⇻ restaurant

@j. chanwoo ʲᶜʰᵃⁿ_ʷᵒᵒ < text to : jchan >
- no problem
- i'll grab the table and keep an eye out
- be safe!

taeyang tucked his phone back into his pocket as he neared the restaurant, not wanting to disrespect the staff when he entered a moment later through the wide open doors. he lifted his shades as he stepped inside, left them perched on the crown of his head as he bowed it toward the familiar face of the owner as he stepped by to a familiar table he had been sat at at least twice in the past week.

he took his phone back out and laid it face down on the table so that he might hear it vibrate if the friend he was to meet needed to text him again. afterall, he wouldn't have blamed the other man if he had decided to back out. for all they had spoken, the time they had spent as friends had been confined to a screen and not the real world. worse still, he was far from the bubbly guy who had managed to make a friend in the first place.

he rested his hands on his thighs beneath the table sat up stiff as a board until one of the servers had come to the side of the table with a glass of water and a bottle of wine, something he was both thankful for and a bit disappointed to realize just how predictable he was this past month. "i'm actually here to meet with a friend," he said as if to explain himself, "could i get a second glass of water and a few minutes?"

his smile was forced, but the server nodded and spirited away to get another glass of water while taeyang relaxed. he leaned in against the table, tapered fingers wrapped around the glass of water and choked up near its rim while he held himself by the throat with the other hand. he could do this. just maybe not wholly sober.

@y. taeyang ˢᵘⁿᵗᵃⁿᶻ the camping trip was something chanwoo had done part time, having drove himself to the camp grounds it came in handy when he had wanted a break from the outdoors and spend some time in the city where he was more comfortable. so on some days, he would take a trip to the city just to recoup before heading back to the camping. today, he had made some plans with his 'stranger online friend'.

it was different, honestly, knowing that he had plans with someone that he had considered close, but the two had never officially met before this. they have met the same people and what not but the pair have never had the chance to get their meeting. chanwoo was a bit nervous, he had so much going on but so little at the same time, that he hadn't exactly known what to do.

receiving the message, chanwoo parked in one of the public parking garages, as he had came straight from camping, after getting ready that morning, he nodded lightly to himself, before typing out a response.

< text to : sunny d >
- you might be there first, so that's fine!
- mm, i don't think so just yet! thanks though!
- i should be there in 5 mins time.
. . .
- okay, that helps! i'm in a white button up!

chanwoo sent the message heading out of his car, and toward the restaurant, arriving just in the amount of time that he said he would.

@j. chanwoo ʲᶜʰᵃⁿ_ʷᵒᵒ shouldn't have checked the texts. he kept telling himself that as he left his office, the little retrofitted downtown apartment he used to call his home serving double duty. if he had spent the night before in his actual home, the uptown apartment that was beginning to feel foreign to him, he would have had access to something a little nicer than the heather grey henley that fit a little too tight around his broad shoulders and the shape of his chest or the well-worn stone washed jeans that only looked expensive for the holes in the knees and the thighs. good first impression to make, indeed.

he had walked, hoped the fresh air would do something about the slight swelling in his eyes hidden behind a pair of bug-eyed shades despite the mostly set sun. he could hide the discoloration in his face with makeup—a little concealer, a green cushion to take the redness down, some tinted cc cream—but the swelling wasn't as easy to camouflage in color. he leaned against the squat cement pylon that separated the walking alley from the street, about a block from the restaurant still. he held his phone in one hand, raked the fingers of the other through his hair until it settled at his nape almost in defensive posture as he looked at a time stamp three weeks past now.

jaw clenched, he inhaled deep through his nose and opened his most recent conversation instead to fire off a text. he still had time to affix a smile to his face, another block to pull himself together. better to put the bull aside in favor of spending time with a friend. he could do that for one night at least.

< text to : jchan >
- hey i'm nearly there
- if i'm first i'm guessing i'll grab a table for two?
- if you've got any special requests, let me know and i'll order
. . .
- oh and i'm gonna be the skinny guy with the bug-eyed sunglasses on his head and in stone-washed jeans

@◦ l. siyeon ʷᵒˡᶠᶦᵉʸᵉᵒⁿ [ so sorry this is so damn late. but i'm living again TT^TT ]

<message from @snowbird>
sorry i'm running late!
i'll be there soon, and i'll keep an eye out!
-
/having a night out right after a slightly botched hair appointment wasn't originally in my plans, let alone when the first thing i coud grab from my apartment was an old leather skirt now a size too small, black tights and a long-sleeve blouse that practically made my hands disappear save for very red, freshly manicured nails
no use in panicking when i'm already late-
/the black suit jacket hung over my shoulders did little to add any sort of shape to all-black attire that looked far more fitting for the club than a dinner, but by the time i was in my car and down the street from the place there was no helping it but to park and click-clack my way over the sidewalk in black, square-heeled calf boots toward another woman with, as promised, some blue strands of hair
... wolfie?

@◦ s. changbin ᵈᵒᵒᵈˡᵉᵇᶦⁿ Akito glanced at the other man with a soft smile as he linked arms with him. He wasn't expecting the affectionate gesture but he was pleased with it, it made the date feel more like an actual date. "Only fine... I should have kept you waiting for an extra hour," he replied in the same quiet tone, following the hostess and the politician into the restaurant. Once at their table, he sat down and accepted the menu the waiter handed over to him, though he didn't pay it much attention. "Do you have any suggestions? I wanna have only the best of the best. Nothing bitter or spicy though, I don't like it."

@◦ m. akito ᵐᵉᵒʷᵗʰ Changbin couldn’t help the little eye roll that happened at the others broadened smile. “Well-“ He cleared his throat trying to clear his thoughts just a bit. “I guess I gotta give you that.” He nodded lightly before shaking his head at the others pout. “Oh, don’t do that.” He said before turning to look at the hostess, he nodded lightly telling them that they would take a table. Changbin wasn’t much of a hand holder, so he offered his arm for the other to take to follow the hostess to the table they would sit at, before turning to look at the other. “You look fine. We will go with the blonde hair being the cat fish.” He said his voice a bit quieter now that they were actually merging through the restaurant.

@◦ s. changbin ᵈᵒᵒᵈˡᵉᵇᶦⁿ When the politician laid eyes on him, Akito's smile broadened as he tried not to burst out into laughter. There was no need to finish the sentence, that was just the reaction he was looking for. "I just took my time getting ready, I wanna die at my prettiest," he replied, playing along with the obvious fill-in ending. At the mention of him being a catfish, his smile was replaced by a slight pout as he tilted his head. "What do you mean? Because I'm not blonde?" Their conversation was soon interrupted by the restaurant hostess, who asked the two of them if she could get them a table.

@◦ m. akito ᵐᵉᵒʷᵗʰ Since having arrived early, Changbin had waited until said time that they were meeting to check to see if the other was truly gonna show up. He told the other no rush, and with nothing else holding him up for the day he meant it. So when someone showed up saying how Changbin was not a catfish, he furrowed his brows in confusion. “I thought you were-“ he stopped himself before he could continue, his work as a politician has taught him well to think before he spoke. “Gonna stand me up.” He quickly came up with an alternative ending to the sentence. “I may not be the catfish, but you sure seem to be?” He let out a chuckle at his own shock

@◦ s. changbin ᵈᵒᵒᵈˡᵉᵇᶦⁿ Akito had already picked the blazer he'd be wearing when he suddenly had a better idea. What if after all that catfish talk he was the one who didn't look like the pictures? With a long wig, a simple yet elegant black dress, and the right amount of makeup he was confident he would pass as a girl. He was still applying mascara when he got a message on his phone, his date would have to wait but it was for a good reason. It was around twenty minutes past the scheduled meeting time when he finally arrived, walking on his heels from the cab straight to the man who looked just like the pictures. "So you're not a catfish after all," he said with a playful smile on his face.

[ ] just as a reference to how he looks when crossdressing:
https://i.imgur.com/JC8YIYk.jpg

@◦ m. akito ᵃᵏᶦ __⁹⁹ This would be the second person Changbin had met off of the app, except, this one was technically a date. Since that's what the male had asked. After leaving the gym, Changbin went home to take a shower, and put on black dress pants with a matching black button up shirt, the sleeves rolled up a quarter of the way. They were going to a sushi bar at the others request. The male decided this time to drive himself to the restaurant, arriving a tad early, and waiting outside next to the entrance for the other. Sending a message through the app.

message from @doodlebin to @aki_99
- Hey, just wanted to let you know I'm here. No rush or anything!

@◦ m. koyuki ˢⁿᵒʷᵇᶦʳᵈ *i quickly changed into a more presantable outfit and put on some make up on. Looking into the mirror i find myself biting my kip, something i always do when im nervous*
You got this siyeon..
*i muttered to myself and made my way towards the bbq restraurant we decided to meet at, once there i stood outside since i was earlier there than we decided to meet at*

[Message from @wolfieyeon]

Hey hey little birdie~
I just wanted to let you know I'm standing right outside the restaurant. If you see a woman with blue hair strands thats most likely me xD
See you soon

*

@◦ k. jiwoong ᵃˡᵘᶜᵃʳᵈ feeling nervous is not foreign to chaeyoung; she's experienced it so many times in her life that she feels that it'll never disappear no matter how she tries her best not to. this one, however, is far different than the ones she goes through when she takes the catwalk; in there, all she had to do was sell the piece she was wearing, make sure every detail would be appreciated. it was muscle memory─ like a machine doing what it was told to do.

this nervousness is a different thing, entirely. she could still feel the same excitement however, one that she'd undergone two years ago: all shy and giddy when the guy she approached (with the hopes of getting closer to) seemed to be as equally interested as her. had she not bungled the whole thing, what would be of them? chaeyoung shakes her head, allowing the waiter to guide her where jiwoong is seated once she told him of the reservation.

oh, and me-oh-my, the first chance she got a glance of him, she felt two years younger, rosy cheeks adorning her face as a wide smile can't seem to be wiped off of her face. "jiwoong?" she greets, finding him head down, staring at his phone just as the waiter tells her they'd reach their table. "hi..."

@◦ p. chaeyoung ʳᵒˢᵉᵗᵗᵉ jiwoong was a rather punctual guy. work, parties, it didn't matter the occasion. if he were excited to see someone, he'd be there bright and early to meet the enthusiastic gaze of the person beaming back at him. however, this was different. and because it was different, he bought a bouquet of light pink roses(pun intended) for the model, he'd encounter once again after two years. he was lucky to find an available table so brisk into the evening for an establishment with reservation only.

settling himself down onto the table for two with guidance from the waiter, he waits for the rosette to make her grand entrance to accompany him for dinner. the male removes his blazer, fixing the collar of his buttoned dress shirt to make it look less formal and more casual. if his memory was correct, chaeyoung was a bubbly girl. the proof was bubbly yet vividly shy in the text messages they exchanged the other day. clearing his throat and dawning his attention on the cellular device in his hand, he gives another take at her profile before scrolling through the photos that highlighted her beauty. he could hardly contain his excitement for their grand reunion - platonic or not.