Work Text:
i.
“well done boys, thank you.” the producer greets them with the largest smile, wrapping up the latest slew of photo shoots and cf filming, of which they had to stay up all night long.
it’s one of those bank advertisements again, wherein the two of them are the main models. them having the most chemistry out of everyone, seongwoo and daniel were always under the constant radar of different companies and that is why both of them share the same endorsements constantly.
though, it’s not like they force themselves to make sure they look like they’re glued to the hip or something, it’s not like that. both men are private in their own ways however seongwoo admits daniel and him hit off pretty well; both of them liking the same stuff, the same type of food, and up to the same pet peeves.
if seongwoo were to be honest, he feels like daniel is the one meant for him. and he’s thankful – thankful that he found somebody like him in the cesspool that is produce 101. but for now, they keep quiet, enjoying the unsung consensus that the two of them acknowledge.
one day, they’ll be able to sort their feelings out.
hopefully.
ii.
they sit together on the sofa, waiting for the managers to come pick them up, the two men yawning because they haven’t slept for a day. seongwoo fetches two cups of coffee at a nearby dispenser, the sunlight coming from the untinted glass panels pierce through his cheeks, causing him to flinch a tiny bit. he wonders if how long did they spend in the room since they went inside on an evening, the hours literally felt like minutes.
“i’m dead beat.” says seongwoo, handing daniel a large cup of macchiato, making the latter smile despite the constant yawning.
“me too.” the younger male moves beside him as he sits down, nuzzling at the crook of his neck. they stay quiet for a couple of minutes until–
“how about we eat together? i want brunch before sleeping in the dorm.”
“what?” seongwoo gasps at the random suggestion, taking a large gulp of the tepid macchiato. “but the time.” he whines further.
“it’s exactly 10am in the morning, hyung.” daniel fishes out a phone in his pocket and turns it on to show him the time, mouth forming into the cutest pout as seongwoo lets out a sigh of frustration. this always happens whenever daniel wants something because he knows seongwoo is weak when he shows his pout, and the older himself is just too dumb to fall for his tricks.
“okay fine,” seongwoo finishes the macchiato up till the last drop. “but let me just drink one more cup so that i’m woke enough to drive.”
iii.
the two hit the road as they steal their managers car, pushing him away from the driver’s seat (with a pretty please) and driving off to the nearest brunch place located at downtown gangnam.
seongwoo drives slowly.
the two males are bewildered by the sudden lack of vivacity in such a vibrant place. the main roads are completely quiet, a thick fog of smog and dust looming at the end of the trail. this was the liveliest district of seoul for pete’s sake, why the heck is it completely empty, seongwoo muses.
they drive farther and finally see cars scattered around the roads. seongwoo opens the window and examines a gray audi on hazard in the middle of the highway, only to see nothing but the last vestiges of human life scantily placed on its leather seats; he sees clothes, jewelries, and other items mysteriously left out as if they suddenly disappeared without any trace.
although, he sees traces of ash. but doesn’t really know what it means so he keeps quiet.
iv.
“hyung, what’s happening.” daniel holds his hand and seongwoo could feel his fingers shaking, he’s beginning to feel afraid too.
“i don’t know but we’ll be alright, niel-ah.” he interlaces his left with the younger male and pats his head with the other hand, this isn’t the right time to feel petrified. they have to get to the bottom of this.
seongwoo marches forward, steering in full power as he tries to navigate through the nearby bridge. police visibility is near the han river so they probably can ask for help or seek for answers as to what had happened in gangnam. daniel turns on the radio to distract himself from the vigorous knotting happening inside his stomach.
what they hear on the radio completely caught them off guard.
“this is thanos speaking in behalf of all the inhabitants in the entire universe, i have collected all of the infinity stones and shall proceed to filter half of all races as an act of mercy and goodwill.
this has to be done to restore balance in the entire universe, making it conducive for the longevity of all inhabited planets. with the flick of my wrist, half of humanity shall turn to dust. so long, and thank you for your sacrifice.”
“what the actual fuck is happening!” seongwoo suddenly hits the breaks as hard as he could, partly from the shock he felt and the sudden outburst of anxiety, causing daniel to slam his head in the windshield. thankfully, the airbags save him from a concussion.
tears start to come out from seongwoo’s eyes, hands repetitively slamming the steering wheel until his knuckles start to bleed. what in the world is happening, really. he’s so confused and horrified knowing his family and the other members may have all turned to dust by now.
v.
the unsaid feelings still linger at the tip of his tongue, all the ‘i miss you mom’ and ‘i love all of you guys’ he had kept inside him – he had selfishly held back because it wasn’t manly of him to say such a thing. he realizes how much of dumb fuck he is, a coward who doesn’t say things straight to the point, a person who keeps running in circles because he’s scared of the repercussions. and now it’s too late, all a step too late because everyone might’ve been gone already.
he cries, and cries, and cries, until he feels a warm hug enveloping him from the side. “you still have me, hyung.” daniel stifles out a sob, voice too shaky to mask the utter fear he is experiencing. “i’m still here.” he pats his back.
to be frank, daniel feels the exact same. having heard of such horrible news, he’s beyond scared, not only for himself but for all his loved ones. he still remembers the gentle smile of his mother when she had called him earlier to check up whether if he’s doing good or not – whether if the strenuous idol life still is worth living. but all of that is but a distant memory, he may never see the same gentle smile nor rooney and peter, the female cats whom he had erroneously given masculine names because he thought they were males. he chuckles at the bittersweet recollection.
they stay wrapped up in each other’s solace for a couple of minutes before breaking apart and sitting again in the car, the reverberating sound of their breaths serve as the background noise against the fleeting silence that blanketed the whole area. the two are pretty sure either one of them will fall victim to the catastrophe – one of them will turn to dust and never to walk the face of this earth again.
or both.
“before we turn to dust,” seongwoo takes a deep breath and huffs, gaining a bit composure. “i think we ought to tell everything we’ve been keeping inside our hearts lately.”
“then let me start off with you, hyung. i won’t beat around the bush this time.” daniel smiles, eyes still a little red from the crying. “i love you ong seongwoo, i fucking love you. ever since i’ve laid my eyes on you on that stage, my heart just screams for you, hyung. it’s just so fucking sad that we’re about to die in this mess we weren’t even aware of. i’m so fucking scared, hyung. i’m not even hungry anymore.”
seongwoo and daniel laughs a little at his last statement, they were just about to have a quick brunch and proceed with their normal idol life – sleep and work their asses off until they could have another opportunity to sleep again. however, life doesn’t seem to work that way; one day you’re planning to eat omelette with bacon for breakfast and now, you’re comforting your friend as the two of you await for death to come knocking at your door.
seongwoo supposes life just happens that way.
vi.
“i guess it’s my turn then,” seongwoo lets out another sigh, hand tightly interlacing daniel’s.
“to be honest, i had so many worries when i first entered the show. what if i fail? what if i’m not good enough? but you, daniel, you were always there for me whenever i had those impermissible thoughts. you were there for me in my highs and lows.” seongwoo pauses slightly. “yes, kang daniel. i fucking love you too. i know it’s already too late to say everything but you made me so happy and if i had to choose this horrible path knowing it would lead me you, i’d still fucking do it again.”
“thank you for being with me all this time, hyung.” he looks at seongwoo one last time as his body starts to feel nimble, legs breaking off to dust and billowing in the thick smog. “i love you.”
“thank you for everything, niel-ah. you were my happy pill.” seongwoo does the same, taking one glance at the face he’ll never forget, etched in the very core of soul. he feels half of his face already disintegrating along the gust but he doesn’t mind.
,both of them already having said their final farewell
.daniel and seongwoo completely turn to dust