#we have a special offer running atm

[x-whyareyoureadingthis-x]

People not realizing how fucking lucky they are 🤮

[queers-gambit]

Campus Breakdown

prompt: ( requested ) after a hard day, at least you can come home to him.

pairing: Carmen 'Carmy' Berzatto x female!reader

fandom masterlist: FX's The Bear

word count: 1.6k+

warnings: reader's a graduate student, cursing, small angst but mostly small hurt bigger comfort.

The door slammed shut in a forceful rattle, making Carmy perk up from his place on the couch. "Baby?" He called, setting aside the magazine you left behind.

"Carmy?" You sounded confused, exiting the foyer to round into the living room. "Hey, what're you doing home so early?"

"Uh, pipe burst at work, left Fak t'deal with it," he sniffled, muting the television. "What's up with you? Or do you always slam doors happily around here?"

You sighed, "Sorry, I just - it's been a day and a half, you know?"

He pouted dramatically, offering, "Wanna tell me 'bout it?"

"It won't fix what happened."

"No, but it might help get it off your chest, filter a little emotion."

You nodded absently, "I think I might want a glass of wine first - maybe two."

He felt a surge of empathy in his chest, knowing that distant look in your eyes and the way your entire demeanor seemed absent, distracted, exhausted. Work often kicked his ass, too, so there was an understanding after so many nights you had let him rant and rave about whatever went wrong - it was only right to return the favor.

Carmy readjusted the pillows and coffee table, leaning over to light the scented candle you kept there; grabbing a blanket to prepare for you. When you entered the living room, you had stripped out of your pants and was pouring a glass of wine, leaving the bottle on the cleaned-up coffee table; sighing when you dropped onto the couch.

"All right, pretty girl," Carmy chuckled, pulling your feet into his lap. You readjusted with a small grumble as Carmy then tossed the blanket over you, but left your feet out for him to massage. "Tell me what happened today."

You held up a single finger, downing more than half your glass of wine. Carm's brows perked up, blinking in shock before nodding slowly when you swallowed. "Today. Fucking. Sucked," you told him.

"I can see that, and feel it - your feet are knotted," he noted, working his thumbs into the meat. "Did you sit down at all today?"

"Well, no, 'cause I had to work alone today," you groaned. "Lisa has mono, Brittany had to make up some exam, Benjamin apparently had a meeting with the bursar's office, and Stacy literally stood outside, fighting with her boyfriend - like what!?"

Carmy offered you a stale look in reaction to your story, "She get docked?"

"Well, yeah, I mean, I kinda had to; she didn't bus a single table, she didn't talk to a single customer, like, the only other person working with me today was Carl and he was in the kitchen the whole time."

"Doesn't sound exactly fair..."

"It's a shitty campus diner, Carmy, 'fair' isn't exactly in their vocabulary, but the tips are semi decent 'cause we have that 'drunk rush special'. Oh! Wait! That's not all," you hummed, taking another gulp. "'Cause why would anything go right on a day I worked the entire floor alone? Right?"

"What else?" He asked, turning in his seat so he could face you directly; still massaging your feet, but leaning his cheek on your bent knee to remain close.

"The fucking register went down."

"You mean the only one in the whole place?"

"Yep, of course! 'Cause why the fuck wouldn't anything go right?" You scoffed. "And it's not like any of this was, like, hidden, you know? It was very obvious I was working alone, the register was fucked, but do you think that made anyone empathetic towards the situation? No, of course not, they wanted to just pay their bills and leave. Which I fucking get! But like, what!?"

"What'd you do?"

"Took cash only," you shrugged. "ATM was still up and running, so it was on them," you wiped you eyes, sighing deeply. "Still bitched the whole time though, complained to whoever listened. End of the night, that new manager even docked my tips, you believe that?"

"Hold up - for what?" Carm snapped.

"Customers were that pissed, Carmy, so a few of them dined-and-dashed, someone had to pay," you whined, head tilted back. "Like I did any of this on purpose? Like I went and unplugged shit myself? Like I wanted to make my life significantly harder? Do people even fucking think by themselves now? Where's the empathy?"

"Nah, they definitely lack in that department," he chuckled. "Know what I'm gonna say, right?"

"Hmm? Oh, Carmy, no," you groaned, "I'm not working at The Beef."

"It's ten times better than where you work, baby," he pouted. "And I could use someone with experience like yours with the customers. Richie's not always the best 'face of the store', you know?"

"No, Carmy," you refused sternly.

"C'mon, why not?"

"You as my boss? And boyfriend? Fuck no!"

"I'm literally so nice!"

"Yeah, that's exactly what Sydney says," you laughed, nudging his stomach with your foot. "Baby, no. Listen, I appreciate it, I really do, but I get ten times the tips at that shitty diner than I would at The Beef, and it's right on campus so I lose literally no time."

He sighed, "You're only, what? A year out from your Masters?"

"Just about," you grumbled with a pout.

Carmy chuckled, "C'mon, baby, don't torture yourself. Get a new job."

"I'm not, I'm just - " You cut yourself off with a sigh, hating that advice (as if it were just so simple), shaking your head and finishing your wine. "I'm just dealing with my current circumstances, I'm sorry I came home in a bad mood - "

"No, hey, wait," Carmy sat up, reaching for your cheek to hold, "I didn't mean to make you feel as if I was shutting you down. Baby, I always want you t'talk to me, okay? I just mean, there's something better out there, and you deserve better than that place. I hate seeing you so stressed out," he pouted dramatically, making you snicker lightly.

"You're one to talk," you reminded softly, sitting up so you could nestle under his arm. "You're stressed out, like, more than 90% of the time."

"Hey now, we're talkin' about your day, not mine," he deflected with a small chuckle. "What if I asked around a bit? You know, a different server job? I can check out places close to campus, but you'd get much better tips and better customers at a nicer place."

You groaned, "Now that sounds nice." He chuckled with you now. "I mean, it's bad enough I have to deal with those creepy frat boys in class, but in the diner, I have to play nice 'cause they tip with daddy's money well if I don't shut them up. It'd be nice working somewhere they couldn't even afford t'walk into."

"See? I'm good for something."

"You're good for everything, Carm, shut up," you laughed, leaning up to kiss his jawline. "I'm just tired of this whole 'pay your dues' bullshit. You know? I get having to suffer a little to build a better character, but for fuck's sake."

Carmy pouted, "Sounds like a second glass of wine kinda rant?"

You pouted back at him, nodding, both mockingly making little noises as he lifted from his sitting position to snag the bottle of wine. You smiled as he poured, watching his face, loving the effect he had on you; feeling calm and serene, and it wasn't the alcohol. When the bottle was set aside again, he tugged your legs over his lap and laid one of his arms around your shoulders; keeping you snuggled close and under the blanket.

"What else happened?" He asked softly, kissing your temple.

"I don't want to sound like I'm just bitching."

"How else do you expect to blow off steam? Huh?" He countered. "You're not bothering me, I want to hear this, baby - all of it. So, lemme recount, yeah? Okay, so, you worked alone your whole shift with only the frycook in the back, the cash register went down, and that made a buncha customers all pissed off. Enough that a few dipped off and you had to cover their bills. But the ATM was good, so they could still pay cash, but they were still being dickheads, yeah?"

"Mhm," you hummed, halting yourself.

"Nuh-uh, c'mon, what else?"

Tears sprung to your eyes as your head lulled onto his shoulder. "It was just a really shitty day, Carm," you whispered, giving a small sniffle. "Guys are grimy and gross, they garnished my wages 'cause of those dashers - I told you. It was a fucking shit show! Oh, and a few bulbs blew all within 10 minutes of each other - like fully snap, crackle, and pop, blew out. So, I had to call the electrician, he took over 2 hours to get there, so, part of the back dining room was darker and this group of guys all decided to sit back there - it was so fucking creepy!"

Carmen frowned, listening to you rant and rave about how overworked and under appreciated you were. He held you tight, raking a hand through your hair, tracing invisible patterns on your upper arm; keeping you close as the wine slowly sunk into your blood. You grew less lucid by the passing hour, mostly the exhaustion sinking in, but Carmy didn't mind.

He just adjusted you both on the couch so he was laid out with you safely tucked between the cushions and his body. You had long since changed subjects; going from shitty work conditions to sports to your coursework load, then to The Beef, breezed over whatever Richie's daily attitude was about, then quietly debated if Carmy was taking the weekend off to spend it with you. Now, the TV was the only light on in the apartment, wine bottle empty, you resting on Carmy's chest; his arms tight around you, blanket tangled around your legs, both speaking quietly into the night before sleep claimed you both.

requesting rules and masterlist

The Bear masterlist

[toomanystoriessolittletime]

I bet you say that to all the girls

Summary: Every Friday at 1pm on the dot Joel Miller pays you for 20 minutes to take you apart in the best way before he leaves again. But what if he wanted more?

Pairing: Joel Miller x fem. (Sexworker) Reader

Wordcount: 1.8k

Rating: E

Warnings: Pre-Outbreak, Sex Work, oblivious idiots, smut (fem. receiving, protected sex), usual attempt at humour, little fluff

A/N: This was not meant to be so fluffy in the end but here we are. Also we are going to pretend that sex work is legal for this fic because the internet say it is indeed not legal atm

follow @toomanystoriessolittletime-fics and turn on notifications to get notified with new fic updates

“He’s here,” you looked up at your door opening, seeing Sam wiggling his eyebrows. You rolled your eyes with a scoff. Everyone around here knew that every Friday at 1pm on the dot your first client of the day walked in. 

You didn’t know much about Joel Miller, but you knew he was your favorite part of the week. 

Every Friday for twenty very satisfying minutes you pretended to be someone else, someone who didn’t have to sell her body to pay her bills. And Joel made it easy. There was something about him, how he looked at you, that made you feel like you were the most important person on the planet. 

He broke you apart and put you together afterwards and he wasn’t shy about it. Everyone around your rented room heard how he made you feel

Of course there had been offers from other girls (and even boys) throughout the two years he had been coming to see you, but he only ever wanted you. 

It made you feel more special than it should be, he was paying you for sex after all. Something you still found confusing (not that you were complaining), but men had different reasons to pay a prostitute. Your guess for him was that he was scared of commitment, maybe someone had broken his heart and he did not want to let anyone new in. 

You guessed that just his looks had women around him swooning. If they only knew what he was hiding behind those dark eyes and broad shoulders.

“Tell him to come up,” you said, seeing Sam nod before the door closed again. You walked over to the floor length mirror, looking at yourself. The black see through robe you were wearing left little to the imagination. You didn’t bother with a bra, only wearing a small thong beneath. He once told you your tits were his favorite part about you and if you looked very closely, you could still make out the now faint yellow bruise he left there last week. 

He apologized profusely, knowing about the rule to not leave marks, even offering to pay more. You declined, wearing his mark on your body secretly with pride.

You knew you were fucked when it came to Joel Miller, but you couldn’t care less. A girl deserved to have someone to daydream about every once in a while. 

Joel did not bother with what you were wearing. He only had those twenty minutes, like every Friday, and he used them to their full extent. 

He never ever left you unsatisfied, not like the majority of your other customers. 

A knock on the door and you turned towards it just when it opened and he walked in, all broad shoulders and southern charm. He closed the door behind him, his eyes finding yours. 

“Clothes off, get on the bed and spread those legs for me, sweetheart,” he hummed, his hands already working on his belt. 

You smiled.

“Yes, Sir.”

The satin sheets were cold as you laid on them, your legs spread, your pussy on full display for the man staring down at you. He had pulled off his shirt, the zipper of his pants opened. He sighed, sucking his bottom lip between his teeth. 

“Hands above your head,” he said, pushing his pants down, revealing his already hard cock. You pouted, but obediently put your hands over your head, your eyes not leaving his frame as he got on his knees on the bed between your legs. 

“Been thinking about this pussy since last week,” he murmured, both of his hands running up your inner thigh. He pushed your legs even further apart as he lowered himself between your legs. 

“Will you let me taste you?” he asked, his brown eyes looking up at you. You only nodded, still surprised that he wanted to eat you out regularly. 

You frankly were dumbolded the first time he asked, first because none of your customers wanted to, and second because he asked every single time. 

Most customers think because they pay you, they are allowed to do whatever they want to you. Which to a point is true, but not Joel Miller. He asked for permission every single time. 

He kissed himself up your thigh, until he lingered with his mouth just above where you were soaked for him. He inhaled deeply, his eyes closing for a moment, before he let his tongue lick through your folds. His dark eyes looked up at you as he tasted you. One of his arms was wrapped around your upper thigh to keep you still. He used the fingers of his other hand to spread your lips apart. 

“So fucking pretty,” he moaned before he pushed one finger in. You sighed, fighting the urge to close your eyes. He kissed your clit before his lips parted and he sucked it softly into his mouth, his tongue moving over it. 

“Joel please…” you moaned. You wanted to touch him, to run your fingers through his hair, to pull him closer. 

“Want you to cum before I fill this pussy with my cock,” he hummed. 

You moaned. 

“What do you need?” he asked. 

“Two more fingers. And… And… Fuck and keep sucking on my clit…” you moaned. 

“Two more?” he asked, one eyebrow raised, three of his fingers pushing into you the next moment. You cried out. 

“So I can take your big cock,” you winked with a small smile. 

He snorted, playfully biting into your thigh, before he moved his fingers. He knew exactly what to do to make you see stars. And you could already feel a familiar tingle in your lower body, your orgasm slowly building. 

“Bet you say that to all the guys,” he said.

You shook your head.

“You’re the biggest I ever had,” you whimpered and it was the truth.

He spit on your pussy, making you even wetter before his tongue flicked over your clit. 

“Cum for me,” he grunted, before he sucked your clit into his mouth, his fingers still fucking you. Your legs were shaking as your orgasm washed over you, Joel’s name on your lips in a silent cry.

You just laid there in the blissful aftermath of your orgasm, breathing deeply as you felt Joel kiss up your body. His hands reaching for your tits, palming them in his big hands. 

“Best fucking tits on this planet,” he groaned and you smiled. 

“I bet you say that to all the girls,” you teased. 

He shook his head, his lips sucking one of your nipples into his mouth. 

“Never really see other girls' tits,” he promised and you closed your eyes. 

“Maybe you should. So you can compare,” you smiled softly. Opening your eyes you found his face above yours.

“Want to get rid of me?” he smirked, moving his hips against yours and you felt his cock slip though your folds. Fuck, the amount of times you have imagined him fucking you bare. You wanted him to cum inside of you, to fill you up so you had something of him when he walked through your door. 

“You want the answer from the girl you paid for sex, or you want an honest answer?” you asked. He just looked at you, his brown eyes focused on yours. You did not know how to read the way he looked at you after what you said. He didn't give you a chance to think more about it, before his lips crashed down on yours, his arms wrapping around your body to pull you closer. 

His weight on top of you was so familiar, it made you feel safer than it should. You had come to terms with the fact that what you felt for the men you were looking at right now was way more than a little crush. 

Joel kissed you, his tongue parting your lips as he slowly turned your bodies, so you were on top of him. 

“Want you to ride me,” he hummed against your lips and you smiled. Pushing yourself up you reached for a package of condoms on the bedside, opening the little foil package and pulling it on his hard cock. 

“Whatever my favorite customer wants,” you said, tiling your head down to watch as you grabbed his cock. You felt his hand on your wrist and you looked at him. 

“You know you’re more than just someone I pay for sex right?” he asked and you breathed out shakily. 

“Joel…”

He pushed himself up, one of his arms wrapping around your back. His other hand tilting your chin up. 

“I can’t stop thinking about you,” he whispered. His hand cupped your cheek, his eyes focused on yours. 

“Coming here is one of the best parts of my week,” he kissed your nose. 

“You don’t mean that,” you shook your head. 

He said your name and you closed your eyes. 

“I suck at this. Feelings and talking about them and all that shit, but I do know that this stopped being just paying someone for sex a long time ago, sweetheart,” he brushed the tears away from your cheeks that you didn’t realize were there in the first place. 

“But… I’m a …. I’m a whore Joel. Men pay me for sex, how…”

“It’s just a job. Probably pays better than most other jobs,” he tried to joke and you laughed in disbelief. 

“You… You’d be okay with that?” you asked. 

He sighed. 

“If there turns out to be something more between us, then I have to be. You’re worth it,” he shrugged and you shook your head, before you let your forehead rest against his. 

“If there ends up being more between us, I would try to find something else. I don’t….,” you took a deep breath, “I never had a reason to search for something else. And I promised myself that if I ever meet someone, I would stop. I… If I would love someone I want to be with just them and nobody else.”

He kissed you then and you lifted your hips, lining his cock up with you and slowly sank down on him. You wrapped your arms behind his neck, his lips not leaving yours until he was deep inside of you. 

“Can I take you on a date?” he asked and you giggled. 

“You ask all the girls you’re inside in that?” you teased and he grinned, shaking his head. 

“Nah. Just you,” he winked, before he pushed you down against the mattress and began to move his hips. 

[pillowbeast]

More notes on the current thoughts on the robot TF OC

Works for a moving/storage company, often gets to go out and help put things in the truck themselves which allows them to have interpersonal interactions with people.

Sitting in a special compartment in the main part of thr truck that lets them sit behind their coworkers and chill while driving. Imagery of them chilling in the back and just singing along to the radio, coworker noting they seem way happier ever since the procedure.

-

Imagining the company initially offers in house maintenance as well? Admittedly a new offer because this is the first time they've had someone become a robot on the workforce. Getting caught off guard by custom modifications that their friends made, being all like "Look we're not gonna chew you out or anything, we're more than glad you're living your best life, but we're not familiar with the tech or customisations so we can't do maintenance on those parts because we don't feel qualified to do so"

Ending up just getting tune ups with their friends anyway, the offered maintenance is probably the company's way of still offering a form of health insurance/service? They probably provide something somewhat similar for people with cybernetics and what have you but like, health insurance all together is kinda unnecessary cos of a lack of any biological components whatsoever.

They essentially run under like, company car provided fuel logic where their workplace will cover any costs required by maintenance or repair but the custom components will only be covered up to a certain threshold because those components are custom and not work related (Not that the transformation was work related as a whole but they want to be nice to their employees).

Imagining them just, sitting down in one of my OC's workshops, plush sleeve off while their mechanical arm is fully exposed, hand opened up on the back whilst their friend tinkers with it, installing a very unnecessary laser module into it while sparks fly out, the both of them just chilling and shooting the shit together.

If it isn't obvious I am VERY passionate about this character atm skfjnekdmsms

[nazrul37421976]

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Product: Stealth AI

Date Of Launch: 2024-Feb-08

Time Of Launch: 10:00 EST

Front-End Price: $17

Official Website: Click Here

Product Type: Website / Membership

Support: Effective Response

Recommended: Highly Recommended

Skill Level Required: All Levels

Refund: YES, 180 Days Money-Back Guarantee

Stealth AI Review – Key Features

Turn TikTok Into A Viral ATM.

Newbie Friendly Interface.

Profitable Templates To Choose From.

Intuitive Drag-and-Drop Interface.

Built-In AI Powered Content Creator.

Built-In AI-Generated Cash Campaigns.

TikTok Income Potential.

High Ticket Campaigns Included.

App Works On All Popular Devices.

All Major 3rd Party Integrations Supported.

Automated AI Traffic Feature Built-In.

DFY Business Commercial Licence Included.

No Monthly Fees.

Built-In Offers Included.

How To Stealth AI Work?

Stealth AI Review – What Does Stealth AI Offer You?

Introducing the Brand New Stealth AI Commissions App! Use the Money Machine app from any device, on any platform – be it mobile, laptop, desktop, Windows, or Mac. We like to call it ‘income without borders’.

Done-for-You AI Money Sites: Gain access to our DFY money sites powered by TikTok videos proven to generate $50-100 per day.

AI Smart Automation: No need to lift a finger. Let A.I. automation handle everything on autopilot.

100% Free Buyer Traffic Built-In: Stealth AI comes pre-loaded with built-in traffic, so you can get up and running quickly.

Built-In Monetization: Utilize AI with built-in monetization for multiple streams of daily income.

World-Class Training: We provide top-notch training, rated #1 in the industry, to support your success.

Online Success or Personal Coaching Guarantee: If you don’t achieve the desired results with Stealth AI, we’ll personally coach you for up to 6 weeks and refund your purchase.

60-Second World-Class VIP Customer Support: Our US-based experts are available 24/7 to ensure you achieve the best possible results.

Stealth AI Review – OTOs & Pricing

STEALTH AI App – Value $497/Month

Step-By-Step Video Training + Profit Shortcuts – Value $397

STEALTH AI Multi-Monetization System – Worth $997

STEALTH AI Done-For-You Videos – Worth $997

FREE Bonus #1: $1,497 Daily ZERO-COST Auto Bot- Worth $1,997

FREE Bonus #2:$300 Per Day Auto Affiliate Check – Worth $997

FREE Bonus #3:Zero To $1K In Seven Days – Worth $1,997

FREE Bonus #4 First Sale In 60 Minutes – Worth $497

FREE Bonus #5: Commercial License – Worth $497

SPECIAL Bonus #1:$100/Per Hour “Commission Duplicator” App – Worth $3,997

SPECIAL Bonus #2:UNDERGROUND $1K/Day LIVE Training! – Worth $2,997

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Stealth AI Review – Conclusion

Stealth AI stands at the forefront of reshaping online income generation. With its user-friendly interface, AI-driven content curation, and versatile monetization features, it presents a compelling and effective avenue for individuals to tap into the abundant opportunities in online marketing.

As the digital landscape continues to evolve, platforms like Stealth AI are positioned to become essential tools for every digital marketer. They represent a new era of innovation and profitability in online strategies, offering unparalleled potential for success.

Many thanks to you for digging into the Secrecy Artificial Intelligence Survey. I really trust it has given you significant experience to support your buying choice. For those anxious to immediately jump all over early chances, this proposition incorporates an assortment of rewards, stressing the significance of making a quick move to get the most worthwhile arrangement.

[acservicechennai]

Blue Star Ac Service In Chennai

Blue Star Air Conditioner, Advantages and Problems

Blue Star Air Conditioner

Blue Star offers one of India's most comprehensive commercial refrigeration and air conditioning product lines, along with a wide range of air purifiers, water purifiers, air coolers, warehouse refrigeration and other specialized products.

The diverse air conditioning products serve both the commercial and residential segments and include solutions for every need. Blue Star serves homes with precision inverter, split, and window air conditioners. Commercial and residential complexes are served by a variety of state-of-the-art ducted and VRF systems.

Showrooms, offices, and ATMs utilize the company's commercial solutions, which include a wide range of standard split air conditioners as well as large split, cassette, and upright air conditioners. Blue Star coolers adorn iconic buildings and structures such as airports, shopping malls, hospitals, and industrial facilities. If your blue star AC breaks down, you should contact blue star AC service in Chennai.

Air Conditioner Problems

Air conditioner repairs can be expensive, so it's essential to schedule regular maintenance and tune-ups with experienced air conditioning contractors to enjoy the best air conditioning performance.

Air conditioner is not turning on.

Air conditioner not blowing cold air

Ac refrigerant leak

Air conditioner making noises

Frozen evaporator coil

Electric control failure

Air conditioner leaking water outside

Drainage problem

Sensor problem

Water leaking outside the air conditioner on a hot or humid day, especially when the unit is running, is considered normal. It is also normal for water leaks to occur outside in cool weather, at temperatures of 60 degrees or below because the unit can freeze and leak water when it melts. Other reasons why your air conditioner is leaking water to the outside include-

Dirty air filters

Improper installation

Blocked drain pipe

Low coolant levels

Broken condensate pan

SAI AC SERVICE is the best blue star AC service in Chennai offering truly reliable and consistent services.  Overall, we are concerned about recovery and retention residential, industrial, and commercial air conditioning systems. Today we have a very skilled team of technicians, supervisors, and support staff available 24/7 repair.

[mindfiresolutions-blog]

The IoT Revolution: How Connected Devices are Revolutionizing Industries

The Internet of Things (IoT) has permeated every aspect of modern life, transforming industries across the board. IoT-connected devices are no longer just technological novelties; they have become the driving force behind revolutionary changes in crucial sectors such as healthcare, fintech, automotive, enterprise, and household functions. In this article, we will explore the impact of IoT-connected devices on these industries and how they are streamlining existing processes while paving the way for new ones.

Understanding IoT-Connected Devices

IoT-connected devices encompass a wide array of electronic gadgets, machines, household appliances, and more, all capable of wireless communication and data transmission. These devices have evolved from being isolated and disconnected entities to interconnected devices that can communicate and interact with each other over the internet. The ability to transmit data opens up a world of possibilities for optimization and insights.

Transforming Crucial Industries

Healthcare: The healthcare industry is experiencing a significant transformation due to IoT-connected devices. Home monitoring systems enable doctors to remotely track an individual's health, reducing infection risks and saving costs and time associated with frequent trips to the doctor. Remote patient monitoring technologies provide real-time health data, such as blood pressure and heart rate, enabling doctors to manage acute and chronic conditions more efficiently. Wearable IoT technologies, like the Apple Watch Series 8, offer enhanced health tracking capabilities, including fall detection and ECG. These sophisticated devices are becoming life-saving tools.

Fintech: In the fintech sector, IoT-connected devices have streamlined operations in areas like ATMs, ticketing kiosks, and night depositories. Beyond simple transactions, these devices offer personalized experiences, tracking customer spending patterns and offering user-focused differentiated offerings. Biometrics and IoT sensors also enhance security and help prevent ATM thefts.

Automotive: The automotive industry is experiencing a revolutionary shift with IoT-connected devices. Connected cars can register real-time traffic data, run system diagnostics, and even offer predictive maintenance. IoT sensors embedded in vehicles can predict the useful life of various parts, improving operational costs and road safety.

Enterprise: In the enterprise sector, IoT-connected devices help optimize operations and reduce costs. Industrial IoT sensors monitor assembly lines and manufacturing processes, preventing unexpected shutdowns and increasing employee productivity. IoT devices also aid in providing better ergonomic designs for workstations, creating optimized work environments.

Household Functions: IoT-connected devices are transforming household chores and daily tasks. Advanced washing machines can track and control washing parameters, and autonomous robotic home cleaners use specialized mapping algorithms for efficient cleaning. Smart home devices, like Amazon Echo and Google Assistant, allow remote management of appliances, lights, and home security systems.

Challenges and Solutions

While the impact of IoT-connected devices is immense, several challenges hinder their widespread adoption:

Cyber Security: Ensuring robust security protocols and educating users on best practices can mitigate cybersecurity risks associated with IoT devices.

Data Governance: Clear data privacy policies should define the scope and use of collected data, preventing data misuse.

Scaling and Deployment: Companies with formal IoT strategies fare better in overcoming the challenges of scaling and deployment.

Time-to-Market: IoT companies often face delays in going live, but innovative copamnies like Mindfire Solutions help reduce the Time-to-Market significantly.

Chip Shortage: The ongoing global chip shortage may have slowed growth in IoT, but it is expected to be resolved in the near future.

Conclusion

IoT-connected devices have revolutionized industries, optimizing processes, reducing costs, and empowering users with valuable insights. Despite challenges, companies are finding innovative solutions to enhance device deployment and scalability. The transformative potential of IoT is limitless, and as technology continues to evolve, we can expect even more exciting advancements in the IoT landscape, reshaping the world as we know it. Get ready to shape the future with Mindfire Solutions, your trusted partner for IoT and Connected Device Development. Our team of seasoned developers brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to your IoT initiatives, ensuring the creation of smart, secure, and scalable connected solutions. We provide end-to-end IoT development services, from strategy and consultation to development, deployment, and maintenance. Our solutions are designed to optimize efficiency, unlock new revenue streams, and create extraordinary user experiences. By choosing Mindfire Solutions, you're not just adopting cutting-edge IoT technology – you're embracing a partnership that drives innovation and propels your business into the future.

[soumyapanda28]

Exploring the best banks of Bulgaria

Bulgaria’s keeping money segment has seen surprising development and solidness in later a long time, making it an alluring goal for both neighborhood and worldwide financial specialists. With a well-regulated managing an account framework, a wide run of administrations, and progressed advanced keeping money arrangements, Bulgarian banks have effectively situated themselves as reliable financial educate. In this article, we are going dig into a few of the leading banks in Bulgaria, highlighting their qualities and highlights that make them stand out within the showcase.

UniCredit Bulbank: UniCredit Bulbank is the biggest bank in Bulgaria and has been working within the nation for over a century. It offers a comprehensive suite of managing an account administrations, counting retail and corporate managing an account, riches administration, and venture items. With a broad organize of branches and ATMs, UniCredit Bulbank guarantees simple get to to its administrations over the nation. The bank has too made noteworthy speculations in computerized managing an account, giving clients with user-friendly online and portable managing an account stages.

DSK Bank: DSK Bank, a backup of OTP Gather, is one of the driving banks in Bulgaria with a solid center on retail banking. It caters to a differing extend of clients, advertising personalized administrations and imaginative managing an account items. DSK Bank has an broad department organize and contributes intensely in innovation to supply helpful and secure banking experiences. Their commitment to client fulfillment has earned them a notoriety as a trusted and customer-centric bank in Bulgaria.

Raiffeisenbank: Raiffeisenbank has set up itself as a noticeable player within the Bulgarian managing an account segment. It offers a wide run of money related items and administrations, counting retail and corporate managing an account, speculation keeping money, and resource administration. Raiffeisenbank prides itself on its customer-centric approach and gives custom fitted arrangements to meet the special needs of people and businesses. The bank has too grasped digitalization and offers progressed online and versatile keeping money stages to improve client comfort.

First Investment Bank: First Investment Bank has picked up acknowledgment for its solid budgetary execution and customer-oriented administrations. It gives a comprehensive extend of managing an account items, counting retail and corporate managing an account, resource administration, and capital advertise administrations. Fibank places a solid emphasis on development and has created a extend of computerized keeping money arrangements to improve client encounter and availability. Furthermore, the bank has made notable commitments to social causes and community advancement, gaining it a positive notoriety within the nation.

United Bulgarian Bank: United Bulgarian Bank (UBB) is one of the most seasoned banks in Bulgaria and includes a long-standing nearness within the showcase. It offers a wide cluster of keeping money administrations, counting retail keeping money, corporate managing an account, and speculation items. UBB is known for its solid client connections and personalized approach to managing an account. The bank moreover places critical significance on corporate social obligation, effectively supporting different social, instructive, and natural activities.

Conclusion: Bulgaria’s managing an account segment has prospered in later a long time, with a fewbanks illustrating excellence in benefit quality, advanced development, and client fulfillment. UniCredit Bulbank, DSK Bank, Raiffeisenbank, To begin with Speculation Bank, and Joined together Bulgarian Bank stand out as a few of the leading banks in Bulgaria, each bringing its special strengths and offerings to the table. Whether you’re an person or a commerce substance, these banks give a wide range of administrations to meet your financial needs, upheld by progressed innovation and a customer-centric approach.

[sharmarohit1]

DLF The Arbour Luxury Residential Apartments In Sector 63 Gurgaon

Explore the luxurious life that DLF The Arbour Property in Gurgaon has to offer. Read on to learn about its luxury features, world-class amenities, and more.

DLF The Arbour Property is a beautiful residential project in Gurgaon's best neighbourhood. It is on 25 acres of land and gives its residents a unique mix of luxury and comfort. Apartments with four bedrooms, four bathrooms, and a kitchen are part of the project. The Arbour Project has a lot of amenities that meet the needs of people living in the modern world. It's a great choice for people who want a luxurious life in a peaceful place.

DLF The Arbour is a high-rise housing project in one of Sector 63, Gurgaon's most popular areas. DLF The Arbour Gurgaon is the best place to live if you want to live in comfort and style. It is in a great location, has state-of-the-art facilities, and offers a wide range of luxury amenities.

Introduction

Gurgaon is one of the cities in India that is growing the fastest. It has some of the most important business, residential, and cultural hubs in the country. It's no surprise that a lot of people in this city are looking for high-end places to live, and DLF The Arbour Sector 63 Gurgaon is one of the best.

Are you looking for a home that is both beautiful and well-made? Stop looking! At the elegant homes of DLF The Arbour Gurgaon, we focus on providing high-quality, well-made homes that are designed and built by some of the most skilled and well-known craftsmen in the world. At this amazing housing project, each home is carefully designed with its own outdoor green space. This gives residents a quiet place to get away from the busyness of everyday life. Your dream home will have something special for you to do, like reading in a comfy chair surrounded by nature or grilling dinner on a warm summer night.

Amenities available at DLF The Arbour Sector 63 Ultra Luxury Apartments - 4 BHK

Clubhouses

Landscaped garden

Gym for kids' playground

AC meeting hall

Swimming pool

Security around the clock

Gym

Clubhouse

Yoga classes

DLF Location pros and cons of The Arbour at Sector 63, Gurugram

Sector 63, Gurgaon is where it is.

It is one of the places in the district with the best connections.

Easy to get to the train station

Easy to get to the airport, easy to get to the schools

Colleges are easy to get to.

Banks are easy to get to.

ATMs are easy to get to.

Shopping malls are easy to get to.

Hospitals are easy to get to.

DLF The Arbour Gurgaon's best part? You don't have to leave the comfort of your own home to enjoy all of these great features. DLF's project to build homes The Arbour Property is close to local parks, stores, restaurants, and other fun things to do, so you don't have to worry about missing anything. And since public transportation and highways are easy to get to, you'll never be too far from where you want to go.

We are so happy to have you as our neighbour and can't wait to help you make your dreams come true. Please don't hesitate to get in touch with us today if you have any questions or would like more information about our new residential project.

When looking for a high-end home like DLF The Arbour Sector 63 Gurgaon Property, you should think about things like how convenient it is, how safe it is, how secure it is, and how good it is overall. This property is close to stores, parks, transportation hubs, and other places that make it easy to run errands and have fun. The home has great safety and security features. A reliable lock system with high-quality locks and monitoring devices can give you even more peace of mind. And finally, the house is made of long-lasting, high-quality materials, because you want your investment to pay off over time.

You don't have to give up quality or anything else to live in luxury. If you do your research and are patient, you can find exactly what you're looking for. Take your time to find the perfect home by investing at DLF The Arbour to get away from everyday life. Every detail matters when it comes to making your dream home a reality.

There are many large apartments at DLF The Arbour, including 4 BHK apartments.

Each apartment has a modern and stylish layout, and the finishes and fixtures are of high quality. Whether you want a small, cosy home for your family or a big, fancy place to entertain guests, you can find both.

Location

This project is in the most popular part of Sector 63, Gurugram. This gives residents easy access to the best places to shop, eat, and have fun in the city. The project is also close to major roads and highways that make it easy to get to other parts of the city.

Conclusion

DLF The Arbour Gurugram is a luxurious place to live that offers a lavish way of life in a peaceful setting. The project is built with high-quality materials and innovative architecture, and it offers its residents a wide range of world-class amenities. The Arbour is perfect for people who want to live a luxurious life because of its great location and beautiful features. So, if you want a luxurious place to live in Gurgaon, The Arbour Property is the place to go.

If you want to know more about this or any other residential apartments, you can visit our website, White Collar Realty, or call us at +91-8920929372.

[vaultfired5]

Private Investments

Across all our businesses, we offer eager insight on at present's most crucial points. A Donor Advised Fund is designed to assist you simplify your donations, present tax benefits and allow you—and your favourite charities—to get essentially the most out of your giving. As the prices of school and private faculty tuition continue to rise, Frost can help you save by way of quite a lot of products and our extensive expertise with training funding.

We're right here to assist the individuals who grow our food, build our financial system and call us neighbors meet their monetary objectives — now and in the future. A dealer is an individual or firm that charges a charge or fee for executing buy and promote orders submitted by an investor. The provides that appear in this desk are from partnerships from which Investopedia receives compensation. Together, we’ll work to take care of you and your liked ones today and for generations to come. Investment capabilities across conventional and various asset classes for personal clients, intermediaries and institutional investors. However you answer, you'll have access to flexible wealth planning and engagement options that match along with your life and preferences. This confirmed methodology supports all of our investment choices. Open both a brokerage and cash management account to simply switch your funds. This proved to be a important step to restore confidence within the monetary system and get credit score flowing once more.

Extra Selections Extra Methods To Speculate How You Need

You can purchase an S&P 500 index fund at any broker that permits you to commerce ETFs or mutual funds. microfinance are usually commission-free, so that you won’t pay any extra charge, whereas mutual funds might change a fee and require you to make a minimum purchase. There is always the chance that companies may have their credit standing downgraded or run into financial hassle and default on the bonds. To cut back that threat, make certain your fund is made up of high-quality corporate bonds.

You'll get limitless ATM fee rebates4 plus no international transaction fees5 and don't have any account minimums while banking anytime, wherever with Schwab Mobile6. The Schwab Bank High Yield Investor Checking®7 account is linked to a Schwab One® brokerage account so you'll be able to simply manage each accounts with a single login. Schwab offers a wide array of investment merchandise to help you construct a diversified portfolio and attain your targets. Advisory companies, analysis, and entry to global capital markets for corporate and institutional clients. A full vary of tailor-made recommendation and funding services for distinguished traders and families around the world. $0.00 fee applies to on-line U.S. fairness trades and Exchange-Traded Funds in a Fidelity retail account only for Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC retail shoppers.

Retirement Accounts

No more taxpayer money is being invested in banks beneath TARP. The final funding under the Capital Purchase Program – the most important bank program underneath TARP – was made in December 2009. Treasury is now focused on recovering TARP funds in a way that maximizes returns for the taxpayers and promotes America's financial stability. With short-term investments incomes so little, it could be simple to attempt to get a little extra return at the expense of much more risk.

Bonds are affected by numerous dangers, including fluctuations in interest rates, credit score danger, prepayment threat, and inflation danger.

However you answer, you'll have entry to versatile wealth planning and engagement choices that match with your life and preferences.

Special risk considerations might include pure occasions or disasters, complicated tax considerations and lack of liquidity.

However, even well-regarded firms can be hit by a crisis, so a great reputation is lastly not a protection towards the corporate slashing its dividend or eliminating it totally.

Schwab Intelligent Portfolios® and Schwab Intelligent Portfolios Premium™ are made available by way of Charles Schwab & Co.

ETFs that spend money on debt securities issued by the us authorities and its businesses. Like short-term CDs, short-term authorities bond funds don’t expose you to much threat when interest rates rise, as they’ve done to begin 2022. A CD works properly for risk-averse traders, especially those that want money at a particular time and might tie up their cash in trade for a bit extra yield than they’d find on a financial savings account. And short-term CDs could additionally be higher options when you count on charges to rise, allowing you to re-invest at higher charges when the CD matures. A high-yield financial savings account works nicely for risk-averse buyers, and particularly for individuals who need cash within the short time period and want to avoid the chance that they won’t get their a reimbursement. Bankrate.com is an impartial, advertising-supported writer and comparability service. Links to third-party websites, like Fundation, are provided on your comfort, and usually are not within Apple Bank's management. In the plan, HIC has endeavored to contemplate and prepare for a broad vary of eventualities of various severity. Preparation contains the establishment of arrangements for alternative services, systems and staffing to try to attenuate the influence of any such event. Resumption of service depends on nature of the incident at hand.

[notchesandbullets]

Tangy Starfruit and White Sea Foam (Tiger!Todoroki x Reader)

Warnings: none, unless you count ridiculous amounts of fluff and shenanigans (oh and cursing). hints of BKDK and Kami x Jirou, pro-hero AU, aged-up!AU, Todoroki’s a tiger as a result of a quirk accident that happened on the job. Todoroki and reader are in a established relationship. Bakugou gets tied to a tree, Shinsou and Tsuyu are good friends, you and Todoroki may have a mishap on your hands in the near future. Featuring the rest of class A + Shinsou.

A/N: third and final piece for @ultimate-astridwriting​ ‘s hybrid collab!! i had an entirely different thing written out for tiger todoroki, it was 2.5k words full of angst bc real life is shitty atm but then bam, i got an idea while eating dinner and now here we are xD. get ready for sun and sand at the beach with a graduated class A!!

Words: 7k

Golden sun raised high in the sky scorched the earth below, turning the pristine white sand into scalding hot lava. But that didn’t hold back the group of 22 from surging forth.

Happy squeals that tumbled from the girls as they caught sight of the sparkling blue waves dancing on the horizon turned into wheezing laughs and yelps as the sand burned their bare feet.

Jirou whooped, a wide smile stretched across her face as she grabbed Yaoyorozu’s hand. “Last one in is a rotten egg!!”

“No fair, Kyoka-chan!!” Uraraka huffed as she pumped her short legs to go faster and catch up. 

Kaminari hollered obnoxiously, screaming all the way into the ocean as he tore right past you. 

“Do not run!!!!” Iida yelled, trying to make himself be heard above the clamor but to no avail.

You smiled at him sympathetically but he merely shook his head and followed after them to make sure none of his former classmates hurt themselves. 

They’re lucky to have you… You thought to yourself, clapping a hand over your mouth when the sound of him scolding Mina and Sero reached your ears from all the way across the deserted beach. 

You had found this isolated spot a long time ago, back when you lived on your own and had yet the privilege of calling anyone family. This was a place of comfort for you, a gem hidden away from the greedy eyes of the world looking to corrupt anything and everything that was pure. 

Here, you found solace. You found peace.

After you graduated from UA and everyone was giving each other teary goodbye hugs in the common floor filled with all the boxes of things they all had to move into moving trucks, you offered up one day. One day, if everyone wanted to come, you would show them a place very special to you.

The girls had a vague idea of where you guys were going based on the swimsuit dress code. In all honesty, maybe you should’ve made it a little harder for them, but they were your friends. And you were too excited. 

Here, on this beach hidden by dense foliage and sheer cliffs, your little piece of paradise remained a secret. Until now.

“Y/N, come on!!!” Hagakure shouted, waving excitedly for you to join them.

“In a minute!!” You yelled back, looking back to see if your boyfriend was following. “Shouto?”

You spun around in a full circle when you couldn’t find him, a frown twisting your features until Shoji came up behind you and tapped you on the shoulder.

“He’s coming.” He told you, jerking his chin back a few paces the way you guys came to signal where he last saw him.

You shot him a look of relief for his well-timed reassurance. “Thanks.”

Shoji dipped his head, hoisting the basket slung over his shoulder higher as he motioned for Tokoyami to pass you. “No problem.” 

A skeptical Tokoyami followed the gentle giant, muttering under his breath why the use of quirks had to be banned for today. Koda waved to you shyly and you smiled.

Iida had made it a rule for the day that no quirks were allowed to be used unless in case of an emergency. This was to do damage control and hopefully prevent a fight between Bakugou and literally anyone else. 

No one had any arguments. They were all here to relax, not think about their work life. All villains and life outside of this paradise was put on hold until tomorrow came.

You decided to wait until Todoroki caught up with you, and since everyone had raced on ahead, eager to soak up as much sun as they could on the one off day they were all able to get off together, you leaned back against the rough rock and tilted your head up to the sky.

Sighing wistfully, your eyes fluttered shut as the sun’s blazing afternoon rays warmed your body.

You knew what showing them this place meant, and you knew that your friends were fully aware of it. It had been something so special to you for so long that you sharing it with them meant that you trusted them a great deal. 

They were honored.

As rising pro-heroes in the world, they were constantly swamped with malicious villains, endless paperwork, press conferences and training the next generation. There was no time for rest.

But your former classmates were insistent that time be taken out for that purpose amidst all the craziness, especially Bakugou. 

Down time was important. It was necessary. Or else you all would burnout and then none of you would be any good to save anybody. 

This is why you chose this place. 

It was secluded enough where there was no paparazzi, no cameras, no exposure and no one was the wiser. Here, you guys could be as loud and as free as you wanted because there was no one around to threaten that fragile bubble of happiness. 

Heaving the bulging bag full of food and other amenities that you had swiped from Yaoyorozu as soon as you guys arrived higher on your shoulder, you wiped the bead of sweat from your forehead as it started to drip down your face.

“Shouto, c’mon!!” You encouraged aimlessly, since you didn’t know where he was. “Don’t you want to join the others?”

A faint rustle came from the bush a yard away from you and then it stilled. “No.”

You fought back a smile at the curt reply. You could almost envision that pout on his lips. Cheeky boy.

“Shouto~” You sang, fishing out a piece of his favorite food and waving it in the air, knowing that he could smell it. “I have a present for you…”

A beat of silence passed, and then two fluffy ears, one white and one red, poked out from the brush.

You suppressed a smile, knowing that would only make him leave in a huff and then his stubbornness wouldn’t let him come out and joy you for another hour. You couldn’t do that, he would miss all the fun!!

Waving it a bit more so that the enticing scent of the delectable food encouraged him out of his hiding place, you opted to hold your ground. “C’mon, Shouto. I promise, no tricks.”

His facial expression didn’t change but his ears perked up a bit and you couldn’t help the small giggle that escaped you. He was adorable.

Todoroki’s face fell the second he heard you laugh. “You’re laughing at me.”

You stopped immediately and straightened up, shaking your head. “I’m not.”

“Yes, you are.” He pushed back, crossing his arms over his chest as he stepped out of the bush with stray leaves clinging to his fur and branches sticking out of his head. Plopping down on the dirt, he puffed out his cheeks.

Your eyes softened and you set down the heavy bag, keeping your form relaxed as you tuned out the splashing and shrieks of laughter coming from the ocean.

“I’m sorry I laughed.” You apologized sincerely, never once breaking eye contact with your boyfriend. “I just thought you were very cute.”

Todoroki snorted, a sound so unlike his normally stoic and guarded demeanor, burrowing his face into his arms resting atop of the knees tucked into his chest. “That’s not funny…”

Your smile saddened a fraction as a memory washed over you as though it just happened yesterday. 

Trouble had a habit of finding your beloved boyfriend and last week was no different. 

The villain he was fighting against had a particularly interesting quirk, since he could manifest certain traits of people into their animal counterpart based solely on their personalities. 

Todoroki wasn’t put off until someone pointed out that he must have rage like a tiger, making him internalize everything and now a good seven days later, he still had yet to come to terms with his appearance and strange habits involving a diet of primarily meat. 

Fuyumi had sobbed how grateful she was that you were willing to take care of her brother in your apartment until the effects of the quirk dissipated. He was arguing with his father a lot more than usual and the tension in the Todoroki home had skyrocketed.

You brushed it off, merely telling her it was the least that you could do. 

Your boyfriend had a tough time adjusting to his new normal. Things were hard for him to grab and he couldn’t cuddle you like he was used to. He liked walking on all fours since he found he could go a lot faster when he used all his appendages instead of only half. 

His quirk, however, had been giving him a particularly rough time and the finesse he had honed of over the years disappeared overnight.

To say that Todoroki was upset about it was an understatement. 

He would do nothing else but sit in his room for days when you brought him home with you, refusing to let you in unless you came with a peace offering. 

That always smoothed things enough for you to talk to him and you were hoping it wouldn’t fail you now.

Todoroki eyed the fish skeptically, tilting his head curiously when you offered it up to him once more. With the pace of a snail, he uncurled from his protective ball and padded forward slowly, raising his nose in the air to sniff.

“Hungry?” You asked sympathetically. 

Todoroki hesitated a second before nodding slowly. 

Your shoulders dropped and you knelt down, holding it out to him. “Here.”

His eyes lit up and his tail flicked back and forth, gaze darting to you instinctively as though to ask if it really was okay.

You bit back a smile but the corners of your eyes still crinkled and you inclined your head to give him the go ahead.

Before you could blink, the fish was swiped from your hand and as soon as your eyes focused, you burst out laughing.

There, Todoroki crouched on the ground, chomping on the tasty treat.

Wiping off the palm of your hands on your hiking shorts, you beamed down at him, offering out your hand for him to take. “Feel better now?”

“Maybe…” He mumbled quietly as he polished it off before reluctantly accepting the invitation.

It wasn’t that he didn’t love you or love to shower you with affection, it was just that he was used to doing all of that when he was fully a human, not a hybrid. 

It was weird.

He found himself clinging desperately to your old t-shirts when you left the home to go on patrol, waiting around for you to come back. He heard when your heartbeat would speed up whenever he was around and how your breath hitched when he leaned in to kiss you goodnight.

Ever since the start of your relationship, he had been the one to take care of you. And he liked it that way.

This dynamic was foreign to him. And he wasn’t sure if it was because he truly disliked you taking care of him, or if it was because of something else. 

Todoroki was broken out of his deep thoughts the instant you came to stand right next to Iida. 

Before he knew what he was doing, the edges of his mouth pulled back in a menacing snarl and he pounced.

The unsuspecting Iida landed hard on the white sands with an ‘oomph’.

“Todoroki-kun!! Please control yourself!!” Iida shouted, doing his best not to hurt him as the tiger hybrid clawed at him.

You gasped. “Shouto!! Oh my gosh, Iida, I’m so sorry!!”

Pulling him off of the other, you went rigid as your boyfriend whined in your ear. The sound was too low for anyone else to pick up on, but you heard it. 

“What’s wrong?” You whispered as Iida brushed off his swim shorts, thrusting his hand straight up into the air to stop Kaminari from drowning himself in an attempt to prove to Sero and Mina that he could hold his breath longer than they could.

Todoroki wrapped his arms around your waist, mouth pressed in a thin line as he buried his face into the crook of your neck. 

You allowed yourself to relax against him as he pawed feebly at your sides, getting as close to him as possible. 

With the increase in physical contact, the tension melted away from Todoroki’s broad form and you heaved a sigh of relief. 

“Awwwww~” You cooed teasingly, reaching behind you to pinch his cheek gently and tugging until his smile morphed into a scowl. “Who’s the big scary tiger?”

Todoroki swatted you away, scrambling back until he was free from your affectionate hold on him. It wasn’t his fault he couldn’t control his protective instincts and it certainly wasn’t his fault for reacting the way that he did when he smelled Iida’s scent all over you. You were his.

Of course he was going to protect you.

Baring his teeth at the tease, he hissed, tiny fangs on display. 

You shouldn’t have found that as cute as you did.

Two more bodies shouldered their way past you and you grinned. 

“Took you two long enough.” You smirked, wrangling your boyfriend back when he struggled in the firm grip you had around his arms to prevent him from knocking another person over.

The power couple had a habit of falling behind their ranks while getting lost in their own world. It was disgustingly cute.

Bakugou rolled his eyes angrily and gnashed his teeth. “Now you’re counting, dumbass? You’re worse than the shitty nerd.”

Midoriya ignored that comment as he sidled past you warily, forest green eyes sympathetic once they fell on your significant other. “Todoroki-kun still hasn’t changed back yet?”

He had seen the news coverage on it when the incident happened. Luckily, he wasn’t physically harmed, just physically altered, but it didn’t look like it was going away anytime soon.

Planting your hands on your hips, you yelped as Todoroki ripped himself from your grasp to tear off after Shinsou and tackled him next when he got too close to you. “No, not yet.”

Spraying white sand everywhere with his hind legs, it was almost endearing how his head raised and heterochromic eyes blinked back at you as soon as your voice sounded, silently begging for permission. 

You followed his gaze to the ocean spray behind you and shook your head fondly, suppressing a smile as you jerked your head in Yaoyorozu’s direction. She would watch over him and make sure none of the other boys bullied him.

“Go on.” You encouraged softly, and that was all he needed.

While Bakugou set up the tent for him and his boyfriend so that Midoriya wouldn't get sunburnt, not that he would ever admit to doing it for that reason, your best friend eagerly asked for updates on all the latest changes.

Whipping out his hero notebook, his eyes shone with enthusiasm. “What has he been eating?! Does he prefer tuna or white cod? Oh, oh, oh, is there a difference in his quirk?! How does it impact his—” 

Midoriya’s endless and excited rambling was cut off by his fuming boyfriend as he smacked him over the head and he cried out in pain, clutching his head. “Wahhhhh, Kacchan!!!”

“Shut the hell up, Deku.” Bakugou snarled, stomping past him to throw a bottle of sunscreen at you. “Put this on, shitty woman.”

You grinned, already squeezing the tube to squirt some onto your hand and slathered it on your arms. “Aw, you do care.”

“Go die.” He hissed, turning on his heel so abruptly that he almost slipped.

You refrained from giggling as he furiously, yet meticulously, took out various food items from the picnic basket that he had brought with. No matter how much he claimed he didn’t care about any of you, actions sure spoke louder than words. 

Class A had graduated from UA all together and each and every one of you had secured a spot as a sidekick for many top pro-heroes all around the country. Before a year had even passed, all 22 of you had made a name for yourself, so much so that you were all almost as famous as the pros.

Midoriya was the first one to start his own agency, no surprise there. But what was a surprise was Bakugou following right after to build one right next to his.

The general public suspected it was because that area where their agencies were was riddled with violent crime, but you knew better. You all did, really.

How could anyone miss the lingering gazes filled with adoration and passion?

“Y/N, come on!!” Shinsou hollered, ducking under Shoji’s arm to sprint back towards you. “You’re missing all the fun!!”

“Be right there!!” You shouted back, rearranging the tablecloth on the ground so that it would lay flat.

You still needed to grab the bag you left at the foot of the cliffs because it was getting too heavy for you to carry. But you chanced a glance up and the glimpse of your friends had a wide smile breaking out on your face. 

Todoroki was splashing in the shallows, completely soaking his fur. Jirou and Hagakure shrieked as Mina chased the two of them around, sparking an impromptu game of tag. Koda was in the middle of showing Tokoyami his seagull friend when Uraraka bumped into him. 

Tsuyu and Kirishima were beachcombing for shells a little bit away when Kaminari skidded to a halt in front of them with Yaoyorozu in tow.

Aoyama, Ojiro, Sato, Iida and Mineta were playing beach volleyball with the inflatable ball that the former class president had brought along with them. 

Dragging the beach bag behind you over to your spot that you set up far away from the shore so that when the tide came in, it wouldn’t wash everything away, you took out an array of towels, more sunblock, floaties, snacks, water bottles, coverups and a pair of sunglasses for Aoyama in case he forgot his again.

Standing up tall, you cupped your hands over your mouth and yelled, “Lunchtime!!!”

Several whoops and hollers pierced the salty air and you snorted when Midoriya almost tripped over his boyfriend’s outstretched feet in his haste to get there first. 

Amidst the clamor and friends swarming around you, you twisted around, looking for your tiger hybrid boyfriend. “Shouto—”

“I’m here.” 

You jumped as the low rumble sounded right by your ear, shivering unconsciously as his warm chest pressed up against your back. 

“Hey…” You murmured as he mashed the top of his head in between your shoulder blades before planting a soft kiss there. “Did you have fun?”

He nodded, resting his chin on your shoulder to look over it as everyone rearranged themselves in a large circle. 

You and Bakugou took care of the food prep while all your friends engorged themselves on the pre-made sandwiches and finger food.

“Oi, half-n-half bastard.” Bakugou growled, breaking the bubble of peace you two had with his temper that came out the longer your hands stayed motionless. “Stop bothering her, she’s not doing shit.”

Normally Bakugou’s crude language didn’t bother or upset Todoroki in any way, so you were shocked with a snarl echoed, washing over the group and effectively silencing them.

You squeaked as his arms tightened around you almost protectively and landed with an ‘oof’ as he pulled you to the ground.

“Shouto?!” You cried out incredulously as he unabashedly nuzzled his face into the hollow of your throat, setting his thick thighs on either side of you.

You rolled your eyes when Bakugou went rigid with anger. You could feel the heat emitting from your beloved’s glare as he locked stares with the pomeranian who was furious that the dumb extra thought he was flirting with you.

“That’s enough.” You scolded, though it was unclear who you were really talking to. 

Neither wavered.

“Icyhot, you dumb fuck.” Bakugou spat, never once breaking eye contact, even as the chatter picked up again. 

Todoroki snarled but the expression of rage contorted into meek sheepishness as you ran your fingers lightly through his hair, being mindful of his ears. 

Humming softly, you coaxed him back down to earth long enough for common sense to return to him. 

Todoroki bundled you up in his arms, tail swishing back and forth lazily as he held you. “Sorry.”

You shook your head at his apology, knowing he couldn’t fully control his impulses sometimes. “Not your fault.”

Bakugou snorted, smacking Kirishima in the face with a fish fillet when he asked to see what he was cooking. “Yes it fucking is.”

He just barely managed to dodge the shoe you launched at his head, straightening up with an enraged scowl etched on his features.

“OI!!!!”

You giggled, wiggling back to get comfortable against Todoroki’s chest. “You deserved it.”

“TAKE THAT SHIT BACK!!!!!” He thundered, smoke coming out of his ears.

“Kacchan!!” Midoriya cried out, wrestling back his boyfriend before his temper tantrum could reach the two of you. 

He begged Jirou or Kaminari to help him but the two of them simply flipped the bird to Bakugou, and he exploded. 

Literally. 

What happened next was a flurry of the class rep containing the situation and a spark of green lightning before it was over as quickly as it started. 

“I’m going to fucking kill all of you.” Bakugou seethed angrily, eye twitching from where his loving boyfriend had used One for All to pin him to the ground, tying him to the trunk of a nearby coconut tree until he calmed down.

“Ah…” Midoriya winced sheepishly as his glare turned on him. “K-Kacchan—”

Jirou’s loud slurping of the smoothie that Sato just made interrupted him and she regarded the fuming grown man disinterestedly. “Who’s up for a game?”

“Oh, oh, oh, meeeee!!!” Hagakure shouted, raising her hand high in the air alongside Uraraka and an intrigued Tsuyu. 

“MEEEEEE!!!!” Mina screamed, nearly blowing out Kaminari’s eardrums as he collapsed on top of his girlfriend.

Jirou pushed him off without hesitation, fighting back a smirk when he let out an overexaggerated whimper of pain, knowing full well that he wasn’t actually hurt.

Shoji stopped what he was doing to pay attention and even the usually shy Koda looked interested in her proposal on how to deal with the tied up pomeranian thrashing in place. 

Jirou raised an eyebrow slyly and everybody held their breath in anticipation.

One.

Two.

Three.

“PIN THE TAIL ON THE BAKUGOU!!!!!” Jirou screamed, holding up a sticky dart that they all regularly used for training.

How she managed to sneak equipment out of the agency she worked at was beyond you.

Jirou whooped, scrambling forward and held it up high. “I’m going first!!”

“Me next, Kyoka-chan!!!” Uraraka pleaded.

“Class A, this is highly inappropriate!!!!” Iida shouted, trying to curb the situation before it got out of hand.

Too late.

As the girls, save for Yaoyorozu, clustered gathered around a livid Bakugou, Tokoyami uncrossed his arms and pushed off of his post from where he had been keeping watch over the perimeter of the beach.

“I will join.”

You and Todoroki were both surprised, not expecting the normally reclusive individual to join in on the shenanigans. 

Your dropped jaw caught Tokoyami’s attention and the corner of his mouth twitched in amusement. 

“I find great satisfaction in tormenting the souls of the wicked.” He declared impassively and a light bulb went off in your head. 

“Ahhhhh,” You drew out with a grimace. “I get it.”

Back when you guys had lived in the dorms, Bakugou had made the fatal mistake of scaring Tokoyami during Halloween, making the latter let out an inhuman scream that traveled all the way across campus. Even though he had sworn to the moon and back that it was accidental, that there was no way he was actively participating in the game that Raccoon-Eyes and Flat Face had going on, Tokoyami never forgot it.

And now it was time for his revenge. 

Tokoyami caught the tomato that Sero threw his way and tossed it up in the air with the most menacing glare on his face as everyone advanced to the struggling pro-hero.

“Bakugou, you ready?!” Kirishima shouted excitedly, removing the gag from his best friend’s mouth.

“PISS OFF, SHITTY HAIR!!!!” Bakugou exploded once he was free, yanking at his restraints even though he had no chance of getting out of them. 

His boyfriend tied them.

Hagakure tapped Jirou’s shoulder warily. “You think we should’ve left it on?”

The other girl shrugged nonchalantly, unbothered by the rage rolling off of him in waves. “Eh, he would’ve found a way out of it eventually.”

Shinsou twirled a piece of Tsuyu’s hair that he was braiding, boredly looking on at all the chaos as they all pushed and pulled each other. He had asked Aizawa to teach him how back when he lived in the dormitory so that he could do it for Eri whenever she came over to visit. 

“Shinsou-chan, are you going to take a turn?” She asked curiously, staying still so that he could braid her long hair properly.

He shrugged even though she couldn’t see him. “I don’t really see the point in it.”

“Kero,” She ribbeted thoughtfully. They were the only two not contributing to the shouting other than you and Todoroki. “I see.”

“Ehhhh?!?!” Kaminari exclaimed, losing his footing as he accidentally tripped over Kirishima’s foot and crashed into Shinsou.

Shooting him a sharp glare as all his hard work undid itself, Shinsou pushed himself off the ground, not sparing him a glance as he marched back over to the frog girl to fix it.

You giggled to yourself at Kaminari’s expression of mock hurt but pursued your lips quickly when his head snapped towards the sound. Pure smile dripping with innocence, your shoulders shook with laughter when he turned all the way around suspiciously, piercing gaze landing on his girlfriend as she doubled over with laughter at something Yaoyorozu said.

Bakugou thrashed helplessly against the coconut tree. “I’M GONNA FUCKIN’ KILL YOU, EARPHONES!!!!!”

But Jirou’s boisterous chortling was all that answered his threat.

You sank back against Todoroki, sighing blissfully despite the war raging on as they started the game, Bakugou protesting violently all the way. 

Angling your head up, your eyes squinted against the sun but you still smiled as soft fur brushed your cheek.

“Are you happy, Shouto?” You asked softly, quiet enough to not catch the attention of the others as they yelled for Midoriya to keep his boyfriend still.

He paused, choosing to play with the fringe of your shirt instead of responding right away. “Right now?”

Your smile dimmed a fraction, not expecting that answer. “... I suppose I meant just in general, but you could answer with whatever comes to mind…”

You trailed off, leaving the question itself open ended so that he could opt not to answer it if he didn’t feel comfortable.

Todoroki hesitated. “Where… Where is this coming from?”

Outright frowning now, you pushed off his knee so that you could sit across from him to see him better. 

“I was just wondering...” You said slowly, trying to keep the defensiveness out of your voice. 

Was he not happy? Why did he hesitate? Would he be happier with someone else? Did he not want to be with you anymore?

You shook your head at the insecure thoughts invading your head. That wasn’t right. He would’ve told you if he didn’t want to put work into this relationship anymore. You two had made that pact when you started dating, to break it off if one person no longer wanted it instead of stringing the other along and ended up hurting you both in the long run.

Taking a deep breath to calm yourself down from spiraling too far, you steadied your heart before opening your mouth again.

“I asked because I wanted to know.” You told him honestly, speaking from the heart. “Your happiness matters a lot to me, I always want you to be happy. That’s why I wanted to ask.”

Placing a hand on his knee, you smiled apologetically at him and the shenanigans from your friends faded into white noise as you tuned out everything else besides him. 

Your Shouto. The person you loved the most in this entire world. The one who had been with you through thick and thin and the one who swore he would never abandon you. 

He knew what those words meant to you. He had your heart.

And you had his. 

Todoroki’s heterochromic eyes softened a fraction and his ears and tail drooped as he realized that he had acted so defensively out of reflex.

“I—”

“You don’t have to apologize.” You reassured him swiftly, clearly. You knew what he was going to say. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Todoroki’s rapid heartbeat steadied at the loving conviction in your voice and a breath he didn’t know he had been holding in whooshed out of his lungs.

Reaching out, he laced his slim fingers with yours and tugged you closer to rest his forehead against yours. 

He closed his eyes and sighed. 

“I am happy.” He murmured quietly so that only you could hear him, emphasizing the soft declaration with a gentle squeeze of your hand. “I feel… the most when I am with you.”

Despite his words growing softer and softer, you still heard them and your heart leaped in your throat.

Swallowing thickly, you gave him a wobbly smile at his admission and fought to keep the tears at bay as you leaned in to press a quick kiss to his lips, commending him for his bravery and vulnerability when it came to expressing his innermost thoughts. You knew it wasn’t easy for him to do.

“I’m glad.” You sighed, trying not to get too caught up in the moment so that your emotions didn’t run away from you. “And I’m honored you feel that way around me. I will continue to do my best to make you happy.”

This time, Todoroki was the one to frown, his nose twitching in displeasure. 

“You do not need to do anything.” He stated matter-of-factly, tilting his head in confusion. “It is your company, I believe, that makes me feel this way.”

That was an understatement. You elevated his heart and spirit in all the best possible ways. With your encouragement and kind nature, he felt like he had the strength to do anything. Including tough out this quirk incident that was causing a huge inconvenience in everybody’s lives.

Todoroki ducked his head and hid a smile, recalling to mind the time you blurted out in passionate fervor that it was not an inconvenience to anyone, let alone you, when he confessed thinking such to you. 

You really were too kind to him. He was going to make sure you were protected forever and always. 

Nudging your temple softly with his nose, Todoroki purred contentedly as your sweet scent washed over him like the summer breeze. 

“Starfruit and coconut?” He questioned curiously. 

Ever since his temporary transformation, he had been picking up more and more of what you smelled like, and he loved it. But this certain combination was brand new to him.

The tips of your ears burned red and you gnawed on your bottom lip shyly. “Y-Yeah… it’s a new lotion. I liked the scent.”

Todoroki hummed thoughtfully, another throaty purr emitting from his chest as waves lazily crashed upon the shore. His arms tightened around you in silent request and his ears perked up as you repositioned yourself so that your back was flush against his bare chest.

“It smells good.” He finally admitted, glancing down at you.

You shifted in his hold, stretching out your legs and crossing your ankles. “Yeah?”

Todoroki buried his nose into your soft hair and inhaled deeply, eyes fluttering shut as he thought about how lucky he was to have someone like you in his life. How much tragedy and hurt he had to go through, what he had to sacrifice almost to the point of giving up, when he met you.

You were his light, his partner, his everything.

Vibrant turquoise and cloudy grey hues softened imperceptibly as they gazed down at you, his tail coming around to wind around your thigh, clutching it almost possessively. 

“Yeah…” He whispered, allowing his eyes to finally slip shut as the sun got to him, exhaustion washing over him like a tidal wave. 

And you, you sat there in his embrace, ready for whatever this life threw at you next. Because in spite of the hardships, you knew that you could face it together. 

Playing with his fingers, you relaxed against him and wriggled more comfortably into his side. 

“Hey, Shouto,” You murmured under your breath, fully aware that he couldn’t hear you based on the even rise and fall of his chest. “When we get home…”

Hooded eyes darted to the bag you brought with you, honing in on the small cube outline bulging from the pouch on the side. The size of a ring box.

“I have something to ask you.”

Bonus: 

Everyone had worn themselves out. Night had fallen, the ambiance only broken by the occasional remark of the ocean spray as they made themselves known. 

Stars twinkled high in the sky and the group of 22 felt the most at ease that they had been since they assumed positions in society as top pro-heroes. 

Well, all except one.

Bakugou glowered at his boyfriend sitting a couple paces away from him. “Deku, I swear to fucking—”

“Kacchan, shh!!! I’ll never get this opportunity again!!!” Midoriya whisper-shouted at him, furiously scribbling in his hero notebook. 

He glanced up once in a while at your sleeping form draped against Todoroki’s white and red fur. 

He had turned into an actual tiger halfway through the night when everyone else had fallen asleep and Midoriya had no idea if it was because he felt at ease enough that he let go, or if this was another step in the quirk manifesting itself. Either way, it was incredibly interesting and he was jotting down everything he noticed.

Rolling his eyes when his fanboy of a boyfriend didn’t put down his pen, Bakugou tapped his foot impatiently. “Of course the fucking Number One Hero still is hung up over these shitty extras.”

Midoriya squealed excitedly despite the other’s discontented grumbling, clutching his notebook close to his heart. “Kacchan, it’s so cool though!!!”

Bakugou huffed, turning away but that was so he couldn’t see the pinking of his cheeks.

Alright, look, it wasn’t his damn fault the shitty nerd was so fucking cute when he got like this!!

Tugging at his restraints purposefully, Bakugou burned a hole in the back of Midoriya’s head when he refused to look his way.

“Oi, let me out of this shit.” He demanded hotly, trying to blast his way through, only to find out that the ropes were made of some kind of quirk-cancelling material.

Fuck.

“In a minute.” Midoriya babbled, waving him off as he scrambled closer to his slumbering friend to get a better look. “Todoroki-kun is so cool!!”

Bakugou’s eyebrows scrunched together at that and he frowned. “What the fuck, you shitty nerd?!”

Midoriya yelped as a red aura emitted from him. “Eep!!! K-Kacchan?!?!”

“IS THAT A CHALLENGE, DEKU?!?!?!?!”

“N-No, of course it’s not!!!” Midoriya replied desperately, waving his hands to ward him off and hopefully stop him from waking everybody else up.

That hope was diminished as quickly as it came as Bakugou roared. “WAKE THE FUCK UP, ICYHOT!!!!!” 

“I really rather not.” Came the dry reply, catching the both of them off guard.

Bakugou recovered quickly and his expression contorted into fury. “WHAT THE FUCK?!?!”

Midoriya approached him cautiously, hoping to placate him. “K-Kacchan, maybe we should—”

“HAH?!?!” His head whipped around towards him, wrists already chafed from how hard he was yanking against it. “YOU STILL THINK FUCKIN’ HALF-N-HALF IS BETTER THAN ME?!?!”

“I didn’t say that!!!” Midoriya cried out.

Bakugou leaned back against the trunk, vermilion eyes glinting dangerously. Every muscle in his body was coiled and ready to strike. “Get the fuck over here, damn nerd.”

Midoriya’s feet moved before he knew what he was doing until he came to a standstill directly in front of his boyfriend looking at him with an entirely different expression on his face. 

One of mild interest and pure determination.

Bakugou smirked. “I’m gonna make you eat your damn words, Deku.”

His eyes lit up at the implication and he ground his fist into the palm of his hand before untying the bonds. 

“Bring it on, Kacchan.”

.

.

.

“WHAT THE HELL DID YOU TWO DO?!?!” You shrieked, horrified at the sight that greeted you in the morning. 

The two of them were covered head to toe in bruises and scrapes, and absolutely soaked. 

Iida was the most upset. “NO QUIRKS WERE ALLOWED ON THIS VACATION!!!!”

Bakugou stuffed his hands in his pockets and scoffed. “Vacation’s over, Emergency Exit.”

“THAT IS NO LONGER AN APPROPRIATE NICKNAME!!!!” Iida corrected and you pinched the bridge of your nose.

“I can’t believe this.” You mumbled to yourself exasperatedly. “You guys actually sparred all night?!?!”

“L/N-san, it was awesome!!!” Midoriya rambled enthusiastically, the glow in his eyes never faltering even as Iida continued to chew out a bored Bakugou. “Kacchan was so cool!!!”

You sputtered. “This was supposed to be a vacation!!!”

“It was!!” Midoriya insisted with a determined pout and you shook your head.

“You don’t understand the concept of a vacation, hospital boy.”

“Hey!!”

Tokoyami nodded, satisfied as Iida punished Bakugou with a week’s worth of chores despite the fact that none of them lived together anymore. “Vengeance is served.” 

“Anyone got any food?” Hagakure chirped while Mina whined in the corner about how hungry she was.

Kaminari was already rifling through the beach bag you brought with you, fishing out every single piece of food you had left. 

You looked on fondly at them as they handled the food emergency themselves. You were lucky to have friends like these. Ones that could goof off whenever and be as silly as you were, as well as be there when it counted. 

Todoroki tapped you on the shoulder with the tip of his tail, offering up a bagel he had managed to snag before everyone else emptied out the reserves. “Hungry?”

You shot him a thankful look, breaking it in half to share with him before munching on your piece happily. “Very.”

The two of you basked in the momentary peace the sunrise brought as Bakugou argued against Iida that he wasn’t even the one to start the brawl, even though it fell on deaf ears.

You bit back a smile as Todoroki’s tail looped around your waist, pulling you into his side and you laughed lightly. “Is this your way of telling me you want to cuddle some more before we have to go back?”

“Maybe.” He mused, gaze filled with adoration and humor as he fixated his eyes on you.

Todoroki blinked slowly, dipping his head down to draw your head close to his. “Y/N?”

You tilted your face up at his inquiry. “Yes?”

The depth of love in your eyes was reflected in his heart.

“Later today, if you get a chance, stop by my agency.” He requested somewhat timidly and you raised an eyebrow in surprise at the odd desire.

“Yeah… okay, sure.” You affirmed with what you hoped to be a reassuring smile to put him at ease, even though you had no idea what this was all about.

Todoroki chuckled softly at your lost expression. You looked cute when you were trying to figure out what he was thinking. No chance though, you could think about this one all you wanted, you were never going to figure out where he was going with this. 

“There is something I would like to ask you.” He hinted with a mysterious smile, unlocking his grip around your waist to stroll over to Koda and help him pack up the picnic basket.

It took a second for you to process. And then another passed before you realized what he meant.

“W-Wait a minute— Shouto!!!!”

Ringing laughter was all that accompanied your cries and torrent of questions as you asked over and over again if he was insinuating what you thought he was.

In a moment of bravery, he threw you a wink. “You have to wait to find out, Y/N.”

“No fair!!!”

“Patience.”

“UH UH, YOU CAN’T JUST LEAVE A GIRL HANGING LIKE THAT!!!!”

“I don’t see how it’s any different than what you pulled last night.”

“... I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Todoroki shrugged nonchalantly, aiding Iida and Yaoyorozu in packing up the rest of the supplies. “Okay.”

“TODOROKI SHOUTO, GET BACK HERE!!!!”

“Wait six hours, Y/N.”

“SIX HOURS?!?!?!”

Your wailing only made that grin on his face grow. “I could double it.”

You shut your mouth at that ominous threat. Like hell he was going to do that to you. 

Todoroki smiled triumphantly but it only lasted for a second when you glared at him.

“You’re a cruel, cruel man, Todoroki.” You proclaimed dramatically, stumbling back when Kaminari took that opportunity to plop a heavy basket in your arms to make you carry it.

Todoroki’s shoulders shook with laughter at your attempt to catch yourself. You were as clumsy as a newborn deer. “I learn from the best.”

Your eyes glittered with mischief and throwing down the basket, you sprinted over to somewhere behind the rocks, disappearing from sight.

But your voice still carried.

“BAKUGOU, I’M GONNA KILL YOU!!!!!!”

[big-tiddie-squad]

I did it again.... 😶🤫

The Tease in the Recording Studio

"Try it again, but more seductive. We're going for a sexy vibe for this song, you have to make them feel like YOU want THEM." The producer in charge of the recordings offers. "You've got this, the fans already want you. You just need to give a little extra back to them."

Bangchan runs his hands through his hair. He's been singing the same part over and over, bringing forth his most charismatic personality, but Ms. Park says it's not enough after every recording. "Alright," he sighs, "let's try it again." He puts the headphone back up to his ear but you can see he's tired and confused on what she wants from him now.

"No problem, have a quick drink and we'll roll it back and start at the beginning again." The woman watches Chan through the glass studiously, then turns to you to apologize, "I'm sorry we're taking so long Ms. Y/L/N, but the job isn't done until it's perfect. I know you've been waiting here awhile but I appreciate you being patient with us. It shouldn't take much longer."

You always liked this recording producer. She was brilliant at her job and she's also very sweet and always allowed you to sit in while recording when you got bored of waiting at home. "It's fine! I understand completely. Can I say something to him before you start again though?" You ask.

"Words of encouragement are always welcome. Go ahead!" She shows you what to press to speak to him. You wet your lips and speak clearly through the small mic. "Channie?" He straightens and smiles at your pet name before replying right away, "Its okay if you wanna wait at home sweetheart, I know it's taking me a bit to get this right but I'll be home at some point tonight, you don't have to wait for me."

"What-? I'm not going anywhere," you laugh, "I just wanted to let you know that you can do absolutely do this, I know you're tired but I also know that you've got this!! Just know I'm here to support you!" You offer up a cheesy grin and wink at him causing him to laugh as well.

"Of course I do. I'm sexy after all right? Singing seductively should come easy to me if I don't think too hard." His eyes brighten and he puts his headphones on before giving his producer a thumbs up to signal he's ready.

"Here we go again!" She says cheerfully, as you sit down on the couch to watch your boyfriend make magic happen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A frustrated growl leaves Chan as Ms. Park tells him to take a break. It's been over an hour and he's made no progress. He chugs his water bottle and slams it down. You don't typically see him this angry and maybe it's caused by sitting here for so long but... it's kind of hot. He only gets aggressive when you guys are intimate, becoming a whole other person it seems. You get up to go eat something with him while you all take a break.

You both sit in the small break room together as you watch him eat the small sandwich you brought him from home hours ago.

"I just don't understand what I'm doing wrong?" He complains, furiously taking a bite. "How can I not have given off the right vibe by now?" He licks his lips and you're thighs close on their own, stirring up memories of what the two of you did last night. His tongue seemed to have a map of your pussy memorized. Oh how he took you on a mind altering trip. Bending you to his will, literally.

He notices you're staring into the distance and waves a hand in front of your face, "Y/N? You okay? Maybe you should go home and go to sleep now, it's already 11:18 at night." He reaches down and puts his hand on your knee, you'd worn a cute black skirt that comes about halfway up your thighs. Thanks to his touch alone, an immediate urge woke in you and caused you to almost jolt from the contact. Apparently, your poker face needs some practice because Chan picked up on it almost instantly. His eyes dilate a bit as he watches you take your lower lip into your mouth and your breath hitches.

"Oh princess..." he coos at you teasingly, "does my little love need some special attention?" He slides his hand up from your knee to your thigh and begins to stand up and lean in slowly, almost like a predator stalking his prey. "Well, do you?" Every nerve in your body is firing off and your brain is giving you a fight or flight command, but that's what he wants right? He wants you to feel like prey, like you need to run. You wonder if you don't back off... if you were a bit disobedient, maybe this time you could take charge...how would he react?

Wouldn't hurt to find out right?

"Why does it matter? It's not like we have any time for you to do anything about it." You smirk at him, folding your arms and leaning back. His face goes slack for about .5 seconds before his eyes turns a whole new shade of brown. So dark you could be lost in them forever. "Excuse me-" he begins, teeth gritted, just as the door opens to reveal a newly energized producer.

"LETS GO PARTY PEOPLE! We need to get this done and I feel like this next take is gonna be perfect!" She's comes and goes like a hurricane leading the way to the recording room, with you and Bangchan following behind.

Once you all get to there, Chan immediately goes into the small sound proof portion to begin. However, his eyes continue to flit to you, and you can tell he's a little annoyed with being interrupted in the break room. Especially after your last comment.

Ms. Park tells him he's definitely giving off the right kind of energy atm and to keep his head space where it's currently at for the song.

And then you have a wonderful idea. Seriously, you should be an evil temptress. He nods at her but doesn't take his eyes off you for long as he starts singing. Perfect. You look at the back of his Ms. Park's head making sure she's focused on what she's doing. Before swiping your tongue slowly and suggestively over your lips, making full eye contact with Chan. He stumbles over his words, and Ms. Park sighs and asks him to start over, jokingly saying that that was just a warm up.

You smirk it feels nice to have control especially when he isn't able to do anything about it. You're almost positive that this will come back to bite you in the ass but.... it's kind of fun. So you continue. You lean forward and dig through your purse, fishing out a sucker, but as you do you begin letting your breasts tumble out as much as possible. His voice has a slight subtle change to it. And the producer claps her hands excitedly. So far so good.

You sit up and unwrap the sucker placing it in your mouth as you open your legs widely before crossing them, knowingly giving Chan a peep show. His voice is radiating through your body now causing a deep aching in your cunt. Damn was this what Ms. Park was wanting from him. You didn't know how you felt about other girls receiving this special type of feeling from him. A small sting of jealousy courses through you and though you know how deeply you've both fallen for each other. It's just a song, you tell yourself.

You decide to keep taunting him, and you finally run your tongue of over the sucker. You twist it against your lips before sucking it into your mouth, cheeks hollowing as you slowly pull it back out of your mouth smiling at him. His eyes haven't left you this whole time, and the dangerous and almost feral look he gave you was making you clench at nothing. Your pussy was already slick causing your panties to grow wet with your need. You didn't realize how much you were testing him.

He was already harder than hell but thankfully Ms. Park couldn't tell with his sweats and baggy hoodie on. He didn't know where you got this cocky and teasing attitude from but he couldn't wait to take you home and fuck it out of you. You'd never purposfully been this much of a tease before and he'd be lying if he said he didn't like it. He takes a breath before going into his solo part in the song and in that exact moment, he knew you were going to be punished tonight.

You'd waited for his part to come up and just before it did you spread your legs to show off your soaking panties slowly slipping a hand down over yourself and rubbing gently. You were so caught up on teasing him you hadn't realized how sensitive you'd gotten. The moment you pressed onto your clit you're mouth opened a bit and you wiggle slightly at the stimulation.

And BOY does Chan notice, his hips jerk forward slightly. Chan watches as your legs close tightly around your wandering fingers, wanting so badly to to replace your fingers with his own. He's in the clear now. Finishing the song with a lusty, almost dangerous note as he sees you bring your fingers up to your lips and suck your own juices off of them with a minx-like grin. You pull your skirt back into place and pop the sucker back into your mouth.

"THAT WAS IT! THAT WAS AMAZING! It's exactly what we needed! We are DONE!" Ms. Park yells whilst jumping up and down. She turns to you and thanks you for your support. "I don't know WHAT you did on lunch to help him get the right mood but whatever it was we might have to have you in here more often!" She laughs. You all gather your stuff and part ways once you get out of the building.

Chan wraps an arm around your waist and pulls you in tightly before leaning down, voice rumbling in your ear, "you have awakened a whole new side of me I hope you know that."

You look up at him with the biggest most innocent grin you can muster, the friction of your thighs rubbing together and the meaning behind his words and tone setting your stomach alight with a monstrous sexual hunger. The walk home was difficult for many reasons and at least one of them was because Chan had slipped his hand under your top, fingers brushing your bare skin and adding to the discord of tingles you already had.

"Who would've known you could be such a brat," he says as you both make it to your apartment. He opens the door and let's you walk in first slapping you on the ass and causing you to squeak out in surprise. He enters behind you and locks the door before quickly grabbing your hand and pinning you against the wall. Your lips meet and you can taste his need, the pure desire to ruin you tonight. His hand sneaks into your skirt and panties feeling how wet you were for him. You moan at the contact, your body almost crumbling in on yourself. "Chan" you manage say. "Babygirl- you have a three second head start." He tells you voice coated with a dominant and feral tone as he removes his hand from your warm sheath and licks his fingers clean. "1.......2...." and before he could get to three you bolt for the bedroom, the immense need to run taking over. You haven't even made it 5 feet away before you hear him say three. Before his foot steps are sounding behind you. And all you can think is.

It's going to be a long night.

[iliveiloveiwrite]

A Reader Lives a Thousand Lives // D.M.

Summary: How could you describe your affinity for books? How could you explain what they mean to you? Draco tries to understand; he’s tried to understand for years.

A/N: I’m going to be honest: I’m struggling. I don't have writer’s block, but I am so busy atm that I feel awful about not being so active. I’m a key worker in the latest lockdown and my workload has tripled. On top of that, I have be tested twice a week and that’s enough to drain you completely. This isn't a long fic, and it probably isn't my usual standard, so please forgive me.

Warnings: book talk, lots of fluff, dates, friends to lovers, pining, mutual pining, dialogue heavy

Word count: 2.1k

How could you describe your affinity for books?

They had been there for you in times where not even your closest friends could offer you the best advice. They were there for you with every shift of your mood; you knew that you could turn to your shelves and somewhere, nestled between paperbacks and hardbacks, there would be the perfect read for your mood.

Put simply, books were your life.

Friends and family would fondly chuckle whenever they saw you, nose deep in whatever book had caught your attention. They knew not to disturb you. Instead, they knew to be there when the inevitable end would fall upon you, dragging you through its cliff-hanger or perfectly wrapped up ending.

Draco Malfoy had known you years, and he had never known you not to have a book in your hands or in your bag. On occasion, he had known you to carry a book in both, wanting something there in case you finished your current read.

He’s tried to understand your love of books. He’s a reader himself, but he has never understood how you could lose yourself in a fantasy world so quickly. Magic runs through your veins, yet you find it easier to read of fae and vampires instead of the witches and wizards of old.

Draco gave up trying to understand you long ago; deciding simply to admire you from afar. He cherished the friendship with you; adored it even, and if that meant he had to spend his only free weekend from work in a book shop with you, then so be it.

-------------

In Wizarding London there weren’t many places that catered to the publications of both muggle and magical authors. Flourish and Blotts was an excellent bookshop, but only housed books by wizards and witches. If one wanted something written by a muggle but did not want to wander into muggle society, they were best off wandering down a cobbled side street in Diagon Alley to Page Turners.

Draco knew the moment that he opened his front door to you this morning, that he was going to wind up walking through the front door of Page Turners. He had just finished his first chart review when his doorbell rang, and your knocking began. He made sure to put the lid on his fountain pen before answering the door to you.

Dark brown shelves line every wall, bordering the shop before giving away to shelves centred in the middle of the room. At first glance, the books seemed chaotic – hardbacks tucked in between smaller paperbacks, but upon closer inspection, it was clear that the books were doubled. For every paperback, there was its hardback equivalent. It looked like it shouldn’t make sense, but the further you walked into the shop, the more sense it made.

Every reader is particular. There are those who will only exclusively read paperbacks, preferring how portable they are. But there are those who much prefer hardbacks, wanting nothing more than to admire the foiled covers and sprayed edges that one can only get on special editions. The set-up of the shelves perfectly catered to that.

“Draco,” You gasp, trying your best to keep your hands to yourself until you found the books you wanted to take home with you, “Have you ever seen a place so wonderful?”

Draco’s eyes don’t leave your form as he answers, “I don’t know, I’ve seen some spectacular sights in my time.”

You don’t respond to the light flirtation, but Draco doesn’t miss the smile that crosses your face. You refuse to admit just how he makes your heart race with comments such as that; they fall from his mouth so easily that you often find yourself tied up in your emotions, wondering when on earth your feelings had turned from platonic to romantic.

Inhaling that all too familiar smell of worn leather and paper, you feel Draco’s presence behind you as you potter through the store, taking in the sheer amount of choices before you. “What’s your favourite book?” You ask absentmindedly, eyes still pouring over the surnames of authors.

He shrugs, shamefully admitting, “I haven’t read anything other than a medical journal in years.”

“Still,” You argue, “You must have a favourite book.”

He’s silent, pondering your words as he thinks back to the last time he was able to relax and read something that wasn’t for work. He thinks back to his childhood, practically hearing his mother’s voice in his ears as she recites her favourite fairytales before sending him to bed.

“It’s been so long,” He whispers, casting his gaze across the shop, in awe at the sheer amount of books he has not read.

“Then we should find you a new book to read,” You decide, stating your words with conviction as you reach for the blonde’s hand, beginning to pull him through the stacks of shelves like a woman on a mission.

“When would I have the time?” Draco argues, refusing to let go of your hand as you stop in front of a shelf filled to the brim with books.

You arch an eyebrow, “I think if I were to ask the nurses at St. Mungo’s, they would much prefer it if you would read a book instead of taking work home with you every night.”

“How do you know I do that?”

You snort, laughter brightening your eyes, “Because I know you, Draco.” Your expression turns more serious, “You need to take some time for yourself, Dray. You can’t work this hard all the time and not expect some repercussions.”

“I’m taking time for myself right now,” Draco counters, gesturing between you both with his free hand. He wasn’t going to let go of your hand until he had to; he enjoyed feeling your skin against his too much.

You roll your eyes, “You would be sat at home finishing charts if I hadn’t have shown up on your doorstep demanding your attention.”

Draco refuses to answer; knowing full well that you’ve caught him out. Before you showed up at his front door this morning, he had in fact been planning on spending the day in his office, finishing charts and then reading the latest journal on healing potions.

It hits him like a freight train then – how much time he has dedicated to his work, how much of his life had already given it. Draco adores being a Healer; much preferring this job to what was expected of him from his father. He walks into St. Mungo’s with anticipation and excitement settling deep within his bones because no two days there are the same; he doesn’t know what cases are going to land in his lap.

Yet, he gives so much of himself over to it that there is little left for him to enjoy. It happened slowly; Draco supposes. Taking a few charts home here and there, for him to finish in the comfort of his office, but then it spiralled into staying hours after his shift had finished, working on budgets and chart reviews, making sure everything is up to the standard it should be for the only magical hospital in the British Isles.

Before long, he hadn’t had a free weekend to himself in close to a year. If he wasn’t working at the hospital, he was working from home. If he was at the hospital, he was taking case after case. It wasn’t until Mary, the Head Nurse, had cornered him that Draco agreed he would take the weekend to himself – no charts, no reviews, no nothing. Mary even checked his bag before he left the hospital.

“You’re right,” Draco admits, the words rushing out of him in one breath.

“I usually am,” You tease, a wide smile on your face, “But what am I right about this time?”

“I don’t take time for myself. I don’t do anything for myself.”

Your gaze softens as you squeeze his hand, “Let’s find you something to read. If we don’t find something here, we’ll think of another plan.”

Draco nods, squeezing your hand in return. “Lead the way,” He offers, curious as to what books you would choose for him.

It doesn’t take long for you to find what you think Draco would like. You stick close to his interests, knowing just how much they have changed from your shared time at Hogwarts.

Offering him three books, you explain, “One is written by a muggle doctor, he explains twelve cases that he worked on specially as he battled an illness he didn’t know he was going to survive. The second is a classic novel, also written by a muggle author that I think you should read when you have more time on your hands – it’s Victorian so longer sentences, longer headaches. The third book is a mystery book that I enjoyed, and I thought you would too.”

“Thank you,” Draco murmurs, taking the small pile of paperbacks from you, holding them close as he gazes over their covers, wondering what exactly what is about him that drew you to these three particular books.

“What do you think?” You ask, a note of vulnerability in your voice. Choosing books for others had never truly been your strong suit despite how much you read.

Draco remains silent for a moment as he flips the books over in his hands, reading the blurbs. You chew on the inside of your cheek, worry settling in your gut. There had been an ulterior motive to you showing up on his doorstep this morning; he needed to leave the house and go out. Having known him years, you knew that Draco would spend his only free weekend of the month working, and you were not standing for it any longer. He didn’t have to choose the books you had picked out; Merlin, he didn’t to read at all, but he needed to do something else other than work.

“Well?” You prompt before sighing, “You don’t have to read a book, Dray. We can find something else; I just don’t want you to spend all your free time working.”

Draco looks up from the books, a small smile on his face, “I’ll take them. I like the sound of the first one you described.”

The smile that graces your face at Draco’s words tells him that he had made the right choice. The anxiety leaves you in a rush, leaving nothing but relief behind.

“What about you?” Draco asks, turning the subject back to you, “What are you going to buy?”

You shrug, “I’ve already picked a few but I wouldn’t mind looking for more. That is, if you’re okay with that?”

Draco is more than okay with that. He follows you around the shop, taking the basket of books from you when it looks to be getting too heavy.

“Why do you read so many books?” Draco asks before he can stop himself.

“A reader lives a thousand lives,” You murmur, flipping through the pages of one particular paperback. Draco resists the urge to roll his eyes when he sees the cover: a half-naked man wrapped up in a passionate embrace with a scantily clad woman. Romance novels were your current obsession, reading through dozens of them and still not getting your fill.

“Let me take you on a date,” Draco asks suddenly, the first notes of shyness creeping into his voice.

It’s as he watches you flick through the pages of the book in your hand that draco realises he has done this for years. He has watched you for years fall into fictional worlds and come out the other side with a new part of you for him to discover. He has watched you fall in love characters only to feel foolish once he realises the keen sting of jealousy is over a person who does not and will not exist.

Draco has watched this for years, and as he watches you add the romance novel to your basket, he realises he could do this for a lot longer. He wants nothing more than to ignore his work for the weekend if it meant he could troll around bookshops with you, watching you find more fictional worlds for you to fall in love all the while loving you just as intensely.

“What would you have in mind?” You counter, raising an eyebrow in curiosity, giving in to the butterflies raging in your gut.

He smiles, nonchalantly leaning against one of the bookshelves, watching as you reach for spine after spine. Draco knows exactly what he would plan for your date, but he would be damned if he was to tell you. Instead, he crosses his arms and leans forward, “That’s for me to know, and for you to find out.”

----------

Books mentioned:

Twelve Patients: Life and Death at Bellevue Hospital by Eric Manheimer

Dracula by Bram Stoker

The Glass House by Eve Chase

**********

General (HP) taglist: @chaotic-fae-queen @harrypotter289 @kalimagik @heloisedaphnebrightmore @nebulablakemurphy @figlia--della--luna @probably-peeves @big-galaxy-chaos @annasofiaearlobe @imboredandneedalife @levylovegood @awritingtree @haphazardhufflepuff @stupxfy @chaoticgirl04 @accio-rogers @starlightweasley @dreaming-about-fanfictions @lestersglitterglue @msmimimerton @obx-beach @izzytheninja @slytherinprincess03 @bbeauttyybbx @breadqueen95 @acciotwinz @kashishwrites @slytherinsunrise @kylosleftbuttcheek @remmyswritings @they-write-once-in-a-blue-moon @ria-rests-here @sarcasticallywitty15 @superbturtlemakerathlete @inglourious-imagines @ithilwen-lionheart @now-its-time-for-a-breakdown @ilovejjmaybank @theweasleysredhair @theonly1outof-a-billion​ @phuvioqhile​ @moatsnow​ @storyisnotover​ @himooonlight​ @missmulti​ @amourtentiaa​

Draco Malfoy taglist: @the--queen-of-hell​ @obxmxybxnk​ @obx-beach​ @dracomalfoyswifey​ @sycathorn-slush​ @kashishwrites​ @justmesadgirl​ @detroitobsessed​ @aspiringsloth20​ @just-a-belgian-girl​ @lahoete​ @minty-malfoy​ @fallinallinmendes​ @ravenclawbitch426​ @ochrythum​ @beiahadid​ @gryffindors-weasley​ @dracosathenaeum​

[threeletterslife]

Across the Madness

→ [7/7] of the Society Series

→ summary: It’s you and him versus six strange societies. It doesn’t sound too bad until you factor in the fact that you despise his guts. And he hates you right back. Home has never sounded so wonderful.

→ pairing/rating: seokjin x reader | PG-15

→ genre: 60% angst, 30% fluff, 10% crack | e2l!au & dystopian!au

→ warnings: profanity, mean insults, misogynistic men (but not our king seokjin), mentions of sex, death, blood and gore

→ wordcount: 28.6k

→ a/n: i cannot believe this series is finally finished!! i remember plotting the very first fic (the exam) three years ago. and it feels just like yesterday when i finished up writing fleeting forevers. this series will always have a special place in my heart. writing atm was an emotional rollercoaster ride; it unlocked so many old memories, and i realized how much i didn’t want to let these society series characters go 😭nevertheless, all good things must come to an end, though i’ll always cherish this series! anyways, hope you enjoy a lowkey slowburn e2l!!

Kim Seokjin is a pompous asshole. Of course, you could never say that to his face (although you really want to)—stupid corporate policy and all that. You do not want to be forced to sit through another one of those never-ending HR meetings after your last verbal fight with him.

"What is it this time?" Naeun giggles, sipping her iced Americano and leaning back in her seat. "So what ridiculous thing did he mansplain today?"

You groan, rolling your eyes way up to the ceiling. "Affirmative action."

"Ohhh no he didn't," Naeun gasps, hand hovering over her widened mouth. "I can just imagine all the shi—I mean, bad things he'd say."

"You wouldn't believe it," you say, rubbing your forehead. "He was going on and on about how affirmative action is unfair for people who genuinely deserved a chance but are disadvantaged for being advantaged in the first place."

"Oh god no," Naeun says, shaking her head in disdain. "Does he not realize that affirmative action is meant to help and support individuals who don't get the opportunities they deserve??"

"He definitely did not realize that..." you sigh. "You know what's worse? Half the men in the room were agreeing with him."

"No way!"

"I know. I had to step in and whip some sense into them. God, they're so stupid."

"It's a wonder we all ended up at the same law firm..." Naeun says. "And then they have the audacity to complain about affirmative action."

"As if they don't already benefit from it." You roll your eyes, picking up your still-steaming cup of coffee and warming your hands on it. "I know they're lawyers, but there are just some things you shouldn't argue about."

"Yeah, like rights," Naeun sighs. "But, of course, it's harder for them to understand what it's like to not have something when they have so much of it. An excess too," she snorts.

Your lips curve up slightly in a smile. You don't know what you would've done without Naeun. As the only two women in the office, you constantly feel outnumbered, outperformed and degraded. And people like Kim Seokjin don't make it any easier for you.

"I asked her to send me that brief of the Langshorn case five times now!" Seokjin says, throwing his hands up in the air. "It's been a week. No brief whatsoever. Sometimes, I wonder if she comes to work with her brain left at home."

"Maybe she's a little busy," Jimin offers. "She's been working on the Chamberlain case for a few weeks now. I think she's a little stressed about it."

"Dammit, Jimin, whose side are you on?" Seokjin sighs, running his fingers through his hair. "Y/N needs to know that she's a team player around here. There are fu—freaking deadlines to be met. Damn the freaking corporate profanity policy."

Jimin giggles slightly. "You know they made that policy because of you and Y/N."

Seokjin turns to glare at the shorter man, his glare so sharp that Jimin shrinks back a little. "You still want to take her out on a date?" Seokjin asks in astonishment.

Jimin shrugs. "Well, I already asked and kinda got rejected."

Seokjin raises his eyebrows. "I still can't believe you're somehow attracted to her. Her, Jimin. She tries so hard to be different and 'quirky,' and god, it drives me up the wall."

"Oh," Jimin grins. "I thought that was cute. She's pretty artistic for a lawyer. And she's easy on the eyes too, if you know what I mean."

"Yeah, well, good looks can't fool me," Seokjin says. "I still can't stand her."

"The whole office knows that," Jimin giggles. "The whole office also knows that she hates you. It's pretty common knowledge around here."

Seokjin's just about to open his mouth when you enter the room with Naeun by your side. Immediately, the two of you lock eyes and glare at each other.

"Come to the main room, a-hole," you say, crossing your arms over your chest. "We're discussing lunch orders."

Before Seokjin can throw a dull insult your way as a form of mild vengeance, you strut out of the room, head held high and heels clacking loudly on the wooden floor.

"She's got a model walk," Jimin points out quite unnecessarily.

"She just called me an a-hole," Seokjin says, eyebrows furrowing. "Are we in sixth grade?"

Jimin snorts. "Based on the arguments you two have? Yeah."

With the small group of lawyers on their lunch break crowded around the room, you and Seokjin don't feel the need to strangle each other's throats. You're leaning against the counter next to your close friend while Seokjin's sitting cross-legged on one of the only available chairs in the room. Of course he's sitting in the power seat. He's practically the unofficial official CEO of this place. A leader. And people have the nerve to follow him. Even the actual CEO adores him.

"I say we go to that sub place downtown. The place next to Starbucks," he says in a way where it almost seems like he's expecting everyone else to agree with him. And everyone does.

"Dude, I've been totally craving meatball subs," Jimin says, slapping his friend's back.

"You're talking about Taylor's, right?" Hoseok chimes in. "They have the best subs in the city. Hell, the county."

"So we're all going then?" Seokjin grins. It's the type of grin that would charm everyone passing by, but you're not that big of a fool to be drawn into it.

"Bossman says we need to stop filing out every lunch break. I'd say someone has to go pick up everyone's orders," you say, crossing your arms over your chest and staring at a certain man who's giving you a mean look.

Naeun, who is a literal angel, says, "Seokjin can go since he suggested it."

An unintelligible noise comes out of Seokjin's mouth, and he looks to Jimin as if to ask him to do something. Jimin seems to get the clue. "Well, Seokjin can't just go by himself... Y/N, why don't you go with him?"

The whole room falls silent. It's the most daring suggestion ever made in this law firm. It becomes so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Finally: "Me?" you scoff, arms tightening over your chest. "Why me?"

Jimin shrugs, playing it cool while Seokjin is practically fuming next to him. "It'll be like a team-building exercise," Jimin says, winking at you.

You gape at him for a few seconds. Is this some twisted revenge because you rejected him last week?? The audacity!

"Fine," you say, to everyone's utmost surprise. You're not going to back down. "Let's go, a-hole."

Seokjin scoffs but he doesn't waste a single second, standing up immediately and straightening his button-up. "We'll be back in thirty minutes." He's just as stubborn as you are, unwilling to show a weaker side to an audience of co-workers. "Text one of us your orders." He'll play it cool—just until you're out of sight from the rest of the group.

As soon as you and Seokjin step out of the towering law firm building, Seokjin scoffs quite rudely. "I cannot believe the nerve of that imbecile."

You scoff right back at him. "Me?"

"No, you idiot. Jimin." He pauses for a second. "But you're right. You're an imbecile too."

You hate how such childish name-calling seems to insult you. "Shut up. Do you even know where the sub place is?" The faster you get there, the faster Seokjin will get out of your sight. The faster you'll get your normal serotonin levels back.

"Of course I know. I suggested it." You don't need to look at the man to know he's rolling his eyes dramatically at you. Without another word, he begins to walk quickly; if you hadn't looked up in time, you might've actually lost him to the city.

"Hey!" you say, frowning as you dash to catch up to Seokjin. "What the freak is your problem?"

To your utmost dismay, Seokjin laughs. "Are we in elementary school, now?"

You're almost embarrassed to admit that the corporate profanity policy has taken a toll on your speech habits. "We're supposed to go together," you say slowly, carefully enunciating every word so that even an idiot like Seokjin would understand. "Your buddy volunteered me to go. And there's no way you'll be able to carry twelve subs by yourself."

"You're underestimating my strength, fuzz-brain."

"Fuzz-brain?" You roll your eyes. "Is that the best you can come up with, a-hole?"

"I think it's quite better than a-hole," Seokjin claims, running his fingers through his gelled hair. "Leagues better, actually."

"God, you just can't lose, can you?"

"Oh? You don't really back down, either."

"Maybe that's why you love defending guilty people."

Seokjin whirls at you, eyes flashing. "My clients are your clients, idiot. If you have any complaints about the people you're defending, then take it up to HR or management. I'm just doing my fucking job."

"Yeah, right," you snort. "I pass on projects that don't align with my moral code."

"Are you sure it's not because you know you can't handle the case?" Seokjin seethes.

You swear you're not a violent person. But something about the way Seokjin fits his words together, something about his tone makes you want to snap your fist out and punch him in the gut. How this man even has friends is beyond you.

"Whatever," you say. Maybe if you show signs of retreat, he'll stop pestering you. You've never been so wrong.

"Whatever?" Seokjin says, lifting an eyebrow. "Thought you'd put up a bigger fight, fuzz-brain. Did law school do nothing for you?"

He's really pushing it now. "You know what, asshole?" you say, whirling around to face Seokjin. "Save yourself a fucking broken nose and stop talking."

"Are you threatening to punch me?" Seokjin laughs at your threat, much to your dismay. "Looks like you'll need a lawyer yourself to dig you out of that hole."

"Oh my god—" but you stop mid-rant. "Wait... Where are we?"

Your rude repartee with Seokjin had caused the both of you to completely forget about your surroundings, and now you're in an unfamiliar part of town, where there are no longer buildings encompassing the streets and no traffic at all. No people at all. It's almost as if the two of you had stepped into a different dimension. There are miles and miles of blatant emptiness.

"I thought you said you knew where you're going!" you accuse Seokjin. "Where is this place?" It's unsettling. The sky is a dusty, murky shade of blue and the ground is no longer covered in asphalt but brown dirt. When you turn back around, you can't see the tall law firm building anywhere. In fact, it's just miles and miles of dirt land stretching across like a never-ending plane.

"It's your fault for distracting me!"

"God! Do I always have to do everything?" you huff, pulling your phone out of your pocket and attempting to turn it on. "What the hell? I swear it was at full battery!"

"You idiot, you probably forgot to charge it." Seokjin takes out his own phone but is met with a glaring black screen.

"That can't be a coincidence," you say. "Something's wrong."

"Thanks for pointing that out, Captain Obvious."

"Well, I thought you were too thick to notice, being that we've been walking in this weird place for a while and you didn't even realize!"

"God! Just—Just shut up, for a second, all right? We have to fucking figure out a way to get back."

"We don't even know where we are!"

"You know what? We'll walk straight and see if anything comes up," Seokjin suggests.

"We don't know if anything's out there!" you cry. "What if this is some post-apocalyptic zombie world?"

"Listen to yourself. You literally sound like an idiot. That isn't possible," Seokjin snorts. "C'mon. We still need to get the subs."

"That's what you're thinking about right now? Meatball subs? You're joking, right?" you say. "For all we know, we crossed dimensions and we could be stuck. Forever."

"Well, I'm quite the dependable person, unlike you," Seokjin scoffs. "I promised our co-workers some subs. That's what I'll get them."

"You are freaking impossible."

But despite the fighting and blaming and verbal assaults, the two of you continue to walk the barren terrains, keeping a sharp eye out on anyone who could help. Preferably anyone alive. And not preferably the undead.

That's when the stench hits.

"God, what the hell is that smell?" you say, your face scrunching up in distaste as your hand flies to your nose to pinch it.

Seokjin takes a couple of seconds to sniff the air before blanching in agreement. "This can't be good."

"Yeah, no shit," you say. "But there is a chance that it's coming from you."

Seokjin throws you an irritated look. "Real mature of you. Real mature."

You're about to make a witty retort when something catches your eye. "Wait," you say. And for the first time, Seokjin listens without any useless arguing. "What the fuck is that?"

Seokjin looks toward where you're pointing and as soon as it hits his vision, he grimaces. "I think that's some kind of post-apocalyptic junkyard," he announces. "Either that or rotting corpses."

Despite the smell (and rather disturbing sight), the two of you walk closer and closer until you see that Seokjin is right. It is a dump. Trash is towered up so high that it's almost impossible to see what's beyond the junkyard. You can see the faint outlines of flies buzzing about and having a field day over... rotting bodies?

Quickly, you stumble back. "Shit... is that a graveyard?"

"Oh, don't be silly," Seokjin says, but his tone reveals that the sight makes him uncomfortable too.

What makes matters worse are the rats. They're fucking huge—so huge that you can discern them nibbling at carcasses from this far away. Instantly, you back up and Seokjin follows your movement.

"What the fuck..." he breathes, eyes trained onto the graveyard dump, unsure of what to make of it. "Maybe uh, maybe we should try that place instead?"

Your eyes follow where he is pointing—a cleaner, less dilapidated wall made of sparkling clear glass. On the other side, you can see faint hints of green meadows and... homes! Actual homes!

"So they must be the survivors of this apocalypse. And the dump is where they uh, dump their dead," you conclude. "We'll ask for help."

"And what the hell happened to this place."

"Right..."

Hatred temporarily put aside for the sole sake of survival, you and Seokjin inch closer and closer toward the grand wall. Up close, the wall is intimidating yet somehow beautiful. It reflects vibrant rainbows onto the dirt soil and almost blinds your vision as you and Seokjin try to find a possible opening.

After circling around the glass wall for who knows how long (and it seemed longer with all the incessant bickering you two started up again), Seokjin catches sight of the entrance of which is guarded by... soldiers? They're in sparkling silver armor, their faces hidden behind their helmets and their stances rigid and solemn.

You have no idea how happy it makes you see people other than Seokjin around here. "Hey!" you shout without much thinking, earning a harsh tug on your arm from your co-worker.

"You idiot!" he hisses. "We don't know if they're friendly or not!"

The moment you comprehend his words, you realize you'd made quite the amateur error.

"Stand back!" the guards yell, their voices booming from under their helmets.

They don't really have to tell you twice. "Uh, we come in peace!" Seokjin manages to yell at them.

You shoot a glare at him. "Really? Is that the best you could come up with?" you hiss at him. He rolls his eyes in response and you huff before raising your voice. "Excuse us, but could you please tell us where we are?"

There's a bit of an awkward silence where the guards all give each other hidden looks that you and Seokjin can't quite discern from so far. Slowly and cautiously, you step closer to the guards, hands raised in a placating manner. They don't make any moves to attack and after Seokjin sees it's safe, he follows right behind you. The guards seem to observe your advances carefully, and finally, one of them speaks up. "Are you Tagnasians?"

You and Seokjin pause momentarily. "Tagna what?" you say, brows furrowing. "Are we a what?"

The guards begin to regroup and murmur amongst themselves—except now, you and Seokjin are close enough to hear what they're actually saying.

"No, no, they're obviously playing dumb, I swear."

"Yes, they have to be lying."

"It's plausible."

"They told us to arrest and detain any wanderers."

Arrest? Detain?? Well, those aren't quite words you want to hear—even as a lawyer. You and Seokjin give each other a look, and for the first time, the two of you are connected enough to telepathically communicate that this place is trouble.

But before either of you can book it, the guards reveal a small, white hockey-puck-looking device from their pockets. You've only stepped one foot backward when they're hurling the pucks at you and your co-worker. The next thing you know, you see a flash of vivid, blue light and you've collapsed on the floor. As your eyes begin to flutter shut against your will, you curse Kim Seokjin for ever suggesting to get lunch at Taylor's Sub Kitchen.

Blinding white light floods your vision. Which is weird because your eyes are closed—and it defeats the purpose of resting, so you force your eyes open to find yourself on a cold, metal table. Not only that but your four limbs have been bolted securely to the surface, rendering you immobile and uncomfortable.

For a split second, you panic, wondering where the hell you are. Quickly, your eyes frantically scan the room. Only to see it quite filled with formally dressed people. They're all scrutinizing you through their dark goggles. You can't help but glare back.

You have questions and you need answers; but by the looks of it, you're their experiment, ready to be poked and prodded to answer their inquiries.

"Good," an icy cold voice cuts through the silence, "you're awake. It's been nine hours."

You follow the voice and come eye to eye to a woman. She's frowning, her attire starkly different from those around her. Contrasting from suits and ties and knee-length pencil skirts and white blouses, she's wearing an old, frayed sweater and a pretty locket sits between her collarbones. Though she's the least formally dressed in this room (including you), she radiates an aura of authority and charisma. The others look like her minions. Yet you're rendered unimpressed.

"Where am I?" you demand, straining against the locks around your wrists.

The woman narrows her eyes. "Why, you're in Utopia, where you'll be kept until we figure out who you are."

"Utopia?" you let out a scoff of disbelief. "You mean like the fictional place?"

The woman sneers. "Don't play games with us, Tagnasian. All we want is some information. We'll pull it out of you bit by bit, and it won't be pretty."

"Information??" you say, bewildered. "You must be joking. I don't even know where I am. And wait..." With all this newfound commotion, you'd almost forgotten about your rude co-worker. (Although you wish you'd unremembered him altogether.) "Where's Seokjin?"

"Oh? Your partner?" The woman smirks. "He wasn't cooperating with us. Consequently, we sent him down to Dystopia until he's ready to acquiesce."

It's almost as if Dystopia is Utopia's Alcatraz. Now you have two new names to deal with and little to no answers. "Where am I?" you try again. "Where is this place, really?"

It's almost as if the woman finds amusement in your confusion. "You know where you are."

"I... don't." You want to rub a frustrated hand over your forehead but alas, your hands are chained down. "Listen," you sigh, "I'm from um, Earth, okay?" Might as well start it simple—in case you were on an alien planet.

The woman looks at you as if you'd just told her that you've lived on Neptune for the past three years. She steps back and frowns, her features creasing heavily. "You're... not the brightest, aren't you?"

You scoff. You did not study your ass off in law school to be called an idiot by your co-worker all the time and a complete stranger to tell you that you're 'not the brightest.'

The others behind the women begin to whisper and you catch what one of them says quite clearly: "Governess... maybe we should send her down to Dystopia... Her partner did seem more intelligent than her."

Your blood boils. Seokjin more intelligent than you?? In what universe?? But your boiling blood turns icy cold when the woman—deemed as the Governess—announces, "Very well." She turns to you, her chin raised and head cocked slightly back. "We are on Earth, just to clarify... If you were too ignorant to realize, that is."

Somehow, this woman irks your strings almost as much as Seokjin does. "Well, this doesn't look like the Earth I know!" you protest.

At that, the Governess raises her eyebrows. "So you're claiming that you know another Earth?"

"Um, hello? Seven continents? Countries? The seven seas???"

You didn't think it was possible for the Governess to raise her eyebrows any more than before, but she proves you wrong. "Yes, that, I am aware of," she says, quite unimpressed. But upon looking at your bewildered, panicked face, she seems to take pity on you. Her features soften just slightly. Then, she speaks: "You mentioned the seven continents. Do you know what they are?"

It's a fifth-grade geography lesson all over again. "Of course I do! Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America—in alphabetical order," you list off. "What does this have to do with anything?"

"The capital of Australia?" the Governess asks, ignoring your previous question.

You frown, eyebrows knitting at her strange inquiry. "Aren't there eight?"

"Capital of India, then."

"...New Delhi..."

You feel like you've been thrown back into elementary school, getting drilled by your teacher for a good final exam grade in geography class.

"What about Canada?"

"Ottawa..."

"The United States of America?"

"Washington, D.C.," you sigh. "And before you ask, the D.C. stands for District of Columbia—named after the idiotic prick of a guy, Christopher Columbus. Is that enough for you? Do you need more? In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue—"

"No, no, that is quite enough," the Governess cuts you off. She looks a little taken aback at your outburst, but in your defense, you just don't start arguments with someone who graduated from law school. And not only does the Governess look surprised but also she looks quite impressed. She turns to the others behind her and not-so-quietly whispers, "A Tagnasian wouldn't know any of this."

That's good news for you. Maybe that means you're not a threat anymore. "Who the hell are the Tagnasians? And why do you think I'm one of them? And if this is Earth, then when is it??"

The Governess slowly turns around, her eyes meeting yours. Though her face is serious, there's a small twinkle in her eye that makes it seem like she's not as scary or intimidating as she tries to be. "Everyone out," she commands in a clear, booming voice. "I'll talk to her alone."

Immediately, the others scramble out of the room, not wanting to disobey the person in charge. The moment the last person leaves and shuts the door, the Governess whirls around at you with a bright smile on her face. You're confused, feeling a little unsettled with her change in personality. But the Governess surges forward and releases you from your chains.

"Oh my god," she breathes. "Oh my god. I wonder how this is possible!" she squeals excitedly. "I just knew you weren't Tagnasian! I have to apologize for my cabinet. Honestly, they're all lunatics, thinking a Tagnasian would even dare to attack us!"

You blink rapidly, wondering if you'd skipped a few minutes of your life. Is the Governess trustworthy now? Is she on your side? Does this mean anything?? But before you can act upon your questions, the Governess drops a figurative bomb on you.

"Oh god, this is great! You seem to know all the old capitals and continents. So that can only mean that you're from the past!"

Your jaw drops open. "The past?? So I'm in the future right now."

"Yes, exactly!" the Governess exclaims. "Well, your future, my present."

"Oh god." You massage your head, unable to think of coherent words to string together. Impossible.

The Governess grins. "You don't understand. It's been ten years since I've come here to Utopia... And never have I witnessed something as fascinating as this!"

In your nearly twenty-seven years of living, you've also never witnessed something as jarring as this. How could she call this fascinating?? "Where—I mean, when exactly is this place?"

The Governess' bright countenance morphs into a look of melancholy. "I can answer both when and where, actually," she says to your surprise. "There was an apocalypse years ago. It was a lethal plague that started in North America and spread to the rest of the world too quickly. All in a span of three years, too. The world was dying—and that was in 2220—so about a hundred-ish years ago. But the remaining survivors banded together and made civilizations."

It's a story that sounds like it'd run straight out of one of those teen Dystopian novels that trended back in 2013. You don't know what to make of it, what to think of this future.

"This society here is Atna, the most advanced society," the Governess continues on. "Our technology is unrivaled, but, the trade-off is that we're brutal," the Governess says. Her fingers reach up to grasp at the pretty, silver locket around her neck. "We've been working on exterminating the less, um... the less intellectually capable."

You don't like the way that sounds. "What does that mean?"

"Well, we're in Utopia now... God, how do I explain this? So, Atna is divided into three cities. You have Utopia, Dystopia and Purgatory. Every child from Utopia and Dystopia is put into Purgatory from ages ten to eighteen. They're supposed to study there, and when they turn eighteen, they'll take a test. Only the top-scorers get to come to Utopia."

You scoff. "What?"

It's almost as if the Governess had expected your reaction. "Yes, I know. We're technically all victims."

And you thought your college experience was cut-throat. "So everyone here is... smart."

"You would say so."

"And you...?"

"The only Atnatian to attain a perfect score on the Exam."

"Oh. Wow." So that's why they made her the Governess, whatever power that entails.

"I know..."

"I don't think that sounds fair."

"It isn't." The Governess looks quite grim. "But it's the way we work around here. Look, I'll convince the others that you're not a threat. And we still have to get your boyfriend out of Dystopia too." She looks a little conflicted at that idea. "But I'm actually not allowed to go there."

"Why not?" you challenge.

"Utopians aren't allowed to leave Utopia. They aren't allowed to be... sullied."

The raging privilege culture in this place infuriates you, but you take a deep breath, attempting to calm yourself down. "It's okay. I can go to Dystopia, then. He's my co-worker, so I guess he's my responsibility." Unfortunately, you want to add. But wait until he finds out this whole place is based on merit. Maybe he'll want to stay here forever—if staying in a future-apocalyptic Alcatraz didn't traumatize him enough, that is.

The Governess sneaks you out of the clean white room they'd kept you in, and you pass corridors and corridors of stark white floor and glass walls. Outside, there are sparkling fountains and verdant green grass lawns that stretch over flat planes and futuristic-looking glass buildings. It looks exactly how you'd expect a Utopia to look. Even the cloudless sky is unpolluted—the brightest blue you've ever seen in your life. They'd somehow learned to clean the air within the walls.

But you have to stay wary. These people leave the 'less intelligent' in a jail-like place; you do not want to get on their bad side. And you don't even fully know the Governess' true intentions. Still, the way she weaves left and right through the building with grace and confidence, all the while shielding you from prying workers makes her trustworthy for now.

"We can't take any of the transportation systems," the Governess whispers to you when the two of you reach outside the building you had been in.

"So they won't track me?"

"It's more like they don't have a public transportation system that goes to Dystopia."

"Oh."

"But I've taken the chip out of my car. You know how to drive, right?"

You sputter a confused yes, which is followed by a black, shiny vehicle rolling up right in front of you. There is no one in the driver's seat. "Wait..."

"Ah, I forget you're from the past," the Governess smiles. "Well, you're going to want to sit in the passenger seat. There will be some buttons on the dash, and if you search up Dystopia on the keyboard, it comes up."

That is definitely not the way driving works back home but nevertheless, you turn to the Governess. "Thanks," you say, gauging her expression and wondering why she wants to help you. Though the Governess seemed like she was in need of an interesting moment in her life, you doubt that was her only reason. There's something complex about the Governess—something you can't quite put your finger on as of now. There just has to be an explanation as to why she puts on a façade of coldness in front of others but decides to be kind to you. She just met you, and yet she trusts you? Maybe you'll figure it all out later.

"Go," the Governess tells you, waving you off. "Try the home button to find me again."

You look behind you one last time to glance at the Governess, but quickly, you slide into the car. She can wait but right now, you'll have to act as Seokjin's prince charming. But you swear if he isn't grateful at all that you come to his rescue, you might just leave without him. The real problem isn't getting him out of Dystopia, anyway—it's to get back home to the present.

The car is spacious and smells of fresh roses. You tap on a couple of buttons on the dash (which also turned out to be holographic), and the car begins to move on its own, steering down the street. From the rearview mirror, you can see the Governess standing, her frayed sweater-clad on her body as she clasps her necklace with both hands. There's just something about her expression that makes it seem as though she is happy for you. Soon, though, the car is far enough so that she's no longer in view. You spend most of the car ride trusting that it's taking you to the right location and looking out the spotless windows.

And gradually, very gradually, the outside scenes begin to transform from bright green grass and wonderfully groomed parks to a dirt road—and nothing but dirt. The land looks grim here. You can even swear that the bright blue sky had gotten darker. According to the holographic dash, this is Purgatory. To the right, you spot several run-down buildings made of chipped bricks, which you can only assume is where the children are forced to study. A little far away from the largest building, however, is a giant hole. Somehow, it's deeper than it is wide—so much so that you can't even tell where the bottom is from your seat in the vehicle.

Why would they even dig such a big hole in the first place? The more you think about it, the more it unsettles you. So you look the other way, fidgeting with your hands in your seat. A part of you thinks you're still in bed and you're dreaming this whole scenario—more of a nightmare than a sweet dream, too. How could you be walking to get meatball subs with your worst enemy and end up in a mess like this? You don't even know if Seokjin had already gotten out. This whole plan might just be void.

Usually, when you're deep in thought, nothing can bring you out—with the exception of raucous noises. However, it's not a sound that makes you break from your mind, it's a smell. No, a stench. Your eyes flit to the window of the car, only to be met with heaps and heaps of...?

Trash? No, bodies. Rats, too. So many fucking rats.

You grip the sides of your seat. The Governess had painted a picture in your mind that Dystopia was more like a prison. You did not expect to see totally unlivable conditions. You stare in horror as people—actual humans—start to come into view. Chills run down your spine. They're more bone than skin, and some of them don't even have proper clothes on. These are some of the humans of the future. It's frightening.

A crowd of rats is chittering away in one of the heaps of trash. It takes you a second to realize that they're feasting upon a small carcass—no, a corpse. A child. You feel bile rise up your throat, eyes watering at the same time from the sheer fetid smell.

How can anyone live here? How can Utopians live in their mansions and not feel one ounce of remorse for these Dystopians?

At this rate, you're starting to doubt whether Seokjin is alive. It's been around nine to ten hours; that's a good amount of time for the rats to have gotten to him already. Maybe he's dead. But not even Seokjin deserves to die like this. Gathering up courage, you manage to steal another glance out the window, only to catch glimpses of Dystopians warily watching you, hidden behind pillars of junk and mud.

They're scared of you.

You're in a shiny, black car—obviously not starving or covered in dirt. They must think you're here to deliver bad news. Momentarily, you freeze. Utopia is so spacious, and its resources are bountiful. It doesn't make sense that the Utopians can't share. This place... it's nowhere near as livable as Purgatory. And how will kids born in Dystopian families compete with the Utopian children? Your mind is racing, running over the logistics and not liking any of the results. What the fuck. This is worse than what you had to deal with at home—where the rich become richer and the poor become poorer. It looks like in the future, the situation's gotten worse.

The car teeters over the bumpy mud, occasionally sloshing in dirt water but soon comes to a full stop. Then begins the contemplation. Are you going to actually look for Seokjin? What is the extent to which you'll search for him? Well, you've come this far, so you might as well try...

You inhale deeply before making the decision to roll down the window and call that idiot's name. But that doesn't happen until a few more minutes because you struggle to find the button that controls the car windows. Alas, you find it on the holographic dash and press it. Immediately, a warm, gross stench fills the car, completely wiping out the sweet smell of rose. You struggle to keep a straight face.

"Hey, a-hole!" you yell.

You'd actually meant to call his name. But after the trouble he made you go through by not keeping his mouth shut? There's no way.

"Where are you??" you shout.

Glancing around, you can see the curious Dystopians staring at you strangely, giving you side-eyes and disgruntled looks. Seokjin better hurry up or you might even be forced to leave.

That's when you see a familiar figure.

It's Seokjin.

He's lost the impossible glow to his skin, along with his confident and arrogant strut. In fact, he looks defeated. When he's closer, you can see that his clothes have become tattered and his face marred with dirt. He looks like he'd been struck by a hurricane of all things.

"Shut up!" he shrieks.

What a warm welcome.

The Dystopians carefully watch the scene unfold before them, but they don't act, don't move at all.

When Seokjin reaches the car, he frowns at the empty driver's seat and then slides into the back, shivering beyond control. "Get me the fuck out of here," he says, gritting his teeth.

You quickly roll up the window with the click of a button and turn around to look at him. God, he looks horrible. It almost makes you feel bad... but then again, his attitude is ungrateful and it ticks you off.

"Really? That's the first thing you're gonna tell me after I save your ass?"

"Second thing, actually," Seokjin mutters underneath his breath. He tries to run his fingers through his sweaty and matted hair but with no luck. The man gives up. "The first thing I told you to do was shut up."

You glare at him. "We have to do something, you know."

"Do what???" Seokjin yells, his voice raised and eyes widened. "Just get me out of here! Please!"

He sounds desperate. And he did say the magic word. But you can't just roll up in a fancy car in Dystopia and just save one person. Something called your moral compass doesn't find that idea so hot.

"Please. Let's get the fuck out of here. I can't stand it."

You look back at Seokjin and then out the window. Most of the Dystopian borns have already started to mind their own business again. Maybe you can ask the Governess what to do. Maybe (with her intelligence) she can come up with a brilliant plan to better Dystopia. And you've never seen such a desperate look on Seokjin. It's not really the time, but you almost feel satisfied.

Just enough to press the button on the holographic dash labeled 'home.'

"Yeah. You know what? Let's get you home."

Seokjin had thought you were pulling a massive prank on him. That you orchestrated this whole society thing and created a scary Dystopia to shove him in there to teach him a lesson. All because you'd uttered, "Let's get you home." Of which, Seokjin believed that home had actually meant home. As in the Earth the two of you know. He didn't believe that home had actually meant the strange Governess' mansion of a house.

You've never seen that man be so silent, so... unargumentative. Usually, you two can go back and forth with banter, but whatever was in Dystopia must have scared him silent. In fact, the whole car ride to the Governess' home had been silent, which was uncharacteristic of both of you.

The Governess seems happier than you to see Seokjin back, and she quickly offers him a gigantic bath. He doesn't need much convincing to accept it. When Seokjin comes out from the bathroom, he's in fresh, elegant clothing and there are no more traces of dirt on his skin.

Over a lavish dinner of excess food and drinks, the Governess fills Seokjin in with Atna's intentions and what Dystopia really is. You just eat quietly, gauging Seokjin's shocked expressions and wondering if that experience of his would do anything to change his character. You doubt it though. Kim Seokjin's one stubborn man.

"So... What you all said," Seokjin begins slowly. He's choosing his words carefully as if he can't even believe what he's saying. "You're saying that people who live there compete with the people who live here???" He shakes his head, scoffing and running his fingers through his clean hair. "How would that even logistically work?"

Your eyes widen at his words. For a man who had so vehemently argued against affirmative action, this is quite the improvement. You actually find yourself agreeing with him. The Governess sinks back in her seat, shrugging her shoulders and picking up a twinkling glass of bubbling amber liquid and downing it in one gulp.

"It just works," she answers.

"But what if only one person consistently scores the highest every year? Kinda like what you did. The population in Utopia won't benefit from that at all," you point out. "Utopia is underpopulated and judging from what I saw in Dystopia, it's pretty overpopulated."

The Governess shakes her head. "My year it was rare. You see, usually, there are about seven to fifteen kids who tie for the highest score. And apparently, that's enough to keep Utopia alive." The silver locket sitting between her collarbones sparkles in the bright light of the chandelier hanging above the tall ceiling as she mindlessly plays with the fraying ends of her wool sweater. "It's enough to keep the government happy."

Seokjin stands up abruptly, knocking over his chair in the process. "It's wrong," he says, surprising you and the Governess. "It's unfair."

Pressing your lips together, you turn to stare at Seokjin. "Oh so since you've experienced it now, you think it's unfair, huh?" The words come out filled with scorn and contempt, which you didn't exactly mean, but it's too late now.

"No one should have to worry about food and shelter and disease while studying at the same time," he says. "The priorities are uneven."

You raise your eyebrows. So Seokjin's a tactile learner, you suppose. He's got to experience something to make sense of it.

"That's unfortunately what I've been saying for years," the Governess sighs. "I don't think I can do anything."

"Aren't you the Governess?" Seokjin asks, crossing his arms over his chest. He remains standing looking down at the woman with a look of surprise. "You're practically the mayor of the city."

"Well... yes, but—"

"Can't you just abolish Dystopia and Utopia?" you cut in before Seokjin begins to drill the poor Governess with passive-aggressive questions.

"I-I'm... I'm not sure. But you have to understand that the point of Dystopia and Utopia is to divide those who are intelligent and unintelligent."

This time you're the one who stands up in disbelief. "Hold on. Hold the fuck up. Hey, look. I didn't get into my fourth-grade gifted class, but I still made it as a lawyer," you say. "A little IQ test hurt my confidence as a kid. I thought I was fucking stupid for the longest time." You shake your head, staring right into the Governess' eyes. "But it's not that easy to define intelligence."

The Governess looks away, fidgeting uncomfortably. "I know... I mean, I knew a boy once. Back when I was a lot younger." She sighs in a way that makes you feel sorry. She holds pain in her eyes and her lips tremble before she speaks again. "We both hated the system. And he was one of the most intelligent people I knew. His older brother had started a revolution in Purgatory and well, they decimated everybody in his year." She shudders at the thought but continues on, pacing herself and not once looking up to you and Seokjin. "Taehyung," she whispers, fingers flying up to grasp her locket. "We were supposed to beat the Exam. We were supposed to win. But we couldn't. As you know, I was the only person who scored the highest on that year's exam. And I... So I lost him to this place. This fucking mansion."

"I'm sorry," you say, features softening as you slowly sink back in your seat. You want to reach across the table and hold her hand, console her, help her in some way. The Governess lives in a vast estate, hundreds of Utopian citizens and workers praise her for her intelligence—yet she is broken. Maybe even lonely.

"That's terrible," Seokjin offers. He uprights his chair and slides into it too, brows knitting together in pity. "But that just proves that there is no purpose in dividing the intelligent and unintelligent around here," he says. "Why even give the Dystopians a chance when you won't even support them? When you obviously favor the Utopians?"

You're about to yell at him for being so insensitive, but the Governess, with her sad-looking face answers anyways. "They say it's equal. I'm actually Dystopian-born myself, and I admit I worked twice as hard to get to where I am now. And even then, I had my advantages... A Utopian-born who shared the knowledge his parents illegally bought. A... friend who shared his medicine, his clothes, his warmth..." She holds herself, running her fingers across the woolly fabric of her sweater.

"So... it's not equal," you say. "They say it is, but obviously it's not."

"Then, my question is, why can't you make Dystopia equal? Why not fund them? Build them proper houses? A goddamn plumbing system? Give them fucking jobs?" Seokjin says, his voice rising with each consecutive question. "Just because they're 'unintelligent,' they don't get to be treated as human beings?"

It seems as though he'd learned a thing or two in the long hours he'd spent in Dystopia. You're almost impressed.

The Governess, however, downcasts her head in response. "But Atna was founded on the basis of weeding out the unintelligent."

"But that's the fucking problem!" Seokjin erupts. "You said it yourself that you were the only one who made it in your year. But you had a friend! An equally intelligent friend who didn't make it because of a bullshit system!"

To balance out Seokjin's outbursts, you try to speak a little calmly. "Whatever test you take might just be an unfair judgment," you offer.

And to your utmost surprise, Seokjin nods at you. It's insane—you can't remember the last time the two of you agreed on something.

Then there's a bit of silence as the Governess thinks. "... There might actually be some ways to go about this, I suppose."

"They planted in your head to be subservient," you say, "but you're the Governess, for fuck's say," you say. "You can make some suggestions, and they might listen since your judgment will always be assumed as sound."

"Exactly," Seokjin chimes in. "By their standards, you're the most intelligent person in this whole city. So by all means, propose a change."

The Governess looks up for the first time in a while. There's a little twinkle in her eye and a small smile playing on her lips. She's impressed. "You two are quite the duo."

Seokjin snorts. "We just get paid to argue."

"And we're pretty damn good at persuading too," you add on.

The Governess laughs, and it's a loud kind of laugh. Not exactly dainty but boisterous and obviously full of genuine happiness. "You two remind me a lot of myself and Taehyung," she smiles. "Listen, your words and insight have gotten me out of the slumps I've been in for who knows how long. I want to help you get back home in return. If you really are from the past... We Utopians haven't exactly figured out time travel yet, though we're working on it..."

"Oh, god," Seokjin groans, massaging his forehead. "I completely forgot this isn't our home. This whole thing is surreal!" he exclaims.

You nod in agreement. "Didn't you say there were other societies out there?"

Seokjin turns to you in astonishment while the Governess frowns slightly. "Yes, I did mention that some time... But I don't recommend you go tour them."

"Why not?" You cock your head in curiosity. "We're in the future. Might as well get a good look around."

Seokjin scoffs and for a second, you think you two have resorted back to stupid arguments, until: "You know what? As reckless and stupid as that sounds, I guess it makes some sense, fuzz-brain."

You scoff right back at him. "Fine. A-hole."

"You're crazy," the Governess says, gaping at the two of you. "You don't want to go to Tagna."

"Tagna..." The name sounds familiar. "Oh! You thought I was a Tagnasian!"

"While we value education and intelligence, they quite excessively value equality," the Governess tries to explain. She's got one of those worried frown creases on her forehead, but it's almost as if she knows that nothing she'll say will stop you two from doing what you want. She's right.

"I don't think valuing equality can go badly," you say. "At least Seokjin won't get stuck in a dystopia there."

Your co-worker snorts, but strangely, he brushes off the comment and turns to the Governess. "I think Tagna might be cool to explore for a while."

The Governess just shrugs your shoulders. "It's clear I won't be able to stop you two."

"You're right," you laugh.

"In that case, Tagna's just left of Dystopia. If you walk straight, it'll be there," she says. "But I'm warning you in advance that they're dangerous."

Seokjin laughs. "I somehow survived ten hours in Dystopia with no prior knowledge of survival and the society itself. I think I'll be fine at least."

You roll your eyes, but when you turn to the Governess, you see that she's just smiling and shaking her head. "All it took was one conversation from a couple of capable adults to change my perspective."

She sounds grateful and even more hopeful of her future here at Atna. Her fingers dance around her silver locket again, and you can't help but suspect that it's either a gift, or there's something significant inside. Either way, you know that all of you will never forget this encounter, and in some way or another, it'll affect your lives.

You and Seokjin bid the Governess your final goodbyes. After she tells you precise instructions of how to sneak out of her estate and out of Utopia's guarded walls, you two are off, walking side by side and into a strange, possibly stranger world.

"This is not what I expected," you whisper to Seokjin.

"Why are you whispering?" he asks in a booming loud voice that makes you grit your teeth. A few Tagnasians look at both of you strangely before walking away in a hurry.

You glare at Seokjin. Apparently, his stay in Dystopia hadn't completely demolished his arrogance. "This place feels... surgical."

There's no other way to describe it. Unlike Utopia, there are no lavish green lawns or towering mansions or bubbling fountains. Quite unlike Dystopia, Tagna is absent of rats, carcasses and foul stench. And there is no dirt at all. Instead, the ground consists entirely of smooth off-white stone and it seems to stretch on and on forever. The buildings look quite similar to each other with slight variations and the people—why are they all wearing the same thing?

"As ironically as I like equality... this is taking it... uh, a little too literally," you try to explain. "And some of these people are giving us mean looks for not conforming."

"It's like high school all over again," Seokjin snorts. "At least there isn't anything that poses as a threat around here. Lemme tell you in Dystopia, literally everything—"

"Hey!"

The loud, booming voice makes you nearly jump out of your skin. When you and Seokjin whirl around, you see a man in the same plain, gray attire as the others, but there's a small silver badge pinned to his chest that makes you assume he's some sort of law enforcement; a cop.

"W-Who are you?" the cop stutters. For law enforcement, he's not very intimidating. He must not be very used to any wandering stragglers—either that or he's new. "W-What do you two want?"

You glance at Seokjin, unsure of what to say, but luckily, that man has an answer for everything. "We're just visiting, officer."

However, that hadn't been the answer the cop had been looking for because the next thing you know, you're standing before what the Tagnasians apparently call, the Council. Seokjin thinks it's their government system. You hate to admit that he's right, but you have to agree.

There is a grand panel of serious-looking older men and women—somewhere in their early forties, which is odd considering that most government leaders back where you're from are well past their sixties. But through the slits of their eyes, they scrutinize you and Seokjin, shaking their heads disdainfully and disapproving of the way the two of you do not conform with the rest of their society. The cop presents you and Seokjin to the Council. Their whisperings cease.

"Ah," a man sitting in the middle speaks. He's got graying hair, a few wrinkles on his forehead, obviously a little older than the others, but he at least has a friendly demeanor. "It has been quite a while since we've gotten refugees."

You turn to Seokjin to give him a look, but when you find that he's not looking at you, you resist the urge to roll your eyes, looking back at the members of the Council.

"You are welcome to stay here in our humble society of Tagna," another member speaks out. "You'll like it here, refugees."

This time, Seokjin looks at you, but you're too entranced by what the Council is saying to meet his glance. He scoffs and proceeds to stare straight ahead.

"Tagna has a special place called Everland," a woman speaks out. "Only our best, our most esteemed are invited to be transported there."

"Everland is a place where the skies are cerulean blue," another chimes in. "The grass is green year-round and sparkling lakes stretch across the land. The weather is always quite lovely."

"A paradise."

"Yes, long, long ago, we humans fought wars over our slightest differences. We've faced terrorism, homicide, arson—over the smallest bits of jealousy and hatred," the man in the middle speaks. "But Tagna rids us of our differences. We are all equals in this place."

You glance at Seokjin and somehow find weird comfort in the fact that he's looking at you too. Almost as if to say, 'the way they put it, this doesn't sound too bad at all.' And if he did mean that, then you'd have to agree. You have no idea what's been happening to the Earth after the year 2220, but you can only assume that people have only increased their aggression against each other for the smallest differences. If it was that bad at home in your present, you can't imagine how worse it's gotten—and especially with a deadly plague.

"As our most esteemed refugees, the Council is quite honored to offer you an opportunity to explore Everland," the Council leader speaks. He smiles warmly and nods to you and Seokjin. "We want you to make yourself at home."

"Oh," you laugh politely, shaking your head. "Actually, Seokjin and I are just visiting, if that's all right."

Seokjin nods. "We were wondering if we could get a quick look around Tagna and Everland."

The Council leader smiles. "Of course, of course. But I would like to warn you... No one ever wants to come back from Everland. It is a Utopia."

"A Utopia, huh?" you snort, lying across your hospital bed and scratching at your semi-itchy patient gown.

Seokjin looks at you and shrugs. "Sounds familiar. What is with the future's obsession with Utopian societies?"

"No idea," you say, rolling your eyes. "But I mean, at least the Governess was wrong about them. The Council's pretty accommodating."

"I hate agreeing with you, but yeah. Still think shoving us in a hospital is weird, though."

You sigh. "Were you not listening to a single thing they said? That's the only way we can get transported. The nurse said it's a complex process and we need to prepare for it."

"I was listening," Seokjin grumbles. "It seems as though Atna isn't as intelligent as they think they are," he says. "The Tagnasians have already figured out all that dimension-traveling jazz. We'll definitely have to ask them to help us get back home later."

"That's the first solid idea you've had since you were born," you snort.

Seokjin glares at you. "You seem to forget that I saved your ass on the Morder case, do you not?"

You whirl around and face him, jaw hanging slightly. "You're kidding me. I missed one detail. I would've figured it out in a couple more days."

"Yeah, your client would've been ecstatic about that, huh?"

"Why do you always bring up the oldest shit to argue with me?" you counter. "It's not helping our situation at all!"

"You're the one who keeps starting it," Seokjin scoffs. "Besides, I'm the one who had to stay in Dystopia by myself, and I'm still letting you go around to face the other fucking societies!"

"You were stranded there for what, like ten hours? Some people are born there you fucking asshole. Did you even learn anything??"

Before Seokjin can yell at you, the door opens and your nurse pops his head into the room. "I heard yelling," he says. "Is everything all right?"

"No," you and Seokjin say at the same time—both with equal annoyance.

The nurse stares a little before quickly gathering his thoughts. "Well, Seokjin, why don't we get you back to your room so we can let Y/N rest a little? It's not good to transport to Everland with any sort of irritation. We want you to be as calm and happy as possible."

Begrudgingly, Seokjin saunters out of your room, following the nurse's orders. When the both of them leave, you let out a sigh of relief. How the fuck you got stuck with an ape of a man is beyond you, but as soon as you tour Everland, you'll be ready to leave. You miss home. You miss Naeun, who always backed you up when Seokjin said some sort of bullshit. You miss being in a normal society with a government that you can sort of maybe trust. It's better than a government that allows discriminating against intelligence levels and another government that is, for some reason, obsessed with preciseness and hospital-like procedures. For a second, you almost feel the urge to run out of this room and ask the Council if they can take you home. But if you do, you're going to miss the opportunity of a lifetime. You're going to a Utopia—another dimension. If you don't take this chance, you're never going to be given another. Someone as annoying as Seokjin can't stop you from experiencing the supernatural.

Cursing that pompous man out in your head, you soon fall asleep vowing that you're not going to leave until you've seen Everland.

During the next few days, with your nurse's blessing, you explore the hospital. There's this pretty hallway that lights up nicely with its long window panes. You like to stand there and look out at the lawn outside.

You can't exactly remember the last time you've gone this long without talking to someone. Though you've tried making conversation with the others in this hospital, no one looks like they have the time to carry on small talk. And your nurse is one of the most boring people ever to have graced this Earth; you've found that talking to him is akin to talking to a brick wall. All he ever wants to do is tell you stories of Everland that are too pixie fairy-dusty for your taste and offer you the emotional support that you don't need. He also likes to answer questions that you never asked.

"Yes, Y/N! Tagna is quite the advanced society."

"Our science is unparalleled!"

"Yes, yes, we sport a zero percent death rate. Oh, you heard that right. Yes, zero. With our advanced medicine and technology, we can cure just about every disease out there. In fact, we're the ones who found the cure for the plague that killed off billions!"

The only thing you found interesting in your one-sided 'conversations' with your nurse is that people don't die around here. Instead, 100 percent of the time, Tagnasians are transported to Everland before they pass from old age. After a while though, the information becomes repetitive and boring. It's mild suffering, unable to have some sort of banter or argument with someone, unable to have a satisfying back-and-forth discourse.

That's when you start searching for Seokjin again. (It's also a little offensive that he's been ignoring you all this time too.)

It doesn't take too long to find that man leeching off in the cafeteria, scarfing down a double-decker rocky road with a glass of milk at his side. Seokjin has always had a habit of glorifying food. Cautiously, you step forward and take the seat in front of him, gauging his countenance. Seokjin looks more surprised than annoyed, which is a good sign, really.

"Missed me already?" He smirks, mouth covered in chocolate and crumbs littering the white table.

You almost stand back up and walk out, but you tell yourself to have patience. "I'm just bored," you say nonchalantly. "Are you taking apart this kitchen by yourself?"

"More or less," Seokjin snorts. "Why? Do you wanna help?"

You grimace. "No."

"Then why are you here?" Seokjin sighs, setting down his treat and brushing off the crumbs on his hands.

"That's a stupid question," you mutter. You're not going to be caught dead admitting that you came to seek Seokjin for company; his ego is already too big for that.

"Whatever, fuzz-brain, people find me irresistible," Seokjin says. He grabs a napkin from a napkin dispenser nearby and begins to meticulously wipe the chocolate off of his face. Watching the disgusted look on your face, Seokjin laughs. "The nurse says we're going to Everland in a couple of days, though. Exciting isn't it?"

He's trying to make polite conversation and for once, you're pleased.

"I guess," you say. "Though we'll have to keep in mind that we need to leave there after a while."

"Aw, you don't want to live in Utopia with me?" Seokjin asks, a mock pout on his face. "I was actually looking forward to convincing you to stay with me."

You snort, shaking your head. "Yeah, well, good luck with that."

"Thank you," Seokjin grins before standing up and straightening out his white patient gown. "I'm kidding, by the way," he says. "I'd never stay too long in a place where I can't wear my spectacular outfits."

Of course.

"Anyway, I'm going up to my room. You can come too, if you want to continue our conversation."

For a split second, you wonder if you should follow Seokjin up to his room. You can't exactly guarantee this conversation won't end in an argument, but then again, this is also the first time Seokjin's almost been kind of... considerate of you. Besides, you should be getting close to him—he's the only person you know in this crazy society. So, before you can really stop yourself, you end up in Seokjin's room, sitting on the edge of his bed as he lounges on his plush couch (brought to him per vehement request).

It's silent for a while as the two of you collect your thoughts. Though, it doesn't take long for one of you to break the silence.

"You never did tell me what happened in Dystopia," you say, squeezing your hands together. "Unless you don't want to revisit those memories."

Seokjin raises his eyebrows—as if he's being challenged by you to dare to speak. "I didn't think you could handle the atrocities I had to face."

You make a face. "That's a very backasswards way of thinking."

"Fine then. If you want to know so bad, then fine," Seokjin huffs. He sits up a little on his couch, uncrossing his legs and then crossing them the other way. "I might've not been too cooperative when they got us. Their hockey-puck taser only hit my side, so I woke up a little earlier than you. And I guess you could say I didn't have many kind things to say to them."

You snort. "Predictable."

Seokjin ignores you, though you can tell he flinches slightly. "But they told me I was going to Dystopia—before even telling me what the hell that even means—and then they tased me again. Properly, this time. I woke up smelling some sort of batshit smell.

"Apparently those bastards threw me in a pile of mud. I had it everywhere on me. Even my face. It was a struggle trying to get it off of me, which was also unsuccessful. I didn't even look around my surroundings until way later, and that's when I noticed how desolate that place actually was.

"And the fucking rats..." Seokjin pauses for a moment, folding his hands together and looking down at them. "It was... Well, it was really hard to believe this was all real. I thought I was dreaming. But it felt too real, you know? The smell of the rotting bodies, the sight of blood on the rats' teeth... Even the grime sticking to my clothes was heavy and wet and goddammit, I'd never do it over again.

"I tried wandering around to somehow get out. I wasn't about to give up so soon, right? But it was so... fruitless. I don't know."

Your eyes widen at Seokjin's words. This is the first time you've ever seen him without his blazing trail of usual arrogant confidence. It's a weird look on him; you're not sure whether you find it amusing or worrying.

"There... Well, there was a family." Seokjin pauses, gathering his thoughts. "Their children actually found me. And I guess they felt pity. They felt the need to help me... even in their situation. I didn't know what to say." His head is downcast and he struggles to find his next words. "They offered me food. They offered me things that they barely had themselves. And they were hopeful."

"Hopeful?" you say in a voice barely above a whisper. "For what?"

"I'm not exactly sure," Seokjin answers. "I didn't know anything at all when I was there with them. But now, I think they were hopeful for their children to take the Exam. For them to succeed in life where they couldn't... And it just clicked when we were having dinner with the Governess."

You're about to put your own two cents in, but Seokjin speaks before you can open your mouth.

"It's not fair."

"Yeah, I know it isn't."

"But it's like that in the real world too, isn't it? You know, back home?"

You look at the man in astonishment. "So you do get it?"

Seokjin scoffs. "Of course I do. I'm not a blithering idiot. The rich will always get richer. They'll always produce the richest children who will inevitably have better access to education and therefore be deemed more intelligent. The poor will get poorer. They're told that they're given opportunities. But really, they're given basic human rights and passed off to the middle class where the wealthy will profit from their labor. I get it now. I fucking get it."

You have the unexplainable urge to jump up and down from your seat and yell, "I TOLD YOU SO. YOU SHOULD'VE KNOWN THAT I WAS RIGHT!" But you swallow it down your throat and clear it awkwardly. "I'm glad you understand."

Seokjin whirls around at you. "Do you think we're here because some higher existence wanted me to learn a fucking lesson?"

Whatever you expected to come out of his mouth, it definitely wasn't this. You can't help but laugh a little at his theory. "That would mean I'm being punished for your flaws."

"Oh? But maybe your flaw is hating me unconditionally."

You snort. "Fair enough. Although, I wouldn't say that would be a 'maybe.' It's a fact." Seokjin just scoffs, but it's not the kind of scoff that would make you think he's patronizing you. It's more of an amused one. A scoff of defeat, too. "I'm glad you seemed to have learned a very important life lesson from your struggles."

There's a bit of empty silence before Seokjin answers, "Me too."

And from there, things run as smoothly as things can get with Seokjin by your side. He's a wild man, always looking to talk up a storm without feeling the need to shut up once in a while. You've had to hold him back on multiple occasions to keep him from holding up busy nurses and surgeons seen walking about the hospital. Quickly, you realize that the only way to get Seokjin to calm down is to feed him. So, you spend most of your time in Tagna's grand cafeteria.

Days pass with surprising ease as you and Seokjin wait for your transport date to Everland. Your nurse is just as excited as the two of you are, always checking up on you to see if you had everything you wanted.

But after a while, the days become repetitive. How long have you been here? A week? Maybe only three days. It feels like it's been an eternity. You're not one to feel claustrophobic, but you're also not one to like staying in one place all the time. The white walls seem to close in on you, and the smell of rubbing alcohol protrudes your nose, numbing your head and making you feel dizzy at times. You begin to wonder if you'll ever make it to Everland.

"I've come to an interesting conclusion," Seokjin announces one day, entering your room and quite rudely (without invitation) plopping down on your bed. You give him a side glare. He ignores you.

"And what might that conclusion be?" you sigh.

"Have you ever taken a look at the patients around here?"

"No...?" Why would you? It's none of your damn business.

"They're either old, disabled or mentally ill," Seokjin says. "No exceptions."

You frown. "Which one of those categories would we fit in, then?"

"Okay, fine. We might be the exception. But don't you find it a little weird?"

"No?" you say. "It's a hospital. You would think old, disabled and mentally ill people would come here."

"But sometimes, you can go to hospitals for check-ups too, you know. Except around here, every patient just stays here," Seokjin says. "I don't know if you would know, but I made quite a lot of friends who graduated med school, so I'd know how this stuff works."

You roll your eyes. "Fine, if you're so smart, enlighten me."

"While you were stuffing your face with some key lime pie, I was knocking around patients' rooms," Seokjin explains, seemingly quite proud of himself for doing so. "I just wanted to get to know some people."

"You just wanted to hit up cute girls."

"No." A pause. "Okay, maybe. But that's beside the point, fuzz-brain. Anyways, the first couple of rooms were a bust. I tried talking to the patients but they started talking to themselves. It was as if they couldn't understand what was going on. I walked into a third room. The patient was old. I think they had hearing problems too. So I had to go into a fourth room, and you know what I found? A patient with an amputated arm. He was talking on and on about Everland. And sure, I wanna go there too, but after a while, it does get kinda annoying."

"What is your point?" you sigh.

"I'm getting there," Seokjin says, huffing impatiently. "I go into about twenty more rooms before a nurse stops me. And you know what I find funny? Every single damn patient. They're either old, disabled or mentally ill. And they all believe they're going to Everland. Do you see a pattern? Or is it just me?"

"Yeah, I see the pattern," you say. "But I don't get what you're trying to say."

Seokjin looks disappointed in you. "I'm just saying... Something feels off."

"I mean, it does feel a little weird around here, but that's only because this is so far from home. Tagna's a good society. An advanced one. You know our nurse? He made a huge show about how they have a zero percent death rate. They can stop death, apparently."

Seokjin raises his hand. "Hold up. Our nurse said that??? And you never bothered to tell me???"

"I thought with all the talking and poking around you do, you would've already known!" you protest.

"No death??" Seokjin whispers aggressively. "Even for a future society, it sounds pretty preposterous! How did you believe it that easily?"

"It sounds preposterous, but it doesn't mean it's not impossible!" you argue. "These people survived a global epidemic and created an advanced society from scratch. You should give them some credit."

"Something's off," Seokjin says, shaking his head. "I just know it. Why can't you feel it too?"

"Of course, I've felt it!" you say. "But what are we supposed to do about it? What are you suggesting we do then, huh?"

"I don't know!" Seokjin exclaims. "It's just... God, don't you see? It's like—I dunno—It's like Everland is a place people who don't belong go to!"

Your eyes widen. "People who don't belong?"

"The Governess said Tagna likes equality, remember?"

You do remember. "You're saying... you're saying they're just getting rid of people who don't conform—er, can't conform??"

"Exactly!" Seokjin exclaims.

"And... oh my god." Your voice drops and goosebumps appear on your skin. "The Council said at one point, everyone here will end up in Everland... Do you think...?"

"Do I think Everland is their way of death? Fuck yeah," Seokjin says. "Didn't you see how young the Council members were?"

"Everland... is death."

"We have to make that assumption. It makes sense that they would want to kill us for walking into their society unannounced. They're probably suspicious of anyone who is different."

"We have to get out of here," you say, voice rising. "Oh my god. These poor people! If Everland really is... you know, death, do you think everyone knows? Or is it safe to assume that the Council would keep that from everyone? Or, or, what if the Council thinks Everland is real and the hospital workers know what's really going on?"

"As much as I'd like to know those answers, I don't really want to wait around to find out," Seokjin says. "I wanna explore what the afterlife entails as much as the next guy—if there even is one in the first place—but I'd also very much like to go home alive."

"We need to get out of here," you say.

"We'll leave tonight," Seokjin says. "Hopefully, their security isn't so tight. I have a feeling most people here like to follow the rules."

As soon as the nurses call lights out, you and Seokjin both slip from your bed covers and creak open your doors. You meet each other's eyes then survey the dark, empty hallway of the hospital.

"Do you know the way out?" Seokjin whispers to you.

You frown. "I was kind of hoping you knew the way out."

The maze-like hospital hallways make it nearly impossible to even find the cafeteria sometimes. Even worse is the fact that it's dark, which makes it harder to navigate the place.

Seokjin curses under his breath. "Okay. New plan. We search the whole hospital and try to avoid the nurses. The exit should show up sometime."

Following his lead, you tiptoe across the hallways, back flush against the darkened walls, carefully looking through the windows of the doors in the hopes of finding a flight of stairs that would lead down to an exit. You must've checked at least twenty doors with Seokjin, but your attempts are fruitless. You're starting to wonder if you'll get caught before you even find what you're looking for.

And your worst fears begin to come true.

"Shit," you whisper. "I think I hear some nurses."

A couple of light footsteps echo across the hallway. It seems as though the nurses are yet to turn the corner, which gives you and Seokjin approximately a good thirty seconds before the two of you get in big trouble.

Without another word, Seokjin quickly flings open the closest door—which happened to be made out of a rather heavy-looking metal and had no space for a window. He pushes you inside and follows in straight after, closing the door behind him. It's dark in there but with the faintest reddish glow down a long flight of stairs.

You and Seokjin look at each other. "I think we just found the basement," you say.

"Well, that's a step backward," Seokjin sighs. "I think the nurses would've passed us by now, right? Let's try to get out again."

"Wait," you say, holding up your hand. "Do you smell that?"

"No? Wait," Seokjin says as he sniffs. "Smells like something's burning down there. Maybe it's a furnace."

"Let's check."

Seokjin visibly freezes.

You poke fun at him. "Are you afraid of the dark?"

"No." He grimaces. "Fine. Let's give it a whirl."

You don't miss the way he desperately holds onto you as the two of you descend the flight of stairs. But instead of coming down to a basement, the two of you come face to face with another door. It's got a slim slit filled in with a thick, smoked-up window, where the reddish glow is emitted. Worst of all, the door's got a keypad and it's locked.

"Damn," Seokjin says, "maybe next time." But he sounds almost glad about it.

You roll your eyes. "Lemme try."

"What the hell are you doing??" Seokjin demands. "What if you get the wrong code and it beeps like crazy?"

"Stop being so paranoid," you tell him, leaning forward and studying the keypad. "Hm..." Without hesitation, you type in the most obvious password you can think of: 0000.

The lock beeps quietly and flashes a bright red.

"See? You could never crack it, fuzz-brain. You can try for the next hundred years."

You ignore him, instead opting for the second most obvious password: 1234. Seokjin scoffs at you, but you get the satisfaction of seeing his shell-shocked face when the lock clicks and the door creaks open.

"What the hell??"

"I just thought they wouldn't have an outrageously hard password, considering that they're obsessed with simplicity and conformity," you snort. You swing the heavy door open with both hands, only to be hit with a putrid stench. It's a mixture of something rotting, something dying and something burning.

"I know this smell," Seokjin says. His tone is icy and laced with trepidation. "I've smelled it in Dystopia."

The moment he announces this, you realize this smell is quite familiar. You've gotten quite a bit of exposure to it when you were in Atna. But why is it here? Unless...

Seokjin cowers behind you as you saunter into the mysterious room. And you have to hold back a scream when you see what's before you.

Bodies.

There are burning bodies in here. Engulfed by red flames, eaten away by the heat and smoke. You resist the urge to shriek. Seokjin grasps your arm.

"O-Oh my god," you whisper, your hand flying up to cover your mouth. "Oh my god!"

"They kill them," Seokjin whispers, his voice shaking. His grip around you tightens, and if you weren't so terrified right now, you would've pushed him away.

"They burn them!" you whisper aggressively. "Now we have to get out."

Seokjin doesn't speak another word; he's already tugging you up the stairs, leaving the basement door wide open.

"Wait! The door!"

"Leave it!" he says. "We're getting the fuck out of here!"

For a split second, you realize the next unlucky person to venture down this dark staircase will have an unfortunate surprise waiting for them. But maybe they aren't unlucky. Maybe they deserve to know what's really happening. If it's a nurse—and nurses really don't understand what Everland is—they'll know the truth. Maybe they'll feel guilty. Maybe they'll faint right on the spot. Maybe they'll see this kind of monstrosity and leave Tagna for good. Or maybe... they already know they're killing people who are different—people who cannot possibly conform to their standards.

"This way!" Seokjin whispers, breaking you from your thoughts.

You follow him out, footsteps thudding a little too loudly against the white hospital floors. You can only hope that the next person who goes down there finds the basement by accident. You want them to scream. To panic. To realize how bad this place really is. To break away from their stupid Everland fantasies.

A part of you wants to have a word with the Council. Threaten them. Do something. But maybe the most you and Seokjin can do is leave that basement door open, hoping someone unsuspecting will find it and pass on the truth.

You and Seokjin don't stop running. You're unsure where the two of you are going, but your heart is racing, and you can feel it thumping in your head. It's either luck or Tagna's strict curfew that allows you and Seokjin to get away without anyone catching the two of you. Finally, you see the faintly familiar exit—the entrance of which you and Seokjin had entered the hospital a week(?) or a little over a week ago.

The dark streets are completely empty, void from any signs of life. Seokjin's still got a hold of your arm, though his grip around it has loosened a lot. You would've never thought that confident, arrogant man was such a scaredy-cat in dire situations. It's a little ironic, but you don't exactly have any major complaints, either.

The two of you begin to slow down when you reach the outskirts of Tagna. The white emptiness begins to morph into brown dirt—you've never been so happy to see soil. It's the sign of which you know that you and Seokjin are finally safe.

As soon as you catch your breath, you attempt to make a joke to stave off the tension and cope with what you've just seen. "You-You know what? Maybe equality isn't the right answer."

Seokjin sounds surprised. "Oh, really now?"

The two of you continue to walk, though your paces have slowed down significantly. "I don't know," you sigh, shaking your head. "Maybe we shouldn't try to erase our differences. Instead, we need to learn to embrace them."

Seokjin turns to you, an indiscernible look on his face. "Does that philosophy apply to us?"

You snort. "Don't make it about us, now."

"Oh, c'mon," Seokjin says, "we've been through so much terror together."

"It wasn't exactly the most enlightening experience."

"Oh?" Seokjin raises his eyebrows. "I would argue that we've learned quite a lot of important life lessons in Atna and Tagna."

You roll your eyes. "You're the one who did the learning, anyway."

Seokjin scoffs. "I'd like to disagree. Who was the one who saved us from death by the hands of Tagna, huh?"

"We were bound to find out sooner or later," you argue. "Besides, if it weren't for me and my password hacking skills, we wouldn't even have had the truth confirmed."

"What do you want, a cookie?" Seokjin says. "It was a joint effort."

Even though you do actually agree with the latter part of Seokjin's claim, you don't want him to have that satisfaction of your acquiescence.

"If I didn't save you from Atna's slums, you would've been rat food," you say.

"Maybe being rat food would've been better than hauling around an idiot like you around highly dangerous societies," Seokjin retorts. His comment makes your blood boil. Rat food??? You're worse than rat food?

"Hey, now, you fucking asshole—"

"Oh, look, it's a castle," Seokjin interrupts you.

Another long string of mean names was about to leave your mouth, but you look up to where Seokjin had stopped walking. To your surprise, there is a castle. It's grandeur, sparkling underneath an unnaturally azure blue sky—somehow bluer than that of Atna's. The towers stretch vertically upwards, casting light shadows on beautiful groves of green trees. The castle's so large you can barely see where it begins and ends. Your jaw nearly drops open at the sight. "Woah. This is the next society." Your favorite society yet. You've always wanted to visit a nice castle.

"The castle's nice, but look at that village over there," Seokjin says. And once you squint, you see hundreds and hundreds of people hunched over, working the dirt soil in hopes of having a good harvest next season. The people look exhausted, their faces sunken and their clothes tattered and muddy. It's a jarring sight—especially after leaving the prim and proper society of Tagna. The village is quite expansive, surrounding the castle that seems much farther away now. "This is like what was happening in Atna," Seokjin observes. "Look, the royal family is living in luxury and leaving their citizens in poverty."

You frown, staring up at the grand castle and then staring back down at the poor village. "But there's always a twist. Royalty living in riches, citizens living in poverty. That already happens. There's something more."

"And you wanna find out, don't you?" Seokjin sighs.

"Let's walk around," you suggest. "These people look a little too busy to care about us."

Turns out, you're right. As you and Seokjin walk through the village, no one stops you, not even bothering to glance up. The village isn't exactly foul-smelling, nor is it a place you think people want to live in; it seems as though they don't have a choice. Upon further walking, you and Seokjin stumble on a strange... ceremony? There are young girls lined up in rows and an older man in a crown inspecting them.

The girls have made a conscious effort to tame their tangled locks and have also put on their cleanest clothes—though they're still quite ridden with dirt. Confused, you turn to look at Seokjin, who shrugs. He then proceeds to ask a girl right next to him, "Hey, what's up with this?"

The girl just grins. "The Choosing Ceremony!" she exclaims, which explains something but also nothing. Choosing for what?? Seokjin's face scrunches up in the way it does when he's confused, and you're just about to ask for further details when—

"I would like to choose you, my dear."

You whirl around to come face to face with the old man in a crown. It finally hits you that he must be the king of this kingdom. You don't wanna find out what happens around here when you disrespect the king. Cautiously, you attempt an awkward curtsy, "Chosen for what, your majesty?"

"My dear!" the king laughs boisterously. "Why, to live in the castle, of course. You have become quite the fortunate young girl to live in royalty for the rest of your life under the care of the Cerulean Kingdom. It's quite the honor as only one girl is chosen per year."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Seokjin asks you, crossing his arms over his chest. "That sounds a little too good to be true."

It's quite the weird proposition, indeed. But once the king sees Seokjin standing next to you, he roars, "Do not question my generosity, peasant."

You give Seokjin a panicked look. You hope that he's intelligent enough to understand not to mess with some foreign king in a totally new society. He has no idea what they're capable of.

"Come, my dear, let us get in the carriage."

You hesitantly look back at Seokjin, who's absolutely seething. For a second, you're scared. Going with the king will mean you'll be separated from Seokjin, and that's never been a good thing in these societies. But if you resist, there's a high chance you'll be killed.

"Leave him," the king orders as he watches you consider your limited options. He grabs your arm and you instantly freeze. Something about the king instills fear in you. It's almost like you have to obey him.

As soon as the king lets go of you, a slew of knights come and begin to drag you away to the royal carriage. It's almost frustrating not being able to resist in fear.

The only comfort you have is Seokjin, who yells at the top of his lungs, "YOU IDIOT! IT'S OKAY! I'LL FIND YOU, OKAY?"

You just nod vigorously, right before the guard shuts the carriage door in your face, trapping you and the king inside, together. He stares you up and down, probably scrutinizing the whiteness of the Tagnasian patient gown you're still wearing. Then, he speaks.

"Never have I seen someone be so ungrateful of being chosen," he mutters. "I'm quite astonished, dear. I would've thought a darling like you all dressed up in white would have at least felt honored."

"I am honored," you lie through your teeth. "It was just... I'm sorry, it was heartbreaking to have to leave my boyfriend behind."

"Ah!" the king exclaims. He buys your fib in a split second. "Well, that won't be a problem, dear." You expect him to say something on the lines of, 'You'll be able to visit him any time you want!' Or at least a, 'He'll be allowed to visit you in the castle!' Instead, you get a, "You'll forget about him in three days. I have quite a handsome son. A prince."

You resist the urge to gag.

But once you step on the castle grounds, you realize how hard it's gonna be to turn back. It's incredibly lavish here—something you've never experienced in your whole life. Immediately, you're the star of the show. The nobles, dukes and royalty marvel at your white patient gown, comparing it with their older, more medieval fashion. All eyes are on you when you waltz down the steps to enter a grand party that they threw just for you. They have glasses of amber, bubbling liquid, which fizzes down your throat and keeps you calm yet playful. The alcohol's just enough to keep you relaxed and drunk enough to forget about reality, about Seokjin.

Never in your life have you felt this popular, this rich. The conversations you have with random strangers blend in your mind. The faces blur together. All you can remember is twirling around in your silky, blue dress and losing all the ribbons they'd interlaced in your hair. The next morning, you're too busy to think.

There's a closet full of dresses to try on, hundreds of rooms to explore and a whole kitchen—the size of your house—to completely devour. (Your compliments to the chef for the delectable pastries.) You're completely mesmerized by the luxury. Even spending ten, fifteen years here, you don't think you'll ever get used to the pool-sized bathtubs and hundreds of maids waiting to follow your every order.

When you thought things couldn't get any better, you discover the wine cellar. Expensive wine is something you love but can't have the luxury of having too often—because of stupid budgets. But right here, right now...

You must've taste-tested at least fifteen bottles before you finally notice the unfamiliar face just staring you down. He's handsome. Pretty eyes, a sloped nose and a fit body. You're too drunk to notice the silver circlet on his head, but you do notice the sun-shaped pendant that rests between his collarbones.

The man stares at you with a grave look on his face. "You must be the new girl."

"Ha!" you laugh. "And you are?"

He looks at you strangely. "The prince."

You don't even bother curtsying. "Looking for a drinking buddy?"

He stares. You take it as an invitation to continue the quite one-sided conversation. "You know, this place is great."

The prince mumbles his answer under his breath, which comes out incoherent and practically unintelligible. Maybe he's shy. Then you'll seek others' company.

"Where are the other girls? I've been looking for them but I think they're in hiding or something," you giggle a little. "Oh, and one of the doors is locked. I was wondering if you have the key?"

The prince just grips a wine bottle tightly by the neck, gritting his teeth and staring at the floor. An awkward silence commences.

"Wellll... Nice talk," you say. "I'll get going. I like this place, but my friend's kinda waiting for me outside, so sooner or later, I'll have to leave. Just not tomorrow, though. There's still too much to explore."

The prince again makes no reaction. You just roll your eyes and saunter out of the room with the best of your slightly drunk ability—the best-tasting wine in your hand. The rest of the day, you spend in your room, fighting off a hangover and curling up in a grand, plush bed. You allow your thoughts to run wild, and for moments, you think of Seokjin. Is it selfish of you to leave him in the village for a couple of days while you live a lavish life? Is he going to be mad when he finds out that you haven't even been trying to get back to him? But he would've done the same as you if he were in your situation, right? You can't say no to luxuries; he probably can't either. Besides, the village can't be worse than Dystopia... right?

There's a little bit of guilt that lingers in your mind before your thoughts slow down and you drift off to deep sleep.

In the afternoon (when you end up waking up), you decide to explore the castle one more time before attempting to escape. You glance at the massive door with the heavy chains locking it from the outside. If only you had a bobby pin. Maybe you could've picked the lock. But maybe you don't want to know what's inside that room. The curiosity still eats you away, though. To ward off unwanted urges (that could possibly lead to your demise), you swiftly enter a large room to explore, only to find that it's a large library. The books tower over you in the biggest bookshelves you've seen in your life. The chairs and desk decorating the room look so antique and expensive that you almost have to think twice before sitting on them.

This is every book-lover's dream. Imagine being able to read books from the future!

You immediately scour the whole place, pulling out books and scrolls and skimming through them. But after a while, you come to a disappointing conclusion. Everything in this library is about one thing: scripture. Not just any scripture, but a scripture for an unfamiliar religion. Where they worship the gods. It reminds you a little about Greek mythology.

While the words dull you, you stare at the intricate pictures, instead. Yet that becomes tedious after some time as well. There must be better rooms to explore. You clean up after yourself a little, putting back the books you'd pulled out and rolling up the scriptures again and placing them back in the correct spots. But you notice a certain book situated perfectly on a table you hadn't even sat at. It's open. And it looks as if it's done fairly recently.

You inch closer to the book, wondering what the contents would entail. But what you see on the page makes your heart drop.

There's an image, a painting on the right-hand side of the page of a bloody sacrifice. The skies opening up like a veil and two outstretched hands coming forth. Below, young girls are chained to the ground, their pale faces distraught and their insides hanging out of their bodies. Blood pooling on the gravel. A cloaked figure offering what looks like a heart to the sky deity. Your own heart seems to stop, itself.

Quickly, you read through the contents of the page, no longer just relying on the image. It's worse news. These folks annually sacrifice the heart of a young girl to the sky god in hopes of another beautiful year of cerulean skies and a good harvest. The girl is allowed to stay at the castle for three days before she'll be taken to the sky room and be sacrificed for the good of the Cerulean Kingdom.

So you're a sacrifice. Now you really got to get the hell out of here. Maybe being transported to Everland would've been better than having a cloaked man rip up your insides. Attempting to escape doesn't become a thought in the back of your head anymore. It's your number one priority, now. Because if you don't manage to escape today, you'll be gutted tomorrow.

You hide the book under your dress and make a bee-line to the confines of your room. You'll come up with something. You have over six hours, right? You'll figure something out. Since you know the castle pretty well, you think you can manage sneaking out to the gardens... But you're not really sure how well-guarded the castle is at night.

You curse in your head. You hope Seokjin's faring better than this. You open up your windows to let a cool breeze in, trying to calm yourself down, but it doesn't do much to help.

Too soon, night falls upon you. You're pretty much ready—a stealthy-looking black dress on (which you conveniently found in your expansive closet) and the important book in hand. All you have to do is turn your door handle and walk out. It should be that easy right? The aureate clock on your wall reads past midnight. Most people should be asleep.

With a deep breath, you turn the doorknob and push. The door does not budge. You push again. Same result. You begin to panic. No fucking way. They locked your door???? When?? Did they suspect you were going to escape? Was it their final precaution before the big day tomorrow?

A string of curses leaves your mouth as you pace back and forth in your room. There has to be a solution. A way to escape sacrifice. Maybe you can hide in your closet—with its size, they'll never find you. Or, or you can fake your own death! Where's your fucking knight in shining armor when you need him??

Your thoughts are interrupted when a small pebble whizzes into your room through your open window. "Shit!" you shriek, stumbling over to the open window to see who the hell would've thrown such a thing into your room. "Be carefu—oh my god, Seokjin!!" Your heart soars and the relief that washes over you is so cathartic that you feel faint. He's here. He found you! But as soon as your special moment comes, that bubble bursts.

"SHHH!" the man whispers, putting his finger to his lips. He aggressively motions you to come down.

Your hands fly up to the air. "I can't!!" you whisper. "The door's locked! And there's no rope!"

"Unlock the door???" Seokjin whisper-yells as if that were the most obvious solution in the world.

"It's fucking locked from the outside, you twit!"

"Then use your damn blankets or sheets or something??"

"But that doesn't seem very sturdy!!"

"Do you have another choice??"

"ARGH. Just—hold on!"

You mumble more curses underneath your breath as you try to figure out how in the hell to tie your sheets together strongly enough so that you don't fucking fall to your death. While you're partly glad that Seokjin's now here, he doesn't exactly understand the sheer urgency of your situation yet, and you're already half-annoyed that he thinks he knows everything.

But in the middle of your desperate rush, you hear a solid knock on your door. You freeze.

"You better not be feasting on cake right now!" Seokjin yells from below. "Why's it gone so silent?"

Your insides are twisting and coiling as you look between the open window and the locked door. Are they onto you??? Using the last of your brainpower, you leap to the window and put your fingers to your lips. "Shh!! Someone just knocked on my door!" you whisper.

Seokjin either has more than half a brain cell left in his head or he notices the urgency in your voice because he shuts up right away.

In the next minute, you frantically try to kick the tied sheets under your bed, head reeling with all kinds of the worst thoughts. When the lock clicks and the door opens, you drop the sheets and step on top of it, trying to act nonchalantly and smiling through your trembling lips.

While you expected to see a guard or a maid or maybe even the king, you don't expect to see the prince. He glances at the tied sheets under your sheet but doesn't say anything. You're practically sweating bullets. Hopefully this bitch isn't a snitch. If he runs along to his father and tattletales on your escape attempt, it's all over.

Instead, the prince steps into your room. A little timidly, even more cautiously. His eyes flit to your open window, your smiling face (though he can sense the desperation through it), a heavy book in your hand and your escape method "hidden" under your feet. To your surprise, his features soften.

"I thought... thought that you might need some more wine..." His voice is beautifully silverly, just like the circlet that sits on top of his head. You didn't notice that before. His presence is strange, but somehow even reassuring. You don't know what to make of it.

The prince sets the wine on your pearly-white dresser and glances at you. There's a peculiar look of wanting in his eyes. Longing. You can't seem to discern his countenance, and he remains solely a mystery to you.

"Thank you," you manage to breathe out, unable to look away from the enigma in front of you. The prince just gives you a nod of acknowledgment. His lips part for just a split second, almost as if he were to utter several last few words. But he doesn't. He stares at your sheets for another moment and that's when you see him smile a little. A smile! As if he were proud of you.

That's when it dawns on you that he could've been the one who had so conveniently left out the book for you to see. He wants you to escape the sacrifice.

The prince doesn't turn around once. He leaves your room and you hear the click of the lock. For a minute, you stand still, trying to make something of that moment. There was just something about that prince that you can't really pinpoint. He seems broken in some way. A kind soul who wants the best for people but watches them die before him. It was kind of him to bring you wine. Though you appreciate the gesture, you need to be clear-headed to get out of this mess.

You poke your head out of the window and give Seokjin the all-clear.

"What took you so long??" he whispers. "I thought whoever knocked on your door killed you!" It's meant to be a joke, but the fact that that could've been a possibility doesn't make it very funny.

You just roll your eyes and check the security of your ties before roping them around your bedpost and then pushing your bed (with all your might) up against the window. Right at the last second, you grab the wine the prince had brought you. And with that, you begin to slide down your sheets, careful not to let the book slip from your grasps.

Seokjin's right by your side as soon as your feet touch the ground. He's poking at the wine and book under each of your arms. "Souvenir?" he asks, pointing to the wine bottle. "Don't mind if I do."

"Wait," you say, tugging the wine away from him. "We can't right now. We need to get out. Are there guards around here?"

"Why so serious?" Seokjin snorts. "No, this place is scarcely guarded." He carefully watches your expression. "Did something happen in there?"

"Uh, more like something didn't happen. If I stayed here until morning, I could've died."

Seokjin's eyebrows raise. "What??"

"No, listen, it's crazy," you say. "But look, let's get out of here first. I don't want to be gutted."

Seokjin gives you a strange look, but he follows your lead out of the castle, hiding under the shadows and moving swiftly through the night. When the two of you finally reach the outskirts of the poor village, Seokjin takes the lead. He seems to know the dirt paths fairly well, guiding you into a small, cramped hut with the smallest bed you've ever seen in your life. The covers are hastily made, so you can only assume that Seokjin had stayed here while you were lounging about in the castle's fancy furniture. It makes you feel a little guilty again.

Seokjin settles down on the ground and pats the bed for you. "I can take the floor."

You stare at him. "No, I'll take the floor. It wouldn't be fair."

Though he pauses for a little while, he nods quietly and quickly sits down on the bed. "What exactly happened in there?" he asks.

With a sigh, you pull out the book you'd technically stolen from the castle library and open up to the page that had revealed everything to you. "You see this picture?"

Seokjin squints, letting his eyes adjust in the dark to get a closer look at the image. And when he does get a proper glimpse of it, he gasps. "What the hell is that?"

"A sacrifice," you answer bluntly. "Apparently these royal folks believe in the gods. And apparently, they trick the villagers into being excited to come here. Only to sacrifice them for the sky god three days later."

"That's insane..." Seokjin whispers. "Damn. And most of the girls were disappointed that they weren't chosen."

"That's just... so... I don't know, wrong."

"It's weird and wrong. And you literally did almost die." Seokjin frowns. He slips off his shoes and climbs into the bed before taking one of his covers and handing it to you. "You sure you'd rather take the floor?"

"I think my back needs some humbling," you say. "It's been coddled too much in the castle."

Seokjin laughs. It's loud, boisterous and for once, you're actually not annoyed by it. It's welcoming. Familiar. As the two of you lie in the dark, a peaceful silence fills the one-roomed hut. You can even feel the unspoken words in the air. Or maybe they're just your internal thoughts. I kind of missed you. Thanks for coming for me. You're not that much of an asshole as you used to be.

Either way, sleep almost comes a little too easily. After such a long, panicked day, even the floor becomes comfortable to sleep on.

The morning sneaks up on you, and by the time you wake up, Seokjin's already made his bed (though not very well) and he's forlornly staring off into the distance in front of the hut's only window. Rubbing your eyes, you let out a sarcastic, "What's so interesting outside?"

Seokjin nearly jumps a foot in the air. "Nothing," he answers after he regains his composure. "I was just looking for something interesting."

You laugh, getting up from your situation on the floor. Your back mildly aches, but for Seokjin's sake, you don't bother to mention it. The man turns around and sighs. "We should leave."

"Yeah, before they hunt me down," you say, folding up the blanket you'd slept in and picking up the wine bottle.

Seokjin picks up the book. "We should leave this here."

You raise your eyebrows. "Leave it?"

"The villagers deserve to know what's really going on," Seokjin says. "I know the perfect spot to lay it out."

Half an hour later, after Seokjin had displayed the book in front of a worn-down podium where he swears all villagers pass by on their way to the field, you and your co-worker are walking out of the Cerulean Kingdom and towards the unknown. You tap your fingers on the wine bottle, staring at how the sun reflects off the dark glass. At this point, you have no idea where you and Seokjin are heading.

"We should've asked the Governess if she knew how many societies there are exactly," Seokjin sighs. "What if there are over a hundred?"

"And which society's gonna end up killing us?"

Seokjin jerks his head toward you, an indiscernible look on his face. "Don't give me that," he scoffs.

You struggle to make sense of yourself. "No, but it's just that these places are really dangerous. I mean, technically, in every society we've visited, they've kind of tried to kill us."

"Then do you want to go home?" Seokjin asks. He's careful when he asks this. Cautious.

"Of course I do. But I'm not sure if we have that choice."

Seokjin groans. "God, what if we're stuck in the future forever?"

"And we spend the rest of our lives just wandering around and collecting dirt on different societies?" You laugh at how absurd the idea is. "Maybe we should start writing a book."

Seokjin laughs along with you. "Chapter one, Atna, the obsession with education. Chapter two, Tagna. The obsession with equality. Chapter three, the Cerulean Kingdom, featuring their obsession with sacrificing young girls?" he says the last one as a question, waiting for you to correct him.

You actually smile, appreciating the small gesture. The Seokjin you used to know would never let anyone get the upper hand. "I actually think the Cerulean Kingdom was obsessed with... I don't know how to explain it. Material wealth? Opulence? But, like, excessively—to the point that splendor and richness and blue skies were more important than their citizens' lives and well-being."

"Really? And how did you take it?" Seokjin asks. He looks genuinely curious, so you grant him your answer.

"I might've kind of lost myself to the luxuries... and uh, the alcohol," you say, holding up the wine bottle as if to show Seokjin the proof. "It's... It was pretty stupid of me, but I couldn't help it. Money, wealth, it's just so desirable, you know? It could've killed me."

"But you fought through it," Seokjin says.

You shake your head, looking down at your feet in embarrassment. "Actually, I had some help."

"Help??" Seokjin says. "You mean your handsome knight in shining armor?" he snorts, puffing out his chest in self-admiration.

You roll your eyes. "No, the prince."

Seokjin whirls around at you, eyes wide. "You got the prince to help you???"

"Well, he didn't exactly help help me. But he indirectly helped me figure out about the sacrifice," you say. "I think he's the one who made it so that I discovered that book talking about the sacrifice, and he's the one who knocked on my door when I was about to escape. He saw what I was doing with my bedsheets but he didn't say anything. He kind of actually... smiled? And then he gave me some wine." Seokjin gives you a confused face. "I know. It was weird."

"I can't believe you got the prince to be your secret admirer. Was he at least hot?"

"Yeah, hotter than you," you snort. "And what can I say? I'm pretty hot too."

Seokjin just laughs and you're about to turn to him in surprise, confused as to where his sarcastic, argumentative personality had gone. But instead, he stops walking, prompting you to halt as well. "I think we're in the next place."

You frown at the vast land in front of you. "It looks... um, very..."

"Sand color," Seokjin finishes for you.

"No, that's tan."

"Looks slightly beige to me."

You huff. "Either way, this place is sort of... ugly. Very plain," you take note as you survey this foreign society.

Seokjin snorts. "For a person who can't dress very well, that's saying a lot," he laughs.

Aaaand he's back. Normally, you would've been offended, but it's also pretty true that when it comes to clothes, you have no idea what you're doing. So you decide to humor him, laughing along with him, and Seokjin raises his eyebrows. "Well, I'm just wondering what this society is obsessed with."

"It seems normal," Seokjin says. "Plain, albeit normal."

There are bustling crowds of people, their heads kept down and their clothes the closest to normalcy since you've even been trapped in the future. Everything seems... normal. There isn't much to describe, nor is there anything that appeals to the eye. The buildings that tower over everyone are squarish and dark—almost like it is back home. A single thought flits by: if all else goes wrong, you and Seokjin can stay here forever.

"What do you think of this place?" you whisper to Seokjin who's spending his time to survey his surroundings.

"I'm not sure," he replies. "I think... we'll have to ask around."

"This place doesn't seem too dangerous, right?" you say. "No one with a machete's gonna come to decapitate us?"

Seokjin snorts. "We'll see." But something about the way he says it sounds as if he's not expecting anything dangerous lurking in the corners of this society. The two of you can finally lower your guards.

"Excuse me? Hi, hello, we're a little lost," Seokjin calls, singling out a woman who keeps staring at her watch and refusing to make eye contact with your co-worker. "What is this place called? If you don't mind."

The woman finally looks up at Seokjin but stares at him strangely. "Tan."

Your brows furrow and you look to Seokjin to see how he's faring. He seems to be just as confused as you are. "Come again?" he asks politely. "I must've misheard you."

"This place," the woman sighs, careful to enunciate her words properly, "is called Tan."

You can't hold in the snort that comes out. "I told you the color was tan," you say, poking at Seokjin who's watching the woman fall back into the crowd, unable to be distinguished again.

"It's a weird name..." Seokjin says before he turns to you. "Are you sure you want to walk around here?"

"Well, we kind of need to figure out what Tan is all about, you know?" you giggle. "If we want to write that book."

Seokjin just smiles at you, though he disapprovingly shakes his head. "All right, then. We'll walk around a bit. But the moment we notice something's off, we're leaving. I don't think strangers are welcomed here."

You laugh out loud. "And since when were strangers welcomed anywhere else?"

"Very true," Seokjin says.

Walking side by side, you and Seokjin begin to explore the society of Tan—though there wasn't exactly much to explore. Most of the buildings looked identical to each other and all of the citizens were uninterested in a nice little chit-chat. In fact, everyone here is fucking boring, you conclude. Though their attire is normal and what you would consider as business casual, none of them seem to have an affinity for bright colors.

"Everyone here has quite a bland sense of style," Seokjin voices, a little too blatantly for your taste.

You whirl your head around at him, eyes wide. "You didn't have to say that so loudly!"

"Relax." He grins. "None of them even care."

He's right, though. What Seokjin said hadn't offended anyone. Instead, his blatant comment had been ignored. No one even bothered to look up.

"Maybe this is a world where they're obsessed with time management," you joke. "No time to dwindle or dawdle or even have a sense of humor, I think."

Seokjin looks horrified. "Well, that's not a fun way to live."

"Tell me about it."

Just as you're about to tell Seokjin that you two might be better off leaving this society (where it seems like nothing ever happens), you spot a single speck of color in a sea of dark indigos, blacks and grays. It's a bright red band that a rather tall man is wearing around his arm. But he's just like the others, head tucked down and eyes following his own shoes—nothing else.

Before you can make any more judgments, however, Seokjin's already calling over the man. "Hey!" he says, arms wide and welcoming. "Nice band!"

"Love the color!" you chime in, offering your nicest smile.

The tall man stops in his steps and he stares right at the two of you. Instead of taking what both of you had said as a compliment, the man looks a little ashamed. "Are you... mocking me?" Your eyes widen in shock at his words, but before either you or Seokjin can defend yourselves, the man mumbles under his breath, "But you two probably don't have the creative capacity to mock me, don't you?"

Now you're offended.

"Excuse me?" you say, crossing your arms over your chest. "I actually won my fifth-grade art contest so I don't know what you're talking about."

The tall man whips his head around at you. Almost habitually, his hand comes up to tug at his red armband as he stares curiously into your eyes. "You're... not from around here."

"We're definitely not," you laugh.

"Is that band you're wearing a bad thing?" Seokjin asks and your eyes enlarge at his invasive question. From your peripheral vision, you catch another person a bit further away wearing their red band, but they stand out from the crowd, eyes shimmering and glazed over as they seem lost in thought. That's when you also notice that the others tend to avoid these individuals with red bands. Even where you're standing right now, the bustling crowd has created a distinct path around the three of you.

"Ah... the band. It indicates that we have a disease," the man says. Upon closer look, you realize that the man is quite good-looking—he's even taller than Seokjin and has pretty dimples that appear when he presses his lips to a thin line. "Creative Imaginative Disorder. CID," he clarifies. "It's contagious. So you should probably stay away."

"Hold on a minute," you say, shaking your head in disbelief. "Is being... creative a disease around here???"

"So this is a world without creativity," Seokjin gapes. "It's so barren."

"You must be from far far away," the man says in awe. "For you, this," he gestures outwards to his society, "isn't normal."

"Yeah," Seokjin says. "Where we're from, creativity is actually allowed."

"It's funny. Because even in our world, creativity is pretty limited too," you say, "but at least we don't exactly call creativity a disease."

If Tan's obsession is just solely being against creativity, maybe it's not as dangerous as the other societies you and Seokjin have been to. At least no one seems to be out to kill you. The most you might get from Tan is a red armband and some discrimination from the non-creative folks. Unless there's something more to this society that you don't quite know yet.

"I was like them once," the man confesses. He gestures to the rather stiffly walking people. They nearly look like robots, with their eyes trained straight ahead of them and head seemingly empty but legs moving on their own. "I helped cure CID patients. Until I became one myself."

Your eyebrows raise. Cure creativity???

"You should go," the man says hastily. "You shouldn't stick around here and risk losing your creativity. Cure or no cure, in an environment like this, people like us just don't belong."

Now it makes too much sense to leave. How can you possibly live without creativity? Without imagination? Half of your insults toward Seokjin are thanks to your artistic thinking! Your grip around the wine bottle tightens, and you nudge Seokjin with your elbow. Hopefully, he gets the message that you want to leave.

He nods slightly before turning to the man. "Look, maybe they think creativity's a disease. Maybe you stand out like a sore thumb because of it. But what are they gonna do? Change the way you think?" Seokjin scoffs. "They can't. You should just embrace what you have... And I dunno, help some other poor folks salvage their creativity before it gets lost."

And for the first time, you find Seokjin admirable. Never in a million years would you have pinned him the type to be so adamant about creativity and the value of free-thinking. You always assumed he was a prissy, art-is-no-good, rational person. But there are apparently a lot of facets of Seokjin that you hadn't known before being stuck in the future with him.

The man lets out a small smile at Seokjin's words and gives the two of you a nod of acknowledgment. "Thank you," he says. "I'll keep that in mind." He slowly walks away from the two of you, though looking back once or twice just out of curiosity.

You and Seokjin stay standing, you wondering if Seokjin wants to leave as you do. But you're usually the bit more adventurous one, so maybe he wants to get moving too.

"Do you wanna leave?" Seokjin's the first to break the short silence. "We can explore a little more around here if you want. Unless you're afraid of losing your creativity or something."

Of course, Seokjin can't go a second without trying to challenge you. This time though, you won't take it. "I actually kind of want to leave," you say. "I'm not sure if there's even much to see."

"Scared to lose your creativity?" He snorts.

"Honestly? Yeah," you answer. "Let's go."

The two of you begin to walk away from Tan. And as short and innocuous your interaction with that society had been, for the most part, it's still a little shocking. You can't help but wonder how the hell a whole society can function without anyone attempting to think outside the box. It's depressing how they condemn a perfectly fine way of thinking. And it leaves several questions. Do they have music? Art? How do people live without any form of entertainment?

"Hey, can I ask you something?"

Seokjin's voice breaks you from your thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"You said earlier that our society doesn't allow us as much creativity as we'd like. You know, that it's limited."

"Oh, right." You turn to Seokjin and see that he looks a little confused. "I can elaborate," you offer and he nods happily in response. "The way I see it, we spend more than half of our life in school. And in school, we learn a lot of subjects, right? I dunno, I was always sort of bad at math and science when I was younger, so a lot of people just assumed I was dumb—even though I was constantly winning art contests and poetry slams. I thought being good at something made me smart, but I guess not. It's just that even back home, creativity and rationality aren't measured the same way. But whatever." You sigh, grimacing at grade school memories. "I'm not salty."

"Hm..." Seokjin hums. "You do have a point. And I... might've been one of those people who made fun of others for being bad at STEM."

You shoot him a look of disbelief. "I think creativity's harder to learn."

"Really? I always thought it's harder for us to learn concepts, you know, like math and science. I don't think we're biologically cut out to be very systematic. As in, I don't know, creativity comes to us more naturally."

In a way, he makes a good point. It's an interesting, theoretical discourse to have. "But here's the thing," you say. "From a young age, I think we're told to 'be logical' and use our heads in serious situations. If a child is bad at STEM, they're stupid. If they're bad at the arts, they're given a free pass from insults because they apparently have better things to accomplish. Our school systems are built to honor rationality and conforming. Creativity, though, is literally the backbone of our society. I mean, where do we spend our leisure time? Movies, books, music, television—all creativity. Do you get my point?"

Seokjin seems to be mulling over your ideas, an unreadable expression on his face. "Goddamn," he finally says. There's a dramatic pause. "I... I actually think... You know what? You're... you're—"

"Ooh, go ahead and say it." You grin.

Seokjin sighs. "You're right."

Your grin somehow widens as you sing-song, "Can't believe you finally admitted it!"

"Don't get too full of yourself," Seokjin grumps. "We should still be cautious, anyways. We were lucky this time with Tan. I'm not sure about the next society."

This time, it's your turn to acknowledge that Seokjin's right.

You have no idea how long you’ve been walking along the dirt soil with Seokjin before the next mysterious society shows up. It almost seems like it will never end. The wine bottle around your hand is sweaty and your fingers begin to prune in response.

“I’ll hold that if you want,” Seokjin says. “Think about the money we could make if we sold that back home. Wine from the future.”

You snort, handing him the wine bottle. “It should be at least a hundred thousand bucks,” you say. “For all of our struggles, you know?”

Seokjin nods his head. “We can brand it as the wine the royals would drink. And it wouldn’t even be a lie.”

Soon, the brown dirt soil morphs into a verdant green color of grass and a nicely paved, smooth sidewalk. With each step you and Seokjin take, the two of you become immersed in a completely new world. For the fifth time.

“This is the next one, huh?” Seokjin comments, looking around. “It looks like our suburbs back home.”

He’s right. The houses are quaint and fairly spaced apart, but there are plenty of cars crossing the roads and even more people walking about, hand in hand. Not just any people but young couples. From just one turn of your head, you spot at least three to four couples making out in public. You grimace at the gross display of PDA. When you were their age, you probably didn’t have your first kiss yet, too busy sticking your nose in a variety of books.

“Is it just me, or is this scene making you uncomfortable?” you say in a low voice, gesturing toward the lip-locked couples.

“This is probably where they obsess over raging teenage hormones,” Seokjin says.

You laugh but both you and he realize it might be a bit deeper than that. It always has.

“Let’s walk around,” you suggest. It’s not an outrageous suggestion, considering that these suburbs look quite friendly, otherwise harmless. And if, by chance, this place did turn out to be dangerous, you and Seokjin could pull one of your miracle solutions again and escape. You’ve done it before. You’re pretty sure you can do it again.

There are small cafes, restaurants, bookstores and smaller buildings lined up on the street, with people walking in and out of the doors. By people, you mean couples. Rarely do you seem to see a solitary figure wandering about the town. Hm.

Finally, you and Seokjin come across a building at the end of the widest street. It’s white in color and grand in size, but there’s nothing to indicate what the building is for. You cock your head in curiosity.

“Let’s go inside,” you say.

Seokjin looks at you warily. “I dunno… What if they try to turn us into one of those teenage hormonal messes back there?” he says, pointing behind him where a handful of couples are making out by a small water fountain. You’re not sure if he’s joking or if he’s genuinely worried.

“Oh, come on. I don’t think it’ll kill us or anything.”

Seokjin frowns. “That’s what we thought of Tagna and the Cerulean Kingdom, you know.”

He does kind of have a point. But you don’t really care. Your hand juts out, reaching for the handle of the large white door to the building. However, a sudden “Ahem” makes you freeze. That had definitely not been Seokjin.

“Hello. Good day.”

You and your co-worker whirl around to see a middle-aged man standing promptly behind the two of you. He’s got spectacles on his nose, which he pushes up slightly to get a better look out of them. Then, almost by reflex, he pulls out a rather thick book from inside his navy-colored coat.

“Ahem.” He clears his throat again. “Surname?” he then inquires in a surprisingly high-pitched, mosquito-like voice.

It’s almost by reflex.

“L/N.”

“Kim.”

The man frowns, holding up his hand. “Couples must have the same last name. Are you registered?”

Seokjin gives you a nervous look. “Registered for what?”

The man sighs. He then flips open his book, mumbling “Kim, Kim, Kim,” to himself before he looks up, shaking his head. “You’re not on here.”

“Oh, actually, we’re not from here,” you say. “We wouldn’t be registered.” Whatever you’re not registered for, you have no idea.

“Nonsense,” the man scoffs, pulling down his spectacles to glare at you and Seokjin. Despite his demeaning stance, you and Seokjin find the situation more strange than threatening. “You are together, no?” Before either of you can respond, he says, “Well, no matter. You must get married now. We’ll find you a household too. It’s a pity the two of you missed Truve Day. You would’ve gotten cake at your marriage contract ceremony.”

“Wait—” you say.

“We’re,” Seokjin laughs, “oh, we’re not together.”

“We’re not even in love,” you say, laughing along with Seokjin at the preposterous idea. You get married to him? Never in a million years. “We’re honestly just visiting,” you snort. “There’s really no need to pull out a marriage contract.”

The man frowns at you, his brows knitting together. “Clearly, you two have not taken any of our essential classes. Hmph.” He stares you down. “Snorting is quite an unladylike behavior.”

You scoff.

“And so is scoffing.”

Immediately, Seokjin turns to you, his eyes wide. “Uh, you sure you want to stay?”

You cross your arms over your chest, sizing up the man in the navy coat before grinning. “Oh, no. We’re staying. Until I figure out what the hell is going on.”

The man gasps. “Cursing is unladylike!!”

Seokjin looks at you, clearly unsure and uncomfortable. He’s fidgeting, maybe uncertain whether he should step in and stand up for you or let you defend yourself. He makes the right choice of staying silent, though.

You look the man right in the eye and smile as angelically as you can. “Well, maybe you should’ve considered the fact that I don’t wanna be fucking ladylike.”

The man looks faint. And you have never felt more satisfaction in your life.

Just as much as you expected, there are zero consequences to your ‘unladylike cursing.’ Well, except for two things. One, he confiscated your precious bottle of wine (much to your dismay) because it “wasn’t good for an expecting couple,” whatever the fuck that means. And two, you had to follow through by signing a marriage certificate with Seokjin. It’s only a minor problem—both you and Seokjin have wordlessly agreed that the certificate only exists in this society called Truve, where apparently, the divorce rate is a whopping zero percent.

The man you had intentionally cussed out was quite cold to you afterward, giving you a rude crash course of your ‘duties’ as a wife. And even hours after you saw him, you still remember the last thing he said to you two.

“Men go to work, women clean the house. You two look capable of doing that. May your new love for each other bring you prosperity.” A disconcerting pause. “You’ll find what you need in the bedroom drawer for tonight.”

Of course, by singling out the bedroom drawer, the man had unknowingly sparked an intense curiosity in both you and Seokjin. So much so that the bedroom drawer is the first place the two of you check in the new home that the two of you can now call yours. What follows is something neither of you had expected.

“Toys???” you gasp, nearly falling back into Seokjin’s chest and darting away from the drawer you’d just opened.

“Children’s toys?” Seokjin asks, unable to see from behind you.

“No, sex toys!” you shriek, moving over to show Seokjin a colorful assortment of high-quality sex toys. The ones that probably cost a little too much for what they do.

“No way!” Seokjin rummages around in the rather spacious drawer. “There’s lube in here too! Ooh. It’s flavored.”

“Dude???”

“They have condoms! They’re flavored too!! And lingerie!” He looks at you. “Wanna test to see if that’s flavored?”

“No thanks, jerkface.” You push him aside to get a better look at the items that had been so conveniently placed by the bed. “Oh, look. They have pamphlets. You pick one up, flipping through the glossy pages and frowning all the while.

“What does it say?”

You make a face. “They’ve made a little too detailed guide of sex for dummies… Maybe Truve is obsessed with love. At least, the idea of it.”

“You sure they’re not obsessed with sex?” Seokjin snorts, taking another look inside the drawer and scoffing. “I mean, the evidence is pretty clear.”

“I don’t know… If they were obsessed with sex, we would’ve seen a couple of orgies out there. But everyone outside was fully clothed,” you say. “And look. These pamphlets have it all wrong. They barely say anything about the female orgasm. It’s just pages and pages of blowjob manuals.”

“I didn’t know you were a sex connoisseur,” Seokjin says.

“Oh, shut up. This place is backasswards.”

“That, I can agree with. Seems like the patriarchy wanted to make itself more apparent around here. It’s even worse than back home.”

You turn to him in shock. “Never would’ve pinned you to be the type to be aware of that.”

He just shrugs, evading a straight answer. Then, he changes the topic. “It’s crazy that I’m expected to go to work tomorrow. I don’t even know what kind of job they’re going to give me!”

“I’m sure you can survive a day. Or maybe two. Or three?”

Seokjin raises his eyebrows. “Don’t tell me you’re thinking of settling down here.”

“If I get to stay home all day and watch T.V. every day… I dunno. Sounds pretty tempting,” you grin. “Also, I’ve always wanted to live in the suburbs.”

“They expect you to cook and clean, you know.”

“Shit.” You might’ve forgotten about that bit. You became a career woman for a reason—you’re absolute shit in the kitchen and you’re definitely not the neatest person in the world. And back home, you and Seokjin had the same job. In fact, in terms of seniority, you were the better-ranked employee. “At least this place isn’t dangerous, right?” One look at Seokjin’s face and you know he doesn’t want to settle down here. Something about this place makes him uncomfortable. You let out a heavy sigh. “Fine. We’ll leave after one day.”

“You were seriously considering staying here?” Seokjin looks at you in bewilderment. “That man treated you so badly.”

“Oh, I’m pretty used to that,” you snort. “Even back home.” You were a part of my struggles back home, you want to add. But you don’t. And you’re not even that sure why.

Seokjin just slams the open drawer shut in response, lightly sitting on the single—but generously sized bed—in the vast room. “Did you see how young the couples outside were? Do you think they were all married?”

“Yes and yes,” you say. “Hopefully, they don’t force it… like they did to us.”

“Why? You don’t like your new husband?” Seokjin grins.

You look down at him, a disgusted look on your face. (Though you’re not sure if you’re actually disgusted with this man anymore.) “I think I could’ve done better,” you tease.

“Oh, please. You get to see this face every day now that we’re ‘together,’ ” Seokjin jokes, framing his face and batting his lashes. You roll your eyes, but can’t help but let a smile slip onto your lips.

“Whatever. Are you any good in the kitchen? I’m hungry. And it’s probably been a while since you had a proper dinner, huh?”

“Am I good in the kitchen?” Seokjin dramatically rolls up his sleeves. “I’m fucking amazing.”

He then proceeds to march into the kitchen and takes a look in the fridge, which is stocked full of fresh fruits and veggies. You check the cabinets to see a healthy amount of sugars and spices, along with plentiful silverware. “Can you really whip something up from scratch?”

Seokjin decides to take the challenge.

He ends up making fucking ratatouille. It almost brings you back to your childhood, when you’d first watched that movie and had maybe possibly softened up to rats. But after that trip to Atna, not so much.

And the ratatouille is delicious. You’ve never had that dish before, but it’s exactly what you expected it would taste like and more. Seokjin practically glows when you compliment his cooking skills, and he’s so glad that he can’t even come up with any throwaway insults or snide comments.

The two of you eat until you’re full and unable to eat another bite. The leftovers go in the fridge and you and Seokjin take care of the mess in the kitchen together. By the time you two are done, it’s pitch black outside and sleep is calling.

After having to fend for himself in an impoverished environment for two days, Seokjin’s more than elated to be going to bed (a really nice bed too) on a full stomach. Except, of course, he was going to have to share his sleeping space.

“I mean, at least the bed is huge,” you say. “There’s a lot of room.”

“They expect us to have sex in it. Of course it’s huge.”

You roll your eyes at his bluntness. “Whatever. Let’s get to it then.”

Seokjin jerks his head around at you so fast that he winces. “Let’s get to having sex???”

You give him an unamused look. “No, you dim-witted twit. Sleep.”

Seokjin laughs nervously. “...Right…”

It’s actually a little funny how embarrassed he seems to be right now. You can’t help but poke a little fun. “Did I get you excited there?”

Seokjin scoffs. “You definitely did not. You would make my dick shrink in size.”

“And I’m as dry as the Sahara Desert.”

There aren’t exactly enough pillows to make a convenient pillow barrier between the two of you, but the bed is so large that a barrier isn’t needed, anyway. You and Seokjin slip into the covers quietly. Maybe because you’ve suddenly become hyperaware of what the fuck is actually happening. You’re getting in the same bed as your co-worker. Not only that, but a co-worker you would’ve paid to sack in the stomach a week or two ago. But now, you don’t hate him that much. Do you even hate him at all?

God, that makes it even more awkward.

You lie as still as possible, for some reason finding the noise of shifting blankets being the most embarrassing thing ever. Seokjin lies still as well, and it doesn’t really help dissolve the awkwardness of the situation. At this rate, you might never even fall asleep.

Finally, you can’t fucking take this anymore.

“Hey… you awake?” you whisper.

Seokjin grunts a reply, “Yeah.”

“I was just teasing you.”

“Teasing me?”

You stare at the ceiling, cheeks heating up in embarrassment. Are you really going to explain yourself? “I didn’t actually think you wanted to… I dunno, hook up with me. I was just teasing.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.” An awkward pause. “If it makes you feel better, you’re objectively hot, and a lot of our co-workers think the same.”

You never expected Seokjin to laugh. “Actually, you’re not so bad yourself.” You didn’t expect him to say that either.

You turn around. And your heart drops as you meet his dark eyes. You realize he had turned around to face you too.

“What are you turning around for?” you scoff quietly, feeling the need—for some reason—to whisper.

“You turned around too,” Seokjin points out.

“Ugh.” You roll your eyes. But damn. Against the white sheets and illuminated by the moonlight flooding in through the window, Seokjin does look pretty fucking great. For a second, you can feel an uncomfortable twisting in your stomach. Your heart clenches. And the butterflies are released from their cage, fluttering in your gut. You want them to die, but they’re soaring.

Oh, fuck.

Seokjin raises his eyebrows. He knows you’re looking at him, completely shamelessly. But he looks right back. There’s an inexplicable silence, bottled-up feelings caged inside.

Suddenly, you’re leaning forward. You can’t even stop yourself. Maybe it was purely in the moment. Maybe your brain has been fried. Or maybe… maybe you’ve really wanted to do this and you’ve been holding back for who knows how long.

Your lips lock with Seokjin’s, and through your half-lidded eyes, you see his own eyes widen. But he never pulls away. Instead, he pulls closer. You want to scream into the kiss, but even if you did, no one could’ve heard because he envelops his lips around yours, deepening it with just a simple tilt of his head.

He’s reciprocating. He’s… reciprocating!

It’s almost too much to comprehend. His hands snake into your hair, fisting it and bringing your body closer to his. He doesn’t give you a second to breathe, and when you finally have to pull away for breath, he stares at you through half-lidded eyes—before he’s leaning in again. It’s more than enough for you to know that this isn’t a mistake.

He kisses you again, harder, as if to prove his feelings to you. And now, all you can do is reciprocate.

You wake to the sound of some imbecile quite loudly knocking on your door way too early in the morning. Groaning, you blink your eyes open, only to find Seokjin already staring at you. Then, you realize you’re nestled in his arms. The two of you stare at each other before you jump apart.

“G-Good morning!” Seokjin manages to stutter. He runs a hand through his messy hair, looking around frantically to find the doorway out of the bedroom.

“Y-Yeah,” you manage to say. “Good morning.”

“I’ll, um, check to see who’s at the door,” he says quickly before darting out. You hear him open the door and hear a man in a gruff voice ask:

“Why aren���t you ready for work, new guy? They need you in ten minutes.” There’s a pause. “Oh. Oh. I see. Nice bed hair.” You can practically see the suggestive wink on that faceless man’s face. You roll your eyes. “Well, meet me outside in five.” He whistles before Seokjin shuts the door.

He rushes back into the bedroom, panting in panic. “Help me get ready in five!”

“On it!”

While Seokjin’s frantically trying to tame his hair while brushing his teeth, you pull out clothes from the closet. You’re not as fashionable as he is, but he’s going to have to deal with his rather plain mix and match for today. After Seokjin comes back from the bathroom, he takes one look at your outfit for him and smiles. Without another word, he gets dressed, you turning around to give him some privacy.

“I’m done, you know,” he says.

You turn around again to find him staring at you, unabashedly. “What? Do I have bed hair too?”

“No.” He just smiles, shaking his head. “But last night… Pretty great, right?” Before you can get a word in, he dashes out of the bedroom, swinging the front door open and leaving. “See you at five!”

You scoff at the way he just leaves. “Really fucking smooth of you!” you call. But you smile to yourself. So there had been something there. You can’t wait to see where it goes from here, especially when things had felt so right last night.

And after the morning chaos, you take your leisure to freshen up, taking a while to choose an outfit from the closet that even Seokjin would be proud of. Just when you’re putting the finishing touches on your makeup, there’s another knock on your door.

You open it, expecting almost anything, but definitely not a group of women—er, more like girls. They all look fairly young. At least seven years younger than you.

“I heard you moved in yesterday!” one of them chirps. “We just wanted to welcome you into the neighborhood!”

Another pulls out a plate of hot fudge brownies. Having skipped breakfast, the sight and smell of the treats make you salivate a little. “And here’s our welcome gift.”

You accept it with both hands. Then, remembering your manners you say, “Would you like to come in?”

“Oh, yes please!”

And that is how you get five strangers in your new home. These five strangers also won’t shut the fuck up about their husbands. You find out quickly that all they want to do is talk about sex—but they cover it over with the notion that it’s normal. In Truve, you learn, it’s the norm for couples to marry young and have children young, which explains the pregnancies of three of the five women. You find that the group is full of eighteen and nineteen-year-olds.

“They shipped in new pamphlets yesterday,” one of them giggles. “It had a detailed manual of blowjobs. Needless to say, we tried it out last night.”

You cringe. This is the kind of stuff you tell your closest of your closest friends—not random newcomers on the block. The other women, have a different reaction from you, however. They gasp and cheer.

“Did he like it?”

“Maybe I should try it with him.”

“It sounds like so much fun!”

Normally, in conversations, you can’t shut up. But today, you’re unusually uncomfortable enough to keep quiet. Until they start asking you personal questions.

“Oh, Y/N, was it? How was last night with your husband? It was special, right? They usually stock up on nice lingerie—”

“It was fucking fantastic,” you cut her off. “Amazing. So great. I chained him up and dicked him down. I used to call him an ‘asshole’ all the time. Never meant it so literally until yesterday. Oh yeah, and we might do it again today.”

One of the girls’ mouths drops open. The others are stunned into silence.

You take your cue to stand up, clearing up the empty plates littered with brownie crumbs. “Well! It was so nice meeting all of you,” you smile as nicely as you can. Now please fucking leave the premises. Except you don’t say that. And you don’t have to. The women are already scrambling up from their seats, all giving you strange looks before mumbling their goodbyes and practically sprinting out of your home.

You grin. What a triumph. You’d been stuck in their awful company for what? Nearly four hours? Listening to their sex stories about their husbands. It was torture. But you’re proud of yourself for getting yourself out of that mess.

You have no idea Seokjin had faced a very similar situation at his workplace.

“No, no, you don’t understand. Missionary isn’t even an option for us. She keeps whining about me not kissing her enough. Like, you gotta be stupid not to know that there’s a fucking reason that I don’t kiss you. Also the same reason we do doggy.”

“That’s rough, man. You deserved to be matched with someone more attractive.”

“You guys wouldn’t believe it, but last week, I washed the car and all I got was a lousy handjob in return.”

“I honestly can believe it, dude. My wife baked a pretty shitty cake on my birthday and then expected me to ‘fuck her romantically.’ What the fuck does that even mean???”

“They do one favor for us and act like they deserve the world.”

Seokjin has never felt more uncomfortable in his life. He fidgets, completely silenced by possibly the worst men he’s ever met in his whole life. In normal circumstances, he would’ve picked a damn fight. But he’s shocked. So shocked that he literally can’t lace together his words for the time being.

“Hey, new guy. Didn’t you take her virginity last night?”

Seokjin has never felt a bigger urge to sock a person in the stomach. How dare they even ask. His blood boils but he manages to keep his calm.

“Oh no. She was so experienced,” he practically groans from the nonexistent memories. “She had me all pinned on the bed. Called me a ‘good boy’ and I almost nutted right there.” He smiles. “You guys should try taking it in the asshole some time. It feels—”

The men have already left the area before he can continue. Seokjin grins.

“You’ll never fucking believe the shit I had to deal with today,” you say the moment you hear Seokjin want in from the front door.

He circles around to find you sitting on the couch, arms crossed over your chest. “Oh yeah?” Seokjin laughs. “Try me. I could’ve had it worse.”

What follows is an exchange of stories and the two of you laughing your asses off at how similar your experiences had lined up.

“The toxic masculinity was borderlining psychopathic behaviors!” Seokjin exclaims. “They just wouldn’t shut up.”

“Ugh, and the internalized misogyny,” you sigh. “I seriously could not sit through that conversation. It was like all their thoughts were consumed with their husband.”

“Well, now I’m glad we’re leaving this place today.”

You laugh. “Me too. At least the bed was nice, though.”

“Was it the bed that was nice or was it really me?” Seokjin asks.

“Hm.” You pause to think. “The bed.” But with the teasing lilt to your voice, Seokjin knows that you’re joking. “I’m pretty pissed they took our wine, though. That was supposed to give us a healthy profit.”

“Right?” Seokjin says. “But hey, we got a good marriage certificate out of it.” He points at the framed thing on the wall. “Want that as a souvenir?”

You snort. “No thanks. I have something else in mind.”

Seokjin follows you into the bedroom where you open up the drawer and rummage around to pull up the neatly folded lingerie. Finding a small bag in the closet, you shove the lingerie in there, turning to Seokjin to gauge his reaction.

He laughs.

“What? Good lingerie’s expensive back home.”

“In that case…” Seokjin reaches forward and grabs the sex toys of all things before setting them in the now bulging bag.

You are quite impressed. “Good thinking. We can make a couple of hundred bucks from that!”

Seokjin laughs. “Oh? Who said anything about selling these goodies?”

Your eyes go wide and you have to turn away, feeling your cheats heating up unnaturally.

But with your souvenirs, you and Seokjin walk straight out of Truve, not regretting leaving so soon at all. As the suburbs disappear behind you and the black sidewalk morphs into brown dirt, you begin to overthink.

So much has happened in Truve that it’s going to take some time to unpack. You and Seokjin hadn’t exactly had the time to discuss your relationship with each other. Are you now co-workers with make-out benefits? What is going on? Are you even attracted to him?

One glance at the man, and you realize the answer to that question is a resounding yes. But is he attracted to you? You’re not exactly a mind reader, so you wouldn’t know. But he did lean in for that second kiss. And he was the one who deepened it in the first place.

Either way, you vow that you’re not going to be the one who brings it up. Unfortunately for you, Seokjin’s thinking the same thing.

The new society looks a lot like a ripoff of Tan. All you can see are bustling people, keeping their heads down in the most low-profile manner as they move without barely being conscious of their surroundings. The only real difference you can spot is that there aren’t any folks with red armbands this time. This place obsesses over another thing.

Definitely not lights. It’s a little too dark here for your liking. Why are the street lights so scarce? The buildings look the same as well; much more than Tan. In fact, you predict that if you walk around here for a bit too long, you can see yourself get lost forever. Every single street, every corner looks identical to the other.

Seokjin moves closer to you, bumping your shoulders together. “No threats, so far?” he asks. You like that he’s checking. If you were stuck in this place alone, you would’ve been terrified. But Seokjin’s here with you, making subtle indications that he cares.

“I don’t think so,” you say. “Let’s try to ask around what this place is about.”

“Excuse me?”

“Pardon me!”

“Hello?”

“Hey! Wait, please?”

No matter how much you and Seokjin call for help, no one bothers to stop. No one even bothers to look up, so encompassed in their own little worlds.

“I don’t understand this place,” you confess. “I don't get why everyone is ignoring us. Nobody cares about anybody else.”

“I’m confused too,” Seokjin says. “There are no street names. And look, even the buildings. They all look the same. We could seriously get lost around here.”

“I think they definitely have a thing against names,” you snort, rolling your eyes.

“Chapter six, the society without a name,” Seokjin laughs. “How mysterious.”

Even though he tries to make a joke to lighten the atmosphere, you can’t help but feel a little grim in such a dark, isolated place. There are so many people, but why do you feel practically alone? Why do you feel so lost? So unknown? It’s unsettling.

You look up at Seokjin’s face to find his brows furrowed, looking around his surroundings. He looks just as perplexed as you are. Maybe you should leave this eerie place early. But knowing nothing about it? The mystery has to be cracked—it always has.

A warm hand suddenly encompasses your wrist. Your head jerks up to stare at Seokjin, who offers you a warm smile. And upon your slight nod of acknowledgment, his hand slips down to hold yours, your fingers fitting perfectly together. His hands warm yours and you can’t help but stand closer to him.

The two of you walk past hundreds of apartment buildings that all have the same exact sidewalk leading up to the same exact door and the same exact shrubs decorating the entrance. The only thing that differentiates these buildings are the barely legibly written numbers in the color of black on the sides. But they blend in with the dark color of the buildings, making it impossible to read without squinting your eyes for another impossibly long amount of time. And those numbers mean nothing to you. Why name things in numbers when numbers don’t tell you a single thing? 42069 can easily be a pancake house while 69420 could be a work office. It’s ineffective. Almost as if this place values anonymity.

Finally, you and Seokjin duck into an eerily empty aisle, catching your breaths from your brisk walk. You realize after all this time, your hands are still intertwined together. Seokjin notices too, and he gives your hand a small squeeze.

“Thanks,” you blurt out.

Seokjin turns, his brows raised but lips in a nice smile. “For…?”

“I dunno. For a lot.” You shrug, trying to play off as nonchalant, but there are a lot of times you wouldn’t have survived in the future without Seokjin. “And for this.” You hold up your intertwined hands. “I needed it, Seokjin.”

His heart feels warm. And he realizes it must be because this is the first time that you have ever uttered his name. It sounds good in your voice. He feels a little honored that you no longer feel the need to call him an ‘asshole’ or ‘jerkface.’ And this feeling is especially nice because you’re the only one who knows who he is in this place where everyone seems lost. Maybe this means your relationship has evolved over the course of your journey.

“I want to thank you too,” Seokjin says. He looks down at his feet, almost embarrassed that he’s admitting this out loud. “And… sort of maybe apologize. I wasn’t the nicest co-worker.”

You giggle at his bashful state. “You know what? I’m sorry too. We both couldn’t leave each other alone.”

“And now, we’re technically married. Ironic isn’t it?” Seokjin laughs.

You gasp. “Goddammit, we totally forgot to bring the marriage certificate! It would’ve been such a funny souvenir.”

“Yeah, if we ever get back, that is,” Seokjin snorts. “As far as we know, we’re a married couple in the future. Or, maybe our marriage only exists in Truve.”

You shrug. “We never got a proper wedding. And we didn’t even get a cake!” you huff. “That was not a real marriage.”

Seokjin just laughs, nudging into you almost instinctively—out of fondness. Since when did he feel the need to get so close to you? Since when did he even acquire feelings for you? He has absolutely no idea. But he can’t exactly get himself out of this now, can he? He’s stuck with you. And for the first time, he’s not pissed off about it. No, he’s happy. There isn’t any other person he would’ve like to journey through future dystopian societies together.

“If there are more societies out there,” you say, nearly reading his mind, “I think we’ll do well to come across them. And maybe when we find one that we like… We can stay.”

“Yeah,” Seokjin agrees. “I learned so much in such little time too.”

The experience had taught both of you life lessons that you would’ve either never learned or taken another decade to realize. And the idea of settling down with Seokjin seems so right, now. In the beginning, you would’ve much rather just wandered off on your own. But you’re a team now. More than co-workers. Friends. And then maybe something more. You wouldn’t mind being stuck here forever if he were always by your side.

“So, are we going to do anything about these folks around here?” you say. “Something to maybe get them to open their eyes?”

It’s become a sort of a habit between the two of you to leave a very lasting impression on each of the societies you visit.

“Hm.” Seokjin stares straight into your eyes before a bright grin spreads on his face. “You like art right?”

It takes about three hours to find what Seokjin is looking for. You think if he at least told you what he was trying to find, you could’ve gotten it over with two hours ago. But nevertheless, you appreciate the semi-romantic(?) gesture of trying to surprise you. He takes you—hand-in-hand—into some kind of home improvement store and stops right in front of the spray paint aisle.

You look at him. “Is this the surprise?”

“Well, it wasn’t exactly supposed to be a surprise,” Seokjin says, scratching his head. “But I wasn’t really sure if this kind of place would have spray paint. I didn’t want to tell you, get your hopes up and then realize that didn’t exist around here.”

You just laugh. “That’s very sweet of you to think that through.”

“I know,” he says, puffing out his chest. “I’m amazing.”

“Just as much as I am.”

He grins at your answer. “Now, what do you think about…” he leans into you to whisper, “shoplifting and vandalizing?”

Turns out, you used to think breaking the law as a lawyer was the worst possible thing you could do. But… maybe in dire circumstances, it’s a different story.

You hold a can of spray paint in your hand, standing before a tall building and grinning at Seokjin. “Think we can finish five of these by morning?”

The streets are barren, everyone tucked away in their apartment buildings, probably sleeping or doing whatever more introverted activities you can think of. No one had even cared to stop you and Seokjin from leaving the home improvement store with bags and bags of spray paint. It must be around 12 to 2 a.m., though there are no clocks or watchtowers to make sure.

“I know we can finish by morning,” Seokjin says. “But you’ll have to do most of it. Arts and crafts were never really my thing.”

You roll your eyes but smile. “Then we better get working then.”

It’s been years since you’ve painted and another several years since you’ve held a can of spray paint. But art has always been your second nature (your first being arguing). It’s easy to get back on track and you let yourself paint on the buildings, letting your arms move whichever way the vision in your mind wants it to go. Sometimes, you glance over at Seokjin, who’s more or less struggling, paint stains on his clothes and face, looking frustrated at his lack of artistic intelligence. It’s a little endearing the way he turns pouty like that. You’ll just walk over to him, position his arms, covering his hand with yours, and then help him draw something he’s proud of.

For once, conversation is pretty scarce between the two of you. But it’s not because there’s nothing to say. No, there’s really plenty to say. The two of you communicate almost wordlessly.

Can you pass me another can? you’d say with your eyes.

But what color do you want? he’d reply.

I dunno. Surprise me.

He’d tossed you a pitch-black one, and you’d roll your eyes. Not that one, you giant twit. I can’t paint black over black.

Oh, I know. A grin. I was just teasing you.

He’d then toss you a can that’d produce a pretty shade of lilac, and you’d taken it gratefully. Thanks.

No problem.

Conversation continues like that for hours on end. You’re typically not one to spend the night up, but you can’t exactly remember the last time you were so captivated by a project—so much so that you felt like you had to sacrifice precious sleep time for it.

By the time the sun peeks out over the horizon, you and Seokjin are finished, albeit tired and paint-covered. The two of you admire your work, staring up at the five buildings with matching grins on your faces.

You’d painted over those silly numbers, instead, writing five familiar names in their place. One building is named Atna—half of it spray-painted with green grass and blue, crystal buildings, the other half of it brown and gray. Seokjin had attempted to draw the Governess in the middle, but she ended up turning out as more of a messy blob. The building next to it is called Tagna. The bottom of it is fiery red—you’d drawn the flames licking up and engulfing piles of bodies, but above the basement is a surgical society, all prim and proper. And above it all, is Everland. Then, you’d drawn and named the Cerulean Kingdom, the whole building drenched in the prettiest blue shade that you could find. Seokjin drew the village, the castle and the clouds. You drew the skies opening up to reveal a deity’s outstretched hands. Tan’s building was plain—but Seokjin had insisted on painting a red horizontal stripe running across the sides. A perfect splash of color and a dash of creativity. The last building was Truve, which was a little hard to draw. (Seokjin had suggested making a visual representation of what was in that bedroom drawer. You had whacked him for even suggesting that in the first place.) But finally, the two of you had opted for drawing hundreds of pastel-colored hearts across the building. Seokjin might’ve tried to recreate the marriage certificate, but it ended up looking like a used tissue more than anything else. You like his efforts, though.

And there you have it. A physical representation of all the places you’ve visited with Seokjin over the past couple of weeks. Some more traumatic than others but all as equally enlightening. Now, this nameless society has five named buildings.

“That should get them started with naming stuff,” Seokjin laughs. “Atna, Tagna, the Cerulean Kingdom, Tan, Truve—they really don’t have an excuse now.”

You snort, throwing down your spray paint cans to slip your hand into Seokjin’s. He takes it gladly, looking at your graffiti masterpieces in awe. “We should probably get out of here,” you whisper. “Before they start waking up.”

Hand in hand, the two of you begin to walk out of the nameless place, leaving behind five buildings, five names and five memories. Where people had lost their identities and became mindless robots, you and Seokjin had learned to appreciate each other. People need each other.

“A world with too much anonymity is a dangerous one,” Seokjin says, breaking the silence as the two of you begin to trek on the familiar dirt again. “No one cares.”

“Yeah,” you agree. “We shoplifted and they didn't notice. Wait. Do you think they’ll even notice the buildings?”

“They better,” Seokjin snorts. “After all of our efforts?”

“Right... But god, I still can’t believe this is the future,” you sigh. “Pick your poison, huh?”

Seokjin nods. “But I’m sure others will come and rebel rightfully and in larger numbers.”

“They better.”

“But out of all the societies we’d been to, which one would you want to live in the most?” Seokjin asks. He’s genuinely curious, waiting for your answer as he swings your intertwined hands back and forth, the bag of souvenirs from Truve clinging tightly in his other hand.

“You can’t ask me that!” you scoff. “Three of them are deadly and the other three are so irritating I’d die of stress!”

“But if you had to choose!”

“Well, I don’t trust myself to score very high on a standardized test,” you hum thoughtfully. “Which means I’d be tossed into Dystopia, and I’ll probably die there. The rats will dance around my grave.”

“True.”

You shoot Seokjin an ungrateful look.

“But Tagna is just as scary. If I didn’t know the truth, then… maybe? But I do know the truth and it makes the whole place a thousand times worse than it already was. Also, they enforce the strictest rules and you know I hate following stupid guidelines.”

“Also true.”

You laugh. “I suppose the Cerulean Kingdom affects a smaller portion of the general population. But even then, if I don’t get chosen to live in the castle and get my guts sacrificed, I get to live in a village and farm all day…”

“But better a farmer than a sacrifice.”

“Of course! Not something I'd enjoy, though. Tan seems okay, but I’m not sure how long I can survive without my usual creative outlets. And I won’t last in Truve. That place makes me mad.”

“You really can’t choose?”

“Well, I think maybe if I was with you, I’d find the last society we visited pretty tolerable,” you say, rubbing your chin. “Even if things don’t officially have names, we can name them ourselves, you know?”

Seokjin smiles. “I agree with you too. If all else fails, maybe we can go back there and… settle down?”

It’s a nervous question but a possibility that you don’t mind at all. “Of course,” you say, mirroring his emotions. “And just to make it clear… You’re saying that you’re completely okay with the fact that we might never make it home, if you could be with me.”

“Don’t put it that way,” Seokjin scoffs. “That makes me sound like I’m… I’m whipped.”

“Aren’t you?” You squeeze your hands together. “Because I might be.”

You and Seokjin grin at each other, lost in each other’s eyes and drunk in each other’s emotions. You don’t need wine to feel this. So distracted by each other’s presence, neither of you realize that the familiar skyscrapers are coming back into view, the vast dirt land growing farther and farther away from you.

Neither of you realizes what had exactly happened until you halt in your tracks. “Wait. That’s our building.”

Sure enough, standing straight in front of you is the familiar law firm. Seokjin’s jaw drops. “No way…” He looks down at his other hand to find it void of the bag and the souvenirs. "NO WAY!" he shouts. "There goes our proof!"

“How the fuck did neither of us notice??” You throw your hands in the air.

“I was too busy looking at you!” Seokjin answers.

“Well, I was too busy looking at you!” you counter.

The two of you erupt in simultaneous laughter, hands still tightly interwoven.

“I can’t believe that happened,” you say. “All of that. Were we both dreaming?”

Seokjin snorts. “Maybe. No one would believe us, though. Did any time pass while we were gone?”

You fish out your phone, face aghast to finally see it working in the first place. “No. It’s the same day as we left.”

“Even stranger,” Seokjin comments. A sweet ding! indicates that Seokjin had gotten a message on his phone, which he pulls out. “Shit, the subs! They just sent their sub orders!”

“All of this happened during one lunch break??” you snort. “They’re gonna have a hard time believing their eyes when we walk back in without wanting to rip each other's throats.”

Seokjin grins. “It’s gonna be hilarious.”

“But do you really think the world’s gonna practically end like that?” you say a little more cautiously. “And then we’re gonna split off into six weird societies?”

“Who knows?” Seokjin shrugs. “Maybe we got transported to an alternate universe. Maybe not. Guess no one bothered to owe us an explanation.”

You shrug. “A lot of things happen without an explanation, anyway.”

“What? Like somehow I’m attracted to you?” Seokjin snorts. “When I’m a whole ten out of ten??"

You roll your eyes but can’t help but smile. You can’t help but get lost in conversation with Seokjin as the two of you try to make your way to Taylor’s Sub Kitchen without getting distracted this time. But it’s hard not to get distracted by Seokjin’s presence. Not when he’s using every second to tease you and impress you with his otherworldly confidence.

Your judgment has been right since the very beginning. Seokjin is a pompous asshole. But he knows it and you tolerate it. Because underneath that hard-headed façade is a man who cares and a man who worries. Maybe you won’t settle down with him in those six strange societies—not when the one you’re living in right now will suffice just fine.

“Hey, wanna make a coffee stop?” Seokjin asks, shifting the bags of subs on his arms. (He hadn’t let you carry a single one.)

“Now???” you ask. Seokjin’s not usually one to be so spontaneous.

“No, Y/N,” he laughs. “After work.”

God, your name sounds so good coming from him.

“Oh?” You smile. “So it’s a date.”

Seokjin smiles right back at you. “Of course.”

—masterpost

—masterlist