a true rare talent

Just Keep Dancing, Nemo Bae || The Baes

"Oi, I can do my own laundry!" Nemo laughed. "I've done it for several years!"

He didn't...like it. But human machines made it easier, at least. There were laundry machines down the hall. Or maybe it was down one floor. Nemo couldn't remember but he knew it would cost a few kroner each time. Hopefully not too too expensive.

He kept unpacking things. Appa joined him. It was funny how fast it went-- it had taken Nemo so much longer to pack in comparison.

Soon, the suitcases were empty shells and Nemo didn't have anything else to... do.

He glanced at Appa and cleared his throat. "Well...I guess that's it. Thanks for helping."

@baenxietydad

@justkeepdancing-nemo

"...right," Mu-yeol said, clearing his throat and looking around the room. "Right."

He stood there awkwardly, not sure what to do next.

Should he leave now? He should leave. But his feet were glued in place, unable to leave his son, his baby, the one he'd raised all by himself. It felt wrong just dropping him off in Denmark.

"Right," he said quietly. "I should let you...settle in."

Nemo wasn't sure what to do either.

The thing was, they'd done this before. Appa helped Nemo move into his dorm room. He helped him move into his place with Finny and Jeremy. They'd done this dance, but it was different now. Appa wouldn't be a short flight away from the hollow, or down the road above Hatter's.

Nemo felt a lump form in his throat. He wanted to tell Appa not to go, but that was so silly. It was time.

He smiled, eyes shining with tears, opened his mouth...

But nothing came out.

Instead, Nemo lunged toward his father, smacking into him as he hugged him tightly. "Th-thanks for helping me move in, Appa," he said, his voice shaking a bit. He sniffled. "Thanks for everything."

@baenxietydad

#UGH #the baes #para #Dx

Just Keep Dancing, Nemo Bae || The Baes

@justkeepdancing-nemo

"It's better to have too many," Mu-yeol said, responding to exactly what was said.

He looked around the room, finding it a bit small, but it'd have to do. It was a good price.

"You're going to be too tired to do laundry often. And you won't have me to just do it for you when it bothers me that you have so many dirty clothes."

"Oi, I can do my own laundry!" Nemo laughed. "I've done it for several years!"

He kept unpacking things. Appa joined him. It was funny how fast it went-- it had taken Nemo so much longer to pack in comparison.

Soon, the suitcases were empty shells and Nemo didn't have anything else to... do.

He glanced at Appa and cleared his throat. "Well...I guess that's it. Thanks for helping."

@baenxietydad

#gif chat #the baes

angelstrong

Mission: Incognito || OPEN

angelstrong

Despite Angel’s public announcement to her fans that she would be taking some time away from the spotlight in order to focus solely on her music she didn’t actually plan on disappearing completely. She’d wanted to get away from California to sightsee and gain new experiences elsewhere that might help with her creative drive, but she didn’t have it in her to be put on the backburner for an undetermined amount of time. She thrived on attention and could never go too long without at least a sliver of it.

Having put on the largest pair of sunglasses in her collection, Angel had decided that she would take a walk around town in order to familiarize herself with the new surroundings and maybe even a neighbor or two; she was bored and shopping with others was the best way to cure her boredom.

“Are any of these shops even worth visiting?” She said aloud to no one in particular.

Nemo blinked and glanced around but... yeah, it looked like this girl was talking to him!

Briefly, he squinted. Did he know her? Something about her seemed familiar...

"Oh, well-- I think so!" Nemo chirped. "Depends I guess on what you're looking for. Personally, if you want clothes, I'd go to From Farm to Table. They've got so much stuff there and it's really affordable!"

@angelstrong

#gif chat #angel

Just Keep Dancing, Nemo Bae || The Baes

@justkeepdancing-nemo

Mu-yeol wasn't so sure it was the right choice. He was half-convinced it wasn't. And equally convinced there was no such thing as a right choice.

All he knew was that it felt wrong to just leave his son here. He wanted to tell him to change his mind just as badly as he wanted to end this interaction, leave, and go home so he wouldn't tell him to leave with him.

Nemo wanted a good goodbye, Mu-yeol wasn't sure if he could give it.

"Impossible to know. No use in what-ifs." Mu-yeol said absently. "What else needs unpacked?" He asked.

It was better to at least be useful.

It's true, Nemo wanted a good goodbye.

But on the other wing, he didn't want to say goodbye at all.

He was putting it off-- making cheerful conversation and unpacking his stuff slowly so Appa had to wait. Well, he didn't really have to wait. He could have left by now, but Nemo knew that Appa was lingering. Whether that was because he was using his appa telepathy to see that's what Nemo wanted or because he didn't want to say goodbye either-- Nemo didn't know. And it didn't really matter.

So he kept going, smiling like this wasn't a huge turning point for father and son. He knew he'd have to acknowledge it and watch Appa walk away. But not quite yet.

"Oh uh-- everything! I mean, I got these two suitcases. I can't believe I even have enough to have suitcases," Nemo said. "Maybe you're right, and I'm too human-coded these days. I have too many dance pants."

@baenxietydad

Just Keep Dancing, Nemo Bae || The Baes

@justkeepdancing-nemo

"I dunno," he said, but not with finality. He was clearly thinking. "If she were here, I don't think we would be here exactly."

He shoved his hands in his pockets.

"I never would've left Korea, you wouldn't have grown up in Europe. You wouldn't be English, wouldn't be you," Mu-yeol mused. "Wouldn't have made the decisions you made to bring you here."

She'd been gone twenty years now. Mu-yeol could hardly pretend to know what she'd say; he was hearing her voice in his head less clearly as time went on. But he knew what answer Nemo was after. So he gave it.

"She'd be worried to leave you here, of course. But she would be proud of you for landing your first dance job."

Nemo wondered how true that was-- not the last part, because yeah, obviously his Eomma would be proud and worried, like Appa was proud and worried. Those were obvious parent emotions that Nemo knew well by now.

But he wondered about the other stuff that Appa said. Would he really not be himself? Would he really be so different?

Probably aspects of that were true. He'd speak Korean, not English. He would have grown up more in the human world. He could have hidden his wings better, Nemo supposed.

But he probably still would have loved dance. And he would still be a fast-flying talent. Some things couldn't be erased, gifts given to him that Nemo believed, at least, were fundamental. Those were definitely two of them.

"Yeah," Nemo agreed. He smiled, though, like always, when he smiled thinking about his eomma, it was half-happy and half-sad. "I dunno. I kinda feel like I would have ended up here or...somewhere similar. Just a feeling I have. Like, it's the same feeling why I know this is the right choice, you know?"

Appa might not know. He was always so in his head. Not Nemo thought-- he had always been all heart and guts.

@baenxietydad

Just Keep Dancing, Nemo Bae || The Baes

@justkeepdancing-nemo

Nemo never asked him about his life in Seoul. If anything, every time he tried to talk about it, Nemo acted uncomfortable and didn't engage with the topic. This was the first time he was asking him to talk about it.

"I hardly remember," Mu-yeol admitted. "I don't think I was thinking or feeling much of anything except how in love I was with your eomma. I was painfully unprepared for how difficult everything was about to be, living in Seoul. She'd already been living in a loft apartment for a year before we promised and I followed to Seoul, so it was already pretty put together before I moved in."

He shrugged.

"I got straight to finding work. No time to 'soak it all in' or whatever." He sighed. "I remember I liked the air conditioning. I got very spoiled on it."

Nemo nodded a little, briefly glancing out the window. That really would be different--- arriving in a new city with someone he loved.

He let himself want it for a moment. Just a moment.

It had been several years since he had first fallen in love. At the time, that love had been the biggest thing in his life. It had made his world feel bigger too-- had made him feel bigger, and stronger, and more capable. It could have been nice to share all this with another person and never worry about... well-- anything, really. Especially being alone.

But see---that's where the moment ended.

Because now, Nemo knew how to be alone. And although he didn't love it, he knew that a lot of good could come from it-- new opportunities, new friends, and bursts of creativity that came from the spring within himself, that place touched by the Pixie dust tree; the place that made Nemo, Nemo.

If he were here with Robbie or Tae or even Finn, it would no doubt be really awesome. But...would he grow as much? Would he learn as much? Somehow, Nemo just knew this was something that he was supposed to do alone. It was just supposed to be him and dance. That's how he'd find out what stuff he was made of.

Well, besides pixie dust.

He smiled gently at Appa. "I'm sure it was fun anyway. Even when you were busy. Since you had each other. Do you think..." He looked at the window again, then back. "What do you think she would say? If Eomma were here?"

@baenxietydad

#and he's giving pirate here #truly... ur range... jimin... my son #park jimin #sharkbait oo ha ha

pjm-archive

Just Keep Dancing, Nemo Bae || The Baes

@justkeepdancing-nemo

Now that he was getting a proper look at the kollegium, Mu-yeol could only think one thing. Wow, I'm really leaving my son here.

He couldn't find it in him to care where Nemo put his dance shirts, how he personalized his space, whatever. All he was thinking about was that this was goodbye for who knows how long, because there was no guarantee Nemo would come home between dance jobs. Maybe he's land another one right away in LA or something.

He wanted to leave now, to let Nemo enjoy being here before he ruined it by being anxious and emotional, but Nemo wouldn't just allow that so he had to force himself to be present.

"If you hang them up you can more easily see what you have."

"Right-- yeah, that makes sense. And it's only me in here anyway," said Nemo. He glanced around as he said it, like he expected a roommate to materialize out of nowhere. But no one did.

Wasn't that nutty? Here he was-- in his first adult apartment, sorta. All by himself.

Scary. Exciting.

He grabbed one of the hangers to start the process. "Jingles, I can't believe I'm actually gonna like... be here for a few months," he said. "What was it like, moving into your first place, Appa?"

@baenxietydad

#wow this rly is like something out of a fanfic r we kidding #sharkbait oo ha ha

minyoonjin

a real life prince..✨

kaciart

Patreon | Ko-Fi

#im about to spam jimin content for the next so many weeks not sorry about it #inspo

Just Keep Dancing, Nemo Bae || The Baes

#para #the baes #AHHHHHHHHHHHH #is how i feel about this

It had been a whirlwind 24 hours-- human transportation boggling Nemo's brain as they went from train to plane to train again, arriving, finally, at the kollegium that Nemo had booked for the summer. As a fairy, he'd never really had much, but Appa had brought another suitcase for him. So that was his summer haul: two suitcases and a bookbag!

They'd dropped off all of Nemo's stuff, then went to get lunch. Nemo's eyes had nearly popped out of his head when he saw the prices, but apparently part of it was because they included a generous gratuity for the servers. And hey-- Nemo's appa had been a server all of Nemo's life! So he thought that was pretty fair.

Plus, the food was delicious.

They'd checked out Tivoli too-- well, the outside at least, taking one of the trains down to the location, kinda like a test run for Nemo's day-to-day journey. It was actually rather simple, the train was super clean, and everyone was polite and rather quiet. They'd stared up at the Tivoli entrance and Nemo felt a shiver go through him.

Now, they were finally back at Nemo's room to unpack... and say goodbye.

Nemo was in denial about the goodbye part.

"Omo, where should I put my dance shirts? Do you think it's worth hanging them up? Maybe I can fit them here." Nemo opened one of the small dresser drawers. He had his own room, which was nice, but on a floor with loads of other people, which was ALSO nice. It felt like school all over again.

@baenxietydad

Next Moves || The Baes

@justkeepdancing-nemo

"Yeah, probably," Mu-yeol said, sure that he smiled, but he didn't. He meant to.

He took another bite of his food to buy some time.

"You'll want to hop on a good deal before someone else does," Mu-yeol said, smiling a bit this time. "I'm sure Copenhagen isn't quite as competitive as Seoul housing was, though worse than here, being a capital city."

Then, he actually laughed.

"Too bad you'll be done there before October 10th-- because I could tell David I simply have to see The Mountain Goats a fourth time this fall because my son is also in Copenhagen." A comfortable smile settled across his face and he gestured to Nemo's room. "It's only for a summer. And I can always go to Copenhagen to see it."

#can probs close this up??#gif chat #the baes

Appa seemed to relax-- somewhat. Whether that was a mask or because he was thinking about the Mountain Goats, Nemo didn't know. But Nemo relaxed too, matching Appa smile for smile.

Because hey, that was true. Appa could come see him in Copenhagen. He outta come at least once to see the show, though Nemo knew it was selfish to want that. Admissions to Tivoli was gonna be expensive.

But maybe that was the good thing about Appa having a husband now. He didn't have to shoulder the burden of all that cost alone.

"Yeah," Nemo agreed. "Yeah, you'll have to! I think it's gonna be a good show, Appa. Apparently Hans Christen Andersen was a pretty cool magick ally."

Some even thought he was secretly a magick, hiding his identity the same way he had hid his bisexuality but-- well, Nemo was no scholar. He was just happy that he'd gotten a first job that was a celebration of magicks in fairy tales. It was a good gig.

@baenxietydad

Next Moves || The Baes

@justkeepdancing-nemo

"I know." Mu-yeol said, though he didn't know that. Neither did Nemo. Nobody knew that.

And Nemo shouldn't be making him feel better anyway, they should be focusing on Nemo, which is what he was trying to do!

"So what, in a couple weeks?" He said, pushing food around his plate.

Welp, Appa barely responded to his attempt at comfort. Nemo supposed he shouldn't be too surprised. Appa was gonna Appa...which usually meant being stubborn and anxious all at once.

But he'd still come a long way. And Nemo knew he'd have David to comfort him once Nemo was gone.

"Uh-- yeah. Yeah, I guess so." Nemo's stomach fluttered nervously. "I guess I better start researching that place to live, huh?"

@baenxietydad

#gif chat #the baes

Next Moves || The Baes

@justkeepdancing-nemo

Honestly it was crazy they didn't provide housing when recruiting dancers from abroad, with no connections to Denmark. At least they had suggested housing, some kind of helpful guide.

"That should be a good place to start," Mu-yeol said, trying not to bring up reasons that maybe this was a bad idea after all.

Nemo knew his Appa.

So of course, he knew that something else was going on. Appa was suddenly speaking in short sentences and his shoulders had gone all tense. Nemo had seen that look all the time-- though that look used to come with Appa ranting that Nemo wasn't allowed to do THIS or THAT!

They'd come a long way, the two of them. Which was why Nemo smiled across the table and reached out a hand.

"Appa, you know I'll be okay, right? It's...it's a huge change but...I think it's the right one. And Denmark is a really safe city."

@baenxietydad

#gif chat #the baes

4.9% Unemployment || Mimo

madmagicmim

"You do? That's awesome! You're going to be amazing," Mim said instantly, full of confidence for Nemo. Sure, they'd both been complaining about unfair judgements and not getting hired, and there was every chance that this would crash and burn.

But she could be confident for him anyway. She had a good feeling about this. Especially if they could give him the right nudge.

"How about we each submit one thing here and then we head over to the Rock Shoppe? Sometimes the best way to find your stone is to just run your hands through the bucket and see if something feels like a good vibe. Besides, you might like the colors of one better than the other so I don't want to recommend the wrong thing."

But she felt right about one of those two. From there, it was Nemo's job to pick. "That way you get to control that bit of good luck."

Plus, if they went together, she could give him the Ambrosius discount. Aka, free.

@justkeepdancing-nemo

#para #mimo #can probs close this up?

That made sense-- picking the rock for himself, that is. He needed to, er... connect with the rock! And Nemo did mean that, even if it sounded silly thinking about it. But as a fairy, he believed all things had magic, were all parts of one whole. So it was very possible that a specific stone might call to him and he'd only realize it once he ran his hands over all of 'em.

"Sounds like a plan! At least I'll get one more submission out," said Nemo. He had been on the verge of quitting for the day with nothing to show for it. He knew he shouldn't do that but, blah, job applications were so boring...

But Mim found a way to make it fun. Or, at least to reward him in the end.

He opened his laptop again to try and find a call for auditions.

@madmagicmim

Next Moves || The Baes

@justkeepdancing-nemo

"Great," Mu-yeol said, lying through his teeth.

Fairies rarely moved outside of their home Hollows, rarely went out into the world the way Nemo was about to do...the way Mu-yeol had. Typically if they left the Hollow, they moved to the nearest human settlement.

The idea of Nemo being so far away...

But Nemo was not content just dancing in the Hollow. He wanted a dance career in the people world and Mu-yeol had to support him enough for two parents. He was all Nemo had.

"So that's...pretty soon. I think I afford to cover the first month of rent up to 800 pounds. Maybe up to 400 after that, If you think you need my help, keep those numbers in mind while place-hunting."

Because focusing on details, on The Plan, that was easier than thinking about his son moving away as a bigger concept.