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I am so proud to be a plli 🥹

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PLAVE 'Dash' M/V Teaser

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Another World, Another Light

fandom: PLAVE pairings: various x reader genre: fluff prompt: "A Love that is Requited Tastes Like..."

A response to ‘Unrequited Love’, from another universe…

Yejun

Noah

Bamby

Eunho

Hamin

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Another World, Another Love

fandom: PLAVE pairings: Bamby x reader genre: fluff word count: 1.2k prompt: "A love that is requited tastes like..."

A response to ‘Unrequited Love’, from another universe…’

Bamby: peach eyes

Peach eyes and blue skies.

It was the first thing that you noticed when you met him. Behind a bright backdrop, the pink color of both his hair and eyes shined like gemstones. You couldn't help but blurt out how pretty it looked. You didn't realize how much meaning this held to this young boy as his eyes only became clearer and his face turned pink in response.

After a day of playing together, you two became inseparable. Wild youth that ran down streets, played in parks, and fought viciously. As you grew up together, you couldn't help but think to yourself that you would be together forever. I'll be with you on your ride, you would think to yourself quietly as you watched this little boy grow into a budding adult alongside you. Praying for your promise to see each other tomorrow again and again would never be broken.

Then, one day, Bamby began to act differently. He pulled you into the play tunnel and pushed a handful of flowers into your hands. 

“I promise I'll take care of you forever! You’re mine…!” It was a sudden state of declaration. One that came as a small shock to a young child such as yourself. But the two of you were just that--children. You both didn't understand what the meaning of these feelings were, but you both knew that it was a strong one. You felt the same too. You're mine as soon as I watch your eyes.

And another promise was made.

You both grew together, went through different routines and changes. But that never stopped the both of you to be together. The more often you hung out, the feelings you had felt as a child grew and you couldn't help but become bolder and bolder. You couldn't find fear on your damn mind. Sharing food, using his shoulder to sleep on, holding hands when your hands got too cold. Would you mind? You couldn't help but think.

When he had broken his leg, you were the first one to sign his cast, adding a small heart next to his name when you left a note. I'm talking to you. As you hid your feelings within actions. Oh, I'm talking to you (you).

You heard about how Bamby had become popular enough to get love letters and confessions. It didn't seem to register that the possibility of him being with another person was plausible until he was pulled from your side to be told another confession. My life's so jerky, yeah. You would hear their sonnets of heart-felt feelings, quietly waiting around the corner for the torture to be over. Waiting to hear the simple one word that could shatter your heart forever.

And when the unexpected ‘no’ echoed loudly down the corridor, everytime you couldn't help but feel hopeful of your own love.

So would you let me

To hide inside your eyes

Your peach eyes

What you didn't expect was love letters and confessions to come your own way. When you had found various letters and gifts stuffed in your locker, by your desk, and in your bag, you couldn't help but feel flattered. Had Bamby himself given you at least one of these? You couldn't wait to find out when he could confess.

But when you looked at Bamby with a dumb-founded look, you could tell he was not happy. A small fire of anger burned behind his smiling demeanor and he became snarky and hot-headed when probed.

And when you were personally asked to meet with someone, Bamby would stand next to you. He glared holes at the person, loudly asked what the question would be and to say it then and there. The way Bamby placed himself in front of you, despite being slightly smaller than you, was just too adorable for you to handle.

Every time you were confessed to, you would politely decline and drag Bamby off to your next destination. Eventually, word got around that the two of you declined every confession made and that you both hung around each other--no matter the destination. And when asked if you were both dating, you both blushed red.

Both of you, who denied that your relationship will never go anywhere.

Both of you, who knew that it could be a lie.

Both of you, scared of what the other might think.

Eventually, enough was enough. The countless days I’ve been without you. You decided during your holiday break, after days of not being by Bamby's side, that you should tell him how you really feel. (You were the one I need)

You knew he was visiting family for a couple of days, but he would be back that afternoon for the New year. You know, besides I won't find nobody. Your heart beat faster and faster as the time continued to fly by and when you saw that he was active online, you threw on your coat and rushed out of the house to his, just down the street.

To give my whole life, it's you

Feelings began to overflow as you ran, the adrenaline beginning to kick in as you pump your legs faster down the street and when you finally reached his house, you couldn't help but knock feverishly on the door.

Oh, you

The door clicked open and you felt your breath stop as you looked up to see the person in front of you. 

Peach eyes and blue skies. The same eyes that you fell in love with since the beginning.

“Huh?” Bamby stared down at you, his growth spurt finally kicking in. “What're you doing here? I thought we were meeting up in a couple of days?”

“I…” Oh, it's on the moonlight. The words were stuck in your throat as your confidence began to dwindle. What if he said no to you too? What would happen then? But…if you didn't tell him…

“I…Bamby, I…”

“Look, if you're going to just stand there like a record player, then just come in–”

“I LIKE YOU!”

You'll be my sunlight. The heat ran to your cheeks and you suddenly felt small on his doorstep, scared of looking up to his face. But no matter how much time passed, nothing happened. You could only stare at his feet until you gathered your resolve to look up.

Peach eyes. Ones that stared at you with a red face.

His eyes were wide, staring down at you with those peach eyes. You stared back, set on staring him down until he said something. He raised a hand, but then lowered it again, before raising it again.

“Ah…you…” He reached out to you before drawing it back to his chest. “...me?”

His actions said everything to you, his mannerisms another language. You held your breath before nodding in response. He blinked a couple of times and then broke out into a wobbly grin.

“Aah…” He brought his hands to his face and you stepped forward to embrace the crying boy. “Me too…I like you too…”

Peach eyes and blue skies

“Did you hear?”

“Hear what?”

I'll be with you on your ride

“You know the two upperclassmen–the ones in class 1-6?”

“Oh! The ones who got all those love letters?”

“Yes! They’re dating each other now!”

It's on the moonlight

“Whaat? When? I was hoping to ask Bamby-sunbaenim out to the school festival next week!”

How many songs I write

“I’m sorry girl, but you should see the way he looks at them. Everyone knew that they were going to date eventually.”

You'll be my sunlight

“Aah…But did you see how cute they were?”

“They’re practically stuck together like glue!”

How could I not rely

On you, peach eyes

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Another World, Another Love

fandom: PLAVE pairings: Noah x reader genre: fluff word count: 900 prompt: "A love that is requited tastes like..."

A response to ‘Unrequited Love’, from another universe…

Noah: HONEYMOON

You’ve known Noah for a while now.

He’s always been by your side.

The way he stays for hours by your side.

The way he treats you extra-so special. He buys you coffee (he always messes up the order), buys you flowers (only on special occasions), and makes sure to stay in touch with your family members (he even knows your mum's mum!). 

But that's just definitions. Your feelings were muddled and confused as you continued to know him. You thought he was just a gym rat who only cared about appearances, but he was an incredibly sweet and caring person. At least deep down. He was still a gym rat and cared about his appearance.

But when you both start leaning into each other more, everything begins to fall into place. The unconscious hand-holding and affectionate hugs, the long phone calls that go late into the night, and going to each other's house whenever you both want.

And then it hit you like one of his heavy dumbbells. An overwhelming amount of feelings and questions went through your mind and you suddenly knew…

Don't give me your conditions

You had fallen for him.

Let's not talk about it

The next time you had to confront these questions and feelings were when you were hanging out with friends. Noah was lying on the sofa while playing with your hair. They kept nudging the both of you, snickering while talking amongst themselves. 

‘When’s the wedding?’ They would ask, almost jokingly. You knew that they were just trying to get a rise out of the both of you and you did your best to block out their questions. You didn’t want no complications. 

At least until Noah leans over your face, an all-knowing smile on his face. “Got nothing to say? Where is this going?"

You tried your best to redirect the conversation, throwing a pillow in his face.

Let's not talk about it

You didn’t want to ruin the friendship that you both had. But…

What if it became something more?

To others, it definitely looked like they were dating. To you both, it was just another day of being together. Oh god…you really could be dating. Your emotions got the best of you and you couldn’t help but feel giddy about the thought. You opened Noah’s contact and began to dial his number when the thought came to you. He might not think the same.

“Yo,” Noah’s voice came through the other line. “I’m out with Eunho right now, so make it quick.”

“...”

Let's keep it

“...hello?”

“O-oh! I thought I was calling my…my aunt! Yeah…sorry, I’ll talk to you later!”

Honeymoon

“What? But your aunt’s number isn’t even close to mine! Ya–!”

We'll talk about it soon

You hung up on him before he could say anything else.

Let's keep it

Me and you

And nothing else (nothing else)

Nothing else (nothing else)

Weeks passed and you found yourself thinking about these feelings once again. You decided to stay at Noah’s place for the weekend and the realization comes to you once again as you’re going through your morning routine. You take turns showering and as you’re both eating breakfast, you think to yourself how backwards this all seems.

When did you both decide that this was all ok? Before ever saying you could be dating, you both just started acting that way. Would things change if you said anything? It's only been 14 weeks since you thought about telling him and as you try looking up at him through blurry еyes from lack of sleep, you notice that he was staring at you with a smile.

A smile so blinding that you could feel the love pouring from his face.

“Nooaah~” You playfully groan.

“Yaaa~” He responds in the same tone, mockingly.

“What would you say if we made it official?”

Finish my punchline

When he doesn’t respond, you look up and try to rub the sleep from your eyes. His jaw is wide open, but his facial features are as blank as can be. You freeze in your chair, a cold realization running through you. He doesn’t think of you that way. He’s in shock at your question.

“Uuh…” You slowly push yourself up from the table, avoiding his gaze. “A joke! It was a joke. Everyone has been asking, so I wanted to see your reaction! Yeah, haha…”

“Hey.”

You freeze and wait for what he has to say, but instead of harsh criticism or teasing, you’re quickly enveloped in a tight hug.

“Hah?! Huh?! What–?!”

Your bewilderment is met with loud laughing and a tighter hug. 

“Yes…” His voice soft against your neck and your heart begins to palpitate against your ribs. Soon you feel yourself being lifted into the air and turning in circles as Noah continues to whoop and holler. He sets you down gently and he pushes against your shoulders.

Kiss me at lunchtime

“No take backs. You’re mine now.”

I got a hunch, I won't be going anywhere soon

You couldn’t help but laugh at his serious statement and you pull him close for another hug. He squeezes you close and has no intention of letting you go. 

Unless I'm going there with you

You both stand in the kitchen for a while, in a peaceful embrace before you decide to do something bold. Carefully, you raise your face towards his, placing his face in your hands, and timidly inch closer to his face. He seems surprised at this, but understands what you want and quickly closes the gap between the two of you.

But let's not talk about it

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Another World, Another Love

fandom: PLAVE pairings: Yejun x reader genre: fluff word count: 1.1k prompt: "A love that is requited tastes like..."

A response to ‘Unrequited Love’, from another universe…

Yejun: light

The first time you saw him was when you were moving into your apartment. He was leaving his own–the one right next to yours. His face was a tired expression, but when he would make eye contact with you, a warm smile would break out and you could only smile back and greet him. When you were done moving everything in, he was already back.

“Have you finished moving everything?” His voice was just as soft and warm as his smile and you couldn’t help but feel butterflies in your stomach.

“Yes, I’ll be living here starting today.” You greeted him once more, feeling awkward as you tried to make a good first impression. “If there’s anything you need, please let me know. I won’t be causing any trouble as well.”

“I should be saying that as well.” He laughed. “I’m Nam Yejun.”

You would always see him in the mornings and only then. He would never be out late and always came home early. 

So it came to your surprise when you were invited to a meteor shower party. Yejun had left you a card with the details in your mailbox and when you reached the apartment rooftop, you were pleasantly surprised to see the other tenants of the building there as well. As you got to chatting with some of the tenants, you found out that it was Yejun’s idea to host a party of this size. He enjoyed stargazing and whenever something big was happening, he would prepare everything a month before. 

You always wanted to see the moonlight

When you heard how dedicated he was and saw the smile on his face as the meteor shower passed, you felt something inside you churn and it blossomed inside your chest.

And I, I just wanted to see your smile

It felt like love.

From that point on, you tried to chat and hang out with Yejun. It was mostly a coincidence that you two would meet up: on the rooftop, at the convenience store, and even at the nearby park! It felt as if fate was pushing you two together.

There is a light not far away from us, from us

You couldn’t deny your fluttering feelings when you were around him.

The light will shine with the clouds

But you wanted this to be different. Different from the others you've met before.

We're gonna fly up into the blue sky

So you decide to get to know him more.

So slowly

He doesn't seem to mind your presence. To you, it looks like he enjoys it. His smiles were warmer now and he greets you loudly, even in public.

And we held the moon in our arms

And even when those little moments happen, you couldn't help it.

You always had me

You couldn't help but fall in love with him more.

You're always shining

The first time you visited his apartment, it was under invitation. He showed you in and you both had dinner as you watched a movie in his living room. The second time was under different circumstances.

You had run into someone. Someone in your past that was not even worth mentioning because of the things they had done to you. And when you had seen them and they saw you, the things they had said and looked at you felt purely disgusting.

So you ran.

You ran until you found yourself in your apartment building and trying to open your apartment door. But the keys weren't working and the lock kept jamming as you tried to twist and push your door open.

And when it did open, you found Yejun on the other side.

I've seen a wonderful sight

You had accidently went to Yejun's door instead of your own and of course, that's why your keys didn't work. Before you could apologize and move to your own door, Yejun gently held your hand and led you inside.

With a bright glow

There wasn't a lot said between the two of you, but it seemed that Yejun understood. You could only sit on his couch in a daze as he made a cup of tea for you. A gentle tune–-humming brings you back to reality and you watch as he places a carefully selected bowl of goodies in front of you.

When you look up to look at him, you could only think to yourself

You are my sea, you are my sunshine

He had become your star, the moon.

Not too soon after that incident, you had decided to confess your feelings to him. You had only known each other for 6 months, but that felt like enough time to sort out any tangle feelings that you had yourself. So you slipped a note under his door and waited for him. You told him to meet you on the apartment rooftop after ten. Another meteor shower was happening that night and you couldn't help but want to watch it with him.

There is a light not far away from us, from us

And when he showed up with all of his equipment and a glowing smile, you hurried to help set it all up. You wanted to tell him. So badly. But you waited. You waited until you were both sitting in the chairs he brought, shrouded in the warmest blankets you had found in your cupboards, and sitting side by side.

The light will shine with the clouds

And as the meteor showing began, you watched it for only a moment before turning to him. He was staring at you with an expression you couldn't read. It startled you for only a moment, but you quickly composed yourself.

This was it. You were going to tell him.

“Yejun–”

“I wanted to–”

The two of you laugh at each other.

We're gonna fly up into the blue sky

“You can go first.” You chuckle. You knew that he was going to tell you about star facts and that he was thanking you for coming to see this event with him. You already knew, so you had something to say after–

“I like you.”

So slowly

You froze at his words. Carefully, you search his face for any sign of teasing or joke. But found nothing but clear eyes and a set face. Only when you felt your face heat up did you come to the realization that he had confessed. You could only breathe out your reply as you stared into his eyes.

And we held the moon in our arms

“I like you too.”

You always had me

The meteors that flew above you were oblivious to the fact that they had witnessed such a love confession and the space around and between you were closed as you both drifted closer towards each other.

You're always shining

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A little something I made under a revelation and 3 hours

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Hello... so, you are familiar with PLAVE?

Hello! And yes, I am VERY familiar with PLAVE.

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므메미무's first appearance

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Unrequited Love

fandom: PLAVE pairings: various x reader genre: angst word count: 200-700 prompt: "So this is what unrequited love feels like"

Yejun: Je Te Laisserai Des Mots

He looks on quietly, his heart broken as he looks at you. Softly, he leads you in. Arms wrap around torsos, a quiet click as the door shuts closed.

Yejun’s front suddenly warms and your gentle sobs shiver underneath his fingertips. All he could do was squeeze you gently and listen to your crying. No matter how many times you come to him, your life in chaos and in shambles, he will always be there for you. Patiently waiting for you as you call for him, knocking on his door.

He knows not to take advantage of this, his feelings put to the side as he comforts you. He leaves encouraging words for you: a text message, a note slipped under your door, soft singing from the other side of the room, or hidden goodies carefully selected under his watch.

And when you’re alone for a moment, the both of you fall from grace.

kiss me, one of you whispers. whenever you want

Neither are sure who says it, but it happens anyway. Both who are in need of someone. Both looking for comfort. Both craving an affection that the other cannot have.

Only one who desires the other in front of them. A gentle desire.

A gentle love.

Kiss me

Whenever you want

Noah: Let You Break My Heart Again

He’s fallen for you.

Unbelievably so.

The way you take up all of his mind. 

The way he treats you extra-so special. He always surprises you with coffee from the shop he frequents. You, who makes a face at the bitter coffee you drink before continuing to drink it all the same. He calls you to remind you of the big event you’re both attending. You, who desperately tries to fix your hair before going out to only get it messed up. 

He watches you as you both exchange music playlists, not even paying attention to the playlist you gave him because he knows he’ll just enjoy it later when he’s alone. You, who sits silently as you listen to music with your eyes closed; tapping your finger against your body and your face, your emotions, moving along with the song.

He tries to understand what he is to you, unsure of the hand-holding and affectionate hugs you give him. Unsure of the long phone calls between the two of you as it goes late into the night. Unsure of the sudden house break-ins you’ve done to wake him up and watch the sunrise together.

But he knows you don’t feel the same.

The way you look at him is nothing compared to the way you look at them. The way your face softens, your mouth turning into a warm smile and the color of your cheeks reddening.

The way his heart hurts makes him want to cry. His feelings–muddled and confused as he watches you fall in love with someone other than him.

He should stop–heaven knows he's tried.

Someday, he will stop falling in love with you.

Someday, someone will like him the way he likes you.

So he pretends that you’re more than friends.

Someday–one day

He will stop falling in love with you.

But until then, he'll be thinking of you.

And he'll let you break his heart again.

Bamby: Youth

The starting line was when he felt the warm feeling bloom in his chest.

It grew more and more at the sight of you.

You were both reckless. Wild youth that ran down streets, played in parks, and fought viciously. You, who grew up with him and treated him with love and respect as a brother. Him, who saw you as nothing more than a goddess–someone who understood him.

You knew all of his secrets. His fears, his likes and dislikes, his trials, his hobbies, his insecurities, and his best moments.

Someone to spend the rest of his life with.

You would both be together until the shadows of the night appeared. Until your mothers had to call for you. Until you both had to part for the night. Both of you, who promised each other to see the other tomorrow, same spot, if you aren’t here then I won’t play with you again.

The sad thing about the world is that time is unforgiving. Never stopping for anything.

You both grew together, went through different routines and changes. But that never stopped the both of you to be together. You were there when he broke his leg from falling down the concrete stairs. You were the one who signed his cast first, adding a small heart next to his name when you wrote ‘get better soon Bamby!’ He was there when your body changed rapidly at school. When you couldn’t leave the bathroom for an hour because of your first blood. He was there with you in the nurse's office, holding your hand as you cried from the pain. Oh, how badly he wanted to take your pain away.

You both, who breathed the same air and drank the same water. Both of you, who chased visions of your futures. Unknowing of the world that never stopped. For anything.

You, who waited quietly around the corner as Bamby was pulled aside to be confessed to. Him, who stood directly next to you when you were confessed to. Both of you, who denied that your relationship will never go anywhere.

Only one of you, who knew that it could be a lie.

That one will die before he gets there.

He, who would watch with tormented feelings as you were wooed by a series of people. He, who threatened any of them that would dare hurt you. He, who would get into a fist-fight with a silver wolf. He, who would accidently hurt you in the process.

He, who could only stop and stare as your body leaked the red liquid. He, who tried to gather his courage to apologize, but never could. He, who waited too long.

And you, who waited for him.

You, who waited for him to come around you again. You, who was willing to accept him back no matter what.

The lovers that went wrong.

The sad thing about the world is that time is unforgiving. Never stopping for anything.

You, who finally moved on after waiting too long.

He, who finally was ready to go back. Go back to the way it was.

But time is unforgiving.

You, who felt anger when he finally showed up.

Him, who felt pain and regret when he saw the anger flicker on your face.

You, who shouted a flood of words at him.

Him, who took it. Bringing it home with him after you told him to leave.

A flood that wrecked him.

And you caused it.

Unknowingly.

It slowly built itself around him, moving upwards to swallow him whole until it finally reached up and suffocated him. It stole the air from his lungs and weighed his body down. Tears he tried to shed no longer existed underneath the flood that encased him.

And He–who has been forgotten. By You–who has been living, moving, and existing.

Both of you–a silhouette. 

Him–a blank, lifeless face that you’ve slowly forgotten in life’s past.

You–a star that shone brightly, even in the darkest of crowds.

Ringing in his head.

When you broke his chest.

And if you’re in love, then you are the lucky one.

He only gazes on from a distance, bitter at the feeling that longs in his chest as he watches you take hold of someone. Eyes damp and red-rimmed from the countless hours and days thinking and dreaming about you.

Forever missing you.

Eunho: This Is What Autumn Feels Like

You were his first love, warm and bright as the summer sun. You shone with such force, burning his skin. He wanted to be by your side, smiling alongside your antics. Your laugh blended in with the breeze as it swept through windchimes, mesmerizing him into a trance.

Eunho wished the summer would never end.

But when the seasons change, summer will turn into fall.

Then you’ll leave and you would be gone.

He wished he could see you during every season. He wanted to see you radiate underneath the spring rays, glow with the soft autumn light, and dazzle him among a flurry of sparkling snowflakes.

He did the best he could, making up for lost time with as many events as possible. Bike rides up and down the mountain, ice cream dates along the river, and walks at the nearest park. But none of it could help his lovesick anxiety as the days turned shorter and shorter.

He couldn’t help but stare lovingly at you as you talked animatedly about your day with him or show him something you both would like. His love had grown every summer you had appeared and eventually, he felt his feelings burst.

He would tell you the next summer about his feelings, standing at the bridge you two would meet on the very first day of summer. You would stare at him, cheeks flushed and eyes wide.

But you rejected him. You knew him as someone who you only saw during the summer and the life you lived elsewhere already had someone in your life.

He understood. He really did.

But his heart could not accept it.

The two of you would still hang out during the summer and keep in touch as the years go on. For Eunho, his love lasted years–never yielding to the seasons he saw you come and go.

Like the trees in the autumn breeze

It’s ironic the way that you leave.

Hamin: So Beautiful

He’s had his sights on you since you’ve met.

You had both met each other at the meet-up that Yejun had invited him to. When Yejun waved him over, he was almost blinded by the two angels that sat next to each other, a kind smile on both faces.

So beautiful.

You greeted him, excited and nervous at the new acquaintance. Yejun had only good things to say about his maknae and you couldn't wait to meet him. He seemed nervous when he hurried over to the table you were occupying, but after talking some more you slowly opened him up.

He had hoped to become close friends with you after you met. You both texted each other frequently. You hung out whenever you both had some free time. Hamin didn’t mean for his feelings to brew in his chest. He didn’t mean for his hopes to become needs and wants.

You both went out to drink one night and found it was raining as you were leaving the bar. You both frowned at this, knowing it wasn’t supposed to rain that night. Not wanting him to walk home in the weather, you offered him to stay at your place.

You didn’t pay it any mind since logic evaded your brain, knowing yourself that it was a nice and innocent gesture.

But he did not think that.

His heart began to beat and his stomach did flips. You were both drunk and you didn’t understand what might happen.

All he could do was agree.

Of course, it was all cleared up when you explained excitedly that you’ve always wanted to have a sleepover with someone again. He could feel his heart drop, but he was still happy to be around you more.

You were both soaked with rain as you entered your apartment. You let him use the shower first, grabbing a change of clothes for the both of you. 

He noticed that something was different when he stepped into the bathroom. There were different products lined against the tub and counter space. He had an inkling what it might be, but he was too distracted with the overwhelming smell of you.

When he got out of the shower, he noticed a fresh pair of clothes waiting for you. As he put them on, a familiar scent reached his senses.

He knew this scent.

He recognized this sweater.

His throat felt tight, his heart jumping into it, and he tried to swallow it down. He drunkenly stumbled into the living room, where you were setting down some snacks.

“Oh, thank god they fit you!” You jumped up and down at the sight of Hamin in Yejun’s clothes. “I was worried that it wouldn’t.”

Hamin smiled at your enthusiasm, but his heart only clenched in his chest. He could only collapse on your couch after you had left to take your own shower. So it was true. You and Yejun were together.

It’s understandable why you were with him.

Nam Yejun was also an angel. He was a strong leader to everyone around him, kind, and soft-spoken. Hamin almost fell for him if you hadn't come around.

When you got back, you sat down next to him and agreed on a movie to watch. You were both still feeling the effects of the alcohol and cuddled close when one or the other began to fall asleep.

Hamin felt wide awake when you fell into a deep slumber. He stared at your face as the movie played, tracing the outline of your nose and the curves of your mouth.

So beautiful.

His thoughts began to blur and run wild as he stared at you.

My love is turning kinda gray. His heart clenched again at the thought.

His love burned inside him. The thought of you choosing someone else tore him apart. But He didn't mind. My heart is looking the other way.

A flawless ending.

So beautiful.

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Even After That...

fandom: PLAVE pairing: Yu Hamin x reader genre: angst word count: 5.2k prompt: "I want you back..."

~ Yejun ~ Noah ~ Bamby ~ Eunho ~

Something was haunting him. Wherever he went, there were glimpses and shadows. He wasn’t sure if he was seeing things, but the air always became heavy when it was nearby.

It first happened when he tried to help Noah.

When he first came to his World, he was embraced by the older man. Clothed in garments similar to a mage and breathed magic, Noah sobbed loudly into his chest while babbled nonstop. After prying the big baby off of him, Hamin learned that Noah had a friend who looked just like him.

“You have the same name too.” Noah sniffed, rubbing his nose. “Are you from another universe?”

Hamin found that impossible since his Story felt incomplete. His home was made out of data and code, alongside the faceless people who monotonously went on about their day. But at the moment, anything felt possible.

After jumping through the rift, Hamin found that they were stuck and even worse, the World was becoming smaller and smaller by the day. No matter how long Noah tried to use magic to restore the World's balance, there was no helping it.

Just like his own World, something was destroying Caelum.

Hamin quickly tried retrieving data from the World. It's not difficult, but the World can be unpredictable. He had already been chased by multiple animals and got lost in the forest. What else could happen?

A scream resonated within the area Hamin was in, sending shivers down his spine. Almost all of the humans within this World had already disappeared, except for Noah. Was it an animal?

Regardless of what it was, he had to go check.

Bounding through the underbrush, Hamin was shadowed by a giant digital mass. It loomed over him and its screech was high-pitched, vibrating the air. He spotted a cloaked figure lying beneath it and his determination was set a-new. Quickly, he fought the malware off and once he was sure that it wouldn’t form again, he rummaged around for the corrupted core.

It hadn’t revealed itself when he beat it down, which was concerning. More shrieks in the distance erupted. There were more? Hamin let the displeasure on his face show. There wasn’t a peaceful day in Noah's World.

Picking the inconspicuous figure up, he hurried back to the barrier set around the castle. Noah was waiting for him in the garden.

“Where have you been? I thought you were getting–” He stopped once he saw the figure in his arms. “Wha–who? There’s still people around?!”

“I thought so too, but we should check them over.” Hamin tried to peer underneath the hood, but couldn’t see within the dark. “They might not be here for long.”

That’s what he said, but he was surprised to find what he was looking at.

After a long trek to the library, Noah instructed Hamin to use any of the tables and desk as a makeshift bed to use. Hamin caught a glimpse of something shining underneath the depths of the cloak and he gently pried the cloth back to take a look.

The person’s body was made of dust. Specifically, they looked like an animated mannequin made out of sand. Their face was crafted to make it look like they were sleeping and their clothes were etched into their body. 

Noah couldn’t help but stare down at the body, before speaking.

“Where did you get this?”

Hamin was still, watching Noah with calculated eyes. Noah’s face was tight, a scowl replacing his usual smile.

“Hyung, what do you mean? I found them.” Hamin asked slowly. “Do…you know them?”

Noah flinched. So he did.

Hamin opened his mouth to confront him, but the ‘mannequin’ suddenly began to move. They sat up, raising a hand to hold their head, and then turned to face them. Hamin held his breath. Although they were awake, their face remained unchanged from being in a slumber.

“AH!” They jumped down from the wooden desk it laid on and grabbed at the hood to pull it over their face. It hesitated before trying to sprint to the door.

“No–Wait!”

Noah sprinted after them and grabbed a hold of their cloak, tugging it right off.

“NO!”

Everything went so fast that Hamin could barely comprehend what had happened. The desk was suddenly in front of the door, blocking the exit, and the ‘mannequin’ was crouched in the shadows, trying to block their face. Noah breathed hard as he tried to maintain his magic.

“Wait..please…” He gasped. “Is that…is it really you?”

The figure froze.

“Please, I–I’ve been looking for you. Where have you been? What happened? Are–”

“That’s���enough…Noah…” Slowly, the figure stood up and stepped into the light. 

Hamin could see them clearly now. They were dressed in royal garb, but pieces were missing. The light made it look like their material body was shifting. He felt a few prickles bite at his neck.

“It is…!” Noah lowered his arms, letting the magic fade from his fingertips. “I’ve been so worried. How could you disappear like that? If you hadn’t—”

“N-Noah…” They stumbled forward and fell to their knees. But not before Noah hurried to catch them.

“What’s going on?” Noah’s voice cracked. “Hold on! I can restore you!”

“No..ah…please…” They flopped around in his arms before trying to cover his mouth. Their hand passed right through them. “I–I don’t…have much time…but…”

With a bright glow, a pink cube emerged from their chest.

“That’s…!” Noah gasped.

“A Restore Point.” Hamin finished.

“I…had to find it…complete it…before…it was…too late…” They used their faintly glowing hand to guide it to Noah’s own chest. “And now…I can finally…give it to you…”

Noah looked at them and Hamin felt his skin bristle. “Wait–Noah-hyung!”

“Without…regrets…”

With one push, the cube was pushed into Noah’s chest.

Noah’s body pulsed and a bright light erupted from the sky. A rift was opened, revealing a deep blue and purple ocean from afar. Hamin couldn’t believe it. A successful rift was made and it didn’t look like it was going to close anytime soon. He turned back to the pair, only to see Hamin holding a disappearing figure.

“Noah…I’m–”

“No,” Noah grabbed at the light, focusing his magic around it. “Z-zip your mouth. I don’t want to hear anything until you’ve recovered.”

“Noah…”

“Stop–please, I’m trying to help for once.”

“Hey, I–”

“If you would just–”

“HEY, IDIOT!”

The room rang and everyone went still.

“Let me just,” They breathed, running a fading hand through Noah’s hair. “Talk to you once more, ok?”

Hamin watched as Noah nodded silently.

“Good.” They laughed. “Hey, remember when you didn’t want to get married when we were younger? Did you really dislike me that much?”

Noah shook his head, his hand shaking as he tried to grab hold of them. “...Never. I’ve loved you ever since we met.”

A soft laugh echoed in the room.

“Me too.”

~ ~

It was hard to pull Noah away from the library. He moved like a ghost and wouldn’t look away from the spot that shimmered with bright flecks of sparkles, remnants from the last remaining person from the World.

Hamin prepared their departure from this World to the next. Noah made no objections, only asking if his World would remain intact with him gone.

“With the Restore Point activated, this world is frozen in time at this moment.” Hamin said slowly.

“...And if we leave?”

“It should stay the same until we get back.”

It would be hard to notice the way Noah clutched at his chest.

With preparations done and ready, Hamin and Noah opened a portal at the edge of the sea.

The next World led him to Yejun.

The world was strange, an underwater city that lived and thrived with aquatic animals. But like Noah’s World, there was no one left. 

Hamin could only spot sources of code with his goggles, but they couldn’t find anyone. Noah used his magic to create a portal that led them to rooftops, but all they could find was scattered pieces of clothes and crustaceans that trailed along their feet.

“Why would the rift take us here?” Noah grumbled, shaking a purple crab that latched onto his foot. “There’s no one here.”

“The rift takes us to worlds that have at least one surviving Story.” Hamin groaned, stretching his stiff muscles. “We just have to find them.” 

Noah may be older than him, but he complained more than a toddler. Hamin nudged a rock with his foot, revealing a small hole. He squinted, crouching down to examine it. There was something glowing at the bottom. The hole was narrow, barely letting him fit his wrist in, but it wasn’t as deep as he thought. Carefully, he pinched the soft object with two fingers and pulled it out.

“What did you find?” Noah jogged over to him, peering over his shoulder.

Hamin stared at the small blue orb that hung in front of his face. Upon closer inspection, there was a small figure encapsulated within the middle.

“An undine?” Noah poked the outer shell, watching it ripple.

“I thought it was a water spirit?” Hamin carefully held the orb in his palm, peering closer to get a better look. The figure’s small head slightly raised and when it met his eyes, the bubble glowed bright.

“Whoa! Huh–?”

Hamin watched as the little fairy zipped around him multiple times and then suddenly began to nuzzle against his neck and face. Just like Noah, it seemed to recognize him. It made cooing noises and warbled in a tone he couldn’t understand. But Hamin wasn’t from this World. What was going on? Was his Story intertwined with others? 

“So, the Undine knows you too?” Noah held his hand up to touch the fairy and it whizzed around his wrist before letting him stroke the outer shell. Hamin could only shake his head and shrug.  The fairy hugged his cheek one last time before grabbing at his finger and began to pull him forward, indicating that he followed them.  

They ran through the city streets and found themselves at a tall building. When they tried to enter the building, they found barnacles and algae blocking the entrance. The fairy let out a call and some sea creatures responded, a dolphin and a small whale. The fairy hopped on the head of the whale before pushing the two on the back of the whale. 

It took them to the top of the tower, where a dome sat around its head. In the middle of it was a hatch. Was this where the Story was coming to an end? They followed the fairy through the hatch and found a lab. It was clean and very minimalist. A bed sat on one side, while a desk was set up on the other side. The walls were replaced with windows, overlooking the sky with glowing sea creatures swimming around the building.

A crash came from the other side of the room and Hamin looked over to see a man sitting on the floor. His expression was funny as his eyes and mouth were wide open, but as his mouth remained open, bubbles came forth and rose to the ceiling. Noah couldn’t help but snicker at the sight.

“Ha-Hamin…and…? No, who…who are you?” The man scrambled to get up, grabbing a hold of the closest thing to him, a snowglobe. “I thought…everyone disappeared? How did you both survive? Has the disease…?”

“Your World is falling apart then too?” Noah interrupted.

“What…yes.” The man seemed to glare at the two of them. “Of course it is! What do you think is going on?!”

“Our World’s are also falling apart. Caelum is being attacked by a…something.” Hamin stepped forward, extending his hand. “We came from other World in Caelum. I am called ‘Hamin’. We can help you.”

The man wearily looked at the two of them before setting the snow globe down and grasping his hand. 

“Alright. My name is Nam Yejun.” He gave a small smile, and Hamin felt hopeful. “How did you find me? The city is too big to single me out here.”

“There was a water spirit that helped us find you.”

Yejun’s expression morphed into one of confusion. “A water spirit?”

Hamin nodded, looking over to the floating orb. “Yes. It knew that you were here.”

He watched as Yejun looked up, watching as the orb slowly drifted towards his face. It orbited his head, seemingly happy to see him, before nuzzling his cheek. The man looked to be confused by this creature but as it cuddled up to him, his eyes became vacant and his expression turned watery.

Hamin could barely hear what Yejun whispered next.

“Is it really you?” 

A faint glow responded to him and the fairy chirped. Yejun carefully held the small thing closer to his face, softly sobbing as he did. 

“I thought…”

He was quietly silenced as the fairy clung to his face.

“I’m sorry for interrupting,” Hamin cleared his throat. “But have you observed anything that might have changed your world recently?”

“Ah…” Yejun hastily wiped at his eyes. “Almost. I’m a doctor and I have been researching the disease that has been taking everyone. But after…the last person was taken, my research has been slow.”

“But you’re still here.” Noah questioned. “What if there was something in…your blood or something? Have you tried that?”

“Believe me, I have.” Yejun led them over to a small kitchen island, stacked with lab equipment. “I have dolphin DNA in me, but if I was left, what about the other dolphins? The disease reacts with any type of DNA, regardless of gene and blood biology.”

“At the moment, before Caelum disappears completely, we need to find a Restore Point.” Hamin crossed his arms, trying to remember the city’s map they just trekked through.

“Restore Point? You mean…?”

“Something like part of a game, yes.” Noah finished. “I didn’t understand it until recently either.”

“If we can find one, then your World can be saved.” Hamin picked himself up from the seat he was sitting in and began to walk towards the hatch.

A chirp trilled throughout the space and the three men looked to find the blue fairy circling the air. Yejun called out to it with a chirp-like noise and it began to circle him too.

“Does it know where one is?” Noah asked, leaning forward to look at the orb.

“I think so,” Yejun grabbed at it gently and led it to a table, where a map was laid out. “Where is it? Do you remember?”

The fairy circled the map once and then stopped in the middle, before doing something akin to coughing something up. Hamin noticed the flash of pink and hurried over to find that the water spirit had spit up–

“Is that…?”

“A Restore Point!” Noah exclaimed.

“Where did you find this?” Hamin asked.

The blue orb pointed to a place on the map. The building top where they found the spirit. Hamin felt incredibly lucky to have found everything in one fell swoop. A rumble shook the sky and the building began to shake. Everyone held on to something, as what felt to be an earthquake began to erupt beneath them.

“What is that?”

Hamin looked towards the direction that Noah was pointing and watched as an amalgamation of malware swarmed the darkening sky. It took the shape of a large whale, bigger than the ones they saw earlier that day. Its body pulsed and shimmered a black color and tried to swarm the building with its body.

As quickly as he could, Hamin moved across the room and tried to climb back to the hatch. He had to eliminate it before it caused more harm to this World! 

“Hamin-ah, wait up!” Noah climbed up after him, trying to keep balanced as the building shook around them.

“Hyung, get back! It's dangerous!”

“That's what I should be telling you!”

As the hatch was opened, a strong breeze almost swept the two away. The storm that the malware was calling was getting worse. The malware let out a screech and another gust of wind blew their way. Hamin held on to the hatch but Noah wasn't fast enough. He was lifted from the roof and was about to be thrown away!

With a swipe of his arm, Hamin grabbed Noah’s flailing hand. A pulse traveled down his arm and for a moment, Hamin watched something flash in his memory. A kingdom, thriving magic, and…someone.

He understood.

With one pull, he brought Noah close and they held onto each other.

“Noah-hyung! I get it! I can use it!”

“Huh--What?!” The confusion on Noah's face was priceless. “What can you use?!”

“That spell!”

Noah understood as he carefully examined Hamin's face and with a nod, the two of them began to use light to draw a circle of runes. The copied magic that flowed through Hamin's body felt strange, but also familiar. It was almost like he had always known, but couldn't remember.

Another screech vibrated for a moment, but then stopped. Hamin looked over to see another figure beside them. Yejun and the water spirit stood next to them, arms upwards in using their own magic power to still the malware in a water prison.

Without hesitating, Hamin and Noah used ‘Purifying Light’ to bore a hole through the giant malware. Hamin watched as it dissipated into the sky and faded from this World. A wave of exhaustion flooded his body and he felt himself collapse against Noah. It became painful afterwards and his muscles wouldn't move an inch. Yejun began to treat the two of them, using his water power to soothe the body.

The World was saved and now they had to use the Restore Point.

“Yejun-hyung,” Hamin croaked, clearing his throat quickly. “Where's the ‘restore point’?”

“Ah, here.” Yejun pulled it out of his pocket, but before he could hand it to Hamin, a flash of blue snatched it from his hand.

The water spirit held onto the cube, refusing to go near the group.

“Hey! What's the matter with you?” Noah groaned from where he laid. “We just saved your World! We need that!”

Yejun carefully approached the blue orb. “...Is something the matter?”

The water spirit looked in between the three and then drifted towards Yejun slowly. It chirped towards him and for a moment, Hamin saw Yejun's face change into a dark expression. He couldn't help but shiver.

“Wait, you can't–”

In a moment, a bright light streaked the sky and a pulse of air went through Yejun.

The sky became bright and bright bubbles decorated it in streams. The sea creatures in the city began to sing woeful songs as they watched the bubbles rise, sad to watch the world go. Hamin looked over to Yejun, watching tears flood down his face as the glowing blue spirit disappeared in a stream of bubbles.

The next World was dark, neon signs painting the buildings and sidewalks to the city. No matter how long they stayed, the concept of daylight did not exist in this World. They had traveled for what seemed like days, dodging the sights of static monsters and sleeping on shadowed rooftops. During that time, Hamin tried to collect his thoughts. First that moving mannequin and then the water spirit. Something was connecting him to these people. Both Yejun and Noah seemed to know him, but on the other hand, they also recognized each other.

They talked quietly amongst each other as they traveled, sharing stories about their Worlds. Yejun’s quiet life was described as otherworldly; his world living in an underwater atmosphere with a modern way of life. Noah’s was more of a fantasy as he could use magic and lived in medieval times. But in each other’s World, they had both existed. Hamin couldn’t make heads or tails about the situation. Was this next life going to have a version of them too?

A high-pitched screech gathered their attention and as they hid under a terrace, they watched a pink light fly by with a group of mass of static run after it in the street. It streaked up and down the city, always almost reaching the top of a building before skating down it to gather speed and zip by the amalgamation.

“Is that…?” Yejun whispered.

“It has to be.” Noah answered. “Hamin-ah, we have to go save them!”

Hamin wanted to protest, but there was no denying that this was the next person they had to save, along with their World. A loud shake made them look back to the scene and they watched the pink streak get knocked back and fly back. 

“Noah!” Yejun called, thrusting his hand out to create a soft landing. Noah immediately casted a soft levitation spell on the ball and safely let it down to the ground. It was another person. He looked up, perplexed at what had just happened.

His mouth flapped up and down until words finally came out. “What–who…what’s going on?!”

“There’s no time to explain.” Hamin helped him up, dragging him to a blind spot. “We’re here to help.”

A loud roar shook the air. It was going to go on a rampage again. The pink-haired man gathered the three of them close.

“We need to try and destroy the anomaly as fast as we can. If it gets any bigger, we’ll be thrown into infested sectors below us. If you’re gonna hit it, do it hard. Its regeneration ability is slow.” A digital screen flashed and he swiped over it, creating a map of the city they were in. “I’ll try to lure it far from the bridge. Try to focus on strong offensive attacks or defensive skills.”

It didn’t take long for the group to understand the situation and they all agreed readily. Yejun focused on healing and shielding, while Hamin would tank through the front with Noah ready with duelist magic. And the newest member, Bamby, would use defensive tactics.

Another loud call signaled its attack and the four of them scattered. Noah took Yejun to the rooftops, keeping him away from danger. Hamin stuck close to Bamby, watching him grab a metal scrapped up board from the ground.

“Try to keep your attacks towards the city.” Bamby muttered. “We can’t risk falling over the edge.

And with a brisk kick of air, he shot off on the board. This meant that the fight had begun.

The pink light flickered before blazing bright. It circled the monster a couple of times to catch its attention and then began to blitz farther into the street. It worked as the monster roared and tried to crawl its way to Bamby.

Hamin jumped through the portal that Noah made and was launched into the air, to fall right on the digital monster. He channeled a will to stretch code around his leg, making an ungenerated leg gauntlet and quickly cut through a chunk of the monster's body. It screamed, waving long arms to hit the mosquito that bit it.

Hamin dodged, jumping behind Yejun’s shields as the blocks of static rolled off the transparent orb. Noah tapped his back and Hamin sprinted forward. He fought against the pulsing cubes and waves of attacks that came after it. Noah used elemental magic against it, using ice and earth to spear and freeze upcoming attacks.

The monster had a feeling that it was going to lose and began to attack blindly, hitting Bamby mid-air and Yejun’s safe spot. Hamin sprinted to Yejun’s position, catching his falling form as he did. Bamby was also caught by Noah, a shield rolling them away from any more attacks.

“This,” Noah panted. “Feels impossible. It feels like we haven’t even made a dent.”

“Well, what do you suggest?” Bamby groaned, nursing his leg as Yejun healed it.

“We need firepower!” Noah growled. “There’s no way we can–!”

A sound of a motorcycle revving caught their attention and Hamin looked over to see a red streak circling the monster before fire appeared and attacked it. It was effective to the point where the monster shrieked, collapsing on its side. 

“Where did they come from?!” Noah screamed.

“Doesn’t matter.” Hamin pushed past him. “We’ll take all the help we can get.”

Hamin could practically feel the glare that Noah sent him. A portal was opened and Yejun and Bamby jumped through it. Another safe point was made and Bamby shot around the city buildings to survey the situation.

It didn’t take long for the monster to recover and it slapped down an attack that shifted the earth. Noah launched Hamin into the air, watching another flurry of attacks cut cleanly through blocks of black and grey. Meanwhile, flashes of yellow and red clashed as they attacked as well. 

The size of the monster was decreasing steadily and when it was the size of a small house, they regrouped to get any healing done and optimize their plan. Hamin felt dirt and sweat plastered on his forehead and waited patiently for Yejun to dump a bubble of water on him. A splotch of pink moved in his peripheral and as he turned his head, a gray shadow sat atop of Bamby’s retreating figure.

“Look out!”

The motorcyclist pushed Bamby and a fist of digital mass landed right Bamby had been standing. This caused the group to scatter, trying to avoid the oncoming attacks. Hamin kicked away an incoming block and tried to spot the rest of the group. Yejun was providing back-up to Noah, as he casted a shield upon them. Hamin looked around, tapping his temple to activate his goggles. He couldn’t find any weak spots and the monster grew larger as it consumed its surroundings.

The ground shook and Hamin felt his skin grow hot. The spot where the man had been hit exploded and fire erupted from the ground. The man stepped out from the crater, his helmet broken with an eye visible. A redstreak flashed and rocketed towards the monster. It took less than a second before it exploded in a hot wave. 

Hamin tried to shield himself behind a rusted car, trying to minimize any burns. A cooling sensation washed over him and he saw Yejun’s water shield covering his body. He spotted the pink haired man, struggling to cover himself with a metal scrap. Hamin ran towards him, grabbing him by the shoulders and wrapped him close to his body. The shield could only cover him so much, so that left him to use himself.

Fifteen seconds felt so much longer than it sounded. Hamin had shut his eyes, waiting for the heat to die down and when it did, he couldn’t help but wait for something else to happen. Was it over? Was it gone? Hamin unfurled his arms around Bamby and peeked over the metal scrap. 

Where the monster was, stood the motorist. Flames decapitated from his body and after it was finally done, he fell to the ground. Bamby was the first to move. He sprinted over to the man, skidding to a halt when he reached him. Hamin followed suit and the other two walked over cautiously.

“Hey!” Bamby shook the man. “You–what’re you…you’re stupid!”

Despite the insults, he had tears flowing down his face. His fists were curled and laid on the white haired chest, unmoving. Yejun quickly began to use his healing powers to try and heal him. His eyebrows furrowed and he grunted as he pushed his hands down onto him. The injured man groaned.

“His wounds…!” Yejun growled. “They’re too severe! If I can just…!”

Hamin remembered when he had connected with Noah’s magic and without hesitating, he placed his hands over Yejuns.

A pulse. A faint memory. A calm washing sensation.

The copied power began to work within him and he pushed it back out, hoping that the healing would be doubled. The blue glow faded and the white haired man opened his eyes.

“Ugh,” He groaned. “Did we win?”

Bamby threw his arms around Eunho, sobbing as he did. “You idiot! You’re always so reckless!”

The man looked confused, patting the smallest back softly. Bamby let go after a while, struggling to wipe away the flood that escaped his eyes.

“Ah, I’m so glad to see you again, Eunho. But how did you…?”

“I’m sorry,” He interrupted. “Do I know you?”

The other three began to feel very awkward as Bamby’s face changed.

“What do you mean? It’s me, Bam–Bonggu! Don’t you remember me?”

‘Eunho’ shook his head. “I lost my memory a while ago. I’ve been trying to find out who I was before, but after everyone disappeared…”

The group was silent. It had happened to all of them. The empty World moving on while the people ceased to exist. The ground rumbled slightly and the five of them became alert once more. From the ground, two streaks spiraled into the sky. Hamin realized it was a Restore Point, but there were two?

Before he could react, the twin spears twirled back down and hit both Eunho and Bamby in the chest. The World shook once more and a bright light flashed open in the sky. Another rift. Bamby straightened himself up, ready to fight whatever else was about to attack him, but nothing came. Eunho sat on the ground, perplexed at the situation.

Suddenly, a blue portal opened up beneath the group. It dropped them into another dimension. Hamin looked around the space. It was like they had entered a new dimension. The sky was filled with glittering stars and planets, shooting stars lit the sky as they passed, and the ground glowed as they walked. A soft call caught his attention, echoing in his ear. As the rest of the group explored and went on without him, he laid eyes on a figure. They stood off in the distance, dressed in white. He couldn’t decipher their features, but his heart stirred. 

You smiled at him, a melancholic look softening your features. He had come so far on this journey. You remembered the look he had given as you wiped and reset his code. You made sure that it didn’t hurt. There was no future in Caelum as long as they existed. So you gave them one. His memories would never be the same. Only the ones in the present and future mattered.

You didn’t say anything, fearing that your resolve would crumble when you did. But the look in his eyes said everything to you. I will come find you.

You let out a soft chuckle, unable to hold it back any longer. Noah called out to Hamin. A portal was opening up. With one last look back, Hamin retreated to the safety of his new family. They stepped through the portal, unsure what laid ahead of them. 

~ ~

In a field of flowers, you stood alone. You watched him go, the one you had to leave behind. If he ever walked your way, you knew that he would find you.

You closed your eyes, smiling at the memories you were about to leave behind.

‘Come and find me.’ You wished. ‘In a World where we can be together.’

[13916-62mae22]

Chroma('s Light) Drift

fandom: PLAVE pairing: Do Eunho x reader genre: angst word count: 3.6k prompt: "I want you back..."

~ Yejun ~ Noah ~ Bamby ~ Hamin ~

“Another round over here!”

“We need a refill please!”

“Can I get another platter of wings?!”

You tried to weave around the merry people, while dodging empty mugs and raised arms. It was busy for a Sunday night, especially one with a strict curfew. You took a glance at the clock, frowning at the approaching time. Your boss had the same idea as you as he rang a bell to get the customers attention.

“Kitchen is closed!” His voice boomed, shaking the shelves behind him. “Take your business to a safer district, or get caught by them.”

No more words needed to be said and the crowd slowly dispersed out the door. You let out a breath of relief and began to quickly clean up the half-empty glasses of alcohol and platters of stained dishware. Once you were done, you quickly swiped yourself to clock out.

“See you tomorrow, boss!”

A grunt echoed in the empty restaurant. A mutual goodbye.

You headed out on the street, kicking your drift board to life. The currents weren’t very strong today, but it could get you to your next job. You let the air current take you to your destination and with a confirmation, you were let into the arcade.

It was only a two hour shift, but it was all you could get. Job from job. That’s how it’s always been.

Everything was different before…

You pushed your thoughts away as you began to mentally prepare for closing. You had gotten through the first hour before the ring of a bell ached as it rang in your head.

“We’re closing soon!” You called.

A loud slap sounded on the counter behind you. You looked up to see a card, reading credits up to at least four digits and counting. You couldn’t care less any more anyway. You held your hand out, feeling satisfaction when it hit your palm. You slid it into your bag before logging a computer in.

“You got a membership card?”

The card was handed to you and you grabbed a hole puncher from the desk beside you. You punched the card with a quick snap. A flower cut into it.

“Two hours. Then you’re out.”

The man nodded at you before going to his assigned spot. You had recognized him from somewhere, but it was most likely a regular you couldn’t put a finger on. You got back to cleaning, wiping down the surrounding computers and desks, and sweeping the food waste on the ground.

For the next few weeks, that was your routine. Job from job, ending the night at the arcade. The hooded stranger came in right before you closed, giving you an ungodly amount of money to let him stay for at least two or three hours. To be honest, you began to look forward to seeing him at the end of your night.

You didn’t talk much to each other, but being in each other's presence became a safe feeling. At some point, you became curious about what he was doing and secretly tried to pry into what he was doing. You would start by casually asking what he was up to recently and he would always reply,

“Gaming.”

You were appalled when you got that answer.

There was no way that all he had been doing was gaming. So when you peeked behind his shoulder when you were cleaning, you found him playing that one popular five versus five competitive game.

He jumped, surprised to see you lingering behind him.

“...What’re you doing?”

You couldn’t help but stare at the screen in disbelief. “You were MVP for three whole rounds…and yet, you still lost!”

He scowled. “It’s not my fault that these rando’s suck! Why are they even ranked in platinum, if they can’t even hold their positions?”

“Aren’t you afraid of those psychos you see on the news?” He asked, his brows were furrowed and his mouth down in a frown. “They take ‘Chroma’ and then go ballistic on the street.”

“If I was scared, then I wouldn’t be out here hanging out with you.”

He turned to stare at you, his angry expression melting into one of surprise. You couldn’t help but feel hot the longer he stared.

“Well, Eunho, sir, you better get moving.” You coughed, pocketing your keys in your jacket pocket. “I heard that the curfew is starting tonight.”

“How do you know my name?”

You tap his membership card that sat on the desk. His name plastered in black ink across the top.

After that, the two of you became closer. You learned that he had a job, but that he was on probation after an accident. He coped by playing competitive gaming. You helped him win a couple of rounds after locking the doors and getting takeout for a late dinner.

“So, what are you doing in this run down arcade?” He asked, slurping his noodles quickly.

“It’s just a job my brother used to work.” You stirred your own, watching as the broth breathed steam.

“You have a brother?”

You chewed carefully before answering. “He’s not related by blood, but we were really close when we were younger. We didn’t have anyone to lean on except each other.”

“Well, where is he now? Is he forcing you to take his shifts here?”

The pain of remembering made you stop you from putting the noodles into your mouth. The sounds of rain and shouting were still clear in your mind. 

“Hey, are you—?”

“He died a while ago.”

“Oh. I’m…sorry.”

You stared down into your bowl. Your noodles cold now.

“Me too.”

~ ~

On a day off, you got a message. You frowned, looking at the blinking red letter on your watch. You don’t remember giving your number to anyone but your bosses. You hoped that you weren’t being asked to come in. Swiping your fingers across the face, a digital text popped up. Your eyebrows went up as you read it.

It was from Eunho. You skimmed it the first time, before reading it a second time. You tried to suppress the smile that grew, but it didn’t seem to help. Throwing on a jacket, you grabbed your drift board and hurried to the address that was sent. It wasn’t far from where you lived. So when you skated by his building and saw him standing on his apartment patio, you couldn’t help but skate over to him. 

He seemed to be thinking about something, a cigarette lazily hanging out of his mouth. In a swift motion, you grabbed it and broke it in two. This seemed to surprise him as he jerked back. You had gradually moved towards him, thinking he had seen you, but the fact that he didn’t made you laugh out loud.

“Wh-what are you doing here?” He stuttered.

“You were the one who invited me.” You blanked. “What are you doing? I’ve never seen you smoke before.”

Eunho rubbed his face, embarrassed that he had been caught. “It’s a stress reliever. I usually don’t.”

You looked him up and down. He seemed to be worse for wear from the last time you had seen him. There were bags under his eyes, his hair a wild mess, and his face looked gaunt. Flicking the broken cigarette into an empty plant pot, you nodded your head out into the city.

“Wanna get out of here?”

You took Eunho into the heart of the city, handing him sticks of food and taking him around the night market. You took him to your favorite places: karaoke, a noodle shop, and even some clothing stores. You dressed him in slick leather jackets and even threw an animal hat on his head.

“Hey!” He pouted, looking at his reflection. “This doesn’t look cool on me at all. I’m not some kid.”

“I think this is super cool! You look like a baby wolf.” You tucked a pair of aviators behind his ears, laughing at the sight. “Don’t you think so?”

You were happy to see him crack a small smile as he adjusted his shades. After, you dragged him to deungbul bridge, sitting in the sakura tree that sat next to it.

“I had fun today.” Eunho said quietly, watching the people walking. “I haven’t felt this good in a while.”

“Then that just means we need to do this more often.” You smiled.

He shot you a smile and you felt your chest warm. In a split moment decision, you grabbed his chin, turning him towards you. He looked at you; surprised, but an innocent look was painted on his face. You couldn’t help but want to tease him a little. Quickly, you placed your lips on his.

The look on his face was all you needed before you kicked off on your drift board. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, baby wolf!” You hollered, a smile paining your cheeks.

~ ~

“Report in.”

The man stood alone on the bridge, hood shrouding his features. The virtual rain dropped past his vision and he swore he could make out the individual numbers as they fell.

“C1-4, I repeat, report in.”

A click of the tongue and a casual swipe past his ear logged him into the call.

“I’m here.”

“Status report.”

“On course.” He sighed, flicking the imaginary feeling of rain off of his skin. “No sign of active anomalies.”

“And the drifter?”

He licked his lips, his mouth tasting like ash. “Eliminated.”

“Good. We’ll be able to collect the body after extraction.”

He felt cold. So cold. Squeezing his eyes shut, he let out a steady breath.

“Anything else to report?”

A light streaked past behind his eyelids.

“No, sir.”

~ ~

You skated down the airway, gliding over to the next lane to land on your job’s building. You let out a confidence huff. Once your shift was over, you were done. No more late-night working. No more scrapping for money. You were finally free.

You jumped through the hatch, dropping onto the stairs, and walked into the employee lounge.

“Hey boss!” You called, tying your apron onto your waist. “Do we have any fresh clams for soup? I think I can make a whole special–”

A click stopped you mid-sentence. You had to stop yourself from sighing.

“There won’t be any clams tonight.”

Slowly, you raised your arms and turned your head. Four people littered around the room. They all had their faces concealed with either masks or hoods. Two of them held your boss between them, a gun pointed under his chin.

“I’m sorry,” He gurgled, his spit turning purple as he talked. “They drugged me up. I had no choice.”

You could only stare at him in silence, aware of the situation. It was all leading up to this moment. One you wished didn’t happen.

“Since when?”

No one breathed.

“Since when?” You repeated.

“...a couple weeks ago.”

So that’s what that was. You had a suspicion, but you couldn’t pin it on anything. It could have been in food, drinks, the air even; but no one could be sure. 

“Now that we have you where we want you,” The leader cooed. “We need you to come with us.”

A rush of adrenaline shot through your arms and you felt your muscles begin to twitch.

“Boss,” You muttered quietly, but you knew he could hear you. “Thank you for everything.”

And before anyone could blink, a terror whipped through the room.

The lights flickered and in a split moment, a gunshot was fired. It echoed within the room and the four cloaked figures scattered. Your (ex)boss was thrown across the room, now unconscious from the extreme force. The cloaked figures waited for another gunshot, but none came.

“Status report.”

Two voices spoke quietly in response.

“All good here.”

“Still intact.”

Silence as they waited for one more.

“C1-3. Do you copy?”

Static buzzed.

“Yeah. I’m hit.”

“Status?”

“Minor. I was grazed. Lucky to have dodged when I did.”

“10-4. Everyone, patrol the city and report back in an hour. They couldn’t have gone far.”

~ ~

Someone was banging on his door.

It was almost midnight, who could have the guts to bother him this late? Eunho grabbed at his belt, peeking out of his peephole to see who was on the other side.

You raised your hand to hit your hand on the door once again, but was stopped as Eunho finally opened the door.

“Hey, what are–?”

“Can I come in? I don’t think it’s safe out right now. Someone’s coming after me and I think I know who. Please Eunho, I need to–”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Eunho pulled you in without a second thought. “What’s going on? Who’s coming after you?”

“That crime syndicate!” I tried your best to stay calm, but it was becoming worse as you thought about the past. “I knew it was a bad idea to take a job from them, and now look where I am!”

“Hold on, how do you know it was them?”

“It was them!” You cried, not caring about how loud you became. “They killed Bonggu! I’ll kill them! I’ll find them and–!”

“It wasn’t.”

You stopped short, turning to look at him. “What are you talking about?”

Eunho was quiet, his red eyes glowing from the shadows of his apartment. His expression was solemn, but full of remorse. Another wave of anger welled up within you.

“You didn’t…”

“I’m sorry,” He said softly. “I didn’t realize that–”

You didn’t give him any more time to speak. Grabbing him by the collar, you punched him. It was satisfying enough to make you want to do it again, but you held back. 

“After I finish them,” You growled. “I’m coming back for you. And I’ll finish what we started.”

With one last glare, you turned away from him and sprinted into the city. You had unfinished business to take care of.

~ ~

You let out a breath. This was it.

You watched the groups of people patrol the buildings and you knew that it had to come to this. With an ounce of courage built up, you pushed the needle into your arm. ‘Chroma’ took effect fast. Your vision blurred before stabilizing and your body was buzzing with adrenaline. You felt like you could do anything. Time felt like it slowed down as you moved and you used this to your advantage.

You ripped through the building like it was nothing. The organization that was meticulously crafted was taken down in less than a minute. Bodies dropped like flies and when you reached the bottom of the groundwork, you found yourself faced with the individuals from earlier.

The leader sat waiting for you, smiling devilishly as he looked at you.

“You finally made it.” His eyes glowed a dark red, darker than Eunho’s. “I know what you’re waiting for, so I’ll let my guest of honor start us off.”

A small figure strode up to meet you and you could feel yourself losing control of your reality.

“Bong-gu…?” You could barely hear yourself say.

The man looked exactly like the boy you knew since childhood, but there was a stark difference. His complex was pale and his hair was a light green. His eyes didn’t shine the bright pink you knew, but a dark obsidian.

“What–What is this?!” You shouted. “What did you do to him?!”

The albino smirked from his spot and couldn’t help but chuckle at you.

“What did I do? We fixed him. Albeit, he doesn’t know you. But he’s the perfect version of himself.”

You couldn’t help but scream. Your anger was blinding you and your vision was becoming static. He was everywhere and you would meet him in every location. Things were exploding; things were falling; debris was everywhere.

Where was he? He needed to be…

“Where did you go?” You whispered.

A soft laugh rang out. You looked up, seeing the fake standing on steel rafters. He blitzed up the stairs and you shouted at him to stop. He was escaping. You had to catch him! He had to be…!

You followed him out into the alleyway, through the streets, and into the city. You clawed your way to him. His form was getting bigger as you gained on him. You were so close….almost there…just another step forward! You felt fabric and you yanked him towards you, grabbing him in a close hold.

You felt your bodies roll and tumble as he tried to resist, but you wouldn’t let him. He need to be…!

You stopped, holding him down, raising your fist to deliver the final blow, when you stopped. Bonggu was not beneath you, but a man you had never met before. His doe eyes were open, afraid, as he stared up at you. Blood dripped out of his nose and tears leaked out of his eyes.

You were confused. Who was this? You were chasing Bonggu. Where did he go?

Your vision blurred and you saw him again, his features twisted in a maniacal smile.

“Gotcha.” He chuckled.

You were thrown off and you felt yourself pushed into metal grates. You coughed as the air was forced out. Looking up, you found yourself on deungbul bridge. Civilians looked at you in fear, screaming and running as they fled the area. The fake stood up, spitting on the ground as he approached you.

“Looks like our game has come to an end.”

The leader walked casually towards you, his other lackeys eyeing you with uninterested eyes. He smiled and before he could reach out to you, a loud roar of an engine caught your attention. A motorbike flew towards the albino and knocked him back a couple of feet. You recognized the bike too. Red with black trimmings.

“Are you ok?!”

A warm hand grabbed at your arms, pulling you up. Eunho, his white hair shocking your vision, supported you as he helped you. You felt safe for a moment, savoring his touch, before a vision of red swarmed your vision. Oh no. The Chroma. 

You pushed him away, clutching your head as you backed away.

“Stay back! Don’t come closer!”

“What–wait, you didn’t!”

Eunho tried to come closer to you, but you swiped at him, trying to keep him at bay.

“You don’t want to be here when I lose control. Don’t make me watch myself kill us both.”

“I can’t just leave you like this!”

Your vision was beginning to blur. The drug was taking over.

“You’re reckless.” You scoffed.

“I’ve been told that.”

Despite everything, you could tell he wasn’t going to let up. You felt a surge of electricity roll up your back and you couldn’t help but let out a roar of pain. Eunho moved to help, but was stopped short as he was lifted into the air. You held him up with one hand around his throat. He tried to lift himself from holding your arm, but there was no room for air.

“Hey, Eunho,” Your voice was becoming static, non-human even. “I hope that we have a happy ending somewhere else.”

His face turned from pain to despair and with one fluid swing, you threw him off deungbul bridge.

~ ~

The world was raining again.

He didn’t understand it, but it felt real, but somehow it wasn’t. He couldn’t taste it and when it landed on his skin, it slid off, leaving no trace behind. It has been three months since he woke up. He still couldn’t remember who he was, but his name stuck around. The people who lived in the Runge district were kind enough to help him when they found him in between sector PR-2 and R-5. Apparently, he hit his head so hard that he had to be taken to a hospital to get the wound treated. It healed up just fine, but his memory was gone. 

He didn’t let it bother him. He was lucky to survive a fall through sectors and he tried to live his life as best as he could. He worked at a video game store, played with the locals who challenged him, and grew to love the community. But at some point, he began to wonder where came from. Did he have a family who missed him? Anyone who loved him and was waiting for him?

After months of savings, he took a trip to the Munsell district. It was layered upon the Runge district and he had to take the value express to make it there. It was a lot brighter than the Runge’s dark atmosphere–neon lights flashing in every direction and seasonal lights grew from the ground to make spectacular visions.

As he walked through the city, he caught a look of the flashing news billboard.

“...there has been no breakthrough for the new disease ‘Chroma’ as people have begun to disappear from the face of our peaceful world. This new disease was first seen at deungbul bridge as a person became rampant, killing at least four law enforcement officers with one missing. We advise the public to stay safe and follow the placed curfew…”

A vibration buzzed through his healed scar and he couldn’t help but rub it absent-mindly. Somehow, he ended up walking towards the said bridge. Was it connected to him in some way? A flow of people walked across it and on one side was an array of flowers. A memorial. The throbbing was becoming stronger with each step he took.

Flowers were zip tied to the bridge, virtual messages littering the empty spaces, and some photos were taped to the balusters. He crouched down, looking at the pictures carefully. There were three men he didn’t recognize, but there was another picture…

A shooting pain shot through his eye and he had to shut them to quell the pain. His conscience told him not to pry further, but his heart told him to remember. Another sharp pin stabbed at his eyes. He ripped the picture from the pole, shoving it into his pocket before melting into the crowd.

Who was this person? What could all of this mean?

[13916-62mae22]

Chroma Drift(ing)

fandom: PLAVE pairing: Bamby x reader genre: angst word count: 4.1k prompt: "I want you back..."

~ Yejun ~ Noah ~ Eunho ~ Hamin ~

The air was cold. Bitingly cold.

Bamby swung his legs as he sat on the bridge track. The height was irrelevant to the thrill of sitting so close to an edge.

Most people would see him and call out to see if he needed help, but the person that stood below him just stared up at him.

The two people stared at each other for a while, time seemingly passing by them both, before the figure below turned away and went about their night. This didn’t seem to bother Bamby one bit and he leaned back on his palms to enjoy the breeze.

At least until his watch began to blast a familiar tune.

He groaned, pulling his wrist up to his face. Of course that fool, Do Eunho, would bother him at this time. He swiped the air, accepting the call.

“What do you want?”

“Ah, cold as ever~” The voice on the other side whined, but Bamby knew that he was smiling.

“I said,” He growled. “What. Do. You. Want?”

“Geez, alright. I picked up an abnormal signature that’s near your location.” 

A map popped up in front of him and a small red pin blinked slowly.

“Check it out before it gets any worse.”

“Alright, I will.” He said, swiping at the map to get a better look at where the anomaly was on the map.

“Will you?” Eunho’s voice broke through, grating at his ears. “Or will you put it off till the last minute? I don’t want to explain to the police bureau again with our last anomaly.”

Bamby frowned, remembering the incident. “That wasn’t my fault! You told me there was one anomaly, not two!”

“Whatever! Just go check it out!”

The call was cut and Bamby was by himself again. If he could just get one minute…one minute all to himself…

The nagging voice in his mind reminded him of last week's incident and he let out a groan. It echoed in the empty track before leaving him in the city noise. A cloud of cold air puffed above his lips and as it disappeared into the sky, he took up his board and dropped off the train track and into the air.

The air became colder and he grinned at the wind rushing through his hair. His board shook under his feet, hoping to catch any sort of wave as their descent came faster and faster.

‘Not yet’ He thought, trying to look for any sign of glimmering light. ‘Not yet…’

A twinkle caught his eye and he aimed his body in the direction of it. His board shook at the intensity and finally caught a wave, rocking and bending as it surfed on the first layer of air. Bamby curled his center in and gripped the edges of his board, eagerly waiting for the adrenaline.

Before he hit the ground, the wave took him straight back up, moving him alongside the other flying cars. He couldn’t help but cheer as he moved in between the traffic. His watch vibrated on his arm and he raised it to see his map. He was close to his objective. He swiped the map close and he looked around to spot anything different in the area.

The obsidian buildings reached for the sky and the fluorescent signs and trees shone brightly up at him. People below him walked through streets and sidewalks, unaware of the danger that could appear. His glasses signaled in on a lone figure, standing in the middle of a bridge. It couldn’t pick up any heat signatures and slightly malfunctioned when it tried to look them up in its database.

Bamby took a diving roll into the air and aimed for the next street over to land. As he touched solid ground, he quickly folded his board and stored it on his back. He had to look as casual as possible to approach the possible anomaly. He threw his hood over his head and stepped into the next wave of people that began to cross the bridge.

The figure was clear as day now that he could see them clearly. At least, he tried to.

The “person” wore clothes and covered themselves well, but from the small amount of ‘skin’ it was showing, Bamby could see blurry, even blacked out static beginning to seep through.

This ‘person’ was becoming an anomaly. Someone who had taken a liking into ‘Chroma’ and began to turn into Chroma itself. It’s the kind of stuff that people were afraid of.

Bamby knew that if he were to approach them casually, it might run. Like every scared previous Chroma user. He had to do it fast. Moving to the side of the group, he acted like he dropped something and stepped aside to pick it up. Right next to the anomaly.

The ‘bracelet’ he dropped ‘broke’ into pieces, making it look like someone stepped on it. He made a noise of surprise and then disbelief. The figure beside him turned and then bent down to help him. Bingo.

“Ah, thank you so much!” He faked a smile, scooting closer. He had to subdue them. He was so close.

As the figure passed him the last remaining ‘bracelet’, Bamby quickly grabbed onto its wrist and injected a sleeping drug. Usually it would take a moment for the drug to take effect, but this ‘person’ jerked back and tried to scramble to the edge of the bridge. He knew that he had to stop them.

“Whoa, hey buddy! You gotta be more careful.” He quickly zipped over to throw a blackening arm over his shoulder and whispered close. “Don’t make this harder for all of us. We both know what it can do.”

“Eurgh…I couldn’t care less.” Static flew from their mouth. The voice wasn’t even human anymore.

“Yeah, I was hoping you would say that.”

Bamby placed his palm around his mouth and activated a spray. This proved fruitful as the body became heavy and leaned against him more and more. He hoped that the sleeping drug would last until he got back to the company.

He hobbled to the side of the road and called out for a taxi. One stopped and he threw the body in the backseat before getting in himself.

“Where to?”

“Take me to sector R-5.”

The driver shifted his eyes back towards him. “The Munsell district?”

Bamby locked eyes with him, wordlessly swiping more than enough credits for the driver to shut his mouth. After that the ride was in perfect silence. The deeper they drove through the districts, the more opaque it became. Buildings were only illuminated by blaring neon signs and obnoxious flashing advertisement boards.

“Drop me off here.”

The driver slowed and parked next to the curb and Bamby hauled the body to the pavement. Another look and the car drove off. The day was going great and all he could do was let out a frustrated groan.

“Looks like you got your hands full. Mission success then?”

Dropping the body he had just begun to pick up, Bamby looked up to see Eunho leaning in the alleyway. His eyes glowed as he looked at him, but quickly dissipated when he stepped into the light. The look on his face looked smug, but Bamby didn’t have the energy to deal with him.

“Yeah, can you give me a hand here?”

Eunho came up and picked up one side of the body as Bamby held the other. They dragged it into the company building.

~ ~

You breathed, steeling yourself before entering the building. The smell of spicy food and strong deodorant blew past you as you walked past the long line of arcade boxes. The sound of people shouting and cursing was muffled under the chorus of the overhead speakers. You swiped your badge across a door that read ‘Employee’s only’ and came face to face with the worker behind the counter.

“Thank god,” They moaned, swinging their legs off of the counter. You eyed the array of discarded chip wrappers and cigarette butts that sat in the ashtray. “It felt like an eternity for you to get here. I’m heading out early, can you clean this mess up for me?”

“Your shift doesn’t end for another three hours.” You stated, not moving an inch from the doorway.

They laughed, pushing you towards the chair they had just sat in. You kept your balance, bumping the chair as you staggered back.

“I couldn’t give two shits when I’m done. I’m outta here.”

The door slammed behind them and you watched their form disappear into the crowd. You sighed. It was routine for them to leave before their shift ended, but then when payday came around, they would complain that they didn’t have enough credits. You set your bag down, cleaning up the mess they had left. A simple one arm sweep into the garbage would do it.

For the rest of your shift, you checked computers out and made food for the customers who ordered. It was menial, but you secretly enjoyed the purpose. A ring from the counter signaled another customer and you dropped the ramen off at the pick-up counter, before going back to your desk.

Two men were bickering as you sat down. They hadn’t seemed to notice you and you calmly waited for their argument to be done.

“Augh, I can’t believe you sometimes! I won one time and now you ask for a rematch every night! Let me go home! Aren’t you busy?”

“Aaww, hyung! Do you really care about me? I just want to be with you a little longer! A re-match is a set duel!”

“Do you hear yourself? That’s enough! You’re just yapping!”

They just wouldn’t stop. You let out a cough, turning your face away before turning back. The two had shut up and now stood silently.

“Excuse me,” You cleared your throat for show. “Renting for how many hours?”

“Two, please.” The taller man seemed to have turned the charm on as he leaned forward on the counter. “And after an hour, could we order some glass noodles?”

The smaller scoffed, rolling his eyes at the request. You made a note in the computer and transferred a digital receipt to the albino.

“Of course, sir. Please ping the front desk when you’re ready.”

You had thought that the comedy show was over, but throughout the night, you would hear the two of them fighting and bickering. People would look and stare at them, but it looked like they didn’t mind as they turned back around. A signal

“Are they bothering you?” 

You waved at Hamin, a regular who comes in every now and then. “No, it’ll be ok. No one has complained yet.”

You punched his virtual card, leaving a neon cat smiling up at you. He thanked you and left, watching the two fight once again. You got to know more about the two men as they frequented the arcade more and more. They worked for the government and as a team at that. You couldn’t believe it when Eunho boasted about it.

You became close after Eunho had invited you out to eat with them. You were reluctant at first, but you hadn’t eaten dinner yet since your shift was busy. They had taken you to a chimaek dinner, Eunho filling your glass to the brim the entire night. You don’t remember most of the night, as it was a blur throughout the night, but you do remember having more fun than you could have remembered in your whole life.

You woke up the next morning in an unfamiliar place. Your head hurt and your mouth was dry. Sliding out of the unfamiliar bed, you quietly opened the door to see a living room and a small kitchen. Eunho was passed out on the living room floor, his mouth open and drool pooling onto the floor. Something warm was being cooked in the kitchen and you padded across the floor to see what was simmering on the stove.

“You’re awake?”

You jumped at the voice. Bamby walked out from a bathroom, his hair stricken with bed-head. You were surprised to see him in casual clothes as you were only used to seeing him in flashy jumpsuits and cropped jackets. A soft pink sweater and a pair of shorts were a sudden change of pace. It was cozy.

“Um, yeah.” You looked back to the covered pot. “What’s for breakfast?”

“Hangover soup. You and that idiot drank like fish out of water. It’s hard to get him into bed, so sleeping on the floor should be fine right?”

You both laugh quietly at the large man snoring away on the floor, before falling into a comfortable silence. Being around Bamby felt natural. You didn’t feel awkward around him when you were both hanging out at the arcade and especially now that you were in his home. Or was it Eunho’s? You couldn’t tell. 

You were growing sleepy as you felt the heat come off of the stove. As you felt your head tip forward, a cool hand found its way to your forehead. You jerked back, surprised by the touch. You locked eyes with Bamby, his expression was also one of surprise.

“Wha-?” You breathed. “Waaahhh! That was cold! How is your hand so cold?”

He laughed it off and as Eunho woke up, you all ate at the small island. As you savored the soup, you tried to push back the fluttering in your chest to your stomach.

~ ~

The three of you hung out frequently at Eunho’s and Bamby’s apartment. Apparently they share one after a suspect set Eunho’s apartment on fire. It was a quick apprehension after that. Without sharing everything, Eunho began to brag about their ongoing mission. He even went and started to show pieces of evidence.

“Aye! What do you think you’re doing?” Bamby yelled, smacking him in the arm. “This is top-secret!”

“Aw, come on!” Eunho whined. “It’s only a little thing!”

“It’s not little. And you shouldn’t have that on your in the first place!”

With Bamby fuming mad, Eunho slipped the evidence into your hand. It was a vial. Purple-ish green liquid swirled inside. 

“Keep this on you till I need it back.” He winked. “I know it’ll be safer with you.”

You laughed and rolled your eyes at him. Everything felt perfect as you went on in life. Your growing crush on Bamby was becoming evident to you that Eunho tried to play matchmaker. But that was stopped with a quick threat with your knife. You couldn’t possibly let your emotions run wild while they were on an important case.

But there was an incident. You had cleaned up some dirty desks when a customer had suddenly gotten up and made their way to the door. They stumbled into chairs and people until they straightened out and began to walk swiftly towards you. The customer didn't move, shoving your shoulder as you walked past. 

The dishes you were carrying tipped in your hand and fell to the floor with a loud noise. The other customers looked over, trying to get a good look at what had just happened. It didn't seem to bother the rude customer as he kept walking and bumping into things. 

“Hey, where are you going? You need to apologize.”

A bright pink glow stood in the doorway with a red one standing behind it. Bamby looked over to you, who was crouched down in the middle of picking up the dirty dishes. He glared at the scene before turning back to the customer. He opened his mouth to say something again, but stopped. His eyes went wide for a moment, before going back to glaring.

“Hey, idiot, didn't you hear me?”

The customer twitched and a snapping sound could be heard. You watched in horror as the head began to tilt in an inhuman manner. It lunged for Bamby, but he was quickly pulled back by Eunho as he set off a small spark. It startled the ‘customer’ and it flew back, hitting some machines.

“Everyone, out!” Bamby yelled, sending out emergency directions towards the nearest exits. “This is now a government case!”

Streams of people rushed out, screaming or yelling. However, you slid under a pc desk, stuck in the middle of a stand off with Eunho and the now transformed ‘customer’. It’s hoodie was now tattered, revealing a person with disoriented limbs. The bones bent and cracked in ways and after a moment of looking at Eunho, it lunged.

Eunho clapped his hands together and a blade of fire shot from his hands. The creature dodged it and made a beeline to the front door. A plasma fired, startling it. Bamby held a handgun, training it on the figure. It jumped from the wall to the desk, dodging every single shot he had fired. The two cornered it, throwing fire and plasma at it, but it escaped through the glass window and ran off into the street. Eunho followed it out, bolting out the door and onto the sidewalk.

“Hey! Where are you going?!” Bamby yelled.

“Worry about yourself hyung!” Eunho smirked at him before dashing off into the street, chasing after the assailant. 

You wouldn’t have thought that this would have been the last time you saw him again. 

A month went by after Eunho’s funeral. His body was never found, but remnants of his clothes and a watch were found four blocks away from the arcade. The news reported that a rise of a new drug, ‘Chroma’ was being taken by large amounts of people, changing their bodies into something akin to monsters. A curfew was instilled and your job began to shorten your hours.

You close an hour before curfew now and as you were locking the doors, a soft call echoed down the alleyway, making the hairs on your arm rise. There was always a weirdo or two on your way home and usually you ignored them, but this voice made your body freeze. A shadow stepped out into the neon light and you heard your heart thump in your ears as you looked at the figure.

It resembled a person, but their skin was horrifically wrong. It glitched and twitched–almost practically changing from black to grey to a bright color every second it moved. You clutched your bag, ready to throw it at the…’thing’. Its arm reached out, its movement moving into positions you knew that it couldn't.

“H̴̟́̓͝ė̷̘̅͗-̵̩͇̘̒͗͌́h̶̙̎e̷͉̥̩̩̐̈́̄͝l̸̛̞̱͛̀p̷̬̃…̸̡͚͚̇͜͠m̵̦̗̝̕̕è̷̩̤̣͈…̴̱̎!̶̧̭̗̀͘”

In a moment, it was looming over you. Its head twisting around like a clock. You felt cold. There was nothing you could do at that moment. Was this it? A pink blur hit the monster and in that moment, you watched time slow. Bamby had hit it with his drift board, his pretty face twisted with emotion. Time resumed and you watched the grey figure fly and hit a dumpster with a loud thud.

“Hey, are you ok?!”

Bamby grabbed your face, twisting it up and down to see if you were harmed. The warmth from his gloves seeped into your skin and you felt yourself coming back to reality. You tugged on his wrists, struggling to get out of his grasp. He relented and kept turning your body to check you over.

“Ugh…stop! I’m fine!” You lightly tapped him, showing him the regaining energy.

“It didn’t touch you, did it?” His voice was low, making you shiver.

You shook your head. “No. You got to it before I could.”

Suddenly you were grabbed into a hug and you couldn’t help but bury your head into his shoulder. You silently admitted that you were scared at that moment. But everything seemed fine with Bamby around. A growl caught your attention and you looked over to see the monster pushing itself up from the garbage.

You felt Bamby tug your arm and you followed him, watching him unfold his drift board and jump on. He swept you up into his arms and kicked off onto a currant, gaining speed as he drifted on the stream of air. You looked over his shoulder, watching the figure disappear into a speck. You let go of the breath you were holding, but then grabbed tightly onto Bamby as you saw the black speck come closer. It was growing. It was absorbing the littered garbage, passing cars, and pieces of the city.

“Bamby!” You yelled against the wind. “It’s following us!”

You thought you heard him curse, but you didn’t give time to ask as you felt him accelerate. The sound of cars whizzed past you and then the sickening crunch of metal. The monster was creating a falling path around it. Bamby steered right and ducked into a narrow road. It persisted, falling into the tight crack with vigor. Something flew past the two of you and Bamby tried to fly higher into the sky to avoid it. 

You looked back in time to see a small black mass come straight for you two and you felt the impact, sending you both flying into a nearby building. Metal dung into your skin and you hissed at the burn. Looking up, you noticed that you had landed on a metal terrace. Bamby laid on the one next to you, his drift board dangling on the edge.

You moved to get up and then the metal began to shift. It was damaged, holding on by a wire rung. And you were about to fall from twenty stories high. Bamby groaned and he made eye contact with you.

“Don’t move,” You whispered, afraid that if you spoke any louder, you would fall. “It might not be stable.”

Bamby looked at his surroundings, then his eyes drifted to your situation. “Jump to me.”

“What?”

“That platform…it’s going to break. I’ll catch you, just jump!”

With another shake, the metal began to bend. Mustering your strength, you kicked off the platform, reaching for Bamby as you jumped. The terrace broke off, falling to the street. Bamby caught your arm, but the force was too strong and the two of you tumbled out of the landing. 

He quickly caught the ledge, leaving both of you dangling. You struggled to hold on to his arm, slowly sliding down his forearm. The mass was swarming the street below you and you could see people running away from it as it grew. The vial knocked against your leg and you patted your pocket, making sure it didn’t break during the fight. The metal terrace that Bamby struggled to get on creaked as he tried to lift your body weight. 

You looked back down before back to him. You knew what you needed to do. 

“Hey, it won’t hold.” 

This got his attention and your heart broke when you saw his expression.

“Shut up.” Bamby gritted, resuming his effort to hoist the two of you. The metal creaked louder this time. It wasn’t going to hold for very much longer. “I lost Eunho, I’m not losing you too!”

“Bamby,” You called. “Meet me under the sakura tree near deungbul bridge.”

As he turned his head, you let go. Your weight slipped through his fingers and you began to descend. His scream was muffled past the sound of blood rushing through your ears. Adrenaline rushed through you and you fumbled to take the vial out of your pocket. The ground was coming up fast. 

The ground shook as debris and dust was kicked up. The digital mass looked over in curiosity, the remaining people it was terrorizing fleeing from the sight. Before the dust could even settle, a neon streak flew out. It hit the monster, static and sparks flying as it continuously attacked. 

Bamby watched as the monster tried to retreat within the shadows, but the light wouldn’t let it, pushing it towards the edge of the city. It tried grabbing onto the bridge to stop its descent, but it gave way. A loud shriek echoed in the city and he watched as it began to tip. His heart pounded as he tried to spot you and when he did, he almost jumped to meet you. 

But as the monster began to fall, he realized that you weren’t going to let up. He soon realized why you had let go. The Chroma. You had used it. He dropped down on his driftboard and tried to skate towards you, ignoring the circumstances you were both in. He had almost reached the edge where you stood when you turned to look at him.

Your appearance was rapidly changing: your face becoming a sickly grey, your eyes burned a dull grey, and your veins were turning black from the overuse of Chroma. With one last smile, you allowed yourself to fall into the inky abyss. Leaving Bamby standing alone next to the digital sakura tree.

[13916-62mae22]

Heart of The Moon (Mine)

fandom: PLAVE pairings: Han Noah x reader genre: angst word count: 5.3k prompt: "I want you back..."

~ Yejun ~ Bamby ~ Eunho ~ Hamin ~

“This is your betrothed, Noah of Duke Han.”

You stare at the boy in front of you. His hair shone under the bright sky and you wondered if he was born from the sun goddess herself. His presence around you felt like you were basking in his warm light. You feel a hand push at your back and you look up to your mother smiling warmly at you.

“Don’t be shy,” She cooed. “Go say hello.”

Timidly, you grasp at your clothes and shuffle closer to him. He looked at you with indifference and even took a small step back backwards into his fathers legs.

Grasping your courage, you bowed low to the boy. “Greetings my lord, it’s an honor to finally meet you.”

The boy wrinkled his nose and then turned towards his own parents. Loudly, he refuted your greeting.

“Do I really have to?”

This statement shocked both parties and he was quickly scolded by one of his parents while the other apologized profusely to your family. At that moment, you couldn’t help but feel contempt for the child named Han Noah.

While the adults of the family tried to make up for the mistakes of the self-centered boy, you did your best to play nice. You tried to play with him, go on walks, and even took up an interest in magic to find a common ground with him. This would happen every summer. You would stay with the Han family and try to become familiar with the territory, learn how to run the household as Noah’s future partner, and host small tea parties with other high status families. But no matter what you did, the arrogant boy refused to acknowledge you.

And it was no different when you became of age. At your debut ball, Noah made an appearance, but after the first dance, he made himself scarce and you could only bear the stares and whispers. 

“You must forgive him, my dear friend.” A voice mumbled in your ear. “It seems that our Noah has been preoccupied by other devices.”

You sighed, turning to meet a deep violet gaze. “That shouldn't give him an excuse out of a monumental occasion, Sir Yejun.”

The taller man’s lips twitched at the flippant remark, but he tried to compose himself in the eye of others. Nam Yejun, Noah's best friend and son of the Nam Dukedom. His family was one of the first people to achieve a stable connection between Caelum's rifts. Once they allied with the Han’s, they became a prominent force within the kingdom. It was only natural that Yejun and Noah became so close.

A string of notes crescendoed in the hall and Yejun stepped up beside you to offer you his hand.

“May I have this next dance?”

You gave a quick glance to Noah's figure standing across the room, surrounded by other prominent figures of import. He barely gave a look towards you and once you were sure that he wouldn't look back, you turned back towards Yejun, clasping his hand.

“I would love to.” 

~ ~

Summer was here and you already felt the dread settling in your stomach. You had departed from your parents' estate and made a two day journey to the Han Dukedom. The ride was mostly pleasant as you had decided early on that this was the year to ride with the soldiers on horseback. The carriage was reserved for your body double and two servants. While you had a great time training with the other knights, you also had to fight off the assassins and brigades that tried ambushing the caravan. By the time you had gotten to the Han's family's gates, most of the knights and carriages (including yourself) were covered in blood.

The duchess was the first to meet you and when she found you in the soldier's entourage instead of the carriage, she couldn't help but show the shock on her face. She didn't ask any questions and before you could apologize for your behavior, she wrapped you in a hug.

“M-milady!” You squirmed beneath her grasp. “I'm covered in filth and blood! Please!”

“I care not for that sake,” She breathed, squeezing you tight. “I am only glad to see you unharmed.”

Even though it was raining and cold out, you couldn't help but feel warmed by her sincerity. If only Noah showed this sort of care towards you.

Everyone was instructed to warm up in their respective lounges and to rest up for the night. Work would begin tomorrow. You were rushed into your room and practically thrown into the bathtub, the scented hot water melting the cold away. 

After changing into loungewear, you decided to meet with the duke and report your findings from your trip. You already had a report written out and ready for him. As you were escorted to the duke's office, you couldn't help but notice the greenery in the home. Was there always vine's painted on the ceiling?

“We have arrived. The duke is waiting for you.” The butler bowed.

“Thank you Percival.” You nodded at him, before walking in.

Pleasantries were exchanged and you handed the wrapped report, recounting what you found. The duke read along, flipping through the pages with interest.

“...we also heard sightings of another rift opening.” You said slowly, giving the duke time to let the news sink in. “From what I gathered, I believe that we are the first to know. There are more details in the report.”

A brief silence settled over the room before the duke looked up at you. You could see his eyes shining, but no smile was placed over his lips. You knew that look. It was one of pride and compassion.

“Thank you.” The duke coughed. “I will give this a thorough look and let my wife know. I heard you had a rough time coming here. Be sure to rest up and eat well. I will let you know about the upcoming events.”

You felt your chest warm again, feeling grateful for the warm words. If only…

You sneezed, feeling a small draft breeze through the room. The duke stared at you before calling Percival to take you back to your room. You bid each other goodnight and you followed the path back to your room. You began to sift through your thoughts, mentally noting that you should write to your parents and eat something before bed. Perhaps a trip to the library was possible too.

“Ah, there you are.” A voice called beside you.

You felt your breath catch in your throat. It couldn’t be?! Turning your attention to your left, you were surprised to see a glowing figure walking towards you.

“Good evening, Noah.” Your chest was warm and you couldn’t help but feel a little giddy. This was the first time he has seeked you out himself. Was there something wrong? Or has he changed?

He nodded, holding the ball of light magic higher for better lighting. “I heard that there was trouble on your way here.”

“Yes,” You sighed, remembering the trek. “Luckily we didn’t lose anyone on our way, but some of us were wounded.”

“...And yourself?”

You could barely believe what you were hearing. Was he…concerned about you? Your chest warmed and you couldn’t help but smile a little.

“No, but thank you for worrying.”

The silence that followed was awkward. The shuffling of feet was the only source of sound and after a while, you spared a glance at the grandfather clock nearby.

“Well,” You said softly. “I should head back to my room. It’s getting late.”

Noah nodded, his gaze trained on the ground. You bade him a goodnight before turning back to Percival. You hadn’t even noticed that he left your side. He stood a few feet away, giving the two of you privacy. You couldn’t help but wonder why his expression was stuck in a glare.

“Hey, uh, wait!”

Noah had hurried up to you before softly grabbing at the back of your robes. It might have looked indecent if you were in public, but in his own home, it was normal for most of the staff and family to be familiar with each other. Your expression must have surprised him as he let go faster than you could comprehend.

“...yes?”

He fidgeted for a moment, his eyes wandering to every corner of the room before looking back at you.

“Would you like to have some tea together?”

You were elated to his proposal and you quickly agreed. It wasn't much, but you could see that he was at least trying to put in an effort. That night, you couldn't sleep and when the sun came up, you were already ready for the day to begin.

You had waited in the library, the garden, the foyer, and any other place in between for Noah's call or message. But no word was given to you. On the fifth day, Percival came to you with a worried expression. He offered his deepest apologies and told you that Noah couldn't make it to today either. You didn't know what to expect anymore. Empty promises were only gateways to sorrow. That was the day that you decided to give up.

You did what you wanted, despite your parents' written pleading. They worried about their reputation with the Han Dukedom, but you reassured them that you would still be a part of their family. The Hans always greeted you warmly when you visited them and you couldn’t blame them for their sons behavior.

A month after that, you were given word through some of the maids and servants that the Han family was getting visitors. You walked around the castle after breakfast, watching maids carry vases of flowers one way and servants bringing fresh food the other. You found the duchess in the middle of the foyer, watching the chaos around her.

“Is something happening today?” You looked at the duchess, curious about the hustle and bustle happening around the castle.

“We are to receive an esteemed guest within Asterum,” Her smile was cautious as she looked around the grand hall. “A rift has opened up, allowing us to form a bond with another space.”

You were quiet for a moment, thinking about the discovery you had found a couple of months ago. “...do you hope for an alliance?”

The corners of her lips lifted slightly and you both met each other's eyes. It seems you had guessed right. You closed your mouth and curtsied to her in a farewell. She nodded back and began to busy herself with instructing the servants rushing around. You hurried to the side of the hall and made your way to the east doors. The palace would do better for you to stay out of the way. 

“Mary,” You called for your maid, who was following you close behind. “Could you please retrieve my book and a blanket from my room? I think I will be outside for a while.”

She bowed her head, a knowing smile on her face. “Shall I bring a basket and some snacks as well?”

“You know me so well.” You smile, sharing a pleasant interaction with Mary.

The two of you separated and you pushed open the terrace doors. The weather was extremely pleasant today and you couldn’t help but relax. The sun was warm enough to sit in and a small breeze would waft the scent of the forest and flowers blooming in the air.

No one usually came back here since he was busy experimenting in his library and lab. Usually, you would find servants strolling the lawn as they gossiped and did chores, but today, you found the area deserted and the small garden gazebo inviting you to sit within.

Carefully, you brush the dirt and leaves off of the bench before sitting down. A breeze blew through the trees and you sighed in content. You hadn’t run into the terror named Noah yet, and you had a good feeling you weren’t going to for a while.

The soft stepping of footsteps alerted you and you mentally cursed to yourself. How could you jinx yourself like that?! You were just hoping to make things worse, weren’t you? Looking up, you turn your head to the sound and meet eyes with a pair of dark green.

It had blended in with the shrubbery at first, but upon closer inspection, you could make out a faint silhouette. You didn’t recognize the build or the dark color the person wore. This only puts you more on edge.

You weren’t carrying your sword on your person today, but you knew the basics for the martial arts. Raising from your spot, you took the first fighting stance and narrowed your eyes towards the foreigner.

“Who’s there? Show yourself!”

You waited with baited breath, sweat beginning to slide down your back. Who’s to say that there was only one assailant? You could only take care of at least two other people, but you couldn’t say for more than that. Before you could call for Mary, the figure moved through the underbrush and into the sun.

A tall guard, dressed in a simple black knight's uniform, timidly stepped forward. His arms were raised and his expression was meek. You could tell he was just a bit younger than you, but you couldn’t lower your guard down.

“State your name and who you serve! What is your business here?”

The knight looked around nervously before opening his mouth.

“I…I serve Marquess Yu…” He said slowly. “...we are visiting from a land within Asterum…”

You frowned; he didn’t state his name. But that was the least of your worries. Slowly, you lowered your arms, coaxing him to come closer. You had to keep your guard up. He could still attack at any moment. The boy shuffled closer and you were shocked to find that he was taller than you by two heads!

Standing up straight, you craned your head up towards him and tried to be as diplomatic as possible.

“I apologize for my behavior,” You tried to give a smile. “There have been some frequent assissnation attempts on the Han family, so I must always be on my guard when I visit. I am the child of the nearby count. I visit the duke and duchess from time to time.”

He studies you before bowing towards you. “An honor to meet you. Forgive me for intruding on you. I got lost when I was roaming the grounds.”

“It is no problem. If you'd like, I could show you the way back.” You offered. “If I remember correctly, the marquess and marchioness should be meeting the duchess in the great hall soon.”

At the sound of this, the boy’s eyes lit up. His expression looked almost like an excited cat and you couldn’t help but smile wider at it. He nodded and you called for Mary to accompany you both. She was shocked and almost fainted at the sight of the man, but you quickly explained before your reputation could dwindle.

“I must extend my hand to you and welcome you to the Han Dukedom.” You introduced yourself. “May I know your name?”

The knight hesitated for a moment before replying. “...My name is Hamin.”

You lead Hamin through the halls of the castle, taking a detour every now and then to give him some information on the palace. He listened quietly and asked very few questions, but you weren't too concerned with it. You’ve met plenty of knights who are reserved for a while before opening up to a new place or people.

“So, Hamin,” You looked towards him, trying to keep him in the conversation. “Have you ventured outside of Caelum before?”

“...Caelum?” He looked at you quizzically.

“Oh, forgive me. Caelum is the World we reside on, but many of the countries and cities are separated by the Rift.”

You point to the bright rip in the sky, purple light spilling from its cracks.

“I haven't.” He stared up at it. “This is my first time.”

“It is scary going out on an expedition for the first time, but once you do it enough, it'll be a piece of cake!”

“...have you ever traveled beyond the rift?”

You stop, mind wandering to the life you've led. “Not yet, but after I perform my duties to the Han family, I hope to go on my own expedition one day.”

Hamin gave you a look and you tried to explain yourself.

“I am betrothed to the heir of the Han family. Despite our alliance, I have been incredibly lucky to be given freedom within my engagement. The family heads insist that I keep my dream and goal in mind, despite one day becoming married. And I am grateful to them for it.”

“And this man…?” Hamin asked. “He is the one you will be married to.”

You turn to find him standing in the middle of the hallway, looking up at the wall next to you both. An oil painting hung on it, holding Noah’s figure trapped within the frame. It was recently done and you could recall how he scoffed and complained about standing for hours on end without moving for the artist.

“...ah, yes.” You tried to hold your sigh as you stared up at his portrait. “He is my betrothed.”

Despite all of your memories and past anger, you still couldn’t help but still feel that warm ray peek through your heart.

~ ~

As you entered the great hall, you heard the sound of familiar voices and found an entourage of people gathered. There, you found the most beautiful people with blonde hair standing in the middle of it with a pair of older adults with luscious black hair frantically speaking to them.

Noah was the first to notice you and he was about to open his mouth (to spew nonsense, you could imagine) when he noticed the person next to you. Noah’s hesitance caught his mothers attention and she turned to see what he was looking at, only to be surprised at the pair coming towards them.

The rest of the group turned and the black haired couple looked relieved to see you both. As you stood confused for a moment, a string of words shocked you.

“Ah, thank goodness! You found our son!”

Huh? Their son? You look over to Hamin and it suddenly dawns on you. The reason why he was wandering. Why he was lost. His plain knight clothing.

“You’re Noah’s soon-to-be companion?!” You exclaimed, turning to look at the by you escorted.

His expression turned meek once again, but his ears and neck burned red. You could just feel your soul withering from inside. Noah's mother had talked about getting him a companion, similar in age and one that he could confide in. Servants and his parents could do so much. You couldn't help but feel embarrassed as you had not only tried to attack him, but also confessed a deep desire to him.

After brief introductions, the adults left the three children to talk. You couldn’t help but feel a tension in the air as Noah stared down Hamin. 

“So,” Noah finally spoke. “How did you two meet?”

You sighed internally, suddenly feeling tired already, and kept your composure. “I was in the garden when Hamin got lost in the backwoods.”

“I wasn’t asking you,” Noah quipped and you held back the urge to knock him in the leg. “I was asking our new friend.”

“It’s as they say,” Hamin shifted his gaze between you and the blonde. “I became excited from the new scenery and got lost as I wandered around the estate. I had no idea that you owned a large amount of this land.”

Noah stared at Hamin a little longer than you liked. “We own three surrounding plots around our home. The farthest our land goes is past the eastern building, around four hundred acres after is our plot line.”

“That is impressive. What about the tall tower close by? Is that for military tactics?”

Noah's face brightened at the question.

“No, it's actually an observation tower.”

“...for battle?”

You couldn't help but stifle a laugh.

“No, you fool, for stars.”

Hamin became very interested at this and Noah brought the two of you to the observation tower. He talked about the star system non-stop, pulling out books and hand-written theses tying magic to the galaxy. You had never seen Noah this talkative before and you soaked it all in. Had this been one of the reasons he hadn't come to see you?

At this thought, you couldn't help but feel a little jealous towards the stars.

~ ~

Hamin had taken well to Noah's company and he practically became family in one week. He was known to train early in the morning and be by Noah's side by mid-morning, arousing him from a whole day of sleep. You got to see Noah more and more throughout the castle as Hamin etched a routine into his head.

“Noah-hyung, you should come train with me this afternoon.”

“Hyung, are you busy? I want you to take a look at the homework we had.”

“There's new books in the next town over--let's go and take a look, hyung!”

With Hamin around, the castle became more lively as Noah had begun to be pressured by a younger brother.

“I don't want to. We trained yesterday already!”

“Did you really not understand it? Come here so we can go over it together.”

“Maybe later. I have things to do.”

You also had been invited to do more things with the two boys. Picnics at the river, stargazing for long nights, and you even got to have tea with him. Finally. Your relationship even improved with Hamin around. Instead of acting stiff, Noah loosened up around you. But you could still sense there was still tension between the two of you.

On a sunny afternoon, when the three of you were lazing around the gazebo, talking about magic theories, Percival had suddenly appeared. His usual neat and tidy appearance was ragged and messed up. You could tell something was wrong. He told you all to follow him as the Duke had requested your presence. The three of you walked to the grand hall, unsure of the matter of urgency. When Percival opened the doors, the duke stood around a table with his advisors.

“Father, what’s wrong?” Noah approached him, his expression tight. “Did something happen?”

“The Kim family has declared war against our treaty.” His father waved his hand at the map that was laid out on the table. “We have made plans to subdue him and try to parley with him. If all fails, we’ll have to use force.”

The duke instructed Noah and Hamin to take their own forces and create a plan that would stop a second wave of attacks and ensure the safety of the family. You were there for input and the advisors acknowledged them, putting some ideas into action. Afterwards, the council meeting was adjourned and the three of you began to prepare for battle.

You only took what you needed: a weapon, some advanced magic scrolls, and rations. As soon as you changed into your gear, you headed to the barracks, looking for the two familiar men. It didn’t take long to spot Noah’s shining blonde hair. He was talking to Hamin, who was dressed in his knight gear, saddling his horse as he did. As you crept closer, you could faintly make out what they were talking about.

“...Take them to the eastern palace. The enemy will believe that we moved to the west to seek help from the Park family.”

“Understood. Is there anything that could be of use when we get there?”

“There is a ballista, but it’s only powered by level four mages. The best we could provide you with is enchanted armor and weaponry.”

The two of them turned and were startled to see you standing behind them. Your horse knickered besides Noah’s. The said man looked confused as he looked at your attire.

“I’m coming with you!”

“No,” He snapped. “You’re staying here!”

“But I can help! Without me, you–!”

“ENOUGH!”

I was stunned. I had never heard Noah yell before and with his face turned away from me, I could tell that he didn’t care about my opinion.

“I need...you to stay here. Otherwise, the family will be left to ruin.” He turned towards Hamin and clapped his shoulder. “Stay here and guard my family. I will handle the frontlines with my father.”

You watched Hamin’s face harden and nod to Noah’s order. As the last group of soldiers left, you couldn’t help but watch Noah’s fading figure. He never turned back.

The Yu family had left plenty of knights with Hamin and they hastily made their way to the eastern palace. 

~ ~

You sat in the great hall, awaiting news from the squire that had left not even an hour ago. You couldn’t help but feel anxious as you watched the sun begin to dip into the horizon. Hamin came to your side.

“Are you alright?” He asked, lifting the gate on his helmet.

You exhaled, trying to quell the anxiety that was building up. “I’m fine. I’m just worried. We’ve never had a dispute like this before.”

“I’m sure everything will turn out alright.” He patted your shoulder and you felt more relaxed. “His grace and Noah-hyung are out there trying to parley with them–”

“Milord! We must retreat!” A knight burst through the grand room doors. “It wasn’t the Kim family, we’re in great–!”

The black cladded knight suddenly fell to the floor and behind them stood two cloaked figures. It was clear that they were the enemies and that they were the cause to this war and turmoil. With a wave of a hand, black monsters appeared from almost nothing and began to attack with the enemies signal.

Everything became a blur as you fought against them. You heard shouts and pleads from the people around you, but you couldn't see any of them. Your focus was You cut down another spawned monster, your body tense after cleaving the heavy sword through it. In front of you, stood a figure. Their features shadowed behind the hood. And before you could try and open your mouth to speak, they rushed towards you.

They were fast. Too fast. It happened so quickly that you had to throw up a shallow shield to create distance between the two of you. It helped regain your ground, but nothing stopped the enemy from attacking. You deflected their magical attacks, trying to steer them away from the main battlefield, but you couldn't gain any ground. The strength in your arms was quickly fading. You knew you couldn't win against him, but you could slow him down.

With renewed vigor, you switched to an offensive stance and began to charge head on. The cloaked figure calmly deflected your attacks and even took a couple of swipes at you, knicking the top layer of skin. With one confident last push, you gathered any magic you had left into your palm and swept ice magic towards them.

The figure dodged, staggering back as they tried to recover, but you wouldn't let them get away that easy. As you began to swing your sword, you felt yourself hesitate. Your blood turned cold and your breath hitched. The hood was gone, tattered from your attack, and beneath it was a face you recognized.

“...Noah?”

The person looked like your fiance, but he was different. His hair was black, almost a shining violet and his skin was pale. But the look on his face one of indifference, cold and calculating. ‘Noah’ wiped his hand across his face and then disappeared. You didn’t even realize what had happened until you heard Hamin shout your name. Your body jolted and you could feel something squirming within your chest. Breathing became hard and a metallic taste rose up from your mouth.

A whole arm was lodged into your chest. You could only stare at the face you thought you knew with confusion. Who is this? Why did he look like Noah? Why did they attack them? ‘Noah’ pulled his arm out from your chest and retreated from your form as Hamin slammed his greatsword in his place.

You could feel something moving within your body, creeping from your chest to the tips of your limbs. Hamin's worried face filled your vision, his helmet discarded and voice muffled from behind the blood roaring in your ears. You felt weightless for a moment as he picked you up and you could only lean on him for support.

You tried to focus on your breathing, something that was becoming trivial to do, then tried to listen to Hamin's voice.

“...retreat. Just hold on! We'll be able to rendezvous with the northern forces and meet with Noah.”

Your vision went askew and suddenly you were on the ground. A black mass was attacking Hamin. It was big; bigger than the monsters you both fought earlier. Your hands began to feel numb and your legs had almost lost its feeling. With a shaky breath, you got on your knees and tried gathering your mana into the palms of your hands. 

It was slow, squeezing through your nervous system until it reached its destination, and you placed your hands onto the ground. The cold traveled through the ground, frost accumulating amongst the earth and plants, reaching the monster and freezing it in place. Hamin quickly lopped it's head off before hurrying over to you.

“Not so fast.”

A pink shot of light shot out from the underbrush, hitting Hamin in the shoulder. You could only sit there, helpless, as you watched ‘Noah’ and another figure appear from the shadow of the woods. Your mana was sputttering to its end. ‘Noah’ turned towards the other person, seemingly speaking to it, and watched them leave before turning towards Hamin.

“It's fascinating how I've seen your face a dozen times,” ‘He’ approached him slowly. “And yet, you're never the right one.”

“I don't know what you're talking about,” Hamin raised his arms out, a shortsword held in one hand. “But you will not get away with this.”

“Hmm,” ‘He’ mused. “You say that every time.”

You watched them stare at each other and when you blinked, ‘He’ had Hamin in the palm of his hand. One of his arms was cut and his shortsword kicked away. Your heart burned as ‘Noah’ took Hamin’s face with both of his hands and watched as he crumbled into dust. His armor was the only thing left behind.

Adrenaline flowed through your body and with one last bit of strength, you clapped your hands together, sending a burst of ice and light towards ‘him’.

~ ~

The ride back to the eastern castle was long. Noah’s stomach churned. The battlefield at the border was horrifying and if the squire’s word was true…

Noah channeled his magic one last time, finalizing the coordinates. He directed the soldiers to take the gate and hurry to find survivors. Anyone. At last, he stepped through the portal and when he resurfaced, his heart dropped. The castle shone in the evening light, decorated by statues made out of rock and sand. 

People he recognized and others that were from the Yu family. A shout called out to him and he hurried to the garden. He stopped short as he surveyed the surroundings. A ring of ice and frost covered half of the garden, freezing everything in time. In the middle of the ring, a set of armor lay without its owner. Next to it, a dark patch where someone had been tainted the ground. On the opposite side, a sword and cloak was stabbed into the ground.

[13916-62mae22]

Today I'll Be Treating You (My Heart)

fandom: PLAVE pairing: Nam Yejun x reader genre: angst word count: 4.4k prompt: "I want you back..."

(a/n): I'm very excited to share the prompt for this week! I was originally post this in four weeks (according to my schedule), but due to the comeback, it would be nice to treat you all to some (theorized) lore angst. Happy reading! See you tomorrow!

~ Noah ~ Bamby ~ Eunho ~ Hamin ~

“Please inhale and exhale for me. And now, relax.”

You tried to steady your beating heart and tried to loosen your muscles on the paper covered recliner. This wasn’t your first time here, but the fact that you were back made you nervous.

“Very good. Your vitals seem regular and I don’t hear any abnormalities in your chest.” The nurse smiled at you. The faint scent of her perfume and the sanitizer filled your nose. You breathed again, trying to steady your heart. “I’m all done with your check-up, so I’ll call the doctor in to clear you.”

You nodded, her heart pacing up to a level where you could imagine hearing your watch beep at you to calm yourself.

This was your last check-up before you left the hospital. The last time you would need to be supervised by worried nurses and over-optimistic doctors. 

The door clicked, someone stepped in, and you did your best to keep the heat from rising to your cheeks.

“How’re you feeling? Excited?”

Dr. Nam has been your doctor for two years. When your family doctor retired, his apprentice stepped up to take his place. Many people were worried that he wouldn’t do a good job, but he’s been nothing but kind and supportive. You were very aware of how handsome Dr. Nam was. His voice always lulled you into a sleep and he was always so gentle.

“A little.” You grinned. “I can't imagine how my parents feel.”

Your parents were happy to see your condition getting better and even happier that Dr. Nam was the same age as you. You couldn't tell who was more embarrassed, you or Dr. Nam. If he was, he didn’t show it. All he did was flash his sweet smile and focus on your care.

But that didn’t stop your heart from beating wildly.

“Neither can I.” Dr. Nam laughed. “They tried to give me some fruit and a new coffee machine, but I can't help but feel bad.”

You giggled alongside him. Your parents were very generous. They repaid their debts tenfold and even helped when they couldn’t. You couldn’t help but feel proud of being born to parents such as yours.

Dr. Nam took you through extra tests, making sure you were comfortable and nothing was wrong, and after they came back clear, he took you to a meeting room. Inside, you were surprised with nurses, doctors, and other patients that you made friends with during your long stay. They all congratulated you on your discharge and gave you flowers along with some light snacks.

Your chest twisted a little as Dr. Nam took you to the hospital lobby, where your parents were waiting. They embraced you and even gave Dr. Nam a hug. As your parents left to get the car, you were left alone with Dr. Nam.

“Um, Dr. Nam?”

“Please, call me Yejun.” He laughed. “You’re officially not a patient anymore, so feel free to be comfortable with me.”

“Ah, yes, um…Yejun.” You felt your cheeks heat up. “Thank you for everything. I’m so glad you took such great care of me while I was here. I can’t thank you enough.”

“Of course. I’m glad to see you recovered as well.”

You took a breath. Should you tell him? You spent so much time with him and you weren’t sure if you were going to see him again.

“Y-yejun, I–!”

“Honey! Your dad brought the car, are you ready?”

You cringe at the sound of your mother calling for you and you do your best to wave at her. You turn back to Yejun, his head tilted slightly as he waited for you to speak.

“I…” You breathed. “I am going to miss you. I hope…that your career goes well.”

With one last bow, you turned to catch up with your parents. You felt your heartbeat wildly. How could you blurt those out?! You mentally slapped yourself as you entered the car.

“We wanted to take you out tonight,” Your father smiled at you through the rear view mirror. “Do you have anywhere you want to go?”

You recalled the last restaurant you went to and smiled at the memory. “I have one in mind. Does the Yu family still have their stall open?”

To your surprise, you found your parents already taking you there. But instead of finding a stall set up, a restaurant was lit ablaze with customers. Bustling crowds went through the shop, groups talked and laughed around the outdoor patio, and standing by the entrance was a boy you haven’t seen since middle school.

“Congratulations on your discharge.” 

Yu Hamin stood taller than you now and had grown up to look like a fine young man. But you couldn’t help but smile. He still had the same boyish grin and kind eyes. He held out a large bouquet of flowers and you gently took it.

“Thank you.”

“Hamin, it’s nice to see you again.”

“Nice to see you again too, Auntie.”

Your mother winked towards him and you couldn’t help but feel suspicious.

“Hang on, is something going on–?” You felt hands grab your shoulders and push you towards the restaurant doors.

As you were led to the second floor, your eyes were covered and then a sudden sound of popping startled you.

“Congratulations on your discharge!”

Friends and family you haven’t seen in a very long time were gathered around the second floor. Streamers decorated the room and air while everyone smiled and cheered. Your chest felt tight and your eyes began to burn. Was there something wrong with you?

“Congratulations honey.”

“We…”

Your parents wrapped their arms around you, crying softly as they did. Oh. There was nothing wrong. You were just happy.

~ ~

“...We bring you all here tonight for some disturbing news.” The reporter’s expression shifted uncomfortably as he looked into the camera. “Reports from all over the World have made light of a new disease that is sweeping the globe. It is said that medical staff are working on treating the disease quickly. Surviving patients are recovering. Please take extra caution when going out and wear a face mask when you feel sick.”

The television goes onward and you nervously look over to your parents. They didn’t seem concerned about the news, but you could see the fear clouding within their eyes. Even though you’ve been home for over three months, you couldn’t alleviate their worries.

You knew exactly what they were thinking about too. The best you could do was to distract them. To distract yourself.

“I’m going to go shopping!” You called, stepping out into the clearing. Your parents visibly jumped and the television channel was changed quickly.

“Could you pick some dumpling wrappers for me?” Your mom asked. “Your grandparents are coming next week to visit you, so we’ll need some desserts too.”

“Sure. I’ll be back!”

You quickly typed a message and sent it out, tying your shoes on quickly, and hurried down the street. Hamin was already waiting for you as you reached the front of the restaurant building.

“What’s this all about?” He held his phone up to show off the message chat.

“I needed an assistant.” You teased, before linking arms and pulling him down the street.

“I’m not going to be your gopher,” He frowned. “I’m not six anymore. I can always say no.”

“You’re right. But you won’t.”

You both laugh. Your family has been neighbors since you were born and when Hamin was born, you felt like an older sister. You both played and bickered like normal children, but when you became sick, it was harder to do things as normal children did. You couldn’t go watch Hamin at taekwondo tournaments, cheer him on at school festivals, or even go on school trips.

But ever since you came back home, it was like nothing changed. You both still went on in conversation, reminiscing about those memories in a bright light, and nobody thought the wiser.

“So,” Hamin nudged you lightly, but you still stumbled when he did. “How’s ‘project doctor’ going?”

You couldn’t suppress the blush that rose to your cheeks. “There’s no ‘project doctor’, for the millionth time.”

“Aw, but come on! How could you say that when…!” Hamin shut his mouth and stopped walking.

“Huh? What?”

You looked in the direction that Hamin was looking and felt your blood burn. Nam Yejun was walking down the sidewalk. You both began to push each other in frightened excitement, before ducking inside the nearest cafe.

“What the heck!” You hissed. “What was that for? We could’ve just said hello!”

“Why did you push me in here then?” Hamin whispered back. “You didn’t have to be so rough about it!”

You both sat down in the corner of the cafe, still berating each other, when you feared the worst. Nam Yejun came into the cafe. You let out a silent scream while softly punching Hamin to look at the door. He ducked his head, trying to hide his face with his hands.

“Just pretend that I’m not here.” You mumbled to the table. “Go order something, Hamin.”

“Oh? Is that Hamin-ie?”

You froze and looked up at the said boy. He looked sheepish at first, but then turned a sunny smile towards the approaching person.

“Ah, Yejun-hyung? I didn’t expect to see you here!”

You felt your body freeze up as a shadow loomed over you. How did these two know each other? And when did that happen?! You tried your best to act preoccupied with your phone, but it was inevitable as Yejun called out your name. You slowly looked up, to make eye contact with the tall man and did your best to act oblivious.

“Doc–I mean, Y-yejun! I didn’t recognize you! What…what are you doing here?”

“I’m meeting up with a friend here, but he texted me that he was going to be late.” He sighed.

“Noah-hyung?” Hamin asked, shaking his head. “He probably stayed up late again. He needs to fix his sleep schedule.”

You couldn’t help but wonder, again, who Hamin had grown up to become. Hamin looked between you and Yejun before getting up from his chair. Perplexed, you tried to telepathically ask him what he was doing. He gave you a mischievous smile before looking at Yejun. You felt your heart drop to your stomach. Oh no, he was not going to…!

“Yejun-hyung, could you hold my seat here, while I get Noah-hyung? I’m sure with my help, I can get here in no time flat.”

“Are you sure?” Yejun’s expression became troubled. “His apartment is twenty minutes from here. I can just come back another day.”

You shook your head at Hamin. Don’t leave me with him!

“It’s alright, hyung. I don’t mind!” Hamin looked down at you and you felt like you were looking at the devil. “I’ll be right back!”

Without another word, Hamin was gone and in front of you sat Yejun.

You could practically hear your heart beating. It was so loud you wondered if Yejun could hear it too. You coughed slightly and tried to sit up straight.

“So, Yejun,” You cringed internally at the sound of your voice. “How do you know Hamin?”

“We went to the same high school and were in the same club.” He chuckled as he thought. “He was quiet when I first met him, but he’s finally out of his shell.”

You smile. Hamin didn’t like people when he was younger, so he only kept to himself and the people he knew. You compared him to a kitten who didn’t trust anyone. 

“That’s true.” You laughed. “I remember when he didn’t even want to start taekwondo. He ripped up those forms, but then cried afterwards.”

The two of you were laughing together now, exchanging stories about the little boy Hamin. Time flew with the two of you together and when you looked down at the time, it was already almost four in the afternoon. You had been there for three hours?! You checked your messages and saw your mom had texted you. You were afraid that she would have been mad, but instead, she only told you to let her know when you were going to be home.

“Is something wrong?” 

Yejun’s voice cut through your thoughts and you waved at him.

“No, I just didn’t realize that we’ve been talking for almost four hours.”

This time it was Yejun who looked at the time in surprise. “Already? Noah didn’t even show up!”

It was true. Noah and Hamin were nowhere in sight and you couldn’t help but think if Hamin behind it. Your stomach growled and you frowned down at it. You should probably go home and eat dinner soon, but you didn’t want to leave so soon. It was fun getting to see and talk to Yejun again!

“Well,” Yejun said. “I think we’ve stayed here long enough. Shall we go?”

Your heart sank and you reluctantly nodded. The two of you exited the building and as you turned to say goodbye, Yejun instead began walking alongside you. He must have noticed your expression and he smiled at you.

“Are you hungry? Where should we go eat?”

~ ~

The time that flew by was blissful. You began to grow closer to Yejun, with the help of Hamin of course. You gave him an earful when the two of you were alone, but you couldn’t help but be thankful towards him. You got to meet his other friends from high school; apparently they were all in a band for their music club. You couldn’t help but feel jealous of missing out on that moment of time.

Yejun and you would hang out within the vacancy of each other: going to each others apartment (your parents were so happy to see him), going out to sing karaoke (his voice his beautiful), and going to cafes and events. You felt 

“Can I ask you something?”

You looked up from your origami crane. You were currently folding origami for the kids in the hospital at Yejun’s house. Sometimes you would come over just to mess with him, but most of the time, you just missed him. 

“Yeah, what is it? Did you mess up the folding again?”

He groaned at the thought and you laughed at the sound.

“You’ve known Hamin for a long time, right?” He said slowly. “I was wondering, are you two…?”

You dropped the folded paper and stared at Yejun, bubbles coming out of your open mouth. Did he think…?

“What?!” Your voice came out as a shriek. “No! He’s my family–! We’ve known each other since diapers!”

You began to slap Yejun on the arm. “Why would you–?! Augh!”

He laughed, apologizing as he did.

“Sorry, I just…” He blew out a giant bubble. “Noah put it into my head that you were together.”

You rolled your eyes. Of course he would. Noah was the type of person to gaslight them into some sort of scam.

“Don��t listen to him in the first place. He’s just trying to get a reaction out of you.”

“Then, are you single?”

You stop, feeling the blood rush to your head. Is he going to…?

“Yes.” Your voice was soft, but it felt so loud in the big room.

Something warm touched your hand and you shyly looked up to see Yejun holding yours. He played with your fingers before interlocking them together. The blush you were trying to hold back was now brightly shining on your cheeks. He looked up at you and you could feel time stop in that moment.

~ ~

“When I’m older, I’ll be able to help you!” The boy proclaimed, puffing out his chest and smiling broadly.

You couldn’t help but laugh at the bravado of the boy.

“But then you would have to study really hard.”

“It’ll be easy.” He crouched down and began to etch something into the mud. “I’ll remember that I have a special goal to help you. So, just remember this name when you go to the hospital and ask for me!”

The name was shakily drawn and you could barely make it out, but you remember laughing loudly at the sight.

~ ~

You open your eyes, wiping away the stray tears that were squeezing out from the corner. 

“What was that…?” You groan. It felt like a dream, but more familiar…

Like a memory.

Groggily, you walked out into the living room. Today was the day you were going to see your family. You needed to pick up some fresh fruit before they arrived.

“Mom?” You called out. “Where’s your purse? I need to go and get fruit.”

You opened the closet, finding their coats and your mom’s purse. You rummaged through it blindly, imagining the wallet as you searched. You frowned. Where was her wallet? You couldn’t find it. You peered in to check your suspicion, finding it was the truth. Why did your mom leave without her wallet?

“Mom?” You walked around the apartment, finding no one in the residence. Did she go out without you?

Your arm prickled and you reached for your phone when you heard something from outside. It was faint, but it was definitely coming from behind the door. Carefully, you crept to the peephole and from behind the door, you were horrified to see people running down the hall. What was happening?

You opened the door, watching the people scramble with suitcases or almost nothing at all. Without another thought, you grabbed your coat and tried to follow the crowd, where were your parents in this whole mess? You heard the phone ring on the other side of the line, but it kept going to voicemail.

“Sweetheart!”

You tried to stop and look for the voice and saw your mother climbing the stairs, phishing against the crowd to reach you.

“Mom!” You grabbed at her hand, pulling her out from the crowd and onto a landing. “What’s going on? Where is everyone going?”

“Sweetie, please,” She tugged at your arm, towards the direction of the apartment. “I need you to go into the apartment. It’s safe there.”

“What?” You tried to resist your moms hold, but it felt impossible as people kept pushing past you. “What are you talking about? Where is dad?”

“Honey,” She wept as she held your face in her hands. “We love you very much. Please live on.”

With a small shove, you were pushed back into the apartment. You were confused at first, but then quickly replaced with fear. You tried to pull the door open but it was sealed shut. You tried to call out to your mom, pounding on the door as you did. And as you looked through the peephole to see her, a cluster of seafoam blocked your sight.

~ ~

The first thing you did was turn the television on. Reports of people disappearing at an alarming rate were increasing by the hour. You sent out texts to as many people as you could, but only a handful could respond. You could only imagine what had happened to the rest.

Hamin was the first to respond back.

‘Are you alright? My neighbors became sea foam in front of me. What if my parents are next?’

‘Hamin-ie! I’m so glad you’re alright! Please stay safe!’

‘I’ll try. What about you? Are your parents with you?’

You didn’t have the heart to tell him what had happened.

Yejun was the next person to respond. But instead of texting, he called you. It threw you off at first, but you quickly calmed down and answered the call.

“Hello?” You said.

“You’re alright!” Yejun’s voice sounded frantic from the other side. “I was so worried when I got your text. I thought I might’ve been too late if I didn’t call you.”

You felt your chest twist and the tears threatened to spill. “No, I’m fine. Thank you for checking in with me. How about you? Where are you right now?”

“I was leaving the hospital when people began to disappear. It was like something out of a movie…” He sighed shakily. “I’m so glad you’re still here.”

Your heart couldn’t help but flutter. Yejun suggested that he would conduct research on the existing people, seeing what could be the variable to help stop this disease. Months went by. You stayed inside as much as possible, trying to stay safe as your parents wished. People were disappearing gradually and you couldn’t help but wonder if you were going to be next.

Yejun would send over his dolphin friend every now and then, sending food and little notes. You would also give back little trinkets in return. Yejun didn’t have anything in his room anyway, so what was wrong about filling it with little memories?

“Byul,” You whispered to the small dolphin. “When will the world become normal again?”

~ ~

Your body felt heavy as you woke up. It was hard to open your eyes and when you tried to sit up, your arms felt like lead. You usually slept on your arms, so you weren’t surprised if they were asleep, but when you tried to get out of bed, you fell straight to the floor.

You were completely awake now.

You picked yourself up and when you looked down, you were shocked to see your skin becoming translucent. It was in your shoulders and biceps, but the rest of your skin was normal. Fear shocked your body and you grabbed your phone quickly. The phone rang once, then twice, before being picked up.

“Don’t you know how early it is–?” The voice joked.

“Hamin!” You felt your voice crack. “I’m…”

The two of you sat in silence. You didn’t know how to tell him. Tears were flooding your vision and your throat felt thick.

“Where are you?”

“I’m at home.” You whispered.

“Hang on, I’m coming over.”

“No, please. I don’t want you to–”

A thud was heard from the other side. A groan and then nothing.

“Hamin?” A thought flickered for a moment. “Hamin! Wait, don’t tell me–!”

“I’m here.” His voice was dark and the tears began to flow steadily. “I’m sorry. I wanted to come to you, but I think that it’s impossible.”

“Hamin, I…”

It was quiet as you sobbed into the phone.

“Hey.” Hamin called. “Do you want to go to the sea next time?”

You wiped at the water on your face.

“Yeah,” You choked. “I’ll see you there.”

For the next hour, the world was quiet as you cried alone.

~ ~

The faint shimmer was beginning to spread farther down your arms. You had to hurry. You had to tell him. You panted hard, running past disappearing people. It was beginning to become hard to breathe again. Your foot caught an edge, causing you to fall on your side. A groan escaped your lips and you looked up to see his apartment building coming closer. 

A familiar trill caught your attention and you looked over to see Byul swimming towards you. They nudged your arm over their head and they helped you swim towards the building, even taking you to the top level to enter through the rooftop door.

Carefully, you crawled through the door. Your legs were becoming numb. You didn’t know how much longer you could last. As you reached his apartment, you noticed the door open and you felt dread flood your body. You did your best to hobble quickly, pushing the door was more force than you wanted to.

It was pristine as usual, his shoes lined up in a neat row by the door. You grabbed onto the door, sliding against it until you got to his living room. No one was in sight, but there weren’t any discarded clothes on the floor. Another trill from outside. Byul was nodding their head up. Was he upstairs?

You held onto the railing as you climbed the steps and at the top you spotted him. He was in casual clothes, but his lab coat was hung on his shoulder. He was working on something with his lab equipment, but…

Reassurance spreads through you like a soft wave. He was alive.

“Yejun!”

The man turned, his expression changing by the minute. But the one you could read stood out to you. Relief. He tried to hurry towards you, but you stopped him.

“St-stay back!”

You had to keep him away. Before it infected him too. 

His face fell and you could tell that he knew what this meant.

“No…” He mumbled. “It can’t…No!”

You tried to step back and keep your distance, but he had his arms around you in an instant. All you could do was bury your body in your coat, hoping that your skin didn’t touch his.

“Yejun,” You croaked. “I wanted to…before I…”

“Don’t say things like that.” His voice wavered and his grip tightened around you. “I can find a cure.”

Your eyes pricked and you had to bite your quivering lip to keep yourself from letting the tears fall. You shook your head. It was too late. You could feel it as it spread quickly through your torso. He gently tried to lift your hand out from your sleeve, but you resisted.

“I don’t want to risk infecting you.” You said softly.

His gaze was watery, a ripple in a pond as he tried to keep his emotions in check.

“I’ve been looking and I’m so close to a breakthrough. You can’t.” He said, his voice urgent. “You can’t leave yet.”

You felt your body go numb and you could barely hold yourself up any longer. You collapsed into Yejun’s arms, trying to steady your ragged breathing.

“No, please!” He struggled to keep you upright, holding your body against his chest. “Not yet! Please, no!”

Your strength was fading fast and you could feel the end coming. Your eyes drifted to the crying man and then to the World outside his home. Frantic and sad sky creatures gathered in the sky, letting out songs of lament and wailings as sparkling droplets glittered into the sky. The World was falling apart and crying together as more and more people began to disappear.

Using the last of your strength, you tried to focus on the man you loved. You remembered happy memories and became overcome with emotion.

“Yejun…” You could barely hear yourself whisper, pressing a weak hand on his cheek, getting his attention. “Could you…please smile for me…? Just…once more…”

His beautiful face was streaked with tears and he tried his best to smile down at you through his sobs.

‘Ah,’ You couldn’t help but think. ‘An angel…My angel.’

The last remaining strength you had dwindled and you couldn’t feel Yejun’s touch anymore. His voice was barely audible as your senses began to fade.

‘Goodbye,’ Your vision faded and you felt your body melt into a heavy ocean. ‘May we meet again in another life.’

[13916-62mae22]

Sobbing crying throwing up

Can you tell I'm excited?

[13916-62mae22]

PLAVE has announced their upcoming 3rd mini-album! Credits to lemon on twitter for the hi-def poster.

In honor of the upcoming events, I will be releasing a prompt I've been working on early this next week!

It mostly entails my own theories on PLAVE and introducing world-building with each character. The word count is becoming longer than expected, so I will mostly be releasing each member post individually.

Please look forward to it! I'm very excited to have you all read it!