Sep 28, 2021
Sksjsksjjss I see what you did with the hyunjin post 🤡🤡🤡
It was the only logical thing to do 😌
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Sksjsksjjss I see what you did with the hyunjin post 🤡🤡🤡
It was the only logical thing to do 😌
🍓 ;-; 🍓
My little robin !! 💗💗 I'm still convinced that there's no better animal to describe you: you are ADORABLE, playful if a bit shy <3, CURIOUS and full of so many wonderful ideas ✨✨ please please never get rid of that light-heartedness of yours!! Your heart is also very big and loving and you're just so giving in general 💗💗 i adore and i wanna protecc.
the bread heist- a thrilling saga
Not you getting some losers in your inbox!! I swear some ppl just enjoy pissing others off,,, anyways YoU niCe, kEeP gOinG💓💓🥺✨
Honestly just sort of took me by surprise 🥴😂 if you all have nothing nice to say than just 🤐🤐🤐 love you hunny!! Have a nice day! 🥺💓💓💓💓💓💓
clandestine | lee minho x reader
⤷ pairing: cop!minho x f.reader
⤷ genre: cop!au, non-idol au, strangers to lovers, fluff, action
⤷ warnings: attempted (and foiled) assault at the beginning (nothing graphic), light swearing and sexist shit (by the bad guy), sharing a bed (nothing happens!)
⤷ summary: when you end up staying at officer Minho's apartment, you definitely don't expect him to be such a caring goofball, who makes you blueberry pancakes and helps you fall asleep.
⤷ word count: 8.3k
⤷ a/n: hello, this is the product of the last two days of writing. the plot may be a lil lacking, but this was so much fun to write and envision. this is probably completely inaccurate as my main reference for law stuff is from all the Hercule Poirot I used to watch and read when I was ten and from the tv show How To Get Away With Murder.
click for my masterlist
You ran out of the door, locking it behind you as you raced down the stairs. This was the worst day to be late. You had an interview today that could give you your first promotion that you so desperately wanted. You were seriously considering hauling a cab but you couldn't find your wallet in your purse.
“Damn it,” you muttered under your nose, you must have left it inside. You ran back up, opening the door in a hurry and making your way to the living room where you thought the wallet could be. You looked everywhere. The dining table, kitchen island, even the coffee table. You were currently rummaging through the couch and checking in between the seat cushions when you heard quiet footsteps.
You felt chills go down your back.
Now, if you'd turn around right now, would there be someone standing? Or perhaps you'd just see your empty living room. That must be it, right? You must be hallucinating or something. Yeah, that's it. You were stressed from work and you started hearing things. Maybe you should call in sick and postpone the interview…
While you were having this little pep talk, you heard more footsteps. Ok, you should probably turn around.
You whipped your head to the side and spotted one of your neighbors standing there with a ceramic pot in hand.
You let out a shriek, heart almost skipping out of your chest at the sight. Taking a few shaky steps back, you looked him in the eyes.
“Mr. Choi. W-what are you doing h-here?”
“Hmm,” he smirked, pretending to think, “I'm just here to say hi.”
“Okay. Then why are you holding my flower pot?”
His expression suddenly hardened as he started getting closer and closer, rapidly shortening the distance between you and effectively cutting off any of your planned escape routes.
“You got me there. I'm sick of you women being in business, that's a men's field. You are supposed to stay home and cook, not run around meetings,” he seethed.
You had to suppress the urge to kick him in the nuts. If it were under any other circumstances, you would have done so already but frankly, you feared your life right now. You wrapped your hands around your shaking form, controlling your breathing and waiting for your heartbeat to slow down.
The man seemed drunk, you weren't sure if trying to reason with him would do any good but you had to at least give it a shot.
“Mr. Choi,” you started with a forced friendly tone, “everything's alright. You've had too much to drink so let's get you back to your apartment to rest, okay?”
The old man pretended to think for a moment, but when the sinister smile reappeared, you knew it didn't work. You had to come up with something. Quick. You didn't feel like dying today so you decided on the first reckless thing that came to mind.
You weren't going down without a fight.
“Heeelp,” you screeched at the top of your lungs as you rushed straight at the man, knocking the pot out of his hand as it shattered on the floor. Your eyes were widened in fear but at least you had the weapon out of the picture.
“You, you bitch,” he groaned, feeling disoriented from it all and this was when you chose to strike again.
You felt the adrenaline rush through you as you pushed the man with all your strength, making him fall against the table and let out a string of colorful curses.
You caught him just in time before he fell over, you didn't want to kill him but you were afraid that he would just go after you if you ran out right now. You kicked him multiple times, and punched him a little too, feeling your face heat up from the fear and exhaustion. Slowly, you stopped paying attention to him but that was a mistake.
That's when he struck again. He came at you with a shard of the ceramic pot, waving it in front of your face.
You screamed in horror, quickly backing out and making a split-second decision. You decided to flee. You ran out of the living room, heading towards the main door and slamming it shut behind you. You would love to lock it but sadly, you didn't have the key.
You ran down the staircase, taking two stairs at a time and almost tripping in the process before you finally got to the street. You saw a young man walking by and you ran to him with a fear-stricken face.
“Please, help me, sir. T-this man, he attacked me. He's i-in my living room a-and I left my phone inside.”
You tried your best to explain but with how you were shaking and stuttering, you weren't sure if he even understood you.
The man looked at you, visibly confused at first. He looked like he was in his early twenties, clad in slacks and a tucked in button-down with a coat thrown over. His brown hair was parted in the middle, revealing his forehead.
“Miss, are you ok? Did he injure you?” he asked, putting his arms on your shoulders and examining your face.
“N-no, I'm fine, I managed to outrun him but I’m not sure if he's still in my apartment or not. H-he seemed really d-drunk.”
“Okay, listen to me please. I'm an off-duty officer. You will wait outside, preferably on the other side of the street while I will go inside and try to restrain the man.”
You wordlessly nodded, surprised by the fact that he was a cop. I mean, what were the chances?
“Which apartment do you live in?” he asked. “The one at the very top. Number twelve.”
He pulled out his gun from the inside pocket of his trench coat, slowly stepping inside the building and taking out his transmitter.
“This is officer Lee Minho. We have a case of assault on _____ street, 25. Top apartment, number twelve. Man, possibly under the influence of alcohol, attacked a woman in her own apartment. His state is unknown, I repeat, state unknown. Backup requested, bring a medic, the victim is visibly shaken up but hasn't sustained any major injuries.”
He crept in stealthily, switching into professional mode as he walked up the stairs towards the top floor as you instructed him. In the meantime, you crossed the empty street to get to the other side in fear of Mr. Choi escaping the officer and coming for you. You watched his retreating figure until it disappeared completely. You hoped he would be okay, there was no telling of what your drunk neighbor could do.
Minho was at your apartment door. It was closed so he wasn't sure if it was locked or not. He decided that announcing himself would be the best option so he knocked on the door.
“This is the police, I'm coming in,” he shouted, tightening his hold on his gun and putting his finger around the trigger. He opened the door and walked in. The place was a mess, everything seemed out of place and he had a feeling it wasn't your doing. He made his way through the clutter, perking his ears for any sound of the drunk man.
Suddenly, he heard heavy footsteps and before he could even react, the man jumped him, throwing him to the ground. He could smell the alcohol on him, clear as day as he momentarily struggled to get out of his lousy grip. He managed to bring him down, wrapping his legs around him and turning around, switching the positions.
Now he was the one on top. He placed his gun back in the holster, laying the wrestling man on his stomach and pulling out cuffs.
“You are under arrest for assaulting a civilian as well as an officer. You have the right to remain silent. Everything you say may and will be used against you in court.”
Just then, three more officers rushed inside.
“Damn, Minho. I thought you were off duty today,” one of them chuckled.
“Yeah,” came his curt reply, “I thought so too.”
“C'mon Jisung. Help me pick him up,” he looked at his colleague.
“Sure thing.”
They both hoisted the man up, getting him on his feet and walking him out the door.
When they got on the street, Minho saw two police cars with the sirens still blasting and he spotted you talking to detective Chan, and Jeongin, the medic.
Chan was just wrapping up the quick questioning.
“Oh hey, Minho. We just finished here. Jeongin will have a look at her and disinfect the minor wounds she has and then we'll probably take her to the station to file a report.”
“Mhh,” he muttered.
You were seated on a foldable chair with Jeongin kneeling in front of you, first aid kit sprawled on the pavement. He has just finished disinfecting the scratch on your cheek and applying some soothing creme on the bruises on your collar and arms.
The smiling boy was very kind, engaging in a conversation with you the entire time and cracking jokes every now and then.
A rather grumpy-looking Minho (you learned his name from Jeongin) came and muttered to the boy, “are you finished? We will have to take her to the station soon.”
“Don't take it to heart,” he whispered, “he's cranky like that all the time.”
The officer shot him a glare before walking to the other officers and discussing the case.
“Okay, I'm done here. They'll take you to the station to file a report and then you will be free to go,” he gathered his supplies.
“You won't be coming?” you asked, slightly disappointed.
He shook his head, “I’m not a cop, just a medic in training.”
“Oh. Okay, thanks a lot,” you smiled.
“No problem.”
“So, miss L/N, have a seat,” one of the officers pointed to the police car, “and don't worry, you'll be riding separately from him, ok,” he hushed when he saw your panicked expression.
You stepped into the vehicle, putting on the seatbelt as Minho sat behind the wheel and the officer you just spoke to took the passenger’s seat. You later heard Minho address him as Jisung.
When you arrived at the station, you could see the other car got here a few minutes before you as two other officers dragged a resisting Mr. Choi inside.
“Brr, he must be completely out of it,” Jisung shivered, making you laugh at his antics.
You were led inside, taken into one of the offices where you were questioned in more detail by Chan, the detective in charge.
He asked you to recite the whole story, starting from when you left in the morning to you running into Minho on the street. You explained how you forgot your wallet and had to run back to retrieve it. You must have forgotten to close the door behind you since you were in such a hurry.
You heard footsteps so you turned around and saw your neighbor, who you immediately recognized was drunk and tried to talk him out of it.
You then pushed him against the table, fought for a while, and ran out. From there, he heard the story from Minho himself. The man was walking down the street when you came rushing out of your building with a horror-stricken face and begged him to call the police.
“And there were no serious injuries on your part, right?” he asked.
“No. Only a few scratches and bruises.”
“Ok. They should be soon finished questioning Mr. Choi. Depending on that, you may have to go to court,” his face held some pity as your eyes widened.
“But I didn’t do anything wrong, did I?” you inquired. If you understood correctly, what you did was basic self-defense.
“Don't worry,” he looked you in the eye, “you didn't do anything wrong but that bastard may say something different. But I'm pretty sure there's enough evidence to accuse him of assault.”
“Ok.”
They kept you at the station until four pm, the interrogation of a now sober Mr. Choi seemingly taking longer than expected. You could hear the aggravated groans from the room as if he wasn't agreeing with what was being said.
You were nervously fiddling with the hem of your blouse, wanting nothing more than to go to sleep. Except you didn't want to go back home. The memory still too fresh, not to forget the fact that your place must surely be a mess. Things were thrown out of their place, flowerpots, and plates in shards, and the glass coffee table damaged beyond repair.
You weren't sure what would happen, you didn't have anything with you - the only thing you brought was the ID card that was hung around your neck on a lanyard. Your phone, wallet, basically your entire purse was left at home.
And how would you even get back? You didn't have any money to purchase a ticket or get a cab. You felt exhaustion roll over you in waves as you slumped down into the chair, feeling more pathetic than even. You just wanted to sleep. A single tear rolled down your cheek but you quickly wiped it off, hoping nobody saw.
To your horror, Minho was standing in the doorway, his eyes on you the entire time watching you like a hawk.
You felt heat rush to your cheeks at the officer catching you crying, it was already embarrassing enough that he had to witness you running out of your house and throwing yourself onto him, begging for help.
But you guessed he's probably used to it at this point, being a policeman and serving the civilians. He must have seen many instances of scared people who looked up to him for help.
Your anxiety was through the roof, still not feeling like returning to your chaotic flat. You didn't even have your keys for god's sake. Did they even lock the place?
Minho could sense how nervous and impatient you were. He wanted to somehow comfort you, the sight of your fear-stricken face from the morning still fresh in his memory, but he wasn't exactly the best at it. He knew he came off as cold, even rude maybe but that was just the way he was. He opened up a lot more once you got to know him.
He watched you wipe your tears, trying to suppress the onslaught of emotion but he didn't expect him to look up and directly ask him, “d-do you perhaps know, h-how I'm supposed t-to get home? I don't have anything on me, phone, wallet, nothing.”
He watched you hiccup before answering. “It's ok, I'll give you a ride so don't worry.”
“Thanks,” you mumbled, “Oh god, I don't want to return to that place,” you whispered, more to yourself.
Except he heard you. It was quite understandable actually, he wasn't surprised you didn't want to spend the night at that place alone. He was about to offer you something but stopped for a moment. Would he be overstepping boundaries?
But when he saw your terrified face, he decided it was worth a shot.
“You can stay at my place if you want. I mean- after what happened, anybody would be scared to be alone, you know-”
Omg was he rambling? You had to suppress a giggle at how flustered he became.
“It- it wouldn't be a problem? I just… I really don't wanna be alone tonight.”
“Of course, that's understandable. The team sealed your door but we could go get your stuff first thing in the morning,” he finally looked up to face you.
“God, would that really be ok? Thank you, I'll owe you big time-”
“Minho. You can call me Minho.”
“Okay. In that case, call me Y/N.”
You waited for fifteen more minutes, give or take until detective Bang emerged from the room. He politely smiled before whispering something to Minho and running off.
“Okay. so we're good to go,” he remarked, motioning for you to follow him. You trailed after him, trying your best to keep up with his brisk pace. He led you to the elevator which would take you to the underground parking lot. It was awfully quiet, the place being nearly empty save for the few cars scattered around.
It made you wonder, were you perhaps too quick to trust this man?
You shook your head, it was nonsense. It's not like you had a better option. Plus, he was a cop. A cop that helped you while he was off duty.
Whatever. You preferred to trust him rather than spend the night alone in your empty apartment with broken things everywhere.
You got so lost in thought, you completely zoned out, Minho watching you from the other side of his car with concern.
“Everything alright?”
“Oh… yeah, everything's fine,” you embarrassedly looked at your feet, evading his gaze.
He let out an amused chuckle, going back to the passenger's side of the car and opening the door for you. You stared at him, confusion evident on your face as he pointed inside.
“Will you get in or should I carry you in there myself?”
There wasn't an ounce of hostility in his tone, only amusement as you finally scurried and took a seat, slamming the door with heated cheeks.
You took a deep breath, the car smelled nice. It was a sleek black Passat, with tan leather seats. You could tell he cared about the vehicle, he kept it in pristine condition, not a speck of dust in sight.
He put the key in, roaring the engine to life, as he backed out of the spot and headed towards the exit.
The car ride was for the most part silent. Not in an uncomfortable way, but you felt like you should break the ice somehow. You looked at Minho as he calmly switched lanes, not once tearing his gaze from the road, his breathtaking side profile on full display, the curve of his nose pointy, and his lashes inky black.
But he must have noticed you staring at some point. “Do you want to ask me something?”
The question startled you at first but you realized you had plenty of things you wanted to ask.
“Tell me about yourself.”
He didn't even bat an eyelid.
“As you probably know, I'm Lee Minho. I'm twenty-two years old and I'm a cop.”
Well...that sure was...descriptive.
But you'd be lying if you said that his age didn't surprise you. He looked very young, there was no denying that, but you somehow didn't expect him to be that young.
“Well,” he urged you, “it's your turn, kitten.”
You tried to not seem shocked at the pet name he used but it was proving to be harder than anticipated. Minho couldn't help it anymore, he burst out laughing at your tomato face.
“I'm just kidding Y/N. No need to take everything so seriously,” he chuckled, urging you to go on.
You huffed angrily, turning around and facing the window. You felt embarrassment coursing through you. Why was he so damn cocky all of a sudden?
After you finally arrived at your destination, Minho pulled over and parked in front of a modern apartment complex. He wordlessly led you to the entrance, swiping out the keycard and pressing it to the sensor.
The door opened with a beep and you were welcomed to a clean and minimalist front hall that led to an elevator and a staircase.
Minho walked to the elevator, pressing the call button and waiting for it to come. The both of you stepped inside and he pressed the floor number as the doors closed and the lift took you up.
When it stopped, you got off and walked to the front door of his apartment. He slipped his hand in the pocket and pulled out the keys before sliding them in the lock and successfully opening the door.
“Welcome to my humble quarters.”
You let out a chuckle at that, stepping in and taking off your shoes. The apartment was sleek, minimalist, clean, and screamed accomplished person. Just like Minho.
“Here's some slippers. You can go sit on the couch while I try to find some stuff I can lend you. Do you want anything to drink?”
“Umm, a glass of water would be great,” you took off your coat and placed it on the hanger near the door.
Minho went to the kitchen to fetch you something to drink and in the meantime, you looked around his place, in awe at how clean it was. It was so different from your place which was always messy, had dirty dishes in the sink, and heaps of unfolded laundry all over the place.
But that all came at a price. Your apartment, albeit messy, was very cozy, pretty much showing everyone who you were as a person from just the decor alone. Minho's place, on the other hand, seemed so empty, void of emotion, and void of care or love.
It was obvious the man didn't spend much time here, using the place primarily for necessary functions like sleeping. It lacked the homey feel and by judging the place alone, you'd say Minho was a lonely man.
“Do you want anything to eat?” came Minho's call from the kitchen.
“No thank you. I'm fine.”
“Here you go,” he placed the glass on the coffee table in front of the couch you were seated on.
“I'll go change and bring you something to wear,” he muttered.
You nodded, picking up the glass and taking a sip. You groaned, the water gliding down your throat and cooling you down from the inside. You forgot when was the last time you drank something. Probably when you arrived at the station and that was hours ago.
After a few minutes, a sweats and t-shirt clad Minho appeared in the doorway of his bedroom with a few items of clothing in hand.
He looked very different from before and his hair wasn't styled anymore, giving him that effortless casual look. If you were being honest for a second, he looked like boyfriend material™.
You avoided looking him in the face, feeling the heat migrating to your cheeks at how handsome he looked. Luckily, he seemed preoccupied and didn't look like he noticed you heating up like a highschooler.
“Here. I'm not sure if they'll fit you properly but it's the smallest I have,” he handed you the black pair of sweatpants and a white t-shirt.
“Thanks, I’m sure it'll be fine. Can I use the bathroom and change?”
“Sure thing,” he pointed to his bedroom, “it's the door on the left.”
“Thanks.”
You walked into his room, immediately noticing the wooden door to the ensuite and closing the door after you. Facing the sink, you started to strip until you were left in your undergarments. You freshened yourself up with some water before finding a small towel in the cupboard under the sink and drying yourself with it. You pulled on the sweatpants and t-shirt, marveling at how soft and fluffy it felt after spending the entire day in uncomfortable sweaty clothes at the police station.
You shivered at the memory from the morning, remembering in detail how scared you were. I'm safe now, there's no need to worry, you thought.
Switching off the light and unlocking the door, you stepped out of the bathroom and headed to the living room.
Minho stood in the kitchen, rummaging through the fridge before pulling out some packaged meat.
At the sound of your footsteps, he turned around to face you, a ghost of a smile gracing his lips.
“You don't mind steak, do you?” he questioned, waving the box of finely cut sirloin in one hand.
“Sure, I'd love some. Is there any way I can help you?”
He pondered for a while before muttering sheepishly, “would you mind peeling the potatoes? I'm not very good at that and always manage to cut myself.”
You had to suppress the urge to laugh. This was so unexpected...and cute. You hated to admit it, but it made the whole situation a whole lot funnier.
“Of course. Where's the peeler?”
“In the drawer under the sink,” he pointed to the left of you.
You spent the next thirty minutes prepping for dinner, for the most part silently but Minho threw in some jokes here and there. You could see he was trying his best to ensure you are comfortable and you'd be lying if you said it didn't make your heart flutter at least a little bit.
“You know,” you suddenly spoke, “I'd never peg you to be the cooking type. You strike me more as the I'm-gonna-order-takeout kind of guy.”
“Well,” he chuckled, flipping the steaks in the pan, “You should know I make the best steaks from the whole department. Jisung and Hyunjin always beg me to make them some.”
“Okay sure. We'll see how good your steaks are.”
“You're on,” he laughed.
“Holy sh- you were right. It's delicious,” you groaned, the piece of meat practically melting in your mouth as you spoke.
“Tell me. Tell me your secrets!”
“It's not that hard, to be honest. I always add a grated pear, some soy sauce, ginger,” he started listing the many ingredients that he believed made up a good steak recipe.
You stopped listening to him midway, instead focusing on devouring the mouthwatering treat before it cooled down.
Shoving a potato down your throat, you finally spoke up about what was on your mind for quite some time now.
“I really want to thank you Minho. For helping me in the morning, for letting me stay here, and for being so accepting and kind. I'm not sure what I would have done without you.”
“Y/N,” he grabbed your hand, looking you in the eyes and drawing soft circles onto it, “it's fine, don't worry about it. Anyone would have done the same. Plus, it's nice to have some company for once,” he winked.
“Yeah, I guess it is.”
Tic tock.
The grandfather clock in the room kept ticking, something which you usually wouldn't mind but now was serving to fuel your anxiety.
You lay in Minho's bed, tossing and turning for god knows how long as you desperately wished to finally fall asleep, straight into the arms of slumber. Except you never did.
You rolled to the side, checking the time. It was one am. You could hear Minho softly snoring from the living room, remembering how he kindly offered for you to take the bed.
--Three hours ago--
“So. You're probably tired after everything that happened today. I'll go change the sheets so you can go to bed.”
“Wait, wait wait,” you stopped him, “where will you sleep?”
“On the couch. Duh.”
“Now this is where I say no. You don't have to change the sheets cause I'll be sleeping on the couch.”
“No, Y/N. Don't be difficult, I'll prepare the bed for you so you can get a good sleep, god knows you deserve it.”
“Minho,” you attempted to sound stern, “please. You've done so much for me already. I'll be fine with just a blanket and pillow.”
“Y/N,” he said warningly before he let out a sigh, his expression softening, “please just let me change the sheets. I really don't mind sleeping on the couch. And that's not negotiable,” he added with a sly smile.
You just stared at him, opening your mouth to retort something witty but closing it shut when nothing came out. Minho dove back into the room, pulling off the sheets and changing them for a pair of new ones, freshly from the wash.
You thanked him multiple times before brushing your teeth and heading straight to bed, You dove into the sheets, feeling like you would fall asleep in seconds, except you weren't able to succumb yourself to slumber. You kept rolling around, trying to find the comfiest position but no matter what you did, you couldn't fall asleep.
You really didn't want to bother Minho but like that, you weren't going to get any sleep. It seemed like you were still frightened from the incident, the bedroom right next to the living room suddenly feeling a little too lonely for your taste.
You threw your legs over the bed, slowly standing up and carefully walking to the door. It was dark, the only light coming from the moon from behind the blinds. With only the moon's glow to lighten your path, you wandered into the living room, immediately spotting a snoring Minho on the couch.
He looked so peaceful, a stark contrast to the professional cop™ you saw this morning. He was on his back, lips slightly parted and chest heaving up and down as he took deep breaths. You felt really bad for waking him up but you figured he'd be more pissed if he found out you hadn't gotten a wink of sleep.
You kneeled in front of him, softly grabbing his arms and shaking him. Your attempt at waking him was futile at first, so you decide to up your game by tickling the flesh of his neck lightly.
He visibly frowns, tossing for a bit before his eyes shoot open in surprise. You mirror his expression, not actually thinking this through so you just settle on blurting out the truth.
“I'mtooscaredtosleepalone. Can you come sleep next to me please?” you blurted, eyes closing in embarrassment as you looked at the floor.
But then Minho started laughing.
It was an (insanely attractive) raspy chortle and it made you look up at him.
“Seriously? Of course, I can come. Is it because of what happened or cause you're in a new place?”
“No, it's because of what happened. I usually don't have problems sleeping outside of home.”
He nodded in understanding, sluggishly standing up and giving you a hand, helping you up on your feet. The both of you walked to the bedroom where Minho collapsed on the bed pulling you down with him as you giggled.
He smiled in response, dragging the cover over you so you'd both be covered as he did something unexpected. He pulled you into a hug, wrapping his arms around your waist and resting his chin on the top of your head.
You had to suppress the squeal as you just lay there, feeling warm and safe in his embrace.
“Is this okay, Y/N?” he asked with a hint of concern, still making sure this was fine with you.
“Yes,” you squeaked, pressing yourself closer to his chest and inhaling his scent. Damn. He even smelled like boyfriend material.
“This is just so you don't feel afraid,” he muttered, more so trying to convince himself as you absentmindedly nodded.
Sleep came quickly while you were in his hold, finally feeling protected as you allowed your eyes to close, letting slumber pull you in. When he heard your soft snores and felt your heartbeat against his, Minho smiled, falling asleep soon after.
You awoke to the sunlight coming into the room through the blinds as you yawned and stretched your limbs. You noticed that Minho wasn't lying next to you, meaning that he already woke up. Blood rushed to your face at the memory of last night.
You slowly stepped into the kitchen spotting Minho right away. He was making breakfast, whistling a tune as he managed to further convince you he was boyfriend material™.
“Oh, good morning Y/N,” he chimed, flipping the pancake and returning to whistling the cute melody.
“G-good morning, Minho. You need any help?” you questioned, mentally slapping yourself for the stutter. If Minho could act like nothing happened, so could you.
“If you could take out some berries and whipped cream from the fridge, it would be great,” he smiled, pouring more batter on the pan.
“Sure.”
You rummaged through the fringe until you finally found a can of whipped cream and a small container with blueberries.
“Should I set the table?”
“That would be great. The plates are in the cupboard above the sink.”
“Thanks.”
You grabbed two plates and two forks, setting them on the table as Minho brought over a plate stacked up with his freshly made pancakes. You could feel your mouth salivating at the sight, they looked absolutely delicious.
Minho placed three pancakes each on your plates, topping them off with some whipped cream, a handful of blueberries, and a dazzle of maple syrup.
“I present you the Leeberry pancakes. A classic in the Lee family.”
“Leeberry? Seriously,” you chuckled.
“Well. I may have made that up right now,” he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck, making you laugh.
“Minho.”
“Yes?”
“Thanks. For everything. And I'm sure they'll be great,” you smiled.
“Your welcome. I sure hope you like them.”
After breakfast, Minho received a call from Chan. The detective said that Mr. Choi denied what you said and was going to challenge you in court.
When Minho told you that, you could feel yourself beginning to panic. Court? You'd have to speak in front of a judge? How would you even manage?
He must have noticed your panicked expression as he turned to face you and tried his best to calm you, explaining the situation as well.
“Look, there's nothing to be afraid of. That bastard's just making it worse for himself. I'm literally your witness and I'll testify for you. I'll even help you get a lawyer, ok?”
“Okay,” you whispered, your beating heart starting to calm at his reassuring words.
“How about we go to your apartment now? Chan will text me once he knows more info about the whole situation.”
The two of you arrived at your place. Minho parked the car on your street as both of you made your way to the building. You rang your landlord, hoping that he's at home right now but it seems like luck wasn't on your side.
You tried again. And again. But after the fifth time, Minho began to pull you away, suggesting you return tomorrow. You would've agreed if it wasn't for your phone and wallet still stuck at your place.
You were beginning to walk away, convincing yourself you'd come back the next day and everything would be fine but it still made you nervous to be this away from your phone for so long. Hell, you haven't even notified your boss about what happened so she must have thought that you just rainchecked her.
But then, Mrs. Kim, your lovely neighbor, rushed out of the front door.
“Oh, hello miss L/N.”
“Hello, Mrs. Kim. Would you mind opening the front door for me? I don't have my keys on me at the moment.”
“Of course, honey. Did something happen? I saw the police in front of your apartment yesterday,” she looked at you with concern.
“Yeah, Mr. Choi attacked me yesterday so that's why. But everything's alright now,” you quickly added at the sight of her worried face, “it's just that my keys are inside.”
After your reassurance, she waved you goodbye, looking Minho up from head to toe, as she got in her car.
You both walked up the stairs, stopping on the second floor where your landlord, Mr. Jeon lived. After ringing the doorbell multiple times and nobody answering, you decided to at least go up and see if your apartment was at least locked.
You could hear noises which surprised you. Your apartment was the only one on the fourth floor so why would anyone be there?
“Mr. Jeon?” you asked confused as to why your landlord was up there, standing in front of your apartment with a maintenance guide.
“Hello miss L/N. I tried to call you multiple times but you wouldn't answer. I heard from Mr. Kang today, that the police were here and that you were taken to the station so I used the spare key to get in and check on you. The heating system was shattered so I called someone to fix it.”
“Oh...yes. Right. It was Mr. Choi.”
Upon the frown he displayed, you elaborated, “he attacked me yesterday in my own apartment. Probably drunk. The police detained him already. That's why my place is a mess,” you pointed to the shattered plates all over the living room floor.
“Oh my god! That's horrible, are you okay?”
“Yes, it's fine. I just didn't have anything on me yesterday so I couldn't return. My purse is still inside,” you explained, before remembering that Minho was just standing there.
“By the way Mr. Jeon, this is Lee Minho, Minho - this is Mr. Jeon,” you tried to introduce them, wincing at how awkward it sounded as both men shook hands. But it seemed like Minho didn't mind, getting straight to business as usual.
“Mr. Jeon, you said something about the heating system being broken-”
You gasped, previously not registering that as your landlord gave you a look of pity.
“Pretty much. The control panel for your heater was completely destroyed so the heating doesn't work in your apartment.”
“Oh no! Can it be fixed?” you asked in a panic.
“Yes, but it will probably take up to two weeks for the heat to be running again. I suggest you stay somewhere else for the time being.”
“Okay, thank you. I'll book a hotel-”
“She's staying with me, don't worry. We're just here to retrieve her things,” Minho cut you off, sending you a glare when you opened your mouth to protest.
“That's wonderful. Thank you for taking care of her.”
You were in the car, Minho was driving you back to his place after you picked up all your necessities from your apartment. A part of him felt sad that he wouldn't see you walking around in his clothes but it couldn't be helped.
You had 17 unread messages and five missed calls, almost all of them from your boss. You bit back a scowl at the prospect of calling her but you knew it had to be done.
“Who is it,” he asked from behind the wheel, eyes straight ahead and focused on the road. You were glad he wasn't a reckless driver.
“Just my boss. I was supposed to have an interview for a promotion yesterday. She must be going nuts.”
You dialed her number waiting for her to pick up. When she answered, it was hell. She screamed at you for two minutes straight before she gave you some room to explain yourself. You recited the whole story to her, from back to front, only sparing the fact that you slept over at a cop's apartment. She finally reluctantly agreed to postpone the meeting by two weeks.
He parked the car in the familiar driveway of the apartment complex, leading you back inside. You rode the elevator to the fifth floor and Minho pulled out his keys to open the door.
The sight of unwashed dishes and slightly disheveled things welcomes you with an eerie familiarity, given you've only spent there one night so far. After pulling off your shoes, you disposed of the cloth bag with all of your necessities from your apartment and plop on the couch.
Minho laughed at your antics, joining you with the remote in hand.
“What do you want to watch?”
“Anything really, maybe a rom-com?”
“Sure.”
He scrolls through the Netflix recommendations before he lands himself on a rom-com where the main character's a cop.
“Well, that'll be funny.”
“Sure. You wouldn't believe how inaccurate these are,” he chuckled, pressing start.
The movie was really crappy, the sappy love scenes meddling with the attempted crime-centered ones. The worst part was definitely when the male lead, who was an officer was talking to the female lead.
“Arrest me, officer,” she whispered, looking at the man from under her long eyelashes.
You had to suppress a laugh at the cheesy scene, your joy multiplying after Minho grabbed the remote and paused the movie. He launched into a full-on explanation of why this scene wasn't realistic and how it would never happen.
“No cop would ever do that. He cannot legally use the handcuffs from the police for stuff like that.”
Taking a deep breath, you tried to calm yourself, taking a sip of water to wash down the salty aftertaste of microwaved popcorn. Minho was still voicing his opinion on the movie, making you fall into another fit of giggles which he promptly joined too.
After that, you both headed to bed, a mutual agreement between you that you sleep on the same bed but don't further discuss it. Although it was only two days that you knew him, you couldn't deny how your heart would beat in his presence or how safe you felt in his arms.
Six days later, you woke up to the day of the court hearing. You were stressed for the entire previous day, your mind refusing to let you sleep until you were in Minho's safe embrace. It was getting quite worrisome - the way you depended on Minho for everything, like getting a good night's sleep.
When he woke you up at seven am to give you enough time to prepare, mentally and physically, you started to panic, rambling about how you'd mess up or say something you shouldn't. Minho comforted you, he believed you could completely trust Seungmin to handle everything as he set the plate of scrambled eggs in front of you. He went to brew you a coffee, then placing it on the table and claiming you'd need all the caffeine you could get with a cheeky wink.
You dressed in a minimalist dress with a suit jacket, brushing your hair and tying it up in your typical updo. You figured your neck would get all sweaty if you kept it down.
Minho reemerged from the bathroom, sporting black slacks and a tucked-in white dress shirt. A thin chain adorned his neck and his slim fingers were home to a few silver rings.
Okay...he looked smokin hot.
You tried your best to not be obvious, quickly scarfing down the food to distract yourself. The hearing was scheduled to start at eleven AM but you were asked to come at ten so you could discuss some matters beforehand. You felt the sweat run down your neck, not liking the fact that you will have to talk in front of so many people, your hands nervously clutching both yours and Minho's subpoenas.
“All rise.”
You placed your hands against the table, pushing yourself up into a stance.
The judge went over the basic evidence of the incident before allowing the prosecution, aka Seungmin (and you), to present your story.
You were glad Minho told you to choose Seungmin. That boy had the memory of an elephant and could argue like a pro, constantly badgering the defense attorney of Mr. Choi.
He had just finished asking your neighbor, who was on the stand, about his alcohol tolerance and history of violent outbursts. The man turned red, turning into a stuttering mess and attempting to deny the accusations but Seungmin was unrelenting, not showing an ounce of mercy to the man.
You were then called on the stand. Making your way up, you were supposed to take the oath.
“I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”
Your voice, albeit still shaky, held determination as you looked into the audience, spotting Minho in one of the seats, sending you a quick thumbs up.
The defense attorney, Mrs. Kim, started to ask you questions. Ranging from why you left the door open to who was the first to come forward when you fought.
“Tell me miss Y/N… Why didn't you scream for help or call the police right away? You claim to only have wanted to escape but from what I'm hearing, you stayed behind to deliver some punches-”
You were about to seethe back your response to her ridiculous question but Seungmin was already taking care of it.
“Objection, Your Honor. Badgering of the witness.”
The judge pondered for a few seconds before spitting out, “sustained.”
Mrs. Kim had no choice, but to rephrase her questions and let go of her rude tone.
“Is it true that you didn't leave immediately upon seeing my client in your living room?”
You took a deep breath. “Yes. When I saw Mr. Choi standing behind me, I first tried to talk him out of whatever he was going to do but he was drunk and didn't listen to me. He started spatting some sexist remarks and he held in his hands one of my flower pots.
He seemed like he was about to throw it at me so I jumped him, pushing him on my dining table so he'd let go of the “weapon”. I wanted to flee as soon as possible but I knew he'd go after me if I just ran like that. He's obviously stronger than I am. I screamed for help many times, I guess nobody heard me though. While I was trying to think of what to do next, he came at me with a shard from the pot. That's when I decided to just take my chance and flee. I crashed into officer Lee and from there on, you already know the story.”
After your testimony, the defense had no more questions so you were free to sit back in your original spot next to Seungmin.
A few minutes passed, and Minho took the stand as a key witness. He took the oath, just like you, and proceeded to answer the defense’s questions.
“So, Mr. Lee, you were off duty when miss L/N ran out the door and asked you for help?”
“Yes, she almost fell over and started to hastily explain the situation, panic evident in her face.”
“Did she know you were a policeman? I mean… you want us to believe, that an off duty officer like yourself was just strolling around-”
“Objection! Argumentative,” Seungmin protested, cutting the attorney’s attempts short.
“Sustained.”
Minho answered a few more questions, even looking at you once or twice to give you a ghost of a smile as he patiently answered the attorney. After he was taken off the stand, the judge took less than fifteen minutes to come up with the verdict.
She hit the gravel multiple times, ordering you all to stand up before reading the verdict.
“The court hereby finds Choi Minhyuk guilty of assaulting a civilian as well as an officer. He will be further trialed to determine the extent of his punishment.”
As to not look unprofessional, you withheld the urge to squeal and throw yourself on Seungmin, settling on shaking his hand and thanking him profusely.
When you stepped out of the courtroom, Minho greeted you with a smile and a featherlight kiss on the forehead, congratulating you on the win.
“We should go get something to eat. You must be hungry,” he dragged you through the crowd of people, heading towards the underground parking lot.
“Yeah, I’m starving. I'd eat a shoe,” you mumbled, and as if on cue, your stomach grumbled, setting Minho into a spree of giggles.
He opened the door of the car for you, like a true gentleman, and closed it behind you before stepping to the other side and slipping in.
You quietly sat there for a while, pondering on what would happen to you guys now after the hearing was over. He wasn't morally obliged to do anything for you anymore, the heating system in your apartment being finally fixed today. You'd probably return to your empty apartment tonight and resume your lonely life.
It seemed like something wayed on Minho's mind too, as he didn't start the engine right away. Instead, he turned to face you and grabbed your soft palm in his before asking the question that had lingered on his mind all day.
“Y/N, I know that now, after the hearing is over and your heater is fixed, we technically have no reason to see each other...but I was wondering if you'd mind,” he took a deep breath, doubting his decision to ask you for a moment but deciding that it was too late to go back on it, “if you'd go on a date with me. For the past week, you've shown me how to enjoy myself and frankly, I really enjoyed your company. I'd love to get to know you better but if you don't wan-”
You cut him off by pressing your lips to his, mending them into a chaste kiss. Minho was surprised, but after a few seconds, he didn't hesitate to kiss back, placing his one hand on your waist in an attempt to pull you closer, and the second one going straight to your face, stroking the apple of your cheek.
The awkward angle proved to be a bit of a bother, as the two of you slowly parted after staying in such an uncomfortable position for so long. But If you had the choice, you'd still kiss Minho every time.
When your lips met, it felt like you were on cloud nine and you could have sworn you saw his eyes sparkle like they held entire galaxies in his orbs.
“Soo...I guess that's a yes?”
“Of course it is you doofus. I'd want nothing more than to go on a date with you,” you whispered with adoration.
Finally, it felt like you found the missing puzzle piece in your life. The unpredictable spark that gave your something to look forward to every day. Or rather someone.
© February 2021 by crispy-chan — all rights reserved. do not modify, copy, repost, translate or claim as your own.
a/n: oh lord. this was so much fun to write. i hope you enjoyed it, let me know what you thought and have a great day/night 💞
✿ STRAY KIDS MASTERLIST
✎ - ongoing ✓ - completed ↳ - sequel
♡ - fluff ♤ - angst ♢ - action ♧ - fantasy
f/s/e2l - friends/strangers/enemies to lovers
✎﹏ot8/mini mlists
a fairytale that lasts m.list ♡♤♢♧ | ✎ → ot8 prince!au, fairytale!au (coming soon)
— ❛❛ In which you embark on eight different journeys set in eight different fairytales with eight different princes. ❜❜
stray kids as brooklyn 99 quotes
reaction to you being scared of heights
how would stray kids tickle you
stray kids as jobs they’d be doing if they weren’t in a band
✎﹏ bang chan
✿ SERIES —
maze of memories ♤♢ | ✓ → hunger games, career!chan; ft. felix︙76.9k
— in which you try to survive the games with your district partner felix, but you catch the attention of the career from district two.
christmas evel: the heist ♡♢ | ✓ → heist!au, dystopian!au, humor, ft. ot8︙19.5k
— you’ve always had a strange affinity for the outlawed holiday. your boyfriend never understood your dangerous fascination with something so incredibly illegal. now, when you’ve decided to hold a christmas party that could very likely get you killed, will he and his friends help you? successfully pulling off this insanely risky heist will mean you get to host the party of the century. but if one thing goes wrong, the government will come for you all…
(part of the hoi ficmas event)
✿ ONESHOTS —
misjudged ♡♤♧ → red riding hood au/retelling ︙ 7k
— when you try to figure out the reason why the boy was shunned, many secrets from the past are revealed. it all seems to be rooted back to the fateful day, almost a decade ago, when his mother saved a young man's life.
arcade. ♡♢ → gang!au, highschool!au︙ 6.9k
— he loved you...ever since you two were little kids. but he learned that loving you is a losing game
yellow wood ♡♤♢ → the darkest minds!au, runaway!au, dystopian, superpowers ︙ 29k
— after a horrible disease had spread across the world, killing most children, the ones that survived were left with special powers. not long after, the government began rounding up all of the remaining children, sending them to camps in hopes of “treating” them. but you all know the truth… they were never worried about the kids that might die. they were afraid of you - the ones who lived…
✿ DRABBLES —
forget ♤︙ 0.5k
✎﹏lee minho
✿ ONESHOTS —
clandestine ♡♢ → cop!au ︙8.3k
— where despite the odds, you end up sleeping over at the house of an officer, who offered you shelter.
a song of ice and fire ♡♤♢♧ → royalty!au, arranged marriage!au, historical romance, drama, love triangle, ft.guard!jisung︙35k
— when you agreed to marry the prince of the crimson clan in order to sign a peace treaty, it feels like your entire life is crumbling down in front of your eyes. forced to move to another kingdom, you’re afraid of being shackled in a loveless marriage. minho’s reputation precedes him, and the stories you’ve heard aren’t exactly great. yet the seemingly perfect kingdom has many secrets, along with a dark history that goes beyond anything you would’ve imagined…
✎﹏seo changbin
✿ ONESHOTS —
in another lifetime ♡♤ → coffee shop!au, reincarnation!au, greek gods!au, bad boy!au, s2l, f2l︙ 21.7k
— after a painful breakup with your ex, you find yourself spiralling into an abyss of self-doubt. but when changbin, a new (and insanely attractive) customer starts frequenting your cafe, you realize that there's more to life than what you previously thought. there's an air of familiarity around him, and you feel this unexplainable pull towards him—almost as if the two of you were meant to be from the start...
✿ DRABBLES —
starless: xr - 0325 ♡︙0.6k
✎﹏hwang hyunjin
✿ ONESHOTS —
neverending story ♡♤ → high school!au, memory erasure!au, s2f2l ︙23k
— while your memories are erased at the end of each year, hyunjin won't let it stop you from experiencing love.
✎﹏han jisung
✿ ONESHOTS —
a story rewritten ♡♤♢ → ft. hyunjin, high school!au, zombie apocalypse!au︙6.7k
— if waking up in an entirely new world where you can't see anyone's face isn't bad enough, hyunjin—the only person whose face isn't blurred in this twisted world—turning into a zombie surely is.
awaken ♤♡ → ghost!au, college!au, mystery︙14.5k
— ten days ago, you heard someone knocking on your apartment window. seven days ago, you saw a bloody fingerprint on your table. today, you found a stranger lying on your couch. wait a second, is that blood on his hands?!
heat waves ♡ → established relationship!au, suggestive︙1.8k
— jisung's favorite past time is kissing you.
happier ♡♤ → college!au, comfort, romance︙20k
— after volunteering to become a subject for jisung's psychology final, you assume your monotonous life will simply go on. but suddenly, there's a lot more drama in your life and you feel yourself plummeting. but there's hope - especially when jisung vows to change that, taking you on fun 'dates' in order to restore your faith in happiness and show you why life is truly worth living.
✿ ONESHOTS —
slip n slide ♡ val. day︙1k
✎﹏lee felix
✿ ONESHOTS —
felix navidad ♡ → royal!au, baker!au, s2l; prince!felix︙5k
— when the crown prince asks you, a lowly baker, to help him win the annual baking competition, you can't resist the sweet deal he proposes. during the course of 14 days, lee felix learns that there are as many ways to mix batter as there are ways to fall in love with you.
✿ DRABBLES —
happy skrrrtday ♡ bday blurb┆0.8k
✎﹏kim seungmin
✿ ONESHOTS —
astronaut ♤ ♡ → astronaut!seungmin, high school!au︙6.3k
— in which your genius childhood best friend chooses space over you.
↳ serendipitous [ alternate ending ] 2.6k
✎﹏yang jeongin
✿ ONESHOTS —
pushover ♡ → f2l, high school!au︙13.4k
— despite everyone and their mother knowing that you and jeongin have a thing for each other, it will take a lot for you both to realize that.
burning sunflower ♡♤ → hanahaki!au, high school!au︙6.8k
— watching him play soccer did many things to you, and falling in love may just be one of them.
✿ bts masterlist ︙ navigation
© crispy-chan — all rights reserved. Do not copy, repost, translate, or claim as your own.
This is the only tumblr account I write on, so if you see my work elsewhere, please let me know !
disclaimer: everything here is purely fictional and written for the purpose of entertainment. It does in no way shape or form reflect on the idols or their personalities and beliefs.
Maze of Memories ch.1 | bang chan x reader (hunger games au)
➳ pairing: bang chan x f.reader (ft. felix)
➳ genre: hunger games au, action, fluff if you squint, angst
➳ warnings: infatuation, major and minor character death (in future chapters), angst, cursing
➳ summary: you're the unlucky reaped female tribute from district 9 with no fighting skills whatsoever. all you want is to enjoy your last few days of life before perishing in the arena, but you somehow manage to catch the eye of the volunteer from district 2…
➳ word count: 5.5k
➳ a/n: hello, welcome to my new series. I've been brainstorming for this during the weekend and finally managed to start writing the chapter today after online class. Please excuse any mistakes since I wrote and edited this all today. Constructive criticism is highly appreciated. Feel free to hmu about any questions or comments. Hope you enjoy <3
ps: listen to maze of memories (I got the inspo from this song)
⇦ previous | next ⇨ | masterlist | series mlist
***
"District 9 is Panem's bread bowl, giving us the fertile harvest we need to keep rising as a nation. Its amber waves of grain are an inspiration to us all."
***
You sighed groggily as you threw your feet over your bed. It was past eight o'clock, way too early to be awake in your opinion. But it seems like the opinion of some peasant from a poorer district was never exactly important to the Capitol. Why else would they continue holding such a dreadful event like the Hunger Games. You could hear your parents prepping in the kitchen, your mom had definitely managed to pick a dress for you to wear today…
And you were right. It was a beautiful red sundress with a gold accent at the hem. It was actually too beautiful, in your opinion, for this horrid event you had to take part in. You carefully slipped it on and twirled in front of the mirror. Oh, how you wish you could wear it on a different occasion. You seriously doubted you could ever look at it again, let alone voluntarily put it on after the reaping.
You didn't however expect it to be the last time you'd be even stepping in your house.
You ate the soft steaming bun with butter for breakfast and bid your parents goodbye since they weren't even permitted in the same area during the reaping. Stepping out of the house, you joined the crowd of kids agonizingly walking to what could eventually become their death sentence.
Although you had already done this five times, it still didn't manage to ease your nerves. The only thing keeping you afloat every year was the prospect of getting closer to adulthood and thus escaping this terrifying period of life.
You begrudgingly quickened your pace, hoping to catch up with the mob of equally frightened teenagers but failed to notice the boy turning from around the corner without an apparent care in the world.
“Shit, sorry,” you rubbed your head as you slowly gazed up and met his eyes. “No worries,” he muttered, more so to himself, “I wasn't exactly looking where I was going.” His voice held a velvety deep quality, making you shudder in your spot. You would have never expected it from a boy with such a youthful face. He flashed you a soft smile, which made you notice the beautiful freckles littered across his face. He was truly breathtaking.
“Ehm, we should probably go, don't want to be late…”
You were broken from your trance and immediately nodded, hoping not to further embarrass yourself. You could feel your face heating up as the boy merely chuckled.
“Let's go,” you stammered, hoping to preserve at least a bit of your dignity.
The both of you briskly walked to the main square, where the event took place every year. You reached the spot from where only the same gender could continue so you bid each other goodbye.
“Good luck,” he murmured, holding your hand in his. You couldn't manage anything else than a simple “you too,” before you guys were forcefully separated by the peacekeepers. You stole a last glance at him, as he disappeared in the sea of other teenage boys.
You let them push you into the hoard of girls, blending in with the rest of them. In retrospect, you were nothing to them - they didn't care about the hardworking people of this district. They only cared about the fat paycheck they would receive at the end of every month for cooperating with the Capitol and blatantly ignoring human rights. You were absolutely disgusted by these people but knew better than to disobey them. You really didn't want to get publicly whipped by some lame-ass cowards who hid behind white suits that resembled plastic armor.
Just as the town clock struck twelve, the mayor of the district stepped up onto the podium and began his speech. He went through the history of Panem, the country that rose up from the ashes, and reminded everybody (not that anyone has forgotten) the reason why the games are held every year.
If it wasn't for lives being at stake, you would be bored out of your mind. You've already heard this speech multiple times and could probably say it in your sleep if required.
You snorted at the apparent giddiness of the mayor. It's not like he had to worry about his child. The boy turned eighteen last year and was free from this godforsaken curse. The chances of anyone wealthy being chosen were very slim too. The poorer families had their kids’ names in the big glass ball as many as thirty times, the tesserae consisting of a small supply of grain and oil being enough to tempt them and make their kids risk their necks.
After the lengthy speech, the Capitol provided escort (you recalled her name to be something along the lines of Flaverie, or was it Flamiere?) hopped up on stage and excitedly shouted: “Happy Hunger Games.”
As if this was some sort of holiday. Although you wouldn't put it past her to think like that - these Capitol airheads seemed to think the Hunger Games were a reason to celebrate. If only they lived in someone else's shoes for the reaping. Then they would understand the terror of this whole ordeal and maybe at least sympathize with the families affected instead of telling them that it's an honor to compete and they should be proud to watch their children being slaughtered for the entertainment of the rich.
She slowly dipped her hand inside the bowl, loving the attention she received, and pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper.
“For the female tribute...” she unfolded the slip of paper at an agonizingly slow pace and read the name, almost enjoying the way everybody hung on her lips, “we have the lovely Y/n L/n, can we get an applause please.”
Your blood ran cold the moment you heard your name roll off her tongue. It felt like you were under hypnosis - you didn't even realize it but you were wordlessly walking up to the podium as everybody cleared the way for you, most likely relieved that they were spared this ticket to hell.
She gave you an awkward hug as she lifted your hand like you were some sort of hero and exclaimed loudly, “Y/n L/n, what a beautiful girl. Now I'm sure you're all excited for the male tribute accompanying her!”
You zoned out at her babbling as you roamed the square, trying to catch sight of your poor parents having to watch their only child being sentenced to death. Sure enough, you could see your mother weeping into the chest of your father, whose eyes were steadily watering.
You refocused your attention on the escort pulling out yet another slip of paper that would possibly fuck up another family.
“As for the male tribute,” she gushed as if this were a simple lottery, “we have Lee Felix.”
The name seemed somewhat familiar but you couldn't exactly pin it to a face. Your eyes flashed in recognition as the boy you ran into earlier today quietly walked up the steps.
The odds were definitely not in your favor today.
“Oh my, what a handsome young man,” she embraced him. “How old are you?”
“I'm turning eighteen in a few months,” he said gravely in that deep voice of his. Flaverie looked shocked for a moment before she quickly composed herself and smiled at the both of you.
“May the odds ever be in your favor,” she recited the infamous line and motioned at the peacekeepers to come and collect you.
You took the time to try and recompose yourself. It was a lot to take in obviously - the threat always loomed over your head but you never actually thought you'd be reaped. The possibility of having to kill was absolutely disgusting and you hoped you wouldn't have to resort to ending someone else’s life.
They shoved you and Felix each into a separate room where you waited for the couple minutes they would give you to bid your family farewell as the probability of one of you surviving was almost nonexistent. The careers almost always won, easily overpowering the malnourished children of the poorer districts. They also usually had the whole Capitol including the sponsors on their side.
You whipped your head up at the stomping you heard. Your mother and father ran into the room and practically tackled you as they pulled you into the possibly last hug you were gonna receive. You couldn't help but start weeping too, snuggling your face into the chest of your mother.
“I'm so sorry my baby,” she sobbed as she patted your head. Your father rubbing comforting circles on your back as tears rolled down his face.
“You have to promise us you will try your best to survive, ok?” she muttered.
“Forget about us and just focus on making it out,” your father declared but his voice horribly cracked at the end resulting in him bursting out in tears and joining the group hug.
After a few seconds of incoherent sobbing, the peacekeepers ripped you away from the comforting hold of your parents. You managed to whimper a goodbye before the doors slammed shut.
The last thing you were ever gonna tell them, you realized later.
As they say - no use crying over spilled milk. You weren't crying. You were practically wailing as you wiped your snotty nose into your sleeve.
I'm too young to die, you thought.
***
On the train, you met your mentor. He was a handsome man in his late twenties having won the games over a decade ago.
“I'm Min Yoongi,” he swiftly introduced himself. “I'll be your mentor for the games and I will walk you through the steps and try to ensure the victory of one of you.”
He had a lean build, maybe an inch taller than Felix, pale glowing skin, and a mop of silver unruly hair, probably dyed you noted. His nose was sharp and pointed, just like his jawline, and his catlike eyes contrasted with his ghostly skin. Overall he was quite good looking but you noticed how his eyes seemed lifeless. You almost snorted, of course they were lifeless. How could anybody in their right mind be all happy after going through the Hunger Games? He probably saw his district partner die, possibly even had to kill a few people himself to be standing here today.
***
“So tell me now, what are you guys capable of? Anything that could be useful in the arena?” Yoongi leaned further into the plush couch opposite to the one you and Felix were occupying.
He stared at the both of you, waiting to hear something he could work with and build a strategy.
“I'm a black belt in taekwondo and can use a knife,” Felix declared in that bottomless voice of his, “but I'm not that great with it, just some beginner stuff.”
Yoongi nodded in understanding before redirecting his intense gaze onto you.
“What about you Y/n?” he inquired.
“About that…” you muttered with a dejected sigh, “I'm not partially skilled in any fighting technique. I can probably recognize more plants than others and move quite fast since I don't exactly have much muscle mass,” you pointed to yourself, “but that's about it.”
“Not bad, not bad,” Yoongi said more so to himself and gave you something akin to a smile.
“I'd love to give you guys some time to get to know each other and relax but we're running out of it and every moment discussing and strategizing is crucial and could potentially save your ass in the arena.”
The both of you hummed in agreement and perked your ears, wanting to soak up anything your mentor could tell you. Unlike all the other people from your district, he had actually been through the Games and survived so if you were gonna listen to anyone, it would be him.
***
It was past dinner. The three of you had gone through many conversations from how to avoid the bloodbath to the importance of sponsorships. Yoongi couldn't stress enough, how the two of you should avoid the cornucopia.
“If you're swift enough, you can grab a small pack near you but don't you dare try to fight with the careers over the stuff. It's seriously not worth it.”
You could swear you saw pain flash in his eyes but it was gone before you could even think about it any further.
“After that, whether you managed to secure something or not...scram!”
You gulped and nodded along with Felix. You could tell Yoongi was really serious about this, maybe his district mate died during the initial bloodbath and he just wanted you guys to avoid that fate and not perish during the first minutes.
“Now, this will be completely up to you guys, but I’d definitely recommend you guys team up...at least for the first few days in the arena. You are obviously at a disadvantage here so teaming up could lower your chances of dying right away.”
He looked at the both of you, expecting some comments.
You nervously looked up from your spot in the armchair and stammered, “I would definitely not mind teaming up… but I'd understand if Felix wouldn't want to.”
Both you and Yoongi stared at the freckled boy, waiting for him to state his opinion on the matter. Hopefully, he wouldn't oppose it. The thought of teaming up with someone from your district would definitely provide some comfort to your already weak and deprived mind.
“I'd also be in favor of forming an alliance,” his deep voice rang through the compartment and you almost jumped with joy. You at least wouldn't be completely alone.
Yoongi smiled softly at the display. Although it pained him to know that one of you is most likely going to have to kill or watch someone else kill the other, these short-term alliances were a little confidence boost needed for the lonely kids who were here against their own will. It was nice to have someone watch their back during training and exchange skills and knowledge with. He hoped the enthusiasm would last you guys into the arena.
***
You knew you should be sleeping. You will need all the rest you can get for the upcoming days, but you just couldn't fall asleep. Many thoughts ran through your mind. Like how the hell were you even going to train with the other tributes? You were aware there were many younger ones, probably at a bigger disadvantage than you, but you couldn't help but worry.
Your biggest fear was definitely the careers. They were practically serial killers in-training trapped in teenager's bodies. You saw enough games to know that they mercilessly killed anyone who got in their way. Slaughtering children was definitely not a problem for them. You heard Flaverie chat with some staff about the volunteers of this year. A boy named Chris has definitely caught their attention as they gushed about him for twenty minutes straight.
“I heard everyone started screaming when he volunteered,” she screeched. “He is apparently the best fighter back in two. People are already betting on him to be the winner.”
The realization made you sick. Even your own escort was gushing about some career and she apparently thought he would emerge as the victor too. It's not like you expected to win the Games but it still felt like a stab in the heart. You quickly rushed to some unoccupied room where you could finally let go. You started sobbing, how was this fair? You never chose to be here. What did you do to deserve to be here? As far as you were concerned, you haven't done anything to warrant being slaughtered on live television.
Your crying was apparently not quiet enough as the door slowly creaked open. In the doorway stood a pajama-clad Felix. He looked over you curiously before taking brisk steps in your direction. Your eyes widened like diner plates and before you could say anything, he engulfed you in a warm hug. You were so shocked it momentarily stopped the waterfall of tears but after fully comprehending what he had done, a fresh wave of them rolled down your face.
“Shh, it's ok,” he murmured while rubbing soothing circles on the small of your back. It worked like a charm because after a few moments, your sobbing slowly subsided until you were only occasionally hiccuping.
When you finally stopped, you croaked out a weak ‘thank you’. Felix just smiled and sat down on the floor next to you. You sat for a while in the comforting silence before you managed to speak properly.
“I'm so sorry for that. This is so embarrassing - I completely understand if you don't want to be part-”
“Shhh. Who said that I don't want to be partners anymore? Don't worry, this is a completely normal reaction,” he comforted you.
“I think it would be best if we could support one another while we still can.”
You smiled at him softly. Being teammates with Felix was definitely one of the best things that could happen to you.
“I just heard that the district two volunteer already managed to knock off everyone's socks. They're already betting on him to be the winner.”
Felix nodded in understanding. “But that means he will definitely be a cocky bastard and will underestimate the rest of us,” he chuckled, pinching your still damp cheek.
“Ouch,” you laughed and swatted his hand away, finally feeling at ease. “I guess…”
You guys sat in a comfortable silence yet again, before you decided to confide in him, “you know what's the worst? The fact that I basically pity myself. I feel like we did nothing to deserve this. I haven't lived a full enough life… there are so many things I didn't get the chance to do,” you sighed angrily.
“What did you not get the chance to do?” Felix asked curiously with a raised brow.
“I really wanted to bake my parents a cake for their anniversary. And I've never been on a date,” you lamented, blushing at the last part.
“Seriously Y/n? We're possibly gonna die in a week and you are talking about never being on a date?” he chuckled, amused at your antics.
“Oh come on, I've never even been properly in love which is quite sad…I'm a romantic at heart, ok?”
Felix just burst out laughing and you managed to crack a small smile. This wasn't so bad after all. It was really nice to just let it all out and have someone comfort you. Felix was a really good person, you have deduced that much even after knowing him for barely twelve hours. If it counted for anything, you hoped he would end up winning - you knew he would help your family if they were in need.
***
The next morning, the both of you had woken up to the sun shining through the now drawn curtains. You yawned and looked around before you noticed what happened. You were laying on the carpeted floor next to Felix who was still asleep, softly snoring and a slightly amused Yoongi stood by the window. You blushed immediately at the compromising position you were in and were about to shake Felix and wake him but you didn't have to. A loud and cheery Flaverie burst through the door.
“Rise and shine my lovely tributes. Don't wanna be la-” she halted as she took in the scene in front of her. “Aaaah, how cute,” she beamed at you guys.
Felix was slowly coming to his senses, the drowsiness escaping him as soon as he realized what happened. Red stained his cheeks as the escort continued her rant about how adorable the two of you were.
“Right, get up you lovebugs,” Yoongi groaned, pulling the protesting woman out of the room and slamming the door shut.
You immediately looked away, utterly embarrassed at the whole situation.
“So, how did you sleep?” Felix teased except it came out as more of a rasp since his morning voice was even deeper than normal (imagine: wakey wakey). “Oh shut up,” you grumbled, still not looking at him.
“Turn around,” he whispered in your ear, sending shivers down your spine.
“Nope,” you argued but were cut short as Felix scooped you up bridal style and headed to the door with a smirk.
“What the fu-” you spluttered but couldn't even finish your sentence as you took in his appearance. His bedhead looked absolutely adorable and made you momentarily forget he was carrying you to the breakfast carriage where all the people were gathered.
After overcoming that little brainfart you had, you quickly jumped out of his arms. He pouted at that but didn't make an effort to grab you again. You got to the table and sat down, purposely avoiding the eyes of two certain people.
***
After breakfast, the three of you continued from where you left off the day before.
“Sponsorships,” Yoongi repeated for the n-th time. “It sounds stupid but it's basically your best chance at survival. If you want to be sent the stuff you need in dire times, you're going to have to work for it.”
You and Felix both nodded, recognizing the importance of getting the people on your side.
“You have to suck up to them, please them, and make yourself memorable. If the people will root for you, you will have done about half the work.”
During the session, Flaverie popped in every once in a while to order some poor Avox to refill your drinks and make sure you had everything needed. Thank god nobody mentioned the incident from the morning.
“During training, focus also on some survival skills. Go over the plants, how to make shelters and fires etc. And when it comes to battle, try out some hand-to-hand combat, that shouldn't be a problem for you Felix, and some basic knife skills. Don't bother with any other weapons - you are more likely to come across some sort of knife or blade than a sword or ax.”
You leaned further into the fluffy couch, hoping to hide in the overly cozy blanket and never come out. You were too busy pitying yourself and Felix, you almost forgot that you had to train amongst all those kids tomorrow, some of them being literal killing machines.
“I would also suggest not to reveal all your skills. Show them that you aren't completely worthless but don't try to draw attention to yourself.”
You had to stop the groan that almost came out of your mouth. What Yoongi said could apply to Felix but you on the other hand had nothing to offer. You bleakly pursed your lips into a thin line and tried to not think about the assessment. This was going to be a ride.
***
It was around noon that you guys arrived at the Capitol. The both of you gawked at the grandness (if that's even a proper word) of the city. You hated to admit it but the scenery was truly breathtaking. The beautiful mountains peaked from behind the skyscrapers and ran around the city, almost as if shielding it from the districts. You scoffed at that, the Capitol people being so prissy they had to have a barrier around them, likely not wanting to have anything to do with the poorer parts of the nation.
You could see people on the platform fighting to get in front to catch a glimpse of some of the tributes. You snorted, what a bunch of cunts. To your right, Felix waved to the frenzied crowd and flashed a smile.
“What the hell are you doing?” you poked him in the ribs. You would never take him to be the one sucking up to them.
“Who knows?” he shrugged. “One of them may be rich.”
You let out a boisterous laugh, mentally agreeing with him. If you wanted to make it, you would have to swallow your pride and humor them.
You departed the train to a loud cheer from the Capitol citizens and were ushered to a sleek black van. It was going to take you to the quarters. There you were gonna be prepped for the chariot ride which you ultimately dreaded.
***
“Come on Y/n, let me finish this,” one of your stylists, Hortencia or something, ripped off yet another wax strip on your calf. You let out a loud scream - it hurt like a bitch. You would have thought that they would have some fancy laser technology or something to remove the hair but that wasn't the case. They used many more of the strips until they managed to remove all the hair on your body other than your hair and eyebrows of course. After that, they hushed your still naked form into the bathtub full of bubbles and proceed to wash the entirety of your body (hair too) before drying you off and smearing you in some body lotion. By the end of it, you smelled like you were marinated in some flower-scented perfume. (botanical garden™)
They put you into a silk bathrobe and sat you down in front of a vanity with a monstrous mirror lined with small lights. Hortencia worked on your face, applying various creams and serums while Lavender tried to presentably manicure your hands.
“I swear to god, teenagers these days,” she complained, “you've basically got no nails.”
You were really pissed off but were too tired to argue with her. It wasn't your fault you feared for your life and bit off your nails on the train because of the stress.
After she managed to do your poor excuse of nails into a somewhat acceptable manicure, she got up to consult your outfit with the third stylist, Alphonse.
“Look, I talked to the stylists of the boy and we agreed to do a more land-inspired natural look. It will go well with the theme of the district,” he added, pointing to one of the dresses. After what seemed like ages, she finally agreed under the circumstance that she would get to do your hair.
They shimmied you into your simple, yet beautiful dress, arranged all the necessary accessories and put you in front of the full-body mirror.
You gasped at your own reflection, barely recognizing yourself. You were dressed in a beautiful lengthy dress with a loose beige bodice and an emerald green skirt. They had applied lightly accented makeup that made your eyes pop and curled your hair into supple waves that sat under an emerald green beret. At first, you weren't sure how this exactly represented your district but didn't find yourself minding. You slipped on the laced sandals that Alphonso handed you, feeling grateful you didn't have to wear heels.
This was definitely an upgrade you thought. You remembered how the previous tributes from your district were dressed. It was always something covered with grains or wheat stems as the stylists didn't exactly understand that the costumes didn't have to be literally the product of your districts. The whole outfit was pleasing to the eye, and you deduced that it still managed to hint at the production of grain which was the main source district nine offered to the Capitol.
After a few minutes, they pushed you out of the dressing room where a stoic Yoongi awaited. He looked at you from head to toe before nodding, a slight smile appearing on his face.
“You look good,” he nodded and you thanked him gratefully. It took a while but soon after, Felix appeared from the dressing room neighboring yours. You had to control yourself so you wouldn't stare, he looked ethereal.
They dyed his hair a shimmering silver and trimmed it into a minimalist mullet. His eyes shined, with deep green eyeshadow giving them more depth. He wore a pair of beige woolen flowy pants that resembled slacks (but had a more chill vibe to them) and had an oversized green silk button-down that was partially tucked inside his pants at the front. The top few buttons were left undone revealing some of his smooth creamy chest. He had a single hoop earring in one of his ears and wore a thin chain around his neck.
But it looked like you weren't the only one trying not to stare. Felix looked just as shocked as you, as he took your whole appearance in.
“Wow…you look really pretty,” he commented, looking away slightly embarrassed. “You don't look that bad yourself,” you teased.
That made you look at the brighter side of things. Practically speaking, there weren't many things to be excited about so you had to cherish every moment. It was nice to feel beautiful for once so you just tried to think about that.
Yoongi ushered the both of you towards your awaiting chariot. Felix extended his arm and you gladly entwined it with yours. “Let's go,” he motioned to the carriage. You silently followed him, the nerves already getting to you.
He hopped on first, grabbing you by your waist, and literally threw you onboard the chariot.
“Felix!” you whisper-shouted at him, “I can walk up some steps on my own, thank you very much.”
He just laughed in reply at your cute wannabe-angry stunt and linked your hands yet again.
When the chariot finally emerged, the both of you plastered your best smiles and waved at all the people cheering you on. Your mouth started to ache by the time you finally arrived at the podium where the president would have his speech.
Finally, you thought. Your eyes honestly ached from all those people with overly colorful hairstyles and eccentric mismatched clothing. The citizens of the Capitol were filthy rich, couldn't they afford some actually nice clothes? They just looked like a bunch of clowns to you.
You could hear the anthem roaring through the speakers, and battled plugging your ears. You were surprised you could still hear anything when the anthem subsided and president Snow took his place behind the stand.
“Welcome to the Capitol! In a mere four days, you will be in the arena, fulfilling the tradition that has been here for decades, and competing in the Hunger Games. Every year, a boy and girl from each district are chosen to represent their homeland in an honoring fight for victory. Let this be a reminder, that the Capitol rules over Panem with an iron fist and will not permit any rebellion. And as always, may the odds ever be in your favor!”
A cheerful applause could be heard as the people in the stands shouted in support. You felt your stomach clench. This was disgusting. How dare he say it was an honor to be here. How dare he say it was an honor for you children to kill or be killed by other children and broadcast it on national television.
During the speech, you felt eyes boring into you but you couldn't exactly pinpoint the owner of those eyes. You looked around frantically, the gaze making you uncomfortable when Felix nudged you slightly in the ribs.
“Look over there,” he discretely pointed in the direction of the other chariots, “see that one that looks like a warrior?”
You nodded intently, immediately spotting the handsome boy who looked like some sort of god of war. He wore cuffed pants with combat boots and a sleeveless top with a string detail at the front which was neatly tucked at his waist. Over that he had a simple black and silver harness that tightened around the material of his shirt and made the outline of his toned abdomen visible. His dark brown hair was messily styled into a parted updo, revealing his forehead and a fake scar down his eye. A furry coat was thrown over his shoulders, making you wonder how he wasn't sweating already, it was scorching hot. The holster around hi waist held a few sharp daggers.
“He has been staring at you for the last ten minutes,” he whispers. You cower in your spot behind your district mate, not liking that some career has already noticed you.
“I'm pretty sure he's from district two,” Felix mumbles in your ear, “the one voted most likely to win this year.”
A shiver ran down your spine.
Chris.
The tribute your escort couldn't get enough of. The one everybody was betting on this year.
And for some reason he was staring right at you, appreciatively glancing at you from head to toe like you were a piece of meat. This was exactly what you were trying to avoid, a career somehow separating you from the rest of the nameless tributes. This was, well...bizarre to say the least.
He smirked at your clearly flustered state, sending you a wink before finally turning around and facing the podium.
From next to you, Felix visibly frowned, not happy that one of the careers has pinpointed you among all the others.
This was going to be hard…
read chapter 2 >>
Maze of Memories ch.3 | bang chan x reader (hunger games au)
➳ pairing: career!bang chan x f.reader (ft. felix)
➳ genre: hunger games au, action, angst, fluff if you squint, romance
➳ warnings: violence, language, arguments
➳ summary:
you're the unlucky reaped female tribute from district 9 with no fighting skills whatsoever. all you want is to enjoy your last few days of life before perishing in the arena, but you somehow manage to catch the eye of the volunteer from district 2…
➳ word count: 7k
➳ a/n: hello, i'm sorry it took so long to update. interactions are welcome and appreciated, I'm a bit iffy about this chapter... but I hope you'll enjoy <3
ps: listen to Maze of Memories by Stray Kids
⇦ previous | next ⇨ | masterlist | series mlist
***
“Felix, I think we should stop this.”
Felix looked at you with pure hurt and shock written all over his face.
“You can't be serious Y/n?” he asked in disbelief. “I promise I'll listen to you from now on, I'm really sorry for reacting like that but please, don't break off this alliance.”
You avoided looking him in the eyes. Breaking off the alliance was basically shooting yourself in the foot but you thought this would be the best option. You wouldn't be slowing him down anymore and he could focus on becoming the sole winner of the games.
He looked at you one last time as if giving you a chance to retract your statement but you just continued to stubbornly look at the ground.
With a heavy sigh, he got up and walked away, leaving you to yourself in the empty hall. You couldn't help the fresh wave of tears cascading down your cheeks. You really were pathetic. You had to stop yourself from calling after your ex ally, this was better for him after all…
***
How did this even happen?
You were buddies just this morning. But that's not the case anymore. You almost forgot that you knew Felix for only three days. All the time spent with him felt like ages, you practically thought you had been friends for years…
How could you be so foolish? This is the Hunger Games you're talking about! Whatever the two of you had couldn't be an actual friendship, right? It was something that just happened on the basis of survival instincts.
This was never going to last anyway.
It would be better for you to forget about him as soon as possible. Although you felt terrible about breaking off the alliance you had, it was better that way, you tried to convince yourself. He could win that way and regain the honor of your district.
Other than Yoongi, there weren't any living victors from district nine. It was quite infamous for losing both its tributes during the initial bloodbaths. Felix, you thought, could finally change that. You really wanted him to win so your strategy from now on was to let him focus on himself. He was charming and you knew he could get some of the sponsors on his side to aid him in the game.
You also planned to avoid the careers at all costs. You didn't know why district two kept staring at you but after that conversation with him in the hallway, you knew you had to steer clear of him. Whatever his intentions were, they definitely weren't good and you didn't even want to imagine, what would he do if he crossed paths with you in a few days.
Although that was what you decided on, it still felt weird not talking to Felix. After your argument in the hall, you tried your best to compose yourself and wipe off any evidence of your breakdown. This was quite useless as almost everyone had seen you crying when you stormed off, but you figured looking at least a little bit less pathetic was in your best interest.
You returned to the training center, all eyes on you as you made your way to the weapons station. There were currently only two kids there, both the tributes from twelve and they were practicing their knife-throwing skills at the moment.
You could see Felix across the room at the shelter-making station. He didn't spare you a single glance.
Sighing, you slowly approached the instructor who was standing a few yards away.
“Umm, could you please show me the basics of using a knife? I've never done anything like that before…”
The young man smiled, politely pointing you in the direction of the targets and small knives.
“Do you mean wielding or throwing?”
“Well, I've never tried either so I guess what you think would be easier for a beginner like me,” you trailed off sheepishly, rubbing the back of your neck.
“Sure thing,” he grinned, “we should probably start with how to use it in close combat.”
He positioned you in the proper stance, legs wide apart, and propped your hands up. He opened your palm and slid the base of the knife inside, his larger hand enfulging yours and motioning to the targets.
“Look, you have to hold the knife properly, swing the knife like this and make sure to use the blade as a shield,” he turned around to look you in the eyes, trying to read if you were following him. After deciding that you were, he motioned to the rubber dummy, and with combined strength, he drove the blade down the torso, effectively cutting through where the heart would be.
You inwardly grimaced at the act. Even if it was just a dummy, you couldn't help but gag at the prospect of stabbing someone to death. Call it wishful thinking but you honestly hoped that you wouldn't have any blood on your hands.
***
The first day of training finally finished as you returned to your room absolutely devastated. Not only were you utterly exhausted but you now couldn't even talk with Felix as you normally would. Oh how you wished you could just talk on your bed like you did before, you'd give anything to hear his comforting voice again without the hostility it contained after you broke off the alliance.
Was it a mistake? You asked yourself, tears already threatening to spill. Why did you even break the alliance in the first place?
Right. Because you were scared. Scared that you'd have to face the possibility of turning on each other in the arena once the number of tributes went down. You were scared of what the arena would do to your starved and dehydrated body, scared that you would end up hurting him out of pure survival instinct. Or more likely, he could end up turning on you. The idea of sweet Felix possibly stabbing you in the back brought salty tears down your face. And the memory of him shouting at you earlier today didn't help at all.
You were fully aware he yelled at you in hopes of teaching you something. He was on edge, just like everybody else and you couldn't blame him but it scared you nonetheless.
No, you thought. Stop thinking like that. The alliance was off and now you were on your own. It didn't even matter, you'll be dead in a few days anyways…
“I'm just slowing him down...Like this, he c-can focus o-on w-winning,” you let the sobs rack through your throat.
“I-I, I wish I c-could have a l-least said t-thank you,” you whimpered, curling yourself into the covers. “He did so much f-for me, I wish I could h-have done t-the same”
Unbeknownst to you, Yoongi was just passing by in the hallway… he wanted to talk to you about the new strategy you were going to have to follow, but decided that he should give you some space.
***
The next day of training, you woke up early. It's not like you could get much sleep last night with all those thoughts running through your head. You groaned, slumping down your bed and walking towards the bathroom to freshen up.
After you returned to the room, you noticed your training uniform neatly folded on the bed.
“Huh? Did they bring it in just now?” you mumbled, picking up the article of clothing.
At least it looked bigger than yesterday. Maybe it was just a mistake and they fixed it…
***
Since it was your second day, there was no need for the introductory speech and you were all free to train. A lot of thoughts consumed you, like how the hell were you supposed to even make a plan? What was your strategy?
You didn't have a clue on what you were going to do, just like what you told Yoongi yesterday when he came to your room.
Felix probably told him, you thought. Your mentor came in last night after dinner and asked about the situation. You explained to him how you thought it would have been better like this, how Felix could at least stand a chance, it seemed like the others already viewed him as a worthy contender so he should most definitely make use of it.
“If you say so,” was all Yoongi told you yesterday, after leaving you alone in your room to drown in your thoughts.
You slapped your cheeks in hopes of regaining some focus, you couldn't be distracted like that all day. Looking around, you could see all the tributes already training. You avoided the weapons station where all the careers were and the edible plants’ station where Felix was, attempting to memorize different plants along with the kids from district twelve. You could see he probably hadn't had much luck by the frustrated sighs he let out and by how his shoulders would slump every once in a while.
“Why are you so down dearie?” a melodic voice called out to you, handing out their hand for a handshake.
You just stood there stupidly, staring at the extended hand, completely at loss of words. After about twenty seconds of pure embarrassment, you pulled yourself together and reached out too, resulting in a firm handshake with the mysterious girl.
“I'm Hwasa from district eleven,” she swiftly introduced herself, a smile resting on her prominent features.
“H-Hi, I'm Y/n from nine,” you mumbled, still not sure what to say.
“You must be wondering why I'm here,” she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, “You see, my district mate isn't exactly the talking type and you seemed to be quite fun around, and since the boy from your district isn't with you anym-...oh,” recognition seemed to flash in her eyes, as she just awkwardly looked at you.
“Sorry, I didn't re-”
“It's ok,” you cut her off, trying your best to muster a hopefully realistic-looking smile. It was refreshing to have someone to talk to, you didn't realize it before but just a simple conversation with someone made you feel so much better.
“Felix and I had a bit of an argument,”
“—yeah, that was quite the scene… oh sorry, please continue.”
You pieced together the reminiscent of your smile and briskly continued, “And long story short, I broke off the alliance because I'd be just dead weight to him and I think he has a shot at winning.”
She looked at you for a minute, trying to comprehend what you just told her but confusion was evident on her face.
“So you’re trying to say that you broke it off with lover boy because you want him to win?”
“Well yeah, I'm not even sure why we made an alliance in the first place, I kind of felt like I was using him with how much he helped me. I'd regret it if he ended up dying just because he was busy helping me with everything,” you let out, releasing the breath you've been holding for a while now. It felt nice to vent for a while.
“Wow. I...I don’t have any words-”
“It's ok. Do you want to maybe train together?” you carefully asked, not sure if she was interested. For all you know, she could be just scoping out information but at this point, you didn't even care anymore.
***
You and Hwasa continued to train together for the rest of the morning until it was lunchtime. You didn't even realize it, but your stomach was already growling from all the practice you had today. The both of you walked up to the peacekeeper with the plastic box containing wrapped sandwiches, apples, and a bottle of water.
“Man, you'd think the Capitol would offer better lunches,” she groaned, unwrapping the sandwich with evident distaste.
“They obviously have the money, and by looking at the breakfasts and dinners we have, they have the skills too...why can't they just let us eat morning leftovers or something? It'd be way better than this, whatever this even is.”
You silently chuckled at her banter. You still weren't sure what was going on between you guys but you were glad that she agreed to be with you today. She was very easygoing and fun to hang around. You two practically joked the whole time, talking about anything that came to mind, ranging from (slightly) badmouthing the Capitol people, to talking about your districts.
At first, you thought the mention of your home would bring back tears but surprisingly, you found yourself smiling fondly at all the pleasant memories you had.
“Wait, so you two only knew each other for a few days?” she asked, shock written all over her beautiful face.
“Yeah,” you chuckled lightly, “we bumped into each other on the day of the reaping.”
“No waayy, we all thought you guys were lovers or something.”
“Wait what? And we?”
“Well duh, it was quite obvious he liked you, we all saw how he would look at you.”
You blushed at her statement, thinking back to your interactions with the boy. Did he really? No! Of course he didn't. He just had a pure heart, there was no way he liked you…
“Nah man, Felix's just really nice,”
“Sure thing, if that's what you say,” she snickered.
From the corner of your eye, you could see him staring at you yet again. You felt chills run down your spine as you hastily looked back at Hwasa.
“Tell me Y/n,” she pierced you with her strong gaze, “why the hell is two looking at you like that?”
“Um, l-like what?” you asked nervously, feeling the beads of sweat go down your forehead, “he's not looking at me, don't be ridiculous.”
She looked at you again, that intensive scrutiny still present. She must have realized that whatever was going on, you weren't prepared to answer because she didn't ask any further.
***
The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, you spent the afternoon training with Hwasa (who would have thought) and then just scurried back to your room. You headed towards the shower first and tried to mentally go through your day, recalling everything that happened.
You had a lot of fun with her, she talked a lot about her home district with nothing but fondness in her tone.
-
“Don't tell this to anyone but our district is one of the most rebellious ones, we're really poor so we have a lot of attempts of uprisings and rebellions. Sadly, it's nothing compared to all the weaponry of the Capitol and the peacekeepers but we aren't afraid to stand up for what we believe.”
-
You could clearly remember the passion in her eyes when she hushedly whispered that to you a mere two hours ago.
It was no secret that district eleven was a rebellious one. Everybody remembered the iconic three-finger salute they did to Katniss when she was on her victory tour. The people were honest and simple, showing their appreciation for what she did and how she treated Rue with the respect that she deserved.
Although district nine was a little better off than eleven, it still was poor and suffered from many food shortages. You could say that it was balancing on a thin line of people being unhappy but still having the bare minimum to survive and therefore trying not to involve themselves with the Capitol and its peacekeepers.
You sighed, happy that you could wash away all the grime and sweat from the day. You didn't exactly look forward to dinner with Felix, Yoongi, and Flaverie but you figured you couldn't avoid them forever. Plus, you guys had to talk strategy, the alliance was broken off so Yoongs had to come up with an entirely new plan.
***
“So...as much as it pains me, we have to address the elephant in the room. What now?”
Both you and Felix tried your best to evade his gaze and instead focused on looking at your plates. You still haven't talked since the whole hallway incident and things were painfully awkward, almost hostile between the two of you.
“It seems like you guys are dead set on going solo so I'm not gonna bother trying to change your mind, ok? But we have to agree on a strategy or you're both gonna die.”
You gulped and expectantly looked up at him, Felix seemingly doing the same as your mentor gave an appreciative hum.
“Finally. You two are so damn immature. We have to talk about the evaluations. Try your best to show something for yourselves but don't uncover everything, alright?”
“It's not like I have anything to show for myself,” you mumbled quietly, not realizing you said that out loud.
Felix looked visibly pissed as he grumbled, “you don't always have to play the victim Y/n.”
Hurt and shock were written all over your face as you gasped in disbelief. You decided that you weren't going to give him the satisfaction of an answer so you just closed your mouth and continued to glare at the cut-up steak in front of you. You weren't sure how could his demeanor change so drastically, it was less than two days ago that you were crying in his embrace as he comforted you.
“Easy for you to say, you actually have a shot at this.”
He just ignored you and that’s when Yoongi had enough.
“Shut up!”
The two of you snapped your heads up, slightly surprised at the sudden outburst of your usually calm mentor.
“I'll tell you the strategy and you two will zap and listen.”
You silently nodded.
“During the interviews, be mindful of what you say,” he paced around the table, authoritativeness already heard in his tone.
“The Flickermanns have a special gift of extracting information from you and putting words in your mouth.”
He suddenly stopped, turning around to face the both of you as if trying to implore you to further listen.
“And whatever happens, don't you dare try to badmouth the careers or any Capitol people.”
***
You got up from your seat, exhaustion slowly seeping into your bones as you made your way to the door. The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife.
“Felix,” Yoongi motioned to your district mate, “stay behind, I'd like to have a word with you.”
Said boy didn't look too excited but stopped midway nonetheless, leaving you to walk away. As much as you wanted to listen to their conversation, your pride wouldn't allow you to eavesdrop.
As soon as the door shut behind you, Yoongi looked at Felix, hoping to get the boy to spill.
“Soo, what did you want to tell me?” he asked nervously, not liking where this was going.
“I wanted to ask you what's the deal between the two of you...one day you're all lovey-dovey and the next you won't even look at each other.”
“Well,” he folded his arms over his chest, “she broke the alliance off, and I saw her talking to pretty boy from two.”
Yoongi ran his hand through his locks, seemingly contemplating his choices before he whispered to him in a hushed tone, “whatever you think she did...just know that she was crying last night in her room?”
“What?”
“Like downright sobbing. Something about how she wishes she could thank you and repay you and how she's like dead weight to you...I don't really know but whatever you think she's plotting - it seems like she wants you to be the winner.”
Felix just stood with his mouth open, not sure if this whole thing was even real. He desperately wanted for you guys to go back to how things were but it almost seemed like you were betraying him yesterday. He thought that you got together with Chris or something, he wasn't even sure of anything now. He was so mean to you and you just wanted him to focus on himself?
Whatever it was, he had to get to the bottom of this. Maybe there still was a chance for you two to stick together the day after tomorrow.
“Ok, I'll go try to talk to her,” he blurted to the mentor, scrambling to get his thoughts straight and run after you.
“I trust that you'll figure something out, Felix.”
***
He ran through the empty hallway, scurrying to find your room. He was desperate to fix this whole misunderstanding so he inhaled deeply before pushing himself to run even faster. After finally reaching your door, he extended his hand to knock but something prevented him
***
You were rolling around in bed, trying to make everything stop. Trying to forget. You couldn't do this anymore! How could the people be so cruel? You've seen many instances of kids way younger than you competing but you would be damned if you thought that your teenage years were enough of a life. You didn't live your life to the fullest and you sure fucking regretted it now. There were so many things you wanted to do but never got the chance to (as you blurted out to Felix a mere two days ago).
I'm too young to die…
There it was, you finally said it: you were simply too young to have to face this. And not only you but all the twenty-four kids every year that were forced to participate in this shit-show. Of course, other than the careers that volunteered, you thought bitterly.
At this point, you didn't even know why, but you were crying...crying and crying and the tears just didn't seem to stop.
It's not like anyone would hear you, you told yourself.
You were crying so loud, that you didn't seem to hear the frantic knocking on your door, which after a few seconds stopped anyways…
***
You tried not to think about last night as you woke up with a groan. You didn't exactly get a good night’s sleep with all these thoughts running through your mind but hey, it's not like anyone cared. They were all just gonna prep you in the afternoon, get you all pretty for the interview where all the pretentious Capitol folks will enjoy watching you squirm in your seat, fearing for your life and vote for who they think will win.
Pulling on your training clothes, almost mechanically at this point, you head to the bathroom to brush your teeth and freshen up before making your way to the breakfast table.
The halls are dimmed and empty, giving off this creepy vibe. Everything seems so clean and polished here, it almost seemed like a hospital.
Or maybe a psychiatric ward, you thought bitterly.
Granted, it's not like there were many hospitals back in district nine. There was actually only one, the district clinic and it was definitely in need of a proper reconstruction. You've been there only once when you were nine. You had a bad case of the flu, your fever steadily rising and your parents decided that it would be best to go there. You remember there was this one kind nurse that sneaked you in some food when you were recovering and your weak body was in need of some nutrients.
The next day, you saw her on the main square being publicly whipped by one of the peacekeepers. You could see the pain and humiliation in her eyes when she caught your gaze. She gave you a tight-lipped smile before moaning in pain as another swift hit was delivered to her bare back.
You never knew if she was punished because of what she did to you but from that day onward, you didn't want to be the cause of anyone's pain. You didn't want anybody to go down because they helped you…
***
You entered the dining room with a tired look in your eyes, one that Felix and Yoongi noticed right away. Your stupid escort though of course didn't notice as she hopped up excitedly, already talking about how she was excited about the interviews.
With that much energy and enthusiasm, you at times wondered, if she was high or something.
“Y/n, here. Have some of the matcha latte, I think you'll like it,” she smiled kindly, offering you the glass filled with the peculiar green liquid.
Oh.
That was actually really sweet of her, she must have remembered you didn't get to try it yesterday.
Your expression mirrored hers as you gladly took the cup from her.
“Thanks.”
On the opposite side of the table, Felix was smiling contently at the fond exchange between the two of you. He had a late-night talk with the escort when she found him crying in the hallway and she was really kind. Who would have thought that beneath all the fakeness of a Capitol citizen could lay an actually genuine person?
All four of you continued your lunch in peace as there was no need to talk, all the tactics for the evaluation and interview being discussed the day before.
After that, both you and Felix walked briskly to the elevator without exchanging a single glance. Even though you guys weren't on speaking terms for quite a while, something felt slightly different. You weren't sure if you were imagining this but it almost seemed like Felix was trying to make eye contact, the nervous way he bit his lip making you wonder if he wanted to say something.
Your thoughts were disrupted as the elevator let out a low ding and the doors opened. You walked into the training center and to your surprise noticed, that some of the careers were already there. The ones from district two to be exact.
You smiled as you saw Hwasa and slowly walked up to her. The two of you had so much fun so you were wondering if you could go ask her to train together just like yesterday. You patted the girl on her shoulder before flashing her a closed eye smile.
“Hey, do you want to train together?”
She looked at you with a fear-stricken face before hurriedly turning around and walking in the opposite direction - away from you. To say you were confused would be an understatement. You had no clue as to why she chose to avoid you. Did you do something wrong?
You tried to recall any events where you could have possibly hurt her feelings but found none. You also noticed something weird, she looked absolutely frightened when you approached her which confused you. You weren't exactly the epitome of scary, more like confused idiot, you bitterly thought.
You could feel a burning gaze on you from the other side of the training center, around the weight lifting stand. You slowly turned around, already dreading to see the person that was looking at you like that. Unsurprisingly, you could see Chris nonchalantly standing with his arms crossed (and biceps on display) as he looked straight at you, a smirk curling at his lips.
You were flabbergasted until you noticed his knowing smirk...almost as if he knew something you didn't…
Of course.
The one person you manage to befriend and that bastard has to scare them away. You hissed at the thought of the attractive boy from two. Why the hell did he keep sticking his nose into your business?
***
It was currently past two o'clock and you all were served lunch. Yet again, they decided that they don't want to splurge on their very own guinea pigs so they handed you a meal akin to the one from yesterday and the day before, a wrapped sandwich, apple, and a bottle of water.
Groaning, you slumped down against the wall until you were sitting on the ground and started munching on the sandwich. From the corner of your eye, you could see Felix slowly approaching in a slightly nervous manner.
“Y/n,” he called out to you, letting his body fall down next to you and land with a soft “thud.”
“Hmm,” you looked up at him, not sure what to exactly say.
“Look, I've been meaning to talk to you...about the alliance and stuff. I-I think there may be a chance for the both of us to stay part-”
He was cut off by the blasting alarm that sounded at exactly two-thirty, signalizing that the beginning of the evaluation was near. You shot him an apologetic look before scrambling to get on your feet and head to the waiting room. Felix visibly paled at that, he hoped you two would have made amends by now but quickly got himself together and followed you to the designated room filled with chairs.
You all sat there nervously, not sure of what would wait for you in the room nor of how you would prove to the judges you were any good. The careers over at the front seemed excited enough though, which felt like a pang in the chest. Not that you didn't expect it but it just helped confirm that they were indeed cold-blooded killers.
The waiting room was cold and bland, the gusts of wind making you shiver every now and then as you patiently waited to be called into the room. You had no idea what was waiting for you behind those doors but you were definitely sure that whatever it is, it will probably greatly impact how everybody views you in the arena tomorrow.
“District one, female,” the speaker positioned in front of the entrance boomed as the metal gate opened and let the girl in. If you remembered correctly, her name was Rose.
After that, one after another, about five minutes apart, the tributes kept going in, being called by only their district number and gender. When Chris walked through those gates, he turned around to give you a piercing gaze, almost as if reading your face, before walking in. You shivered at that, already feeling uncomfortable for the attention he was giving you.
He's just trying to psych you out, ignore him, was all you could tell yourself. Felix who was seated next to you must have noticed your despair as he haltingly extended his palm, hoping to comfort you except he never got the chance.
“District nine, female.”
You slowly got up, trying not to tilt your chair in the process and show how nervous you actually were. Your hands were trembling when you walked through the gate and you unintentionally blocked out all foreign noise, not hearing the fond whisper of “good luck” from Felix.
***
A gruesome two hours later you were sitting on the comfortable couch along with Felix, Yoongi, and Flaverie, not so patiently waiting to hear your score.
After the assessment, you ran straight to your room to take a shower as instructed by your beauty team and cried for almost an hour.
You knew the big day was awaiting but all of this was going just way too fast. It felt like mere minutes ago you were bumping into Felix, surprised at his velvety deep voice but here you are, less than twenty-four hours away from entering the arena and starting the Hunger Games.
No, you had to get Felix out of your head, granted, he lived there practically rent-free but you knew it wouldn't do you any good to think about the lovely boy with silver hair. For some reason, it seemed like he wanted to talk to you today but you weren't really sure. You were on edge all day so you might have misunderstood the ques.
You proceed to wash off thoroughly, washing away all the sweat that had accumulated during the day. You dried yourself with the frothy towel, put on some of those Capitol-provided sweats and a t-shirt, and headed to the lounge where you would meet.
Flaverie was already gushing about how excited she was for the interviews, filling you in on the latest Capitol gossip.
“You know, the mentor from district four is such a bitch. She only won because she was pretty and now she thinks she's the shit,” she ranted angrily, as if anyone gave two fudges.
Felix raised his perfectly arched brow at the sudden outburst before attempting to suppress the chuckle spilling out of his mouth.
You were currently trying to do the same thing, but you weren't as lucky. A rather ridiculous pout from the escort proving you that your attempts were indeed in vain.
The ice-breaker he is, Yoongi sat down on an armchair parallel to the couch you two were occupying and diluted the awkward situation.
“Anyone care to tell me how they did on the evaluation or are we going to just surprise ourselves?”
“Well, I'll be lucky if I score anything better than a five,” you quipped unhelpfully.
He nodded in understanding, turning to face Felix.
“From what I've heard, you're already establishing yourself as a threat to the careers, am I right?”
“How the hell would I know?” he shrugged his shoulders with a blank expression.
Yoongi sighed at that, turning to face you questioningly.
“I'd say he has, they were all looking at him during the first day,” you mumbled, evading Felix's gaze.
While you were having your little stare contest with the pillow, your mentor quietly mouthed to the boy, “have you even talked to her?”
“No but I'm working on it,” he whisper-shouted in response.
The screen suddenly lit up, showing the head game maker with a folder in hand, smiling at the camera.
He swiftly read out all the scores in a sing songy voice, excitement evident on his face.
“District two, male: eleven.”
You nearly choked on your spit. You knew he was strong but holy cow, eleven? You practically ignored all the other scores, patiently waiting for your own to be announced.
“District nine, female: six.”
Nothing to be surprised at, it's not like you expected anything better. To be honest, you were glad you didn't score a four or less as a few tributes have already managed.
“District nine, male: ten.”
Holy shit, you definitely didn't expect that. You knew Felix was strong but you didn't expect him to actually be on par with the careers.
“Good job Felix,” Yoongi smiled proudly, patting the boy on the back. He mumbled a small thank you before looking at you, almost as if waiting for your reaction.
You supplied a soft smile, whispering a “congrats man.”
A content smile lingered on his lips, he was excited to hear something from you other than you asking him to pass the salt.
After hearing the scores, Flaverie didn't wait any further, already pushing you and Felix into your designated beauty rooms where the stylists would prep you for the interviews. You were in shock after that, completely forgetting to pay attention to the other scores, only managing to remember that Hwasa scored a solid nine.
***
You were seated on a wooden stool in front of a mirror, just like three days ago, and felt the worst case of deja vu.
Everything seemed all too familiar, as the three stylists washed you, covered you in lotion, and dragged you to the vanity. They did your make-up, just lightly covering any blemishes and adding some shimmering silver eyeshadow to make your eyes pop. After applying the light pink lip gloss, Lavender pulled you behind the curtains to help you put on your dress.
You gasped. As much as you didn't want to admit it, they've managed to pick something incredible for the second time. It was a simple black dress with red accents that clung to your body in just the right places as you've realized when you stood in front of the mirror. They handed you silver flats to go with the theme and tied a red silk scarf around your shoulders for an extra bit of flare. After weaving your hair into an intricate hairdo, they called for Flaverie to come and collect you.
You stepped out of the dressing room feeling very nervous yet also slightly excited. Yoongi smiled again, nodding in approval.
“You look really nice.”
“Thanks, Yoongs.”
You stood in the awkward silence before the door next to yours started to slowly open. From the inside emerged a handsome Felix who stole your breath away.
He was clad in fitting black pants with an asymmetrical black shirt. On top of that, he wore a red and black sleeveless cropped vest that had strips of black leather placed over it. His thick silver hair was parted in the middle and had a slight perm to it. In conclusion, he looked really nice and you were trying not to stare. (basically his mnet god’s menu stage look)
“Um, nice hair?” you awkwardly piped, stating it almost as a question.
Felix only laughed at your visibly blushing state before smiling at you, “you look really nice too Y/n.”
You could feel the heat gather around your cheeks so you rapidly turned around to your mentor.
“So where are we supposed to go now?”
“You guys will go to the shared lounge room from where you will be each called on stage.”
Great, you thought. You had to be in the same room as everybody else, including Chris. You weren't exactly looking forward to it but at least he'd be gone soon.
All of you patiently sat in your own little corners, usually staying near your district partner. But it seems like a particular career didn't exactly mind breaking the unspoken rule as he plopped down on the other side of you.
You kept your eyes on your lap, trying to avoid any interaction while Felix next to you was shooting him a stink eye.
Chris ignored his visible distaste and just turned around to look at you, almost as if studying your face and every little thing you did. At this point, the whole room was silent and all eyes were on you. You felt a shiver run down your spine, not liking the attention you were receiving. You wished you could tell him to kindly fuck off and leave you alone but you couldn't deny you were scared.
Thankfully, they started calling the people on stage, the first being of course Rose of district one. She was welcomed by a loud applause and you could already tell that the Capitol folk loved her. You drowned out the blabbering from the stage (which you all watched live via live television broadcast), deeming that it would only make you feel worse about the whole situation.
It all flew by in a whim and before you knew it, Chris was on stage.
The roars of applause he received were unlike anything you heard before. The people cheered him on even more than they cheered for president Snow. He smiled and waved at everyone, flashing his dimples in the process making the whole audience swoon. You haven't noticed until then (since you were too busy avoiding his gaze) but he looked absolutely gorgeous.
“Well here we go ladies and gentleman, the tribute we've been all waiting for. The handsome beast of district two: Christopher Bang Chan!”
He was clad in a black, denim-like jumpsuit with long sleeves, a collar and stylish ironed-on patches. The top few buttons were unbuttoned, a thick silver chain around his neck contrasting the two thin chains that were glued onto his face into an x. His short brown hair was permed, giving it an almost cute fuzzy look, and ended right above his ears in which he had plain black studs. His shoes were simple yet fashionable - black with white laces, contrasting the otherwise all-black look. (again, it's chan's god's menu mnet stage/ god's menu MV look lol)
The most noticeable thing was definitely how he went against the formal style that all the other male tributes wore. Except for Felix, you realized. The two of them actually had similarly themed outfits. Whatever the reasoning, it was clearly visible how he went against the norm, sporting a rather streetwear-ish look that definitely made him stand out.
Honestly, you preferred that over the boring suits and ties but like hell were you gonna ever tell him.
After the applause died down, Darius Flickermann, the son of the most popular interviewer Ceasar Flickermann, lead him to the seat.
“So Chris, you are the most popular tribute as of now, voted most likely to win. How do you feel about that?”
The boy smiled at that, flashing his pearls.
“Honestly, I'm not surprised...and they are right. I'm the strongest one here,” he drawled out, turning around to face the camera directly to give the audience a wolfish smirk.
“Wow… I mean, you are strong, handsome, and let's not forget you scored the highest number on the personal assessments. How are you right now? What's your thought process? You must be now clearly focused on being the last one standing and winning the games, right?”
The boy licked his lips, obviously stalling and enjoying how the audience hung on his every word.
“Well, that was my original intent. But now I have something else I want to achieve, something that motivates me even more.”
A chorus of gasps could be heard as he announced that. Darius turning around to properly face him and ask the question that probably was lingering on everyone’s mind.
“Would you mind telling us, what that thing is?”
“Someone. My new goal is to protect Y/n from district nine. This is a warning, if anyone dares to even lay a finger on her, I'll be coming after them.”
Everything went silent for a moment before they all started cheering like crazy at the sudden confession.
“A-Are you trying to say that you love her?” Darius asked incredulously, his eyes still wide as dinner plates.
“Yes.”
***
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A/n: aaaah, I hope you enjoyed. I'm honestly not sure if this chapter is any good so feel free to tell me what you thought. Lots of hugs and stay safe <3 💞 ✨