ᴍᴇᴛᴀɴᴏɪᴀ - ʜᴀᴇᴄʜᴀɴ

≫16

A destructive, deranged explosion of noise crashed down upon Lina's ears, causing her to bolt upwards- out of the sleep she had so vigorously tried to achieve.

The sound resembled a chaotic clap of thunder, causing the walls that confined Lina to quiver softly with the intense vibrations of the deafening noise, echoing throughout the entire house- starting within Lina's room.

Her heart raced faster than a herd of galloping horses, pounding wildly against her rib cage so powerfully Lina feared that it would burst from her chest, hammering in her ears to give the constant ringing she heard company- doing backflips within her.

Adrenaline began to mix with her blood as she began to shake subtly, head whipping around viciously as she searched for the source of the sound- drenched in a clammy, cold sweat, and it trickled down her spine.

Mind scattered, she desperately tried to distinguish the screams of terror that crowded her brain, unable to understand a single sensible train that shot through her brain.

The putrid smell of smoke clogged Lina's nostrils, swamping her senses as she tried to stable herself in her suddenly awake form - wide eyes shooting around the room crazily as her fingers clutched fistfuls of her blanket, nails tearing into the fabric.

Chest rising and falling violently as jagged, heavy breaths reverberated off of her walls, accompanied by the soft remains of the explosive sound, and the constant pitter-pattering of NCT Dream's frantic feet against the hardwood floor- trying to find the source of it as their calls to each other rang through the house.

"Boo!"

Making the girl scream in a staccato manner, a hand abruptly clutched Lina's shoulder, causing the girl to flinch fiercely. Wide, terrified eyes whirling around to to owner of the hand, Lina let out a harsh sigh as her gaze landed upon a much-too familiar face.

Her irises swimming with lingering fear, Lina's eyes were met by a crooked, wicked leer- a shrill giggle erupting throughout the air, and it was more terrifying than the thunderous boom that had surged throughout the apartment.

Dark eyes sporting shadowy bags, his cimmerian orbs scintillating with levity, Haechan let his head tilt to the side as his wild eyes froze upon Lina, chest shaking with a few suppressed chortles, yet his face, his smile, refused to laugh with his body- paralyzed in his deranged grin.

His wide, almost unresponsive eyes bore through Lina's head as stray strands of hair fell into his eyes, haphazardly streaking his vision, but he didn't notice- staring blankly, yet excitedly, at the girl in front of him.

Lina let a high-pitched squeal of both relief and fear escape her lips, eyes the size of plates as she desperately tried to steady her erratic heart, but she found that task nearly impossible.

Her eyes flickered towards the electric alarm clock that was stationed at her bedside table- discovering that it was 3:27am, causing the girl to expel a harsh sigh, knowing she wouldn't be able to fall back asleep.

"Why are you- what were you- what was-?!"

"Enhanced firecrackers," He muttered satanically, glimmering eyes flashing malevolently.

Deluding herself to believe her eardrums had burst, Lina almost let out a sob- a mix of both fear, relief, and other overwhelming emotions she couldn't identify- at his sick idea of a joke.

Lina pinched the bridge of her nose as she tried to shake away the persistent ringing that clouded her hearing, hands quivering with adrenaline as she breathed in deeply- relieved that he hadn't set off a bomb within her apartment.

"Why would you ever-"

"I have to ask you something," He uttered, his voice suddenly calm and soothing.

Slightly put on edge by his change of demeanor, Lina watched as his face relaxed, his expression much more serious that she had ever seen it.

His impish, twinkling eyes had begun to sparkle with another emotion, the bags that dangled beneath them somehow growing darker as he gazed into her soul, and his wide smile had gone slack, pursed together slightly.

"Y-yeah?" She squeaked, caught off guard by his sudden change of manner.

Haechan's eyebrows curved downwards slightly, bottom lip protruding subtly as of he was worried, empathetic, even, which was impossible.

"If today was your last day alive, how would you spend it?" He murmured, his facial expression displaying something between apathy and concern.

Lina froze for a moment, heart leisurely calming as his tranquil voice sailed through her ears like a soft breeze, his calm face inspiring the girl to relax a bit as well.

Despite her soothed manner, Lina couldn't honestly admit that his serene actions didn't provoke uneasiness within her, causing her shoulders to tense and her jaw to clench, but her frantic mind was finally slowing bit by bit.

"I-I don't know," She stammered, placed on edge by Haechan.

A breath fell from Haechan's mouth, and his lips curled into a languid smirk, yet it was missing it's usual spunk- the crazed, hyper taint that was inapparent in his smile.

"Quite the shame," He wryly quipped, his tenebrous stare raking over Lina.

Finding his slightly downcast expression rather disturbing, Lina pursed her lips together as she began to ravage through her brain for an answer for him- stomach crawling with nerves as her heart began to sink.

"I'd..." Her eyes drifted towards her messy bookshelf, yet her words attracted Haechan's gaze. "Buy a new book?"

Haechan's irises regained a bit of amusement, smirk growing as a scoff rose from his throat, eyes narrowing subtly as his tongue played with his lip ring- cocking a brow.

"That's boring as fuck," He groaned, rolling his eyes as if the thought itself was terribly tedious.

"It's not- how you spend your last day alive?" She sighed, tired of people constantly telling her that her interest in literature was boring.

Haechan's lips dangerously quirked upwards, mischief sleeping through his expression as his sly eyes slitted- somehow regaining the craziness he had lost for just a moment.

"Something fun," He articulated darkly, tongue brushing against his bottom lip.

Would you look at that- Haechan's and Lina's first decently normal conversation together