| 𝐑𝐔𝐁𝐄𝐒. |

[reubxnlyons]

hcsecktae·:

Much like the first time he’d met up with Reuben, Hoseok was feeling nervous. He told himself because he was generally not accustomed to being in other people’s homes, but the truth was that he was worried he was somehow going to disappoint. In his eyes, it was a miracle that Reuben had even taken up on his own idea of inviting him over, because Hoseok was quite sure he’d made a complete fool of himself at the meet up. Despite the few moments in which he’d been able to relax a bit, he’d kept going back to that state of anxiety and uncertainty. 

He really, really wanted to look forward to this – to spending time with someone who wasn’t Saeran. Not that he didn’t like hanging out with his best friend, but they had been particularly difficult lately, not wanting to do much else than sleep. And though Hoseok could understand that exhaustion and lack of motivation, it didn’t exactly help his own mental health to feel like he was spending his days trying to drag Saeran behind him; get them to eat and shower or just get out of bed.

So why did it take him nearly two minutes of encouraging himself, before he finally pushed himself to ring the doorbell?

There was a look of slight confusion on his face as he took in Reuben’s appearance. Usually it was Hoseok who looked all flustered, but his friend looked positively disheveled. Mess? He doubted it was worse than his own apartment; between trying to finish multiple articles within the span of a few days so he could afford his rent and trying to look after Saeran, Hoseok hadn’t exactly prioritized his chores. Dishes and laundry were piled up, but he didn’t have the energy to do either of them. 

“Ah, I’m… sure it’s fine…” He mumbled as he hesitantly stepped through the door and automatically bent down to untie his boots. “You didn’t have to… uh… clean for me.” He then added whilst he took his shoes off and placed them by the door. The brunet briefly looked up, a small smile on his face. “I like your, ah… accessories.” He gave a nod at the gloves. ”Yellow is your color.”

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.”

[reubxnlyons]

johnnyxkellis‌:

Johnny didn’t like hovering. Or, rather, they didn’t like that they had picked up hovering when they were concerned. Fortunately, they didn’t have to do it for long—unfortunately, they couldn’t get away fast enough before they were spotted.

“Honestly? I just found you maybe ten seconds ago. You’re good.” They paused. “I mean, are you? Good?”

As he shifted from his awkward position, he winced. Pins and needles danced beneath his skin as if it were an electric current, a sure sign that he’d been out of consciousness for a while. It was a possibility that the other was lying in an attempt to make him feel better, as the concern that remained prominent in their pregnant pauses  was a factor that led him to believe this. To ease their worries, Reuben’s lips stretched into a smile. 

“All is good. Scouts honour and all that, although I never was one of those... Still counts, right?” His head gave a little shake. “Man, I don’t even know what I’m talking about.”

[reubxnlyons]

@hcsecktae

--- ORGANISED CHAOS; this seemed to be an accurate description of his apartment. Reuben wondered if it would be worthwhile to at least try and conceal the imperfections that remained glaringly obvious in the space, but he figured that it would be a fruitless task. It was too far gone-- his walls were plastered in posters of science fiction movies from eras that had long since passed, and his leather couch remained cracked from use, splattered with blackened patches from where ash had fallen upon it. 

Nonetheless, he gave it a shot. Stacks of books were pushed up towards the wall, it’s height rivalling that of the window ledge. The scent of citrus was just shy of singeing nostril hairs, but he had at least managed to rid the counters of unspecified stains that had been left by Marcus. Reuben truly felt as if he’d run a marathon of some kind, as he found himself having to take a moment to wipe away at the perspiration that beaded along his hairline--the droplets were caught by the marigold gloves that were pulled over his arms, the yellow overly bright in its fluorescence.

Reuben remained in a rather precarious position as he attempted to sweep at the debris that lingered at the bottom of his bookcase. In hindsight, Reuben wished he’d have had some thought to the hazard he had brought onto himself, as when his doorbell rung, he became startled. His head lifted on instinct, only to thump against a shelf. A flow of steady curses left his twisted lips as he rose to his feet, scrambling towards the door, eerily resembling the Roadrunner.

A frazzled Reuben initally greeted Hoseok, but it took only a moment before his signature grin finally transformed his features. “Hoseok!” Gloves still intact, he stepped aside and motioned for his friend to enter. “Sorry, sorry. Come inside, excuse the mess. I tried to ah, clean most of it up. Not sure if I was all that successful.” 

[reubxnlyons]

— AS THE SNORE CAUGHT IN HIS THROAT, Reuben awoke with a jerk. He couldn't believe it--he'd fallen asleep. How long had he been out? A groan left him as he shifted, hands wiping away what remained of his danish. He must have succumbed to his drowsiness whilst eating it, and this fact was BEYOND embarrassing.

The silhouette nearby had him squinting, sleep still prominent as it sat heavy on his eyelids. “Was I... was I drooling?”

[the5footpilot]

Angela was at the grocery store for the first time in a while, being the she was recently away at work for two weeks, and was sick of living off of airplane food and Postmates. She was looking at the bottles of sauces on the top shelf, trying to reach the one she wanted, and turned to the person next to her. “Um, could you grab me that bottle of stir fry sauce? I can’t reach it,” asked Angela. 

[reubxnlyons]

Reuben had been perusing the shelves for some time. His index finger traced his chin as if in a transcendent state of contemplation, all owing to the fact that he just couldn’t decide on what to have for dinner. Whatever it was, Reuben knew that it would be half-assed, he was never one that could flit effortlessly around a kitchen. The inquisitive voice that sounded from behind caused Reuben to turn, and the vision had a smile tugging at his lips.

“You’re not even going to try?” Came a jibe. “Maybe going on your tip-toes will help.”

[reubxnlyons]

wtfjaykim·:

Eun-Jae blinked slowly when the other laughed, confused as to what part of his words had been funny. Or maybe he’d said something stupid again. His brows furrowed for a moment, before he pushed the corners of his lips back up into a smile. “I bought her a hoodie, but she didn’t like it. I still wanna dress her up for Halloween – I want her to look like a bumblebee with wings and stuff.” He informed Reuben with a nod of his head. “I’m gonna make sure she can’t escape, so no one is going to steal her.” Once again he was vaguely aware of how childish he sounded, but it wasn’t like he could think of anything to say that would make him sound smarter. “Ah, I think bows would be cute. Do you think she’ll like those?”

This one really was something else. Jay amused Reuben, they seemed to speak with an airiness that probably rivalled his own at that moment, and Reuben was certainly entertained in his presence. And so the image of Jay attempting to wrangle his dog into a hoodie had him snorting again, this time his hand coming to conceal it as he tried to regain his composure. He was a sucker for those short videos of a Shih Tzu’s dressed like Ewoks, and so the vision of Jay's dog dressed up for Halloween delighted him to no end. “I feel like the world needs this. The bumblebee, I mean. But just make sure you got the place locked down pat, because... It’d be like,” Reuben paused to laugh at the awful joke that loomed. “The flight of the Bumblebee if she were to catch someones eye.” He waved his hand away once it had finished wiping a tear from his eye. "Oh my god, sorry, that was bad."

[reubxnlyons]

If you could call one person for help, who would it be?

“One of my brothers, definitely. Failing that, Hoseok. Maybe Anders. Does it have to be just one? I can’t seem to decide.”

@hcsecktae , @anderslarsson

[reubxnlyons]

REUBEN LYONS

SOCIAL MEDIA | [1/?]

[reubxnlyons]

anderslarsson·:

“There’s really no such thing as a diagnosis on a living person, which complicates things. They can only truly diagnose it right now by cutting into your brain. You can report your symptoms, and they can pre-diagnose you, but this science is still so new. There’s a lot we don’t know. I can go to therapy for anger issues, try and keep my mind sharp by reading and doing crosswords and stuff, but there’s no cure, and there’s no evidence that shows those things will actually help,” Anders explained before burying his head in his own arms for a moment. It felt good to let this out, no doubt, but with it, also came the emotions he felt after initially being diagnosed flooding back again. “I know, man. I know,” he whispered, pausing for a moment. “…Do you know who Aaron Hernandez is? He played for the Patriots for a few seasons, but then he killed someone. He went to prison for it and he hanged himself in there. He was found to have the most severe case of CTE for a man his age ever. He was a year younger than me when he died. What… what if I do that? What if my case develops like his did? It’s not necessary provable, but it’s very likely that all of that was caused by this disease. What if I do that to Mason? What if I fucking do that to one of our kids? I feel like I don’t know what I’m capable of anymore.”

He HATED seeing Anders like this. Initially, Reuben found himself to be intimidated by the other--he was tall, built, and looked like he wouldn’t take any shit. He was wrong about this impression of course--but as he looked at Anders now, with his head shielded by his arms, he couldn’t help but feel jarred by the sight. He looked positively broken by the news. “Shit, Anders...” Reuben breathed. He didn’t approach the other just yet though, despite wanting to give the poor guy a hug. Reuben couldn’t even begin to imagine the emotions that he was feeling, even Reuben felt terrified. “I don’t know him, but at least you’re aware of this. You have people around you that will be able to sense this kind of shift, so you’re not going to be like Hernandez. This CTE may be an absolute son-of-a-bitch, but if it progresses Ander’s is still going to be in there somewhere. Just have some faith in Mason, in those therapies. Maybe if it’s under some sort of control now, it wouldn’t ever come to that.” Reuben tore his eyes from Anders to stare at the cityscape, which was now illuminated by pinks and oranges as the sun began its descent. "What're you going to do about hockey?"

[reubxnlyons]

hcsecktae·:

The smile that pulled at Hoseok’s lips was genuine and almost careless, his eyes sparkling with rare enthusiasm. He couldn’t remember a time where he’d been this relaxed outside the safety of his apartment – oftentimes he couldn’t even bring himself to let go of all his fears when he was at Saeran’s, despite the mint haired one being his best friend and probably the closest thing he had to family. A soft chuckle escaped him as he looked over at Reuben. “Maybe playing more Zenyatta has made me better with balls.” He told the other with a grin, not even aware of his lack of a stutter or pauses; his words impulsive rather than carefully formulated for five minutes.

It wasn’t that he was particularly CONFIDENT, but he did feel like maybe luck was on his side for a change, the score board a clear indication of that. Maybe it was nothing but beginner’s luck – he was aware that this was a possibility – but it made him happy. Despite his original intent to let Reuben win whatever game they’d play (due to being very much aware that his friend didn’t take well to LOSING), he figured that maybe winning the other some silly prize might also count. Perhaps it was his perfectionism that made it hard to go easy on Reuben or maybe he was just really too nervous to purposely be bad at things when others were watching.

“So… Spider-man and Deadpool?” He teasingly suggested with a raise of his eyebrow. “You seem like someone who loves Deadpool.” Hoseok grinned as he watched the other pick his bag up, ready to follow his friend to wherever he wanted to go next, though his expression turned confusion when Reuben held up his hand. His question got stuck in his throat, brows furrowed for a moment before his smile faltered and his eyes widened a little. 

“… What?” He managed, voice uncertain as he briefly looked up at Reuben’s face, genuinely scared. The demand confused him, mainly because he didn’t know what the other was actually asking for, his mind hyper-focused on the marks underneath his clothes. Rationally, he probably knew that Reuben had no knowledge of anything regarding his life nor his past, but the choice of words had made his brain short-circuit and jump to the worst conclusions.

The brunet anxiously tugged his sleeves further over his hands, his heart beating roughly in his chest. “I– I don’t… unders-stand…”

Well, this was awkward. His hand hung suspended in the air, Hoseok watching the gesture with a confused expression. It wasn’t quite embarrassing enough for him to wish that the ground would swallow him whole, but it was certainly unpleasant. Reuben’s smile had wilted slightly at this, as did his raised palm. He rubbed it atop of his jeans, as if erasing the incident. Reuben really thought the gesture, along with the phrase, was universal. It seemed as if his judgement’s were mislaid, but he’d plough through it. “It meant a high-five, y’know like... give me some skin? It’s cool. I’ll just have to give you a 101 at some point.” 

He’d felt the immediate need to diffuse the situation, after all, it was partially his fault for bringing Hoseok out of that comfort zone. Reuben chewed at his lower lip, figuring that changing the subject and disassociating from the awkwardness would be the way to go. But really, how hadn’t Hoseok clocked that he had asked for a high-five? Was he sensitive to touch, or were the social anxieties worse than he thought they were?

“But you’re right, I always did prefer Deadpool over Spidey. Peter was just always so blah to me. Spending all day, swinging around New York, and not ONE face-plant to a window? And just how exactly did he manage to avoid pigeon poop? It’s all a load of bull, I’m telling you.”

[reubxnlyons]

wtfjaykim·:

Eun-Jae frowned a little. “Is that a lot? It’s not a lot, is it? I can’t buy a sweater for seventy dollars. … Can I?” He had to think about Reuben’s words for a moment, though admittedly they only confused him more. “Because it’s shiny?” He asked with a tilt of his head, holding the collar up to his face to study it again. “She looks pretty in it. I want her to look like a princess and I like blue. I thought about getting a pink one, but I’m learning about these gender things and I thought maybe Skylar would be mad if I picked pink for a girl dog… And I wear a lot of blue so she’d match with me.”

Reuben snorted, the noise quite pig-like and certainly unattractive. Jay was an interesting character, one he couldn’t help but be amused by. Perhaps these giggles were fuelled by his mellow, especially as the collar seemed so much brighter now than it did when Jay first approached. “No,” He answered, the word leaving Reuben slowly. “It’s because it looks expensive. Someone may see that collar and think they’d hit the jackpot.” He leaned back on the bench, his eyes still on the colour. "You’re thinking too much into this. Just put some bows in her hair or something.”

[reubxnlyons]

[reubxnlyons]

hcsecktae‌:

Despite his love for video games, Hoseok had never actually been in an arcade before. He didn’t even know if one of his parents had ever tried to take him out to one, but he doubted it. They had been close to desperate to try and get him to go outside more and make friends, but his mother had never been a very big fan of his interest in gaming. Regardless, he’d been allowed a few hours a day behind a computer to play educational games – the kind that made him solve puzzles or tested his skills in math or his vocabulary. Perhaps it’s those games that made him better at problem solving or thinking outside the box, but his perfectionism was no doubt fueled by the heavy academic pressure.

“Like… Resident Evil?” He asked with a slight tilt of his head. Did that question make him sound stupid? Before he started getting into stuff like Overwatch and Fortnite, Hoseok hadn’t really played any FPS games – he didn’t like the violence. Though BioShock would always be his guilty pleasure, but that was because he loved the story and the aesthetics. He wondered if Reuben maybe thought he’d been playing games his whole life, considering his rank in the games they played together, but the truth was that Hoseok just had a lot of free time.

Not that he was particularly happy with it, but games had been his distraction when he’d been stuck at home due to his anxiety. Since he’d dropped out of high school (that he tried to blame on the language barrier, but in reality he’d just been too traumatized to function, let alone go to school in a foreign country), books, movies and games were the only things that provided some comfort, even if it meant he was just escaping reality for as long as they lasted.

The brunet managed a strained smile at Reuben’s words and gave a timid nod. “I’m… afraid I’m just bad at… t-throwing balls.” He tried to joke, though he felt bad for being so tense. Hoseok really hoped he wasn’t ruining the other’s day – Reuben had been nice and patient so far, he worried that he was just ruining whatever shot at friendship he’d had. God, he hated that he cared so much about how many people might be looking at him; that he worried so much about failing even though he wasn’t doing worse than his friend.

“No, I– I can do it.” He replied quietly, avoiding Reuben’s eyes whilst he pushed his body forward to pick up another ball. Hoseok took a deep breath, his tongue peeking out slightly between his lips as he tried to solely focus on his aim rather than his surroundings. Eyes were narrowed in concentration when he threw the ball, a soft noise of surprise escaping his lips when it fell into the hole that granted him thirty points. He turned to look back at Reuben, his eyes wide, though he couldn’t stop himself from letting out a laugh. “Maybe we can, ah… get you two packs of sti-stickers.”

Reuben wouldn’t have called it confidence, exactly, but Hoseok certainly returned from the little stumble with a renewed vigour. He would be lying if he said that he wasn’t relieved by this. Reuben thought that the pair had gotten off on the RIGHT foot, but an incident such as that would have been difficult for him to navigate. 

He simply blinked for a few moments, until eventually, a loud bark of laughter escaped. In that moment, Hoseok became Chrysoprase. Often, jibes that were of a teasing nature would often fill their chats, and it pleased Reuben greatly to see this translated in person as well as online. “Nice,” He responded to the joke, as if that would ease the mask of unease that Hoseok wore. 

He watched with amusement, Hoseok the absolute picture of concentration as a tongue escaped, forehead pulled together with how hard he was thinking about the next move. Reuben found himself biting the inside of his cheek in efforts to stifle a laugh--the sound would throw off Hoseok, he was sure of it. The other was determined to complete the game, and this certainly paid off as Reuben’s eyes followed the ball as it travelled, landing into a hole with the highest score. 

The theme music grew louder as the digitised numbers increased on the scoreboard, meaning that more tickets were to come from the machine. Reuben grinned. “By the looks of it, you may be able to score us more than two.” He wouldn’t have voiced this thought (not only would it be patronising, but it came close to being creepy), but Reuben was proud of Hoseok. Reuben believed that the other would back out for moment, but he persevered.

Reuben shouldered his bag, as he had placed it on the floor when he watched Hoseok’s throw. “Let’s do the racing cars next, yeah? I need to find something to absolutely smoke you at. But first--” Reuben held up his palm towards Hoseok. “Give me some skin.”

[reubxnlyons]

sagemcallen‌:

“HELL YEAH SPOOKY MANSION!” She said with a bit of a dance as she got pumped up for the scares. “I’m in are you in!? Lets do this!” She said prepping for an enthusiastic high five. 

Reuben made little effort in hiding his amusement, this was obvious in the way he smiled widely as he watched her excited antics. His hand lifted to receive the high five. “Looks like I’m in now.” A laugh escaped. “How are you not a little bit scared?”

[wtfjaykim]

“I know it was only $70, but I’m sad that it broke so fast.” Eun-Jae spoke with a pout whilst he held the blue dog collar. A couple of the Swarovski crystals had fallen off and though Jay had managed to gather most of them, the clasp still remained broken. “Do you think I can get it fixed? It looked so pretty on her. I think maybe she got stuck again, she keeps trying to dig holes under the fence around our garden.” He tilted his head. “I don’t want to put a collar on her if it’s dangerous, but what if she escapes without it? People might steal her. At least when she’s wearing a collar they’ll know she’s mine.”

[reubxnlyons]

It seemed the pair had a habit of meeting like this--surrounded by trees and the smell of pot, which definitely must have been coming off of him in waves. Reuben blinked as he looked at Jay, as if attempting to clear the fog that clouded his mind. “Seventy dollars?” He all but sputtered. His eyes fell towards the collar that the other held in his hands, and Reuben was almost scared to reach out and touch it. It looked like it was more expensive than what Jay claimed it was. “It’s a dog, why does it need a collar with all these crystals? If you're worried about her being stolen...” Reuben paused to raise his hand to his mouth, as if to stifle a giggle. Jay was funny. “That isn’t the right way to uh, the right way to go. At least with a collar like that.”

[reubxnlyons]

hcsecktae‌:

Another soft laugh escaped thin lips that curled up into a slightly hesitant smile. It was nice to be able to do that – despite the constant tension in his body, his paranoia about how he looked (he really hated his face, his mannerisms, the sound of his laugh). He rarely was able to relax enough to show emotions like this, his stoic expression caused by nothing but tight muscles, body rigid with anxiety. He remembered the time his mother told someone that he had no feelings – he remembered it all too well. It had hurt, of course more than he’d been able to show. Had he even responded to it? That he couldn’t remember. But he doubted it.

“Ah, I… wouldn’t want you to fall.” He replied as he pushed his hands into his pockets. It was odd to feel just the slightest bit comfortable around someone who wasn’t Saeran; maybe it was the warmth that Reuben radiated, his patience, the fact he didn’t ask any questions and didn’t point out any strange behavior. The fastest way to make Hoseok shut down was that dreaded question. ‘Are you okay?’ God, he hated it when people asked that. NO was the answer to that. He wasn’t okay; hadn’t been in years. It was a stupid question. 

He knew he hated it because it was such a standard question. Like ‘how are you’. Not many people who asked that question ACTUALLY cared, no one wanted to know what went on in his head. They asked because it was social etiquette and it annoyed him to no end.

“House of the Dead?” He echoed with a slight frown. He had no idea what kind of game that was, but he guessed he’d find out. The brunet followed his friend towards the machine, feeling a bit bad that Reuben was paying for it and making a mental note to insist on paying for whatever they’d play next. He remained quiet whilst he watched, his body filled with a mixture of excitement and something he could only describe as pure terror. His smile had faltered and he could feel his heart pounding roughly in his chest. Maybe he was even starting to sweat and he knew it wasn’t because of his thick hoodie.

Hoseok reluctantly accepted the ball from Reuben, not even having paid much attention to the other male’s score at this point. He swallowed the lump in his throat and slowly stepped closer. He was painfully aware of the trembling of his hands and suddenly he was back in high school, all eyes on him whilst his gym teacher tried to push him to engage more in the sports they were playing. He felt his cheeks heating up almost instantly, feeling that overwhelming EMBARRASSMENT that made his skin itch.

He briefly closed his eyes and took a deep breath, hyper-aware that he was standing here wasting Reuben’s money if he didn’t act soon; which didn’t exactly made it any easier. Still he pushed himself to throw the ball, which rather pathetically ended up in the bottom ring. He had to wipe his sweaty hands on his pants, unable to look Reuben in the eye. “A-Ah… not like… that…” He managed, though his nervous smile didn’t reach his eyes.

Another laugh, so quiet that Reuben wondered if he’d heard it. But he did, and with his hands on jean-clad hips, his head lowered to hide his smile of pleasure. Hoseok would think him WEIRD if he knew how pleased Reuben was to hear the laugh. It just made him come to the realisation that he wasn’t totally screwing this up, as the last thing Reuben wanted was for Hoseok to not want to talk to him again if things were to go sideways. 

“Yeah, it’s a scary one,” Reuben replied, come around Hoseok so he could watch his throw from the side. He crouched, forearms resting atop of the colourful barriers. “A lot of zombies. It’s a classic.” Reuben would often frequent the arcades, hanging on the coattails of his older brother as he all but begged for money to play games he certainly should not have been playing. Reuben didn’t always get his way, and instead had to sit and watch from a distance, sitting with his chin in his hands and a frown on his face.

In hindsight, he should’ve noticed that Hoseok had reservations. But Reuben had been too lost in his little victories--or rather, what he THOUGHT were victories. His attention had remained entirely on the machine as he awaited Hoseok’s turn. The ball had tumbled down the alley, sliding into the same hole that his did. To others, it wouldn’t of mattered, but when Reuben’s eyes flickered to Hoseok, it brought him back down to earth.

He’d gotten sure of himself. Cocky, almost--things had been going well, he should have known that putting Hoseok on the spot like that would have been a precursor to something. Reuben made an effort not to let his panic show by coming to his feet to approach the game for his turn. “S’alright, I got the same. I bet there is a trick to it, usually is with these kind of games. Rigged, you know?” Strategically said, Reuben hoped that it would ease the rigidity in Hoseok’s shoulders, as it wasn’t his fault. Reuben didn’t know how to diffuse the situation, and so he continued as normal.

The ball flew from his grip and down towards the holes, bouncing from the side and landing in one that scored a five. It wasn’t much, and he hadn’t actually done it on purpose--Reuben was just out of practice. Tickets left the side of the machine as the points accumulated. “Hey,” Reuben turned to Hoseok with a smile. “We’re gonna have to earn enough to get at least one pack of Spidey stickers. Do you want to finish your turn or try something else?”

[jackgarland]

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