Vices, Spiels, & A Fiery Redhead
In which friendship is never serene

12:03pm

Nursing the child on her lap as JiWon sat at the furthest end of the space with a towel hung over his shoulders, the guest was growing antsy. Cracking her fingers more than usual, the blonde strained to hold her concentration. JiWon had noticed the slight twitches a few minutes ago, but didn’t dare to volunteer himself to look after the child so she could fix herself. “Are you okay?” The words came out as more of a whisper, as if he was hoping that she didn’t actually hear it.

DaIn twisted her chin up to the right and caused her vertebrae to crunch as she stood on a nerve. Leg vibrating, the blonde gave a look that said she definitely was not okay. “You know I’m not. Do I look like someone who is okay? Why ask stupid questions, JiWon? Why ask me when you know.” She rattled on lowly. “Idiot.” She finished with a scoff.

It should be mentioned that DaIn was little in the way of her senses beside that of her hearing. Most would argue little in any sense at all, considering her past love interests, which was sad when you actually got to know her. She was a woman of many media qualifications, and a few dubious passtimes.  However, as she had proved a few hours ago, she was reliable regardless of her general lack of patience for fools and lack of luck in her personal life.

Before the offended could make any kind of rebuttle, the front door’s handle rattled as somebody tried to get in. JiWon glanced to DaIn, whom in turn urged him to hurry up and answer before the baby woke up. Again. Scrambling to his feet, the home owner dashed for the door and unlocked the latch. Barrier creaking open, the secondary occupant trodged inside with his head held by his right hand.

“I feel so sick. Please save me.”

“Yah, Kim in’ HanBin, shower and prepare for war.” The female’s rough tone caused the lad to jolt in worry. “Noon...ah-” Noticing the thing in her arms, the younger brunet gagged a yowl. “What is that?” He asked, despite having a good idea already. As it was, Kim in' HanBin - as DaIn liked to call him - was one of the very few friends who had actual experience with babies. But unlike JiWon, he hadn't made any himself.

“I think you should shower - Seriously. I can smell the booze radiating off you from here.” She wafted her hand dismissively.

Kicking his shoes off, and nearly falling over in the process, HanBin waved his arms in an attempt to regain his balance. Steadying himself, the younger boy pointed accusingly. “My state is your fault.”

“Yeah, that’s usually the first thing I hear when I see a guy at this time in the morning. I usually get some kind of payment beforehand though.” her lips, DaIn eased up and onto her feet. “No worries though; I don't hold it against you.” Quip thrown to the youngest, the blonde placed the baby on the sofa where she’d been sat and used a cushion to keep him from rolling off. Straightening up and stretching, she pointed at JiWon and clicked as if she was calling a dog, “Yah, watch-him.” In fact, she didn’t even talk to her dog like that.

Catching the woman make a hasty jolt towards the far end of the room, JiWon cried out. “Where are you going? You can’t leave me like this?” The addressed tumbled to the side and dropped to his knees while holding his hands out.

Scrunching her face, the eldest back-peddled to push the boy in the face. “What is this, some kind of drama? Am I your high-maintenance girlfriend? Jesus Christ, get a hold of yourself.” Scratching the back of her neck, DaIn pointed towards the open-plan kitchen. “I need a drink.”

Gagging at the thought, HanBin turned around to calm himself. “Are you even human?”

“It’s 12:10. I meant a coffee.” Huffing, she tried to itch her scalp, only to have her fingers caught in the offset of dread locks. “I’m parched, and there’s a long day ahead. I need to keep my wits.”

“Oh, I’ll do it-” JiWon scrambled to his feet, ready to get right to it.

“I don’t think so.” Filling the kettle, the blonde fished her keys from her sweatpant pockets. “Spend some bonding time with your son whilst I have a smoke.” Chucking her keys at the newest brunet, she nodded upwards. “Habi-Yah, grab my smokes, and put some water down for Nero, will ya?”

13:45

In record time, HanBin had finished showering and returned to the living room in a fresh set of clothes. Too bad the dumb expression on his face hadn’t changed. “This looks really bad.” The newest addition mused as he kept a safe distance from the sleeping time-bomb.

JiWon felt his friend was taking the situation a little too well. “It is really bad.”

Sat on one of the wonky wooden chairs on the balcony, the blonde puffed on her vice as she oversaw the scene. “It’s actually a lot worse than either of you think.” She just had to lighten their spirits.

Looking over to the female lapping up her well-deserved wash of bliss, HanBin raised his brows. “How can it be worse. Hyung looks like he’s been mauled, and you’re dressed like a slob - I know how babies are made, but unless both of you are aliens, there is no way it just popped out in the last couple of hours.”

“There are so many things wrong with that remark that I’m not going to waste my time fixing them.” Revelling in the nicotine rush, DaIn stared off into the heavy grey clouds rolling in. “However, JiWon is actually the perp this time.” She dropped him right in the crap without a second thought.

“What?” The younger boy’s head snapped around to see his room mate glaring holes into the back of the blonde’s head. “Hyung?”

Shaking his head, he waved off the rambling before it got a chance to get started. “It’s a long story, and I’m not explaining it a dozen times.” Beginning to pout, JiWon picked up the first thing his hand grabbed from the assortment of baby things on the table. “Just wait for the others to get here.”

Smirking at the break in his friend’s concentration, HanBin quipped. “It’s not really that long.”

Without even turning around, DaIn chipped in with mockery. “So I’ve heard.”

“Have you two finished?” Hurt written all over his face, the insulted man pouted. “What’s wrong with the pair of you? As soon as you see each other, you turn into a pair of sarcastic s. You're like a really offensive comedy duo, except...you're not funny.”

"I'll have you know we're hilarious." Stubbing out the end of her cigarette, the blonde partially turned around to grin. “It’s a gift.”

“Truly, it is.” Receiving a pitiful look from the offended, HanBin cut him some slack. “So, what are you planning to do?”

Head down, JiWon fiddled with a duck plushie. “The note that was left said that there was nobody else to look after it.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“What is there that I can do?” He glanced up to see both of his friends staring back with unreadable expressions.

“As far as I can see, you have three options.” Attention fixed on her from both boys, DaIn lit up another smoke. “You can give him up for adoption legally, which will be filled with paperwork, and probably a ton of bills; or you can drop him off at a hospital or church without waiting to see if or when he’s found.”

Shooting up off the floor, JiWon barked as he strangled the life out of the duck. “I can’t do that.”

Shrugging at the outburst, DaIn turned away to watch the sky grow darker. “Or you can get your in gear, and man up. Come to terms with the fact you’re a father, and do your best to raise your child.”

“Noona,” HanBin called, an incredulous look on his pasty features, “do you get your speeches from movies, or do you do internet research for all occasions?”

Glowering back over her shoulder, the blonde sneered. “Don’t with me, kid. I was woke up hours before my alarm with a heart attack inducing text, I’m still kinda seeing double, I have blisters on my blisters, my dog shook mud all up my sitting room wall, and I have baby puke stinkin’ up my cleavage.” Wobbling her head madly, she flipped him off.

Taking a can of energy drink from the fridge, HanBin cooed. “At least you didn’t have to covertly leave some strange guy alone in your home this morning.” Heaving a breath, he cracked the seal and held the can to his lips. "Beside's JunHoe, who was still passed out in your bath when I went back."

“It’s not Saturday yet.” She hit back, deadpan.

Tutting mockingly, the youngest continued to dig. “One of these days, MinHo Hyung is going to get suspicious about all of the other guys shirts in your closet.”

Catching onto the spiel he was laying, DaIn coughed a bitter laugh. “And one of these days, Kim in’ HanBin, you and DongHyuk are going to stop going in my closet to steal the designer ones.”

Frustrated by the fact his friends weren’t taking the situation seriously, JiWon cut in roughly. “Can we please get back to the task at hand?”

“Which task would that be?” The female bit. “The one where you’re going to break into your savings to keep the kid alive, or the one where it takes all of us to stop KiSe from bludgeoning you to death with the car seat?” Untying her hair and scratching through the mess which looked like silver hay storage, DaIn noted facetiously. “Because I ain’t down for that so early.”

“What about my savings?” The prospective Father’s eyes grew immeasurably.

Having a younger sibling himself, HanBin had a certain sort of savy to himself. “Hyung, he’s gonna need loads of stuff: bottles, pacifiers, diapers, clothes, milk...A crib!”

Eyes almost rolling back at the notion, the older boy lost it. “How am I supposed to afford all of that?”

“I’m sure we can all pitch in, if you’re really going to do this.”

“Even if it isn’t mine, I still can’t throw it aside.”

“JiWon, he’s a boy.” DaIn tutted at the fact he hadn’t even grasped that fact yet.

Peeking over to the sleeping figure, HanBin glanced back. “Does he even have a name?”

DaIn didn’t want to bring it up, but the topic was here now. Folding her arms under her damp bust, the female turned her nose up when she got a whiff of sour milk. “There is a lot for you decide. But like you said, if you want help, it’s probably best to wait until everyone is here in order to go through things properly.” Shrugging off the borrowed hoodie, the blonde dashed around the space and picked up HanBin’s towel, the fleece blanket, and the clothes which the baby had been wearing before she had changed him. Nodding upwards, she dropped the pile in front of the youngest. “Put the laundry on; I’m taking a shower - Someone get me something to wear.”

Picking up the heap of laundry, HanBin held them at arms length when he got a similar whiff of sourness. “I would make a maid joke, but I’m scared you’d drag me into the bathroom with you and try to drown me.”

“Sounds legit.” Taking the fine chain from around her neck, the blonde placed it on the fireplace and made down the narrow corridor towards the bathroom.

14:30

“What the is that?!” KiSe yelled just as the blonde emerged from the bathroom in clean sweatpants and her damp bra. Instantly locking eyes on the eldest, the redhead gasped for a breath. “W-what is this?” Mouth agape, the redhead’s eyes bulged as she pointed at the baby in the arms of HanBin while he paced the sitting room in worry.

Patting her hair dry with the towel slung over her shoulders, DaIn shrugged. “A crisis?”

Scoffing and throwing her hands up, the tallest hacked. “You ing think?”

JiWon, who was backed into the corner by the veranda doors, held up his hands. “When everyone gets here, I will explai-”

“Explain?” KiSe snapped around, staring at the speaker. “How the are you going to talk your way out of this one, JiWon?”

“If you’d just let me exlai-”

“You see this?” The redhead pointed around, fury straining her features. “This is us being well and truly done.”

“Don’t say that, KiSe.” He took a step forward, only to be threatened by her mirroring his approach.

“Don’t say that? Don’t ing say that?” Heckles almost visualized on the younger female’s back, the redhead tensed to the point of her neck nearly disappearing.

“Rather than upsetting the baby which took over an hour to settle, I think you two had better hash this out in private.” Throwing her keys to the redhead, DaIn gave a knowing shoo to the pair.

“I’m not going to be held responsible for the state of your apartment.” Without waiting for a reply, or to see if the other half of the spat was following, KiSe stormed out of the front door.

Waiting until her best friend had left, DaIn glanced to HanBin, and then to JiWon, whom was stuck petrified. “You’d better go.”

Head snapping around to see the eldest, the addressed gawked. “Are you crazy? She’s going to kick my .” He pointed to the main door, his hand trembling.

“Now, JiWon.” Giving in, the elder boy skulked out of the apartment.

Watching his friend leave, HanBin glanced to the blonde. “Do you think that was a good idea?”

“What?” Shuffling across the space and toward the fridge, the blonde opened the door and stuck her hand inside to retrieve a can of beer.

“Letting them go off alone when she’s so mad.”

DaIn hummed as she held the icy can to her neck. “At worse, Nero will bite the pair of them if they start fighting - I already have mud up my walls; blood won’t make too much difference.”

Mouth ajar, the brunet gawped. “You really are wicked.”

“I’ll remember that when you want to borrow money.”

“Take my clothes out of my debt.”

Tching, the blonde plucked the tight fabric covering the top of her thigh. “A pair of sweatpants and a-” DaIn was about to argue the value of what she was wearing compared to her Junior’s ‘debt’ just as the front door opened and a ramble of four entered.

“Noona, are you trying to kill us?” YunHyeon spun around and tried to cover his eyes, bumping into DongHyuk as he went.

“Seen it all before.” DongHyuk hummed as he ventured further inside without a care.

It wasn’t a lie; He had seen it all before - Not like anybody wanted to hear that - but still. DongHyuk and the eldest woman had a special kind of relationship. There were no ual experiences between the pair that anybody knew about - even those involved - yet it was some kind of unwritten rule that if changing had to be done, it would no doubt involve them.

Opening the fridge to put away the drinks he’d brought, something else caught DongHyuk’s eye. Stood stationary like a new piece of furniture, HanBin remained tight-lipped as his junior blinked in comprehension. “That, I have not seen before.”

Updated: 14th July 2015 - 20:45

Updated: 25th March 2019 - 15:58