#You saw a hill to go down and grabbed the fastest sled you could find

[astro-b-o-y-d]

Rewatching a video on SDRA2 and...Jesus Fuck, I always forget just HOW rancid Kanade is

[atinytokki]

H O R I Z O N

Chapter 7: Overdrive 

Seonghwa isn’t usually one for celebrating his victories, and he’s already afraid that doing so for the first round has cost him precious practice time.

Pulling the zipper on his snowsuit all the way up, he positions himself as low to the ground as possible. His team takes their places alongside him and the firing begins.

It’s already round two and this time they’ve been dropped right into the action.

There's significant pressure weighing on them to live up to their victory last match, but Seonghwa lets it fuel him into fighting even harder.

“Not so fast, Yeosang,” he cautions when the younger boy pops up and fires round after round of stun blasts in quick succession. “We’ll never make it down the hill if we don’t cover each other. Fire when I’m reloading and vice versa.”

Yeosang adjusts on cue and the two of them become a very efficient team, flitting from snowbank to snowbank and giving Team A no chances to take them down.

A fortress is nestled at the bottom of the hill, surrounded by wind blown snow and icy plains that stretch past where Seonghwa can see. With the stalemate broken, both groups are on their way out of the pine woods and down to where the flags are most likely hidden.

“You should head for the lower entrance, it’s the closest to you,” Jongho’s voice informs them through the comm link. He’s been stationed at the top of the hill to keep a lookout on the activities of both teams. “But hurry, they’re already on their way down.”

His message sends Yunho and Mingi hurrying out from under the cover of their snowbank in an attempt to follow Seonghwa and Yeosang, who are halfway down to the fortress.

“Wait, they’ve stopped!” Jongho warns suddenly. “Yunho, Mingi, they’ve seen you! Take cover!”

But it’s too late.

Just as Yunho pulls Mingi back, trying to slow his momentum, a stun blast comes out from behind the tree-line and strikes Mingi in the leg.

Yunho drags him behind the snow drifts and checks the damage, ducking from the shots aimed at his head. “Are you okay?”

Mingi catches his breath and nods. “I can’t- I can’t walk on it. It’s completely frozen.”

“At least the rest of you isn’t,” Yunho sighs before switching to his radio. “I’m going to need help getting him down there, they’re still firing on us.”

Seonghwa groans and turns around, Yeosang tagging along behind. At this rate they’ll never find the flags.

“I’d make it quick,” Jongho cautions them again. “They’ve turned their backpacks into sleds and they’re moving very quickly.”

“Can you take any of them out?”

“They’re already out of range,” he responds, checking his sight and watching  the last member enter the fortress. 

“Move a bit closer,” Seonghwa orders, slinging one of Mingi’s arms around his shoulders and helping Yunho bring him down the hill while Yeosang keeps a sharp eye ahead of them. 

“I’ve got them in the north tower,” Jongho reports from his new position. “They’ve blocked my shot but I can see a flag in the room with them. Let’s hope it’s theirs.”

“We’ll know very soon if it isn’t,” Seonghwa mutters.

The four of them enter the fortress and follow directions from Jongho, stationing themselves in a tower opposite where their enemies are. 

“I think I can fix the damage,” Yeosang pipes up from the floor, where Mingi is laid out low enough that no other shots can reach him while Yeosang digs through his med bag for an anaesthetic reversal agent. Yunho and Seonghwa set up their weapons by the north facing window.

“Then get his leg working again so you two can look for our flag,” Seonghwa says, firing a blast just shy of Youngseok’s head. 

“Let’s even the odds.”

___

In the continuing shootout, Hongjoong’s eyes aren’t on their enemies but the surrounding buildings, scanning the area for the Z Team’s flag. 

Junyoung spots it first and smacks himself in the forehead when he does.

“What? Where is it?”

“The turret to the left of theirs, a floor below them. But unless one of you can make a shot at an impossible angle, we’re going to have to get over there somewhere.”

Hongjoong bites back a sigh and returns fire when one of Seonghwa’s blasts lands a little bit too close to Youngseok’s face.

“How are we even supposed to make it without them stunning us?” Wooyoung whines, looking around their small room for anything that might help.

“A zip line!” San exclaims, pulling an equipment kit out of his backpack and then squeaking and dropping to the floor when a laser zooms towards his hands.

“Careful, that could’ve hit the flag,” Hongjoong chides, joining him while Junyoung moves to cover the target. “And we know they aren’t above burning us with the laser setting regardless.”

San nods quickly and unloads the kit. A cable, harness, trolley, handle, extra clips for safety and a metal clamp to shoot into the opposing wall are all ready for assembly, and with no prompting Wooyoung and San get to work.

“You’ll still be stunned the second they see you,” Youngseok points out as he reloads and Hongjoong covers him.

As he observes the intensity with which Seonghwa returns fire, an idea hits Hongjoong full force. 

“A diversion. I’ll make it look like I saw their flag and run the opposite direction while you cover me,” he throws his head past the fortress, towards the icy plain. “Seonghwa will take the bait, I’m sure of it.”

Youngseok bites his lip in concern. “But if he stuns you—”

“It won’t matter,” Hongjoong reminds him. “One of you will already have entered the turret and shot their flag. Any volunteers?”

“I’ll do it,” San offers immediately.

Wooyoung gives him a look. “After what happened last time... are you sure?”

“I’m the fastest, Woo. We both know I’m the best chance.”

“Alright, the three of us will hold Yunho and Seonghwa,” Wooyoung agrees, mouth pressed into a firm line as San gets himself saddled up and positioned. “Wait, wait! Helmet,” he interjects, shoving a helmet onto his head and nodding to Hongjoong when they’re ready.

Hongjoong snaps his goggles into place and hurries down the stairs, shivering. He’ll need to run for his life or risk being stunned frozen in the snow until the game ends.

“Don’t go until I say,” he orders through the radio as he prepares to sprint. “I want all their eyes on me.”

He hears their words of assent and takes a deep breath.

Go time.

___

Mingi has progressed enough to wiggle his toes by the time the first dose of the serum has been emptied.

“Hongjoong is at your three o’ clock and he’s getting away,” Jongho warns through the comms. “He’s already out of my range.”

Yeosang turns from loading the syringe and sees the moving figure after a moment staring out the back window and into the bright abyss.

White haired Hongjoong, looking like the ghost he is.

At least Yeosang is convinced he is, with the way he appears and disappears at random. He’ll attend morning group class and then not show up to launch viewings for the departure of previous Horizon groups. Then he’ll eat lunch with them like nothing happened but spend the entire night in the hangar.

Yeosang shakes off his misgivings and grabs his weapon. Hongjoong has the advantage of blending in, so pulling up his hood for maximum camouflage, Yeosang follows him.

Yunho and Seonghwa concentrate their fire on the fleeing rival at Jongho’s insistence, but it’s clear after a slight pause that they’ve just noticed Yeosang going rogue.

“Yeosang?” Seonghwa’s voice comes through the comm a moment later. “Yeosang, what are you doing?”

“He’s too fast for you, I’m tailing him,” he pants back, receiving only static in response. He can hear the whooshing sound of blaster fire ring out from the shrinking fortress and pushes on into the swirling snow. They must be in a standoff again. 

Soon, Yeosang is lethargic and lost in the cloud of flurries surrounding him and has to squint to see the form of Hongjoong finally collapse ahead.

He sprints towards him, blaster ready. “It’s... over,” he gasps for air, nudging him with the toe of his boot, expecting to see a flag somewhere in the distance. 

Hongjoong gets back to his hands and knees and adjusts his goggles before turning around and smiling.

“You’re right, it is.”

At the southern turret, San flies through the window and crawls to the flag, legs numb from being shot at the second Team Z caught on to him while he zip lined.

With no one to stop him, he raises his blaster and fires.

The results of the match light up his wristband as he rolls onto his back and sighs contentedly.

That’s some pretty sweet redemption.

___

“You shouldn’t have left like that,” Seonghwa scolds Yeosang in the changing room, ripping off his jacket a bit more forcefully than necessary.

Yeosang pretends to ignore him while he fixes his hair in the mirror, but deep down he’s already upset with himself.

“Well, at least my leg’s already better,” Mingi shows it off for emphasis, but it has the opposite effect of what he intended.

“See, he could’ve been healed and joined the action if you’d just stayed with him!” Seonghwa snaps.

“As if you weren’t itching to chase Hongjoong down anyway,” Yeosang snarks with a roll of his eyes. “Which wouldn’t have mattered in the end because it was a diversion.”

“You’re right, Yeosang, it was our fault,” Yunho sighs. “If we’d shot down San it would have given us a fighting chance. The zip line was a good idea, you have to admit.”

An awkward silence stretches on until Seonghwa clears his throat and faces Yeosang. “I’m sorry, I’m just upset. I know you did the best you could. We’ll just... have to be more alert next time. Get some rest.”

“Hey,” Yeosang calls before he can leave the room, eyes softening when Seonghwa meets them. “You should get some rest, too.”

They share a hesitant smile and part ways, argument forgotten.

As he paces by the lockers, Jongho’s call finally goes through.

“Hello? Hello, is anyone there?”

The voice that responds isn’t one he was hoping to hear, but it’s the next best thing. The landlady.

“Hello, it’s Mrs. Noh. Who is this?”

“Um, Choi Jongho... I used to live in a building you own, but now I’m in the Horizon Project.”

“Oh, of course!” She gasps. “I couldn’t forget you, dear. Is everything alright?”

“Actually,” Jongho rests his forehead on his locker and squeezes his eyes shut. “That’s what I was going to ask you. Is my family alright? They haven’t picked up since the flash flood last night.”

Mrs. Noh hums over the line before clicking her tongue remorsefully. “I’m sorry, Jongho, but we’re down in the countryside this week so I haven’t heard from them. Flash flood you say?”

“Yes,” Jongho answers, feeling very far away from himself. The longer he goes without answers, the worse he begins to spiral. “I was trying to get into contact with anyone... to figure out if they’re alright.”

“Ah, I’m so sorry dear,” the woman sighs over the phone. “If you still haven’t connected by the time we get back, I’ll look into it, alright? Stay safe now, I’ve got to go...”

“I understand,” Jongho nearly whispers. “Goodbye.”

No closer to knowing what’s going on, he puts on a brave face and heads to class.

He could either wait even longer for answers or take matters into his own hands.

___

On the way back from xenobiology class, Mingi’s wristband lights up with an announcement.

Report to the Dome at 0700 tomorrow with your team for Round Three.

He drops his bag on his bed and reads it again, surprised.

“But we just had a match this morning,” he splutters. “Another one so soon?”

“They’re keeping us distracted from the flood damage with back-to-back simulations,” Jongho mutters darkly from his desk, just loud enough for Mingi to hear. The xenologist casts his gaze down on his bed and doesn’t comment, but the idea that the group has become wholly disconnected from the rest of the world is concerning.

How bad is it out there? 

Yunho pokes his head into the doorway, already in his soft pajamas, and asks to come in, closing the door behind him when he does.

“Did you notice we’re supposed to report twenty minutes before our opponents?” He whispers, sitting cross legged on the floor.

Mingi and Jongho go wide eyed and shake their heads in unison.

“How do you know?”

“The Z Team victory party is right next door to me,” he chuckles. “I heard Wooyoung read their notice aloud.”

Jongho snorts and spins around in his chair. “They’re only throwing a victory party because we did. We’re going to be out of snack food if there’s a party every round.”

“Speaking of snack food,” Yunho coughs, getting to his feet. “I should get back. They’re cleaning up already and San said he’d smuggle me some sour candies.”

Chewing some sour candy of his own, Hongjoong crosses the hall to get ready for bed.

Seonghwa’s there in their room, working out on the floor again just to get on his nerves, so he rolls his eyes and mutters as he pulls on a soft hoodie for sleeping in, “You could at least put some clothes on.”

Seonghwa seems to be in the mood to ignore him, so Hongjoong throws himself onto his bed without further comment, diving under the blankets until the sound of a call coming through his wristband makes him sit up so quickly he smacks his head.

“Mom!” He exclaims, running back out to take the call privately. That’s one development Seonghwa is thankful for.

He can still hear a few fragmented phrases through the door. She’s staying with a friend... the house is flooded still... rations miraculously survived.

Seonghwa tunes the conversation out and finishes his set, distracted by the sound of a transmission on his own wristband. He enlarges the holoscreen to read it at his desk in the lowlight and breaks out into a sweat at what he sees.

A few pictures from the unknown source of his parents’ house, and a video of it being drained by emergency cleanup staff.

He grips the chair for support and tries to breathe normally. 

He needs to do something. He needs to do something now before the next picture is straight from his nightmares.

Seonghwa types half of a code into the message bar and sends it, following it up with a compromise. You get the second half when I’m in space and you’ve given them protection. Unless you want the information all over the public holoboards…

It doesn’t sound nearly as threatening as he wants it to be, but at least when Hongjoong returns to his blanket nest, he doesn’t bother him about it.

On the other side of the wall, Yeosang lies awake and wonders why Wooyoung hasn’t come back to their room.

By the time the night is dark enough for the cheap plastic stars they glued to the metal ceiling to glow faintly, he’s decided Wooyoung’s probably spending the night with Youngseok and Junyoung.

He’s left to the now familiar ambiance of the tram tunnel and watches one of the stars peel off and fall to the floor, too exhausted to even be upset.

It’s another early day tomorrow.

___

The moment Team A gathers at an otherwise abandoned the Dome entrance, San has a feeling he knows what’s happening. The platform lifts them into the playzone without their opponents ever appearing. 

Yunho had woken up unusually early in the morning.

“Where is the other team?” Junyoung mutters just in time for their wristbands to chime in unison and the intro message to appear.

All blasters have been set to stun for the duration of the game. If all five members of your team are hit, the opponent automatically wins, flag or no flag. Flags have been hidden, and at the end of this message you may find them. The main challenge this round is traversing a dense landscape, puzzle solving, and dealing with unfair advantage/disadvantage. Good luck and may the best team win!

“Unfair advantage and disadvantage—” San groans. “They’ve let the other team in first!”

The platform screeches to a halt and they have just seconds to take in the jungle greenery and distant animal calls before a hidden Team Z opens fire.

“Split up!” Hongjoong screams and they all scramble for cover, but it’s too late for Youngseok who has already been hit directly in the chest and completely immobilised.

Junyoung looks like he wants to stop and go back for him but Hongjoong takes his hand and pulls him forward, returning fire until he’s stunned in the leg and has to drag them both behind a tree.

He can see San crouched a few feet away and signals him to make a strategic retreat. 

“We’ve been held back on purpose this round and they’re probably already halfway to our flag,” Hongjoong pants into the comm link for Wooyoung to hear, wherever he is. “It would be better to go on the defensive.”

San hurries over to the pair and pulls the med kit out of his backpack. They’ve been passing it around to a different member for each round with no designated medic on their team, but it’s lucky for Hongjoong that San can stick him with a properly loaded syringe and at least some level of knowledge about what he’s doing.

“Alright,” Wooyoung finally answers, his grunts of exertion coming through the radio. “I’m climbing a tree to get a look at the surroundings. It can’t have been all of them behind that ambush, they wouldn’t waste their head start like that. You didn’t happen to see who was shooting at us, did you?”

“No,” Hongjoong responds, limping out from behind the tree when the firing has been stopped for long enough. “They’re gone.”

“Oh no,” Wooyoung whispers to himself when he sees the full area around them through a pair of binoculars strapped to his suit. An extremely steep temple-like structure with four different levels peeks out from above the forest canopy and the rest of the environment is thick jungle without end.

“Keep heading west,” he says into the comm link. “You’ll hit a stone structure and you’ll need climbing gear. I’m pretty sure that’s where the puzzle solving will come in.”

“Stay in your tree and see if you can spot the other team or a flag,” Hongjoong’s voice comes through the radio. “But be careful not to be seen. If you’re shot down from that height... it’s not going to be pretty.”

Wooyoung swallows and agrees, sinking a little lower into the leaves and searching for movement in the brush.

They won’t get anything out of this sabotaged match if they don’t try.

___

“They’ve entered the playzone, boys,” Yunho warns through the radio. “How are we doing?”

“We’ve still got one level left once we finish this one,” Yeosang reports back, watching Mingi wrack his brains to solve the puzzle in front of them while they cling to the cliffside. “But there may be a slight problem.”

“Problem?” Seonghwa’s anxious voice comes over the frequency next. “What is it?”

“Each level locks itself behind us,” Yeosang explains. “If we can’t solve the next puzzle, we’re stuck up here.”

“And they’re getting progressively harder,” Mingi mutters, sliding a stone into a gap and then shaking his head when it doesn’t look right. “The last one was a word problem, this is a picture puzzle.”

“You don’t think they’ll catch up to us, do you?” Yeosang asks quietly, chewing his lip. 

“Don’t worry about them,” Seonghwa insists in his ear through the comm link. “Yunho, Jongho, and I just spotted Wooyoung and we already took out Youngseok. Just focus on getting inside that temple.”

Yeosang voices his assent and joins Mingi, scanning the puzzle quickly. “Try this piece,” he suggests, and Mingi snaps his fingers in revelation before taking his advice.

The door slowly opens with a grinding sound and the two cross the threshold then painstakingly climb their way up to the next level.

Onwards and upwards.

___

“I’m scared of heights,” Junyoung confesses as soon as he’s harnessed up and ready to climb.

“You’re kidding,” San gapes at him, unwinding some rope. His eyes widen as Junyoung shakes his head regretfully and he turns to Hongjoong for help. “What do we do? We can’t leave him here.”

“Junyoung, just hang on to me and don’t look down, okay?” Hongjoong sighs, clipping their harnesses together so Junyoung can’t fall. “It’s just like... climbing a staircase.”

“A very steep staircase with lots of gates and puzzles,” Junyoung mutters, but he figures out the first challenge, a calendar puzzle, almost immediately. It gives the small group a bit of hope that they may yet catch up, until Wooyoung stops responding to the radio and they realise they’ve got another man down.

“I have to go back for him,” San insists as the door opens. 

“San—”

“Hongjoong, I’m the one with the med kit. If he fell out of the tree, he needs me.”

Hongjoong grits his teeth but lets him go. There’s no turning back when they enter the second level. 

San makes it almost all the way back to Wooyoung’s tree when Jongho pops up from behind a bush and aims his blaster at him.

Ducking for cover, San tries to balance his own weapon and the med kit while avoiding Jongho’s blasts and scanning the treetops for Wooyoung.

Finally he sees him, stunned and dangling from a tree limb, but at least he hasn’t fallen through the branches and broken anything.

San knows first-hand how painful that can be. 

“He’ll be okay,” he pants through the link. “But I’m—”

But he’s been in the open too long, and before he can retreat, he’s been stunned in the back by Yunho. 

Stunned in the back by Yunho.

He and Seonghwa reveal themselves and inspect the motionless San.

“He came from that direction,” Seonghwa points out, waving at the others to follow him. “Three down, two to go.”

___

Junyoung has spotted Mingi and Yeosang at the level above them, already on the last puzzle. It’s uncertain which flag is inside, if not both, but he’s solving the games as fast as he can despite his acrophobia with Hongjoong encouraging him and pitching in occasionally.

“The rest of Team Z is right behind us,” he gasps after peeking at the ground for a moment, and right on cue the gate they just finished is opening again for their three hunters, who open fire without hesitation from the forest floor.

“Just finish the puzzle!” Hongjoong orders, returning fire and landing a hit to Yunho’s leg but receiving one to his in return.

The door finally gives and Junyoung turns to look at his leader, wide-eyed, when he unhooks them and swings away, trying to draw their fire.

“What— What do I do?”

“Get inside and hope it’s their flag, not ours.”

Junyoung purses his lips and tries to shake his head but Hongjoong is already pushing him through the gate and away from the fighting.

“Junyoung, go. I can’t climb with my leg stunned, I’m slowing you down. We haven’t lost yet, we have you. Go.”

Junyoung obeys and Hongjoong lets out a breath of relief before unleashing the rest of his ammunition on the three pursuers to no avail.

Seonghwa cracks a small smile when he sees that he’s got him cornered and aims his weapon, not at the fleeing Junyoung but at Hongjoong.

Hongjoong can’t hold his gaze anymore and swallows his resentment, looking away as that cold numbing stun blast hits him in the chest.

Some losses are just too disappointing.

As Junyoung unlocks the final door, his wristband lights up with the results of the match.

Mingi and Yeosang are there with a flag that’s been hit. They halt their celebrating and lock eyes with Junyoung, standing dumbstruck in the doorway. 

Game over.

___

The cadets get three days until the next round. It’s still much sooner than they would have expected, but they’re beginning to get the hang of things. Adopting each other’s strategies, anticipating each other’s movements, and getting more and more competitive by the day.

They’re being extra careful about everything now, so this time Hongjoong arrives five minutes early and does a verbal check of everyone’s equipment himself before entering the playzone.

“Flashlight? Eye protection? Tape? Multitool? First aid?”

All four of them answer affirmatively to each and their leader sighs and nods, satisfied.

“We’re ready this time.”

“We’re never really ready,” Wooyoung sighs.

“And we won’t be as long as the Project Coordination Council keeps pushing us like this. Are they aware we also have an astrophysics test tomorrow?” San picks up Wooyoung’s thoughts where he leaves off. “I could be studying right now.”

“Then let’s get it over with quickly,” Hongjoong says with a smirk, already strategising.

“Did you know the fastest recorded Dome game lasted only eleven minutes?” Mingi chirps from where he’s suiting up. 

“How fast was your victory the other day?” Youngseok asks shyly.

“I think it was approximately thirty-six, from the moment you entered the playzone,” Mingi hums in response. “That would be the fourteenth fastest recorded Dome game.”

“Not bad,” Junyoung acknowledges, arms crossed. “But we’ll beat you this time.”

“Do you think they’ll give us an advantage?” Youngseok leans over and mutters.

“I wouldn’t count on it,” Yeosang interjects with a wink as he takes his place on the platform. “We’re going for the hat trick.”

___

It’s immediately apparent that this isn’t going to be an eleven-minute Dome game.

The environment is a complete desert wasteland, and it’s hot. Obscenely hot.

According to the intro message, the challenge this round is dealing with an extreme environment, exhibiting resourcefulness, and time efficiency.

Whether it’s intentional or not, Team A does find themselves at an advantage when Yeosang’s heat sensitivity becomes a problem to slow down their competitors, and Wooyoung happens to trip over something in the sand during their relentless march onwards in the assumed direction of the flags.

“Ow!”

“What is it?” Youngseok asks quickly, already at his side. Today he is the bearer of the med kit.

“It’s metal of some kind,” Wooyoung hisses through his teeth, bending down and brushing away the sand. “Hang on, whatever this is, it’s big.”

It takes a lot of digging and probably too much of their water supply to free the vehicle from the sand, but the reward is well worth the risk.

“It’s some kind of desert patrol rover,” Hongjoong laughs with delight. “Do you four think you could get it running again?”

San and Wooyoung simply look at each other and smile.

___

“What are you supposed to do when your medic passes out?” Yunho gasps, staring in disbelief at the unconscious Yeosang in Seonghwa’s arms.

“Their team has been operating without one from the start,” Jongho points out. “You just have to adapt.”

“Pass the water,” Seonghwa instructs, wetting a small towel with it and then placing it on Yeosang’s forehead. They’d taken some measure of respite in the shade of a large sand dune, but were no closer to finding either flag or their opponents than they’d been at the start.

And now they were a man down without a fight.

“I’m going to the top of that dune to take a look around,” Seonghwa informs them, getting to his feet and wiping the sweat off of his forehead. “The flags have to be here somewhere, even if they’re hidden in the sand.”

Maybe it’s his need to do everything himself, but he ignores the protests of his group and climbs the dune, the only vantage point from which he can see most if not all of the simulated territory.

When he sees what looks like a desert rover speeding towards him, he quickly regrets giving away their position.

It’s Team A, and they’ve definitely spotted him.

He fires off a few shots at their tires, but with one well placed blast from Hongjoong as he drives by, he’s completely stunned before he can even put up much of a fight. 

Seonghwa’s face is frozen in an irritated expression, and it makes Hongjoong giggle as the engine starts up again and he takes the wheel.

He gives him a noncommittal shrug and grins.

“That’s payback for the last round.”

___

It doesn’t take the rest of Team Z long to figure out what happened when Seonghwa doesn’t return and the roar of an engine fades away.

“No medic and no leader?” Jongho groans. “This is turning out to be a fine hat trick.”

“Can one of you carry Yeosang?” Yunho suggests. “We really should be on the move.”

The long march continues, but with no sense of direction and only a simulated sun to follow, their flag remains unfound and unguarded.

The rover pulls up to a small palm oasis where both flags are staked and Junyoung delivers the shot himself to make up for last time.

“We barely saw our opponents,” San points out. “Do you think they’re alright?”

“I’m sure they’re fine,” Wooyoung teases, hopping out of the vehicle and giving a pat. “Besides we earned it for rewiring her so efficiently. Oh, we really should have thought of a name...”

Together they laugh and follow the green lights to their platforms.

An hour later, Yeosang wakes up in the med lab, having practically missed the entire match.

His dissatisfaction with himself is at least eased by the fact that Wooyoung waits to collapse in bed and watches over him in the infirmary. 

The teams remain neck and neck through the next couple of weeks, when class work becomes more intense and deadlines to log flight simulation hours are fast approaching.

The reason for so much time off of the training games becomes clear when the next match lasts almost a full twenty four hours. Team A comes away with the victory, but the search for the flags is again long and arduous, and everyone’s ammunition is depleted significantly by the end.

Their round’s effects continue into the next day when the trainees are summoned to yet another Dome exercise, still exhausted from the last one.

Hongjoong falls asleep in the middle of the game while stationed to keep a lookout, so Team Z takes the win and again the two are tied.

By the end of the second month in the Horizon Project, all ten of them have had enough, and Jongho still hasn’t received definitive word on the wellbeing of his family or the state of their house.

He decides to take his issue up with Soojin for once.

“Can’t you check in for me, then? I mean, this is ridiculous! We aren’t even allowed to know if they’re alive?”

Hongjoong happens to be walking past, on the way to his flight instructor’s office. He stops just outside the door to listen.

“I’m sorry, Jongho, I really am,” Soojin sighs. “But there’s nothing I can do for you. The Council won’t open any outside communications for the time being, not even to the Citadel so San can talk to his sister.”

“What on earth do you have hidden in this facility that you’re so afraid will get out?” Jongho’s voice drops as he gets more frustrated. “Some kind of secret science experiment? Do you really think we’ll accidentally slip sensitive information we don’t even know about into our conversations with our parents?”

“It’s not about you,” Soojin insists. “If you must know, suspicious correspondence with an unknown source has been detected inside this facility. Until we get a better idea of who is responsible and what they’re after, all communications are on lockdown. Including yours.”

When Jongho comes out huffing a moment later, Hongjoong doesn’t bother hiding anywhere.

“They won’t budge, will they?”

“No,” Jongho growls. “It’s utterly ridiculous and I’m one incident away from quitting this Project completely.”

“You know...” Hongjoong whispers, already regretting his offering in the back of his head. “There’s another way we can check on them.”

___

“And break literally all the rules, risking expulsion? Absolutely not,” Seonghwa responds easily. “Have fun without me, I want no part in this.”

Hongjoong snorts and rolls his eyes. “I only told you because you asked what I was packing for. Why do I even bother being nice to you...” he mutters before turning to face his roommate. “If you don’t want to come with, at least promise not to tell Soojin or anyone else, okay?”

“Fine, I’m busy with homework anyway,” Seonghwa answers from his desk, and because apparently he’s in the mood to antagonise Hongjoong some more, he continues speaking. “Usually, this week would be Chuseok break, wouldn’t it?”

“Yes, but even if we did get a real break, I somehow get the feeling you wouldn’t use it properly anyway, with your poor time management skills and all.”

Their sharp banter has become habit by now.

“Poor time management? Tell me, who was it that fell asleep in the middle of the last match? Oh, that’s right, you.”

“And who wasted their unfair head start in the second round by trying to pick us off one by one instead of searching for flags?” Hongjoong shoots back as he pulls on a jacket. “I think that was you.”

“We won that match!”

“Only because Mingi and Yeosang were fast enough at puzzle solving.”

“Please give it a rest you two,” Wooyoung whines from the doorway. “Hongjoong, are you ready?”

“You’re coming, too?” Hongjoong’s eyebrows raise, switching over seamlessly to being kind and tolerant and Wooyoung shrugs. 

“I caught Jongho packing the last of the choco pies and wasn’t going to let it slide. Don’t worry, I didn’t tell anyone else.”

“Not even Yeosang?” Hongjoong asks, surprised.

“He and Mingi are at the med lab for some genome sequencing lecture or whatever,” Wooyoung answers sharply, clearly not in the mood to discuss it.

“Alright,” Hongjoong backs off and slings his bag over his shoulder. Wooyoung heads for the elevator but Hongjoong pauses at the door.

“I can check on your parents if you really won’t come,” he offers, pulling up his hood. 

“How... How do you even know where they live?” Seonghwa asks suspiciously, turning around and facing him.

“I, um, I saw your house on your holoscreen and it’s in the same neighbourhood as mine so I recognised it,” Hongjoong coughs nervously and rubs the back of his neck. “It was your house, wasn’t it?”

“It— you were going through my wristband?” Seonghwa growls, grabbing a fistful of Hongjoong’s shirt and backing him into the wall as he tries to explain himself.

“No!” Hongjoong stammers. “I didn’t, I swear. You fell asleep with it on so I went to turn it off so you wouldn’t drain the power.”

Seonghwa narrows his eyes at him as if trying to see through a lie before finally releasing him. “Stay away from my family,” he hisses with a little more venom than necessary. “And stay away from me.”

“Fine,” Hongjoong huffs, brushing himself off. “Have it your way.”

He and Jongho join Wooyoung in the elevator, all of them keeping a wary eye on the office buildings. 

“Choco pies, huh?” Hongjoong smirks at an embarrassed Jongho.

“My dad really likes them,” he explains as the doors slide open and the three stealthily make their way by tram to the hangar and follow Hongjoong’s lead, strapping into one of the smaller test planes that he has clearance for.

“You guys are my first passengers,” he chuckles nervously, triple checking all the gauges and safety measures before sealing them in and rolling out to the track. It’s technically the first time any of them have left the ground and they’d much rather be doing it with official IPF authorisation, but it’s time to take things into their own hands.

“We’ll be there and back before they even realise we’re gone.”

___

Taglist: (Let me know if you would like to be added): @mooneylooney1​ @hwashinestar​ @delphinium3000​ @kpop-choco​ 

Recommended listening: Lift Up by WOODZ

A/N: Thanks so much for your patience! I've got a lot on my plate right now but I love writing for this AU so I'll keep doing it when I find the time. Don't forget to let me know what you thought and follow me on here or on twitter for other updates and tidbits :) See you soon~ 

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[pocket-luv101]

Summary: Family snow day. (KuroMahi, LawLicht, Tetsono, Jekuni)

“Are you cold, Machi?” Mahiru asked her daughter who was now four years old. She adjusted the scarf around Machi’s neck so she would be warmer. It was December and Hyde invited their friends and family to stay the week of Licht’s birthday. Everyone happily accepted because it was rare that they were able to visit each other after the Greed family moved to Austria. They still remained close though. For their first snow day together, everyone gathered at a local snow hill to go sledding.

“Dad, I want your jacket!” Lucy pulled on Hyde’s sleeve persistently. She was already bundled and warm so he thought that she wanted to be doted on after she saw Mahiru and Machi’s interaction. He took off his jacket despite the cold weather. She beamed happily and hugged the jacket. Hyde started to help her put on the jacket but she ran towards the snow hill with it. She laid his jacket on the snow and sat on it. Too late, he realized she intended to use his jacket like a sled. “Lucy fly!”

“Wait, Lucy!” He screamed and ran after her. She already pushed herself forward and she started to slide down the hill. Hyde threw himself after her and caught her before she could be hurt rolling down the hill. He circled his arms around his daughter and kept her safe. He groaned when they finally stopped at the foot of the hill. “Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Lucy wanted to go down the hill but Dad ruined it.” She pouted at him and her expression made him chuckle softly. Hyde sat up with Lucy in his arms. He brushed the snow from her hair and looked her over for bruises. His daughter was rather impulsive and he could never predict what she would do next. He loved her imagination though.

“I swear, you’re going to put me in an early grave.” He groaned but then kissed Lucy’s head. Hyde stood up and carried her back up the short hill. Licht was waiting at the top with two steaming cups in her hands. She handed one to each of them and then took Lucy into her arms. With the snow falling around them, Hyde thought they looked like a pair of snow angels.

“You can’t use a jacket as a sled, Lucy. Don’t worry, Uncle Tetsu is carrying them up right now. We can all go sledding soon.” Mahiru stood next to them and pointed to the parking lot where he was unloading the sleds from the car. The children were impatient to play in the snow so they took them to the hill while Tetsu, JeJe and Kuro carried the equipment and toys up the hill.

Misono waved to Tetsu with a smile. In contrast, Mikuni screamed in horror. “What are you doing with Yuu? You’re going to drop him!”

Tetsu had a pile of sleds on his shoulder and at the top was his son. The boy hated walking and he would ride on his father’s shoulder. She could easily see Yuu falling if the pile tilted even slightly. Misono stopped her sister from dashing down the hill. She sighed and said: “Tetsu won’t drop Yuu, Mikuni. Yuu is my son so I don’t know why you’re being so overprotective of him.”

Since their family was overprotective of her and they kept her sheltered, Misono didn’t want to do the same to her son. She also trusted that Tetsu wouldn’t let their son slip. He stopped in front of them and carefully placed the sleds down. She lifted the short boy into her arms and his weight was a blessing to her.

“Papa!” Machi skipped to Kuro who took a sled from the pile. She excitedly hopped in place and he chuckled at her adorable excitement. For an introvert, she had a lot of energy. He laid the sled on the ground and she sat on the front. She patted the spot behind her and cheered: “Giddy up! Giddy up! Papa and Mama sit behind Machi. I wanna steer.”

“Race! I can sled down the hill the fastest! Angel against kitties against crowns.” Lucy was competitive and she pushed her sled next to Machi’s. She looked over her shoulder to Yuu and gestured for him to join the race as well. “Mom, you’re a part of my angel team so sit here. We’re going to win.”

Hyde smiled as he watched the kids play together. They moved to Licht’s childhood home to give their daughter a quaint upbringing. Unfortunately, there weren’t many kids in the neighbourhood for her to play with. She would enter school soon and he hoped she would find a lot of friends.

Machi only wanted to play and she leaned forward. The shifting weight caused her sled to tilt forward and they slid down the hill. She quickly forgot the race and raised her hands into the air with a cheer. She didn’t notice how the sled veered off course slightly. Behind her, Mahiru quickly placed her hand around Machi’s to steer the sled back on course.

“Wee. Let’s do that again, Mama.” Machi requested once they reached the bottom of the hill. She tilted her head back to smile up at her mother. She leaned back a little too much and fell back against her. Mahiru giggled and hugged her tightly. They felt the sled shift as Kuro stood and he took the rope to pull his family back up the hill.

Kuro paused when a sled stopped next to them since Lucy pouted at them. “You cheated by going down the hill before I said ‘go’. I demand a rematch!”

Mahiru pulled a tray of gingerbread men out of the oven and hummed a Christmas song. She felt three pair of eyes on her back and she already knew who were watching her. With a sigh, she turned around and found the kids behind her. She baked the cookies in a secret because she wanted to surprise them. “Shouldn’t you three be playing hide-and-seek?”

“I smelled cookies! Mama bakes the best. Can we have one?” Machi aimed her large, pleading eyes at her mother. Her friends quickly mimicked her and started to pout as well. Mahiru let out a small sigh and she wondered if Kuro or Machi taught them the ‘soothing cat’ technique. She placed the tray on the table before she knelt in front of the children.

“I’m sorry but the cookies are still hot so you can’t eat them yet. After we cool them down, we can decorate the gingerbread men. I even made different shapes like cats, bats and birds.” Mahiru slid the cookies from the tray to a plate. The way her daughter’s expression fell tugged at her heart but she told herself she couldn’t give in. “I promise it’ll only take ten minutes, Sweetie.”

In the corner of her eyes, she saw a tiny hand reach towards the plate. Lucy stood on a chair and stretched towards the gingerbread cookies. Mahiru lifted her off the chair and placed her on the ground. She started to lecture her but then she noticed the mischievous grin Lucy had. “The distraction worked! Escape with our prize, Yuu.”

“Don’t say that before I run away!” Yuu yelled. He jumped off the table and ran out of the kitchen. She let out a small groan and followed him down the hall. As she walked out, she spotted Kuro frantically searching through the living room. She caught his attention by calling his name. From his worried his expression, she knew he was searching for the kids.

“Mahiru, please tell me you know where Machi is hiding. We were playing hide-and-seek but I can’t find any of the kids anywhere. This is her first time outside of Japan and I don’t know where she could be. What if she’s lost?” He asked and ran his hand through his hair. Kuro had searched the entire house for them but he couldn’t find them. Snow was falling heavily out the window so he doubted they went outside.

“They stopped playing hide-and-seek a while ago but they didn’t tell you. But we still have to find them. They smelled the cookies I was baking and stole a plate of them. They should know they can’t have sweets before dinner but kids are kids.” She giggled softly. “Where do you think they went?”

“What are you three doing in here?” Mikuni was surprised when she found the three children in her room. There was a plate on the ground but only crumbs remained on it. She recalled that Mahiru told them that she wanted to make gingerbread cookies and she could easily picture what happened. “Your parents are going to be very upset with you three.”

“That’s why we’re here.” Lucy said. “Yuu is Auntie Mikuni’s favourite person in the world and you can never be angry with him. You won’t tell our parents were here. Lucy is a smart angel!”

“It looks like you take after your demon father even though you claim to be an angel.” Mikuni muttered to herself. She was certain Licht would be angry if she heard her comment. Lucy was slightly right though. She adored Yuu as if he was her own son. She sat in front of her suitcase and pulled out a few jackets.

Mikuni held up a cape and said: “Since you’re going to hide in my room, you three can help me. I’ve been working on these capes and jackets for you three but I was worried they wouldn’t fit. Try them on. Here, Machi, this one has little kitty ears on the hood. This one is yours, Lucy. You three have to sit in your chairs patiently while I adjust these to fit you better.”

“My plan backfired.” Lucy whined. She hated having to sit for long periods of time. She folded her arms and pouted at her aunt.

“It’s okay. Machi likes to help Mikuni make presents for my cousins. Mama and Papa that it’s nice to be helpful.” Machi grabbed the blue cape. “I don’t know how to sew but I can help you!”

Mikuni nodded and patted her head. She noticed that Yuu was quiet and took out a purple jacket. After she helped him put it on, he patted the hood. He frowned slightly and whispered. “Machi is a kitty. Lucy is an angel. What is Yuu? Mother and Father don’t call me by a nickname like that.”

“That’s true but they do think of you as something irreplaceable and special. You’re their tiny miracle.” Mikuni knew that the pregnancy was difficult for her little sister but she persevered through the fatigue and morning sickness. She cupped his face and smiled down at him. “I think you’re going to get a special nickname soon. How do you feel about being a big brother?”

“I’m going to get a baby brother?” His eyes widened.

“Almost.” She giggled and placed her hands on her stomach. “I’m going to have a baby. I hope you two will be as close as siblings. But you can’t tell Uncle JeJe yet. The announcement will be his Christmas gift.”

[mckaylas-musings]

Knights of Kifalme Part 9

“Guys! Visitors! Come check it out!” Juan shouts, waving us over. I look over to Osa and Josh, and we scramble to get up. We all sprint down the alleys to find the main road filled with people. We squeeze through them and find a big stretch limo en route to the palace. Everyone is pointing and talking, and nobody really knows what’s going on. The limo stops, and the doors swing open. Out steps a tall blond, looking back and forth at all of us. He starts talking, and some people listen. I can’t hear what he’s saying, but others part ways, and a few people start stepping forward. He starts looking around again as a kid about my age, the ripe old age of 5, climbs out behind him. He’s also blond, and isn’t as harsh looking, but he definitely looks bored. The tall one stops and points at my friends and I. We walk towards him and he shakes his head, pointing at me and saying something. I didn’t understand what he was saying, because it was in a rough and ugly sounding language. I could make out a few words that made sorta since, but I didn’t really understand.

“What?” I look to my friends and they just shake their heads. I look back, and find the kid staring at me, wide-eyed. He walks up to me, and, as the taller one is yelling at him, sticks his hand out for me to shake. So I do. “Hi.”

“Hi.” He says. He sounds kinda like the big guy, but I can at least understand him. “What’s your name?”

“Luz Grainne. What’s your’s?”

“Todd.” He blinks at me. “You have red hair.”

I nod. “You have blond hair.”

“Why are you here if you have red hair?”

“I live on the other side of the island. Everyone has red or blond hair over there.” The tall one walks up to us, and grabs Todd’s arm. They talk for a second, before Todd pulled away and looked back at me.

“This is my brother, Jason. He’s looking for kids to be in a video. Do you want to be in it?”

“I don’t know. I guess?” He grins, and I see a big gap in his two front teeth.

“Cool!” He talks to his brother again before looking at me. “Sorry about him, he doesn’t speak Spanish, only English.”

“Oh. Okay.” I run back over to my friends and grab onto Josh’s arm. He puts his hand in mine and I grin even wider as I tell them the good news,. They tell me that they get to be in the video too.

That was the first day I met Todd Elliot.

I hear footsteps running up underneath us. “Oh come on! Where are they?!” I hear Juan shout, and Osa runs up next to him.

“I think Luz went this way.” Josh says, and I grin. I turn to Todd and put a finger to my lips, shushing him. “Todd is probably with her.”

“Surprise, losers!” I shout, jumping down from the tree, hearing Todd bursting with laughter from above me. I hop onto Josh’s shoulders, and nearly pull him down. I ruffle his soft black hair and he groans, sweeping it out of his robin egg blue eyes with the hand that wasn’t keeping me from falling.

“Unfair, Lu. Unfair.” I giggle, and blow him a kiss. He rolls his eyes, but smiles, causing me to smile even more. Our happy little moment is shortly cut off by the sound of a giant crash and the sound of Todd screaming. I sprint over, and help him up. His nose is covered in blood.

“Somebody get help! Juan, you’re the fastest, run into town and tell my Daidí!” He nods, turns around, and dead sprints. I turn to Josh and Osa. “Can you guys both carry one side? I can try and stop the bleeding until we get to my Daidí.” They nod, and both take an arm, lifting with all their 7 year old might. I dab at Todd’s nose with my sleeve and smile at him. “You’ll be okay, Toddy.”

He nods. “Okay, Star-eyes.”

That was the day Todd Elliot got his first, although not last, scar.

“Are you serious?” Todd asks, pressing his palm into his neck. I swat at his hand.

“Stop that, you’ll start to bruise.” He sticks his tongue at me, but shoves his hand into his pocket anyway.

I look over at the ‘project’ Josh’s been working on. It’s a bobbing sled, how he got one only God knows, and it’s angled down the hill side towards a ramp. ‘Going to see the stars’ is what he called it, saying it would launch us into outer space. Naturally, I was thrilled to go with.

“Trust me, have I ever been wrong before?” Josh says, giving one of the goofiest grins I’ve ever seen, and I feel a giggle rising, but I stop it cold.

“Yes. A lot actually.” I say, crossing my arms. Josh lets out a squawk.

“Et tu, Brute?” He says, pressing a hand to his heart in a melodramatic fashion. This time, the giggle comes out anyway. Todd groans.

“Come on dude, you can’t actually be serious.”

“As the plague, mo chara.” I laugh and shake my head at Josh’s hideous butchering of Celtic, and turn to Todd. He’s pressing his palm into his neck, again, and I swat it away, again.

“Come on, Rich Kid.” I egg him on, and laugh when he rolls his eyes at the nickname. “It’ll be fun!”

“Where’s Osa and Juan?” He asks, looking for them.

“Oh, they didn’t wanna come, said it was too dangerous.” Josh says, fastening a couple more ‘seatbelts’ made out of real belts to the sled.

“Precisely!” Josh shouts, then presses his hands into his eyes. “Why did you ask us here then?”

“Star-eyes loves space, doesn’t she?” I giggle, blushing at the name, and Todd just gives me a ‘don’t you dare’ look “Don’t you wanna be supportive?” Josh smiles up at Todd, a knowing look in his eyes.

“We’re nine, what makes you think this will work?” Todd mutters, sounding more defeated than before, however. Josh shrugs.

“Dunno, let’s find out!” Josh grabs my hand and pulls me in, quickly strapping me as Todd tries to stop him. Shortly, we’re off, and I can hear Todd shout behind us, but I’m focusing more on clinging to Josh as he lets out a whoop, and we hit the slope, in the worst possible way.

That was the day Todd Elliot found his interest in medicine.

He was biting his pencil again.

“Whatcha thinkin bout?” I mutter. Josh flits his eyes up to me, and smiles. I smile back at him, like I could keep myself from it.

“The shop class assigned my partner to me and I can’t figure out the blueprints he wrote down. I still can’t believe they’re letting a bunch of ten year olds near this stuff.” I roll my eyes.

“It’s a birdhouse, J, I’m pretty sure you’ll live.” I laugh. He hums.

“If not, I’m holding you to it.” He grins at me, and I feel butterflies in my stomach.

I’ve had a crush on Josh since I was about four years old. It was practically love at first sight. I know that’s not actually possible, but try explaining that to a four year old.

We quickly became friends, and the look on his face when he found out I was actually a girl was priceless. The smile and compliment “You’re pretty strong” that he gave after I punch him in the face was even better.

Soon after I met Osa and Juan, who were almost as inseparable as Josh and I, I thought the feeling I got when I looked at Josh would be how people feel about their friends, but I only felt like that for Josh. And that wasn’t good, because I knew he didn’t think of me like that.

I don’t really know how I could tell. Maybe it was the way he looked at me compared to other girls. Maybe it was how he treated me like the other guys. Maybe it was just because I had a gut feeling that the butterflies flying in me weren’t gonna fly into him.

“You’re a dork.” I mutter, pushing his shoulder.

He snorted. “No, you!”

“You’re a bigger dork!”

“Nuh-uh!” He laughed.

I giggled. “Yeah-huh!”

“You’re both dorks. What’s going on?” Osa said, Juan shortly behind.

“Birdhouse blueprints.” Josh said, turning back to his drawings.

“Mm. I’m supposed to make a mini derby car. Fun, huh?” Osa and Juan sit down, and I see Todd a little ways back. I wave to him, and he sprints over, grinning.

“I’m glad I took Home Ec. We’re making cupcakes.” Juan and I high five, and Osa groans.

“Whatever.”

“I’m the one who should be complaining!” Todd says. “I’m the one who has to build the thing, all you have to do is paint it!” Osa flubs to make some excuse as we all tease him. I lean on Josh a bit more than would be ‘friendly’. But it’s not like he noticed. Todd did though.

That was the day Todd Elliot found out I was in love with Joshua Morgan.

“Oooo, she’s cute.” Osa says, nudging Juan. We all try to casually look to where he’s talking about, and fail miserably, causing Osa to face palm.

“Yeah, she is.” Juan says, wagging his fingers at the girl and her friends, who just giggle and walk away.

“Man, you get all the girls, Juan, save some for the rest of us.” Josh laughs, nudging Juan, who just rolls his eyes.

“Whatever man, you can have, like, Lu or somebody.” I go bright red, and Josh lets out a laugh.

“Yeah right. Lu and I are tight, but come on man.” Josh throws his arm around my shoulders, and I try to hide the cringe I feel. I look over at Todd, who’s looking at me with knowing eyes.

“I’ll get some more refills.” Josh says, standing up and grabbing everyone’s drinks. The mall has a huge food court, so it’s kinda weird it’d have a soft drink machine for free, but hey, free is free. Can’t all be rich like Todd.

“Aight, thanks man.” Osa shoves all our drinks onto Todd’s tray, and I catch his eye roll on his way out. We talk for a bit before Todd gets back with our drinks and a folded up napkin. “Dude, what’s that?”

“I don’t know, some girls at the soda machine handed this to me. I think she wanted me to throw it away.” We all look at each other, before I reach out for it. I unfold it and laugh.

“Dude, I don’t think she’ll like it if you throw this away.” I turn it around to show everyone the phone number written on it.

“Oh.” Todd says, sitting down. “Well….” He looks at all of us before grabbing it and handing it to Juan. “Here, you have it.”

“What! Dude, if it’s that girl we saw earlier, then you’d be an idiot to throw this out!”

“Sorry, just….not interested.” We just sorta look at him.

“What, are you more into dudes?” Osa asks.

“Nah.” Todd takes a huge sip of his drink.

“So….what? What do you like?” Josh asks. Todd sets his drink down and shrugs.

“I like dogs. And the beach.” He thinks for a second. “And I really like mangoes.”

“No, we mean like-” I start.

“I know what you mean, Luz.” He waves me off. “I don’t like anyone, really. Not that way, at least.” He shrugs. “Guess I’ll be alone forever.”

That was the day Todd Elliot told me he’d never fall in love.

“Wh-what?” I mutter.

“I’m so sorry, Estrella.” Mamí says. I let out a strangled laugh and look between Mamí and Daidí for a hint of ‘we’re lying’.

“This is a joke, right?” I feel tears spring to my eyes. “What?”

“Aleanbh, it’s true. He’s….gone.” I feel warm, wet streaks fall down my face.

“But….Shot?”

“Stumbled across a drug deal. I’m so sorry.” Mamí wraps her arms around me. I can’t even bring myself to hug her back.

“The wake is Thursday.” It’s Monday. “His parents want you to be there. They want all of his friends.”

“Josh is dead.” I mutter into Mamí’s shoulder. “He’s twelve….and he’s gone.”

“I’m so sorry, Estrella.” Mamí sobs out. I hold onto her, and let her cry.

After a while, Mamí and Daidí let me go to mourn with my friends. Once Todd sees me, he rushes to me, and pulls me into a crushing hug, tears already streaking down his face.

“God, I’m so sorry, Luz. I’m so damn sorry.” It’s at these words that I finally break down.

I sob. I scream. I cry. I mourn. I lost the boy I love.

That was the day Todd Elliot became my best friend.

“You’re shitting me.” I mutter, staring Todd in the face. He shrugs, toeing the ground.

“It’s a good deal. They’re taking me on, and it’d be dumb to turn them down. It’s a really prestigious internship. Jason pulled a lot of strings for me. I can’t let this go away.”

“I first lose Josh, now I lose you?!” I throw a left hook, but he quickly dodges.

“We’re thirteen, not eight, grow up.” He sneers.

“I lose the man I love,” I swing again, and he steps back. “Then I have to see a man try and take my Mamí away from me,” I try swinging again, and he sidesteps. “And now; Now?! Now my best friend in the entire world is leaving!” I finally land a punch on his cheek, and instantly the memory of that being how I met Josh flairs up, and I crumple in on myself, falling to my knees. I feel his arms wrap around me, and I push him away. “Don’t. Not when you’re choosing this over me.” I stand up, wipe away the tears starting to fall from my eyes.

“We’ll still talk, Lu! I’m not cutting you out of my life entirely!” He shouts, standing up, confusion clear on his face. I instantly feel stupid.

“Shit. You’re right.” I cover my eyes with my hand, and start sobbing again. He holds me. “I didn’t even think of that.”

He laughs. “That’s why I’m the one with the scholarship, Star-eyes.” He pats my hair down, and squeezes me tighter. He always did give the best hugs.

I sniff. “Sure, Rich Kid.”

That was the day Todd Elliot left me on my own.