bestie anniv 2020

song eunrae ;; 911.

" everything is related to you in my eyes. "

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" i'm sorry, honey, but the tickets are too expensive. we can't... we can't afford it. "

eunrae tried to keep her smile on as she nodded, blinking away the tears that threatened to spill. she waved her parents goodbye before hanging up, ending the video call. 

why did she hope ? she knew it would come to this anyway. she knew the answer and yet she decided to ask the question anyway. it was like she craved disappointment.

she put her phone down with a loud sigh. her gaze landed on the result sheet resting quietly on her bedside table, in all it's glittery gold glory, silently congratulating her on her graduation as a qualified surgical resident and an even better paramedic.

well shit.

graduating as top in her class isn't gonna mean anything if no one's coming to her graduation ceremony anyway.

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" eunrae-ah, where are your parents ? " her classmate moonyoung nudged her gently, catching her attention, " aren't they coming for your graduation ? "

" nah, " she sighed, letting the former play with her hair, " they can't afford the tickets. your rich ass wouldn't be able to relate. "

" true, " she shrugged, " but you could've asked me for a quick favour, girl ! i have a private jet, for god's sake ! picking up two more people in seoul isn't gonna be a problem ! "

" flying a private jet to seoul and picking two people up is a quick favour ? i- "

" yes. "

eunrae heaved a long, heavy sigh, feeling the corners of her mouth drop into a sad pout as she looked away. tears stung the corners of her eyes once again, threatening to smear her mascara. she quickly blinked them away, managing a soft sniffle before standing up and heading towards the hall with moonyoung.

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eunrae watched silently as moonyoung's parents and her boyfriend yuta clapped excitedly for her while she went up the stage. the huge smile imprinted on her face radiated pure excitement and jubilance, and you could practically see the enthusiasm sparkling around her as she skipped down the stairs.

the tears threatened to spill again and she wiped them away for the nth time, pretty sure that her mascara was already gone. one of the boys lining up in front of her, jimin, looked at her kindly, making sure that she was okay.

oh fuck, she thought, that's just about the nicest thing anyone's ever done to me today.

eunrae gently clapped for him as he went onstage, grinning widely. she took another deep breath, steadying her shaky hands as she readied herself for the big moment.

the big moment no one would see.

" song eunrae. "

her professor was smiling at her, holding her graduation certificate, waiting for her to come receive it. and just as she stepped onstage...

she heard a loud whoop.

then applause. 

in the middle of the auditorium, a small group of people in full uniform stood up. their smiles were wider than hers, and their cheers were louder than everyone else's. one of them was holding a huge bouquet of roses, and his smile was so vibrant she could feel the heat instantly warming her up.

hendery.

and kun. ichika. ten. ren.sicheng. haru. xuxi. xiaojun. jing. yangyang. aerin.

without warning, the tears spilled. eunrae didn't even put the effort into stopping them anymore. she bowed respectfully at her professor and let him pull her into a kind hug, telling her how she was going to be a great paramedic and how she reminded him of his old days in the team. then he handed her certificate over, took a quick photo with her, and nudged her once more.

" you're not gonna return the favour ? " 

she nodded firmly.

and then she bowed once again. at her teammates. her family. the very people who made her feel belonged, made her feel loved, made her feel at home. the people whom she owed her success to.

they cheered even louder, and suddenly, the entire auditorium was clapping.

giving them a standing ovation as she made her way offstage and towards them.

watching her run into her boyfriend's arms and sob into the crook of his neck. 

watching as her teammates all leaned in, throwing themselves in for a group hug.

the group hug happened, and honestly, eunrae could say that it was the best thing that ever happened to her. it made her feel all warm inside despite the coldness of the entire world outside, and it sob even harder despite the gang's numerous attempts at stopping her from crying.

it made her feel loved.

because even if her first family couldn't see her graduate, her second family could.

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( bonus scene )

" how did you know about my graduation ? i didn't even tell you when it was ! " eunrae said as she put the hydrating face mask on and lay down onto the couch with hendery, who was also doing a mask.

" i have my ways. " he winked.

" come on, just tell me ! " she whined.

" you think i wouldn't notice my baby secretly crying at night because her parents couldn't come to her graduation ceremony ? besides, it's common sense, okay ? you've been at this for five whole years. you're bound to graduate soon, and kun has a friend teaching in the university who told us the date. " he explained, wrapping an arm around and pulling her into a hug.

" wow, i... " she found herself grinning like an idiot as she snuggled up into his embrace, " you noticed. "

" of course i noticed, eunrae, " he planted a quick kiss on her hair despite his mask dripping water everywhere,

" i notice everything about you. because i love you. "