Wednesday the 31st, Oct 2018.

An unnecessary alarm blared across the room.

Tae heard it and woke up.

Jin heard it and promptly ignored.

Joon slept through it like a bear in hibernation.

Taehyung yawned and sat up, stretching his limbs as far as the muscles could contract. The alarm was beside Joon's bed (the alarm was for Tae, but Joon needed it so much more than he did), and Taehyung was too lazy to move from where he was in the cast of blankets to turn it off.

So he threw his pillow across and it hit the alarm clock smack in the mouth. It sailed to the ground with a crash and stopped yelling.

Namjoon kept his snores louder than a hoard of trumpeting elephants.

With the alarm's shrill crying over, the room would have sat in silence, but the aforementioned thundered a tenacious dissent.

Taehyung ran a hand through his hair and yawned again. He wanted to know what the time was, and it hit him so irritably when he realised his phone was on the little centre table about four feet away, and he had to move to be able to get it.

Oh damn.

Tae began scooting on his bottom to reach the table, some of the blankets beginning to create a trail behind him. The duvet on the other hand liked Taehyung a little too much, (he was the cool to its sometimes excessive warmth) and it curled around his waist and hugged his legs in a tangle.

Taehyung found a hard time continuing his journey to the table.

Oh well.

He began to tug at the duvet, first softly, then viciously, when the duvet seemed to cling tighter unto his form. He hissed, and the duvet gave up a second or so after. His eyes were in a blur, and he kept yanking at the duvet even after it had come undone around his body.

Taehyung was uncovered now, and his pajamas could breathe freely in the morning mist. He also realised how much the windows needed to be open. Finally coming to terms with how inevitable it was to have to stand up, Taehyung subconsciously threw a gaze at his legs, and his focus grew clearer around something.

There, with its claws clingingly wrapped around Taehyung's left ankle,

was a large red crab.

A loud screech rang through the room.

Jin definitely couldn't ignore that one, and he sprang up in bed as though he'd been electrocuted.

Namjoon snored closer to the next scene in his dream.

'Holy—, Tae!' Jin pulled his duvet off and threw his legs over the edge of the bed, so he was in sitting. 'Why in the world did you scream like that?!'

Taehyung's hand tremored as he pointed at the crustacean on his leg.

'J-Jin... cra-b—'

Jin guided his gaze to Taehyung's ankle, and his eyebrows shot up.

'How the—how'd that get there?!'

'I don't know, but it needs to go!'

Jin squeezed at the side of his neck, eager to work the sleepy muscles out.

'Well then... pry it off'.

Taehyung stared at Jin as though he were nuts. His mouth was agape and his eyes were a trembling mess.

'I can't! I... I can't touch it!'

Jin raised an eyebrow, and the hand on his neck dropped to his lap. 'Why can't you?'

The other boy grabbed at his own hair and pulled, his teeth lightly chattering.

'Don't tell me...,' Jin's palms flew to his mouth, and his eyes began to crinkle, 'Taehyung, you're scared?'

Tae's face scrunched up as though he was going to cry.

'I... Jin this is not the time! Just help me take it off!'

The other black haired boy's hands moved off his face, and Taehyung could see Jin's mouth slowly shaping into a crescent.

'I don't know, Tae,' Jin started, shrugging his arms in an "I don't know" position. 'It's simply taking a nap, and it'd be rude to just—'

'Gosh, Jin!'

'Hmm...'

'Christssake, take it off!'

'Ok ok, ugh!'

Jin got up and moved to where Taehyung was sat on the floor, his blankets abandoned on the bed behind him. He tentatively reached for the crab.

But alas, as though it was psychic, the crab inched forward before Jin could touch it.

Taehyung lurched into a skin itching scream.

'Calm—'

'No! No no no no no no no no–'

The crab moved even further up his leg.

'Oh no! NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO–'

Jin once more brought his hand out to Taehyung's leg, but the latter instinctively flinched away.

Jin's face screamed silently in frustration.

'Alright Tae I get that this is disturbing, but it'd be great if you chilled a bit'.

Taehyung nodded aggressively, squirming around with his eyes shut and his fists clenched tightly around nothingness.

Jin sat criss cross beside him, his eyes on the crab and his head in his palms. He ran laps across his mind for an answer he couldn't find.

He sighed, his gaze moving off the boy beside him, and falling on another boy in his view. A boy who slept on, well and fully dug into a frosted red velvet ice-cream cake with John Legend, Drake and Khalid.

A switch turned on in Jin's head, and he leapt to his feet.

Going back to the bed where he slept, he grabbed the pillow and moved to where the twenty year old laid, his legs sprawled out carelessly and his hair over his eyes.

Jin lifted the pillow high above his height,

And slammed it down on the boy's head.

Namjoon spun out of the large swimming pool and awoke with a start.

He languidly rubbed his eyes and yawned. He was going to smoothly glide back into sleep, but Jin grabbed him by the neck of his t-shirt and pulled him to sit up.

'I told you not to!'

Namjoon yawned again.
'What?'

'You promised you wouldn't!'

Namjoon raised an eyebrow.

Jin pointed at Tae, whose eyes were open and was now gently trying to touch the crab, but flinched away anytime his finger got within five centimetres close of it. The crustacean stayed still where it was, most definitely bursting by the seams in fits of silent crabby laughter. Taehyung whimpered in despair.

Namjoon turned his head and watched the happenings.

And then he threw his body back flat onto the bed and laughed.

He laughed so hard, he shook the entirety of the mattress.

Jin scowled. Taehyung was too frightened to take his eyes off the crab for fear that it would move again, but the tension was clear on his back.

Namjoon's high dropped low, and he began to sit up again, but when he saw Jin's cross face and Tae's hunched position, he fell back and lunched into part two.

Jin wasn't having it.

'K that's enough.' He bent and pulled Joon fully out of his bed, not caring whatever part of his body hit the edge. Joon stood rickety beside Jin, his legs unable to stay put from humour. Jin pushed him to Taehyung.

'Pry it off.'

'He's actually terrified!'

'We'll get to that part later. Now pry it off'.

Namjoon turned to face Jin, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Jin rolled his eyes and sighed a large one. 'Gosh Joon, actually do it gently'.

Namjoon turned forward and began to move towards Tae, his hands out like he were about to work on some freakish experiment.

'I swear if you try anything funny—'

Joon smirked, stood straight, and finished his walk to Taehyung. He crouched to his friend's leg, his mouth tightly shut to avoid laughter.

Taehyung glared buckets of water at him, silently pleading a cause to be able to trust him during the ordeal. Namjoon nodded, and crossed a hand over his heart.

But his other hand had it's middle and index fingers crossed behind his back.

Jin saw it.

--

It was quiet in the bus.

Namjoon and Jin sat in a couple of seats to the right, while Taehyung in front of them sat with a stranger, and a bandage wrapped tightly on his left leg.

He sucked on a lollipop, sour pout suppressed.

Namjoon ran a finger across his phone every once in a while, turning the pages of a digital book.

Jin looked out the windows and surveyed the blur of the city.

He wanted to open the window and let the air in, but he wasn't sure if that would be fine with Joon. He wanted to ask, but he seemed so engrossed in his book (most probably because he didn't want to talk about the morning (yet)), and so he made suffice the breeze that came from the left side of the bus, where a woman and a little boy sat with the glass well drawn, so their hair wisped about their faces in a careless dance.

Jin felt a second-long throb in his heart.

He could see a few of the university buildings now—the bus had turned the last corner before their stop.

After a minute or two's passing, Jin, through his peripheral, watched Joon's hand move past him and slide the window open. The air poured in, unrestrained. Jin felt the breeze swirl around his face and tickle his nose, and he relaxed into its soft caress. He rested his head on his hands, his eyes coming to meet the full view of the university this time, and before he could sigh a chest full, the bus was coming to a halt in front of a monolithic stop sign.

That was their cue to alight, and the boys got their things and moved into the centre, where a little queue to get off the bus was starting to form.

Their first class was a film one, and it held in the large Arts Department theatre just like most of the others did; save the practical classes that held in one of the University's Performance theatres.

There were already a ton of students loitering the area within; some sitting and doing something with their phones, some standing about with their friends, and others just... well they were just there.

The three climbed up to their favourite middle row, and without need for much ado, sat and did their wont, which included the usual taking out of necessary books and writing materials, and the most inevitable, a literary brawl.

Joon began.

'I want to—'

'Don't. Not now, Joon.'

Taehyung's lollipop now remained but the holding stick, and he chewed on it wordlessly.

Namjoon looked at Jin, his eyes questioning. 'Then when?'

'I don't know... just not now.'

Namjoon looked at the time displayed on his lockscreen.

'Nine minutes till the lecturer arrives, Jin'.

'Exactly'.

Namjoon sunk into the plush seat.

Taehyung took the pop stick out his mouth and sighed.

'It hurt, you know?' He was looking at Namjoon.

The latter blinked.
'What?'

'And it still hurts'.

It wasn't exactly easy because of the table, but Jin looked down at Taehyung's bandaged limb.

'Your leg?'

'No, my endestestromine'.

Namjoon blinked again. 'Your what?'

Jin drew his lips together into a line. 'Hey, don't be mean'.

Taehyung stared Jin in the face.

'Don't be mean? Don't be mean?' He whipped a finger at Joon's nose, all while still looking steadily at the other. 'Why don't you say that to this guy here?'

Namjoon swallowed, eying Taehyung's hand that inched closer to his left nostril. He suddenly had the great urge to sneeze on it.

Jin drew a long breath.

'Maybe later, Taehyung'.

'Oh? But I'm the one with a bandaged leg, aren't I?'

Jin released his long breath into a deep sigh.

'It was just a crab, Taehyung'.

Namjoon swiftly tugged at Jin's sweater, his eyes widened and his head slightly shaking that it was almost unnoticeable. 'You're not supposed to say that'.

But it was too late.

Taehyung got up, limped out of their row and down the flight of stairs. He didn't look up at them as he went through the exit.

Joon and Jin stared in front of them at the doors, dazed.

But then Taehyung walked straight back in, this time with an interesting looking bag, and the professor right on his heels.

Namjoon knew he shouldn't have, but couldn't stop his lips from stretching at Taehyung's printed smile.

Their eyes met, and Joon would have filled the hall with series of his cackles, had he not clamped a hand over his mouth in time.

--

'It's ok, I forgive you'.

'Wait, really?'

'Don't buy that, he's lying.'

Taehyung rolled his eyes and set his head on the table, so he was facing the side where the other two sat.

'Heck, forgive you my ass'.

Namjoon screeched. 'See?'

Jin scratched his neck. 'Well... I wouldn't blame him. I did warn you not to, Joon'.

Their second class for the day held in the same theatre as the first, so they remained sat in their prior seats. That is except Taehyung, who after the lecture had marched up from his front seat to join his friends at their middle row.

Tae looked at Joon, and the younger sent the older a wink. Taehyung scowled so hard till he couldn't feel his face.

'You know I can't stand crabs', he sighed, tapping all five fingers of his right hand sequentially on the table. 'Unless they're dead and spiced up in my plate.'

Joon's lips spread out in a cheeky smile. 'I know'.

'And you know they bite too, and you still attached one to my leg'.

Joon rubbed his nose. 'Well technically, I put it in your bed. I didn't tell it to wrap around your leg or anything—', He brought a hand to his jaw and squeezed gently, 'actually I think it was a pretty polite crab, that it didn't sit on your face or anywhere else... important'.

Taehyung wanted to strangulate Namjoon so badly, and he definitely would have tried, if they were not sitting in a lecture theatre with half a hundred or so witnesses.

'Joon. That was cruel. I didn't feel myself. It was like my soul left my body, and fear possessed the free space and lived for me'.

Jin joined in, his eyebrows going up and his mouth naturally pulling into the subtlest pout.

'You should have seen him when I saw him much earlier this morning. I swear he had no soul; he just wanted to hurt you'.

Taehyung's façade sunk in pity.

Namjoon waved his hands about himself, his mouth open, because he wanted to speak.

'Don't say it like that—I'm not some red eyed demon from the belly of Sheol'.

'I swear your eyes shone', Jin said, matter of factly.

'I couldn't see your eyes from all the water in my eyes', Taehyung drawled, his lips curling down.

Namjoon gave them both a You can't actually be serious look.

He was right; there was a jocular lisp coating the edge of their tone.

'I can't exactly tell if it was worse than the time you cut off the crotches of about half my trousers, or when you put bees in my cereal'.

Jin turned to Tae, his eyes the size of kiwis. 'He... what?'

Namjoon squirmed uneasily in his seat.

Taehyung bopped his head slowly in a nod. 'There's so much I don't let you know, Jin'.

Jin's head bopped in response. 'I'm so scared for you, Tae'.

Namjoon spread his hands out on the table.

'Alright stop. That's way too far, this drama'.

Taehyung stuck his finger out in a harsh point. 'You're way too far'. And then he crossed his arms and laid back in his seat, his eyes playfully cold on Namjoon's.

Namjoon sighed, and he brought his hands to his chest and crossed them too.

'Ok ok, I'm sorry'.

Tae gasped. He turned to his right where Jin was sat, and their eyes met in a frenzy of feigned shock.

'Did he just apologise?'

'I think I did hear the "s" word'.

'Whoa... that happens like... every twenty years'.

Jin chuckled, his nose scrunching up. 'Dude, we're all only a little above twenty'.

The lights from the top of the theatre danced as spheres in Tae's eyes.

'That's the point.'

Namjoon's body tensed tightly.

'I'll buy you a meal,' he said, and ran his tongue over his upper lip.

The older two stilled, and one stared at the other through widened eyes.

'Whoa!'

'I can't believe this is happening!'

Joon rolled his eyes. And then as smooth as it were never there, in rolled a smirk and grew itself on his lips.

'Extra spicy Ttoekbokki?', he said, and an eyebrow went up in succession.

Taehyung stopped laughing and the spark in his eyes died out.

'My hate for you just had a great-grandkid'.

The lights chose home in Namjoon's eyes and mocked Taehyung.

--

The last class had ended sometime around 3pm, but right then, it was after 5. The sun was still up, and it was shying behind clouds and painting their tufts in palettes of oranges, purples, and soft reds.

A few streaks of blue scattered across the canvas too.

The boys were sat on a classic wooden bench, one that was right next to a classic looking lamp post; and they were just sitting, not doing anything else—just sitting, and taking in the sun's daily repetitive masterpiece.

Namjoon so badly wished he had his camera on him.

Jin liked the feel of the air against his cheeks.

Taehyung felt slightly sick at the red in the sky.

He sighed, looked down from the clouds, and turned to the other two, whose faces were still glued to the view above.

'So what do we do now?'

A beat in silence drummed past.

'Today's halloween'.

Jin turned to look at Namjoon, his hair fluttering in the wind as he did so. 'Halloween?'

Namjoon looked back at him and nodded.

'Yeah, the last day in October—it's today. Its a Western holiday; its not something popularly known by Koreans, but since there are lots of foreigners here in Seoul, they gather themselves to create their own fun at Itaewon, and tons of natives join in, because it's fun. They crowd the streets with spooky decorations, music, scary stories and interestingly themed food—oh, they wear costumes too. Ghosts, wizards—anything really, even Mickey mouse'.

Taehyung spluttered in a scoffing chuckle. 'Mickey mouse? How's Mickey scary?'

'He's not. It doesn't exactly matter what the costumes are—once you're not yourself for the night, then you're good to go'. Namjoon's eyes flashed up at the sky. 'But then again, you can be your own monster, so go as yourself, if that's what you want'.

Jin scratched his nose. 'How do you know so much?'

Joon shrugged and slipped his hands into the pockets of his overalls. 'Yoongi's been yapping about it since the beginning of the month. He's pretty excited.' His eyebrows slightly pulled up in recollection. 'He has a few foreigner friends, and they're going to take themselves there for a party or dinner or whatnot. It wouldn't be anything if we decided to go too'.

Taehyung raised a brow. 'Yoongi speaks English?'

'To an amazing extent'.

'Oh wow'.

Namjoon nodded. He leaned back and sighed, his eyes wistfully fixated on nothing in particular.  'I wish I spoke English'.

'Same', agreed Jin.

Tae shrugged. 'I could if I tried'.

'Challenge?'

Taehyung threw Namjoon a harsh look.

Namjoon grinned.

Silence decided to collect a few seconds.

Then Taehyung whipped his view to the younger, suddenly remembering something.

'Don't you have to go for photojournalism today?'

Namjoon shook his head. 'It was called off'. He did a little shoulder shimmy and smirked. 'Which is pretty cool, because starting from Monday, all club activities end'.

Taehyung tsked. 'We still had to grind hard at hockey yesterday, even though it was the last for the year'.

Namjoon gave a smug look, satisfied at Tae's sore luck.

Jin's eyebrows furrowed. 'Why do they end so early?'

Namjoon raised a brow at him. 'Because the finals need to be prepared for?'

Jin's mouth opened in realisation, and he nodded. He sent his gaze to the sky.

Seokjin wasn't in any clubs. He wouldn't know.

Taehyung turned left and right at the two. 'So, are we going for this Halloween thing?'

Joon looked over Tae's form at Jin. Jin shrugged.

'I don't mind. I don't exactly have anything else to do today'.

'But you always have something to do,' Namjoon drawled, an eyebrow hitching in scorn.

Jin ran a hand through his hair and met the sun's gaze as it peeped behind a cloud. 'Halloween sounds fun. I'll forfeit'.

'Ohho, no way!'

Taehyung chuckled. 'Jin likes to have fun sometimes too, Joon. Don't be so harsh'.

Jin's mouth pulled into a duck pout. 'Yeah don't be so harsh, Joon'.

Namjoon mimicked his pout poorly.

The sun's reflective rays splayed in Taehyung's eyes, his lips slacking a smile as he watched the two. Then he sprung up from the bench, his hands rubbing on his thighs.

'So Joon. How do we find costumes?'

~
Lmao the 2nd, 3rd and 4th lines of this chapter. Which one are you?
I'm definitely Tae, only that I'll get up to turn the alarm and go back to bed immediately kkkkkkkk
And no, endestestromine is not a real word
B)