bomin doesn't let you go. most mornings, he does, reluctantly, but this morning is special because neither of you have to work. so when you get up to go, well, anywhere, he's catching you by the wrist and pulling you back into his arms. he's too tired to be awake this early, and if he's too tired, then he knows you are, too. such is the life of two people who try to sleep in whenever they can (he thinks you're his perfect match sometimes because of it).
"no." he's grinning, pressing a kiss against the side of your face. he's as little more awake than he wants to be, but he'll doze right back off when you're cuddling with him.
and you just mumble incoherently, drawing up his hand from where his fingertips have grazed your collarbone so that you can kiss the side of it. "i'll be right back," you murmur, untangling yourself from him.
he sighs, and lets you go before curling back up. yet it takes more than a few minutes, and by the time he lifts his head, he sees you carrying a bag with tissue paper crinkling a little inside of it. the mattress dips underneath your weight as you crawl back in, dropping it in front of him.
and he just picks it up, dropping it right onto the nightstand. "later." he says, opening his arms up. "let's go back to sleep."
"but--" you pout, but it doesn't last long. with a sigh, you move under the blankets again, slowly snuggling into his embrace. "fine. but you have to act extra impressed for me."
he snorts just a little, and kisses your skin one more time before shutting his eyes. "i will."
but he feels the way you smile against his own skin, pressing your own tiny kiss against his neck. "happy birthday, my bomin."
Ooh ok how about a meet ugly (idk if that’s an official term?? but like where they have a meet cute except it goes wrong in a funny way) with hmm bongjae or jibeom, up to you <3 go wild with the meet ugly prompt, whatever you want!
this ended up just being a normal world au but I hope you enjoy it!!
[head, meet wall] "Listen man." Jangjun put both his hands on Jaehyun's shoulders and nodded his head toward you, where you were leaning against the same gymnasium wall he and Jaehyun were standing by. "You think they're cute, don't you?"
"Well, sure, but--" Jaehyun had no idea who you were. You seemed to have come to support someone on the basketball team, but he didn't know who. "I can't just go up to them."
Jangjun frowned. "Why not? That's literally how people meet."
"Maybe to you, Mr ENFP! Some of us are normal."
"Have you ever heard of a meet cute?" Jangjun suddenly asked, oddly serious.
Jaehyun shrugged. "Sure, but don't those only happen on TV?"
"Yup. And right now."
In a matter of seconds, Jangjun spun Jaehyun around and shoved his hands into his back, propelling him with such force that he practically launched into you.
Which, theoretically, could have been cute.
Could have, if he'd braced his hand on the wall before he bonked his forehead directly into yours.
Could have, if that didn't result in the back of your head hitting the wall.
Could have, if he wasn't now standing awkwardly next to you in the locker room, explaining why he attempted to murder you in the first place while you hold a bag of ice to the growing welt on your head.
"Sorry." You put a hand up to pause his muttered explanation. "You hit me in the head so hard I think I saw the afterlife because... you thought I was cute?"
He still thinks you're cute, but Jaehyun decides now isn't the best time to say that. Instead, he focuses on the floor and scratches the back of his neck. "Yeah..."
"Wow." You let out a long sigh, and Jaehyun wishes the floor could just open up and swallow him whole. Then you say, "Give me your phone."
He lifts his head. "Huh?"
"It's only fair, right?" You smile, and oh gosh, maybe Jangjun doesn't deserve to get beaten up for this. You have a really nice smile. "Since you gave me something, I should give you something."
"I don't... get it."
You hold out your hand, palm up, and gesture for his smartphone. "You gave me a concussion, so I'll give you my number. Fair trade."
A laugh escapes him. Is this seriously going... well? "I don't think that's a fair trade at all." But he gives you his phone anyway.
"Alright then." You smirk as you type in your information. "How about you owe me a date, too?"
✧ Golden Child all members x gn!reader
✧ genre: fluff, reaction, established relationship AU
✧ warnings: none
Daeyeol:
it’s a normal evening when you’re going out on a normal date with your boyfriend Daeyeol
really, nothing is unusual about the occasion at all - you’re looking forward to seeing him and to spend the next few hours with him, just like you usually would
since you’re going out for dinner, you pick out a nice outfit, paying attention to detail, but otherwise you get dressed without any second thought
when he finally rings your doorbell to pick you up and you let him in however, he seems flustered
he can’t take his eyes off of you, and there’s a rosy blush dusted onto his cheeks before he can finally make himself speak in order to say hi to you
“Wow, I just… you look amazing."
he causes you to get flustered too with his reaction, and after giving you a peck on the lips, he’s right back at staring at you
keeps telling you how beautiful you are to him throughout the evening and finds himself blushing at you time and time again
Y:
he’s had a long day, so when he finally comes home late at night you immediately notice how out of energy he is
he won’t forget about saying hello to you and giving you a kiss as he always does when coming home, but after that he quickly disappears in the bathroom to wash up, wanting nothing but to sleep asap
you find yourself feeling sorry for him, as it’s rare to see him so out of energy
so when he comes out of the bathroom about ten minutes later with his hair still wet, you take him by the hand and make him sit down somewhere
"Babe, I need to dry my hair…” - he tries to protest, but you can tell he’d rather just fall asleep right then and there
so you bring the blow dryer from the bathroom, telling him that you’ll do it for him, and without leaving him a choice to refuse, you get to work
he’s taken by surprise by the nice gesture, and having you running your fingers through his hair while drying it for him feels heavenly to him
warmth spreading in his chest, he eventually finds himself blushing, and when you’re done he doesn’t hesitate to pull you into his lap to thank you and to share a few sleepy kisses with you
Jangjun:
he’s supposed to attend a friend’s wedding and asked you to help him pick out a suit to wear
and it wouldn’t be Jangjun if he didn’t thoroughly check himself out in the mirror after every outfit change :’)
“I look really good in this.” - shamelessly compliments himself and then turns around to let you have a proper look too
and you would’ve cringed at his attitude or made fun of him for it, if it wasn’t for the fact that you find yourself agreeing
he’s wearing a classic black suit, and you can’t help but think he looks even more handsome than usually right now
and the expression on your face as you marvel at his looks alone is enough to make him uneasy, but when you actually compliment him he immediately denies it, his ears taking on a deep shade of red
“Ah, what are you saying! I’m not that handsome… I didn’t mean that earlier, you know that!"
very awkward and flustered about your reaction to the point he eventually just pulls you in for a kiss so at least you won’t look at the state he’s in for a few moments :’)
Tag:
you’re hanging out together in your room, when once again his mind latches onto a topic he just can’t shut up about
excitedly rambles on and on as you listen to him talking about his seemingly never ending train of thought
you think it’s cute how he gets so carried away, and you find yourself listening to him intently, even though you’re not entirely sure if you understand all that he’s telling you about
that’s until eventually he stops himself and apologizes, forcing himself to wrap up
you tell him it’s okay, you like listening to him talk, and also you find it very cute
that’s when he’s suddenly speechless, a deep blush creeping onto his face
"I-I’m not cute!!” - stutters repeatedly as he complains about you calling him cute
really, he’s just so flustered by your words that he doesn’t know how to deal with his feelings
“What are you saying? I’m not cute - you’re cute!!”
this somehow turns into a fight over who’s cuter, until eventually you both notice how stupid the argument you’re having is, and you simply burst out laughing
Seungmin:
you’re spending a lazy afternoon together, cuddled up on the couch with a movie you’ve both been wanting to watch for a while
however, it turns out less fun than you imagined it to be, so as you find yourself getting bored, you decide to turn your attention to your boyfriend
you place a peck into his neck, causing him to pull up his shoulder and to move away from you because of the ticklish feeling
his reaction amuses you, so you continue scattering little pecks in his neck that eventually turn into lingering kisses
“W-what are you doing?” he eventually asks, stumbling over his own words
when you look up to shoot him a mischievous grin, you discover the light blush that has appeared on his face
and now you’re suddenly feeling shy too, because you don’t see your boyfriend blushing often in the first place
so eventually you just wrap your arms around him and go back to cuddling with him, as both of you are trying to calm down your fast beating hearts
Jaehyun:
you’ve been having a few stressful days lately, so when one day you come home and you find that your boyfriend must’ve cleaned your apartment for you, you feel thankful
it’s not that you couldn’t have done it on your own, but you feel relieved that you won’t have to worry about this for a few days now
you find him relaxing on the couch with his phone in his hands, and he looks up as soon as he notices you
you thank him for helping you out, your hand finding its way to the top of his head to gently ruffle his hair in a gesture of affection
“I hope I did everything right,” he says as you sit down next to your boyfriend and snuggle up to him
and now you notice the way he’s blushing at your earlier action
teasing him about it, you pat his head again, watching his blush deepen in amusement, while all he can do is whine at you and then eventually surrender to your touch
Jibeom:
originally he was trying to fluster you
but you know your boyfriend well enough by now, and it’s not the first time he attempts something like this
he sneaks up to you from behind, planning to surprise you with a few kisses scattered in your neck
however, as you can hear his footsteps approaching you, you decide to turn the situation around on him
so you quickly spin around on your heels as he’s almost there
he raises his eyebrows in surprise, about to sigh in disappointment because his plan failed
that’s when you press a sudden kiss onto his lips, and when you pull away you can see a slight blush dusted onto his cheeks
“Ah, what is this…” - Jibeom takes a step back, raising his hand to his face in a sorry attempt to hide his blush
looking at anything but you, he tries to calm his racing heart, but in the end he has to admit that it’s no use
will eventually just give up, and when you kiss him again, you can feel his lips readily melting against yours
Donghyun:
it’s your one month anniversary when you decide that you want to do something romantic for your boyfriend
you feel like so far he’s been taking care of you more than you were able to return the favour - always making sure you feel comfortable and safe with small gestures
so you feel it’s about time you properly showed him your gratitude - and what better way than to do it traditionally, with a bouquet of flowers?
so when he invites you over for dinner to celebrate the occasion, you pick out flowers you think he’ll like, and when you show up at his door with the bouquet hidden behind your back all secretively, he quickly catches onto the fact that you planned something
however, as soon as you hold the flowers out to him, his expression changes to genuine surprise
it takes him a while to register that you went out of your way to get him such pretty flowers, and as a broad smile appears on his lips he can’t help but blush
“Thank you… ah, I didn’t expect this…” - he’s not sure how to express just how happy the gesture makes him, so eventually he simply pulls you into a tight, warm hug
Joochan:
you take him completely by surprise when you suddenly burst into the room as he’s just trying to watch tv at the end of the day to unwind
he was spacing out while staring at the screen, so you startle him pretty badly, but you don’t let that bother you
instead, you burst out in a song from a musical he recently starred in
you had been joking about how you wanted to learn that specific song, and though you’re far from singing it as well as he does, you still wanted to show him your progress
and now that it’s dawning on Joochan what’s happening, he bursts out laughing
seeing him like this, you can’t keep it together for long, eventually just laughing along with him instead of singing
he gets up to take you by the hand, taking the lead as you finish the song together
and only now do you realize there’s a blush on his cheeks as he excitedly smiles at you
pats your head and praises you for learning the song all on your own
and then he’ll start singing the next song, making you dance along to the tune, turning this evening into an unplanned late night karaoke-session to have fun with you
Bomin:
this guy is somehow always on top of any situation, so in order for you to even get a chance at making him blush you need him to have his guard down first
admittedly it’s usually him who flusters you - so at some point you decide it’s time for you to turn the tables around!!
that’s why you make a plan
when one day he comes home from work late and exhausted, you take your chance and you approach him while boldly flirting with him
and well, he’s not exactly blushing now, but he sure is flustered, not knowing what to do with this new situation
lets you approach him and eventually the tiredness has him melting against you in a long, slow kiss
and when you pull away for air for a second, you almost grin to yourself as you notice that the tips of his ears have turned red
however, a moment later you feel his lips on yours again
needless to say, your plan is soon to be forgotten as you continue sharing sweet kisses
— when in the midst of despair, do you lose all hope?
synopsis: the year is 2080. in a world destroyed by climate change, there is only one hope left for safety, and of course it is one exploited by the rich and famous—make it to the airships that are fueled by oxygen on earth. unfortunately, you are neither, but you are a skilled mechanic who is separated from your companion by yet another flood.
lonely, bitter and lost, you eventually find a purpose in being the mechanic for 10 boys that have an ambitious plan to shut off the machines that fuel the cities above the earth, being welcomed as one of their own.
but this mission is their most crucial one, one that could cost them their lives. and as you think about your leader, daeyeol, you're inspired by his courage, but very nervous for the upcoming events to transpire.
cast: gn mechanic!reader x daeyeol ft. golden child members and mentions of sf9's youngbin
genre: sci-fi, dystopian!au, end of the world!au, loosely based on golden child’s ra pam pam mv, angst with comfort if you squint
wc: 6.6k (6,674)
warnings: mentions of death, gunshots, blood, flames, pollution, lots of cursing, reader cracks maybe one dirty joke (which is only dirty if you understand it), we get pretty existential here. lmk if i missed anything
a/n: reader has habit of calling everyone older hyung as that's what they've decided they're comfortable with (just y and daeyeol here), ignore the fact that it’s y on the banner LOL this is for aesthetic purposes. there's a few perspective switches near the end, and of course i always end up making the relationship ambiguous. also why is the plot so messy.. ugh i just want to get this fic out. yes this is the second time sf9 youngbin makes a cameo in my fics. i think daeyeol said he had no same age friends and i’m like oh wait who else is a 93 liner? so yeah, enjoy, because this took way too long to do.
[d-7]
you watched and gave a small nod of approval as your rc car (which jangjun had decided to name damdadi for some reason) wheeled across the tiled floor of the hideout. bomin and sungyoon were examining the oxygen tanks, but your main focus was on your tech.
ah, good. it works. and it's quiet too.
damdadi, like your other projects, was carefully crafted, because god knows you couldn’t afford to make any mistakes with your mechanical work—not that you liked to make mistakes with anything anyways. everything you did got a quality check at least twice.
nevertheless, you were nervous about whether the oddly-named damdadi would be able to complete its task of surveillance or not and with the lives of friends on the line, you certainly had no time to lose.
to the side, you picked up yet another rc car (bomin decided he'd name that one genie) and checked if it was in working order, because as a dear friend named youngbin had reminded you long ago, “it’s best to have backup plans in case any bullshit happens.”
"and bullshit will always happen," you finished the phrase easily.
as the phrase came into your mind, you wondered what had happened to him after a flood separated the both of you about a year ago—the occurrence of natural disasters was not uncommon, but that didn't mean it was any less devastating each time one occurred.
god, you remembered it so well. he had gone on a mission to gather supplies for your camp when the flood occurred. from the wreckage, you had emerged confused, tossed around like a ship lost at sea.
then, it turned into denial that he was gone, anger at circumstances you couldn’t have controlled, and then reluctant acceptance that you couldn’t find him. it wasn't like you couldn't survive on your own, but without someone to ground you, you'd be talking into a void of nothingness. still, you didn’t know if anything could fill the even deeper void in your heart.
youngbin said once to you, “loss is inevitable. remember jaeyoon? you know i would have done anything to save him, but i can’t control the fact that the soldier shot him in the damn chest, but i tried my best, and yet the feeling of not being able to save everyone fucking hurts. losing someone you love… ah, fuck. sorry if this was depressing. but if there’s anything i’d prepare you for, it’s that."
inevitable.
that word alone carried so much weight to it.
and from then on, you reminded yourself that nothing is permanent, not even the companionship of a friend. it’s the only way you got yourself through your separation.
after the flood, you were on your own for a while, trying to find youngbin. however, an annoying little shit named jangjun found you after you stole some supplies from a soldiers’ base. apparently he had the same idea.
after this incident, he took you back to meet the other 9 members of the crew you were part of now. although initially reluctant to trust them, you found their company to be likable enough. you assumed the role you always did, finding spare parts that could be repurposed as you always used to do with youngbin.
you knew youngbin and daeyeol were two separate people, but you couldn’t help but see one in the other and think that they might get along. thinking about the two of them together made things so much harder.
thinking about those days, you sighed. you couldn't believe a trip down memory lane could randomly be triggered by one glance at an rc car, but it would be unwise to stay there for too long. of course, you allowed yourself those brief moments of distraction in your memories, and then focused on the task at hand again. it was a reasonable way to live.
yes, you did miss those you had lost, but now was definitely not the time for that.
don't get too distracted. you have work to do. you have to keep going.
despite the gravity of the situation you were in, you couldn’t help but crack a joke in your mind about being good with your fingers as you fiddled with some more machinery. some things never changed, like your less-than-appropriate humor that either got you lighthearted scolding (from sungyoon and daeyeol, and of course, youngbin) or laughs from people who liked your occasional jokes (mostly jangjun, and surprisingly bomin too).
while examining a control panel, you felt a soft tap on your shoulder, which could only possibly belong to one person out of the group you currently lived with—lee daeyeol. he spoke with a gentle tone but it had a sense of authority. “could i talk to you for a second?”
mentally, you prepared for hell because whenever he used that familiar tone, he was being nice but definitely meant business and may the gods help whoever tried to get in his way. “of course, what did you want?”
he placed folded diagrams on the table. "i just wanted to check on your progress on that rc car, although knowing how fast you work i’m guessing you’re almost done. we've finalized a plan about how to shut off the machines.”
ah yes, he was talking about the machines of project aether, or better yet, a way for those with enough money and power to save themselves and leave the poor and helpless to rot. the act of using the oxygen on earth for airships to create a "paradise in the sky" for some while damaging the atmosphere down below made you scratch your head at the backwards logic.
it was starting to get a little sweaty in the room, and you fanned yourself with an old newspaper. "things are going well, dae. this rover should be ready in a few minutes for jaehyun and jibeom to take when they need it. better early than late. you ready to do this?"
he glanced at you, and let out a deep sigh, one filled with what you interpreted to be as deliberation. "it doesn't matter how i feel. this needs to happen soon."
as the leader of the group, daeyeol was required to handle many burdens and although you and the boys were usually with him, no one could never completely understand what was going through his mind. there was a special spark that was required to lead.
sometimes, you wondered how tired he really was, but he didn't like to show that side of him, always wanting to be the helper instead of the helped.
and of course, that reminded you of youngbin, which wasn't such a great path to take your mind to. so you'd put it upon yourself to move on from him, which you had done semi-successfully.
of course, he still had a designated space in your mind, no matter how hard you tried not to think about him.
you put down what you were working on to focus on daeyeol's words, knowing it wouldn't be good for your mind to go off on more tangents today. "alright then, let's go over the plan once more. i figure you want to run through it again. i just need to hear it too."
he nodded and opened one diagram, which you recognized as it was labeled project : aether (floor plan), with a picture of the air machine itself. you remembered researching machinery for that. he pointed to the spot where it said passcode entry point.
"because of you, seungmin and donghyun, we were able to get the password that controls the fuel source of the cities. as you know, we need to enter the password at that location in order to shut the machine off. but we're unsure of the exact situation with guards and their patrol routes, so we're going to send the rovers with the camera attached in order to assess it. the last thing we need is for there to be surprises we didn’t expect.”
he probably hadn't changed any aspects to the plan, but you asked for confirmation. "it's just you going, right?"
"yes. the rest of the group looked uncomfortable with the idea and as concerning as the idea of going alone is, i can't risk anyone else's life.” his lips set in a thin line. "and there's a limited supply of oxygen tanks, anyways."
you let out a humorless chuckle, knowing just how brutal it was out there. "dae, we're clearly not as selfless as you. no one asks to potentially get shot at by assholes in hazmat suits.”
not being able to hide your true thoughts, you quietly added, “and honestly, i’m probably the most selfish of you guys.”
out of the corner of your eye, you saw him frown. "now don’t say that, you help in your own way. you've been invaluable in developing the technology for this mission. remember, nothing goes unnoticed by me."
you still did get a little flustered whenever people mentioned your skill, and you brushed his words off with the lazy swipe of a hand. "oh, i can't take all the credit for this stuff. seungmin helped me a lot." the mentioned guy was currently fiddling with the screen on the wall to make sure it actually worked.
yeah, you knew you were decent at what you did, but it's not like you wanted the spotlight for it, preferring to remain behind the scenes most of the time. to put it simply, you liked working in the shadows and only showing up when necessary to report something.
"you sell yourself short, y/n," he said with an amused grin on his face.
"do i, dae? if you want, i could just start bragging about myself all the time."
he laughed, and oh, how you took the sound in like nourishment. true laughter was hard to come across nowadays, as a lot of things were. "now let's not jump between extremes, okay?"
you made a salute as if you were on some pirate ship. “aye-aye, captain!” damdadi was still turned on, and you maneuvered it next to daeyeol, just to demonstrate the functionality, before turning the power off.
“god, imagine being pirates. we’d be the worst pirate crew ever. imagine trying to wake up bomin and get him to do anything but sleep prettily!”
daeyeol shrugged. "well, i could probably use captain privileges to boss him around, anyways."
"as if! he listens to no one, especially you."
the two of you grinned, sharing a moment. there were times when you forgot that the air was polluted, the rich were assholes and food was hard to find—now was one of those times. it was nice to not think about that for a bit. you were aware however, that the cold reality waited around the corner like a gunman waiting to fire.
you rested your head on his shoulder, an action you had grown more comfortable with gradually after he told you it was okay to do it. it seemed to say a message without words, i don’t know what the future holds, but at least i’m here with you.
daeyeol closed his eyes and spoke his next sentence quietly. “hey, i know i told you guys i’d be prepared for anything and we're aware of how this might end. it might go badly. if i’m honest, it’s been very nerve-wracking to prepare for this. i just wanted to say that i will protect you guys. whatever it takes. i think we have a chance to end this once and for all.”
won't you protect yourself? won't you be selfish too for once? that's all i need. you thought, but didn't say aloud.
you, who never thought you'd shed a tear since getting separated from youngbin, who didn't like getting very sentimental in front of others, embraced daeyeol. "hyung, sometimes i wonder how people like you can exist, so full of hope and all that optimistic stuff. shit, i promise i don't mean it in a bad way, but...” you trailed off.
"it's hard to have hope, right?"
"you could say that."
from the moment you had met him, he had struck you as someone who wouldn’t give up. all of the group did, but especially him. to keep fighting, one had to think that things would get better someday. one needed hope.
he rested one hand on your shoulder, as if he were transferring his wisdom over to you merely by touch. “until the moment i die, i won’t stop having it. it’s the only way we’ll be able to keep pushing through. call me optimistic, but if there seems to be no hope, we have to create it for ourselves. i don't want live hopelessly knowing that i could have tried to make a better future."
you played with a screw in your jacket pocket. "hope's short in supply sometimes, i admit.”
“it is. but all you need is a bit of it to survive.”
you felt your chest rise and fall, acutely aware of your breath. if you really thought about it, it was dangerous to risk it all on one mission, a singular chance to get this right before the soldiers could wipe you all out.
but you thought of the boys you had come to know over months of time, and everything became clearer.
joochan deserved a chance to sing in air that was truly clean. donghyun would get to dance outside without fear of being shot. jibeom and jaehyun could simply mess around with the rc cars you and seungmin made instead of just sending them out into the dangerous world outside their base. most of all, daeyeol would be able to breathe easily (quite literally and metaphorically), after the mission was over.
and of course, you wanted to take that first breath of air with each and every one of them.
hope brought a world of possibilities to think about, so close and yet so far away. it would fuel you, so long as you believed it still existed—and although you didn't really consider yourself as much of an idealist as daeyeol, you needed to be, especially now.
you brought up your hands to your head, which happened to hurt a little, and his voice brought you back to the present.
“hey, y/n, you seem like you’re lost in thought. all good?”
as expected, he can tell what goes on with you.
“just thinking about our upcoming mission. can't help but stay awake...”
he frowned. “it's late, take a rest too. i can't let everyone else in the team deprive themselves of sleep. don't overwork yourself, y/n.”
and before you had known it, he left and came back with a bit of water he had saved. water was difficult to come across but the group was fortunate to have some, so you savored every drop you got to taste. “thank you, daeyeol.”
“always.”
although you continued working, you knew these coming days would be difficult, and later you finally decided to take daeyeol’s advice, eventually letting yourself slip into a dreamlike state on the smooth metal beds.
(you wouldn't have known anyways, but daeyeol glanced at you several times while you were asleep.
you'd be alright, he knew. still, it was nice for him to make sure. he smiled, and got back to work.)
[d-3]
the main room, with all 11 of the crew, wasn’t outwardly panicking, but it contained a nervous energy that simmered and quietly stirred everyone's feelings of anxiety. the crew always worked hard, but this particular week needed everyone's dedication, whether it was finding spare parts, to looking over diagrams, to last minute research.
despite these demands, you were impressed with everyone's resilience.
youngtaek shrugged his shoulders in an attempt to relieve tension. he turned on the medium-sized screen that was inside the hideout, which currently was connected to a phone you and seungmin had built together. "the camera works fine, i see the footage from it showing up.”
you sighed in relief. it was good to know that something worked.
"ow, my feet," jibeom interjected, as damdadi rolled over them.
"alright, thanks youngtaek!" jaehyun grabbed the phone from him and affixed it onto damdadi. he then gestured to jibeom. “come on, let’s go send the rc car to survey the terrain, before y/n does that annoying thing where they yell at us for using their tech all wrong.”
“okay well, you can't just use damdadi to run over jibeom's feet, we got a mission!” you yelled from across the room, where you were working on a drone.
jaehyun smiled innocently at you. "yeah, well it'll be fine and we'll get it done. i think we're very capable. or at least, i am—"
"hey, take that back!" jibeom glared at jaehyun. “i hate you."
the two continued to bicker like children. "okay. jibeom, just so you know, if the guards come and you run too slow, i will be leaving your ass behind!"
these two argue so much, it's almost as if i'm watching a tv sitcom.
"just go already, guys," you said, amused by their antics. "and don't die, of course."
“have a little faith,” jibeom whined. jaehyun laughed at him again, and with the turn of a knob, damdadi rolled to the door with them.
after they left, you went to talk to daeyeol, showing him a few of the drones you had made with seungmin. “i was thinking that i can use these to divert the soldiers' attention so that they're less likely to shoot at you. couldn't hurt, right?”
"hm, good idea, just make sure your drones take a different route to the location. you thought of me that much?" he added, lightly teasing you.
your cheeks warmed slightly, but you kept your face impassive. "well, precautions are necessary, are they not?"
he was serious, but you could sense a bit of amusement coming from him. "they are. you always think ahead, don't you?" and with that, he approved of your addition to the plan.
you let out a sigh of partial relief, and continued to test out another drone.
"just say you love him or something, because even i can tell." seungmin, who had been working next to you muttered this after daeyeol left to wake up bomin. he screwed in another bolt. "you might as well remind him before...."
he doesn't finish the sentence, but he didn't need to. the two of you looked at each other in understanding. survival was never guaranteed in a world as wrecked as this one. he looked away for a second and closed his eyes briefly before continuing to talk.
"never mind. anyways, let's just keep working—we're making good progress. after this, we'll have 4 drones to use. it’s always useful to have something that flies, i suppose."
you obliged, figuring it would be better to shut up and just continue doing what you were always good at—attempting to ignore anything not related to your job. but seungmin's words still lingered and you would do anything to get them out.
later, seeing a frightened jibeom and a tired jaehyun return with news that a soldier had captured the rc car was enough to make you quietly simmer with rage (it was precious technology, after all), but you were almost thankful for the feeling.
at least you still felt something.
[d-day]
this was going to be rather interesting.
lee daeyeol was not supposed to be scared—or at least, he was not supposed to show it. in fact, he was the one whom people looked to for comfort, strength, guidance, and sacrifice (even if no one would say it aloud). if he looked scared, it would set the tone for this mission. who would believe in them? in their cause?
so he shouldered his burden of shutting off the machines of project: aether with calm determination, trying to steady himself despite his accelerating heart rate and the vague feeling of the world swaying beneath his feet. “i’m going out the route we discussed. send the drones out a different exit and wait for the radio signal from me to go up. if something unexpected happens, only one of you should check first."
"got it. stay safe, hyung." sungyoon checked daeyeol's oxygen's tank one last time, sighing to himself.
daeyeol looked to you, a hint of sadness in his eyes. "do you have the ring?"
you wordlessly got up to grab daeyeol's ring from the table, and watched as he slipped it on carefully. the piece of jewelry was special for him, as it was a gift from a childhood friend he had kept for his whole life.
to him, it signified many things, but he could never deny the fact seeing the ring gave him hope.
your voice was soft yet full of conviction as you gave him words of reassurance. "stay strong. we'll be waiting. but even if you don't return, i want to thank you, for everything. i love you, in every sense of the word."
daeyeol closed his eyes. you weren't usually the sentimental type.
it was times like this where he found it hard to walk away. if he let his heart take over, he would stay safe with you against the harsh reality of the world. but he knew that first, he had to carry out his plan.
he extended his arms towards you, pulling you into a tight hug. "you as well, y/n. remember, i'll be with you, always."
he double-checked the levels in his oxygen tank, affirming that they were alright. now, it really was time to go.
"if you don't stay safe, hyung, i'll kick your ass all the way to the sky," jangjun yelled.
"got it," he said, a small grin on his face. of course jangjun would be the one to joke around.
and with that, he turned away, walking towards the entrance of your hideout with conviction. the doors opened, and he stepped out, leaving behind the people he loved most. it would be painful for him to turn around now, and so he chose not to.
at least, if he thought of his team, full of people he wanted to give the world to, he had something tangible to fight for.
as daeyeol left, the 10 of you stared at the door and no one dared say a thing, for fear of it being wrong, but a distinct sigh came from bomin, who could not hide his frustration as the youngest. that's when you knew it was time to do your part, just as daeyeol would do his.
slightly trembling, you got into position and used the camera on the one of the drones to help examine its surroundings and navigate it through the twists and turns of the hide out.
sungyoon, much to everyone’s surprise, stood up a minute later. “i'm not letting him do this alone. lee daeyeol, i swear if you go alone at this point.."
"take care, hyung," bomin said.
he nodded in response.
you buried your head in your hands. it's not like you needed his life at risk too. but sungyoon could be rather stubborn at times, and you weren't trying to argue with him at a time like this.
besides, it's not like he couldn't handle himself out there.
he went to grab an oxygen tank, put its heavy weight on his back, and exited the hideout. but with his running skills, the team knew he would catch up to daeyeol soon enough.
outside, the chemicals in the air gave the impression that everything was a fatal orange, the orange that burned from that pillar of fire daeyeol saw in the distance. it seemed like it would burn straight to his soul and consume him.
but daeyeol found he could run faster than even he anticipated, fueled by a fire of his own.
above the flames, the floating paradise of the rich taunted him, as if they were situated in the heavens and looking down upon people like him, those who couldn't make it up there with what they had in their pockets.
those who were left to perish amongst the ashes.
daeyeol kept going.
unbeknownst to him, sungyoon was making his way over, navigating past abandoned trailers and trying not to alert the presence of any guards—he was quite aware of their patrol routes now.
after a few minutes, he found daeyeol, whispering, “hyung. i’m here."
the older boy looked over in surprise. "now that i think about it, i'm not surprised."
sungyoon's presence had revitalized him completely, a blessing that he wasn't to take lightly. daeyeol gave sungyoon a nod of acknowledgment, and they headed for the passcode entry point together.
as they did, a group of 3 soldiers ran across an elevated ledge.
"we gotta go!" dayeol exclaimed, pointing upwards. they sprinted towards the tower that felt so close, and yet, was still feet away.
a bullet punctured sungyoon's oxygen tank, and the hiss of air leaking out could be heard.
shit, daeyeol thought. he needed to do something, and quick.
they took cover some medium-sized storage crates as he removed his oxygen mask and put it over sungyoon's face, transferring the tank as well.
then, covering his mouth, he ran as fast as he could towards the tower. only a few feet away the tower, the soldiers shot him in the back. and yet he ran, bleeding through his denim jacket.
he inputted the correct code into the security screen.
3-2-6-4.
as sungyoon rushed over to him, daeyeol pushed the lever to shut off the tower off with all of his remaining strength. the pillar of fire emerging from the tower's base shut off, and the smoke in the area began to dissipate.
"you really did it, hyung." sungyoon said, looking around in awe. he sat beside daeyeol. the older boy smiled back.
i can rest, at least sungyoon is fine. no one else had to suffer.
he blinked several times to try and stay awake as sungyoon took off his vest, pressing lightly against one of daeyeol's wounds.
a few minutes earlier...
back at the base, your body felt frozen, except for your fingers, which were the only thing moving. it was quite difficult to steer a drone with the intense weather conditions outside and turmoil within you. but this was your responsibility, and you had to carry it out to the end.
"maybe a little higher," you muttered to yourself as the drone continued to fly. there was a smaller phone next to you, which allowed you to see out of the tiny camera on the drone. seungmin, tag and bomin had drones too.
“i see guards.” seungmin said sharply. “oh wait, i think daeyeol and sungyoon are in the distance too.”
jangjun spoke up. "okay, i'm going up to the warehouse building. i just need to safely observe what's happening outside in case your drones go down."
"someone, hand him a radio! i only have mine." seungmin yelled. "and remember, keep yourself hidden."
donghyun gave the remote to jangjun, who thanked him and left the base quickly.
amidst the chaos, you continued to maneuver the drone, trying to stay in control. the guards appeared to aim their guns in the general direction of the tower, which was where daeyeol and sungyoon were headed to.
you knew the guards were mostly there to prevent people like you guys from shutting off all the technology rich people had paid for. disgusting and vile.
“ah, shit, gotta steer away from there,” you muttered, your hand grasping the right controller stick. the drone flew slightly off to the side, and from what you could make out, the direction some of the guns were firing in changed.
oh god. there's a ton of soldiers. damn.
in all honesty, what happened next was chaos. a few of the screens lost connection. on a screen that was still intact, you saw blood, or at least, you thought you did.
the world blurred around you, but then came into focus again, but you knew that you couldn't collapse, not now. thankfully, your bottle had some water left.
"something's wrong," you say, fidgeting with your hands.
"of course something is wrong!" seungmin said, groaning. "what the hell is happening?"
youngtaek observed the surrounding area through his drone, but soon he had to find somewhere to land it, making sure it was well out of view before doing so.
he groaned shortly after. "great, the camera on the drone is almost dead. but from what i was able to see outside, i can tell someone shot sungyoon and daeyeol as they were headed over. i don't think they'll be coming back soon," he remarked. "so, maybe three to five of us should go out and help. we'll need to treat any wounds."
"do we even have enough medical supplies for this?" you asked, your mind racing. you began to sort through the stuff in the emergency backpack, making sure you could pack as much as possible.
shit. are daeyeol and sungyoon going to die? damn it, those two—
your thoughts were interrupted because over the radio, jangjun’s voice resounded, loud, clear and... somewhat excited? “come. look outside. i can't fucking believe it! we’ll finally be able to breathe the fucking air! you gotta see for yourselves! oh my god... is this real?”
his voice got faint, so you assumed he was busy staring at the sky, and how could you blame him?
everyone looked at each other with shock and disbelief. it's been a while since you've stared out the windows of the warehouse, but whenever you did, it was always the same—a sea of orange and the menacing presence of security drones. seeing something different would be a relief, a sign that daeyeol had gotten the job done after all.
still, you didn't want to be get too excited.
seungmin spoke into the radio. "alright, be there soon, hyung, but we have to go check on daeyeol and sungyoon afterwards. by the way, stop cursing so much, you potty-mouth.”
you heard a crackling sound before he responded, “fuck no.”
ha, he certainly is something.
afterwards, you took the radio, greeting jangjun with a laugh.
"hey, jangjun! is the air really as clear as you say it is?" you said, rolling your eyes. "you get fired up so easily and exaggerate. how do we tell you're not just messing with us?"
jangjun sighed once, one of those sassy why-don't-you-listen-because-i'm-right type of sighs. "just look at the damn sky before you come out, okay? i took off my mask and it felt okay, but don't take my word for it. bring the surgical masks if you're really worried."
you shrugged. "we'll be there. but let's be careful."
then, talking to the rest of the team, you said, "help me grab medical supplies and weapons. once we meet jangjun and get outside, we have to make sure there are no soldiers or drones."
"alright, i'll go ahead with jaehyun to go check on daeyeol and sungyoon and give them necessary medical attention," youngtaek said.
you found a pistol and picked it up. "got it."
"found the surgical masks!" jaehyun exclaimed.
everyone headed out, feeling mixed emotions of fear and anticipation. bomin was by your side. “y/n, will it be okay?”
to be honest, you weren’t the greatest at comforting people, but you tried your best. he was the youngest, and although you knew he was an adult and could handle himself, you still had a bit of a parental instinct.
“i don’t know. i trust that they did their job. we can have a bit of hope, can’t we?”
“yeah. i guess we can.” his breathing became steadier, and you were grateful.
soon enough, you were ascending the steps of what used to be functional escalators. light shone through the tinted glass ceiling, so oddly colored and dirtied that it was difficult to tell what life was like on the outside.
jangjun was leaning against a column, his gaze turned towards a sky that was finally more blue than orange for the first time, devoid of the flame tower in the air that everyone had grown so accustomed to.
you walked beside him, quietly waiting for him to acknowledge your presence. while continuing to stare, he shook his head rapidly, as if trying to wake up from a dream. "i still can't believe it. damn. it seemed like yesterday that there were drones swarming outside the window."
you laughed. "believe what? that we're alive? that this stupid machine is off? that the sky is blue?"
"all of it."
it was rare to see jangjun's contemplative side, but it was certainly present right now. you weren't sure that you believed it either. maybe you dreamt this entire incident up too. unless anyone said otherwise, though, this was real.
you shrugged. "well, there's been crazier things in this world."
"you're damn right about that."
the crew talked quietly amongst themselves, not wanting to ruin the atmosphere that was established by the strange stillness outside the window.
"i think we should go out now." seungmin said to the group, still in a state of shock.
everyone walked out towards an outside balcony where people probably used to hang out long before you were alive. apparently there was a time when the outside air wasn't so dangerous.
as you stepped out of the building, you found a place to stand. after a few minutes, you felt comfortable removing your mask.
you took a breath in, slowly. then, you exhaled. surprised at how easy and yet difficult it was, you repeated the action. it wasn't perfect air—the atmosphere would probably never return to 100% normal—but it was certainly something.
you tried to spot the telltale red lights of enemy drones, but you couldn't find any, to your shock.
there'd be no point in sending them anyways, you surmised. the job's been done.
of course, your heart felt conflicted with the absence of sungyoon and daeyeol, especially the latter. you'd need to check on them soon, just to see how they were doing in person.
you leaned against a white ledge, alone with your thoughts for just a second.
it'll be okay. surely, they'll be okay, you thought, trying to be optimistic.
and yet, there was still a part of you that wondered if you would find their lifeless bodies. but even that would be better than not finding them at all.
that's highely unlikely, of course you'll find them.
you looked at joochan, who had found a place beside you. he was humming softly. the two of you weren't as close (hey, it was hard to get to know the ten others in your crew equally), but you knew he loved music and saw it as his life. through song, you felt as though you understood whatever emotions he wanted to convey.
"wow, i think i'm dreaming," he says, his words riding softly on the breeze. "i never really understood why people sang songs about blue skies until now."
you laughed, despite yourself. "you're not the first to think that we're dreaming. maybe we'll wake up in a few minutes. but for now, this is our reality."
you heard youngtaek's voice over the walkie talkie in your hand. "daeyeol was shot in the back, so he's our priority right now. sungyoon's not in critical condition, but he does have a few bruises and needs to rest as well. make sure you secure the area you're in—we'll let you know when we're done here."
conversation broke out amongst the group.
"why did he do this by himself again?"
"i can't believe it..."
"hyung, you really are crazy for doing this."
meanwhile, you tried to process the news yourself. you weren't doubtful of youngtaek and jaehyun's medical capabilities, but after hearing about this, you knew that it would take a while for him to heal.
you told the group that you were going to go check how sungyoon and daeyeol were faring while they finished scanning the area.
after crossing between a maze of storage crates and covering a long stretch of flat land, you finally made it to the base of the tall tower.
despite all of the hardships you had been through, the sight of the tower without a flame made you smile, even if just for a second.
you spotted daeyeol sitting on the stone floor, his back against the control panel and sungyoon beside him. jaehyun and youngtaek were busy giving them medical treatment. they were obscured on two sides by large crates, which was good.
you were glad sungyoon and daeyeol had survived, but you couldn’t stand to see them in pain, especially your leader.
it only made you feel like you had failed as a companion in protecting him.
first, you talked to sungyoon, who seemed to have a few bruises and was panting heavily, but otherwise, seemed to be alright. he stood up
"i'm glad the two of you weren't alone," you said to him.
sungyoon nods. "he says he can do things alone, and although it's probably true, i wanted to be by his side."
you think of youngbin, and how you lost him. the feeling of deep loyalty isn't unfamiilar to you.
"i... understand."
you wish you were still by youngbin's side.
"here's some water," jaehyun said to sungyoon. luckily, he was able to drink on his own.
next, you looked over at daeyeol, whose eyes were set in a solemn gaze.
on closer inspection, you examined blood trickling from several places in his body. you hated seeing him like this, wanting to give him whatever strength you had.
you approached him slowly, not wanting to overwhelm him. “hi, daeyeol. how are you holding up?”
his response came in slow, short sentences. “i'm fine, for now. need… water. it’s good... to see you, y/n.”
you pulled an extra bottle of water out of your bag and slowly poured it in his mouth. you weren't the medical authority amongst your team, but you knew it wouldn't be good if he was required to move, considering the fact that he had been shot.
“it's good to see you too.” you laid a hand on his shoulder and continued speaking softly. you wanted to envelop him in a bone-crushing hug, but you were sure there'd be time for that when he was fully healed.
when, not if, right?
“i know you're probably thinking about the next step in all this, but.." you hesitated. "let us take care of you a while longer. you've already done so much for us."
he laughed, the sound strained. "i won't do anything drastic, don't worry."
you sat down in front of him, fingertips inches away from his. suddenly, you were a little tired as well. "please, let me know if there's anything that you need.
daeyeol took your hand. "you're here... for me, that's enough."
the golden ring on his hand glimmered in the sunlight. he said it reminded him of many things—your team, as his duty as a leader, the memories you've all shared.
you had always been more of a realist. youngbin was too, accepting that things were the way they were, and taught you that there wasn't much you could do except try to survive another day and solve things practically.
but daeyeol taught you something too, that hope was something that could be cultivated, even in the face of struggle. you took a glance at your friends, feeling a weight lift off of your shoulders.
no, problems weren't going to magically disappear. wounds took time to heal. work still needed to be done. you could lose it all at any moment. it was scary, to not know what came after this moment.
but as long as you had a heartbeat, as long as you were alive, you could have hope, even if it was faint.
"yes," you said, gazing at the endless sky above you. "it's enough."
happy 5 years! may i request something sweet with jibeom? like maybe a baker or florist au !!
hey anon!! thanks for the request, I hope you enjoy what I've written for it <3
5 year anniversary drabble game: send me a Stray Kids/TXT/Golden Child/Ateez/The Boyz member + a prompt (check out the post for ideas) and I’ll write a drabble for you!
REQUESTS OPEN!!
~
Title: The Earth Laughs in Flowers
Pairing: Jibeom x gender neutral!reader
Word count: 1.2k
Warnings: n/a
~
Some days, Jibeom finds himself unable to smile.
It isn’t most days, thankfully - he’s got a family that cares for him, friends who find it in themselves to annoy him every day, a cat who likes to wind her way around his legs to the point of tripping him whenever he comes home. He can usually find a reason to smile, even if it’s very small.
But life is annoying, and life is hard. There are days where the gray cloud hanging over him only seems to grow darker and heavier no matter what - his boss being upset at him for something he can’t control, rain pouring overhead on the one day he forgot to bring his umbrella. When that happens, it’s too hard to smile, and Jibeom doesn’t even want to try.
On one of these dark days, he finds himself inside a little florist a street away from his office, one that he always passes by but has never really found a reason to actually explore. Today, though, the rain is pouring too hard for him to make it the next street to his bus stop, so he finds himself ducking into the flower shop as a short respite from the downpour.
A little bell tinkles as he bursts into the shop, hair and clothes damp from his sprint through the streets. He’s so busy digging through his bag, trying to make sure his laptop didn’t get wet when the rain suddenly picked up, that at first he doesn’t notice you approaching him.
“Hello!”
Jibeom jumps, eyes snapping up to take you in. You’re smiling brightly as though the rain outside doesn’t bother you at all, dressed in a green apron stained with bits of dirt and flowers.
“Hello,” he replies cautiously, slinging his bag back over his back. At the last minute he remembers you’re a stranger, not someone he should easily show his annoyance to, so he tries to school his features into a more neutral expression than he’d been showing before.
You don't seem to notice, the smile on your face still as sweet and bright as when he first saw you. “Welcome to my little garden,” you say warmly, gesturing to the expanse of flowers and greenery all around you. “Is there something you were looking for? Or was it just the downpour?”
Jibeom reddens against his will. “Just... just the downpour,” he mumbles. “Sorry about that, I can leave -”
“Oh no, it’s fine!.” You laugh a little. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you need until we close. The rain’s pouring really hard, wouldn’t want you to get sick or anything.”
Jibeom isn’t sure why, but for some reason, tears suddenly begin welling in his eyes. It takes all of his effort to hold them back. “Thanks,” he croaks out, trying to swallow the little lump growing in his throat. “I appreciate it.”
"No problem,” you reply, smiling softly. “If I may ask... you look pretty tired. Had a long day?”
Normally when strangers talk to him, Jibeom closes himself up, mostly just does the bare minimum to seem polite and tries to shut down the conversation as soon as he can. But looking at you now, Jibeom doesn’t feel the walls of his defenses beginning to rise. Instead, he feels them starting to fall.
“Yeah,” he says quietly. “It’s... it’s been a lot.”
“I see.” You nod slightly, lips pressed together in sympathy. “Give me one moment.”
Jibeom watches you walk around the shop, plucking a few flowers of various colors from their places on shelves and in buckets on the floor. At one of the tables, you make quick work of them, snipping stems and trimming leaves until you’ve created a small, pretty bouquet. “Here,” you finally say, extending the flowers to him when you’ve finished. “These are for you.”
He blinks once, twice, looking between you and the flowers. “Sorry, I - what?”
“They’re on the house,” you clarify. “For you.”
Jibeom blinks again. “I - why?”
“The earth laughs in flowers,” you say, smiling as you press the small bouquet into his hands. “I thought that perhaps, if you see the way it laughs, it will help you smile a little too.”
Dumbly, Jibeom closes his fingers around the green stems. The soft, sweet scent of the flowers fills his nose - he recognizes a couple of roses and something that looks like a lily amidst more blooms whose name he doesn’t know. “Thank you,” he whispers, fighting the urge to cry.
“You’re welcome,” you reply, and Jibeom can almost feel the warmth of your voice wrapping around him like a blanket shielding him against the cold outside. “Oh - it looks like the rain stopped!”
Sure enough, it has stopped, only a thin drizzle painting the windows of your shop. Jibeom thanks you again, only slightly less choked this time, then heads out again to catch his bus.
Once he reaches home, Jibeom looks at the flowers still clutched between his fingers. Vaguely he thinks he should find a vase or something similar to put them in, but for now he just stares at them. Bright pink, a sprig of warm yellow, deep blue and pale purple stare back at him, interspersed with leafy greenery. Colorful, warm.
As Jibeom carefully arranges them in a tall glass of water, he realizes the weight of his day no longer feels as heavy as it once was.
He returns to your shop the next day, the sky bright blue with a sun shining bright against the clouds. You’re helping a customer when he arrives, but when you’re finished you turn to him, eyes bright and smile as wide as he remembered.
“Hi!” you exclaim, walking up to him. “How are you?”
Jibeom smiles. “Feeling better,” he replies honestly. “I wanted to thank you again for the flowers. They were beautiful.”
You duck your head in acknowledgement. “Thank you,” you say sweetly. “I’m glad you liked them.”
“I also -” He coughs a little, swallowing down the embarrassment threatening to crawl up his cheeks. “I don’t think I got your name last time.”
“Oh!” For a moment, you look as flustered as he feels. It’s quite endearing, Jibeom thinks as his smile grows wider. “I’m so sorry. My name is Y/N.” You cock your head. “If I may, what’s yours?”
“I’m Jibeom,” he replies. “It’s nice to meet you.”
A conversation arises from there, pleasant and warm and full of lovely, bright laughter. As you smile, as you laugh, Jibeom remembers your words from yesterday, and -
It’s true, he thinks, watching the way sunlight streams onto your face, the way you seem to glow under the golden hour with the brightness of your smile. It’s true what you said, that the earth laughs in flowers.
Because looking at you now, laughing in the sunlight, Jibeom can see the flowers ever-blooming in your smile.
Tumblr originals presents: 산 채로 죽은 (Dead Alive) written and directed by Key
Starring: Lee Daeyeol, Choi Sungyoon, Lee Jangjun, Son Youngtaek, Bae Seungmin, Bong Jaehyun, Kim Jibeom, Kim Donghyun, Hong Joochan, Choi Bomin and Choi (Y/N)
Teaser
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 2021 1 season HD 5.2
January 25th 2018. That’s the date that marked the beginning of the end. You have spent an amazing day hanging around with your brother and your longtime crush, enjoying the little fair that has been mounted on the promenade for the last week like if you were kids. And once the sun starts to fall, your brother decides to give you some alone time with your crush, making the night even better for him to finally confess his feelings for you.
You swore to your older brother who patiently waited for you at home and was now curiously listening to your story that night was the best night of your life so far. Everything was so perfect and for the first time in a long time, you didn’t regret moving together with your brother. But perfection does not exist, and all the happiness fades away with a simple bomb.
The night that started as the most beautiful dream you have ever had, suddenly turned into your worst nightmare as your brother asked you to stay inside the house while he checked the outsides, trying to find a coherent explanation for the explosion you have both heard in the middle of the night.
Now, three years later, you find yourself in the middle of an apocalypse caused by the nuclear explosion that took place that night because of a small leak in the nuclear station of the city. A virus has taken over humanity and now you all tried your best to survive. But unfortunately, in one of those times you, your brother and Bomin went out to get some food and water, one of them bit you, leaving a terrible wound on your arm and, what was worse, infecting you.
You’ll have to stay strong if you want to survive and you’ll have to do inhumane things if you want your heart to keep beating before you become one of them. But having in your way 6 other boys that are also looking for a solution and that doesn’t want you around will make everything more difficult. Will Bomin be able to kill you and end your suffering? Or will he be able to find the vaccine before you become dead alive?
Warnings: mentions of blood, mentions of disease, mentions of a vaccine, mentions of death, death threats, brief mentions of suicide, mentions of heatstroke, mentions of medicine (specific warnings will be made for each chapter)
Genre: Apocalypse AU, zombie AU, fluff, angst
Casting information
Chapters
Prologue
Chapter I: "The Beginning of the end."
+ Add reminder (let me know if you want to be added to the taglist!)
Request: “Hi!! Can I ask you a scenario in which she is best friend with both Seungmin and Tag of Golden Child, but Tag actually likes her (and she secretly likes him back) but he is afraid to ruin their friendship and Seungmin helps him? Thank you! Stay safe!”
A/n: hope everyone likes this! and thanks to the anon for this request
“Dude, I can’t take it anymore,” Seungmin says as he plops down in the seat in front of Tag. Confused, Tag gives Seungmin a look telling him to continue. “I’m talking about you and Y/n. When are you finally going to tell them you like them?”
Eyes widening from his question, Tag looks around, making sure that you weren’t anywhere near them. Smacking Seungmin in the arm, “Dude, shut up. What if Y/n was here?”
“What about me?” You say as you occupy the seat next to Tag.
“N-nothing.” The two boys both say at the same time.
“No it’s not, but for the sake of the two of you, I’ll ignore it.” Stealing some of Tag’s food, you ask the two boys, “So, what’re you guys up to today?”
Smacking away your sneaky fingers, Tag gets up from his seat and grabs his stuff, “I am on the way to meet up with Jangjun. I gotta help him out with something, and with that being said, I am going to make my exit now. Bye guys.”
Occupying the seat once filled by Tag, you watch Seungmin closely as you ask him, “So what were the two of you tralking about before I interrupted?”
Tutting, he responds “I’m not telling you Y/n.”
Kicking Seungmin’s shin in response to his answer, you give him your best puppy dog eyes, “But I’m your best friend and best friends tell each other everything.”
“I’m also Tag’s best friend, and best friends don’t tell others their secrets, so that cancels out your best friend privileges. Enough about that though, answer this question for me, when are you going to tell Tag you like him?”
“Are you dumb? I’m never going to tell him.”
“But why?”
“Oh, I don’t know, maybe because of the fact that it’ll ruin our friendship or that he’ll reject me and break my heart.” Either way, you’d rather keep your feelings to yourself than to lose Tag.
“How are you so sure that he’ll reject you?”
“Because he only sees me as his best friend, and nothing else. And you know what? I’m perfectly fine with that.” You were starting to get tired of Seungmin pushing you to confess to Tag. The two of you have had this conversation plenty of times, and everytime you’ve given him the same response.
“Mmhm, sure.”
“Hey Tag? You doing anything tomorrow night?” Seungmin asks Tag as he barges into his bedroom.
Not bothering to face him, Tag nonchalantly responds to Seungmin, “Nope, was just going to play video games with Donghyun, why?”
“Let’s have a guys night out. Let me treat you to dinner.”
Spinning around in his chair, Tag gives a weirded out look to Seungmin, “Are…are you asking me out on a date?” Grabbing the closest object to him, Seungmin throws a book at Tag. “No you idiot, I just want to treat my hyung with a nice dinner.”
Taking a moment to think about his offer, Tag asks, “Are you paying?” Sighing he tells him yes. “Pick me up at 7.”
“Why are you calling?” you ask Seungmin when you answer his call.
“Is that any way for you to speak to your best friend?”
“I’m sorry, let me start over. Hey bestie, what can I do for you this fine evening?” You could sense Seungmin’s eye roll through the call, and you can’t help but chuckle.
“What’re your plans for tomorrow night?”
“I have a date.”
That was the last answer Seungmin expected from you, “Wait, what?”
“A date…with Chris Hemsworth as Thor.” That was a more expected answer.
“Well, change of plans, I’m taking you out to dinner tomorrow.”
“Are you asking me out on a date? Because you know about my feelings for Tag.” Seungmin rolls his eyes again at you, not surprised that you and Tag responded in the same way. “No you doofus, I just want to treat my best friend to a nice dinner.”
“Are you-“
“Yes, I’m paying.” Seungmin could swear that you and Tag were made for each other.
“Great, text me the details later.”Now that Seungmin’s plan was going well, he couldn’t wait for tomorrow.
The following night, Seungmin and Tag had arrived to the restaurant before 10 minutes before 7 pm, which was the time that Seungmin had told you to come to the restaurant; not a minute earlier or later. Five minutes before your arrival, Seungmin had told Tag that he needed to take a call outside. From there he waited outside the restaurant for you. When you finally arrived at the restaurant, Seungmin had led you inside and had told you that he needed to use the restroom first and let the hostess guide you to your table. Only for you to be surprised by the presence of Tag.
“Um, Tag?” You call out to him, grabbing his attention, “What’re you doing here?”
“I’m having dinner with Seungmin, what’re you doing here?”
“I am also having dinner with Seungmin.”
Pointing at the chair across from him, he motions for you to sit down. “Really now? Seungmin didn’t mention anything about inviting you. Speaking of which, where is he now?”
“He said he needed to use the restroom.” Unbeknownst to the two of you, Seungmin was already seated at a different table, one that he was sure the two of you could not see him from, with Donghyun. Essentially the two of them were going to be spying on the two of you on your set up date. “Hyung, you do know that they’re going to kill you later on, right?”
“Not if they end up confessing to one another, resulting in them dating. They can’t kill me for lending them a helping hand.”
Back at yours and Tag’s table, the two of you have ordered your drinks as you guys wait for Seungmin’s return. After 10 minutes had passed, Tag had decided to call Seungmin, “Oh hey Tag.”
“Dude, where are you at? You didn’t tell me that Y/n was going to be having dinner with us.”
“Oh, about that, I actually won’t be having dinner with you tonight. No need to thank me.”
“Wait what?”
“You and Y/n are going to be having dinner without me, to simply put it, you guys are going to be having a dinner date. No need to thank me, and yes, dinner is still on me, so don’t be getting the most expensive entrees. Have fun!” The line cuts off as Seungmin hangs up the phone. Putting away his phone, Tag explains the situation to you,
“So it looks like Seungmin won’t be joining us tonight, says that dinner’s still on him though.”
“Then we have to order the most expensive thing here.” On the inside the two of you were cursing Seungmin because you guys both knew that he had set this whole thing up for the two of you. Before the awkwardness could settle in, your waiter comes up to the table, asking for your orders. Ignoring Seungmin’s request, the two of you order some expensive dishes. Once the waiter leaves, the table falls silent.
“So…” Tag starts, “How was your day?” This question leads to you telling Tag about how you were so excited about your favorite author coming out with a new book. As you tell him about the book, you fail to notice the smile that settles onto Tag’s face. He loved seeing you like this, happy about such a simple thing. For him, seeing you this happy made him happy, and it just made him yearn for the two of you to be together.
Once your food comes out, the two of you fall into a comfortable conversation about miscellaneous things. This why was you liked Tag, everything about him was comforting to you. You never had to try hard for him; you knew that you could always be yourself around him. Being with him made you happy. ‘Maybe Seungmin has a point,’ you thought to youself, ‘Maybe I should tell Tag about my feelings.’
When the two of you finish your entrees, your table falls into a comfortable silence. “Y/n, there’s something I have to say to you.” You look into Tag’s eyes, waiting for him to continue, “I like you. I’ve liked you for a long time now. I’ve been so scared to tell you because I didn’t want to ruin our friendship or make it awkward and Seungmin knew this, yet he made this scheme to set us up on a date. You can totally ignore everything that I’ve said so far if you date reciprocate my feelings. I mean, I totally understand if you don’t. I won’t hate you or anything. I just- Ow, did you just kick me?” Tag asks rubs at his shin.
Giving him an innocent smile, you say to him, “Yes I did, you were rambling and quite frankly I wanted you to shut up so I could talk,” taking a deep breath, you continue speaking to Tag, “I like you too Tag. I guess we were both too scared to do anything about it because we didn’t want to ruin our friendship.” Tag lets out a sign of relief as he hears that you like him back. “So…what now?”
“Now we order dessert, and then we can talk about what we’re going to do on our second date,” you say, smiling at Tag.
“Sounds like a plan.”
From their table in the back, Seungmin and Donghyun don’t miss the way Tag’s hand reaches across the table to hold yours.
“I freaking hate this,” Seungmin whines as he falls back into his chair.
You and Tag choose to ignore Seungmin’s whines as the two of you cuddle with each other.
“Awe, does someone need attention?” Donghyun asks him as he enters the living room.
“Yes!”
Turning your attention towards Seungmin, leaving Tag to pout at you, you say to Seungmin, “Well, you’re not going to get any here, so might as well go somewhere else. Also, you need to stop complaining, you’re the one who set us up, it’s not our fault that you made yourself our official third wheel.”
Grumbling to himself, Seungmin says, “Should’ve just let the two of you pine after one another.” Seungmin isn’t able to dodge the pillows the two of you throw his way.
