Wonshik's House

@Byun Baekhyun "A mistake? Accidentally? Didn't think to check? Baekhyun, are you hearing what you're saying? You're not being careful, you're /asking/ to get caught. You might be doing this for as long as me, but that doesn't mean you don't have to double-check anymore," The taller male stood up in his seat as Baekhyun did, but he kept his position on the ground; chair scraping backward and fingertips carrying his weight on the dining table. He watched the other the whole time, hoping to get through to him. "Nor does that allow you to be mediocre doing the job or make an honest mistake. A tiny slip could mean the end, not only for you but for me as well." Wonshik's voice was turning up in volume the more he spoke, but it didn't seem like his brother was getting any of it hearing the way he replied. And before he knew it, the brunet male was already firing off towards the newly fixed front door. The younger male stared at his brother, teeth gliding over each other as his eyebrows pulled together; the scolding being over way sooner than he had expected. He had much more he wanted to tell the other, but he should've known Baekhyun had no listening ears. Wonshik sighed to himself and turned around, "take good care of him. Don't be sloppy again." His voice was a lot calmer now as he allowed the other to exit their house, not wanting to put any effort into holding his brother back. He seemed to be serious enough to pay for what happened here.

And when he'd get back, he could redo the lawn.

@Kim Wonshik [SH] "I'm sure you've heard about the sweep.”

Baekhyun finished up the rest of his breakfast in two bites, leaving the plate in the sink before he set off to rummage the cupboards. They were just as bare are the fridge, save for a solid stock of instant coffee powder and Keurig pods. Deftly picking one out, Baekhyun busied himself under the pretense of making coffee as Wonshik waited for his response.

Of course Baekhyun heard about the sweep. In fact, he was partly responsible for it (subjectively, he could be fully responsible for it). He was not at home when the cops kicked down Wonshik’s front door, but he could see why his brother was pissed off when he was reviewing the security footage later that evening. It was a little funny - Baekhyun had managed a chuckle watching the surveillance replay. Wonshik was half dressed and here the cops were, bursting in through the front door, guns blazing, as if expecting the entire operation to be happening inside Wonshik’s house. The younger man obviously did not find it as amusing as Baekhyun did, so he worked to squash a smile down before he took a seat across from Wonshik, crafting his response carefully. “I might’ve seen something about it. What’s up?”

“Now, I wonder where they came from, Baek. Do you happen to know anything about that?” Wonshik’s tone was anything but friendly, and Baekhyun was slightly taken aback by it. It wasn’t as if this was their first brush with the cops, so why was Wonshik making such a big deal out of it.

Baekhyun shrugged. “Might’ve been the return address on a package I dropped. Wonshik, come on. It was a mistake. I accidentally grabbed the regular boxes and I didn’t realize someone already stuck a return label on that one. It was in the pile of unmarked boxes so I didn’t think to check. Honest mistake, bro.”

Wonshik was seriously overreacting. Baekhyun was only human, too. It wasn’t his fault someone misplaced the boxes. They should just consider themselves lucky and move on. “No harm, no foul,” he added, realizing he might’ve been adding fuel to Wonshik’s fire.

“You’re being sloppy. I can’t afford sloppy, Baekhyun. You need to start thinking things through."

“I am being careful,” Baekhyun snapped at Wonshik’s harsh criticism, his slack posture straightening as he sat up in his chair. “I /know/ what I’m doing, Wonshik. You don’t have to treat me like it’s my first day on the job. I’ve been doing this just as long as you, you think I don’t know the consequences? Fine, I’m sorry I got the cops to come sweep the place. Cut me some slack. You think I wanted them to come, too?”

He sat back, the gears in his mind finally beginning to whir and click as Baekhyun tried to work out just exactly what had happened. He rarely handled small, individual orders himself, only working on large shipments. There was only one or two he would deliver to, and that was....

It clicked in his mind almost instantly. She had no reason to turn Baekhyun over to the cops, but she had a husband she mentioned she was having a falling out with. Baekhyun never talked to the guy himself, but it had to be him. “Don’t worry,” Baekhyun said lowly, the beginnings of a plan forming in his mind. That little rat was going to /pay/ for putting Baekhyun through all this trouble and a scolding from his younger brother. “Wonshik, I’m going to take care of it. See you later. Hyeran will see herself out the door.” With that, Baekhyun stood, his chair scraping as he shoved it aside and made a beeline for the door. He knew exactly what he needed to do to fix this little issue of his.

@Byun Baekhyun The question that got directed towards Wonshik had him continue eating in silence, chewing the last bits of his egg without exchanging a single word nor look until his meal was completely consumed. He wiped the corners of his mouth with the tip of his index finger before leaning back into his chair, the wood creaking under his weight. "I'm sure you've heard," he started ruthless, not turning around to take a look at his brother; the memories of the incident dashing in front of him, "about the sweep.” He stayed calm, however, as he hadn't gotten in trouble whatsoever. Baekhyun was lucky this time, but he wouldn't always be. And he, as someone who felt quite protective of the other, needed to point that out. If he’d continue the way he did, there’d be a day he’d get in trouble. And he was sure it was going to be a nasty event. Very nasty.

Wonshik crossed his arms over his chest, leaving his plate to stand empty in front of him. He could still clearly remember how he had gotten out of the shower, wearing only a simple pair of low waisted joggings, ready to continue watching Stranger Things, when the front door was kicked open with a force that louded throughout the whole house. A crowd of cops violently pushed their way through the compact doorframe in full uniform and with unnecessary much strength the gang leader was being pulled outside for an investigation as the rest of the officers continued their search throughout the house. Apparently, they had gotten a lead saying he had been selling drugs. But, of course, there was nothing to be found in the house and he was free to enjoy the rest of his day after a sincere apology for the disturbance. Wonshik had shaken it off, telling them he understood they couldn't ignore a lead, before he made his way back into the house, the skin of his upper body forming goosebumps. Little did the cops know that the dark-haired male knew exactly where that lead came from. And boy was he going to hear it. Baekhyun had been sloppy. As sloppy as the cops' parked cars on his front yard. Not only was his brother getting a lecture, but he'd have to redo the lawn as well.

Baekhyun was one hell of a lucky charm for not being home at that time a day. “Now, I wonder where they came from, Baek. Do you happen to know anything about that?” His tone was relentless and it was clear that he didn’t need an answer from the elder to know where they came from. Wonshik twisted his upper body by the waist to look at his brother, his gaze sharp and warning. They couldn’t afford getting caught in any sort of way. “Do you know what would’ve happened if they found something?” Once again, he wasn’t really asking a question. He wanted Baekhyun to know how dangerous it was to be careless with this sort of business. He knew Baekhyun knew he had no problem with the other doing drugs or any of that sort, but he had to be discreet. And keep Wonshik out of it. "And I don't mean only drugs." There was so much more they could've found. He figured his brother didn't even realize half of how fortunate he had been.

It almost felt like he was scolding a small kid who started doing illegal stuff for the first time in his life, but Baekhyun needed it. It had to be pointed out before it was too late, “you’re being sloppy. I can’t afford sloppy, Baekhyun. You need to start thinking things through." He kept his gaze on the elder, his tone merciless and harsh, "I don’t know and don't /want/ to know what the hell you did or do out there, but you’ve got to be more thoughtful.”

@Kim Wonshik Baekhyun returned to his spot leaning against the kitchen counter after he retrieved his share of beans. Eating the nasty things made him feel homeless, but he couldn't really complain if it was being offered up to him. "I've been well, I guess," he said, shrugging as he shovelled food into his mouth, swallowing without tasting. There was an oddly formal tone between the two of them today - it was different each time they saw each other. Baekhyun supposed it could be a lot worse; some days, they were ready to tear each other's throats out. For a second, Baekhyun wondered if he should share with his younger brother about the kidney he nabbed and sold the previous night before getting so high he wasn't even sure how he got home. It would probably be a bad idea, Baekhyun decided, since he was the reason why there was a raid at this very house two days ago, and though Ravi hadn't spoken of it yet to him, Baekhyun could feel the tension in the air. "So how about you? You, um... you up to anything lately?"

@Byun Baekhyun Wonshik grumbled mentally, close to rolling his eyes as his brother stated the girl he had brought over would have to eat here as well. He stirred the beans a few more times before he divided the portion into three. The amount looked so small and Wonshik was sure that neither of them would be satisfied with their share of beans. He breathed in through his nose and sighed it out shortly and softly, not wanting Baekhyun to notice his frustration. The taller male ended up rumbling the beans into one big portion again before splitting it in two this time. He took two places and started scooping the mass onto the plates. "If your girl wants warm food, she better be quick," he said, turning around with the plates in his hands, putting them down onto the kitchen table. He gave the elder a quick glance as he saw only one egg left anymore and shook his head lightly, drawing the small plate with the egg towards his side of the table to secure his food. "I'm going grocery shopping later today," he said, taking three sets of cutlery before taking place in front of his very pitiful and lonely looking egg. "How've you been?" Wonshik asked, cutting off a rather big piece of his lukewarm yellow eye.

@Kim Wonshik 'She's not my girlfriend,' Baekhyun thought of retorting, but he kept it to himself as he leaned against the kitchen counter, helping himself to the half-filled glass of juice. The cold drink certainly helped his pounding headache. Baekhyun began to eye Wonshik's glass as he drained his own, tempted to down the whole thing in a gulp. "But she'll probably need to eat," Baekhyun said absentmindedly, his stomach rumbling at the smell of food cooking. Damn. If he didn't bring Hyeran home, he probably wouldn't have to share with her. Ignoring Wonshik's egg claim, Baekhyun speared at the fluffy eggs again, wolfing down half the plate in one bite. "Sharing is caring," he simply said, abandoning the half-finished breakfast in search for his phone. He found it beneath the coffee table, nearly drained of batteries. There were work related emails he'd gotten, mostly on new jobs, new contracts, new drop locations. He'd deal with it all later. Right now, there was a crisis. "How can your fridge be so empty," he scolded again, returning to the kitchen to peer over Wonshik's shoulder at what he was cooking. "That looks sad. You need to buy real food, not canned."

@Byun Baekhyun Wonshik was almost ready preparing his breakfast when he suddenly heard a voice behind him. The tall male froze in place, caught completely off guard as he hadn't heard any footsteps approaching. He turned his neck to take a look at Baekhyun over his shoulder. He didn't even know how long ago it had been since he last saw his brother, but he had gotten used to his greetings by now. They were family after all. Closer than one might expect, in some ways at least. "Is your girlfriend eating here as well?" He didn't bother reacting to Baekhyun's words as he continued warming up the rest of his food, hearing the clinging of cutlery as his brother took no shame in taking a bite from the eggs he had prepared. Wonshik left the fire for a few seconds to grab the second half of the beans in the fridge, deciding to warm them up as well. There wouldn't be enough otherwise... Not that there'd be enough now either, though.

"One egg's mine." He said, just clarifying the portions before Baehyun made a decision of his own. The dark-haired male scraped the rest of the beans into the pan whereafter he took two glasses to split the orange juice evenly. If the girl was staying over for breakfast as well Baekhyun would have to share his, Wonshik mentally decided. It was quite normal for his brother to randomly appear in his house and therefor the younger acted as if it wasn't that big a deal. Which it wasn't, either. He was glad to see his brother appear every now and then. Of course, it would've been a lot easier if Baekhyun announced when he'd be coming home though.

@Kim Wonshik Baekhyun woke a lot earlier than he intended to. He probably fell asleep a few hours before sunrise, and now he was being roused by a warm body sliding across his own, the weight pressing into him heavy enough to bring him out of his light slumber. Once he woke, it was often hard for Baekhyun to fall asleep again, so he pushed the body off him and sat up in bed, rubbing his face as the sheets pooling around his bare waist. He sat for a moment, taking in his surroundings. To his relief, he was in his own room. Weak sunlight was filtering in through the gauzy blinds still made him wince, and he turned his gaze downwards to avoid it. A woman was twisted in the sheets beside him, her expression peaceful. Right. Baekhyun's features contorted as he gave his forehead a slap, hard at work to piece together exactly what had went down for him to end up with a headache this bad.

Whatever. Sliding out of bed, Baekhyun picked out a clean outfit before he headed for the shower, making quick work in cleaning himself up. When he returned to his room, Hyeran had woken. She looked up at him expectantly, like he was supposed to her right then and there or something, but frankly, he was exhausted. Plus, there was the smell of breakfast cooking, which cued Baekhyun to go out for his share. "Go take a shower," Baekhyun offered, picking out one of his sweaters from his closet and tossing it towards her. "I think my brother's making breakfast."

Indeed, Wonshik was working hard in the kitchen when Baekhyun got down there to investigate. "Morning," he greeted casually as the shower upstairs started, indicating Hyeran /finally/ starting her shower (that woman, always taking hours to get ready no matter the situation). Eyeing the small portion of eggs already plated as Wonshik worked on heating up a brown gloop, Baekhyun helped himself to a bite. "I think you need to do the groceries sometime. Probably more often, too."

@Byun Baekhyun It had been one hell of a rough night; Wonshik wasn't used to sharing his house anymore. He had made a routine of being alone all the time, so when Baekhyun barged in last night, the taller male tossed and turned in his bed, squirming in anguish as he kept wondering what the hell was going on in the living room. And to make it even worse: Baekhyun wasn't alone. He could hear voices, but couldn't make out what they were saying. He could hear movement, but had no idea what they were doing. Wonshik sighed to himself, keeping his eyes shut as he tried to distract himself and fall back asleep.

So that morning the twenty-six-year-old male stood in front of the kitchen counter, grumpy, hair a mess, in a pair of boxers and a simple black T-shirt, pondering whether the other was going to wake up or not. He didn't even have food for a second person. All his fridge held were some left-overs. In front of Wonshik were two eggs, one slice of toast, a 200ml carton of orange juice and some canned - already opened - beans. If Baekhyun was going to eat, he could warm up the whole amount. If he wasn't, he'd have to throw at least half of it away. They were already left-overs from yesterday, so he wasn't planning on warming them up once more after today. Wonshik fidgetted uncomfortably, the lack of sleep not helping with making a decision. At least five awkward minutes had passed where the raven-haired male stared at the food on the counter until he finally decided to make a single portioned breakfast. He cracked the eggs in the pan and warmed up a small portion of beans next to them, wholeheartedly hoping Baekhyun was too tired to wake up before lunch.