At Hoseok’s comment, Reuben looked down toward his hands. From the confines of his chest, a laugh (the sound more akin to a bark) escaped. It was raspy as it followed the breaths that he exerted, a consequence of his thorough deep clean. Reuben wasn’t embarrassed by the fact that he had obviously been making an effort. If anything, the visit served as a prompt to actually force him to make his apartment somewhat presentable. But despite it all, there was no concealing the darkened ceiling from where smoke had lifted and STAINED–Febreeze had been his best friend in his attempt of removing the sweet smell of weed.
“If you saw the place before, you’d wish I had. Trust me on that. I was close to making another breakthrough with penicillin, so right now, I’m feeling like a domestic Goddess.” As he was when they had met before, he felt glad that Hoseok had decided to turn up. Admittedly, Reuben felt at times as if he were on eggshells, careful with what he said and became very aware of how he had pushed Hoseok out of his comfort zone. But as per usual, he was forever plagued with the need to befriend all he came across. Reuben knew that this stemmed from childhood–always seeking plans, getting muddy in rivers, all so he could prolong the inevitable. Growing up in a home where such unbearable sadness lived for what felt like an eternity, Reuben would be determined to lighten the spirits of both himself and those that surrounded him.
Was Hoseok a victim of this? Maybe, but he had come to like Hoseok a great deal–their interactions were comical, and although their meeting was strained in parts, Reuben found the cracks in which the Hoseok he had come to know shone through. Hoseok was funny when he was comfortable, and so Reuben had no qualms in inviting the other over for an afternoon of nerdiness. His brothers’ failed to indulge in his hobbies, so it was a relief to find a kindred spirit in the other.
Reuben’s bare feet had sunk into the outdated shag carpet as he retreated inside and shut the door behind Hoseok. In a box atop of his dining table, lay the figurines that the pair planned to paint. From Druids to Half-orcs, Reuben had bought an abundance in a bid to keep the pair busy. Reuben was not afraid of being utterly shameless and admitting that he was very excited for this.
“Have you eaten yet? I have so many coupons we can use if you’re hungry. I’m a regular customer at everywhere in a five mile vicinity.”
“You do look like a domestic Goddess.” Hoseok replied with a small, cheeky grin, though he was hoping he wasn’t taking it too far. The last thing he wanted to do was insult Reuben barely a minute after entering the apartment. But at the same time, he wanted to seem as relaxed as he could manage, despite the constant anxiety in his body. “My place is... kinda bad.” He then added with a slight shrug. Sure, he could blame the state of his apartment on the size (or lack thereof), but rationally he knew it was the depression that drained him of all energy and motivation to do anything.
His wide eyes wandered around the place for a moment; he was hesitant to step further inside, but eventually did so anyway, not wanting to look too awkward in lingering near the door. He hated that he got like this -- sometimes it even still happened around Saeran. The discomfort of being away from his home, being too aware of his lack of social skills and the timid and awkward way he carried himself. It was exhausting.
At the mention of food, Hoseok heard his stomach growl and a blush rose to his cheeks. “Ah... I haven’t, but... I don’t want to... be a bother...” He replied, frowning slightly. Even with coupons, he felt weird just accepting anything from other people. It felt wrong to take money from others. “I’m okay, I... had some rice yesterday.” He pushed his lips up into a smile, though he was unable to look Reuben in the eye.
He slowly moved towards the table. “Are these the, um... figurines?” He asked, keeping himself from reaching out to touch anything. Something his parents had only needed to tell him once -- look but don’t touch. Sure, he’d have to touch them later, but he didn’t want to do anything without Reuben’s permission. God, why was he so weird?
tangentwithtanner
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