CUPIDS CHOKEHOLD. NCT

062

tw. mentions of abuse and death at the end of the chapter

nari waited outside her apartment building for donghyuck to come pick her up. she had gotten a text from him earlier that day, asking her if she wanted to go look at the stars with him once the sky turned dark and she obviously accepted. to her surprise, she was actually quite thrilled.

a car pulled up next to her, the window to the passenger seat rolling down revealing a boy with his left hand on the steering wheel and his right hand on the arm rest, a big smile plastered on his lips. nari got into the car and placed her bag full of blankets in front of her feet. 'who is it' by michael jackson was blasting and hyuck had to turn the volume down to be able to hear her talk. she turned her head towards the boy, her eyebrow raised. "since when do you have a car?"

"i dont, its my moms."

"do you even have a drivers license?"

"no but i do know how to drive."

and thats when he pressed down the gas pedal and started driving like a maniac. nari felt her heart drop down to the gates of hell as she held onto the metal thing connecting the headrest to the drivers seat with one hand and the roof handle with the other.

"HYUCK WHAT THE FUCK SLOW DOWN"

he reached out his right hand to tuck a few loose strands of hair behind her ear.

"calm down calamari, i havent even reached the speed limit yet."

the boy eventually got his driving under control and naris body finally relaxed, releasing the grip she had on the things stated above.

the two sat in an unexpectedly comfortable silence with kate bush playing in the background. they were leaving the city and driving into the highway. hyuck took a turn right and was now driving on a gravel road in the forest. he stole a few glances at her while she looked out of the window, her head resting on her fist. the boy ran his tongue over his lips as he parked the car on an empty gravel parking lot in the middle of the forest.

nari got out of the car while hyuck grabbed a bag from the back. they sat down on the hood of his moms car and wrapped themselves around the blankets she had brought. the older accidentally caught a glimpse of the youngers legs and noticed the rips in his black jeans. eyes widening, she grabbed a blanket and placed it on his knees and thighs.

"are you crazy???? youre gonna get hypothermia thanks to those jeans."

"uh i dont think thats how hypothermia works."

"it literally is. youre gonna freeze to death."

a small smirk appeared on the boys lips as he lay down against the windshield, his arms resting comfortably on the back of his head.

he cooed. "look at you all worried about me. youre gonna make me blush."

nari followed his lead and lay down next to him. she ignored whatever he'd said and instead watched the stars shimmering in the night sky. she pointed at one of the stars. "see that one? thats sirius."

"sirius black?"

"bye."

she explained how sirius was the brightest star in the night sky and how its name derived from greek word 'seirios' which means something like scorching or sparkling. she then pointed at a constellation.

"thats ursa minor, also known as the little bear. it kind of reminds me of your moles."

donghyuck gawked at her, a faint red spreading across his cheeks. she turned her head to face him as the corners of her lips formed a soft smile which sent a shiver down his spine.

"what the fuck how do you even know i have moles thats so creepy."

"theyre on your face hyuck."

flustered, he pulled out a box filled with homemade cookies and a thermos with some hot chocolate. he handed her a cup and shoved a cookie into his mouth while pouring the hot chocolate into said cup.

"did you make the cookies by yourself?"

"yes now shut the fuck up and eat."

the two talked for awhile, eventually touching on some sensitive topics.

"my dad was asshole, you know. he used to treat my mom like garbage. shes probably the strongest person ive ever met. she had to raise me and my younger siblings all alone in that environment and i honestly think she did a great job. anyways my dad eventually started to do the same to me once i grew older. he would always yell at me and call me shit that is honestly not that important right now but like, you know. im not even gonna get into what he did when he discovered i liked guys as much as i like girls. that was around the same time i met deiji."

he took a sip of his hot chocolate and let out a loud sigh.

"i guess we could relate to each other a lot since she had a shitty dad too. she was really all i had for awhile but she left after her dad kicked her, her siblings and her mom out. i was alone for a really long time until renjun and i got closer and yeah. i really liked renjun and he helped me a lot but i honestly think i will never have a connection like the one i had with deiji."

"im sorry you had to go through that, hyuck."

"its ok, my dad left us when i was sixteen and ive never been happier. anyways, whats your story if you dont mind me asking."

"well so uh basically my mom died of a heart disease when i was twelve." nari chuckled nervously.

"we all knew she was sick ever since me and my older brother, taeil, were kids and she never got any better so she eventually passed away a few days before christmas. as you can imagine, its not really my favorite holiday anymore."

"im so sorry for your loss."

"thanks. you know, i might not relate to you in the same way you could relate to deiji but i know what its like to not have a parent cause even if your dad was there, he wasnt really a parent."

♡