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Aiko & Heeseung
The van rolled down the deserted road, the gentle hum of the engine almost lulling everyone inside to sleep. The sun was starting to set, casting a golden hue over the barren landscape. It was strangely calm for the situation they were heading into, but no one was naïve enough to think it would last.
Jake, who had been driving for hours, squinted through the windshield. "Alright, piss break!" he suddenly announced, pulling the van over to a quiet stretch of grass. "I'm about to fucking burst."
Heeseung smirked as Jake yawned and unbuckled himself. "Took you long enough to admit it."
Jake shot him a look. "Shut up, man. My bladder's about to revolt."
With a groan, Sunghoon, Jungwon, Jay, and Ni-ki followed suit, shuffling out of the van like they were on some sort of weird road trip—minus the normalcy of their situation. Aiko, sitting quietly in the front passenger seat, watched them head toward the field, shaking her head with a small smile.
"Boys," she muttered, crossing her arms.
Yuna and Sunoo stayed behind, too tired to bother with anything that wasn't necessary. Sunoo cracked one eye open from his makeshift nap on Yuna's shoulder, smirking as he saw the boys lined up like it was some kind of fucking contest. "Piss break? Or marking territory?"
"Probably both," Yuna murmured back, her eyes still half-closed. "They're such idiots."
After what felt like an unnecessarily long time, the boys returned, looking much more comfortable—except for Ni-ki, who was walking like he just peed on his shoes.
"Did you piss on yourself?" Sunoo cackled, sitting up in his seat.
"Shut up, man!" Ni-ki whined, cheeks burning red. "It was a close call, okay?!"
Heeseung shook his head in disbelief. "Bro, you're a fucking disaster."
Jake handed Heeseung the keys as he stretched out his stiff limbs. "Your turn to drive, man. I'm about to pass out."
Heeseung rolled his eyes but took the keys anyway, sliding into the driver's seat. Aiko, who had been quietly observing the group, shifted slightly, making room for Jake as he settled into the seat next to her. Now that Heeseung was driving, she was wedged between the two of them.
"Great, now I'm sandwiched between two giants," she muttered, pushing Jake's arm to make space for herself.
Jake chuckled, leaning back against the seat and closing his eyes. "Just don't suffocate in there, alright?"
"Like you could ever suffocate me," she shot back.
With everyone finally settled, Heeseung started the engine, and the van rolled back onto the road. The atmosphere inside had shifted slightly, though. It wasn't as tense anymore, but there was a quiet weight to it that none of them could shake off.
In the back, Ni-ki, Yuna, Sunoo, and Jungwon quickly dozed off, the gentle rocking of the van lulling them into sleep. Sunghoon and Jay weren't far behind, resting their heads against the window as the darkness outside deepened.
It wasn't long before the only ones left awake were Heeseung and Aiko. She glanced sideways at him, watching how his hands gripped the steering wheel with a strange intensity. His eyes were fixed on the road, the setting sun casting long shadows across his face.
For a moment, Aiko just stared. She didn't want to think about it—about *him*—but fuck, it was getting harder to ignore. Ever since they'd started this whole insane mission, something had been... off between them. That fucking tension she didn't want to acknowledge kept creeping up. It was like every time he got close, every time his hand brushed hers or they exchanged a glance, her mind spiraled in a direction it really shouldn't.
She cleared her throat, shifting in her seat. "So, this is awkward as hell. How about we don't talk about how we're all probably gonna die tomorrow?"
Heeseung snorted. "Wow. Way to keep it light, Aiko."
"I'm just saying. No need to make it weird by constantly bringing up the end of the world bullshit."
Heeseung finally tore his eyes from the road, smirking as he glanced at her. "Fine, then. What do you wanna talk about? Got any life-changing, deep shit you wanna confess?"
Aiko rolled her eyes. "Not unless you wanna count the fact that I haven't brushed my hair in like three days."
He chuckled softly, and for a second, she thought she saw the corners of his lips twitch upward in an actual smile. That was new. The Heeseung she knew wasn't one for smiling—he was all brooding, with that permanent scowl like someone just told him his coffee was cold.
"I know," he said, his voice softer now. "Let's play a game."
She raised an eyebrow. "A game? Are you twelve?"
"No, asshole. I'm not fucking twelve," Heeseung shot back, flicking her lightly on the arm. "I'm talking about '21 Questions.' You ever play that?"
Aiko snorted, leaning back against the seat. "What are we, in middle school?"
Heeseung shrugged. "Do you have a better idea? You wanna sit in silence while we wait for the apocalypse to come knocking?"
She sighed, crossing her arms but finally giving in. "Fine. Go ahead. Ask your stupid questions."
Heeseung smirked like he'd just won some kind of personal victory. "Alright, I'll start easy. What's your favorite color?"
"Seriously?" She raised an eyebrow at him. "That's your first question?"
"What? It's a fucking classic."
Aiko rolled her eyes again, but a small smile tugged at her lips. "Purple. I don't know why, I've just always liked it. It's calming."
Heeseung nodded, his expression softening. "Okay, fair. Your turn."
She thought for a second, biting her lip as she tried to think of something. "What's the dumbest thing you've ever done?"
Heeseung let out a low chuckle. "You want the whole list? 'Cause I've got a lot."
"Just the best one," she said with a grin. "The one that would make me regret sitting in this van with you."
Heeseung hummed, his fingers tapping against the steering wheel as he thought. "Alright, alright, here's one for you. When I was fifteen, I tried to do a backflip off the school roof 'cause Jay bet me twenty bucks I wouldn't."
Aiko's eyes widened. "Wait, hold the fuck up. You tried to backflip off a roof?"
He nodded, laughing a little as he recalled it. "Yeah. Broke my wrist. Couldn't even take the damn twenty bucks 'cause I was stuck in a cast for like two months."
Aiko shook her head, laughing. "God, you're fucking stupid."
"Yeah, well, I was fifteen and dumb as shit," Heeseung admitted, glancing at her with that same smirk that made her heart do something weird in her chest. "Your turn."
She thought again, tapping her fingers against her leg. "Alright, what's your biggest regret?"
Heeseung went quiet for a moment, and she realized she might've hit a nerve. His expression darkened just slightly, and his eyes flicked back to the road, his jaw tightening.
But he finally answered. "Not telling my sister how much I loved her."
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they're so "if the world was ending, i'd wanna be next to you" vibes - die with a smile (bruno mars & lady gaga)
