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   Music thumped around the small house, sending vibrations into the walls and feet of the people dancing on the living room floor. The bodies were packed against each other, gyrating in a haze of smoke and alcohol while those around them watched with hooded eyes. 

    Minji tilted a red plastic cup to her lips, quickly swallowing the beer it held. The liquid burned and warmed her body. She shifted on the couch she was on and smiled at her friend, who was swaying between two drunk soccer players. They were chemistry majors, so they didn’t get out often. This party was an oasis for them, a break from the work and hardship.

    “I’m so drunk.” A deep voice laughed over the music. Minji blinked, looking at the man next to her. She’d thought he was asleep, his head tipped back against the couch and his long legs stretched out in front of him. Now his arm was draped over his eyes and his lips curled up into a drunk smile. She went back to her drink.

    “So...so drunk.”

    She giggled. “You don’t sound drunk.” She pointed out, tilting her head to look at the man and taking a long draw of her drink. His mouth twitched, and his arm shifted to allow one eye to peer out at her.

    “You don’t sound drunk either.” Shifting, he held out a hand, eyes sparkling. “Chanyeol. Music Comp.”

    She wrinkled her nose. Arts majors didn’t take kindly to science majors. “Minji. Chemistry.”

    A familiar “o” appeared on the attractive man’s face, his eyes widening in amusement. “What’s a science-nut doing at a party being thrown by a sports major?”

    His hand was still extended, so she reached out and took it. His large hand engulfed hers, squeezing pleasantly. “Not being so nutty, I guess.”

    The deep chuckle that left Chanyeol’s chest had the same warming effect as the beer in Minji’s hand, and she smiled instinctively. The grin on his face grew at her reaction.

    “Ohhh I like you.” He whisper-shouted. Minji giggled, then gasped as she was yanked up from the couch and through the dancing bodies. For someone so tall, he moved really fast. Maybe it was the alcohol she’d ingested, but she couldn’t stop laughing as she was tugged around. Faces blurred around her, one of them the friend she’d came with, but by the time she thought it might be a bad idea to follow a complete stranger while drunk she was being pulled through the house’s back door.

    The smoke constricting the interior of the house originated here, on the house’s back patio. Joints were passed around tight little groups of laughing students and a few people that didn’t look like students. The bitter smell hit Minji’s alcohol-clogged brain like a train, and she tried to rear back but was held still by Chanyeol’s hand.

    “Why are we out here?” She groaned, pouting and yanking on their intertwined fingers. Chanyeol looked over his shoulder and grinned.

    “Because you’re drunk baby girl.”

    She continued pouting even as she was dragged to the edge of the patio. A group of boys were sitting cross-legged in a circle, taking draws from a thick joint. Vaguely, she recognized one of them from her analytical chemistry class. What was his name? Namjoon? Yeah, her best friend's on-again off-again boyfriend.

    She was tugged down, and found herself in Chanyeol’s lap. His chest pressed into her back and expanded as he took in a deep breath. Frowning, she wriggled until she was sitting next to him instead of on him.

    “Baek!” He called excitedly, slinging an arm heavily over her shoulder. Across the group, another handsome boy was just receiving the joint. His eyes flicked up to them as he took a strong draw. “I found this!”

    “You found a science-nut?” Namjoon chortled from the side, immediately bursting into laughter. Minji frowned, downing the rest of the drink in her hand.

           "Hottest science-nut you've ever seen." She grumbled back, earning an arched eyebrow. 

    The guy Chanyeol had called Baek passed the joint, and released puffs of smoke  slowly before his eyes focused on them. He narrowed his eyes and wiggled a finger at them. “You found this?”

    Chanyeol’s lips tilted up in a smirk and he leaned forward as if he was about to tell a secret. The man next to him passed him the joint, and he pointed the lit end at Baek excitedly. “She’s drunk.”

    The other man in a dramatic breath, and Chanyeol on the joint with a satisfied face. His eyes focused on her, sparkling under their haze of . “You’re drunk?”

    She was starting to get confused. Was it a thing that she wasn’t suppose to get drunk? Were girls not suppose to be drunk? What was going on? 

    Chanyeol offered her the joint, and she wrinkled her nose. “I like to stay grounded.” She pushed his hand away, her body flushing at his loud bark of laughter.

    “See?”

    “Oh. My. God.” Baek appeared to be  vibrating in excitement, and he pushed his black hair off of his forehead. “She's totally wasted!”

    Chanyeol passed off the joint at the same time Baek hopped up onto his feet. Minji frowned as she was tugged off of the ground by his slim fingers. Chanyeol was quick to follow, his breath hot in her ears as Baek pulled her back into the house. They weaved through people, once again finding Minji’s friend briefly, before suddenly they weren’t in the house anymore. The clean air of the outside sent a rush to her head, and a small nudge of nausea made her teeter back into Chanyeol’s grip.

    “Whoa baby girl.” He chuckled. “Get to the car, then throw up.”

    “No...” She whined, allowing Baek to pull her into the backseat of one of the many cars parked on the curb. This one was a shiny, black SUV, and smelled brand new on the inside. “I refuse to throw up.”

    “Good luck with that.” Baek giggled. “You’re drunk off your , sweatheart.”

    “How do you know that?” She huffed and had to be held back as the car rumbled away from the curb. “He’s drunk and he’s driving!”

    “No, I’m drunk, high, and driving.” Chanyeol’s deep voice laughed from the driver’s seat. Baek laughed too, holding onto Minji’s shoulders so she didn’t sway with the car and make herself sick. “But I have experience with all three.”

    “And you don’t get drunk often, do you sweetheart?” Baek added with a grin. He smelled like weed, but under the smell was a pleasant cologne, and Minji focused on that instead.

    A helpless giggle past her lips. “Nope.” More giggles. “I haven’t been to a party since high school.”

    “She’s so perfect.” Baek melted back into the car seat, a drugged smile on his face. “I can’t believe you found her Chan.”

    “So wait.” Minji her lips and shook her head. Her lips wouldn’t stop smiling, and the alcohol was making it hard to think. “Do you guys always kidnap girls that don’t get drunk often?”

    Chanyeol’s arm swung out, index finger pointing to the car’s ceiling. “You are actually the first girl we’ve kidnapped at all.”

    “But we’ve been looking for you for a long time.” Baek finished with laughter.

    Throwing up her arms, Minji giggled and fell back into the seats. “We should have seatbelts on.” 

    “Seatbelts are over rated.” Baek snickered, but he leaned over her and pulled her seatbelt across her chest, clicking it into place.

    “So, now that I’m the only one that won’t die since im the only one wearing a  seatbelt...where are we going?”

    “Right...here.” The SUV slowed to a stop, but the darkness prevented Minji from seeing anything out of the windows. She frowned as Chanyeol left the car and appeared at the door next to her. The scent of grass and alcohol and weed and midnight humidity wafted around her as she was pulled out of the car. Chanyeol’s long arms wrapped around her and prevented her from seeing where they were, and she heard Baek following behind them. The flat grass she was walking on told her it must be a field of some kind, but other than that she was lost.

    “Just so you know,” She mumbled into his shirt. He was also wearing cologne underneath all of the party smells. “I went to that party with a friend, and she’ll be very concerned if I don’t show up to class tomorrow.”

    “Don’t worry sweetheart, we’re harmless.” Baekhyun chuckled, and the noise was followed by a quiet thunk. She gasped as Chanyeol tilted back and they fell, landing with an identical noise. He released her and she rolled onto her back, opening her eyes. “Check it out.”

    Minji’s eyes focused, and her lips parted in surprise. 

    The sky stretched above her, the black surface swimming with sparkling stars. The moon was suspended and beautiful among the dots of light. The sight took her breath away, and cleared every ounce of alcohol from her brain instantly.

    “Beautiful.” She whispered.

    “See? I found it.” Chanyeol sighed. 

    Next to her, Baek chuckled. “Yep.”

***********************

    “Where did you go last night?”

    Minji glanced up from her notes, meeting the concerned eyes of her best friend, Chohee. Biting back a smile, she shrugged. “I got too drunk.”

    Her friend scoffed. “Too drunk? I look up from this hot, tattooed dork from Seattle and see you running out with two guys that trump mine by an infinite number. What happened last night?”

    “I...” She paused, and saw Chohee lean forward in anticipation. A smirk pulled at her lips. “Was kidnapped. And they took turns ravishing me in the back of their car.”

           “Oh shut up.” Chohee hissed and slapped Minji’s arm, though her eyes told her she wasn’t actually mad. 

           "Wait. Backtrack. Hot, tattooed dork from Seattle? What happened with Namjoon?" 

           "Just for that, I'm not giving you any details on how my night ended." Minji grinned knowingly and nodded toward the door, where their professor had just walked in. Chohee groaned and turned to take her seat, but not without making her promise to tell her the details of the previous night at lunch. As the class settled in for lecture, Minji’s thoughts began to drift.

    Chanyeol. Music Composition major. Baekhyun. Music Application major. The latter had finally introduced himself after an hour of laying under the stars in silence. She couldn’t remember how long they’d lain there, barely talking. The few words they’d shared had been introductions and drunk mumbles about how cool it was that the moon actually moved in the sky the longer they stared at it. 

    Then, when the sky started turning light blue, Chanyeol had helped her up, packed her and Baekhyun back into the SUV, and dropped her off at her apartment. Her roommates had been worried, and extremely curious about the mysterious car that had dropped her off. She hadn’t seen or heard from them since.

    They hadn’t exchanged emails, numbers, or even sir names.

    And for some reason, this bothered her. Here she was, caught up in the memory of a weird end to a long-needed night out with nothing but names and majors for closure. She’d likely never see them again, and if she did? What was she to them? They’d probably find some other girl like her and do the same thing. And that girl would go to her class the next morning with no sleep and a brain filled with two handsome faces and the smell of cologne and weed.

***********************

    It wasn’t in her nature to party. Minji had never liked the atmosphere, the need to get drunk, the need to have with random strangers. She’d promised herself not to party in university and take the time to study, but she also knew she had to rest at some points. And really, she did want the chance to see the two men that had been haunting her thoughts. She wasn’t the kind of girl that did things halfway; she wanted some answers.

           She saw them again.

    This time, she’d followed her roommates to a party being held in an abandoned parking garage, somewhere in the dead part of the city. Chohee hadn't bothered to come, since her "hot dork," who Minji had learned was named Jaebum, had come to her instead. It was a sketchy party, where harder stuff than alcohol and weed were the main components to fun. Surprisingly though, she didn’t have to look very far.

    “This isn’t your scene, baby girl.” The voice in her ear sent surprise and excitement through her spine, and turned to meet Chanyeol’s gaze. It had been weeks since she’d met him in a drunk haze, so she soaked in his appearance to make sure she wouldn’t forget. He was clad in skinny jeans and a white v-neck, and his bright red hair looked like a cloud sitting on top of his head. He held a cup of liquor in each hand and an easy grin on his lips. “But you do look the part.”

    Her roommates had been cautious enough to warn her what kind of crowd they’d be around, and had assured her that her jeans and tank top wouldn’t cut it at this venue. Instead, she’d opted for her shortest shorts and a tiny black crop top made of lace so that her black bra could be seen through it. The stark amount of skin she was showing was shocking, but only to her. Everyone around was dressed similarly: simple, y, and not a lot. 

           Chanyeol's eyes on her exposed stomach made her blush, but she quickly recovered. "My scene is wherever I happen to be." She tossed back, turning away from him only to be handed a drink by an unknown hand. 

           "No no no. Take drinks only from friends." Chanyeol handed over one of his drinks and tossed her other one away. "Things get a little nuts at Minho's parties."

           Taking a sip from her cup, she eyed him. He didn't seem drunk or high at the moment, but who knows how long he'd been there? 

            "It's a good thing I'm a science-nut then."

            Chanyeol laughed heartily, drawing a few weird looks from the people dancing around them. A hypnotizing beat was resonating through the parking garage, but there wasn't a sheet of smoke covering everyone this time, making her frown. 

            "Be careful baby girl, you'll make me like you again." He threatened playfully, making her giggle. 

            "Where's Baekhyun?" She yelled over the music, making his face light up in surprise. He leaned down, pulling her by the hip so that she could hear his voice without yelling. 

            "He's on level five." He murmured into her ear. His lips brushed softly against her skin, and she wondered if he'd done it on purpose. "Let's go."

            Then it was like deja vu. Chanyeol grabbed her hand and tugged her through the masses of people, away from where her roommates had last seen her, and into a rickety elevator. It was still running, and as the doors closed they became the only two people that existed, plus the couple making out in the corner. Minji glanced up at him, finding him smiling down at her. 

            "What are you thinking?"

            "How are you so tall?"

            "I drink a lot..." He winked with a smirk. "Of milk."

            "I can't believe you just did that."

            Laughing silently, Chanyeol tugged her off of the elevator and into the garage. There were mattresses everywhere, some with couples, others with drug users. Minji stared as she was dragged along to the middle of the garage, and gasped when she was pushed down onto one of the mattresses. Her drink sloshed in her cup, spraying a bit. 

           "Look what I found, Baek." Chanyeol lowered himself down onto the mattress as well and swiped a thumb over the top of her right , collecting the alcohol that had spilled and it away. She gasped at the bold movement, but he didn't seem fazed or keen to do anything else, so she settled for blushing as her response. Looking around, she found Baekhyun on the other side of the mattress, puffing smoke into the air in rings that grew as they floated away. His eyes met hers and he smiled brightly, seeming to light up the dark area they were in. 

           "Are you smoking crack?" She asked, sipping her drink. Baekhyun's face brightened with laughter. 

           "Only weed for us, sweetheart." He chuckled, brandishing his lit joint and offering it to Chanyeol. The taller took a draw of the drug and offered it to her, smiling when she shook her head. "You're not drunk yet?"

           "I just got here." She arched an eyebrow and smiled behind her cup. "Do I have to be drunk to hang out with you?"

          "Mmmm for now." He fell back onto the mattress, holding the joint above his face and watching the lit end burn. Chanyeol's arm fell across Minji's shoulders again, and he gently pressed her cup to her lips.

          "We party outside of real life, baby girl." He smirked. "On Monday, we're students. But the weekend?" He gestured to himself and Baekhyun, who'd gone back to puffing smoke rings. She blinked. 

           "You guys don't do this all the time?"

           "Hell no, who do you take us for sweetheart?" Baekhyun sat back up, giggles pouring out of his mouth. "We're crazy in real life, but here we're..."

           "Nuts?"

           Both men stared her down, their faces blank and handsome. Then, as if someone snapped their fingers, they burst into laughter. Their smiles were contagious, and she soon found herself laughing too. They laughed until Baekhyun started coughing, until Chanyeol gasped for air, until Minji had tears running down her cheeks. When their laughter finally died down, she swiped at her eyes, hoping that her makeup hadn't been messed up even though she was pretty sure they wouldn't care. 

           Somehow, Baekhyun must have noticed because he slid across the mattress until his chest was against her back and his knees arched on either side of her. He turned her face to the side, and his thumb slid under her eye. 

           "It smudged here." He snickered, and for the first time she noticed that he was also wearing makeup, just a bit of eyeliner making his eyes smoky and mysterious. She smiled. 

           "He never stops talking about your eyes." Chanyeol scoffed, swallowing his drink and tossing the cup over his shoulder. "Right Baek?"

           "You're drunk." Came the laughed response. 

           Minji pushed on his shoulder. "And you're high." She giggled, earning more laughter from the two. She looked down at her cup and noticed it was empty. Sighing, she untangled herself from Baekhyun and stood from the mattress. "Well if I'm going to stay with you guys I'll need another drink."

           "No…" Two set of arms wrapped around her legs. "We're comfortable." Baekhyun whined. 

           Minji giggled, throwing up her hands innocently. "Your rules. Not mine."

           A desperate groan echoed between the two, and they fell back onto the mattress.  She took a step away, but stopped when Baekhyun grabbed her hand. "Let me you." He ordered lightly, huffing when she helped him stand from the mattress. He teetered a bit, catching himself with a laugh with an arm over her shoulders. As they walked toward the elevator, he looked over his shoulder at Chanyeol. "Don't do crack while we're gone!" He laughed. 

           Chanyeol raised his arm and waved, a new joint balanced between his fingers. 

**********************

          A few hours later, Minji was finally deemed drunk enough and they're little group tumbled into the elevator. Chanyeol was hugging everything, including the random guy that was strung out in the elevator. Baekhyun was on the verge of falling asleep against the elevator doors, and was startled awake when they slid open and he almost fell on his . Minji couldn't stop giggling, and had to be led out of the elevator. 

           They were on the roof of the parking garage. It was bare of people, with only one abandoned car parked in the middle of the concrete. The wind blew gently, chilling Minji's skin and pushing her deeper into Chanyeol's arms. Baekhyun swayed in front of them, heading for the edge of the building. When he reached the concrete barrier, he climbed up slowly and sat on it. His legs dangled over the edge and for a moment Minji was sober. 

           "What are you doing?" She gasped, jerking to get to Baekhyun and pull him off of the edge. Chanyeol held her back, chuckling in her ear and slowly waddling toward the edge. 

           "Remember baby girl, this isn't real life." Letting go of her, he also climbed onto the barrier. Minji stood behind them, unsure of what to do. This was a lot more dangerous than staring at the stars. 

           But something stopped her from heading back downstairs. She didn't want to leave and go find her roommates, to risk ending whatever weird thing she had with these two men. 

            Huffing, she clambered onto the barrier between the two. Her knee scraped the concrete, but the rush of air in her face distracted her from the pain. The city stretched out in front of her, vast and dark until the dead areas gave way to the university, where lights bloomed like night flowers. Her eyes widened and her lips parted on a gasp. The wind whipped at her, throwing her hair back and washing away the alcohol.

            She leaned over to tell one of them, either of them, but found herself tugged back to her safer position. Each man had a finger in her back belt loops, anchoring her to them and safety. She smiled. 

            They were right, this wasn't real life. It was darker, scarier. 

            But also sweeter. 

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