Chapter 1: Walkable cities my ass
Chapter Text
“Se-mi! Come on!! I need to show you around the dorm! You’re walking too slow…” Thanos whined, “My room is huge and it’s on the top floor!” Thanos exclaimed to his friend, who was walking side-by side with him on the crowded sidewalks of Back Bay, Boston.
“Walkable cities my ass… Why are we even here again?” Se-mi asked as she kicked a rock down the worn-out pathway.
“Needed to broaden my horizons, Señorita! The west has some good rap here- Myung-gi could never compete when I make this western fusion shit! My fans are going to eat it up!”
“You’re not even that big of a rapper…” Se-mi mumbled under her breath. Thanos stopped in his tracks and whipped around to look at her, “What did you say?” Thanos asked as if taunting Se-mi into a fight. She just laughed at him. “We’ve been here for- maybe a week now? You haven’t gotten recognized in public once.”
“Listen here, Señorita, this place is different- this school is different! They’re throwing a welcoming show in a few weeks from now to celebrate me. Not you, not Min-su, not Gyeong-su, and most certainly not Myung-gi! They’re celebrating Me.” Thanos huffed and turned around to walk forward, forcing Se-mi to catch up. She scoffed, “Sure they are…” The two were silent through the rest of the trip until they made it to the Berklee dorm.
“Wow, this is your dorm building? It’s so tall…” Se-mi trailed off, looking up towards the seemingly never ending skyscraper. Its silver paint reflected the evening sun into the horizon and the eyes of onlookers. Large windows lined one of the corners of the building, enough that someone could peer in and see what looked like a cafeteria. The building was almost triangle shaped, with corners so sharp they could kill an unassuming bird that is unlucky enough to fly into it. Groups of college kids surrounded the building’s entrance- all of them dressed seemingly for various music shows. Some were dressed in fancy suits- presumably on their way to an orchestra, while others wore dark clothes and adorned long hair- carrying guitar cases and amps. A few others were dressed in very little- but very colorful clothes, definitely going to a rave.
“Yea, cool right? And best of all, there’s no Myung-gi!” Thanos said. This variance of people is partially why Thanos chose this school and this area. He knew fully well that not everyone would know who he is, but surely there will be some fans. At Berklee, there’s a music scene for quite literally everything, that is, of course, if you can afford the sixty-thousand in tuition. Thanos had to take out some heavy-hitting loans to get to this school- and he is sure as hell going to make it pay off.
“Yea, it’s cool.” Se-mi deadpanned, back to her usual unimpressed self.
“Well, let’s go in, yea? I already set up a guest-pass for you. It was super easy. All I had to do was just send an email.” Thanos walked over to the door, bringing out his new school-ID. His low-poly purple hair stuck out against the white background of the poorly made ID card. His face was blurry and almost unrecognizable. The small, shitty piece of plastic displayed his name and graduation year- nauseatingly plain and boring to look at. Thanos pressed it to a small plastic box next to the door handle. It beeped, authorizing entry and allowing Thanos to open the door. He swung it open, walking in and holding it open for Se-mi. He walked them both over to the front desk, scanning them both in. Se-mi stood around and waited while Thanos got her signed in.
The lobby was cute- though small. There wasn’t much color except from the red couches that sat against the street-facing windows. It was mostly millennial gray. Most of the couches were taken up by incoming freshmen and their parents sobbing goodbye. While others were seemingly pissed off upperclassmen pouting at the incoming students making such a huge fuss. There were a couple fake plants scattered around the room and a large staircase leading to who-knows-where. To be frank, it was boring. Se-mi wondered if the walls were painted with the purpose of boring the shit out of anyone that stood in that room. They probably were.
Se-mi was brought back to reality by Thanos snapping in her face. “Get your hand out of my fucking face.” She said, smacking away Thanos’ hand. He laughed at her frustration- as he usually does, and waved to signal her to follow. He led her around the corner to a set of elevators. Small crowds pooled around them, more upperclassmen dressed drastically differently. Most of them were holding large bags, they looked to be moving in.
“Looks like there’s a wait, maybe we should come back another day. It’s already getting dark and it’s a long walk back to the apartment.” Se-mi suggested, and began to walk away before Thanos stopped her.
“No, it’s fine. Let’s wait.”
“Ughhhhhhh. Ok.” Se-mi whined and pulled out her phone.
They ended up waiting around fifteen minutes for an empty elevator.
“Next time let’s just take the stairs.” Thanos said while walking into the elevator with Se-mi. With his knuckle, Thanos pressed the button that had “13” on it, and waited for the doors to close.
“There were stairs this whole fucking time?!? Why didn’t you just say that from the start! We waited fifteen minutes for no reason!” Se-mi yelled at her friend in the empty elevator, slapping him on the arm.
“Ow! Stop that!! I just forgot ok?” Thanos said as the doors of the elevator closed. A light at the top of the doors started to glow as the elevator began to climb the floors, “It’s because of all those drugs you’re taking! How’d you even get those?!? I thought they confiscated all of them at the airport!”
“I have my ways…” Thanos smirked while rubbing his hands together in a scheming manner. Se-mi began to point and laugh at him, in the most patronizing way she could muster.
“You look like a fly” She stopped to wipe a tear from her eye from laughing so hard, “Thinking you’re all smart and shit. Rubbing your hands together like some disney villain. You’re embarrassing yourself.”
“Who is there to embarrass! It’s just us in the elevator!” Thanos said as he started checking himself out in the reflective elevator doors. He was entranced by his reflection and making sure he looked perfect, messing with his hair and the way his baggy clothes sat on his body.
“I’m getting secondhand embarrassment…” Se-mi paused, eyes flickering from Thanos to the light above the elevator doors, “How long is this damn elevator ride… Get me the fuck out of here.” she grumbled. Just as she finished speaking, the elevator stopped and the two stumbled. It dinged and the doors opened, revealing another little room like the lobby- except this one breaks out into a few hallways.
“Finally, that took long enough.” Se-mi groaned. They both rushed out of the elevator, the reflective doors quietly closing behind them, “My room is this way.” Thanos said and pointed down one of the hallways. He began rummaging through his pockets for the room key. Se-mi watched and waited for him to find it.
“Got it, Let’s go.” Thanos said and started to walk, “I even got a special room. No one else is supposed to move in so we’ll have the whole place to ourselves today. We can even bring in Min-su and Gyeong-su and you guys can stay the night!” They approached the end of the hallway, where a cardboard cutout figure stood ominously in the window.
“Um… what is that?” Se-mi asked, somewhat uncomfortable by the looming presence of the cardboard figure.
“That? That’s Mariah.” Thanos said, already accustomed to its presence. A chill ran down Se-mi’s spine as she looked deep into the dull eyes of the cardboard cutout- it felt almost like it was staring back at her. A chill ran down her spine.
“Who the fuck is Mariah? What’s with this big brother shit? I feel like it’s watching me…” Se-mi said, feeling very disturbed.
“Um… Mariah Carey?! The singer?! How do you not know her? She’s like my guilty pleasure. Don’t tell anyone that though.” Thanos said and then tried to recreate one of her whistle notes.
“What?!? Why is she here?! Did she go to school here? Is she like a sponsor of the school?”
“I don’t know? She’s just here… watching us…” Thanos trailed off, visibly uncomfortable by the thought of Mariah being omniscient, “Whatever man,” Se-mi fought her urge to know more and dropped the subject. “Show me your room.”
“Oh right!” Thanos snapped back to reality and approached the nearest door. He slid the key into the lock, wiggling it around until he heard a click, and opened the door.
The first thing Se-mi noticed was the giant windows. The entire wall was practically a window, the sun shining right into the room. Some of the windows were cracked open, letting in a nice breeze that hit her as soon as the door opened.
The first thing Thanos noticed was the no-longer empty bed on the other side of the room. Dark red bedsheets covered an extremely thick mattress- definitely brought from somewhere else. A fluffy black comforter was draped over the mattress. Pillows were scattered around the bed and posters were already covering the wall. Some of the furniture had already been moved, which angered Thanos. He had already organized and moved all of the furniture so the room was as spacious as possible, and now, it’s ugly.
Thanos’ side of the room was fully decked out. He had deep purple sheets on the uncomfortable school-given mattress. A lime green comforter was neatly tucked into the mattress and cheap white pillows were stacked neatly at the foot of the bed. Thanos had pictures, posters, and l.e.d neon lights arranged perfectly around his side of the room. His desk and dresser were pushed against the wall to create as much space in his corner as possible. A small lava lamp sat on his desk next to his laptop, the wax sensually bouncing around the glass container. Thanos also had a mini-fridge placed strategically hidden from view, to hide his various forms of contraband. Everything on that side was just how Thanos had left it.
The second thing Se-mi and Thanos noticed was a person standing in front of the windowed wall, blowing out a hefty smoke cloud from a cigarette. The rays of sun penetrated through the smoke and framed this person’s muscular build. They looked almost ethereal. It was the kind of view that Thanos could write a song about.
“Hey.” They said with a soft- yet masculine voice. The sun disappeared behind a cloud momentarily, revealing a pale-skinned man with unsightly long hair and the eyes of a street beggar. He was dressed in a tattered sweatshirt and baggy jeans, and Se-mi noticed that he was dressed similarly to Thanos. Maybe he really was a street beggar that found his way into the Berklee dorm.
“What are you doing here? I was promised a room alone!” Thanos whined. The man put his cigarette out on the windowframe, darkening the metal with hot ash. He threw the used cigarette in the garbage can next to him. Thanos and Se-mi chose to ignore that super obvious fire hazard, they were probably going to do the same thing later anyway.
“Sorry, I know this is super last minute but the school put me here with you. I was supposed to get a single room just like you. No rooms left apparently. I’m not happy about it either.” Thanos’ new roommate pulled a chair out at his desk and sat down. He put his feet up on the desk and leaned back in the chair, part of Thanos hoped he’d fall.
“What the fuck, man? This isn’t right! How can they do this!?” Thanos groaned and flopped down onto his bed, gripping and pulling on the purple tuft on top of his head. The dark-haired man shrugged, “I don’t know.”
“There has to be someone I can call or talk to to resolve this. This is not what I was promised! I don’t want to share a room this entire semester! No offense though, whoever you are.” Thanos pulled up his phone, pulling up the school website in search of any staff that can help him.
“I’m Nam-gyu.” He replied calmly, still trying to balance himself on the back legs of the chair.
“Yea, yea, nice to meet you Nam-su.”
“It’s Nam-gyu.”
“Yea ok, whatever man. There’s more important things to worry about right now, like how I have to share a room!” Se-mi interrupted Thanos' rant.
“Stop bitching and whining, it might not even be that bad to share a room.” Se-mi snapped at Thanos. He sat up on his bed and stared blankly at Se-mi for suggesting such a preposterous thought. He didn’t even bother with responding because he was so offended. Nam-gyu was unaffected, glued to his laptop and not paying attention after Thanos’ comment on his name.
There was an awkward silence for a few minutes.
“Okay, well… I’ve seen enough. I’m gonna show myself out. I’m Se-mi by the way, and that’s Thanos.” Se-mi quickly introduced herself to Nam-gyu before swiftly turning around and leaving.
“W-Wait! No!” The door slammed shut. Thanos sighed and laid back down on the bed, pulling out his phone only to inevitably doomscroll.
The room was still after that. Thanos scrolling mindlessly on his phone, and Nam-Gyu typing away on his laptop lasted hours. Neither one of them had really moved in that time. The sun had long gone down and the air grew cold and bitter. It was cold for early September.
Thanos broke the silence. “Gonna smoke… you mind?” He asked sincerely, pulling out a poorly made blunt. Nam-gyu shook his head, “Nah, I don't care.”
Thanos got up and walked towards the window. Nam-gyu watched as he fiddled with the latches on the window, trying to get them opened. They barely did, “Dude… why do these windows barely open? How are we supposed to smoke without having the RA up our ass about it?” Thanos whined.
Thanos shrugged, “It’s probably a safety hazard. Can’t have people jumping out of it this high up…”
“Yea… It sure is annoying though.” Thanos turned around to see Nam-gyu standing in front of him with his hand held out. He was holding a couple gummies. Upon closer inspection, Thanos realized Nam-gyu was holding some edibles. Thanos’s eyes lit up at the sight of drugs. Both of them could immediately tell what kind of person the other was. “Problem solved, man. No need to smoke when you have these. Take one, it’s fifty milligrams. Take half if you want.” Thanos smiled gratefully and picked one of the gummies up. Its pale orange color was not appetizing at all but the thought of getting high excited Thanos enough to put the entire gummy in his mouth. By the look of his face, it didn’t taste very good at all, but he shook it off quickly. He picked up the nearest bottle of water and drank the entire thing.
“Thanks for the eddies, man.”
“Yea, sure.” Nam-gyu pointed to a small box hidden in the corner under some piles of clothes, “I have plenty if you ever want more. I get a lot of them for barely anything so… Help yourself.” Nam-gyu said. Thanos took a moment to think about Nam-gyu’s offer. Thanos knew he was taking a risk indulging in someone else's stache, especially someone who was so clearly another junkie. But he also knew that he needed allies at this new school, people that could help him improve and warp his music in the way he wanted. Plus, Nam-gyu clearly had similar style and habits as Thanos, just with a different perspective- something Thanos finds valuable.
After spending so much time in the rap scene in Korea, life just became repetitive. All the clubs were the same, the music was the same, the people were the same- he almost couldn’t tell the difference between those who surrounded him. Being in those environments for years upon years was suffocating to Thanos. He knew he needed some fresh air and fresh beats, and his first idea was to grab his closest friends and move to the States. Not the best idea- but it worked.
The new roommates waited around the room until Thanos started to feel his eyes getting heavier and the rest of his body feeling lighter. He felt like he was in a constant state of weightlessness while still being pulled down by gravity- but it felt so fucking good. Thanos sat up, feeling it hit him in waves of pressure blooming across him every time he moved. A dumb smile creeped onto his face but it disappeared once he laid eyes on his roommate. Nam-gyu noticed Thanos’ change in position, and he looked up from his furious typing on his laptop.
“The fuck are you even writing? All I can hear is your damn typing.” Thanos groaned. Nam-gyu looked at Thanos with suspicion, “Helping a friend write a song.” Thanos rolled his eyes, “Whatever… I’m hungry.” he said.
“I’m also hungry…” Nam-gyu murmured.
“Doordash?” Thanos suggested. He got up from his bed and started to put his shoes on. Nam-gyu shook his head, “Too expensive,” he ran a hand through his hair, redistributing his bangs. Once he put his shoes on, Thanos squeezed into his coat- though he didn’t even remember taking it off. “Let’s go out and get something, then. Cafeteria is closed by now. So it’s our only option.” Nam-gyu nodded and began putting his shoes on. Thanos waited for Nam-gyu to finish getting ready to open the door of their room, holding it open for Nam-gyu.
After a short walk down Boylston, Thanos and Nam-gyu found themselves at a Korean-style convenience store. “Just like home… sick.” Nam-gyu said as he wandered around the aisles with Thanos- who was fully concentrated on remembering the words to one of his raps. He grabbed a few items as did Thanos in between his rhythmic mumbling. They parted ways momentarily to pay and make their food, but they quickly reunited and sat at a small table in the corner with some freshly-made ramen.
“So… Where are you from?” Nam-gyu said as he started mixing his chicken flavored ramen.
“What kind of question is that?” Thanos asked while softly headbanging to whatever music was playing in his head.
“Just answer the question.”
“Okay, Nam-su,” Nam-gyu angrily threw down his chopsticks. “It’s Nam-gyu! How many times do I have to tell you that?!” Thanos rolled his eyes at Nam-gyu’s dramatics. “Seoul, obviously. You can’t find rappers like me or clubs like mine anywhere else…” Thanos said, before slurping on his still-steaming ramen. He winced at the first bite from the heat, but continued shoving it into his mouth quickly. He ate with such haste and speed it was as if he hadn’t eaten in days.
“You?” He asked. Truthfully, Thanos didn’t really care about where Nam-gyu was from. All he cared about was how he could be useful to him and his music. But for the sake of chivalry and the fact that they’d be living together for fifteen weeks, he asked anyway.
“Also from Seoul. Worked at a club there.” Nam-gyu said before taking a sip of his drink- he seems to have poured some kind of flavored tea in his ice cup.
“Cool… which one? I’ve probably been there.”
“Club Pentagon, I might’ve seen you there a few times. I don’t usually see hair that ugly and you seem kind of familiar…” Nam-gyu trailed off as Thanos continued aggressively slurping his ramen. Once he finished, Thanos spoke up, waving his hands around angrily.
“Ok first off, my hair is fucking beautiful-“ Nam-gyu interjected, “No the fuck it is not. Out of all colors, why would you choose purple? Mid color not gonna lie-“ Thanos interjected Nam-gyu’s interjection, “Are you gonna let me speak?” He asked calmly, to which Nam-gyu shut his mouth with haste.
“My hair… is perfect. Second of all- wait did you say Club Pentagon?” Thanos paused. “Uh, yea?” Nam-gyu started tapping the fingers on his free hand to the music playing over the store speakers.
Hearing the name of the club triggered a series of painful memories in Thanos’ mind. Memories that involve so much fighting and anger that it could kill a frail old granny.
Thanos doesn’t remember much from that night. The memories come in flashes- but they’re all blurry and cloudy. The most he remembers at a time is beating the shit out of some randoms whose names he didn’t even care to know. He doesn’t even remember why it started. All he knew for sure was that he was fighting his rival, Myung-gi.
Thanos woke up the next morning with the sun in his eyes and the smell of hospital filling his nose. He had been beaten so badly that most of his skin was a deep purple and the whites of his eyes became red. Se-mi, Min-su, and Gyeong-su waited at his bedside while he was coming out of the anesthesia. They filled him in on why he was in the hospital, avoiding details of the fight. Thanos most notably remembered Se-mi lecturing him on his temper and slapping him on his heavily bruised arm. Others filtered in and out of the room that day- managers, fans, talent agents, all people Thanos didn’t care much for. After that, Thanos decided he wanted nothing to do with the clubs in Seoul anymore; but since his career was dependent on it, he had no other choice but to relocate.
Thanos wondered if Nam-gyu was working the night of that fight. He figured that if Nam-gyu was, he would have told him by now- and since he hadn’t, Thanos won’t bring it up. It’s not something he likes to talk about while high and will actively try to avoid it if brought up. Lucky for him, Nam-gyu seems to have no clue.
“Yea… I’ve been there a few times. Nothing special.” Thanos said, dodging eye contact as much as he could. Though Thanos knew he was lying, the look Nam-gyu gave him made it seem like he knew, too. But that wasn't something Thanos wanted to even attempt to address.
“So… why’re you here then?” Thanos groaned in annoyance at Nam-gyu’s question.
“What are you? A therapist?” Nam-gyu took the last bite of his food.
“Just curious.” Thanos could tell that Nam-gyu had tried to play off his nosy nature with innocent curiosity, key word tried because he failed.
“You’re annoying, do you know that Nam-su?” Nam-gyu balled his fists and shoved them in Thanos' face, like a threat, “It’s Nam-gyu… and your hair is ugly.” Thanos slapped his hands away.
“Shut up! No it’s not.”
“Answer the damn question.”
“You are such a pest… fine,” Thanos took a moment to think about what he should say, still unsure if he can fully trust his new roommate. “Just got tired of the scene in Seoul. Tired of the people and constant competition. I was constantly getting calls about industry shit and how my rival was doing so much better and I needed to come out with something better. There was always a push and pull with those people and those agencies. It was like I was always living on the edge- there was no such thing as relaxation… So one day, I was fed up. Went to the Han River Bridge. Was gonna jump and shit. Maybe then I’d just once get to be bigger news than my rival…” Thanos felt pretty good openly talking about his attempt. Nam-gyu looked at him sympathetically.
“What made you not go through with it? Someone stop you?” Nam-gyu asked eagerly. Thanos quirked an eyebrow at him, suspicious.
“You are one nosy motherfucker.” Nam-gyu didn’t reply to that, unable to fight the nosy allegation.
“Well what about you? Why are you here?” Thanos decided to be nosy back. “Just helping out a friend.”
"Boooooringgggg. Next." Thanos pretended to yawn and snore at Nam-gyu's response, “The same friend who has you glued to your laptop typing shit for hours?” Nam-gyu seemed surprised by Thanos’ sudden spout of sassiness- and also that he remembered what Nam-gyu said earlier about his friend. Nam-gyu, too, was a victim of the sassy man apocalypse.
“Uhh, yea?”
“Doesn’t sound like a very good friend to me.”
“Whatever man. Doesn’t matter to you anyway.” Nam-gyu’s reaction piqued Thanos’ interest. He wanted to know who this friend was and why he had Nam-gyu doing so much shit for him. Not that he cared about Nam-gyu very much, Thanos was purely nosy. Thanos shakily got up and started gathering his trash to throw away, Nam-gyu doing the same.
“Well, let’s go back to the dorm then.” Thanos said, pulling his coat on that he doesn’t even remember taking off. “Okay, let’s go.” Nam-gyu agreed and started walking out, followed by Thanos.
Thanos never ended up answering Nam-gyu’s question.
Once they had arrived back at the dorm, they quickly checked in at the now empty front desk using the ID scanners. The pair turned the corner only to yet again see multiple crowds waiting for an elevator.
“Should we take the stairs?” Nam-gyu asked. Thanos shook his head, “To the top floor? Hell no. This isn’t Mount Olympus.” A scrawny looking student walked up behind the two.
“Uhm… you mean Mount Everest?” He said. Thanos and Nam-gyu turned around, death staring at the kid who was definitely a freshie.
“Shut up nerd.” They said in unison. The kid frowned and ran away. Thanos and Nam-gyu looked at each other, and laughed.
Soon enough, the crowd had slimmed as if it were on Ozempic, and Thanos and Nam-gyu were able to squeeze into an elevator. It was an extremely tight squeeze, the two were completely pressed together, bodies fully touching. Thanos’ impatient ass didn’t want to wait and stormed in first, leading him and Nam-gyu to being too close for comfort in the very back of the elevator. Thanos’ back was pressed against the back wall while Nam-gyu’s back was pressed against Thanos.
Nam-gyu’s hair kept getting in Thanos’ mouth, and no amount of swatting would make it go away.
“Dude, move your fucking hair it keeps getting in my face!” Thanos whisper-yelled at Nam-gyu. Though he couldn’t turn around, Thanos knew exactly what expression was on his roommate’s face.
“Don’t you think I would if I fucking could?? Maybe you should stop breathing on my goddamn neck. The fuck are you huffing and puffing for? We just walked down the street… not blowing down straw houses.” Nam-gyu grumbled back.
“Psh. whatever.” Thanos stayed quiet until the elevator started clearing out, slowly giving them more space to themselves.
Eventually, they were the last ones in the elevator. They stood in silence until they heard the already-annoying ding that told them which floor they were on.
“Would’ve been quicker if we took the stairs…” Nam-gyu grumbled as he walked down the hallway and into the bathroom. Thanos walked straight past, making eye contact with Mariah. She was even creepier in the dark, her lifeless eyes were somehow full of emotion- mostly judgement. “Don’t judge me Mariah…” Thanos muttered as he unlocked his dorm and waltzed in. He quickly changed into his pajamas and got into his bed, quick to not waste any time. Thanos does not play about the time he spends in his bed- there’s simply nothing better. Nam-gyu soon came into the room and got under his covers.
Nam-gyu yawned, “Goodnight.” He said to Thanos.
“Goodnight, man.” Thanos responded.
They both fell asleep not too long after that.
Thanos woke up alone. He noticed right away that Nam-gyu was gone. His big, annoying presence was gone- and Thanos was not complaining. He figured Nam-gyu was likely just a morning person. Thanos picked up his phone and checked the time, it was 9:30. The cafeteria closes the breakfast area at 10.
“Fuck.” Thanos muttered as he shoved some random new clothes on as quickly as he could. It was his first morning at Berklee and he did not want to miss breakfast.
Thanos ran out of the room as soon as he was dressed, noticing Mariah was gone from her usual spot. He didn’t think much of it though, and luckily there was only a small crowd of a few people waiting for the elevator.
Thanos leaned against the wall while pretending to scroll on his phone, trying to blend in and seem like a normal college kid. The kids waiting in front of Thanos paid him no mind, so he considered it a success.
Soon enough, Thanos heard the ever-so annoying ding of the elevator. He let the younger kids go in first before getting in. He pressed the button for the first floor with his knuckle and waited.
When the elevator got to the first floor, Thanos had to go through security again in order to get to the cafeteria. It turns out that the big staircase in the lobby leads there. It was honestly really nice. The ceiling was high and balconies of tables and places to eat lined the inside walls while the rest of the walls were windows that allowed them to watch the streets of Back Bay.
Flowing metal statues lined the windows, looking similar to a music staff. There was a large stage right by the windows- currently occupied by transportable cafeteria tables. A giant food bar lined the inside wall of the first floor, there had to be hundreds of things to choose from. Thanos walked straight to the waffle machines. Nothing beats a good Belgian waffle first thing in the morning. Especially with some melted butter and maple syrup. Thanos’ mouth watered at the idea. He’d never actually had a Belgian waffle before- he’s just seen videos of them from American mukbangs and cafeteria food reviews for the school.
Thanos searched the ocean of people and tables for a place to sit. There were a lot of groups- almost no one sat alone. Thanos considered bringing his food back up with him to his room- when he spotted a familiar head of hair.
Despite only meeting yesterday and spending one night together, Thanos has spent too much time up close and personal with the back of Nam-gyu’s head- so he recognized it immediately.
Thanos noticed he was with another person. He debated whether or not to go over there and talk to Nam-gyu and this new person. On one hand, it could never hurt to introduce himself. But on the other, they could be talking about something important that they wouldn’t want Thanos to get involved in.
After standing around for a few minutes and garnering a few odd looks, Thanos decided to go over and say hello, but that’s all. He took a deep breath, and started walking over. He tried to get a better look at the person Nam-gyu was with, struggling until he got closer. This person's hair seemed familiar, too familiar. Thanos didn’t like that. He picked up the pace, eventually seeing more and more of this person's pale face. And then he got a full view.
Thanos’ blood ran cold.
It was Myung-gi.
Chapter 2: I Might Not Have the Right... But I have the Left
Summary:
Thanos whines like a baby to his friends on what to do now that he thinks Nam-gyu is Myung-gi's lackey. They give him a great solution that he does not use and gets into a fight with Nam-gyu. Se-mi tells him how to fix it but once again does not listen.
Notes:
Ik this one is a little short but TRUSTTTT the next one is gonna be so good and juicy. Also sorry if there are any mistakes I am allergic to proofreading.
Chapter Text
“I mean, what the fuck man?!? How could he not tell me that this mysterious friend he has is LEE MYUNG-GI?!?” Thanos cried as he tugged on his hair in frustration, ripping out a few purple strands.
Earlier, when he saw Nam-gyu and Myung-gi sitting together in the cafeteria, Thanos saw red. He stopped in his tracks, turned around, and stormed away. Part of him questioned why he cared enough to get mad rather than ignoring it and getting breakfast. After all, he’d only spent one night with Nam-gyu. He went back up to his dorm, grabbed a few things as quickly as he could, and rushed over to his friends’ apartment.
The building was tucked into a little alley in Fenway. Behind some extremely heavy glass doors, there was a small lobby with some mailboxes and stairs leading up and down.
The apartment was relatively small, and since it was on a half-floor it wasn’t a pain to get to. The entryway was small, leading straight into a small kitchen. From there, a diagonal hallway led to a small living room with four doors scattered throughout. Three were bedrooms, one was a bathroom. There were a couple windows only on one wall of the apartment, holding the most beautiful view of the city- an expansive brick wall that was at most two feet away. Without a lot of funds, the apartment was scarcely furnished. An old black leather couch was pushed up against the wall across from a decently sized television. A scratchy recliner was pushed up against the couch next to a small table that held a boring lamp. The most notable piece of furniture was a dollar store mini-fridge in the shape of a minecraft creeper.
There, Thanos whined to Se-mi, Min-su, and Gyeong-su. Se-mi and Gyeong-su joined Thanos on the couch while Min-su brewed a pot of tea in the kitchen.
“Why should he tell you? It’s not like you’re dating. I think you’re overreacting.” Se-mi said.
“I see where he’s coming from. I’d be upset too. I mean… how could you just hide from someone that you moved countries for their arch nemesis? Like that’s kinda weird to me…” Min-su said as he walked over to Thanos with a cup of tea in one hand and a blunt in the other. Thanos grabbed them both, and took a sip of tea. Min-su plopped down onto the couch in between Thanos and Se-mi, the old leather crunched under his weight. The four barely fit together on the small leather couch, their bodies firmly pressed together- It seemed mildly uncomfortable.
“See! Min-su gets it! That’s why you’re my boy!” Thanos threw an arm around Min-su and used the other to put the blunt in his mouth. He whipped out his custom engraved lighter, struggling to get the lighter to catch. He eventually got it and put the flame up to the blunt. He took a deep inhale before blowing the smoke out into the room.
“Did someone open the windows? We’ve only been here for a few days and already got a complaint about the smell…” Gyeong-su whined, fanning away the smoke with his hand. Se-mi reached over Min-su, grabbing the blunt from Thanos’ hand and bringing it back to herself to take a hit from.
“Yes, I opened it.” Min-su responded, grabbing the tv remote and turning the television on. Se-mi blew out quite a bit of smoke that Min-su tried to swat away. She laughed at Min-su’s attempt to blow it away before returning focus to Thanos and his predicament.
“Well, what are you even going to do about it?” Se-mi said, “What right do you have to interrogate someone you met yesterday on their relationships with people you may or may not like…”
“I’m going to confront the shit out of him. Sure, I might not have the right to be all up in his business, but I have the left.” Thanos turned and looked at Se-mi with the dumbest grin on his face.
“You really thought that was a good joke, huh? What is wrong with you... besides everything… obviously.” She retorted. Thanos’s smile quickly disappeared and he pouted and turned away from Se-mi, in a manner similar to a child not getting what they wanted.
“Okay but guys…” Gyeong-su started, “We don’t even know for sure if the friend Thanos’ roommate was talking about is even Myung-gi. Maybe he was just visiting and his roommate is here for someone else. We don’t know for sure until Thanos asks him. We can’t assume things here, Thanos. You’re going to be living with this guy for the whole semester.”
“Ah, you’re right. I should ask him first. You’re so good at problem solving, Gyeong-su.” Thanos said, and patted his friend on the back of his head in thanks. Gyeong-su happily let Thanos show him affection.
“So let’s do that then, yea? When Thanos goes back later he’ll ASK his roommate first and then go from there. Who knows, maybe they just ran into each other and Myung-gi will never be seen around here ever again.” Min-su suggested. The rest of them nodded in agreement.
“You’re so smart, Min-su.” Thanos said, taking another hit of the blunt. They sat around in silence for a few minutes, until someone spoke up.
“Let’s put on a movie!” Gyeong-su piped up, reaching for the blunt after Thanos.
“Like what?” Se-mi asked. They all paused for a few seconds to think.
“I know! Let’s watch Keeping Up with the Kardashians!” Min-su suggested.
“Um, Min-su, that’s a show… I think we should watch Saw!” Se-mi said, combing her hair behind her ears and out of her eyes. Min-su pouted at his idea being shut down.
“Absolutely not! I’m gonna get nightmares…” Gyeong-su cried, hugging himself and pretending to cry. Min-su was still sulking. Thanos shot his hands out across his friends, trying to shush them.
“Guys… I know what we should watch… 1000lbs sisters,” He said. His friends looked at him, concerned, “It’s the epitome of American culture.”
“Shut the fuck up Thanos- or should I say Tammy. Let’s put on Fight Club.” Se-mi said as she snatched the remote from Min-su’s grubby little hands and took control of the television. The rest of them accepted defeat as Se-mi put on whatever she wanted.
Once the movie was over, Thanos decided it would be a good time to try and confront Nam-gyu. He left his friends’ apartment and made his way back to the Berklee dorms. After an awkward and crowded elevator ride, Thanos made it back up to his floor. As he walked down the hallway to his room, he noticed that Mariah had moved. Thanos stopped a random passerby to ask.
“Hey bro… where’s Mariah?” He asked. The person shrugged, “I don’t know. Last time I saw her she was in the lounge, but that was this morning.” They said. Thanos nodded and continued onwards to his room. He was hoping that Nam-gyu was somewhere else because Thanos had thought of the most genius plan: To look through Nam-gyu’s side of the room for any proof of his and Myung-gi’s friendship. He wasn’t expecting to find much of anything, but even a t-shirt from Myung-gi’s merch drop would suffice.
Thanos quietly opened the door to his room and creeped inside. The lights were on but the blinds were shut. No Nam-gyu in sight. Thanos’s evil grin displayed his happiness at his fortunate circumstances. Thanos emptied his pockets onto his own bed and dove into Nam-gyu’s things.
First, he went through a few boxes stored under his bed, there was nothing but neatly organized music equipment, textbooks, and clothes. Next, Thanos searched Nam-gyu’s nightstand but there was also nothing. Something shiny in the closet caught Thanos’ attention. He crouched down and pushed through the layers of hung up clothing, until he found a small, shiny box. He picked it up, only to be met with a small lock.
“It has to be in there…” Thanos whispered to himself. He set the box back down and put everything back where it was before Thanos rummaged through it. One of Nam-gyu’s shirts looked familiar to Thanos. He picked it up and sure enough, it was some old merch of his- back when he was a small rapper and sold horribly-handmade t-shirts. The shows he sold those shirts at just so happened to be ones that he performed alongside Myung-gi- back when they were friends.
“How the hell does he have this? I guess he did say he might’ve seen me before. But I never performed at Club Pentagon when I was a small rapper, that was big time shit.” Thanos spoke to himself.
Thanos started to hear footsteps and cheerful chatting outside his door, “Shit,” Thanos took the shirt and ran to hide it under his own bed. Once hidden, he jumped onto his bed and pretended to scroll on his phone. But the door never opened. The sounds slowly faded away and Thanos assumed they must have been looking for Mariah. Now in the clear, Thanos decided to check Nam-gyu’s desk next. And his laptop was coincidentally left open and on.
Thanos assumed that Nam-gyu couldn’t have gone far, and he’d be back soon. So he had to be quick. Thanos sat down in the already pushed out chair, and stared at the screen. There was nothing open except for what looked like a summer assignment. It looked like classical music, and Thanos hates classical music. He minimized the tab and began snooping. He looked through all the files and applications on Nam-gyu’s laptop. Nothing suspicious. Until Thanos found the Imessage application, he knew he’d find something juicy in there- and he did. Thanos found a chat history with “Myung-gi” and he knew he had hit the jackpot. Thanos clicked on it and began reading their texts.
“Let’s get breakfast!!!!!”
“Ok”
Thanos scrolled up further.
“Can you check this assignment for me plsplsplsplspls”
“Ok”
“...”
“It’s fine. You suck at polyrhythms though.”
“Thanks”
“Ok”
Thanos kept scrolling up only to find nothing of substance.
“Let’s get dinner!!”
“No”
Still scrolling.....
“Wyd rn”
“Nothing”
"Do you wanna hang out?"
"No"
“Man this guy is such a dry texter…” Thanos muttered to himself. From these texts, they seemed like just acquaintances. Thanos opened up the attachments and scrolled through the pictures they had sent to each other. It was mostly images of sheet music. Thanos was so glued to the screen and determined to find something that he didn’t notice the door of the room open and close.
But Thanos was scrolling away, searching through tens of images in search of anything that would prove that Nam-gyu had history with Myung-gi. Thanos landed on an image of the two of them together. They looked to be in a club in Korea. They were with someone else but they looked to be cropped out of the picture, hand still visible around Nam-gyu’s shoulder. Thanos had found it. And then the laptop slammed shut.
“What the fuck are you doing.” Thanos looked up only to see Nam-gyu with his hand holding the laptop closed. Thanos quickly stood up to match Nam-gyu’s presence.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were friends with him ?” Thanos’ voice was filled with disgust and hate.
“It’s none of your business who I’m friends with. And you didn’t answer my question. What are you doing?” Nam-gyu growled. Thanos’ hands were shaking, still shocked from getting caught. His heart was racing. But this was more important to him.
“What do you think I’m doing! He’s my fucking enemy and I should know if his spy is living with me!”
“I’m not his fucking spy. You need to chill out. Get away from my shit and I’ll explain it to you, though you don’t even deserve it,” Nam-gyu spat, somewhat trying to de-escalate the situation. But Thanos was not having it.
“You clearly know somewhat of who I am. So you must also know my history with him. What the fuck is your deal, bro? I fucking saw you having breakfast with him this morning! You’re clearly friends!” Thanos whipped out his phone, mere seconds away from calling the school and having Nam-gyu removed as his roommate. “If I hate him, and you’re friends with him… Then I hate you too!” Thanos continued, clenching his fists.
“Dude, slow the fuck down. You don’t know anything. Stop assuming shit.” Nam-gyu grabbed Thanos by the collar, pulling him away from the laptop, “Jealous much? Look who’s the annoying one now…” He muttered. Thanos aggressively pushed Nam-gyu off him, causing him to stumble backwards. He was ready to fight. They both were.
“Get out! I don’t know who the fuck you are or what the fuck you want but I don’t want to be anywhere near you. Get the fuck out of my room!” Thanos yelled. Without missing a beat Nam-gyu stormed over to grab his laptop and then quickly left without another word. The door slammed shut behind him. Thanos stood there for a few minutes in silence. He let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, and relaxed his fists. Thanos walked over to his bed and sat down. He needed to calm down but wasn’t sure how- he wasn’t in Korea anymore and couldn’t just fight the nearest drug lord lackey to cool off some steam. Thanos ended up just laying in bed for a few minutes, staring at the ceiling.
Without warning, the door swung open. Thanos groaned, “I just said get the fuck out… What do you wan-”
“Don’t fucking talk to me that way. I’ll beat your ass.” Thanos shot up at a familiar voice.
“Se-mi! How did you get in here? I didn’t fill out a guest pass for you.”
“I have my ways… mostly plot convenience,” Se-mi paused to look Thanos up and down, “Actually, I have a friend who goes here and she filled one out for me. What the fuck happened to you. Your shirt is all messed up. I walked past Nam-gyu on my way in and said hello but he ignored me. He also looked disheveled now that I think about it. Did you guys fight or fuck?” Se-mi asked, half joking. Thanos glared at her.
“If looks could kill…" She trailed off, "I’m guessing you guys had a fight. Did you ask him if he was friends with Myung-gi?”
“When I got back from the apartment he wasn’t here so I looked through his shit. Like all of his shit. Went through his computer and found their texts, and a picture of them at a club together back in Korea. They’re definitely friends with each other. I’m sure of it. But then he came in and found me looking at it and got all confrontational, and mad. I threw him out.” Thanos said, gritting his teeth. Se-mi seemed shocked.
“You went through his shit? That’s weird. You should have just waited and asked instead of snooping. You didn’t really find anything that convincing either. A singular picture together doesn’t mean much of anything. Maybe if you found a lot of them, but just one doesn’t mean anything. You just blew up on him and assumed shit and then made him hate you for no reason! That’s kind of funny…” Se-mi said, laughing at Thanos. He groaned and rolled over in response.
“Anyways, you forgot this at the apartment, so I came to bring it to you.” Se-mi said, holding out Thanos’ special lighter. She placed it down on the nightstand.
“Thanks…” He said quietly.
“That’s it. You should probably apologize to your roommate, ” Se-mi said as she turned around to leave, “Seriously, you should. Bye.” The door closed swiftly behind her.
After hearing Se-mi’s lecture, Thanos knew she was right, but he couldn’t just swallow his pride and apologize immediately. He had to wait it out a bit first- so that’s exactly what he did.
Chapter 3: Forgetting the seventh...
Summary:
Thanos finally gets the courage to apologize to Nam-gyu.
Notes:
:3
Chapter Text
It was dark in Thanos’ dorm room. City lights peeked in through the drawn blinds and the sounds of the Boston night scene still rang out at thirteen stories high. Occasionally a car horn would blare or there would be a short but intense fight right outside, surely waking half the building up. In Korea, sounds like that lulled Thanos to sleep every night. But here? He just couldn’t sleep.
Thanos waited days. He slowly became accustomed to being alone in that room all the time. Though he wouldn’t ever admit it, there was a presence he found himself missing from the room. Thanos waited long enough for the semester to start and for classes to begin. He ended up sharing an English class with Nam-gyu. But they refused to look at or speak to each other. Nam-gyu only came back to the dorm when Thanos wasn’t there, but he never moved his stuff out. Thanos could only assume Nam-gyu was staying with Myung-gi, but he had to remind himself not to keep assuming shit.
They lived completely separate for quite some time- and it worked out for them. Thanos got his single room and he thought Nam-gyu would be happy not to be around his friends’ enemy.
But Thanos just couldn’t get his mind off that picture he saw on Nam-gyu’s laptop. It looked so familiar to him yet there was no way he could have seen it before.
It looked like a club he’d been to before- but not one he performed at. And who the hell was cropped out of that picture?
Thanos was taken out of his own thoughts by the sound of the door opening. A small sliver of light shined into the shared space, completely brightening the room. He wasn’t sure whether or not to pretend to sleep or confront the intruder. He decided to confront the intruder.
Thanos quickly sat up, spinning around to meet eyes with Nam-gyu, who stood frozen in the doorway. The sudden brightness change was too much for Thanos’ eyes, “Dude shut the damn door, it’s too bright out there.” He spat. Nam-gyu quietly stepped in and closed the door behind him. “Sorry.” He said. Thanos rolled his eyes.
“What are you doing here? Didn’t I say I didn’t want to see you?” Thanos said, yawning in the middle of his sentence. Nam-gyu shrugged, “Couldn’t couch hop anymore. I don’t know that many people. Need to sleep here tonight. I won’t bother you, just go back to sleep.” He said, walking over to his bed and getting under the covers. Thanos turned over so he was facing the wall.
“Wasn’t sleeping anyway.” He muttered as Nam-gyu finished getting under his blankets.
“Why?” Nam-gyu asked.
“Why do you care?”
“Just curious.”
“I dunno. Just couldn’t sleep.” Thanos said as he started tossing and turning on his bed, unable to get comfortable enough to sleep. He let out an aggravated sigh and then the room fell silent. A few minutes passed before one of them spoke up.
“Wanna get high?” Nam-gyu asked. Thanos quirked an eyebrow, genuinely considering the offer.
“Well… why should I? For all I know you’re just going to report everything we do back to Myung-gi…” Nam-gyu scoffed in response and sat up, facing Thanos, “You don’t know what you’re talking about, I’m not going to do that. He’s not really my friend.” He said. Thanos sat up as well in response.
“The fuck you mean he’s not really your friend? If you moved here for the guy I think he might be your friend.”
“It’s complicated. I don’t owe you any information about him. You and I are not friends. We’re barely even roommates. Don’t get mad at me when you went snooping in my shit and saw things that weren't meant for you. You have no idea what you saw.” Nam-gyu spat. Thanos felt a bit hurt at Nam-gyu’s words even though he technically did start their fight.
“Whatever, man.” Thanos decided not to say anything else. He decided that he can get high another time, with his friends and not a cranky Nam-gyu.
The room went quiet once again. Thanos waited silently until he heard Nam-gyu’s breath even out, assuming he was asleep. He began to feel tired, too.
“Sorry about that…” Thanos whispered as he drifted off to sleep. He could have sworn he heard Nam-gyu whisper something incoherent back, but Thanos was too tired to ask what his roommate said.
The next morning, things still weren’t quite normal. Nam-gyu was long gone from the dorm once again, leaving his side of the room neat and tidy as if he was never there. Thanos decided it was time for a real apology, not just a half-assed whisper in the middle of the night. He figured Nam-gyu deserved a real apology. Maybe then, Thanos would be able to get some answers.
The rest of the day flew by. Thanos went to the caf to grab breakfast- no sign of Nam-gyu or Myung-gi. He ended up skipping his English class- opting to get lunch with Gyeong-su and Min-su while Se-mi was out with a friend. After entertaining them, Thanos went to his Harmony class but spaced out the entire time trying to mentally script a half-decent apology. Once class ended, he texted Nam-gyu, whose number he got during that first night they spent together. Thanos hadn’t dared text Nam-gyu at all until now, and Nam-gyu hasn’t texted him either.
“When u get out of class come up to the dorm I wanna talk to u”
“K”
Thanos rolled his eyes at Nam-gyu’s dry response. For such a yapper in person, Thanos never would have taken his roommate to be a dry texter.
Once making it up to the dorm, Thanos waited anxiously for Nam-gyu to get out of class.
He cracked the windows open as much as they allowed for, and took out a blunt from his stache and lit it up. He brought it to his lips and took a deep inhale, making sure to blow as much of it out the window as he could. Just the motion of lighting and smoking seemed to calm Thanos’ nerves somewhat. Thanos waited a little longer for the high to start kicking in for a second inhale.
He stared out at the city below him. The view was nice, but nothing special. It was nothing compared to Seoul. Everything was mostly blocky, dirty, and undeveloped compared to the neon skyline Thanos knew so well. But it was different- that’s all that mattered to him. He wouldn’t have cared if he was in the middle of buttfuck nowhere as long as he wasn’t back in Seoul. The city itself wasn’t even that bad, but the people? They made Thanos miserable. The constant pressure from everyone to release new music and make it better than Myung-gi’s next upcoming single. Thanos fucking hated it. Myung-gi always seemed to be a step ahead of Thanos. But once he moved to America, Thanos thought that he was finally one step ahead. Clearly, he wasn’t. Thanos figured that was partially why he was so upset at Nam-gyu, despite him having nothing to do with it.
Speak of the devil, the door creaked open just as Thanos took a third inhale of his blunt. He met eyes with Nam-gyu, who had a blank expression on his face.
“Sup?” Nam-gyu asked as he put his backpack down next to the door and took his shoes off. Thanos tried to be mysterious and looked away from Nam-gyu, out towards the city once again,
“Want some?” Thanos asked, referring to the blunt. Nam-gyu shrugged, “Sure.” He said and walked over to Thanos, who was holding the drugs out to him. He grabbed it, and quickly took a deep inhale.
“What did you want to talk about? Let me guess, a half-assed apology that you scripted and practiced over and over again in your head?” Nam-gyu asked, crossing his arms. Thanos scoffed.
“Okay well if you’re going to be like that then you’re getting nothing at all.” Thanos said, ripping the blunt out of Nam-gyu’s hands, as he let out a whine of disappointment.
“Nooo... Okay, okay... I’m sorry for being right, keep going.” He said as Thanos glared at him. Thanos took a deep breath and paused for dramatic effect before speaking.
“Yea, you’re right. I wanted to apologize. It was weird and immature of me to snoop through your shit instead of just asking you for the truth. Which I know I don’t even deserve after how I treated you, but I really am sorry. For kicking you out too.” Thanos confessed, refusing to make eye contact with his roommate. Nam-gyu smirked at Thanos’ apology, and grabbed the blunt out from Thanos’ hand. He took a hit for himself and held it in for a few seconds, “It’s okay,” Nam-gyu breathed out. The smoke went straight in Thanos’ face, causing him to grimace.
“Tch. Whatever.” Thanos said, trying to seem big and tough but failing. Nam-gyu smiled at him earnestly, “Thanks for the apology. I forgive you.” He said. Thanos finally turned to look at him, though avoiding straight eye contact. His eyes darted everywhere on Nam-gyu’s face. He noticed light freckles across Nam-gyu’s nose and cheeks, and how they were slightly red. A few small scars littered his smooth skin, probably from fights. Thanos looked at how shiny and soft Nam-gyu’s hair looked, always tucked behind his ears. He watched Nam-gyu’s chest rise and fall rather quickly, as if he ran to their room to talk to Thanos.
Thanos’s staring was interrupted by Nam-gyu waving his hand in front of his face, “Hellooooo… My eyes are up here, man.” He said, laughing lightly. Thanos liked the sound very much, it was surprisingly pleasant. It was something he could get used to hearing- he’d never admit that though.
“What? Did you say something?” Thanos’ face flushed and he looked away in embarrassment. Nam-gyu chuckled softly at this, embarrassing Thanos even more.
“No. But I’m hungry. Let’s get something to eat from the caf.” He said, turning around and walking back to the door to put his shoes on. Thanos stood there, speechless. He just watched Nam-gyu put his shoes on until he snapped out of it and joined him.
“Sure.”
The two of them made their way downstairs to get their munchies snacks. They pretty much raided the buffet and gobbled down their food without much exchange of words. Thanos was slightly paranoid that they would run into Myung-gi, but luckily for him there was no sighting of his enemy.
Later that night, while the two were coming down from their respective highs, they were both practicing. Nam-gyu was sitting at his desk mixing a sample from one of his classes, and Thanos was laying on his bed playing around with some new melodies on his old electric guitar. It was a gift from his record company when he first made it big, they wanted him to use it and try something new, but he never got around to it until now.
Thanos was strumming away on it and minding his own business until Nam-gyu spoke up, sliding his headphones off.
“Dude, what key are you trying to play in? Damn…” He said. Thanos raised an eyebrow.
“The fuck you mean, man? I’m playing a C major ninth, duh.” He retorted. Nam-gyu looked back at him, flabbergasted.
“No, man. You’re forgetting the seventh. It’s just an add nine chord without it. Can’t play a true C major ninth without the seventh…” Nam-gyu said.
“Erm, actually…” Thanos said, pushing up imaginary glasses and imitating Nam-gyu for acting like a nerd. Nam-gyu scoffed and slid his headphones back on, leaving one side slightly off his ear.
“Whatever…”
Thanos kept playing the same way on purpose. He wasn’t sure if he was trying to annoy Nam-gyu or if he was trying to get him to fix it. But he kept going for a few minutes longer until Nam-gyu began getting visibly annoyed. Eventually, he slammed his laptop shut and glared at Thanos.
“You’re still playing it wrong…” He growled. Thanos flashed him an evil grin.
“What’re you gonna do about it? Nerd.”
“I’m not a nerd. I have perfect pitch and you are a liar.”
“What makes me a liar?” Thanos asked, pretending to be innocent.
“Because you’re not playing the C major ninth like you said you were. You’re still forgetting the seventh… You know what- just let me do it…” Nam-gyu said, getting up and waltzing passive-aggressively over to Thanos, who sat up to make it easier for Nam-gyu to adjust his playing. Nam-gyu put a knee up on Thanos’s bed for leverage, and leaned in close. They were mere inches apart.
“See, now you add the seventh…” Nam-gyu said quietly as he took Thanos’s hand in his own and moved it to the correct position. After fixing Thanos’ hand, Nam-gyu backed away slightly. He took his own hand and lightly strummed the guitar while maintaining direct eye contact with Thanos.
“See? Isn’t that much better.” He said in a low voice, grinning slightly at his roommate.
“Yea… I guess. Thanks, man. It’s not that cool of a chord though…” Thanos trailed off, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. Nam-gyu’s eye twitched.
“Okay, how about I show you some cooler ones, okay?” Nam-gyu said as he retreated fully and walked over to his bed. He slowly bent down to reach for something under his bed, slightly arching his back. Thanos was completely mesmerized. His eyes were glued to Nam-gyu’s ass, until he realized how weird it was for him to be looking at his roommate's ass- as nice as it was. Thanos looked to the ceiling as he lightly slapped himself in the face to get the image out of his mind.
Nam-gyu resurfaced with a deep red electric guitar. It was a Gibson- a vintage one at that. It looked expensive. Nam-gyu sat on his own bed with the guitar and took a few minutes to tune it as Thanos started playing around with more keys once again.
“Try this one…”
The two continued for at least an hour before coming up with some cohesive chords and melodies. Thanos thought that maybe Nam-gyu really was the key to creating something new in his music. As they were both putting their guitars away, Nam-gyu spoke up, “We sound good together…”
“Yea, we do.”
Chapter 4: Stay. With me.
Summary:
Thanos and Nam-gyu run into Myung-gi. Things get confrontational as Myung-gi increases the stakes of the Berklee show that Thanos was headlining. Thanos brings his friends over to help him and Nam-gyu strategize on how to beat Myung-gi.
Notes:
>:)
Chapter Text
A few days later, Thanos and Nam-gyu had just finished working on a song together. They spent the whole morning trying out different things on pro-tools to see what sounded the best with the guitar melodies they came up with last time. They tried many different bass lines, drumlines, and as many things as they could come up with to make a track that Thanos could rap to. Once they finished the song, the two went downstairs to the caf for lunch.
After yet another awkward elevator ride, the two slid past the security desk and up the giant staircase in the lobby to the cafeteria. They checked in with the caf attendant and swiped in.
“Have you seen Mariah recently?? I haven’t seen her in forever… I’m kind of worried… What if someone hurt her?!” Thanos cried to Nam-gyu, who was scrolling on his phone and not paying any attention.
“Uhh… what? I saw her this morning down one of the other hallways… she’s been looking rough lately. I think someone borrowed her for a dorm party and I heard they woke up with her in the showers…” He trailed off, imagining the horrors Mariah saw- it sent a shiver down his spine.
“Poor Mariah… Maybe we could-“ Thanos was interrupted mid sentence by a collision with another person. Both Thanos and the other person fell to the ground.
“Hey! Watch where you’re going you fucki-“ The other person stopped right as they met eyes with Thanos.
“You?!?” Thanos exclaimed in disgust. He was face-to-face with Myung-gi. Myung-gi’s face immediately changed to one of anger. His brows furrowed and he bared his teeth. He had the face of a predator ready to pounce on its dinner- but the scrawny, shaky body of a prey animal.
“Get the fuck out of my way. I don't want to see you until I have to- fuck, wait- Nam-gyu? The fuck are you doing with this asshole?” Myung-gi prioritized staring down Nam-gyu than collecting himself.
“He can hang out with whoever the fuck he wants to? What’s it matter to you? And what the fuck do you mean until you have to? What are you on about?” Thanos spat out as he got up off the ground. Myung-gi followed suit.
“Are you stupid? The fucking caf show that we’re playing at?” Thanos’ blood ran cold. As far as he knew, he was the only notable person playing at the show. Nam-gyu stood silent a couple feet away, not saying or doing anything. He looked visibly uncomfortable and started fidgeting with his hair.
“The fuck you mean we?” Myung-gi facepalmed. “I guess you are just stupid. We’re both headlining! We will have to see each other when we perform!”
“What is up with this school and not telling me things! First a roommate and now this bullshit? Why are you even here man? Why would you follow me here when you still had a career in Korea…” Thanos whined. Myung-gi seemed shocked at Thanos’ question.
“You don’t fucking remember? You destroyed my career after the fight at the club! When the press found out that we fought over-”
“That’s enough, Myung-gi.” Nam-gyu said, stepping between Thanos and Myung-gi. Nam-gyu and Myung-gi began quietly whisper-arguing in front of Thanos, so quietly that Thanos was unable to hear what they were saying. He started feeling left out.
“Um… hello? I’m still here…” Thanos said, pulling on Nam-gyu to get him to back up. He didn’t budge. Thanos stood and waited for another minute or so before taking matters into his own hands. He pushed Nam-gyu to the side and interrupted their arguments.
“I’m fucking warning you, Nam-gyu. I told you what would happen if you did this to me-” Myung-gi said as he was cut off by being faced by Thanos.
“Get the fuck out of here, man. Leave us alone. We all know the show is primarily for me anyways. No one wants to see you…” Thanos said, while simultaneously making sure Nam-gyu was physically ok.
“You think no one wants to see me? God… You’re getting worse and worse every time I see you. Since you so obviously forgot- I pivoted to youtube and crypto. I have million of followers, man. The second I announced I would be at this show, ticket sales skyrocketed. Maybe you should look in a mirror man… I think you’re talking about yourself.” Myung-gi smirked, egging on Thanos.
“Fine, whatever. Who the fuck cares how many followers you have? I’ll beat your ass in front of all of them if I have to. Is that what you want? Do you want me to beat your ass right here, right now?” Thanos started raising his voice. Random students that were previously minding their own business were now stopped and staring at the confrontation.
“You know what? That’s a great idea. Finally you’ve said something smart! Let’s livestream the show!” Myung-gi trailed off for a minute, thinking hard, “You know what? Let's make it a rap battle. And whoever is watching can vote on who wins. Let’s fucking fight it out.” Myung-gi said, pulling out his phone and texting someone to jumpstart the idea before Thanos could even respond.
“Wait… what?? Fight it out with words? That’s some pussy shit right there, man. I’d honestly just rather hit you…” He complained. Nam-gyu decided to join in the argument, “That’s a stupid fucking idea and you know it, Myung-gi.” He growled. Myung-gi stopped typing and looked up at Nam-gyu with an evil look in his eye.
“I don’t think you get a say in this, Nam-gyu.” He spat.
“Dude, don’t fucking talk to him that way. What’s your problem?” Thanos stepped in, pushing Myung-gi lightly, enough that he would stumble backwards without falling.
“Why do you even care about Nam-gyu after everything that happened that night-” Myung-gi was interrupted by a fat fucking punch to the face by Nam-gyu. Myung-gi fell to the floor, clutching his now sore cheek.
“I see what’s going on here… Nam-gyu… you fucking piece of shit. You betrayed me. Fine… whatever.” Myung-gi said, getting up and fixing his clothes, “You can have Thanos for now. But if I win that damn rap battle then I’m taking back what’s rightfully mine-” Thanos winded back his arm to punch the still recovering Myung-gi.
“He’s not your property! You have no say over what he does and doesn’t do- you fucking idiot. Who he’s friends with is none of your buisnes-“ Thanos swung his arm back, about to throw a punch when Nam-gyu grabbed his wrist, preventing him from punching Myung-gi.
“Fine.” Nam-gyu said in agreement with Myung-gi’s idea. Thanos stood there shocked that Nam-gyu would accept Myung-gi’s deal. He let his arm go limp and fall to his side, but Nam-gyu was still gripping his wrist tightly.
“What the fuck?!? I didn’t even agree to this?!?” Thanos whined as Nam-gyu started pulling him away from Myung-gi.
“I’m not hungry anymore… Something nasty spoiled my appetite. It stinks in here anyway…” Nam-gyu said, waving away the air around his nose, and staring directly at Myung-gi, “Let’s go eat somewhere more clean…” He finished, continuing to pull his roommate away. Thanos got a glimpse of Myung-gi’s face as they walked away- he looked offended. Thanos still was flabbergasted at the shit Nam-gyu just signed them up for.
Once they were back downstairs, Thanos wiggled his way out of Nam-gyu’s grip.
“Dude… what just happened? What was he talking about with the whole ‘taking back what’s rightfully mine’ bullshit and how I destroyed his career? Is he even living on the same planet as us? His career is fucking fine and you have almost no involvement with him anymore, damn! You never even explained to me what happened between you two! I’m still waiting by the way…” Nam-gyu shot a glare at Thanos.
“Not right now… Let’s just get lunch separately. See you later.” Nam-gyu said, bolting out the front door of the building and into the crowded streets of Back Bay.
“Bruh. Whatever…” Thanos murmured to himself, pulling his phone out of his pocket. He pulled up Se-mi’s contact and called her. She picked up almost immediately.
“Hey Thanos, What’s up?” Her voice blared from the phone. Thanos had almost no phone etiquette and spoke to Se-mi on full speakerphone in the middle of the dorm lobby.
“Heyyy, Señorita. The weirdest thing just happened. Let’s get lunch. I’ll be at your place in fifteen minutes.” He said. Se-mi took a moment to respond.
“Kay. See you in fifteen.” The phone clicked. A few people stared rudely at Thanos for his lack of situational awareness- but he didn’t care much.
Thanos calmly left the building and started his walk towards Fenway. The whole walk, Thanos kept replaying the confrontation in his mind. He was totally puzzled by everything Myung-gi was talking about. Almost nothing he said made any sense whatsoever. Thanos noted how Myung-gi’s career was not even touched by the fight, because their record companies covered the entire thing up- or at least that's what someone told him. Truth be told, most things he knows about that fight and what happened afterwards were told to him by the various people coming into his hospital room. Thanos’ phone had been broken in the fight, so he never thought to look online for details. And once he got out of the hospital, he just wanted to be done with what had happened and didn’t bother seeking out any information about it.
With that idea in mind, Thanos decides to try looking it up. He puts his name in the search engine on his phone and hits enter. The first few things that show up are recent pictures, and articles on his relocation to the States and the Berklee show. Thanos had to scroll down really far to find anything on it- but eventually he does. He found an article titled, “ Fight breaks out between rappers in Seoul Club, leaves few hospitalized.” on a small news website. Thanos began reading the article.
“ Police records show that a brutal fight occurred just last night at the infamous Club Pentagon. The fight, involving two unnamed rappers, left a few people hospitalized. The report shows that the two rappers that started the fight, were known to dislike each other and have been involved in fights previously. Eyewitness reports allege that the fight was not premeditated and instead started because of a verbal altercation between one of the rappers and an employee- in which the other rapper stepped in and the fight began. Specifics of the fight and the identities of everyone involved have not yet been released. Hospital records show that one person was admitted with serious injuries, while the others were admitted for small fractures and bruising. The hospital denied the release of identities and blocked any press into the building.”
Thanos stopped reading. A migraine creeped into his head as he tried to further dissect the events of that night. He remembered being at the bridge- ready to jump and then for some reason going to the club. He even remembered entering the club and seeing Myung-gi, but anything else was still blurry. Thanos decided to keep searching- despite his head aching.
He kept scrolling down, until he found another article titled, “ Club fight leaves 1 in coma, perpetrators unknown.” No one involved in the fight ended up in a coma- as far as Thanos knew, but he decided to read it anyway.
“ A violent club fight from a few days ago has left a victim deep in a comatose state. Hospital records align with the police report that this person was involved in the fight, and remains in a coma to this day. No justice has been delivered to those who began the fight- that information still is unreleased. More details as they come.”
Thanos scoffed. He figured it was about a different fight that occurred that night- since club fights were extremely common in his old rap scene. Oftentimes, many happened at once and news articles were never accurate on the details of them all- tending to confuse multiple fights for each other.
Soon, the migraine just became too much for Thanos, and he had to put his phone away to continue walking.
He eventually made it to his friends’ apartment. They welcomed him inside and they heated up some leftover pizza to eat. Thanos wondered where Nam-gyu ran off too, but decided to give him some time alone. He knew one thing for sure though, and it’s that Nam-gyu has more to do with this than he originally thought.
Later that night, Thanos reunited with Nam-gyu in their dorm room. Nam-gyu seemed to be in a much better mood than earlier, and they decided to continue working on more music after passing around a joint.
“If we’re going to beat Myung-gi with millions of his fans watching, we better make something really fucking good. His followers are very loyal to him. They’ll do anything he says- so we need to be really careful here and plan this out strategically.” Nam-gyu said, and Thanos nodded in agreement.
“Yea, but we can’t forget that this is rap, it has to be fun too. We can’t just bitch and moan insults at him and expect to win- his fans would destroy us in the polls. We need to find a way to make this more than just a rap battle, it has to be an experience …” Thanos said, pulling out his phone, “Let’s invite my friends over. They always know how to make things fun. They have some good ideas too.”
“Okay, sure.” Nam-gyu agreed. Thanos took out his phone.
“Guys. Come over. Need ur help writing a diss track on Myung-gi.”
Se-mi was the first to respond, as usual.
“Okay, I’ll grab everyone. My friend can let us in.”
“Cool, thanks. See u soon.”
Thanos and Nam-gyu sat around and waited until they heard a knock on their door.
“That was fast, it’s a fifteen minute walk and it’s only been ten-” Thanos said as he opened the door, expecting to see his friends. Except it wasn’t his friends standing there, it was Mariah. She stared at Thanos with her lifeless eyes, silently judging him as usual.
“WHAT THE FUCK?!?” Thanos screeched. Nam-gyu shot up from his bed and peeked around the corner to see what Thanos was screaming about. He let out a sigh of relief at the sight of Mariah.
“It’s just Mariah. Why’re you so freaked out? She quite literally lives here.” Nam-gyu said, being his usual sassy self. Thanos paused to catch his breath, “I don't know, man. Maybe because I was expecting to see my friends and instead it’s the damn cardboard cutout.” He huffed.
“Her name is Mariah…” Nam-gyu grumbled. Thanos slowly closed the door, maintaining eye contact with Mariah the entire time until he heard the door click shut. Thanos hurriedly locked the door and swiftly turned around, but the only thing he could see was Mariah. He screamed, gripping his chest.
Except this time, it was just a photo of Mariah that Nam-gyu pulled up on his phone to shove in Thanos’ face.
“That’s not fucking funny, man…” Thanos muttered, slapping Nam-gyu’s phone out of his face. He sulked back to his bed and sat down, ignoring Nam-gyu for his prank. Though Nam-gyu was beaming, happy that his prank worked. They sat like that for a few more minutes before there was another knock on the door.
“You’re opening it.” Thanos said sternly, pointing to the door. Nam-gyu chuckled softly, “Okay, bro. Sure.” He said, getting up and opening the door. Familiar voices filled the room as his friends flooded in. Thanos let out a sigh of relief.
“What happened to you? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost…” Min-su asked, concerned for his friend.
“Mariah…” He trailed off. Min-su and Gyeong-su looked at him confused whilst Se-mi nodded in understanding. They brushed it off as Thanos and Nam-gyu debriefed everyone on the situation. Thanos invited Se-mi and Gyeong-su onto his bed whilst Min-su joined Nam-gyu on his bed.
“Wow, you guys are so fucked. I got into a twitter argument with one of Myung-gi’s stans before, and they doxxed me.” Gyeong-su said, not helping any of them feel better about the current predicament.
“So what should I do? Clearly I need to make the best diss track of my entire life. And we all know the rules, since Myung-gi challenged me, I get to pick the track we rap to. So we need to make something that is fully suited towards my style and not his.” Thanos said as he began writing down notes on a little notepad.
“I feel like that’ll be the easy part though. You guys have very different styles so he would suffer if we went with a more obscure track and beat that you’re more accustomed to.” Nam-gyu chimed in.
“What if we break down the stability of it by changing the time signature. Myung-gi would never be able to keep up if it kept changing- there would be no rhythm for him to consistently rap to but you’d be fine since you know the song. Let’s add some filters to the piano too and make it sound really unconventional.” Gyeong-su added. Thanos paused, “Damn, Gyeong-su! I didn’t know you were all into music too!” He exclaimed, face flushing when he realized he blew his cover as a music nerd.
“I’ve helped you write a few songs here and there, I know some of the basics but not all of it like you guys…” He trailed off, embarrassed. Thanos patted him on the back.
The five of them spent all evening trying out different ideas as Thanos tried to come up with the lyrics of his diss track. They ended up making a lot of progress by the time Thanos’ friends had to leave- as both Thanos and Nam-gyu had class in the morning and needed to be up early.
Se-mi, Min-su, and Gyeong-su all said goodbye and made their way out of the dorm as Thanos and Nam-gyu got ready to go to sleep.
“I think we made good progress today. There’s no way we’re going to lose to Myung-gi.” Thanos said confidently. Nam-gyu nodded in agreement, but he didn’t seem convinced. It brought the mood down a little.
“What’s wrong? There’s no way Myung-gi will be prepared for this. We’ll go in there, win, and get the hell out. You won't have to deal with him anymore according to his own conditions! It’s an easy win for us!” Thanos cheered. Nam-gyu still wasn’t convinced.
“You don’t know him like I do… he’ll definitely have something up his sleeve, even if he doesn't, he’s an awful loser. I just feel like it’s not going to be as easy as he is saying it will be. Myung-gi is sneaky…” Nam-gyu said, brows furrowing. Thanos got out of his bed and walked over to Nam-gyu’s, sitting on it next to him. Thanos put his hand gently on Nam-gyu’s bicep and looked Nam-gyu in the eyes, studying his face yet again.
“It’ll be fine. I promise.” He said. Nam-gyu swallowed his worry and nodded.
“Yea, you’re right. I’m probably worried for nothing.” Nam-gyu said. Thanos removed his hand from Nam-gyu’s arm, immediately missing the warmth. He made his way back to his bed, turning out the lights on the way over. Thanos was still extremely curious as to what happened between the two of them. But it seems to be a touchy subject and the last thing Thanos needs is to upset Nam-gyu and ruin his chances to win.
“Goodnight” Thanos said as he settled in his bed, getting comfortable under his blankets.
“Yea… Goodnight.” Nam-gyu responded as Thanos drifted off to sleep.
“Leave…… him…… alone!”
Pain exploded throughout Thanos’ head. Despite his small frame, Myung-gi can throw a punch.
“This has nothing to do with you!” Myung-gi’s voice echoed. Thanos threw a sloppy punch at Myung-gi, making direct contact with his cheek. Thanos watched as Myung-gi’s smooth skin rippled and broke under his fist and his sharp rings. He fell to the ground. Thanos joined him on the ground, getting another punch in before Myung-gi was able to land one back, knocking Thanos down.
“It has everything to do with me! This is what happens when you fuck with my-” Thanos was interrupted by a punch to the jaw. Myung-gi was obviously not letting him get any words in. He figured that the only way he would be able to communicate is with his fists. He took one more punch from Myung-gi before kicking his feet out under him, making him collapse on the floor yet again. Thanos jumped on top of him, continuing to punch Myung-gi.
Thanos felt hands gripping his arms and shoulders as he crawled closer to his opponent, throwing another punch at Myung-gi until he was barely conscious. Myung-gi’s face soon became a bloodied mess as chunks of skin and flesh got stuck to Thanos’s rings. His hands were covered in blood. But he just kept going until he heard a familiar voice.
“Thanos… stop! You’re going to kill him!” He stopped in his tracks, unable to disobey the voice in front of him. He looked up to see what face that voice belonged to, but was met with a rough fist to the face as everything turned black and his head hit the ground.
“Thanos! Wake the fuck up!” Thanos opened his eyes to see Nam-gyu above him, worry in his eyes. The lights in the dorm were on but it was still dark outside. Thanos sat up, unsure of what was going on.
“What? What happened? Is there a fire drill?” He asked. Nam-gyu looked at him, concerned.
“No… You were yelling unintelligible shit in your sleep. Are you ok?” Nam-gyu asked. That’s when Thanos realized that he was what happened.
“Oh… I had a nightmare I guess. I’m fine though.” Nam-gyu wasn’t convinced.
“You are obviously not ok… Do you want to talk about it?” Thanos debated telling Nam-gyu, unsure if he should stay up to tell him- since he probably wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep.
“It was just a nightmare about that night. This fight I had with Myung-gi- the entire reason I left to come here in the first place. It was a really bad fight.” Nam-gyu looked at him sympathetically. Thanos held his aching head in his hands, still feeling the pain from the dream and from that night.
“Oh… that’s awful. Do you need me to get you anything? Do you want to smoke?” Thanos paused to consider Nam-gyu’s idea.
“Nah… I’m good. Just wanna go back to sleep.” Nam-gyu nodded, starting to get up. Almost immediately, Thanos started to miss the contact. In a split second, his body made a decision before his brain even knew he wanted it. He grabbed Nam-gyu by the wrist before he was out of reach. Nam-gyu turned back around and Thanos gave him puppy-dog eyes.
“What? What’s up? Change your mind?” He asked. Thanos was almost too embarrassed to say it. He pulled Nam-gyu back, and he sat back down on the edge of the bed.
“Stay. With me” Thanos whispered. Nam-gyu looked at him, confused. “What do you mean, I’ll be with you this whole time… we live in the same room…” He trailed off, not knowing what Thanos meant.
Then it hit him. Nam-gyu looked shocked for a second, and then his face settled into one of happiness, “In bed with you? Are you okay with that?” He asked softly. Thanos nodded.
“Okay, let me just go turn the lights off first.” He said, getting up and taking what felt like forever to turn the lights out. He then cautiously got into bed with Thanos, wiggling under the covers. He stayed facing the rest of the room while Thanos turned away, facing the wall. But he didn’t care, as long as Nam-gyu was next to him. Thanos felt safe, for the first time in a while.
Chapter 5: It has to be perfect.
Summary:
Thanos wakes up in bed with Nam-gyu but is quickly interrupted. He goes to his friends' apartment and they help him come to terms with his feelings for Nam-gyu. They help Thanos pick a way to make a move as Thanos plans a date.
Notes:
Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
I know this chapter is a bit short and originally I was going to include the show in this chapter but It's probably going to need its own chapter.... Only a few more chapters until the rap battle and then maybe one or two more before the fic comes to an end :,) I'm thinking we're gonna be around 10-11 chapters total but we will see.
Also updates might slow down a little since I am unfortunately back in school and my workload is so large that it belongs on my 600lb life. BUT DO NOT WORRY!!! NO ABANDONED FICS HERE!!! I couldn't take a fiction writing class this semester so this will be my practice LOL.
Chapter Text
Thanos woke up almost completely wrapped around Nam-gyu. Their legs were intertwined and one of his arms was around Nam-gyu’s back. Thanos took the peaceful opportunity to take a good look at his roommate. He admired how the hair in Nam-gyu’s face would move slightly every time he exhaled- and he could see iris movement under Nam-gyu’s eyelids. Thanos wondered if Nam-gyu was dreaming about him. He hoped so. Then there was Nam-gyu’s smell, which Thanos adored since he was now covered in it. He smelled like the good parts of Seoul- the smell of newly made fried chicken in the winter air, like fresh fruit stands in the spring, and even like the smell of concrete when it first starts to rain. Thanos was strongly tempted by Nam-gyu’s soft, pink lips. He bit and chewed on his own lip trying not to bring Nam-gyu’s lips to his own and tasting him wholly and fully. He wondered what Nam-gyu’s skin tasted like.
Thanos mentally scolded himself for having such thoughts about his roommate. He always thought that he didn’t have time for real romance- back in Seoul he was too consumed with creating music and staying afloat while dealing with addiction. Part of Thanos thought that pursuing another person would just end up in him getting hurt. It would be a huge waste of time- and could even get him killed. Especially with a man? He’d be dropped from his record company and face public backlash for the rest of his life.
But in that very moment… There were no record companies, no paparazzi, no overbearing fans, just Thanos and Nam-gyu.
Just Thanos and Nam-gyu and.... Mariah?
Thanos was interrupted in his thoughts by the plain eyes of Mariah, standing above them. Thanos screamed, waking up Nam-gyu.
“WHAT? WHAT IS IT?!” He screeched, jolting up but still half asleep. Nam-gyu was still rubbing his eyes when he noticed Mariah.
“Oh… SHIT. What the fuck is she doing in here?” He asked, looking at the terrified Thanos.
“How am I supposed to know.. I just woke up and she was there!?!” Thanos yelled, “Get her out of here!?” To which Nam-gyu silently obeyed. He got up out of Thanos’ bed and carefully picked her up. He quickly unlocked the door and politely threw Mariah out when he got it open. Nam-gyu then shut the door, clicking the lock immediately.
“That was weird… Are you ok?" Nam-gyu asked. Thanos nodded, "Yea, I'm fine. That just freaked me out." Nam-gyu nodded in understanding.
"Did you end up sleeping okay? Did you have another nightmare?” Nam-gyu asked, sitting on the edge of Thanos’ bed. Thanos nodded his head, “I slept fine- and no, I’m good now, I didn't have another nightmare. Thanks.”
“That’s good. Just let me know if it ever happens again, I’ll help in any way I can.” Nam-gyu said sincerely, it made Thanos’s heart feel warm, “Really, thanks man.”
“You’re welcome. Anyway, I’m gonna go shower and then get breakfast. See you later.” Nam-gyu said, getting up and putting his shoes on. He picked up a small bag full of what Thanos assumes is some shower things and clothes, and swiftly left Thanos in silence as the door clicked shut. Thanos sat in silence for a few minutes, thinking about everything that happened last night and just now. He can't deny that he thinks Nam-gyu is attractive, and he could seriously get used to waking up next to Nam-gyu every morning- his warmth is addicting. But his involvement with Myung-gi is still slightly concerning to Thanos.
He pulled out his phone and dialed up Se-mi.
She picked up quickly yet again, “Hey what’s up? Coming over for breakfast?” She asked.
“Yes. Be there in thirty.” He said.
About an hour later, Thanos arrived at his friend's apartment to the smell of french toast and bacon. His mouth watered as Min-su made him a plate of it. He slipped his shoes off and grabbed a seat at the kitchen counter- as none of his friends could afford an actual table to eat at. Thanos began to indulge in his breakfast as his friends asked about the tea, “You look disheveled, what happened last night after we left?” asked Se-mi.
“We slept together.” Thanos choked out between bites.
“You WHAT?” They yelled in unison. Thanos started shaking his head no.
“No, like we slept in the same bed!” He said with a mouthful of food. The room shared a brief sigh of relief.
“Why? How the fuck did that even happen?” Se-mi laughed, grabbing a fork-full of scrambled eggs. Thanos shrugged, “Had a nightmare about the fight. Didn't want to be alone after that.” and Se-mi nodded in understanding while chewing.
“Did you enjoy it?” Gyeong-su piped up, still cooking some breakfast sausages. Thanos wasn’t sure how to respond- he didn’t really even know himself. He did enjoy it, but he's not sure if he likes the implications of it quite yet if it means he'd have to deal with Myung-gi more. He doesn't know if he can commit to Nam-gyu if he keeps withholding what seems to be pretty important information about Myung-gi from him. But Thanos decides that for now it will be a future Thanos problem and not a current Thanos problem.
And Thanos has been with guys before, sure; But Nam-gyu was different from the rest of them. He wouldn't be just another one-night-stand that will be gone from Thanos’ bed in the morning. They quite literally share a living space and if Thanos fucks it up- he’d have lost a good friend.
“Well I didn’t have another nightmare after that… So yea, I guess so.” Thanos shrugged, blushing lightly. Se-mi softly punched Thanos in the arm, “Okayyyyy, I see what this is. You guys are taking things realllll slow. Does he even know you like him?” Thanos threw his arms up in defense, “I never said I liked him… But I also haven’t thought too much about it either… just a little bit.” He trailed off. Se-mi and Gyeong-su locked eyes and looked to be telepathically communicating about Thanos and Nam-gyu's relationship.
“Okay, well what if I do like him? I don't think he likes me back... How can I be sure he likes me in that way too?” Thanos asked, scratching his chin and twisting his fake moustache- deep in thought. Gyeong-su and Se-mi stopped telepathically communicating.
“Well has he done anything to make you think he does like you?” Gyeong-su asked, pushing around the sausages in the skillet.
“Well, there was that time he got really close to me to show me how to correctly play a chord that I was purposefully playing wrong to annoy him… Put his hands on mine and everything. Literal inches away, I could feel his breath on my forehead. And y'know, the whole sleeping together thing. He said he'd do it again if I ever needed it, too.” Thanos said as Gyeong-su plated up the sausages, putting one on Thanos’s plate- which he gladly indulged.
“That’s a little suspicious, yea. But not too telling, sounds like he's just being a generous friend. Maybe you should make a move on him and see how he reacts?” Min-su piped up, cutting up his sausage and scarfing it down.
“A move? Like what?” Thanos asked, typically his idea of a “move” is going up to girls he’s never met before and immediately smooth talking to them- very straightforward. But this would be completely different.
“Something small, like holding hands or putting your arm around him. Simple things that wouldn’t cause flat out rejection since they can be passed off as an accident.” Se-mi said, laughing, “You’d think for someone like you, flirting would be no problem.” Thanos frowned, uncomfortable at the thought of flirting how he usually does with Nam-gyu.
“I just want to do it right. I’d be putting our entire friendship at risk so I don’t want to fuck it up.” He said with a mouthful of breakfast sausage.
“Okay, then take him out on a date that’s disguised as a regular friend hangout. Take him to a show he would like, and make a move on him then. Be all sweet to him and stuff.” Se-mi suggested as she put her dirty plate in the sink to rinse off.
“But he likes classical music… I hate classical music-” Thanos whined, quickly being interrupted by his friends.
“We know.” They said in unison.
“Okay… I’ll find something.” Thanos said defensively, as he finished his plate. He got up and placed it in the sink after Se-mi, leaving Min-su to do the dishes.
“Bruh.” He said quietly.
“Min-su I need your room.” Thanos said as he walked through the diagonal hallway to the living room.
“Okay,” Min-su sighed, “Just don’t get cum everywhere” He said. Thanos scoffed, “I would never do that in your room.” Except Thanos has done that in the past. This time though, Thanos just needed a quiet place- away from Nam-gyu or anyone to focus and deep dive on the internet for the perfect show to take him to. Thanos walked around the corner and into the first door on the right that had a piece of paper taped to the door, reading “Park Min-su”. He slid into the room and closed the door behind him.
Min-su’s room was very minimalistic and beige. The room was relatively small, there was only enough room for a bed and a small desk. Min-su had plain navy-blue sheets on his bed and white pillows. Thanos thought it was funny how Min-su’s room matched his personality, and he chuckled to himself. A few posters lined the room of his favorite Kdramas. There were a few Destiny’s Child and Spice Girls posters up on the walls as well.
Thanos plopped down on Min-su’s bed, slipping his phone out of his pocket and scouring the internet for a show to take Nam-gyu to. Orchestras were off the table completely- but Thanos figured that Nam-gyu would be fine with music similar to that of the kind he listened to at the club.
Thanos scoured all the different social media apps for nearby shows, and while there were many- he was yet to find the perfect venue. There were genuine venues, bars, concert halls- but also small basement shows at random peoples houses in the smaller neighborhoods in the city. He figured that a basement show could get him the most chances for making a move on Nam-gyu with the intimacy of the so-called “venue”. To Thanos, a smaller venue meant everyone was closer together, and he could easily get away with small gestures and touches by passing them off as an accident, He's done it plenty of times in smaller clubs back in Seoul.
Now with a venue in mind, Thanos had to figure out the genre of music. It can’t be too loud or too quiet, and especially not too sappy like a mediocre acoustic soloist that thinks they’re the shit- which Berklee has too many of. It has to be something the two of them can vibe with, something eerily depressing but also slightly sexy.
About forty minutes of searching had passed before Thanos was interrupted by a knock on the door. It cracked open slightly.
“Just checking in, I smell smoke… You’re thinking too hard about this…” Se-mi said, peeking into the room.
“Well I’ve settled on going to a basement show… but I just can’t figure out what genre. It can’t be too loud or too quiet. It has to be perfect.” Thanos said, tugging on his hair. Se-mi rolled her eyes at him, “Maybe just sleep on it and give yourself some time. There’s no rush.” She said as she left the room, closing the door behind her.
Thanos realized that she was right. There really was no rush- but at the same time Thanos was so eager. It’s been a very long time since someone has made him feel this way, and he wanted to jump on that opportunity before either he or Nam-gyu got bored of the other. Despite his rushed feelings, Thanos listened to Se-mi, put his phone down, and closed his eyes. It took a few minutes but he eventually drifted off to sleep.
Thanos was woken up by soft, repeated knocking on the door.
“Can I have my room back now?” He heard Min-su call quietly through the door. Sometimes, Min-su reminded Thanos of a mouse. He was small and soft-spoken like one- and he scurried around instead of running.
“No.” Thanos said, yawning. He picked up his phone and looked at the time. It was late-afternoon now. He figured that he should get back to his dorm and get some homework done. He took his sweet time getting up, stretching each and every one of his limbs as he did so. A small whine left his lips.
“Hey! I said not to get cum everywhere!” Min-su whined.
“Too late!” Thanos yelled, walking towards the door. He swiftly opened the door to reveal Min-su standing with his ear pressed against where the door just was. But without the door there, he lost his balance and fell straight into Thanos- who caught him with ease.
“What’re you doing, my boy? So nosy…” Thanos smirked. Min-su’s face flushed in embarrassment. Thanos gently pushed past Min-su into the living room, as he disappeared into his room. Se-mi and Gyeong-su were sitting on the couch, playing Mario Kart on the TV. Se-mi was obviously winning whilst Gyeong-su was suffering in last place.
“I’m gonna get going, guys. Need to get some homework done.” Thanos said, waving in his friends’ faces to get their attention. He did not get it, “Yea, yea, whatever bye.” Se-mi said as she dodged a blue shell- which hit Gyeong-su as she lapped him for the second time.
“FUCK!” he yelped. Thanos rolled his eyes and sauntered down the hallway to the kitchen and the front door. As Thanos was putting his shoes on, it hit him- shoegaze. A genre that isn’t really present in Thanos’ usual scene, but is increasingly popular in the States. And in Boston, there’s a surplus.
On the walk back to his apartment, Thanos scoured instagram for local shoegaze bands that were having shows in the area. There were a lot to choose from. Thanos eventually settled on a small gig across the river in the heart of Cambridge- about a mile from Harvard. It was in a few days, on a Friday night. There were only a couple bands playing, so it would be a short show- but it was plenty of time for Thanos to do what he planned on. He quickly bought tickets.
Now, Thanos had everything planned out, and only had to wait for the day to come.
Chapter 6: Your mouth is purple...
Summary:
Thanos takes Nam-gyu to the date he planned.
Notes:
spicy chapter >:)
also sorry for the not the greatest descriptions of what it feels like to be on random drugs- I would not know! I do not do random drugs, only the normal ones...
also next chapter might take a hot minute cuz I have the first full week of school this week and its gonna be a longggggggggggg week :/
Chapter Text
“Nam-su… Get dressed. We’re going out.” Thanos blurted out. Nam-gyu looked up at him, gritting his teeth. “It’s Nam-gyu… and what the fuck are you talking about? Where are we going?” He asked. Thanos stayed silent as he took his shirt off. He noticed Nam-gyu’s eyes following his every movement and every curve of his chest, his cheeks a soft pink like the pills in his cross necklace. Nam-gyu’s face flushed and his eyes darted away when he noticed Thanos staring back. Nam-gyu stayed put.
“We’re going to a show, come on! Get dressed! You’re gonna make us late…” Thanos said, pretending to be annoyed. He put on an old t-shirt belonging to his own merch collection- it was mostly black with his name all over the front and a few images of various drugs around it.
“A show? Who are we seeing?” Nam-gyu asked, finally getting up and slowly taking his shirt off, peeking at Thanos to see if he was watching- and of course he was.
“Well I’m seeing a show right here…” Thanos trailed off as his eyes hugged and examined every curve on Nam-gyu’s toned torso.
Nam-gyu whipped around, holding his arms in front of his chest in embarrassment.
“What?” Thanos’s eyes went wide as he realized he said that out loud. He mentally panicked- desperately trying to find a way to play it off.
“I’m watching a show?” Thanos repeated, pointing to his shut off phone that was still in his hand- but Nam-gyu didn’t know it was off.
“Oh… ok” Nam-gyu breathed out, face flushed yet again as he turned back around and shook off his pants, revealing loose-fitting plain gray boxers. Thanos watched cautiously as Nam-gyu sauntered over to his closet for a new pair of pants. His heart began to race. Nam-gyu dug through his closet as Thanos’s eyes were locked on Nam-gyu’s round ass and thick thighs.
Thanos parted his lips, about to say something but unable to get anything out. A twang of heat blossomed throughout his body, pooling in his stomach and making his pants tight. Thanos thought of sliding those loose boxers down Nam-guy’s thighs and calves, and indulging thoroughly in him. He wanted to strip Nam-gyu down to nothing as he whined pathetically at Thanos’s hands grabbing and groping. He wanted to devour Nam-gyu's body whole and experience every part of him.
Nam-gyu picked out a dark red hoodie and threw it on his bed- Thanos envisioned Nam-gyu wearing nothing under it, and wished he would.
Thanos shook his head clear as Nam-gyu picked out a pair of black wide-leg cargo pants- as if his thighs weren’t big enough. He wiggled the pants on- sliding a silver belt through the loops. Once he got them on, he went back to search for a shirt to wear under the hoodie.
“Come on… You’re taking forever!” Thanos groaned, bending down and grabbing his shoes. He put them on swiftly before sitting back down on his bed and tapping his foot impatiently.
He waited for another minute before getting an idea. A smirk crept its way into the corners of his lips and his hand slid into his pocket. He felt around for his cross, and grabbed it. He pulled it out, walking up behind Nam-gyu as he kept looking through the closet. Thanos grabbed Nam-gyu’s bare shoulder and twisted him around with one hand. He noted how soft and warm Nam-gyu’s bare skin was.
“Wha-”
“Want some?” Thanos asked suggestively as he dangled the cross in Nam-gyu’s face, eyes shrouded in mischievousness. Nam-gyu quirked his eyebrow as curiosity seeped into his eyes, “What is it?”
“Something special… Limited edition. They’re really strong- unlike anything you’ve ever had before.” Thanos said as he grabbed and gestured to Nam-gyu’s track marks with his other hand. Nam-gyu wriggled his arm out of Thanos’ grip.
“Fine… Give me one-” Nam-gyu began, reaching his hand out towards the cross before Thanos interrupted him and ripped the cross away.
“You know what… on second thought… It’s probably too much for you. Nevermind… Just forget I said anything.” Thanos said, turning around and walking back towards his bed. Nam-gyu ran after him without missing a beat- grabbing him by the arm.
“Wait… come on, man. You can’t just tell me about that and rescind the offer. I can handle it.” Nam-gyu pleaded, and Thanos watched his lips quiver slightly and his eyes gloss over. Thanos really enjoyed seeing Nam-gyu like that.
“I’m not sure man… I don’t think you can handle it. I swear it’ll be like nothing you’ve had before. Maybe another night…” Thanos trailed off,
“No, really… I can handle it. I’m not some pussy. And you have no idea what I’ve done. You think this is where I drew the line?” Nam-gyu said, referencing his arms.
“You fucking junkie… Fine, I’ll give you one… if you beg for it.” Thanos said, eager to tease his roommate.
“What? You want me to fucking beg for it? What am I? A dog? Hell no…” Nam-gyu said, dropping Thanos’s arm.
“Okay.” Thanos said as he opened the small metal cross, revealing about a dozen light pink pills. He took one out and parted his lips, sticking the pill on his tongue. Thanos made sure Nam-gyu was watching and he certainly was. Nam-gyu flinched as he heard Thanos bite down on it. He let out a sigh of exasperation, “Come on, man… Please…” Nam-gyu said quietly, voice cracking slightly. Thanos looked at Nam-gyu with disgust, “You think that’s enough to get one of these from me? They were expensive… Get on your knees and beg properly.” He said. Nam-gyu bit on his lip to prevent a snarky retort from slipping out of his lips. He stood there for a few seconds, not moving. Thanos shrugged, shutting the cross and slipping it back into his pocket. He turned around, not believing Nam-gyu would do it- until he heard a thud on the ground behind him. He whipped around and reveled in the sight of Nam-gyu half-naked on his knees, just for him. He sat with hands pressed together- knuckles white from pressing so hard to fight the urge to get up from embarrassment.
“Please… can I have one?” He whispered, looking up at Thanos expectantly with his face flushed bright pink- far brighter than the pill Thanos just took.
“Sorry… What was that? I couldn’t hear you. Can you speak up?” Thanos said, cupping his hand behind his ear- ready to listen more closely. Nam-gyu groaned in frustration and shut his eyes to shield himself from what he was about to do.
“Thanos… please? Can I please have one? Please? I’ll get dressed quickly and we’ll make it to the show on time but can I please have one first?” He begged, mentally cringing. Nam-gyu slowly opened his eyes to see Thanos with a pink pill in between his thumb and pointer finger.
“Open your mouth.” Nam-gyu did so obediently, and watched as Thanos’s hand crept closer to his mouth with the pill. He slowly placed it down on Nam-gyu’s tongue, pressing it down hard and feeling the warmth of Nam-gyu’s breath and tongue. Nam-gyu closed his lips around Thanos’s fingers- making direct eye contact before dousing them in saliva. Thanos retracted his hand, wiping the spit off on Nam-gyu’s soft lips.
“Good boy…” Thanos whispered- but not loud enough for Nam-gyu to hear him. Nam-gyu quickly bit down on the pill and chewed it thoroughly. He started to get back up before Thanos pushed him back down by the shoulders.
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Thanos asked, raising an eyebrow. Nam-gyu stared at him, not knowing what he meant- until it hit him.
“Oh… Thank you, Thanos…” Nam-gyu trailed off as his cheeks burned.
“You’re very welcome.” Thanos said as he turned towards the door and walked out, leaving Nam-gyu to finish getting dressed by himself.
The drug kicked in during the walk to the venue. They were about halfway there when Nam-gyu started clinging onto Thanos’ arm. They had stopped at a 7/11 on the way and got slushies- Nam-gyu red and Thanos blue. Thanos started worrying about if he would even be able to make a move with Nam-gyu clinging to him so much.
“You okay there? We’re almost at the venue.” Thanos asked sincerely, looking down at the man on his shoulder with concern. He stared at Nam-gyu’s red-stained lips and wondered what they tasted like- biting his lip.
“Oh yea… I’m good. Really good. Thanks again, by the way.” Nam-gyu said quietly.
“Yea, anytime.” Thanos said, trying to remain calm as he felt like he was in zero G. He was hit with a surge of energy and warmth as he started feeling like time itself was speeding up- and before he knew it, they were at the venue and Nam-gyu was dragging him in by his hand.
“Come on…” Nam-gyu whined.
Nam-gyu dragged him around the side of a plain-looking house. It had deep blue paneling and white accents- two stories. It was truly nothing special until they got to the back of the house and had to crawl down through a set of rusty cellar doors. Thanos tried to be careful not to touch the walls of the door and get tetanus- but Nam-gyu had no such care. He looked back at Thanos with a wide grin, flashing his teeth. His smile made Thanos melt and instantly forget any worries he had as he followed Nam-gyu into the random basement. It was trippy- to say the least.
The walls and floors were draped in tapestries made to emanate an acid trip- something Thanos knows very well. A few patchwork couches were scattered throughout the room, all facing a somewhat empty corner with a few mic stands and a drum set- an area that Thanos assumed to be the stage. Spotlights were placed strategically along the walls and occasionally shone right into Thanos’s eye, temporarily blinding him from seeing Nam-gyu- and the dirty concrete floor. He frowned, trying to search for his roommate before realizing he was still holding Nam-gyu’s hand. He looked over to Nam-gyu, who was pulling him in some other direction. It reeked of weed, cigarettes, and sweat alongside the occasional waft of dust and grime. A few incense burners were lit around the room, smoke mixing into the already thick air. There were quite a few other people there, dressed similarly to them. Thanos shot a wink at a cute girl- who giggled in response and tapped her friend on the shoulder to tell her. She quickly disappeared from view as Nam-gyu dragged him away before he could go talk to her.
“So needy…” Thanos muttered about Nam-gyu, running his hand through his hair as dust particles were falling from the ceiling into it and dulling the already faint purple- Thanos would have to re-dye his hair soon, maybe Nam-gyu can help.
Nam-gyu eventually let go of Thanos’s hand as soon as they made it to a more secluded corner of the basement.
“Can you tell me yet who we’re seeing or what kind of music we’re here for?” Nam-gyu asked, giving Thanos his best unintentional puppy-dog eyes that he just could not resist.
“I didn’t really see who exactly was playing, I just know it’s shoegaze…” Thanos trailed off, eyeing up the stage that was filling up with the first band.
“Oh… that’s cool. I haven’t listened to shoegaze much… Never been to a show either.” Nam-gyu said, rubbing his hands together and pushing his dark, silky hair behind his ears. Thanos watched every movement Nam-gyu made in careful precision as time started to speed up again. A small crowd started to gather near the stage as large amounts of people began flooding into the room.
“Let’s go to the front before it gets too crowded, we’ll get a better view there.” Thanos said, grabbing Nam-gyu’s hand and gently pulling him to the front of the crowd. They had a nice view of the stage and the band playing seemed to be almost ready to start.
“Just let me know if you don’t feel good and I’ll take care of you.” Thanos whispered to Nam-gyu, making sure to get close enough for his breath to run down his roommate’s neck. He shuddered in response and tried to play it off, “Okay, sure. Thanks.” The two waited around for a few more minutes before the first band connected their amps, introduced themselves, and started to play.
It definitely was loud, but not too much. The lower end pitches shook the room with intense bass that vibrated throughout their bodies and straight to Thanos and Nam-gyu’s hearts. Delicate melodies were played with harsh distortion and reverb that was somehow pleasing to the ear. Though not the best singer, the bassist was humming melodies into one microphone while the lead singer’s scratchy voice dug into and itched the brains of everyone in the room.
Nam-gyu turned to Thanos in awe, surprised that he’d never been to a similar show before. Thanos was lightly headbanging to the heavy beat of the drums- as was the rest of the crowd- and turned towards Nam-gyu to meet his eyes. Thanos felt like he was truly in heaven. His body still felt weightless with a boost of energy and confidence.
“This is really good.” Nam-gyu said happily. Thanos noticed Nam-gyu had his hands in sweater paws, and he thought it was adorable. He admired Nam-gyu as he watched the band play. Thanos quickly realized that Nam-gyu wasn’t following him and the crowd in ritualistic headbanging, so he sought out to fix it himself.
“Dude what are you doing…” Nam-gyu trailed of, noticing something was up. Thanos’s hand shot out and he wrapped it around Nam-gyu’s loose hair in the back. “You’re supposed to headbang man, that’s like show etiquette…” Thanos said as he gripped Nam-gyu’s hair by the roots and pushed his head up and down, forcing Nam-gyu to lightly headbang along with him. The motion sent a strike of electricity and burning heat straight down to Thanos's stomach, settling in his groin.
“I can do it myself…” Nam-gyu choked out, reaching behind his head and reluctantly swatting Thanos’s hand away.
After a few more songs, Thanos felt a tap on his arm. He turned to look who it was and saw the same girl from earlier. Thanos eyed her wavy brown hair that was pulled back by two braids in a half-up half-down style. The corners of her dark eyes creased as she smiled sweetly at him and her friend- who Thanos just noticed was there too- waved to him. Her smile was infectious and he smiled back, thinking his small flirt was successful. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t think she was beautiful. Though it sucked that the only time his flirting worked was when he was with Nam-gyu.
Thanos always prided himself on his ability to pick up both girls and guys, this being no different. He was used to having a girl on one arm and a man on the other- though they were both typically one-night-standers. None of them ever stayed in bed with him for another night. But this time, he was mostly doing it on purpose to make Nam-gyu jealous.
“Hi! You’re Thanos, right? I’m a fan… So is my friend here. We really like your music.” She said with a sweet and velvety voice, making direct eye contact and twirling her soft-looking hair. Thanos was thankful for her welcoming and friendly tone, as most fans were usually pushy to get a picture or autograph.
“Aw thanks, I appreciate it.” He said.
“We’ve seen you around Berklee, it’s cool that you go there too. There’s a Harvard frat party we’re going to after this- we’re gonna go back to my apartment to pregame before heading over. We think it would be cool if you came…” She trailed off, voice subtly laced with ulterior motives. Thanos knew exactly what she meant, it wasn’t entirely innocent asking a somewhat famous rapper to come to your apartment alone to drink and smoke. Nam-gyu, whose eyes were locked onto the two- knew as well- but they paid him no mind. Nam-gyu was clearly a nobody to them, and he lightly tugged on Thanos’s arm- who turned to him. Nam-gyu stared at him pleadingly, obviously not wanting him to go. Thanos waved his arm away and wiggled out of Nam-gyu’s grasp.
“Well what’s in it for me?” Thanos asked, partially considering it. The girl pushed her glasses up with one finger and giggled with her friend. “Free alc and other such things.”
“Your friend can come too,” The girl’s friend said, eyeing up Nam-gyu with sharp blue eyes that Thanos could barely see through her fluffy hair. She eyed him up, biting her lip and winking at him. He returned a look of disgust. Her smile immediately dissipated and she returned the distasteful look.
“Well… what time?” Thanos asked as a piece of hair fell into the girl’s face. She reached to push it out of the way but Thanos beat her to it, tucking the caramel-colored hair behind her ear and using it as an excuse to caress her soft jawline.
“Probably aroun-” She started, but was interrupted by Nam-gyu pushing between them, “We’re busy tonight.” He spat, grabbing Thanos hard enough that his nails dug into Thanos’s wrist. Thanos winced in pain as Nam-gyu pulled him away before the girl could get another word out.
“Woah, wait! Come on man… She was cute.” Thanos whined as Nam-gyu dragged him through the crowd, gritting his teeth. Nam-gyu dragged him through the crowd, and out the cellar door.
“Hello? What about the show? We’re going to miss the rest of the bands and it’s kind of rude to leave early without seeing the other bands…” Thanos trailed off, pretending to be annoyed that Nam-gyu cockblocked him. Once they made it outside, Thanos ripped his arm out of Nam-gyu’s grip- only to realize that it was raining.
“Uh… hello? You’re being kinda rude too right no-” Thanos started, and was interrupted as Nam-gyu pushed him up against the back wall of the house. Their hair growing wet from the rain- they would surely get sick at this rate if they stay outside.
“What’s your problem, man? Don’t like seeing me get more game than you?” Thanos spat, pointing hard at Nam-gyu and pressing into his chest.
“Will you just fucking speak up-” Thanos started when in an instant, Nam-gyu’s hand snaked up to Thanos’s face and he smashed their lips together. The feeling was almost indescribable. Thanos melted into the kiss, his annoyance and frustration instantly evaporating from the pure bliss Thanos felt from Nam-gyu’s soft lips. Their first kiss was long, hot, and passionate. They soon parted, panting and whining- but eager for more with a string of saliva still connecting their lips. They quickly dove back into each other, attacking each other’s lips as if they’d never kiss again. Thanos stumbled forwards, giving himself enough room to flip them around and push Nam-gyu up against the damp wall of the house. Nam-gyu slipped his free hand up his roommate’s soaked shirt. Thanos planted his hands firmly on Nam-gyu’s waist, pushing his knee in between Nam-gyu’s thighs, A small moan escaped Nam-gyu’s slightly parted lips before Thanos went right back to tasting him. Nam-gyu tasted mostly of the slushie he had earlier, and pure warmth and bliss.
“Your mouth is purple…” Thanos said in between kisses, not realizing his lips were purple too.
Thanos noticed that his body was growing increasingly warmer with each sloppy kiss. Heat pooled in his stomach and clouded his brain as Nam-gyu’s warm hands explored under his shirt, warming his cold skin. The rest of his body had become cold from the freezing rain except for where Nam-gyu was touching him. Every breath he took felt like inhaling lava. The heat was flowing through his veins- and his pants were getting painfully tight. His skin burned and he felt like the only way to keep cool was to rip off his clothes. Every touch burned him with a rogue spark of hot electricity- but it just felt so good.
“Fuck, Nam-gyu…” Thanos groaned as Nam-gyu’s hand moved dangerously close to his clothed cock, “You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into, man. If you don’t stop now… There’s no telling what will happen. We can stop and forget this ever happened and blame it on the drugs… But if you keep pushing me, I won't be able to help myself.” Thanos moaned quietly as Nam-gyu’s hands fiddled with the zipper on Thanos’ jeans, brushing against his cock while Nam-gyu grinded down on Thanos’s knee, in a pathetic attempt to get some friction to appease his own throbbing dick. Lightning crackled in the dark sky above them and it started to rain harder. Thanos ran his hands through Nam-gyu’s soaked hair as he slipped his tongue past Nam-gyu’s lips. Thanos put his hand over Nam-gyu’s, essentially preventing Nam-gyu from moving his hands anymore. He pulled away for a moment to get a few words out before diving right back in, “We’re in public, bro.” Thanos breathed out in between sloppy kisses.
“I don't care… Just shut the fuck up and kiss me.” Nam-gyu demanded. Thanos laughed at that, “Damn, Nam-su. Didn’t know you were freaky like that…” Nam-gyu shot a glare at Thanos, “Shut up and let me kiss you… And it’s Nam-gyu.” He demanded. Thanos gladly obeyed and slammed his mouth into Nam-gyu’s. They continued making out for a few more minutes before the rain really started pouring down in a torrential downpour.
“We might want to go back… We’re going to get sick if we stay any longer.” Thanos suggested as he gently pulled himself off Nam-gyu, breathing heavily. Nam-gyu noticed himself shivering, deciding to go along with Thanos’s idea, “Fine…” He grumbled as Thanos took his hand and led him back to their dorm across the river.
The door to their door closed shut with a click. Thanos slammed Nam-gyu up against it, once again wildly attacking his lips. Thanos peeled his shirt off with ease and helped Nam-gyu slide his own off, barely parting to breathe and get their shirts over their heads. Thanos’s hands explored the entirety of Nam-gyu’s chest and stomach. Thanos ran his hands down Nam-gyu’s stomach, closing in on his jeans without break from shoving his tongue down Nam-gyu’s throat. Nam-gyu wrapped his arms around Thanos’s neck and pulled him in for a deeper kiss. Thanos fiddled with Nam-gyu’s jeans before getting the zipper down and button off.
“Thanos…” Nam-gyu whined as Thanos slid Nam-gyu’s pants down his thighs, exposing his boxers. Thanos helped Nam-gyu step out of his jeans before wrapping his arms around Nam-gyu’s waist, lifting him up against the door, bodies now pressed together. Nam-gyu wrapped his legs around Thanos’s waist as their clothed cocks brushed up against each other. Nam-gyu ran shaky hands down Thanos’s back.
“Fuck, Nam-gyu- hold on… your lips are blue… are you cold?” Thanos asked, inspecting Nam-gyu’s skin and essentially ruining the mood.
“A little, yea. Nothing I can’t handle.” Nam-gyu said, as he and Thanos finally took a small break from kissing. “Dude, you’re freezing. Your hands are shaking. You need to warm up first.” Thanos said, concern laced into his voice. Nam-gyu scoffed, “I’m fine… We don’t need to stop.” He said, pulling Thanos into a quick kiss.
“Go take a warm shower. You’ll get sick.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll take one too, after you.”
“Okay, fine.” Nam-gyu let out a dramatic sigh in hopes to get Thanos to change his mind, to no avail. Thanos slowly put him down and backed away from the door, giving Nam-gyu room to get his shower bag.
“I’ll be right back…” He said, grabbing his bag and swiftly leaving the room and Thanos to process everything that just happened. Thanos slid his damp pants off and put new, dry pajamas on. He kept his shirt off and sat in bed, pulling out his phone and texting his friends.
“Heyyyy guyzzz… Just got back from the show…”
“omg how was it?” Se-mi replied.
“It was good.” He texted back, hoping to get his friends curious.
“Details?” Gyeong-su asked. Thanos smirked and began typing away. He remained there, glued to his phone and telling his friends all the details of what had happened.
Thanos was interrupted from his storytelling by the door opening and closing. He assumed it was Nam-gyu, and found himself to be right as he walked in, coughing slightly before sitting next to Thanos on his bed.
“Dude… you’re sick.” Thanos deadpanned. Nam-gyu shrugged.
“Nuh uh.” He replied immaturely, before sneezing a few times.
“Go to sleep… we can finish another time when you’re feeling better.” Thanos said, getting up and pushing Nam-gyu gently to his bed.
“But I feel fine, really.”
“You’re clearly sick, and you’re gonna get me sick. You can’t get the Thanos sick! He has a reputation to uphold.”
“Did you just refer to yourself in third person?”
“Goodnight, Nam-su!” Thanos called out, shutting the lights off and ignoring Nam-gyu's question.
“It’s Nam-gyu…” He grumbled.
cambot427 on Chapter 1 Sun 17 Aug 2025 05:28AM UTC
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Pasta_enjoyer12 on Chapter 1 Sun 31 Aug 2025 02:17AM UTC
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Pasta_enjoyer12 on Chapter 3 Sun 31 Aug 2025 02:40AM UTC
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cambot427 on Chapter 3 Mon 01 Sep 2025 03:31AM UTC
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cambot427 on Chapter 6 Mon 08 Sep 2025 06:00AM UTC
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