"Only for a minute." Jin pushed a chair over and climbed up so he could reach the ceiling. Those kids, they really were a handful. But he wasn't complaining. "Mostly I was focused on the kids. They looked a lot healthier than I fear they would though. And both very eager to assure me how much Kangwoo had changed, so could I please come back? Cute."
"I think they just miss having a non-jerk adult around." Namjoon remarked playfully as he looked at the poorly written paper sign for the food. Oh boy, he couldn't wait to try the toefu and nudles. He laughed a little and then smiled as Jin just happily clean up the mess. "I hear from Yoongi that Kangwoo was acting odd, being all interested in his brothers and talking about Star Wars. Apparently he's pro-Ewoks. Which is good to know."
For reasons. "Things are hella weird and stressy lately."
"I don't know why, but apparently Kangwoo is trying to change. I think something happened. Between his cousin being here and how he threw Tae against the wall. Jiho said Tae almost died. Maybe that shook him?" One could hope. Jin shrugged and got off the chair again, looking around the kitchen. Good, they were making progress. He turned his head to Namjoon. "What's going on? Aside from Kangwoo."
"He threw his brother? ... Well, I missed that part in the memo." Wasn't that haunting. At least he felt bad? And the kids seemed healthy, happy and bro Kangwoo, not terrified like before - so maybe they were over this whole beating the kids thing. Maybe. "Asides from Kangwoo? Not a lot, just... stress. The job is tiring, as always, and I have some stuff with Hobi recently. He's just ... still down, you know."
He just didn't know what to do. "I hate not being able to help."
"Why is Hobi down?" Jin frowned. "You don't have to tell me, I know how your job gets." He moved closer to Namjoon, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Hey. Did you have a fight with your... You know. Your boss. That usually gets you down like this." Jin was concerned. "Are you hungry?"
"No, no fight. We're happy. All is good. Yesterday, we watched a movie with Jungkook. Ponyo for the ninth time." That week. Still, they most chatted through it and hung out, talked about music and made silly plans. Namjoon smiled weakly and put his head in his hands. "Hobi was just bringing up some bad memories and it kinda got me down, you know? It's just -- some stuff that belongs in the past. I get why he's upset though."
Hobi was actually in an okay mood, all things considered. "I'm a bit hungry, I guess."
"What do you want to eat, Namjoonie?" There were like five things Namjoon liked and usually Jin would just make him eat whatever he had ready. But Namjoon was looking like a kicked puppy and whatever. He could treat him a little. "I'm sorry Hobi is so upset and that he's upset you too... How is your boyfriend? Is he upset also?"
"I don't know... maybe black bean noodles?" He needed comfort food. He bit his lower lip as he thought about it and then he shook his head. "No... yeah, maybe, in general but not specifically. I don't know. I'm just headachey and I feel useless." Hobi needed them to help him and they couldn't cause of gang politics. The same stupid politics that stopped Yoongi from being happy and Hobi being their friend.
He put his head in his hands and rubbed at his eyes. "I just wish I was more free. I want to help Hobi."
Jin started on the black bean noodles. The advantage of having a kitchen like this was that he had all ingredients at the ready, no additional chopping needed, just getting started right on the wok and putting the noodles into boiling water. "What is keeping you from helping him?" They were alone in the kitchen, maybe they could discuss it a little.
"What he wants isn't under our protection so we can't act because as far as the rules go, it's okay. It's fair game. But it's not. It's someone Hobi cares about." And that didn't make it fair game to him but what else could he do? He hated everything about how awkward this business was. It was so tired up in red tape. "Guess I'm just tired and overthinking lately. And not sleeping. And my heart is doing this weird racing thing all the time."
"Here." Jin returned from the fridge and handed Namjoon a glass. "Have some banana milk." What else to provide comfort? Together with the noodles that were coming up, of course. "Is there nothing anyone can do, really? Because I thought you were the most powerful group in the city right now... I guess I always thought your boss just gets to do whatever he wants, pretty much. Apart from the private stuff."
"Well, it differs cause then we'd have to go against the Dark Dragons and they're already in a tentative leadership zone so... no, we can't." And yeah, it sucked but what could he do but sip his banana milk and try to stay cool. Not that he was ever cool. Or hot. More like... tepid. Kinda warm. Lightly microwaved. That was his sweet spot. "And Yoongi can't show attachment to anyone, not even me so if he went off to help some random dude, they'd know that dude mattered and Hobi would be a target."
"Huh. I see. Not that many loopholes in your world. Now I get why it was that big a deal that Jungkook carries Dooly around." Jin hadn't been able to wrap his mind around it at the time. He focused on the noodles, as he combined them with the sauce. "Namjoon, tell me something. Do you think that your boss is a good leader? Like... Setting aside tradition, why do you follow him?"
"Luckily no one plans to steal Dooly or we'd have a whole different issue." Namjoon smiled a little and shrugged before looking down at his banana milk and sipped it. So damn good. No wonder Kookie went nuts for it. "Yoongi is a good man, he has a good heart but he's limited by his rules. It's not his fault. I follow him because I know he's a good man."
"I know he is. But I know it looking at his actions, looking at his history with you." Jin poured the noodles into a bowl and set the bowl down in front of Namjoon, frowning. "I don't understand why he can't show it more. It's just tradition, right? Like, if he was as untouched by everything and everyone as he pretends to be, who would really want to follow him?"
"It's just how it is. You can't fight tradition, you know? I've tried before. We all have. In the end, you're just... stuck." Namjoon mused as he leaned on the table, sighing and wishing he had a good answer but knowing that Jin would never understand. It was all gang politics. Dumb gang politics. "Yoongi is a good leader. He knows the rules and he follows them. For all of our sakes."
"I think you can fight tradition, you just have to do it the right way. Anyway, his parents were married, right? So why can't he be with you? How does that add up?" Jin didn't like anything about this tradition. He was just glad that at least Jungkook seemed less repressed by all of it, happily hanging out in his kitchen as he often did, befriending everyone. Cute kid, with his Dooly.
"They weren't happy. They never showed it. Yoongi barely got to see her. It... It never is about showing love. That's private." Namjoon didn't get it either but here he was, everyone assuming he was dating Jin because he couldn't just be out and date his actual boyfriend. He sighed and gave Jin a sad smile. "People think we're dating, you know?"
"They do?" Jin laughed. "People are dumb. If you were dating me, I'd make you wear your clothes properly. So sloppy." He was teasing, of course, but he thought that maybe his teasing could cut through the melancholy. Worth a try, at any rate. "Maybe that's why Kangwoo asked about you." It all finally made sense.
"Probably. Aww, I have a love rival." Namjoon laughed and smiled at Jin, unable to help himself. He huffed a little and then leaned back in his chair, a bit more relaxed. "I would get so much food. Man. I would be very lucky, I don't know what you'd be." He had to laugh - it was kinda funny. "Thanks for the pep talk, bae."
"Don't you call me that, Kim Namjoon, I don't want to get in trouble with my love rival there." He was kidding, of course, though the thought of actually being a love rival to Min Yoongi was equal parts terrifying and hilarious. He shook his head, moving to get the wok cleaned up. "I think you can break tradition. Maybe you'll do it one day. Don't just do it for Jungkook. To it for yourselves."
"We'll try." He smiled but hell, honestly, he did think of Kookie. He wanted him to be happier than they were. He was the one they had to make the changes for. He was their kid, in many ways, even if he wasn't his by blood. And he would protect him. Him and Dooly. "It'll get better. I know it will."
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Well. The kids were.
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For reasons. "Things are hella weird and stressy lately."
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He just didn't know what to do. "I hate not being able to help."
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Hobi was actually in an okay mood, all things considered. "I'm a bit hungry, I guess."
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Always avoiding saying the name, Jin knew that.
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He put his head in his hands and rubbed at his eyes. "I just wish I was more free. I want to help Hobi."
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