes into the closet.
Daehyun smiles.
Jongup takes more time to get dressed these days, a little fussier about fashion than he used to be (which was not at all), and Daehyun enjoys this. Mostly because it means Jongup spends more time in just his boxers and that's a happy thing on shitty mornings.
Mornings like this, when the hyungs aren't going to wake up well, and Zelo is making a disgusted judging face because slowly but surely he is learning the art of understanding innuendo and 'sausages' is now one of those things he acutely dislikes.
"They're decent though, aren't they?" Youngjae presses. Because Himchan sleeps naked, but not usually outside their bedroom. Or hotel rooms. Or-
"Decent," Daehyun confirms. "But Himchan's like, drooled all on Yongguk-hyung's shirt, and Yongguk-hyung's neck's at this weird angle that's totally gonna hurt later so I don't wanna be around when they wake up."
"Right," Youngjae says and raises his hand. "Thirding ramyun."
Jongup pulls his head out of the closet and looks at Zelo.
"…okay," Zelo says, returning his face to normal. "Ramyun."
"Does this match?" Jongup asks, holding up a black tee.
Zelo shakes his head. "No, but-"
Daehyun's stomach growls. "Guys, can we just-"
"It's black, Jonguppie," Youngjae says. "Of course it matches."
"It's a green-based black," Zelo stresses. "The shorts are red-based. When it's faded, you can't just-"
"Go shirtless," Daehyun says. "Nobody'll mind."
Zelo's eyes turn large and scandalized and he says to Daehyun, "Hyung, I think that's illegal?"
"Daehyun…" Youngjae warns.
Jongup seems to have no thoughts on the matter.
Youngjae shoves Daehyun back out the door. "Take your time, guys," Youngjae says over his shoulder. "I'll keep this monster fed."
The door clicks shut again and Zelo's uncertain voice floats out quietly: "Is… Does 'fed' mean something as well…? I mean, when he said 'take your time' did he mean we should give them time? Should we give them time?" Jongup's reply is a confused sounding, "Um."
Daehyun guffaws quietly into his fist and Youngjae slings an arm around his shoulders, thudding their heads together as he steers them down the hall. "You and Himchan-hyung need to stop messing with the poor kid, seriously! He's innocent, let him stay that way."
"Just because you discovered meatspin at the tender age of twelve," Daehyun snickers, wiping fake tears of mirth from his eyes.
Youngjae makes a pained face and unlocks the front door, handing Daehyun the keys as they step outside. "Technological competence isn't a free gift, okay. It's not my fault the internet is full of bad people."
*
"So... it's been twenty minutes," Zelo says, chewing on his lower lip. "Do you think it's safe?"
Jongup's dressed and ready now, in an outfit Zelo helped him pick that doesn't contain a single item of black after all. He shrugs, smiling. "Probably?"
"I just don't wanna… ugh." Zelo gives an exaggerated shudder. "You know. It'd be awkward."
"Awkward," Jongup agrees. "But probably okay if we just go straight to the usual place?"
Zelo nods.
"Unless they're still out in the hall," Jongup says.
Zelo makes a noise of despair.
"But they're probably not still in the hall," Jongup says.
Zelo nods.
"Unless they're just being quiet 'cause mom and dad are still sleeping," Jongup says.
Zelo makes a noise of despair and feels like he kind of wants to either throttle all his stupid hyungs or curl up into a ball and never leave the room. Maybe both. But he's hungry.
"I'll take point," Jongup offers, collecting his wallet and things, and Zelo perks right up. This is why Jongup is his best friend. Jongup is the best. Hoisting up a two-finger pistol, Jongup smiles Zelo's way. "Ready, Agent Z?"
"Ready, Agent Moon," Zelo confirms, holding his own hand!gun up beside his cheek.
Jongup goes first as promised and opens the door a crack to peek outside.
"Clear," Jongup whispers. He slips silently out.
Zelo trots softly after him, footsteps light, and stays by Jongup's shoulder at the end of the hall.
"Parents at thirteen o'clock," Jongup whispers, but disappears again before Zelo can ask if he really means 'one'-not that it matters anyway, since it's Jongup.
They're into their shoes and out the door in record time, and make it to the ramyun restaurant down the road without incident or assassination, but it doesn't look like Daehyun and Youngjae are there. "…maybe they just got takeaway and went to the studio," Zelo guesses. Because there's no way Daehyun-hyung would be done eating in twenty minutes. Even if he took like, six or seven minutes per bowl or something it'd be… totally not enough. Probably. Zelo frowns. Math isn't really his strong point.
"We should just go to the studio," Jongup says and Zelo agrees. Even if Daehyun and Youngjae don't turn out to be there either, Jongup and Zelo can always start warmups and practice first. There's not much else better to do than dance at this time in the morning.
Zelo fishes his wallet out of his back pocket. "So, takeaway then. A bowl each or do you want seconds?"
Jongup considers the question for a moment before shrugging. "One each? We can just ask Daehyun-hyung to get extra for us if he comes back later. Or Himchan-hyung on the way after he wakes up."
Grinning, Zelo steps up to place their order. "Sounds like a plan, Agent Moon." Being youngest is definitely the best.
What: 1900w, PG
Summary: Sometimes stress gets the better of even the best.
"B.A.P must succeed," Himchan says into the quiet of the living room. Yongguk glances up but doesn't stop writing.
It's something they've been told often by TS. Perhaps being older, Yongguk and Himchan feel the technical gravity of the statement more than most of their groupmates.
"You know the worst thing about not being young and stupid?" Himchan asks rhetorically, continuing unprompted: "It's looking at the staff on hand, their probable wages per annum; the clothes we wear; the logistics involved-plane fares, coach hire, food, allowances and accommodation…" He counts the list on his fingers. "Seeing all these things in approximate monetary terms and looking conversely at how much income we generate, and knowing that we don't really break even. The digital sales, the endorsements…" His frown looks acid-etched into his forehead as he purses his lips. "It's not enough, Gukkie. If we don't make it seriously big, more jobs are at stake than just ours. What if TS goes broke? What'll happen to Chocolate and them? Our backdance hyungs? The audio-visual crew? Marketing? Director Kang? What about Untouchable?"
Yongguk sets down his pencil. TS isn't big-each 'department' Himchan has named amounts to two, maybe three people-but they are family. The enormity of the gamble TS took throwing such a huge percentage of its limited assets behind B.A.P's debut gets to each of them occasionally. Tonight just seems to be one of those nights for Himchan.
Yongguk shrugs and clears his throat. "You just gotta… do what you like. And love what you do."
Himchan glares over the coffee table. "Don't quote your stupid tattoo at me, Bbang."
"It was a tattoo on my heart long before it was ever on my skin," Yongguk says, hand brushing over his shoulder. He laughs at Himchan's irritated growl. "I just mean… not just you. Everyone, in our TS Family and like…"
Himchan raises a pointed brow at Yongguk's lapse in eloquence and Yongguk rolls his eyes. This isn't Lululala or some shit. He shouldn't need to talk pretty here.
"I mean. Nobody's in this industry because they have to be, Channie. Not us and not our staff. It's just for the love of the game."
With a graceless snort, Himchan mimics Yongguk's rap and makes gangster signs at the ceiling: "Wha'ssa name~ of the game? B.A.P!"
"You're an idiot," Yongguk says, though not unfondly as he goes back to the rhyme on his notepad. "But, y'nam sayin'?"
"Yes. Idiocy is underrated." Himchan flops back onto the couch, dramatically boneless, and Yongguk pretends not to watch the pretty line of his throat as he talks. "With any luck, by the time Jongup and Junhong are old enough to worry about things like this, TS will be more blue chip than venture capital. And by TS I mean us."
"A little luck," Yongguk chuckles, "and hard work. Dedication. Smart decisions…"
"Yeah, yeah, all that good stuff…" Himchan waves a hand and drops it over his eyes, scrubbing tiredly. He looks exhausted in more ways than the physical and Yongguk decides it's time for both of them to sleep.
"Don't stress about it too much," he advises and picks up his notebook, tapping it against his left shoulder. Himchan peeks out at him from between his long piano fingers, and it's almost cute-except for how it's not, because it's Himchan. Yongguk grins. "If you give yourself wrinkles there'll be nothing standing between Daehyun and the top of the leaderboard."
Himchan looks like he wants to reply snidely, but his mouth closes into a pout instead. He reaches out toward the hem of Yongguk's shirt, fingers wriggling in a lame attempt to touch it without moving from the couch.
Yongguk tries to keep the judgement off his face, he really does. (Not.)
Himchan's bottom lip sticks out even further. "…Gukkie, don't leave me." And a smirk finds its way into Yongguk's eyes.
"Don't think I've heard you say that since Ta-Dah."
It feels like they filmed that show years ago, but Himchan's sudden scowl clearly says he remembers it like yesterday. "If you abandon me again here, Bang Yongguk, I swear I'll-"
"I'll grab some blankets," Yongguk says, completely patronising, and pretends not to notice how Himchan's face lights up with his goofy-ass smile. "…it's a pretty small couch, though."
"You can sleep on the floor," Himchan says. Then adds quickly, when Yongguk makes to walk off on him, "or we could just cuddle up…"
Yongguk returns with the blankets off of Himchan's bed, and Himchan obligingly shuffles over. It's a close fit since neither of them are particularly small people and the couch isn't as big as it could be, but Yongguk figures he's slept in worse places. (Like last night, faceplanted at the studio computer with the keyboard imprinting squares on his face.) It's comfortable enough with Himchan's warm weight at his back and Himchan's arms around his waist.
"Don't try anything stupid," Yongguk warns before closing his eyes. "We've got early practice tomorrow."
"You mean early practice in three and a half hours," Himchan snickers.
Yongguk grunts in displeasure. Nights are never long enough.
"...I don't want anything stupid anyway," Himchan says after a moment. Petulance creeps into his tone. "I just don't want to hear that stupid Junhong sleep-telling me to concentrate on improving my own game. Again. It's not my fault I worry about everyone."
"Riiight," Yongguk says around a yawn. He pats Himchan's hand. "That's just what moms do."
"Exactly," Himchan says and wiggles a bit closer until Yongguk can feel his stupid perfect nose against the back of his neck. "And I am an awesome mom."
"Da best, Channie," Yongguk agrees. "Now shut the hell up 'n sleep."
*
"…warning, warning, warning, warning," Daehyun stage-whispers, sticking his head back into the B.A.P communal bedroom.
"What? I thought you were going to make breakfast!" Youngjae hisses, quickly tugging his shirt down over his head.
Closing the door behind him, Daehyun resists the urge to go over and poke Youngjae in the tummy. "Nah, the hyungs are on the couch like a two-pack o' sausages 'n don't look like they gonna wake up anytime soon. I say we get ramyun."
"A two-pack of what," Youngjae deadpans.
"Seconding ramyun," Jongup chimes into the closet.
Daehyun smiles.
Jongup takes more time to get dressed these days, a little fussier about fashion than he used to be (which was not at all), and Daehyun enjoys this. Mostly because it means Jongup spends more time in just his boxers and that's a happy thing on shitty mornings.
Mornings like this, when the hyungs aren't going to wake up well, and Zelo is making a disgusted judging face because slowly but surely he is learning the art of understanding innuendo and 'sausages' is now one of those things he acutely dislikes.
"They're decent though, aren't they?" Youngjae presses. Because Himchan sleeps naked, but not usually outside their bedroom. Or hotel rooms. Or-
"Decent," Daehyun confirms. "But Himchan's like, drooled all on Yongguk-hyung's shirt, and Yongguk-hyung's neck's at this weird angle that's totally gonna hurt later so I don't wanna be around when they wake up."
"Right," Youngjae says and raises his hand. "Thirding ramyun."
Jongup pulls his head out of the closet and looks at Zelo.
"…okay," Zelo says, returning his face to normal. "Ramyun."
"Does this match?" Jongup asks, holding up a black tee.
Zelo shakes his head. "No, but-"
Daehyun's stomach growls. "Guys, can we just-"
"It's black, Jonguppie," Youngjae says. "Of course it matches."
"It's a green-based black," Zelo stresses. "The shorts are red-based. When it's faded, you can't just-"
"Go shirtless," Daehyun says. "Nobody'll mind."
Zelo's eyes turn large and scandalized and he says to Daehyun, "Hyung, I think that's illegal?"
"Daehyun…" Youngjae warns.
Jongup seems to have no thoughts on the matter.
Youngjae shoves Daehyun back out the door. "Take your time, guys," Youngjae says over his shoulder. "I'll keep this monster fed."
The door clicks shut again and Zelo's uncertain voice floats out quietly: "Is… Does 'fed' mean something as well…? I mean, when he said 'take your time' did he mean we should give them time? Should we give them time?" Jongup's reply is a confused sounding, "Um."
Daehyun guffaws quietly into his fist and Youngjae slings an arm around his shoulders, thudding their heads together as he steers them down the hall. "You and Himchan-hyung need to stop messing with the poor kid, seriously! He's innocent, let him stay that way."
"Just because you discovered meatspin at the tender age of twelve," Daehyun snickers, wiping fake tears of mirth from his eyes.
Youngjae makes a pained face and unlocks the front door, handing Daehyun the keys as they step outside. "Technological competence isn't a free gift, okay. It's not my fault the internet is full of bad people."
*
"So... it's been twenty minutes," Zelo says, chewing on his lower lip. "Do you think it's safe?"
Jongup's dressed and ready now, in an outfit Zelo helped him pick that doesn't contain a single item of black after all. He shrugs, smiling. "Probably?"
"I just don't wanna… ugh." Zelo gives an exaggerated shudder. "You know. It'd be awkward."
"Awkward," Jongup agrees. "But probably okay if we just go straight to the usual place?"
Zelo nods.
"Unless they're still out in the hall," Jongup says.
Zelo makes a noise of despair.
"But they're probably not still in the hall," Jongup says.
Zelo nods.
"Unless they're just being quiet 'cause mom and dad are still sleeping," Jongup says.
Zelo makes a noise of despair and feels like he kind of wants to either throttle all his stupid hyungs or curl up into a ball and never leave the room. Maybe both. But he's hungry.
"I'll take point," Jongup offers, collecting his wallet and things, and Zelo perks right up. This is why Jongup is his best friend. Jongup is the best. Hoisting up a two-finger pistol, Jongup smiles Zelo's way. "Ready, Agent Z?"
"Ready, Agent Moon," Zelo confirms, holding his own hand!gun up beside his cheek.
Jongup goes first as promised and opens the door a crack to peek outside.
"Clear," Jongup whispers. He slips silently out.
Zelo trots softly after him, footsteps light, and stays by Jongup's shoulder at the end of the hall.
"Parents at thirteen o'clock," Jongup whispers, but disappears again before Zelo can ask if he really means 'one'-not that it matters anyway, since it's Jongup.
They're into their shoes and out the door in record time, and make it to the ramyun restaurant down the road without incident or assassination, but it doesn't look like Daehyun and Youngjae are there. "…maybe they just got takeaway and went to the studio," Zelo guesses. Because there's no way Daehyun-hyung would be done eating in twenty minutes. Even if he took like, six or seven minutes per bowl or something it'd be… totally not enough. Probably. Zelo frowns. Math isn't really his strong point.
"We should just go to the studio," Jongup says and Zelo agrees. Even if Daehyun and Youngjae don't turn out to be there either, Jongup and Zelo can always start warmups and practice first. There's not much else better to do than dance at this time in the morning.
Zelo fishes his wallet out of his back pocket. "So, takeaway then. A bowl each or do you want seconds?"
Jongup considers the question for a moment before shrugging. "One each? We can just ask Daehyun-hyung to get extra for us if he comes back later. Or Himchan-hyung on the way after he wakes up."
Grinning, Zelo steps up to place their order. "Sounds like a plan, Agent Moon." Being youngest is definitely the best.