Warnings: Swearing, violence, mentions of blood

-----

The party comes to an end when the last body slumps against the couch, the high note from the karaoke system fading out into the quiet night. The video playing on the television becomes still as the song ends, the quiet hum of the static from the speakers and the rhythmic snores of the members now the only sounds filling the space. Occasionally the chirp of the crickets from outside would travel through the quiet night to reach your ears – but other than that, everything else is peaceful.

You turn around when you hear the bathroom door close behind you, and you’re met by Brian’s obsidian black orbs, a grin making its way onto his face when he observes his surroundings.

“Everyone’s passed out?”

“Yea.”

His eyes continue scanning the entire area, his eyes widening further when he spots Sungjin’s sleeping figure slumped against the couch, cheeks pressed against the cushion under his head, the microphone still enclosed within his vice grip.

“Woah even Sungjin hyung? We really went wild today.”

“Thank God you’re still sober, else I might start sobbing having to clean up this huge mess by myself.”

Brian chuckles at your words, the sudden image of you running around the whole place cleaning up with a very flustered look on your face suddenly becoming very amusing to him.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get you some help.”

You watch as he tiptoes around his sleeping teammates, rousing those that look more sober. Eventually, you’ve got bleary-eyed Wonpil and Dowoon up to help you pick up empty beer cans and wash dirty dishes in the kitchen while you and Brian got the remaining boys settled into taxis to send them home to properly rest for the night. After all the furniture has been put back in place and the last table had been wiped down, you pushed Wonpil and Dowoon into the backseat of the fourth taxi that you had called for the night. The two younger males immediately knocked out the moment their heads hit the neck rest, the alcohol and fatigue from cleaning that drags them off to sleep being too hard to resist. Brian attempted to step out after positioning them in a more comfortable position, only to have you shove him into the car as well, slamming the door after him. Rolling down the windows the very next second, Brian sticks his head out of the window, questioning you.

“We’re not – ”

“It’s almost done Brian; all I have to do is take out the trash. You should go home and rest too.”

“You sure you going to be alright?”

You nod your head vigorously to show him that you’re serious, hoping that he’ll be assured that you’re going to be fine doing just this last bit yourself. His drooping eyelids and tired smile betrayed his determination, and he ultimately gave in, settling back against the leather seats as he lazily waved goodbye to you. You watched until the vehicle was out of your sight before turning back into the kitchen to bag the trash.

---

Heaving the huge black trash bag out of the trash can, you pushed the door open with your shoulder as you struggled to lift the black bag off the ground. You’re hit in the face by the cool night wind, causing your hair to sweep around your face in waves. Between attempting to get your hair out of your face and lugging a heavy trash bag behind, it takes you a great deal of effort (and maybe a few bumps against the wall) to finally get to the huge trash bin. Swinging your arm forward, you manage to position the trash bag right beside the bin, heaving a sigh of relief when the bag did not burst open to spill forth the filthy contents.

All done! I can finally rest now.

Turning around, you caught sight of a black figure flashing past your line of vision. The sudden movement startles you, and you let a strangled cry tear from your throat – only for the sound to be cut off halfway when strong fingers close around your neck. Your assailant pushes you backwards in one swift movement, slamming your body against the wall behind. Your whole body turns numb from the force rattling your insides, but pain soon begins to set in, causing you to in a harsh breath. The back of your head pounds with such intensity that it makes your vision swim, the splotches of white in your vision making it hard for you to make out the assailant. The back of your hand slowly turns numb, your fingers twitching slightly – you figure it must be a really bad bruise. Fear settling deep within your bones, you did what you could to try to get your assailant off yourself. You claw at the hand holding onto your throat, but that only gives the assailant more incentive to dig his fingers into your neck, their nails almost breaking into the delicate skin of your neck. You were starting to feel lightheaded from the lack of oxygen to your brain, your movements slowly becoming weaker and less