Happier (BTS)

Come Back Home

The warm scent of hot buttered popcorn filled the air inside of the cinema. The dizzying carpet pattern took Elena's mind off of how much longer her shift would last. Her eyes traced over the red, yellow, and blue swirls that twisted through the rough fabric.

It was a rather slow night, as even Elena found the selection of films to be rather dull. Benjamin was due home by ten, and it was ten thirty now.

Why did she take the late shift? She wasn't scheduled, but when her coworker called off to visit family, she hadn't the heart to refuse. Family was the most important thing to her nowadays, yet here she was, missing hers for another night of sticky soda spills and an empty lobby. How ironically unpleasant.

"I think I actually prefer busy nights."

Elena looked over at her coworker- the one who decided to show up. He was quite an odd character, she had to admit. Even his name seemed odd to her- Mortimer. He was quiet and almost brooding around customers or other employees, but at times like this, when it was just the two of them, he was rather chipper.

He reminded her of Yoongi, now that she thought about it; except he was much taller than Yoongi and didn't have the charming gummy smile. His smile was charming, but rare.

Elena leaned on the countertop, her feet beginning to ache. "And why is that? You like the screaming kids and rude elderly women?"

Mortimer crossed his arms infront of his chest, pressing against the shiny, silky material of their uniform vests. "Nah, it's just a thousand times less boring."

Elena rolled her eyes. "Huh, I thought my silence was rather entertaining actually."

Mortimer scoffed. "Always making it about yourself, huh, El?"

Elena frowned and pointed the popcorn scooper at him threateningly. "Don't make me yell for Stan and get you in trouble."

Mortimer raised a thick eyebrow. "In trouble for doing what? I've barely moved since I got here."

Elena put on her best innocent act and said, "Mr. Stan, Mo yelled at me, a sweet and innocent girl, and now I'm emotionally distraught. Please tell the bully to leave me alone." She ended with a dramatic, doe-eyed expression.

Mortimer watched her from the corner of his eye. He shook his head. "Wow, you really showed me who's boss." He said dryly.

Shrugging, Elena said, "I think Stan is pretty scary actually."

"Oh, he definitely is. Black hair, a tazer, and 280lbs of pure man right there. I piss myself just at the thought of him." Mortimer shuddered dramatically as he looked off into the distance. 

Elena laughed softly and straightened up from leaning on the counter. She glanced at her watch- 10:42.

Mortimer noticed this and joked, "Got a date or something?"

The hum of the heating filled the room as Elena answered, "No, my brother came home today. I just want to see him, ya know?"

Running a hand through his light brown hair, Mortimer whistled. "Man, you and Ben were, and still are, the weirdest siblings I've ever met. I've never seen you two bicker, and you're excited to see him. The thought of actually liking my sister makes me want to vomit." He joked.

Playing with the hem of her red vest, Elena just nodded her head absent-mindedly.

Mortimer lost his joking demeanor and took a step towards his coworker and friend. "Hey, I know it's been rough for you recently. I didn't mean to upset you."

Elena looked up at Mo, noticing that his eyes were the most beautiful shade of blue she had ever seen. She smiled. "You didn't upset me, Mo." she tilted her head slightly, "but you should love your sibling more. You never know when they'll leave."

Mortimer nodded and ruffled her hair- something he did often to his little sister. Though he'd never admit it, he respected Elena as an individual. Elena was two years older than him, but acted as if she was eighty years older in terms of maturity and wisdom. "You know what will cheer you up?" Mo headed over to the snack bar, reaching into the glass case and pulling out a bag of Twizzlers. He tossed the package to her, which she fumbled with but eventually caught. "My treat."

While Mo paid for the Twizzlers, Elena looked at him with wide eyes. "How did you know they were my favorite?" She asked.

Mortimer remained focused on counting the cash in his wallet. "I pay attention. You told a little kid that they were your favorite last week, and I remembered." He shrugged and shut the register, "You're welcome, by the way."

"Oh, yeah, thank you," Elena said, bowing her head slightly. She opened the package and handed a Twizzler to Mortimer before taking one herself.

As she munched on the tough rope-shaped candy, Elena had barely registered the door to the cinema opening and closing.

"Funny, Twizzlers are my favorite too." She froze briefly before looking up from the back to find Benjamin waltzing into the lobby like he owned the place. He smiled and shoved his hands in his jacket pockets as he continued, "Your film selection sucks today."

Elena regained her composure and scoffed, "So does your attitude, but that's everyday."

Benjamin never lost his smile as he said, "I learn from my sister."

"Learning suggests you have a brain with the potential to do so. Don't overstep your boundaries." Elena no longer fought off her smile as she walked out from behind the counter.

Benjamin took his hands out of his pockets and held them up in surrender. He looked back behind the counter and waved, "Sup, Mo?" He greeted.

Mortimer looked up from where he had been mindlessly wiping the glass countertop. He smiled and waved, "Hey, Ben. Glad you're here to finally shut her up."

Elena mocked offense as she looked back at her co-worker. "Get back to work, Rag Boy." She said, making Mortimer laugh and continue silently cleaning behind the counter.

Finally reaching Benjamin, Elena wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. "Is everything okay back in Seoul?" She asked as she pulled away.

"I have to go back for managing a performance in two weeks. I tried to get off the whole month, but I couldn't on such short notice." Benjamin paused when he saw Elena's wide-eyed, innocent expression. He grinned slightly and continued, "If you're referring to the guys, they all miss you dearly."

Elena looked surprised, as she was almost disappointed in herself that she hadn't even thought of them. "Yeah, I miss them too." She muttered before quickly covering up her frown with a smile, "Well, I still have half an hour before my shift ends. Are you staying at mom and dad's?" She only briefly flinched when she remembered her mom didn't live in that house anymore.

Benjamin nodded, covering up the fact that he noticed as well. "Yeah, I figured I'd stop here first since it's on my way from the airport. I took a taxi here." When Elena only gave him a blank stare, he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "Ah, yeah, you gotta give me a ride home by the way. Taxis are expensive as Hell."

Elena crossed her arms in front of her. "Fine, but if you touch the radio I'll cut you."

"No promises."