The morning sun was already hot and blaring, making the air scorching in the early hours, hawks and vultures squawking as they circled the air for breakfast. The highway was empty and the flat land of sand was undisturbed, except for the lone body laying in the dirt. Wonsik groaned, rolling onto his side to dislodge the rocks embedded in his back, his leather jacket sticking to his face as the sun beat down on him.

Squinting his eyes, he brought his arm up and checked his watch, noting that it was already quarter past seven and it already felt like it was 80 degrees out. Groaning again, Wonsik rubbed the sleep from his eyes and sat up slowly, wincing as he stretched and picked the rocks out of his skin; he was definitely going to have the tiny indents for a while. Standing up, he took his shirt off and used it to wipe off the dirt that clung to him, muscles flexing in his back and arms, his tattoos moving with them.

The Arizona weather was not forgiving to Wonsik as he tried to clean himself up from his night on the ground, his skin already glistening with sweat as he rummaged for a fresh shirt in his duffel. If Hakyeon might’ve mentioned that this job was gonna be in California, he might’ve packed lighter clothes; instead he has jeans and a few sweaters with little t-shirts. He sighed, finding a plain black t-shirt and slipped it on, the material already clinging to his back, making him shift uncomfortably.

He prefered wearing sleeveless shirts because it showed off his tattoos wonderfully that way but he understood that if he wanted to do the job, he couldn’t have his tattoos showing. Though, wearing a normal t-shirt doesn’t really do much either, since his tattoos practically cover both his arms, from his shoulder blades all the way down to his forearms. All of his favorite things made into two sleeves, something he always wanted and will forever be proud of, no matter how many people judged him for having them. Wonsik had a few other tattoos but those were easier to hide, as they were on his back and hips; had a few facial piercings as well but he had to get rid of them when his opponents thought it was a good idea to rip his eyebrow piercing out.  

Wonsik unconsciously touched his eyebrow and shuddered, the phantom feeling of it being ripped out still fresh in his mind after two years. He didn’t wear earrings much - or at all, really - he didn’t want a repeat of the pain he experienced before. Checking the time again, he figured he’d get back on the road before he lost daylight; he still had another hundred or so miles to go before he reached Los Angeles. He checked his wallet before he mounted his bike and he sighed heavily, hoping he’d reach his “cousin’s” house before night fell because he can’t afford a hotel room for the night and he was sure the cops wouldn’t let him sleep on the sidewalk if he hit the city before then.

Shaking his head, he tugged his helmet on and mounted his bike, turning the engine over before taking off. It didn’t take him long to reach the city limit; fresh air getting muggy and thick, silence with his bike being the only noise turned to cars honking and semi-trucks roaring. Wonsik sighed, turning onto an off-ramp, heading into the outskirts of the city.

Pulling off the highway onto a dirt shoulder, he checked his phone for the rest of the directions and sighed in relief when he saw he only had about five more miles to go; the sun was setting and he desperately needed a shower. Getting situated on his bike again, he was about to start it up when he heard squealing tires before a flew past him, the driver's side mirror catching on his handlebars and pulled his bike from him.

He had a split second to dive onto the gravel before he got caught under the car like his bike had - which he gazed at in despair, taking in how mangled it looked being crushed under the vehicle. Two people climbed out of the car, bickering like an old married couple and Wonsik scoffed at them, choosing to continue his way on foot since he didn't have that far to go - he walked further before in the Army, five miles wouldn't hurt him - collecting himself and his things, brushing the dust off his pants as he walked.

When he pasted the still bickering couple, one of them - the male - shouted out to him, "Hey! Wait a minute," jogging up to catch up with Wonsik, stopping in front of him with a hand raised to push on his chest. Wonsik raised an eyebrow and pushed his hand off, standing to his full height - a good foot and a half above the other man - and crossed his arms, staring at the man with hard eyes; the man faltered a bit, eyes taking Wonsik's tall form before swallowing, squaring his shoulders and lifted his chin, gathering up whatever courage he had left.

When he didn't say anything, Wonsik resisted the urge to smack his face, choosing instead to clear his throat as politely as he could to someone who crushed his bike. He wanted nothing more then to continue on his way and come back later to see if could save his bike but no, this guy was holding him up and the sun was setting behind him, the last rays of it's warmth seeped through his leather jacket. 

"Listen, I'm incredibility sorry about what happened with your motorcycle and for almost killing you," A sheepish grin and a nervous neck rub followed, making Wonsik narrow his eyes further - he didn't have time for this; he waved away the guy's apology, mumbling about how it wasn't that big of a deal, and stepped around him, taking big strides to get away from them as soon as possible. Hearing gravel crunch behind him, Wonsik dropped his head back and spun around, growling out, "Leave it," before continuing on his way; he was already late as it was and, to be frank, he really couldn't dwell on the lost of his bike - he'd just have to find a car later and work on getting a new bike after all this was over.

The sun had set long before he reached his location, the neighborhood was quiet - save for the occasional dog bark and police sirens - some houses were dark and silent while others were brightly light and noisy. Wonsik pulled his phone out to check the directions and the time - quarter after 8pm - when Hakyeon's name popped up on his screen; he hesitated a bit before answering, already knowing the lecture that Hakyeon was gonna give him for being this late.

"Where the hell are you?" Bingo. Wonsik sighed, dropping his head as he started walking again.

"I got into an accident, I'm almost there," He explained, eyes scanning the house numbers, sighing in defeat when he didn't find it - he figured he'd have to walk another block or two.

"What do you mean "accident"?! What the hell happened?" Hakyeon's shrill voice pierced through his brain, making him wince away from his phone, his fasted-pace walking slowed to a leisure stroll now that he was in the general area.

"Bike got hit by a car while I was checking the directions, had to walk the rest of the way. Honestly, it's fine, not that big of deal, I can just jack a car later if I need one," Wonsik could practically hear Hakyeon bash his face against a wall.

"You are such an idiot, I don't even know how you survived this long with this lifestyle," Hakyeon's groan could be heard from Asia, Wonsik was sure his deceased dog could hear him - didn't stop Wonsik's wide grin from forming, though.

"Luck of the Sheep, my dear brother," Again, Wonsik could basically hear Hakyeon's eyeroll.

"Whatever, asshat, just - text me when you get to Han's, okay?" It was Wonsik's turn to roll his eyes; trust Hakyeon to be a worry wart.

"Yes, Mom," He laughed when Hakyeon let out a loud scoff, followed by a dial-tone. Pocketing his phone, he had a grin on his face the rest of the way to Han's. Said person's house was dimly lit and, judging from the shadows moving behind the curtains, seemed to have some company over; just want Wonsik needed, an audience while he made his "grand entrance". Shaking his head, Wonsik gave a tiny sigh to himself before trekking up the porch steps, way more than ready to get this job over with.