The Arrival, a prequel to The Breeze (F)

[Blah!?]

Wow, me, actually making a continuation of a story? That's impressive.

Anyway, this is a prequel to another story I wrote a while ago, called The Breeze. I hope this story works well enough as a standalone piece, but in any case I would highly recommend reading it first.

The Breeze can be found here:

http://www.sneezefet...topic=53497&hl=

The Breeze is an extremely messy story, though this one is not. If you're not into mess, hopefully you'll still be able to appreciate this one without reading the other.

Without further ado, let's get started...

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Hyun lightly feathered her lips over her boyfriend's for a moment. She felt him reach his own lips toward hers, but she suddenly dodged to one side, kissing him on the cheek instead. Giggling softly, Hyun gently draped her arms around Steve's shoulders and kissed him on the cheek again. She closed her eyes and smiled as she felt him tuck a lock of her short brown hair behind one ear, and then he kissed her on her opposite cheek. Placing her hands on Steve's shoulders, Hyun held him out at arm's length, giving him a warm smile. After their eyes met for a second, Hyun gently closed hers and stuck out her lips.

As the lovers leaned toward each other for a proper kiss, Hyun suddenly stopped. She had hoped this wouldn't happen, or at least not yet, but she was starting to feel a tickle in her nose. Wrinkling her nose up tightly, Hyun carefully peeked one eye open to make sure Steve's were still closed. When she saw that they were, Hyun desperately flared her oval-shaped nostrils and wriggled her nose from side to side. Despite her efforts, the tickly feeling in her nose was only getting worse. It was only a matter of time until...

"TSHHOO!"

"Ack!" Steve gasped quietly as he felt a light mist settle on his face. He quickly opened his eyes to see his girlfriend stuck in the throes of a building sneeze. Hyun's sharp eyes were squeezed shut, and her wide nose couldn't decide whether it wanted to scrunch up tightly or flare wildly.

"Hyun? You okay?" Steve asked, putting on a sympathetic smile. Hyun's head bobbed, but it appeared to be a gasp for breath rather than an answer.

"TSHH! Hih-TISH!"

"Bless you."

"Thanks," Hyun finally responded, placing a finger under her nostrils. She scrubbed back and forth for a few seconds, causing her nose to bend from side to side, but it appeared to make her feel a little better. Hyun let out a sigh, pressing her nose upward with the base of her palm, and then she stared back up at Steve.

"I'm fine," Hyun continued, putting on a forced smile. "Just allergies, you know?" She closed her eyes, puckered her lips, and then leaned forward to kiss her boyfriend again. Raising an eyebrow, Steve gently put a hand on Hyun's shoulder to keep her away.

"Does it bother you at all that we're doing this at Tess's place?" he asked, nervously glancing at the bedroom door.

"No. Kiss me," Hyun answered, keeping her lips puckered. Steve pushed her a little farther back and raised an eyebrow again.

"It doesn't make you feel even a little weird?"

"No way," Hyun answered, finally relaxing her face. "She said she was going to be out all night, remember?" Steve folded his arms for a second and then scratched the back of his head.

"Okay, so we have the place to ourselves, but we're doing this on Tess's bed."

"Well, we could do it on my bed," Hyun thought out loud, running a hand up the back of her short hair, "but I don't think you'd find it very comfortable."

"Hyun, you sleep on the floor."

"Hey, don't diss my digs!" Hyun reprimanded, lightly slapping Steve on the shoulder. They exchanged a smile as he slapped her back, but Hyun's expression became a pitiful frown as her boyfriend stood up from the bed.

"Can we at least do this on the couch or something?" he asked, reaching for the door. "I just don't feel right on someone else's bed."

"No! Don't open the door!" Hyun yelped, leaning across the bed to grab the back of Steve's shirt. He turned back to her with an amused smile on his face which only grew wider when he saw Hyun lying on her back across the bed, one hand gently holding the back of his shirt. Her sharp eyes, usually calm and cool, were desperately begging him to leave the door shut.

"Why not?" Steve asked, barely able to keep himself from laughing. He released the doorknob as Hyun let her head hang upside-down off the edge of the bed.

"You'll let Booger Beast in," Hyun whispered, placing a finger under her nose and rubbing again. Steve immediately lost his composure and sat back down on the edge of the bed next to his girlfriend.

"Booger Beast? Are you serious?" Steve laughed, gently slapping Hyun's belly. She twitched, her legs kicking up for a second, and then she settled back into a pitiful expression, keeping a finger pressed to her nostrils.

"What does that even mean?" Steve asked, watching as Hyun rubbed her nose again. Finally, she took her finger away from her nostrils and stared up at her boyfriend, looking no less desperate than before.

"Tess's dog," Hyun answered, nervously glancing back at the door.

"Wait, she told me his name was Peanut," Steve said, raising an eyebrow at his girlfriend. Hyun shrugged.

"You know I have to nickname everything," she said, wrinkling her nose for a second.

"I know, but..." Steve trailed off for a second. He smiled and shook his head, giving Hyun another poke to the belly. "You call him Booger Beast?"

"Well, yeah," Hyun said, shrugging again. "He's a dog and he makes my nose stuffy."

"You're weird," Steve laughed, gently grabbing Hyun's shoulders and pulling her up to sit next to him. He thought for a second, and then he cocked his head to the side and gave Hyun a confused stare.

"Wait, you're allergic to dogs?"

"Yeah," Hyun confessed, rubbing her nose again. Steve scoffed, raising an eyebrow.

"I know you said you have allergies, but I didn't think you were allergic to dogs of all things."

"Lots of people are. So what?"

"Hyun, you live in the same house as one."

"So? It doesn't bother me that much... Hih-TISH!"

"See?" Steve laughed, putting a hand on Hyun's back as she bent forward. "Now I know why you sneeze a lot."

Hyun snorted, rolling her eyes. She rubbed a finger under her nostrils and gently hit Steve on the shoulder again.

"I do not sneeze a lot. TSHHH!"

"Yes you do," Steve teased, putting an arm around Hyun's shoulder. Hyun tried to push him away, but her chest heaved before she could so much as lift her arm.

"HHHiihh... TSHHOOOO!"

Hyun let out a big sneeze, bending forward sharply. It was far too high-pitched for her liking, and it left her feeling a bit embarrassed. She sniffed, rubbed her shoulders, and then she made a grabbing motion at the tissue box on the bedside table.

"Okay, you win," Hyun relented, sniffing again. Steve smiled as he grabbed a tissue for his girlfriend, but instead of giving it to her, he gently held it under her oval-shaped nostrils.

"Here, blow," he said as Hyun glared up at him.

"Do I look like I'm five to you?" she protested, narrowing her eyes. Steve's smile only widened, and after a second Hyun gave up.

"Fine," she grunted, rolling her eyes. After taking a deep breath through her mouth, Hyun gave her stuffy nose a strained, scratchy blow. It didn't sound like it cleared her nostrils at all, but it certainly made her feel better.

"Thanks," Hyun said with a sniff, and she swiped her index finger under her nose one more time after Steve removed the tissue. After throwing the tissue away, Steve gently held Hyun's chin and gave her a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Hey, I've got an idea," he said, stroking Hyun's cheek with his free hand. She gazed up at him and smiled, inviting him to continue. "I know my place right now isn't big enough for both of us, but why not come over just for tonight? It'll just be you and me. No Tess's bed, no..." Steve trailed off, still unable to use Hyun's random nickname without laughing. "No Booger Beast."

Hyun smiled, closed her eyes, and leaned her forehead against Steve's shoulder. She giggled softly as she felt her boyfriend ruffle her hair, and then she gazed up at him again.

"That sounds really great," Hyun said, resting an arm on Steve's shoulder. "But I promised Tess I'd be here when she came home. Next time, though, you're on."

Steve smiled down at Hyun, and they both began to giggle once they made eye contact. Then, Steve ruffled Hyun's hair again and stood up from the bed.

"That's alright," he said, gently pulling Hyun up after him. They hugged tightly, each gently rubbing the other's back, and then they held each other at arm's length.

"I'll see you tomorrow, alright?" Steve said, squeezing Hyun's shoulders. "If you're lucky, maybe I'll even be able to pick you up in the Gran Torino. How about that?"

Hyun smiled, but her sharp eyes began to flutter. Her jaw hung open and her chest heaved once, and Steve took a step back, knowing what was about to happen.

"Hih-TSHHHOO!"

Cupping her hands over her nose, Hyun bent forward with another high-pitched sneeze. She kept her eyes squeezed shut for a second afterward, and then she fluttered them open while letting out an annoyed grunt.

"Bless you," Steve laughed, grabbing Hyun with another hug.

"Thanks," Hyun groaned, her arms pinned to her chest. Eventually she managed to wiggle her hands free and she returned her boyfriend's hug. Steve gave Hyun one last squeeze and then headed back to the door.

"Hang on," Hyun called out, holding up a hand. Steve turned back to her, looking a bit surprised for a second.

"I love you," Hyun said with a smile. Steve smiled back, and then he wrapped one hand around the doorknob.

"I'll be in and out quick," he said with a laugh, "so Booger Beast doesn't get in."

"You're never going to stop making fun of me about that nickname, are you?"

"Nope! I love you too."

After exchanging one last smile, Steve quickly opened the bedroom door, stepped outside, and closed the door again. Hyun began to giggle to herself for a second, sitting back down on the edge of Tess's bed. However, her laughter quickly stopped as she inhaled a bit too much latent dog dander from the air.

"Oh, come on..." Hyun groaned, reaching her index finger up to her nose. She placed her finger under her nostrils and rubbed, but she already knew it was too late to keep herself from sneezing.

"Hih..." Hyun's breath hitched, but she decided to try holding this sneeze in, if only out of spite.

"Heh!" she hitched again, but she pressed her finger up firmly under her nose, squishing her nostrils. Hyun held her desperate pose for a second longer, her face scrunched up and her eyebrows arched, and then by some miracle her urge to sneeze died down. Letting out a sigh of relief, Hyun removed her finger from under her nose and smiled, happy with herself for finally being able to hold in a sneeze. However, just as she began to laugh, her allergies struck again in full force.

"TSHHHOOOO!"

"Ugh! Dammit!" Hyun groaned, disappointed with herself. She fell backwards onto the bed, sprawling out and taking a deep breath. After rubbing her nose for a second, Hyun closed her eyes and tried to relax. The dog dander in Tess's apartment meant Hyun's nose was always a little tickly, but she'd gotten used to it by now. Despite having an itch in her nose, she managed to doze off for a few minutes.

After a quick snooze, Hyun awoke and decided it would be best to retire to her own bed before Tess came home. She sniffed dryly as she pushed herself up on the bed, and she rubbed a finger under her nostrils for a second before standing up. Peanut was a very loyal dog, even to Hyun, but getting him into Tess's bedroom for the night was already difficult enough. Letting out a sigh, Hyun stood up from the bed and opened the door.

"Alright, Booger Beast," Hyun announced, gently squeezing her nose shut with one hand, "time for bed."

Peanut was sitting quietly on a mat in the corner of the room, but he immediately perked up at the sound of Hyun's voice. He stood and padded obediently over to the bedroom door. Stopping in the doorway, Peanut stared up at Hyun for a second. Despite the dog's innocent expression, Hyun could only frown.

"You really suck, you know that?" Hyun grunted, glaring down at Peanut. The dog kept eye contact with Hyun for a second more before losing interest, and then he continued into Tess's bedroom for the night. Hyun rolled her eyes and shut the door behind him, and then she made for her own makeshift bed.

"TISHH!"

Hyun cupped her hands over her nose and sneezed once before she could reach the center of the room. She groaned irritably and then continued her journey toward her air mattress. It wasn't terribly comfortable, but it was a clear step up from sleeping on the bare floor. Stretching her arms toward the ceiling, Hyun let out a yawn and then lowered herself down onto the mattress. Leaving the covers mostly undisturbed, Hyun sprawled out like a ragdoll and immediately fell asleep.

The next morning, Hyun awoke to the sounds of Tess rummaging around the apartment. Not wanting to get up yet, Hyun continued to lie face-down on her mattress, pretending to be asleep. However, Tess eventually caught on and decided to greet her friend.

"Morning, sleepyhead," Tess said as she quickly stepped past Hyun's mattress.

"How do you know I'm awake?" Hyun grumbled, her voice muffled by her pillow.

"You stopped snoring," Tess teased, giving the mattress a kick. Hyun rolled onto her side and curled up into a ball.

"I do not snore," Hyun rebutted, rubbing a finger under her nostrils.

"You do when you have a stuffy nose."

Rubbing even harder, Hyun rolled her eyes. Now that Tess mentioned it, her nose did feel awfully stuffy. Then again, it usually did in the morning, at least when she slept in Tess's apartment. Even Hyun had to be honest with herself; that was most nights.

"Ugh, why'd you have to bring it up?" Hyun whined, finally sitting up. She wrinkled her nose and scrubbed a finger back and forth under her flaring nostrils, but it wasn't enough to drive away the itching. Even with Peanut safely locked away in Tess's bedroom, Hyun's nose tended to fill with dog dander overnight, and morning allergy attacks had simply become a part of her lifestyle.

"TSHHOO!"

Hyun tipped forward with a sudden sneeze, almost falling back down onto her mattress. She reared up for another sneeze, but Tess startled it out of her by dropping a box of tissues into her lap. Hyun gasped, her face frozen in a tickled expression for a few seconds, and then she quickly ripped a tissue from the box and blew her nose.

"Thanks, Scrunchie," Hyun breathed, gently squeezing her nose. Tess smiled and ran a hand through her long ponytail, taking a second to adjust the scrunchie Hyun had nicknamed her for. Leaving Hyun in peace, Tess headed into a small room at the far corner of the apartment, flicking on a dark red light as soon as she was inside. Tess was an independent photojournalist, and she'd converted the smaller, unused bedroom in her apartment into a darkroom for developing pictures. That was before Hyun had moved in, and since she didn't want to force her friend to move her setup someplace else, she agreed to sleep on the floor in the living room.

"Hey, Hyun," Tess suddenly called from the darkroom her voice muffled slightly by the closed door, "I left one of my film rolls in my purse. Can you bring it to me?"

"Suhh... Hih... TSHHH! S-sure," Hyun stuttered, struggling to speak through a sneeze. Pressing her index finger into the bottom of her nose, she forced herself to her feet and made her way over to the kitchen counter. Tess's purse sat on the stone surface, already unzipped. Keeping one hand by her face to rub her nose, Hyun reached her other hand into the bag and felt around for the roll of film. The contents of the purse seemed mundane enough, but Hyun suddenly came to a stop as her hand brushed against something cold and hard. Gently grabbing the ominous metal object, Hyun carefully lifted it from the purse.

"Uh, Tess," Hyun called out, forgoing the use of a nickname. That alone told Tess her friend was feeling awfully serious about something.

"I thought we were going to talk about this," Hyun continued as Tess tuck her head out of the darkroom. Tess furrowed her brow as she gazed at what Hyun was holding; a black, heavy-framed revolver. It wasn't cocked and Hyun had opened the cylinder to make sure it wasn't loaded, but she was still careful to keep her finger away from the trigger.

"Come on, Hyun," Tess replied, rolling her eyes. "You know I've been taking shooting lessons. You even come with me half the time!"

"I know," Hyun said, pinching the bridge of her nose, "I know you've been taking lessons, but I didn't think you were just going to go ahead and buy something like this."

"It's for self defense," Tess explained, returning to the darkroom for a second. "I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. You've seen how crazy people are getting these days. It's chaos, man."

"Tess," Hyun sighed, glancing down at the gun again, "This is a three-fifty-seven. It's not the kind of thing you just get for self defense. This is what you get when you want to murder someone."

"Hyun!" Tess suddenly shouted, stepping out of the darkroom, "this discussion is over. This is my apartment, and if I want to own a gun, nobody's going to tell me I can't. Not even you. Now, please put that back where you found it and bring me the film."

Shocked by Tess's sudden outburst, Hyun nodded silently and put the gun back in the purse. Clutching the roll of film in one hand, she quietly walked over to the darkroom and handed it to Tess.

"Thanks," Tess said softly, managing a weak smile. Hyun stared down at the floor, refusing to get go of Tess's hand. Tess raised an eyebrow, and she let out a shrill gasp as Hyun suddenly pulled her close and hugged her.

"Hyun? You okay?" Tess asked, apprehensively patting her friend on the back. Hyun took a deep, shuddery breath, squeezing Tess even tighter.

"I'm just really scared," she whimpered, idly grabbing Tess's ponytail. Tess let out a relaxing sigh, playing with a bit of Hyun's short hair.

"I know, I'm scared too," Tess said softly. "A lot of weird stuff has been going on lately. Although, if I'm honest, I think people are getting a little too worked up over some strange cloud formations."

Hyun and Tess continued to embrace each other for a moment in silence. Tess smiled as she felt her friend let go of her ponytail, and then she raised an eyebrow as she felt Hyun's shoulders tense.

"Hyun? What's-"

"TSHHOOOO!!!"

"Gesundheit," Tess murmured, squeezing her eyes shut as she felt a bit of wetness on the side of her neck.

"Ugh, sorry," Hyun responded, her voice stuffy. Tess giggled, ruffling her friend's hair.

"Maybe I should call you booger beast."

After laughing for a second, the friends finally separated. Tess took a step toward the mattress to grab a tissue for Hyun, but she stopped and frowned when she saw her housemate wipe her nose by dragging it across her forearm.

"Hey, why don't you take a shower?" Tess suggested, placing a hand on Hyun's shoulder. Hyun glanced up at her friend as she wiped her nose again on her other forearm. Chuckling quietly, Tess ruffled Hyun's short hair once more and led her over to the bathroom.

"You just woke up, and you smell like a dog," Tess teased, opening the door for her friend. Hyun rolled her eyes, taking Tess's hand and squeezing it for a second.

"That's not my fault. Everything in this apartment smells like a... L-like a... TISHH!"

Feeling defeated by an untimely sneeze, Hyun groaned and slipped into the bathroom. Tess smiled as Hyun playfully slammed the door at her, and then she turned to head back to the darkroom.

"Just let me know if you need anything!" Tess called out, waving at the bathroom door.

"TSHHOOO!!!"

Hyun undressed as she waited for the water to heat up. Once the bathroom air was sufficiently steamy, she stepped into the shower and took a deep breath. Her nose still tickled from all the leftover dog dander, but breathing in the warm steam was soothing enough to counteract it. After standing in the water for a minute, Hyun reached one hand past the shower curtain to grab a handkerchief from the edge of the sink.

"Hey Hyun," Tess called from the other side of the door just as her friend started to blow her nose. "I have my first batch of pictures set up to develop, but I need to go out again. Can I take your bike?"

"What's wrong with your car?" Hyun asked, sniffling into her handkerchief.

"It won't start," Tess answered, leaning against the bathroom door. "I'll take it in for service tomorrow. Can I just borrow your bike for a couple hours? I won't be gone long."

"Sure thing," Hyun said, nodding even though Tess couldn't see her. "Just bring it back in one piece."

"Thanks! You bet!"

"See you later, Scrunchie."

After washing up for a while, Hyun stepped out of the shower only to find that her hair was still full of shampoo. Laughing at herself, she jumped back into the shower for a few seconds to finish up. As Hyun closed her eyes to rinse out the shampoo, she didn't notice the apartment lights flicker for a second. Once she was done drying off, Hyun spent a few seconds drawing pictures in the condensation on the mirror. Eventually, the hot air began to cool off and Hyun resigned to the fact that she would have to leave the bathroom eventually.

"Hih... TISHHH!"

As she stepped out of the bathroom, Hyun's nostrils filled with dander and she sneezed almost immediately. Rubbing a finger under her nose, Hyun made her way to her makeshift dwelling to retrieve some clothes. After getting dressed, Hyun sat on the couch in silence for a second, feeling incredibly lazy. Eventually, she decided to fire up Tess's PS3 and kill some time until her friend came back.

The apartment's lights flickered again, but Hyun still didn't notice until the television and game system sputtered out. Letting out a frustrated groan, Hyun tossed her controller onto the couch beside her and approached the television to check on it. Nothing happened as she pressed the power button, prompting Hyun to roll her eyes and try again. She mashed the power button again and again, and still nothing happened. Hyun was about to stop and try something else when the apartment's lights suddenly died.

Letting out a yelp, Hyun stumbled backward in shock. Her yelp became a full-on scream as she blindly fell over the back of the couch. Hyun lay on the floor in frustration for a few seconds until Peanut started to bark from Tess's bedroom. He wasn't much of a guard dog, but he always kept an eye out for Tess and Hyun's wellbeing. Rolling her eyes again, Hyun pushed herself up to her feet and decided some fresh air would serve her well.

Putting on some more functional clothes, Hyun begrudgingly made her way to Tess's bedroom. As much as she didn't care for the dog, she wasn't about to leave Peanut locked in a dark bedroom all day. Gently holding her nostrils shut with one hand, Hyun cautiously opened the bedroom door with the other.

"Alright, Booger Beast," Hyun grumbled, staring down at the dog, "we're going outside."

Peanut stared up at Hyun for a second, and then he simply stepped past her and headed for the front door. Happy that she hadn't sneezed yet, Hyun followed along and opened the door for the dog just as he reached it. However, even with the door open, Peanut just sat in the doorway, refusing to move.

"Go," Hyun ordered, pointing outside with her free hand. Peanut looked up at her again, and then he turned his attention back to the outside world, gazing out at the clouds. Rolling her eyes, Hyun groaned and hung her head.

"You were doing so well a second ago. Go outside!"

Still, Peanut did nothing. He shifted a bit, wagging his tail briefly, but he didn't move. After a few more seconds, Hyun was worried he might go back and sit inside.

"G-go on," Hyun stuttered, feeling a sneeze coming on. "Get out of here b-before I... Before I... TSHHOOO!!!"

Luckily, Hyun's embarrassingly high-pitched sneeze was shrill enough to startle Peanut into moving again. He quickly scampered outside and disappeared around a corner as he made his way down the apartment complex's outside staircase. Hyun rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help but smile. Making sure she had her key, she shut the door to the apartment and dug a sticky note out of her handbag.

"Power went out, going to the garage," Hyun mumbled along as she wrote. After signing her name, she stuck the note to Tess's door and headed down the stairs. Peanut was nowhere to be seen by the time Hyun reached the bottom of the staircase, but she knew he loved to run around in the grass outside the building, so she was confident he was still around. Putting her hands in her pockets, Hyun took a breath of fresh air and then made her way down the street.

Steve worked at an auto service garage only a few miles away from Tess's apartment. Normally Hyun would ride her bike and get there in only a few minutes, but today she had to walk. Even though the trip would take longer, she didn't mind. Visiting the garage was always nice, especially on the weekends. Steve didn't have to work on Saturdays, but he and the other mechanics frequently stopped by anyway to work on personal projects.

As Hyun walked down the street, she started to become vaguely aware of how quiet the town was. It was never a loud place, but there were usually a few people here and there going about their business. Still, Hyun wasn't terribly bothered. It was a Saturday, as good a day as any to be lazy. The only thing that did worry her was the bizarrely angular cloud formation hovering above the skyscrapers downtown. Hyun briefly gazed at the city as she walked, feeling a bit of a chill as she saw the same unnatural sky she had been seeing for the past week.

Hyun's worries immediately disappeared when she arrived at the garage. Steve wasn't anywhere to be seen out front, but she knew he was there. One of the other employees caught sight of her as she approached, and he excitedly jogged up to her to say hello.

"Hey, Hyun!" the young man called, raising one hand for a high-five. Hyun casually raised her own hand and smiled as the mechanic slapped it.

"How about a kiss for your best Bud?" he continued, puckering his lips. Bud wasn't actually his name; Hyun simply called him that because he was Steve's friend.

"No way, Bud. Where's Steve?" Hyun replied, holding up her hand again.

"He's in the back," Bud groaned, his shoulders drooping. "Come on, what does he have that I don't?"

"Manners," Hyun answered, firmly poking Bud's forehead to keep him away. Bud didn't try to kiss her again, but he slapped Hyun's bottom as she passed him. Hyun quickly spun on her heel and smacked Bud across his face, but the two of them began to laugh at each other almost immediately afterward. Hyun was still giggling as she made her way around to the back of the garage, smiling warmly as she saw Steve's legs protruding out from under his car.

Grinning mischievously, Hyun crept up to Steve and reached a hand toward his belt to pull him away from the vehicle. However, before she could, she felt an untimely tickle in her nose. Pressing a finger under her nostrils, Hyun's eyes narrowed and she took a step back.

"Heh... TSHHH!"

"Hyun?" Steve called out, recognizing the sound of his girlfriend's sneeze. He tried to look up at her, but he hit his head on something under the car. Hyun began to laugh as she watched Steve's legs flail for a second.

"Ow! Shit!" Steve groaned, rolling himself out from under the car. Hyun smiled down at him as he rubbed his forehead, and then she pulled him up to his feet.

"How's it going?" Hyun asked after fiving Steve a quick kiss. Steve moved to ruffle Hyun's short hair, but he realized how greasy his hands were and he stopped himself just in time.

"Going great, actually," Steve answered, making his way around to the driver's side of the car. "That should be the last of it." Slipping through the already open door, Steve sat in the driver's seat and wiped his right hand on a rag. After tossing the rag out of the car, he slotted the key into the ignition. Giving Hyun a wink, Steve turned the key and held it until the 1972 Gran Torino roared to life, rumbling in place for a few seconds before Steve switched it off again.

"Yes!" Steve exclaimed, pumping a fist in the air as he stepped out of the car. He leaned one arm on the roof of the vehicle and smiled at Hyun.

"You know what?" Steve said, the tone of his voice alone getting Hyun to smile, "to celebrate, I'm going to take you to dinner."

Hyun's face lit up, and then she stared at Steve with her best bedroom eyes as he made his way back to her side of the car. Steve couldn't help but laugh when he saw Hyun's odd expression, and he shook his head as he lowered himself back down to the ground. Lying on top of the wheeled board Steve used to slide underneath the car, he prepared to retrieve his tools when Hyun suddenly grabbed him by the belt.

"Uh, Hyun?" Steve asked, staring up at his girlfriend. He certainly didn't object, but he was a little surprised as Hyun laid down on top of him. Hyun let out a content moan, stretching out her arms and legs as she laid on top of her boyfriend, and then she lifted herself slightly and gazed down at Steve. She opened her mouth to speak, but a sudden tickle in her nostrils forced her to wrinkle her nose and scrub her index finger underneath it.

"Dinner sounds lovely," Hyun murmured once she dealt with the tickle in her nose. She laid herself down on top of Steve again and kissed him on the cheek. "And after that, I'll take you to... T-to... TSHHOOOO!!!"

The tickle returned to Hyun's nose, causing her to lightly spray Steve's face with a high-pitched sneeze. Sniffing quietly, Hyun gave her boyfriend an embarrassed, apologetic smile, but Steve didn't seem to mind. He gently placed a hand on the back of Hyun's head, pulled her closer and gave her a passionate kiss on the lips. Before long, Hyun and Steve were intertwined on the floor, losing track of time as they kissed. At the sound of approaching footsteps, Hyun untangled one hand from the knot she had made with Steve and she held up her middle finger.

"Whoa! Hey! I'm not watching," Bud shouted defensively, very obviously watching. "Just pretend I'm not even here."

Now that the moment had been sufficiently ruined, Hyun and Steve ended their embrace and pushed themselves back to their feet. Steve brushed himself off as Hyun looked down at herself, deeming her casual clothes insufficient for a nice night out.

"I should change," she said, glancing at Steve. He nodded and looked down at himself again.

"Me too. And shower," Steve added, more than a few oil spots staining his clothes. "How about you head back to Tess's place and put on some nice clothes? I'll clean up here, and then I'll pick you up in an hour."

Steve smiled proudly and patted the Gran Torino's roof. Hyun shook her head, laughing at his goofy smile, but then she nodded and made her way back out of the garage. As she passed Bud, Hyun drew back her right hand and punched him in the arm, quite a bit harder than she usually did.

"Ow! God..."

Hyun walked back to Tess's apartment along exactly the same route she had taken to get to the garage. Nothing had changed, but she was starting to become vaguely aware of how eerie the streets felt. The entire neighborhood was dead silent, and every light in every house was very clearly switched off. In the middle of the day Hyun never would have noticed, but it struck her as odd in the late afternoon.

A few blocks later, Hyun came across a car stopped in the middle of an intersection. The doors were closed and it clearly wasn't running, but there was no one anywhere in sight to claim the vehicle. Out of curiosity, Hyun peered inside. She began to chuckle at herself, feeling silly for believing someone would be hiding in the car, but a chill ran up her spine when she saw the driver's seatbelt was buckled, stretched across the empty chair. Hyun glanced around again to see if the owner of the car had come back, and she wasn't sure if the fact that she was still alone was comforting or not. Regardless, she decided it would be best not to linger, so she quickened her page to a jog for the rest of the way back.

"Never thought I'd be happy to see you," Hyun mumbled to herself as she noticed Peanut run across the field behind the apartment building. She always hated that dog, but seeing him around was at least familiar to her, and it brought her a little comfort after that strange walk back from the garage. Deciding to let Peanut continue playing outside, Hyun left him alone and climbed the staircase back to Tess's floor of the building. The note on the door was gone, so Hyun could only assume her housemate had returned.

"Hey Scrunchie?" Hyun called as she stepped inside, but she still heard no response. She assumed her friend must have been busy, so she continued on her way.

"I'm going out with Steve tonight," she added, starting to dig through her clothes for something nice to wear, "so I probably won't see you until tomorrow."

Still no response. Hyun frowned and wrinkled her nose. Tess was usually fairly talkative, and having Hyun around was usually as good an excuse as any to start rambling. Rubbing her nose, Hyun took another look around the apartment and found she was still alone. A pile of clothes was heaped on the floor at the edge of the room, but otherwise nothing had changed since Hyun left.

"Tess, this isn't funny! You're scaring me!" Hyun shouted, stomping a foot on the floor like an impatient child. Turning around again, she finally realized the door to Tess's darkroom was closed.

"Oh, sorry," Hyun mumbled, making her way toward the door. If Tess was busy inside, Hyun didn't want to disturb her. She just had to know if her roommate was really home. Making a fist, Hyun knocked lightly on the door. The door was closed but apparently not latched; Hyun's knocking was all it took for it to swing open slowly. Raising an eyebrow, Hyun stepped into the darkroom and took one last look around.

Hyun still found no sign of Tess, but the row of photographs hanging across the room caught her attention. They must have been the ones Tess had put up that morning as they appeared to be fully developed, or at least close to it. Putting her hands on her hips, Hyun gazed up at the pictures. Most of them were centered around the strange cloud formations hanging over the city, but the last one had a different subject. Tess had apparently taken a picture of a group of other photographers, probably to show just how many people were there to observe these strange occurrences.

Smiling to herself, Hyun took a step closer to the last picture and stared up at it. It seemed like a fairly benign image, simply a photograph of dozens of people taking their own pictures of the sky. However, the longer Hyun looked at it, the more something about it began to bother her. After analyzing the photograph for a few more seconds, Hyun's eyes began to narrow as she felt a sneeze coming on.

"Hih... Heh! TISHH!"

Not wanting to sneeze on Tess's photos, Hyun cupped both hands over her nose as she bent forward. Fluttering her eyes open, she gazed back up at the final picture and finally saw what had been disturbing her. In the exact center of the picture stood a tall, shadowy figure, only vaguely human-like in shape. It was completely featureless; not even eyes were visible, and yet Hyun felt as if it were somehow staring at her. Shaking her head, Hyun closed her eyes and took another look at the picture. The dark figure looked like it could have been nothing more than a shadow; likely why she didn't notice it until now. As she continued to stare at the apparition, Hyun became vaguely aware of a strange ringing in her ears, and a few seconds later she decided it was time to leave the darkroom.

Unable to take her eyes off the photograph, Hyun backed out of the room. She didn't stop until she was fully outside, pulling the door shut behind her as she left. Once the door to the darkroom was securely closed, Hyun took a deep breath and sighed. After taking a moment to calm her nerves, she took another step back and stopped when she felt something squish softly under her heel. Repositioning her foot, Hyun knelt down and picked up a soft, elastic hair tie.

"Hey Tess," Hyun called out, playing idly with the scrunchie, "you dropped your..."

Hyun fell silent when she noticed the pile of clothes on the floor for a second time. A chill ran up her spine as she realized they were the same clothes Tess had been wearing earlier that day. Even stranger still, her purse was sitting on the floor right next to them. Equally intrigued and confused, Hyun crept forward and picked up Tess's shirt. After holding the garment for a few seconds, Hyun noticed it was still warm, quickly dropping it on the floor in shock.

"Tess! This is not funny!" Hyun shouted, falling back to sit on the floor. She slammed a fist on the hard wood as she screamed, unable to decide whether she should be annoyed or terrified. Then, Hyun heard a sound at the door. It wasn't a knock; it was more like someone slowly sliding their palm across the wood surface. Hyun froze, slowly turning to stare at the door. Something brushed across it again, louder and more deliberately than before.

"Who... Who's there?" Hyun called out, realizing afterward that her voice was probably too quiet to be heard from outside. The sound at the door stopped for a few seconds, leaving Hyun no less worried. Then, only a few seconds later, the door slowly swung open. The handle hadn't even moved; it was as if the door simply opened itself on a whim. No one was on the other side, but Hyun began to panic. She clawed at Tess's purse and pulled it closer. Tearing the handbag open, she removed Tess's revolver, noticing right away that it felt heavier than it had before. Upon checking the cylinder, Hyun found that the gun had already been loaded.

Clinging to the revolver for dear life, Hyun gazed back at the open door. The entire apartment building hung in silence for a few seconds, and then a shadow suddenly moved into view across from the doorway. It looked just like what Hyun had seen in the photograph, and she reflexively raised Tess's gun and pointed it at the door. The figure didn't react, but once again Hyun felt as if it was looking right at her, and she was starting to feel a strange ringing in her ears.

For what felt like hours, Hyun sat on the floor of the apartment, keeping Tess's revolver pointed at the open doorway. The ringing in her ears was growing steadily louder, and the longer Hyun stared at the shadow, the more convinced she became that it was somehow getting closer without actually moving. It was closing in all around her, and before long there was nothing left but darkness.

Hyun felt something dance across her forearm, making her twitch in shock. It was light, no more intrusive than a tiny piece of string, and Hyun barely had time to register it before it happened again. This time it was under her clothes, then in her hair, and it wasn't long before it was all she could feel. Hyun continued to sit still on the floor, unsure if she was unable to move or simply unwilling to as a physical white noise covered her. She had very little understanding of what was happening; all she knew was she was too afraid to even blink.

Finally, something broke the monotony. Even with the ringing in her ears drowning out the sound of her breathing, Hyun recognized the light jingle of a collar. The shadow appeared to have noticed too; its shape remained exactly the same, but Hyun no longer felt as if it was looking at her. Instead, it seemed to be looking at something else on the other side of the doorway. Then, Peanut began to bark. It wasn't his quick, playful bark or is mournful, scared bark, this particular sound was angry. As much as Hyun disliked Tess's pet, she never once felt threatened by him. Peanut continued to bark ferociously, and the shadow on the wall steadily became more agitated, as if it was vibrating or gyrating.

Then, everything stopped. In the blink of an eye, the shadow on the wall vanished, the ringing in Hyun's ears disappeared, and Peanut's barking ceased. There was no tapering off; everything simply ended instantaneously. Realizing she was still pointing her gun at the doorway, Hyun let her arms go limp and drop to the floor. She sat in silence for a moment, though she wasn't sure for how long. Eventually, Hyun mustered the strength to stand, and she stepped outside to see what had become of Peanut.

Hyun's eyes were glazed over, no longer wary of the shadowy figure. A circular item sat on the floor outside, but it took Hyun a moment to even realize it was there, let alone recognize what it was. Kneeling down outside the door, Hyun reached a hand forward and picked up an abandoned dog collar.

"Hah... TSHHH!"

With no free hands to cover herself, Hyun sneezed openly on the collar, the saturation of dog dander overwhelming her. Somehow, the sneeze managed to snap her out of her trance and she finally realized what she was holding. Tess's revolver hung from the fingers of her right hand, and her left hand gently cradled a familiar scrunchie and a dog collar, a brass tag reading "Peanut" hanging from the center. Before even realizing what had happened, Hyun began to cry.

Tightening her fists, Hyun made her way to the staircase and headed up to the roof. Without a second thought, Hyun stepped up onto the edge of the building and stared down at the ground below. Holding up her left hand, Hyun turned her eyes to the items she was still clinging to. Tess's hair tie and Peanut's collar. Squeezing them tight, Hyun raised her right hand and pressed the barrel of the revolver to the side of her head. She paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and then pulled back the hammer with her thumb. Hyun was about to reach her index finger through the trigger guard, but the sound of a car approaching stopped her.

Lowering the gun slightly, Hyun looked down at the parking lot below to see Steve's Gran Torino skid to a halt, nearly crashing into one of the other cars. The driver's side door flung open and Steve nearly dove out of the vehicle, reaching one hand up at Hyun.

"Hyun! Don't!" he shouted, his voice barely reaching her from the ground. Hyun stared blankly down at Steve for a second, and then she closed her eyes. When she opened them again, for a split second she saw dozens of shadowy figures standing in the parking lot, surrounding Steve and his car. Shocked beyond all belief, Hyun screamed and took a clumsy step backward, falling back onto the roof. Her head slammed into one of the many stone tiles covering the roof of the building, and the last thing she remembered before passing out was the sound of someone climbing up the fire escape.

When Hyun regained consciousness, she found herself bouncing along in the passenger seat of a car. She panicked for a second, but a familiar hand grabbed one of hers to bring her comfort. Glancing to her left, she saw Steve sitting in the driver's seat, giving her a warm yet sorrowful smile.

"Hey, you're awake," he said softly, continuing to squeeze Hyun's hand. "How are you feeling?"

"Everyone's gone," Hyun droned, shifting in her seat. Steve's leather jacket was draped over her like a blanket, but it did little to bring her comfort. She glanced over at Steve again, noticing a white scrunchie around her left wrist.

"We're still here," Steve said, squeezing Hyun's hand again. His smile faltered somewhat, and after a few more seconds he was barely able to keep his composure. As both Steve and Hyun began to tear up, the former pulled the car over to the side of the road and shut off the engine. They stared into each others' eyes for a moment, and then they held each other in a tight embrace.

"We're still here," Steve repeated weakly, rubbing Hyun's back. "And we're going to stick together." He giggled hysterically for a second, grasping for anything to keep himself tied to reality. "Hey, it's going to be summer soon. You're going to get your sexy tan, and then we can go swimming in a lake or something."

"I don't care about any of that," Hyun whispered, grabbing a handful of Steve's shirt. "I just don't want to be alone again." She and Steve continued to sob silently, and Hyun reached both hands around her boyfriend's back. She removed Tess's scrunchie from her wrist and lightly played with it between her hands. Taking a deep breath, Hyun let out a sigh and began to calm down.

"Where's Bud?" Hyun asked, taking slow, deep breaths. Steve did the same, resting his chin in Hyun's shoulder.

"He's getting out of town," Steve answered. "We were going to stick together, but I told him I had to try to find you and Tess. Maybe we'll meet up with him again later."

By the time Steve and Hyun finally finished embracing each other, the sun had set completely. In fact, they never would have noticed the passage of time if the world hadn't gone dark around them. Releasing each other from their hug, Steve and Hyun held hands for a second before deciding to get going again. Steve started the car, switched on the headlights, and drove along down the road.

"Where are we going?" Hyun asked, staring out at the trees.

"I don't know," Steve answered, shifting gears. "Just away from the big cities. I don't know. What do you want to do?"

"I'm going to grow my hair out," Hyun said, stretching the scrunchie again.

"Huh?" Steve asked, surprised by her random declaration.

"I want a ponytail, like Tess."

- Four Years Later -

Hyun ran a hand through her brown ponytail, quickly touching the white scrunchie holding her hair back as she did. She managed a weak smile, but she quickly shook her head and resumed a neutral expression before anyone else could notice. Realizing only one of her companions was outside with her, Hyun smirked and slapped the side of the Gran Torino.

"Come on, short stuff!" Hyun called out, smacking the side of the car a second time. Across from her, Shirley began to giggle lightly. It struck both of them as odd that Gwen was the last one to be ready; due to her illness, Shirley was usually the one who lagged behind. Lately, however, Shirley seemed to be doing much better. The hot summer air had cleared up her sinuses, and the bright sun covered her face with freckles. Gwen, Shirley's younger sister, was usually on top of her game, though lately she seemed a bit more sluggish than usual.

"Ugh, I'mb coming," she groaned, her voice congested. Hyun raised an eyebrow at the car, noticing the new tone to Gwen's voice.

"You okay?"

"Mby hair tie broke," Gwen answered, nearly falling out of the car. Her long blonde hair hung messily around her shoulders; it was usually up in a ponytail, but that appeared to be a thing of the past. Furthermore, her previously pale skin was pink with sunburn, and both Hyun and Shirley couldn't help but smile sympathetically. Sniffing pitifully, Gwen sat down across from her companions, continuing to mope.

"You don't sound so good," Hyun said softly, reaching a hand toward Gwen, though she wasn't sure what she would do to comfort her. "You're not coming down with something, are you?"

"Doe," Gwen grumbled, pausing again to sniff wetly. "Just sobthig id the air."

"Something in the air, my butt," Hyun laughed, scooting closer to the younger sister. "You sound like you've got even more boogers than Shirley."

"Rude," the elder sister protested, pouting at Hyun. Her expression softened after a second and she giggled, reaching into her bag to get her sister a tissue.

"Well I do't kdow," Gwen shrugged, brushing her hair away from her face. "I was feelig fide a few days ago. This odly started rehh... Hehh... HEISHH-OOH!"

The younger sister sneezed harshly, ending with a girly squeak. Hyun scooted a bit closer to her again, and then she placed a hand on Gwen's forehead. Gwen squirmed for a second, but she quickly gave up and let Hyun take her temperature.

"Hmm," Hyun observed, checking her own forehead for comparison. "You know what, kiddo? It looks like you're getting hay fever."

"What?" Gwen yelped, a horrified expression washing over face. "That's dot fair! You get a tan, Shirley gets freckles, ad what do I get? A sudburd ad hay fever."

"Oh, come on," Hyun teased, ruffling Gwen's messy hair. "Up until now, Shirley and I have been doing all the sneezing. Now it's just your turn."

"It's dot fair..." Gwen pouted, idly smacking the ground with the back of one hand. She looked up at Shirley to find her older sister offering up a small packet of tissues.

"Doe, those are for you," Gwen refused politely, waving a hand at her sister. Shirley shook her head and moved a bit closer.

"I insist. If you could hear what you sound like... Trust me, you need one."

"Doe, I'b fide. I do't deed your heh... Heh! HESHH-HOOH!"

"Just take a darn tissue, you booger-beast."

Hyun froze, and then her lip trembled for a second. She scooted up behind Gwen and pulled her in close, more or less sitting the younger sister in her lap.

"Hyud? What are you doig?"

"I'm fixing your hair," Hyun responded, letting her own ponytail down. She stretched out her white scrunchie a few times before starting to gather up Gwen's blonde locks. "And seriously, blow your nose. Your voice is making my eyes water."

"Fide, jeez," Gwen relented, finally accepting the tissue from Shirley. She gently cradled her nose and then gave a sharp, honking blow. Hyun smiled as she pulled Gwen's hair back and then slipped her scrunchie around it to hold it in a high ponytail.

"Feel better?" Shirley asked, moving to sit next to her sister. Gwen wrinkled her nose and then took in a deep, pitiful sniff.

"Dot really," she whined, wiping at her nostrils with the damp tissue. Shirley smirked at her sister and Gwen rolled her eyes, but then Hyun suddenly grabbed them both and held them tight. Shirley and Gwen yelped as they were squished together between Hyun's arms, and then they both gazed up at their companion.

"Uh, Hyun?" Shirley murmured, raising an eyebrow.

"Shhh," Hyun breathed, squeezing the sisters even tighter for a second.

"Just let me hug you."

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just don't want to be alone."

-----

And that's a wrap. I was actually really glad I found a way to come back to this setting and these characters. I'm not sure if I'll be able to do it again, but in any case, I really hope you all enjoyed!

Catch you on the next one.

[Pilgrim]

Quite a tale! You clearly put a lot of heart and soul into these characters; I would be glad to see you return to them in either pre or post invasion.

[sneasons greetings]

Aww, man. This is great!

I told you I'd read 'em.

Hyun is awesome. Her personality reminds me of you. Hahah

I'm glad nobody actively just died here. I would've been sad.

And I liked that Hyun gave away her scrunchie. It was cute as.

[Klingon]

I liked this a lot I hope you'll write more of this one!

[Curiosity234]

Stupid jerk aliens ;n;

[PuddinPop]

Hyun is awesome. Her personality reminds me of you.

This. Forever this.

This story is stupidly cute. I love it.

I also liked The Breeze. I missed that one first time round so I'm glad you linked to it