✦ Harmonica City

@✦ J-Hope Hearing the words from the other, Baekhyun nodded and let out a small sigh. "Thank you...I'll just be over there then" he mumbled and lazily motioned a hand somewhere in the same direction the latter had pointed out as he picked up his bag again and trudged his way over to sit at the bar, completely worn out from the day's events. All his exhaustion decided to just rain down on him as he took a seat, slumping against the counter. Luckily the bartender was still around and Baekhyun kindly asked for a drink while he waited. However much he wanted to have some alcohol, he couldn't be arriving home both late AND drunk so he ordered just some iced tea to help him cool off. A few moments passed and a drink was suddenly placed in front of him. Quietly thanking the bartender, he downed about half the glass before placing it back on the counter. While he was waiting, he might as well come up with an excuse for why he was late, but what could he possibly tell his father anyway? He sat there mumbling a few excuses as practice so he'd be ready for the angry questioning from his father. He needed to be ready.

@♬ Baekhyun "Baekhyun! The name's Baekhyun." Hoseok nodded, even though the person on the other side of the call couldn't see him. He eyed the strang- Baekhyun (he knew his name now) and was secretly glad that he seemed much calmer than before. Good. Hoseok always knew that panicking was bad. Be positive! Be optimistic! Yes. That was his motto. Anyways - the boy finished the call and put his phone back in his pocket, giving Baekhyun a huge smile. (When didn't he?) "They said they'll try to be here as soon as they can! They'll call me when they're here so just stick around for a bit. You can sit down or something." He pointed at the platform and the seats at the bar. Now... to continue with cleaning up. The DJ turned towards his equipment again and finished switching everything off and making sure that everything would be ready again for tomorrow night.

@✦ J-Hope Suddenly, a rush of calmness flowed through him, relaxing his body completely. Baekhyun didn't know what came over him but he was definitely not as tense as before. Whatever it was, he was actually quite thankful for it. Being so out of character and having a nervous breakdown like he did with the other, Baekhyun was certain he was making such a fool of himself in front of some random stranger, who was kind enough to find him a ride home at least, but of course Baekhyun had always been self conscious of how others viewed him. He looked up, slightly dazed as he realized the other had seemed like he wanted his attention or something. It then occurred to him that maybe the cab driver on the other end of the line was asking for a name. He was a little hesitant at first but nonetheless, he gave the latter his name, not wanting to prolong the wait.

@♬ Baekhyun "Yeah! I'll do it. No worries." A thought crossed Hoseok's mind. Should he calm the stranger down using his powers? He didn't think worrying would help the stranger at all - from what he could tell, the guy really needed to get home on time. "Of course. Besides, you can yell at the cab driver to hurry." The DJ did his best to reassure the stranger while finding the cab company's number on his phone, glancing at him every once in a while. He frowned slightly when he noticed how nervous the stranger seemed. Oh well. Here goes nothing. "Hey, it'll be okay alright?" He smiled and patted the guy's arm, transmitting a feeling of calmness while doing so. Just a small dose wouldn't hurt. Hoseok dialed the number and put his phone up to his ear. "Yes! Hello, I'd like to call a cab. ... Club of Muse. ... ASAP. The sooner the better! Yep. ... Erm, the name?" He completely forgot that they'd ask for the name, as they wouldn't want to pick up the wrong person. "One sec." He looked at the stranger and mouthed 'your name', hoping that the guy could somewhat lip read.

@✦ J-Hope Letting out a sigh of relief, Baekhyun managed a small smile. "Thank god..if you could, that would be great.." he nodded at the offer, thankful for running into the other male. Then again, if he hadn't tripped over the bundle of cords, he could've made it to the train in time. Well, at this rate, he could probably (hopefully) make it home just in time, if not late by a few minutes, give or take. "A cab would be faster than the train, right? I mean..there won't be multiple stops so...yeah," he chuckled a bit at an attempt to calm his nerves. This was always the time where he would start to panic if he wasn't on his way home by now. The last time he'd gotten home late and his father found out, Baekhyun had to stay away from Harmonica city for a few days to a week in hopes his father didn't find out about his other job, more specifically, his other life. Baekhyun impatiently kept glancing at the time as he waited for the latter to call a cab, but then there was the waiting the cab to arrive too. This was just about the only thing that could make him so on edge--getting caught. Ruining his father's image was most certainly not on his to-do list.

@♬ Baekhyun Hoseok blinked a few times. Wait, so the world wasn't ending? He took his hat off and on a few times again, about to answer the other's question then closed his mouth when the boy told him not to. Honestly he was still worried if the stranger was okay. That thud seemed pretty... painful now that he thought about it. But the stranger seemed more preoccupied with something else. Hoseok stuffed his hands into his pockets and quietly watched the boy in front of him pace back and forth and talk to himself. "Ah... Bluebell." He paused for a bit, glancing at the clock. "Sure, it's not impossible. We'd have to call a cab though. The ones around here only go locally." He glanced around the club and noticed that Joonkyu hyung had left already - the bartender must've thought the stranger was Hoseok's friend or something. Dang. He always walked home with Joonkyu hyung because it was pretty dangerous to roam around outside at this hour alone, with gangs outside and whatnot. But his problem wasn't the priority right now. First, Hoseok had to help this poor guy in front of him. "Don't worry!" He gave the other a bright smile, raising an index finger. "You want me to call a cab for you?" He fished into his jacket pocket for his phone.

[post deleted by owner]

@✦ J-Hope Baekhyun was only paying half attention to the latter's ramblings, not quite sure what he was getting at. The realization of the time struck him hard and a million scenarios played out in his mind until he heard the stranger saying something about dying. Wait, what. His panicked expression soon turned to an unamused one. "Why would the world be ending? Are you for real?" he asked incredulously, unbelieving that this guy, who seemed around Baekhyun's age, was seriously thinking the world was going to end. There was no way someone was that..that...naive. Wait, but that wasn't the main problem. "No, wait. Don't answer that. I don't have time," he waved off the other thought, frantically looking around. "I have to figure out a way home before he freaks out..oh, my god, what do I do?" he groaned and messily ran a hand through his hair in distress. At this point, he was barely paying any mind to the other, too caught up in his predicament. "I have work in the morning! I can't just wait until the morning for the first train out of here! If I call in sick...no, no...I can't do that...I have a reputation to uphold.." he mumbled, pacing for a moment before stopping in his tracks. If he could find a cab at this hour, he could make it, right? "Hey...you..." he looked up at the latter, hoping this guy could help him out in some way, "You wouldn't happen to know if there was a way I can catch a ride to Bluebell from here in say..I don't know..within the next half hour?" he asked, a polite, but slightly forced, smile on his lips. His eyes were basically pleading that the other say yes or he was done for.

Hoseok reached out to help the stranger get up, then stopped himself thinking it would be somewhat awkward. He hoped the other wasn't too embarrassed. "Are you sure? You're not hurt anywhere right?" He scanned the stranger quickly: well, he wasn't bleeding. That's always a good sign right? "Things like this all the time, y'know. Like last time, just the other day! I was strolling along and you see, these cables just leap out of nowhere and attack my shoes! Next thing I know, my shoelaces were knotted in the stupid cables!" He laughed loudly, the laugh decreasing to a weak cough as he realized the stranger wasn't laughing with him. "I'm sorry, I really am. I really don't have anywhere else to put these cords, you know. I'll figure something out though." He gave the other a firm nod. "I'll make one of those cord boxes or something, have you seen those before?" Hoseok was pretty much talking to himself when he heard the stranger exclaim. "What? What?" He panicked a little. What else could go wrong for this guy? Oh dear oh dear. Hoseok didn't feel ready at all. What if the world was ending? "What is it! The world's not ending right I'm too young to die I'm too young!" He flailed slightly at the thought, dreading the other's answer.

@✦ J-Hope This little incident was quite embarrassing enough as it was, but the sound of another's voice, Baekhyun's head snapped up. So he assumed no one had seen, but here he is, face-to-face with a complete stranger. Quickly, he scrambled onto his feet, dusting off his jeans before looking at the latter. "Uh...yeah...I'm fine," he forced a light laugh to cover up the embarrassment. After all, it was something he was used to, putting on an act. The laugh died down barely a second later as he gave a brief glare at the inanimate object. "Who leaves a bunch of cords in the middle of a walkway anyway," he grumbled under his breath, adjusting the strap of his bag over his shoulder. He looked back up and cleared his throat before speaking to him this time. "Well, thanks for checking up on me, but...I should really be-" he stilled for a moment as he noticed the time, "Are you ing kidding me?!" he shrieked suddenly at the realization that he just missed the last train heading back to his town from here. "No, no, nononono," a shake of the head and a groan. Of course the whole universe was against him. How was he supposed to get home now?

@♬ Baekhyun Hoseok let out a breath, turning the mixer and his other equipment off and tidying up the area around him. He really liked it when it was closing time. The club was so quiet it almost seemed like a completely different place. He hummed a random tune to himself and by habit, reached up towards his snapback, turning it back to the front. He was about to go get his belongings when he heard a yelp and a thud behind him. Was that Joonkyu hyung? Probably. He turned around, unamused until he recognized a complete stranger on the floor, wincing in pain with a bundle of cords behind him. Putting two and two together, Hoseok immediatly widened his eyes as he scrambled over to the stranger. "Oh my god!! Are you okay?!" He could swear his voice cracked somewhere in there but oh well.

@✦ J-Hope Having just finished his shift, Baekhyun made his way to the back of the club to change back into more comfortable clothes. As he was pulling his jeans back on, he checked the clock hanging on the wall to see that he had about half an hour to get back home before his father realized he wasn't home. Muttering a curse under his breath, he hastily packed up his things back into his bag before zipping it and sprinting out of the room. He could make it back in time with maybe ten minutes to spare if he could catch the next train back. Lost in his thoughts, Baekhyun hadn't made sure to watch out for the bundle of cords, resulting in his foot getting caught and ultimately, his downfall. A small yelp was heard as he came crashing down, face-first. "Ah, ..." he grumbled as he moved to at least a sitting position, rubbing his now sore nose. That was sure to bruise in the morning, but on the bright side, it's not bleeding.