She’s a Fire-Chapter XVII
Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw x OFC/
Reader (no use of y/n)
Burning right through my mind
(previous chapter here, next chapter here)
Warnings: girl on girl and boy on boy kissing, p in v, etc.
The days pass quickly and January turns to February.
Sunny and Bob planned their engagement party the weekend before Valentine’s Day at a local, fancy-ish brewery.
You help decorate while the guys pick up the flowers and cupcakes and change with Sunny in the private bathroom before the guests arrive.
“Great minds think alike,” Sunny smiles as you pull on the black lingerie you bought with her that day the guys were deployed. You laugh when you turn and see she’s wearing the white set.
You pull on your black jumpsuit and help her zip the back of her dress as she sighs.
“As much as I love my parents and am so glad they’re here, I need a break after this.” Her parents were in town, staying in her and Bob’s guest room.
“Understandable. Why don’t you come over after? We can have a little after-party? I’ve got a bottle of Don Julio I’ve been wanting to open…”
“Have I ever turned down tequila?”
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A large calloused hand brushes over your ass and you smile as you smell Bradley’s familiar cologne. He stands beside you as you people watch.
“You look stunning,” he murmurs. “No underwear?”
“Thank you, you do too,” and he does, charcoal gray slacks and a black button-down. “And yes actually, I am. The set from the pictures.”
He sucks in a breath. “Sunny’s handprint there too? I saw you two come out of the bathroom together.”
“You know it.” You tease.
“Stop, you’re making me hard,” he chuckles. You think he’s joking but he moves behind you, pulling you against his front to prove it.
“You are insatiable. I love it and you.” You say, leaning your head back against his chest.
“I love you too, Row.” He kisses the top of your head.
“I invited Bob and Sunny back to the house for an after-party, I hope that’s okay. Sunny needs a break from her parents.”
“Yeah, of course.”
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
The majority of the guests leave by 8 and you’re back to your place by 9. Bob and Sun pull in behind you.
You lead everyone to the living room and start to ask about the wedding but Sunny interrupts.
“Enough wedding talk for tonight. Where’s that tequila?” Sunny asks with a grin.
Bradley gets the bottle from the kitchen brings it back with a few beers for everyone and hands them out. He pops the top and takes a swig before handing it to Sunny, who passes it to Bob and then you.
Sunny’s perched on Bob’s lap in the recliner across from where your legs are draped over Bradley on the couch.
Bradley turns on music for some background noise and soon the energy shifts, everyone’s feeling buzzed.
“Let’s take it back. Bradley, truth or dare?” Sunny asks.
“Oh, Sunny-girl…truth.” He says and takes a swig from the bottle.
“I gotta know. Your callsign. What’s the story?”
“You’re never gonna let it go, are you?” He asks, and she shakes her head with a grin.
Bob snorts, he was told the reason shortly after he joined the squad.
“It’s a nod to my dad…” he starts and Sunny groans—the same thing he always tells her when she’s asked, “and, you know” his eyes flick to his groin and he flushes.
“I fucking knew it!” Sunny throws her head back and laughs, “That wasn’t so hard now was it?”
Bradley rolls his eyes. “Bob, truth or dare?”
“Truth,” he replies.
Even though he’s comfortable around you both now, Bradley goes easy on him. “Where’s the riskiest place you’ve had sex?”
Sweet, shy Bob blushes, but surprises you with his answer. “Probably the first time Sunny gave me roadhead. It doesn’t sound that risky but a cop stopped behind us at a red light and she uh…kept going.”
Sunny shrugs like it’s no big deal.
“Jesus Sun, you’re gonna give the man a heart attack” Bradley laughs. She smiles and takes a swig.
“Row?” Bob asks.
“Truth” you reply, not yet ready for a dare.
“I hear you have quite the collection… what’s your favorite sex toy?
You smile, and cup Bradley, who grunts. “This one, second would be the bullet vibe.”
“Sunny, truth or dare?” You ask.
“Hmm I’ll keep it going, truth.”
“Have you ever kissed another woman, besides me?” You wink at her.
The guys look at each other. “When did you guys kiss?” Bradley asks.
“Just you, Row” Sunny replies to you and then answers Bradley. “In college, we made out at a frat party for some contest they were doing. We won though.”
Bradley’s cock twitches under your thighs.
“Easiest $100 I ever made,” you laugh.
“Agreed and you’re a great kisser. Bradley, your turn again.”
“I’m not gonna be the first dare, not from you,” he chuckles, “Truth.”
“Pussy, fine. Have you ever kissed a guy? Would you?” Sunny asks.
“That’s two. But no I haven’t, and yeah I’d try anything once,” he takes another swig from the bottle.
“That’s really hot,” you blurt out, your filter apparently gone from the tequila.
Sunny nods eagerly.
“Bob?” Bradley questions.
“Truth,” he replies, his focus on his fingers that are playing with Sunny’s curls.
“How ‘bout you? Ever done anything with a guy? Ever want to?” Bradley asks, his hand not holding his beer kneads your legs on his lap.
“Nah, I haven’t either. I’d be willing to try it, to see how different it’d be than kissing a girl…” he trails off as Sun turns and gives him a look. You can’t see her face, but Bob flushes and smiles before he takes a drink of his beer.
“Rowan?” Bob asks.
“Someone’s gotta go first,” you sigh. “Dare.”
“I dare you to kiss Sunny,” Bob says without hesitation, like he’s been waiting for it.
You look to Bradley to gauge his reaction.
“Go ‘head. Let’s see how you two won that contest.” He approves, his cock fully erect now under your thighs.
Your eyes turn to Sunny. She smiles and rises den Bob’s lap.
You meet halfway, both kneeling on the cushioned ottoman between the furniture. Sunny brushes her lips over yours before leaning in by your ear, “Wanna give them a show?”
You nod imperceptibly, hands trailing up her arms.
“Follow my lead, you can stop anytime.”
You answer by weaving your hands into her curls and bringing her lips to yours.
You hear Bob inhale sharply while Bradley curses under his breath. It’s so much different than kissing Bradley; her lips are soft and gentle, less demanding. Bradley’s kisses consume you. She licks into your mouth and you sigh.
Her hand reaches under your hair and unsnaps the button of your jumpsuit at the nape of your neck, pulling it down your arms. You step over it on your knees after it’s past your butt and it hits the floor.
You unzip her dress and her out of it too, Bob reaching out to help it past her knees.
Sunny’s hands find your ass and squeeze; you gasp when her hand disappears only to spank you a second later. You smile against her lips when you hear Bradley’s strained “fuck”.
Your left hand untangles from her hair and finds her lace-clad breast, while your right pulls her head back to kiss her neck. She moans as you pinch her nipple.
“Christ,” Bob mutters and you hear him shift.
You continue your ministrations on her nipple as you guide her lips back to yours.
You and Sunny continue kissing, teasing each other and the boys. When you finally pull back, you’re both breathing hard.
Your eyes flick to Bradley. He’s leaning back, one arm over the back of the couch, the other on his erection; simultaneously trying to relieve the pressure and conceal it; eyes are half-lidded and full of lust.
“I can see why you won,” Bob murmurs. His shy demeanor is gone, replaced by a quiet, confident dominance.
“Your turn,” Sunny giggles.
Bob surprises you again and stands, grasping Sunny’s chin and kissing her deeply before pulling away and rubbing his thumb over her lower lip.
He steps halfway around the ottoman and looks at Bradley with a slight quirk in his brow.
Bradley stands and walks over. You hold your breath as his eyes dip to Bob’s lips. You’re not sure who moves first but your heart starts to race as their mouths meet.
Their kiss starts off hesitant, and curious.
“Holy shit,” Sunny breathes, and you nod.
Holy shit, indeed.
Bob’s hands reach up and start to unbutton Bradley’s shirt, pushing it off his shoulders before doing the same to his own. Bradley’s hand goes to the back of Bob’s neck, his thumb pressing into the hinge of his jaw. In turn, Bob tugs Bradley closer by his belt loop.
It’s so much hotter than you could’ve imagined. Thick biceps and forearms trail over each other’s toned abdomens. Bob’s leaner compared to Bradley’s bulk; they complement each other perfectly.
A groan slips from Bradley as their hard-ons brush and another wave of arousal rushes through you, settling between your thighs.
They pull apart, chests heaving as they turn to you and Sunny.
“We had a lot to drink tonight. Why don’t you guys stay in the guest room down here? I, uh…think we might go to bed.” You say to Sunny, but your eyes are on Bradley.
“Yeah, I agree,” Bob says, holding his hand out for Sunny.
Bradley doesn’t even try to be discrete, he just throws you over your shoulder and carries you to the stairs. “Bradley! I can walk, put me down! Hey!” You yelp as he swats your ass, climbing the steps.
Sunny laughs but Bob says, “I wouldn’t laugh, or you’ll be next.”
She backs away, “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Watch me,” he says lowly.
“Run, Sunny!” You call, laughing as you lose sight of them.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Bradley tosses you on the bed and shucks his pants and boxer briefs as you pull your panties off.
He leans down to for a kiss and pushes into you; the last hour was all the foreplay you both need.
“Oh God,” he groans hoarsely, as you dig your nails into his ass when he bottoms out.
“Shhhh, baby. They’ll hear us,” you murmur in his ear, and feel his cock twitch inside you. “Oh, you’d like that, wouldn’t you? Should we invite them up here? Let them watch as you fuck me?”
He shakes his head, but his hips move faster.
You slip your hand between the two of you to circle your clit. “Or…they could watch as I fuck you.”
“Fuck, Row. You gotta stop or you’ll make me cum,” he grits out.
“No,” you sigh, your release in sight. “You’ll wait for me.”
“Yes ma’am,” he pants.
You torture him a little longer, pulling desperate whines, whimpers, and groans from him as you edge yourself.
“Please, Row. Pleasepleaseplease, I don’t-I can’t….” He whines against your shoulder, the rhythm in his hips beginning to falter.
You decide to put him out of his misery. You press a little harder, circle a little tighter and you’re there. A strangled moan leaves you before you bite his shoulder, trying to muffle the sounds of your release. He follows, pumping you full of his cum as he groans quietly into your neck.
Bradley tucks you into his side and the effects of the alcohol pull you both under, but not before the muted sounds of pleasure and the rhythmic banging of the guest bed rise to a crescendo.
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A/N: this week was incredibly exhausting.
I’m sorry. As much as I tried, I could not figure out a way to include Nat and Jake without it being too out there. I also wasn’t sure how to have Bradley and Bob doing stuff together when it was both if their first times kissing another guy.
I hope you guys still like it!
Tagging;
@its-the-pilot
@dizzybee03
@sweetwhispersofchaos
@shanimallina87
@blindedbythelightt
@getmyprettynameoutofyourmouth
@lexixstewart
@phoenix-rising-starbird-one
@mrsrobertfloyd
@charmedkim
@k-k0129
@bellaireland1981
@ingoaliesitrust
@hookslove1592
@amiets2
@nero4te
@eli2447
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Siyeon angst? I couldn’t think of any details so I guess just make me cry
Hello!! Thank you for your request! You said make you cry so I am hoping this does, however I do recommend you (and anyone else reading) to please PLEASE READ THE TRIGGER WARNINGS FIRST before you proceed. I will bold it so y’all know where it’s at in this info dump of an introduction. I know this isn’t for everyone and I also don’t want you to read and then get mad at me later because I did warn you. And I’ll warn you again before I get to the actual request, so PLEASE proceed with caution!!! Thank you again 🫶
•••
Pairing: Siyeon x Reader FT. JiU, Dami, Gahyeon, SuA (mentioned), and Yeosang (Ateez, short feature)
Word count: 8,516 (about. I edited it so there are probably more or less.)
Genre/contents: Dystopian! AU, Angst, *maybe* fluff but you gotta squint REALLY hard, Sci-fi-ish themed with an attempt at some horror elements. Correct me if I’m wrong ofc
••••••••••••••••••••••
TW: character death + mentions/implications/ semi description if not full, mature/foul language (cuss words. Lots of them), blood, guns, depression, self-loathing, self-sabotage(?), a lot of unresolved traumas, abandonment issues? I basically made this hella depressing.
••••••••••••••••••••••
Synopsis: In a world affected by a mysterious collapse that brought on strong beings known as “the colliding ones”, You are a part of a team tasked to prevent the third collapse before humanity becomes completely extinct in exchange for total freedom and an overall better life.
Note: again, PLEASE READ THE TRIGGER WARNING SECTION FIRST!!!!! I WOULD RATHER Y’ALL BE OKAY THAN FOR ME TO HAVE NOTES!!! Your mental health comes first, I promise you it won’t hurt my feelings and yes, I do need therapy, no, I can’t afford it, yes, I overthought posting this and yes, I do feel remorse but please remember this is also entirely fiction and based off a dream I had once and a few songs I listened to on repeat to try and get a feel of the general plot. & Yes, I did use dreamcatcher songs as names for certain things and yes, I added Yeosang because I love him. I also love Dreamcatcher too otherwise I wouldn’t be writing for them please don’t hate me because there isn’t really a happy moment, although I did try at the ending. Keyword, try.
But anon said make them cry.
Blame anon. (Joking, joking.)
“We have plenty of time.”
Gahyeon twiddled with the analog sticks on her worn-down tablet that was moments away from shutting down completely if she kept refusing to ‘get a new one’.
Minji walked over and took the tablet away in one swift movement as the ‘game over’ screen covered the screen.
“Hey! I almost beat-“
“I’m about to beat your ass!”
You crossed your arms, angrily shooting glares in the direction of the guard that forced you into the room with the rest of your team members.
Gahyeon closed her gaped mouth upon realizing that you hadn’t meant that threat towards her. She reached for the tablet, only for Minji to walk away from her with it still in her hands and towards you and the guard.
“What’s going on?” Minji put her hand on your shoulder in an attempt to pull you further away from the guard who wasn’t intimidated by you.
Gahyeon watched on from the torn-up couch, picking some of the fillings inside the cushions out of habit.
“That one,” the guard narrowed his eyes towards you. “Was caught trying to sneak into the prison sector.”
“Prison sector? That’s across the fucking town! I was trying to get into the holding center! I have the clearance too, dumbass.” You held up your ID card, to which the guard swiped it out of your hand to take a closer look.
Minji let out a sigh, taking the card from the guard and holding it in the same hand she had confiscated Gahyeon’s tablet with.
“I swear you guards are let in on the bare minimum!” You scoffed.
Minji nudged your arm with her elbow.
“Go sit down- And be quiet.” She ordered.
You walked over to Gahyeon with reluctance, yet you had some understanding that you shouldn’t act like that.
Especially not to a guard with slightly higher clearance than you.
That would change soon.
“Where is Yubin?” You whispered as Minji stepped outside of the room and into the hallway with the guard.
“She’s being debriefed on our mission.” Gahyeon messed with the filling she had pulled out of the couch, the boredom getting to her.
“Why were you in the prison sector?”
“Holding center,” You corrected. “I wanted to see something.”
“Ah. You wanted to see something.” She smirked, pulling more of the filling out of the cushion.
You stared at the filling in her hands, each fiber ripping apart the more Gahyeon pulled each end apart.
Siyeon was the glimmer in your eyes when you would smile. She was the feeling of a weight lifting off of your shoulders after a stressful day.
Her very presence was like warmth to you after a harsh blizzard- And you had experienced many blizzards since the first ‘collapse’ in the earth years ago.
You never believed in love or the possibility of being loved. Not since the collapse had taken everyone from you.
Those who were arrested, those who died, and those who left for a better, safer, land.
You loved Siyeon.
Siyeon loved you.
Those moments with her, getting ready with her, laughing with her, all of those times she would come to you crying because of something bothering her. Every time you’ve cried to her for something bothering you, although rare. You were used to having suppressed any and every emotion to the point nothing hurt you. The deaths of your friends at the hands of the colliding ones only angered you. The beings that appeared first during the first collapse.
The beings that multiplied during the second collapse.
The beings that were receding in preparation for phase three.
The third collapse.
You never shed a tear. Not until you met Siyeon.
She was the first- And the only person to have helped you feel again.
You remembered how it hurt to just feel. The images of your friends being ripped apart or flung in far away distances at an inhumane speed played like a slideshow in your mind.
“It will hurt a lot less to just feel rather than not feel.”
You never understood what that meant by that until she showed you.
“Y/N! Hurry up! Do you want to live lavishly or stay in this hell hole of a city?!” Yubin snapped her fingers in front of your face.
You zoned out. Of course, you did.
“Shit, sorry! What were you saying?”
“I didn’t say anything. I was waiting for you to get up. Minji wanted us to meet her at rendezvous E.”
You racked your brain, trying to remember the briefing so you weren’t going in completely blind.
Besides, pissing off Minji and maybe Yubin was the last thing on your to-do list.
You stuffed your hands into the pockets of your jacket as the frigid outside air bit into the bare parts of your skin that hadn’t been protected by some form of layered cloth.
You followed Yubin across the train tracks, carefully jumping down from the platform to not splash into a puddle of melted snow, and especially watched out for ice, knowing how the traction on your shoes wasn’t as good as they were before.
Yubin looked back at you, an impatient look on her face, though she abstained from saying anything.
You huffed, creating a cloud of smoke in the frigid air. You and Yubin were both startled by a cracking sound tearing across the sky.
“Hurry! Grab my hand!” Yubin yelled, holding out her hand for you. You did as she said, taking her hand before she roughly pulled you under the cover of the roof of the second platform.
Snow- Highly acidic snow- began to float down, sizzling on any surface or plant life growing in the area, whether it had barely grown or if it had already withered from previous snow storms.
“Thanks.” You watched the snow flurry run its course. The longest recorded length had been about six hours.
“The colliding ones must be on the hunt again.” You mumbled.
Yubin fumbled with the lock to the door of the entrance to the platform.
You remembered where Rendezvous ‘E’ was.
It was the place Siyeon left you.
It was an ongoing battle, waking up every day and convincing yourself that maybe today, humanity would be worth it.
No.
It was worth it.
A world where the innocent could abandon the steps of surviving and learn the steps of living.
What constituted living?
No longer waking up and wondering if you would have a home?
No more families were torn apart by the famine or poverty that was brought on during the first and second collapses?
Is living truly any different from surviving?
“What are you thinking about?” Siyeon wrapped her arms around your shoulders from behind.
“Huh?” You were dumbfounded. Unaware of where you were.
Siyeon was back.
“You were staring out into space again,” Siyeon rested her chin upon your shoulder, “something on your mind?”
“Oh.” There was a slight pause. “No. Yes. I don’t know.”
Siyeon smirked, moving to stand in front of you to meet your eyes. Deep down you wanted to resent her for leaving you after all this time.
You couldn’t.
“That was three different answers.”
“I was just thinking, what if we don’t survive the third collapse?” You shared your fears with her.
Something the ‘old you’ would’ve never dared.
Siyeon’s mouth curled into a slight pout. She shook her head, resting her hands on your shoulders.
“You can do it. I believe in you.” Siyeon smiled.
That smile. You hadn’t realized how long it had been since you last saw her.
You had just realized she was standing in front of you. She was back.
You engulfed her into your arms, earning a giggle from her in return.
“Took you long enough.”
You wanted to cry. You wanted to scream. You wanted to ask her so many questions that have been left unanswered for however long it had been.
You also wanted to run away with her and drop the whole mission entirely. Y
ou couldn’t bring yourself to do that, though. Not to Minji, Yubin, Gahyeon, or even to Siyeon.
Siyeon held onto you for as long as you held onto her. Maybe you wouldn’t have let her go if given the option.
You let go of her when Yubin entered the room. You ran down the chain of events that lead you here into this very room.
You and Yubin crossed the train tracks and the platforms, and you narrowly avoided the acidic snow flurry.
Anything, after Yubin got the platform door unlocked, had become a blur.
Siyeon took a step back, looking at Yubin as she walked toward you holding a map in her hands. You looked at Siyeon, who suddenly became quiet in Yubin’s presence.
“Minji and Gahyeon are reading to move on to rendezvous V.” Yubin showed you the map with a sticky note marking the different rendezvous points.
You glanced at Siyeon, who shrugged in response. You knew what you had to do, however. You’ve done this mission before.
Only, there were more people on your team.
Now it left you, Minji, Yubin, Gahyeon, and now Siyeon- if she decided to rejoin.
“Let’s get this over with.” You put so much authority into that one sentence, that even you started to believe you could pull the mission off.
Siyeon smirked, a sense of pride filling her from the inside out. You smiled, knowing she was proud of you.
Siyeon was the first person- Since the collapse- that told you she was proud of you.
Proud of you for waking up every day.
Proud of you for surviving an attack against the colliding ones.
She was proud of you for just being you.
“You can do it,” Siyeon whispered, giving you two thumbs up with a wide grin.
Yubin folded the map, “I forgot the ammo… One second.”
She groaned as she left the room- if you could even call it that, and you were alone with Siyeon again.
“You’re not rejoining?” A hint of disappointment in your tone when you looked back at Siyeon. She shook her head after a moment of hesitation.
“You’re leaving? Again?”
“I’m not leaving. I never left! I just… Needed to get away from the city.” Siyeon defended, although she understood your hurt from her departure.
“You left me.” You reiterated only this time you hoped it was low enough to where it hadn’t reached her ears.
Siyeon stepped closer to you, regret on her face. “I never meant to hurt you.”
“I’m happy to see you again.” You stood your ground, not having the urge or wanting to cry anymore.
“I’m happier that you are safe. But,”
“There’s a catch.”
“Why not…” Even then you couldn’t say it. Not immediately.
Why not take me with you?
The rest of the sentence burrowed in your mind, itching to come out. You wanted to know.
You had to know. It was the only way you could get rid of the ache in your chest.
“Got the ammo. I did almost step in a puddle but we can finally get out of here.” Yubin reentered the room, tilting her head immediately as she saw you.
“Oh… Yeah. Coming.” You gave Siyeon one last glance.
One last thing in your mind that begged its way to your mouth to be spoken out loud for the world- or at least Siyeon, to hear.
I still love you.
But you added that to a list of more words left unspoken.
“I missed you.” Siyeon’s voice cracked slightly.
You refused to bring yourself to look at her. You knew her tearful state would have made you cave.
Yubin loaded enough ammo into two guns specially made for the colliding ones.
I missed you too.
Another missed opportunity. Another sentence is unspoken.
Siyeon watched as you and Yubin left the room and into the ruins of an abandoned subway station.
Yubin led the way through the path of fallen debris and radioactive mushrooms that only grew in dark places where the colliding ones were typically found inhabiting the area.
Luckily, they were docile in the dark.
It was the light that caused them to become aggressive toward living beings.
Yubin grimaced, avoiding the areas with the mushrooms that gave off the only light source in the ruins of the subway.
The only light source the colliding ones could remain docile under.
“Where the hell did you get all of this ammo?” You whispered, although your whisper still managed to echo throughout the ruins.
“Bora left stashes of it all around the city back when…” Yubin stopped herself from continuing. She cleared her throat, moving a wooden beam to the side to squeeze through a tight space that led to the other side of the subway ruins.
“She left a stash of ammo at each rendezvous point. Any access points we are permitted to, there will be ammo.” Yubin held out her hand for you as you came through the tight opening.
“Daylight’s waiting.” She shivered, looking up the stairs at the sunlight that poured down onto the area below the steps.
The future seemed so far away.
The state of the world ceased to get better. You were sure it had decreased in quality.
Officials empty promises of a better world once the third collapse is prevented.
How they have the most elite of the elites on the job.
The empty paychecks that came with the job.
It only pissed you off more just thinking about it.
You weren’t doing the job for a better future or a lavish lifestyle.
As much as you wanted to resent her for leaving, you were doing it for Siyeon.
Even then, you weren’t entirely sure if you resented her, the colliding ones, or yourself.
You and Yubin met up with Minji and Gahyeon- who eventually got her busted tablet back.
A frustrated sigh emitted from Gahyeon’s mouth as she tore her focus away from the tablet.
“I may never beat Yeosang’s high score… Whoever that is.”
“Yeosang? The barista at Aurora?” Yubin asked, sitting beside her on a rusted bench under a dilapidated roof cover.
“He’s a barista? Didn’t think baristas had time to game.” Gahyeon mumbled, looking down at her tablet as she restarted her game.
“You’re competing against someone you don’t know?” Yubin was a bit confused by Gahyeon’s reaction, thinking she had met him before.
“Yeah. He’s the only other player anyway. Why not? How do you know him?”
“Do you ever listen to my rants? He’s the one that always messes up my simple order!”
“Could be worse. I would mess your order up on purpose if you came to my cafe.”
Minji ignored the two’s conversation and scanned the area with her binoculars.
“So.” You cleared your throat, unsure if you had spoken to her during the time you unintentionally spaced out.
“You really need to stop making enemies. You never know who will try to abuse their power.” Minji lowered the binoculars, handing them to you. You raised the lenses to your eyes, scanning the area she had just scanned.
“It’s not like I try making enemies. People just need to stop pissing me off.” You mumbled, lowering the binoculars.
“This is the infamously dangerous Maison?” You were unconvinced.
It looked about as dangerous as the rest of the city. And that was saying something.
“Rendezvous V is in Maison. The dead center of Maison.” Minji put the binoculars away.
“Yes!” Gahyeon rose to her feet. “I beat him!”
Minji chuckled, a smile forming on her face at the younger girl's accomplishment.
“Aw! My tablet shut off!” Gahyeon frowned in sudden disappointment.
“To be fair, it ran its course.” You crossed your arms.
Gahyeon shrugged. “What if this Yeosang guy retaliates in the middle of someone’s cup of coffee? Then what?”
You raised your eyebrows at her, “I doubt a barista in a busy city is going to beat your score anytime soon.”
Gahyeon smiled, a relieved sigh leaving her lips.
“Good.”
“Back to the mission, I will accompany Yubin to rendezvous I. You and Gahyeon will go to rendezvous V,” Minji explained. You and Gahyeon agreed, even if it meant you two would have to traverse through Maison.
Truth be told, you never stepped foot near Maison. Siyeon always advised you to never so much as look in the direction of Maison.
Something about it scared her and you wondered what it could be.
It was just something else you’ll never know the answer to.
Minji and Yubin walked away, bidding you and Gahyeon farewell for the time being.
You and Gahyeon began your trip toward Maison, hoping it didn’t snow there too.
“Wait!”
You stopped, turning to see Siyeon, bundled in a heavy jacket as she sprinted to catch up with you and Gahyeon.
“I’m coming with you.” Siyeon panted, catching her breath as you continued to walk with Gahyeon and now Siyeon, who accompanied you two last minute.
It was strange.
Your estranged girlfriend- or, Ex-girlfriend, even if you two never actually broke up, was walking beside you and Gahyeon, someone else she left in pursuit of her ‘happiness’.
You understood it too. Wanting to be happier and safe. You understood why she left, even if it took you forever to realize it.
But it still hurt.
It hurt that you never got a proper ‘goodbye’, you at least deserved that, right?
It hurt that she never asked you, whether it was asking you what you thought or the fact she didn’t ask you to come with her.
“Agh! I really hope Yeosang abandoned the game… He’s really hard to beat.” Gahyeon whined, mainly to herself, but from the glance she spared you, you felt obligated to speak.
“He won’t beat you.” You replied, watching as the various puddles of acidic snow began to dwindle the more you three trudged into the Maison territory.
“How do you know?”
“Because I know you.” You stopped, feeling the air still around you. “If he does beat you, you will get back on and spend months trying to surpass him again. And you’ll succeed every time.”
Gahyeon looked at you, a smile beaming on her face.
Siyeon slipped her hand into yours, taking this moment as an opportunity. Her touch felt like fire against your skin, only you didn’t have the urge to pull your hand back in a hissing pain.
“Y/N! Was that a compliment?” Gahyeon squealed, hugging you, which in turn almost knocked you off balance.
And off guard.
“Woah! So sorry!” Gahyeon helped steady you as an apology for almost knocking you off your feet.
“Something isn’t right.” You stepped forward, letting go of Siyeon’s hand.
“What isn’t right?” Siyeon asked, speaking for the first time since she joined. You took a few more steps forward, Siyeon and Gahyeon watched carefully.
Gahyeon readied the gun Minji had given her before meeting up in between the rendezvous points E and V.
Siyeon wasn’t a fighter. Nor did she have a gun or weapon of any kind.
Even back then after the second collapse, she served as a ‘negotiator’ or a ‘runner’ who would run and distract the colliding ones for the sake of giving the fighters a better advantage.
A runner, you thought. Maybe it was her fate to run away.
“I don’t see anything…” Gahyeon hesitantly stepped forward. Siyeon remained where she was to observe the area.
She was good at observing things. People too.
That’s how she changed you. How she brought your soul back to your being after it had been broken after so much pain.
“Watch your footing.” Siyeon breathed out, noticing the expertly hidden mines under mounds of pebbles that could- And would send you into a catatonic shock if touched by bare skin.
You nor Gahyeon could see the mines. Neither of you was trained for anything other than fighting. Yubin was the only other person that could spot a mine in an open field.
But Siyeon could.
“Follow me. I know a path.” Siyeon carefully walked ahead, “follow my exact steps.”
You did as she said, not wanting to risk catatonia or being blown up sky-high.
Gahyeon watched you before she followed.
“Who set the mines up? Don’t you ever wonder?” Gahyeon eyed your footing as you did with Siyeon.
“Doesn’t matter. We aren’t here to find that out.” You never intended for that to come out as coldly as it did.
The three of you jumped over the last group of pebbles and onto a patch of dry grass. A dilapidated sign that had “Maison” painted over it hung from the stone entrance. You were sure if a gust of wind came along, it would fall. Even the stone walls.
“They’re here!” Gahyeon raised her gun on full alert, the special ammo already loaded in the chamber.
“Where?!” You did the same, holding your gun up. Siyeon walked under the entrance.
“What are you doing?!”
“They aren’t going to come out if they know you’re armed. I will distract them.” She winked back at you.
“What?” Gahyeon glanced at you, barely having heard you. She squinted, noticing more movement.
“Should we advance yet?” She added to her previous question. You took the lead, walking into the entrance after Siyeon had stood in the middle of the area beyond the entrance.
There you saw it, a colliding one. Its sandy brown skin flowed and reconnected with various parts of its body like kinetic sand, the soulless sage green circles that made up its eyes, and ‘arms‘ that acted as swords or sledgehammers- The appearance of it only brought back painful memories.
Gahyeon grimaced. She found them disgusting to look at, from how you could smell the copper scent from the distance you stood, to how the kinetic sand-like skin would fall to the surface they stood on only for it to reconnect back onto its body.
Gahyeon had a theory, that after they kill their victim, they eat them. Cannibalism, she called it.
But this thing wasn’t human. Not even close.
“I don’t think I can make the shot.” Gahyeon whispered. You eyed Siyeon’s movements, waiting for her cue.
“Don’t. Not yet. Let it get closer.” You mumbled, spotting another one coming out of the shadows.
“I don’t think we can take three of them.” Gahyeon apprehensively looked back across the field of pebbles and mines.
“Let’s skip this point and meet up with Minji and Yubin, I don’t like this.” Gahyeon pleaded under her breath although her gun remained in the air, unwavering.
“It’s only three. We can take them.” You stepped forward, keeping to the shadows to not mess up Siyeon’s plan. Gahyeon followed your lead.
A colliding one puddled itself and re-materialized a yard’s length from Siyeon. She closed her fist, giving you and Gahyeon the cue.
“Now!”
Gahyeon shot the colliding one, an immediate ‘head’ shot that caused the entire being to puddle itself into a heap of sand, rocks, and a very lethal substance that caused similar symptoms to radiation poisoning.
Siyeon ran from her original spot as more and more of the colliding ones were drawn out by the gunshot. You wished the inside of Maison was as dark as the shadowed areas.
“Stick to the shadows!” You yelled, shooting any beings that lunged. Gahyeon paused her shooting to reload more of the special ammo into her chamber.
“They know we are here! It won’t matter!” Gahyeon cocked the gun, shooting more of the colliding ones. “Let’s go back!”
“Okay! Retreat!” You ordered, shooting your last bullet before booking it back towards the entrance.
You would have made it too. You, Gahyeon, and wherever Siyeon disappeared to.
But Gahyeon’s scream shattered through the sound of crumbling and sand falling, a scream that made your blood run cold.
“Gahyeon!” Siyeon’s own despaired scream rang out from across the space of the infested Maison entrance. She was too far to do anything.
Too unprepared as well and too surrounded to help her friend.
“I can’t,” Gahyeon cried out, trying to free her leg from the grasp she was in. She tried- and failed to claw her way to her fallen gun that only contained one bullet. She screamed, her fingernails damaged and bleeding as well as her leg where the colliding one had its grasp on her.
“It hurts!” Gahyeon howled in pain. You frantically reloaded your weapon but in your panic, you managed to fumble and drop the bullets on the ground, some of them breaking into bits beyond repair.
Dumbass!, you cursed yourself.
But there were two bullets still intact.
And there were now five colliding ones surrounding her.
“No!” You cried out, your gun raised and loaded, but realistically you would only be able to take two of them down.
You still shot, and just as you thought, you did only manage to take two of them down.
You were yanked back outside of the otherwise stone entrance to Maison by Siyeon and back through the path of the mines.
You were angry and grief-stricken, having abandoned your teammate like that.
No.
She was your friend before she was your teammate.
The walls you had up that prevented you from getting close to anyone who would inevitably hurt you did not change the fact that Gahyeon was someone you cared for.
Someone you would’ve saved if at all possible.
Someone you should’ve saved.
You pulled your arm from Siyeon’s grasp, turning towards the group of the colliding ones that had taken your friend from you.
They were advancing towards you, puddling themselves as to pass by the mines undetected.
“You fucking cowardly pieces of shit!” You screamed which in turn hurt your throat.
But you didn’t care. You would heal later.
Even if Gahyeon made it out somehow, she would take years to come back from the injuries she sustained.
“Y/N, Don’t! Let’s go!” Siyeon grasped your arm, only for you to yank yourself away.
You threw your empty gun directly onto one of the mines, which not only exploded and sent pebbles flying everywhere, but also managed to take out two puddled colliding ones.
“Yeah! Fuck around and you will find out!” You were crying as you screamed that. Anger boiled the blood in your veins.
Anger. All you felt was anger but you knew later when you were alone, the grief would dawn on you more, outweighing the anger completely.
“Y/N.” Siyeon spoke in a stern tone, her teeth clenched. “You need to calm down!”
You didn’t listen to her. You never listened to anyone when you were this angry. You wanted blood-shed. You wanted the anger to be appeased somehow. You wanted your friend back.
“Don’t!” Siyeon watched as you picked up a decently sized rock, which thankfully had no other side effects aside from being a rock, and you let it fly, hurdling towards another mine.
Only this mine was closer to you than you expected.
“I love you.”
Siyeon was the first to say those three words to you. She never told you about the hurt that came with it when you hadn’t said it back.
It wasn’t that you didn’t love her either. You loved her more than words could describe.
You just weren’t used to hearing those words. Sure, your family had told you they loved you, but that was before the collapse.
Before you lost them.
You were afraid you would lose Siyeon too once you said those words. The last words you heard before losing your family were those words. ‘I love you.’ Before you lost your best friend,
‘I love you.’
But here you were, hearing your girlfriend saying “I love you.”, in a safe environment too.
Yet it scared you way more than you ever thought possible.
‘I can’t lose you too.’
You just smiled at her despite your brain becoming a whirlpool of intense fear.
Siyeon took your hand in hers and you willed yourself to just tell her you loved her back.
You willed yourself to tell her you were having trouble saying those words because you had long associated them with pain and loss rather than love. Actual love.
Siyeon never told you, but she understood. Of course, she did.
The first time you managed to feel safe enough to tell her, “I love you.” She cried.
Then you cried because of the guilt for withholding those three simple words from her.
They were only words, sure, but they were anything but simple.
You remember the faint scent of her perfume, the softness of her jacket, and the wet tears meeting the skin on the crook of your neck.
She never meant to cry, and you never meant to make her cry.
She wasn’t sad. She wasn’t angry nor did she ever blame you.
She was happy. She was happy that even though she knew deep down how much you loved her, you had finally said it out loud and made it known.
“I love you but you scared the hell out of me!” Siyeon was kneeling in front of you, worriedly trying to grasp your attention.
You blinked and moved your head to take in your new surroundings.
Siyeon let out a sigh of relief, taking your hand into hers.
You were sat on a chair in a narrow hallway with walls covered in chipped black paint while the floor tiles were cracked yet still safe enough to walk on.
“Where are we?” You asked her. It was then that you noticed how dry your throat was. A familiar sting accompanied the dryness as well.
“Near rendezvous L. Minji and Yubin had to make an emergency call to the boss when they found us,” Siyeon filled you in on every detail that you somehow couldn’t remember.
“A pebble touched your skin. You were catatonic for ten hours! Why didn’t you stop when I asked?”
“They were going to kill us.” You mumbled. Your shoulders felt heavy, remembering what happened to Gahyeon.
“We could’ve outrun them.” She countered.
Something about her disappointment in you made you feel regretful. You wanted to cry. You wanted to curl into her arms and vent about everything wrong that has happened since she left.
You wanted to turn back the time and instead of Gahyeon, it was you who was cut off by the colliding ones.
Gahyeon, who dedicated hours to beating a barista’s high score.
Gahyeon, who may never beat his- Yeosang’s- high score again if he decided to retaliate.
Minji and Yubin exited a door beside you, long-faced and exhausted.
You wondered how they brought you back from Maison.
How long they had waited for you to snap out of your catatonic state.
You wondered if Siyeon told them about Gahyeon.
“The mission is to continue with the three of us.” Minji rubbed her eyes. Yubin didn’t speak a word. She looked to have already said her piece.
You furrowed your eyebrows, looking up at Siyeon, who had stood up.
“I’m… Not going with you guys…” She scratched the back of her neck, maintaining your gaze.
Siyeon bent down to plant a kiss on your forehead.
“I love you,” she smiled a gloomy smile. “I always have.”
I still love you.
But you didn’t have the energy to speak those words out loud.
I don’t blame you for leaving.
I miss you too.
I need you.
Please don’t leave.
More unspoken words clouded your mind.
I love you more than you’ll ever know.
You began to cry in the chair you were sitting on. No one said anything.
Siyeon, however, wrapped her arms around you as comfort.
Please don’t leave.
Then you screamed louder than you have before.
There were exactly five hours left before the third collapse would commence.
You, Minji, Yubin, all three of you were as ready as you could be. Those materializations of the kinetic sand-like bodies and their sage green soulless eyes. The copper scent was enough to nauseate you from the distance you stood.
You were given a newer gun with a much faster reload rate as you had blown up your old gun.
You wondered if Siyeon told them what happened or if you meant it as an accident.
The wind picked up at a higher speed the further the three of you trudged into their territory.
The colliding ones were hostile, but you three had guns. Armed.
They weren’t going to mess with you yet. Not until you shot first.
You wondered if Minji or Yubin saw you as a ticking time bomb. If they worried you would do something stupid that would jeopardize the entire mission and inevitably the world.
Like dropping all of the damn ammo when it was most crucial.
“High alert. We’re in the center.” Minji’s voice came in clearly through the earpiece you had collectively put on.
“Copy.” Yubin had one hand on her ear, turning down the volume, realizing how loud she had it set to.
You watched the puddles of sand, rock,- and possibly just radiation- moving around the three of you. They never came any closer than three feet and even made way for you the further the three of you walked.
Only a few of the colliding ones had actual ‘bodies’. Those were the ones that stood further back.
“Did you get anything from rendezvous V?” Minji’s voice came through your earpiece again.
“Trauma.”
“Y/N, I swear to-“
“No. We didn’t get past the main entrance area.” You heard Minji’s quiet sigh as she nodded in acceptance.
“We will make it work. Yubin, you’re up.”
“On it.” Yubin took the lead, You and Minji covered her to make sure none of those things got close to her.
You wouldn’t let it happen again.
You swore.
Yubin placed the D.C. device on the ground where the dead center of the area was. Even though the wind, sand, rocks, and whatever the colliding ones had mixed inside of them- radiation?- obstructed your view, Minji had been diligently keeping track of the GPS that marked the spot.
Yubin connected the wires and armed the device that would send a shock wave throughout the third collapse point and, theoretically rip the colliding ones apart beyond repair.
“All set.”
Yubin jogged back over to you. And for a second, you thought you saw Siyeon. You gasped, pointing your gun towards the colliding being nearest her.
“Siyeon! Run!” You screamed, firing a bullet at the colliding one that hadn’t done anything.
Yet.
“Y/N! No!” Minji yelled. Yubin raised her gun swiftly and began to shoot with Minji to fend off the colliding ones that had been set off by your mistake.
You began to shoot as well and realized that Siyeon wasn’t there after all.
Shit.
You mentally cursed yourself with each bullet firing off.
Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit.
You felt a tug on your arm, pulling you in the direction Yubin and Minji were going.
They were retreating.
Yubin armed the D.C. device but you knew you were surrounded for at least a mile.
You all knew.
The shock wave would obliterate your entire team as well if none of you make it past a certain point.
“Cover me!” Minji yelled, needing to reload. You and Yubin did as she said, fending any of the beings off that tried to come near her.
You were making it out of there. All three of you.
And you were going to find Siyeon and tell her everything you never could bring yourself to say.
You would make it up to Gahyeon, somehow.
“Y/N! Yubin! Run! Just run!” Minji grit her teeth, struggling to aim in every direction at once.
You and Yubin, and soon Minji, began to run, sprinting back towards what was called ‘the point of no return’.
“In the hatch! Go!” Minji ushered. You and Yubin took turns climbing down the hatch that you had originally entered.
It was dark, which meant it was safe.
Minji slammed the hatch shut and locked it just as quickly.
Yubin turned on the lights, illuminating the tunnel that led you there once she knew it was safe enough.
It was then you were able to see Minji’s face, her eyes boring a hole into your own, and her teeth were clenched to top it all off.
“What was that?! We had a plan! Why did you shoot?!” She raised her voice at you and for a moment, you noticed her fists clenching into a ball.
“I thought I saw Siyeon! She came back so I thought she showed up anyway even though she said she wasn’t-“
“What are you talking about?” Minji unclenched her fist, though her tone and facial expression hadn’t changed. She was still glaring at you, her face flushed with a shade of red, and a vein sticking out very faintly on the side of her forehead.
“Siyeon told us she wasn’t coming with us this time. She told us when I had barely come back from catatonia?” You glanced from Minji to Yubin. Only then did Minji soften her expression.
“No, she wasn’t. Yubin and I were both there with you- Alone.”
“Huh? But Yubin saw her! Remember? At the subway station? Siyeon was there!” You looked at Yubin, confusion throbbing in your head.
“And she was with me and Gahyeon at Maison!” You desperately added. Yubin shook her head.
“What are you talking about?” Yubin took a step back, staring at you as if you were a ghost.
“You guys are just messing with me! You literally spoke to her! And she spoke to you!” You were on the verge of panicking. The frustration built its way up and threatened to explode from within you.
“Oh, Y/N…” Minji’s mouth dropped into a frown. You felt uneasiness in the pit of your stomach.
“Siyeon died during the second collapse.”
The day your world stopped was a day you distantly remember. Not because it wasn’t worth remembering, but because it was too painful to remember.
You remember how it felt fighting alongside Siyeon, a little after the second collapse. The fear, adrenaline, even a little excitement as you were finally able to save her and protect her as she had with you.
Siyeon wasn’t a fighter but she sure did try. She stuck with you, the ‘strong’ one in the relationship.
You never felt strong, though. Any strength you showed, all originated from Siyeon.
Siyeon knew a lot of things.
But she did not know how strong she was.
You would’ve succeeded in protecting her if you had faster reflexes.
She wasn’t supposed to have been in the crossfire. She was supposed to distract, run, hide, and repeat.
Distract.
Run.
Hide.
Repeat.
But you were both cornered and separated from your team. Only momentarily, but it was enough time for the worst to happen.
You fended the colliding ones off from the two of you but that didn’t stop one from picking up a rebar and lodging it in yours and Siyeons direction.
You wished you could say you both dodged it in time. Not just you.
You wished you had jumped in front of her and protected her somehow.
You wished you had never met her.
No.
You wished you had met her in a better world.
“Siyeon, come on, stay with me! You’ll be fine!” You helped her onto a subway platform and hurried into a room that seemed out of place with the structure of the subway station.
Still, you had tried to get Siyeon through the door opposite of the way you two came in from. Siyeon tried her best, but she had already succumbed to the exhaustion and lightheadedness she felt.
She couldn’t do it.
“How many people survive wounds like this?” Siyeon struggled to get that sentence out, yet she still got it out flawlessly.
“Looks like you’ll be the first.”
You were dead serious too. A little in denial.
Or, fully in denial, but you believed it at the time. You weren’t losing her.
Siyeon saw the humor in that, even in pain, she managed to smile.
“I love you. You know that.”
You did but you weren’t letting her give up on herself.
“Sit with me.” Her voice was weaker than before.
“No. You need to get up. We are going to get to a hospital and you will get proper medical attention and… And… I’m not losing you!”
You didn’t care that your voice cracked or that the lump in your throat hurt from trying to suppress your emotions.
“Sit.” Siyeon repeated, weakly tugging on your hand.
You gave in. Of course you did. She had that effect on you.
“I’m not going to make it. I know you know this.” Siyeon tried her best to stay awake. She really did, and every second she spent trying to keep herself awake, the more she felt exhausted.
“I love you. Always have.”
You wrapped your arms around her, kissing her cheek while she was still awake to feel it. You began to sob, feeling her fall limp.
“Please don’t leave.”
No response.
“Please… Please don’t leave.”
You screamed, begging whatever higher power was listening to bring her back, make her okay, to somehow teleport her to a hospital.
“Y/N?”
In your despair from remembering a painful memory, you realized where you were. But you didn’t know what happened.
You were back at the apartment you shared with Siyeon, sitting on the edge of the bed and staring out of the window.
“What are you thinking about?” It was Siyeon. She walked around and sat in the empty spot beside you. “Better view than the room you shared with Minji, Yubin, and Gahyeon, right?”
You looked at her with tear-stained cheeks and more flooding down your face the more you looked at her. She was alive and healthy and it felt so real.
“It… Is better.” You muttered, the lump in your throat ached worse than it had moments before. “But it hurts.”
“You know I would never hurt you. Not intentionally.” Siyeon put her hand on your thigh with reassurance.
“You have hurt me.”
You wiped your eyes, standing up.
“You fucking died!”
Siyeon was taken aback. You knew she wasn’t really there. You knew it wasn’t her talking. Anything she said to you at that moment were words she’s spoken before.
Words you remembered her saying and words you knew she was saying to try and make you feel better.
She knew you. But you also knew her.
And it hurt.
You dug your fingertips into your scalp trying to appease the frustration you felt.
“Please calm down.” Siyeon sat where she had been, unflinching, but the concern in her voice said otherwise.
“No, Siyeon! You can’t just fix me and then leave me to fall apart again!” You were hyperventilating, the pain growing inside of you. Every feeling bottled inside had exploded within you.
It was unbearable.
“I told you, I never left. I was always here with you.” Siyeon moved from the spot on the bed and kneeled beside you, engulfing you in her arms.
As comforting as it was, it only hurt more because you knew she wasn’t actually there. Not physically.
“Why did you leave without me?”
No answer. She would never answer a question like that. Not with what it implied.
She would have wanted you to be happy, and outlive the colliding ones.
But you were you.
What other people wanted isn’t what you wanted. Not without her.
“I still love you.” You forced out, thinking it would be the last time you ever would see her.
Even if you knew her response, she would never know. You always had trouble sharing your true feelings. And when you did, it wasn’t often and it was only to Siyeon. No one else got nearly as close to you as she did.
But it didn’t make anything you said any less true.
Siyeon kissed your forehead. Not because she chose to, but because it’s what you remember her doing previous times you had broken down.
“I’m here. I will always be here.”
And she would hold you until you felt okay again.
“I miss you.” You babbled.
“I need you.”
Siyeon didn’t say anything. You wondered if it would hurt more or less if she did.
It was easier pretending she had left without a second word. You convinced yourself she just left for her hometown and didn’t tell anyone where.
Even though you were there to witness her last breath, you were in denial. It was easier.
“I don’t blame you for leaving.”
Maybe you did blame her deep down for leaving you the way she did.
Maybe she blamed you too.
It wasn’t your choice and it wasn’t hers either. It was just the way you two were brought together and pulled apart.
You felt freezing and heard the rapid fire of gunshots around you. Instead of your old apartment, you were in the center of the town you, ever so reluctantly, referred to as home.
Siyeon was no longer with you.
“Y/N!” Yubin sprinted towards you at full speed and pushed you behind cover as one of the colliding ones had detached its ‘arm’ and flung it at you before it reattached to its body like a boomerang.
You felt the fire radiating heat from the buildings around you. You wondered how the pouring rain hadn’t set them out yet.
Maybe in a minute, the fires would dissipate.
Maybe nothing was real.
The device.
You almost forgot about how Yubin had planted the D.C. device.
She must’ve set it off while you were shut off from reality.
“If you die, Minji will kill you!” Yubin helped you stand before raising her gun once again, “and trust me when I say I’m not joking!”
Yubin jogged away, shooting at any of the colliding ones that stood in her way. You looked around, realizing how many of the colliding ones there were that were left after the shockwave blast who were most likely retaliating.
You knew you at least had to pull yourself together. If not for Minji or Yubin, then Siyeon.
“Give them a reason to fear you.”
You checked the chamber of your gun, making sure you had a full round, then you began to fire.
“Welcome to Aurora! What can I do for you?”
You squinted at the name tag safety pinned to the barista’s shirt.
Yeosang.
“Yeosang?” You read out loud.
Yeosang slowly nodded in response. “Do I know you?”
You shook your head, stepping closer to the table he had begun cleaning before you had walked in.
“You do know a friend of mine.”
“Enlighten me.” He set down the rag, his eyebrows furrowed when you handed him your phone that had the leaderboards of the game he and Gahyeon competed against each other in, opened up on the screen.
“Oh. Odd eye! I haven’t played that in months.” He reminisced. “Gahyeon is your friend? I actually didn’t know her. I see she did beat my score though. Didn’t think I’d ever see the day.”
“What?”
“I’m not saying she was bad at the game, just didn’t think anyone else played much… Or that she played often.” Yeosang shrugged, handing the phone back to you before finishing wiping down the table he stood in front of.
“Do you still play?” You asked, pocketing your phone. Yeosang let out a small chuckle, “off and on. I’ll probably revisit it later, now that you mention it. Tell Gahyeon congratulations though.”
“Yeosang.”
He looked at you again, not yet used to being referred to by his actual name while working.
“Gahyeon… Gahyeon passed away.”
Yeosang froze as he wasn’t sure what to say. Especially not about someone he had only known through the leaderboards of the ‘Odd eye’ game.
“Oh… I’m so sorry.”
You stepped closer to where he had moved to. It was just the two of you in the cafe.
“If you decide to play again,” you paused, feeling a lump in your throat forming. “Please, don’t beat her score. It was the last thing she was proud of.”
Yeosang immediately gave you a thumbs up without a second thought, “Whatever your name is, you have my word.”
“Thank you.”
You left the cafe, the bell dinging as the door shut behind you. Whether he would keep his word or not, you trusted he would.
You walked through the streets as many construction workers and volunteers worked to rebuild the city after you, Minji, Yubin, and any volunteers from the militia had successfully- although very destructively, prevented the third collapse.
You took out the folded map from your back pocket and unfolded it to route the direction you needed to take out of the city and to the town Siyeon had once talked about.
Whether it was a town worth it or not, Siyeon used to live there before you two had met.
You read over the sticky note stuck to the map beside the circled location of the town you were headed for.
‘Bring back a souvenir - Yubin and Minji.’
It’s been years since the prevention of the third collapse. Years since you’ve heard from Yubin and Minji.
Not that they never tried reaching you, just that they were busy with other things.
You learned to come to terms with losing Siyeon, though you still have your moments.
Even years later, you never found love in someone else. Nor did you look for it.
As far as you were concerned, Siyeon was the only person you have and would ever love.
You walked out to your garden to upkeep your plants. It’s the only hobby you picked up as a coping mechanism that somewhat helped you.
You still bottled your feelings inside, not having anyone to talk to about them. Not like you could with Siyeon.
You watered your plants evenly and got carried away, lost in your own world. You almost didn’t notice the three shadows cast over you and your plants.
Curious, you turned around as you hadn’t had a visitor in a long time.
“Do you have our souvenirs?” Yubin grinned. She was the first to hug you.
Then Minji, who held onto you tighter than Yubin but for a shorter amount of time.
Minji glanced back behind her, “oh yeah. Look who came back.”
You widened your eyes, dropping the watering can which in turn caused the water to spill out.
Gahyeon stood behind Yubin and Minji. She looked a little older, as it had been years, but she was there.
Alive, but you noticed how she limped when she walked closer to you, sending a wave of guilt through you.
At least she was alive.
She beamed at you as if nothing had happened all of those years ago, throwing her arms around you.
“Missed me?”
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