exo-xexo

[exo-xexo]

This is wonderful, I was on the edge of my seat! What an absolute inspiration!

Thank you so much for putting this together. I love it!

Bring Me To Life

Genre: Angst, Power Era, MAMA Era, Open Ending

Summary: All is well when Chanyeol returns from his patrol. The red force is probably still licking its wounds from their last confrontation, right? ...right?

Word count: 4 k

Warnings: major character death, revival / coming back from the dead, coming back wrong

A/N: Happy Holidays @exo-xexo! I (admin j aka @breeze-of-sunlight) am your secret santa~

I wish for you to be able to end this year peacefully and find some rest in the coming weeks. Hopefully you'll enjoy this little fic - let me know what you thought of it if you want!

For all those unfamiliar, this fic was posted as a part of the @exols-silver-christmas event 2024. Please check out the gifts from this and the past years if you want to see some beautiful creations by all kinds of EXO-Ls. Happy holidays to you too, santa admin. As usual, thank you so much for hosting!

May you find time for yourself in these last days of the year, dear reader.

"Chanyeol, duck!", is the last thing Chanyeol hears before something hits his shoulder and promptly dissolves into goo all over his neck and back. 

And it had been such a good day until now.

He can hear Kai and Sehun cackling behind him as he tries to shake off the worst of it and pull the more resistant parts of the novaberry from the hair on his nape. "Real mature guys, incredibly funny! You're off duty for five seconds and immediately behave like little shi-"

"Sorry, I tried to warn you, but I guess my timing was off.", Suho tries to placate as he makes his way to Chanyeol opposite of where the still snickering duo stands.

"Apology accepted, but only if you send these two right back on patrol again."

Suho huffs a laugh at that and brushes off a piece of the berry Chanyeol had missed. However, a frown replaces his easy grin and he turns to address the others. "Could you come over here, please? I need to ask you all something without yelling my lungs out".

"Sure", Kai hollers back and reaches out to grab Sehun's neck. The later only has a short second to let out an undignified squawk before they get teleported across the field and materialize next to Suho. 

"Ugh, I hate it when you do that! Could at least warn me beforehand?"

"I could."

"But? You won't?"

"Boys,", interrupts Suho, long suffering of his brother's antics, "could we please focus for one second?"

"One.", echo Kai and Sehun at once but stay silent afterwards. Chanyeol can smell Suho’s hair greying.

"Have any of you noticed anything different or suspicious on you patrols today?", Suho makes a point of staring each man in front of him down until they shake their heads one after the other. "Has anyone heard back from Baekhyun yet?"

Chanyeol feels his face drop. "No, why? Is something wrong? What's going on?"

Sighing heavily, Suho lowers his head and pinches the bridge of his nose. "There might be." When he raises his head back up, he admits " Baekhyun is not yet back from his mission. I talked to the others too, but no one has heard from him since he left this morning. And we can’t reach him via transmitter right now. Quite frankly, I'm worried."

And you're definitely not alone with that. Chanyeol adds mentally. Baekhyun has never been their most serious member. On the contrary, nothing seems to bring him more joy than to aggravate the others. But not coming home from a standard patrol? Not even trying to contact them about any anomalies altering his usual routes? That's simply not a line even he would cross for the sake of a prank. He must just have forgotten.

"Kai,", Suho pulls Chanyeol back from his thoughts, "I want you to teleport to his usual checkpoints. See if you can figure out whether he's been there today."

Kai nods solemnly, the mischief from a few moments ago long forgotten.

"I don't want you to face this alone and walk into a potential trap. Take Kyungsoo with you."

"Wait, hold up!", Chanyeol interrupts, "What do you mean 'Take Kyungsoo with you'? I'm literally right here?"

“Chanyeol, do not take this personally, but Kyungsoo tends to be a lot more levelheaded than you are in these situations”, Suho tries to calm him down. And Chanyeol can see the reasoning in that, but-

"And we literally need you right here, idiot.", Sehun raises his brow at him. "We're already down a guardian who can cast a shield of light over the tree of life. If this happens to be a trap, we don't need our actual firewall gone too."

Feeling his cheeks heat from being scolded by his younger brother, Chanyeol turns away from the group. A petty fine barely had the time to leave his lips when their transmitters light up simultaneously.

"Guys,", Xiumin’s grim voice filters through the devices, "we found him."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

There have been few days Chen has felt so much negativity in their hallowed halls. Or rather, beneath the tree of life. For good reason. While the tree is not all powerful, it at least grants its guardians one thing: quasi-immortality. In the long time they've been guardians, they have never had one of them dying.

That doesn't change the fact that Baekhyun’s cold body lies before them anyway. Looking all the more fragile between the massive roots.

But it simply must be him, from his long fingers to the small freckle over his lip, Chen is certain about it. This is Baekhyun. Xiumin could have dumped an entire frozen ocean's worth of ice over Chen's head and he still couldn't have been more frozen in pace.

Chanyeol, as expected, is not quite as silent about the matter.

"Lay, I know your power is health stuff and all, but how in the world is this supposed to work? He's not missing a finger; he's missing a heartbeat."

"'Health stuff and all'? Watch your tongue, Chanyeol. I know this isn't easy for you, but damn, neither is it for us!", Xiumin hisses back, feline eyes narrowed in agitation.

Lay, with his usual calm collectiveness when faced with a patient to attend, pulls Baekhyun's head into his lap and settles a hand over his brow. "Could you all please stop snapping at each other? This is going to be dancing on the edge of the possible already. If you keep distracting me, it's certainly going to go south."

"Besides,", he raises his head to stare into Chanyeol's eyes calmly, "it's not like we have any different options, do we?"

Chanyeol tsks in lieu of an answer but otherwise drops his arguments and resumes pacing. Chen tries to reach out to offer him tactile comfort but his hand gets pushed away. No one but Baekhyun himself could calm him down, it seems. Chen refocuses on the situation at hand instead. 

With bated breath the guardians watch as Lay closes his eyes and tries what they've thought was impossible up until now. While Chanyeol is right and their powers have their limits, performing this act of revival right below the tree of life is the best chance they're going to get. If Lay manages to tab into the trees power source, then surely, surely...

Lay shifts his hands, running the tips of his fingers down Baekhyun's head from scalp to chin and then settling next to his temples. The rest of them watches, watches and stares as Lay's hands start glowing. And they glow. They glow and glow and glow and begin shaking slightly after minutes (or hours? Who can say.) pass by. Baekhyun's chest still isn't moving. 

Inhaling deeply, Lay tilts his head back in a way easily recognizable to the rest of them. He's trying to tap into the tree's power. Usually, the tree would start winding roots or branches around whoever asked for aid - the energy is easier to transfer that way. Right now, though? The tree does nothing of the like. The branches stop swaying in the gentle breeze, the leaves becoming completely silent. Adding to the eerie atmosphere that has befallen them.

The tension under the tree could be cut with a knife, even Chanyeol has stopped pacing and worriedly glances back and forth between Baekhyun and the tree. Until Lay finally drops his hands, covered in sweat from head to toe, and breathes heavily as though he held his breath the entire time. While he leans down, he whispers something against Baekhyun's face - too quiet for Chen's ears to catch. Lay presses their foreheads together and then slowly wiggles himself out from beneath the body.

Before Chen can react, he hears a gasp next to him and Chanyeol shoots off to kneel down in front of Baekhyun. "No, no way! Baekhyun, can you hear me?" 

In full disbelief Chen also storms forward to sink down next to Baekhyun. He faintly notices how Suho grabs Lay by the shoulders to support their healer after was undoubtedly the most complicated use of his powers to this day.

Baekhyun in the meanwhile has not only opened his eyes but is also currently wiping the tears from Chanyeol's face. "What's going on? Why are you crying Yeollie?"

Which of course only results in Chanyeol sobbing harder.

Chen catches one of Baekyhun's hands between his own. "Baekhyun,", Chen begins when he caught the other's attention, "you've been dead for at least the last hour."

Baekhyun's face falls slowly, as if he had to remember how to do it first.

"What?"

"Don't you... don't you remember anything at all? Xiumin said he found you on his patrol, but-", Chen stammers, squeezing the hand harder as Baekhyun beings staring off into the distance.

"But you had no pulse", Xiumin finishes for him, leaning over his younger brothers’ backs. "Baekhyun, are you sure you can't remember anything else?"

"How about you let him come back to himself first?", Chanyeol's head snaps around and he glares alternatingly at his two members. At least until Baekhyun tries to sit up and lets out a long gasp of agony.

"Where... are we exactly?"

Chen makes a bewildered eye contact with Chanyeol as they try to stabilize Baekhyun between them, "Baek, we're under the tree of life. You're home".

"Huh", Baekhyun breathes and cranes his neck around slowly. His eyes dance up the bark of the tree up into its crown. Even slower, Baekhyun tries to lift one arm and reach out to one of the branches dangling above him.

The branch, however, flees his grasp as if repulsed by him. Chanyeol catches it with a still furrowed brow and brings it close to Baekhyun, who in turn promptly touches it. As if burned the branch jerks back and turns black where Baekhyun has laid his hand. The discoloration spreads along the branch, twitching as though it's in pain. The leaves start rustling in convulsion. Chen has never seen the tree act like that, much less after touching one of them.

Xiumin, quick as always, reacts first and summons a blade of ice to cut off the branch above the growing discoloration. The still twitching appendage falls with a heavy thud. In a radius around it the roots begin twitching and rearranging themselves, not wanting to come in contact at all.

With an open mouth Chen tears his gaze away and studies Baekhyun instead. It's as though the man's face has turned to stone, nothing but apathy to be read there. "Interesting."

And suddenly, as if the past hours hadn't happened, Baekhyun smoothly rolls to his feet and dusts off his pants with an air of disinterest.

"Woah there, take it slow Baek! You really shouldn't strain yourself", Chanyeol rises next to him, although with far less grace and holds out his hands as though scared the other will collapse at any second.

"Oh, don't worry,", Baekhyun's gaze fixes on Chanyeol, "Lay did a pretty sound job there."

Something is off about his smile, but Chen can't pin it down. Has this quiet intensity behind his eyes been there a minute ago? Why does he look at them like a predator stalks his prey?

A soft wheeze pulls Chen's attention to Lay instead. The healer has braced himself on hands and knees, one hand lifting to cover his heart. Although he had managed to slow down his breathing before, it now seems to get worse again. Suho has started quietly murmuring to him again, gently stroking his back to calm him down. Kyungsoo lets himself down next to him, naturally gifted at grounding people and offers him a shoulder to lean on.

Baekhyun, apparently, has also noticed their struggling healer and coos mockingly. "Aw, poor one. Did you overexert yourself trying to save your friend, huh? You tree huggers are even more pitiful than initially estimated."

And this? This is the straw that breaks the camel's back. Despite all his teasing and shenanigans, Baekhyun would never let one of them suffer without offering help - let alone make fun of anyone in need. So. What if Lay hadn't brought back their Baekhyun at all? What if he summoned something entirely else into their friend's body.

"You're not really Baekhyun, are you?", Chen asks in a low voice. He subtly shifts into a more battle-ready pose and summons a small string of lightning to dance around his fingers. The quiet flickering of the electricity suddenly grows a lot louder as Chen feels a wave of power and relief wash through him. It's the most encouraging signal the tree has sent him all day. 

"Who are you?"

Baekhyun's eyes are widening in pure joy at the open challenge, his smile turning even more manic. "Wouldn't you like to know, weather boy?"

Before any of them can react, Baekhyun performs a spinning move and summons an orb of unforgivingly blinding light. Chen flinches and covers his eyes, afraid of being blinded even though he was only exposed for a split second. From Chanyeol's pained scream he concludes the others aren't faring any better.

He wills his lightning back down again, knowing far too well how foolish it is to shoot at a target he can't sense in any way.

Kyungsoo, however, does not seem to have such reservations. A rumble goes through the ground as he summons an earthquake. Additional to not being able to see, now Chen can't hold his balance either. While sinking to the ground as carefully as he can manage, he at least hopes Kyungsoo manages to shake Baekhyun off his feet as well.

Instead, he feels the telltale rustle in the air that comes with Kai's teleporting and the light vanishes. Soon after, the world stops shaking and Chen warily blinks open his eyes. But Baekhyun is nowhere in sight. And although Kai is still here, his limbs are entangled with Sehun, the two of them must have fallen into one another when the earthquake caught them all by surprise.

"What? Where is he?", Chanyeol asks while heaving himself off the ground, turning in one direction after the other. Chen would comment on him looking like a helicopter during takeoff if the situation wasn't so dire. “He can't have gotten far in so little time!”

"Guys.", Suho gasps an interjection, "Our tree!"

And sure enough, there is a dark, rotting hole in the tree’s bark. Oozing a dark liquid as if it's bleeding, spreading from where Baekhyun must have made contact. The tree’s branches have drooped as though all life was sucked from them; its roots aren't so much as twitching although some of them are currently squished between two slates of earth in a way that must hurt.

A forlorn no is hushed from Lay's lips. He struggles to push himself upright, but instead just falls back against Kyungsoo's chest. "What have we done?"

"He's gone", Xiumin states grimly. Gaze sweeping over the meadow and through the forest surrounding them. Nothing seems out of the ordinary. If it wasn't for the last hour, one might even say it was peaceful.

Chen picks the pebbles that bore into his skin during the earthquake out of the palms of his hand. "We have to find him immediately. Maybe if we can get that possession or whatever that was out of him, it'll teach us how to reverse the damage."

Kai, who has by now managed to detangle himself from Sehun and pulled the latter to his feet, fetches a holomap from one of his endless pockets and boots it up. With the three-dimensional star map projected in front of him, he walks up to Xiumin. "Show me where you first saw him. Maybe I'll be able to track from where he came - and see if he passes by there again."

Xiumin begins gesturing around the map, trying to point out certain coordinates as precisely and quickly as he can manage. Meanwhile, Chen sees how Sehun rids himself of most things in his pockets and even begins taking off his shoes. Clearly preparing to take flight through the woods for long hours. Searching where the rest of them can't follow him with their larger space shuttles. At least not efficiently.

Chen feels the telltale rustle of teleportation behind his back. The sensation makes him pause for a second. Kai couldn't have teleported earlier, except if he teleported himself into Sehun. Which seems unlikely at best. Yet, Chen is sure he felt the same sensation right now as he did before Baekhyun disappeared. You get familiar with the supernatural surrounding you when you live together, after all.

"Now that we're talking about it, how did Xiumin manage to find Baekhyun? Their routes are nowhere near each other."

Xiumin swivels around: "Are you trying to say this is my fault? That I'm a traitor - or possessed by that whatever-it-is as well?".

"Calm down, Minnie, no one here believes you're an imposter", Suho placates, trying to keep them united even when his own nerves must be lying raw. "What's your point, Dae?"

"I'm just saying, what did Baekhyun even do out there? If he went that far off his actual checkpoints, he must've sought out Xiumin specifically. Do you maybe think that he saw the thing coming and tried to warn you?"

"And when he realized he couldn't he sacrificed himself instead", Suho furrows his brow.

"Just a thought."

"Or,", Sehun pipes up, "did any of you stop and think about whether or not we have the real Baekhyun in general?"

Chen is certain he can hear the grass grow over the silence that descends above them.

"Sehun, what the-?"

"No, hear me out.", Sehun intercepts, "We found a body, that miraculously looked like Baekhyun somewhere he shouldn't have been in the first place. When Lay breathed life back into him, the tree of life did not help at all. Don't you think it would be a little keener to help one of its protectors get back on his feet? The twig that thing touched literally wilted at first touch, there's an enormous hole in the tree - that keeps on growing, by the way."

"And we have no actual means to find out how Baekhyun got where he ended up being", Suho adds on. "Fuck, Sehun, you might be right. This basically reeks of red force, doesn’t it?"

"Did we just bring a red force clone of one of us to life?", Chen asks breathlessly.

"Did said clone manage to escape so that he can now spread the knowledge he gained to his master?", Xiumin comments wryly, his lips pressed together in a thin line.

"We're screwed", Chanyeol exhales as he drags his hands down his face slowly. "If the red force knows where the tree of life stands, how long do we have until it starts attacking?"

"And how long", Lay pipes up from where he lays in Kyungsoo's arms, "until we can't trust each other anymore because we can't tell us apart from any clones."

And truth be told, Chen hadn't even considered that. "You think there are more of them? But how? There is no other Lay, no- no, X-Lay, right? How is that X-Baekhyun supposed to bring them to life?"

"No, I don't think X-Baekhyun can do that. But think of it, if the tree can create guardians, it's not too far off to assume the red force can too. And if it's goal with X-Baekhyun was to simply scout the area and find the tree, there's no reason to send all of its subjects and risk potential fallouts."

"And it comes with the added benefit of taking out some of us as well," Kyungsoo murmurs, stroking a comforting hand up and down Lay’s arm.

"I'm not down, I'll be fine in a few minutes."

"Just don't strain yourself. We still need you."

Suho starts massaging his temples. "That would also explain his quick getaway. If there already is a Kai clone, we can stop wondering how he pulled that off."

"So, what now?", Xiumin stares down the hole in the tree darkly. "The force weakened the tree so now it can come back with the big guns and completely claim it? And all we can do is set up wards and hope for the best?"

Chen doesn’t have it in him to respond in any way. He hasn’t felt this foolish and helpless in forever.

"We might not be completely defenseless", Kyungsoo answers quietly instead. "There's something I've read a… while ago. But it's experimental and I might not remember all the details."

Suho sighs heavily. "I can't say I'm thrilled at the thought of more experiments today."

"It's not like we have a lot of other options, though", Kyungsoo counters. Suho nods in agreement and waves his hand to encourage Kyungsoo to keep talking.

"Simply put, we would essentially split the tree in two. Hide each half in a pocket dimension. Each a mirror world of the other. The same skies over different grounds. The same grounds under different skies. That way the red force can't find it based on where it is now.  Over time the tree could grow and heal itself. When it's strong enough, we'll reunite it again. Until then we have to find Baekhyun, the real Baekhyun. And we best get rid of any clones or other units of the red force as quickly as we can. I'd rather not take any chances here."

Sehun raises a brow in disbelief: "Won't we just make ourselves vulnerable if we split up? What if they find one half of the tree, charge in there with full force and completely destroy that half of the tree? This just sounds like we're presenting the tree on a silver platter."

Kyungsoo heaves a heavy sigh, as if the worst still lies ahead of him. "There's another thing. Due to the split of our current dimension, we will create some problems with space-time. Which means we're most likely not going to be able to get in touch the conventional way. I'm not sure if we'll even be able to contact each other at all. But that also means the force will get separated. It won't be able to reconnect to its other units and neither can it switch dimensions at will. Not unless we can too. The only other way for it to do that is to wait out until the two dimensions have aligned and we merge the tree once again."

Chen isn't sure how many more hits he'll be able to take today. He locks eyes with Chanyeol, who looks back at him with similarly forlorn expression. When he lets his gaze drag over the different faces of his friends, his family, he sees the same silent emotions. In the way Sehun picks anxiously at his fingernails, in the way Suho is again pinching the bridge of his nose, in the way Lay stares up at the trees crown with glassy eyes. In the tear he can feel rolling down his own cheek. 

"This is goodbye then?"

"Yes", answers Kyungsoo, voice barely above a whisper. "But only for a while."

Suho turns away from the group, hands already on his transmitter. "I'll page Kai. We should meet at the ritual grounds. You guys should get a headstart, we won't be far behind."

Chanyeol and Sehun relieve Kyungsoo of his Lay-safekeeping-duties, their taller frames better equipped for carrying around a person. Lay keeps on protesting vehemently that he can walk on his own, but his complaints fall on deaf ears. Neither of them is willing to let go of their friend in what could be the last time for millennia.

Suddenly Chen's field of vision is obscured by a face. Xiumin's worried face. "It will be okay", he promises quietly. "We'll be back together in no time, you'll see. And the tree will have blossomed brighter than ever! Won't that be nice?"

"Yeah, sure it will", Chen snivels softly and tries to muster up a smile for Xiumin's sake. He clearly isn't very successful judging how the grief grows stronger on Xiumin's face as well.

"Just never lose yourself, okay?", Xiumin's finger rise to gently swipe away the tears Chen hadn't noticed rolling down his face in streams now. 

"Just be brave. A new world shall open up."

A/N: And that's a wrap! I took some liberties with the whole MAMA intro, but I hope you guys like it anyway :] Please consider leaving me a comment or a reblog, that would make my day! And if anyone's in the mood for it, here's the link to the EXO-K MAMA mv. Take care, everyone!

-admin j

[exo-xexo]

Worth the Wait

Author Note: Hello @chicken-fifi I am your secret Santa this year! I hope you like this little story! I put a little spin on it, but I hope you still like it! Happy holidays! @exols-silver-christmas

WC: 3,760

Characters: Do Kyungsoo, Reader, Zhang Yixing (very briefly).

Kyungsoo has been pretty quiet lately; it has you worried. Everything has been going well lately, but something about this feels wrong. You have been coming home later than expected, trying to get everything together for the holidays in and out of the classroom. Kyungsoo has also been coming home later than usual. Right now, as much as you hate it, it’s normal for one of you to be asleep when the other comes home.

Tonight, despite being exhausted, you decided to stay up longer and make dinner for yourself and Kyungsoo. You want a nice dinner with him and go to bed simultaneously, just for one night. The dinner table is, and now you wait for Kyungsoo to get home. The clock behind you is ticking slowly, and the house is so warm. You’d rather go lie down in your room than wait, but you want to pretend to have a normal night with Kyungsoo.

Surely, it would be okay to rest your eyes for a moment, Kyungsoo should be home any minute. When someone nudged your shoulder, you opened your eyes again. Glancing at the clock, you were surprised to see half an hour had gone by. The food in front of you no longer had stream coming off of it, you turned to see Kyungsoo standing beside you with his hand on your shoulder.

“Come on, let’s get you to bed. I’ll take care of the food.” Kyungsoo held out his hand for you to grab.

“No- I wanted to have dinner together…” You pushed his hand away.

“Okay, we can have dinner. Let me warm it up, okay?” Kyungsoo leaned down to place a gentle kiss on your head.

You said nothing as Kyungsoo took the food, the food that was warm once upon a time, to heat it. Annoyance scratched at your heart as you took in the sight. It’s not fair; you made dinner, and it was steaming before. Why wasn’t he home at the time he usually came home? You planned everything out perfectly, and he’s half an hour late?

“I think you’re right. I need to go lay down.” You stood up slowly, ignoring Kyungsoo as he turned around.

There are too many emotions running through your mind right now to have dinner with your significant other right now. Tomorrow is a new day, a chance to start fresh. It’s not going to bed angry, which is terrible for your health; it’s getting ready to start over tomorrow. That’s how you justify slipping into your bed and turning your back to his side. Falling asleep this time is much harder than when you were resting your eyes.

The following day, after a good night’s rest, you opened your eyes and turned to face him. The smile slipped off of your face when you noticed he was already gone. This is not how you wanted to start over. Taking a deep breath, you look at the clock next to your bed. It’s time to get going for the day, and then you can start over again tomorrow. Getting through today it’s going to be like every other day. You’ve done this so many times; you can do it again.

That’s what you thought, anyway. Once you finally made it out to the living room, you noticed Kyungsoo in the kitchen. Looking at the table, he made breakfast on two plates. Breakfast together is almost as good as dinner together. Kyungsoo smiled at you and gestured for you to sit down.

“I’m sorry I was late last night. There was so much going on.” Kyungsoo sat down across from you.

“It’s okay. I was a little disappointed last night, but things happen. I know that.” You shrugged; you didn’t want to talk about yesterday anymore. It’s in the past, and that’s where it belongs.

“You haven’t told me about your plans for your Classroom Winter Party this year.” Kyungsoo looks up from his food to give you his whole attention.

“It’s been difficult this year. I- Something is different this year.” Despite wanting to meet his gaze, you couldn’t. Being a teacher is amazing; it’s your pride, joy, and life. This year, however, things have changed.

“Do you not want to do it this year?” Kyungsoo asked; you thought about his question for a moment.

“It’s usually your favorite party of the year. Do you need help planning it?”

“No. I’m okay. I just haven’t figured out some of the details yet. I haven’t picked a day. Can you send me your schedule so I can see what you have available? The kids always love seeing you.” You smiled at him, poking at your food a little bit.

“Yeah, I can send it to you. Let me know if you need anything, okay?” Kyungsoo watched you carefully for a moment, then continued to eat his own portion of the meal.

“I have to get going soon. I have already packed your lunch away. It’s in the fridge.” Kyungsoo put his plate in the sink and walked around the table to give you a kiss.

“I’m hoping to be home earlier tonight, but I can’t promise anything. If you get home and you’re tired, don’t wait. I’ll understand.” Kyungsoo tells you sternly. You rolled your eyes and continued poking your food around.

Looking at the time, you sighed. It would be best if you got going, too; you don’t want to be late for school. The Winter Party is your favorite one of the year; it’s just nice for the kids to have a little send-off before the second semester. You’re just having a little trouble planning it this year. A lot of the parents seem withdrawn or too tired from their own jobs to participate in your family activities, and the kids (as much as you try to help them) seem anxious rather than excited to learn. Just like the rest of this year, the drive to school became a blur.

Seeing the children getting ready to learn always brings a smile to your face. The children quickly make their way into the classroom and find their desks to sit at. Your classroom helper follows the last child in. Today is the special day of the week that all your kids look forward to. Today, the kids will eat their breakfast and line up to begin their day with music. A lot of the specialty classes have been cut from your curriculum, relying solely on you to find a way to get those classes squished into your day with all the other activities. Music, however, is one you heavily fought for at the board meetings.

“Mrs. Do! We can go to music now?” One of your kids grabbed onto your hand and pulled down as they jumped excitedly. One of the two kids that decided breakfast was not important today as most of it was still on their trays.

“Not yet, we have to wait for our other teacher to come get us and our friends, right?” You gently pulled your hand from the child and motioned to the rest of the class.

“We have to make sure we make good choices and show our friends, right? Breakfast first, then it’ll be time for music.” You helped the child find their seat, she sat down and immediately started to eat a little bit. Your helper motioned you over to her.

“I finished making the invitation for the Family Winter Party, what do you think?” She pulled up the rough draft of the invitation for you to look at. Of course, it looks amazing. Your helper is so artistically talented.

“It looks perfect. While the kids are napping, can you run to the office to make enough copies for them?” You asked. Before your helper could answer, a knock at the door grabbed your attention. The kids, as if reading your mind, jumped up. All excitedly trying to get to the door to see if it was their music teacher.

“Hey, hey! Friends, let’s make a better choice. Who gets to answer the door?” You asked them loudly.

“Mrs. Do answers the door.” The kids repeated, some of them more annoyed than others.

“Good morning, Mrs. Do. I’m here to pick up our friends.” Mr. Kim greeted you warmly.

“Good morning, Mr. Kim. I’ll get them all cleaned up and ready to line up for you.” You smiled at him.

As you turned around, you noticed the children were practically buzzing with energy. You smiled at them and started to sing the clean-up song. As soon as the children heard it start, they carefully moved around each other, trying to get to the various trashcans around the room. They tried, not necessarily succeeding, to avoid tripping over each other to get to their spot in line. Once everyone was settled, as much as they could be, you released them into Mr. Kim’s care.

“Alright, what do we still need for the party? We have the invitations ready to go into their backpacks at the end of the day, do you want to make extra copies to give to the parents directly?” Your helper asked.

“I feel like that might be too much. I don’t want to make anyone feel bad if they can’t come. I also don’t want to force them into coming if they don’t want to. Making enough copies to put in their backpacks will be good enough. Are you still okay to grab those things from the store, the list I sent you? We need to be extremely vigilant for allergens.” You pulled out your laptop and started scrolling through the emails sent to you this morning.

“I know the drill. We don’t have to worry about that. What day do you want to do it?” That question gave you a moment to pause.

“Let’s do it a couple of days before the last day of the semester. That way, it’ll give parents some time to prepare while also not overwhelming the school with another parent activity.” You pulled up an email and started typing out everything that’s in stone to send to your principal, wanting her also to be involved as much as she can.

“Is Kyungsoo coming this year?” Taelin, your helper, asked.

“I don’t know yet. Let’s plan on him coming, that way if he doesn’t, we have extra stuff in case more families come than we plan on. It’s always better to be over-prepared than under when it comes to things like this.

Before you know it, your planning time was cut short as the children came back from their music lesson. Time always seems to fly when you’re trying to plan a family activity. You gave your laptop to Taelin and met the kids at the door.

“Alright, friends, let’s go to our seats and get ready for math.” A few complaints flooded the room as the children settled into their seats. Today, you and Taelin set up little counting stations on each desk and watched as the kids began counting to the best of their abilities.

You couldn’t help feeling anxious as time seemed slowly around you. When their timer rang, signaling the end of math, Taelin brought the kids over for the reading time on the carpet. Like the kids, you couldn’t wait to go home and spend a little time with Kyungsoo, he promised he could take a little time off of work to spend with you this holiday break.

When the kids lay down for their nap, you finally found time to breathe. You pulled out your phone and texted the date you, Taelin, and the principal decided on for the family activity to Kyungsoo. You weren’t expecting an answer. Taelin plopped down beside you, handing over the food she ordered for you. It didn’t taste very good, but you ordered it a couple of hours ago when you realized you left your lunch at home. You’re only getting to eat now when the day is almost over. You still have an hour and a half before the end of the day, so you put on a bright smile after naptime and keep the kids distracted while Taelin sets up the center stations for the end of the day.

By the time you get home, you’re once again exhausted. A familiar state you’ve found yourself way too often. Kyungsoo isn’t home, but you don’t have the energy to wait for him tonight. So, you sit at your dining room table, eat your lunch that you forgot to take with you, and then you head to bed. As you lay your head down for the night, you hope to dream of a night with Kyungsoo, the fireplace, and the snow gently falling outside past the window of your living room.

“Good morning!” Kyungsoo said excitedly, you glare at him suspiciously.

“You’re quite energetic this morning, what gives?” You joked as you pulled your bathrobe around you tighter.

“I know you and Taelin have been planning for the party, so I thought I would go out and get you the things you need most!” Kyungsoo show you all the shopping bags he was hiding behind his back.

“Wow, that’s a lot of stuff… Are you going to come and help decorate?” You asked slyly.

“Of course, how could I expect you two to put it up all by yourselves?” Kyungsoo asked. Your eyes widened, and you turned to face him.

“Really? You’re able to come this year?” You ask carefully.

“Yep! I already told the boys where I needed to be that day. They took it very well. Although they’re worried about how they’ll get through the day without me.” Kyungsoo joked as he placed his arms around your waist, pulling you closer.

“Well, they’ll just have to manage without you. I think you gave me the energy boost I need for this week.” You wrapped your arms around his neck as he gently started to sway, making you sway with him.

“I’ll be there with a special surprise for you.” Kyungsoon teased.

“Or really? What kind of surprise?” You tilted your head, as if he would tell you so easily.

“A fun one,” That’s it. That’s the only answer he gives you as he pulls away from you. He leaves you standing there, in a living room filled with Winter Party decorations, alone. You’d shake that man if you didn’t love him so much.

As soon as you got to school, you told Taelin about everything Kyungsoo grabbed for the two of you.

“That’s pretty much everything on the list!” She said excitedly, mainly because now she doesn’t have to be the one to go to the store now.

“I think everything is going to turn out alright this year.” You leaned against your desk and smiled at Taelin.

The rest of the week went incredibly slowly for you AND your students. All the kids could talk about is the wonderful “birthday” party Mrs. Do and Taelin are throwing for Winter. You have mentioned that it’s not a birthday party for winter, but the kids seem to be ignoring that. Surprisingly, most of the families you sent invitations to have agreed to come for the party. This is the first time, if everything goes well, that you’ll have twenty out of twenty-five families showing up for a family activity.

The night before the big day, you check the party supplies Kyungsoo grabbed from the store, to make sure there was enough for everyone that came.  Of course, everything is perfect. You expect nothing less from Kyungsoo. Despite going to bed alone that night, the smile on your face was blinding. Tomorrow is going to be a perfect day. Or at least that’s what you’re hoping for.

The next day, the day of the party, Taelin did her best to help you with the kids. All of them knew what would happen after school, they were all so excited. You can’t fault them for being excited. A group of five of them had to be stopped from caroling ‘Happy Birthday’ during carpet reading time, two kids have run out of them room and tried to invite various faculty that they found in the hallways, and three additional children refused to eat their lunches. They didn’t want to be full for the party.

The day could not end faster. As soon as all the students left, you and Taelin headed to the gym to set up the party. The lunchroom staff left the tables down that you asked for and the gym teacher left the equipment unlocked, so you can get your activities that are too big for your classroom. While setting up Taelin, you constantly checked your phone. Kyungsoo said he would come to help you set up, but he hasn’t texted you at all today. When you woke up this morning, he was already gone for the day. Despite only having Taelin by your side, the two of you managed to decorate the gym with the beautiful decorations Kyungsoo got for you. All the food was set out, and the drink station was working wonderfully. The family activities were set up around the gym, away from the tables. The only thing you’re missing is Kyungsoo.

Taelin offered to let in the families as you checked your phone again. Still nothing. No calls, no texts, you haven’t missed anything coming in from Kyungsoo. Hearing the quick paced patters on the ground, you put your phone away to greet whichever student is bulldozing their way down the hall. Once several families arrived, you showed them around the different stations with art, sports, music, and of course where the refreshments are. Taelin started the holiday music and the kids dispersed around the room tugging their families with them.

You checked your phone again, but still nothing from Kyungsoo.

The worst part of it is: you can’t be mad at him. His job requires a lot of his attention and energy. Anything could have happened, making it impossible for him to text or call you, let alone come to your holiday party. You put your phone down and followed Taelin to greet more families as they arrived. Because of the music, you couldn’t hear the ping! that came from your phone after you put it away. Twenty minutes into the party, all the families had arrived, and you were listening to the song some of your students made up with the instruments you put out. It was a very interesting version of ‘Happy Birthday, Winter.’ One you’ve never heard before.

“Mrs. Do! Mrs. Do!” One of your students ran up to you and tugged on your arm.

“One second, dear. I’m listening to the song your classmates made together.” You smiled at the girl and turned your attention back to the kids performing for you.

“No! Mrs. Do! Mr. Do is here!” She yelled at you, tugging your arm harshly. All of your students have seen your husband at least once. He likes to pop in sometimes through the year to bring you your lunch, or flowers, or sometimes to say hi. That’s when he has the time to do fun things like that.

“He’s not here dear, I’m sorry he couldn’t make it.” You sighed as you gently stopped her from ripping your arm off.

“Mr. Do!” A chorus of voices yelled out, too many to be a coincidence. You spun around to see Taelin letting Kyungsoo and…. Yixing into the party.

“Silly mommy! That’s Mrs. Do’s boyfriend! Like you and Daddy!” A little boy pulled his parents over to meet the infamous “Mr. Do”.

Kyungsoo is like a magnet for these kids, they always love when he visits. Some of the children then began to sing ‘Happy Birthday, Winter’ to Kyungsoo and Yixing.

“You’re late, boys.” You cross your arms over your chest.

“I know darling, sorry. I brought a helped with me though.” Kyungsoo gestured to Yixing.

“Hi, sorry we made him late. The boys and I thought we could bring something so we could add it to the party. I volunteered to come with and help with the clean up after the party.” Yixing smiled apologetically.

“The boys couldn’t decide what to add, so they bought this big thing-“ Kyungsoo smacked the machine behind Yixing.

“And what does that do?” You asked cautiously. Knowing Baekhyun, Jongdae, and Chanyeol, that machine could do a lot of things. It could be a weird looking candy machine, confetti machine, or anything really. The stars are the limit for those three.

“It’s a fake snow machine. Kyungsoo and I are going to go set it up in the back away from the food, we brought a tarp to put down too.” Yixing smacked the machine too, you don’t like how hard they’re smacking that thing and smiled at you.

“We also brought a Polaroid to take pictures and give to the families before they leave.” Kyungsoo gave the camera to you.

“That’s perfect and such a good idea!” You thought about your praise for a moment, then… “The camera. I’m not sure about the fake snow machine yet. Let’s set it up and see what happens.”

“You got it, Boss.” Yixing winked at you.

“Mom! Did you meet Mrs. Do’s boyfriend yet?!” You heard a child from behind you screech out. Taelin came over and took the camera from your hands, so she could start taking photos for the families.

It took a long time to get here. It felt like forever. Looking around the gym and seeing all the families enjoying their time together… This is why you put energy into their family activity nights. Seeing Kyungsoo and Yixing set up the machine and turning it on, making the Winter Party just a little bit more magical, warmed your heart. The machine turned on and Kyungsoo gathered all the children around the area him and Yixing set up, you watched as “Mr. Do” announced not to eat the fake snow and telling the kids it’s only for the pictures.

You can’t wait to clean everything up and go home. Push Kyungsoo onto the couch so the two of you can snuggle up and watch a cheesy Christmas movie. For now, however, you're content with seeing Mr. Do give the families fake snowballs for their pictures and other props you didn’t know he had on him.

This semester has been very difficult for you, that much is clear.

Yet, standing here now…

It was all worth the wait.

[exo-xexo]

Hey there! It's your Santa again :)

I have settled on a fanfic and hope you'll like it! ^^ It's been a minute for me to actually write one.

Sorry for only reaching out again so late - work also has me in its maws. I'm almost done with the fic and just wanted to make sure that you're fine with some of its core aspects. If not, that's okay too! I can still switch things up :]

I'm afraid it won't be a feel-good story, but rather angsty. It focuses on the exos and their powers in the struggle against the red force. Most importantly: character death and the revival of said character are a big part of the fic. Is that alright with you? I can understand if it's not - especially not during Christmas season - so please tell me how you feel about this.

Hope you're doing okay and work leaves you be~!

xoxo

that sounds pretty darn awesome to me! I'm sure that I'll love it! Thank you for asking, but this sounds pretty awesome! I totally understand work getting in the way, I've been pretty stacked for the holiday season, so I totally get it!

[exo-xexo]

Hey there, it's your Secret Santa again :)

I was just wondering whether or not my last ask reached you. No worries if you haven't had the time to answer yet, I just want to make sure I can get your preferences and don't have to ask the project's admin for your prompt. ^^'

XOXO

Hi! I did get it! Work has kept me quite busy this season. I do like Halloween a lot, but love Christmas more. I love giving gifts! I prefer fanfiction, but if you're not comfortable with that then that's okay! I'm totally okay with being surprised with whatever you deem is your best creative outlet. I LOVE the idea of Exo and them having their specific powers, I love fantasy. I'm totally okay with whatever you love to do.

If you have any specific questions you want me to answer throughout this time, please feel free to ask! I will answer much faster this time, promise!

[exo-xexo]

Last Day For Secret Santa Sign Ups!

Sign Ups Close tonight @ 11:59pm est.

[exo-xexo]

Dick: You have a brother?? Is he Talia and Bruce’s too?

Damian: Of course, we share the same parentage after all.

Tim: How old is he?

Damian: He says it reset after he went into the Lazarus pit. So he’s 3.

(Bruce is in the background blue screening that he has another child with Talia that he didn’t know about.)

——-

3 years ago

——

Damian: How old are you?

Jason, unsure if he can count those 6 months in the ground: I’m a few days, cause I went into the Lazarus pit and it went back to 0.

[exo-xexo]

Lumi do you know which comic it is where clark turns semi-evil and wants to destroy the world because it’s too corrupt and everything deserves to be destroyed, and bruce says “even dick grayson?” because his son is literally the best person he knows, and clark can’t answer him? I’ve been looking for it forever 😭

Hi! I know the one you're thinking of, it's Infinite Crisis #3 (2006) and it's not our Clark that wants to fold our world into the "historical fabric" of another world, it's Superman from Earth-2. He's saying that what happened here isn't Batman's fault, he couldn't trust the people around him, so he fucked it up, but on this Superman's Earth, things are different, he can trust those people. To which Bruce's response is, "And what about Dick Grayson? Is he a better man on your Earth than he is on mine?" and Superman has to admit, no, our Earth's Dick Grayson isn't worse than his. It shows that Batman does trust people, he does believe in people, and that this world isn't inherently worse than Earth-2 and it's worth fighting to save.

It really shows that Dick Grayson is Bruce's moral barometer in so many ways, that he's the hard line in the sand Bruce will draw at how this world has worth because it created someone like Dick Grayson, and how no matter how distrustful he can be or how he might fuck up sometimes, he'll always cross back over into trusting other people because he trusts Dick Grayson.

[exo-xexo]

saying “come over” to someone who lives 92657 miles away

[exo-xexo]

[exo-xexo]

chen dancing to stayc - poppy (cr.)

[exo-xexo]

Angel!Au - Sehun as your guardian angel

“W-what are you?”

“I’m an angel,” he said flatly.

“Those aren’t real,” was your immediate reply. At this point, it was fairly obvious that the mythical creatures did, in fact, exist.

“I am real,” Sehun argued. “I’m… your guardian angel.”

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

“You’re not supposed to know”

And the Angel!AU continues… *~*  

based on Where the Raindrops Fall by @marshmallow-phd 

~ Admin S

Original date of publishing: June 7th, 2019

[exo-xexo]

Kim Jongdae // Damage

[exo-xexo]

This is super cute! 10/10

Thank you!

It's Giving Thanks

“Could you clasp Laird Whiskersworth MacFluffington closer?”

“Like this?”  Jongdae clutched the oversized teddy bear nearer, but moved his head in the process.

“Yes, but don’t forget to keep looking down intensely.”  He glared at the stuffed animal, and you laughed.   “You look constipated.  Come on…  Intensely, but lovingly.”  He moulded his face into an approximation of desire, and you internally sighed.  It was giving cheesy romance novel, but you’d take it.  You could always tweak it under your brush.  “That works.”

Turning back to your canvas, you shaded more red around the female figure, represented by the unappreciated Laird MacFluffington.  True, his lumpy, if beloved body, was not the most accurate model for a human woman, but you had always been better at painting women from memory than men, hence why you needed your affectionately long-suffering hybrid’s help.  Humming as you dropped into the zone, you murmured, “That’s good…” and then internally chuckled at the betrayal of the stillness of the rest of his body by his traitorously wagging tail.

Jongdae started to gently sing along to the tune you were humming, and that really put you in the zone.  At least until the laird’s wig slowly, but inexorably slid to the floor.  

He tried.  He really did.  But you could see that he was struggling.  Body shaking, shoulders bouncing.  Cheeks puffing with the effort to keep a straight face.  Sighing, you sat back.  “Go ahead.”  You cleaned your brushes while Jongdae doubled over with laughter.  “You’re a menace,” you muttered.  “You have no romance in your soul!”

“The wig!” he wheezed.  

Rolling your eyes, you gestured with a brush.  “I’m not good with hair!  I needed visual representation!”

He was near to crying when his laughter came to an abrupt halt.  He looked over at the front door, his ears at attention.  

Figuring you could both use a break, you stood.  “I want a snack, are you hungry?”

“Oh…no…” he said faintly.

You nodded, heading for the kitchen, then stopped short, turning your head toward him in shock.  “Wait…no?”  To your knowledge, Jongdae had never turned down a snack in his life.

He vaguely waved you on.  “No, I’m not hungry.”

“O…kay…”  You entered the kitchen, idly wondering if you should play the lottery.

By the time you emerged with a plate of grapes, cheese, and nuts, he was at the door, peeping through the hole, his tail wagging slightly.  “What is it?” you asked.

He jumped.  “Oh, uh…what time is it?”

Nonplussed, you glanced over at the clock.  “12:45.”

“I’m going to go get the mail.”  With that, he was out the door, and you were left with your snack, your half-finished canvas, and Laird MacFluffington.

You had almost finished your snack when Jongdae returned.  Oddly energetic, he handed you the mail.  “Are you ready?” you asked.

“Hm?  What?”  He looked around at the discarded teddy bear, wig now firmly pinned to its scalp.  “Oh, yes…”  Striding back to the window seat, he picked up the stuffed animal, gathering it into his arms, and moving back into place.  

“Wow,” you said, struck by his expression.  Scrambling over to once more take your seat at the canvas, you looked at the painting, then back at him.  “That’s perfect.  Hold it there!  Just like that…”

***

The wind swirled lovingly through your hair as you leisurely walked through the scenic park.  You didn’t normally like ice cream in cool weather, but the vendor had your favourite flavour, which was uncommon enough to drive you to buy it whenever you saw it sold.  Looking over to see if Jongdae was enjoying his cone, you were surprised to find him staring at it contemplatively.  “What is it, puppy?”

He started slightly, then glanced at you, before smiling.  “Nothing…  It’s just…the cones are rather large, don’t you think?”

That brought you up short.  Jongdae loved ice cream.  In fact, he usually finished his, and then helped you with yours.  “Large?”

“No, it’s just…it seems like they were made…for two people…  See, they give you a little spoon and everything…”

You eyed his cone, then looked at yours.  “Hm.  I guess you’re right.  Might be nicer to buy a smaller cone at a cheaper price.”

“Mm,” he said noncommittally.  “Or share.”

“True,” you agreed.  “But not everyone has a pretty puppy with whom they can share.”

He sighed at that, his eyes growing dreamy.  “I wonder if Aeri likes ice cream.”

As you were turning to ask, “Who’s Aeri,” a sudden shout made you freeze, and then Jongdae was wrapping an arm around your waist, and hauling you from the path onto a pile of soft leaves.  

“Sorry!”

Turning, you saw a group of young teenage boys wobble swiftly past on roller blades, their knees and elbows protected by black pads, their heads covered in almost comically large, colourful helmets.  With a groan, you dropped your head back onto Jongdae’s chest, and heaved a deep sigh.  

“Hey…” he said gently.

“What?” you answered, staring at the sky, trying to relax enough to make your heart stop banging against your ribs.  

“Look at us.  We saved the ice cream!”

You looked up to see that both of you had an arm, each crowned in a perfectly intact ice cream cone, held aloft in the air.  

“Priorities.”

***

A few weeks later, you were coming out of the optometrist’s office, when you saw that a new pho place had opened across the street.  Whipping out your phone, you texted Jongdae.  

Hey

Short notice (apologetic) I know

 But!

 I just finished my eye appointment and it looks like that pho place that they were building is finally open  

Have you eaten?

By the time you made it halfway across the parking lot, your phone pinged with a soft notification.  

Omw

The inside of the restaurant was almost impossibly cozy, with golden lighting, brass fixtures, intimate autumnal-toned booths, warm honey-toned wood, and soft music.  You were told to sit anywhere you liked, and a pleasant waitress, oversized glasses perched on the tip of her nose, quickly brought a menu, and took your drink order. 

Choosing for Jongdae was easy - a large bowl of pho, brisket, flank, tendon, and beef tripe, with an extra serving of meat (hold the onions), and extra sprouts - but it took longer to choose for yourself.  Finally, you settled on something called bun tom nuong - lemongrass-marinated grilled shrimp over vermicelli rice noodles, bean sprouts, lettuce, cucumber, pickled daikon (hold the carrots), peanuts, extra scallions, and no fish sauce.  “I’m expecting someone,” you said as the waitress set down your glasses of water to take your order, “could you wait to start cooking until he’s here?”

“No problem,” she agreed easily.  “Anything else?”

“Uh…”  Pulling out your phone, you volleyed a quick text.  

His answer was almost instantaneous.  A voice recording of what he wanted, with the sounds of the metro clanging in the background.

Smiling at the phone, you chuckled before turning to the waitress.  “An order of egg rolls for him, and tofu spring rolls for me, please.  Extra basil.” 

“That’ll be all?”

“We’ll probably order boba toward the end.”

She nodded.  “I’ll leave the menu here, then.” 

Within 10 minutes, Jongdae was there, bustling through the door, and pausing to sniff the air, before turning to where you sat with a delighted grin.  He slid into the booth like a baseball player sliding into home.  “Beef?”

“Hey…” you said, almost offended.  

“That’s my girl,” he said, reaching over to ruffle your hair.  Settling back down, he looked around the restaurant before giving a low whistle.  Leaning forward, he lowered his normally boisterous voice to a sotto voce.  “This is nice...”

“Right?!” you agreed.  “I expected it to look just like a normal restaurant, but it’s giving…”

“First date,” he said, looking around.

“Date night,” you said simultaneously, before a thought occurred to you.  “Do you want boba with your meal, or after?” you asked.  

“What flavours?”

You slid the menu toward him.  “They have taro, Thai tea, honeydew, lychee--”

“Mango, strawberry, coconut, green tea…” he read.  

“Pineapple,” you added.  

He wrinkled his nose.  “Thai tea for me, after the meal.”

“I think that I’ll have taro.”

“You always have taro.”

“That’s not true.  Sometimes I have ube.  And once, hazelnut.”

“You should try new things.”

“You know that I normally do…  But the taro boba…it’s so delicious…”

“Why don’t you try green tea?”

“Too bitter.”

“What about Thai tea?”

“Delicious, but she’s no taro.”

“Pineapp…” he drifted off as you both shook your heads.  “Coconut?”

“Don’t like the texture.”

“You love mangos.”

“I do love mangos,” you agreed wistfully.

“And lychee.”

“And lychee…”

“So?”

“So…”  You pondered, then brightened.  “Three teas.  Thai, taro, and lychee.”

He shook his head.  “You are such a child.”

“And you’re stuck with me.  Sucks for you.”

He stuck out his tongue before tossing the menu to the side.  “I just can’t get over how nice this place is…”

“Mm,” you agreed, looking up at the brass fretwork lamp hanging over the table.  

“Does Aeri like this sort of thing,” he muttered to himself, turning around in the booth to better examine the restaurant.  

 “Who’s-”

“Here you go!  Egg rolls for you,” the waitress said, setting the steaming rolls in front of Jongdae, “and spring rolls for you,” she finished, setting down your plate of tofu rolls on a bed of fresh, fragrant basil, and sliced limes.  

Your mouth watered.

“Thank you for the meal,” Jongdae intoned before digging into his crispy egg rolls, steam pouring out of his mouth as he waved his hand to cool the overly hot bite.

All thoughts having flown from your head, you picked up a roll, and dipped it into the creamy peanut sauce, your eyes rolling in your head at the first delicious bite.  Reaching over, you squeezed lime onto the next bite, and wrapped a few basil leaves around the roll.  

“What were you saying?” Jongdae asked, his cheek full of food.

“Hm?  What?”  Your mind tried to replay the previous conversation, but came up blank, so you shrugged.  “I don’t know.  Let’s eat.”

***

”Does anyone else have anything for the good of the group?” your boss asked.  You did your best not to glare at your coworkers' oversized heads on the Zoom screen, as you silently willed each and every one of them to keep their mouths shut.  It was the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, 4 PM, and you were ready to close your laptop and begin your holiday.  Wednesday would be full of preparing the ingredients that you had delivered today--washing the collards, and the cranberries, soaking the great northerns, brining the turkey, slicing, dicing, chopping, and mincing the onions, baking the bread, peeling and crushing the garlic, peeling the carrots and potatoes, skinning and seeding the butternut squash, roasting the sweet potatoes, snapping the string beans, washing the mushrooms, freezing the butter, putting out the eggs to come to room temperature, clotting the cream, shucking the corn, roasting the pecans, and the pine nuts, making the dessert, the to do list was exhaustive, but--

“The trees look so pretty in autumn…”

But…Jongdae was worth it.  Currently, he was staring dreamily out of the french doors leading to your apartment balcony, watching colourful leaves twirl and dance toward earth in the lazy autumn wind.  

“Well, if no one else has anything, we do have a bit of time left, we could--” your boss started.

“Great meeting, guys, thanks for your hard work--have a happy Thanksgiving, everyone!” you trilled before giving into the sexual tension between you and the seductive Leave Meeting button at the bottom of your screen, snapping your laptop shut, and flopping against the back of the couch with a huff of release.  A few moments of silence passed before the slowly sweeping motion of Jongdae’s tail caught your attention, and you looked over to see him lying belly-down on the other end of the couch, his calves up, and his feet gently kicking back and forth in their fluffy grey socks.  You waited, but when he didn’t do anything but sigh longingly, you clicked your tongue to catch his attention before moving the computer from your lap and patting your thighs.  

Jongdae glanced over his shoulder at your invitation and rolled his eyes, but still moved to lay his head in your lap and let you scratch his ears.  You smiled as his eyes closed and his mouth curled up into what you would never tell him was a decidedly cat-like smile.  “You’re feeling awfully poetic,” you said, glancing out of the window.   

Lifting his arms over his head, he stretched.  “Well…life is beautiful…”

You sniffed around his face.  “Have you been drinking?

“Yeah,” he said.  “I’m drunk on your face.”

“Psh,” you scoffed, glaring at him, before leaning down to nuzzle his face with your own.

“Ah!  Ah!” he screamed, pretending to struggle in your hold.

“You love me!” you yelled back, holding him to you as he strained away.  “Stay still and let me love you!”

He broke first, laughing loudly as you reached down to tickle his belly.  

“So,” you said as his laughter finally started to calm down.  “Why this sudden influx of mush?”

“Why?  Can’t I just be happy?” he complained, but with no real heat behind it.  

You said nothing, but gave him a firm side eye.  

Grinning, he blushed, turning his face away a little.  “Well…”

“Well?”

“You know…”

“No, I don’t know, which is why I’m asking you.”

“There’s just…”

“Just…?” you led.  

“This girl.”

“Okay,” you said comfortably, leaning back into the sofa.  “Tell me all about her.  What’s her name?”

He sighed, sounding smitten.  “Aeri…”

“Aeri?”  Your mind clicked, and inwardly, you grinned.  Now you could finally find out who he has been muttering about for the past few weeks.  Careful to sound incurious, to keep from scaring him into changing the subject, you asked - so softly, so gently, “So…who is Aeri?”

“Baekhyun’s hybrid,” Jongdae sighed again, his eyes drifting closed before he adjusted his head to direct your scratching fingertips toward a more satisfactory spot.  

“Okay…” you drawled.  “And who is Baekhyun?”

“He just moved in across the hall,” Jongdae said matter-of-factly.

“We have a new neighbour?” you wondered idly.  

Jongdae’s eyes popped open to allow him to give you a properly reproachful look.  “You never pay attention to your surroundings!” he chastised.  “What would you do without me to take care of you?!”

“Alright, alright, quit scolding me, or I’m putting you on onion-cutting duty tomorrow.”

“You put me on onion-cutting duty every year,” he groused, crossing his arms.

“Is it my fault that you’re so good at cutting onions?” you innocently rejoined.

His eyes narrowed but then your fingers found a particularly delicious spot, and his lids slid closed once more, covering his judgemental glare.  The whumping of his heavy tail against the couch let you know that, despite his bickering, he was enjoying your ministrations.  

“Okay, so this…Baekhyun moved in recently, and he has a pretty hybrid named Aeri.  Am I caught up on all of the latest apartment gossip?”

“No, she’s not just pretty, she’s… So pretty,” he breathed, opening his eyes to stare dreamily at the ceiling.  “Her ears are so fluffy - they’re this pearly grey - and they just drive me crazy!  And her face!”  His voice hushed as if he were telling you secrets.  “Her face is as sweet and round as the moon, and her skin is like golden silk…  She has the biggest, softest, brownest eyes, but her mouth is small and cute like a baby’s--and her voice!  Her voice sounds like…a gentle river running over rounded stones…”

You squinted at him.  “Have you gotten into the dognip again?”

Without looking, he reached up and plucked your forehead.

“Ow!” you complained, rubbing the sore spot.  “I’m going to call owner protective services!” 

“You’re stuck with me, though?” he said matter-of-factly.

Grimacing, you moved to get up, only to give up the pretense as he started to whine.  “Why are you so spoiled?” you griped.

“Why did you spoil me?”

“You tricked me!  I thought that you were sweet!”

He tsked before sticking out his tongue.  “You knew what I was when you picked me up.”

“I want my money back!”

“I was free?”

“Ugh, get off, get off,” you grumbled only to have Jongdae turn around and wrap his arms around your waist, burying his face in your belly, his tail wagging madly.  Unable to keep up the pretense of being upset you sighed, and relaxed against the couch as he laughed.  

“Hey…” he started.

“Hm?”

He nuzzled your belly.  “Have you gained weight?  You feel softer.”

“Hey, Jongdae?” you crooned, gently brushing his hair back from his forehead.

“Hm?”

You leaned down to whisper tenderly into his ear.  “It’s not too late to have you neutered, you know.”

He snapped his legs closed.  “You’re looking especially slender today, you know in some lights, when you turn sideways, I can hardly even see you, wow!  Are you there?  I can’t see you!  You’re so thin!”

“Shut up, Jongdae.”  Your stomach grumbled.

One of his ears perked toward the sound, and his expression turned serious.  “Hungry?”

“No,” you grouched.

“What do you want?” he said, standing.

“Nothing!” you pouted.

Leaning down, he looked sweetly into your eyes, gently brushing your hair away from your face before softly plucking your forehead.  “Silly.  Don’t skip meals.”

“Why are you so mean to me!?” you whined.

“I am literally so good to you!” he protested, heading toward the kitchen.  “Now, what do you want to eat, munchkin?!”

“Mm…ramyeon.”

“One pack of ramyeon?” he called from the other room.

***

“Miss?”

You jumped, startled.  “Hm?”

The convenience store owner held up your midnight snack.  “One bowl of ramyeon?  Will there be anything else?”  

You forcibly dragged yourself from thinking about your older boyfriend, from your mind prodding over the problem of how to extricate yourself from the relationship like a tongue worrying a sore tooth.  The cashier’s eyes dropped slightly and you followed his gaze to a hand print in sickly green on your arm, hitherto unnoticed.  As you glanced down, motion caught your eye, and you turned to see a too-thin hybrid loitering just outside of the convenience store, his ears and tail drooping.  You stared at him.  At the gangly arms sticking out of his shirt, the dejected slant of his head.  A rushing sound filled your ears, your palms began to tingle, and your underarms pricked with sweat.

“Miss?  Anything else?”

Vaguely, you looked back at the cashier before your thoughts focused.  Making a decision, you turned back to the shelf, pulling another bowl of ramyeon and putting it on the counter.  “Two bowls of ramyeon, please, sir.  And…” you grabbed a few fish sausages, and a couple packets of gim, “these, as well.”

Upon purchase, you turned to the hot water dispenser and poured the steamy liquid into both bowls, while keeping an eye on the skinny hybrid sitting at one of the tables in the warm spring night.  He watched the passers-by, his cream-coloured ears twitching this way and that, as his tail hung straight behind him.  In one of the bowls, you cut up the fish sausages and then, after draining the water, crumbled the gim into both bowls.  Should you add cheese?  Cheese and fish sausage?  Maybe not…  

Walking outside you stood behind him, noted how his ears turned toward you, but he didn’t move.  “Excus--” clearing your rusty throat, you started again, “Excuse me, but…they were having a 1+1 promotion on this ramyeon, and I can’t eat two bowls.  Could you help me?”

At your voice, the hybrid froze, before turning to cautiously glance at you over his shoulder.  Upon noting that it was to him you were speaking, he turned halfway, glancing down at the bowls in your hands before looking around for other people, as if he couldn’t believe that you were addressing him.

You smiled, and set the bowl of ramyeon with the sausages in front of him.  “Yes, you, puppy.  Do you mind?”

His tail cautiously began to wag as the steam from the noodles wafted up to his nose.  “I can eat this?”

Your heart panged.  “If you want.  You don’t have to.  It’s up to y-”

“No, I want to!” he interrupted, wrapping an arm defensively around the bowl.  “Thank you for the meal.”

You tried not to eye the way the neckline of his oversized tee shirt hung open to expose overly-prominent collarbones.  “Would you mind…if I ate with you?”

He looked up, his cheek pouched with sausage, a clump of noodles connecting his mouth to the bowl.  Moving around the food in his mouth, he asked, “You want to eat with me?” his voice incredulous.  

“If you don’t mind.  If you’d rather eat alone, I’ll understand, though.”

His nose twitched, and he whined slightly, his tail starting another cautious wag.  “I like company.”

“Thank you,” you said, sitting next to him, and introducing yourself before tucking into your own meal.  You noticed a slight accent, and it made you even more curious.  “What’s your name?”

“Jongdae,” he said around another mouthful of food.  “I’m waiting for my owner.”

You hadn’t asked.  

A group of rowdy teenage boys passed by, and Jongdae perked up, his ears standing at attention, his tail wagging slightly before he caught a good look at all of them, and slumped once more.  

“I see,” you offered neutrally.  

Jongdae paused, then once more began stuffing ramyeon into his mouth.  “He’ll be back soon.”

Nodding noncommittally, you continued to eat.  “How’s the ramyeon?”

“It’s good,” he said enthusiastically.  “I like the sausage, especially!”

“Would you have liked cheese on it?”

“Oh, I love cheese!” he grinned, his tail wagging so hard that it bumped your side a few times.  

“What else do you like?”

Jongdae happily launched into a monologue of all of the things that made his heart happy, and you listened, your nerves easing at his cheerful chatter.  

By the time both of you had finished your meals, you found yourself reluctant to leave, but Jongdae was once more surreptitiously searching for his master, and it’s not like you could drag him away.  “Well, thank you for keeping me company.”  You stood.  “I enjoyed talking to you.”

“You’re going?”  He sounded disappointed.  

“I have to, puppy; I have class in the morning.”

“You’re a student?”

“Grad student.”

“What are you studying?”

“Business administration.”

“Ah…” he looked around for a moment, then gave you a sweet smile.  “Thank you again for the meal.  I ate well.  Have a good night.”

“You too, Jongdae.”

***

“Will this be all for you tonight?

You looked down at your bowls of ramyeon, your sausages (pork this time), water, and cheese.  “Yes, please.”  

As horrible as it was to admit, you were glad to see Jongdae at the convenience store the next day, as the conversation with your boyfriend, Alex, hadn’t gone well, and you needed a little puppy therapy.  Alex’s lease was ending, and he seemed determined to move in with you which, for a number of reasons, wasn’t what you wanted at all.  He insisted that he had to because he had nowhere to go (a lie--there were his siblings, his parents, or another apartment), and housing was expensive (true, but he had been working for the last 10 years, and with $70k per year, no debt, and no one but himself to support, he should be able to find something), which begged the question of why he had waited until the last minute to start looking.  His excuses--he hadn’t had time, he just wasn’t good at that sort of thing, the search was too stressful--felt hollow, and you felt managed, manipulated.  The conversation with him, as usual, went nowhere as soon as his temper started to rise.  He had never hit you, true, but at this point, it was starting to feel less of an if, and more of a when.  

Which is why you wanted to keep him out of your space.  You were trying to bring the relationship to a close, not start a new chapter, and in the back of your mind, you wondered if Alex knew, if he felt his control over you slipping, and that was the basis for his sudden, burning need to grow closer.  To be honest, your love for him had almost instantaneously died after you realized that he had started to use physical intimidation against you every time he didn’t get his way, and since then, you had been trying to carefully extricate yourself from his life.  As your mama always said, if you find your hand in the lion’s mouth, you have to wring and twist ever so gently to get it out.  

This time, Jongdae politely watched as you made your purchases, though his disinterest was belied by the muted wagging of his furry beige tail.  You exited the convenience store with a smile on your face and two bowls in your hands.  “Hungry, puppy?”

His expression was a study in the war between manners and appetite, and you quickly decided to put him out of his misery, setting one of the bowls and packets of chopsticks in front of him, along with a bottle of water.  

Jongdae’s face lit up as he sat down, tossing off a quick, “Thankyouforthemeal,” before shoving a wad of ramyeon in his mouth, and chewing happily.

Tonight, you found out a little more about him, like his age--a little older than you (can I still call you puppy?), his favourite foods (everything), and the somewhat surprising fact that he could play the piano.  Too soon, however, the midnight snacks had been consumed, and it was time for you to return home.  You would have loved to stay and continue talking to him, but the combination of an early morning, as well as the second-hand pain of watching his eyes constantly scanning the horizon for an owner that you were 95% sure would never return, was too much, and you regretfully made your leave.

The next night--having no appetite--you gave both bowls to Jongdae, and let him do all the talking as you just enjoyed his presence, quietly taking strength from his sweet chatter.  That day had been particularly difficult, as you had made up your mind to break up with Alex, but before you could come to the point, he had somehow turned the conversation around by accusing you of cheating on him.  Between your indignant defense, and the subsequent smoothing of Alex’s feathers (as he vacillated between intimidation and rhetoric bordering on self-harm), you had completely forgotten the break-up portion of the evening.

“Jongdae.”

He paused in his chatter about how he didn’t know why people were so into Bach, when a whole Liszt exists, to look at you quizzically.  

Realizing that you had interrupted him, you flushed.  “I’m sorry, I was just wondering…where are you from?  You have such a cute accent.”

He smiled, and it was like the sun breaking over the horizon.  “South Korea!”

Your jaw dropped.  “Really?”

He nodded, popping a bite of sausage into his mouth.

“Wow, that’s far.  What’s it like there?”

Jongdae launched into stories of his childhood and adolescence in his native country.  You learned that he was a Jindo hybrid--a hybrid native to South Korea that was rarely found outside of the country--and subsequently, he stated with pride, very expensive.  

Something about that made your stomach flip in distaste, but you kept your feelings to yourself.  

Later that night, as you lay in bed, thinking over the day to come, over classes, and errands, and events, the thing that filled you with the most anticipation wasn’t campus movie night, or half-off chocolate malt Wednesday, or the book that you had reserved weeks ago that was finally ready for pickup.  No, what lifted your heart, and made you smile was the thought of spending time with Jongdae.  

He was such a sweet, warm, intelligent, delightful person, and you couldn’t imagine how his owner could have abandoned him.  You wished that you could bring him home, but the way his eyes roved, the way any lull in the conversation would result in a reference to his owner, let you know that he wasn’t ready to accept the fact that he had been abandoned.  

And he was so fine!  Abandonment of any hybrid, or pet filled you with righteous indignation, but from what you learned, Jongdae had been raised preciously, in a prosperous household, knowing no privation, and you knew that going from playing the piano, learning languages, eating Hanwoo beef, and attending weekly sessions at the groomer spa, to sleeping rough in the heart of a foreign nation’s capital, and relying on strangers just for food must have been…untenable.  Here he was eating ramyeon every night, when he deserved black pork.

Yet, he never complained, never spoke a word against his owner, always greeted you with a radiant smile, and welcome in his warm brown eyes.  You wanted to ask more about how he came to be “waiting” for his owner--the situation that had led to this, but you didn’t know how.  Naturally reticent to pry, you had no idea how to bring up that conversation, especially as he still seemed to adore his former owner.  A thought popped into your head and, reaching over, you opened your laptop to look up the Jindo breed.  

Loyal, watchful, and intelligent, the Jindo developed as a breed on an island off the coast of South Korea. They are valued as independent hunters, discerning guardians, and loyal companions.  With erect ears and a rolled or sickle-shaped tail, they are the quintessence of agility, strength, alertness and dignity.  The Jindo’s excellent sense of direction supports its very strong instinct for hunting; it is bold, brave, alert and careful, and neither tempted easily, nor impetuous. But most of all they are extremely faithful to their masters.  A one-person dog, they readily accept a new master, but never forget their attachment towards the former master who raised them from puppyhood. They keep themselves clean and eat sparingly. 

Well, if that didn’t just describe Jongdae almost to a T.  You continued to read.

The Jindo is a fastidious breed whose double coat requires weekly brushing with a slicker or pin brush. They are known for being extremely meticulous and clean. Their double coat repels dirt and water, and they do not normally produce an odor. Throughout most of the year, their coat requires little more than weekly brushing to keep shedding at a minimum and the occasional bath for them to look their best. 

Ah, you thought, that would explain how he could manage to look and smell so clean despite having been sleeping rough for a few weeks now.  And it made you feel a bit better about not being able to feed him more, although you still thought that he could use a few good (okay, an infinite number of) home-cooked meals.  

But, what could you do?  He was an adult--older than you, as a matter of fact--and if he chose to pine his way through life, then you were powerless to stop him, you could only keep him company, and feed him as your finances (read: graduate stipend) allowed.  Besides, you had your own problems to deal with, as you tried to navigate towards the end of your relationship with Alex.  

You ate ramyeon with Jongdae nearly every night for almost three weeks. Sometimes he looked as if he were reading your face, as if there were something that he wanted to say, but instead, he always looked away, told some joke, or some story about his life growing up in the lap of privilege. You wondered what was going through his mind, but didn’t want to pry.  After all, you too had your secrets.  Such as the fact that you were determined to end it with Alex tonight.  He had finally crossed the line yesterday, slapping you when you had once again turned down his sexual advances.  You had never been overly interested in taking that step with him, and the worse his behaviour grew, the less inclined you were to reconsider.  No matter how much he cried, or tried to gaslight, or change the subject, or threaten, or railroad, or flip the script, you were determined not to let him get a foothold in your home, knowing that if you did, he would never take no for an answer ever again, and you would have no safe harbor from the storm of his will.  

“Why…” Jongdae seemed hesitant.

“What is it, puppy?” you asked in your sweetest, softest voice, closing your eyes momentarily before looking up from where you were staring into your ramyeon to focus entirely on him.

“Why do you…smell like that?”

You grew alarmed.  “Smell like what?”  Had you forgotten to apply deodorant this morning?

“Like...pain?  You smell like that a lot, actually, but it’s…really strong tonight.”

Your stomach flipped and you lost your appetite.  Pushing your ramyeon toward Jongdae, you smiled as you gestured for him to finish it.  “Hm…” you murmured, stalling for time.  “Maybe…PMS?”

“No, you had your period last week,” he demurred.  At your look of horror, he shrugged.  “Hybrid.”

“I’ll thank you to keep your nostrils to yourself,” you responded tartly.

“How do you propose I do that?” 

“Oh, you’re cheeky today!”

“Please don’t change the subject,” he said quietly.  “You smell like you’re…hurting.  I don’t smell blood, though.”

You sighed.  “It’s complicated, puppy.  Nothing for you to worry your pretty head over.”

He frowned.  Then, looking you over, his eyes narrowed on your neckline, and his nose twitched.  Before you could stop him, he had stood, and pulled your shirt to the side, to expose the blackish purple decorating your collarbone.  Whining, he dropped to a crouch, his hands careful as he moved your shirt to study the extent of the bruise.  “What happened,” he asked softly, delicately patting your skin with gentle fingertips.  

“It’s nothing, really,” you protested, easing out of his hold, and pulling your shirt to cover the lividity.  “I’m clumsy.”

Jongdae stared at you, nostrils flaring, and in that moment, he didn’t look like a puppy.  He looked very focused, and very alert.  He tilted his head to the side, nose still twitching before he closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, his jaw relaxed, the white tips of his canines glowing in the shadow of his mouth.  

You opened your mouth to say something--anything--to interrupt the awkward moment, when the trill of your phone did it for you.  Pulling it out of your bag, you inwardly groaned to see the name that flashed across the screen.  “Hello?”

“Where are you?”

“At the convenience store.”

“It’s midnight.”

“I wanted a snack.”

“We need to talk.”

As you were in public, you tried to keep your end of the conversation neutral.  “I’m going home after this.  I have an early day tomorrow.”

“Well, fortunately for us, we can kill two birds with one stone, because I’m already home.”

“What?”

“I’m home.  You know, our home.  I decided to just go ahead and start sleeping here.  Really, you should change the key code.  Your mom’s birthday?  Anyone could have guessed that.  Anyway, come quickly.  We need to discuss when we’re going to bring my stuff.”  As per usual, once his business was concluded, Alex disconnected.  

Standing quickly, you turned toward Jongdae, who was watching you closely.  “Okay, puppy.  I have to go.”

He leaned forward.  “What’s wrong?  Where are you going?”

“Don’t worry, I’m just going home.  I have to take care of something.”  Smiling reassurance, you reached out and ruffled his hair.  “I’ll see you…later.”  With an awkward wave, you hitched your bag over your shoulder, and took off at a trot, as Alex didn’t like to be kept waiting.

You were going to break up with him.  You were going to do it.  You had to do it.  The window for doing it had almost closed, so it was now or never.  No distractions, no redirections.  Given his inclination toward the physical, you had previously determined that it would best be done in a public place, but now he had left you no choice.  At least your apartment was your territory.  And, if nothing else, unlike at his soundproofed apartment, someone would probably hear you scream.  

Maybe.  

Rushing inside the building, you ran up the three flights, taking the stairs two at a time--the elevator having broken earlier that week--simultaneously scared of what lay ahead of you, as well as excited to finally put an end to this ill-fated relationship.  Standing in front of your door, you had just started to input your key code when the door opened, and a hand reached out to grab you by the hair and haul you inside.  

You growled with pain as Alex dragged you into the living room before wrenching up your head in order to glare at you properly.

“You wanted a snack, huh?  I called the convenience store.  Apparently, you’ve been having ‘a snack’ almost every night for three weeks with some guy?”

Initially shocked by the blitzkrieg, his words brought you to your senses.  You were smart enough not to meet aggression with aggression, considering he currently had the upper hand, so you decided to play the game.  “Baby,” you started breathlessly, “He’s a hybrid without an owner.  I’ve been feeding him.  You can ask the convenience store employee.” 

He slapped you so hard your ears rang, before roughly shaking your head.  “Is that why you’ve been denying me all this time, huh?  You want to lie down with dogs?”

“It’s not like that,” you protested, trying to ignore the pounding that had started behind your left eye.  “We’ve never--”

“SHUT UP!” He roared in your face so loudly that for a beat, you were momentarily deafened.  Alex wrapped a hand around your throat, shaking you like a rag doll before throwing you to the ground.  Then, he was on you, tugging at your pants, yanking so hard that you heard them rip as he dragged them down over your bottom.  “Everything I’ve done for you--I can’t believe I let you make me wait while you were out there giving it up like a bitch in heat!”

You were scrabbling, grabbing at the rug, the couch, the nearest leg of the coffee table, desperately trying to find purchase on something--anything that you could use to defend yourself, when suddenly the too-hot weight of him on your back was gone, quickly followed by a booming thud, and a deep growl.  Fumbling at your ripped pants, you flipped over, crawling backwards as your mind momentarily struggled to understand the unfolding scene.

Jongdae--always smiling, too-thin Jongdae--was rolling around the floor with Alex, punching and biting any part of your boyfriend’s--ex-boyfriend’s--body that came within reach.  Alex was a largish man, vainly muscled from hours spent at the gym, but he was no match for the hybrid’s superior speed, agility, or ferocity.  A snippet from a documentary on hybrids popped into your mind, a segment that had explained that hybrids’ exceptional strength derived from longer muscle fibers.  Well, now you got to see the science in action, as the seemingly slight Jongdae completely dominated the larger Alex, grabbing, and throwing him about as easily as Alex had you.  

“Fucking hell,” Alex swore as he heavily dragged himself up, using a table for support.  Grabbing a vase, he broke it before spinning to face Jongdae, who crouched as if he were about to make a leap for the man’s throat.

“Police!  Both of you, get down on the ground!”

Jongdae spun to growl at the officer standing in the doorway, her hands steady on her outstretched gun.

“Jongdae, no!  Stop!  Stand down!”

At your voice, he relaxed, the bloodlust draining from his eyes as awareness flooded back.  Slowly, he stood from his crouch, carefully raising his hands above his head.

“Officer!” Alex gasped, pushing his way forward, the broken vase still in his hand.  “This hybrid is rabid, or feral, or something!  I was in here, talking with my girlfriend when he just ran in and attacked me in my own home!”

“He’s lying!” a quavering old voice said.  

You turned to see your little old neighbor--Miss Mina--shuffle inside.  One look at you, and she clucked her tongue, removing her house coat with some effort before draping it over you.  Grateful, you pulled the edges of the ruffled pink thing around your body, trying to hide your nudity from view, oddly comforted by the combined scents of lavender and salonpas that drifted from the soft quilted coat, still warm from her body.  

“I was the one who called you when I heard that man,” she said, pointing to Alex, “attacking this young lady.  This boy,” she continued, waving a finger at Jongdae, “saved her.  If it hadn’t been for him…  Well, just look at her!”

The officer glanced at you before swearing softly, and holstering her gun.  “Spinelli!”

“I got you.”  A black-haired male officer eased from the doorway into your sightline, his strong, blue-shadowed jaw tight, his gun aimed at Alex, who looked mad enough to chew glass.  Striding forward to crouch beside you, the female officer--Officer Warren according to her nameplate--brought her hands to your face.  From the way that she winced, you knew that it had to be bad, and all of a sudden, in entirely too many places, your body began to throb, as if it now felt safe enough to send pain signals to your brain.  

Her sunshine blonde hair, streaked with silver, was pulled back in a tight ponytail, and her eyes, the clear blue of a summer sky, darkened as she looked you over.  She looked nothing like your mother, but she was motherly, and you were grateful.  The graceful lines beside her mouth deepened as her lips tightened.  “Miss, who did this to you?”  Despite her forbidding expression, her voice was soft.

You could feel the burn of Alex glare on the side of your face, and you couldn’t find your voice.  But then, Jongdae whined, and you looked to see the bruise forming on the side of his face, the absolutely agonized expression in his eyes, the fine trembling that had overtaken his body, as if he were fighting every single instinct that he had not to come to you.  You tried to speak, but your throat was painfully dry--you must have been screaming without even realizing it.  Coughing slightly, you tried again.  “Him,” you said, pointing to your ex.   “It was him.  Alex.  He’s--he was--my boyfriend.  I’ve been trying to break up with him for weeks.”  Pulling open your collar, you turned away from the officer.  “He gave me this a few days ago.  And this,” you said, pulling up your shirt to expose a rotten yellow bruise on your ribs, “two weeks ago.  He doesn’t live here, but he has been trying to convince me to let him move in.  Jongdae…saved me.”

“Mike, take him away.”

The male officer gestured at Alex with his gun.  “Turn around, and put your hands behind your back.”

“You don’t understand!” Alex protested, waving the broken vase.

“Drop the vase, and turn around, sir,” the officer repeated.  

“Just let me explain,” Alex continued, lowering his hands, and starting for the officer.  

“Sir!  Get on the ground, now!” the officer commanded, using his thumb to remove the safety from his gun with a loud click.  

Alex froze.  Then, with a dark look, he tossed the vase to the side, raised his hands once more, and turned, before carefully lowering himself to the ground, where the male officer clapped handcuffs on him none too gently before hauling him to his feet, and pushing him out of the apartment.

“Is this your hybrid?” Officer Warren asked.  

Your heart thumped, and the sound of your blood rushed in your ears.  What would happen to Jongdae now?  Would he be put in the system?  Alex had enough money to hire a lawyer sharkish enough to railroad a poor, homeless hybrid into being euthanized, but if Jongdae insisted on being claimed by his absent owner, then how could you--

“I am.”

The rushing noise grew silent.  You looked up at Jongdae, who was looking steadily at you, his eyes tender, that comfortable smile that gently curled up at the ends, like everything soft and peaceful, gracing his face as lovely as a promise.  

“She’s my mistress.”  

At your nod, Officer Warren waved Jongdae over.  “Take her to put on something decent, so that we can record her statement.”

Wincing in pain, you hooked an arm around Jongdae, expecting him to help you up, but instead, he slid one arm around your back, the other under your knees, and lifted, standing easily before looking askance at the closed doors of your apartment.  With your eyes, you surreptitiously indicated which door led to your bedroom, and he carried you there, putting you down once he had strode inside before turning to close the door, and stand posted, his back to the room.

“I’m your mistress?” you murmured, sotto voce, as you grabbed a new pair of underwear, and some leggings.  

“If you’ll have me,” Jongdae whispered back.  “He’s--” his voice broke.  “He’s not coming back, is he?”

You paused in the act of pulling your pants up your legs.  Tears filled your eyes as you looked down at the floor.  “I’m sorry, puppy.”

Jongdae inhaled deeply, before letting it all out in a pained sigh.  “Will you keep me?”

Walking over to him, you clasped him around the waist, leaned your unbruised cheek against his back.  “I promise,” you said, squeezing him tightly.  

He turned in your arms, and leaned down to wrap his own arms around you, bury his nose in your neck.  “Thank you,” he murmured.  

You pretended not to notice the warm wetness sliding down the side of your neck.

***

You pulled the stuffed turkey from the oven, its skin glistening with a honey-mustard whiskey glaze.  Meanwhile Jongdae lounged on the couch, gazing longingly at the door.

“Hey, boy,” you said, coming up beside him, and scratching him behind the ears.  Idle curiosity pricked.  “Aeri?”

“Yeah,” he said dreamily.

“They’re both home?”

“Yeah.”

“Mm.  What are they having?”

Jongdae sniffed the air before wrinkling his nose.  “Burnt frozen macaroni and cheese, baked sweet potatoes, and fish sausages.”  He looked up and you looked down to share an incredulous look.  

“Maybe…”

He perked up, his tail starting to wag carefully.  

“Maybe we should introduce ourselves.  Invite them to dinner.  What do you think?”

His grin was wide, and his tail was a blur.  

Okay.  To be honest, you weren’t the most social of people, but if it was within your power, what Jongdae wanted, Jongdae got.  

Steeling your courage, you ripped open your apartment door, inhaled deeply, and strode across the hall to your neighbour’s apartment.  Raising a fist, you let it hover over his door for a moment as you tried to calm the beating of your heart.  From the corner of your eye, you saw a slender arm reach forward before three quick raps rang through the hallway.  Turning, you glared at Jongdae, who just goofily smiled back, his eyes disappearing into crescents, his entire face beaming like morning sunlight on water.

You hated h-

The door swung open, and you whipped your head around to see--oh.

Oh, my.

You hadn’t dated since all of those years ago when Jongdae took out the trash, but the man who answered the door was enough to make a nun reconsider her vows.  

When you didn’t say anything, he quizzically cocked his head to the side, and smiled, and oh! 

A small girl stood just behind him, her chin no higher than his raised arm, gazing over the man’s shoulder at Jongdae.  A curly salt-and-pepper tail behind her wagged so fast, that all you saw was a furry blur.  

At the boisterous whoosh of her lashing tail, the man looked back, then followed her gaze back to Jongdae.  A knowing expression dawned over his face, and he grinned.  “You must be Jongdae,” he said.

“Yeah,” Jongdae said, staring at the girl who peered at him from over the man’s shoulder.

At that, you found your voice, and introduced yourself, holding out your hand.  

The man blinked down at your proffered hand, before reaching out his own for a gentle handshake, his warm hand enveloping your own.  “I’m Baekhyun.  It’s nice to meet you.”  

“I’m nice to meet.”  Baekhyun blinked, and your eyes drifted to the side in incredulity of your awkward.  Your mouth took one look at the pile of gently simmering mush that had once been your brain and decided to take over.  “I was just thinking…well…Jongdae has had such nice things to say about Aeri that it made me want to meet her, and we just cooked so much, and it is Thanksgiving, so…um…I…well, we, were wondering…did you…want to come over, and eat Thanksgiving dinner with us?”

Aeri lifted a hand to tug plaintively at Baekhyun’s shoulder.  

Grinning mischievously, Baekhyun crossed his arms, and leaned against the doorjamb.  “Are all those good smells coming from your apartment?”

“Yes, they are, you should come over,” Jongdae said, all in a rush.  

You looked back at him, meaningfully looking him up and down.  Smooth.  

His expression--gazing dreamily at Aeri--didn’t change, but he did surreptitiously reach up to pinch your side.  

“I don’t know… I just made dinner…”  Baekhyun started, tilting his head uncertainly.  

At that, Aeri dropped under his arm to pop up directly in front of you.  “Yes, we’ll come!” she said, her voice sounding a bit panicked.  

Baekhyun still looked undecided for a moment, but then his expression brightened.  “I could bring it over.  Like a potluck!”

Aeri looked at you pleadingly.  

“Uh…Jongdae’s allergic to…nitrates,” you said.  

“Nitrites?” Baekhyun asked dubiously.

“Yes…nitrites.  They’re a…type of preservative in processed foods.  So…maybe you could…save that for later.  I have plenty, really!”

Baekhyun shifted, propping an elbow against the doorjamb, and you tried not to salivate as the warm, clean scent of his hair wafted toward you.  “Are you sure?  I’d hate to impose.”

“No imposition, really!  The only imposition would be if I had to put away all of that food after spending all day cooking it.  In fact, when we’re finished, if you could take some home, then that would be so helpful.”

“Well, you know…anything to help a pretty girl.”  He smiled.

Your face heated, but you tried to keep cool, at least outwardly.  “Good.  Great.  Well…I’ll leave the door open, so just…come on over whenever you’re ready.  And, if they get on…maybe we could schedule a playdate for Jongdae and Aeri sometime later this month.”

“Or sometime this weekend,” he suggested.

“Or…sometime this weekend,” you agreed.

He tilted his head, his smile becoming something sweeter, more intimate.  

“And maybe…you’ll let me take you on a playdate, too.”

@exols-silver-christmas @exo-xexo @hybridfanfiction

[exo-xexo]

Starflare

Author Note: Hello @dreamylittlesugarcube! I am your secret Santa this year! I hope you like this little story! (Also, if you would like me to write a little prequel for you, I totally wouldn't mind. This little note will hopefully make sense once you read the story). I really hope you enjoy it, happy holidays! @exols-silver-christmas

WC: 3,016

Characters: Do Kyungsoo, Reader

You don't really know what Kyungsoo has planned. He sent you a series of text messages last week and then went radio silent. You're mad at yourself that you didn't notice it had been a week since his previous message. Work had been crazy lately, especially with the end of the year just around the corner. You kicked off your shoes and entered your house. Today had been such a long day. The thought of food didn't even appeal to you right now as you dragged your feet across the carpet and collapsed on your couch. You draped your arm over your eyes; a nap sounded really good right now. Whatever Kyungsoo has planned can wait.

Just as you were about to fall asleep, a knock at your door caught your attention. Turning on your phone, you looked at the door confusedly to see if there was another knock.

Sure enough, another knock pounded on the other side of the wooden door. You live alone, and it's pretty late in the day. No one texted you that they were coming over, and you don't remember agreeing to have company over tonight. Dumbfounded, you stood up and quietly walked over to the door. Looking through the peephole, you sighed.

Kyungsoo is on the other side of the door.

Opening the door, you give him the best-annoyed expression you can manage.

"Are you ready to go?" Kyungsoo asked, ignoring your clear annoyance.

"Hello to you too, Do Kyungsoo. Where am I supposed to get ready to go?" You asked, leaning against the doorway. Now it's Kyungsoo's turn to be confused. He whipped out his phone and scrolled through it.

"Ah, what a shame. My message wasn't sent. Well, anyway, go back a bag." Kyungsoo let himself into your tiny home.

"Hang on, mysterious stranger. Why am I packing my back?" You closed the door behind him.

"We're going on a trip! I remembered that you said you have this next week off. So, I planned a fun trip for us." Kyungsoo kicked off his boots and walked over to the same spot you occupied on the couch. You watched as he made himself comfortable. You thought about his response for a moment. Kyungsoo's right; you do have this next week off. You weren't really planning on doing anything special. You might have cleaned a bit on your week off but didn't have your heart set on it.

You moved to your bedroom and grabbed a small suitcase. You started to pack it with enough clothes for the whole week. You weren't sure how long you would be gone since Kyungsoo was purposefully vague. It's colder than you like it to be, so you make sure to pack some warmer clothes. Since Kyungsoo said you two are going on a trip, you grab your food journal and put it in your little backpack. This food journal has a leather binding with a charming custom design on the front and back covers. It's the first present you ever got from Kyungsoo.

 The two of you bonded at a new restaurant in Seoul. The whole concept of the restaurant was to match you up with a stranger and have dinner with them. Before you went, you had no idea what you were getting into. Your friends had planned it all very well. They would ask you random questions throughout the month that had seemed random. They then put in a profile for you at this new restaurant. They told you that all of you were going out for a night out, and they had sent the cost to everyone in the group chat. You paid for it without worrying; honestly, you thought the five of you were going to a carnival or something. Without their intervention, you would never have given the restaurant a chance. The whole concept of being a blind date filtered by the restaurant just seemed so weird.

When you arrived at the restaurant, you were convinced your friends stood you up. However, they all showed up late. You weren't expecting to be separated from them as you were led to a different table. They had sat you down at a table with a piece of frosted glass between you and the other patron. At first, you didn't say anything. You just wanted to eat the food that you already paid for. This restaurant was costly.

When the first course came out, a filet with a small side of pea puree and ridiculously small dots of a red sauce, the man on the other side of the table began to criticize how the meat was cooked. When you cut into your steak, you notice the man was right. You then heard him laugh at the amount of sauce placed on your plates. After about three dishes that weren't up to his or your standards, you joined in with him. The two of you had a great time, and at the end of the night, the Chef came out to meet with everyone and ask about their experiences. When he got to you two, he held two bags. 

Apparently, the two of you had both been dragged to the restaurant by your friends, and the Chef was told that you two needed to find a common interest to bond over. The Chef gave you both bags that held the real dishes of the night to take home with you. The Chef had purposefully cooked poorly on your dishes to get you two to open up to each other. When the meal finally ended, all of you could stand up and meet the person you had dinner with face to face. The meal itself went so well that Kyungsoo asked for your number. You don't usually give your phone number to strange men, but that was the point of the whole dinner. So, you gave him your number. It only took a few days for him to call. When he did, he asked you to go to a normal restaurant on another date. After the way you two met, how could you turn down dinner at a normal restaurant?

It was an extraordinary experience that made the two of you become friends. Then, the two of you were hanging out together whenever you could, and today, apparently, that means you're going on a sudden trip. Once packed up, you rolled your little suitcase to the living room. When you walked back in, Kyungsoo wasn't paying attention to you, so you cleared your throat to get his attention. Kyungsoo stood up and grabbed your suitcase from you.

"Are you ready to head out?" Kyungsoo asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be, are you going to tell me where we're going?" You asked as you pulled on your shoes again.

"Nope, it'll be a surprise." Kyungsoo opened your front door and waited for you to follow him. You shut off the lights and locked the door behind you.

"Really? You're not going to tell me anything?" You asked. Kyungsoo shook his head stubbornly and put your little suitcase in the backseat of his car.

"Hop in and trust me a little, would you?" Kyungsoo closed the back door and got into the driver's seat. You stood outside the car momentarily; what's the worst thing that could happen? So, you hopped into the passenger seat.

"Alright, let's go have an adventure." Kyungsoo smiled at you and pulled off. You thought he might take you to the lovely hotel you like on the other side of Seoul. That thought soon changed when Kyungsoo got on the street to go to his house. Once there, he parked in his driveway and took out both suitcases.

"The secret place is your house?" Not that you're complaining; his home is pretty awesome. He's got his own wine room and a lovely kitchen set.

"No, my home is closer to the subway we need. We need to get over to the train station. Our train leaves in an hour." Kyungsoo locked up his car and started walking down the street to the subway entrance. Kyungsoo is lucky you trust him. An hour later, you ran to your departing train as fast as possible. Luckily, you got there on time.

"Alright, now that we're all settled in, why don't you rest your eyes? We'll be on here for almost two hours." Kyungsoo said as he settled in right beside you.

"Or you can tell me what we're doing? Or even where we're going?" You made yourself comfortable and looked at him.

"No can do! It's a surprise. I'm sure you'll get it once we get there." Kyungsoo pulled a book out of his backpack and flipped the pages open. You rolled your eyes and leaned against the window. A little nap wouldn't hurt anyone.

"Hey, we're at our first stop. It's time to wake up." Kyungsoo informed you quietly.

"Okay? Where is here?" You asked back quietly as you got reacquainted with the world.

"The train stop." You had to hold yourself back from smacking him. You decided to stop trying and follow his lead. You grabbed your backpacks and your little suitcases to head off the train.

"Thankfully, our destination is just ahead," Kyungsoo commented once you exited the streets.

"Yongin?" You looked around; it's been a while since you've visited Yongin. They have some fantastic restaurants here; you're delighted you grabbed your food journal for this trip.

"Yeah! Wait until you see where we're staying; you'll love it!" Kyungsoo smiled back at you as he grabbed your hand. The two of you looked around as you walked another five minutes from the train station.

"I wanted to come back here; I just couldn't find the time-" You cut yourself off as you noticed the hotel just down the road. It's a hotel with a fantastic restaurant inside.

"Let's go check into our room, and then we can head down for our reservation," Kyungsoo suggested as he moved forward. You pulled him to a stop.

"Kyungsoo, this hotel is costly. I can't even imagine what they charge for food here." Part of you wanted to scold Kyungsoo for spending money on the hotel, let alone going to the restaurant.

"It's okay. You don't have to worry too much. I saved up enough for both. This is a gift, so don't go planning on how to pay me back. This is your holiday, and it will be a great one." Kyungsoo pulled you closer to him and started walking both of you to the hotel.

Of course, the lobby is completely decked out for the holiday. The CEO spared no visible expense on the decorations. Kyungsoo went to talk to the hotel receptionist, and you decided to look around. It looked just like a hotel from the movies, with giant chandeliers hanging from the ceiling; the bulbs almost looked like they were in the shape of snowflakes. There's gold plating everywhere, from the buttons on the couches to the bottom of the walls. There was a massive fireplace in the middle of the room that didn't actually have a fire in it. Once you got closer, it became clear that it was one of those fancy televisions on top and then a heater on the bottom to create the illusion that there was actual fire.

Kyungsoo called your name and waved around the key to your room. He must be eager to get into the restaurant. Last you heard the waitlist was out for a couple of months. Your room matched the lobby in terms of coloring. Gold plating is all around the granite countertops and on the handles of the dressers. Complementary chocolate sat on both of your pillows. Curiously, you opened up the cabinet next to the small refrigerator. There's a small jar in the shape of a bear, and inside it are gummy bears. Since this is your holiday and it's supposed to be a great time, you're taking the gummy bears. Kyungsoo walked into the main room and looked at you curiously. You looked back at him and, without blinking, dropped the jar of gummy bears into your backpack.

"You know when you leave, you'll have to pay for those, right?" Kyungsoo asks. You laughed at him and shook your head. Walking straight up to him, you patted Kyungsoo on his lapel.

"No, Sir. You will pay for those when we leave because I am on holiday." You said with a smile. You could see the cogwheels turning in Kyungsoo's head before he caught on.

"Since it is your holiday, you can have the bear jar." He rolled his eyes at you. Kyungsoo quickly got into a fancier attire for dinner.

"I didn't bring anything fancy with me." You put your suitcase on the bed and look through your outfits to see if anything fits fancy.

"It doesn't matter what you wear because you'd outdress the whole restaurant in just your pajamas." The confidence Kyungsoo has in you astonishes you sometimes. Once he's in his suit, he comes out to help you pick an outfit. The two of you agreed on a nice black top and slacks.

"Okay, get dressed. We'll have to be on the elevator in ten minutes." Kyungsoo informed you while looking at his watch.

"It won't take me ten minutes to get ready." You hated the stereotype that it takes women forever to get dressed up. Sometimes you need the extra time, and sometimes you don't. It really depends on the occasion.

At least, that's what you thought. It took around ten minutes to put together the perfect look. You and Kyungsoo headed to the elevator, and he pressed the button labeled 'R' on the bottom. When the elevator opened again, you were in a dark hallway. The dark hallway opened to a beautiful room with lights on the ceiling that mimicked the stars in the sky. A hostess smiled at the two of you and greeted you happily.

"Welcome to 'Starflare'. Do you have a reservation with us, or would you like to make one?" Obviously, with how you two are dressed, you are here to eat. You also know she needs to ask anyway because sometimes people just show up when they're not supposed to.

"We are here for our reservation. It's under Do Kyungsoo," It didn't take the hostess to find his name. Then, you find yourself following her. She led you through the restaurant to a lovely table in the back. On the table was a centerpiece of Stargazer Lilies and a few white tulips to make the lilies pop.

"How did they know I like Lilies and Tulips?" You asked Kyungsoo as the two of you sat down.

"I have no idea. I heard this place is pretty magical, though. Maybe that has something to do with it?" Kyungsoo shrugged his shoulders with a smile. The hostess handed you some menus and promised to return with your drinks shortly.

"How did you get a reservation here? I thought they were months out?" You asked, putting the menu aside.

"They are I called a few months ago and placed the reservation." Kyungsoo also put the menu aside.

"I figured we could let the chef surprise us for dinner tonight; what do you think?" Kyungsoo asked and then thanked the hostess for coming back with your drinks.

"That sounds fun, let's do that." It would do your heart good to not look at the menu for too long. The waitress came by to collect the menus and take your order. She was pleasantly surprised to hear you wanted the Chef to decide your course for the night. If Kyungsoo trusts this Chef, then so do you.

"Brought me out here just to eat, huh?" You asked as you took a sip of your drink.

"Well, it is your holiday. I wanted to make it nice and relaxing. You can't be stressed while eating a good meal." Kyungsoo reached across the table to hold your hand.

Not long after, your first course was brought out. A filet with a small pea puree side and ridiculously small red sauce dots were on the plate in a particular 'fancy' pattern. You looked at the plate confusedly, then at Kyungsoo. On the other hand, Kyungsoo looked totally amused. The Chef came to the table after the food had been set down. It was the Chef from that strange blind date restaurant.

"Welcome! I thought you two might appreciate a call back to your first date at one of my restaurants." The Chef laughed as he patted Kyungsoo on the back.

"We'll eat this for now, but you better have some amazing stuff back there!" Kyungsoo stood up and shook the man's hand.

"You two won't know what hit you!" The Chef promised; he nodded at you and then turned away to return to the kitchen.

"Let's try some real food from this guy. I've heard he's a great matchmaker in the kitchen." Kyungsoo said as he sat down with a big smile on his face. Suddenly, the night became a lot more interesting.

"So, this is the trip?" You asked curiously.

"All week, you get to try some amazing dishes and put them in your journal, hopefully alongside some pictures to capture this wonderful holiday we're going to have." Kyungsoo sat up straight, obviously proud of himself. You look at the plate of mediocre food before you and then smile at Kyungsoo.

“This time the food will actually be good. I was promised by the Chef.” Kyungsoo informed with as he cut into his own steak.

"Ah, what the hell? It better get better than this." You joked as you cut into your steak. Just like the one from months before, it was a little overcooked. With Kyungsoo by your side, you're not worried. This will be an excellent and fulfilling week. Kyungsoo reached over to hold your hand as you began the first of many dishes. There’s nowhere you’d rather be with him, just like it started.

[exo-xexo]

231115 lol worlds media day

[exo-xexo]

I asked you about your bias twice; I'm sorry, I was really sleepy. Have you seen Jongdae's wedding photos? They're absolutely lovely. It looked like such a fun, elegant affair. My fingers are crossed that they make more babies, haha. If that's what they both want.

I'm literally obsessed with Obsession. I thought that nothing could top Monster, then Obsession was like...hold my facechain. Literally only thing that could have made it better was had it been Ot9 (really, Ot11, but I digress, but no I come back, can you imagine X-Tao? *dissolves into a fine mist*).

I empathize with you on Nini. I miss him so much too. It was nice to see him at Jongdae's wedding, because I was seriously like Kim Jongin, where are you, breathe! Petition to bring back our baby...

Well, the time has come, the walrus said, to get down to brass tacks.

Is there anything in particular that you'd like me to write for you?

Hi! I thought I answered this, but clearly I answered in my own head. I did see the photos, I thought it all looked very nice! I don't think there's anything in particular, but I'm very excited to see what you come up with!

[exo-xexo]

[texting]

Bruce: Please bring home PURIFIED water with NO minerals added for taste.

Damian: We got spring water.

Bruce: NO.

Jason: With EXTRA minerals.

Dick: It's like licking a stalagmite.

Bruce: DON'T COME HOME.

Tim: Mmm cave water.