Screw It

Survival Instincts (Forward and Backward Pt. 2)
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You had your head buried in your arms, a dark pair of shades pulled over your eyes even though you were indoors and even that wasn't enough against the blinding light and your migraine. 

  Hanbin had a right to be suspicious with Minhee last night. You had never once reached that point. Not for fun, anyway.    Hanbin sat down across of you as he ate his cereal. You covered your ears at the crunch of his bites and he raised an eyebrow, pausing to look at you. "I told you so."   "Of course you did," you replied grimly, half of your words swallowed in mumbles. "Just... stop talking. Please."   "When Bobby left, he said you could use his bed," Hanbin replied as he poured his dish in the sink. "Just go there. I actually like being able to talk in my own apartment."   You sat up with a scowl, your hair sliding down over your face. "Why didn't you say so earlier?"   Hanbin shrugged as he leaned against the counter, obviously getting a kick out of the fact that he was right about all of this. There was no denying it and so many benefits to reap from the aftermath. "Forgot."   You rolled your eyes and headed straight for Bobby's room. As soon as you opened the door, his scent embraced you, making your body wake up and relax at the same time. You closed your eyes and exhaled with a slight, tired smile. Bobby's scent was your favorite, and could easily be among the things you missed most about him.    You reopened your eyes and carefully slid into his bed, the sheets warm and soft. Even though he gave you permission to be it and he wasn't even here, it felt like such a personal and intimate thing to do. You missed him so much. God, you had seen him this morning and you still missed him. You missed being in his bed with him in it; you missed lying by him, your body needly tangled in his as you snuck your hands under his shirt and felt his warmth; you missed waking up to him breathing peacefully in your neck; you missed a lot.    A lot of things you couldn't do as friends. You knew it was greedy to want more from him, but it couldn't be helped. At least you were good at not showing it.    You closed your eyes and laid on your back as you stared at the ceiling, your hair splayed around you on his pillows. You wondered how you could feel so happy and so sad at the same time.    No, get it together, Ahri.    You closed your eyes and sighed deeply, your mind drifting off immediately once you allowed it to. Well... thank God for hangovers then.        ///         You got up several hours later feeling much better, though you still fell exhausted. You'd stay in the bed longer if not for the fact that you could already feel yourself getting attached to it. That probably wasn't a good thing seeing as you and Bobby were friends.    You gave yourself a few more seconds and then forced yourself out.    You got out and nicely made his bed for him (though you knew for a fact he never did and would never bother doing it himself). Even though Bobby was now a much tamer version of his former self, this was one of the things he hadn't bothered to change. All of the things you remembered about the old him, you held onto, which was ironic seeing as those were the things he was bent on changing. Well at least this wasn't one of them.     As you were about to leave, you noticed something resembling a piece of paper fall from his bedside onto the floor. Without a thought, you picked it up, but that's when you realized it wasn't anything to overlook. It was photo... of you and him. It was one you two had taken back in high school right on the day of Bobby's high school graduation. He had his arms wrapped around you from behind, his face pressed into your neck as you smiled and snapped the picture, and it was probably the most intimate (as well as one of the only) photos you'd taken together. You remember giving it to him and writing so assuredly on the back: 'You mean everything to me. It's you and me till the end.'    Ironic, right?   It was still a good picture. A happy one that encased all of the good between you two, which at that time was everything between you two. You didn't know Bobby kept it at his bedside, let alone kept it, but maybe he was just disorganized and didn't bother putting it away. In any case, you set it back on his bedside and continued on out the door, telling yourself it didn't mean what you hoped it meant. It was for your own good.     You felt a little dizzy now, but that could've meant anything.        ///         Bobby grimaced as he brought an arm across his chest and worked at a knot in his shoulder. Working at the auto-shop was okay, but it was soon becoming really repetitive and boring. He knew work wasn't something he could ask a lot from, but it was starting to drain him full. He was the type of person who constantly had to keep his mind working, and at this point the repetition was killing him. Not literally, but maybe it was too early to tell.    "Quit then," Jinhwan replied, the words in the same breath as a sigh.    "Don't worry, I probably will after I get past the loads of job offers in my inbox," Bobby replied sarcastically as he polished the current car's hood. He took off his hat and put it back on as though it'd make a difference for his headache. It didn't.    "Work at the bar then," Jinhwan replied with a shrug as he worked on polishing the car's rims. "Pay's same. Less complaining."   Bobby shrugged, still not taking the conversation seriously, though neither was Jinhwan paying it much attention. "Yeah, let me know when there's an opening and we can talk then."   "I'm the manager, so there, you're hired," Jinhwan replied plainly as he got up to his feet and tucked his rag back in his back pocket. "Now stop complaining. Working at the bar's stupidly easy."   Bobby paused from his work, caught off guard by how casual this all was, and looked at Jinhwan. It was sometimes very hard to tell when Jinhwan was actually being serious when he spoke in a continuously casual tone. "What? Really?"   "Yup," Jinhwan answered as he focused more on the rims in front of him than on Bobby. "You can start at 6. I'll train you then. It's not hard."   Bobby nodded as he awkwardly returned back to work, realizing there was still stuff to do. "Uh... thanks, Jin. Means a lot."   "Yup."   "You think I should talk to the boss and quit now?" Bobby replied, pausing a second later.    "That'd be a good idea," Jinhwan replied just the same.         ///         Bobby returned back to the apartment for a few hours to sleep, his body only now catching up to his exhaustion. The fact that he was never returning to that auto-shop ever again put him in a good mood, though.    "You just missed her," Hanbin said as he looked up from the TV when Bobby came in. "She left a few minutes ago."   Bobby knew by 'she,' Hanbin meant you (hell, you were the only 'she' welcome in his thoughts) and shrugged as he ed the uniform shirt he'd been wearing over his hoodie. He laughed slightly. "How is she?"   "Hungover like hell," Hanbin mumbled as Bobby passed behind him. "She caught some sleep in your bed, though, so that helped, I guess."   Bobby nodded, a slight flutter in his stomach. It was strange to know that you had been in his room. Without him. That you had been in his bed. Without him.    Not that he expected friends to be in bed together. Ahem. It was a constant reminder, it seemed.    He went to his room, wondering if there would be a sign that you had been there, and of course there was. A made bed wasn't something he'd ever seen in this room up until then and it made him smile a little. For him, it may have even been better to see than messy sheets, because this showed you cared, even when you were going through a raging hangover. For one, you hated even making your own bed.    He fell back on his bed and sighed, one arm over his eyes. As he was about to fall asleep, he reopened his eyes and palmed the nightstand for that picture. As much as he tried to seal all of his feelings, this was the one thing he kept at his side to give him comfort even if it came at a price of heartache. He held the picture up and eyed it fondly before turning it around to the side where you'd written him the note. Bobby hated reading, but he could've finished several books with the time he spent reading this.    You mean everything to me. It's you and me till the end.    He brought his thumb up over the
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noodle
this next chapter changes everything. kind of scared to post it tbh

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tingkor #1
Chapter 12: Hi author nim.. did you ever remember that you once wrote this master piece? When will you considered to tell us that you willing to update this story and finish it.. i read your story in 2019 April now we already in 2020 April and in the middle of pandemic Covid19..how are you?! I hope youbokay and stay healthy.. i really love your story.. thank you.. and sorry for my english..
tingkor #2
Chapter 12: Hi author-nim.. i read your story in 2019...when will you give us an update... I hope you okay and stay healthy.. please considered to update this story... I love it so much
ellahlee #3
Please update is been like ages since your last update :-( we hope your okay authornim and godbless wish you good health too....
softyforbb #4
Chapter 12: Duuude i thought i was the only one still lurking here but apparently you still have fans for this story
aurachim #5
Please we begging you to update this story..its a really great story i have read so far
THATXXXXX #6
Chapter 12: Heyyyy I just eanna tell you that this is my most favourite jiwon's fanfic. I really hope you can update the story till the end. Pretty pleaseee. There's still me who's still waiting for your updates.
RinaBelle #7
Chapter 12: I miss u & your story. Please come back & save us.
YoanestaRina
#8
Update Please
I BEG YOU......
Ulzzanggirl5000 #9
Chapter 12: This story(and Pt.1) is one of the best that I have ever read please author-nim, at least give us an update of why youre gone or you can let us know if you are still going to continue this. ;-; ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ