chaos theory

- { In The Dead Of Night

He was still somewhat amazed that they hadn’t just started a blown out fight with each other yet, one Jisoo would most undoubtedly win if it was a physical fight. But instead of watching time arguing with each other about practically everything, they seemed to be getting along quite nicely and had even formulated a plan to screw over cheaters for a change. Besides, making sure those with flashlights got what were coming to them was bound to be more interesting that actually completing the obstacle course.

“Unless they happen to shine their lights on us, then sure, they will never see it coming,” and no doubt knowing their luck they would see the two of them coming for some kind of twisted revenge. Still, it was a plan and it was better than an argument, so Seungjun decided that it was probably best if he just got on with it in the hopes that maybe the other’s deep seated anger could be let out on someone else for a change.

Unlike Jisoo, he decided to stick close to the course, not so he actually had to do the extra exercise, just because it was the most direct route and he didn’t have any plans of getting lost in the woods anytime soon. It did work, it was pretty easy just to walk around the side of everything he was expected to complete, and before too long he had caught up to the first annoying pair with their flashlight shining the way forward. What they hadn’t been expecting, however, was Jisoo to pop out and throw mud in their face. Well, not exactly what he would have done in the situation, but a distraction was a distraction.

And so, not even thinking about it, the empath charged forward, tackling the one with the flashlight from behind into the mud. Maybe he should have thought about this more as he was no doubt now covered head to toe in the mud he had just willingly thrown himself into, but there was no time to complain. He made quick work or wrestling said flashlight from his hands in the daze, standing again. “Sorry about that, but I’ll be taking this.”

Not so surprisingly, the two they had just ambushed did not seem all too pleased about this and looked just about ready to kill. “I think we should be going now while we’re ahead,” he muttered as he backed up towards Jisoo, side eyeing the other.

#nx:mt #nxseungjun #`p: in the dead of night

Jisoo acknowledges Seungjun's glance through gritted teeth, almost like he knows what it means; They're going to have to back down on these little bastards, leave this fight here with nothing but their flashlights and the (surprisingly satisfying) sight of their wounded egos. But you know what, he thinks, he'll take it. What's losing the battle when you can win the war, right?

It just meant that along the way, sacrifices would have to be made.

This was all out guerilla warfare, and Seungjun was lucky enough to have a partner best fitted to upheave this level of unrest. Jisoo’s a soldier through and through, strong, pulls out all the stops, and god does he hate losing; So what's not to like? It's pretty much printed right there on his resume that he's the kind of person you'd need if you wanted to win a war. Even if that war... had been no more than petty jealousy over shitty team picks and the bending of rules they normally didn’t care about.

There’s more mud between his fists now — always have your ammunition reloaded, he tells himself, you never know when’s the next time you’ll be in the fray. It’s a wise decision to let Seungjun keep the flashlight, knowing him he’d be able to use whatever he had up there in his head to monopolize it, keep the damn thing to himself until they’ve found somewhere to chuck them.

"Let's go, we've got more flashlights to steal."

The folks the dastardly duo come across next don’t have flashlights, they’re a pair of giggling girls, one of which being the proud owner of a light generation ability. Such a damn shame she had to go and use it this way, Jisoo thinks, then graces Seungjun a knowing sneer. “How about we go ruin their fun?”

`— hazard to society / jisoo and jongsuk

It was one thing to have the honor of attending this godforsaken membership training, but having to share a tiny tarp with someone else? Now having a roommate, that crossed a really fine line. But this, this was pure insanity — especially when you sit down and consider that the tarpmate in question happened to be right around Jisoo’s size, just... a whole lot skinnier.

Normally the two wouldn’t have crossed paths, one or the other always coming back to the tarp while it’s still unoccupied, free of the nuances that came with cohabitation. He’s sure they were both aware they were sharing with someone, except that someone got his kicks out of being constantly absent. It’s been a couple days now, yet no formal introduction, nothing.

And he can’t say he’s unhappy with that, but with Jisoo’s luck, the good times only last for so long. He crinkles his nose when he sees it, the other tall male underneath the tarp, and it’s nearly enough to take away from his relatively pleasant mood.

“So you’re the guy.” He’s grumbling now, like some sort of spoiled child. “I liked you a lot better when you were too busy to show up.”

#nxjongsuk #`p: hazard to society #(SORRY IT'S LATE!!!!)#nx:mt

Friction | Jisoo & Jin Goo

The kid lays on the floor, and a part of Jin Goo has to wonder if the punishment is worse than he had originally thought. Of course he had thought it was harsh, but was it unbearably so? His intention wasn’t to break the guy, just teach him respect, the hard way.

Was this guy really so dull as to think that simply repeating the wrong answer would make it correct. That, or he found it fun. Fine. If the guy wanted something fun, Jin Goo would play along. He turns the level down slightly before starting the simulation. It’s definitely still not in any sense fair for the student, but if the guy tried hard, he’d be able to hold his own for a little while. Then, once there’s recognition that perhaps it isn’t completely impossible, he turns the level up to the maximum level again.

When the simulation turns off again, Jin Goo looks over at the student, on the floor again. “You might want to try a different answer,” he suggests dryly.

#nxjingoo #`p: friction #(JISOO GETTING REAL MOUTHY)

All this effort just to get back at him is just in poor taste, Jisoo thinks.

He knows that there’s no point in trying, that history’s only going to repeat itself and in no time at all he’ll be coming to on the cold steel floor with nothing but death gnawing at the corners of his mind. It’s a sick irony, really. A bitter reminder that as far as he tried to run from his truth there was no escaping it.

It’s good old evisceration the second time, and the third’s a shotgun to the head in a moment where he’s least expecting. Everything else is guts and glory worthy of none other than a Hollywood horror flick. And at first he does put up a fight, the best damn fight a lone, unarmed soldier can manage, but the moment he feels like he has his virtual assailants under control he’s decimated by numbers.

And it drones on and on to the point where he can’t even remember what life he’s on anymore. Because at some point between all that he stops counting. Jisoo detests it, every minute he wastes locked up in here he could be doing something else that actually matters to him.

“Is this the kind of thing you get off to, you sick fuck?” This time he sluggishly sits up, quirks an eyebrow and jeers right back at the teacher. “You’re a real coward, you know that? Hiding behind steel doors when if you really wanted to call it even you’d come down here and fight me yourself.”

“Looks like you’re not half as tough as you think you are, huh?”

Friction | Jisoo & Jin Goo

The student is overwhelmed by the simulations so quickly that had Jin Goo not been paying attention he would’ve missed it completely. A couple of seconds go by, and the simulation flickers off. Even though he’s seen many teammates ‘die’ in a simulation, it’s still disconcerting to see. He had killed no small number of people in real life. He had seen the life fade from their eyes. To see the same look on someone who was technically not dying, though. It was weird, disturbing almost.

He pulls himself together as the other comes to again, a default indifferent mask smoothing over his features. A corner of his lips barely turns upwards at the ‘insult’. There isn’t nearly enough force behind it to be taken seriously. And it doesn’t bother him; he’d been called worse. In any case, it’s not like the guy can do anything about him being a sick bastard.

Jin Goo gives the other another half minute to get his bearings before he repeats his earlier question. “What’s the most important thing about fighting?” Maybe after this, the guy would be a little less of an asshole. He doubts it, although he’s hopeful. The bully seems a little more resilient than that.

Jisoo really can't be fucked to get up off the cold floor, especially not after dying. (Or being killed? He can’t for the life of him make sense of which it had been.) Fictional or not he’s smart enough to figure it's not much different from the real thing, it's callous, lonely and as much as he's been trying to avoid the train of thought he thinks of it anyway. The experience on its own sets a a gritty uneasiness in the young soldier, one that he can't as easily shake off as he does the rest of his problems. The only thing he can do for himself is lay an arm over his face to block out the teacher's prying gaze.

And it’s pathetic.

Jisoo wasn’t the type to back down from an altercation but here he was, laying on the floor like he’d just been rolled over by a steam train. But what could he do? The thought of death alone brought about long-buried feelings that he’d rather not delve into.

"It's like you didn't hear me the first time." There's a quiet groan before he resumes. "Winning. Unless you wanted me to say losing, but there's no way that would be right. Right?" Just what did the teacher expect of him? To read his mind, or perhaps recite the textbook word by word? Instead he digs deeper into the pit he’s laying in, he’s already died once so what does it matter if it happens again? And again, and again, and again. It's unfair, he thinks. Really fucking unfair.

#nxjingoo #`p: friction

Friction | Jisoo & Jin Goo

It’s harsh punishment. But there were very few punishments that would work on the type of guy in front of him. His attitude in class was proof enough that simple detention was not going to work, and his other go-to punishment was running military-style laps. But he really can’t force a student to run. Here though, he had control.

From the fact that the other is an obnoxious bully, Jin Goo doesn’t think that he would get an answer, but he’s not-so-pleasantly surprised that he does. It’s just not the correct answers. Perhaps an ignorant bully would say, ‘brute strength’. But winning? Winning?? That was on a whole other level. He raises an eyebrow at the… creativity the other shown. But a wrong answer is still a wrong answer.

And so he presses the button.

The panel makes a quiet ding as the simulation starts up. Jin Goo’s momentarily overwhelmed by how one-sided the scenario looks. The higher levels were for team training, and the Danger Room was smart enough to pinpoint weaknesses to exploit. That was the way to figure out team weaknesses, or weaknesses in general to work on them before going out into the field.

He hadn’t ever tried to used the Danger Room with his beast, other than when he needed to show the headmasters his ability to get into the Institute. He had only ever been in there afterwards in his human form. Even equipped with multiple weapons, he had trouble staying ‘alive’ in the hardest level of the Danger Room scenarios. With no weapons, no protection, and no aides? This kid had no chance.

Jin Goo’s not a sadist; he doesn’t enjoy watching people suffer nor does he enjoy making them suffer. But he wanted to teach this kid a lesson. The fact that he got to watch a bully get beat silly was just a bonus. Even so, he limits himself to 7 times. 7 times he gets to watch this kid give him a wrong answer and go through this. 7 times this bully gets to go through what it feels like to really die.

#nxjingoo #`p: friction #(RIP JISOO 1/7)#(KILL HIM IN CREATIVE WAYS)#(I 1000% APPROVE OF IT)

Humor him, because you're going to get punished anyway; is the last thought on Jisoo’s mind before the Jin Goo gets the simulator running.

He doesn't get the chance to analyze his surroundings, not granted even the luxury of planning his next move. No chance is right, because the kid only lasts a brief moment the first time the simulator kills him. Knocked off his feet with a single fell swoop, and he's finished in seconds. Poor thing doesn't even see it coming.

This couldn’t have been correct, the last time he was on lockdown behind these steel walls was back when he first took the institute’s entrance trials. Back then things were far, far easier and he’d like to think he had it all under wraps. But now? Now was completely different.

So much for being indestructible. Still he can't help but think that it's kind of like baseball, three strikes and you're out, but here he doesnt even get to start counting.

For a moment all he hears is what he assumes is static noise, and that's just when his vision starts tuning out, because from then on it only starts getting worse. Misinformed he was all his life but all he knows is that if this is what death is like, he really, really didn't want to bite that bullet. And for a brief moment he swears he forgets about the teacher's presence just enough to genuinely feel afraid.

(Because at any time he could just- no, he cuts off the thought before it gets any further than that.)

Then he sees, hears, and feels nothing. Nothing at all.

He's on the floor of the danger room the moment he's able to make sense of things again, but just to be sure he lifts a hand to his head, brushing away sweaty bangs and whatever semblance of uncertainty that came with it. "You're a real sick bastard, you know that?" There’s the hope that the snigger he wears on his lips is enough to mislead Jin Goo, to make him forget about the simulation and just get all eyes on him, to get the old man angry enough that he’ll pop a vessel like every other old timer and keel over. Maybe, just maybe, he’d have his peace then.

nelliel66

#`img

Friction | Jisoo & Jin Goo

The student had actually followed him all the way inside the danger room. Mission accomplished. The hard part was over. Jin Goo steps outside of the simulation room and slams his palm down on the button that would lock the other in.

Easily in but not easily out as the lobster said in the lobster pot.

He walks over to one of the observation windows, two hands planted on either side of a control panel. Pressing a button so that they can hear each other, Jin Goo stares easily at the other. “What’s the most important thing about fighting?” he asks the bully, repeating his question from the beginning of the class. There was no way the student could have heard the right answer; he was deep into naptime.

“Each time you give me a wrong answer, and I’ll turn the simulation on to the maximum level.” The danger room was capable of fairly brutal simulations, even some that he had trouble completing by himself. The technology used for the room was smart. Every simulated injury sustained inside would feel as though it happened for real until the simulation turned off, which would happen if and when the user had ‘died’ in the simulation. It was harsh, but Jin Goo wasn’t sure that any other punishment would work.

“And if you don’t answer,” his finger hovered over the ‘GO’ button on the panel, “Well, I’ll turn it on all the same.”

Jisoo realizes quite belatedly that right now he's no different than a caged animal. For a brief moment he's visibly confused, this wasn't detention, in fact this place was the furthest from it. And until he catches wind of the perpetrator worming his way behind glass windows he's left figuratively running circles in the dark. When it hits him there's a large gap between Jisoo's falsified impression of the teacher and his actual reprehensible lack of ethics, the young soldier was supposed to be a good judge of character yet here he is trapped behind steel walls at none other than Jin Goo's mercy.

So he can't say he's too pleased.

(“What’s the most important thing about fighting?” he goes, looking over him from the control room.)

There's no right answer, that's what he's conditioned to think, years in the military taught him that while some men upheld moralities and virtue, others, especially those like him, did not. So why not humor him? A practical old man like him could use a good dose of common sense. You know what they say, if you back a dog up in a corner it's gonna bite. "Winning."

"That's what I said, old man. The most important about fighting is winning."

#nxjingoo #`p: friction

nxfleur-blog

&& — * expectation

nxfleur-blog

oh no. he seems offended and she’s less off-put by his words than by his reaction. the patronizing smirk throws her off — only because he’s a stranger to her, still fairly new to the institute itself, and her mouth gapes open slightly as she thinks of what to say but alas nothing — yet it’s not enough to completely fluster her.

ah — nor does she think she’s complaining. fleur crinkles her nose in distaste and disagreement but, as with every other time in her life, she stays quiet. bites her tongue, not a single word slips past rosy lips. still, it doesn’t seem as if he’s backing down any time soon and, unfortunately, neither can she. never the type to completely turn down direction from an instructor or staff member at the institute, she has no plans of starting now for some, some … some jerk who underestimates her because of her size. appearance too, maybe, but either way! she’s going to call it as it is, he’s acting superior to her in more ways than one — kid? he can’t be that much older, if he’s even older than her at all. how could he say that with a baby face of his own?

again, he’s just so pretentious.

she’s far more dangerous than she looks and maybe if her sister hadn’t thought otherwise, they wouldn’t have been so close. maybe it wouldn’t have hurt when they fell apart. maybe she should’ve been alone this whole time. no false hopes or truths, but wisdom much needed and fleur sets her mind on the notion that her opponent needs wisdom of his own. practice has made it so that she only needs a few seconds and less than five steps.

one, take off her gloves. two, focus. ( gathering energy isn’t as thoughtless as it sounds ) three, destroy ( okay, that might just be how she views her abilities; she’s always destroyed more than she’s created with it ) — the final step is to let go.

but this time is different. this time, she has to be careful because his safety is still involved and she has to make sure it lands close enough to send him flying back without repercussions other than a bruised ego and maybe a bruised bum. no shrapnel or fragments can come of this or she’ll fail her own standards. it’s a burst of energy and light in broad daylight, a flash that comes as a surprise on a sunny island such as the one they’re on.

#nx:mt #nxfleur #`p: expectation #(SORRY IT'S LATE!!!)

Now things have just gotten interesting. Initially Jisoo is blindsided by the mighty surge of energy, by the force great enough to upturn the ground and get dust and debris soaring sky high, but while he may have been none the wiser, the young soldier was better informed. And not to mention far, far better adapted to unpredictable circumstances than his tiny adversary could ever dream of.

The blast dissipates with no more than a muted metallic clang, vanishing clean off the face of the earth just as quickly as it's conjured. Though Jisoo's got nothing but his precise reaction time to thank for keeping him from turning into tonight's pot roast. The dust takes a moment too soon to settle and those with hopes and expectations of seeing the massive tyrant on the ground are rendered disappointed, an explosion like that yet there he is in all his glory, one big serving of pretentious jerk standing completely unscathed behind a large field of projected energy.

And that's not even the worst part.

"Hey tiny, is that all you've got?" And what could be worse than that smart mouth? One would hope that at least the recoil would come back and bite him square in the ass but no. He’s off running his mouth again the very moment he knows he’s going to be heard. That was the thing with bullies, they thrived off the attention, be negative or otherwise.

There's a vague twinkle of interest in his formerly nonchalant gaze now though, so maybe this wasn't taking candy for a baby, maybe for a change, a match-up like this one could actually put him at a clear disadvantage, still, Jisoo never undermines his love for a challenge. In any case the defensive stance he picks up after is lazy, haphazard and leaves much to be desired — it's a transparent tell that he doesn't see the girl as much of a threat, if a threat at all; even after the rather flashy fireworks show she had going on back there.

- { In The Dead Of Night

#nx:mt #nxseungjun #`p: in the dead of night #(its a full on mud fight...........)#(poor seungjun)

All thoughts of completing this course in good time had completely left his mind if the amount of time they had actually spent getting to this point was anything to go by. At least they weren’t in complete last, but hanging around on top of the platform instead of getting down and getting on was not going to helping things. Not that Seungjun was complaining about this, the longer he got to rest his tired legs, the better off he was going to be. And now there was something fun to do.

“Uh no,” he was quick to correct, “No mind reading, just emotional crap.” Which was pretty boring, actually. While it might be useful to know what people were feeling, half the time it was of no use at all and when it came to actual strategies he was always left at the back to pick up the pieces and just make sure everyone got through without feeling too much pain. Which was hardly fair on him when he was going to feel everything they took, but no one paid any mind to the empath, let along actually thank him for what he was doing.

But enough thinking about that.

A grin stretched his lips, “Thought you would be up for that. Pushing it sounded like something you would do for fun.”

The smack to the back was almost enough to push him off the platform, all the breath leaving him as he lurched forward, having to grip at the sides to stop himself from going over. He turned to complain about it, but Jisoo had already jumped down and so, with a small sigh, Seungjun followed after him. Hopping off the platform, he was surprised at how far it actually was, feet landing awkwardly on the ground and almost slipping in the mud in the process. After this, he never wanted to see mud again.

“Alright, sounds like a plan,” it was going to work, and this time he took the lead as he set off after the nearest light at a jog. “Though if it turns out it’s not a flashlight and just their ability, I am not doing shit… besides maybe pushing them over from behind.”

Seungjun was, is and always has been a deep-rooted jackass, but tapping into that inner oasis of asshole might just be a hearty dose of the truce the two so desperately needed. Their first encounter might still have been a fresh wound dwelling in the back of Jisoo's mind, yet in favor of the chaos they'd be causing, he's willing to temporarily put that all aside, to start fresh on a page that would be smeared top to bottom in mud by the end of the night.

The way Jisoo's mind works, the now is what he breathes in and thoughts of the future are few, if any at all — a man living off borrowed moments can only hope for so much.

"And they'll never see it coming." He starts, the wide-eyed expression he gives vaguely resembling one of childlike amusement. Wordlessly he watches as Seungjun breaks off from their unit and jogs up ahead, assuming that he'd able to catch up in the first place when confronted by whatever else the staff had planted all over the course. (It's just false hope. With Seungjun everything ends up turning into false hope.)

Jisoo on the other hand opts for something a little more... tactical. Something that involved sidestepping off the course, taking a little dive into the woods and avoiding the obstacle course altogether.

And it works, when he withdraws from the bushes he's close enough to vaguely take view of his targets in the darkness; Still, they're just as distracted as they were when they started, chatting and messing around when they should have had their minds on the course. Just great, the noise and the ilumination from their lights give him enough of a tactical advantage to silently draw closer and closer and just when he's got the upper hand he remorselessly throws a fistful of mud at the first pair of cheaters within eyeshot.

"Sorry folks, karma's a real bitch."

- { In The Dead Of Night

#nx:mt #nxseungjun #`p: in the dead of night #(ITS HAPPENING)

nxseungjun:

He did have to say that he was a little jealous of Jisoo’s physique and how he could just pull himself up so easily when it had taken him a while longer and had been a lot more effort. But he was grateful that the pain in his arm was gone rather quick and he didn’t have to spend ages hanging over the side of the platform trying to haul anyone heavier than him up. (Not to mention he had kept his word and not dropped him back in the mud).

Still panting a little, the empath sat himself back in an attempt to try and catch his breath, for as little time as Jisoo would allow before he no doubt continued on, with or without his partner.

Wiping his brow with the back of his hand, no doubt smearing mud as well, Seungjun’s eyes moved tot he flickering lights in the distance, a small snort leaving his nose as he sat himself forward. He had expected people to cheat, especially those with powers which generated light, or those who were capable of sneaking in a flashlight. Unfortunately for the two of them, neither of them had thought to bring anything along to light the way, and neither of them had any light-creating abilities. So it looked like they were simply stuck doing this in the dark.

“I expected it,” he responded simply, shaking his head a little as he made a start of shuffling himself towards the other edge of the platform they were still on in an attempt to try and hop down. But that was when lightning struck, not literally, but figuratively, as a rather brilliant idea popped into his head. One that he was sure Jisoo would like the sound of. “We could always go and ruin their day,” there was a slight smirk in the corner of his mouth as his head turned towards the other, “The bastards have it coming, anyway.”

It's in this kind of thing where Jisoo could bring his A-game, where he could blow everyone off their feet with his brawn rather than his brain. (And it's quite obvious that he's rather lacking in... the latter area.) With him, bated breaths and aching muscles were something similar to a work of fiction, mythical, beyond his wildest imagination almost — Which brings us to his lack of empathy, the callousness and blatant insensitivity he projects to those who fall behind his notion of basic athleticism.

And the tags on his neck are sufficient enough an explanation; One fallacy, one shortcoming, even one mistake could have landed him six feet under on a battlefield halfway across the world. So this leads up to lesson number one: never skip gym.

"So you can read minds too?" There's the quirk of an eyebrow, this time out of genuine curiosity in contrast to his typical condescending manner. The two peer down the other side of the platform, and it opens the door to a whole new set of possibilities, of bad decisions in the dark just waiting to happen.

"Never thought I'd say this, but I'm in." Jisoo's hostilily exits almost instantaneously. Sure, he hates the empath, but the idea was far too bright to pass up.

"What are we waiting for?" A lively smack meets Seungjun's back before Jisoo wordlessly vaults off the raised platform, and though the he means well, the lack of strength-control behind the 'friendly' gesture likely left the empath breathless.

"You steal the flashlights. I distract them. Game?"

Haunted Forest | Jisoo & Jin Goo

They keep walking, and as time passes by, the smell of blood doesn’t so much a waver. Jin Goo doesn’t want to judge, but he can’t help but to think, does this kid not know how to deal with a nosebleed?

Not a babysitter, he reminds himself again. He keeps his mouth shut, just in case Jisoo decides to respond with a snarky one-liner, which, to be honest, is more likely than not.

It’s not until Jin Goo can clearly hear soft metallic clinking that his steps falter for a brief second. He would know that sound anywhere. Military dog tags made a certain sound when clanking against each other, a sound easily distinguishable for military men like him. So Jisoo came from the military. That was rather difficult to believe, considering the other’s attitude. Maybe it wasn’t Jisoo who was from the military, but someone who was important to Jisoo? That was a possibility.

By the time they arrive at the camp, there are already more than a few people up and about. They get quite a few stares, as they make their way back. Jin Goo heads inside his own tarp the moment he can, just wanting to grab some sleep after that ordeal.

#nx:mt #nxjingoo #`p: haunted forest #(we can end it here!!)#(THAT WAS A REAL TRIP)

Jisoo calms down after he has the bleeding under wraps, he tells himself that it’s alright, that this isn’t anything that’s not happened before. And for the most part it works, the thought sates him just enough to keep him visibly composed.

The walk back to the campsite is long and silent, an uncanny peace settling between the two volatile men until the youth carelessly wrings out out his bloodied jersey. He cringes a little when he sees the sheer amount that drips off, all of that is sweat and rain and blood all rolled into one, it’s disgusting enough to make the strongest of men quiver in their boots. Putting the damned thing back on was now an option, and when he does, the back of his hand paws at his face to wipe off any excess blood — little does he know that he’s smeared blood on the entire side of his face by the end of it.

They return to prolonged stares and hushed whispers, but honestly it wasn’t even a surprise judging by how Jisoo looked, dried blood trailing everywhere from his face to the entirety of his shirt. Anyone who caught a glimpse of the two would have immediately assumed they had gotten in some form of altercation, one that worked in Jin Goo’s favor seeing as Jisoo's the bloodied one.

The very moment he can, Jisoo breaks away from the shorter male and retreats to his tarp to take a well-deserved rest. He doesn’t know when they’re going to wake him up, but the moment he sets his head down on the ground, he sure as hell hopes it isn’t soon.

Haunted Forest | Jisoo & Jin Goo

Jin Goo takes the other’s glare in stride. It’s not as though this was the first time Jisoo had glared at him. Anyways, glare or not, Jisoo’s following him at the very least. There’s no mistaking the sound of heavy footsteps behind him for anything else.

They’ve been walking five minutes in the forest when Jin Goo smells it, the faint smell of… blood? He half-turns to see blood dripping out of Jisoo’s nose. A nosebleed? What did he do to get a nosebleed? Don’t tell me he was picking his nose, he thinks, exasperated. Jin Goo doesn’t say anything though. Jisoo was old enough to know how to take care of a simple nosebleed. And if he wasn’t…. Well, he wasn’t a babysitter.

#nxjingoo #`p: haunted forest #(i screamed so hard at the picking nose comment i swear)#nx:mt

And there it is, the ever-familiar metallic stench that came hand in hand with his recurrent nosebleeds. At first takes a moment too long to wrack his brain for a solution, for a way to deal with this mess without the teacher peering back and registering the state of things. Taking notice meant unnecessary questioning, and questions were something Jisoo would much rather avoid.

One failed attempt after another led to Jisoo peeling off the soaked shirt and pressing it to his face. It’s his last stand against the damn bleeding; everything else he tried got him nothing but blood-stained blotches and not nearly enough space to withstand more.

At best the youth deals with his predicament quietly, leaving Jin Goo with nothing but the sounds of the forest and the muffled clinking of Jisoo’s tags against his body.

Secretly Jisoo hopes the walk is long enough to settle both the pesky bleeding and dry his bloodstained jersey. And with no campsite in his sights, there’s hope yet.

Haunted Forest | Jisoo & Jin Goo

Jin Goo turns away, blinking the rainwater out of his face. How much water did Jisoo’s hair soak up? He didn’t think human hair was capable of soaking up so much water. Was he a sponge? Was that his ability, along with the super durability part?

They sit in silence until the rain slows to a stop. By now it must be near morning; the sun was slowly lighting up the forest. Jin Goo gets up, looking towards the camp, having caught a slight scent without the interference of the rain.

He looks down over at the other, and jerks his head in the direction of the camp, “Let’s go,” he says quietly before walking away. He doesn’t offer the other his hand, knowing that Jisoo would never take it. But the other would follow him back to camp at the very least, that he was almost certain of. And the least he could do is lead them back home.

#nxjingoo #nx:mt #`p: haunted forest

There’s a look that Jisoo graces Jin Goo with, one that suggests that he keep this whole ordeal a secret, take it to his grave and never bring it to light again because goddamn was it embarassing. He doesn’t imagine that it’ll get any worse, but it does.

At first he mistakes the sensation for raindrops. He’s too exhausted to think, too spent to feel. It doesn’t take much to convince himself that it’s just the onset of fatigue mixed with a wire ball of unsorted emotions — until he peers down and finds sizeable specks of blood trailing down the neck of his shirt.

It’s sudden, uncalled for, nothing that Jisoo had prepared to deal with while he trailed subserviantly behind the teacher. And for a second he’s sure he’s lost his composure.

He really isn’t in any position to handle a nosebleed right now.

- { In The Dead Of Night

This was the part of the challenge he was really dreading - trying to pull the other up. There was no strength in his arms, he was not the sort of person to spend his time pumping iron. In the back of his head there was the slight fear of what Jisoo could do to him if his arms just gave out and he dropped him into the mud. No doubt the other would not appreciate it and could very easily beat him into a bloody pulp if he wanted, which Seungjun was sure he did want to do anyway.

But he did seemed to be taking awhile to take his hand, glancing over the edge he could only raise his brow. “We don’t have all day,” he commented idly to try and speed up this process. He had no plans of sitting on top of the platform all night until the sun started to rise again, and he supposed there was some kind of punishment if they failed to complete this course.

“I have no plans of dropping you, ye of little faith. I do not want to get punched in the face,” but as soon as Jisoo grabbed his hand, Seungjun really started to regret having to be the one to haul him up. He almost fell face first off the platform, his other hand darting out to grab at his arm to try and get a little better grip as he started to pull. “You really need to lay off the donuts,” and that could be taken any way the other wanted it, but so far so good, he hadn’t dropped him… yet.

Putting his back into it was probably an understatement of the effort he was putting in to try and not loose his grip and let go. So he clutched on that little tighter as he tried to heave Jisoo up high enough so he could grip the top of the platform and pull himself up the rest of the way. No doubt he would make that look like a piece of cake.