#I know he's way closer to the end of the game and I'm nowhere near that but it does make me want to get back to Actually playing sometime

[sysig]

Uh oh he’s also cute (Patreon)

[nocturnowlette]

The Dragon

The dragon walks up behind me. I'm in a nondescript white room. The walls, floor, and ceiling are all the same material: something ethereal, almost seeming to glow but only when I'm not directly looking. The light emanating from seemingly nowhere seems to infinitely reflect off every surface, making it sometimes hard to tell if the walls are even there, or how big this space really is. Though I haven't turned around, I know it's the dragon. I've seen him before, but I forget where. More importantly, I've felt him before. It feels like it's something I've always known, some part of my DNA, maybe my entire lineage. This dragon's presence is known more to my instincts than my mind. His name is - translated to something I can understand - is Sunny. Though, honestly, I don't think there is a name that can accurately represent a creature like this. He's right behind me now.

I haven't turned around, in a way it doesn't feel necessary. I've known his ears, half cones tapering off to a point at the back. I know his horns, between the two ears, bowed outwards and bending in 90 degree angles. They rise until they're just above the ear, tilting gently forward just past the ears before sharply bending straight backwards, then bending one more time downwards, ending in a sharp point. I know his tail, seemingly large and yet ever-changing in its largeness. Dulled fins, equally spaced, line the top; the bottom half, a lighter pink than his short-furred purple everywhere else, runs with slight waves along its surface. They feel like waves frozen in time. I sense waves of something wash over me. Energy? Pressure? Like a dull droning hum without any sound. It's surrounding me.

As he kneels down behind me, the presence seems to double, then triple in intensity; the air feels tough to move through, and so I don't. Cutting through the invisible waves assaulting my mind, thoughts come flooding to me; Where am I? What is this? What's going to happen to me? A sense of danger starts to creep over me, the hair standing on my back, heart rate increasing- The dragon puts his arms over my shoulders, gently, and places his head over his arm on my left. He seems almost impossibly peaceful. A moving statue. The presence seems to have disappeared entirely, giving me room to think. And yet, I'm paralyzed. All I can really do is stare.

The dragon, whose gaze was near immobile and dull moments before, seems to have the shine of the room gently reflect in his eye. He takes a deep breath in, holding for a short moment, before breathing slowly, slowly out. His breath is a light purple. Due to his snout and head position, the breath is missing me entirely: likely a good thing, perhaps he's purposefully avoiding my nose? We sit there for a while. A few minutes, maybe. He breathes in, slowly, holding it for a moment, then out, slower. I find myself starting to sync with his breaths, so steady that it feels like a gentle rhythm. As much as I don't want to admit it, it's giving some comforting solace in the middle of the confusion. That, and the slight smell of lavender.

The contrast of the artificial coldness of the room and the smell of pure nature is dizzying. Or, something is dizzying. I close my eyes, trying to take in fewer senses and get my mind sorted. He starts to purr. Can dragons purr? Apparently, they can. The rumble has a strong feeling to it, like snoring, but I adjust quickly to it. It reminds me of game controllers and earthquakes and dryers. Definitely dryers. It has that slight rumble to it, like something light is tumbling, and the warmth. I'm surrounded by warmth, like a dense blanket.

The arms around my shoulders are like a scarf, the dragon seeming to be ever closer than before. When did he move? Wait, where am I? Why am I thinking about all of this? I open my eyes. The room looks different. I swear, it does. The color is slightly different, but only in the corners of my vision. A light purple? It smells like lavender. I look to my left again, the breath still steadily pumping out. Is there no ventilation? It feels harder to breathe, like the air is dense. I need to breathe in more, but I'm only getting dizzier. I need to find a way out-

"Breathe in, deeply."

I feel my lungs work on their own, taking a breath that feels impossibly large.

"Breathe out, slowly."

My lungs empty as if there was nothing there in the first place.

My brain feels heavy, exhausted.

"I'm sure it does."

What?

"Don't think too hard."

My thoughts are like molasses.

"Isn't that such a nice feeling?"

It's hard to disagree. It's actually very, very hard.

It feels like I've always loved this feeling.

"You have."

I have?

"Yes. You ask a lot of questions for a pet."

I'm a pet?

The dragon chuckles.

"Of course. Why do you think you're here?"

Why am I here?

"To meet me, officially. You've always known me."

I have?

"You have."

I have.

"There we are. Don't you feel lovely?"

I do.

"Isn't that all that matters?"

It is.

"Good pet. Let's go home, now."

Anything you wish.

[drysdaleknieslee]

Will Smith x MC Isabella

This is just the intro to something beautiful and amazing.

Bell met Will through Gabe. She never noticed him before, and neither did he to her. She was just Isabella to everyone else, but only the most important people to her got to call her Bell. Gabe has known her and her family since they were little. She and her family moved to America when she was six, and Gabe was the only guy willing to talk to the new kid. He stuck up for her when kids would make fun of her accent or the traditional Filipino food her mom would make for her. The platonic fondness was mutual and her family was happy that she made a friend that accepted her for who she was.

Now Gabe had tried to get Bell to attend a BC game since they arrive there. He pushed her to apply so they could go to the same school (didn't take much convincing when he told her they had a good dance program and there was a little cafe near the school she could work at) and since he got the schedule for the mens hockey team he's been pushing for her to go.

"Come on Bells you've never seen me play before" Perreault would whine.

"I literally watched you play in high school" she quipped putting on her ballet shoes.

"That was high school hockey. This is COLLEGE hockey. Two different things" he said pointedly.

His whining got the best of her, and here she sits in Conte Forum, waiting for the game to start with her BC attire on. Since she started working at the cafe a few blocks from the school, she made a deal with Gabe to bring him a scone for the good seats. Of course, he obliged.

They were still practicing when she first arrived and she waited by the locker room with two warm strawberry scones waiting for him.

"HEY ISABELLA!" yelled Gabe from the other end of the hallway. He was accompanied by two other tall guys, his teammates when he saw her. He knew to call her Isabella when other people were present.

"Keep your voice down! I brought the stuff, now where are my tickets?" She asked scoping the surrounding area.

"What is this, an illegal drop-off?" asked one of the guys. The other just stood quietly, staring at Bell. Not in a creep way but a longing sort of way. His gaze then focused on the scones in her hand.

"Nah, she brings me food from that cafe near the forum. Genuine I think it's called."

I hand the scones over to Gabe and just stare awkwardly as he takes a bite and makes that satisfied sigh he always does when he eats one. The other two boys eye him, annoyed, as they want some too.

"Nope, these are mine," he couldn't get the words out before all three start fighting over the two scones.

"ALEX GIVE ME MY DAMN SCONES!"

"LEARN TO SHARE YOU PIG!"

In the end, Gabe got one and 'Alex' got the other, leaving the blonde boy looking sad. "I'll bring you one tomorrow. None for those two." she says pointing at the two boys stuffing their face.

Leaning close, she whispers, "I'll sneak you some if you want so that you don't have to fight over one." He stiffened up when Bell got closer to him. She noticed this and was glad that he didn't move away. She also saw a red tint on the tips of his earlobes. "You don't have to do that" he muttered.

"Please. I owe it to you since I'm friends with those dummies too. I don't even know your name either. I maybe can get you a discount in the cafe."

"His names Will. Will Smith. Nowhere near as cool as the actor though" muttered Alex with a mouth full of scone.

"Well, Will, good luck at your practice, and I promise next time I see you, you will have any dessert or drink from the store. Scouts honor," says Bell, making a cross over her heart.

When she turned to walk out she didn't know the conversation that these three boys would have later in the locker room to suit up for practice.

"Hey, Isabella, your friend," said Will to Gabe sitting to his left, "the cafe, do you know her usual hours?"

"She's part time on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Times vary around her classes and dance practice-."

"When are her dance practices?"

Gabe starts to catch on to his friends questions and can't help the wolfish smile growing on his face. "You like her don't you?"

"No, she just seems cool and I want to get to know her better."

"Sure, man, sure. Just ask her next time you see her," says Gabe before walking out of the locker room to head to the ice. Will couldn't stop thinking about Bell and what he could've said to her. He could've asked her about her schedule or even her socials. Gabe's gonna be too much of an ass to tell him, so he'll have to muster up the courage next time. For now, he'll have to think about her smelling of coffee grounds and caramel and hope he doesn't bust his ass on the ice.

[towine]

[alhaitham/cyno] haven

assassin's creed AU / ~2k / oneshot / rated T

notes: i was looking through my writing folder and found this lil thing i started back in [checks date] oh my god may. i dusted it off, went "okay i still like this" and decided to finish it

it's an AU of the video game assassin's creed (particularly AC1), but all you really need to know is that alhaitham and cyno are both part of an order of assassins led by azar. i hope you enjoy it, even if i'm sure it interests like, -5 people. what can i say. i'm just playing with my dolls however i like

-

-

Cyno dives headfirst into the rooftop entrance of the bureau.

Instinct has him tuck into a roll as he hits the ground, but his shoulder still takes the brunt of the fall. He’s entered through the skylight dozens of times before without issue, but never with so much blood in his eyes or such a pounding headache.

He crashes near the water fountain, knocking over a water jug and spilling its contents across the tiles.

The sound of shouts and footsteps approach like an incoming stampede.

“Assassin! He went this way!”

Disorientation keeps Cyno from getting up even as his brain screams hide, hide now, they’re coming, they’re coming—

In his periphery, he sees someone vault over a table in a flash of dark robes. They hurry to the open skylight to grab a rope dangling from it, then yank the entrance closed. The sounds of shouting are muffled but still rapidly drawing closer. The roof is nothing more than criss-crossing slats of wood, letting the sunlight in.

The guards will see him. He has to move—

Two hands grab Cyno beneath the armpits and bodily drag him further into the room, away from the light. Cyno growls at the pain in his shoulder, head swimming, adrenaline still pumping through his veins.

“Quiet,” hisses a familiar voice. “Cyno, you have to be quiet.”

“Alhai—”

A hand claps over his mouth. Cyno breathes harshly against it, barely refraining from biting it.

Then, voices. On the roof.

“I swear he went this way.”

“He probably ran towards the gate.”

Footsteps hit the ceiling hard enough to make dust rain from it, down to where Cyno is tucked into a shadowed corner.

“Keep looking! Don’t let him escape.”

The footsteps and voices move on to other rooftops. Outside, the city bells ring in time with the pounding of Cyno’s pulse.

Finally, the footsteps and voices fade. Stillness remains for another few seconds, just to be cautious. Then the arms holding Cyno release him.

Cyno gasps and slumps to the ground, falling on his back. Lights dance across his vision.

Alhaitham leans over him, face twisted in a scowl. Cyno’s blood stains the front of his robes.

“Did you alert every single city guard to your presence?” he says. “You’re lucky I didn’t keep you locked out.”

Cyno tries to speak but the room won’t stop spinning.

“If we have to move the bureau again, I will be sure to report this to Azar.”

The edges of his vision go dark.

“Cyno? Cyno, look at me—”

The last thing Cyno registers before everything fades away is a hand on his cheek, turning his face to meet Alhaitham’s.

-

When Cyno wakes up, the first thing he thinks is, Ah. I’m not dead.

He’s lying on a bed in a small, humble room. No windows. A table, a chair, a basket of what he assumes are used clothes. The clothes at the top of the pile are bloodstained.

His clothes.

Cyno looks down at himself. Bandages, wrapped around his middle, right where he remembers a guard’s lance found a home in his side. He brings a hand up to his head and feels bandages there too. Another guard nailed him with the butt of their sword. Better that than the other end.

His assassin robes are nowhere to be found, and his bracer is on the nightstand. Cyno sits up, swallowing down the nausea that heaves up his throat when he does, and he takes the bracer, examining the hidden blade.

It flicks out without issue, gleaming and deadly. And clean of his mark’s blood.

Cyno puts it on his forearm, sighing when he does. He never feels quite right without it.

His pants and boots were left on. At least he got to keep a small measure of modesty. He rises to his feet, breath catching when he feels a sharp pain in his side. He pushes his way through the room’s only door.

Alhaitham is on the other side of it, standing at a table as he examines a map. He doesn’t look up when Cyno enters.

“You owe me a new jug,” he says conversationally, tracing over the map with a pencil.

Cyno rasps, “My robes—”

“Are hanging over there.” Alhaitham, still not looking at Cyno, points with his pencil to the other side of the room with the skylight and tiled floors and bubbling water fountain. A line has been strung up from one wall to the other, from which hangs Cyno’s white assassin robes. “That blood was a nightmare to wash out. I’ll never understand why the Order insists on white robes.”

Cyno stares at the robes, not sure what to say.

Alhaitham goes on, “Your other clothes weren’t worth keeping. I figured I’d give you some spares when you woke up.”

He’s looking at Cyno now. His is a difficult gaze to read. Cyno has never understood Alhaitham as well as he wished, but that isn’t unusual—Alhaitham is known by most to be severe and uncooperative, even to those within the Order.

He’s never been particularly warm to Cyno, but Cyno chalks it up to Alhaitham’s pragmatism more than anything else. After all, there must be a reason he’s made it to the rank he now holds: Rafiq of Sumeru City, tasked with providing missions to their assassins as well as managing this bureau, a safe haven for anyone of their Order.

Still, laundry must lie outside of Alhaitham’s usual responsibilities.

“Thank you,” Cyno says finally.

Alhaitham says nothing. A plate of figs and bread sits on the corner of his table, and he nudges it towards Cyno.

Cyno approaches and examines one fig, takes a bite. He’s suddenly ravenous.

“So,” Alhaitham says while Cyno eats, “the deed is done?”

Cyno uses his hand that isn’t holding a fig to reach down into the side of his boot, digging for the feather he knows is there. A white feather, at least it used to be before Cyno dragged it through his mark’s blood. He places it on the table, carefully avoiding the map spread over it.

Alhaitham picks the feather up by the quill, holds it to the light. Then he nods in satisfaction and sweeps away to one of his bookshelves.

“I’ll send word to Azar,” he says, “though I’m sure the ruckus you caused has sent the news to him already.”

Cyno scowls. “I had to improvise.”

“And does improvising have to involve luring the guards to my rooftop?”

“It was not my intention to endanger the bureau,” Cyno snaps. “Call it instinct that I ran here. I nearly died escaping Alcazarzaray. Something wasn’t right. The intel was inaccurate.”

“Inaccurate?” Alhaitham frowns. “That’s impossible.”

“I assure you it’s not.” Cyno sighs and rests a hand over his bandaged side. Alhaitham’s eyes flicker down to it. “It’s like they knew I was coming. You said there would be fifteen guards total. There were thirty. You said the mark would be asleep in his bedroom on the second floor. He was awake and armed. Someone warned him.”

“That’s impossible,” Alhaitham says again. “The intel came from Azar’s personal informants, he—” Alhaitham stops.

After a few seconds of silence, Cyno says, “What?”

“Nothing.”

“Alhaitham,” Cyno says. The sound of it falls heavily between them. “What is it?”

Quiet. Alhaitham turns away to rummage through his shelves. “Nothing. I will just have to tell Azar to cut ties with those informants. They nearly got you killed.”

“I would not die so easily,” Cyno says.

Alhaitham returns to the table with a blank piece of parchment, and he looks at Cyno with a small, wry smile. “No, you would not,” he says.

Cyno swallows.

“Whether or not you’re easy to kill,” Alhaitham continues, and he begins writing on the parchment with a quill, “you’re not safe here.”

Cyno snorts. “Obviously.” The guards will be on high alert for at least the rest of the month.

“Obviously, he says,” Alhaitham mutters, and finishes writing with a flourish. “Are you listening? You’re not safe here. Not even in this bureau. Not even in the House of Daena.”

That makes Cyno frown. “What? Why?”

“The intel shouldn’t have been wrong.” Alhaitham rolls the parchment up and ties it off with twine. “This was an important mission. Why else would Azar assign it to the best of the Order?”

The best of the Order. Alhaitham’s praise is a precious thing, precisely because it is so non-existent. It’s a shame that Cyno feels far too confused at the moment to appreciate it.

“Alhaitham,” Cyno says slowly. “Tell me what is going on.”

Alhaitham sighs. “Here’s what’s going to happen. You are going to leave this bureau and go straight for the city gate. Do not meet with Azar. I will tell him what you accomplished. You are going to take this—” Alhaitham holds out the rolled up parchment, “—and go to Aaru Village.”

“Aaru Village?” Cyno’s brow rises. “Why?”

“You’re going to give this to someone named Candace,” Alhaitham continues, as if Cyno hadn’t spoken, “and you’re going to wait for me to send word to you. Do not write to me.”

“You’re speaking nonsense,” Cyno says. He steps away from the table.

Alhaitham’s hand shoots out and grabs his wrist.

Cyno turns in his grip and slams Alhaitham’s arm down against the table.

The hidden blade flicks out and poises itself at Alhaitham’s throat.

Alhaitham, bent over the table with his mouth twisted in a grimace, looks up at Cyno.

“You said I’m in danger here,” Cyno says. “So why should I trust you?”

“Easy,” Alhaitham grits out. “Don’t be rash. I’m trying to help.”

“Why should I trust you?” Cyno demands. “I will not ask again.”

Alhaitham sucks in a breath, low and steady, wary of the blade. “If I wanted to kill you, why would I bother saving you first?”

The wound in Cyno’s side throbs beneath the tightly laced bandages. He glances at the figs on the table, half-eaten.

He retracts the blade and lets Alhaitham go.

Alhaitham exhales and slumps over the table. Cyno takes the parchment from where it rolled near the table’s edge.

“It’s just lying low for a while,” Alhaitham says, flexing his arm. Cyno slightly regrets slamming it so hard. Only slightly. “I’m sure you want to recuperate anyway, considering your injuries. I just recommend you do it far away from here.”

“And what about you?” Cyno asks, not looking at him. “You’re not in danger doing all this?”

Alhaitham straightens up, tugging his robes back into order. “I’ve been doing this dance for a long time. I know how to tread lightly.”

Cyno huffs. “You know, you say a lot without saying anything at all.”

“And that,” Alhaitham says, “is the way of the assassin.”

It doesn’t take long for Cyno to gather his things. His assassin’s robes are still damp, but it’d be idiotic to wear them out in the open anyway. He borrows a loose tunic from Alhaitham’s wardrobe, and a cloak to cover his head and the bracer on his wrist.

Alhaitham is waiting by the door when Cyno is finished.

He says, “I’m sure I don’t need to tell you this, but don’t let anyone see you leave.”

Cyno nearly scoffs. “I never do.”

“Right.” Alhaitham steps away.

There’s an awkward moment where Alhaitham stands there and Cyno doesn’t reach for the door handle. Part of Cyno can’t help but feel like he will step past this threshold and never see Alhaitham again. The thought worries him, for some reason. Cyno opens his mouth to speak but nothing comes out.

It’s Alhaitham who breaks the silence.

He says, hardly more than a murmur, “Safety and peace, Cyno.”

The customary greeting and farewell of their Order. Cyno shivers at the cadence of his name falling from Alhaitham’s lips.

“Somehow, right here,” Cyno says quietly, “there is both.”

Alhaitham’s eyes widen.

Before Cyno can think twice of it, he opens the door and steps outside. The street is clear, but only for now. He has to move quickly. There’s no looking back.

As he races for the city gate, ducking into the shadows of buildings and skirting around the main roads, a sweetness lingers in his mouth from the figs. Alhaitham’s scent clings to the shirt Cyno is wearing, as distracting as perfume. Cyno can’t shake these things loose, no matter how fast he runs. But maybe that’s okay—maybe he’ll just have to carry them.

Outside the city, he looks west to the horizon, where the desert waits.

Yes. He’ll carry them.

[rsedits9420]

can you write a fic based on the song call out my name by the weekend with mark estapa 🥺🥺

Call out my name

Masterlist

Based of the song Call Out My Name by The Weeknd

Word count: 725

Mark Estapa blurb

We found each other. I helped you out of a broken place.

Moving to the University of Michigan was hard. I wasn’t from Michigan. I didn’t know anyone here. However this was my dream school. I met these 3 guys at orientation, and we clicked. Ethan, Mark, and Dylan were super sweet. They all took me under their wings. It is nice to have your own protectors, especially when they are D1 hockey players. I wasn’t myself at first. I missed my home. I didn’t think I could do it, but I did. They all helped me out of my shell. I will say Mark helped the most. He was always there for me. We have a different relationship than I have with the others. We just get each other. He was attractive, kind, and overall a great person. How couldn’t you like him? This little crush happened after the first month of you being friends. I knew it wouldn’t amount to anything, but a girl can dream.

One of their teammates was throwing a party, after their game. Mark had invited me to go, but I knew it wasn’t more than him just being friendly. I accepted his invitation and decided to ride with him and Ethan to the party. I hoped this party wouldn’t end like all the rest but who knows? It probably will. I end up alone in my bed because a guy won’t notice me. Maybe I would be able to get over crunch on Mark if another boy would even look at me, but for some reason they don’t. Maybe it’s just me, but it sure seems like nobody wants me.

Falling for you was my mistake

As we all get to the party Mark takes me to go get a drink. “What’s wrong? Y/n are you okay?” Mark asks. If only he knew. “I’m fine just ready to party!” I lie. We go and sit with some of his other teammates, before Mark is called to another room of the house. I guess I’m going solo tonight.

After an hour or two I find myself talking to this guy named Chris. He’s in my business class. He’s pretty cute, but nowhere near Mark. But what the hell it can’t hurt to flirt. After flirting back in forth, we decid to go get another drink. As we are walking towards the kitchen, Mark stalks over to the two of us. Mark says “HEY Y/N!” Male calls out. “Sorry Chris, I need y/n right now.” As he drags me away. “Hey! What the hell! Can’t you see I was doing something!” I shout. “Woah baby call down, I was just helping you out. Don’t need to scream my ear off.” I roll my eyes,” Mark go back to whatever girl you taking home tonight and leave me alone!” Mark starts to chuckle,” You just don’t get it do you?” I look at him with a confused gaze. “You idiot. I don’t want another girl, I want you. Did you ever realize why I don’t just go and throw myself at girls anymore. It because I’m throwing myself at you.” He says. “What about when you said um you didn’t feel anything but attraction towards girls?” He looks at me and says,” I lied.”

I said I didn’t feel nothing baby but I lied.

“I only want you. I want you so bad if you called for me, I’d be on my way immediately. so what do you say, you want to be mine?” He whispers into my ear.

Girl call out my name and I’ll be on my way.

“Are you sure? Because Mark it’s me we are talking abo-.” I'm cut off by his lips pressing to mine. He misses me with passion. My hands fly to his hair to pull him closer. “Hey, Mar-! Oh wait nevermind, I’m you seem busy.” Dylan says frantically. “Chill out Duker, look you where right eh. She does like me. Don’t you baby?” I instantly blush. “Well let’s get back to the party then. You want to come over tonight?” Mark ask me. “Of course I do baby.” He just laughs at the last part of my comment. I guess I’m his now.

Just like that, I guess Mark does like me. All it took was him to Call out my name.

I hope you liked it!!!

[gt-ridel]

Okay, okay... So I know the entity in episode three of The Sounds of Nightmares likely isn't connected to Mono at all. There are too many plot holes and it perhaps has better parallels elsewhere. But I don't think it was entirely by accident that so many of us latched onto the idea.

For starters, Noone begins her recounting of the dream in this way. "In the dark... A hand let go of mine." This statement doesn't seem to connect to anything that was happening before or anything that follows. Hand-holding was a pretty significant aspect of Little Nightmares II. Mono and Six would give each other boosts to reach high places, catch each other when making a long jump, or if you were so inclined (and I was because it was cute) just hold hands as they walked along. Until of course that last scene. You know the one. In the dark. When she let go of his hand.

The second major connection is the Mall itself. A living structure, able to bend space and time, and give you exactly what you want if it means you won't try to leave. I believe that's what happened to Six in LN2. It gave her back her music box. How would it have known about that? Perhaps it saw into her mind. Saw something she wanted. After all, when we first find her she's sitting alone in the Hunter's basement just playing with it. Not trying to escape or anything. perhaps it would be enough to pacify her? (It's my theory that Six has been in Nowhere longer than Mono, and is, therefore, closer to the monstrous than he is.)

In the case of Noone, if we imagine it's the same entity, it seems its tactics and vocabulary have improved since Six's imprisonment. The illusions are more complete, less dreamlike. Perhaps as a side effect of being able to keep Mono. Learn from him. (Total headcanon here, but I like to believe that eventually Mono and the Tower begin to work as one.) It's also the only non-hostile entity (not counting the Nomes) we have met in Nowhere. It's just lonely. So terribly lonely. And who can blame it? If it grew from one little boy, abandoned in a deep pit by his only friend. (Maybe that's why his purpose as the Thin Man was simply to abduct children and bring them back to the tower. But I digress) But let's get back to Noone. Once she enters the projection booth, she comes face to face with the true nature of the building. A giant eye working as a projector, and a pulsating mass of flesh. The building is literally alive, and the image is instantly familiar to the listener.

The illusion even begins to tear itself apart at the seams when she tries to run. The same as it did for us in the game. Anyway, I'm not sure to what end these similarities exist. I don't think it was the intention of the showrunner that Noone meet Mono. But hey, I think we all felt like we'd gotten socked in the gut when we finished Little Nightmares II. So is it any surprise that we're desperate to see him again, in any form? To hope that he finds some kind of solace, even if only for a short time? I mean, I do. So even though it's not strictly true (unless stated otherwise by the developers) this is a headcanon that I hold near and dear to my heart. Like a beloved bootleg plushie. This is not to say that I disagree with, or even dislike other interpretations. Basically, It's just that Mono is my poor sweet baby child and I wuv him. 🥺

[ssamou]

LOCATION: PARK (GAZEBO)

all that running around, a short trip through many impactful memories with your loved one.. only to come back to where you started. you've returned to the park, but this time jimin is nowhere to be seen. since the little wild goose chase had taken so long, it's now dark and the lights on the gazebo twinkle in the crisp night. but your eyes aren't focused on that, they're staring out at the figure that's leaning again the railing and staring down at the brook near the gazebo.

╭ ಣ 🐰 정국

jeongguk hears chaewon approaching and stands up with a beaming smile, short hair styled and he's dressed smart—not quite a tux but he's got dress pants on and a dress shirt with the first few buttons undone and a jacket thrown over top in an attempt to stay warm in the chilly season. she doesn't see it, but his shoulders simultaneously slump in relief that everything had gone as planned, and tighten in nervousness due to what he knows is his next move. he watches her eyes drift past him, knowing she sees a dinner set up; the table, chairs, table cloth, china and crystal wine glasses before moving back to land on him who's now walking towards her to take her hand and lead her into the gazebo. he tries to hide how his hands are sweaty and shaking, but he's not too sure it actually worked. once in position, he's spinning back around to face her and let his gaze dance over her features while his thumb sweetly smoothes over the back of her hand. "you found me. did you have fun..?" he asks lowly, hand sliding up her arm to cup her cheek before pulling her closer and placing a long kiss on her forehead. it's his way to procrastinate as he gathers his wits. slowly, he backs away and lets his hand slide back down her arm until all that's touching is their finger tips. "but i'm not quite done yet. turn around for me?" he waits until she does, taking a slow but sharp breath before lowering himself onto one knee with the ring box in hand. softly, he mutters a 'turn around', and that's when she sees him on his knee and slowly opening up the box to reveal the clearly expensive-looking diamond ring with how it sparkles under the gazebo lights. meanwhile, jeongguk's gaze sticks firmly on her with a determined resolve sparking in the deep depths of them. "chaewonie.." he breathes out to catch her attention, a small smile on his lips as he watches her expression. "i hope i didn't make it too obvious what i'm doing here… but even if i did, i hope, above all else, that this had been memorable to you and you've enjoyed yourself." he swallows, "it's been a long time coming. since early on in our relationship we talked about how we wanted end game, how we wanted permanent and not temporarily. we would talk about marriage, how many kids we wanted, how we wanted to live our future… and one thing that's always remained the same, that's always been consistent with us is; we were each others future. i can't think of my future without you in it at this point, and frankly, i don't want to. i want to grow old with you, i want to have stupid arguments with you. i want the hard times, the impossible times, and the easy times. i want the love that you've shown me this past year, for a lifetime more. i want to make more memories, decorate our place with little knickknacks that we'll smile when we look at because it reminds us of somewhere we went or something we did. i wanna sleep next to you every night, holding you in my arms. i want to wake up to your sweet kisses, your adorable way at lulling me awake because you miss me and even in sleep i feel too far away. i want you to decorate my place however you wish because i know that makes you feel at home. i want to be your home, just like you are for me. i want to continue being the one you complain to, that you cry to, and more importantly… the one that you bless with your selfless love. i want to be that person. i want to call you mine; my wife, the (future) mother of my children. i want to be by your side until death do us apart. so… kim chaewon," he pauses, a warm smile tilting on his lip in contrast to the tears that had been swimming in his eyes since he begun speaking. one slips down his cheek, but his voice remains strong, sure, determined. "will you make me the happiest man alive and allow me to experience all of that with you, to be by your side.. for the rest of our lives? will you give me the honor of being able to call you my wife? my world—my heart… will you marry me?"

chaewon was never one for bright extravagant plans. she's probably talked about this a lot before to multiple people. she felt as if the concept of it would make her shy, that she wouldn't know what to do besides stand there awkwardly. honestly, she hated the idea. everything needed to be personal to her or she wouldn't enjoy it—yet walking up to the glittery scene of the gazebo, perfectly designed in everything romantic.. oh, she fell in love. her eyes were tracing over all the details he's put so much thought in to. maybe, she did enjoy the more cheesy romantic ideas such as this. well, at least when it comes to him.

besides, he even remembered to make sure the two of them were the only ones there because of her dislike of being the center of attention in these situations.

all her thoughts became interrupted when his hand graced her skin, his scent filling her up so warmly despite the cold atmosphere mixing with light flurries of snow. the entire event was about his gift to her; she just incredibly missed his delicate touches and sweet words. it has her melting underneath his hand until he pulls it away, leaving her with a bit of a pout lingering on her lips.

but she did as she was told. she turned around with full trust in his actions. although, her heart was racing in her chest even more in this moment than the previous settings she's been in all day. she knew what was coming. he made it obvious in the last letter, yet she's still racing back and forth in her head before he finally mutters her chance to turn around.

the ring caught her eye very quickly. jeongguk obviously knew her well. a giant tear-dropped shaped diamond that's probably made from pure materials—then the band interlaced with smaller diamonds that sparkled under all the lights. oh, it was beautiful. the view of it caused her hand to cover the bottom half of her face. she was already reaching to tears, taking a step closer, then he started speaking and her heart stopped when she looked back up to his own teary look.

his words were an easy way to cause those very tears to fall down her cheeks rather quickly. chaewon was having a hard time breathing through her nose at this point. this entire thing? just to ask her the impending question? he could have simply slid it on her finger while they were at his apartment and she still would have been just as satisfied. but this? this was far out of her expectations. she wasn't even sure what to say for the longest time as he spoke of all his desires and wishes, the only thing falling off her trembling lips were various nicknames that were stuttered.

chaewon takes a deep breath, her eyes leaving his gaze as she looks around the beautiful gazebo and how the snow adds a perfect touch to the scenario. she really wanted to take this moment in, to remember it for the rest of her life, but most of all she wanted to run into his arms to allow the both to sob their emotions out together.

"you know," she finally speaks out after a few beats while her gaze drops back down to him. "if we do this, that means you'll have to let me decorate and add whatever i want to your apartment. no ifs, ands, or buts. even if that means i want to paint a wall pink or put plushies and posters everywhere."

"if we do this.. i'm going to need you by my side every single day, no matter what. it's not 'till death do us apart,' because promising me every single day includes the ones after what we get to live through together. it means holding my hand even when things get hard, even if we're fighting. it means pulling me closer when i'm scared—because i am a lot.. you make me watch a lot of horror movies with you. it means to love me more than anything and to tell me that every single day. it means.. it means—.."

she's having to look down at the bouquet in her hand, the necklace, the bracelets, the gift boxes; but her vision is getting a little too blurry for her to even see it properly anymore. she wanted to say more, she did. she jut finds herself focused too much on her emotions that she couldn't fully say everything that she wanted to. "i—" she fumbles under her breath, fingers clenching onto the pretty arrangement of flowers.

"what kind of stupid question is that? what do you mean will i marry you?"

"of course i will, you dummy.."

[disturbeddynamo]

Hey Dynamo, what's your opinion on the other KGN numbers (+ Astro and Tengu) ?

Ugh geez, where do I even start...

Well, let's start with Cold Man. Cold Man is probably one of the more tolerable out of them. He's actually a pretty, no pun intended, cool guy. He's not hostile, not a dumbass (he's a bit slow, but it's nothing too serious), and he's pretty thoughtful. I guess it's the fact that he used to belong to that Light beard guy before being taken by King. But I like him enough to talk with him and hang out. We're close enough for him to let me rummage around inside him too, something he allows Astro, Magic, and of course King, to do....it's like a dog letting you rub its belly as a sign of trust. It won't let anyone get close to it's internal organs since the belly is one of the vulnerable aspects of the animal..

Pirate Man...This guy is, brutal. Like, bloody "Spartan 300" kind of brutal. This guy honestly sort of scares me for the fact that he would not hesitate on getting what he wants. A pirate is a pirate after all, so I guess it's inherent, but...seriously. I would not be there on the day of "Bolts n' Chase". Brief explanation of what that is. As a way of "entertainment", King makes up some of the most bullshit ass games. This is one of them where it's like spin the bottle, only it's King spinning his axe and wherever the blade points to the near Robot Master, they are it. And the "it" is the prey and has to survive for exactly 2 hours from being dismantled from the other members. The game is also a way to test endurance, stamina, ability, and cunning. Now with that, Pirate does not hold back. He will do anything, even if it means killing his own member just to get to the top. At the end of the day, it's just a game. Pirate is just some crabby Pirate guy who speaks in old sea shanties.

Burner Man....I hate him. With a passion. For so many reasons I will not list here, that is for another day. But to put it simply, he just does not. Listen. He's a total, uncompassionate jackass. A personality like his does not mesh well with mine. A robot like him can't even comprehend a piece of paper towel stuck to his face even if you pointed it out to him, he's so fucking blind. But...even though I hate him, I also sympathize with him. My heart aches for him for sooo many different reasons, I don't know how to explain. And it's one of those reasons is why I'm probably socially inept, why I don't chose to feel happy, because this problem still lies within...him.

Moving on. There's Astro Man. Another one of which I consider to be a little more tolerable. I won't lie when I say that I sort of feel bad for the guy. He did not want to be here, but King forced him to join. I am glad he was here though, not by any cruel means, but I'm glad to have met a guy like him. I relate to his struggle for being at the hands of King. I think we are closer because of this shared pain. Despite his more skittish nature, Astro is also very thoughtful. It may also sound a bit...funny to say this, but I may have a(n) Astro crush on him too, but I don't really know. I could just be clingy to anyone who gives me the slightest bit of soft affection...but, even then, I don't think it would even be possible since I suspect him and Tengu already have something between them. I don't think anyone would date someone like me though, but I shouldn't get too sentimental.

Tengu Man. Iiiiii- honestly have not much to say apart from what I mentioned about him and Astro. But maybe aside from that, I don't see him as the "romantic" type or anyone interested in relationships. He seems to pay attention more to himself than to others. I guess his confidence is what makes him charming, but I wouldn't know. I don't pay much attention to the guy. He does have a pointy nose though :3

Ground Man is, who I'd describe, a quite solidarity philosopher. He seems to disappear wherever, whenever. Then he pops out of nowhere with something new to say, or as I'd like to call, his "sermons". He spends all his alone time just thinking up these kind of thought-provoking philosophies. They're all either about the social unjust between humans and robots, among other things that may change your perception in life. I may not take half of what he says in consideration since they all also sound like something I've heard of before in Greek mythology or old poets, which is amusing in within itself. He's a contradiction. He's hostile while also allowing me to ride on his shoulders, but I guess I should be grateful that I'm not ran over by his treads.

Last, but oh no certainly not least, Magic Maaan. This guy can be annoying. Just annoying. With the how he interrupts times when it gets really serious, he pulls out a magic trick out his ass and it completely throws off the entire mood. I don't hate him, don't get me wrong. Some of his tricks are impressive, but I feel like he was just recruited as a King's number just to preform and entertain. I wanted to mention other things, but I also don't want to think about it... I hated that he treated me like a little kid though, I tell him that I don't like being called pet names or I don't want my hand being held for reassurance, but he does it anyways. I just let it happen and honestly I stopped caring since um..King does the same thing to me (T/.//T

Thank you for coming to my Ted talk. Have a nice day.

[theatre-of-the-mind]

Beginnings: 1-4

>> LOADING SCENE...

Now on the school grounds, Midnight decides to scope it out. There's a tall tree in the corner that looks climbable - a potential escape route. The perimeter walls are too tall to climb over, but the fence looks promising. They must really trust these kids that they'll keep away from it, it almost looks too easy to climb over. It's barely taller than him.

The school building itself isn't too big - Midnight was expecting something a lot bigger, from the impression Lumine gave him. This can't be all of it, surely.

He's forcefully dragged out of his thoughts when someone catches his attention. Someone new has joined the scene. Enter Theodore.

He's the same height as Midnight - well, maybe a bit taller - and is bright yellow-orange in colour. They briefly make eye contact, and— oh no he's coming closer—

"Hi! is it your first day here?"

"Uh... yeah. Yours too?"

"Mhm! How come you're so early? Too excited to wait?"

"I... just... wanted to take a look around first..."

"Oh, that's smart. I'd want to know all the best hiding spots too. I've heard some people can be mean to the new kids, so it'd be useful to have somewhere to run away to!"

"That's not why I..."

Does he think this is a game? Does he not know just how serious this is? If someone finds out about Midnight's magic he'll need to find a way out quickly. But, then again, this kid doesn't have his problem.

"I'm Theo by the way! Nice to meet you!"

"Likewise. I'm Midnight."

And with that, Midnight ends the conversation and continues his survey of the grounds. Just how tall is that tree? Is it climbable? How long would it take to—

"So uhh... have you found any cool places yet?"

Why won't he leave him alone? Didn't Midnight make it clear he doesn't want to talk right now? This is way more important. Friendship-making comes later in the plan.

"No, not yet."

Although...

"What do you know about the edge of the island? What's down there?"

"Beyond the fence? Uhh.. I don't know, I've been told by my parents not to go near it, it might be something scary..."

Midnight makes a bee-line straight to the far end of the playground.

"Hey!—"

It's the same as before, just a sheer drop a few feet after the fence. He climbs up just high enough to peek over the top—

"What are you doing?! We were told not to go near it! It could be dangerous!"

"But doesn't that just make you want to explore even more?"

"... No? Midnight! You should really get down, what if you fall?! There're no adults around!"

And that’s a good thing.

By now Midnight has climbed to the top and is balancing his way to the end of the fence, towards the corner. He briefly glances at Theo who follows on the ground beside him - he looks worried. But Midnight is glad Theo didn't try to pull him back down, or try to forcefully stop him from what he's doing. He may not be so bad after all.

Unfortunately, Midnight finds that even once on top of the fence, the perimeter walls are still too tall to climb over. Looks like the tree is the only option for now.

He jumps back down, much to the relief of Theo, and takes one last look around this corner of the grounds. Before heading back to the tree, something catches his attention.

There's a tiny gap between the wall and the end of the fence, and he might just be able to squeeze through. But just as he's midway—

(/safe)

What perfect timing. (/s)

The playground is now much fuller than Midnight had realised, and Theo is nowhere to be seen.

[@]:

Wow! I didn't know this thing had sound! How does that even work?

[*]:

Well... think of it like this. After hearing a sound, you can replicate it in your mind using your imagination, right? Given that we have access to Midnight's thoughts, it would make sense we can perceive his auditory imagination also.

[@]:

Okay... so how come we heard the school bells and not any dialogue?

[*]:

I did mention before the beginning that this medium isn't exactly perfect. I told you it needs more time, yet you insisted—

[@]:

Yeah yeah, whatever.

>> END OF SCENE IV.

[Prev] [Next] [Chapter Index]

[spaghettibaseddreams]

What remains of family Hwang part 1

a stray kids fanfiction inspired by the game "What remains of Edith Finch"

Description: Chan is a producer living in Melbourne that's currently suffering from a serious case of writers block. He stumbles upon an antique shop where he finds a journal and a key, these two objects send him off on a trip where he learns the unfortunate history of family Hwang.

(Readers can insert themselves as the character "Jin" who isn't decribed physically and are referred to by they/them pronouns, also I'm sorry for any grammar mistakes that I am bound to make.)

Chan would describe himself as quite a hardworker, he doesn't like procrastinating and wants to get things done days ahead so he doesn't have to worry about them later.

He's also quite good at what he does if he may so humbly add, so why in the name of god can he not come up with this beat? Sure he had started a few times but those were scrapped so fast since they felt so half-assed and Chan knows he can do better than that. The man swears that he can actively feel grey hairs appearing, not that they would be there for long since at this point he is so close to ripping it all off of his scalp.

"All right, enough!" He yells out in defeat, his voice ringing througout the walls of his home studio. He gets up from his shackles in the disguise of a comforting chair and stomps on out of the room, any longer in there and he might just stress cry and once he gets to that point his label can forget about the song.

He decides to have a nice, relaxing walk through the city, breathe in some of that totally fresh air. The sun shines brightly and very unwelcomingly for people whose wardrobe consists of various shades of black like Chans, curse him for thinking that nature would be kind to him. After strolling about for some time it starts to get way to hot to function and Chan is nowhere near his home, in search for his precious a/c he spots an antique shop which he deems good enough for his safe spot.

ringing of a bell sounds throughout the small shop signaling whoever works here that a customer has entered. The place is cluttered with dusty trinkets that vary in sizes, some shiny, some rusty, some a bit cracked and broken, all of them worn out by time.

While it all looks so messy and the dust is starting to tickle chan's nose, in some strange way he finds it comforting. What stories do these objects hold? What were the people that owned them like? How did their things end up here and would they be happy with it?

As he wonders all of this, walking around the shop he locks eyes with a book and a key next to it. Coming closer he reads whats written on the covers, "Hwang Jin".

"That's who the journal belonged to."

Chan jumps at the frail voice coming from behind him, his eyes meet a pair of dark glassy ones. "Hello dear, I'm Jasmir. Me and my husband own this lovely shop, if you need any help or questions please do ask."

The woman smiling up at him is an older lady with wrinkled tan skin and greyed hair covered with a shawl. Chan returns the smile and asks about the journal, "it was given away alongside that key by who we assume is a relative of the author, It's not exactly an antique but we still decided to keep it."

Returning his eyes back at the book he takes it into his hands, draging his thumb along the leather binder and rereading the name of the previous owner before taking a look at the key.

He thinks for a moment before nodding and turning towards Jasmir. "I'd like to buy the journal and the key."

after that transaction he heads home, this might help him with his writers block and even if it doesn't it should still be interesting to read traces of another persons life.

Once inside his home he sits at the sofa secured in his living room, setting the key at the coffee table and opening up the journal.

The first page starts with a dedication: "to my dear little brother Jeongin, remember you're not alone and that the people I've written about in this book are watching over you."

Small doodles can be spotted in the right corner of the page bringing a smile onto Chans face as he continues, flipping onto the next and being met with a family tree spanning throughout the two pages.

"The Hwangs"

Small portraits expand along the branches together with names and years that they were all born and died at, all except the two at the very top.

Jin  1985 - 2007

Jeongin  1990 -

This intrigued Chan, what happened to those two? Jin seems to have a death date but why was it scribbled over? And Jeongin could still be alive and well, how interesting.

Chan was stuck on this page for a while thinking of all the possibilities while also taking in the other family members, some of them died quite young. All of those faces smiling at him, drawn or not started to creep him out a little bit so he went to the next page.

On the right page there was text and on the left a detailed drawing of a big house, it appears as if they just kept building up giving the house an unsafe looking tower. Under the drawing was an adress, prompting Chan to get his laptop and search it.

it came up on google with pictures of the actual house which greatly resembled the drawing found in the journal, with the photos along came news articles on the family that lived there. Yet again he was met with the same family name "Hwang" as if haunting him, his eyes still stuck on the photos of the house.

it's located on French Island and no one currently lives there, last person that did was an old man named Hyunjin in the year 2000. After him it was abandoned, some people want it to be taken down since it's scaring children and tourists and they deem it unsafe, just waiting for it to fall apart.

There are also some other people that want it to stay untouched, claiming that the family which once lived there and the house itself mean a lot to them. While eccentric they were friends, they were welcoming and a big part of the community, without the house it wouldn't be the same and the memories it holds would be teared down as well.

Now a sane person after learning everything he just did would think "neat" and move on, but chan is currently not feeling all too sane and is instead finding milions of excuses as to why is would be a good idea to go there.

Like how he works from home so he doesn't need to worry about missing his work, or how this could possibly ressurect him from his mind numbing writers block.

And so he decides that, yes. He should totaly go to that house and posibly commit breaking and entering… Chan shakes his head at that thought. "it's not breaking and entering, I have the key."

With his head spinning in thought, Chan packs his duffel bag as if he's going on a lovely little camping trip and not losing his mind. Which he's not! Chan is just fine and only doing research on a very unique Korean-Australian family, his parents would be proud of their child for taking interest in something like that if they knew what he was up to. Totally.

And once he's ready, Chan gets behind the wheel of his rustic car and mentally prepares himself for a two and a half hour drive... "This is fine, it's for research." he reasures the angels on his shoulder, before the little demons fully take over.

The end, for now

next chapter

That's it for the first chapter, a bit short I know but they should get longer as we get more into the story. All in all I'm happy with his it came out, I hope you've enjoyed it too.

Also fun fact Christopher is the name of Edith jr's son (Edith is the main character in the game)

[mickmundy]

fic rec anon here! ty for the recommendations :] I read the fics and aughhhh im even more hooked now akdjsoxjs all the artists are *chef's kiss* amazing the brain rot truly has reached its peak

just coming in here to say once again that your bushmedicine slow burn is sooooo good augh <3 <3 I finally caught up to the latest fic of the series

its like you're twisting a knife in my heart excruciatingly slowly and the pining and yearning between these two is SOOO good waugh (PLEASE draw out the yearning more i love the building of their relationship and repressed internal dilemas akdhskdhdoah no pressure of course)

once again, I hope when you eat your favorite dish, it'll be the best it has ever been :]

YAAAY ^__^ mission complete... we got em my friends... we bring the bushmed!! HEHEHE i'm so happy to hear that!! ^v^ <333

AND EEEE THANK YOUUUU ;__; <333 i'm literally SO excited that you feel that way, i know my fic series is quite long so i'm always afraid people are like oh jeez fuck that when they see how long it is SKDFKSDK... i'm so glad you feel that way!! ^_^ i'll always talk about it too but i just feel annoying when i do sdflmsdkfm.., trying to overcome that! but your asks make me SO happy you have no idea!! ;__; <333

i'm not sure if you use tumblr a lot, and if you've seen this stuff please forgive me! but you can also check out some of my tags:

a bushmed aesthetic tag for things i think suit them

a thou giveth fever tag for wips, musings/asks about the series, and more!

my personal medic/sniper tag with everything i've ever posted about them in it, like headcanons, asks, and so on!

a tag full of fun ask games that i always encourage my followers to send me numbers from (just tell me what post!) that i'll happily fill out for medic and sniper anytime!

you can also, as you know, always send me asks about them, my fic series, anything you want! i always love hearing from fellow bushmed enjoyers!! ;u; <333

AND OHOHOO don't worry... i still have Many Plans for beloved medic and sniper... >:) i'd say at this point right now, the current fic i'm posting is probably the like... halfway-ish mark, leaning Slightly closer to the end... but we're still nowhere near the conclusion! HEHEHEHE... at the rate i'm writing, my beloved readers will have weekly bushmed fic updates for the next few months, if i can keep going at the pace i have been!! ^v^

about loving the pining... absolutely! i feel the same. i think it can work really well for both of these mercs specifically too, since sniper is so used to being repressed and has to learn to put himself out there, and medic is so used to being so abrupt and up front that he has to learn to be a bit more sensitive to others (and not just when it suits him!)... the feelings are there, but is the communication?, and so on...

i've said it before but i think true love is when people come together and feel something for one another and work at that relationship.. (nothing against soulmates stuff or anything ofc) but i just prefer to portray love how i feel/see/perceive it, which is something Tender between people who are flawed but what they feel is Real... and i also think that romance is what You define it as and it's just as beautiful and varied as love itself! :') which as i'm sure you've gleaned is also a huge part of my series!

we still have quite a bit of time left on our journey together my friend... you need'nt worry.... i won't spoil anything, but things are going to get.... complicated.... HEEEHEE >:)c

[audioaujom]

2:00 AM, Rehearsal Room Hallway

FNaF:SB Hub, < prev, next >

I don’t think there should be any TWs for this chapter, as Ranboo gets away pretty unscathed for once lmao This takes place after finding Freddy near Roxy’s Raceway in the middle of the 2 AM chapter, so enjoy Ranboo attempting to escape Roxy and get a little closer to getting Freddy to Parts and Services!

Word Count: 1850

--

“Okay… where exactly am I going?” Ranboo wondered aloud, carefully inching forward to glance past the large pile of equipment boxes to his right. “Freddy said the rehearsal room was this way, but… It just looks like I’m back at the docks.”

Pacing through the lines of storage shelves and ducking out of the way of a security bot’s stray flashlight, he found himself staring down an imposing hallway at the back of the large shipping/storage room. It was lined with trash bins, lockers, and discarded paneling, the ample number of hiding places giving him a fresh spike of panic.

“Who knows? Maybe this time it’ll be fine. Maybe I've just played too many horror games.”

Before he could take a single step down the hall towards the rehearsal room, loud thudding footsteps sounded through the door he entered in, followed by a yelled, “Where are you?!”

“Oh, great. Roxy’s here.” He huffed, darting down the hall just far enough to press his back to the wall so a large set of panels hid him from view as she began pacing the large room he was just in. “Just what I needed.”

Peeking out around the panels, he kept an eye on Roxy as she stuck her nose in between the shelves and moved crates out of the way to look for him, quickly deciding he was better off running for the rehearsal room than waiting around for her to find him. Sneaking out into the hall again he froze as he noticed the familiar bobbing flashlight beam of the security bot, dodging to the side of the hall even though it wasn't quite close enough to actually see him.

He must've bumped into the pile of pallets to his left harder than he expected, hearing Roxy loudly call, “I can still hear you!” from the main room.

“Good! Great! Actually awful. Terrible. Horrible. Please leave me alone…” He continually glanced back over his shoulder to make sure she hadn’t caught up, unable to suppress his nerves as he tried to keep track of her and figure out where he was going. Spotting a door on the wall to his right, he lit up and ducked for it just as the security bot down the hall came close enough to see him, shutting the door behind him and looking around hopefully for the backstage pass he needed in order to help Freddy. “Wait, no. This isn’t… the rehearsal room.” He frowned as he glanced around the storage room, the hope in his chest crushed in an instant as the security bot whirred past the door outside. “Crap.”

Opening the door just enough to stick his head out, he watched the security bot stop at the end of the hall to make a full circle with its flashlight. Immediately realizing it was going to turn around when it finished, he dashed out the door and clumsily vaulted himself into one of the empty dumpster-like bins in the hall to get out of sight. He sat up enough his eyes could see over the lip of the bin, awkwardly falling over backwards after startling himself by noticing the security bot had moved to place itself directly in front of the bin. 

“Where are you?!” Roxy demanded from the other room, her voice a little quiet from both the distance and the reverberating echo of the metal beneath Ranboo’s body from his fall.

“Nowhere. Nowhere at all. Definitely not here, though.” He rambled—a little dazed. “I left already. I'm so gone.”

Carefully climbing out of the bin once he had come back to his senses, he stole a glance down at the back of the security bot, sighing in relief that it was still heading away from him. Just as he regained his balance and started to push forward again, he felt the floor shake as Roxy left the main room to check down the hall—her wild hair coming into view as she taunted, “I know you’re there!”

“Well, that's a problem.” He mumbled frantically, his head whipping back and forth at all the assorted items in the hallway for whatever could possibly hide him from view before Roxy caught up to him. He spotted the yellow locker in the same instant he sprinted forward, throwing the door open and doing his best to cram himself inside as Roxy’s footsteps continued to grow closer. Taking care not to slam the door behind him even in his panic, Ranboo pressed himself against the back of the awkwardly cramped locker and tried to calm his erratic breathing enough to hold it. “A big big problem.”

“Come on out!” Roxy roared from the end of the hallway, starting to run closer to where he’d barely managed to hide.

“No thanks.” He wheezed out between shallow breaths, trying to force his heart rate down as he could finally breathe a little more normally. Pressing a hand over his mouth and squeezing back impossibly further, he impatiently waited for Roxy’s thundering footsteps to pass him by.

“You can’t hide forever!” She yelled, her run slowing to a heavy walk as she approached his hiding spot.

Well, duh. He thought sarcastically, rolling his eyes and craning his neck down far enough he could see out through the slats in the door to keep a better eye out for Roxy. But I can hide just long enough that you can't find me.

No more than a moment later the bright colored plastic of the animatronic’s casing came into view, her eyes glowing in the dim light of the hallway. Roxy paused directly in front of the locker to give him a full view of her through the slats, her nose turned up as she carefully sniffed the air for any trace of where he could’ve gone. She paused for a long moment as Ranboo held his breath, careful not to let it out too loudly as she growled in displeasure and stalked back down the hall. “You think you’re better than me?!”

“What does that have to do with anything? Are you okay, Roxy?” Ranboo mumbled breathlessly, slipping out of the locker with a relieved grin once Roxy sounded far enough away. A peek down the hall saw only a security bot, so he pumped a fist in the air victoriously before turning away from the way back to the main room and took off with cautious steps down the hall. “Sounds like you got some deep seated stuff going on.”

With Roxy and the security bot behind him he dared to speed up a little, his footsteps quick and silent as he rounded the corner at the end of the hall and took a brief moment to breathe and steady himself.

The hall in front of him seemed to stretch on forever with more bins, paneling, assorted shelves, and clothing racks mostly blocking his view of a set of red double doors at the end of the hall. “Okay then, that must be the rehearsal room.”

Now locked onto his goal, he side-stepped a new security bot patrolling this section of hallway, back to the wall as its flashlight beam just barely missed his sneakers.

“Nobody will miss you.” Roxy called menacingly from down the previous hallway, not quite coming far enough to follow him around the turn.

Ranboo paused with his back still pressed against the wall, complaining, “Now that’s just mean.” 

Peeling himself away from the wall and heading further down the hall, he made sure to frequently duck behind shelving and bins while keeping an eye out for both Roxy and the security bots. He had nearly made it to the doors he was trying to reach when he spotted Roxy rounding the corner—just in time to get behind some paneling on his left side and hopefully disappear from view. He heard her charging down the hall and willed himself to stop breathing, waiting for her to head back to at least the other hall if not the main room before moving again.

“You might as well give up.” Roxy’s voice rumbled loud enough he was sure the panels in front of him shook slightly, her continuing, “There’s nowhere to hide.”

“That is the least true thing anyone has said to me all night.” Ranboo rolled his eyes as she passed by the panels that completely blocked him from view, her growling in dissatisfaction and turning to head back the way she came.

As soon as he thought she was out of earshot he stepped out from his hiding spot and glanced at her back, sighing in relief and starting to sneak down the hall again to try and get closer to the double doors he hoped would lead out.

Ranboo only made it a few steps down the hall before he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up, his eyes blowing wide as he looked over his shoulder only to see that Roxy had turned around and spotted him—considering he was in full view in the middle of the hall.

“I found him!” Roxy bared her teeth in a menacing smile, rocking back onto her heels in preparation to launch herself forward as Ranboo stumbled back several steps in an attempt to keep his balance.

“AHH! NO YOU DIDN'T!”

In an instant Roxy leaped forward—claws outstretched, missing Ranboo only by the tiny half-step he managed to get to the side before he turned and ran as fast as he could, hearing her scrambling back to her feet from the failed pounce in order to follow him. “You can’t outrun me!”

“Maybe not, but I can definitely try!” He called with a self-satisfied grin fueled only by the ever-increasing adrenaline in his system, hurriedly clearing the last few feet of the hall to slam through the large set of double doors leading into the rehearsal room and ducking into a small side room with walls of cubbies until he heard her footsteps fade away outside. “Whew. I can’t believe that worked.”

Heading back out the small door, he glanced around the large room to try and spot where the pass could possibly be. He almost stopped and took a break on the long rather comfortable looking couch, but forced himself to continue looking around instead.

“Alright, so the backstage pass is around here somewhere…”

The room itself was dark enough he ended up pulling out the flashlight he swiped from the daycare, switching it on and letting the beam roam around the room until he spotted a nearly wrapped present box on a table in the back corner.

“Okay! Awesome. Good, this is good.” Jogging up with a relieved smile, he wound the handle on the side until it popped open, a backstage pass fluttering through the air before landing in his hands. “Now I just need to find the lift controls, and we’ll be on our way.” Switching the flashlight off and tucking the pass securely in a back pocket, he ran back over to the couch and plopped himself down to take a moment of rest. “…in a minute.”

[mssidekick]

Before he played the Joker on screen, Jared Leto wrote an album that could be a Batman musical waiting to happen.

I'm probably insane for making this connection and this will likely go nowhere but I need it out of my head before it consumes me.

The album "Love Lust Faith + Dreams" by 30 Seconds to Mars feels like it's supposed to be about Batman and the Joker's relationship. If you haven't heard it, go give it a quick listen, read the below, and tell me I'm crazy.

The order of the songs could be adjusted to make a "Death in the Family" Batman musical out of the songs but in track order here is who I hear as singing (most of the times it's Joker), purpose of the song, and why/who they are singing for:

Birth - Sung by Joker. Setting up his twisted view of the situation, "I will save you from yourself". Sung to a bloodied near death Jason Todd.

Conquistador - Sung by Joker and his cronies as backup "This is a fight to the DEATH" - Joker "We will, we will, we will rise again" - Cronies. Directed at the henchmen as he moves through the chemical plant about the upcoming plan for taking over Gotham, includes scene of him singing to a portrait of Batman.

Up in the Air - Sung by Joker. Night of the plan coming together, moment of reflection from Joker while he sings about Batman. "I wrap my hands around your neck so tight with love, love, love."

City of Angels - Sung by a flashback, new to the city, Jason Todd - It's his first night working with Batman and he's still excited about fighting crime in the big city. Sung to himself.

The Race - Sung by Batman - "I promise you I said: Never again! Never Again! No never!" Heartbroken from the loss and angry from the pain, Batman is ready to give up on the city. "I'm not running, no not running." Ends song knowing he cannot run and must face the Joker. Sung to himself and to Jason Todd's sealed in glass Robin costume still covered in his blood.

End of All Days - Sung by James Gordon and the people of Gotham. "The hunger of a loin is written on his face" talking about Batman, "the maniac's new love song, destruction is his game" talking about Joker, "I need a new direction, cause I have lost my way" talking about himself in his hopelessness and loss within the GCPD. Chorus from the people of Gotham looking for Batman to save them "All we need is faith, faith is all we need" Ending of the song could cut to Joker singing to Harley the punish and pleasure bit.

Bright Lights - Sung by Harley Quin. Singing about Joker and her relationship, knowing he'll never love her, there's only room for one obsession with him and it's Batman (could be cut from musical since it's the hardest to find a good spot but it still fits) "Bright lights, big city, she dreams of love. Bright lights, big city, he dreams to run".

Pyres of Varanasi - Instrumental, opener, closer, or intermission song but has themes from the rest of the album.

Do or Die - Batman and Joker sing in tandem. This feels like it could be the closer of the show song, "You and I will never die. It's a dark embrace." "And the story goes on and on"

Convergence - Instrumental, similar to Pyres.

Northern Lights - Batman upon finding Jason Todd, singing to Joker. "Don't even take a single second to breathe. They're going to send me on a murdering spree. I can not wait to dance upon your grave. They don't even have soul left to be saved." Chorus would be sung to the body of Jason Todd.

Depuis Le Debut - Batman and Joker trade lines before heading out to face each other. "There will be blood"

[mysticmousecat]

Reader tells Viktor she likes his accent and continues to tease him till he can’t deal anymore 😩

Okay obviously because It's me writing this, it's going to get a little spicy, so you have been warned. Also, you guys should know by now I literally can't write Viktor without making him a massive tease so there's some of that in here but it's mostly y/n trying to get Viktor to lose his composure, to which they are very successful. 😏

- The first time you'd heard Viktor speak you had been hooked. You could listen to him talk for hours, no matter what he was talking about, whether it was thermal dynamics or just whatever random thoughts popped into his head in one of his sleep deprived delirious states, you were obsessed.

- While you and Viktor would have considered yourselves friends pretty early in the beginning, you were nowhere near comfortable confessing just how much you liked his accent. But you were so curious, what part of Zaun was he from that gave him such an enticing accent, and good lord were you thankful he was born there because of it.

- When you and Viktor started getting a little closer, branching into the zone of 'We both definitely want to be more than friends but I'm not going to be the one to do something about it' you started to open up more to him.

- Eventually you guys fell into a flirty banter, starting to push the line of just what counted as teasing and what was just desperate pining.

- At some point you'd said something along the lines of 'If I had an accent half as hot as yours is I'd be talking nonstop'. The reaction he had to that statement was almost instantaneous and you loved the way he looked with a blush gracing his high cheekbones. This was going to be very fun.

- You started trying to goad him into talking more, asking useless questions, asking him to describe to you things you knew he was absolutely aware you already knew about, always throwing the lilt into your voice that said, 'I know exactly what this is but I'm still gonna ask you about it explicitly for the purpose of listening to you talk'.

- You loved the way he rolled his R's sometimes, sometimes you'd just ask him to say words that ended in R's just to hear it. You were beginning to cross that delicate line in the sand you two had silently agreed to, but you really didn't care if it meant you got to see him so flustered over you.

- You always knew he'd find a way to get you back, you just hadn't expected him to be so bold. The first time he gave you an order, you could have sworn his accent got thicker and god did it have your knees week. It didn't take him long to find his new favorite game. If you liked his accent so much, well then, he was going to put you through some of the most pleasurable torture with it.

- It wasn't long before blushing Viktor disappeared and dominant Viktor showed up. He took every opportunity to tease you with his voice, whispering in your ear exactly what you were going to, even if it was something totally mundane, like 'Sit here and go through the research notes', accentuating every syllable as it left his lips. Of course, you were stubborn though, if he wanted to play this game, then oh boy were you going to play.

- You started asking him what he'd like you to do. What were the tasks he wanted you to complete, just waiting for him to get that authoritative tone with you. You got particularly bold one day and leaned down to whisper to him just how much you liked it when he told you what to do, to which immediately afterward the dam finally broke.

- He had you against the wall almost faster than you could register what was happening, his lips on yours, his hips rolling against yours in a desperate attempt to get closer.

- Let's just say you guys added a new component to your favorite game that day.

[hcuyk]

꒰ synopsis ꒱ from a dance to acting major, college student juyeon is taking a massive risk by making this huge leap of change—especially when he's casted as prince charming in the university's upcoming children's play 'cinderella'

꒰ pairing ꒱ collegestudent!juyeon x fem!reader

꒰ genre ꒱ college au, strangers (with a mix of enemies and childhood friends) to lovers, fluff, angst, huge dosage of crack. sf9, the rest of the boyz, and bvndit all make an appearance

꒰ warnings ꒱ profanities, bits of a toxic relationship. if you find any more, please inform me

꒰ word count ꒱ 12.5k+

꒰ perspective ꒱ second person omniscient

‘ author's note!! 🍃 — this fic is for @ateez-elena and @nayuyeons exchange fic event. the due date is arriving soon, and this fic is nowhere near done. i feel absolutely terrible for procrastinating, and i decided that it's better to post something rather than nothing. hi dear @jeongjaebae, i was your 🐳. what a surprise 😭 /s. can't believe you found out who i was after like, the first ask i sent you LMAO. i really, really hate how i have to separate this oneshot into two parts (maybe even more...unintentional series? 😅), but i really do hope you enjoy this :( it's all crack in all honesty, so i hope this fic makes you laugh. i'm so incredibly sorry for being disappointing, but i'm so glad we became closer through this event! i hope this fic makes a wonderful end to your 2021 :] a huge thanks to @stealanity, @yangkiwi, @fullsunfluff, @tinisprout, @bbanghoonie, and @decembermoonskz for all beta reading this fic. in fact, all of this part has been beta read EXCEPT for the last scene, so that's my surprise to you six <3

‘ taglist ›› @yourjaylaks @wooyoung-a @kimaya2209 @armysantiny @changminurheart @moonieric @sunfics @lcvekdy @deputyjuyeon @simpforsunwoo @nyujjan @jaekiths @i6swoo @fairycob @karsohn @nilesig @twentysixofmays @changmin-wrlds @mavericsohn @lilyujin

NAVIGATION | TBZ MASTERLIST | PART TWO

It’s every rising celebrity’s dream to walk the red carpet in Hollywood. To take a step out of a luxurious limousine whilst dressed in the finest clothes your stylist has to offer is a dream come true—especially when accompanying the flashing lights from paparazzi and calls of your name would be a bright red carpet waiting for you to walk all over it.

Juyeon knows that day hasn’t arrived for him yet; why would it? He’s still a broke college student attending an elite performing arts university, and the only reason he’s surviving is because of the constant dependency he has on his three not-so-academically-smart roommates.

This point is proven when Juyeon opens the door to his dorm with groceries lining his arms. Immediately, Juyeon’s roommates greet him with a loud pop of confetti and the unraveling of toilet paper on the ground, providing him a pathway. He flinches when his roommates start screaming—and for all the wrong reasons.

For one, the screams aren’t even directed at Juyeon. Instead, Changmin’s scoldings are towards Jacob for popping the confetti unexpectedly. His booming voice fills the dorm when he rushes to his fish tank by the front door, and slowly—but surely enough—his temper morphs into despair as he begins to sob over how some of the confetti managed to make its way into his precious fishies’ home.

Jacob is continuously pouring out apologies although his attention is fully focused on the toilet paper roll he kicked from the entrance. The roll had traveled a tad bit further than expected considering it’s now rolling around the dorm like it was nobody’s business, forcing Jacob into a game of chase.

Juyeon is left appalled by the chaotic scene, and all he could focus on was the red scribbles on the wasted toilet paper that swept the ground as if it were to mimic a red carpet. He assumes they all tried coloring it with red Crayola markers since he can see a pile of the stationary item by the dining table, but then he realizes there is one more roommate he hasn’t spotted.

His groceries drop to the ground when his gaze finally lands on the youngest out of the four in the corner of the dorm, holding a piece of printer paper with ‘WELLCuM HoME, CHEE-TAR’ written with the same red marker. Haknyeon’s bright demeanor doesn’t falter when he approaches Juyeon with it, shoving the message in front of his face.

“Wrong sign, Haknyeon!” Jacob informs from across the room, tripping over his feet in the midst of his chase for the runaway toilet paper.

A ‘huh?’ leaves the shorter male when he turns to face the paper, and his face becomes pale at the sight of what’s written.

“Shit, my bad.”

He crumbles it up instantly and drops it to the ground before shoving his hand into the pockets of his jeans in search of the correct sign Jacob was referring to.

Meanwhile, Juyeon’s jaw falls slack when he sees Changmin cupping his hands in order to collect the gold pieces of confetti from his fish tank, dumping it all on the ground shortly after. His mumbled profanities are loud enough for all of them to hear, but it really only reaches Juyeon’s ears considering the other two were occupied.

“Found it!” Haknyeon announces, fumbling to unfold it. He then shoves it back into Juyeon’s face, making him stumble backwards.

‘WELCOME HOME, CHEATER’ is what the new sign said.

Haknyeon’s shit-eating grin is smacked right back onto his lips, and he has no shame when he waves it in front of his face.

“Welcome home!!”

“I thought we agreed to not use either of those signs,” Changmin mutters, closing the fish tank shut after shaking his hands free from the water.

Haknyeon’s smile falls along with his arms, dropping them to his sides as he turns his body to fully face Changmin.

“Mind you, Mister Fish-Man, you were the one who suggested this idea.” Haknyeon points the paper at Changmin, shaking it aggressively.

“I got it!” Jacob exclaims, victoriously raising the toilet paper roll in the air from behind the couch for the other three to see.

Changmin provides no change in temper by grabbing Haknyeon’s hoodie, eyes burning into the smaller figure before using the material to wipe his drenched hands.

The younger male gasps, and before he could retaliate by grabbing and yanking Changmin’s hair out of his scalp, Jacob pulls Haknyeon back from his opponent. He pushes the smaller male aside and drapes an arm around Juyeon’s shoulders, distracting him from what the male had just witnessed. He places the roll of toilet paper onto the ground while also leaving Juyeon’s groceries by the door and drags him over to the dining table.

“How was the audition?” he asks, nonchalantly taking a step over the manmade puddle of fish tank water Changmin created with bits of confetti floating amidst it. He has a bright smile on his face like everything that had just happened was a daily occurrence which Juyeon eventually comes to accept because again, he has been living with these losers for the past three years.

“Cheater!!” Haknyeon yells when the two sit down by the table. The boy is then tackled onto the cushions of the couch by Changmin, a hand clamped tightly over his mouth.

Jacob rolls his eyes, dismissing Haknyeon’s name-calling with the wave of his hand.

“Ignore him. You know he’s just sad about losing the second greatest dancer at this school.”

Juyeon’s eyebrows shoot up, straightening his back.

“Second?” he questions. He then scoffs, shaking his head as he crosses his arms over his chest. “I mean, I still go here. I’m just no longer a dance major.”

“Duh, but Haknyeon doesn’t care about that.” Jacob pauses. “Also, the greatest dancer is me, obviously. No one can beat me. I’m superior.” He taps his fingers against the surface of the table, a look of contentment dancing on his face.

Changmin’s head shoots up from his temporary brawl with Haknyeon to glare at Jacob.

“Say that again?!” he growls from across the room. He has Haknyeon pinned beneath him, and the younger boy takes his chance to knee Changmin in the abdomen while he wasn’t looking.

Changmin yelps in pain and attempts to reciprocate the action, elbow pressing down onto Haknyeon’s rib cage.

Jacob has his head turned 180 degrees, watching the two resume their physical fight. He shakes his head before turning back to Juyeon, calling back out to Changmin.

“Just be grateful Juyeon changed majors and stepped down from his position for you.”

“Whatever,” Changmin carelessly yells, trying to restrain Haknyeon’s feet with his own.

Juyeon snickers as he watches, truly wondering how he became friends with his roommates.

“Anyway, back to the audition talk.” Jacob snaps his fingers in front of Juyeon’s face, receiving his attention once again. His hands clasp together and provide a stand for his chin, looking at Juyeon with a tilted head. “How was it?”

Juyeon stays silent for a few seconds before shrugging his shoulders, choosing to give Jacob a lackluster response.

“It was...okay.”

The creases on Jacob’s forehead bunches up.

“Just okay?”

“CHEA-...close my mouth one more time and I won’t hesitate to bite your fingernails off,” Haknyeon threatens, eyes piercing straight into Changmin’s.

“Cut it out, you two,” Jacob groans, unconsciously slamming his fist onto the table. Not only does the noise stop the fight from continuing, but it also scares the shit out of the other three in the room.

Changmin hesitantly removes himself from Haknyeon before sluggishly walking over to the table. The younger does the same, no longer caring about the wet fingerprints soaked into his hoodie.

Jacob’s lips curl up in satisfaction when the two sit down, bringing his attention right back to the male in question.

“Seriously, Juyeon,” Jacob tries again, “how did it go?”

The three roommates are bent over the table, pupils bursting with curiosity as they all lock their invested gazes on Juyeon’s figure.

Oddly enough, the undivided attention doesn’t faze Juyeon in the slightest. He rests his chin on top of his crossed arms, looking up at all of them with an impending smile lingering on his lips.

“Actually? I think it went pretty well.”

//

The casting director for the children’s play is Sangyeon, an upperclassman that you’ve known since freshman year. He’s only two years older, but he’s always proved way more mature—whether it be through his actions or his looks—so to you, he has always been someone you looked up to.

But the one thing you despised about him was how unpredictable he could be.

Usually, callbacks would be announced a day after auditions had finished. Emphasis on usually.

What you didn’t expect was for him to text group chat about the cast list being posted an hour shortly after auditions had ended, being the reason why you and your boyfriend are currently racing past the dorms, pushing past students in your way.

Heavy steps down the stairways echo off the narrow walls, and you’re holding Hwiyoung’s hand throughout all of it.

You wouldn’t be this desperate if it was regarding callbacks, but since the official cast list is out, your mind is spiraling with your heart praying that you got in.

Although you and Hwiyoung manage to land every main lead role, the rush of adrenaline remains inside the both of you. Nothing could replace the victorious wash of relief when you see your names on the cast list.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t help how the auditorium is across campus, but this doesn’t stop either of you from pushing forward. You two are adamant on beating the crowd, but as time passes, that little hope has faded.

Hwiyoung’s hand falls out of yours when his steps slow to a stop on the sidewalk, checking his phone for the notification he just received.

You whip your head around as you still your tracks, brows furrowed as you urge him to follow.

“Hurry up, Hwi. By the time we get there, we probably won’t even get a good look at the roster,” you say with a huff, keeping your hands on your hips.

He snorts at your remark, eyes unwavering from his screen.

So you approach him due to sparked curiosity, looking over his arm. His screen shows a text message from Kang Chanhee, or more better known as Chani, that says ‘sorry, man’ with a photo attached right below it. Taking a closer look, you realize the photo was the cast list you two were racing for.

As expected, your name sits right next to the role for Cinderella, but that isn’t what has your eyes bulging out of their sockets.

Lee Juyeon is the name that replaces your boyfriend on the cast list. You and your boyfriend are fully convinced that he got the role for Prince Charming due to the high praise he received during the audition, but that only lands him as the understudy.

“Un-fucking-believable,” he mutters, shutting off his phone.

While Hwiyoung is processing the fate he’s led to, you’re busy trying to pinpoint the familiarity of the name Lee Juyeon.

“Lee Juyeon,” you whisper, trying to rack up your brain in order to recall the face the name belonged to. It’s a name that easily rolls off your tongue, giving you a sense of butterflies in the process, yet you couldn’t remember where you’ve heard it.

Hwiyoung watches you with a clenched jaw and gritted teeth. Irritation becomes etched onto his features when he notices that you aren’t just as outraged as he was, making a show out of angrily running a hand through his hair with a sigh of frustration slipping past his lips.

“Forget it.”

His suddenty disrupts you from your thoughts, snapping your head up to look at him.

“What?”

“Forget it,” he repeats, tucking his phone into his back pocket. He then gestures to the two of you, circling his index finger in the air. “Whatever this is? Forget it.”

It takes you a moment to comprehend what he’s referring to, and the pause only makes him even more bothered.

“Are-...are you being serious right now?” you stutter, unsure if you were understanding his point.

Eyes begin to shoot your way with whispers surrounding you as a pair. While attending one of the elite schools for performing arts, you and Hwiyoung are known to get the main lead in every single play the university has to offer. It became no secret when you two got together after the well-known play Romeo & Juliet, being the campus sweethearts everyone has come to know and love.

To see a mix of distress and confusion washed over both of your faces is certainly groundbreaking in the drama department, and Hwiyoung couldn’t bear the humiliation.

So he snickers.

“There’s no use in us when you’re going to be up on stage sharing the main lead with another man,” he hisses, avoiding the glances from others.

“What the hell is your problem?” your voice raises, growing defensive at the sudden change in attitude.

“My problem is that some dick we don’t even know took my role in the play.” He turns around and starts to walk, avoiding the gazes of others. “Understudy my ass. I’m done. We’re done.”

Your jaw locks in place as you pull him back by the arm, making him face you. “Hwi, don’t play around right now. You don’t get one fucking role and you want to break up with me?”

His eyes meet yours, and it’s a look you’re more than familiar with.

“I’m sick and tired of always being seen as one step behind you. I get the role as the main lead just as much as you do, yet it’s always ‘Y/N this, Y/N that’. No need to shove it in my face that you’re able to land every single role you audition for,” he spits. This has been a conversation you two have shared more often than not, but you would’ve never thought he’d break up with you because of it.

“Are you even listening to yourself?” your voice lightens, reaching out for his arm in order to comfort him, but to Hwiyoung, your words come off as condescending, so he shoves your hand away.

“Again, forget it,” he grumbles, tongue poking his cheek. His eyes are downturned, and he gives you one last look before taking a few steps back.

“We’re done.”

//

“It feels weird to not have you and Hwiyoung making out every second in front of us.”

“It feels weird to not even have Hwiyoung here for the casting celebration,” Songhee corrects, elbowing the male beside her.

Your eyes instinctively roll at your two friends’ unnecessary comments, fingers tapping against the surface of the table while Jungwoo keeps replaying the video of you and Hwiyoung that has been going around campus.

Casting celebrations have always been more lively from what you remember. Hwiyoung would have his arm around your shoulder while everyone laughs about the roles they’ll be playing. This time, the diner feels lifeless and empty with just the four of you sitting at a booth in the corner.

Younghoon shoots her a stern look before his eyes magically shift to having sparkles within them at the sight of the waitress approaching your booth. He thanks her with a courteous bow of his head when she hands him his milkshake, eyes curving into crescents when he takes his first sip.

You thank her through a whisper when she hands you the slice of cake you ordered, cheek propped up on your fist as you use your free hand to poke your dessert with a fork.

“You’re still watching that?” Songhee questions, diving straight into the burger she just ordered.

“More like analyzing it.” Your friend sighs, slouching back into her seat. When you lean over to see, Jungwoo doesn’t hesitate to show you her screen, having you experience the scene once again. You could barely hear what the argument was about, but that didn’t even matter with how Hwiyoung had treated you in public.

“I still can’t believe someone filmed us from their window,” you mutter, shaking your head in disappointment after seeing how Hwiyoung pushed your hand away.

“He really lost his temper, huh?” Jungwoo turns off her phone and sets it aside to focus on the fries in front of her.

“People don’t get roles they audition for. Big deal. I don’t know why he made such a fuss about it.” You shove a forkful of cake in your mouth in an attempt to cheer yourself up, but it comes as no use.

“I wouldn’t be here either if I was casted as an understudy.” Younghoon stirs his straw around, eyes focused on you. “None of the understudies are even here.”

You scoff. “Half of the cast isn’t here.”

“I agree with Younghoon,” a new voice inputs, completely disregarding your previous statement.

The door falls shut after the three males enter, bundled up in coats as they greet you guys with the wave of their hands.

Kevin continues what he was saying as he chooses to sit in the booth behind you.

“I mean, imagine getting the main male lead for every play and then become an understudy out of nowhere. Like, this is Hwiyoung we’re talking about. He didn’t even get a role.”

“Well you got the role of the evil stepmother’s cat,” Jungwoo retorts, turning her head around to look at the boy with glasses. “I’m sure Hwiyoung would’ve reacted the same way if he had gotten your role.”

“What’s wrong with wanting to expand my horizons?” Kevin cocks a brow as if he was testing your friend. “Not to mention it’s a children’s play. We’re performing for children. You don’t see the mice complaining about their roles, do you?”

Kevin juts his chin towards the pair that chose to sit at the bar, lips pressed into a line. You and Jungwoo go to look at the two, watching how easily Sunwoo and Eric got into a quarrel after deciding what to get.

“You pay, I’m broke!” Eric exclaims, showing Sunwoo his empty wallet.

“I don’t think Hwiyoung would’ve wanted to be chosen as a mouse either,” Jungwoo later adds, going back to facing Kevin.

The boy shrugs, adjusting the beanie on the top of his head. “Hey, I’m just saying it’s better than being a second choice.”

“Well you didn’t have to go that far,” Songhee chuckles, patting her lips clean with a napkin.

“Where’s everyone else?” you ask in an attempt to shift the topic.

Kevin darts his gaze towards the clock at your question before providing you a useless answer.

“I have no clue. I only know Yiyeon won’t be coming because she’s with Sangyeon right now.”

The door to the diner is pushed open, introducing another group of the casted members.

“We’re here!” Seungeun sing-songs, announcing her presence with a worn-out Choi Chanhee tailing after her steps.

Seungeun, the youngest out of the entire cast, is a freshman that proved to be one of the more talented actors on her first day here, so it came as no surprise how she got casted as the queen.

Chanhee, on the other hand, usually gets the second male lead, so it was a shock to everyone when he received the narrator role. Then again, there is no second male lead in Cinderella, so the decision makes sense on Sangyeon’s part.

Hyunjae walks in and keeps the door open for Simyeong before revealing the brown bags in their hands by raising them in the air for you all to see.

“We made cupcakes!” Simyeong grins, jumping her way over to your booth.

Sunwoo and Eric leave the bar to join Hyunjae and Chanhee at Kevin’s table, starvation causing their eyes to peek into the bags.

“We made enough so everyone could get two,” Simyeong explains while Seungeun urges Songhee and Younghoon to scoot over. Seungeun sits down while Simyeong remains standing, taking the boxes out of the bag as Jungwoo helps.

“We may have more than intended though,” Seungeun huffs, taking the bag from the two after it's emptied.

“Are the understudies not arriving?” Younghoon asks, looking up at Simyeong after taking an obnoxiously loud sip out of his milkshake.

“How would I know?” She shrugs, opening the box in order to distribute the cupcakes to everyone.

While your table is invested in sweets, your eyes couldn’t help but wander out the window, watching the stars overtake the sky as the sun sets.

“Why would they be?” Hyunjae interjects from the other table, already taking a bite out of the cupcake he made himself. “We all already saw how Hwiyoung reacted. I’m sure the other people that didn’t get in are just as disappointed.”

You sigh at the reference Hyunjae made towards the video everyone on campus has seen by now, but you continue to keep silent. You truly didn’t want to think about how you got publicly dumped for the stupidest reason on earth. It wasn’t like you had chosen the roles. If anything, Hwiyoung should’ve been throwing a fit at Sangyeon.

Considering you’re sitting right across from him, Younghoon easily spots all the signs your figure is radiating. He looks at Hyunjae and motions him to not continue any further and purses his lips. Hyunjae receives the hint and decides to exit the conversation, joining Kevin’s one instead.

Jungwoo taps your arm and slides over a cupcake, a warm smile wavering on her face.

“It’ll be okay. Just know Hwiyoung was a dick for acting like that.”

You thank her through a whisper and scoop the frosting onto a nearby napkin, earning a look of disgust from Jungwoo.

“I just don’t get it,” you mutter, keeping your voice low. “How could Hwiyoung not have gotten that role?”

You look up from your cupcake and see Younghoon eyeing your frosting.

“Do you want it?” you warily ask, hesitantly sliding it over to him.

He nods and collects it from you before dumping it into his milkshake

“I don’t even get why we’re friends with you,” Songhee grumbles, discreetly moving away from Younghoon.

“It’s better than plainly wasting it. Besides, frosting on its own is disgusting.” He mixes his milkshake with his straw once again, leisurely stirring the beverage.

“Who’s this Juyeon kid anyway?” Simyeong suddenly asks while pulling over a chair, sitting down before directing her gaze straight at you for an answer. “He’s not even in our group chat dedicated to the drama department.”

“There’s no Juyeon in our department?” The slight shock in your tone has everyone at your table looking at you puzzled. You could only shrug your shoulders in response and pop the rest of the cupcake into your mouth, speaking through muffles. “The name Juyeon is oddly familiar to me.”

“Well he certainly isn’t in our department if he isn’t in our group chat.”

Younghoon nods his head, agreeing with Songhee.

“If you think about it, you’ve been stuck with us since your very first day here. If you knew a Juyeon, we would at least know of him.”

“He has a point,” Kevin quips, joining in on your conversation once more from behind.

Jungwoo heaves a sigh and turns to look at him, flicking his forehead. “Go focus on your table’s conversation, kitty.”

Kevin frowns, and before he could face his group, Jungwoo uses her thumb to remove some of the frosting from his cheek.

“Maybe he was somebody you knew from high school,” Simyeong suggests, “or possibly someone you knew from your childhood?”

“What are the chances of that happening?” Songhee licks her lips clean and sets the cupcake wrapper down on the table. “IST is a pretty big school. It could just be somebody with the same name.”

“But his surname is also vaguely familiar,” you murmur. You curse at your brain for forgetting such a name, but you shrug it off, realizing that it probably isn’t as important as you’re making it out to be.

“Eh, forget it.” You try to move on from the subject, but that attempt fails when Jungwoo chooses to pick it right back up.

“But don’t you find it weird how some random kid that—mind you—isn’t even part of the department just auditioned and somehow got the main role? Prince Charming is literally every guy’s dream to play.”

“You know Sangyeon is picky with who he chooses for plays,” Younghoon reasons. “Besides, he attends our school, right? He’s probably just really talented and managed to somehow get the role.”

“But to beat Hwiyoung? That’s-...that’s different.”

“It doesn’t make sense, right?” Jungwoo looks at you for confirmation before turning to look at everyone else. “Sure, I’m a talented actor, but I won’t suddenly win a dancing competition one day, you get me? We may all be part of a performing arts university, but it really doesn’t mean shit when our departments are completely different.”

“I wouldn’t really say they’re completely different, but I see your point,” Younghoon replies. “It’s not impossible though.”

“Sangyeon really must’ve been out of his mind for choosing some nobody over Hwiyoung,” you mutter, finally finishing the cake on your plate.

“Are you guys talking about Juyeon?” Chanhee asks. He gestures for Jungwoo to slide over so he could join your booth.

You perk up at the mention. “Yeah, we are. Why? Do you know him?”

“We’re talking about Lee Juyeon, right? The guy that got casted as Prince Charming?”

Everyone at the table nods, eager for Chanhee to continue.

“Oh, then yeah. I’m friends with his roommates.”

//

Noises like speeding footsteps clashing against the surface of the ground and chairs falling provide a regular day at Juyeon’s dorm. Jacob locking Changmin out of their shared room is also deemed rather normal, and it’s the reason Haknyeon becomes his source of entertainment.

But it really all backfires.

“Get back here, Ji Changmin,” Haknyeon demands, dodging the obstacles in his way as he chases Changmin around the dorm.

Juyeon sits on the couch unbothered with the volume turned up unnecessarily high to overpower the screams from the two children he considered his friends. His hand is buried in a bowl of popcorn, enjoying movie night by himself while Haknyeon snatches his underwear back from Changmin.

“The next time you steal my underwear, I’m shoving your toes down your fishes’ throats.”

Changmin returns Haknyeon’s scowl with a gasp that fills his lungs to the brim and quickly tosses his arms around his fishes’ tank. A pout is smeared across his face as he presses his cheek into the glass.

“Don’t you dare bring my fishies into this!”

“Okay guys, shut it,” Jacob says after exiting his room. The light from his phone screen illuminates the relaxed features on his face as he walks into the living room, choosing to join Juyeon by the couch. “Hey Juyeon, remember the audition you had this morning?”

He taps his shoulder, looking up from his phone to see how his roommate reacts.

“Uh...yeah. What about it?” Juyeon remains clueless as he picks up the television remote from the coffee table, lowering the volume.

With underwear bunched up in his hand, Haknyeon’s footsteps lead him over to the couch and joins the two by sitting next to Juyeon.

Both Jacob and Juyeon look at him weirdly with expressions that question what he was doing, but they gradually move on with their conversation as they realize he probably just came for the popcorn.

“You know Chanhee, right?” Jacob questions.

“Chanhee? As in Choi Chanhee?” Changmin’s voice squeaks and immediately detaches himself from the fish tank in order to join his friends, choosing to sit on the ground considering the lack of space left on the couch. He crosses his legs, only having eyes for Jacob due to his piqued interest. “Like, my bestie since third grade?”

“The one you introduced me and Haknyeon to?” When Changmin nods his head, Jacob continues. “Then yeah, that’s him. I have his number.”

He obnoxiously shows off his phone to Changmin and bobs his head.

“What does this have to do with me?” Juyeon interjects, gaze shifting between his three roommates. Juyeon would say he’s equally close with all of them, but sometimes he does feel a bit left out. Then again, he couldn’t really put them at fault since he was the one who switched majors.

He’s only ever heard of Chanhee through Jacob and Changmin, but he knows Haknyeon is fairly close with him as well.

“He ghosted me last night,” Haknyeon murmurs, grabbing a throw pillow to hug while shoving handfuls of popcorn into his mouth.

“Deserved.”

The next thing Changmin knows is that a pillow is tossed at his head in an attempt to knock him out.

“Anyway,” Jacob states rather loudly in order to cover up his roommate’s wrongdoing, “he got casted as the narrator for that Cinderella play you auditioned for. He also said you got Prince Charming.”

Juyeon’s eyes bulge out of bewilderment, unsure if he has heard his friend correctly.

“What?? Aren’t callbacks being announced tomorrow? Is he saying I got called back?”

Jacob shrugs, giving his phone over to Juyeon so he could check for himself. “He specifically said cast list, so I’m assuming there’s no callbacks for this play.”

“No way, man! You got in?” Changmin slaps his friend’s feet playfully, a grin graciously placed on his lips for once.

“You’re growing up way too fast,” Haknyeon sighs, exaggerating the frown on his face.

“Did you think you wouldn’t get in?” Jacob asks, giving Juyeon’s shoulder a light shove.

“I would’ve thought I’d get in as an extra mouse or something,” Juyeon murmurs, staring at the text messages in front of him.

“It’s not a middle school play,” Changmin retorts, earning himself another pillow being thrown at his head.

“Well apparently the cast list is official. They’re celebrating right now.” Suddenly, Jacob locks his arm around Juyeon’s neck, pulling his head to his chest before messing up his hair. “I’m so proud of you!!”

“That’s our boy,” Changmin coos, grabbing his ankles and aggressively shaking them.

“Just because you miss your own dog doesn’t mean you should treat Juyeon like one,” Haknyeon blandly states through a mouthful of popcorn, poking Changmin’s side with his feet.

Juyeon falls oblivious to everything happening around him when he sees Chanhee send a photo of the cast list as evidence. He shoves Jacob away so he could look at it, eliciting a laugh out of the elder. His eyes scan through the photo eagerly, and he could’ve sworn his heart stopped at the sight of your name next to Cinderella.

“Y/N...?”

The laughter and upcoming quarrel fades into the distance when Juyeon looks up from the phone.

“Do you know her?” Jacob asks, arm propped up against the backrest of the couch.

“Isn’t she the one that always gets the main roles in plays? There’s this girl in literature that always complains about it.”

Jacob snorts at Haknyeon’s response, and Changmin decides to pitch in what he’s also heard.

“I heard it’s deserved though! Everyone is always talking about how talented she is on stage, and Chanhee is always praising her after every show they’re in together.” Changmin adjusts his posture, straightening his back.

“It really isn’t surprising since the drama department is the most well known department at IST,” Jacob comments, nodding his head along with what everyone else has been saying. “She’s really bound to become a celebrity once she graduates.”

“Not before me, though!”

Changmin dodges the next pillow that was aimed at him.

“Y/N as in L/N Y/N, right?”

The three heads turn to look at Juyeon.

“Duh.” Haknyeon deadpans. “Who else? You know who she is, right?”

“I didn’t know she goes to this school,” he mumbles, fiddling with the phone in his head.

“Am I missing something here? Are we missing something?” Changmin asks whilst also speaking for both Haknyeon and Jacob. “Have you known her in the past?”

“I guess you could say that.” Juyeon gives Jacob back his phone, but your name continues to float around in his mind.

“Come on, Juyeon.” Changmin whines, tugging on his pants. “We need more information.”

All the boy could do is shrug his shoulders, not willing to explain everything, so he opts to say something rather vague with his head facing his lap.

“It’s just a name I’d never forget.”

//

After informing your group of friends about his connections with Juyeon, Chanhee wasn’t given another chance to say another word when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He excused himself from your table and isolated himself in the opposite side of the diner, fingers constantly occupied with typing into his phone.

You kept an eye on him for the rest of the night, detailing every bit about his expressions while the conversation shifted to how costumes would turn out for the play. Simyeong even brought up how you’ll be able to pull off a dress transformation, but you didn’t hear a word she said until Jungwoo nudged your arm to drag you back into reality.

Until the very end, your mind felt occupied with the amount of questions you had for Chanhee. He never returned to your table and instead left in a blink of an eye.

Once everyone departed from the diner, you dedicated all your time to spamming him through text. Chanhee would often ignore your messages or leave them on read, and for good reason too, but this matter was urgent.

Sure, you and Chanhee both share the same first class in the morning—and you’ll definitely get to see who this Juyeon person is the day after—but the sense of familiarity from his name wouldn’t allow you to sleep into the next day. You stayed up for hours, expecting a response, but you eventually allowed your eyes to gradually fall shut. You figured he was just exhausted after dealing with Seungeun, Hyunjae, and Simyeong all in the same kitchen as they struggled to bake cupcakes.

Having English Literature first thing on a Monday morning was never to your liking, but this time it came in your favor.

“Chanhee!” you scream out, waving your hands in the air when you see him leaving his dormitory.

He looks at you for a mere second before purposely turning his back, walking in the opposite direction. You run to catch up to him, hands grabbing at the hook of his backpack to slow his steps. He scowls at his failed attempt to make an escape, but you know it’s all jokes considering you always pick him up from the front of his building.

“Why didn’t you respond to any of my texts last night?” you interrogate, skipping down the sidewalk with him by your side.

“I was asleep, duh.”

“Woah, no need for you to be a weisenheimer.”

“...A what now?”

“We’re getting off topic, Chanhee,” you deadpan, slowing your steps as he begins to slow his.

“Why are you so interested anyway?” he snorts. “I already responded to your question.”

“Oh come on, Chanhee.” you whine, grabbing one of his arms to shake. “Put yourself in my shoes, yeah? I basically got utterly humiliated by the love of my life publicly because of him.”

“Okay one, don’t call Hwiyoung the love of your life. That’s just weird. Two, you really can’t blame Juyeon for your breakup, you know that right?.” He eyes you from his peripheral vision and releases a sigh at the sight of your desperate state. Your hair isn’t properly styled like usual and your face is bare of makeup.

“Please, Chanhee?”

“It’s not like I know much about Juyeon to begin with.” Upon reaching the building where your class is located, Chanhee provides you entrance when he pulls the door open.

“Just give me whatever info you got.” You watch as he tails after you before sticking by his side.

“They’re all dance majors,” he reveals, finally giving into your antics. He lists their names from the top of his head without hesitation. “Changmin, Jacob, and Haknyeon. Juyeon was one too, but from what I recall, he switched.”

“I guess that explains the sudden appearance of his name on the cast list,” you murmur, connecting the dots. “Why’d he switch?”

“How would I know?”

You return Chanhee’s previous favor by pulling the door open to the lecture hall, giving him the privilege of sliding inside first as he continues talking.

“I’m only close to his roommates because we all share social sciences. Well, that and I’ve known Changmin since I was eight, but that’s besides the point.” He leads you up the steps and into your usual seats in the back. “I went to one of Changmin’s performances in the past, and Juyeon was the opening act there. Honestly? He’s extremely talented. His stage presence is flawless, and Changmin always praised him too.”

Your friend’s words have your brows furrowed.

“Why would someone that talented switch majors? I’m sure he’d want to be a professional dancer, right? Or a choreographer? So why Prince Charming?”

All Chanhee does is shrug when he sits down, giving you a lack of response.

“Ask him when you see him at the script read through tomorrow.”

//

Improvisation as your last class of the day has always been your favorite.

Your professor, Kim Inseong, is only five years older than you, but he’s one of your better professors for the semester. Granted, it’s only improvisation, but he teaches it better than all of your previous high school drama teachers.

You love every second of his teachings. The way he engages each and every student is something you look up to, and his feedback has always been very genuine and helpful.

You would’ve been excited to see him—especially since he’s the director of the play—if you didn’t share the exact same class as your ex-boyfriend.

At first it was a blessing, but now it seems like it was a plan just to bite you in the back, cursing you for the rest of your college life.

Two days without your boyfriend has felt like hell.

When you enter the lecture hall, your two close friends remain in the center of the room whilst Hwiyoung is nowhere to be found. It takes you a few seconds to realize that he’s settled for a spot in the back with his feet kicked up onto the seat in front of him. He’s surrounded by his personal group of friends, and they are people you were never really fond of.

“You were almost late,” Younghoon hums when you choose to sit next to him, picking at his fingernails.

“Let her be, Hoon.” Songhee sighs from behind the two of you, leaning forward to flick the back of his head.

“Happy Monday, everyone,” your professor sing-songs. His booming voice startles the entire class due to its suddenness, and he enjoys the faces you all make because of it. His six-foot-tall composition moves to sit on the only stool in the room, hands resting in his lap as he eyes all his students.

“I heard auditions went well,” he, unnecessarily, comments. “And I believe Sangyeon did a wonderful job with choosing the cast.”

A scoff can be heard from the back of the room, and you could only assume it was from the one and only ex-boyfriend of yours, yet your professor doesn’t seem to bat an eye in his direction.

“Round of applause to everyone that made it in!”

Everyone claps, and you could just feel Hwiyoung’s eyes burning into the back of your head.

“Ignore him,” Younghoon whispers amidst the applause. “He’s just being a spoiled brat.”

“Don’t call him that,” you whisper quietly because deep down, you feel like you would’ve acted the same way if you got casted as an understudy.

“Now, before we continue with where we left off last class, let’s do a quick warm-up, shall we?” Your professor scans the room with his chin between his thumb and index finger.

As much as you enjoy the improv games he makes you all play, you’re praying that you don’t get chosen to come up.

Unfortunately, he’s an unpredictable man that enjoys playing with students’ anxiety.

“Younghoon, Vivi, Jaeyoon, Yves, Hwiyoung, and…” Professor Kim takes a pause to look around the room once more, a mischievous smile making its way up his lips when his eyes land on his final target, “Y/N.”

“You’re fucking kidding me,” you say louder than intended.

“I know right? Why does he always call on me first?”

Songhee snorts and pushes Younghoon out of his seat, but she stops you from leaving the row by grabbing your wrist.

“Hey, you know you could always tell him you’re not feeling well,” she whispers, but all you could think about is how pathetic you’d look in front of Hwiyoung if you used that lame excuse.

“It’s only a warm-up,” you reassure. “I’ll get over it.”

Songhee pouts when you leave her alone, and you’re joined by Vivi when she approaches you.

“Congrats on getting Cinderella,” she whispers, accompanying you to the front of the room.

You thank her with the slight bow of your head, and soon enough you’re both joining your peers on the platform.

Professor Kim has his hands clasped together after moving the stool to the side, making sure he was out of the way.

“Now, you all might be asking ‘what improv game will we have for our warm-up today?’.” He stands up. “Perhaps it’s Bus Stop? Late For Work? Questions Only?”

“If it’s Late For Work, I’m actually going to stop, drop, and roll out of this course,” Younghoon mutters, bringing his arms over his chest.

“Younghoon!” Professor Kim calls out, and your friend nearly jumps in his spot. He points at him, then you, and then Yves. “You three, go stage right. The rest of you? Stage left,” he directs.

You do as you’re told, and deep inside you’re grateful that he didn’t place you and Hwiyoung together.

Well, that is until you realize what game he has up his sleeve.

“Yes, no, and I are the forbidden words for today’s game.” He leaves the platform and settles down in one of the seats in the front row, kicking his foot over his other leg. “The person in front of each line will step forward and begin the scene with a prompt I give you. Say yes, no, or I and you’ll be eliminated from the platform. You can’t take too long either.”

You’ve played this game multiple times in the past, but this is the first time you’ve ever felt jittery during an improv game. The last thing you need for the day is to share the same stage with Hwiyoung.

Jaeyoon raises his hand. “Can we say yeah?”

“No,” your professor replies immediately. “No saying yeah, nah, uh-huh, mhm, I’m, or any of that sort.”

“He’s cruel,” Younghoon mutters, pushing you in front of him. You glare at him, but you’re also not complaining since Hwiyoung is at the end of his line.

The game starts off with the only other two girls on the platform, and with loud cackles from the other students, Vivi is shortly removed from the game after instinctively responding with ‘yes’ after panicking for ten seconds.

Yves also manages to eliminate Jaeyoon after four minutes of acting out a plumbing scene, leaving her alone with Hwiyoung.

Well fuck.

All you could do is hope that she manages to eliminate him too.

“And your prompt will be...interesting. Friends in the same shopping aisle. Hwiyoung, start it off.”

Unfortunately for you, Hwiyoung has always been good at these games, and you don’t know how he does it.

“Oh, My. God.” He slaps a hand over his mouth as he eyes the imaginary shelves, head snapping over to Yves. “Can you believe we could’ve gotten our matching walrus tattoos for fifty percent off if we bought a bottle of tylenol at Walmart?”

The randomness from his act stuns Yves for seconds beyond end, and just like Vivi, she panics and responds with ‘how the hell do I respond to that?’ whilst looking at Professor Kim. This causes her to get booted off the platform, and your eyes widen when you realize you’re up next.

You turn around instantaneously and try forcing Younghoon in front of you, but he refuses to budge an inch.

“Ah, our infamous onstage couple.” Your professor sighs lovingly, and neither of you attempt to tell him otherwise. You hated how your heart rate picked up at being labeled as a ‘couple’ with Hwiyoung.

You discreetly stomp on Younghoon’s toes when you hear him snicker at your fidgeting, evoking a muffled scream from him.

“Well, let’s see what prompt I have for the two of you.” He looks down at his phone. “Oh! I like this one. You two are trapped in an elevator. Y/N, start it off, and...scene!” he announces.

You push your finger forward repeatedly into the air as if you were poking at a singular button, masking your worried state with a frustrated face.

“The button to open the doors won’t work,” you mumble loud enough for everyone to hear. Giving up, you retract your hand and look heavenwards. “We’re at my floor, but the stupid doors won’t even budge.”

“Here, let me see.”

Hwiyoung leans over your shoulder and squints his eyes. His lips are close enough to your ear, and you could feel his breath on your skin. You’re begging that he doesn’t see the effect he unfortunately remains to have on you, wishing for this scene to end quicker than usual.

“Have you tried pressing the button?”

You being tossed off guard makes everyone in the room laugh, and he shoots you the infamous smile that has your heart running for miles.

“Wow, didn’t really think of that. Thanks, Sherlock,” you say sarcastically with your hands on your hips. “Maybe you should try pressing it.”

You look straight up at him, but he isn’t looking back at you.

Although you two have broken up, the scene somehow manages to last for another minute without either of you failing. The anxiety of standing next to someone you felt butterflies for overtakes your nerves, yet the sight of Hwiyoung acting like everything between you is completely normal makes you ease a bit.

But you have to remind yourself it’s just all an act.

He runs a hand through his hair while his tongue creates an indent in his cheek, foot impatiently tapping against the ground.

“Looks like we’re stuck here then, aren’t we?”

He finally connects his eyes with yours, and you couldn’t help but get lost in them.

“I guess we are,” you whisper.

“And Y/N is out!”

You dart a glare at your professor, but his eyes are trained on Younghoon, waiting for the not-very-composed boy to step forward.

“You really couldn’t have stayed up there longer?” your friend scowls through a hushed tone, huffing as he waves you off. “Can’t believe you’re having me deal with your ex-boyfie.”

You roll your eyes at his words and return to Jungwoo. By the time you sit down, the next scene has already begun.

“Oh no! I said no!” Younghoon exclaims in the driest matter you’ve ever seen. “Looks like I’m out. Gosh darn it!”

The class slowly, but surely, begins to clap for Hwiyoung when Younghoon exits the platform, and only then could you get a better look at your ex. Behind his disingenuous smile lies the expression you recall from two days prior: the eyes that looked at you ever so fiercely and the heart that fell out of love. The slight twitch from his lip proves the urge to frown and curse everyone out, and his hands have probably formed into fists in the pockets of his jeans.

You could tell because you know Hwiyoung well enough. You know he sees behind all the fake praise when he landed the pathetic role of being an understudy for a children’s play.

Still, he takes a bow and accepts Professor Kim’s compliments despite everything the teacher had said earlier, and he’s about to head back to his seat before the door cracks open, freezing all movements.

It makes the entire class go silent, the noise sparking everyone’s presence.

From where you are sitting, you can barely see who was at the door, but you manage to catch a glimpse of the intruder’s raven hair.

“Well you’re certainly a new face,” your professor comments. “And you must be...? Ah wait, don’t tell me. Allow me to guess.”

Although you can’t see who was being covered by the door, you could see Hwiyoung’s expression fall blank on stage after the professor’s exact words.

“You’re our Prince Charming, correct?”

//

The read through for the script of the play takes place in the drama department’s auditorium with the cast sitting in a circle of chairs on stage. It’s the reason why Juyeon is sitting directly across from you, causing you to do all you can to ignore how he keeps taking glances at you.

Chanhee says the final lines from the script as the narrator, and claps erupt from the cast members. Soon enough, chairs are being shifted around as people go into their respective groups of friends, hence why Chanhee is now sitting right beside you.

“You spent an entire night asking me about Juyeon only to not even look at him throughout the entire read through?” Chanhee questions, cocking a brow.

Younghoon joins you two shortly after, dragging his chair over.

“I feel bad for him,” your friend interjects. When he sits down, he jabs his thumb over his shoulder, gesturing towards the said cast member.

Juyeon remains in his own seat with his nose buried in the script, unconsciously tapping the stage with the light movement of his foot. His motions are what make his anxiety evident, and little does your friends know that you have actually been analyzing him the entire time through the corner of your eye. While the script read through was going on, you noticed him fidgeting while going through his lines with stutters and constant clearing of his throat.

You’re certain he got the main male lead because of his looks. How could someone who’s completely new to the drama department manage to snatch Hwiyoung’s role away like it was nothing?

“He sat alone in improv too,” Younghoon adds, snapping you out of your daze.

“Improv? Juyeon is in your improv?” Chanhee’s voice raises as he looks at Younghoon. “Since when did that happen?”

“I’m wondering the exact same thing,” you mumble through gritted teeth. Your fingers flip through the script in an attempt to keep yourself occupied while also quoting your ex-boyfriend. “Un-fucking-believable.”

“She wouldn’t stop staring at him in class,” Younghoon exposes with a snicker hiding behind his tone.

“I don’t blame her,” Chanhee dreamily sighs. “I wouldn’t either.”

Then he stands up.

“Where are you going?” Younghoon asks.

“I’m going to go talk to him,” he nonchalantly answers. His friend slaps his arm, and Chanhee shoots him a look.

“What? Do you want to come?”

Younghoon motions over to you looking at Hwiyoung from afar.

The understudies are all huddled together in the audience area of the auditorium, and Hwiyoung is sitting on top of one of the armrests with everyone’s attention on him. He’s cracking jokes that have everyone clutching onto their stomach, and his bright smile proves contagious when everyone wears the exact same one on their faces.

You miss it.

You miss when he was like that with the cast—with you.

Younghoon gives you a gentle smack of his hand to your head, scowling.

“Snap out of it, Princess. You can’t focus on him when Chanhee is literally approaching your Prince Charming right now.”

“Don’t call him that,” you murmur, soothing the area your friend had hit by rubbing it. “He’s just some stranger.”

“Oh really?” Younghoon tests, making a show out of crossing his arms. “So he’s just some stranger when you keep bringing up how familiar he is? He’s just some stranger that you keep blaming for your breakup? Honestly, Y/N, I’m starting to become inclined to believe that it’s about time you and Hwiyoung have parted. I don’t think you two were that healthy together anyway with how much he complained about you in front of you.”

You raise your hand up to your friend’s face, preventing him from saying anything else.

“Don’t meddle into my business, okay? Just join Chanhee or whatever. Seems like he’s having a great time with Juyeon.”

He stares at you in disbelief before slowly shaking his head. He stands up with his script in hand. “You’re unbelievable.”

You don’t look at him when he walks away, and you hate how Chanhee begins to scream at everyone shortly after.

“Everyone!” Chanhee grabs Juyeon’s hand and makes him stand up, making sure everyone sees the smile that reaches his feline-like eyes. “We’re getting coffee! Anyone want to come?”

An endearing shade of pink falls on Juyeon’s cheeks at the received attention, and the pair falls unprepared at the amount of people rushing towards them as they claimed that they were also thinking of getting coffee. A lot of your close friends, Younghoon included, even mention that they wanted to know Juyeon more, and all you could do is scoff as you remain in your seat. You turn to look away, hating how you aren’t the center of attention anymore, and it causes you to miss the hopeful glance Juyeon sends your way.

“You coming?” Sangyeon asks after approaching you. You already hate him for choosing Juyeon over Hwiyoung, and now finding out that he’ll also be your stage manager makes you want to regurgitate your breakfast all over him. You love him, as a friend, but you can’t forgive him for also making Hwiyoung an understudy.

He visibly eyes your entire figure, and his tone is rid of all malice.

“I think you could use some coffee with how tired you look right now.”

“Haha, very funny Mr. Stage Manager,” you say sarcastically. You stand up from your seat with your script gripped tightly in your hand.

He shrugs. “Your loss then, Ms. Cindy.”

As everyone leaves the auditorium, you’re left with one other person in the room.

“Hwiyoung!” you call out, shoving your script into your miniature backpack. You slip your arms through the straps as you run over to him.

He’s completely thrown off by the call of his name, and when he turns around, he has his drawstring bag slung over his shoulder. He eyes you skeptically, and you try your best to contain yourself.

You hate how you feel like one of those schoolgirls in movies approaching the popular male lead.

“What’s...up?”

“Do you not plan on getting coffee with everyone else?” you ask, sparking a conversation.

He purses his lips. “Not a coffee guy, remember?”

“Right.” You pause as you mentally scold yourself for not knowing simple details about Hwiyoung.

He then raises a brow. “Are you not going?”

“Uhm...no? No, no I’m not, uhm...homework. I have homework.”

He slowly nods in response to your oddly phrased reply.

“I actually have a question!” you insincerely rejoice as you try to get rid of the tense atmosphere. “So, you know, how...uhm, you know-...” You laugh awkwardly, unsure how to approach the situation. “We always, uhm, kind of practiced our lines together, and I mean...well, you’re still technically Prince Charming...right?”

“...Right.”

“So I was just, uhm...kinda wonde-”

“You want to practice lines together?” he interrupts.

“Yes! Yes, exactly that.” You eagerly nod your head.

He chews on the inside of his cheek as he stares into the distance, and you can tell he’s thinking with how his eyebrows bunch up.

“Sure,” he finally answers, causing your face to brighten up. “Meet up at the diner later? 5pm?”

You beam, unable to remove the happiest smile on your face.

“That’d be perfect.”

//

You didn’t know what you were expecting, but you know it wasn’t this.

Two hours have never felt longer, and all you’ve done throughout the time period was watch your milkshake melt between the palms of your clammy hands. Your gaze no longer falls out the display window and instead has dropped to your lap in humiliation while tears brim your eyes.

You should’ve known. All the signs were right in front of you, but you had blatantly ignored it for your own bliss.

Being stood up has to be the worst feeling you’ve ever experienced.

Defeated, you grab your bag and push past the glass door, leaving your milkshake behind. You aren’t adamant on breaking out into tears until you catch sight of Hwiyoung and his group of friends lounging by an adjacent building. They’re laughing when they see you leave, and one of them even announces the time on their stopwatch, indicating that they were waiting for you. A smirk settles on the lips you once kissed, and his eyes don’t leave you until you’re out of his sight.

Your attempt to mask how you’re feeling shatters instantaneously when you collapse into the first lecture hall you reach once entering the nearest building, and the pain of utter humiliation and realization strangles your heart. The lecture hall you’re in happens to be the one dedicated to your improvisation class, yet you couldn’t even be bothered to turn on the lights as you clung onto the platform to stabilize yourself.

The bag you’ve been clutching on for dear life has fallen out of your grasp, and all you could think about is how embarrassing you are for falling for his enticing aura.

You still love him, you truly do, but you’re now beginning to understand that Hwiyoung never did; not one of his smiles held an ounce of love for you. It was all just an act since the very beginning, and you didn’t realize it until now.

He was playing the main character and used you as practice considering you always happened to be his love interest in plays. He made you fall in love with him, a facade, and you failed to see past it. So now, when he has nothing to practice for, he drops you like you were nothing and never cared to acknowledge you as someone he’s ‘loved’.

The creak of the door silences your strained cries, and you’re convinced that the intruder would be able to hear your nearly working heartbeat. The lights flicker on, and you shield the brightness with your hand. The action leaves you unable to see who interrupted you mid-cry, but it doesn’t matter because all you could think about was getting out of there. You grab your bag and decide to make a run for it, but you don’t make it far when you finally see the figure looking at you.

“I-, uhm...” he stutters.

“You,” you mutter, glaring into his appalled eyes.

“I’m- I’m so sorry. I didn’t, uh, think anyone would actually be in here. Then again, I kinda thought- uhm, sorry.” His hand reaches to rub his nape as if to release the tension in his neck while clearing his throat to get rid of the unsteadiness in his voice.

“You,” you repeat, yet this time it’s through a scowl and is much more projected.

“Uhm...are-, uh, is everything alright?” he hesitantly asks.

“Is there something you want?” Your head quirks to the side as you interrogate him, leaving him intimidated with how condescending your words come across.

“Uh, actually, yeah. Do you, perhaps- know where the auditorium is? I-I kinda left my script there, and I can’t really remember which door it is…” His voice trails off into the distance as he weakly pushes out a chuckle.

Your laughter blares throughout the entire lecture hall, and it alarms a very puzzled Juyeon.

“You’re an acting major, and you don’t even know where the auditorium for the drama department is?” The laughs that proceed to escape your lips add more evidence to your malicious intent, and you rest your hands on the dips of your waist with the click of your tongue. “And to even think you got casted into the play.”

Juyeon pushes the door even wider with his forearm, and it gives you a better look at the disbelief worn on his facial features. Though, he continues to try a gentle approach with you considering he understands what you’re currently going through.

“Chanhee told me everything earlier. I-I know about you and Hwiyoung, and I can understand why you’re mad,” he explains. It’s amusing how he’s trying to make ends meet, and you make it known by refusing to comply with a snicker following immediately after.

“Awe. That’s so cute. Do you want me to congratulate you for finally finding out?”

He breaks.

“I auditioned for this play just like...you,” he counters, keeping his arm firmly pressed against the surface of the door. “You shouldn’t belittle me just because that little ex-boyfriend of yours didn’t get a goddamn role.”

“You don’t get to compare yourself to me,” you hiss, purposely lacing your voice with venom as you approach him. Tears from earlier begin to resurface and prick at your eyes, but it all goes unnoticed when your glare burns into his oh-so familiar pupils. “The difference between you and me is that I actually have the talent and experience for a ‘goddamn role’. You? Oh, don’t even get me started.”

Juyeon’s jaw clenches with every passing second, and his knuckles begin to redden with how tight he’s gripping the edge of the door.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Your scoff comes out more viciously than expected.

“It means your pretty face is the only reason why you got casted.”

You don’t regret a single word that’s left your mouth, but your head hangs along the sag of your shoulders when you’re recklessly tossed back into despair.

“Go back to your little dance crew, Juyeon,” you whisper with a crack piercing your vocal cords, unable to face him anymore. “You don’t belong here.”

You somehow manage to catch one last glimpse of the pain smeared on Juyeon’s facial expression before he shuts the door on you, leaving you alone with your faded vision and choked sobs.

//

From previous experiences, first rehearsals alway seem to last for hours on end. Regardless, you do your best to keep an open mindset as you go through each and every one of your classes.

You didn’t tell your friends about what happened with Hwiyoung; it isn’t like they need to know anyway. You’re already more than well aware that they’ll reprimand every reasoning you’ll put out, so the entire idea of informing them feels pointless. Not to mention Chanhee will scold you with the same three sentences repeatedly for months straight, and you’re way more than unwilling to listen to him.

This is why you don’t arrive at the auditorium with anyone by your side. You even decide to get there later than usual because you didn’t want to risk bumping into anyone—especially Hwiyoung after what you’ve just dealt with. You hate what he did to you that day, but your heart can’t help but continue to race at the thought of him.

You’re truly head over heels for not him, but his act.

You stand in front of the doors that lead into the room, and you’re scared. You’re scared you’ll be out of place because for one, you’re not in Hwiyoung’s arms.

A sigh exits your mouth as you steady yourself before pushing the doors open. You do it slowly, and it works because you fall unnoticed by everyone around you. You peek inside and hear all the bursts of chatter coming from every nook and cranny of the room. Though, despite this, you only manage to catch two fully audible conversations.

One on stage:

“I can’t believe you chose me for the king. Do I look short and old to you?!” Younghoon whines, script balled up in his fist. He stomps his feet angrily, startling the couple in front of him. “I’m not withering!”

“Should’ve casted you as an extra,” Sangyeon grumbles, rubbing the back of his neck before yelping when his girlfriend, Yiyeon, slaps his shoulder.

And another a few feet away from you:

“It’s unlike Lee Sangyeon to cast someone because of how they look,” an unfamiliar voice mumbles.

“Hey, but can you blame him? Anyone could be swayed by that face,” a second voice says.

“It’s just such a shame, you know? To see how talent can be overlooked by beauty. Poor Hwi.”

Their conversation shifts, and you find your jaw clenched. Although you wholeheartedly agree with what the pair was saying, you can’t help but feel a bit defensive for your co-actor.

But you fight against the small tug at your heart and bite your tongue, pushing the doors even wider and finally entering. All heads turn toward you when they hear the doors shut behind you, and you plaster on a fake smile as you greet those.

But your act gets cut short when Sangyeon exclaims ‘finally!’, rushing down the steps of the stage to reach you. His girlfriend and Younghoon follow, standing behind him as Sangyeon plants himself in front of you.

He grabs your shoulders, and looks at you with a stare that bore into your eyes.

“Have you seen Juyeon?”

You hesitate then shift your gaze to look at Younghoon. His face looks just as curious, and desperate, as Sangyeon’s, and it makes you raise a brow.

Has he not been here?

The entire room is quiet, and Sangyeon snaps you out of your daze by repeating the question. A sense of panic is washed over all of his features while his eyes beg for an answer.

“Please tell me you know where he is,” he cries, shaking you repeatedly. “He was supposed to pick up his script from me a week ago, but he hasn’t contacted me since!” His lip is jutted out, pouting, and you do your best to prevent the dizziness from affecting your response.

Man, you understand that everyone in the auditorium is a drama student, but you’re starting to believe that perhaps Sangyeon takes it a tad bit too seriously.

You open your mouth to speak and Sangyeon stops shaking you instantly, eyes widening to the size of a disney character’s. Yiyeon mirrors his same gaze, and Younghoon looks at you with anticipation, just like everyone else in the room. The attention makes you struggle to find the right words, so you opt for a ‘...I’m sorry, what?’.

“Juyeon, have you seen Juyeon at all this week?”

Your eyes immediately scan the room, in denial that this man isn’t here. You spot everyone, Hwiyoung included, but the figure of the one man you dreaded to see after the ‘incident’.

Well, it’s not like you’re going to complain.

“No, no I haven’t.”

A scoff breaks through the silence, and you fully expect it to be from your ex-boyfriend, but when you trace the sound, it matches the face of your best friend.

Choi Chanhee.

Sangyeon’s loud groan has you turning back to face him, and he drops his hands from your shoulders to bury his face within them. “No one, not one single person in this room, has heard or gotten sight of him. We need to block the entire show today, and we can’t continue on if the main lead doesn’t even have his script. What will I do?!”

As he visibly, and mentally, crumbles in front of everyone, his girlfriend reaches to comfort him before Sangyeon is swooped into another person’s arms.

Hwiyoung.

“Hey, Sang, it’s alright! Don’t worry about Juyeon. You got me, yeah?” He slings an arm over Sangyeon’s shoulder, leading him out of the auditorium. He pulls a door open for the sulking male. “As understudy, I can replace him for the time being.”

You catch his fake yet dazzling smile before the door closes, and you find yourself biting back a scowl.

“I’m, uh, just going to keep everyone sane,” Yiyeon mumbles, leaving you and Younghoon alone.

Then, you and Younghoon lock eyes. You both instantly share the same thought, causing you guys to get into action right after.

As you two run up onto stage, Younghoon grabs a chair while you grab Chanhee’s wrist, pulling him away from a conversation with Kevin.

He protests, but it’s ignored when you go behind the curtains, Younghoon trailing right after. He tosses the chair into the open area, waiting until it skids to a stop before you yank Chanhee onto it. You lean against a wall with crossed arms, watching as Younghoon approaches the suspicious friend of yours.

“You know something, don’t you?” Younghoon asks, standing in front of him.

“What is this? An interrogation?” Chanhee snorts.

“Yes, in fact it is, so I recommend you answer his question,” you bite back. Chanhee rolls his eyes, no longer looking at you.

Your words make you come off as curious when in reality, you couldn’t really care much about Juyeon and his whereabouts.

Yet somehow, someway—something seems to irk you. Seeing how Hwiyoung took advantage of a vulnerable stage manager earlier doesn’t sit right inside you, and Juyeon not even showing up and disassociating with everyone in the cast is out of character. You just know something is off, and you have a feeling it was because of you.

But you refused to believe so.

“Look, I haven’t been able to contact Juyeon either.” His tone is softer, and his voice could easily be overpowered by all the other incessant chatter coming from the other side of the curtain if it wasn’t for the secluded space you three are in. Your friend has his gaze darted elsewhere, clearly avoiding eye contact with either of you.

“You have been his closest buddy ever since he’s joined the cast,” Younghoon reasons.

Chanhee laughs, then turns to look at Younghoon.

“What? Jealous?” He smirks, almost winking, but Younghoon startles him by slamming his hands onto the head of the chair, gripping the ledge whilst trapping Chanhee between his arms.

“Y/N and I have known you long enough,” Younghoon says, sucking in his cheeks. “You don’t act like this unless you’re keeping something from us.”

“And your breath stinks,” Chanhee retorts.

“Okay that’s enough, this clearly isn’t working.” You pick yourself off the wall and approach the two.

“I could get physical if you’d like me to,” Younghoon says, tilting Chanhee’s chin upward with his script.

“Yeah, no,” you mutter, pushing him aside. He frowns but watches you in amusement, interested to see how you’d handle the stubborn boy. You then face Chanhee, craning your head to the side as you analyze how his features become stiff. “Since you won’t tell Younghoon what you know, why don’t you tell me? What the hell are you hiding from Sangyeon?”

Chanhee purses his lips, licks them, then stands. He looks at you with barely any expression on his face.

“...No.”

“No?” Perplexed, you stop him from leaving, keeping him in front of you. “What do you mean by no?”

He laughs. Then, he shakes his head.

“You don’t get to know shit after what you said to Juyeon on the day of rehearsal,” he spills, refusing to look you in the eye. Your eyes grow into the size of bowling balls, freezing as your friend continues to tower over your figure with crossed arms.

“So you know…”

“I was there,” he seethes, snapping his head back your way. “I saw him, chased after him, and caught him talking to you.”

“So you both are hiding shit from me,” Younghoon mumbles, clearly appalled and annoyed with how his best friends chose to handle things.

Chanhee ignores him and steps forward, making you stumble backwards after losing your balance.

“I tried to get to him, Y/N. I called him, I texted him, I even reached out to his roommates. But guess what? Not a single one of them responded to me.”

You part your lips to retaliate, but he cuts you off.

“No, not a single word from you. As much as I love you as my best friend, all you do is spill excuse after excuse,” Chanhee snaps. Every word he spurs has an arrow aimed at your heart, leaving you stunned after each one. “You’re always spewing shit about an innocent person, blaming him for your breakup when he had no control over who got what role. Now, Y/N, it’s my turn to blame you for not only making me lose a friend I recently made, but the three other people that have always stood by my side.”

He stops, looks towards the ground, and snickers.

“So, Princess, instead of interrogating me, why don’t you tell me where he is?”

“Alright that’s enough,” Younghoon states, stepping into the conversation. He pulls Chanhee away from you, allowing you to release the breath you’ve been holding in the entire time.

Chanhee’s chest heaves as he settles his breathing, eyes burning into your skull as you avoid his glare. You feel like the smallest person on earth, especially since you’ve never had your best friend turn his back on you. Younghoon shows no empathy when he sees the fear in your eyes, only shaking his head in disappointment as he holds his other friend close.

They trusted you to play smart, but all you did was hit rock bottom.

You leave from behind the curtain, revealing yourself to the people inside the auditorium. They look at you with worry, and some of them have actually even overheard the conversation you had with your friends, but you push them all away, running to the doors. You don’t want to deal with anyone, and although your mind is spiraling, you could only decipher one of many thoughts.

“Where are you going?”

A voice pulls you back into reality when you’re met face to face with your ex-boyfriend, Sangyeon standing right behind him. He’s smirking, even compressing a snicker, when he sees the look of desperation and urgency in your face. He holds the door open, blocking you from leaving by standing in the middle of the doorway.

You look him up and down, breathing heavily, before snorting. You shove him to the side as if he was nothing, giving him silence as a temporary answer. The corners of his lips drop, and he watches you leave in bewilderment. You only make it a few feet away before turning around, looking at him with the same smile he wore earlier as you slowly walk backwards.

“I’m on a search for a prince.”

NAVIGATION | THE BOYZ MASTERLIST

[ca-8]

Yakko x Reader Scenario: When You First Meet

'This is it. The beginning of the end.' 

Gripping on the straps of her backpack, (Y/n) exited the bus and stared up at the water tower that displayed the famous Warner Bros. logo. As expected, it emitted a smug aura onto the entire area; however, surprisingly, there was a slight twinge of mystery to it as well. But she didn't have time to ponder about it, so she only gave it an uneasy look and headed straight for the entrance.

Her heart stopped. She knew the place was going to be busy, but it was like an entire New York City packed in one section! So many writers, producers, actors, large men carrying heavy sets, every type of person working in film was scattered all over the place. It was like an ocean, with the people as marine life doing what they're designed to do, and (Y/n) being the puppy that was abandoned at sea.

The moment it all settled in, an involuntary realization invaded her thoughts. 'I don't belong here.'

The young girl reminded herself to breathe and rushed over to a vacant wall, then pulled out her phone. She had already sent her mother about a thousand messages telling her she was here, but since she hasn't responded, a few more shouldn't hurt. Fingers rapidly typing away, she bit her lower lip, already wishing she had stayed on that bus. 

"Oh, you're just gonna love it!" Her mother's squealing voice had already filled her skull. "You're so talented, I know you're gonna fit right in."

'Yeah, standing around all day with a bunch of people I don't know while doing something I suck at is exactly how I wanna spend my summer.' She let out a soft sigh. 'It's fine. Just shut up and make her happy, (Y/n).'

Several attempts of calling and texting later, no response. (Y/n) sighed again, and her eyes wandered over to the bustling crowd. 'No way. Absolutely no way.' But if she wanted to get the day over with, absolutely yes way.

First, she walked up to a lady looking down at the clipboard in her hands. "Um, excuse me," (Y/n) said. 

The lady's head snatched up. "KYLE!" she yelled, her eyes now ablaze with fury, "YOU IDIOT! THAT GOES IN THE WAREHOUSE ACROSS THE STUDIO!" And like there was nothing but a breeze behind her, the lady stomped off to the poor soul that had to face her wrath.

The breeze took a step back and ran around the corner. 'Maybe I'll find someone else instead…!' (Y/n) stopped and spotted a man sitting on the steps that lead to the entrance of a small building. She swallowed whatever was left in her mouth and reluctantly approached him. 

"E-Excuse me, sir?" she stuttered, hoping her voice was louder than the last time. As she got closer, (Y/n) noticed he was chuckling, and his gaze was glued onto a small piece of paper. 

"I...I did it…!" he said. She yelped and shrinked back when he suddenly jumped to his feet. "I FINALLY DID IT! WE'LL SEE WHO'S REGRETTING THE DIVORCE NOW, MARGARET!" And with a manic laugh, the man dashed into the building. 

'...Or maybe I'll just find it myself.'

It wasn't too long before (Y/n) got herself lost. Despite the help of maps that were stuck to some of the buildings, all of them seemed exactly the same. It was like a maze, and with each passing minute, she was more and more convinced that there was no finish line. Even worse, her mother was too busy to respond to anything she sent her. 

'Oh, what should I do?' (Y/n) thought for the thousandth time. No matter how hard she pinched or held them, her arms refused to stop trembling. Not too long ago, the outside of the studio became deserted and she'd hate to walk in a warehouse and possibly interrupt something important, so asking for help again was out of the question.

...Or, perhaps it wasn't. 

A tiny, hopeful smile crossed (Y/n)'s face when she heard the sounds of frustrated grunts around the corner. It was the first time she was so relieved to see a stranger. 

And thank god that stranger was a security guard. Though she wondered why he had a giant net in his hand, she shoved the curiosity as far in the back of her mind as she could and reached up to gently tap his shoulder. 

"Um, excuse me sir?" she asked as loud as she could. 

His head whipped around, revealing angry eyes and a scowl that said he was ready to kill. But right as his gaze landed on her, it changed within an instant. 

"Oh, hello!" he said with a bright smile. 

(Y/n) blinked, cocking her head. ‘What was this guy up to?’

"I'm sorry to bother you, but do you know where (M/n) (L/n) is filming? I'm her daughter, (Y/n), and I'm trying to look for her. She's not answering her phone either."

His joyful expression slowly melted into a confused one. "Uuhhh…(M/n) (L/n)?”

“Yes. She’s a part of Animal Kingdom? Do you know where that’s being filmed?”

“Oh! I know there’s a zoo around here called Animal Kingdom! I don’t think you’ll find it in a film studio, though.”

(Y/n) frowned. “...No, I mean the show. Aren’t they filming in a warehouse today? Do you know where that is?”

“Who’s ‘they’?”

Her eye twitched, and she was just about ready to drown the entire studio in the nearest ocean. “N-Nevermind, I’ll just-”

As if the universe wasn’t satisfied with tormenting her enough, the security guard suddenly launched up into the air and flew into the sky. Right before her eyes, the heavens were coated with explosives of every color that ever existed. 

“Oh my god!” (Y/n) yelled. ‘Who strapped fireworks on that guy?!’

“Oh, I knew you’d love it!”

Her eyes were ripped from the loud fireworks show as she was immediately smothered in a hug. “It’s so nice that another girl’s here! All the other ones here are either too busy or just keep shouting about a restraining order for some reason. I dunno, but anyway, I just know you're gonna love it here! Anyway, my name’s Princess Angelina Louisa Cantessa Francesca Banana Fanna Bo Besca the third! But since we're friends now, you can just call me Dot.”

This confirmed it. This was a trap set up by her mother to deliberately drive her insane, because how else can someone explain the nut jobs and talking dogs in pink dresses? 

A combination of those two things happened to be clutching her head and digging her face into hers. “...Huh?” (Y/n) mumbled.

‘Dot’ jumped off of her and smiled widely. “Sorry about Ralph by the way. I figured out you were coming at the last second and I really needed someone for your welcoming gift.” she said.

(Y/n) glanced up at the sky where the fireworks were slowly dying down. “Um...Is he gonna be okay?” she asked.  

“Of course he will!” her backpack said.

The teen screamed and threw her bag on the ground. A hand popped out and unzipped it with impossible ease, then a taller boy version of Dot jumped out, pulling up his long brown pants and flashing a grin. 

“H-...H-H-How did you…?!” (Y/n) stuttered, pointing at him. 

“What? Never heard of cartoon logic?” he said, approaching her. “And Ralph’ll be fine. His skull’s so thick, concrete’s the last thing that can kill him.”

“What-?”

“Anyhow,” he walked over to Dot and put an arm over her shoulder, “The name’s Yakko, this here’s my beloved baby sister Dot, and this is-” He stopped, staring at the empty space to his left. He leaned into Dot, whispering, “Say, uh, you don't mind looking for Wakko, do ya sis?”

Dot glanced at (Y/n) for an uncomfortable moment and suddenly shot her brother a glare. "I've got eyes all over this studio, Yakko," she warned, slowly stepping away.

Now (Y/n) certainly knew she didn't see pairs of eyes appear around every inch of her sight. 'Oh god, I didn't breath in drugs on the way here, did I? Actually, that would explain whatever the heck's going on.'

Yakko smiled as he watched his sister leave and turned to (Y/n). He walked closer to her, and she realized that his half-lidded eyes had a strange glint in them. “Sooo, your name’s (Y/n), right? A pretty name for a pretty girl.”

(Y/n)’s face heated up. ‘First I get lost, then see a guy get blown up, and now some other guy’s flirting with me? ...To be honest, this is still better than what Mom had planned for today.’

“So what brings ya’ here?” he asked.

“O-Oh, well, my Mom was supposed to give me a tour of the studio, but I’ve been giving that to myself all day. I tried finding her, but I’m pretty sure I’m nowhere near it by now.” Her eyes wandered over to the ground, but a realization made them perk back up and over to Yakko. “Hey, do you happen to know this place by any chance?”

“Know it? Please, my sibs and I live here, we know this place by heart and soul!” He mumbled something else, along the lines of “Basically made our hearts and souls”. 

Her heart jumped; finally, a piece of good news. “Really?” she said, a smile spreading across her face.

He nodded. “So where do ya’ need to go?” Before she could answer, he pulled out a piece of folded paper and moved in so close, their shoulders were smooshed together. Yakko unfolded it, and it turned out to be the biggest map (Y/n) has ever seen. “Well, from here, you’re gonna need to take a right and continue straight until you get to the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts exhibit. But be careful, I heard some of them escaped, and if anyone asks if you’ve seen any of them, don’t tell them I gave one to Dot as a late birthday gift. Anyway, you take a left from there, then a right where you’ll see the lot where they used to shoot Game of Thrones. Now this is only a rumour I’ve heard, but I think some of the producers are still on that set. If you happen to see them, do not, I repeat, DO NOT mention season eight, or maybe just don’t mention the show at all. Actually, don’t even look at them. As a matter of fact, you probably shouldn’t even go there at all, just keep heading straight until you get to the D.C. Universe lot. Then you just take left there, then a sharp right over over, then you keep going straight until you get to here, turn up over there, turn right there, and then you’re there. Did ya’ follow all that?”

(Y/n) stared at his face, which was practically radiating with enthusiasm, and she felt her eye twitch again. “...No,” she said, shaking her head.

His smile dimmed, but it became just as bright as the sun again a split-second later. “Ah well, maps are gettin' old anyways,” he said, throwing the map over his shoulder. “WAKKO!!”

And, low and behold, another anthropomorphic dog popped out of nowhere, and (Y/n) was starting to question if there was an army of them hidden somewhere. But she had to admit, it was pretty cute how this one was dressed in an oversized blue sweater and red hat. 

“Tablet, please,” Yakko said politely, holding out his hand. 

‘You're not gonna walk me there-?'

Wakko suddenly held his head back with his cheeks puffed out, then leaned into Yakko’s hand as he forced out a small object from his mouth. After an incredibly uneasy moment, a tablet glazed in spit was in Yakko's grasp. While he praised the little guy, (Y/n) forced back the urge to vomit.

“E-Ehhhh…?” She couldn’t say anything else while her gaze frantically went back and forth from Wakko and the regurgitated tablet. 

“Oh! Where are my manners?” Yakko said. “(Y/n), this is my dear little brother, Wakko. Wakko, this here’s our new special friend, (Y/n).” 

“Hello!” Wakko greeted, who was suddenly in her arms. “You’re really pretty!”

“Ehh? Thank you? I guess??” she said apprehensively, and finally managed to make eye contact. Despite his...quirks, he's actually a little adorable... She let herself grin a little.

The moment of semi-peace was ruined when she took notice of Yakko’s narrowed eyes. “ALrighty, (Y/n)!” he said loudly, grabbing his little brother by the collar and gently setting him on the ground. “Animal Kingdom, right? Let’s get ya’ right over there.” He moved right beside her and taped the screen a couple times. 

“Um, what’re you doing exactly?” she asked.

“Doing what every person does to get somewhere nowadays.” He grabbed her waist and pulled her against him, and (Y/n) flinched from his touch. “Please keep your arms, legs, and personal items inside the tablet at all times.”

Just when she was about to question him for the hundredth time, he pressed the screen again, and her vision became nothing but white. Her body felt like it was launched into a tornado; a strong force of wind thrusted her back, and somehow, the boy’s arm kept her from flying off from his side. A second later, her feet were back on the ground, the sky was where it needed to be, and reality was back in place. 

Except for (Y/n)’s mentality. 

She stumbled around, trying to find her balance as the world unbearably whirled around her. Finally, she shook her head, and quickly turned back towards Yakko, whose face tried to tell her whatever happened was perfectly fine and normal. 

“What was THAT?” she yelled, staggering towards him and gripping his shoulders.

And he still had the audacity to have that 'why-are-you-freaking-out-so-much-we-do-this-every-Friday' smile. “Thank you for attending Warner’s Travel Tours! I would say my Agent Ralph’ll take your bags, but I left him alone with my sibs, so he’s probably in the middle of the Pacific Ocean by now.”

(Y/n) could only stare at him. Her mind was twisting and turning, trying so hard to make any sense of what happened but only making her headache grow larger and larger. And then, her thoughts just went blank.

She smirked. Then giggled. And a few seconds later, she had burst out laughing whilst holding her stomach. (Y/n) looked back up at Yakko, wiping a tear from her eye. “Th-Thank you…” she said, catching her breath. 

His smile had grown and she thought his white cheeks were red for a moment. Yakko had opened his mouth, but whatever he was about to say was cut off by a net suddenly covering his entire body. Ralph was behind him, his skin and clothes burnt and ears practically smoking. “You’re coming with me, Warner!” he said.

And yet, Yakko only grinned. Like physics was his enemy, he disappeared from inside the net and appeared sprouting from the security guard’s back, cheerfully waving at (Y/n). “I’ll see ya’ around, yeah?” he said, then ran around the corner with Ralph sprinting right after him.

(Y/n) giggled and reached for the straps around her back. But when she only felt the (f/c) fabric of her shirt, her smile dropped, and a deep sigh escaped her lips. “Great…” she whispered.

“(Y/N)!” 

She gasped as a pair of arms squeezed the life out of her. Her mother spun her around to face her gleaming smile, which was immediately replaced by an apologetic frown. “I’m so sorry I didn’t get your texts! That scene took forever, but I’m glad you found your way here! You’re so smart! Anyway, I know we don’t get as much time now, but there’s still so much we’ll be able to see!...”

She rambled on and on and on and on. Her daughter’s shoulders slumped and she followed her to where she wanted her to go, but the frown on her face didn’t last long when she remembered the fun she had just a few seconds ago. ‘Maybe this summer won’t be that bad.’