ANY KIND OF SUPPORT.

yooseung paused, blinking at jace with a frown. he hadn’t really expected for the other to take his words seriously, because he’s certain he’d said much worse things in the past. yooseung had gotten used to their back and forth banter that mocking him back was a natural response at this point. “i didn’t mean it, jesus,” he huffed out, “but you should consider eating better shit. kraft mac ‘n cheese tastes like ass.” slowly, his lips turned up in a smile. “although you’d enjoy that, wouldn’t you?”

jace feels a bit embarrassed at yooseung’s immediate dropping of his irritable mannerisms. “well, shit.” he says, feeling his cheeks turn a soft shade of pink. one hand flags down the bartender, wordlessly ordering his fourth (?) drink, while the other scratches at the back of his neck. “i didn’t know that you didn’t mean it. you seemed pretty down.” he admits sheepishly, before rolling his eyes at the banter that spills from yoo’s lips. “if you think kraft mac tastes like ass, clearly you’ve either had some shitty mac or some delicious ass.” he replies in his own indignant tone.

it only took him one glance to see that jace, with the mischievous twinkle in his eye and his shit eating grin, merely approached him to be irritating. surprisingly enough, yooseung did not have the patience tonight. when the bartender returned with his brand new glass of virgin piña colada, he took his sweet, sweet time taking a sip. he can’t stall time forever, but when he turned to look back at jace, he was a little calmer. “i’m sober because i’m classy,” he replies coolly, easing his drink back down on the counter. how the tables have turned, he thought to himself — normally, yooseung was the one getting under jace’s skin. the weird ass shift in their dynamic pissed him off even more. “which you obviously wouldn’t understand.”

jace is a bit taken by surprise. he’d been expecting that yooseung wasn’t in the mood for his antics, but the cool reply catches him off guard. “well, sheesh, yooseung,i was just fuckin’ with you.” he replies, brows lifting and lips falling into a pout. “i mean, i know i’m not classy. i’m a twenty-one-year old who plays video games for a living and thinks kraft mac ‘n cheese is a perfectly normal meal to have multiple times in a week. you don’t have to tell me i’m not.” he takes a seat now, next to the other, at the bar. “you just seemed down, and i wanted to play with ya a little. i can go if you don’t want me to stick around.”

　 　 　   ❝   sweetheart   ,   maybe   if   you   stopped   being   so   grumpy   you’d   at   least   be   having   a   LITTLE   fun   !       ❞      the   way   she   worded   it   was   slightly   more   taunting   than   she   intended   ,   but   he’d   be   fine.   after   all   ,   it   wasn’t   anything   he   hadn’t   heard   before.   she   was   always   telling   him   to   loosen   up   a   little.      ❝   honestly   it’s   better   than   talking   to   …   some   of   the   people   here.   but   i   thought   i’d   at   least   mingle.   you   should   too   ,   yeah   ?       spot   any   good-looking   people   ?       i’m   bored   and   i’d   like   a   few   more   playthings.  ❞

“nah, bein’ grumpy is the core of my personality. if i genuinely enjoyed something i might actually have an identity crisis.” he joked, running his free hand through his hair. “playthings? jeez, winnie.” jason laughed at her phrasing, brows furrowing in faux concern. “nah, i dunno about that. maybe one of those reporters are sexy? the only good-looking things i’ve seen are the hors d’oeuvres.” as if on cue, a cocktail waitress passes by. jace exchanges his empty cup for a pastry-esque snack. “what about you? got your eyes on anyone? or were you asking me in hopes i’d find one for you?”

Owen could still remember what it was like to be new to the world of e-sports, everything back then had seemed so grand and exciting, but these days he had grown jaded to the entire experience. “If that is what counts as old in your book, then I better enjoy my last eight and half months of being young.” He played, a small chuckle escaping his lips. “Nearly a decade, I really do feel old now.” He joked. “Don’t worry about me, even as a grandpa I can still take out your entire team with an ULT.” 

“i’m not sayin’ thirty is old. i’m just sayin’ you haven’t even got that far!” the other backtracks, a nervous tone in his voice, but he’s aware the other seems to be in good spirits. “my bad. i’m trying to make you feel.... not old.” he laughs too, lifting his drink to his lips again while the other speaks, before puffing up his chest a little. he’s just under six feet tall, but he wants to seem bigger as he jokes around with the other. “maybe before, but who knows. this year my team might wipe out you and yours!”

excusing himself from a conversation with a reporter, yooseung moved over to the bar and placed his empty glass atop it, nodding when the bartender asked if he wanted another. after nursing his previous drink for more than an hour he felt sober again, but that was entirely the point on a day like this, despite his desire to drink his heart out and let loose. crusade x was the most sought after team — he spent eighty percent of the party smiling and speaking to journalists, and frankly? he was exhausted. silent, he waited patiently as he allowed his train of thought to still for a moment. this banquet sucked.

@loginlanding​

jace’s evening had been... simultaneously uneventful and eventful at the same time. it seemed like the majority of both teams weren’t particularly fond of press events such as these, and yet they all plastered smiles on their faces and pretended to be anything but the rowdy gamers they all were at heart. jace was no exception to this rule, finding himself somewhat bored but not altogether hating the evening, thanks much in part to his interaction with his teammates. this changed, however, when his eyes landed on yooseung. ah, that mother fucker. the bane of his existence. normally, jace would run for the hills to avoid interaction with the other, and yet, some combination of the three malibu oranges in him and the tired look on yoo’s face gave jace the urge to be the one who annoyed him, for once. “hey dweeb.” he greets, before taking a drink, after swaggering over to be close enough to have a conversation. “you done talkin’ the reporters ears off?” he gives the other a cheeky grin, hoping his intention to get on his nerves is clear. “ugh, look at you. are you sober? how disappointing.”

@loginlanding​

“Perhaps I’m getting old, but I feel like each year I see fewer and fewer familiar faces.” Owen mused, though there was truth to his words. Compared to a lot of people here he was old, he’d been at the top of the game since it came out, and many of the players who started at the same time he did had already gone into retirement. That phase hadn’t quite hit him yet, he still was one of the most feared players in the game, though he knew one day even his own team members would be able to beat him, they were all so young, and already so talented; yet he was only getting older, soon to be past his prime.  However, a part of him looked forward to that day, because it would mean he had done his job right. “Not to mention the competition always get stiffer, but I guess that helps keep an old man on his toes.” He joked, offering the other a smile. 

he’ll admit he wasn’t expecting owen wu to be talking to him. regardless of their eight year age difference, owen was also the captain of crusade x, the team that rivaled his own. four years ago, he would’ve given anything to join that team — but, at the time, he was too young. seventeen then, sixteen when the team was established. he was eighteen when he was scouted for the alliance, and he had to admit he was happy there, even if he wasn’t satisfied with second place. it’ll feel better to know that he’d been on the team since the start, helped make it something so good, rather than joining a team that was already successful. “that doesn’t make you old. sheesh, dude, you’re not even thirty.” is jace’s response to the other’s remark. in his opinion, he liked to save the rivalry for the games with most crusaders. he never had an issue making friendly(ish) conversation. “it’s not because you’re, i don’t know, out of touch or whatever. it’s because esports are a billion times bigger than they were five years ago. or even three. i can’t keep up with half of it and i’m nearly a decade younger than you.” he grins at the other, a cheesy smile that is a bit awkward, assuring that, despite his snark, he’s not being unkind. “but if you wanna call yourself old so bad, yeah. stay on your toes, gramps.” at this, he sips from his drink, aware that such a taunt might shift their conversation, but he hopes the other takes it as a joke, as it’s meant to be taken.

         he   was   far   from   adept   with   events   like   these   ,   all   aboard   the   damned   bus   to   the   seventh   dimension   to   HELL   ,   more   like   .   nursing   a   whiskey   sour   in   one   hand   ,   rubbing   sleep   deprivation   out   of   his   gaze   with   the   other   ,   haesung   settled   himself   comfortably   in   an   unsettlingly   quiet   corner   of   the   venue   ,   dimly   lit   ,   filtered   shades   of   scarlet   ,   purple   awash   on   the   edges   .   at   this   point   ,   he   really   ,   really   needed   a   chemical   wash   for   all   five   senses   (   actually   ,   six   ,   maybe   he’s   got   a   third   eye   ,   go   figure   )   ––   maybe   a   second   drink   while   he   was   at   it   .   it   wasn’t   long   before   he   caught   movement   in   the   corner   of   his   vision   ,   he   paused   mid-sip   ,   gaze   inquisitive   ,   lips   curling   into   some   form   of   a   cordial   smile   .   ‘   sorry   ,   this   corner   is   taken   .   ’   @loginlanding​

jace is truthfully wondering how long he’s obligated to stay at this event before he can bail. is it rude? would it make a scene? couldn’t he just slip out, unnoticed? well, he hopes he can make his exit soon. his clothes aren’t really comfortable, a little itchy. he’s also terrified he’s going to drop one of the countless snacks he’s been grabbing from the caterers and stain his white shirt. he’s not cut out for this life, it really isn’t. but, typical to his role in the game, he’s found himself buzzing from one teammate to the next, like a little hummingbird, hoping to boost their spirits. “oh, don’t be like that, hae!” jace has taken to calling the elder a nickname, since their birthnames were only one letter different. “we’re supposed to be having fun. everyone here is so down and it’s got me down too.” perhaps he’s whining, but it’s the truth. he wants to have a good time — he’s only on his second malibu orange, but he hopes the third will get him into better spirits. “what’s got you hiding from everyone over here anyway?”

@loginlanding​​​​

　 　 　   with   a   sigh   ,   winnie   slid   her   phone   into   her   purse.   so   far   ,   she   had   been   that   one   person   who   was   sitting   in   a   corner   on   their   phone   the   entire   time.   no   ,   that   won’t   do.   she   had   a   reputation   to   uphold   ,   and   if   her   parents   overheard   that   winnie   wasn’t   doing   anything   the   entire   time   she’d   never   hear   the   end   of   it.   a   disgrace   ,   they’d   call   her.   with   that   last   thought   ,   she   straightened   out   her   dress   and   plastered   a   bright   smile   on   her   face.   a   bright   attitude.   that’s   what   people   expect   from   her   and   a   bright   attitude   is   what   they   shall   recieve.         ❝   hey   stranger   ,      ❞      she   greeted   playfully   to   a   rather   familiar   face.      ❝   enjoying   the   party   ?       ❞      winnie   would   hardly   call   this   a   PARTY   ,   but   she   had   to   at   least   pretend   like   this      ‘   get-together   ’      was   enjoyable.

it wasn’t so much that jace hated people. in fact, he was quite the people person! however, parties like this weren’t quite his scene. growing up in downtown daegu, he never encountered anything fancy, anything filled with forced smiles and firm handshakes and people watching your every move. he’d rather it be a house party, or something a bit more casual. still, in the three years he’d been playing for the alliance, he’d grown used to these situations during their rise to the top ( or , rather , their rise to second place ). he’d also grown used to the bubbly greetings from his teammate of the past two years, winnie. or so he had thought. lost in thought, her words are what bring him back to the surface, and he nearly jumps out of his skin, drink sloshing in its’ glass but never spilling. “shit.” he says, placing a hand on his chest as if to still his racing heart. “yeah. you know me. having a blast.” it’s hard to miss the sarcasm that drips from his voice. since they’d known each other a few years, winnie probably knew that jace was not fond of such functions. “what about you? living it up on your phone?”

    looking around the room, seline felt uneasy. it’s not that she was anxious or nervous being in such a crowded place, no that’s far from it. she didn’t care to be here, thought it pointless. why spend a night trading fake smiles and fake laughter with people she didn’t know? i mean sure her teammates were there as well but they had seemingly vanished into the mesh of bodies, happy to enjoy a night of freedom. seline, however, was not concerned with mingling. gazing around, she accidentally locked eyes with another party goer across from where she stood.

@loginlanding​

after being teammates with seline for two years, jace liked to think that he could, to some degree, read her facial expressions. he doesn’t think he knows her better than anyone else, or even that he knows what she’s thinking, but he’s familiar with the look on her face. she wasn’t exactly thrilled to be at this event, it seemed, and he could sympathize. when their eyes met, his face flushed a little. he hadn’t intended on staring — he was simply concerned. now, though, he’d seem like a creep. picking up his drink from the table he’d make his way across the room to his teammate, flashing her one of his signature charming smiles. “don’t tell me you’re not having fun.” he teased. “we’re supposed to be having a good time. have you even had a drink yet?” sure, she was three years his senior, but what did he care? he played support, after all, wasn’t it his job to lift everyone’s spirits?

hey lovies! the name’s binnie and i’m twenty three years old and live in gmt+9 (you can find me in south korea, if you really wanna hunt me down!). this is my grumpy and cursed son, jaesung/jason “jace” min, who plays support for the alliance. you can find more about him under the cut. please give this a heart to plot!