8 is fate // Stray Kids

19

A/N: Sorry for the late update, but with everything that happened recently, I felt like postponing this chapter was the right thing to do. This chapter (as well as the following ones) thematizes death and giving up on life. Please don't read if you're currently not in the right headspace for such topics. And remember that it's never wrong to seek help when you're struggling. Simply talking to someone trusted (like family, friends or even a stranger you're comfortable with) can help a lot. If that's not enough, please don't shy away from seeking professional help. Remember that your feelings are never insignificant. Everything you feel is valid, it doesn't matter if it's something huge or small, as long as it's something you feel, it's important.

 Rest in Peace Moonbin 

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Minho

Minho kneeled down next to a beautiful snow-white flower. A small smile spread on his lips, it was the perfect flower to complete his bouquet. Carefully, he picked the flower from the earth and added it to the ones he had previously collected. He took a tendril to tie the wildflowers together.

"Grams, I've got a present for you", proudly, Minho presented the bunch of flowers to his grandma.

"They are beautiful, thank you sweety", she gently took the flowers and admired them. "What did I do to deserve such a present?"

"You didn't abandon and disown me", it was supposed to be a joke, but the bitterness in Minho's voice poisoned his words. For a second, the image of the small boy blurred and fused with an older version of him.

"You know I would never do such a thing!", stressed his grandma before her voice softened. "You're my precious little wildcat after all. What would I do without you? Who would be there to accompany me when I collect herbs, who would help me prepare dinner, who would I talk to when I sit at the hearth after the sun has set? What a boring and lonely life I would be living without you!"

The words warmed Minho to the core. His grandma was the only person who had ever truly loved him. All of him.

Nonetheless, he could feel dread creeping into his heart. He could feel how it wrapped its dark tentacles around it and slowly tightened its grip, squeezing the warmth out of his heart.

"What if I were to befriend a human?", he asked anxiously, not able to look his grandma in the eyes, afraid to see her reaction. "Would you love me still?"

Everything seemed to shift.

The world was drawn in shadows and darkness. Like someone had dipped the forest into the abyss. Like someone had stolen the sun from the sky. Like all life had been sucked out of all organisms, leaving behind nothing but empty shells in an endless night.

A shiver went down Minho's spine.

"Minho, darling, have you really forgotten?", the voice that came out of his grandma's mouth sounded nothing like her. It sounded hollow and distorted. "Have you forgotten why we can never trust the likes of them? Have you forgotten that they leave nothing but death in their wake? That they're parasites to this earth?"