𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐬𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤

that was until one day when he was sitting at home watching the television, his mind flashed him what he thought was a memory but it was blurry, he only saw two people sitting together at the couch cuddling, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion and closed his eyes rubbing his temples.

“i must’ve had too many drinks.” seungcheol muttered to himself deciding to just call it a night.

he was in a deep slumber, he was seeing strange dreams. he saw himself in front of a girl whose face wasn’t clear, her features were blurred. but he could make out her facial expressions, and he knows she was smiling, he could feel his heart beating and he also had a smile on his face as they both watched the sunset mesmerised.

seungcheol woke up the next day alarmed, how come he was seeing things like this now? is it just a trick his mind playing or he was wrong all along and it was actually some memories of his past life? and even if they were, why is he seeing them now and not earlier? is this some kind of a sign? but what he knows is that he should see someone that can explain it to him.

and here he was, seungcheol looked at the front door in front of him doubting if he should knock or not, closing his eyes he gave himself some encouragement words before walking to the door knocking on it. he waited impatiently for someone to open the door.

the door opened revealing a tall man wearing glasses his face was annoyed like he didn’t want any visitors, but that look changed upon seeing who was the person knocking on his door.

“seungcheol hyung.” he said smiling causing seungcheol to smile brightly taking the man in his arms hugging him.

“minghao, it’s good seeing you again.” seungcheol said pulling away and minghao invited him inside his house.

he led him to his living room, going to grab something for his older friend to drink. he grabbed two beers putting them on the table seungcheol was sitting on.

seungcheol inspected the apartment, it wasn’t messy, it was tided and soft music was playing, the furniture was giving the house a pretty sight, his eyes went to the bookshelf that was at the end of the room and looked at minghao.

“the collection has grown.” seungcheol commented and minghao smiled proudly.

“it sure did,” he replied opening the two cans, “to what do i owe the pleasure, hyung? no offence but you haven’t visited me since you graduated.” minghao said and seungcheol smiled.

“i know and i’m sorry, but what i’m here for today is a little strange especially since the one i’m saying it.” seungcheol sighed and looked at minghao. “i think i’m getting memories of my past life.”

minghao smiled calmly, he knows seungcheol’s point of view on this topic, but he couldn’t blame him because most people agreed with him, he didn’t believe in it until it happened to him.

“that’s not strange at all, it was just a matter of time, how long have you been seeing these memories?” minghao asked interested in hearing seungcheol’s story.

“two weeks ago, first i thought it was some kind of a dream, but it just keeps continuing every night like i’m seeing series.” seungcheol explained the memories running through his mind once again.

“that’s a sign,” minghao said causing seungcheol to look at him strangely. “you see, in our legend it’s said that whenever a person starts seeing memories that have never occurred to him before but it’s just his memory from his past life, seeing it after not experimenting anything like this before means your soulmate in your past life is close to you.” minghao finished.

seungcheol was speechless. that couldn’t be possible, that must be a joke. soulmates existed? that was just a myth, soulmates were rare and thinking he has a soulmate doesn’t sit right with him.

“but soulmates are rare, how is that possible?” seungcheol asked but minghao smiled like he knows he was going to say this.

“the universe is unexpected, fate works on its own.”

after this conversation, seungcheol went home again, his mind was buzzing and it was making his head ache. it was all too much for his brain to comprehend. he slept that night thinking of his conversation with minghao, and his dream started.

seungcheol found himself standing in the rain, he looked around trying to make out anything in his sight but instead, he saw someone running his way and their bodies collided together. seungcheol fell to the ground groaning the other person standing up quickly.

“i’m so sorry!” a feminine voice spoke with a panicked tone. “i couldn’t see where i was going due to the heavy rain.”

seungcheol raised his head and saw the girl from his past dreams. there was a difference this time, he wasn’t seeing her blurred, he could distinguish her features, she was so beautiful it made his heart race.

he stood up his eyes still hooked on the girl who was looking at him worriedly, he smiled to ease her tension shaking his head. “no worries ma’am, i didn’t see you either.” seungcheol commented and the girl smiled happy that he wasn’t going to scold her and be rude.

“but i wet your clothes, the least i can do is buy you something warm to drink. what do you say...?” she trailed because she didn’t know his name and he held his hand out for her to shake.

“choi seungcheol, and yes, a warm drink would be very much appreciated miss...?” he said and she smiled widely and said.

“y/n, y/l/n y/n.”

seungcheol woke up right after this, his hand immediately went for his phone to type down the name he heard in his dream trying hard to remember what the girl in his dreams looked like.

he went to minghao’s place still looking at his phone not paying attention that he just ran into someone. the two collided and he gasped when he felt something cold soak his shirt and looked up ready to tell the person that ran into him off only to freeze.

seungcheol stared at the girl who was looking at him with a panicked look on her face. deja vu hit him like a truck recognising her features and demeanour. she was the same girl from his dream.

“i’m so sorry!” the same feminine voice from his dream spoke, “i was running late but i just happen to run into you.”

the same situation but different weather, seungcheol could careless about anything else at the moment, all he cared about was the girl in front of him.

he recovered from his shock shaking his head repeatedly smiling, “no, no, please don’t apologise! it was my fault, i wasn’t looking where i was going. i should be the one apologising.” seungcheol said and you looked at him with the same concerned face.

“are you sure? i ruined your shirt,” you said biting your lips anxiously and seungcheol looked down at his shirt seeing there was a big stain on it.

“no, i deserve it,” he dismissed and then looked at you with a charming smile, “i couldn’t say the same about your drink though, i owe you one. there’s a cafe down the street, i could buy you a new one, miss...?” he said and you looked at the handsome stranger blushing slightly nodding your head.

“y/n, y/n y/l/n, and you are?” you said and he held his hand out for you to shake.

“choi seungcheol.” he said. his name sounded familiar but you couldn’t remember when or where you heard it before but shook his hand nonetheless.

“excuse me, but you kinda look familiar, have we met before?” you asked your curiosity getting the best of you.

seungcheol smiled knowing what you were going to experience in the next few weeks.

“i don’t believe we did, but i do believe in something,” he replied and you looked at him confused.

seungcheol smiled when his mind flashed him the dream he saw before and other memories followed right after. he looked at you again with a beautiful smile that captured your heart instantly.

JEONGHAN: his first thought is oh no, did something happen? because you tend to seek him out when you need comfort. so he puts his cheek on top of your head, hands rubbing circles into your back. it's a few minutes of this before he turns to the other cheek and sees you scrolling on your phone. "y/n??" "yeah?" "are you feeling okay?" "yeah, i'm fine. what's up?" he just straightens, baffled. you got into his lap so quietly, he thought something was wrong, but you were just chilling? "nothing." he eases back into the chair. it's not like you need a reason to do this; he's surprised because you usually talk to him while doing so. he settles his arms loosely around you and asks what you want for dinner later.

JOSHUA: likes to tease you about it. you literally can't do this without him being difficult at every step. when you try to lift his arm, he'll resist. when you try to push his chair back to make room, he'll grin and scoot closer to the table. as much as he likes it when you climb onto his lap, he can't resist messing with you because your brow furrows and you huff through your nose, impatient but not wanting to ask. "need something, love?" he purrs, dropping his chin into his palm. "no," you answer curtly. honestly, you'd rather walk away than tell him what you want, so when you're about to turn around, his expression softens and he takes your wrist to guide you down. you're grumpy about it, but you let him lean on you as he smiles like he did nothing wrong.

SEOKMIN: you do it while he's focusing on something, so he doesn't even realize he's wrapping himself around you until he tries to shift his legs and you squeak, hands grabbing onto him to keep from falling — if it wasn't for his brain registering your voice, he would've thrown you off his lap lmfao. how tf did he not notice a whole human on him? it's probably because he's so used to you that his subconscious was like yeah, okay, this is happening. "you alright?" he frowns as you adjust yourself, leaning back onto his chest. when you're done, he tucks your head under his chin, arms caging you in and making sure you don't fall. but now that he knows you're here, he can't help pressing kisses to the top of your head and occasionally pinching at your thighs.

he turned his head and saw a flower shop he stopped in his tracks as his eyes fell upon a girl watering the flowers with a small smile on her face, she was just as beautiful as her smile is. he took off his headphones wanting to approach her.

he walked to the flower shop blindly and stood there looking at the flowers surrounding him, he didn’t want to look like a creep, but he kept on stealing glances at you.

“welcome to the shop! can i help you?”

he heard and his eyes widened as he looked and saw the girl looking at him with a kind smile, he could’ve sworn he felt like cupid shot an arrow at him.

“uh, sure,” he said smiling back awkwardly.

“so, what’s the occasion?” you asked and he soon realised he didn’t know what to say, he blushed looking at the ground.

“i don’t know, i just,” he trailed and his eyes locked with yours waiting for him patiently to continue.

he felt his breath hitch and before he knows it, he ran out of the shop not looking behind. you looked at the mysterious boy confused but shrugged turning back to cutting the flowers.

“woah, what’s got you so flustered like that?”

that was the question hansol received once he entered the dorms he shared with his college friends seungkwan and chan.

“hansol, you okay?” seungkwan asked but hansol felt like he was about to hit his head against the wall from the frustration.

“i embarrassed myself, that’s what it is hansel groaned and chan looked at him and stopped eating.

“what? how?” he asked and seungkwan connected the pieces and let out a loud laugh causing chan to frown at him, “what are you laughing at?” he asked.

“he embarrassed himself in front of a girl! that’s what happened, am i wrong?” seungkwan asked and hansol rolled his eyes.

“wait really?! who’s this girl?!” chan asked again waiting to hear the details.

“i don’t know, she works at a flower shop that’s close to the cafe we regularly go to, but i think she goes with us to college.” hansol muttered and remembered how he ran away and huffed, “she was so nice and i was like an idiot and ran away.” he frowned and seungkwan patted his back.

“don’t worry we will help you, cheer up.” seungkwan said and hansol looked at him confused.

“how?”

chan smiled and cleared his throat getting the attention of his two friends, “i think i might have an idea.”

this was a bad idea.

that was all hansol could think about when he stepped his foot in front of the flower shop he ran from three days ago. he walked next to chan who was responsible for the idea. he saw you reading a book and chan coughed getting your attention.

“hello,” chan smiled looking around before his eyes went to yours again, “mine and my girlfriend’s anniversary is today and i was hoping you could help me.” he said and hansol looked at him with his eyebrows furrowed.

since when did chan have a girlfriend?

you smiled and stood up, “i have an idea in mind, does she have any favourite flower?” you asked and chan answered.

“lilies are her favourite.”

you went to collect the flowers and chan excused himself to go make a call leaving you alone with hansol who was panicking internally. he wanted to talk to you but his tongue was tied and he couldn’t form any words.

“are you planning on running away again?”

he heard and looked up at you, his mouth kept opening and closing trying to say something but he just couldn’t think of anything to say.

“i’m so sorry for running away like that, i must’ve wasted your time.” he apologised sincerely but you just smiled shaking your head.

“don’t apologise, i was just joking.” you said and he smiled thankfully, “but if you really wanted to talk to me you could’ve just asked for my number.” you said and he looked at you his eyes wide and a blush covering his cheeks.

“what?”

“your friend there and another one came to the shop yesterday and apologised on your behalf saying that it was just because you have a crush on me.” you blushed working on the wrapping to avoid his eyes.

hansol cursed seungkwan and chan for setting him up like that but soon got over his shock finally realising what you meant by your words.

“wait, does that mean?” he asked and you blushed looking down.

“i have seen you around the campus a lot, but i was too scared to approach you.” you admitted and hansol smiled widely. you gave him the bouquet of lilies smiling at him and said.

“here you go, my number is written on this card, text me when the clock strikes seven, i would’ve finished my shift. consider it a date.”

you left to the bathroom leaving hansol standing there dumbfounded, his smile widened and before he could leave your voice stopped him.

he started in an elementary school at first and was placed with 6th graders, which is. fine. he did okay, did that for some time while he sorted out certifications. maybe it was the school??? or the area?? it didn't feel Right to him, and he couldn't put his finger on it

one day, he's taking a walk in the park when a flyer hits him in the face and he's about to put it in the recycling when the words catch his eye. a local daycare is offering up an assistant teacher position, and it's such a jump from his current grade level, but...maybe a change of environment would do him good

and it did!! he trusted his gut like when he changed majors, and next thing he knows, he's standing in a room with tables that don't reach his knees, but boy is he the happiest he's been

back when he worked half days, they gave him morning shifts, and that was fine because he could wake up at dawn and work out, head to work for a few hours, and then have the rest of the afternoon free

when they gave him afternoon shifts, he was tempted to sleep in, but working out gave him so much energy. and tbh, part of his motivation was the fact that the kids love hanging off his arms, so he had to keep up his strength

now he works full time, both morning and afternoon shifts, which means double the work as before but also double the time with kids!!! they're filled with so much curiosity and love for the world

he loves the way the smallest things make them happy. snack time is a little longer today?? wow!! it's raining so no outside play? :( but wait, the teachers are bringing out the special toys? everything's alright!!

brings that attitude in everything because life's too short to not appreciate the little things

has 100% accidentally used his teacher voice on his friends

having so many boys in a house, as big as the house is, means that there's some messes

how many times has he called out "use your walking feet" and "inside voices, friends" while half distracted at the stove or making lesson plans? too many times to count

“of course,” you nodded smiling kindly, the man sat across from you and he took his hood and mask off. your jaw dropped when you saw who the man was you gasped smiling. “oh my god, seungkwan!”

seungkwan looked at you for the first time since he arrived and a bright smile took over his soft features. “y/n! i can’t believe it, it’s been so long!” he exclaimed and you smiled nodding.

“yeah, three years. it’s been three years since we saw each other,” you said trailing looking into his eyes.

“wow, three years. it’s really been three years.” seungkwan said smiling sadly memories flooding through his head all at once.

you and seungkwan used to go to high school together, but he disappeared when he decided to be an idol, and he deserved it, he has a voice of an angel. you ran into him again and he was happy to meet someone from his old life and invited to buy you something to drink.

romance blossomed between the two of you rather quickly, despite how busy he was and how little you saw him, but you were glad to have him. he made you the happiest girl alive, and made sure you felt loved and safe around him, he took care of you, complimented you, and was there for you in your darkest hour. he was your literal guardian angel.

but you started seeing him less every day, and you felt like you were holding him back, he was guilty because he felt like you deserved better. so, the two of you decided of breaking up, it was mutual and no hard feelings were shared between you. it broke you to break up, but you know it was for the best.

“i heard you’re now a superstar, how does it feel?” you asked smiling at him to lift the atmosphere. he smiled back happy that you were interested in listening to him.

“yeah, we are preparing a comeback, so it’s a little hectic nowadays,” he explained, “jihoon hyung has been holding me and the rest of the vocal team hostages in the studio to finish recording the songs.” he chuckled and you giggled.

“how is seokmin and soonyoung doing? and the rest of the boys?” you asked smiling remembering your closest friends.

“they’re all doing good,” seungkwan replied then looked at the pile of papers in front of you and your opened laptop. “what about you? you look a little occupied.” he joked and you huffed.

“my graduation project,” you said and he smiled widely at the news.

“oh god, congratulations y/n! you’re‌ already graduating, i feel like a missed a lot of chapters in your life,” he said a little disappointed and you nodded.

awkward silence filled the atmosphere between you two, it was strange because you remember there was never a dull moment passed between you and seungkwan when the two of you were dating. but that was different now because you two are exes.

“i’m sorry.”

seungkwan said out of the blue, you looked at him strangely and was about to ask why he was apologising but he cut you off continuing.

“i’m sorry for letting what i do come between the two of us, you were supposed to still be with me, i never wanted you to leave. you know how much i love you. i always felt like i was never good enough, but you were there to assure me when i felt like this. there were times when i needed you more than anyone else, but i couldn’t just appear out of nowhere and ruin your life. i tried to forget you, but i couldn’t.”

you blinked hearing his words, your heart broke feeling your emotions hit you all at once. seungkwan really suffered after the breakup, you weren’t the only one suffering after all.

“don’t apologise, kwan. this is neither our fault, it’s the time’s fault, we were the right people for each other but it was at the wrong time. it wasn’t easy for me either seungkwan, i had to cope with the heartbreak alone and no one was there for me. but we don’t know what the future holds, do we?” you said trying to stop your tears from falling.

seungkwan was also trying hard not to cry, so he just grabbed your pen and a paper writing down something on it and handed it back to you. you looked at the paper and saw that he wrote down his number. he wore his mask and pulled his hood over his head standing up causing you to stand up too.

“we don’t have to be dating to be in each other’s life, you have my number now. whenever you feel like you need me, don’t hesitate to call me.” seungkwan said smiling slightly behind his mask.

he opened his arms and you hugged him tightly closing your eyes inhaling his scent, he ran a hand through your hair squeezing you in his arms not wanting to let go, but he knows he had to.

“i hope one day we can be together again without any boundaries.” he said giving you one last smile before leaving the cafe.

JOSHUA: "and how...how've you been feeling?" joshua glances at you. why'd your cousin ask that so hesitantly? and why are you looking at him like that, like you're embarrassed about something? "i'm okay," you respond, gaze snapping away from his. "let's drop this, yeah?" "but your therapist—" you clear your throat. "i stopped seeing them almost a year ago. found something worth trying for. we'll talk about it later, alright?" his mind counts back the time and lands right at the start of your relationship. he coughs into his elbow to hide his smile about how he might be something worth trying for. if you're hiding it, he won't ask, but he's curious by what you mean.

JIHOON: "so how'd you do it?" jihoon looks up from his phone, but your sibling's eyes are still stuck on their own phone. "do what?" "get them to talk to you. i've been trying to get them to confide in someone for so long." he tilts his head. he doesn't recall doing anything special for you. just listened when you wanted to rant, held you in his arms when you didn't. everyone has burdens, and since he shares his with you and you share yours with him, he didn't think much of what was happening. "i don't know." your sibling nods, mumbling, "well, thanks for supporting them." he doesn't need to be thanked for that — loving you isn't a job or a favor.

SEOKMIN: "you're good for them," your dad says, clapping seokmin on the shoulder. "haven't seen them this alive in a while." he's a little confused by your dad's words and laughs nervously — what does that mean? he's extra worried because your dad waited for you to leave the room to say this, but when it's all explained, he wants to cry. really, he's the lucky one to have you in his life, so knowing that he's as important to you as you are to him? he feels so loved, and his affection for you grows. when you come back, he holds your hands and keeps you close and makes sure that you recognize your worth.

you k n ow the uni has the budget to build more, but they won't. renovations? even less likely. you swear the weird stain on the carpet is older than you are, and at this point, you feel emotionally connected to it

it's been with you through almost every breakdown so far — something even your best friend can't say is true for them

though you've seen josh around campus, the first time you ever really interact with him is when you're about to throw hands over the last free practice room

long story short: the music department is Messy. you think there would be some kind of order when it comes to sign ups considering how in demand they are, but there are No Rules

you, as a rather tech savvy student, signed up for this room on the website. josh, as a social butterfly who has no problem talking to professors, asked for this room through his advisor. who then made some kind of written permission form that shouldn't override the fact that your name was registered first

and after an argument that i won't write because it's not important, josh realizes that he left his sheet music in his other folder, the one he left at his friend's dorm, so he has to give up anyway?? you want to rub it in his face so bad, but he actually looks upset, so the kindness in your heart settles for patting his shoulder and saying, "better luck next time, buddy </3"

but like, why does he need a practice room???? this question bothers you for days. he does guitar and vocals. he can literally do that anywhere whereas you can't really lug a piano around??

case in point: he's currently sitting atop a picnic table and doing an acoustic cover of some radio pop song, surrounded by a few other students studying or vibing

you're not brave enough to plop down with them, so you settle at a nearby table and start studying with his voice and music as background noise

but then the music stops and you see josh's sneakers out of the corner of your eye

"hey! y/n, right? from last week?"

"yes?" ok what did he want lol a rematch??? a real fight????

he has this boyish grin, and since he's standing over you, the sunlight shining down gives him a bit of a halo, and as you're squinting, you realize that he's kinda,,,,cute. a little. maybe you're just missing human interaction

he sticks out a hand. "i'm josh. i totally didn't recognize your name at first, but aren't you the one who performed at orientation?"

"yes..." wait now that you think about it— "weren't we in the same orientation group??"

omfg in your defense, three years is a LONG time and your graduating class is huge and joshua really bloomed since then. so did you, you like to think

"we were!"

and he just,,,,,,stands there. you wait to see if he has another question before waving at your notebook

"well, i'm gonna get back to reading?"

cool. you think that's the last of him, but n o. he keeps popping up randomly?? did you always share these study spaces? do you really cross paths between classes so often??? or are you able to pick out his face now because you're looking for him in crowds? the world may never know

the wariness you initially felt around him fades quickly. it's hard to keep up the unfriendliness when his whole body lights up as he waves at you, no matter how far away you are

one time he waves so excitedly, he knocks his soda can off the outdoor table, and you shouldn't laugh — you really shouldn't — but the way he goes from happy to utterly distraught has you in stitches

you buy a new soda from the vending machine next to you and walk it over

"can't have chicken without cola, right?" you say, amused

"of course not. you need the soda to cut the grease." he waves to the seat next to him. "wanna join me? i bought enough to save for dinner later, but i'm thinking of ordering something else instead."

sure, you're free.

"i'll pay you for what i eat."

"don't worry about that!! think of it as thanks for the soda."

now that you're actually talking to him...he's a super fun conversation partner? he's silly and kind, not the attention hungry popular type you expected

"are you doing anything else today?"

"i was planning to go practice." but you're so full. a nap sounds really good now. it's warm enough to make you lazy. "what about you?"

"my friend's doing a cover and needs a guitar instrumental, so i was gonna head over and record something for him." and there must have been something in your eyes when he looks at you because he grins. "do you want to come watch?"

you really should practice, but you've been practicing so much lately. to the point where you can close your eyes and swear you hear muffled sounds of another musician in the room beside you

"okay."

which is probs the biggest mistake of the semester because now that you're watching josh be serious, sitting on a chair and playing guitar into a microphone, you realize how attractive he is? like he's always been good looking DUH but something about a hard working man...

"thanks, dude, that sounds great," his friend jihoon says, throwing him a thumbs up. "someone else was supposed to come do backing vocals for me, but they just cancelled."

"oh, i can do that, too, if you want?"

"that's a lot — are you sure?"

"yeah, no problem." josh looks at you. "am i holding you up, y/n? sorry, if you're busy, we can head out now."

"no, no, no." you shake your hands. "do what you gotta do. i like watching the process. never really get to see what happens in recording studios."

"oh?" jihoon looks up and waves you over. "you can sit here with me then. i'll show you what i do."

and if you glanced back as you made your way over, you'd notice josh's displeased frown aimed right at jihoon's amused eyebrow raise

but you don't care about that — you're amazed at all the buttons and sliders at jihoon's work station!! wow!!! jihoon lets you marvel over everything, patiently explaining what it all does, while josh is in the booth drumming his fingers on the stand like.......ok can we start so i can get them away from you

tbh it's because jihoon sees the way josh looks at you that he's doing this. this pretty boy has been dragging his feet on getting to know you, even though he's had a crush ever since you played at orientation — a crush he brushed off only to be hit full force again three years later. maybe an outside force will push him to do something, anything

so even if jihoon has to deal with josh's grumpiness, he'll stick with it for as long as it takes

SOONYOUNG: his warmth is just...gone. it's almost scary how quickly he shuts down in the face of conflict, how serious he gets. i feel like fights are rare with him because he's very attentive to your moods. he somehow knows exactly how to diffuse your mood and never lets things escalate, but there are days where his patience is tested and arguing is unavoidable, and when that happens, he's another one who strikes where it hurts. his perceptiveness is a double-edged sword, after all; on one hand, you appreciate how he seems to anticipate your needs and how he can practically read your mind, but on the other hand, because he knows how to build you up, he knows exactly how to tear you down. you press your lips together. "take that back right now," you say, voice suddenly even. he inhales, and from his stricken expression, he knows he went too far. he sighs before opening his arms. "okay. i'm sorry, i didn't want it to be like this." he can't say that he didn't mean to hurt you because it was his intention, but the words you threw at him had the same malice. you step into his hug. "i'm sorry, too." both of you need time to cool down, but he doesn't like doing it in separate rooms unless you really insist. he prefers keeping you close, keeping you in his arms, to make sure you're okay.

SEOKMIN: his voice is already naturally loud. when he's upset, it gets even louder, like his body is trying to expel all the energy manifesting under his skin, and his face gets red with all the emotions swirling in his chest. he might start unbuttoning his shirt or pulling at the collar because it feels like it's strangling him and wow, is the room getting hotter or is he just getting angrier? "it's not because i'm trying to argue with you," you begin, but he cuts you off with a harsh laugh, waving at the air. "this isn't arguing?" he snaps, eyes flashing. "what do you call this then? if this isn't—" his volume is starting to give you a headache. your fingers fly to your temples as your eyes squeeze shut. "can you shut up for two seconds? i literally can't even hear myself think! i just...please, seokmin." he growls at that, but he does quiet down. you both take deep breaths, and it's only in the ringing silence that you realize how deafening your shouts must have been. and when he sees how bad your grimace is, he frowns and leaves the room to give you some space. you both hate fighting with each other, so when you're ready to talk again, at a normal volume, he buries his face in your shoulder and cries about how apologetic he is. you thread your fingers through his hair and apologize, too.

but there was also the wind, which was abnormally strong today. In fact, strong might be a slight understatement, because you could barely open your eyes. the sunglasses that sat dangerously on top of your head were at great risk of flying off at any moment, the scarf tied around your neck trying to break free as well. 

most people enjoy strong breezes, especially on a hot summer's day. you however would come to be pretty annoyed with the unwavering gale. settling down underneath a tree, you attempt to lay out the blanket, but to no avail. you grumble and groan as you try to lay out the increasingly annoying piece of fabric. hearing someone delightfully laughing at your predicament as the blanket flaps up and completely covers your kneeling figure. 

you try to fight against the huge flimsy cloth but quickly give up as two hands come and grasp the sides of the blanket, pulling it down and away from you. you huff out in defeat as you watch your savior grab a bottle of orange juice and rest it on the corner of the blanket, keeping it in place. you grab the huge picnic basket and set it on the opposite corner. after your bags are placed on the rest of the corners, keeping the blanket pinned down, for now, you finally sigh in relief.

"now that wasn't so hard, was it?" came the teasing voice. grumbling you shove the boy as he snickers, that stupid smirk on his face. "shut up, jihoon, it was a two-man job. you wouldn't be able to do it alone either," you mutter and move to grab the sandwiches out of the basket.

"oh i definitely could, the next time a borderline tornado arrives i'll set out the blanket," jihoon retorts, the smirk only growing bigger as he elbows you, causing you to almost drop the plate of sandwiches. 

"hey! watch out mister! this is lunch!" you squeal as you quickly set down the plate to prevent an accident from actually happening. jihoon giggles and crawls over to where the orange juice is and lifts up the bottle before hurriedly sitting on the blanket. catching the cups that you roll over to him, he pours a generous amount into both cups. 

you carefully take the cups and set them down safely as jihoon moves back over next to you, having once again successfully used the orange juice bottle to pin the blanket down. leaning back against the tree, jihoon munches on a sandwich and relaxes as he watches as the clouds drift by. the sky’s the most beautiful he'd ever seen so far in his two decades on this earth, and he was grateful to be able to experience this with you.

as much as he teased you and got on your nerves, you knew he loved you, and you loved him too. neither of you knew what would become of yourself without the other by your side, and the chemistry and understanding you had with each other was something no one else could replace nor replicate. you were grateful to have met him in this life, and hoped you two would be together in the next and forever on as well.

"aaah," you coo playfully as you lift a piece of watermelon to jihoon's lips. he raises his brow at you before pointedly turning away from the fruit. "no!" he exclaims, equally playful. you giggle and furrow your brows, pretending to be annoyed. "jihoon, you have to eat your fruits," you insist sternly, shoving the fruit further into his face. 

jihoon huffs and turns away even more, though neither of you anticipate jihoon's shoulder knocking the fork out of your hand. "OH GOD-" "now look what you did you stubborn mule, if you had simply eaten the watermelon-" before you could finish your nagging, jihoon pokes at your sides with the fork, the piece of watermelon stuffed in his mouth. 

"this was my favourite shirt," he whines, looking at the faint red stain of the watermelon juice on his white t-shirt. you shriek and roll over in an attempt to get away as he continues to poke you, but to your horror, you manage to knock over your glass of juice in the process. 

your t-shirt was now stained in orange juice, and you turned to look at the laughing male in disbelief. he catches your gaze and winks, "at least we still have matching shirts, they're just a bit more… fruity." "JIHOON-" you laugh out, still in shock as you throw the pack of tissue at his face. 

"WHAT? I'M NOT WRONG," he exclaims, an offended look on his face as he plucks out a few pieces of tissues and attempts to wipe the juice off his shirt. you grab the tissues from him and try to dry your shirt as well, knowing you'd have to rinse the clothing to fully remove all the juice. luckily, you had finished most of your juice before it spilled, so you weren't completely drenched right now. 

"hey, wanna give this a try before the wind disappears?" jihoon asks, grabbing one of the big plastic bags and stepping off the blanket. feeling excitement bubble up, you nod and hurriedly down his orange juice and follow him. he looked at you, offended once again by the betrayal. you giggle and shrug, "you made me spill my juice."

he simply sighs and turns his attention back to the bag. getting impatient, you start to poke jihoon like how he did to you just now, urging him to hurry up while you jump up and down, practically vibrating from excitement. "don't rush me, mx i-cant-lay-out-the-picnic-blanket-because-the-wind-was-fighting-me," he says sarcastically and you groan. "just drop it will you, we've never had such a strong wind before," you whine, holding your face in your hands.

"alright, alright. here, take this," jihoon replies, handing you a butterfly-shaped kite. you watch as jihoon takes out the sunflower-shaped one, his expression mirroring your excitement. placing the kite on the ground, you unravel some string from the reel as jihoon does the same. you let a giggle slip as you look at jihoon. with his smile wide as ever, you nod and the both of you start running downhill, screams of joy erupting from your chests.

the kites manage to fly on the first try and you're delighted as you dance around, the reel tightly grasped in your hand. "race you!" jihoon yells, and you screech at him as he takes off without waiting for you. you follow suit, occasionally turning to run backwards to watch the colourful kites fly in the air. the feeling was thrilling, and you doubt you would ever forget about this ecstatic moment.

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after spending most of the afternoon racing with the wind, the both of you finally settle back down under the tree, completely exhausted. jihoon flops onto his back and you lay on his chest, closing your eyes and drifting off to sleep while listening to his steady heartbeat.