#special thanks to the front seat of my car; without it i would have bawled way more in a diff campus building

[remarkable-ghost]

county roads, take me home

[i-choose-satogou]

Episode 30 - Ash’s story

A fanfic by @i-choose-satogou

Ash couldn’t believe it; Riolu was on a roll.

Though it hadn’t been long since Riolu had hatched from its egg, it was already an impressive Pokémon. And even after battling an incredibly strong opponent, Riolu still insisted on training some more right away. 

“You’re not tired?” Ash asked, feeling slightly exhausted himself. 

“Rio!” Riolu cried, punching the air to prove to Ash just how pumped up it was.

“Oh, I see,” Ash laughed.

“Pika-Pi.”

Ash glanced down to find Pikachu by his leg, tugging at his pants. “What is it, Pikachu? We’ll have to train a bit later.”

With a pout, Pikachu slouched back to his bench, from where he watched Ash and Riolu train. Riolu defeated both Ash’s Farfetch’d and Goh’s Farfetch’d, and he still didn’t show a sign of stopping.

“Riolu sure has a lot of energy,” Goh said as he recalled his Pokémon. “But we all need some dinner, don’t we? Let’s head back to the laboratory.”

“All right.” Ash turned to Pikachu---and found his buddy fast asleep. “You’re sleeping?! Pikachu, you should have watched Riolu battle. It was amazing!”

Pikachu woke from his slumber, rubbed his eyes, then pouted like it had before. It trotted off without another look back at Ash.

To Ash’s surprise, his mother was in town and came to visit him at the laboratory. She cooked them all the best dinner they had in a long time. The moment Ash swallowed his last bite, Riolu was by his side again.

“Rio-lu!” Again it punched the air.

All filled up with his mother’s delicious food, Ash was ready to return to training as well. He ran from the room with Riolu, shouting a quick goodbye at the others. Riolu’s excitement and love for battling had Ash really psyched for their next big match.

The sun slipped behind the horizon, but Ash and Riolu were still at it. Eventually, Ash was all out of breath.

“Let’s pick right off here tomorrow morning, okay?” Ash bid goodnight to Riolu and all the other Pokémon staying in Cerise Park. As he was about to leave, he wondered where Pikachu had gone off to. He had been sure Pikachu had followed him to the park earlier. 

Most of the laboratory’s staff had either gone home or was asleep in one of the many rooms by now. Ash tip-toed down the hall and slipped into his and Goh’s room. He scanned his bed for the familiar ball of yellow fur, but it was empty. 

Goh leaned over the edge of his bed. His hair stuck out, and his eyes were all small, as though he had already been asleep. Sobble was curled up against him, with Raboot by his feet. “You’ve been out quite long. Good training?” 

“Yeah, Riolu is really hyped for his next battle.” Ash glanced around the room, but still no sign of his buddy.

Goh noticed Ash’s concern at once. “Pikachu is with your mom,” he said. He held Ash’s gaze a bit longer, and Ash waited for him to say something else. But then he only mumbled goodnight and returned to sleep.

Completely worn out by today’s events, Ash curled into his own bed, feeling oddly chilly without Pikachu there to warm him. Still, after all that battling, it didn’t take him long to fall asleep. 

***

In the morning, Ash saw off his mother before heading back to Cerise Park to train some more with Riolu. It didn’t seem the least bit exhausted from the day before. With the same determination, Riolu went up against Raboot, Scyther, both Farfetch’d, and even Sobble (which was a complete disaster that ended in them all bawling their eyes out).

“Pikachu, it’s your turn now!” 

Ash spun around to the same bench where Pikachu had fallen asleep the day before, but he wasn’t there. In fact, he wasn’t anywhere in sight. Ash frowned. He had been quite absored in Riolu’s training, but he was 100% certain that Pikachu had been there when Ash had said goodbye to his mum. And he had been certain that Pikachu followed them into the park.

“Maybe it’s back in our room?” Goh suggested. 

Ash didn’t hesitate and hurried straight back to their room, Goh on his heels. When they found the room empty, Ash’s stomach performed a weird somersault. Not of the good kind, the one he’d get in a battle. More the kind that he got every single time he had to watch Team Rocket steal Pikachu. 

“I’m sure he is somewhere in the lab,” Goh said. “Raboot, Sobble, did you see Pikachu anywhere?” Both Pokémon shook their head no.

With a sigh, Ash slumped down on his bed. It wasn’t like Pikachu to leave his side like this.

“You won’t find Pikachu anywhere here.”

Ash glanced up to see Chloe stand in the doorframe, her arms crossed before her chest. “What do you mean?”

“You can be really dumb sometimes, you know that, right?” 

“Chloe!” Goh scolded.

“Someone has to tell him, and I know you’d never be that honest to Ash,” Chloe said. “But I don’t mind telling you this. You kind of neglected Pikachu and I guess he was feeling lonely. He disappeared right after Delia left, so my guess is that he left to follow her.”

“All the way to Pallet Town?” Ash was back on his feet, already reaching for his backpack. “He could be in any kind of danger by now.”

Chloe shrugged her shoulders. “Mr. Mime hasn’t been seen in hours either. He must have gone with Pikachu.”

“I have to go after them.” 

“Ash, wait.” Goh stepped into his way, placing a hand on Ash’s shoulder. At first Ash thought Goh wanted to stop him from going after Pikachu, but he had to know better. Instead, Goh said, “They could be anywhere by now. It’s best if we go straight to Pallet Town. We can wait for Pikachu there.”

Ash shrugged off Goh’s grip, trying to be as gentle to the other boy as possible while standing his ground. “I will not just sit idly at home while Pikachu and Mr. Mime are out there. They might need me!”

“You trained Pikachu well. He can protect himself--and Mr. Mime.” Goh now placed one hand on each of Ash’s shoulder, looking him deep into the eye.

This close, Ash could see each of Goh’s incredibly long eyelashes. He could see the concern in the bright blue of Goh’s eyes. 

“Fine,” Ash conceded. “How will we get to Pallet Town, though?”

“I’ll go ask Dad,” Chloe called, already hurrying down the hallway. “Try not to do anything stupid in the meantime.”

***

Ash watched the surroundings flashing by outside the car window. His hands rested in his lap, which felt empty without Pikachu’s presence. None of the times he had been traveling back home had been this excruciating. The car ride stretched on and on, just as the never-ending hills that would eventually lead to his hometown. 

A few times, Goh glanced Ash’s way, but Ash never returned that glance. Goh must have realized that Ash hadn’t been fair to Pikachu the day before. That was probably what he had been about to say before going back to sleep again.

At last, they reached Pallet Town. Professor Cerise dropped Ash and Goh off, then headed back down the road toward Professor Oak’s lab. It was already close to nightfall, and the lights inside Ash’s home had been switched on. There was no sight of Pikachu.

Ash knocked on the front door and then flung it open, already hoping to find Pikachu waiting for him. He only found his mother, who greeted him with a frown.

“Honey, you’re visiting me so soon already. What a--”

“Where’s Pikachu?” Ash asked bluntly. Without waiting for his mother’s response, he searched both the kitchen and the livingroom, before heading upstairs to his room.

“Ash, what is going on?” 

His mother had followed him upstairs and now stood in the doorframe. Even though she had no idea what happened, she looked at him as though she was ready to wrap him into a blanket and hand him a hot cup of tea.

Seeing her concern brought it all crashing in, and no matter how hard he fought it, tears brimmed in his eyes, trickling down his cheek. 

“I’ve been an idiot, Mom.”

***

His mother did not wrap him in a blanket, but she did make him tea. And brought out several types of cookies. Goh accepted them with a polite “Thank you”, but Ash didn’t touch a single one.

After he’d told his mother what had happened, they had all fallen quiet. No one knew what to say, and Ash wasn’t sure if he even wanted them to say something. He was already aware of how much he had screwed up. He didn’t need his mom and new friend telling him that.

And so they sat in silence for a while. Goh eventually exchanged some small talk with Ash’s mother, which Ash’s was barely listening to.

His mind was too busy with imagining all the things that could have happened to Pikachu and Mr. Mime by now. And his imagination was doing a fine job, because at one point he even thought he heard Pikachu call out to him.

Then he heard it again.

Ash was off his seat and out the door in a second. He almost couldn’t believe his eyes.

“Pikachu!”  

Both Pikachu and Mr. Mime stopped in their tracks and turned to look at him.

“Pika-Pi...” Pikachu whispered, keeping his distance. 

“I thought I’d find you here,” Ash said, taking a few steps toward Pikachu. “I’m sorry I made you feel lonely, Pikachu. Chloe really let me have it, too. She said I didn’t understand how you felt at all.” When Pikachu still didn’t move, Ash continued, “It was all my fault. I’m sorry.” 

Bursting into tears, Pikachu leaped straight into Ash’s arm--so excited to see his best friend again to electrocute him right away. But Ash was willing to take it. He was willing to take a thousand thunderbolts as long as he could hold his buddy close like this. 

Ash hugged Pikachu to his chest, laughing and crying at the same time.

***

Later that night, Ash did something he had never done before: he sang Pikachu his mother’s lullaby. Even after Pikachu had fallen asleep, Ash kept singing, watching Pikachu’s tiny chest rise and fall with every breath.

“Ash, are you okay?”

Goh stuck his head over the edge of Ash’s bed, looking down at where Ash and Pikachu had curled up on the floor. 

“Yeah.” Ash scratched Pikachu’s head, and Pikachu giggled in his sleep. “I guess I lost sight of what was important for a moment. All my Pokémon are very special to me, but Pikachu... he’s been by my side since the beginning.” 

Pikachu turned over in his sleep, nuzzling against Ash’s side. Ash smiled. 

“And I would always choose you, Pikachu.”

[phenax]

Late Night Talks  Robert Small/Dadsona

              You were stretched out on the couch, eyes closed, while Tiny House Hunting Amish Triplets: Extreme Edition played in the background. You felt yourself about to drift off to sleep when suddenly you heard your phone ping. It then pinged several more times, prompting a loud groan and causing you to sit up from your reclined position, reaching for it.

“Mmm…��� you mumbled out, eyes squinted at the screen.

Lighting up your phone were several messages from Robert.

Robert: hey

Robert: Y/N

Robert: hey you up?

Robert: I’m outside wake up

Robert: HEY

Grumbling, you typed back to him. I’m up now, what’s up?

              Despite the annoyance you felt at being woken up, you couldn’t help but also feel a thrill of happiness. Though you and Robert had been close friends for quite some time now, with the occasional foray into more intimate territory, it always astounded you that someone as cool as him would actually enjoy your company.

Your phone dinged, another message from Robert: come outside lets go hunting

Cryptid hunting, I assume? You replied, already standing from the couch and searching for your pants. You pulled them on, smoothing out your tee shirt, then made a beeline for the door, snagging your shoes from next to it as you threw it open, grinning at the other man.

“Took you long enough,” he returned your smile, embracing you in a tight hug as you approached him.

“I was on the cusp of sleep,” you yawned, giving a slight shake of your head, though this action was difficult as your face was tucked into his neck. You gave a light sniff, smelling his cologne, “clean up just for me? Special occasion tonight?” you teased, pulling back slightly from the hug and raising your eyebrows at him. He studied you for a moment, face somewhat unreadable, then gave a barely perceptible nod, so small that you wondered if you imagined it.

“Let’s get going,” he remarked, letting you go and walking around the truck, climbing into the driver’s side and fixing his eyes on you through the window. With a slight shrug, you climbed into the truck as well, stretching your arms behind you as you did so.

“No Betsy tonight?”

He shook his head in response, turning up the radio as he pulled out of your driveway. You yawned quietly, settling back into your seat and relaxing, your eyes beginning to drift shut. However, you were startled from this respite as Robert reached over and lightly placed one of his hands on yours. With your eyes wide, you glanced over to the older man from the corner of your eye, who had his eyes still focused on the road. However, you noticed that his cheeks had taken a slight flush, and you couldn’t help the smile that curved on your lips. You decided not to comment on it, but instead turned your hand so that you could intertwine your fingers with his, your eyes still fixed on him. His blush deepened somewhat, and he gave your hand a light squeeze. You leaned back in your seat once more, closing your eyes with a small sigh of contentment.

              You found yourself jarred awake by Robert’s truck coming to a stop. Opening your eyes, you looked out the window, yawning loudly as you push out of the car and close your door.

“Hey, we’ve been here before,” you smiled, glancing over to him as he came around the front of the truck, “you brought me out here that time we, uh, I guess we saw the Dover Ghost.”

He nodded, smiling slightly, as though pleased you remembered. You expected him to head for the woods, but he instead pulled down the back of his truck and hopped into the bed, patting the space next to him. As you walked to him, your eyes lighted upon a blanket he had laid out, as well as a picnic basket sitting behind him.

“What’s this?” you asked, hoisting yourself into the bed of the truck with a slight grunt.

“A picnic,” he replied, drumming his fingers on the basket, as though nervous.

“Did you keep that back here for the whole ride?”

“Tied down, yeah.”

“Amazing,” you remarked, laughing and wiggling yourself closer to him. After several moments of comfortable silence, you spoke up, “so what’s the occasion?”

              Robert continued the silence for a moment, then opened up the basket, producing smoked meats, cheeses, sandwiches, two glasses, and—

“Hey! White Zinfandel!” you cheered, leaning to him and pressing your shoulder against his, “are we gonna throw rocks at things again?”

He shook his head, “not this time. I had…something else in mind.”

You quieted, raising your eyebrows imploringly.

Robert reached for your hand once more, winding his fingers through yours and letting out a small sigh. He seemed nervous, but about what you were unsure.

“Is everything alright with Val?” you asked after a moment. He nodded, raising his hand to indicate that he needed a moment. You silenced yourself once more, but couldn’t help but worry about the other man.

Finally he raised his head from where he’d been studying your twined hands, “I wanted…to thank you,” his voice was low, somewhat gruffer than usual, “for…everything you’ve done for me,” he trailed off, taking a deep breath and locking his eyes on yours, “I know that…I’m not an easy guy to be around. I’m sure there have been times when…walking away would have just been easier,” you started to shake your head, opening your mouth to disagree, but he raised his hand once more, prompting you to shut your mouth, “but I’ve been doing much better. Showering more, drinking less. Hell, I even cleaned up part of my living room the other day. I talk to Val on a weekly basis, see her every couple of weeks when she has the free time…. I wouldn’t have been able to do this without you, Y/N.”

You felt yourself blushing, and hastily waved your hand, “no, no, I’m sure you would have--”

“I wouldn’t have,” he cut you off, face serious, “without you…I wouldn’t have gone to meet Val. I wouldn’t have had the courage or the strength to change myself into the man you somehow knew I could be. You give me that. And honestly, every day that I know you is…so wonderful. I know I’ve said it before but…you’re special to me. You mean…so much to me. I mean,” here he gestured to himself, a sad smile appearing on his face, “I’ve never been this open with anyone in my damn life. Not more than I’m being with you right now. I guess…what I’m trying to say is…. You’re a damn wonderful man, Y/N. Probably the best I’ve ever known,” he trailed off once more, gazing off towards the distant city, his thumb rubbing light circles against yours.

              You opened your mouth to speak once more, but he turned back to you, bringing his free hand up to cup your cheek, pressing his lips to yours in a gentler way than he ever had before. You felt tears prick at your eyes, and you weren’t wholly sure why, perhaps the softness of his kiss, or perhaps his words. Whatever it was, you were bawling and Robert looked rather nervous as he attempted to calm you down. However, the sweetness of his actions only made you cry harder.

“Y/N…what’s wrong?” he finally asked, hands clasped on either side of your face.

You shrugged, laughing through your tears, “I don’t know. That was just…so sweet.”

“Well, I’m not even done yet, so…” he shrugged slightly, looking more nervous than before.

You took a moment to compose yourself, swiping stray tears away and taking several deep breaths, before fixing your eyes on him once more, “go ahead. I can take it this time.”

He looked like he didn’t believe you in the slightest, but he continued speaking, “Val is engaged--”

“Robert, that’s wonderful!”

He nodded, smiling slightly, “and she…invited me to the wedding. But…” he frowned now, looking down at his hands, “I need someone to go with. I mean, I guess I could go alone but…that’s a lot of relatives and family I haven’t seen in…a damn long time. I’d be too nervous to go by myself. I guess, I’m asking…if you’ll come with me.”

“Oh,” you cupped your chin, resting your elbow on your knee, eyeing the food before you as your stomach growled slightly, then nodded, “yeah, don’t worry about it. I’ll go with you.”

              Robert looked up, seeming somewhat startled, as though he hadn’t expected you to agree, “Really? Well…I had another question, then.”

“Lay it on me.”

He leaned forward once more, lips brushing against yours, though this time the kiss was less certain and more hesitant, “would you…come as my date?”

You pushed back from him slightly, “sorry, hard to…hard to think when you’re so close,” you replied sheepishly, blushing, “your date? Are you certain?”

Robert nodded, “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, Y/N. And I think that I’m ready to…try something with you. I’ve wanted you for quite some time, as I’m sure you know. And denying myself that has been…really hard. There were so many times when I just…wanted to say fuck it, come clean about my feelings, and put everything out there. But I knew I had to wait,” he reached for your hands, enveloping them within his own, “wait until I had a better hold of myself. Wait until I showered more than once a week, I guess.”

You couldn’t help but laugh, rubbing your shoulder against your eye as a stray tear escaped, “Robert…nothing would make me happier than…to be with you. And to accompany you to Val’s wedding.”

              This time, it’s you who leaned forward to kiss him, one of your hands slipping from his to rest snugly on the back of his neck. With one hand free now, he pulled you closer, deepening the kiss and lightly biting at your bottom lip, drawing a soft moan from your throat and causing you to press closer. However, he pulled away all too soon, a smirk on his face, “we need to eat.”

“We could…eat later…?” you inched closer to him, allowing your hand to trail from his neck, to his chest, to his thigh, where you ran your fingers lightly over him.

He firmly shook his head, “nope.”

Grumbling, you pulled back, “fine, fine.”

Robert laughed at your facial expression, tugging you close for another kiss, “we’ll eat fast, okay?”

“Good,” you grinned against his lips.

He pulled back once more and poured wine for the both of you, handing you your glass and fixing his eyes on you. That same slight blush was on his cheeks as he lightly clinked his glass to yours.

“To us,” he murmured.

“To us.”

[chelseainwonderland]

Leave Out All the Rest

     I’ll never forget...the year of 2004. I was an 8th grader, a bit odd and attending a private middle school where I had never fit in with anyone. I had one friend I spent time with often but she didn’t attend my school. My favorite thing in life was music, in fact, music had recently become a huge part of my life over the past few years. 

     I had discovered a band I fell in love with after watching their music videos on MTV(back when they actually played music!). Plastered on my bedroom door was photos of Chester Bennington, lyrics from Meteora and Hybrid Theory songs, the LP logo both printed out and also drawn by me. Sitting in my closet were my beloved DC shoes, a special Mike Shinoda edition that I had begged my mom for nonstop. My walls were covered in Linkin Park posters, even my school binders were full of photos of Linkin Park. I owned all of their CDs and listening to them every single night(not even kidding) and singing along to them was something of a tradition. Only, I wasn’t just singing for fun. I was singing because I understood the lyrics...they really struck home to me in almost every song. I sang because these songs were my life, they mirrored all the pain and all the struggles I was going through, not fitting in anywhere, feeling alone, dealing with the pressure of being good enough for my family...I felt like Linkin Park were the only ones who understood me.

      I had never been to a concert in my life. I could only dream of going to one. But I had seen Linkin Park was coming near where I lived that year, coincidentally the day they were coming was a school day but I couldn’t care less. I begged my mom to let me go to the concert with my friend and she agreed, only so long as she went too. I agreed.

     The night before the concert, my friend stayed over and we watched Linkin Park’s Live in Texas DVD which I had watched over and over so many times. I was so excited to watch it this time, knowing I was going to be a part of that amazing energy and excitement. I could barely sleep and soon enough, I was at the amphitheater entering the front gates amongst thousands of other people.It felt like a dream. It felt like home. I believe my friend and I were some of the youngest people there...I remembered others jeering at us saying “shouldn’t you be in school?” and I just laughed. Who the hell cared? I was there to see the best band on earth.

     I watched all the other bands playing there...there were so many, as there was a smaller stage too where many bands played. A lot of bands were barely known back then but are much more popular now. I was having fun and enjoying it but these other bands were nothing compared to who I came to see.

     I was in a lawn seat, rather far from the stage...but that didn’t matter. When Linkin Park came on stage and Chester’s voice rang through the speakers, I instantly got chills. There was a deafening roar from the crowd and after that...it was just magical. I sang every word to every single song. I yelled, I cheered, I danced...I threw up my horns and when Chester yelled to put up your middle finger I did that too(despite the look on my mother’s face). My mom, my friend, and I had such an amazing time. It was a day and night I will never forget for the rest of my life. I had never dreamed that that would be the first and last time I saw Linkin Park...but I can’t imagine how much this loss would’ve hurt me then compared to now. It’s not any easier now but...loss is something I’m more familiar with now.

     This was all only one piece of a memory I have with Linkin Park. After this memory, it leads into me going to high school. I made a group of friends there and introduced all of them to Linkin Park. They all grew to love LP as much as I did. Through break-ups, fights between friends, to losing all my friends and being completely alone, Linkin Park was there for me. As long as I could hear Chester’s voice at the end of the day, everything would be ok.

     My mother passed away in 2011 from cancer. It was the worst time of my life, and I felt so lost and alone. Things only got worse as more time passed by, and when I felt to be at the rock bottom, I turned to music. I turned to Meteora, my favorite Linkin Park album. It hurt so much to listen to because I kept remembering being at the concert with her, playing the CDs over and over in the car on the way to school, singing the songs as loud as I could in my room and her listening to me...there were so many memories. I’m sure she knew the songs as well as I did. As hard as it was for me to listen to their songs at first, it slowly got easier until it gave me strength to hear them. I found strength in remembering the good times I had with my mother, and Linkin Park helped me do that.

     Throughout the years, so much about me and my life has changed but one thing has remained the same and that’s my love for Linkin Park. No matter what new music I’ve discovered or however many bands I’ve seen(I’ve seen a lot), they have always been #1 to me. They’ve inspired me to write poetry, to not be afraid to feel the way I feel, to turn my pain into art, and Chester has even introduced me to a passion for singing that I would never have had without him. 

     Even now, it’s so hard for me to talk about this, especially in person. I’ve posted a lot about the loss of Chester on social media. A lot of people I know have tried speaking to me about it, but it’s just so difficult. The feeling that I lost a part of me will probably be there forever. I’ve cried for days now, staying up all night bawling. I myself have felt like I couldn’t go on anymore, as I have crippling depression quite often and this didn’t help one bit. I can’t pretend to understand why this happened, or to have any idea. I know Chester had a rough past and was going through a lot. I tried to imagine it from his viewpoint...I’m sure the stress of going towards a new genre and having so much criticism was a lot to bear. And losing a close friend of his, Chris Cornell had devastated him. I’m sure there were many other things as well. Things add up over time until it all becomes too much to take. There is too little awareness towards depression and suicide in this world. Maybe things will get better after this...but I will forever remain heartbroken over the loss of the man I idolized growing up.     

There will never be another Linkin Park. There will never be another Chester Bennington. The music they’ve created will be eternal. No matter how much anyone has bashed them over the new style they were going towards, it will not matter. They had so much pure talent to be able to master and combine different genres in the way they did. Each and every member was amazing at what they did. They revolutionized rock music. They gave hope to so many people who needed it. I am one of those people, and from the bottom of my heart I thank them for being there for me when no one else was. I can say with complete confidence that without them I would not be here today.

Rest In Peace, Chester Bennington. You’ve left behind so many reasons to be missed </3

I dreamed I was missing You were so scared But no one would listen Cause no one else cared After my dreaming I woke with this fear What am I leaving When I'm done here? So, if you're asking me, I want you to know

When my time comes Forget the wrong that I've done Help me leave behind some reasons to be missed And don't resent me And when you're feeling empty Keep me in your memory Leave out all the rest Leave out all the rest

Don't be afraid I've taken my beating I've shared what I've made I'm strong on the surface Not all the way through I've never been perfect But neither have you So, if you're asking me, I want you to know

When my time comes Forget the wrong that I've done Help me leave behind some reasons to be missed And don't resent me And when you're feeling empty Keep me in your memory Leave out all the rest Leave out all the rest

Forgetting All the hurt inside you've learned to hide so well Pretending Someone else can come and save me from myself I can't be who you are

When my time comes Forget the wrong that I've done Help me leave behind some reasons to be missed And don't resent me And when you're feeling empty Keep me in your memory Leave out all the rest Leave out all the rest

Forgetting All the hurt inside you've learned to hide so well Pretending Someone else can come and save me from myself I can't be who you are I can't be who you are

[jeong-in-out]

Camera: Yang Jeongin

Your on a safari adventure and the bus stopped so you could take a picture of the (animal name). Since Jeongin had the camera and he was a better photographer than you, he got out and took the photos. The time limit was 5 minutes. 5 minutes past but, Jeongin wasn’t coming back to the bus. Therefore you called for him. “Jeongin, it’s time to get back into the bus.” Hr didn’t respond. He probably was too into taking the photos. You were going to get out and drag him back into the bus but, the doors locked making you not able to do that. You started banging on the door but, that did nothing. “H-Hey can you stop the bus? My boyfriend is is back there and and he doesnt like bing bt himself. He CAN’T be by himself in public or else he’ll have a panic attack and do something stupid.” You asked politely to make the bus stop. “I’m sorry Miss. I can not do that. We are on a tight schedule. If I stop the bus behind us will crash into ours.” The driver said. You nodded in response. “Ok sorry.” You sat back down in your seat. Thinking of all the possibilities Jeongin could be doing right now. “He could just call me and tell me he’s alright.” You thought, “or I can call him” You took out you’re phone and saw that there was no reception. You couldn’t call him because of that. “God Damnit!” Right in that moment you thought of all the HORRIBLE (life risking) things Jeongin could Be doing right now just to get back to you. A thought when through your head that he ran into the road and a bus hit him. You started crying while panicking. The bus finished its round on seeing all of the animals. You got onto the that’s just starting to go. Near the (animals name) you heard that there is technical difficulties on the road ahead. You got out of the bus to see if you could see what was causing the difficulties. There was a bunch of buses in a row making it hard for you to see. You got to the front of the buses and there was a big opening spot that smelt like iron or metal. You thought that something that smelt like iron spilt. You turned on your flashlight on your phone and saw something you wish never happened. Jeongin was on the ground his bottom half was bloody. You got into the bus right behind you and asked if the bus driver called 911. They all said they think so, ‘where was the bus driver?’ Then it hit you. Since this bus is behind Jeongin, this bus would have hit him. You ran out of the bus and checked the front of the bus. If the bus had a red mark it meant it hit him. It surely did. The bus hit Jeongin while he was probably looking for you. You started crying but, then you heard sirens: Police and ambulance ones. “Thank god they’re here” you choked. The police and paramedics came rushing over. “Miss do you perhaps know who this is and what happened to him?” A police officer asked you. You looked up and saw the paramedics taking Jeongin. You already know it’s to late but, you were surprised when he tried to turn his head and say “I love you Y/N.” But it came out muffled. Then he fainted. “Is my face red?” You asked “Yes ma’am” the officer replied. “Gosh damnit.” You whispered, “Yes I know who he is, his name is Yang Jeongin and I do believe that this bus hit him while he was trying to find where I was.” You pointed to the bus behind you. The officer wrote all of the information down. “Ok thank you. Are you in anyway related to him?” “Yes I am husband girlfriend.” “Ok then take this. I found this camera that belongs to him. Surprised that it isn’t ruined.” “Thank you” you took the camera from him. “No problem. Do you know if there are any other witnesses other than you?” “No sorry.” The officer nodded understandingly. “Ok I’ll look around” the officer walked the other way toward the other buses. You ran back to your bus and grabbed your belongings. You ran out of e bus and onto the road of the safari adventure wondering why Jeongin got hit. Then you looked back and saw that the bus driver was your ex Kim ( name). He was probably jelous of Jeongin and ran him over. You got into your car and drove away. When you got to your house you instantly went and put on one of his oversized sweaters and put the camera on the bedside table. You decided to call the police about your ex just incase your forget. Walking out of your house to get some food. You saw (ex name). Your heart stopped and you froze, you didn’t even realise that he was walking towards you. “How are you Y/N” he asked you not sounding concerned, “Since you know your boyfriend is dead now.” When he said that he sounded amused. “Fuck off you bastard. I know what’s you did” you yelled at him. He looked pissed. “Whatever” he pushed through you. Finally you were at the store. You decided to buy Jeongins favourite food: Ramen and Mochi. When you got back to your house you yelled out “Jeongin I’m back!” But, all you got back was silence. You placed everything down on the table neatly. Heating up the Ramen. Once the ramen was cooked you started eating. The table seemed lonelier than usual, probably because there is no Jeongin on the other side of you. No Jeongin smile, voice or presence. You started smileing remembering all the cute, happy, fluffy, things Jeongin did that made your day. You were also very sad because the reality is that you will never be able to see it again. You sighed and cried. About a month later when you were watching k dramas with ice cream to burry your pain and sadness away. A camera appeared on the screen and it made you remember that his camera is upstairs. You never opened it because you were afraid of what you would find. You debated for a while if you should go and look at the camera or if you shouldn’t. You sighed “I better just check it out and no worry about it anymore.” Getting up from the couch slipping on your ‘used to be boyfriends’ slippers. You walked slowly into the shared bedroom. The camera was dusty- having no one touch it for a month. You grabbed it and turned it on. The first photo was the (animals name) and you saw it was a selfie. The (animals name) was sleeping peacefully while Jeongin was shinning his beautiful smile. The next picture made your heart break even more. Jeongin looked panicked. This photo was probably taken when he found out your bus left without him. You skipped all the photos about the safari. The next photo was of you two holding hands. It was the night you two went to the Han River together. Photos of you and Jeongin cale up. Also photos of just you and just Jeongin. The next photo made you cry. It was about 2 years ago when you two started dating. You guys were in a restaurant And your face was tomato red. Jeongin was holding your waist while kissing your forehead. Never again will you go on special dates with him. You will never get kissed by him again. You will never be told how beautiful and special you are to him. And you won’t be able to have a family with him like you imagined. You layed on his side of the bed bawling and yelling out his name. You felt a tap on your shoulder. You looked up with watery eyes and saw the love of your life standing in front or you, Jeongin. You face lit up thinking of how he is alive. You jumped into his arms only to fall into the floor. It was just an illusion.