#like i never thought they would have an actual booth selling actual sushi

[braverytattoos]

the gill’s sushi booth at the forum is literally feeding your fantasy right now by charging $20 for grocery store sushi with “gills sushi” branding that fans are going to eat up because its connected to harry....

[curly-bangtan]

Heatwave Drabble #4: like a best friend

[Heatwave // Godless // Heatwave Drabbles] <- have to read first

Pairing: Taehyung x reader

Summary: You and Taehyung run into his infamous cheating ex, only for him to introduce you as his current girlfriend. As you play along with his narrative, you can’t help but feel insecure and jealous.

Genre: drabble, very fluffy, angst, f2l, bit of fake dating

Warnings: typical emotional constipation from these two, jealous!oc, heartbreakingly boyfriend!taehyung, indirect confession that they’re both unaware of lol

Word count: 5.8k

A/N: Oh look, more jealousy? Are we even surprised at this point?? Requested by my little muffin @taexxxiiaa. Sorry to all the Heatwave fans for this constant torture of unresolved feelings. 

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Taehyung has a habit of stuffing his face with too much food and consequently eating in pout. As he is doing right now. You watch him merrily wolf down another soy sauce-dipped slice of raw salmon and stack the miniature plate with the rest of his conquests. It’s his sixth plate.

When he’d first shown you the email he received for ‘all you can eat' sushi, your response was a firm “No.” You’re not even a fan of seafood in general, let alone raw fish. But Taehyung was persistent, insisting on what a bargain it is and how it’s sushi season right now. Sushi season, what bullshit. Another “No.” Yet when Taehyung has his eyes set on something, especially when it comes to food, there’s little that can stop him. He knows how to use his assets - batting is lashes, huffing like a baby, nuzzling into your neck - until you finally let out a defeated sigh.

So here you are, plotting how best to sneak in some wasabi into his food. This wimp has a full on breakdown at the slightest taste of spice, you can just envision his face when the wasabi burns up his nostrils and through to his ears.

That will teach him not to drag you out to sushi again.

“Why aren’t you eating your udon?” Taehyung’s eyes are wide and innocent, unsuspecting of your mischievou scheme. “Too hot?”

“Yeah, don’t want to burn my tongue.” You stir your steaming noodles, smiling to yourself.

The two of you had managed to secure a four-person booth due to his non-stop nagging to come early to avoid the queue. The restaurant is now bustling with customers and stressed waiters, the smell of Japanese food infused in the warm air. You’re both sat on one couch, while sat across you is another couple who are just finishing with their lunch. This arrangement is due to the busy demand of the restaurant, squeezing in however many impatient hungry people as they can. Though you didn’t have a problem with sharing a booth with strangers at first, Taehyung’s ravenous gorging of sushi after sushi has made you particularly self conscious.

As soon as the couple leave after paying their bill, you turn to hiss at Taehyung. “Why are you eating like that?”

“Like what?” His words are barely audible with his mouth full. “Are you gonna eat your udon or not? I can help you out if you can’t finish the whole thing.”

Ah, there it is, his infamous line - I can help you out if you can’t finish the whole thing.

Honestly, his appetite is abominable.

“Order your own udon!” You begin eating your noodles to prove that you are hungry, and you will finish the whole thing.

Taehyung tucks his hair behind his ear (you’ve recently noticed that his ears are abnormally big, which you guess explains the massive dick). Just a few days ago, you had managed to convince him to get a perm. The main selling point was: ‘all the bitches will go crazy for it, trust me’. Bitches being you.  And indeed, all the bitches are crazy for it. In the timespan at which you’ve been in this restaurant alone, you’ve caught almost every single girl checking him out, eyes flickering too often towards your booth for it to be coincidental.

When their eyes fell onto you, you would smile at them politely, yet to your surprise, they’d wear a sour expression and ignore your courtesy. You soon realised that they think you’re Taehyung’s girlfriend. Girlfriend! The thought had made you shudder and scoot further away from him.

“Nah, I need to save room for the sushi, baby.” He pats his stomach that remains annoyingly flat despite his feasting. “I need to pee, I’ll be right back. Can you order some more California Rolls and the Dragon Roll please? Oh, actually, and one more Soft Shell Crab Roll and a Tempura Shrimp as well please?”

You glare hard at his back as he scuttles out the booth and hurries to the toilet. Stupid dork. It’s only noon and he has already eaten a whole day’s worth of food. He’s going to end up vomiting his guts out if he keeps at this rate.

Still, you wave the waiter over and place his order for him. The waiter’s kind of cute, he’s got that soft wholesome look, the kind of boy you bring home to your parents. You wonder why he’s avoiding your eye and not slipping you his number. You hope it’s not because he thinks you’re with Taehyung.

A new pair of customers are being ushered to your booth across from you to replace the departed couple; it’s two pleasant looking girls this time, chatting away in blithe. This time, they reciprocate your smile with nods of their own.

Taehyung returns from the bathroom shortly, yet as he approaches your booth, he halts in his step so abruptly that you spin to face him.

“Ryujin?” The shock in his voice is unmistakable. His eyes are locked on one of the girls that’s just arrived opposite you. Static.

“Taehyung?” She gasps, returning the same surprise, pupils widening.

Ryujin? Taehyung’s never mentioned a Ryujin to you before? Who is she?

Taehyung’s face is stoic, completely stripped of its normal cheeriness. Lips pressed in a thin line, jaw screwed firmly shut. Shit… You turn to assess the girl, digging through your memory for a Ryujin, yet failing. Who the hell is she to have Taehyung react in such a way? If she were just a friend, he’d be rushing over to greet her. If she were someone he slept with, he’d subtly acknowledge her but make no big deal out of it.

Instead, he’s clenching his fists, feet planted an arm’s length away from your table.

You clear your throat, snapping him out of his trance. “You know each other?”

Finally, he glances over at you for the first time in what feels like ages. And right away, you see the disorientation in his eyes. Taehyung slowly makes his way back into the booth, sliding in beside you until your legs touch.

“Yeah, she’s my ex girlfriend.”

Oh.

Oh.

That cheating bitch.

If it weren’t for the firm hand placed quickly on your thigh as if he’d known you’d react in such manner, you would have leapt up and started screaming at her. The anger is rushing to your head all at once. You’re struggling not to chuck the stack of plates at her face.

So this is the girl who had broken Taehyung’s heart. This is the girl who gave Taehyung trust issues. But also, this is the girl who lead to you and Taehyung meeting. In every way you look at it, she is the reason why you’re in each other’s lives in the first place. So you guess you owe her a thank you after you throw a drink at her.

Taehyung doesn’t speak much about her, or at all. It’s been years since their relationship anyway, and since all his ties to her have been cut, it makes perfect sense that he’s forgotten about her. Even at the beginning, he was adamant about not thinking about her, he said it had hurt too much to even say her name. And so you were always careful about not bringing the topic up in conversation; it was none of your business anyway, it wasn’t relevant to his life anymore. There were occasional jokes here and there, but only ever made by him, and even still, you could sense the underlying hurt.

“Taehyung, it’s been so long…” Her attention was utterly transfixed on Taehyung. You might as well have been a cardboard cutout for all that matters, she wouldn’t have noticed anyway. But it must be bewildering to run into your ex who you cheated on like this. Anyone would be thrown off.

What are the chances that, not only did you come to the same all-you-can-eat-sushi place, but have also been sat on the same booth? Just your luck.

Your eyes wander back to Taehyung, fearing for his current state of mind. Your roommate is an emotional guy, as much as he likes to mask it in ridiculous humour. It would not surprise you if he just stands up and leave right now, even with his food on its way. Yet his features are calm, unbothered, his initial surprise melting away to neutrality.

“Hm… Yeah.” He doesn’t ask how she fares as she’d expected, you can see the disappointed drop in her face at his apathetic souciance. Then he turns to you. “Did you order the stuff?”

Unsure of how to interpret his sudden maturity, you just nod slowly. Quiet Taehyung is scary…

Disregarding her friend’s apparent discomfort, Ryujin presses on. “It must have been, what, more than two years now? How are you?”

Why can’t this bitch take a hint? Just shut the fuck up and order your fucking sushi. Leave him alone.

But Taehyung remains unmoved. While you are the one quietly fuming in the corner. Sensing your aggravation, he brushes his thumb on your thigh soothingly. When you lock eyes again, you’re stunned to find him completely at ease, the corner of his mouth even perking up to reassure you that he’s fine.

“I’m doing well actually.” Ryujin frowns again at his short answer. You think she’s going to give up now, but then she continues.

“You look good.” You tense. Oh don’t she dare... “I’m not doing too bad myself, I-”

Just then, the waiter cuts off the monologue she was headed towards as he brings over the plates of food you’d ordered for Taehyung. His eyes immediately flash in excitement, resuming his usual childish manner as he peels his hand from your leg and snatches his chopsticks.

“Can I get anything for you two ladies?” The waiter asks Ryujin and her companion, whose face appears flushed from the awkwardness of this situation. Ryujin, evidently annoyed by the interruption, proceeds to order.

While her attention is diverted, you quickly take this opportunity to mouth to Taehyung, “you okay?”

Striking you with an honest smile as he swallows his sushi, he nods. “Yeah, don’t worry, completely fine. Eat your udon, or it’ll get cold.” His voice is hushed, and you don’t know why you get startled when he leans closer to whisper to you.

Not entirely convinced, it’s your turn to pat his leg, almost subconsciously, as if to make sure that this really is Taehyung, your Taehyung. How is he this calm right now? Well, he’s always been a silent sulker when he’s mad, but… He doesn’t even seem one bit troubled by the sudden appearance of his ex. Not even that eyebrow twitch he gets when he’s annoyed. And in the meantime, you’re silently plotting how to magically get wasabi in this bitch’s eye.

When the waiter leaves, Ryujin turns back to Taehyung once again, scanning his ethereal features and beautifully curled long hair. No doubt regretting her shitty decision of infidelity when they were together. Finally, her eyes flicker over to you, for the first time since Taehyung’s arrival. “So who’s thi-”

“Y/N, my girlfriend.”

You choke so hard on the fat noodle you are slurping that some of the savoury broth goes up your nose. Wheezing and spluttering for air like a cat choking on a hairball, you feel all your blood rush to your reddening face, both from the lack of air and the embarrassment. Taehyung’s careless whacks between your shoulder blades isn’t helping at all. Only after downing the whole cup of green tea does your coughing finally subside.

“You okay, babe?” Taehyung realises his smacks on your back are too harsh to be boyfriend-like, so he eases it into gentle rubs. But the concern in his large brown irises are genuine nonetheless.

You glare at him. Long, hard. Before nodding and flashing him a sickly-sweet smile. Oh boy, is he going to get kicked in the ass later for putting you up to this. He seems to see the dangerous flare of your nostrils, a warning sign that he has really, most fucking definitely, made the wrong move. He gulps and smiles back nervously.

Girlfriend? Girlfriend?!

What the fuck is he playing at right now? Why did he have to lie to her like that? Is he trying to make her jealous? Or just act like he’s moved on just fine without her? You clamp your mouth shut to prevent any angry words from tumbling out. There’s nothing to do but to play along right now - there’s an enemy to face.

“Oh right, girlfriend…” Ryujin says so softly that you almost feel bad for her before remembering that this is her own doing. “I guess that must be why you haven’t replied to my text asking you to meet up then… Right?”

At that, your entire body goes rigid.

She- Does that mean- Wh-

You look over at Taehyung, mouth hanging open in utter disbelief. Ryujin has been texting Taehyung. And he hasn’t mentioned a word about it to you. Although it really shouldn’t affect you so much, it feels like a stab of betrayal.

His lips are pursed again, as he gazes up at her reluctantly. “Yeah, that’s right.”

Then his arm circles around your back and pulls you into him, fingers gripping your waist in a display of possession. At the unforeseen momentum, and still in your state of shock, your frame falls feebly into his chest. Your heart leaps to your throat. You don’t understand why but… your cheeks feel hot.

His arm, around you. His hand, holding your side. His neck, pressed on your forehead.

You’re hyper aware of everywhere he is touching you. Why, all of a sudden?

“Oh okay, um, I really wish you all the best…” Ryujin mumbles, no longer looking at you and Taehyung anymore, not sounding one bit like she means what she’s saying. Her friend beside her has resorted to scrolling through her phone at this point, cringing from this awkward exchange.

“Thanks, Ryujin. I’m really happy - never been happier in my life, in fact.” The vibration of Taehyung’s Adam’s apple reverberates into you as he tugs you even closer, arm fastened around your middle. You struggle for room, bending your neck to peer up at him from your squished position.

He’s grinning radiantly at you, and at your wide-eyed confused expression, he can’t help but lean down to press his lush warm lips onto your forehead.

You blink.

Truly, you think your brain has stopped functioning. What is going on?

He’s definitely doing this to make Ryujin jealous. That is the only plausible explanation. It makes your chest clench in bitterness. Why does he still care what she thinks? This is completely unnecessary. Does he still care about her?

And why didn’t he tell you that she was texting him?

What has she been telling him?

All this doubt, this uncertainty, manifests into a suffocating lump in your throat. You have always been completely open and honest with each other about every aspect of your lives - family, friends, work, grades, relationships, sex. Not that he owes it to you to tell you everything, but you’d just thought that it was how things worked between you. What else is he hiding from you?

But at the same time, your focus can’t stray from the way he is holding you, and the confidence in his tone. How certain and sincere he sounded. And how he pecked you so casually in public, in front of everyone. Your stomach feels funny.

As you resume your eating, you stay quiet, thinking. On the other hand, Taehyung is quiet due to fact that he has no room to speak in between engulfing California Roll after California Roll. Happily humming under his breath as he chews. The waiter returns with a tray of food Ryujin and her friend had ordered. “Here you go, would you like some green tea?”

“Oo, can you fill mine up too please.” You hastily pass him your empty ceramic cup.

“Of course. Be careful, the tea is very ho-” Just as he warns you while he refills your cup, he over-tips the pot and sends scalding tea all over your hand.

“Ow!” Quickly drawing back your boiled hand out of instinct, you yelp out in pain. Fumbling over his sorry, I’m so so sorry’s, the waiter bows his deeply apologetically, scurrying to clean up the steaming spilled liquid in a panic.

“Mate, watch out!” Taehyung sits up immediately, scrambling to wipe your soaked hand with tissues. The glare he throws the waiter could cut through glass. “Are you okay?” The concern clouding his eyes when he faces you floods your veins with a security.

“Yeah… Don’t worry, it’s just a burn.” You watch him examine your hand intently as if it’s some ancient priceless artefact that could shatter from a poke; you’ve noticed lately that he tends to do this when you’re injured. With his fringe frizzed over his forehead, lips puckered in concentration as he caress over your pink tender skin, you are helpless and unmoving. Staring at him.

“Are you sure? It’s getting kind of red…” He refuses to let your hand go. Your fingers scorch under his touch and it’s not from the tea.

“Yeah, baby, I’m fine.” Taehyung’s head whips up instantly at the way you address him. Confused for a good second, before realising that it is to play along with the fake girlfriend narrative.

Right…

Reluctantly, he lets you pull your hand out of his clutch, and only when you pick up your chopsticks to prove to him that it’s only a minor injury does he resign in his coddling and return to his food. As you glance up, you notice Ryujin’s blazing glower at your direction. You quickly look away.

In the presence of his cheating ex-girlfriend, you two no longer feel at ease to banter away as normal. You aren’t even at the liberation to have a regular conversation without her listening in on everything. So the meal passes rather wordlessly.

However, the silence births a different kind of interaction between you and Taehyung. You can’t tell if it’s just for show, or due to his innate affectionate nature, but he suddenly feels the need to display his love for skinship. Under the table, his hand once again strays to the land of your thighs, gently stroking. When you shoot him a warning glare, lest he gets any vulgar ideas, you find that he possesses no lustful intent at all. Just pure fondness for you.

Something inside you softens. You’re starting to think that he isn’t acting out of spite against Ryujin, but rather simply enjoying your company as usual.

But you know what? Screw that bitch. Not once, to your knowledge, did she apologise to Taehyung when she’s had two years to own up to her mistakes. Not until now, of all times. She deserves to get riled up.

“Taehyung-ie, can I have a bite of your shrimp?” You smile at your pretend-boyfriend sweetly. He gives you a perplexed look that says: But I thought you hate shrimp? before he clocks on with your intention.

“Of course, baby.” And without fail, just like a scene straight from a drama, he picks up the tempura shrimp and feeds it to you, eyes crescent in mirth as you open up and take a mouthful like a hungry little child. You feel a crumb flake away onto your chin, yet before you can wipe it away, Taehyung reaches it first. Chuckling, he sweeps the small speck into your mouth. But not without the slightest, most fleeting, brush of his thumb against your tongue.

The action feels… intimate. Like weirdly intimate, even for you and Taehyung’s dynamic.

Why does your breath keep hitching?

Perhaps after a second too long, you conjure a giggle in response, attentive of Ryujin’s gawk in your periphery. “Thanks, love.” The syrup in your voice is sickly sweet. God, even you want to barf.

“You’re too adorable, honey buns.” Taehyung cups your face in one hand, fingers digging into your squishy cheeks as he shakes you. Your smile drops. Adorable? Honey buns? HoNEy bUnS? Kim Taehyung is so dead.

But before you could kick him in the shin under the table, he leans in and plants his lips on yours. Soft, supple.

Oh.

Just as you think it’s only meant to be a peck, he deepens the kiss, his plump pink mouth gliding over yours smoothly. Anyone who sees would know that you’re accustomed to such action with each other from the natural comfortable manner of your kiss. Anyone could tell that you’re used to each other’s lips.

You pull away abruptly when you become conscious of many’s attention on you. With your face so near his, all you can see is how his lips draw into a smirk.

It’s unusual for you two to kiss outside of a sexual context. Because why would you? Friends don’t kiss each other unless they’re: A) dating, or B) banging. And especially in the past few weeks, you’ve been progressively kissing each other less, even during sex. Almost as if you’ve both realised how intimate it is, and all the romantic connotations that come with it.

Yet here he is, kissing you so openly in public.

Yeah, it’s just for show for his ex. But it’s still…

You don’t know.

.

After Taehyung had finally eaten to his heart’s content, the two of you had gone to study in the library. Ryujin wore a sour face in the entire duration of the meal, and you would hear low grunts of irritation from her direction. You practically felt her venomous glare on the back of your head as you were leaving the restaurant. Acting has never been your strong suit, but even you’ll admit that the two of you are putting on an Oscar-worthy performance.

You’ve been quiet, you know. It’s because of that bitter taste in the back of your throat that you still can’t get rid of at the thought that Taehyung might still care about Ryujin. Why else would he lie to her and say that you’re his girlfriend if not to get a reaction out of her?

But more so, why does it bother you so much? You wish you don’t care this much for this stupid sushi-demolisher who doesn’t deserve your time and efforts. He’s probably thinking about his next meal again while you’re here lamenting over your weird feelings.

So you keep your mouth shut throughout your study session, brewing in your acrid thoughts.

Taehyung watches you nibble at the end of your pen. How is he supposed to focus on his coursework when you’ve got that pouty expression? And since when did you not take every chance you get to take the piss out of him? He wonders what’s going on in your head.

Seeing Ryujin had been a shock, a blast from the past. It hadn’t bothered him too much to be honest, he simply doesn’t care about her anymore. A few days ago, she had sent him a message out of the blue. Out of politeness, he’d responded but kept his replies brief; it was difficult to decipher her intention at first, but it soon revealed itself. Apparently, her and Jimin went on to date for a while - good on them, Taehyung truly could not give fewer shits anymore. But their relationship deteriorated due to their incompatibility, which was predictable knowing them both. It was when she started showing interest in Taehyung, apologising and kissing his ass about how good he was to her that he decided to stop answering.

The thought of getting back with her gave him shivers.

Your reaction to Ryujin back there wasn’t unexpected at all, of course you weren’t going to react mildly to his ex. Taehyung is lucky you didn’t ‘accidentally’ spill soy sauce onto her, or start yelling at her about faithfulness and morality. Your wrath towards her actually kind of warms his heart…

You aren’t one to talk about your feelings openly, but your actions definitely speak volumes about how much you care about him.

Taehyung smiles to himself.

There is so much loyalty between the two of you, complete trust and devotion. At the end of the day, no matter what goes on between you when you’re horny fuckers, you’re best friends above all else. Fighters for each other.

Your journey back home was also rather mute, consisting of him prodding you with jokes and teases, and you putting on a half-hearted smile. Maybe you’re annoyed at him for putting you on the spot and leaving you with no choice but to cooperate as his pretend girlfriend. All this relationship-y commitment-y crap repels the shit out of you. Basically the bane of your existence.

He probably shouldn’t have kissed and coddled you that much in front of Ryujin. You detest PDA like it’s some scandalous taboo, despite being the freakiest girl he knows in the sheets. But hey, you guys had to make it convincing and believable...

Yup, the more Taehyung thinks about it, the more he’s sure you’re annoyed (or even scared off) about the fake dating thing.

“You’re quiet for someone who just met her supposed archnemesis. I thought you’d be going on and on about what a bitch she is.” He glances at your sullen side profile for the hundredth time during your commute home.

“I don’t know, not it a great mood I guess? Probably just tired.” You mumble, searching for your keys in your coat pocket. The weather is getting cold these days; Taehyung knows your fingers are very prone to freezing, especially with your refusal of wearing gloves because ‘they’re ugly’ nor would you keep your hands in your pockets because ‘it’s a safety hazard incase you trip over’.

He gets a strangely overwhelming urge to hold your hands every time he sees you wiggling your fingers to warm them up. Hmm.

Wordlessly, you enter the house with him trailing behind you. He watches your moody steps from behind as you remove your shoes and head inside. Why can’t you just tell him what you’re thinking?

With a great sigh, Taehyung slumps onto the couch, focus still on you hanging your coat on the rack and tossing your keys into the holder on the shelf. “Hey.”

You turn, regarding his wide manspread with piqued interest. “What?”

“Come here, baby, sit on my lap.” He pats the top of his thighs in beckoning. Sometimes it’s like trying to get a stray cat to come to him.

Your eyes widen at his request. But very reluctantly, you stroll towards him until you’re standing between his extended legs. “Why are you calling me baby, we’re not pretending to be dating anymore.”

Taehyung stiffens as he senses the acrimony in your tone. So this is about the girlfriend thing? It’s a risky move but he sits up and pulls you in by the back of your thighs until you have no choice but to succumb to falling onto his hips. Lips still in a tight line, your limbs come around him to hold yourself upright. In order to prevent you from escaping, Taehyung encloses his arms around your waist, trapping you in his embrace. He tries not to think about how your crotch is directly on his right now.

“Why you sad?” He looks up at you, your eyes unreadable as always. Heat from your exhale fans his forehead.

“I don’t know. Nan molla.” You shrug and do that face scrunch thing you do whenever you’re unsure that he loves. It makes you look so cute.

“Hey…” Taehyung nudges your cheek with his nose in an attempt to get you to look at him. You have a habit of avoiding eye contact, and he knows it’s stems from the intimacy issue. “What’s up, honey buns?”

“Honey buns again? Seriously?” You jerk away from him like he insulted your mother or something.

“Well, since I can’t call you baby, honey buns it is.” His chest vibrates with his deep rumbling laughter, pleased with himself to see the slightest hint of a smile finally beginning to appear on you.

“Oh my god, Taehyung. Fine, just stick with baby, I swear…” You thump him on the back, yet your stone cold exterior now being invaded by a spark of humour.

“Good. Now tell me what’s wrong, baby.”

You’re quiet for a good few seconds, contemplating. Your legs around his torso tense, you bite your lip hesitantly. Come on, just talk to me, he wishes.

“Do you still… care about her?” Voice so soft that even he struggles to hear you this close.

“What? Ryujin?” Oh, so this is about her. Taehyung knew you hated her, but never thought that you would feel… insecure? Jealous, even? “Of course not. I don’t give a single fuck about her.” At his answer, you let out the breath you’ve been holding. A breath of relief? “But you clearly seem to care too much about her.”

“I- I do not!” In a tone of disbelief, you scorn. “I just- She’s not the one I care about.”

Fuck, you’re being too cute right now.

Taehyung pecks at your chin, unable to contain his affection anymore. You continue, “Plus, why didn’t you tell me she was talking to you again? Friends tell each other this sort of thing. I always tell you everything…”

The worry on your face is truly so endearing, he feels his chest constrict.

“I didn’t mention it because that’s how little I care. She is honestly so insignificant to me right now, I could not even be bothered to waste my breath bringing it up. Yes, she meant a lot to me for a period of my life. But. That was a long time ago. I’ve moved on, no thanks to you, remember?” Your eyes gradually dare loiter up his face. “You silly sausage.”

“But-” You’re pouting again. You need to stop pouting or he won’t be able to control himself, dammit. “Why did you lie and say I’m your girlfriend then, if you weren’t doing it to make her jealous.”

Taehyung blinks. Well… Um, about that... He didn’t want to have to explain it to you but...

“It just slipped out.”

Your turn to blink vacantly. Taehyung feels blood tinting his cheeks under your gaze. Even he doesn’t know why he said it back then. It just kind of… rolled off his tongue. Should he be worried? Yeah, he should definitely be worried.

When you still fail to say anything, he hurriedly asks, “Are you mad?”

“N-No. Why would I be mad?” The way your arm slides down his neck to brush pass his chest leaves his skin tingling. He pulls your legs closer around him, hand unintentionally trailing to your rear.

“I don’t know, you just hate that kind of lovey-dovey stuff. Just figured that you’d be annoyed that I forced you to act like my girlfriend.”

“Well, I was a bit annoyed… It’s not just me, you hate that kind of lovey-dovey stuff too!” Well, not exactly accurate, but Taehyung decides not to correct you. “But did you see her face?” Your tone begins to lighten. Remembering the acerbity tainting Ryujin’s features brings you amusement.

“She looked like she was going to murder someone.” You both laugh.

“She was thirsting over you like a hound, Jesus Christ. It’s because of your perm, trust me.” Grinning, you twirl his curly fringe around your fingers. You seem to do that quite often since he got the new hairstyle.

“Wow, you really like my perm that much?” He fishes, failing to control his forming smirk. You like to give him shit about his ego, yet no one strokes it more than you do.

“No comment.” You can’t contain your radiant smile either. Taehyung makes a mental note to keep the perm.

Seeing your mood lifted makes Taehyung feel much better, safer. His arms run up your back, and he feels you shudder under his touch. You fit into his embrace so well; it’s difficult to not hug you close to him every chance he gets nowadays. There’s a dull ache in the back of his neck from craning up to look at you for too long, but he doesn’t mind it. Your fingers fall from his hair, tracing his jaw frivolously, mindlessly. It leaves an unwarranted tremble within him.

“Look, there’s absolutely nothing for you to mull about in that overthinking head of yours. I don’t even remember Ryujin’s last name if I’m being honest with you. She lost me the moment she broke my heart, and I’ll never even remotely consider getting back with her. Ever. I promise.

“So don’t act all jealous and sulky just ‘cause you misunderstood. You’re my best girl. You’ll always be my best, favourite and only girl, understand? I, Kim Taehyung, belong to you, Y/N Y/L/N. Period.” The smile of satisfaction tells him everything. You’re not as hard to please as you appear to be. “I’m yours, happy?”

“Happy.” Fuck, Taehyung’s heart is going to explode from the joyous beam growing at your lips.

“Good, because she means nothing to me at all. But you, Ms. Needy-But-I-Won’t-Admit-It? You mean everything to me. Everything.” He bounces you on his lap for emphasis, eliciting another buoyant giggle from you.

Then you do something that you don’t normally do.

You kiss him - passionately and ardently. Fingers surfing the waves of his hair, you readjust your straddling position on top of him to minimise the distance. Taehyung feels all reason in his head incrementally ebbing away. You shouldn’t be kissing, you really shouldn’t. It’s not normal to make out with your best friend. But fuck the rules. Taehyung doesn’t want to stop kissing you right now, his silly adorable honey buns.

“Just admit it. You love me.” He taunts between breaths. You freeze at Taehyung’s words. Completely freeze on his lap, hand dangling from his face, as if you’ve been shot. “Like a best friend.” You deflate, evident relief at the joke.

Taehyung has to restrain from laughing out loud. God, you’re such an easy target. The second anything one step further from platonism is suggested, you act like you’re going to pack your bags and run for the hills. But here you are, kissing him and acting all possessive. He enjoys the irony.

“Yeah I love you. Like a best friend.” You flick the tip of his nose in reprimand for his teasing.

“Good because I love you too. Like a best friend.” He holds you tight against him, proceeding to blow raspberries in your neck.

Maybe even more, he wonders.

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27/11/19

© Copyright 2019

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@taexxxiiaa @shookpreme @taetaeobsessed @tangledsparkles @nonexistentfucks @evilkookie @nbiased95 @taehyungmakesmeoof @itscalledgayhoney @tahaing @deliciouslydisturbed365 @expensive-bangtan-girl @jwlmnbt @herakimkim @dnyad @kaepjjang365 @expensive-bangtan-girl@gingerpeachtae @spring2787 @askingtheimportantthingshere @casualminiaturetimemachine @xblackclover13x @vasysauce @deadinsidebitch2412 @emiyooa @i-dont-even-know-fck @chimycthulhu @gixanjos @hisunshiine @xtaeyi @softjellyjimin @bluemooncnblue @malfeitofeitto @bangtanfancamp @keopitae

[rwbyremnants]

WARNINGS: Neon/Weiss hints. Also Neptune in this chapter. Bumbleby. VERY harsh argument.

HAPPY BOXING DAY! And seriously we know that the argument was pretty rough but like, damn. Something had to break. Still no Freezerburn; it‘s coming eventually, we promise!

=Chapter 30

Neptune was persistent. That could be one way someone would describe him if they were to see him where he currently stood, outside one of the smaller sushi restaurants in the city. It took him a while to get there since Nashville wasn't his home town, but he'd made sure to schedule his day of album signings so he had time to spare for lunch. And even made sure to wear a hat and sunglasses to hide his identity.

And why? In the hopes of meeting Weiss Schnee once again to talk about the upcoming Beach Fest. At least, that's what he told people. There was really more motive than that, which was more obvious if anyone caught him holding the single rose he'd bought specially. White, of course, to match her whole “purity” theme. Nervously adjusting his jacket again, he anxiously looked down the street to try and catch a glimpse of her.

Unaware that she was approaching from behind.

"Who's this loser?" a voice said from over his shoulder. "Look at him, standing around outside in sunglasses. Almost like he thinks he's some kind of rock star."

The sudden voice made him almost leap out his skin, quickly spinning around to face her. But soon that nervous smile turned into a smug grin as he tilted his head. "And who's this pipsqueak? Gosh, she seems like a know-it-all, huh?"

"Maybe she does know it all." The pipsqueak in question was clad in a light, airy yellow sundress and a straw hat, with yellow purse and shoes to match; something that didn't really suit her usual aesthetic, but didn't look bad on her at all. Her hip was out to one side with her hand perched on it, a vague smirk on her lips. "Hi."

"We meet again, Snow Angel." He smirked right back at her. Although, that smirk didn't take long to turn into a softer smile when he brought out the hand he'd hastily hidden behind him, the one with the white rose. Time to put his plan into action. "I totally found this like, on my way here. And it reminded me of you, so I totally picked it myself. One hundred percent."

"Oh, totally," Weiss laughed, taking it from him. "And where's the pocketknife that perfectly clipped the bottom of it in this diagonal fashion?" Her other hand waved to demonstrate the remarkably clean cut, like a game show hostess revealing a prize.

"Are you crazy?! You can't carry a deadly weapon like that in public! A knife is so much more dangerous than a gun!" But he laughed regardless, handing it over to her eventually, before gesturing a hand toward the main door. "Shall we, my lovely assistant?"

One of her eyebrows raised. "Oh, you are definitely the assistant. I am the queen." However, she did take his arm for her to lead her into the establishment. Some niceties had to be observed.

The place seemed to be an average sushi restaurant. There were lots of stools situated around a long conveyor belt that led around the restaurant itself, along with a few booths for those who didn’t want to serve themselves in that style. Instinct told him to choose the booth since it was secluded; less chance of them being noticed. But Weiss knew the area better than him.

"Alright then, queeny. Where do we sit?"

"Gentleman's choice," she told him casually. But she looked very bemused at the entire situation. Inordinately bemused.

"Oh, I'm gentle, am I?" That was exaggerated with a sly wink and a smirk. Foolishly, however, he'd completely forgotten that would be invisible behind the glasses. But in the end, that instinct took over. "Let's go for a booth. Never been to a sushi place before, but it'll be less obvious, right?"

Weiss's steps hesitated as she approached the booth in the corner, and a woman nearly ran into her from thinking the way would be clear once Weiss had moved along. "You've… never had sushi before? Are you sure this is what you want? I mean, we could find somewhere else…"

"No! No no, god, no!" he quickly responded, sitting down on one side as he slid into the booth, holding his hand out and waving to dismiss those concerns. "Hell no, I mean, no I've never had it before but, that doesn't mean I don't wanna try! Y'know me, I love new experiences."

"Oh, yes," she laughed sarcastically as she dropped into the booth. "In our forty years of friendship, I've come to know that above all else, Neptune Vasilias is adventurous."

"Hey cut that out, I don't wanna feel old yet." But regardless, Neptune seemed to be enjoying the banter. First thing was first, he took one of the nearby menus, looking through the various categories and descriptions. If anything, it served as a needed distraction. Though he was normally so confident, he actually hadn't a clue where to start with Weiss.

"So… uh, I saw you on SNL." It was a better place than any. "I watched it. Was pretty awesome, you were really funny. That gag with you licking the donut! Man, you killed me."

"Glad you caught that," Weiss said, glancing down the menu. A knowing look swept over her whille watching his ill-concealed confusion at the menu, but she decided to keep to herself about that for now. "Always nice to have a fan - especially when it's a fan I'm a fan of."

That made his smile grow. So far, so good; he seemed to be doing rather well. "Why, I'm flattered. I'll have to let you know if I'm live on TV at some point, too – oh, I’ll be on Lisa Lavender like you were a few weeks back."

Nodding, she flipped the menu over, arched her eyebrows at some of the prices and options, and made a few mental notes. Then she pulled the glass of complimentary water closer.

"Did you see who the other guest was on that episode? Our fellow Beach Fest-er."

Tilting his head at first, it seemed to have slipped his memory. That was until he gave a small nod as he remembered. "Oh, yeah, Little Miss Laser Raver. Was she really that nuts backstage?"

"Oh, she's definitely… pretty intense," Weiss told him with a small, secret smile. Then she cleared her throat. "But not such a bad person, really. Just hyper and flirty."

"You're telling me! I swear I heard some rumor she was dating two guys from 'BRNZ' at the same time. Then a girl or something? I mean, make up your mind," he attempted to joke. Obviously Weiss had more reliable knowledge than his media speculation.

"Hey, perhaps she's just weighing her options.” Both of Weiss's arms folded over her chest. “She's pretty publicly open about how she doesn't mind flirting with anyone and everyone, so if some guy dated her expecting for her to be a one-man girl or something, they're the stupid one."

His smile started to vanish as he brought the menu back up – as if it were a shield. Now he felt like he’d really stepped in it, without meaning to, since she had corrected him so fast. Clearing his throat after a while, he seemed to want to change the subject.

"S-So… how's the new album coming?"

"Great. I mean, we're in the same business, so you have to know. But now you have me curious: what would you say if I dated two guys at the same time, and then a girl, and was now coming out to eat with you? Just for fun."

There was no pause between the answering of his question and her follow-up to the previous subject. Swallowing, Neptune really was caught off guard. He didn't expect to have something he thought was so trivial come back to bite him. Not this soon, at least. In the end, he lowered the menu.

"Okay, I get it, I was a jerk for assuming stuff. And she can date whoever she wants, obviously."

"Good. You can be taught; I like that quality in those with whom I associate myself." After looking at the menu for a moment, she glanced up at his put-out expression and sighed, dropping her frosty tone. "Most of Neon's flirting is an act the studio asks her to play up for the cameras. Not even kidding, she's a really sweet girl once you get to know her."

Tilting his head, he looked back at her, the smile seeming to crawl back into his face again. "Huh… I've seen some weird acts for the cameras, but that's a new one! But… actually it makes sense, her career's practically built on it. We have to sell the product, right?"

Taking a drink of water, she smiled and set the glass down. "Sorry I had to cut you off at the knees there. Just… when will the slut-shaming end, you know?"

"Well… Alright, that's a fair point. You taught me the error of my ways." Seemed Neptune could actually take a lesson in his stride rather than stress or argue against it. Once he'd finally decided on a meal choice, he waited for a waiter to take their order. But in that time, he thought it appropriate to as, "What about you? Are you dating two guys and a girl?"

"Maybe," she hedged, eyes narrowed slightly. "But I can't honestly tell what your reaction would be if that were true." She inhaled and exhaled deeply. "Are you going to get up and walk away from this table if I told you I've kissed a girl? Like, just don’t want to talk to me if you might not ‘get anywhere’? Honest question."

"Hey, whoa, didn’t know I was going to be on trial here," he chuckled. When there was no answer, he held his hands together instead, rolling his thumbs around one another idly. "I'd more be wondering if you're just quoting Katy Perry, but, nah. I'm not that stuck in the past."

Weiss dipped her index fingertip into her water, swirling the ice cubes around. Focusing her eyes on that as she asked, "What if I told you 'the past' was… a few days ago?"

That definitely made Neptune raise an eyebrow. Even he wasn't that oblivious. It all seemed far too specific for her to be talking in just hypotheticals. In fact …

"Are you trying to tell me you're bi, or something?"

"Don’t forget,” she began cautiously, “I never said this was an official date, just that I wanted to get dinner with you. Just dinner! And, um… maybe I took advantage of that social construct and didn't let you know that I'm probably not interested in anything beyond friendship with you…" Her voice got quieter, more introspective. "Maybe I just wanted to see how I felt when I got here. Hoping I would feel something for… for a guy. That's probably not very nice of me. Sorry."

"Uh-huh… so, gay then?" He tilted his head. But never once did he seem offended, nor move to walk away from the table. He was mostly contemplative. The only move he did make was to brush his hair off his face. "Well, I guess that's kind of a relief, then. Least I can stop worrying about why my flirting game has been so weak when it comes to you.”

"You were worried about that?" she asked with a cautious smile. "I mean, to be blunt, you did lay it on pretty heavy the last time we saw each other."

"Ugh, I know." His hand remained in his hair for a moment longer when he looked away in embarrassment. Seemed even the cool Neptune Vasilias was human sometimes. "Truth is, I haven’t really had to make the advances; before I got famous, I neer went on any dates, and afterward, girls thew themselves at me so hard I didn’t have to do the work myself. Which like, first world problem, am I right?”

“A little bit,” she chuckled. “And that’s why you were being such a douchebag?”

“Wow, ouch. But yeah, Sun more or less set me straight on that one, gave me a little guy-to-guy talk about how to pick up girls and told me, 'you don't'. Then I thought about it and realized what he meant, and figured I blew it." Then he looked back to her at last, lowering the shades a fraction. "But, I guess knowing we're still pals at least ain't so bad."

"You and Sun, or you and I?"

They both laughed, and she looked up to see the waitress arrive again. They proceeded to order their sushi, Weiss picking her nigiri like a pro and Neptune ending up asking for a California Roll, since he'd actually heard of that one before. She graciously offered to let him try one or two off her own plate by way of compromise.

"So yeah, I'm… I'd say 'lesbian' is probably the most accurate label, even though it's not one I chose myself," she confessed in a very quiet tone once they were alone again. Her face and neck were flushed, and her breath shallow and quick with fear. "Just kind of happened this way. And I'm sorry if that comes as a bit of a shock… wow. I was not expecting to come out to you or anyone at all today."

"Hey, that's cool! I don't mind at all." Neptune had been smiling all the way through, genuinely listening to what she had to say and taking it in. As much as a date would have had him making flirtatious advances at every chance, this was far laxer . He was acting himself, rather than what folk saw in the camera. "Like, sure it comes as a little bit of a shock, I guess? Because I'm so used to you singing about boys, and basically how the media makes things out; but I think it's pretty rad, actually."

Then he leant in toward the table, asking quietly. "So, this girl you kissed, huh?"

He was challenging slightly; in a playful way, more than a dirty or annoying way. She decided to rise to it, and leaned in. "This girl whose top I took off, huh?"

"Ooo la laaa! Did not expect that from the Weiss." He smirked a lot more playfully, tilting his head to one side again. "Sounded like you had fun, anyways."

"Yeah… yeah, that's the thing." Her smile slipped slightly. "I did have fun, but… okay, can I ask you about like, personal stuff? It's okay if you don't wanna get 'too real', like I'll totally understand; this was supposed to be a casual thing."

Leaning back again on his seat to relax fully, the smirk faded again. No more games; just a genuine chat with a friend over lunch. "Go ahead. I'm all ears."

"How… God, what am I asking you this for?" But she persisted anyway when he didn't stop her. "How long is long enough to wait after a breakup before you, like… date somebody new?"

That took him back slightly, making him wince while he thought about the question. "Well, if you kissed the girl a few days ago but are looking for someone new now, I'd say you were a bit of a player." Although, he then turned slightly more serious. "But I have a feeling this is a different girl, right?"

Weiss nodded, swallowing. "It's… been a month or so. And when you get down to it, we didn't date very long, but she… was my first serious relationship. I don't know, I feel ready, and then I don't, and the last thing I want is to lead this new girl on if I'm… still a mess."

"Breakups are always a bitch, right? Whether because the other person is a bitch, or because you had to be a bitch for yourself. Either way… I don’t think there's any real time limit." But before she could interrupt, he added, "Within reason, I mean. I'm not saying get with someone else just because you can, but… you shouldn't feel guilty about moving on, y'know?"

Weiss pulled the chopsticks toward herself, tore open the packet, divided them with a brutal snap! and began to slide each stick over the other, watching them carefully as she spoke. "I know I shouldn't. She moved on from me. Dumped me. She's gone, she's fine, she's… off doing her own thing. I should have no guilt at all about going out and living my life again."

Doing the same for himself, he resisted snapping the sticks apart just yet, simply holding them together a moment while Weiss seemed to release that pent-up anger on the pair of sticks she held. "Damn, that's rough… but, her loss, right? Who'd be dumb enough to dump The Weiss? That's like swapping a prime cut of steak for a one-dollar cheeseburger from McDonald's." Though straight away, he corrected himself. "Not that you're a slab of meat, I mean! It's purely a metaphor."

At that, she looked up with a shrewd little smirk. "You caught yourself that time. Good boy, Neptune; you get a biscuit." But her hand waved the whole issue aside in favour of the bigger topic. "She had every right. I mean, it's a relationship, not slavery; I didn't own her, and I didn't want to. Just… wish I knew why she left."

Of course, the bitterness crept back in as she spoke the last part, but she tried not to show it outwardly, and did not elaborate. Simply kept smoothing her chopsticks to get rid of imaginary splinters.

"And she never even gave a reason? Oh, this gets better and better…" He rolled his eyes. Of course, he was frustrated at who did this to his friend, not at his friend herself. Snapping his own sticks a lot more gently, he began to rub them together as well. "If she's not even willing to tell you what you did wrong, then what reason do you have to feel guilty about moving on? Why give a rat ’ s ass about her happiness if she clearly doesn't about yours?"

"Yeah… yeah, you're right!" Nodding to herself, her face turned distinctly more determined as she sharpened faster, the already high-pitched sound climbing higher and louder. "I've given her enough time to come around, to text me, to do something other than ignore me completely! Plenty of time! Well, no more waiting for no good reason! I’m moving on! Weiss Schnee is gonna go over there and make that glowstick-waving hottie scream that name out loud!"

That seemed to get the attention of a few of the customers, and even one or two of the waiters. Enough attention was drawn to them to make Neptune pull nervously at his collar, and laugh to himself. Before anyone could raise any question, he called out, "We're playing Truth or Dare, sorry!"

But as soon as they turned away, he cleared his throat, waiting for the area to calm down before he spoke again. "Fucking do it, girl. Go out there, relax, fuck around for a while. Do what you wanna do to be happy; that's the biggest 'fuck you' you can give an ex, right?"

"It is, and… and I will!" There was another snap! and Weiss looked down to see she had broken one of the chopsticks. "Oh… crap, I didn't mean to do that…"

There was just a snort from Neptune as he tried to contain his laughter, the cheesy grin doing very little to suppress it and keep it down however. But he handed his pair over the table to her, and stood. "Here, have mine. I'll go get some more."

"Thank you," she sighed wearily.

By the time Neptune returned from replacing her broken sticks, their sushi had arrived at last. They set to work, both trying one or two of their own, Neptune doing his best with the chopsticks despite being unfamiliar. Then Weiss picked up yet another piece.

"Want to try this one? It's only tomago. " When he didn't respond, she translated, "Egg. It's egg"

"All I could think of was that Big Hero Six chick," he commented once he'd swallowed some of his food, looking toward the piece in the sticks. Weiss’s expression showed no recognition at all. Shrugging his shoulders, he leant further forward, expecting her to put it in his mouth for him. "What the hell. We all gotta have new experiences, right?"

And she did. Despite the fact that it was a bit more "intimate" of an activity than friends normally would enjoy, she had offered, and didn't really think it mattered enough to plop it on his plate and make him pick it up himself with his mediocre skills.

"What do you think?" she asked once sitting back.

Taking a little longer than normal to chew his food, he seemed to look upward for a moment, as though he was really thinking about the taste and nothing else. After a while longer, he swallowed. "Not bad," he concluded before sitting back. "Rather have a whole omelette with cheese, though."

Laughing, Weiss responded, "That's fair," as she went back to her own plate. But her mind was primarily on something else - or some one else. She raised her small cup of green tea and cleared her throat. "So… to new experiences, right?"

Though he had only just managed to pick up another piece from his own plate, it was promptly dropped as soon as Weiss caught his attention again. Not that he was truly annoyed. He simply put the sticks back down again and picked up his own cup, tapping it lightly against hers.

"You bet'cha. To new experiences, and ‘ fuck you ’ to the past."

"Kanpai!" When he merely raised an eyebrow, she giggled and said, "That's 'cheers.' I have a lot to teach you!"

After a long, tedious day at work, the last thing Blake Belladonna wanted to see when she walked into her apartment was Yang sprawled across her couch, half-drunk and dozing. Especially not when she was supposed to be heading into work at that time. She pushed the door shut, not too quietly, and the girl barely stirred.

"Ugh… really?" Walking over to the blonde, she reached over and grabbed her legs, swinging them off the couch. "Wake up, you dumbass!"

There was a very quiet groan when her legs were pulled to one side, twisting her position to one that was half sliding off the sofa. Only then did she finally start to open her eyes. One after the other, blinking them out of sync. She was drunk. Again. If that wasn't obvious by the several empty cans scattered by her.

"You're supposed to be halfway to work right now. What is this?" Blake picked up a can and held it up. "Why are you still laying around?"

When her eyes were open — well, barely open, at least — she attempted to focus on what Blake was showing her. But it wasn't coming to much use. Anyone looking at her now would come to the same conclusion; Yang Xiao Long was a complete and utter mess.

"That…" She managed to slur on that word alone, head swaying as though it weighed a tonne. "Is a can…"

"Really? That's the best you have?" No immediate reaction. All the stress of her day, coupled with the stress of dealing with Yang turning into this shell of herself, boiled to the surface. She didn't snap; Blake never really snapped. But she did decide there was nothing to be gained by holding back.

"Get up, right now. Get in the shower. I'll put on some coffee while you're in there, and drive you into work. But you have to get moving."

Yang still didn't respond straight away. Only continued to blink out of sync as she looked around. She didn't have the strength to argue, nor any real words to respond with. She wasn't even thinking about work, or how people would react. Just about making herself ridiculously numb. That was the only thing she could do right. Finally nodding, she managed to slip her arms behind her, only just managing to use them to push herself up on her feet. But when she stood upright, her balance was completely off. She couldn't even stand still for a long period of time without stumbling.

"Nope!" Blake grunted, just managing to feint to the side and catch her before she went down. "No, no, you're going upstairs and into the shower, come on."

With that, she began to drag her toward the stairs. There was another strained groan that could easily be compared to a toddler having a tantrum. But at least when she was actually at the stairs, there was no excuse. She grabbed the railing to pull herself up and support herself, not needing Blake's help for the rest of it. At least a shower would probably snap her out of the initial daze.

While she trudged upstairs, Blake went about getting the coffee on, picking up the beer cans from the living room. Kicking off her sensible black flats and going upstairs after Yang; the nouveau-lush probably hadn ’ t even laid her clothes out before she hit the bathroom. It would be up to her to take care of that.

Walking into the spare bedroom was like walking into the remnants of a bombed city. Beer cans, a tray full of weed ash, clothes all over the floor … it wasn ’ t as bad as it could have been, but Blake still didn ’ t want her home looking like that. She quickly nipped things into the trash that belonged there, got the dirty clothes into a laundry basket. Straightened the bedclothes. Then she went into the closet to find some suitable work garb …

And saw the garment bag.

Amber eyes darted toward the doorway. She had been curious, why out of all the things Yang no longer seemed to care about, this whatever-it-was had the luxury of being perfectly preserved inside the slick plastic covering. Why had it meant so much to Yang? Why was it being hidden away like this?

Curiosity caught the cat up, and she had to find out. Suppressing her guilt with the excuse of “it’ s my apartment and she ’ s staying here ” , she reached out and drew the zipper down – and beheld a beautiful, traditional silk dress, in such gorgeous shades! White with purples and lilacs, and such long sleeves, furling pleats … the picture of femininity. The fact that Yang, of all people, should own something like that, boggled her mind.

Then another thought came to Blake, one she couldn ’ t shake despite knowing she should, needed to resist. What would it look like on her?

Not even ten meters away in the shower, the unsuspecting blonde was stood a little more stable as the water flowed through her hair and over her body. It was rather cold, but she seemed too numb to notice. But it did have an unintended side effect. It was snapping Yang out of her happier daze again.

And bringing back that empty shell which Blake was so used to. She shouldn't have to be, but it was just who Yang had become now. Cold, uncaring, blank. Like the very soul had gone from her. It wasn't getting better, even after she was apparently seeking help and going to counselling. Slowly blinking as she looked down at herself again, she could practically feel the sadness creeping in again. That wasn't going to vanish today; great.

After a full ten minutes in the shower, and not even bothering with conditioner, Yang had turned the water off and started to get out. Blake might have meant well, but Yang certainly didn't feel up to what was ahead. An evening of serving obnoxious couples and families, most of which treated her like filth for one reason or another. Then even getting yelled at in the kitchen for one reason or another. Probably being late again. Finally resigning and wrapping a towel around her body, she exited. Of course, she left the old pajamas on the ground for Blake to pick up. She just didn't care enough right then to get them herself; she could later, if Blake didn’t do it.

But as soon as she got back to her room, she was in for a shock. Eyes actually widening for once, she yelled loudly, louder than she had for weeks.

"What the fuck are you doing?!"

Whipping around to face the other way, Blake brought her hands up to press against her chest, nylon-covered toes scrunching up in vague embarrassment. A cautious smile hitched into her face as she spun in the hanfu , letting it spin out around her shins.

“ Sorry for being so impulsive, but … I mean, I found this, and I wondered if I ’ d look any good in it. What do you think? ”

Yang was speechless. But speechless in the worst possible way. She could feel her stomach churning, head spinning as though she was about to throw up. Whether that was because of the alcohol or not was up in the air right now. There was only one thing clear to her: she couldn't deal with it. Her hands curled into tight fists, she could almost feel her knuckles straining from holding them too hard. Blake wanted her to feel something for weeks, but now that was coming back to bite her. All Yang felt was pure rage.

"Take, that, off. Now ."

The smile vanished. It was true, as numb as Yang had been over the past few weeks, a few breakdowns notwithstanding, a display of anger was very sudden and very shocking to her. Dropping her voice to a whisper, she said, “ Yang, I- listen, I ’ m sorry, I didn ’ t mean to- ”

"Take it off!" she yelled even louder, exaggerating her words this time by stomping her foot. It was as though she was about to charge, what on earth had come over her?!

"Yang!" Blake burst out, stricken, face turning completely pale. She'd never seen Yang this angry with her before, and had no idea where it was coming from. And the stamp might not have been a real display of violence, but it was too close to one for her to feel safe. She held up her hands in front of her. "Alright! I'm… I'm taking it off, give me time to make sure I don't mess it up…"

While Blake did just that she paced back and forth, hands taking their place back into the blonde hair again. After a while, Blake had noticed it had become a habit when Yang was severely stressed out. But for something as simple as clothing to trigger it? There must be something more, some meaning to it. But while she tugged it and clenched her teeth, it would be very difficult to get that answer.

Even more so when Blake was about to lay it on the bed, and Yang moved herself forward, instead releasing her hair so she could snatch it from Blake's hands, hard. There were already tears welling up in her eyes when she yelled, "It's not yours! You're not allowed to touch this!"

"No, I get it now," Blake told her in a thunderstruck voice, backing off completely so she could put it back into the garment bag herself, if she so chose. "Y-you did tell me it was traditional – I mean, how was I supposed to know, though? I only saw it once when you got here, and you never told me you didn’t want it ever touched!"

Yang didn't even answer at first. She was too busy focusing on putting it away again as neatly as she possibly could. Since she snatched it, there were now creases that wouldn't come out by brushing her hand over the material. It wasn't anything major, an iron would easily solve the problem. But for Yang, it was enough to set off more of a reaction. Enough to make the lingering tears fall as she stared down at it in complete disdain.

"It's ruined… it's fucking ruined!" She only thanked God Blake couldn't see her face, especially when she pounded her fist against the mattress. Such a small thing was creating all this. "That was all I had left! All I fucking had!"

After a few seconds, Blake found her voice again. “Yang… I’ m sorry. That wasn ’ t- I honestly didn ’ t mean to hurt you, okay? I ’ ll pay to have it fixed, I ’ ll do whatever is needed, I promi- ”

"WHY?!" Yang yelled at the top of her voice, quickly spinning herself around to face Blake again. That question was coming up a lot recently between the both of them. Particularly for Yang's now terrified best friend. That was, if they were friends anymore. From how things were going, it seemed like there was nothing of the blonde she once knew left.

"I bought it for her, I kept it perfect for her! It reminds me of her, and it's ruined!" she screamed, tears freely flowing down her face. "Why can't I keep one, single, FUCKING PIECE OF HAPPINESS?!"

Blake's gaze dropped to the floor, her own eyes brimming with tears. The sheer volume, the implications… Yang's rage. She didn’t do well with open displays of anger or violence. Her system was shutting down, she couldn't process anything other than that she had really messed up this time and she was going to be feeling the pain of it for a while.

"I'll let you get dressed. I'm sorry, I… I'm sorry." Then she turned and stepped into the hallway, finding her way to her bedroom door, leaning against the doorjamb and trying not to break down or have a panic attack.

But Yang didn't get dressed. She merely brought the robe back out from the garment bag again, running a hand over one of the creases where she'd grabbed it. Rational thought was returning, but it'd returned too late – and only to give her a firm reminder that she was the one that snatched it. She did the damage, she ruined it. No one else. Just like everything else that had gone wrong. It was her fault.

And with that, she pulled it in toward herself, falling to her knees as she curled into a ball of her own, pressing it tightly against her as she cried again. Loudly sobbing, even straining her voice as she tried to breathe past the lump forming in her throat, hugging the material like it really was all she had left in the world.

"Why?" she repeated again, unaware that her friend was still in earshot. "Why am I still here?"

But hers were not the only tears in the apartment. The others were more silent, more private. Blake looked down at her body, at where the dress had touched her, and hated it. Yet another moment that proved to her that no matter how much Yang might not mind touching her, she would never quite be worth the same to her as Weiss Schnee. Not in the same way.

Proven yet more fully by the fact that Yang did not want to be there with her. Wished she were anywhere else. No matter how hard she tried to help, how kind she was, stern, forgiving, encouraging… she fell short. And this one mistake was enough to get Yang screaming at her like she was her worst enemy.

She wasn't quite sure where it came from, but she felt her emotions close off. She could cry later. Would; definitely would, it was inevitable. Turning back to the bedroom, she walked to the doorway and cleared her throat.

The sobs were brought to a stop when she heard. Sniffing deeply as she managed to turn and look toward Blake, she saw that stern expression again. A cold one, one she saw when Blake was making her stop drinking, or stop smoking more. She froze up, clueless as to what she was in for.

"You… can scream at me again when you get off your shift," she told her bluntly. "Right now you have to get dressed. NO," she cut her off immediately. "You're going to work. Period."

But the blonde only felt herself clutching the hanfu closer to her, and felt the tears returning to her eyes yet again. She tried to will herself to get up, well and truly. But no matter how loudly her brain was screaming at her to move …

"I can't."

Blake's voice didn't get louder. It got quieter. Even though it had been years since they had an argument like this, surely Yang couldn't forget that her voice worked the opposite way from other people; that was when she was really serious.

"Yang, you have to do something. If you don't make it to work today… then I'm sure as hell not paying for you to get drunk and high anymore. Support your own habits, or don't. That's all there is to it."

The gaze only fell to the ground instead. She didn't move, didn't even put up an argument anymore. All of that energy that had seemed to return, even if it was just to scream and then to cry; now it was gone. It would seem to Blake that Yang made her choice. Crying on the ground it was.

"Fine." Taking a deep breath, she let it out as slowly and smoothly as she could, though it did nothing to make her feel better. "I'm going over to Sun's. And I'm taking all the hash and beer and leaving it over there for now. You know where to reach me, my cell is charged. Just… do whatever you feel like doing, I guess."

There was so much Yang wanted to say to that. It shocked her, a lot more than she anticipated it would. She wanted to apologise for her behavior, even open up, explain possibly, let her in on the dark path that was becoming more and more tempting to walk down. But in the end, she did none of that. She simply appeared just as numb as she always was, even if she wasn’t on the inside.

"Whatever."

Blake's mouth opened. She made a wide gesture, opened it again, pressed a hand to her mouth. Turned to leave, was all the way to the top of the staircase before she stopped, turned back to her room, and fetched her weed stash. Might as well follow through.

On her way back, she paused just out of sight of the door frame, still just able to see a sliver of the room from where she stood. In a hollow voice, she said, "You know… I don't know what I'm doing wrong and what I'm doing right anymore. You're confusing the hell out of me. But at least I'm trying." Then she walked down the stairs.

There was nothing else. No further comments, no further sounds of Yang attempting to at least get up or move. Just painful silence. And even when she heard Blake walk down into the kitchen, there was still nothing. She was following through with the plan, leaving Yang with nothing but herself to rely on.

Even if she had some money to spare to get back what Blake had taken, it didn't matter. Not when she lacked the basic motivation to get out of bed some days. How on earth was she going to get out of this one now? She'd officially burnt the only bridge she had left toward some kind of free lifestyle. She'd pushed away a friend that tried to help her however she could, in every possible way. The smell of the freshly brewed coffee was a big reminder of that.

When she finally heard the front door close, it was like the final thud of the jail cell door. She realized deep down in her gut now: she was trapped. And she had built the trap herself.

[63824peace]

Thursday, 10th of november 2005

awoke in my hotel bed. I opened the window... Seoul stretched out before me.

It looks like we'll have good weather today too.

Yesterday's weather report forecasted cold temperatures, but it feels much nicer than expected. Korea's weather gave us a break, at least for now.

From my window I looked down to the ground. I saw that the hotel had frozen its swimming pool for use as an ice-skating rink during winter. It's only November, so they're still preparing it. A large white sheet covered the surface.

I had stayed in this very hotel when I visited back in February. I remember that I had looked through my window and had seen the same scenery. Perhaps I'm staying on the same floor now as I had then... perhaps I'm even in the same room.

The skating rink had been illuminated from beneath the ice's surface when I had been here before. The frozen glow had been powerfully atmospheric. I had wanted to skate so badly, I almost couldn't stand it. The whole scene had radiated a joyous ambience, kind of like Disney's ice show.

You don't get many chances to skate outdoors in Tokyo. I had hoped that I could skate while I am here, but I'm simply too pressed for time.

"I'll ice-skate for sure this time!" I had even brought a pair of brand new gloves. I'll have to postpone skating once again though. The rink hasn't even opened yet. I'll try again next time.

I left my room to eat the hotel's breakfast. On my way I passed some members of our preparation team who were heading to the G-STAR site.

We arrived late because we had run into a traffic jam on our way to KINTEX.

A group of able-bodied men surrounded me the second that I stepped from the car. The bodyguards escorted me into the building.

The show would start at 10 A.M., so I double-checked the stage and our booth. I mounted the MGS stage and lightly rehearsed. I tested the microphone with our interpreter and our emcee. I sat in a chair and déjà vu hit me! It was TGS all over again!

I proceeded to check the video and sound setups for MGS4's presentation in the SCE booth's next-gen theater. I returned to Konami's booth and slipped into the backroom.

Our bodyguards follow us everywhere. They stick beside us even if we only walk a few feet. They hold posts at the backroom entrance all the time. They even guard me in the bathroom. I know that these guys are paid for it, but I really appreciate how far they go for us.

U.S. and European fans are much more intense than the Japanese. I always make sure that I have bodyguard escorts during each event and autograph session. I've never had this many at once though... three to six of them surround me at any given moment.

I considered checking more of the expo site, but I didn't have enough time. In addition, it wasn't easy to move quickly from place to place. I am so well protected here that I'm like Vic Viper with Option and Force Field defenses activated.

Meanwhile, Korea's first game expo finally opened. Korean companies furnish most of the booths. They all look great. Korea is an impressive force in the gaming industry.

Korea could outrun Japan in the gaming industry at this rate. Asian booths had challenged Japanese booths at TGS, and Japan has already been beaten at E3. Korean booths naturally hold center-stage on their home turf.

On another note... I hadn't noticed that Korean women are so tall! They have gorgeous legs!

The grand opening was so slow compared to my experiences with other game expos. I'm accustomed to the usual rush of visitors at TGS and GC. G-STAR's visitors entered slowly and hesitantly. I heard that the expo hadn't opened until the very last second.

I rehearsed one last time in the backroom with both our interpreter and MC.

Afterwards I ate some lunch. We had sushi bento, Korea's specialty Kimpa (Makizuishi), and my favorite Sin Ramyun (hot ramen). Even Shin-chan tried Sin-chan! It was like a picnic!

I asked our interpreter to listen to my introductory speech. I had practiced it in Korean. I wanted to include the line from Sympathy for Lady Vengeance that I learned yesterday, but I ultimately decided against it. I foresaw too much room for misunderstanding among those who hadn't seen the movie.

She told me that I could say it if an interviewer asks about Sympathy for Lady Vengeance. I still received concerned looks whenever I said it. They'd always ask, "Where did you learn that expression?"

I told them that I had learned it from Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, and they smiled and said, "Oh, I see!"

A large banner hung in the conference hall reserved for the press meeting just outside the main expo grounds. It read "HIDEO KOJIMA."

We have the same interpreter now who had worked with us in February. She does excellent work, so she easily translated my long and complex Japanese.

I mounted the MGS stage at 2 P.M.

I'm thankful that everything was a huge success.

The Korean fans were truly enthusiastic! They were almost as intense as the European MGS fans.

I wound up making a slight mistake with my Korean toward the end of my memorized greeting. Also, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance never came up during the Q&A... I didn't get to say "Neo na jal haseyo" after all.

An autograph session followed the Q&A. We required that all participants have reserved their autographs online, so everything went smoothly.

I was asked to autograph a variety of things. I wonder... did they find them all online? Some people brought limited editions of Japanese items. A few people even brought copies of the MSX2 Metal Gear and Policenauts for the NEC PC-9821. People also brought hardware for me to autograph, such as PS2s, Nintendo DSs, and PSPs.

Several Korean fans actually spoke strong Japanese. They must play their games in Japanese too.

Mr. Sang Young Lee from Phantagram visited me in the backroom early in the evening. We had last seen each other around six months prior. We had missed each other at TGS because we had been so busy. We conversed for about an hour. He seemed as though he's been busy with Ninety Nine Nights.

G-STAR's first day ended at 5 P.M.

Folks from the MGS community had come to help us for one of our events. I thanked them for volunteering to test MGO.

Young, enthusiastic, grateful fans had responded to an internet advertisement distributed by UNIANA. They know as much about MGS as we do, and they love it equally too. They played MGO just as well as KojiPro's staff.

The language barrier tumbled down today and MGS became our common tongue. I would never have expected this at TGS... I'm thankful to share this sort of relationship with my fans. Everyone onstage gathered for a group photo.

We gave them MGS-related souvenirs to express our gratitude. By then the backroom had become another autograph room.

Thank you everyone, and please help us again tomorrow!

I went to a party that evening set up by G-STAR. I saw Mr. Inaba from Clover Studios there.

I left the party and joined some KojiPro staff at a barbecue restaurant for dinner.

Kanpai! Three cheers for G-STAR's first day! This will change Korea's future. I appreciate everyone's work.

Shin-chan and I explained, "We're looking for an out-of-the-ordinary style of leather jacket." We were directed to Tondaemun Market and Namdaemun Market, so we headed there with some others after dinner. We heard that those markets feature wholesalers with really competitive prices. Their reputation has even spread to Japan.

We first headed to Tondaemun Market. The place was so animated! Crowds were everywhere! The hour was so late that I could hardly believe it was real.

I heard that everything here stays open until 5 A.M., so it was still too early to see business in full swing. The real thing hadn't even started yet.

Tondaemun is really outrageous!

We started shopping in the doota building. Many similar looking shops were squeezed beside each other inside. The bustle there was similar to what you'd expect at a department store at midday.

I got a greater shock when I exited the building. Crowds flowed all around me outside. More people seemed to come in cars. It was just before midnight. These downtown streets seem really family-friendly, unlike Shibuya or Shinjuku in Tokyo.

We descended the underground passage leading to stores that specialize in leather and furs. Vendors barked at us on the way down.

"Get your quality knock-offs here!"

"Phantom watches! Phantom watches for sale!"

We apparently couldn't hide the fact that we're Japanese. Was it our clothes? Our group's hairstyle and make-up? However they could tell, they addressed us in Japanese everywhere we went.

"Miss! I can speak Japanese!"

"Oohaa, it's so delicious!" Oohaa? What outdated slang!

We ascended the stairs to street level and arrived at the Pyonfa Market.

"Wow! This is just like Blade Runner! Amazing!"

Food and merchandise sellers' stalls filled the narrow alleys. It looked like it had been packed beyond capacity. This place must feel like a festival every day. It's as vibrant and populated as the New Year's Eve celebrations at the shrines in Japan.

We could buy a slew of different foods here, from Tchigae to Oden. They sold more than just food though. Bags, clothing, and all sorts of items sat on display in storefronts. There was even a shop selling only Bae Yong Joon's brand of socks.

Such life and animation! Even the boardwalk stalls got a lot of customers. Families strode through the streets alongside unchaperoned youths. Such energy! I don't understand why I didn't see any drunks on the street. Just being there invigorated me. The downtown streets never sleep.

I noticed several micro-busses parked on the street. They looked like sight-seeing buses. Were tourists out at that hour?

I thought about this, and then I saw many old women with serious facial expressions--they looked so severe. They carried several large plastic sacks on their backs. I also saw a lot of stuff piled on the street.

Our guide explained to me that the women had come from the rural provinces. They regularly gather a group of people from their provincial towns, rent micro-buses, and shop here. They arrive very early in the morning and shop until the following day. Then they return to their hometowns and sell everything that they bought.

The old women began their serious shopping at the hour I saw them. How colorful!

We ate oden at one of the stalls.

I have wanted to eat oden in Korea ever since I saw Jeon Ji-Hyun eating it in the movie Windstruck.

They offered many different types of oden in shapes made from minced fish. Some were round while others were thin boards. I heard that the seasoning can differ, but it's all still oden. The boardwalk shop also provided skewers.

I decided to try the oden that looked like Japanese Chikuwa. I added some sauce using a brush that they provided. It tasted like Gobo tempura, sans the Gobo.

It was warm and tasty.

While I ate, people flocked to the stall from out of nowhere. Without so much as a greeting, they took oden from the stall. No one spoke a word... they just ate.

We paid for our food after telling the stall clerk what we had eaten. For some reason, I saw more female customers than male. They ate pretty quickly considering the eating method. To drink the soup, you're supposed to ladle it into a paper cup and then drink directly from the cup.

The soup tasted great too.

If you don't want to finish the soup, then you can simply splash it onto the street. You should put the paper cup in a trashcan though. Everything there was self-service.

We finished and then took a car to Namdaemun Market.

We arrived a little too early for the evening boom again. Half of the shops weren't open yet. I felt a strange sense of familiarity as I walked the streets... aha! The place resembled Ameyoko in Ueno.

Someone suddenly addressed us in Japanese.

"Hey buddy--got some leather jackets here."

Unfortunately we didn't see anything that we wanted. We didn't get what we set out to buy, but we got a lot of other stuff anyway.

I feel as though we bought a slice of Seoul's energy itself. I really enjoyed this. I'll definitely return... and maybe then I'll stay until 5 A.M.

You know, those phantom watches still intrigue me... I wonder what they look like....

[traveltheworldwithme]

Conquering Your Fears: Tokyo, Japan

Whenever we decide to travel, we have these anxieties, fears, and all those scary feelings aside from the excitement that we get when we know we’re going to go somewhere new. SOMEWHERE NEW. There are really those people who are adventurous enough to not be bothered by the anxiety of going someplace new. Whether you’re traveling somewhere local or traveling internationally, there’s always one or two things that make you worry. In this post, I’m going to list some of the most common fears/anxieties/whatever you want to call it of foreigners when going to Tokyo, Japan.

LANGUAGE BARRIER

The first thing that would really scare you when going to Japan is the language barrier. All those signs you can’t read, all those sentences and words you can’t understand, it would really put you off. Now I’m not going to say that I have gotten over this worry already because I still worry right now that I badly want to take actual classes to learn how to speak and read Japanese. My level of understanding with the language is just about 10% which knowledge I just got from anime. I still can’t read any hiragana or katakana and kanji. I can understand the context of the sentence by hearing words I’m familiar with but I can’t come up with my own coherent sentence because the placement of words is just different. I usually end up just saying words without forming sentences.

While there are some phrases you need to at least know before coming to Japan, I can pretty much say that you’ll get by there by using hand gestures and even though it’s not perfect, using Google Translate. Japanese people are very kind and will try to communicate with you and help you when you need help. I personally had some trouble with a coin locker and asked someone standing there for help, and she helped me. She was meeting with her boyfriend that time and when her boyfriend came he asked what happened and he also helped. I think I wasted 15 minutes of their life but I’ll never forget that moment when someone genuinely wanted to help a stranger. Another instance was when we were lost because the Google Maps walking path is not accurate (yep, Google Maps is awesome when it comes to pointing you to the right train station to ride but it sucks when there’s walking involved) and we just asked someone and she helped us tremendously, even using Google Translate to communicate with us so that she can point us to the right direction.

At the airport and on major train stations, there are tourist information booths and they usually speak and understand English. In most touristy places like in Nakamise-dori going to Sensoji temple, the vendors there can also understand and speak English.

In restaurants, there are some which offer an English menu so you can ask them for that. In case there’s no available English menu, most restaurants would have a picture of every dish they have there. In case you want to go to a place where there’s really no English menu nor photos of food, it’s best you Google all the information about it first or look up for some Youtube videos about the place so that you won’t be at a loss. If you’re really adventurous, go ahead and just use Google Translate coupled with hand gestures and they will try to understand you and you can still order.

In trains, specifically JR trains, the announcements are also broadcast in English so you’ll know which side of doors will open and the stop and where to get off if you want to transfer. However, in some subway lines, there’s really no translation whatsoever but you can still hear the name of the station where you want to go to so just remember the name of the station and listen carefully. Usually the name is written in kanji but there will be the Romaji equivalent of it, and if there’s none, just look at your Google Maps and try to remember the symbols/characters.

PRICE OF FOOD, LODGING, TRANSPORTATION, GOODS, ETC.

“Tokyo is an expensive place to go to!” is what people would always say. While comparing to the prices of goods here in the Philippines, the goods in Japan are really more expensive, I can still confidently say that you can go to Japan on a budget.

Comparing the price of food to the Philippines, it is really more expensive in Japan. However, you can choose to buy those relatively cheap food from restaurants or fast food places - you just have to know where to look. You can buy a plate of sushi for just 100 yen. 10 plates and it will just cost you 1,000 yen (+ tax) and you’ll be really, really full. In Yoshinoya/Sukiya/Matsuya, you can buy gyudon for less than 500 yen and it is already filling. It is optional to buy drinks at these food places because they offer water or tea for free!

JAPAN VISA

First thing that you’ll have to spend money on is getting a Visa. There are a lot of accredited agencies and there are some which are cheaper than the others. Watch out for Travel Expos too and you can apply for a Japan Visa for just Php 500. I think this is the cheapest that they offer. You can actually see the prices of getting Japan Visa through their websites so you can already include this in your budgeting.

PLANE TICKETS

Next would be plane tickets. If the flight is just 4-5 hours, I guess you can just choose an airline offering cheap economy seats instead of those airlines which are really more expensive. You can compare prices online (click here for my previous post related to this) and choose which is the cheapest. Most budget airlines don’t have wi-fi or any form of entertainment at the plane, and it doesn’t automatically include the checked-in baggage fees, seat selection fees, and meals so you also have to check this. Just my experience on this:

So we belatedly bought plane tickets last year because we’re still weren’t sure of the date so the prices are pretty much the regular prices and not the discounted ones. I was about to book at Jetstar because I thought it was the cheapest. They have this bundled add-on which includes a checked-in bag of 20kg, meal, and seat selection. The bundle is to be bought per trip so you will pay for the bundle going to Japan, and coming back from Japan. It has a fixed rate but you can still purchase add-ons like if your checked-in luggage is heavier, if you want premium seats, and all that. I then went to the Cebu Pacific website and tried to book there to see if it’s cheaper. So you can choose if you just want to fly, or if you have checked-in luggage, or if you have checked-in luggage plus meals. I chose the one with the checked-in luggage already Then on the next pages you’ll be asked if you want to choose your seats for a fee, if you want to add more kg to your baggage and if you want to pre-order meals. I just chose seats as another add-on because I’m traveling with my sisters and I want to sit beside them and I want the window seat! If you want to save up money, you can just do an early web check-in which can be done 7 days prior to your departure and you can choose your seat there for free. What I like about booking with Cebu Pacific is that they have the option for you to pay your travel tax which is Php 1,620 already so you don’t have to line up there! The lines can get really long. (When I checked Jetstar though this 2018, if I remember correctly there’s also an option already to pay for the Philippine travel tax.)

This 2018 trip, we bought tickets when it was on sale by Cebu Pacific. It is around Php 35,000 cheaper! Even though it’s not from the Php 1 sale (Piso sale), it’s still a whole lot cheaper when it’s on sale.

LODGING

Next thing that you would look for is the place where you’ll stay. Booking and Agoda are great apps for you to look at to have a rough estimate of the costs of hotel. When we went there we stayed at a hostel and it was great! However when I checked even months before June 2018, it is already fully-booked. Most cheaper hotels are also fully-booked so I looked for another option and found Airbnb. I booked there and even with the new Japanese law we were able to stay there (really a relief!!!) and it was a great experience. I will provide a separate post about the Airbnb we stayed at to give you an idea about it.

If you’re traveling alone staying at capsule hotels is actually a good idea because it’s inexpensive but it still looks good. 

There are also those manga cafes where you can stay at a cheap price but I just don’t think it’s comfortable to just stay there if you’re staying for more than a week in Japan.

GOODS/FOOD ITEMS

There are a ton of shops and restaurants in Tokyo - you just need to look for it. There are many travel guides available online and on Youtube, so you can just search for it. Most of the time they already include the prices of the goods or the food so you’ll have a rough estimate of how much you’re going to spend. (Check out this post for a list of Youtubers I watched!)

For souvenir shopping, there’s always those 100-yen stores like Daiso and Can-Do. They have a vaaaast selection of items and you just have to decide whether it’s worth it or not. Daiso is everywhere too and you can find a lot of Can-Do stores as well. I like Daiso but there are items in Can-Do which are not available in Daiso so you definitely have to check it out.

In buying chocolates or grocery snack items, it is best to go to your local grocery than to those tourist-y shops because it is cheaper at the groceries. For snacks, there’s this place in Ueno located Ameyoko which is Niki No Kashi and it pretty much sells all kinds of snacks and chocolates. It’s also a tax-free shop! Also in Ameyoko there are a lot of stores there which sell snacks and teas so you just have to look for the ones which offer the cheapest one.

TRANSPORTATION FEES

When you arrive at the airport, you need to ride a bus or a train to go to Central Tokyo. There are quite a lot of options here - some expensive, and some cheap so you just have to choose accordingly. Taking the bus is the cheapest I think because it just costs 1000 yen as opposed to those trains like the Narita Express which I think is about 3000 yen? There are also those local trains which are cheaper but travel time is longer. What you’re basically paying for those Narita Express and Keisei Liner (the expensive one) is that you can get to Tokyo in less than an hour and they have reserved seats. You can also search for this in Youtube as there are many guides there already. Pretty much everything I know, I learned from vloggers first before I was able to experience it myself.

Just a quick story: When we went this 2018 in Japan, we had a place at Kinshicho and we chose that place in Airbnb because it has a direct train to and from Narita Airport. Our travel time from Narita to Kinshicho station is about 1 hour and 30 minutes but the train was not packed when we rode so we were able to sit, and it just costs 1,320 yen one-way. A lot cheaper than 3,000 yen!

Going around Tokyo, Google Maps is your best friend. From there you can see the price of trains going from one place to another. We used this to have an estimate about the transportation fees that we need to spend.

TRANSPORTATION - TRAINS (and others)

Traveling around Tokyo is easy. Yep, I am kidding you not, it is easy. “But what’s with that subway map that you so graciously provided without explaining anything? It looks so complicated!” Well yes it looks so confusing and you really wouldn’t understand it. However, Google Maps is your best friend! It shows you everything you need to know. The time trains depart, the stops, the cost - just everything. I also used another app which is the Japan Travel app by Navitime Japan, and when you reach Japan, you can also download the Hyperdia app. These apps have this option to prioritize JR lines for when you have a Japan Rail pass so that you can maximize your JR pass. (Picture provided is just a subway map. JR lines are not included yet.)

The trains can take you around Tokyo and it costs about 170 yen from one stop to another. The price differs but yes, Google Maps and the other apps I mentioned provide the price already so you don’t have to worry about it.

Another worry would be the buying of tickets. I removed this worry altogether by just purchasing an IC card. I had a friend who didn’t know about the existence of this and he had a hard time navigating Tokyo just because he cannot read the name of the stops and he doesn’t know how much the fare is and he had a hard time communicating there because they don’t really understand English. Anyway. mine is a Suica card just because it looks cute. There’s also a Pasmo card. The only difference is the issuing authority. These two can be used in any station or subway, and can be used to buy drinks from vending machines or stuff from convenience stores as long as they have the option. I think it can also be used in buses. Basically you can have this card at the train stations. There’s an English menu available so you can just choose that. (Please search for this in Youtube so that you’ll know what I’m talking about. There are many vloggers who show how it’s done and all that. I wasn’t able to make a video about this because I completely forgot to do so.) There’s a deposit fee of 500 yen, and you must load it there. We had a rough estimate of how much it would cost us to go around Tokyo for the entire time we’re there so we deposited that amount. Once you leave Japan, you can return the card and the balance would be returned to you and the deposit fee. However, I’m not sure about this fee that they’d charge you if the balance is more than 500 yen still. Since we know we’ll go back to Japan again and again, we just kept the card because the card is valid for 10 years. Yes, it is valid for that long so if you’ll go back to Japan within 10 years, I highly suggest just keeping it.

So I just talked about trains because this is the only mode of transportation we used (aside from walking). I apologize if this is not enough but with the convenience of trains, I just really didn’t bother with other modes of transportation anymore.

Oh, there are taxis too but they’re expensive especially when you’re alone and you have no one else to split the bill. We used a taxi once during our last trip because we were just so tired and from Skytree to our place in Kinshicho, it costs 810 yen. Considering that it is just near, this is quite expensive but I was with my sisters so we split the bill. Taxis are amazing because of the automatic doors! Also, they issued a receipt when we paid. There are some taxis too that accept Suica/Pasmo as a mode of payment which is just really convenient.

So these are some fears/concerns we commonly experience. I know there’s still a lot so you can leave questions or comments or just anything in my Ask.

I will try to update this post when needed because I know I forgot something which I’ll remember soon. :)

(Posted on July 17, 2018)