Crying Why Did He Forget He Was Holding A Mic Mid-interview 😭

˗ˏˋcam cameron ´ˎ˗

“hi, it’s me, sextus.”

fics/one shots

dress

in which you and cam have hated each other for as long as you can remember. but what if that hatred wasn’t actually what you thought it was.

blurbs

head cannons

BETA SQUAD FANS UNITE AND GET TO WORK. I NEED MORE STORIES. 🙏

🍒💋🍒 ˖ ࣪⊹ — ‘CHERRY FLAVORED’

pairing: ethan landry x reader

summary: at a halloween party you and ethan get to talking and drinking, both of you only focused on each other’s cherry flavored lips

author’s note: thank you so much for the appreciation in my last two ethan fics!! also what the fuck was ethan even dressed up as… (this was originally gonna be based off of the nbhd song ‘cherry flavored’ but i got lazy) 👋👋

you licked your lips before coating your lips with another layer of cherry-flavored lip gloss. “are you ready yet?” tara asked from the other room. you grabbed your just-finished charged phone and checked your reflection in the mirror before getting up from your vanity and meeting tara by the front door.

“ok im all good,” your eyes traveled up to tara’s costume. she was dressed up as a pirate and honestly best choice of the year.

“you look really good what the fuck,” you expressed and gave her a few up and down looks. a smile crept up her face and you could tell she appreciated your comment, “oh shut up, you’re pretending that you dont look like the hottest babe on the planet!”

she put her hands up and presented you in your costume. you were dressed up as an angel because you had a white dress lying around and got this last minute invite by chad a few hours ago.

everyone knew chad’s crush on tara so you had to force her to come with you. you liked acting like a little matchmaker for your friends and no one could disagree that they would look so cute together.

mindy and anika picked you two up and in around fifteen minutes, the party was in sight.

“ok so we’re totally getting wasted tonight,” tara mentioned as she looked around the light up house surrounded by blasting music. you rolled your eyes and grabbed her arm before running straight into the house.

mindy and anika followed briefly, holding each other’s hands. every corner of the house was filled with drunk teenagers shouting and hollering. both of you tried your best not getting run down by a frat guy chasing his friends without a shirt.

speaking of a guy without a shirt, chad walked up dressed up as a cowboy. “hey you guys made it!” he exclaimed and put his hands in the air.

“i would never refused free booze,” you sarcastically remarked and slightly pushed tara into chad.

they started making awkward conversation about each other’s costumes. “so you’re a naked cowboy?” tara asked and pointed to his bare chest. which only led to chad nervously laughing, “well i mean i do have pants on.”

you headed to the kitchen to follow up on your free booze comment.

however you had some company. “ethan you’re here!” you tried not sounding so surprised but ethan landry was not the type of guy to be at a halloween party with loud music and alcohol. if anything he was the one saying that everyone should stay home.

you were shocked to found out that he wasn’t at home studying for econ as he has for every past friday night since school started. “sorry that came out wrong, i just meant that i didnt expect you to be here,” you attempted to make up for your past sentence. luckily he cracked a small smile, “yeah i know, chad just insisted that i come since its halloween and everything.”

“well i’m glad you’re here and im digging your costume,” you said and indicated to the horned helmet on his head.

he slightly laughed, “yeah its homemade if you couldn’t tell” he sarcastically replied. you laughed with him at the cardboard covering his body head to toe.

“y’know i like your costume too,” he complimented and was about to say something else but stopped himself.

he bit his lip and contemplated for a second before talking again, “did it hurt?” you got confused and had to further question him, “wait what—what do you mean?”

“did it hurt when you fell from heaven?” he tried not to laugh and you spotted the shy blush creeping on his face. if it weren’t for the dim lighting and colorful strobe lights covering the room, you could’ve easily saw his bright red face.

his body tensed up at the lack of response from you until you burst out laughing. “oh god that was terrible but in a good way, that was perfect though because i’m an angel!” you exclaimed and playfully slapped his arm.

while you were practically dying at the stupid joke, you missed ethan’s eyes which remained on your hand on his arm.

“hey do you want a drink?” ethan changed the subject and tried hiding his embarrassed face from his failed pickup line and your body being so close to his. “oh yeah that would be great, mindy was complaining in the car sooo much about this new movie coming out next week. so i definitely need a drink,” you chuckled and followed him further into the party to a bunch of bottles lined up on the counter.

“you want me to make you the best thing you’ll ever drink?” you asked and swiftly turned to face ethan. he was flustered and took a step back before replying, “oh um im the designated driver so i cant really drink…”

“—wait you room with chad though right? how about mindy just gives you a ride after the party? if i beg her, she will probably say yes!” you smiled and took one of his hands with both of yours.

if only you saw how pretty you looked in ethan’s eyes. your eyes lit up and your red lips was the only thing ethan was focused on.

“so? can you? please say yes, i promise you i’ll make it extra special!” you begged and shook the two bottles in your hands. and what was ethan supposed to do? how could he say no to that face?

dismissing the fact his car was literally parked down the street from the house, he answered, “ok fine i’ll try it.” your face immediately smiled and you jumped into his arms out of excitement and thanks to a little pregaming with tara earlier.

ethan caught you but didn’t know whether to push you away or hold you. you hugged him tight and then stepped back before turning to make his drink. ethan stood there yet again starstuck at how eager you seemed to hang out with him.

it was the first time he felt this way. why were so nice to him? why did you like him?

while ethan was off thinking about the list of possibilities you were making a damn drink for him right now, with trying to kill him secretly being his top choice, you spun around and had two red solo cups. one you kept close to yourself and the other outstretched towards him.

“it’s a surprise but you have to give me your honest opinion whether you like it or not,” you handed the cup to his right hand and nervously waited for his reaction. ethan carefully took a sip of the mysterious concoction and gulped.

it was cherry flavored. the flavor was evident and so was the color. as soon as ethan put the cup down, his lips and tongue were painted in red. he looked like a vampire after eating a whole ass meal.

the drink was fizzy and bubbly therefore ethan felt it moving it’s way to his stomach. it was sweet and quite bitter because of the vodka but he couldn’t deny that he was good. even better that you made it specially for him.

you stood in front of him, eyes wide and awaiting his opinion while sipping on your own cup. “i’m not gonna lie, that was the best drink i’ve ever had,” ethan admitted and started gulping the rest down.

you laughed in relief, “oh thank god! it’s pretty easy to make. i like to call it a cherry bomb because it kind of explodes in your mouth and all the way to your stomach.” you winked and chugged the rest of your cup.

after a couple more drinks, you were wasted but ethan decided to stop after two. he felt like he needed to keep a serious eye on you so you didn’t get into reckless behavior.

without your full knowledge, you danced with him, hugged him, held his hand, and even almost kissed him but ethan stopped you because if you did ever kiss him, he wanted you to remember it. so you pulled back and let you lay back on the couch for a little while to get some rest.

the party was dying down and some people started to leave, including your friends. mindy and anika approached the pair on the couch whilst moving to the beat of the high tempo music. “hey lovebirds, ready to go?” mindy asked and held anika close by her.

ethan looked away once mindy said ‘lovebirds.’ his ears started burning and his face clearly was flustered. you suddenly gained consciousness and stood up, “yes yes let’s go!” you almost raced to the door with ethan shortly following you, to make sure you didn’t run straight into a wall.

mindy and anika laughed at how cute you two looked. they also watched how ethan followed you around like a little lost puppy even though you didn’t even realize it.

thanks to a little bribing from anika of having candy at home, you finally got into the car in the back alongside tara and ethan. tara sat in the left, you in the middle, and ethan on the right. anika sat in the passenger seat and mindy was driving.

tara was passed out after partying way too hard and doing who knows what with chad all night. mindy was going on and on about this new film theory she read online while anika responded with short replies of ‘mhm’ and ‘ohhhh’ since she was way too wasted to say anything else.

your head felt heavy and naturally fell upon ethan’s shoulder. to his surprise, he found you peacefully napping practically on him! throughout the car ride, he tried to keep as still as possible to not wake you.

there were a million bumps and sharp turns because mindy could not work the GPS in the car and refused to use google maps. but ethan kept you close and occasionally tucked your hair behind your ear or held onto the side of your face so you didn’t fall and wake up.

your body jerked awake once the car came to a harsh stop though. “we’re here!” mindy announced. you slowly lifted your head on ethan’s now numb shoulder and groggily opened your eyes. luckily ethan and chad’s dorm was right next to tara and your’s so the there were no stops to be made.

also mindy and anika were sleeping over since it was too exhausting to drive all the way to their place. anika opened tara’s side door and gently shook her awake while ethan was almost carrying you out of the car.

“god you guys are wasted,” mindy commented. you groaned at a pounding headache approaching and tried walking on your own but found yourself almost crashing onto the pavement.

thank the gods for ethan’s existence. all ethan was thinking of was how glad he was that he went to the gym often because with you practically leaning your entire body of him, he had to carry you.

the group eventually got to the dorm door and this is where ethan would retire to his own dorm. “thank you so much ethan,” anika said and pulled your body off of him with the help of mindy.

“yeah no problem, it’s my pleasure,” he replied and took a sigh of relief once he knew you were safe and in good hands. but before he turned to go home, you walked away from your friends and back for he doorway where he stood.

“w-wait—ethan wait,” you called after him and fell into his arms since your legs didn’t properly work at the moment.

again, he caught you.

“what is it y/n?” he asked and looked down at those dazzling eyes for the second time. you smiled before speaking, staring into his left then right eye. you looked at his curly brown hair and how it had tangles in it due to the constant jumping and dancing you made him do early.

then your eyes drifted down to his lips.

there were still faintly coated in cherry vodka. without answering his question, you jumped up and held his face close. you put your lips on his and kissed him. for a split second, you felt yourself waking up and sobering up.

ethan was surprised and taken so aback but he didn’t complain. your lips felt right on his and he leaned forward more into the kiss. he wrapped his arms around your waist. after a minute the two of you pulled back to breathe some air.

“wow,” you muttered and smiled at the fluttery feeling growing inside of you. the feeling ethan had the entire night. he licked his lips before responding, “your lips are cherry flavored.”

rewatching the hunger games rn and peeta is so soft and sweet and clingy and obsessive but so gentle all at once i love him so bad.

can we get some like 'junho is the type of husband' pls??? ❤️❤️❤️ doesnt have to be full story just fluff!! 🙏

Jun-ho is the type ...husband!edition 𓍯𓂃𓏧♡

Jun-ho is the type...husband!edition

Pairing: husband!Jun-ho x wife!fem!reader Warnings: F L U F F

Jun-ho is the type to wake up five minutes before you and get caught between wanting to snuggle you and kiss your forehead silly, but would absolutely never wish to disturb you. He will then fall back asleep with his body ever-so-slightly touching yours for reassurance...then sleep through three alarm clocks.

Jun-ho is the type to offer you all the blankets before you go to sleep, covering you in them, wrapping you up and squishing you through the fabric to relish your softness and delighted purrs at being so snug – and he gets to cuddle you harder without worry of hurting you with his fervour. In the middle of the night, however, all the blankets are oddly confiscated to his side of the bed, leading you to sleepy tug-o-wars. He’s very apologetic if he wakes and realises the situation.

Jun-ho is the type to warm you up and cover you being the big spoon, he loves feeling protective and close to you. When his chest is against your back, he knows you feel his heart and feels very connected to you. His hand always finds the top of your head and does little twirls in your hair as he humms in his sleep.

Jun-ho is the type to have all his clothes neatly folded by the bed, always wears a towel around his body after a shower, much as he loves and cherishes you, he doesn’t want to make you uncomfortable and always acts as if it’s your first time meeting him.

Jun-ho is the type to be driven by intense adoration and affection rather than blind lust. You could put on the most racy, revealing, sensual negligée – and he will be very flattered and bashful, cheeks red and hand over eyes – but he will jump at you without warning if you’re comfortable in one of his shirts, humming to yourself and looking peaceful.

Jun-ho is the type to watch you do things, half out of protectiveness, half out of genuine curiosity. You always wonder how he manages to sneak up on you with his frame, but often you turn around to see him, smiling that wide smile to himself, as you do the most mundane tasks. Your confused “What?” is met with a little head shake and another smile.

Jun-ho is the type to get warm off your happiness – little gestures and little notes spring up around the house for you to discover, only for the little yelp of surprise or faux sigh you breathe his name in give him a small rush that makes him want to scoop you up and snuggle nose-to-nose.

Jun-ho is the type to wish to look after you, even if he knows you’re fully capable and wouldn’t ask him to. If you’re not feeling well, you get three hot water bottles and a bath drawn. And don’t even think of walking to it, he never misses an opportunity to carry you in his arms.

Jun-ho is the type to remember that one specific food, drink, item that you mention off-handily and suddenly, you discover cookbooks folded on the page of your favourite dessert and your coffee tasting more of the spice you like so much. He will never admit to it, though.

Jun-ho is the type to relish both foreplay and aftercare, with emphasis on both. He sees foreplay as the whole day he has free with you, from visiting a beautiful place with playful banter, hidden touches here and there, and lots and lots of PDA. You never knew feeding birds and sharing earphones could lead to such intimacy, but here you are.

Jun-ho is the type who loves dad jokes. Enough said.

Jun-ho is the type to be very protective of you, without bordering on uncomfortable. If you’re around people, you know his hand is very lightly hovering around the small of your back. If you’re walking together, it’s arm in arm. If you’re waiting for him, he always waits first to be aware of each aspect of his surroundings.

Jun-ho is the type to want to hold you tight, so tight he feels your bodies as one being – but is also worried he’ll hurt you, so he often walks up to you from behind and wordlessly lays his arms around your waist, holding your stomach, and gently swaying with you. The motion he feels adds intimacy and closeness.

Jun-ho is the type to remember all your anniversaries, but prefers to start celebrating them a day before their actual date, so you know he knows.

— hanabi

arisu x gn!reader

genre: fluff bcos i’m being nice, implied soulmates, shortfic

warnings: canon divergence and mentions of death, hospitals, injuries, blood, underage drinking and alcohol.

synopsis: It’s New Years’. You take some time to think about your closest friend and how nice fireworks are.

author’s note: happy new year! thank you for all the kindness this year again. i hope you can continue to enjoy my works as i hopefully improve even more! thank you again. enjoy the fireworks as well as this fic featuring one of the characters that bring me most comfort! arisu ryohei. cheers c:

“How long has it been since you last saw fireworks?”

“Since that day.”

You looked up as the fireworks found by a group of hopeful teenagers set off and fired into the sky. They exploded into what felt like millions of colors from this up-close, floating above the hill you laid on. The grass was cold but the breeze was light.

It was New Years’, according to someone who’d managed to keep count. In the Borderlands, you didn’t think you’d ever celebrate that. But as old habits die hard, so do traditions. So when a group of high-schoolers giddily yell about having found nice alcohol and fireworks to celebrate, you can’t really do anything about how much their anticipation rubs off on you.

“I didn’t think I would feel this happy watching fireworks.” Arisu hummed in thought, before nodding to himself with a tight-lipped smile, “In here or ever, really.”

“Did you watch them before all of this? We didn’t talk much back in high school.”

“If Karube and Chota managed to pull me out of my room, then sometimes, yeah.” he said and cracked a bright, nostalgic smile. “Did you?”

“Maybe.” you sighed, smiling to yourself.

“So vague.” Arisu chuckled, “But really. This is kind of nice.”

You hummed in agreement. “It is. Surprisingly so.”

You heard cheering from further away and watched as the lights flew closer to the stars again. Arisu’s hand slowly moved over yours, and then clung onto it like it was the most important thing in the world. Truth was sometimes it did feel this way. Maybe you were the most important thing in each other’s worlds. Maybe you cared about one another more than you did anyone else. Maybe you would never admit it alive unless you’d fear one of you would die. But sometimes even while unsaid, some truths are spoken silently— Like in this case, through the touch of your hands holding each other.

You ignored the pain of the open wound under the bandages on your finger and Arisu did the same. Blood seeped through the white fabric and you knew you’d have to redo the whole bandage soon but in this moment not a part of you could worry or care about that. Maybe the comfort of holding each other’s hand was enough to numb the pain.

A new year didn’t mean much here. Maybe it didn’t mean much at all, even in the real world. But you made a wish to the stars for things to be okay this time around— For you two to be together, always. And Arisu silently hoped for you two to survive and somehow get out of this happy, and together.

Months since the meteors. And since the hospital.

You met Arisu Ryohei again.

You two were in the same class for a few years back in high school but hadn’t really talked much since. Somehow, seeing each other again while walking outside the hospital and realizing you’d both survived what seemed like the impossible brought you back together. And as of now, he was probably your closest friend.

As his closest friend, you decided it would be nice to spend New Year’s together to watch the fireworks or maybe fall asleep before it even reached midnight. Whatever it was, Arisu seemed to be on board. He liked coming over and staying with you, anyway.

The sun had long set and the stars were bright.

“Has it been a while since you saw fireworks?”

“Logically, yes. Somehow it doesn’t feel that long.”

Arisu hummed in agreement. “Same. Weird, huh?”

You laughed. “After everything? Honestly, not that much.”

Arisu chuckled and leaned back against the couch on your apartment balcony. It was a funny feeling to be thankful something as unbelievable as meteors crashing down on Tokyo and nearly killing you happened. It was a funny thing to love someone so much you’d be alright going through all the pain again if it meant meeting them again.

Arisu felt it too. Something way longer than the minute the doctors had told him about. Something like a lifetime of suffering spent alongside someone he held dear. Someone who helped him stay alive and not give up. Someone who sat at his side, watching fireworks in comforting silence. Someone he always felt close to without knowing why.

There was something both nostalgic and comforting about the fireworks. You couldn’t tell why exactly.

When Arisu’s hand timidly reached over to hold yours, you felt like it always belonged there, telling you all the things he didn’t dare say out loud.

I think I love you.

You tightened your hand around his and took a deep breath.

This is stupid but it feels like I’ve always known you.

Maybe the stars shining alongside the light of the fireworks had been kind enough to make the two of you meet again. Or perhaps the red scars that circled around your pinkies like rings were made with fate. Either way, you were meant to be.

gotak x f!reader

a/n: just finishing watch S2 and the ending?!?!

warnings: spoilers from whc2

Masterlist

it had been a few months since you first met si-eun’ other friends. they all had very different personalities yet, somehow it worked. they accepted you with open arms when si-eun finally introduced you to them.

gotak in particular was very welcoming with you. he was charming, a little reckless, and he had this way of making everything feel like a game. when you’d hang out both you and si-eun had often rolled your eyes at his teasing—he was relentless. he constantly flirted with you in the most absurd ways and you soon grew accustomed to the way gotak’ attention drifted to you like some kind of magnetic force whenever when you were around.

at first, you’d tried to shut him down politely, then firmly, and eventually, you just ignored him.his playful winks and over-the-top comments weren’t even enough to faze you anymore. it wasn’t that you didn’t find him attractive. he was. but you had no interest in getting caught up within his antics. however, some days proved harder than others.

"you’re so cold” gotak teased, his voice dripping with amusement “you know one of these days, you're gonna fall for me, and i’ll be there to remind you i was right from the beginning”

“keep dreaming” you rolled your eyes, not wanting to humour him.

“trust me i will” he reached an arm to poke your side. this was something you always hated so you responded with an elbow into his stomach.

he let out an amused laugh as he was satisfied that he’d pushed your buttons.

it was a regular evening when everything changed. you and si-eun were walking together in a comfortable silence. you had an airpod in your ear and you both began to cross the road.

you hadn’t noticed until you were on the other side of the road but si-eun was no longer beside you. when you turned to see where he was, he was still in the middle of the road.

phone upto his ear, his facial expression unreadable and within a second it happened. the sound of a truck beeping and then a loud sickening thud followed.

your chest tightened and the world seemed to slow down in a rush of adrenaline. your eyes widened as si-eun laid on the floor unconscious.

he’d been hit by a truck.

“si-eun! stay with me, you’re going to be okay” you yelled as you ran into the road towards his body. you then crouched down beside him as you called for an ambulance.

it felt like hours before they arrived and then you were in the hospital waiting room. it was cold,sterile and suffocating. you held your hoodie around yourself trying to hold it all together. you felt numb.

your hands were shaky as you called jun-tae, you mentioned that something had happened to si-eun and you knew he would pass along the message and your phone soon flooded with messages from your friends saying they were on their way.

the minutes of waiting felt like hours, each minute more agonizing than the last. you’de barely registered the footsteps approaching before you heard the familiar voice of gotak.

“y/n, what happened?” his tone was a lot sharper than usual, his usual teasing replaced by genuine concern.

you head immediately shot up at his voice and you didn’t know how to answer him. your lip quivered as you felt your throat tightening.

you wanted to speak but it’s like the words were trapped inside your throat. gotak noticed this and he took a step closer. concern washed on his face.

“it’s ok, take your time” his voice was soft and tears brimmed your eyes as you looked at him.

“si-eun, he-” you tried speaking but instead burst into tears.

gotak instinctively wrapped his arms around you and pulled you into his chest. his hug was protective, warm and almost as if he was trying to shield you from everything. your body stiffened at first but as soon as you felt yourself relax, you then immediately let it all out, unable to stay strong any longer.

his chin rested a top of your head and he didn’t at any point let go.

“it’s okay, im here” his voice was low but comforting “you don’t have to go through this alone”

you remained in his arms for a few minutes more and when you finally calmed down, you slowly pulled away but gotak was hesitant to let you go.

“you’re strong and si-eun. he’ll get through this, ok?” the softness in his voice was something you’d never heard before. it made tour heart ache in ways you least expected.

gotak, who never usually took anything seriously was here and you were now seeing him in a completely different light. he wasn’t just the guy who teased you relentlessly; he was someone who cared, deeply, in his own way.

thenext few days were a blur. you spent most of your time at the hospital, waiting for any sign of improvement from si-eun. gotak was always there, sometimes by your side, sometimes just quietly sitting across the room, his presence comforting regardless.

but you then started to notice the subtle changes in him—the way he no longer flirted with you, the way he would reach out with a soft touch or offer quiet words of support when you needed them most.

hewas there, not as the guy who teased you, but as someone who understood the gravity of the situation. who understood what you currently needed.

one evening, as you sat in the hospital’s waiting area, gotak approached you, looking unusually serious. he stood in front of you for a moment, then hesitated before sitting beside you.

“i’ve been thinking a lot, you know?” he began, his voice uncertain “about everything.”

you glanced at him, surprised by his tone.

“i know i’ve been… an idiot. flirting, teasing you all the time. i guess i thought it was just fun, you know? seeing how riled up you’d get sometimes” he then paused, running a hand through his hair “but, honestly, i don’t want to just be some joke anymore. i want to be here for you. i just don’t know how else to say it.”

your heart skipped a beat as you met his gaze, realizing he was being completely genuine.

“gotak” you whispered, your voice barely audible “what are you saying?”

he shifted closer, his eyes softening “i’m saying i care about you, more than just as friends. i want to be with you in any way you want me. whether it’s a friend or more..”

you didn’t know what to say at first. everything inside you felt tangled, emotions running high. you had seen this side of gotak, but you hadn’t expected it to come out this way.

“you’ve been nothing but amazing to me, you make me feel so cared for and i care for you too” your voice was shaky.

a silence then fell between you both, the weight of your words hanging in the air. gotak then smiled—a genuine, soft smile. he reached out, his hand brushing against yours.

your heart beating fast.

in that moment, everything changed.

as the days passed and si-eun recovered, gotak and you found something new in each other. something more than what had been there before. the teasing and flirtation remained but was overtaken by something deeper, something real.

one evening after a long day, gotak finally leaned in, his lips brushing against yours in a soft kiss. his hands cupped your face as he pulled you in closer. you didn’t resist, instead you melted into the kiss, savouring the moment.

when he pulled back, he smiled, his eyes soft with sincerity which cause you to grin aswell.

“i’ve fallen for you” he confessed “more than i thought i ever could”

“me too” you admitted and he leaned his forehead onto yours and you both linked your fingers together.

“i told you so” the seriousness in his voice disappeared and his usual teasing tone returned “i was right from the beginning”

you let out a laugh, gently shaking your head “whatever”

you playfully rolled your eyes and pulled back from him dramatically to try and make a point but gotak pulled you back in.

“go on, admit it” he smirked and you couldn’t stop smiling.

you really had fallen for gotak.

hard.

Future Promises

Dae-ho x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 3.3k

Warnings: violence. blood and injury. murder. character death (not reader).

Summary: When a fight breaks out in the bathroom, Y/N gets caught in the middle of it. When the eliminated players are announced, Dae-ho panics.

Requested: Yes

Squid Game Masterlist

The divide in the room was clear. Each side equal in terms of numbers yet Y/N could feel the murderous gazes from the ‘O’ side of the room. While others around her talked to one another, trying to ease some of the tension, Y/N sat on her own. She wasn’t too far away from the rest of the group but she was far enough away to be able to breathe. 

For the entire duration of her time in the games, she didn’t have a single change to calm her body down. Even when she slept she was always on high alert. Taking a step away from everyone was what was best for her right now– especially when she needed to prepare to defend herself if it came to that. Y/N didn’t miss the way each player had received a glass bottle and a metal fork with their meal when they hadn’t before. Her fork was securely concealed in her jacket. 

Y/N rested her head on the cool tile wall and sighed. The room seemed much larger now compared to when she had woken up only days ago– though to her it seemed like weeks. There were only one hundred players left out of four hundred and fifty six and somehow Y/N was one of them. Though she might not have been if it wasn’t for one particular person. 

Kang Dae-ho was someone Y/N never thought she would see in these games. They weren’t exactly friends before the games, only worked at the same part-time job. But seeing him was like a breath of fresh air. If it wasn’t for him, Y/N was sure that she would have been killed during the mingle game. The whole time, he had kept her hand firmly clasped in his. When the final round called for two players, he didn’t hesitate to pull her along to a room, pushing her in first before himself. The fear Y/N had felt during that game– if Dae-ho hadn’t been by her side she would have froze up and never left that rotating platform. 

“Y/N,” a familiar voice called to her before she felt the warm and comforting presence sitting beside her. “What are you doing over here on your own?”

Y/N opened her eyes, not realising she had closed them. “I needed to step away for a bit.”

Dae-ho’s thigh pressed against hers. “Tell me next time. I didn’t know where you went.”

Y/N turned to him and offered him a small tight lipped smile. “I’m okay.”

Dae-ho didn’t return her smile, already knowing that it wasn’t genuine. From where his hands were resting in his lap, Y/N watched as they twitched– hesitantly decided if they should reach out to her. Taking the initiative, Y/N held her hand out. A small flash of surprise appeared on Dae-ho’s face before he gently held her hand in his, linking their fingers together. 

The corner of Y/N’s lips tugged up in a smile as she rested her head against the cool tile wall. “I don’t think I’ve told you but I’m glad you’re here. Well, not here exactly– but here with me. Seeing someone I recognised made me feel…safer. So thank you.”

Dae-ho’s gaze was fixated on their clasped hands. “Don’t thank me. Honestly seeing you here made me feel safer even though I hate that you are trapped here too.”

“We both made a stupid choice by phoning that number,” Y/N said. “When we get out of here, let’s not phone any strange numbers in the future.”

A quiet laugh emitted from Dae-ho and caused Y/N to smile. “Agreed.”

A silence washed over them but it was comfortable and if Y/N closed her eyes, she could pretend that they were in the break room at their shitty job. Instead of bidding goodbye at the end of the day like she usually did, she would take the risk and ask him for dinner. Finally doing what her friend had demanded of her when she first started the job and asking her attractive coworker out.

“I need to go to the bathroom,” Y/N said, standing to her feet, her hand slipping out of Dae-ho’s. 

“I’ll go with you,” Dae-ho offered, quickly standing with her. 

“To the women’s bathroom?” Y/N asked, a soft chuckle leaving her lips. 

For a short moment, Dae-ho seemed embarrassed but it quickly seemed to fade. “I’ll keep watch outside.”

A small genuine smile tugged at her lips as she rested her hands on his biceps. “I’ll be fine. You don’t need to protect me, you’ve done that enough already.”

“I’m sorry,” a woman a little older than Y/N said. Y/N glanced at the woman’s number. Player 91. “I overheard you going to the bathroom. We could go together, safety in numbers. I noticed some other women go there not too long ago.”

Y/N turned her attention back to Dae-ho. “See, I’ll be fine.”

There seemed to be nothing that could convince Dae-ho but the moment she leant up and pressed a soft kiss against his cheek all rational thoughts swimming through his mind seemed to evaporate. Y/N laughed and gently trailed her hands down his arms to his hands, offering him a comforting squeeze. “I’ll be fine.”

Slowly, Dae-ho nodded. “Be safe.”

As she took a step back from Dae-ho, he held onto her hands until she was too far to comfortably hold onto them. Y/N allowed her hands to slip from his but the moment his warmth fell away, she craved it once more. Y/N pushed her hands into the pockets of her jacket and offered Dae-ho one final parting smile before following the woman to the bathroom. 

***

Y/N watched as the water dripped from her chin back into the sink as she sighed. She could only hope that not everyone was bright enough to realise they could freely harm anyone that opposes their vote and in the morning they would be able to vote and return home. 

“So you voted to return home?” a woman said, approaching Y/N. 

Y/N didn’t bother to look at the woman as she answered. “Clearly, and anyone with a few brain cells would realise that is the best option for everyone here.”

The woman hummed. “Didn’t you vote to continue the games during the first vote?”

“I did,” Y/N answered. “It was a selfish decision and I regret it.”

“What changed your mind?” the woman questioned. 

“After nearly dying during the second game, I realised that risking my life for money isn’t worth it,” Y/N said, her grip tightening on the skin as Dae-ho’s face flushed in her mind. 

During the six-legged pentathlon, their small group of five was already decided until Jun-hee came along asking to join their team. The moment she found out the younger girl was pregnant, Y/N didn’t hesitate to join another team. 

Dae-ho insisted that he should be the one who left but Y/N refused and found another team, she was one of the first to complete it with one second to spare. For hours she had sat on her bed watching the door waiting for Dae-ho to enter, her anxiety rising when he never entered. When he finally did, Y/N’s heart rate still refused to drop. From then she realised that no matter how much money she would get if she continued to play, it wasn’t worth nearly losing Dae-ho and the other friends she had made. But just the thought of losing Dae-ho sent Y/N into a panic she didn’t see coming. 

“So those who died during those games didn’t matter to you? Only your life matters?” the woman said, continuing to pester Y/N. 

Finally Y/N turned and faced the woman. “Realistically those people would have died anyway. If I wasn’t in these games then nothing would change, someone else would be here in my place and everything would turn out exactly the same.” Y/N glanced at the blue patch on the woman’s jacket. “Seems like you don’t seem to care if people die or not considering you are too fucking selfish and you want more money.”

“Careful how you speak to me,” the woman said. “Once all of you who voted to leave are gone, us who voted to stay will each have over 800 million won each.” Slowly, the woman raised her hand, a silver fork shining in the dim lighting. The fork was pressed  against Y/N’s neck as she looked at the woman standing before her. Despite the situation, Y/N didn’t feel intimidated by the women at all, she was shorter and  was physically weaker than Y/N. 

“I’m only going to say this once,” the woman said, lowering her voice. “Change your vote, continue the games. If you do, I will make sure you get through to the end and get your share of the money.”

No matter how hard she tried, Y/N failed to contain the laughter that slipped past her lips. “I’d believe it if you weren’t threatening me right now. How am I meant to believe you won’t backstab me in the next game?”

The fork was pressed deeper against her neck and Y/N winced. “You need to trust me,” the woman said. 

“Trust a woman who is one movement away from plunging a damn fork into my neck? I think I’ll naively believe that someone will come to their senses and change their vote by morning,” Y/N replied. “Now take that fork away from my neck.”

“Or what?” the woman asked, an unhinged smile spreading across her face. 

“The group that voted to stay are currently outnumbered in this bathroom, five to nine. If you fight, you’ll be overpowered,” Y/N answered as the two other women who voted to stay slowly walked up to join the quiet altercation. 

“You’ll never win,” the woman said, the fork leaving Y/N’s neck. “We may be outnumbered but you have more elders on yours, one punch to the head and they’ll be out cold.”

As Y/N glanced around at the other women in the bathroom, she noticed that most of them were older and looked as if they could not handle themselves in a fight. Y/N sighed. “Do you really care about getting a bit of extra money? If we vote to leave now we still each get a large amount of money. What if you die in the next game? Your last thoughts will be ‘why didn’t I leave when I had the chance?’”

“You don’t know a thing about me!” the woman exclaimed. 

Y/N rolled her eyes and turned back to the sink. “I know that you’re an idiot if you chose to stay in this hellhole.”

The woman didn’t respond verbally. Instead she gripped the back of Y/N’s jacket, yanking her away from the sink. As Y/N stumbled on her feet, the woman sent a punch to her jaw, knocking off her balance completely. 

The moment Y/N’s back hit the floor, hell broke loose as people began fighting one another. It was just as the woman said, there were a lot more women who were physically weaker on Y/N’s side. Almost immediately Y/N watched as a few of them had already hit the floor, a pool of blood forming below them. Y/N didn’t take long to get back to her feet. Y/N wasn’t a particular skilled fighter, she had learnt basic self defense and had never had a reason to use it. Just as Y/N thought, the woman was physically weaker than Y/N as she easily overpowered the woman, gripping tightly onto her hair. 

“Just vote to leave!” Y/N yelled. “How stupid can fifty people be?”

The woman struggled to get out of Y/N’s grip. “I’ll vote to leave when all of you are dead!” she snapped. 

Y/N held tightly onto the woman’s hair as she threw her down on the floor. Before Y/N could think, she grabbed the fork concealed in her pocket and jammed it into the woman’s shoulder. The woman’s eyes widened as she cried out in pain. Y/N yanked the fork out and stood to her feet. There were still others fighting around her yet all she could do was stare down at the woman on the floor. Y/N hadn’t killed her, only injured her, yet she still felt the guilt of that weigh heavily on her shoulders. 

Before Y/N could even think about moving there was a force that sent her to the ground and she scrambled to get away before a force was pressed upon her body and she was harshly turned on her back. A more muscular woman sent a punch to her face before Y/N even had the chance to block it. With her vision blurry, Y/N failed to see the fork slamming down at full force towards her. 

***

Dae-ho sat looking in the direction where Y/N had left with the other woman to go to the bathroom anxiously shaking his leg. There was something clawing inside of him that told him that something bad was going to happen. Of course he had noticed the forks everyone had been given and Gi-hun had only solidified Dae-ho’s beliefs that it wasn’t unintentional. 

Y/N had been gone for a while and it took Jung-bae forcing Dae-ho to remain seated instead of storming after her. 

“I never asked,” Jung-bae spoke, noticing that Dae-ho became considerably more anxious, “how do you know Y/N?”

“We work together,” Dae-ho answered, not tearing his eyes from where she had disappeared. “It’s a shitty part time job but that's all that would hire me. I don’t know why she is still there– she has so much potential.”

Jung-bae hummed. “It seems as if you admire Y/N a lot.”

“I do,” Dae-ho said with no hesitation. “Before now, we only ever spoke at work, but she was always so nice and friendly to me. I watched her interact with customers too and she always greets them with a smile and tries to make them smile. Afterwards I would always find her in the break room exhausted but she would always sit and talk to me if I was on my break. Once she shared that she wished to become an artist but her parents told her that it wasn’t a sustainable career so she gave up.”

“It sounds like a lot more than admiration you have for her,” Jung-bae teased. 

Dae-ho quickly shook his head. “No, it's not anything like what you’re thinking of.”

“How about I ask Y/N when she comes back?” Jung-bae suggested. 

“No!” Dae-ho exclaimed, causing Jung-bae to laugh. Dae-ho sighed. “Okay, maybe it is like that.”

“The following players have been eliminated,” the cheerful voice sounded throughout the room. 

Dae-ho’s heart instantly dropped to the floor as he looked at Jung-bae, fear coursing through his veins. 

“Player 201. Player 449. Player 091–”

“That’s the player who went with Y/N,” Dae-ho said, fear evident in his tone. 

The players entered the room one by one and Dae-ho’s heart rate increased. From the looks of things, it wasn’t only the women who had gotten into a fight in the bathroom as the men walked out too, blood covering each and every one of them. The cheerful voice continued to list the numbers of the players who had been eliminated and Dae-ho’s fear rose after each and every one. He should have somehow gone with her to make sure that she was okay. 

The voice stopped listing off the eliminated players just as Y/N stepped into the room, the guard closing the door behind her. Blood covered her neck and stained her jacket. Smeared blood covered her hands too as she slowly stepped further into the room shaken up. 

“Count your players!” 

The room immediately broke into chaos as each side counted their players and how many each side lost. Dae-ho didn’t care as he ran over to Y/N. 

“Are you okay? What happened?” He asked, looking at the injury on her neck. 

“They attacked us,” Y/N muttered. “I didn’t want to hurt them but I did.”

Slowly, Dae-ho reached forward until he held his hands in front of hers. Without thought, she held onto them tightly as if grounding herself. 

“They attacked you first, you were only defending yourself,” Dae-ho reassured. 

Y/N slowly looked up at him. “I know but–”

“But nothing,” Dae-ho said, slowly pulling Y/N closer to where the rest of the group were standing.

Y/N nodded, squeezing his hands once more. “Can we sit down somewhere?”

Dae-ho gently guided her over to where Gi-hun and the others were sitting as someone counted how many of the whole group there was. Dae-ho gestured for Y/N to sit down first before he sat down next to her, his arm wrapping protectively around her waist, her body leaning closer to him. 

“What happened to your neck?” Dae-ho questioned looking at the long scratches down the back of her neck that ventured under her collar. 

“It happened just before the guards came in to break up the fight,” Y/N muttered, her hand seeking out Dae-ho’s. “If they didn’t come in that second, I’m sure that woman would have finished me off.”

Dae-ho noticed the distant look in her eyes and squeezed her hand to snap her out of it. “Hey, I know it’s hard but try not to think about that right now.”

“What else is there to think about?” Y/N replied, her voice sounding exhausted. 

Dae-ho shrugged, his thumb gliding across her knuckles. “Our job?”

“I nearly died and your response is to talk about our shitty job?” Y/N said. 

“You’re talking about it though,” Dae-ho muttered. “And I was going to ask you, what will you do when you get out of here? You can’t stay in that job for the rest of your life.”

“Pay off my debts,” Y/N answered. “After that, I honestly don’t know.”

“You wanted to become an artist, why don’t you start there?” Dae-ho suggested. 

Y/N looked at him, disbelief clear in her eyes. “You remember that conversation?”

“Of course,” Dae-ho replied. Y/N looked at him– really looked at him. The look immediately made Dae-ho heat up under his collar. 

“I didn’t think anyone really listened when I talked about what I am passionate about,” Y/N admitted. 

“I listened,” Dae-ho replied. 

“Why have we never spoken outside of work?” Y/N asked.

“Probably because we both hate our job and pretend that it doesn’t exist once our shift is over,” Dae-ho replied. 

A soft huff of laughter left Y/N and Dae-ho couldn’t stop the way his heart lifted at the sound. 

“That is true,” she said. “How about when we get out of here, we change that? This definitely isn’t the place or time to say this, but I have liked spending time with you and you have honestly saved me so many times and made this whole thing even the slightest bit bearable. So when we get out of here, why don’t we go for dinner? I’ll pay, it’s the least I can do.”

A wide grin formed on Dae-ho’s face as he nodded. “That would be nice.”

Y/N gave him a smile in return before she rested her head on his shoulder, relaxing her body into his side. The gentle grip he had on her waist tightened as he pulled her closer to his body. While Gi-hun spoke to the group in a hushed tone, Dae-ho only remained half listening as he held onto Y/N. A new sense of survival overcame him– he would get him and Y/N out no matter what. 

my testweek has started today so i won’t be posting for a week or so. after my testweek ends i’ll start with writing and posting again!! also my requests are open so if you ever want to send a request or just interact, you can!!!

have a great day/night 🫶🏼

i love your theme and your writing style omg i just found your account i WILL be looking into more

OMG OMG tysmmm i’m literally blushing rn you’re so kind mwah