Down The Rabbit Hole And What They Found There - [Bang Chan, Lee Know]

Counting Stars

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Was Chan a good runner? Yes. He demonstrated that plenty of times. Does he feel like his lungs are collapsing for the effort to get there as fast as possible? Also yes. But, to best translate his thoughts, he doesn't give a shit. He looks over the crowded room, where guests are greeting each other. People were laughing and dancing to the pop music blasted from the big stereo, and he must admit the DJ is pretty good. Nice choices. Old classics and new hits are mixed together in a quite good match. It would be nice to listen to this guy stuff; I must remember to ask for his name. When he could breathe normally again. There's an open bar, he would've expected it to be more busy, but seems like there are enough bartenders to not be overworked. Well, nice organization.

His eyes travel across the room, the colorful LEDs don't give him an easy time finding red in a sea of people with all kinds of designed clothes, parading around like a glamorized version of a Carnival. If he wasn't trying to not attract too much attention, he might have felt a little underdressed in his denim vest and shorts, but well, as he said, he's on a mission. He needs to find Alice, approach her - that part is actually still to be worked on - and... well, talk to her, surely, but... flirt with her? No no, Chan doesn't want to flirt, he wants to court her! That! Court her. How? Oh, no idea. It's been too many years since the last time he flirted with - or courted—someone who isn't a stay. It's a new territory. He needs to impress her, but how? The only trick in his sleeve are the puns he used in Chan's room, but... they are a little cheap. In a wave of unsecurity, he fusses on his phone - don't judge him for searching "the best pickup lines", he's nervous.

Maybe something about Disney? This one is pretty cute: "Do you know what the Little Mermaid and I have in common? We both want to be a part of your world." Uhm... she would probably punch me in the face (and I'll thank her). Maybe something related to music? Like this one: "I'm going to complain to Spotify about you not being in this week's hottest singles." She'll think I'm a pervert. Oh, this one? "I would flirt with you, but I'd rather seduce you with my awkwardness." uhm, but he'd like to not burn all his chances rigth away. OH, she'd like this one: "You make my Spidey Sense tingle." oh wait, is that naughty? Oh fuck, something will eventually come to his mind. For now, it is better to actually find her! As his eyes scan the room once again, the DJ decides to morph the current song with another song, and Chan immediately recognizes 'Counting Stars' by OneRepublic. Oh, i love this song', it reminds him of his childhood. Always loved OneRepublic.

"Oh, I fucking love this song!" A familiar voice get him out of his memories, making his head spin so quickly it hurts from the inside. He needs to squint his eyes to really understand where the voice came from, but fortunately he caught a glimpse of red tulle, and then there she is. And she's... like a vision. She's dancing with a friend (he hopes he's a friend and nothing more), twirling around, her dark hair swinging as she moves. They are just moving along with the music, hands in the air, really enjoying the moment, and Chan is starting to consider having a drink to drown the butterflies in his stomach since they are fucking having a rave down there. Should I go into the crowd? Try to dance with her? Would she recognize him under the colorful lights? If not, would she look at him and just... dance with a stranger? Oooh, he's not the best at dancing club-style.

There must be some kind of god that roots for him, because suddenly she walks away from her friend and all the way to the bar. Chan's eyes follow her as she gets the barman attention, and he knows he has to move now that she's alone, this is his occasion. Shit, he's so nervous. Usually he can count on his bandmates or on his fans when he's nervous or fidgety, but now he can only count on himself. Come on, Chan, it's just a girl, for fuck's sake. As he walks to her, he can feel his heart really doing its best to fucking pump the blood in his system. Well, at least I'd have more oxygen going to my brain, maybe I'd look smarter. There's an empty space next to her, so his plan right now is to pretend he's there to order a drink! Easy. Okay, let's do it. You can do it, Chan, come on. As he took that spot next to her, he placed a hand on the counter just to be visible, shit, she's so close, he can see her in his corner vision while he pretends to eye one of the barmen, and he can smell her perfume - oh is this something to do with peaches? Nectarines, maybe? He loves it, he could easily drown in her perfume and thank her, it will be easy, he can do this, now he'll just pretend to look around and he'll turn his head to her and they'll meet gaze, and he-