#but when i feel good i'm like ahh whatever i'm managing perfectly fine on my own i don't need that

[fullyellowsun]

Subtle | 7

Choreography:

I do not own the picture, credit to the owner. AHHHH, both Baekhyun's will kill me!!!!! The duality of Byun Baekhyun...

This is my first series so please cut me some slack but also I welcome constructive criticisms! This is in Korean so for those of you who can read Korean and English, go ahead! I will post a full English version link to the Wattpad story in the masterlist!

Pairing: baekhyun x reader

Genre: kpop group collaboration!AU

Word Count: 1653 words

Description: After a long day of dancing, the others start to question the title of Baekhyun and Dayeon's relationship...

Disclaimer: I have no idea how any of this works. I’m just going off of the little info I DO know so please bear with me as I try to fill the chapters with what I think (or what I just make up) on how to make an album and the other kpop things.

Masterlist

"Please be with me~~~ this Christ-mas."

"1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and...  oh, 다연아 잘하네!" Choreographer hyung says. He was right. Although Dayeon wasn't the main dancer, she still danced like a queen. (A/N Periodt😂) Her body moved gracefully and her vibe matched perfectly with the dance moves with a sexy and cute vibe.

"감사함니다 선배님." She says as she continues to move with grace. She was always so clumsy and innocent in real life but the stage really brought her into a different life. She didn't even realize that everyone stopped to watch her until she finished and everyone clapped for her.

"How come nobody claps like that for me when I dance?" Yoona asks.

"It's because she's actually good! She can sing, she can dance, what can she not do?" Kai said. He obviously still likes Dayeon but I feel kind of bad for Yoona since everyone can tell she likes Kai. She always wants his attention but he ignores her and has both eyes on Dayeon.

"I can't rap..." Dayeon says out of breath.

"Come on 다연아, we all know you can. I mean when Sunny was sick in that performance and you had to do her rap, everyone, including 리수만 선생님, said you were amazing." Suah says.

"맞아... you could be the main rapper if you really put your mind to it." Sunny says.

"See? What can she not do?" Kai says still clapping for her. I felt kind of mad when he clapped for her and she blushed. Does Dayeon like Kai? 아니야... 설마... no it's fine if she likes him... but it's not. I think I might like Dayeon. I mentally slap myself. 정신차려! We are in a fake 'marriage' thing with a contract, you got this far, you can't make it awkward now. Just push it down. Even if I wanted to date her, she wouldn't possibly like me back. Her perfection is better for someone perfect or someone who actually needs the love.

"현아? What are you thinking about?" I get waken up by Dayeon's nickname for me.

"Huh? What?" I say.

"What were you thinking so deeply about? We're about to practice one more time." I get up and get in my position. The dance was made so that we dance in our 'couples' but also in our own groups. Kai, Sehun, and Yoona did well. After practicing for a while, I want to go home but I can't take off my pants so just lay on the floor in the way of everyone. Dayeon joins me. "I'm tireddd..." she groans.

"나도!" I say loudly.

"What were you thinking about so deeply before?" She says.

"Huh? Oh... um." I can't tell her. It would be awkward, she won't even reciprocate the feelings. So I made something up.

"Umm... new... laundry detergent! (A/N I'm watching True Beauty and so if you know the reference, yay! If not, go watch it, it's good.)"

"Huh? Why do you need to think so deeply about laundry detergent?" She says slightly tilting her head. She does that when she's confused and it's genuinely the cutest thing ever.

"Uhh well... my nose is sensitive so I was wondering which scent I should get."

"Just choose your favorite one. Why is it so hard? Wait, but our dorm doesn't even have a washing machine." Oops. I forgot. The managers forgot to get a dorm with washing machines so we dry clean everything or go to a laundromat.

"Oh, did I say laundry detergent? I meant cologne." I scratch the back of my head and laugh nervously.

"Oh, makes sense." She says and doesn't pay attention to me anymore. "CAN WE GO HOME PLEASSSEEEE." She yells loudly still on the floor.

"YESSSSS.... PLLLLEEEAAASSSEEEEEEEE." The members pay no attention to our pleas and continue to practice.

"You know, people are not always as perfect as you. We actually need to practice." Suah says.

"We do too but isn't this a bit much? I mean it's already 12! Let's go home and sleeeeppppp..." She says and rolls ariund in exasperation. Because the others wouldn't listen to us, I decided, they can do what the want but I'm sleeping.

"다연아, 나랑 집에 같이 갈래?" I turn to Dayeon and ask.

"Yes please. Everyone, 우리는 먼저 갈게." Dayeon stands up and announces.

"You two in the dorm by yourselves? Just because we aren't there doesn't mean you could do whatever you want, keep it PG please, I do NOT want to walk into something gross." Sehun says.

"야! Worry about yourself! Bye!" We leave and jam out to music in the car on our way to the dorm. We get home and I immediately shower. Dayeon started making dinner and because she was like the only one who cooks, she knew where everything was and that kitchen was like a kitchen in her own house. I come out of the shower and Dayeon was still cooking. "Shouldn't you shower?"

"Oh yeah, Hyun-ah, can you take over?" She hands me the apron she was wearing and a spatula. She was frying kimchi and tofu. "I'm gonna shower so just make sure it doesn't burn."

"Okay, I got it, go shower."

"Thanks." She goes inside and I hear the water running. I started thinking about the nickname Dayeon gave me... Hyun-ah. It sounds like a girl's name but I don't care... it's a special name that no one else has- *beep beep* *beep beep* is that the fire alarm? "Hyun-ah... is that the fire alarm?" I hear Dayeon shout from the shower. I had one job... and I failed. ONE JOB! I frantically open the windows and turn off the heat. Dayeon rushes out the room with her clothes inside out and backwards and her hair dripping wet. "Ahh, you burned it. Didn't I tell you not to do that? Are you still thinking about your cologne? If it's that hard, let's just get one now." She throws away the tofu from the pan, washes it quickly and grabs her keys to go to the mall.

"Wait, isn't it closed? And maybe change and dry your hair at least?"

"Oh... yeah, online shopping it is." She grabs her laptop and gives it to me. "Choose something, look for something you like. I'm gonna REmake the food you burned."

"Sorry... I got distracted."

"With what?!" Umm... I can't say her nickname for me... what do I say?

"Uhhh, my cologne scent?" She shakes her head and chuckles.

"You are so weird." She puts on her apron and starts frying again. She finishes and leaves the food on the table to join me. "Did you find one yet? What? Why are you still on the Google page? Were you not looking at them?"

"It's uhh... it's too hard to choose scents from a screen."

"At least look!" She leans over me to look for a website. She just searched in "cologne scents that men like". I laugh. She looked at articles and asked me about each scent on the list.

"Okay, I'll buy it myself, you don't need to choose one for me!" She turns to me. Her face was really close to me face.

"I said PG!" Sehun says. She turns around.

"PG? Why is this not PG? I was helping him choose a cologne scent."

"Were you guys not like, making out?"

"No, what makes you think that?"

"I don't know, it just looked like it."

"Okay? I make fried kimchi and tofu. It's on the dining room table so if you're hungry, you can eat it."

"Oh, yay, thanks 언니!" Suah runs over to the table. Dayeon turns to me.

"If you don't want my help, sure, do it yourself but later." She walks away to the table to join the others. What just happened?! I join them too. I sit next to Chanyeol.

"Are you sure you guys aren't a thing or something?" He whispers to me.

"No! We're just close."

"This fast? You have known each other for like 2 weeks and you're already this close?"

"Isn't it the same with you and Sunny?"

"Yeah but we're not THAT close."

"What do you mean?"

"You guys watched a movie on your own, you go home together by yourselves, you have matching clothes and you hug each other in your sleep." Chanyeol lists off.

"Well that's because I didn't want to watch horror and we were tired so we went home. Our matching clothes is because it's cute or by accident and you already know that I hug my pillow in my sleep, it's just convenient that she's there in the pillow's place." I said almost screaming. I realized that I was screaming and everyone was staring at me. Chanyeol laughs at me.

"What are you talking about?" Suho asks.

"Uhhh... nothin-" I start.

"Why he's so close to Dayeon." Chanyeol says trying not to laugh. I give him a death glare.

"Wait I'm confused, how close are we?" Dayeon asks.

"Too close to be just friends." Chanyeol says.

"Why are we too close to be friends?"

"Well, you watched your own movie instead of watching with us." Sehun chimes in.

"You went home by yourselves together." Chen says.

"We were tired okay?!" Baekhyun says.

"You hug each other in your sleep!" Sehun says. Dayeon puts her fingers to her lips and mouths 'that was a secret'.

"You do?!" Xiumin asks.

"Maybe..." Dayeon says sheepishly.

"What is happening? Do we have another couple?" Suho asks.

"No! It's just because we're close. Is that not allowed?" Dayeon asks.

"Well no, it's not NOT allowed but you know, you guys are a little too close to the point where people would assume those actions as things couples would do." Suah says.

Masterlist

[imagine-darksiders]

Sorry to bother you,but I'm gonna be stuck in the hospital overnight with a super swollen face :( could I get Draven trying to cheer up a sick friend?

Oh no! That sucks! Well, I hope this makes you feel a little better. But if it doesn’t, treat yourself to some ice cream. Good for swollen faces, or so I’m told x

—

It had been Ostegoth that told Draven of your condition, one uneventful day in the Eternal Throne. The old goat didn’t seem too urgent though, which set Draven’s mind at rest, though he was still anxious to see you after hearing the news. 

When he took his request to the Lord of Bones, the king was so taken aback by it’s nature, he actually considered granting it. 

“In all the years you’ve served me,” he wheezes suspiciously, tapping his long, claw-like nails against the throne’s armrests, “you’ve never once expressed a desire to return to Earth….So, why now?” 

Impatiently gritting his teeth, the Blademaster crosses his arms and gives a defensive sniff, swiping a hand quickly beneath his nasal bone. “Y/n’s sick,” he mutters. 

Almost immediately, the king’s cold, dead eyes light up with recognition. “Ahh! I see,” he chuckles darkly, stroking his thin, pale-green beard thoughtfully, “Then, perhaps desire does play a role here…” 

Draven stiffens and scowls deeply but he refuses to give the Lord of Bones any more ammunition - he gets enough grief from the other guards about his friendship with you - so he holds his tongue. For a long time, the throne room is perfectly silent, save for the stale desert wind that moans through the large, open archways set into the far wall. 

At long last, the Lord of Bones peels himself from the throne, dislodging centuries of dust with a sickening crackle of old, skeletal remains. He leans forward to level a long, gnarled finger at the Blademaster warningly. “You have one day,” he growls, “just one. So make it count. And don’t forget to whom you belong…..” 

Stiffly, Draven bows, backing towards the door. As he turns to stalk past the guards, he hears the king call after him. “Oh, and Blademaster?” 

With an elaborate roll of his pale eyes, Draven peers over his shoulder, half turning to face the undead ruler. “Yes, my Lord?”

Sneering, the Lord of Bones reclines back into his seat with a contented grunt. “Do give my best to Y/n, won’t you? And be sure to mention that, should this sickness prove……fatal-” Draven’s fists clench violently at the barely concealed hopefulness in his tone “- there is always room for one more soul in my Dead Court.” 

‘Over my rotting body,’ Draven wants to growl. Instead, he nods sharply, turns and throws the doors open a little too aggressively. Infuriated as he is with the king’s remark, he’s equally glad that he’d been given leave to visit Earth. A whole day to spend with you. He just hopes Ostegoth is right and whatever illness has afflicted you, it isn’t too serious. 

—

Draven stands in front of the enormous, concrete building, jaw slack and eyes wide in unashamed wonder. 

When Ostegoth described where and how to find you, he mentioned that this place was called a ‘hospital’, and as Draven walks hesitantly through the strange, glass doors that seem to have a mind of their own, he can’t help but to feel a little out of his element. 

Earth really has changed since he was alive. 

It’d been only a few years since humanity was resurrected and already the resourceful little species has rebuilt itself nearly to its former glory. It seemed that the eradication of their whole planet had put some things into perspective and people decided that restoration takes precedence. A lot of humans had become Wicked after their passing, leaving behind the far purer, ultimately good-hearted souls to populate the Earth. 

It soon becomes clear to Draven that despite humans now being both aware and used to other species walking around their planet - angels, makers, constructs and even the horsemen - something gives him the impression that Earth isn’t frequented by undead. Any human that’s seen him so far has either stopped in their tracks, mouths agape, whipped out a phone to take a picture of him, or they’ve simply turned around to scurry off in the opposite direction. One poor woman had turned a corner, took one look at his semi-exposed intestines and promptly dunked her head into a nearby bin and started heaving. 

That one stung a little…

He’s made painfully aware that his image is probably made even stranger by the bunch of flowers that Ostegoth had hastily stuffed into his hands, informing a clueless Blademaster that ‘one simply cannot visit a friend in hospital without bringing them a gift.’

Suddenly feeling very self conscious, he finds himself standing in the centre of a busy room filled with green chairs and sickly-looking humans until a young man who’s stood behind a stark-white counter clears his throat and beckons Draven over. 

“Can I help you?” he asks, eyeing the undead up and down suspiciously, though his face is the picture of exhaustion and his eyes keep flicking down to the flowers clenched in a large fist. 

Drawing himself up, Draven matches the other tired glare with a fierce one of his own. “Y/n,” he grunts, “I’m here to see Y/n L/n.” 

He’s surprised when the man sighs heavily, dropping his pen onto the desk and starts to furiously rub his temples. “Another one, wonderful,” he mutters to himself dismally before glancing back up at Draven and saying, more loudly, “Fine, why not? We’ve already let one of those horsemen and a maker in….I’m gonna go ahead and guess you’re not a relative?”

“N-no,” the blademaster stammers, put off by the man’s rather irritated reaction and informal way of speaking. In Draven’s time, a man as clean-cut and sharp as this one would have been almost insufferably prim and proper. “Just a friend.” 

“Your name?” 

 Proudly, he crosses his arms over each other and brings them up to his chest, announcing, “I am Draven. Master of blades. A warrior from the-”

“Just ‘Draven’ will do, thanks.”  

“…oh.” 

The undead stands there awkwardly, watching the man tap his fingers against an odd contraption he’d never seen before. Just as he’s about to lean further over the desk to get a better look, the man suddenly snatches up the discarded pen and points it down a long, crisp white hall. “Follow that red line on the wall to a ward called ‘Inpatients.’ Y/n’s in ward 51. I’ll go ahead and let them know you’re coming so nobody-” He gives Draven a quick once over, lips pursed “-freaks out.”

The warrior nods, grunting out a quick word of thanks as an afterthought before he turns to whisk off down the hallway, his green, hooded cape billowing behind him regally as he goes.

— 

“Remember that time I got to watch you get your ass handed to you by an old man?” 

“Ah, no. Eideard was an old man. Thane - despite what he says - is a maker who’s still in his prime. It was an honourable loss.” 

“It was a funny loss. My favourite part was when he dumped you in the water trough.” 

Death rolls his eyes, letting his head loll back against the uncomfortable, plastic chair by the side of your hospital bed. “I’m glad to see this illness hasn’t dampened your sense of humour.” 

A laugh catches in your throat, causing you to lurch forwards off the pillow and break into a fit of weak, painful coughs that sound haggard, wretched and rife with sickness. Death’s large hand finds your back and he gives it a few pats to clear your airway. You shoot him a grateful look, managing to chuckle softly,  “Nothing short of an apocalypse could ruin my hilarious repartee….Oh wait-”

Your conversation is abruptly interrupted by a soft knock on the door. 

Instantly, Death’s head snaps towards it and you stifle a snort when his hand twitches to Harvester’s hilt. 

“Really, Death? They’d have to be a pretty shitty bad guy to knock first.” 

The horseman grumbles at you but allows his hand to fall to his side as a doctor pokes her head around the door. “Y/n?” she sighs, “You’ve another guest. Honestly, I don’t want to know where you keep finding these…People. But listen, everyone’s getting nervous about Death being in the hospital.” Her exhausted gaze drags itself over to him and she shrugs apologetically, “I’m sorry Sir, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave. You can come back and see Y/n tomorrow, but somebody’s head is gonna roll if our Chief of Medicine finds out you’re still here today.”

Stretching, Death catches your eye, sending you a questioning look. When you make a shooing motion with your hand, he nods at the doctor. “Fine. I’ll take my leave then.” 

Her expression lifts into one of relief and she steps back, ushering in your next visitor before trotting off down the hall, the sound of her heels clicking classily against the rubber floor and disappearing down the corridor. 

Standing to leave, Death’s attention remains fixed on the doorway, in which looms a tall, decaying figure with haunting blue eyes and a permanent, skeletal grin to put even the jolliest of rogers to shame. 

“Draven?” Death blinks, astonished to see the large undead here, on Earth and not in the court of his king. 

At the sound of the Blademaster’s name, you perk up and push yourself upright in the bed, straining to see over Death’s shoulder. “Draven?” you echo excitedly as your old friend steps into the harsh light of the private room. 

What’s left of his stomach churns nervously when he sees you and he begins to knead the stems of the flowers between his large, sinewy hands. You look so different from when he last saw you six months ago. If it’s at all possible, you actually appear even smaller than you already were, laying in the hospital bed, surrounded by bizarre machines and beeping instruments. Your eyes look shattered, heavy-lidded and your skin is several shades paler than it usually is. But your smile is still the same as ever when you send it his way. Even without a heart beating in his chest, Draven feels the telltale rush of warmth spread through his corpse at the sight of you.  

“Y/n,” he breathes, “I…I heard you haven’t been yourself lately.” 

As if on cue, you grimace at an unseen pain that races up your spine and into your head and you moan, massaging your temples tenderly. “Ugh, yep. Just a bit under the weather, nothing major.” 

Raising a skeptical brow ridge, Draven glances over at the horseman, who nods his head at him, almost imperceptibly. “It’s nothing Y/n can’t handle,” he confirms, “Though, I would try not to cause too much….excitement.” The horseman raises himself from the chair, resting his hand on yours for the briefest moment whilst Draven hovers uncertainly. “I’ll be returning to Earth in a week or so.“ 

You take hold of his fingers and squeeze them amicably. “I’ll be out by then. Come by my house when you’re back?” 

He nods once then turns to the Blademaster. “Take care of our mutual friend,” he warns, angling his mask away from your line of sight so you don’t catch the challenging glare he’s boring into him.

The undead simply smirks and lifts a hand to put it on Death’s shoulder, revelling in the way the horseman bristles noticeably under the touch. “Now where’s the fun in that,” he winks. 

Obviously deciding that an argument in a hospital room is beneath him, Death scoffs, bids you a quiet farewell, then vanishes out of the door, leaving you both alone in each other’s company. 

The easy atmosphere in the room dissipates slowly, leaving it cloaked in a thick silence that you’re dying to break. Meanwhile, Draven continues to stare down at you, his bright eyes wide and unsure. Finally, roving your eyes up and down his sword-punctured body, you find a topic of conversation to focus on. Gesturing to the flowers hanging from his grasp, you ask, “So. Those for your mum? Or do you just like the smell?”

He almost drops them, embarrassed that he’s lost his suavity in your presence. ‘What’s the matter with you?’ he berates himself, ‘you used to be good at courting.’

You wait patiently, smiling as the undead suddenly stumbles forwards to your bed, glancing several times between you and the flowers before he pushes them into your hands. “They’re for you,” he explains needlessly, frowning when you let out a bark of laughter. 

“Well I didn’t think you brought them for Death!” Grinning widely, you shove your face between the petals, mostly to hide the giddiness evident in your expression. Giving someone flowers is a regular enough occurrence amongst humans. And sure, Draven used to be a human himself, but for whatever reason, the act of your zombified friend giving you this bouquet sends your mind in a tizzy. 

“They smell lovely,” you say once you’ve taken a good whiff. 

Draven shrugs. “Ostegoth chose em.” 

“Oh come on,” you laugh gleefully, “You know, you could have just lied!”

Leaning across the bedside table next to your bed, you try to reach the empty vase sitting on the far side of it. 

“Oh! Let me.” Draven jumps forward and grabs the vase, nearly sloshing water all over himself in his haste to help you. You thank him, placing the flowers in the proffered vase and laying back whilst he puts it on the table again. 

Satisfied, he gathers his cloak under one arm and plonks himself down in the flimsy chair, wincing when it creaks in protest. He looks up at you then, startled to find you shuffling down the bed and leaning towards him, resulting in the Blademaster lifting his hands to steady you as you collapse heavily against him with a happy huff and snake your arms beneath the hood, looping them around his sturdy neck. In return, he allows himself to relax into the hug with a quiet sigh, bury his nasal ridge in your hair and nuzzle his face against the side of your head. 

“It’s so good to see you,” you chirp into his hood, “I’ve missed you.” 

Draven’s throat constricts at those words. He’d forgotten what it was like to have people care about him - to have friends who wouldn’t stab him in the back and who sends his spirit soaring with a phrase so simple as ‘I miss you.’ 

Hesitantly, the words feeling foreign and strange as they leave his tongue, he whispers, “I’ve missed you too,” and tightens his rawboned fingers into your hospital gown. 

You both remain like that for some time, just enjoying the physical contact, though something tells you Draven is garnering far more happiness from the simple hug than you are. Eventually, you have let go and pull back, letting his hands slide down your arms and land in his lap. 

“So, what are you doing here?” you ask, rubbing at the bags under your eyes self-consciously. 

“I came to see you.” 

“Well, yeah. But why are you on Earth? Are you on a mission?” 

Draven blinks, tilting his head to the side. “No? I’m on Earth to see you.”

“I……oh.” 

He sits forward in the chair, resting his forearms over his knees and quirks his brow bone at you, sharp teeth gleaming grotesquely in the bright light whilst you try to formulate a response. ‘He’s here. Just to see me?’ After a brief moment of uncomfortably trying to respond, you settle on taking a sip of water from the plastic cup on your night-stand and swallowing thickly. “How - uh - how did you get the king to agree to that?” 

Draven shrugs, “he likes you.” 

When you snort obnoxiously, he reaches onto the bed to give your knee a playful shove. “S’true! Y’know he wants you in his court.” 

“He’s still going on about that?” you gripe, “Why?” 

“Well….He likes you.” 

“Again. Why?” 

For a fraction of a second, Draven’s eyes glimmer and his voice dips low, husky and soft as he murmurs, “What’s not to like?”

When you don’t respond except to blink tiredly up at him, the undead ducks his head, shadowing his face beneath the green, tattered hood and scratches at a patch of rotting skin on his wrist. “Y/n…I-” 

Suddenly, there’s another knock on the door and the same doctor steps into the room. “Visiting hours are almost over, you have ten minutes.” 

“What?” you whine, clutching your chest, “But he just got here! We’ve barely had time to talk!” 

Suddenly, Draven scowls and stands up from his chair, towering easily over the doctor and rolling his shoulders in an unnecessary display of power. “M’not leavin’ if Y/n wants me to stay,” he states gruffly. 

To her credit, the doctor merely adjusts her grip on the clipboard and draws herself up to seem taller than she is, not that it makes much difference when she only reaches the top of Draven’s chest. “My patient needs rest, sir. Besides the fact that my superiors will have my head if I let you st-” 

“Then send your superiors to me,” he pounds a fist against his chest twice, “I’ll deal with them. I’ve got twenty four hours on Earth before I have to go back to my realm and I plan spending that time with the only friend I’ve got.” He indicates to you with a wild wave of his hand, although he quickly realises that he’s revealed too much weakness to this stranger. Distractedly, Draven begins to fiddle with one of the blades sticking out of his forearm, ignorant of the disgust that flashes across the doctor’s face at the sound of his paper-dry skin tearing slightly with the gentle back and forth pulling motion. He slinks backwards to the headboard and glances down at you, pulling his teeth into a soft smile before looking back at her. “Please Doc?” 

The doctor seems more than ready to put up a fight, but eventually she just peers around Draven’s broad shoulders to stare down at you in the bed. “Are you okay with this?” she asks. You nod, reaching out unconsciously to weakly wrap your small fingers around the Blademaster’s wrist, sending a jolt of electricity straight up his arm. 

Rubbing the bridge of her nose exasperatedly, she gives a breathless laugh and flaps her hands out to the side. “Why the Hell not. Screw it, right? I’ve already died in an apocalypse, what’s the worst those pencil-pushers up top could do?” Turning on her heel, she stalks to the door, swinging it open and shaking her head. Before she leaves though, she glances over her shoulder at the Blademaster and shoots him a cool stare. “Just….just don’t leave this room tonight, okay? I don’t want people in a panic because they’ve seen a ghost walking around the ward at night.” Her eyes dart to you. “Y/n, surgery tomorrow is at ten. A nurse’ll be by to give you breakfast around eight. Use the call button if you need anything.” She raises a trimmed eyebrow at Draven. “Although I doubt much could go wrong with tall, dark and ghoulish here watching over you.”  And with that, she’s gone. 

Draven deflates visibly and drops back down into the chair, studying your face worriedly. “Surgery?” he asks uncertainly. 

You wave your hand reassuringly, “S’nothing major, don’t worry about it.” 

His eyes bore into you, trying to sniff out any hint of deception. “You’d tell me if it was serious.” It’s not a question or a request, it’s a demand. 

Rolling your eyes, you laugh quietly at the sober look on his face. “Yes, Draven. I’d tell you if it was serious,” you promise, leaning back into the pillow and turning onto your side with a grunt of minor pain. You stare up at him underneath his hood, blowing air out through your nose as you scrutinise the way his jaw is shifting every so often, a clear sign that he’s thinking of something to say. Deciding to help him out, you voice the thought that had been on your mind since the doctor came in. 

“So.. you’re only here for a day?” you ask. 

Nodding, he returns to picking the loose skin on his wrist. “S’right.

“Seriously?” You abruptly prop your head up on one arm and give him an incredulous scoff. “You’ve only got one day on Earth and you want to spend it inside a hospital room?”

“What else would I be doing?” 

“Um! Anything? You could be exploring. Finding out what’s changed. You could visit the place you used to live! I bet someone would help you find it. Hey, you haven’t even discovered television yet, or had a glass of wine. You said how much you missed wine.” 

Draven,” you furrow your brow and gaze at him sincerely, “I don’t want you to stay if you’d rather spend your time out there.” 

“I want to spend it with you,” he mumbles, avoiding your eyes entirely now. 

You find yourself lost for words.. Again and again the master of blades does something heartfelt, reminding you that he wasn’t always an undead servant to the Lord of Bones. He may be a dead man, yet the spirit of humanity is still very much alive in him. It’s humbling when you get to see it. Draven, similarly, is grateful that you make him forget what he is - just a ghost. A ghost with a serious attachment to a living human. 

“Well,” you break the heavy silence in a reticent voice, “Thanks. I guess this means you’ll just have to ask the king for another day off, hmm? Maybe when I’m out of hospital.” 

Hopeful, he scratches behind his ear and has to stop himself from removing the hood altogether. He’s not sure you’re ready to see the grey matter showing through the large hole in the back of his skull. “Guess there’s no harm in tryin’.” He leans forward and taps a cold, sharp finger against your forehead. “But you need to get better first.” 

“Alright, alright,” you smirk, brushing his hand away. 

The light filtering in through the window diminishes slowly as the conversation turns to more jovial topics. He asks what you’ve been doing since the resurrection, you inquire after affairs in the Dead Plains. You fall into the conversation easily, as though you hadn’t been apart for six months. 

When you start to yawn, Draven asks if there’s a way to ‘extinguish that bloody, bright torch on the ceiling,’ which gets a hearty but weak chuckle out of you and you have to walk him through the proper use of a light-switch. He flicks it on and off several times, fascinated by his first interaction with technology before at last turning the light off as you reach over to switch on the lamp, casting the room in a much more pleasant, warm glow. You continue to talk softly well into the night, keeping laughs hushed and secretive so as not to draw any night orderlies to your room. 

Inevitably, your words trail off into a sleepy drawl and Draven’s wide, spectral grin softens at the sight of you fighting to stay awake. The last thing you feel before you fall asleep, is a large, ashen hand slipping beneath your fingers that rest on the bed and a cold thumb pressing gently into your palm. 

[punkscowardschampions]

Rio & Buster

Rio: Nance doing me so dirty not giving me chance to give you the scoop of the century before she 📸 Buster: What? Rio: Get with the times, boy! Rio: Even in her state your sis has managed to get out there and have a successful date, what've you even been doing? Buster: Is this your way of telling me to take you out? Rio: I don't need to be coy about it, babe Rio: Have you looked yet?! Buster: Am I supposed to know who that girl is or what the fuck you're so buzzing about, like? Rio: She's in her year at School Rio: also a gay Rio: also asked Nancy on a date Rio: she asked her, isn't that so cute Buster: Behave Buster: What would she wanna date my sister for? Rio: You're so rude Rio: Why not? And she does so Rio: I was there as the texts were coming in, like Buster: Whatever Rio: 🙄 Buster: You want me to do cartwheels or what, like? Buster: I know I'm at the gym but come on Rio: Glad you're making up for lack of enthusiasm with productivity then, like Rio: You know it's her first date, literal, yeah? Buster: No it's not Buster: Is it? Rio: Yeah Buster: Fucking hell Buster: Least she got it out of the way before uni then Rio: Got there in the end Rio: So cute Buster: Shut up Buster: What are you doing other than planning a gay wedding Rio: Setting up my filming shit Rio: Standard Buster: Let's do something later that doesn't involve a pub full of our fam, yeah? Rio: Intriguing, yeah Rio: What do you have in mind? Buster: I knew I'd feel like going to The Blind Pig again before I left so I did all their bullshit reservation shit Buster: You up for it? Rio: Yeah Rio: Never been so that'll be a laugh Buster: We're doing dinner and cocktails so don't let your dad force feed you Rio: Init tho, not been back that long and swear I'm gaining Rio: like Da, got money to make, please Buster: They love it Buster: Your da doing you a favour Rio: mukbang moment Rio: there is no way those tiny asian girls are swallowing Rio: 'scuse double meaning there but Buster: Indie though Buster: Minus the double meaning 'cause no Rio: if she comes back I'll put her to work Rio: deffo so very illegal, lowkey making myself a madam with it too but you know Buster: 😂 Rio: if that ain't a reason to look after her, like Rio: what is Buster: 'Course Buster: Tell me about this lesbian then Rio: Steady 😏 Rio: Nah, she was nice, normal Rio: chattier than Nance but not like, look at me, look at me Rio: she said this girl gave her her number when she moved her, 'case she needed that solidarity so figure she's gotta be pretty decent Buster: Do you reckon she's the one Nance was talking about last night then? Buster: Like if they've had each other's numbers all that time or whatever Rio: I thought so but then she was saying she's never properly spoke to her and all about not being 'all in' which Rio: why would you be before your first date in my head but doesn't match what she was saying last night so Rio: Not sure now Buster: Yeah Buster: Maybe she's been 😍 from afar? That's gay Rio: True Rio: Other girl seems like she'd be the type to do something about it though Rio: Bold to ask someone out based on some drunk dialing Rio: still got my 👀 Buster: Nance is good at keeping her cards close Buster: Maybe that girl didn't know until she got wrecked Buster: I don't know Rio: Could be, babe, could be Rio: so mad tho Rio: ruining my know-all rep Buster: Unlucky babe Buster: You can get it back by filling in my blanks from last night if you want Rio: When'd it start to get all fuzzy, like? Buster: After I took that bottle and drank it 2/3 I reckon Rio: That'll do it 😂 Rio: Nothing but fun things, trust Buster: Are you trying to say you've got no black spots in your memory after all those Long Islands Rio: Spotless Rio: like my record Rio: but really, woke up in my bed with you and not another cousins so, how bad can it be? Buster: Don't Buster: So unfunny Rio: You know I got jokes Buster: I know you call 'em that Rio: Rude Rio: I remember you laughing last night Rio: Definitely Buster: Yeah? Buster: Must've been at and not with Rio: 😮 Rio: 😠 Rio: How dare you Buster: Those who dare, babe Buster: You know Rio: Not winning any points here, boy Buster: Not yet Buster: I've got plenty of time Rio: Taking off minutes like it's nothing other here Rio: ticktock Buster: Thought you'd be glad I'm thinking of staying here long enough to have some spare Buster: But I can always go home now if you'd rather Buster: 😏 Rio: 😖 Don't play Rio: how long are you thinking? Buster: But babe, I'm so so so bored Buster: Another fortnight before I gotta start getting shit sorted for the start of school Buster: Might give you a few more days, like Buster: 🤷 Rio: You're not working out hard enough then, are you Rio: Fuck off 😒 Rio: Be nice Buster: 'Cause I wanna work out with you really and you're busy Rio: All adds up now Rio: poor baby Rio: could be there but can't show your cute lil face and what a waste Buster: You'd still get to see it so hardly Rio: True Rio: still such a natural giver, what can I say Buster: True Buster: What I remember of last night really proved it Rio: 😇 Rio: didn't hate being selfish with you though, might make it a modest habit, like Buster: Sounds like my work here is done Buster: Maybe I should go before you change your mind Rio: Stop it Buster: You're so hot Rio: Then say you're gonna stay Rio: Teasing me Buster: Say you want me to Rio: Buster Rio: You know I do Rio: Please Buster: I love it when you say please Buster: You know I'm gonna stay for you, babe Rio: I don't mind begging you, sometimes Rio: but if you go any earlier than you gotta Imma be so mad Buster: I won't Buster: I like it here Buster: But you're hot as fuck when you're mad though Rio: Good Rio: Yeah, hot as fuck in another country to you, think on Buster: All I'm gonna do when I go is think about you Buster: But I don't have to leave yet Rio: Yeah Rio: gotta make the most of it Rio: 'fore it's all maths and physics again for you Buster: Don't even have any hot teachers Buster: 💔 Rio: Gutted Rio: one cliche fantasy I never got to tick off either Buster: You can always borrow my uniform if you feel like you're missing out Rio: Like I ain't got my own Rio: costume cuboard on lock Buster: I remember Rio: You go to an all-boys school or what? Buster: There's girls there Buster: It's just the teachers that's all old fuckers Rio: Ahh, just wondering why you're so deprived and weird then 😜 Buster: What? Rio: Jokes Rio: who ain't thirsty for me Rio: perfectly normal Buster: Fuck off Rio: 😂 Buster: Behave Rio: You're cute with it so you're alright Buster: You called me cute so much last night Buster: Not so bad when you're drunk, babe Buster: All the attitude just falls away like Rio: 'Cos you're a friendly drunk, who knew Nance would be the 😡 one Rio: would not be wanting to call her cute last night, also to afraid to say anything else tho Buster: You don't need to be calling her cute or thinking she is Rio: You wanna be special? Buster: I already am Buster: I want you to recognise it Rio: 😏 Buster: Hilarious Rio: Idk, maybe I'll feel it later Rio: gotta prove it first, like Buster: You got amnesia over night or what? Buster: Maybe I'll take someone else out to The Blind Pig Buster: A girl with memory Rio: No worse than you Rio: Sure you will Buster: What am I forgetting? Rio: Doesn't matter Buster: Yeah it does Buster: Say it Rio: I said I wouldn't hold you to shit you said during sex, that rule applies to when we're fucked up too Buster: And I'm pretty sure I said that you can Buster: If I said it, I meant it Rio: Alright Buster: And? Rio: Shh Buster: No Rio: You don't wanna know Buster: I do if you're upset with me Rio: I ain't Rio: Honest Rio: we all get over emotional when we've had a few Rio: nothing to worry about Buster: Well now you have to tell me Buster: Was I crying or what the fuck? Buster: Stop being weird Rio: No, no you weren't crying Rio: I'm not being weird it's just awkward that I remember and you don't so I'll forget too Buster: Rio Buster: Just tell me Buster: Fuck's sake Rio: Oh my god Rio: just remember I wasn't making a big deal out of this, it was you, alright Buster: You're making a big deal out of it now Buster: Don't fucking start Rio: If you would listen to me just this once Rio: but fine Rio: the L word Rio: not lesbians Rio: that's all Buster: That's not funny Rio: Well, I ain't joking Buster: Bullshit Buster: No I didn't Rio: Why would I make it up? Rio: I didn't want to tell you Buster: Fuck knows Buster: But I know I'd remember that Rio: Don't call me a liar Rio: I don't care, forget it happened Buster: How the fuck am I meant to do that? Buster: You might be telling loads of lads all sorts but Buster: Giving it 'that's all' like Buster: Fucking hell Rio: You made me say Rio: what do you even mean by that? Rio: if this was part of my chat, I think I'd have run into issues before now Buster: Shut up Rio: Little late for that Rio: Jesus Buster: You just can't stop with the jokes, can you? Buster: Christ Rio: It ain't funny Buster: I'm not the one acting like it is Rio: Me either Rio: Where? I didn't Buster: Whatever Rio: Yeah Rio: Exactly Buster: This is bullshit Buster: I'll talk to you later Rio: Don't be a pussy about it Buster: Fuck you Rio: Seriously Buster: Seriously, don't Rio: Why can't you just act like it didn't happen Buster: 'Cause it did Buster: How can you pretend it didn't Rio: We were wasted Rio: doesn't count Buster: Not what you said when Nance was Buster: It's not one rule for her and another for me Rio: That's different Rio: anyway, I'm giving you a free pass here, take it Buster: No it's fucking not Buster: Yeah, well I'm giving you one too Buster: See you around Rio: For fuck's sake Rio: Buster Buster: Don't Rio: I'm sorry