⌜❥⌟ barney barton ━━━━━━━ trickshxt
he’s not entirely sure which is worse; the pity in jihun’s face or the way his stomach rumbles, loudly so, at the mention of coffee. practically whines for it in the face of sixteen pages of homework left to read and more than his fair share of math problems left to puzzle out before sleep can be claimed. his hand seems a near permanent fixture at the back of his neck now. as if any relief will be given by that movement.
still, though. “ain’t really picky about coffee…” and that is most definitely not a lie. preferences? sure. but when offered for free he isn’t about to comment on supposed quality or not.
he’s close on jihun’s heels, following him in. arms close. self-conscious of just how much space he seems to take up in a space that isn’t his own. the dog is a surprise and he blinks at her. the beagle staring him back in equal shock. for a moment they do little more than watch the other with a similar type of wariness.
eventually, he holds out a hand, relaxing. “hey, abby. sorry t’intrude.” letting her sniff his palm before following jihun into the small kitchen.
he lurks awkwardly in the door, watching jihun nearly dance through the space. at home and in his element. the mismatched cups don’t miss his notice, though he says nothing of it.
the coffee sticks, however, have him tilting his head. “that’s coffee?” voice puzzled. not worried, just confused. book bag shifting in his arms. “ain’t seen it come lookin’ like that before. he accepts the mug when handed over, glancing in. intrigued. a delicate sip taken and a soft hum given. “not bad at all.”
he can’t help it however, eyes glancing around. curiosity clear. “how long you been here? ain’t heard a peep outta ya…not that that’s bad, just…” a soft tinge of pink to his cheeks. “not that I’m really around much t’hear anyone.”
it’s really not that bad, but he’s guessing that barney’s a little too tired right now to feel anything short of embarrassment. it could be worse. barney could’ve pissed his pants on his doorstep or something. jihun’s not feeling anything but concern for the guy, maybe just a little bit of pity. it was a pretty miserable situation. but jihun’s just lonely enough to think of the mix-up as something favorable, and, hey. he should congratulate himself. there’s a guy in his fucking house right now, and they’re going to have coffee. together. after introducing. jihun finds himself grinning stupidly, watching barney introduce himself to his dog, a weird sort of pride bubbling up inside him.
aberdeen’s wary. she watches the man with a sort of anxious gaze, bending her neck to sniff at barney’s hand for a moment, before she finds something more interesting to sniff at. barney smells worlds different than her owner, and, soon enough, she’s got two paws up and ready to go in on categorizing every scent when barney moves; the beagle follows at his ankles, curious, sitting at his feet when he pauses at the kitchen counter.
by then, jihun’s got the coffee doled out in cheap mugs, a plastic tube swirling in each of them as a makeshift spoon. he’s caught before better judgement gets him, and he quickly pulls out the wrappers, offering barney a weak grin as he nudges it toward him.
❝ ━━━━━━━ yeah, it’s all mixed up. cream and sugar and instant all in one tube. it’s fucking convenient. ❞ he drops the wrappers in the trash, quickly wiping his fingers off on a towel by his stove as he settles on the counter. arms folded, serving as a cushion as he leans onto it, he just barely reaches out and fumbles with his own mug. he’s not as good at this as barney seems to be. it’s way too hot for his tongue. ❝ it’s korean. i buy it by the hundreds. ❞
a grin curls his lips, just a fraction. a sly sort of smile, one that preys on the amusement barney offers when he speaks. he’s delightfully awkward. in a roundabout way, it makes jihun feel safer to speak.
❝ i’ve been here for years. i’m just quiet, i guess. i don’t throw a lot of parties, and abby’s well-behaved. why? y’want me to me louder or something? i can start throwing real.... ragers every saturday if that’s what you’d like. but it’d probably fuck with your, uh. free time. ❞
❝ how about you? i don’t hear much from you, and i’m always here. ❞
