Delicate || HeeJake Band AU

The authority song

Although it wasn't unusual for Heeseung, today he felt restless, even though he had no specific reason why. He'd been that way since he woke up—a constant state of alertness and that weight on his shoulders following him wherever he went throughout the day.

He spent his morning doing all the tasks he'd been putting off for days: he tidied up his apartment, called his sister to see how she was doing, made progress on the video game he'd bought so long ago, and—even though he hated it—he even worked out in an attempt to burn off all that energy he felt building up in his body, but nothing could shake that strange feeling.

When the building janitor called to let him know he had visitors, the sound of the intercom felt like the call of angels coming to rescue him from boredom and give him something to do. Grabbing just a jacket and his wallet, he left his apartment and completely ignored the elevator, racing down the stairs instead, arriving at the parking lot just in time to see his friend trying to park.

The driver's window rolled down, and he could see the look of confusion on Jay's face as he waved hello.

"I didn't even get a chance to call you to come down..."

"I beat you to it." He was about to walk around the car to get in on the passenger side, but stopped short when an idea crossed his mind. "Hey, can I drive today?"

Judging by Jay's expression, anyone would think he'd just punched him in the face.

"First of all, hello," he began. "Second, I need to use your bathroom—that's why I hadn't told you to come down here yet. And third, and most important, no."

"Huh? Why not?"

"Because it's my car. And you're a terrible driver."

He knew that would be the answer, and he also knew there wasn't much point in arguing about it, but the mere idea of spending about an hour sitting in a car doing nothing but staring out the window was driving him crazy. So, maybe seeing Jay's annoyed face was worth it.

"Please," he pleaded. "I'll be the designated driver for today—all day. That way you can have whatever you want at the party. I wasn't planning on drinking anything today anyway."

"You can't drink. Don't say it like you're making a big sacrifice just for me."

"It's a big party, with free drinks, don't you wanna try at least a couple without worrying about driving later? Come on, I know you want a Mojito or something."

Luckily for him, the offer to escape his designated-driver responsibilities for a moment finally seemed appealing enough, because Jay just sighed, pulled over, and got out of the car.

"Fine. But let me use your bathroom."

"I love you." he said, giving him a few cheerful pats on the shoulder before handing him the keys to his apartment as he climbed into the driver's seat. Jay seemed to want to say something else, but after a couple more curious glances, he simply walked back the way Heeseung had come.

They still had a couple of stops left between Heeseung's place and their final destination, which would at least keep him busy for a couple of hours. Being behind the wheel wasn't exactly a relaxing activity, but it did force him to keep his mind occupied thinking just on the road, and that was exactly what he was looking for.

The first stop was at Riki's apartment, which was only a few minutes away from where they'd started. The guy got in the car without even questioning the impromptu driver-passenger arrangement—he was too busy telling them about the people he was hoping to see at the party in a few hours, and who he absolutely did not want to see.