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☁️  HELLO + WELCOME TO  ☁️
LITTLE DUCKLING!
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and pleaseee leave votes/comments, they really motivate me to write! enjoy~

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With a hand clasped underneath my chin and eyes on the monitor, I shut my lids and let music flow throughout the studio, each beat making my head bop unconsciously.

"That sounds good. New track?"

Hoseok enters the dark room from behind, not that I turn around. His fiery red hair is giving me an eye-sore, but at least he switched that last hideous jacket for a fitted leather one.

I exhale tiredly, "...Kinda. Don't know if I'll release it though."

"Well it sounds great, you should ask Adora to jump on it. Here." He drops a steamy plastic bag on my cluttered desk and I arch my brow in question.

"It's bibimbap! Your favourite! You haven't eaten yet have you?"

I just ignore the question and start clicking with my mouse, making Hoseok place his hands on his hips and start poking me. "Oi, I'm talking to you."

"And I'm ignoring you."

"Thank you Hobi for keeping me from starvation would be nice too, turtle. You gotta eat bro. Music's fun and all but you haven't left this cave in days. It's starting to smell like old socks and wine."

He flickers on the light switch and I immediately hiss, shielding my face from it's bright rays.

"Ah... Turn that off."

"No, it's the afternoon and you need sunlight. You haven't even hung outside with us in weeks."

"That's because you don't have to write and produce an entire solo for our album in one week. Don't you have some dolls to go play with or something?"

"My KAWS are not dolls." He falls into a desk chair and sways with spread legs, unwrapping his food.

Great, now he's gonna stay.

As I continue editing my audio, Hoseok just smirks at me from behind and chews slowly. His lingering goofy grin makes my face twist over my shoulder. "...What?"

His goofy grin only expands.

"You know what you need?

"Don't start this crap..."

"What you need my friend, is a lady."

"For fuck's sake." I rub my temple.

"I'm serious bro! Nearly all of us are in relationships yet here you are, being a slave to your computer. What about Suran? She tolerated you enough to work on two tracks with you. I bet she'd be into you."

"I keep telling you." I practically growl, "Suran's just a friend. If we went out, it would be weird. Plus, I have no energy to date right now."

Hoseok swirls on his chair and draws a long hum before quickly snatching my phone from the desk and running to the corner of the room.

"What are you doing?"

"I..." He presses the screen a final time and smiles smugly. "Just texted Suran as you asking her on a date tomorrow at 8."

"Whyyy would you do that."

"BECAUSE. You two suit! You're both talented, depressed ass musicians, and I mean, you're not ugly. Since it's the first date, I told her it'll be at your place. See? It's just dinner and wine Yoongs. You won't even have to leave the house."

I look him up and down, then turn back to my screen. "I'll just cancel it when you're not here."

Finally having enough, Hoseok hooks his hands around my chair and starts pulling me back.

"If you won't come outside, I'll drag you out. We're going to that diner down to street and we are getting drinks."

"I already have wine." I point.

"No! We're gonna have a social life under the sun and drink normal daytime drinks like normal people. Come on!"

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The cafe interior is a mixture of modern and oak, ultimately coming together to create something that would be considered refreshing. I prop my elbow on the table and sip my coffee with boredom, eyes trailing up and down Hoseok who happily taps on his phone.

"So you dragged me out here to text on your phone?" I sigh.

"Hey, stop making excuses. I've only been on it for two minutes." He looks down and smiles again.

Judging by that dorky grin, I can tell he's texting that annoying girlfriend of his. Y/N? Yin? I forget.

I huff and rolls my eyes, looking around the room for something to focus on but the people here are all unattractive and a bore to fashion... That plant looks pretty exciting I suppose.

Just then, my phone buzzes in my pocket and sip some coffee when taking it out...

Only to spit it over the table.

"What the heck dude?!" Hoseok jumps back.

"Suran texted back."

"What? What did she say?!"

My eyebrows furrow as I read over the text a second time...

"Sounds fun, I'd love to. Winky face." Ugh, look what you've done you goat. Now she's gonna think I like her." I toss my phone lazily.

"You do like her, and she likes you. I see it Yoongi and trust me, you'll be thanking me once the two of you are swapping spit."

"Ew."

His face lights up instantly when his phone buzzes again and his thumbs immediately start tapping away. There he goes.

With a sigh, I stand and pat him on the shoulder. "I'm heading back to my cave. I'll see you later."

"Yeah, sure." He gives me a distracted half wave. He's not even listening.

After heading outside, I pull my bucket hat over my eyes and tug a black mask over my face, looking up at the beaming sun peaking from behind the clouds.

Spring... Where the flowers bloom and sun scorches, yet somehow rain still pelts to birth muddy puddles. Spring and summer are the two seasons people anticipate and come out to enjoy... Which is why I can't stand it.

I prefer Autumn and Winter, where you can cocoon in your home without question. You can hibernate as much as you want and blame it on the unforgiving weather. But in spring, I'm fucking forced to come out.

My hands comfortably slip into my pockets as I begin to stroll home when I spot something on my right...

It's the back view of a child about to cross the busy road. Cars whizz by at lightning speed and the traffic light signals a red man, yet the child recklessly takes a step forward—

"Whoa!" I quickly run to yank his arm. He stumbles back onto the sidewalk safely right before the car could hit him.

With a now clear view of it's face, my eyes widen to take in every feature. The child looks about four... He's Korean with milky skin and squinty eyes that are as dark as his cushiony hair. His lips are small and pink, nose is wide and overall body is short and petite. He wears a blue fluffy sweater with socks, striped socks and yellow sneakers...

"Kid, don't you see the cars?! Look where you're going before you kill yourself!" I point to the traffic light angrily and drop his wrist before walking off.

But after taking 10 steps and hearing nothing behind me, I turn around to see the boy standing in the same spot, looking amongst the road like a robot.

I go back and shake his shoulder with furrowed brows,

"Oi, don't you speak Korean? Why are you still standing here? Go home already."

The little boy looks up at me before looking back over the road. It's then that I follow his gaze and notice a convenience store on the other side. He isn't looking at that, but rather the gumball machine in front of it that's surrounded by cheery kids who run off laughing with their candy.

"...Do you need to cross the road?"

He doesn't say anything back, making me shift my eyes around awkwardly before sighing and pressing the stoplight button, the two of us waiting for the green man.

"I'm only doing this before you kill yourself."

*Ding!*

Once it flashes, I grab the boy's wrist and pull him across the road with a huff, making his little arm flop at my harshness. We finally make it across and stand before the gumball machine.

"Alright, get your stupid candy so we can leave."

The boy slowly walks up to the machine after staring at me before randomly pressing his face against the bulb, his pudgy nose, lips and palms squished cutely against the plastic.

What is this kid on...

"Do you not have money or something?"

The little boy doesn't respond, shocker. I groan and insert a bunch of coins into the slot before the machine spills out a bunch of gumballs into a small pouch.

"Well, that was adventurous. Alright, I'm going home. Don't talk to strangers, stay in school and um... Yeah, that shit." I pat his shoulder. "Later kid."

As I walk off into the distance with my hands in my pockets, the boy continues to silently watch me from behind...

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— 20 MINUTES LATER —

Finally, almost home.

I guess nobody told me to walk. I could've gotten a taxi or called one of our drivers, but being around other people is exhausting.

Suddenly, a singular raindrop drips onto my hand, making me look up and squint at the darkening sky.

*Crunch!*

I immediately stop and turn around to see the little boy I helped earlier walking behind me. He stops when I stop, staring at me innocently from a distance with the bag of gumballs in his tiny palms.

"Uh... No no no, you can't follow me kid. Your parents'll get worried so... Psst!" I hiss.

When there's no response, I turn around fully and clap my hands. "Go! Scram! You can't follow me home you know."

Silence.

"Ok uh..." I start doing hand signals. "You— Go— Back— Home..."

The child watches me innocently. I roll my eyes back and huff.

"Okay I'm just gonna..." I pick him up by the underarms and places him about 20 feet away.

"There. Now STAY. Stay..." I point, my wide stare lingering on the kid for a few seconds as I walk backwards before finally turning and walking away.

I proceed to walk for a good 30 seconds without realizing the child that quietly catches up behind me and follows at a close distance.

The silence is too good to be true, so I stop and turn around, then groan loudly.

"Kid! Knock it off, seriously! My home isn't your home alright? Shoo! Scram!"

His lack of response has me sucking and twisting my lips in thought before my gaze motions to the bag of gumballs in his hands.

"I take it you like candy." I dig into my pocket and draw out a mint.

"You see this candy? I bet you like it right? Uh huh..... Fetch!"

I'm ready to make a run for it, but the boy doesn't bat an eyelid nor turn.

Alright, that does it.

I snatch his closed bag of gumballs and throw it in the distance behind him. "Fetch!"

After staring at me for a few seconds, the boy surprisingly skips in the direction I threw the bag.

Finally. Time to make my escape.

So after hurrying around the road corner, I slow down and exhale with a sigh of relief at the sight of my apartment complex.

Home sweet.....

Home.

The little boy sits on my doorstep with the little pouch in his hands, his dainty knees knocking together and eyes trained on me.

"Wh— I just— You— ... Okay that's it! You've had your fun kid but you've gotta go."

I grab him by the arm in frustration when a low rumble travels through the sky, making me look up at the now dark-grey sky that spews scattered raindrops.

Shit, it's raining... Can I really leave him out here?

I take one more look at the little boy who watches my expression innocently.

Then roll my eyes back and sigh.

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It'll get bettterrr, I promise! Openings are never my strong point. Please leave a vote if you like it! 🤍☁️💧🐣🤍