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troubatrain · 3 years

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want you to want me - m. tkachuk

a/n: i’m awful at intros but this fic is my whole ass child. i started it months ago and i picked it up back and then i just couldn’t stop writing. now we’re at a whopping 10k words and i’m really happy with the way this one came out. i hope you guys like it as much as i loved writing it.

big thanks to @hookingminor @igor-shestyorkin & @tkafuckit for reading this as i wrote it and gassing me up ily all sm

warnings: smut

You were Matthew’s dream girl, and you didn’t have a fucking clue. You were leaning against the cold metal bleachers of your former high school, chatting with whatever teacher probably wanted to hear all about that shiny NWSL contract you signed right out of college with the Chicago Red Stars. It was well deserved, a few national titles in college put you in the position in the first place, and Matthew respected the hell out of you. You wouldn’t know, by the way he never seems like he actually wants to speak to you and the few snide remarks about your sport in general. That started forever ago, when Matthew royally fucked up any chance he had with you later in life because he was a competitive asshole.

It started when you were twelve, and middle school was nothing short of a mess. Matthew was growing into his own, adding a near foot to his height over one summer while his father and coaches doted on the fact that he was getting bigger. Getting bigger meant getting better, and for a few years winning was the most important thing in the world. But, becoming a hormonal preteen came with something else, feelings about the girl who sat three rows behind him in almost all of his classes.

Then third period gym class came around, and Matthew was a competitive monster. The kind of kid who took that way too seriously, and you accidentally became public enemy number one. You were the only person in his class who could even come close to beating him at anything, because you were just as much of an athlete as he was. Soccer had become your craft, and much like Matthew, you declared you’d go pro one day. So, Matthew did what any other insecure twelve year old boy would, he teased you relentlessly. It was awful, but by the time Matthew had gone off to play for the National team you had forgotten about his bullshit.

Apparently, you’d done something in a past life to warrant dealing with Matthew for longer than you ever anticipated. Jamie was your little sister, and Taryn’s best friend. Best friend was probably understatement, the pair were inseparable on and off the field. They trained together, they played on the same teams and that meant way too much time with the rest of the Tkachuk’s. You learned quickly, that the rest of their family was wonderful and Matthew seemed to be too thick headed to fall in line.

You tolerated Matthew, brushing his silly remarks off just like you did when you were younger. The thing was, Matthew didn’t want you to just tolerate him, but he didn’t know how to get you to stop hating him. You make your way over to Matthew who’d been standing next to his brother since the start of your sister’s game.

“Hi Brady,” You greet, tapping Brady on the shoulder who pulled you into a bone crushing hug. That annoyed Matthew the most, the way you seemed to love his siblings and despise him. In your defense, nobody was more supportive of your professional career than Brady, who’d made a promise to catch a game the second he could, “Hi Matthew.”

You were waiting for something from Matthew, an acknowledgement for finally achieving a dream of yours. You’d gotten the congratulations from the rest of his family, a massive celebration because Keith thought you deserved it. Matthew probably didn’t think you did. You could practically hear his smug little voice about how much his recently inked contract was compared to yours, because you’d heard it since you were kids. He used to rip on your athletic abilities every chance he could, something about how it didn’t matter how hard you could kick a ball you couldn’t hold a hockey stick so he was just better.

“You’re here!” You hear the chipper voice of your little sister approach, Jamie’s sweaty postgame arms wrapped around your waist. You’d been in Chicago, signing some paperwork and looking into finding a place to stay when you had to go for camp. You promised you’d make it back in time, and your flight landed less than five hours ago but you made it.

Matthew bit the inside of his cheek to keep his smile to himself, watching his own sister push past him to see you. Taryn loved you, because sometimes she just needed a big sister and her brothers were in another country most

of the time. It was the part that killed him the most, seeing you with his family. You fit right in, a fierce athlete with drive that rivaled his own. Brady side-eyed his own brother, watching him instead of the scene unfolding in front of him. He was frustrated with his own brother for not just telling you the truth, that he teased you because he was an idiot who didn’t know how to handle having a crush on you.

But Brady was going to do it himself if his brother didn’t.

***

Matt, you don’t have a girlfriend right?

Matthew knew damn well he should not have answered his sister’s question, but when he realized her best friend had been sitting right next to her in the kitchen, his curiosity got the best of him. So he did, telling his sister he was single and sparing her details of any of the girls he’d gone on dates with the past year. That was his life is Calgary, a constant revolving door so no one would see what was underneath layers of sarcasm and angst. But every summer, he’d come home and wonder when he’d start to build a life for himself, and if he’d ever find that person to do it with. That was when his brain would start to wander, fantasies of a future that always seemed to involve you. He loved to imagine it, the years that you’d both spend supporting the other’s dream. Matthew would do anything to make sure you achieved yours, and he thought you’d do the same. Then you’d both settle down, the big house with the white picket fence and a shiny ring on your finger Matthew put there himself and years of arguing about what sport your future children would play - he’d even consider letting you have just one.

Unfortunately, none of that could be real until he figured out how to get you to hate him less. Taryn apparently had the same idea, and had been scheming with your sister for months. The two girls were looking at Matthew with devilish grins on their faces, like whatever they came up with would totally work.

“Y/N doesn’t have a boyfriend,” Your sister hums, sipping the smoothie they forced Matthew to drive them to go get, “It’s sad actually-”

“We think you should date,” Taryn explains, Matthew’s eyes went wide. His sister didn’t know the whole story, or just how far back this stupid fued went. Taryn always loved you, so Matthew just kept his remarks to himself.

“I know you know Y/N doesn’t like me very much,” Matthew explains, “So tell me how that’s going to work.”

“Apologize to her, if she can forgive me for anything she’ll forgive you,” Jamie sighs, thinking of all the times you’d shown her mercy when she didn’t deserve it.

“You’ve got to be sorry,” Brady interrupts, mouth full of food while he goes to go look for more in the fridge. He turns around, Matthew’s eyes giving him daggers, “What? You were a dick to her for years, you’ve got to fix that first.”

It didn’t take much convincing after that, Taryn had already planned out what Matthew should say to you. Matthew wasn’t going to repeat those words, because he knew exactly what he’d say to you if he ever got the chance. He was trying to fix his past, because the way he acted towards you was the one thing he regrets.

So with the help of your little sister and the Find my Friends app, Matthew was pulling up to a soccer field he’d been to plenty of times. He used to run through the park nearby, catching a glimpse of your practices when you were in high school and Matthew was an afterthought. He hops out of his car, smiling when he could see you running drills alone. You were dribbling the ball, counting to yourself while you were weaving through cones you set up.

“I’ve never been good at those,” Matthew calls out, walking over to you while you stopped and caught your breath, “I kick the cones with my skate every single time.”

“Maybe you’re not as good as you think you are,” You tease, grabbing your water and guzzling it down, “What are you doing here?”

“I, uh, I came to apologize?” Matthew admits, knowing his face was probably bright red. He was nervous, the good kind like he got before a big game, “I was just an insecure kid then, and you didn’t deserve what I did just because I was afraid you’d beat in something.”

Matthew left out the part where he felt like he was still that kid all the time. All of those insecurities about himself seemed to be picked up by every reporter in Canada when he was there. You bit your lip, pretending like you were trying to debate whether or not you should forgive Matthew at all. In reality, you would have forgiven him ages ago if he’d just apologized sooner. It was so long ago, and sometimes you thought Matthew’s constant taunting made you better. He was pleading, baby blue eyes staring at you sadly while he waited for your answer. He looked like he didn’t think he deserved to be forgiven, shoulders slumped while he tried to read your body language. It was something you noticed about Matthew forever ago, he could have everything in the world but when he looked at you he seemed almost sad.

“I mean I could forgive you, but only if you beat me,” You cross your arms, raising an eyebrow at Matthew, “If I win, I don’t have to and if you win all is forgiven.”

“Really? Isn’t that why we were in this situation to begin with?” Matthew points out, crossing his arms at you.

“I thought you weren’t that kid anymore,” You remind of his own words, testing him to see if he’d put his money where his mouth was. Matthew smirks, chuckling to himself, “C’mon Tkachuk let’s see what you got.”

Matthew shook his head, laughing and lining up next to you. You both counted to three, sprinting down the field at full force. Matthew knew his height was the only thing working to his advantage while he tried to keep up with you. You were nearing your finish line, and Matthew didn’t think he was going to win. You were going to forgive him regardless, but Matthew didn’t know that. His arms stretched out, grabbing your waist and pulling you into his chest. Matthew turned his body around, stepping over the line before you did.

“God, you’re such a fucking cheater Matthew,” You hit his chest, Matthew’s hands still firmly placed on your hips.

“I didn’t want to lose,” Matthew admits, all of his smug attitude diminishing immediately, “Just want you to forgive me.”

“I’ll forgive you if you never pull that shit on me again,” You poke his chest, slipping out of his grip and running to your stuff before he could notice how nervous he was making you.

No. Absolutely not. You told yourself while you checked your phone, rolling your eyes at the warning text from Jamie that Matthew was on his way, you couldn’t have anything but indifference to Matthew Tkachuk. It got harder everytime you saw him, the past few years had been nothing short of kind to him, he was growing from a dumb immature boy to a man more and more every summer. You turn around, peeking at Matthew who was sitting down and catching his breath, a winning smile on his face, the same kind he had the very first time he schooled everyone at floor hockey in middle school.

Maybe you could be friends.

***

Matthew liked having you as a friend, mostly because as of right now that was all he was going to get. You definitely didn’t trust him, which was valid considering Matthew had been a dick to you for years, but he was working on it. He had to, that uncontrollable feeling that he cared about you was getting harder to shove back down with every year that passed.

“You’re friends now, you don’t need to stare at her like a creep anymore,” Brady scoffs, watching his brother gawk at you from afar. Matthew couldn’t help it, you just had a glow about you, you always did, but somehow in the summer you were golden. Tonight you looked even better, maybe it’s because you smiled at him when he walked instead of scowling like you usually did.

“He’s in love with you,” Steph giggles, sipping her drink and giving Matthew a side eye, “He’s been staring at you all night.”

“He apologized to me,” You confess, holding in that little secret about Matthew’s visit to the field even from your best friend. You had the same friends, the same group of people who’d been pushing the two of you to work it out for years. It wasn’t that you didn’t want them to know that they no longer had to worry about one of you blowing up because the other was there, you just wanted everyone to let it go too. Matthew deserved a little forgiveness, you could only imagine the pressure he felt on himself back then, and while he didn’t totally deserve your protection - you were going to give it to him, “Don’t-”

“Oh wonder why, I know it’s because he looooves you,” Steph teases, “Did you forgive him?”

“Yeah I mean we’re both older and I’d like to think he’s wiser, and besides our parents are way too close,” You knew this was going to be your excuse for a while. It was better for everyone that you forgave him, Jamie and Taryn spent more time together than you’d spend with anyone and you're just as close with the rest of their family. It wasn’t untrue that it was in fact for the best, but that didn’t mean Matthew’s stupid dimples didn’t persuade you before you could think about anyone else, “Can we stop talking about this?”

Matthew’s eyes didn’t leave you once that night, especially after the way Steph downed tequila shots and convinced you to join her. You deserved to celebrate, you’d accomplished something Matthew knew was your biggest dream because it was the same as his. He was proud of you, not that he’d gotten a chance to show it.

“If you’re going to go pro Y/N, you’ve got to start keeping up,” Brady chirps, watching you stumble over your own feet to walk over to him and Matthew. Matthew had seen this once before, a level of drunkenness where you turned into bambi but that was so long ago he never thought he’d see it again.

“I’ll go pro in beating your ass Brady,” You snap back, shooting daggers over Brady who was already cracking up, “Hi Matthew.”

“Hi,” Matthew’s voice was small, a weird sound considering he was usually the loudest in the room. Brady scoffs, walking away from the two of you before he snaps at how hopelessly in love his brother was. You turn your head in confusion, your mind far too hazy to realize why Brady was so annoyed in the first place, causing Matthew to chuckle, “Want to play? Might be best if we’re on the same team.”

Matthew’s thumb shot over to the beer pong set up on the other side of the room, a mischievous smirk on face, “I mean if it’s for the best.”

Matthew’s arm wrapped around your shoulders holding you close to his chest while you both played pong was definitely not for the best, and it wasn’t helping that stupid crush you had on him. You could feel Steph’s stare from the corner of the room, and you look at her to mouth a don’t at her. It was nice having Matthew on your team, finally a moment where instead of arguing with each other about who’s elbow was clearly over the table - you got to do the same thing to Brady.

“Brady you’re cheating,” You call out, Matthew’s head thrown back in laughter at your seriousness.

“You heard her Brady, elbows over the table,” Matthew breathes out, his body still rumbling with laughter at his little brother’s expense.

“Oh look at you two, you’re just gonna raise some winners one day aren’t you?” Brady chirps back, both happy to see you getting along and annoyed once he realizes that means he was going to get roasted by both of you now. You felt heat rush to your cheeks, tucking your face into Matthew’s arm in hopes no one saw the way you shrunk at that stupid joke.

“We’re winners right now,” Matthew calls out, his last ball landing in the cup and sealing the game for the two of you. Matthew would raise winners with you, it was something he thought about from time to time, but those thoughts were never going to see the light of day, “Alright drunky I think it’s time to get you home.”

“You can stay, I’ll just catch a ride with someone,” You waive Matthew off, who shook his head no at you before you even started speaking.

“One, my dad would kick my ass if he knew I left you,” Matthew starts with, holding up one finger with another on the way, “Two, we’re friends now and I’d like to make sure you don’t die before you see a pro game.”

Matthew had seen you this drunk before, but what he didn’t know was that getting you home would be more difficult than he thought. You started in the direction of your house, but apparently you were a runner and a speedy one at that. Now you were barely two blocks away from Matthew’s parents place and if he could at least get you there he’d be able to call it a night - which wasn’t fucking easy.

“Alright I’ve had enough,” Matthew huffs, jogging to catch up with you and scooping you into his arms. You were hanging over his shoulder, Matthew making his way down the street with the house in his sightline. You could have cared less, laughing your ass off while Matthew walked up the stairs and finally placed you back down on your feet, “Be quiet, go up to my room and get some clothes and go sleep in the guest room.”

You weren’t quiet, not at all and Matthew was amazed not one of his parents came down to see what all the chaos was about. After Matthew had to walk you up the stairs, running back down for some water and hoping you weren’t a disaster by the time he got back - he found you in his bed. You were curled up right in the middle, an old London Knights shirt on your body, Matthew’s favorite. Matthew grabs his comforter, throwing it over your body. He sighs, leaning against his door frame and smiling to himself at how comfortable you looked, flicking off the light and retreating to the guest room.

Matthew hated the guest room. He hated how hard the mattress was and after a few hours of no sleep and tossing and turning - he gave up. Matthew hoped no one else was up, but not to his surprise his mother was already in the kitchen, and judging by the look on her face, she knew who was upstairs.

“Care to explain?” Chantal smirks, raising her eyebrows at her son. Matthew’s face got red, his landing on the back of his neck to cover the blush.

“She fell asleep before I could even get her to the guest room,” Matthew shrugs, hoping his mom wouldn’t push it any further, “I, uh, apologized the other day.”

“Good,” Chantal hums, a knowing look on her face. She didn’t like to push Matthew, her one kid who seemed to be a little rougher around the edges than the others, but that silly feud never sat right with her, “Here, bring her a coffee, I’m sure she needs it.”

Matthew nods, grabbing the mug his mother was holding out and starting to make his way up the stairs. He heard the tell her you made it from his mother and shook his head. He knew what she was thinking, especially with the way Chantal seemed to talk about you. His mother thought you were nothing short of perfect, and Matthew would be a liar if he didn’t think the same thing.

“Did I fall asleep here?” You’d woken up confused, your question only answered by the jerseys hanging on the walls, you were in Matthew’s room. You rub your eyes, the door creaking open way too loudly for how dead you felt.

“Only after you almost fell down the stairs and ran three blocks in the wrong direction,” Matthew chuckles, sitting on the edge of the bed and handing you the mug, “You know you’re fast right?”

“Yeah,” You muse, smirking to yourself and taking a sip of coffee, “I’m sorry I did that to you, and stole your bed - I can go.”

Matthew stopped you, telling to finish your coffee and relax and he’d drive you home after. You fell into a comfortable conversation, something Matthew never thought would happen.

And watching you walk up to your steps in his shirt still wasn’t something he thought he’d see, but it was better than he imagined.

***

“Hey it’s Jamie, can’t get to the phone right now…”

You groan, tossing your phone onto your bed and continuing your pace around the room. It was well after midnight, and your sister had been out all night, and past her curfew. Usually you’d cover for her, definitely taking the prize home for the cool older sister who picks her siblings and their friends up from parties. That’s what had you so worried. Sure, Jamie was a teenager and she snuck in a few little white lies with your parents just like you’d done, but Jamie always told you the truth. She’d check in with you more than her parents, letting you know that she’s going to be out late but she’s safe and if she needed anything she knew who to call. You texted sometime around ten, just checking in since it was Saturday and you were sure she had a more riveting social life than yourself. No answer. Then eleven rolled around and you didn’t hear anything, so naturally you double texted and now it’s twelve thirty and you still haven’t heard anything. You cross your arms, looking at your phone as if you could will an answer into existence. You grab it, dialing a number you weren’t even sure would work.

“Hello?” Matthew’s voice appeared on the other side of the line, clear confusion in his voice. You let out a sigh of relief, hoping Matthew would have the answer you wanted to hear so desperately.

“Is my sister at your house?” You ask, biting your lip and throwing on a pair of sweats so you could pick her up and murder her for scaring you like that. You were sure it was innocent, Jamie slept over at Taryn’s all the time, staying up way too late watching movies or when Jamie would hide going to a party from your much stricter parents.

Matthew tells you to give him a minute, and you can hear him walking through the house. By the time you heard a door open and a small fuck under his breath, your stomach dropped, “She was supposed to be home by midnight.”

“Alright, thanks anyways,” You sigh, “Do you know where they might have gone? It’s just, Jamie hasn’t answered me in hours and she usually does even if she’s out past curfew and I’m just-”

“I’ll be at your house in ten,” Matthew says, his keys alright in his hand and his foot halfway out the door. He was more mad than worried, sure his sister was out a party past curfew. Matthew was her biggest brother, and he was far more protective over her than Brady ever could be. He hated when she did this, and Matthew was pissed. You waited on your steps, Matthew car coming into view while you sprung up and practically sprinted into his car.

“You look mad,” You observe, as if it wasn’t completely obvious. You knew why, trying countless times to remind Taryn that her brother loves her and that’s why he’s like that. You thought he could go a little easier on her, but you wouldn’t dare get in the middle of that.

“I am mad,” Matthew grits out, knuckles white on his steering wheel while he drives slowly down the street. You just drove, in hopes you’d find what was obviously a house party and hopes your sisters were inside. You squint, hoping your eyes weren’t fooling you.

“Wait, pull over I think I see my neighbor,” You yell, Matthew’s foot flying on the break and you hop out. You were right, the bright orange tuft of hair you saw was like a miracle, “Hey Henry have you seen my sister?”

“Oh yeah I think she’s still inside,” Henry points to the house behind him, music blasting and a party in full swing, “I think she’s with Taryn.”

Matthew hops out of the car, grabbing your hand and pulling you into the house with him. Matthew’s fingers were laced with yours with every step he took, weaving through the crowd in hopes you’d see them. It took three bedrooms and a laundry room until you finally saw Taryn standing in the doorway. Her eyes went wide, and you pushed past them both to see Jamie with her head in the toilet. She was fine, well she was definitely in deep shit, but it wasn’t the worst thing to stumble upon. You throw her hair up, your attention moving to Matthew yelling at his sister in the hallway.

“Why didn’t you call someone,” Matthew yells, trying so damn hard to not completely snap on his baby sister. Taryn yells that her phone had died and then Jamie got sick and she didn’t know what to do. Of course they didn’t. You were probably more sympathetic, and you knew just how pissed off Matthew could get. You get up, pushing Taryn back into the bathroom and telling her to watch your sister.

“Calm down before you talk to her, please,” You plead, grabbing Matthew’s shoulders, “Besides, I sort of need some help right now.”

There it was. The very moment Matthew realized all along you could’ve been helping him. Your hands were wrapped around his biceps, a finger gently rubbing the skin right under the sleeve of his shirt. Every bit of anger disappeared from his body, a calm feeling replacing it. He knew you were right, and he’d be thankful for it later. Matthew knew he had to do the right thing by you, and he nodded, willing to follow any directions you gave him.

Matthew carried Jamie out of the house, getting both of your sisters in the car and finally heading back to your house. You knew he was still pissed off, a present frown on his face so you just took the chance. Just like he’d done before for you, you grabbed one of his hands from his steering wheel, lacing your fingers together. You caught the smile on his face, your thumb rubbing over his hand while his shoulders seemed to just relax. Once

Matthew finally helped you get Jamie inside, a night of laying on her floor to make sure she was okay ahead of you stood in the doorway with Matthew across from you.

“Thank you, I know we’re working on this friendship thing but you really didn’t have to do that,” You were eternally grateful, wrapping your arms around Matthew’s waist and tucking your head into his chest.

“You’d do the same thing for Taryn,” Matthew hums, knowing full well he definitely owed you for being Taryn’s replacement sibling with him and Brady in Canada for most of the year, “Get some rest okay?”

“Wait,” You stop Matthew, grabbing his hand one more time, “Don’t kill your sister, please she’s just a kid-”

“You’re way too easy on them,” Matthew chuckles, shaking his head at you. He knew Taryn was probably scared, and after he calmed a bit he understood where you were coming from. That didn’t mean he wasn’t going to tell her that if she ever pulls that shit again - he was going to rat her out to their parents.

And when Matthew finally got back in the car, he could see his sister’s grin in the backseat, “Don’t say it.”

She held your hand, are you sure you’re not going to malfunction now?

***

Maybe you were spiraling.

You’d been waiting for this moment your entire life, now you had a few more weeks until camp started and you were afraid. You knew you were good enough, you had to be. But what if you weren’t? You could feel the anxiety settling in, a feeling you hadn’t felt since Matthew told you soccer wasn’t a real sport in fourth grace. It’d been eating at you for weeks, deteriorating any confidence you had left in yourself. So you started pushing yourself even harder. The harder you worked the less like you were to fuck it all up. Your muscles were sore, your body was tired and it was just all becoming too much.

And Matthew noticed.

You were pushing yourself too hard, even the time you were supposed to relax with your families before your seasons started was being spent training. He understood it, the term first round exit lived rent free in his head every single time his skate hit the ice over the summer, but that didn’t make it okay. You looked tired, sluggish while you moved because you were running twice a day and training in between. And he was pissed everyone seemed to be fine with it. You should start working harder then Matthew. If it bothers you so much maybe you could join her. It wasn’t that he was jealous of your work ethic, he was worried. Matthew’s eyes followed you as you ran past his house again. The third time in one day, he’d finally decided he had enough.

Matthew took the walk to your house, charming the pants off your mother for her to tell him you were upstairs because you just got back in. He knocks twice, hearing a come in from the other side.

“What are you doing here?” You question, rolling one of your ankles that just seemed to be getting more swollen every time you started to practice. Matthew noticed it, your hands freezing one you caught his gaze.

“You’re overworking yourself,” Matthew stands his ground, he knew you could have told him to fuck off because no one hates advice they didn’t ask for quite like him, “Don’t tell me I’m wrong.”

“That’s rich coming from the kid who’s played with more broken bones than anyone I know,” You remind him of a few mistakes Matthew’s made playing through injuries he really shouldn’t, “I’m not fucking frail.”

“That’s not what this is about,” Matthew scoffs, it never once crossed his mind that he thought he was tough enough to play through injuries but you weren’t, “It’s about taking a break so you don’t get hurt.”

“I’m fine,” You huff, getting up and trying your best to hide the pain in your ankle when you stood on it. You fell forward, Matthew catching you in his arms and putting you back down the edge of your bed.

“Tell me what’s wrong?” Matthew asks with soft eyes, he bent down to take your ankle in his hand and inspect it the best he could. It was swelling, probably from the amount of pressure you’d been putting on your body with no breaks.

“What if I never score a goal?” You whisper, teary eyes finally meeting Matthew’s. His brows shot up, alarmed at how one of the best athletes he’s ever seen could feel the same way he felt right before his first NHL game. Matthew sits down next to you, hand on your thigh while you let out a cry, “What if I’m just a bust? Like I get there and nothing works and I suck.”

“You’ll score eventually,” Matthew scoffs, understanding how ridiculous you sounded but just how you felt at the same time, “Everyone does.”

“You scored like four games into your fucking career Matt,” You remind him, Matthew smiling a bit that you knew that to begin with. It would have been impossible not to know, or pretend like you didn’t keep a few tabs on his career. Matthew Tkachuk was a legend in the making, and whether or not you could feel butterflies in your stomach every time he dropped the gloves was a secret you’d take to the grave.

“I got suspended my first season too,” Matthew jokes, a teary eyed laugh escaping your lips, “I’d put down money you score in your first game.”

“Well good thing you have money to lose,” You sigh dramatically, the fear of fucking up still on your mind.

“You’ll find your groove, all legends do,” Matthew promises, throwing his arm around your shoulders. You snuggled into his side, a realization that he was becoming a comforting presence in your life with each passing day, “And if you don’t, you can always hide out in Canada with me.”

“Matty!” The same silly nickname Matthew introduced himself to you on your very first day of kindergarten slipped through your lips without realizing it. Matthew hadn’t been called that in ages, but it was welcome from you. You push his chest, “That’s not making me feel any better.”

“What if I told you the only reason I was so mean to you was because I was intimidated by how talented you were?” Matthew confesses, scratching your head with his fingers, “If I win a cup one day I think I owe you one.”

Matthew didn’t mention that in his wildest fantasies of raising that cup over his head, you were there. He’d owe you one and he hoped it was because you were there for him until he got there. Matthew saw it the same way every time, you’d tell him to go see his parents first but he’d fly right past them to get to you - the person who accidentally pushed him to be his best. He had plenty of daydreams about you winning too, remembering times you used to brag you’d go to the Olympics one day, and he hoped you were right. He wanted to see you succeed, more than anything, and he thought it would work.

“Legally you have to let me drink out of it,” You muse, shutting your eyes and letting yourself just rest against Matthew.

“It has to be Bud Light,” Matthew teases while watching you fake a gag. You grab his outstretched hand, letting him pull you up. His hands rested on the side of your face, eyes flickering to your lips for just a second. He wanted to kiss you, but he knew he had to wait. Wait for you to be ready. Wait for you to settle down. Or even just wait until he thought he had a real shot at forever.

Forever with you.

***

Matthew was kind of pissed off.

The press didn’t bother him, none of that mattered and at the end of the day Matthew was able to sleep at night knowing he was a good teammate and a decent person most of the time. This one got him though, some writer criticizing the A on his jersey, and how someone who plays like he does didn’t deserve a letter.

A letter he earned.

You could tell something was off, the way Matthew had been running alongside you was aggressive to say the least. He insisted he came with you, something about forcing you to take breaks. He was being your friend, even though your sisters seemed to disagree. Taryn’s words were replaying in your head, Matt doesn’t even care if I get hurt. That didn’t mean anything, those two had no idea what love was and Matthew caring about you a little bit didn’t mean he loved you. Besides, the way he was acting right now told a completely different story.

“Are you mad at me?” You finally slow down, sitting on a rock that was next to the hiking trail you were on.

“No?” Matthew stops dead in his tracks, his heart sinking to the pit of his stomach that he fucked this up too, “I’m fine, don’t worry about it.”

“No, tell me what’s wrong,” You push, crossing your arms and narrowing your eyes at Matthew. You could tell he was pressed about something, his neck covered in a red flush the same way it used to.

“Some stupid article about my letter, don’t worry about it,” Matthew grits, repeating his words again. His defense was up, even after you confessed to him that you were scared of not being enough.

“Get the fuck out of here with the tough guy act Matthew,” You challenge him, poking him right in the chest, “If we’re going to be friends you need to cut that shit out.”

“You really want to hear it?” Matthew barks back, fully yelling at you, “I’m tired of people thinking I don’t deserve things because I threw a few bad hits. Do you know how it feels to have everyone think you’re shitty? No you don’t, because you’re so fucking perfect that my own parents like you more than me.”

You stood there, silent while you tried to figure out how to tell him that simply wasn’t true. His entire body was shaking, the anger coursing through his veins like you’d seen many times before that. Matthew looked like he did the first time you hit a homerun in gym class, except this time it was because that same pressure never got released. You couldn’t come close to understanding the way he probably felt. You didn’t have the comparables in your own family, the constant reminders of Brady’s points tally compared to his, let alone the career his father had.

“Matty,” You whisper, grabbing his hand and running your fingers over the scars on his knuckles, “Why is this bothering you so much?”

You were sure this wasn’t the first time someone’s said he was a pest, and it sure as hell wasn’t going to be the last. Matthew sighed, the better part of his brain screaming at him to stop before he lost you too.

“I’ve felt like this forever,” Matthew whispers, eyes fixated on your hand in his, “From the moment I started getting bigger, there’s just been this pressure to play a certain way and act a certain way. I was a fucking kid, and while all of my friends got to go wherever they wanted all I ever did was practice. Then I finally get to where I wanted and I’m still getting shit on.”

“Except no one thinks you don’t deserve to be where you are,” You whisper, quiet words as if you were going to startle him, “And I know it doesn’t make up for things people say, but the people who love you think you deserve it.”

Matthew nods, pulling you into his arms and holding you close. Your arms wrapped around his waist, his words mumbled against your forehead, “I needed that.”

“I know,” You nod, smiling wide up at him, “And we need to practice more because you’re too slow, soooo catch me if you can!”

You slipped out of his arms, running away with a giggle and a smile. Matthew stopped for a second, his Neanderthal brain checking out your ass while you jogged away and his more logical one trying to process what just happened.

But what mattered most was that whatever you did worked and that meant something to Matthew.

***

Just admit you think he’s hot.

You wanted to kill your sister for making this weekend harder than it had to be. You were doing a good job at just friends with Matthew until Jamie was curled up in your bed while you packed for a lake trip with your friends. She pushed it for hours, rambling on about Matthew is actually your type and Taryn swears he’d be a good boyfriend if someone just understood him. The problem was, you were starting to see her point. Matthew had a glow up a few years ago, like one summer he’d gotten home and you were infatuated with him. It used to annoy you, because he’d been such an ass to you that you hated how attractive he was. Then things changed, and now looking at him was just frustrating you. You were terrified about the way he made you feel, like everything would be okay with one look of those blue eyes and a smirk. You felt like he had your back, a vast change from how you used to feel and it was just getting hard to hide it anymore.

Especially when Matthew looked like he did right now. He was holding himself up on the dock, shoulders broad and glistening in the moonlight above you. All your friends were inside, moving their party away from the water as the night lingered on. You wanted to run your fingers through his wet curls, the temptation was almost too much.

“I’ll be in Chicago a few times you know,” Matthew hums, enjoying the time alone he was getting with you. Anytime without Brady teasing him about what the Tkachuk’s had been referring to as the hand holding incident. He didn’t want them to think he didn’t want you, because he did, but he just needed to move at his own pace.

“You want to come see me play?” You ask, leaning back on the palms of your hands. You were surprised by the kind of man Matthew had become, it was a completely different person that he used to be. He cared so much about his loved ones, and you were starting to feel like maybe you had a place there.

“Actually thinking you could come see me play,” Matthew teases, sarcasm dripping from his words. You lifted your foot up, kicking some of the water below you to splash him, but he’d caught your ankle before you could. He stopped for a moment, running a thumb over your skin, “This looks better.”

“Don’t make you admit you were right,” You whine, Matthew swiftly pulling you into the water with him. You yelp, the water way too cold for any normal person, “It’s freezing.”

“C’mere then,” Matthew grabs your waist, pulling your body against his. His hands were splayed across your back, heat radiating off of them. One of your hands was on his shoulder, your other on his chest. You could feel his heart beating quickly, his eyes locked on yours, “Middle school Matthew would be so jealous of me right now.”

“Why’s that?” You hum, running your fingers along Matthew to play connect the dots with the beauty marks on his skin.

“Because he had the biggest crush on you,” Matthew confesses, his grip on you a little tighter, as if he was afraid you’d slip right through his fingers again, “But he was too thick headed to do anything about it.”

“What about grown up Matthew?” You ask, biting your lip. Matthew was practically holding you both up in the water, pressed so close together you could hear the hitch in his breath at your question, “Is he too thick headed to do something too?”

You wrapped your legs around Matthew’s waist, pressing your lips to his and tugging on the curls at the base of his neck. He pushed you up against the dock, helping you back up and pulling himself up next to you. You grabbed the back of his neck, latching your lips back on his. His hand was on your back, fingers toying with the back of your bathing suit, “Think we can get upstairs without anyone noticing?”

Matthew was cool most of the time. He never faltered under the pressure from his career, most of the time, and he definitely didn’t fold when it came to a pretty girl. You had him in the palm of your hand, every part of his brain malfunctioning in response to your words. You bit your lip, wondering if you’d read this entire situation. Matthew rubs a thumb along your lip, “When are you going to realize I’d do whatever you asked me to?”

The two of you snuck up the stairs, giggles and stolen kisses left in your wake. You open the door, Matthew’s hands still toying your bathing suit top, “Just take it off already Matty.”

“Don’t have to ask me twice,” Matthew breathes, his lips pressed against your neck while the garment falls to the floor, “So fucking beautiful.”

You back hit the mattress, Matthew’s hands running up your body slowly. Slow wasn’t in Matthew’s vocabulary, but he was taking his time just in case he never got this opportunity again. His fingers hooked under your bathing suit bottoms, sliding the wet fabric down your legs. You looked so beautiful, spread out just for Matthew like he’d dreamed about numerous times. His lips moved down to your breasts, teeth grazing against your skin while his tongue swirled against your nipple. You let out a breathy moan, Matthew’s ego boosting from the sound. You plucked at his curls while his mouth moved down to where you were craving him most, a gentle kiss to your clit, “Matty, please.”

“I didn’t peg you for the type to beg,” Matthew hums, pressing feather light kisses around your core. He stopped, gripping your thighs and looking up at you, “You sure about this?”

“Yes, please,” You whine, pussy dripping from Matthew’s hot breath fanning over it. Matthew chuckles darkly, fingers digging into your thighs when he flicked his tongue over your clit. You moan, completely unbothered by the blaring music a floor below you. Matthew didn’t seem to be bothered either, his tongue teasing your entrance while his nose rubbed against your clit, living for the way you were whimpering above him, “Matty-”

“Close baby?” Matthew groans, slipping a finger inside of you and curling it. You back arched, his name falling through your lips was enough to answer his question. Your legs shook, pleasure washing over your body from Matthew and all of it just felt so right. Matthew’s lips were latched to your skin until he finally met your eyes again. He smiles softly, nudging his nose with yours while you caught your breath, “So good for me.”

“Should’ve known you were that good with your mouth with the way you run it,” You tease smiling against his lips.

“Not with you, not anymore,” Matthew promises, soft blue eyes looking into yours, he meant it. He didn’t know how else to make it clearer, he wanted you. You kissed him slowly, hands trailing down his abs and stopping where his shorts hit his waist. Matthew kicks off his swim trunks, cock springing free. You grab the back of his neck, pulling your lips to his and rolling over top of him and straddling his waist. It was criminal how good you looked on top of him, “Gonna ride me babe?”

You nod, lining his dick up your core and lowering yourself on top of him. You let out a whine, Matthew’s smug smile on full display once he realized it was because of how big he was, “We don’t have to if my dick’s too big.”

“Oh shut up,” You roll your hips, watching the way Matthew’s head fell back, smirking because he really thought he had control here. Matthew’s hands gripped your waist, moving your hips faster. His finger flicked over your clit, causing you to lunge forward on top of him. Matthew flipped you over, wrapping a leg around his waist so he could hit your g-spot. Your hands gripped his shoulders, nails leaving scratches Matthew was going to wear pride later. You were seeing stars, noises leaving your throat you’d never even heard yourself make, “Fuck, Matty, I’m gonna cum again.”

“Look at me,” Matthew grabs your chin, pressing his forehead against yours and watching while your eyes roll back with pleasure. Your pussy clenched around him, his own cum spilling into you from the sensation, a loud groan following. Matthew pressed a kiss to your forehead, his cock still buried inside of you, “I wasn’t bullshitting you, I mean every word Y/N.”

“Matthew,” You whisper, running a finger along his back, “The distance…”

You didn’t mention everything, the way that if this was real it meant it would end up ripping you both apart. You were set to live in a different city, Matthew all the way in another country. The way your dreams included a spot on the U.S. National team, and the idea that wanting to be with Matthew would hold you back was terrifying. The way his dreams probably meant staying in Calgary forever, a C on his jersey and a cup over his head. It wasn’t going to be easy, you weren’t ever going to be the doting girlfriend he probably needed. There would be years of travel schedules and games that overlapped, and a part of you thought that maybe Matthew wouldn’t be able to do it. You’d get a year in and he’d find someone who would be there more and finally you’d end it.

“We can make it work, baby I want you, I always have and I probably always will,” Matthew starts, baring his soul to another person for the first time in his goddamn life, “I want to support your dreams and have you be there for mine. I’m all in here, I don’t know how else to tell you.”

“Can I have some time?” You plead, holding onto Matthew’s shoulders because you knew he could leave and tell you to never speak to him again. Matthew sighs, understanding the way you were shitting yourself about starting your own professional career, remembering the way rookie Matthew would have died before he considered settling down that first year, “Please don’t leave me-”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Matthew promises, rolling over and letting your rest on his chest, “I’ll wait for you.”

You smile, snuggling closer to him. Matthew didn’t sleep a minute that night, running every single scenario that could possibly happen with the two of you. Matthew was sure it would work out, it had to, because if it didn’t he wasn’t sure he’d be able to recover.

So now all he could was wait.

***

You know this is creepy right?

Matthew stares at Sam, punching his teammate in the arm lightly and telling him to shut up. He had a night off in Chicago, and after four straight hours of staring at your contact in his phone, Matthew finally just bought the tickets. He’d been good at keeping his distance, you needed space and he respected you enough to try and give it to you. He wasn’t doing so hot, Matthew consuming more soccer games than hockey games at this point. It started with your first game, because how was he supposed to just pretend like it wasn’t happening? You scored too, and it took everything in his power not to call you to tell you that not only was he right, he was insanely proud of you.

And he’d been hearing it from everyone. Your sister thought it was bullshit, Taryn and Jamie almost had Matthew on a flight to Chicago ready to show up like a terrible Lifetime movie. Brady thought it was hilarious the way Matthew was simping like this for one girl. Now, his teammates were on him, wondering why on Earth their friend who historically ran through women faster than he did mouthguards could be this hung up on someone he had a crush on in middle school.

“What number is she?” Sam asks, sipping the beer he forced Matthew to buy after making him go along with this.

“Nineteen,” Matthew smiles, pointing down at you on the field. You looked so happy, warming up with one of your teammates and a bright smile on your face. It seemed like a good fit, your team and your new city, and it made Matthew’s heart grow four sizes.

“Did she choose your number?” Sam jokes and Matthew mumbles something under his breath, “What?”

“It was her number first,” Matthew admits, not wanting to ever confess to another soul that you crossed his mind when he kept that camp number. Sam howled next to him, leaning over his seat and cracking up at his teammate.

You looked out in the crowd about halfway through the game, rubbing your eyes to make sure you weren’t seeing things. That tuft of curls was hard to miss, not to mention you knew just how big Matthew was. He was far too into the game to realize you caught him, up in arms about a call against your team that was valid but he’d argue it wasn’t. You asked for space, and it was getting harder to stick to your guns. Especially when he was making it so clear that he wanted this.

And whether or not you went to his game the next night, was a secret you’d take to the grave.

***

You were so close you could have tasted it.

While the final seconds of your season came to a close, all you could do was hold your head in your hands and hope no one caught the tears. A semi-final loss was devastating, but a semi-final loss where there wasn’t anything you could have done differently was even worse. Every athlete had off nights, a point Keith pushed right before you left to start your season, and he was right. Unfortunately, that was this game. Your biggest fear had come true and there was nothing you could do about it now. The game was over and you weren’t moving on.

And Matthew watched it.

Matthew promised you space, and he swore he’d give you the time you needed to settle down. But, this was something he couldn’t ignore. He could tell you were off, your entire rookie season was almost perfect and watching the way you folded during this game was gut wrenching. Matthew knew better than anyone, losing sucked. So he took the chance, grabbing his phone and shooting you a text he’d been waiting to send.

Doors open in Calgary.

and I’m so fucking proud of you.

It was the very last text you saw before you went to bed that night, tossing and turning for a few hours thinking about that loss. You couldn’t stop, every bone in your body was aching and you didn’t know what to do. So you bought a flight, packed your shit and was walking down the hallway to Matthew’s apartment without a second thought. You’d left him on read, calling Brady in the middle of the night and asking for his address, who gave it to you reluctantly with a reminder that if you needed to see him this badly you should rethink the needing time thing.

Matthew let out a groan when he had a bang at his door at three in the morning. Noah definitely was trying to walk into the wrong apartment again, and Matthew was grouchy when he whipped his door open. Except it wasn’t Noah after he’d had too many. It was you, teary eyed with your shit in a suitcase and a broken heart.

“I can’t stop thinking about it,” You admit, whispering something you never thought you’d say to anyone, “I just didn’t do enough-”

Matthew didn’t say a word, pulling you into a bone crushing hug and holding you as tightly as he could. You didn’t need to hear it from him, about how things were out of your control and you did your best. You didn’t want that right now, you wanted him, “Baby…”

“Everything hurts,” You whimper, finally just letting it all out. You were bruised and battered from the season, the physical pain alone was enough to upset you, let alone the loss you just took. Matthew carded his fingers through your hair, letting you soak his bare chest with your tears because he wouldn’t have it any other way. You came back to him. You came back to him when things got too tough because you trusted him to bring you some peace, and he was happy about it.

You passed out sometime after that, your tears finally running dry and the exchaustion taking over your body. Matthew woke up early the next day, grateful for the optional morning skate so he could stay with you for just a little bit longer. The sun was just starting to peek through the curtains in his room, a calm snowy morning in Calgary so the city was just a bit quieter.

Matthew settled on breakfast, working away in his kitchen with the only thing he knew how to make. Tell her you made it, his mom’s words from just a few months prior in his head while he cooked. You padded out his bedroom, one of Matthew’s god awful beer shirts hanging from your frame while you wrapped your arms around his waist and pressed a kiss into his back, “It’s cold here.”

“You’ll get used to it,” Matthew hums, internally pumping his fist when he felt your lips form a smile against his skin. You turned your head, pressing your cheek against his against and letting out a laugh, “What’s so funny?”

“You framed my jersey?” You ask, your eye catching a jersey that was way too familiar. It was hung up beside Matthew’s from his first all star game, both number nineteens staring back at you.

“Why wouldn’t I? You’re my favorite player,” Matthew hums, a blush covering his cheeks, “I’m so proud of you.”

“You keep saying that,” Matthew finally turns around, pressing a quick peck to your lips.

“I’ll keep saying it long after we both retire,” Matthew speaks, words clear and sure because he’s had plenty of time to practice this one, “I’ll say it when you win a World Cup gold, I’ll say it when we have kids, I’ll say when you play at the Olympics. I’m going to say it over and over again.”

“But…” You trail off, all of those same demons you’d been fighting when it came to your whatever this was with Matthew, “What I’m not around enough for you?”

Matthew knew what you were thinking about, he’d thought about it plenty too. There were countless sleepless nights where all he did was wonder if you’d find someone in Chicago who could support you better than he could. He’d do his best, he swore he would, but in order for you to be happy, your passion came first. There was always going to be times when he couldn’t be there and it killed him.

“You’re more than enough,” Matthew promises, his lips ghosting over yours, “I want you to seize every opportunity in the world, I just want to be there to tell you that I love you and use the goat emoji on Instagram when you do.”

You let out a laugh, Matthew’s smile wide enough to see his dimples you loved so much, “I think I want to stay a little while.”

“I think you should,” Matthew agrees, capturing your lips in his, “Besides I’m playing tonight and I think I need to show off now.”

“You’re a cocky asshole.”

“But now I’m your cocky asshole.”

***

One year Later

You had a good reason to be late.

You swore Matthew couldn’t possibly be mad at you for this one. You’d missed your flight to Calgary, a few days post a second loss in the semi finals that you’d been taking much better this time around. Mainly because Matthew wasn’t there, but his stupid smile and words of encouragement where there on facetime hours later. That wasn’t the reason you were late, the reason you were late was because you’d received the most insane news of your life and it was an important phone or that flight. You’d caught the next one, legs shaking not to just call him and share the news, but you needed to tell him in person.

You’d finally gotten by the doors to the locker room entrance, out of breath from spriting there from your cab. There was Matthew, tapping his phone and staring at the clock on his phone with furrowed eyebrows. He was still in his suit, tie pulled a little looser, a nervous habit you realized he had some time ago, “Matty-”

“Don’t call me that just because you know you’re late,” Matthew huffs, already ready for the pout that would have followed so he’d forget all about the fact that you promised you’d make it on time. He holds his hand out, waiting for the handshake he made up in the car on the way to the first game you went to after he finally locked it down. You laugh, slapping your hand against his and letting him pull you closer for a kiss.

“They want me on the National Team,” You mumble against his lips, the words spilling out of your mouth when you pull away with an excited smile. Matthew stood there stunned, while you shuffled your feet in the little dance you did when you were really happy. He grabs your cheeks, pressing kisses to your lips again and again.

“We’re celebrating after this, holy shit,” Matthew cheers, still stunned by your news, “I love you so much.”

“I love you too, now go score a few goals so we have even more to celebrate,” You kiss him one more time, pushing him before the door before he was late.

“Anything I do seems unimportant now!” Matthew calls out, a light laugh to his voice as he watched you walk away to go sit in the stands.

And that’s how Matthew thought it should be.

#matthew tkachuk #matthew tkachuk imagine #my writing #nhl imagine #nhl imagines

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brightmiraii · 3 years

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SEVENTEEN 14th member || Hayley

FACE & VOICE CLAIM: Choi Yena (ex IZ*ONE)

STAGE NAME: Hayley (헤일리)

KOREAN NAME: Lee Ha Eun (이하은)

ENGLISH NAME: Hayley Lee

NICKNAMES: Eun, Eunnie, Hayhay, Genius Lee, Queen Hay, Duality Eun

BIRTH DATE: January 9th, 2001 (20 years old, 21 on Korean age)

PLACE OF BIRTH: Vancouver, Canada

ETHNIC: Korean

EDUCATION: Seoul School of Performing Arts

ZODIAC SIGN: Capricorn

NATURAL HAIR COLOUR: Black

EYE COLOUR: Dark brown

HEIGHT: 160cm

WEIGHT: 42kg

BLOOD TYPE: A

POSITION: Lead dancer, sub-vocal, sub-rapper, maknae

UNIT: Performance

TRAINING PERIOD: 2 years and 6 months

LANGUAGES: English, Korean, French, currently learning Japanese and Chinese

FAMILY: mother, father and two older brothers (one of them being Mark from NCT)

B A C K S TO R Y

Hayley is the third-child, the only girl and youngest among the three children her parents had

She started dancing at the age of four. Throughout her life she learnt classic ballet, jazz, contemporary dance, hip-hop and more

When she was around ten years old, Hayley won an internship at Paris Opéra Ballet and stayed there for about three years. She graduated with every honour she could have due to her great performances and skills

After returning to Vancouver, Hayley participated on SM Global Audition, yet she failed it (she considers it one of the biggest failures in her life)

Though that situation happened to her, she passed on Pledis’ audition and started training on 2014

She thought she wouldn’t make a debut since she wasn’t present to the public as one of the Pledis Girls or as a regular trainee, so she was surprised when the prompt of joining Seventeen was presented

Started to train with the boys as soon as 2016 began, even though she wouldn’t go with them to awards ceremonies or concerts

Officially joined Seventeen in ‘Pretty U’ era and received a lot of criticism, but also some Carats loved her

P E R S O N A L I T Y

She’s a shy girl at first sight, but as soon as she has to perform as Hayley from Seventeen, she becomes charismatic and powerful (that’s why Carats call her ‘Duality Eun’). With the members, close friends and family, though, she’s a bubbly and caring personality

Haeun tends to bottle everything inside and pretend nothing’s wrong until she can’t take it anymore

Her motivation is to be a great idol and make Carats proud of her

Her weak point is negative comments, those really affect her

She has a habit to scratch herself when she’s nervous till the point where sometimes it caused bruises

Ever since she debuted, the media always found a way to compare her to Mark and she absolutely hates it because not only she doesn’t want to be known as “Mark’s younger sister” but also it makes her feel insecure about specially her vocal skills

F U N F A C T S

Hayley was really insecure to join Seventeen, even though she had already met them once or twice, the thought of being in the same group as thirteen boys that already knew each other was terrifying to her. Now, she sees them as her family and cares for them as if they were her brothers for real

She cried after Seventeen won Best Dance Performance on MAMA 2017 when they left the stage because she knew how hard everyone worked for ‘Don’t Wanna Cry’

Probably is the #1 fan of China Line and freaked out with My I (every time they had to perform it Hayley needed to be there and root for them)

Even though ballet took a big part of her life, she had never performed it in front of her members. They only saw her dancing to it during her solo on ‘Diamond Edge’

She loves to read books (lowkey Hayhay and Wonwoo have a book club)

Because she grew up speaking two languages at home + learnt French at the ballet academy, Hayley goes through those three languages when she’s nervous

Carats started to call her ‘Genius Lee’ when Jeonghan said Hayley has good grades on school, besides speaking fluently three languages

Calls Mark at least once a week because she is really attached to him (seriously they’re sibling goals)

She can’t eat anything with cinnamon due to the fact that she’s allergic to it

Plays the piano very well, however she sucks at playing guitar (Jihoon and Joshua can confirm it) done till here

Her favourite colour is lilac

Wears glasses but can’t use contact lenses, so she walks around and performs without seeing very well

Sebongies made a special event to give Hayhay her SVT ring, they made a live without her knowing and pulled a prank on her to, after, give her the present (cue to Hayley crying like a baby)

Loves high heels because they make her looks taller, but she gave up using them because of the choreographies

Would like to try rapping but is too insecure of failing and being compared to her brother that she doesn’t even try

Hayhay tends to not speak up her ideas whenever Performance team is creating a new choreography, she’s really insecure about her ideas so she remains in silence

Only a few times she suggested a few things, including Jihoon’s part in ‘Don’t Wanna Cry’ choreography

Anyone can bribe her with chicken and ice cream

She’s a fan of 5 Seconds Of Summer

Her knees are always bruised with purple marks due to their hard choreographies (the makeup artists have to work on them with makeup whenever she’s using shorts without knee pads)

#seventeen 14th member au #seventeen extra member au #seventeen additional member au #kpop female addition #kpop oc #kpop addition

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hyunjin-is-life · 5 years

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NCT LONG POST ALERT!:

So I've been thinking about NCT tonight a lot. Had a massive long talk with my friend about them too. I've been a fan since debut! Like I saw the 7th sense happen, i saw fire truck happen, and chewing gum. Now granted, I didn't stan them like I did after limitless happened. But still! And they are one of my ultimate groups now ! I have at least one version of all their Korean relases too! (Take over the moon is still on its way to me). So in honor of my uwu feels, I thought I'd talk about the members, well my biases.

Haechan: My number one bias. My baby boy, our full sun. My 127 bias and my Dream bias, and any other group they may put him in. He is so wonderful it's a wonder it took me so long to fall in love with him. Ever since Go this boy has been wrecking my world and I'm so on board! He has the voice of an angel! He's a V I S U A L . And he can freaking dance! Took them til CHAIN to let him have the FRONT But I digress. He's my world. My sassy boy💕

Ten: Where do you even start? WayV bias. What did i tell my friend earlier...That prize of a man we to bias speaks 4 languages, can sing, rap, dance and is just the most good looking person ever, he's not even human. He's not Thai or Chinese. He's an alien. About sums it up I think, yeah? I mean he's like a mystical creature.

Lucas: Is NCT U even real anymore? But anyways, Boss was so lit! He just like waltzed in and took over! Like Its me, I'm here. He's this giant boy who makes my heart all a flutter, second bias in WayV. Also he kills it in Super M. YOU GO BABY!

Also I would like to just name some honorable mentions of members that, even though i don't bias (or they are second biases), I feel need recognition because i have such love for them. Now granted I love all 21 of these boys but that would just he so long omg.

NCT Dream: Jaemin and Renjun. I love these two. I'm so happy to have Jaemin back and happy with his members the last year or so now. He looks amazing! The pink hair is my fave right now. *insert 😶 because of The Dream Show* and Renjun my fluffy boy. He works so hard and deserves better. All the Chinese members do. #moreloveforchinesemembers! I love all my dreamies though💕

Nct 127/U: Johnny, Mark and Jungwoo. My Johnny!! Oh I just adore him. He is the whole reason I got as deep into NCT as I did. Come through in that Limitless music video! Tall boy, english boy, pretty boy lol just all around lovable and talented boy. Mark! How do you not talk about Mark? The debut king! All the way from Canada here to please and be seen in every group possible. I miss him with my dreamies. But what can you do. And my Jungwoo 💕 he is such a VISUAL. He's so talented. It's no wonder he was added to 127. He's so fluffy and just sweet. Please love my boy. Love 127.

WayV: ummmm everyone else in WayV! But especially WinWin and Xiaojun. I love wayv. I just yes. They are so amazing like. They out here making others look bad! No offense. WinWin. This boy should drop a solo song complete with mv full of dance moves you wish you could do! Does anyone remember that video where he does that backflip splits thing or whatever? It feels like sm intentionally forgets him. Finally a Chinese group and he still not getting lines like how. Xiaojuuuuun! My man. One of the newbies. Killing it with this blonde hair. He's also my second bias in WayV. Yeah i said it, I double second bias him and Lucas. Did you see take off? Or anything? Like he is amazing. Please love the China line! (Plus chenle too)

I'll stop talking now lol

STAN TALENT. STAN NCT.

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sorijilleo-beoreoghae · 5 years

Text

NCT “Meta”

Hey guys! Let me know what you think! Also, feel free to send any related asks, questions, or opinions!

**this includes all subunits!**

Overall Thoughts:

Amazed this concept actually worked out well given SM

The members are ALL incredibly talented

Also all incredibly odd lol

They all get along well and have lots of neat, complex relationships and interactions

Each subunit is so unique and has their own vibe

Let's be honest, we all need more ot21 interaction

Very diverse music

NCT DREAM

(the best subunit lol fight me)

Thoughts:

Super talented group

All really talented

Cohesion and team blending is top tier

Always have super complicated choreo, often end up on the floor

Fresh and not too cutesy, can be rebellious

Consistently good and diverse music

Members GRADUATE as they hit 20 :C

Babies of NCT

Taken care of by other NCT members

Neglected by SM the most (not including U)

Funniest subunit, vlives are gold

Too much chaos in one group

Kings of BOPS

Member Breakdown:

Renjun: Fiesty little baby lol. Voice of an angel, very sweet and strong. Is smol, his humor is rather dark and honestly so relatable. Chinese and Korean bilingual, unable to understand Korean when it suits him lol. Artiste, paints, reads, thinks of philosophical debates. Solid dancer, teaser.

Jeno: No fun lol. Very sincere and kind guy, kind of boring lol and gets teased by members. Great dancer, good rapper, very innocent, kind of like a human puppy. Loves his cats lol. Does ASMR a lot. BFFs with Jaemin.

Haechan: Chaotic devil. Constantly teasing other members and making life difficult, a little diva. Very unique vocal tone, great voice, also very good dancer. Manages to harass everyone despite being in 127 as well as DREAM atm lol.

Jaemin: Actual prince charming. Is literally the kindest soul to exist, super sweet to everyone, fans, members, children, etc. Still manages to joke around and tease them sarcastically a lot. Can play piano, does a lot of volunteer work. Good dancer, great rapper, very distinctive style. Always tries to be cute, especially to fans. BFFs with Renjun and Jeno.

Chenle: CEO lol. Actual dolphin, very clear high voice. Has been singing since he was tiny, BFFs with Jisung. Can rock really weird hair colors, i.e. orange, teal green... Calls Kun "mom" lol knowing it annoys Kun. Little trickster.

Jisung: THE dance prodigy. LOW voice, good rapper and good vocalist, incredible dancer. "Maknae", but really rules DREAM. Great stage presence and total fluff ball off stage. Easily frightened, squishy, literal baby. Doesn't like to do things alone. BFFs with Chenle.

Favorite Song: Drippin'/Boom Most Underrated Song: We Young Song That Grew On Me: My First and Last Favorite MV: Go Favorite Era: We Young Favorite Title track: Boom Favorite Non-title Track: Drippin'/Dream Run/Walk You Home

Album Ranking: 1. We Boom 2. We Go Up 3. We Young 4. The First

Top 10 songs: 1. Drippin’ 2. Boom 3. Dream Run 4. Go 5. We Young 6. Walk You home 7. DNYL 8. We Go Up 9. 1,2,3 10. Fireflies

Bias(es): 1. Jisung 2. Renjun 3. Jaemin

Favorite Dancer: Jisung Favorite Singer: Renjun Favorite Rapper: Jaemin Favorite Choreo: We Young Least Favorite Title Track: Chewing Gum Least Favorite Choreo: none (bruh their choreo is the best) Favorite Rap Part: Jaemin's We go up intro Favorite Vocal Part: Renjun's part in Walk You Home, all of Drippin' Favorite Dance Part: Jaemin's kick in We Go Up, Renjun's center part in We Go Up Popular Song I Don't Like: none Unpopular Opinion: I think DREAM is better without Mark... it's a more complementing fit and blend of member instead of Mark overpowering everything and I love the OT6 balance

Visual Ranking: 1. Jaemin

2. Renjun 3. Jisung 4. Jeno 5. Haechan 6. Chenle

Vocal Ranking: 1. Haechan 2. Renjun 3. Chenle 4. Jisung 5. Jaemin 6. Jeno

Rap Ranking: 1. Jaemin 2. Jeno 3. Jisung 4. Haechan 5. Renjun 6. Chenle

Dance Ranking: 1. Jisung

2. Jeno 3. Jaemin 4. Haechan 5. Renjun 6. Chenle

NCT 127

Thoughts:

Definitely have a very specific sound they like to bring to their music

That does NOT mean that all the songs sound the same

Their ballads are STRONG

A lot of their songs inspire absolute love or hate

Not very even line distribution sometimes, lead vocals get hardly any and Mark/Taeyong get a LOT

Cool choreo

Overworked babies lately

Strange mix of people that somehow manage to thrive lol

Member Breakdown:

Taeyong: Fluffy little ball of sugar and cuddles, like a baby chick. Diligent leader, very responsible, parent of all NCT children LOL. Fantastic rapper, has so much stage presence it's SCARY and dominating. Best on stage, cutie off stage, incredible dancer, works ridiculously hard. Affectionate to members, easily embarrassed.

Taeil: Power main vocal with great range. Dorky, oldest member but often doesn't act like it. Affectionate, especially to Winwin lol. Pretty quiet in general but is kind of out there when he does talk.

Yuta: Real Life anime prince. Red haired Yuta is the superior Yuta (no I do not accept criticism). Super charismatic, great stage presence that varies according to the concept well. Can rap and sing very well, great dancer. Very outspoken and opinionated. Likes to tease the other members and can be ruthless lol.

Johnny: MUSCLES, thick boi, little bit of a thot. Rapper, dancer, vocalist, all around talent. Funny one of the group, naturally entertaining. Likes teasing the other members mercilessly, jokes a lot, sexy king, Chicago boy.

Doyoung: Bunny! Incredibly angelic voice, very distinctive vocal tone, yet he can match his style to any genre of music they produce. Basically a model, super charismatic gaze on stage. Mom of the group, also takes care of DREAMies a lot. Likes to do cover songs, good cook.

Jaehyun: Heartthrob of the group, visual god, great at everything, speaks well, kind, thoughtful, raises eyebrows at the other members antics sometimes but doesn't stop them lol. Knows EXACTLY what he's doing to fans when he's onstage...

WinWin (in this house we will NOT exclude WinWin): Quiet (ish) but savage, does NOT tolerate other members bulls***t, not a fan of touching, but sometimes lets his members hang on him. Traditional Chinese dance, cute without trying, even when specifically not trying. Great at adapting stage persona to genre i.e. Regular v. Touch. If it weren't for WayV we'd never know what his voice sounds like.... *cough* *cough* SM give him lines and DO NOT EXILE HIM I SWEAR TO GOD.

Jungwoo: LITERALLY, and I cannot stress this enough, THE biggest uwu. Kind of oblivious lol, big fluff ball, likes affection, shy and nervous sometimes. Low self esteem, works really hard to improve at all times. Deserves more lines lets be honest.

Mark: SM's supreme rapper, in a constant state of confusion. Silly boy with uncontrollable giggle. Innocent yet not all at the same time. Usually in every possible subunit lol, finally decreasing for once. "oh Canada"

Favorite Song: Simon Says/Highway to Heaven Most Underrated Song: Come Back/ Baby Don't Like It Song That Grew On Me: Firetruck Favorite MV: Simon Says/Touch Favorite Era: Simon Says Favorite Title Track: Simon Says Favorite Non-title Track: Good Ting

Album Break Down: NCT #127 (2016) Limitless (2017) Cherry Bomb (2017) Regular-Irregular (2018) Regulate (2018) We Are Superhuman (2019)

Album Ranking: 1. NCT #127 2. Limitless 3. We Are Superhuman 4. Regulate 5. Regular-Irregular 6. Cherry Bomb

Top 10 Songs: 1. Simon Says 2. Baby Don't Like It 3. Good Thing 4. Highway to Heaven 5. Touch 6. Regular 7. Cherry Bomb 8. No Longer 9. Paradise 10. Firetruck

Bias(es) 1. Doyoung

Favorite Dancer: Taeyong Favorite Singer: Doyoung Favorite Rapper: Taeyong Favorite Choreo: Come Back/Simon Says Least Favorite Title Track: Limitless Least Favorite Choreo: Touch Favorite Rap Part: Taeyong's rap intro in Simon Says Favorite Vocal Part: Cherry Bomb bridge/Doyoung in Baby Don't Like It/Haechan and Doyoung in Highway to Heaven Favorite Dance Part: chorus of Come Back/the pointing bending part of Simon Says Popular Song I Don't Like: Limitless/Wakey-Wakey Unpopular Opinion: Mark and Taeyong are great, but they need to spread the parts out more evenly, especially letting some of the dancers be in the chorus choreo center more

Visual Ranking: 1. Taeyong

2. Doyoung 3. Jaehyun 4. WinWin 5. Johnny 6. Jungwoo 7. Yuta 8. Haechan 9. Mark 10. Taeil

Vocal Ranking: 1. Doyoung 2. Taeil 3. Jaehyun 4. Haechan 5. Jungwoo 6. Yuta 7. Taeyong 8. Mark 9. Johnny 10. WinWin

Rap Ranking: 1. Mark 2. Taeyong 3. Yuta 4. Jaehyun 5. Johnny 6. WinWin 7. Haechan 8. Jungwoo 9. Doyoung 10. Taeil

Dance Ranking: 1. Taeyong

2. Yuta 3. Jaehyun 4. Haechan 5. Johnny 6. WinWin 7. Jungwoo 8. Mark 9. Doyoung 10. Taeil

NCT U

Thoughts:

Most under-utilized subunit

Should be the most used to allow collabs between members of different units, could bring the Chinese and Korean units together a lot too, even doing Chinese promotions

Could help test groups of members for new subunits

Has arguably the BEST songs of any subunit, okay not arguably, definitely

Member Breakdown: not happening since there isn't a recent U comeback :C (not counting the OST)

Favorite Song: Baby Don't Stop Most Underrated Song: The 7th Sense Song That Grew On Me: The 7th Sense Favorite MV: Baby Don't Stop/The 7th Sense Favorite Era: Boss Favorite Title Track: Baby Don't Stop Favorite Choreo: Baby Don't Stop Favorite Rap Part: Taeyong's Boss rap Favorite Vocal Part: Ten's adlibs and "feels so nice/feels so right" in Baby Don't Stop Favorite Dance Part: the iconic (chorus) Baby Don't Stop part

Top Songs: 1. Baby Don't Stop 2. The 7th Sense 3. Boss

Unpopular Opinion: NCT U will reign supreme among subunits if SM ever lets it

WayV

Thoughts:

Solid group

Good cohesion, concept

Good original music as well as new takes on a few existing NCT songs

Choreo for Take Off is legendary

FULL of talent

Should really be integrated with other units more so people stop separating WayV from NCT :C

Member Breakdown:

Kun: Mom of the group, waited for debut forever, easily frustrated with members' antics. The other members intentionally tease him. Promotes the rest of NCT harder than SM lol.

Ten: Dance GOD, talented vocal, good rapper, absolute chaotic MESS of a human being. Little filter, limited self control. Leads the younger members astray. Struggles with Chinese sometimes (but also knows at least 4 languages, so...) and gets help from the other members. Thai legend who is LEGITIMATELY AFRAID OF FRUIT. Wears glasses most of the time, giggles a lot, very suggestive. The other members get tired of his bulls***t XD.

WinWin: Quiet (ish) but savage, does NOT tolerate other members bulls***t, not a fan of touching, but sometimes lets his members hang on him. Traditional Chinese dance, cute without trying, even when specifically not trying. Great at adapting stage persona to genre, if it weren't for WayV we'd never know what his voice sounds like.... *cough* *cough* SM give him lines and DO NOT EXILE HIM I SWEAR TO GOD. IN THIS HOUSE WE STAN A HAPPY, INVOLVED WINWIN.

XiaoJun: Vocalssss. Angry eyebrows lol, but still handsome. A bit reserved compared to some members (at least outwardly LOL), but still young and fun. Dorky dances and causes chaos with YangYang and Hendery. Works hard at dance and all aspects as well.

Lucas: Big dumb puppy lol, very oblivious, jokes a lot, other members tease him a lot for being an idiot XD. Highly entertaining, knows how to make people laugh and put on a show. King of iconic NCT lines (lets not forget "YOU ARE NANA??"). Good dancer, rapper, and vocalist. Visuals too, model proportions.

Hendery: Talks a LOT, looks like Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid and Donkey from Shrek simultaneously. Spontaneous goofball, jokes around with Ten a lot. Was in SM rookies for a while so trained in Korea for good bit.

YangYang: Kind of crazy? Chaotic, uncontrollable. Baby (should've been added to DREAM too, don't @ me), good rapper but also solid vocalist and really tries in everything. Speaks German, which is cool.

Favorite Song: Dream Launch Most Underrated Song: Dream Launch Song That Grew On Me: Say It Favorite MV: Let Me Love You Favorite Title Track: Take Off Favorite Non-title Track: Dream Launch

Songs Ranking: 1. Dream Launch 2. Take Off 3. Let Me Love You 4. Come Back 5. Regular 6. Say It

Bias(es): 1. Ten

Favorite Dancer: Ten Favorite Vocal: XiaoJun Favorite Rapper: Lucas Favorite Choreo: Take Off Unpopular Opinion: WayV is good as it is, I don't think DREAM China line (Renjun and Chenle) should join when they graduate DREAM. They don't really fit the image for the group and I'd much rather see an OT5 or OT6 DREAM fixed unit than adding members to already established units.

Visual Ranking: 1. Lucas

2. Ten 3. XiaoJun 4. WinWin 5. Hendery 6. YangYang 7. Kun

Vocal Ranking: 1. XiaoJun 2. Ten 3. Kun 4. Lucas 5. YangYang 6. Hendery 7. WinWin

Rap Ranking: 1. Lucas 2. YangYang 3. Ten 4. Hendery 5. WinWin 6. XiaoJun 7. Kun

Dance Ranking: 1. Ten

2. WinWin 3. Lucas 4. Hendery 5. YangYang 6. XiaoJun 7. Kun

Let me know what you thought! Also, if you have any suggestions for future metas please send them to me!

Previously done:

ASTRO

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asktheunderrealm · 5 years

Text

Memories

The beginning of it all

The creation of her

The death of them

Word Count: 8,520

April 14, 2001

The young lady walked in silence through the woods. She had failed. The six-month old baby in her arms was nothing more than a demon in her eyes. She had gone to every church in the city, even outside of the city. Nothing could save this child. Once she felt she had gone deep enough into the forest, she placed the baby on the ground, glaring harshly into the big brown and red eyes staring up at her in wonder. Without another thought, she left. The baby cried loudly after her.

Meanwhile, a real demon had been walking through the forest when the heart-breaking sound of a baby's cries met his ears. He turned in that direction and followed the sound. By now, the mother had been gone for roughly half an hour. The baby hadn't stopped crying since then. The demon found the baby, crouching down next to them. It was a baby girl. She had tufts of blonde hair going every which way, wearing a green dress and wrapped in a towel. Her left eye was a coffee brown, while her right was ruby red.

The demon looked into her soul, unsurprised to see that she wasn't a mortal. “A demigod,” he thought, seeing the clear godly energy her soul containted. Looking only a bit closer told him that she was a daughter of Hephaestus, but also clearly wanted by Zalgo. The young girl stared up at the demon in amazement, a tiny hand curling around one of his clawed fingers. Without another thought, the demon gently picked up the baby and took her to his mansion in the forest. Lacie Taner was the first.

January 28, 2004

An eight-year-old sat in the forest, shivering as she waited for her dad to come back. Januarys in Canada were always freezing, and at this point, her jacket had lost all its warmth. Her dad had told her to wait here for him, that he would come back for her. Scared to disobey, she did. She ran a hand over the bruise on her cheek, wincing as pain ran through her senses.

The demon had been coming home from a meeting with the other demons of the Council, when he felt a presence unfamiliar to him in the woods. The person felt like a child, and definitely not mortal. He teleported to the area the presence was coming from, appearing behind a little girl. She had light brown skin and dark brown hair, shivering from head to toe. Another demigod, this time a daughter of Demeter. He approached the child slowly, so as not to startle her. "What appears to be troubling you, child?" He asked calmly. Her eyes widened, staring up at this tall, skinny, faceless creature. Anyone else would be terrified, but she felt a sense of calm fill her, as if she knew whatever this creature was wouldn't hurt her. "D-Daddy told me to wait here. But he hasn't come back yet. He will though! E-Eventually." She felt her voice begin to die a bit as the words came out of her mouth. The demon nodded softly, almost sympathetically. "I see. Where did you get that bruise, child? He asked softly. The girl instinctively covered it. "O-Oh, uh...Daddy gave it to me."

"And why would he do that?" The demon kept the same calm, soft tone. "W-Well sometimes I mess up an' he, umm...he gets mad is all." He hummed, crouching in front of the small child. "What is your name?"

"K-Katie. Katie Gardner." It felt almost as if the demon was smiling at her as he said, "You may call me SM. If you would like, I can take you somewhere warm. I can take care of that bruise for you as well. You may wait there until your father gets back." SM said this, though he knew, just by looking at Katie's soul and what she told him, that her father had planned on leaving her out here. Katie seemed to reach that conclusion on her own, and the promise of warmth was hard to say no to. She nodded, taking SM's hand and being teleported to her new home and little sister. Katie Gardner was the second.

July 18, 2004

An eleven-year old walked through the woods. Their memories of their past life had come back half-way, but this is something they remembered very well. They looked around, finally seeing the clearing they had grown up in before. They smiled, sitting in front of the clearing and patiently waiting. It only took a few moments for someone to appear in front of them, a four year old girl with her hair in a small pigtail. "Hello! I'm Lacie! What's your name?" She said with a smile.

"Merida Knowles." They smiled back. They had shoulder-length brown hair and purple eyes, with two neon blue hearing aids in their ears.

"I'm looking for SM?" Lacie nodded, grabbing them by the arm. The mansion they loved appeared in front of them, and Lacie dragged Merida in excitedly. Katie looked up curiously from the garden before shrugging and returning to her plants. "Slendy!" Lacie shouted, running over to one door and pounding on it. "This girl named Merida wants to see you!" SM comes out with a sigh. "I understand your excitement, Lacie, but could you please not bang on my door?" Merida ran over to him, slamming into him and wrapping their arms around him. "You thought you could get rid of me so easily, well think again!" SM chuckled, putting a hand on their head. "It's a pleasure to see you again, Dalia. Or would you prefer Merida now?"

"Merida Knowles's good. I still have like half of my memories to recover, but I'll get there eventually." Lacie looked back and forth curiously. "What's goin' on?"

"Lacie, I would you to meet Merida Knowles. They are a Peculiar, with the ability to come back to life with all of his memories of her past life. In their past life, Merida was one of my Proxies, and it appears you've come back again." SM said all this with a twinge of grief in his voice. Merida nodded, a hint of grief passing over them as well, for what though, they couldn't remember yet. All they knew about how they died came from their fear of betrayal.

"You don't have to refer to me with multiple pronouns anymore by the way. I've thought about it, and I realized that I honestly couldn't care less what you refer to me as. She, him, them, I don't care." SM chuckled again. "Understood, Merida. Come, I have your room just as you left it." Merida Knowles was the third.

April 3, 2005

A twelve-year-old ran through the woods, heart pounding in her chest. Something was chasing her, a creature that had taken the form of her father. Her real father was dead in the attic of the place she had called home, killed by whatever that thing was. She didn't know what else to do but run.

Merida was taking a walk through the woods with Lacie and Katie, telling them fun stories about what had happened in the past, when they heard a scream. They immediately bolted towards the sound, Merida and Katie pulling out their daggers. The source of the sound was a girl with light brown hair and pale skin, a man standing over her. Before their eyes, the man melted into an ink-like creature with glowing white eyes. Merida yelled, grabbing the attention of the creature as they threw their dagger, hitting it directly in the chest. The creature immediately melted into an inky puddle. They walked up to the girl, kicking at the puddle and smirking. "You alright?" The girl nodded shakily.

"What...was that thing?" Merida helped her up, saying, "A sekalal. They're basically just creatures made to serve. Can turn into someone you care about in order to manipulate people. Actually..." Merida looked down at the puddle, crouching next to it and putting a finger into it. They muttered a spell, and the creature came back. The girl backed up quickly. "Don't worry. It's under my command now. Aren't you?" Merida spoke, cooing at the sekalal as if it were their pet. It didn't react.

"Could you turn into a kitty and curl up with Lacie over there?" It obeyed, melting into a black cat and rubbing against Lacie's legs. She giggled picking up the kitten and hugging it tightly to her chest, squealing happily as it licked her arms. Merida giggled, turning to the girl. "Anyway, I'm Merida. What's your name?"

"Uh..." She glanced around nervously. "Emily. Emily Underhill. Good to meet you."

"Same to you. Wanna come with us? I mean, whoever sent that sekalal after you probably isn't on our side. Which means they're bad. And you're probably not safe." Emily frowned. "But...my home. My dad—" She froze, eyes widening. Tears entered her eyes, quickly flowing down her cheeks. Merida's brow creased. They put an arm around Emily. "I'm sorry about your dad. But whatever happened to him is just even more proof that we need you to come with us. I'll explain on the way, okay Ems?" They smiled. "Can I call you Ems? It's a cute nickname." Emily sniffed, wiping away tears that refused to stop falling. "S-Sure." With that, Lacie, Katie, and Merida led her back to the mansion. Emily Underhill was the fourth.

October 2, 2005

A seven-year-old ran with Lacie into the forest from their house, blood staining their dirty clothes. They both stopped a small ways into the forest, panting. They followed Lacie a bit longer walking. Before they could ask if she was lost, she pointed towards a clearing. "The headquarters is over there! But, shh!" She put a finger to her lips. "No one can know about us. Like I said, we're a secret organization. Our leader is Mr. Slendyman, a tall, faceless man who wants to protect people like us from the demon Zalgo's possession!" The child gave Lacie a confused look, but continued to follow her. Even if they hadn't killed their family, they wouldn't have wanted to go back anyway. They weren't going to be a slave again.

Once they had gotten into the clearing, Lacie grabbed their hand and fiddled with a watch on her wrist. Blue mist began swirling around the two of them, and once it had cleared, a mansion appeared, as if it had been there all along. Lacie ran over to the building, forcing the child to run after her and inside. "Slendy! I brought Mr. Haight!" She shouted. Two people on the couch looked over at me. "Oh hey! Another boy! That's new!" Emily spoke, resting her chin on her hands and looking eagerly over at the child. Her eyes widened as she saw the blood on their clothes. "Oh...uh..." Merida quickly stood up. "It's alright. We have plenty of clothes to spare. Want me to show you?"

"Wait, is it normal for kids to show up covered in blood around here?" The child winced at Emily's volume. "Actually...kind of. Kids are easier for Zalgo to manipulate, and he often gets them to kill people around them. It's the main sign that Zalgo wants them and has gotten too close to claiming them. Can easily be taken care of, though. Don't you worry!" They smiled down at the child, who couldn't help but feel warm looking at the kind expression directed towards them. Merida let the kid wash and clothe themself before bringing them down to SM. "Here he is, sir."

"Thank you for bringing them, Merida." He responded, putting extra emphasis on them as he studied the child's soul. Merida made a quiet "oh" with their lips, before smiling and leaving the room. "What is your name, child?" They gulped, looking up at this ten-foot-tall creature, feeling nervous, yet excited at the same time. "Brian Haight." SM seemed to smile down at them. "It is a pleasure to meet you." Brian Haight was the fifth.

May 15, 2006—May 20, 2006

Six-year-old Lacie Taner and ten-year-old Katie Gardner had begun to show signs of special abilities. They had known they would start appearing, but had never known when. Lacie would accidentally summon balls of fire, and would often set objects on fire in her hands. Any plant Katie touched would automatically grow, no matter how close to death it seemed. SM pulled them aside one day to talk to them about it.

"Children, I told you before that you are children of the gods. Lacie, you are the daughter of Hephaestus, god of fire and the forge. Katie, you are the daughter of Demeter, goddess of agriculture. While this mansion is a safe place for me to educate you on controlling your abilities, there is somewhere much safer and more specified for demigods like yourselves." Lacie blinked up at SM, who she saw as more of a father figure than a mentor or master. "You mean Camp Half-Blood? That place?"

"Indeed, Lacie. Recently, Zalgo has been claiming demigods from that camp. Not only would it help you learn how to use your abilities better, it would also do us good to have a spy or two there. That way Zalgo won't be able to simply go in and out of that camp and take anyone he deems fit."

"So...you want us to go to Camp Half-Blood and...stay there? That way we can learn and Zalgo won't claim people?" Katie asked.

"Indeed." Lacie and Katie met eyes, Lacie's eyebrows creasing. "But...I don't wanna leave. I like it here. This is home." SM sighed, crouching in front of the two young girls. "You don't have to leave just yet. You may leave when you are ready."

"But I don't wanna leave at all! I wanna stay here with you, an' Brian, a-an' Emily, an'—" SM put a hand on the six-year-old's head, shushing her. "You don't have to leave, either. It is simply an option that I am giving you. I would be happy if you left, but I would also be happy if you stayed, as well. Whatever you deem fit. And even if you decide to leave to Camp Half-Blood, you will still be able to come back whenever you'd like." Lacie nodded, wiping away the tears that had started to form. Katie, on the other hand, was deep in thought.

A few days later, Katie walked down the hall, knocking on the door of SM's office and opening it. "Slendy? A-About the camp thing..." SM looked up from his work and folded his fingers together on his desk. "Come in, Katie. What would you like to ask?" Katie closed the door behind her and ran to sit on the chair in front of his desk. "I...I think I wanna go. I wanna learn more about the gods and how to fight like a Greek." SM nodded solemnly. "I understand. If you would like, you may leave at the beginning of June and stay only for the summers. There is already a proxy of Glaukos staying there, but they have said many times that they could use a bit of back-up during the summers, when the camp is full. Would that work for you?" Katie nodded.

"Do you think Lacie'll be okay with it, though? I mean, sure it's only for summers, but...we've never been apart before."

"I'm sure she will understand. She's quite bright for a six-year-old. Either way, she now has quite a few siblings that will help her through the summers without you. You need not worry about her."

At the beginning of June, Katie had her bags packed, and SM teleported her over to the forest the camp resided in. He gave her a set of rules to follow, such as "Don't tell anyone about the proxy world" and "Don't let them know where you're from.'' Once that was all said and done, Katie hugged her father figure, and ran off down the trail to camp.

May 10, 2007

An eleven-year-old ran into the forest, hands stained red. Lacie ran over, shouting, "Hey! Wait up!" She stopped in front of him, gasping for breath. "Glad that you came to the forest without me needing to direct you. I'm Lacie! What's your name?"

"Uhh..." He stared at her, confusion written across his face. "T-Timothy Sutton."

"Good to meet you! C'mon, I can take you to our headquarters! It's run by Slendy, a tall, faceless man who wants to protect people like us from Zalgo's possession!" Timothy backed away. "Y-You're joking, right? H-How are you so calm? I just killed my parents, and—" He froze, the reality of it all sinking in. "Oh god...I-I killed my parents." His voice shook, tears forming in his eyes. Lacie looked up at him, worried. "I-I don't even know what came over me. I-I just did it, and...oh god."

"That's...I'm sorry. Come on, I can take you somewhere where you'll be safe." Timothy wiped away the tears threatening to spill and nodded. Lacie took his hand and fiddled with her watch. The blue mist appeared, then disappeared, and she led him over to the clearing. The mansion appeared, and she led him in. Timothy Sutton was the sixth.

June 15, 2008

Fifteen-year-old Merida Knowles nervously knocked on fifteen-year-old Emily Underhill's door. They had been waiting for a time to confess to her. They had gone to everyone asking what she thought of them, and everyone had begged them to just confess and get the mutual pining to just stop already. They had even gone to SM, who, while he didn't say anything that pointed either way, had sounded very sly in his answer of "Merida, you know that I prefer to stay out of my proxies' business when it comes to love and match-making." So they took that as a sign. The door opened. "Oh, hey, Merry. Good to see you aren't sleeping 'til noon again." Merida laughed, trying to stop themself from going full-on gay mode as they studied her brown almost pixie cut with blonde highlights, her ocean blue eyes, big lips with some nude lipstick on, and—

They blinked, looking down at the ground. "I, uhh...just wanted to say happy birthday. Here," They brought out a CD and handed it to Emily, "it's the newest Panic! at the Disco album. I thought you'd like it." Emily gasped, smiling excitedly. "You got it for me? Aw, thank you, Merry! I love it!" She then hugged Merida. Butterflies erupted in both of their stomachs. "N-No problem, Ems. I was also wondering if you m-maybe wanna go on a walk together?"

"O-Of course! Sounds good!" Emily quickly put the album away on her desk, then walked over and linked hands with Merida. They felt their face go red, looking away quickly, not seeing how red Emily's was as well. As they walked through the living room, Lacie grinned, whispering excitedly to Brian, who simply rolled their eyes at her. Merida and Emily decided to ignore them.

They had been walking and talking for about half an hour now, and had decided to stop at their favorite spot, a small pond not too far from the mansion. They were sitting at the edge, looking out at the water, when Merida chose to bring it up. "Hey, Ems? Could I tell you something?"

"You have a crush on me?" Emily smiled slyly. Merida's heart stopped. "I-I, uh...yeah. How did you know?"

"You made it pretty obvious. I mean, come on, Merry, you're staring at me all the time. How could I not notice?"

Merida's cheeks went red. "I thought I was being subtle." Emily laughed, scooting a bit closer to them. "I guess I'm better at being subtle than you." She put a hand on theirs, smiling at them. "Merida, do you wanna be my, uh...boyfriend? Girlfriend? Whatever you prefer?" Merida smiled back, laughing a bit as red burned at their face. "I'd love to be your boygirlfriend."

She laughed, before saying nervously, "Then...can I kiss you?" Their breath stopped as they nodded nervously. Emily licked her lips, before coming even closer, and delivering a gentle kiss onto their boygirlfriend's lips. And then they were one.

December 15, 2008

A twelve-year-old came out of the blue mist with Timothy. Tim led him into the mansion, where everyone stopped for a moment and stared, wide-eyed. "Holy...wow, you look cool." The boy looked down at his shoes, trying to hide his face. "What's your name?" Emily asked. Merida smirked, shoving Emily playfully. "Ems, can't you see he's nervous?" They turned to the boy. "Ignore this idiot over here. You don't have to answer if you don't want to." Tim put a hand on his back. "He can't speak, but his name is Ermolai Stone. Hoodie, you'll have to teach him sign language." Brian nodded, looking Ermolai up and down. With that, Tim took him to SM. Ermolai Stone was the seventh.

October 10, 2009

A twelve-year-old ran away from the fire and the sounds of police sirens. Lacie followed him, saying, "Come on! I can take you to—" She wasn't able to get much farther as he passed out. Lacie gulped, crouching next to him. The sirens were getting closer. She wrapped one of his arms around her neck and fiddled with her watch. The blue mist appeared, then disappeared, taking her to the right reality. She stood up and pulled out her phone, calling Tim and asking for help getting him to the mansion.

The boy woke up in a soft bed, blankets covering his body and an ice pack on his head. He groaned, opening his eyes. Tim was sitting next to him, reading a book. "Ah, you’re awake. We were starting to worry." He stood up and took the ice pack off the boy's head, studying him for a moment. "Your name is Tobias Rogers, correct?"

"Tobias is a weird name, don't ya think? I like Toby. Toby's a good name." Tim blinked, staring down at Toby. "Uh...Toby it is, then?" Toby smiled. "Good to meet ya!" As he spoke, he felt something weird about his cheek. "Yeah, you, uh...seem to have bit through your cheek while you were running from the cops? I'm honestly surprised you didn't scream out in pain and give away your location."

"Yeah, CIPA does that. Didn't feel a thing." He looked around the room, taking in the emptiness of it. "So...where am I?"

"We'll have our leader explain everything to you. Can you stand?" Toby pulled off the blankets and stood, shrugging. "Everything seems fine to me." He stretched, a few ticks moving through his arms as a curse flew out of his mouth. Tim furrowed his eyebrows. "Do you...even remember what happened last week?" Toby gulped, memories of killing his father, and the look of horror on his mom's face, flooding through his mind. He bit at his tongue, only stopping when he tasted a bit of blood. "I don't regret it if that's what you mean. My dad was a piece of shit, and I'm glad he's dead." He went silent. "I just wish my mom hadn't seen." He mumbled. Tim nodded. "Well...we all have things we regret. Come on, I'll introduce you to our leader." Tim led Toby down the staircase. Toby Rogers was the eighth.

October 20, 2009

A fourteen-year-old was pulled into the mansion, kicking and yelling profanities, being held tightly by Tim and Brian. "Emily! We could use some help!" Tim shouted through the house. Emily rushed down the stairs, followed quickly by Merida. "What's going on?"

"He's insane, that's what’s going on! You can help him, right?" Emily gulped.

"I-I've only really done small cases of insanity. You know, like Toby or Brian."

"Hey!" Toby whined from the kitchen. "I wasn't insane! Not like this guy, that's for damn sure."

"Shut up, Toby!" Tim said, before getting head-butt in the nose. "Just try, Emily!" Emily winced, creeping closer to the teen. She put a hand on his head and concentrated while Brian tried their best to hold his head steady. Slowly, the kicking stopped, and the teen went silent, eyes rolled back in his head, unconscious. Toby peeked out to look at him. He whistled. "Can I draw on his face now that he's asleep?"

"Toby, just go to your room."

"I don't wanna!"

"Well, good to see he's settling in fine." Brian muttered under their breath as they placed the teen on the couch. Merida leaned over, studying the teen. "Geez, what happened to his face? Was he tortured or something?" Tim sighed, studying the chelsea smile carved into his face. "Zalgo must have taken his time with him. Had him go completely insane this time. Then this guy killed his parents, tried to kill his siblings, then went on a killing spree afterwards."

"No wonder he was goin' all cuckoo like that!" Toby stated, leaning over the couch and watching the teen curiously. SM came over right as a groan came from the teen's lips. "W-What happened?" He mumbled, blinking slowly. "How are you feeling?" SM asked.

"Uh..." His eyes widened as he stared up at SM. "What the fuck?" He sat up quickly and scooted away.

"Uh oh, language." Merida muttered to Emily, causing her to giggle. The teen watched everyone around him warily, pulling out a switchblade from his pocket. "Who are you? Where am I?" The switchblade suddenly went flying in the air, floating right in front of Ermolai. "Can I keep this? It looks cool." He signed.

"Go ahead." Brian signed back.

"What the hell is going on?" The teen asked, eyes wide as he stared at the floating blade.

"Uh oh, that’s two dimes in the swear jar." Emily snorted at Merida's muttering.

"Your name is Jeffery Woods, correct?"

"H-How did you—"

"If you would just come with me into my office, I'll explain everything." Jeff studied SM for a moment, before standing up and following him. Jeff Woods was the ninth.

March 21, 2010

A thirteen-year-old walked into the mansion with Jeff. "Guys! I brought that girl here like you wanted me to!" Everyone turned to look at the teen. He had dark blue eyes and raven hair that had been very clearly chopped off into a bob with a knife. Emily stood up and ran over to him. "Heya! The name's Emily! Great to meet ya, Helen!" Merida ran over and introduced themself as well. Everyone else came over to introduce themselves, before SM came and said, "Children, please give him some space. This is likely quite overwhelming for him." The teen's eyes widened, and his heart stopped. "Him? Oh...OH!" Merida's eyes widened, and they wrapped an arm around the teen's shoulders. "Dude, welcome to trans team! We got all kinds of peeps!" The teen winced, curling away from their arm. "Merida, that is quite enough. He clearly is not comfortable with being touched. Come, we may talk in my office." The teen nervously walked through the small crowd, following SM down the hall. "S-Sir? Could I just ask something?"

"Be my guest." The teen gulped. "How did you know? I've only ever told one person, and he..." He trailed off, looking down at his shoes. SM sat at his desk, studying the teen for a moment, before saying, "Demons are able to see into a person's soul. As such, we know what they prefer to be called, how they are feeling, and even small things such as their name or who they are attracted to, even if the person may not know themselves. I typically prefer to tell my proxies what pronouns they prefer, and have them figure out how they truly identify themselves. I can tell you already have it figured out, however." The teen nodded. "You would prefer we call you BP, correct?" BP nodded. "Th-That would be nice." SM nodded.

"Understood." BP Otis was the tenth.

August 5, 2010

A sixteen-year-old riding a giant bronze dragon fell from the sky in front of the mansion. Lacie's eyes widened as she stared at it, before she laughed excitedly and took off towards it. "Hey! Lace! Don't just run towards it!" Emily shouted, running after her, with Merida chasing after. The teen groaned, crawling out from under scraps of metal, his forehead cut and bleeding. He had curly brown hair and light brown skin, covered in cuts and bruises. "Oh, gods, are you okay?" Merida asked, carefully lifting up some of the metal and having Emily pull him out. The teen coughed. "Never been better." Lacie studied the dragon, hopping with excitement. "I'm gonna try and piece it back together! You take him inside and heal him up!"

"Piece it back together...wait! Be careful with Festus, okay? Make sure he doesn't get hurt!" The teen said, a pleading look in his eyes as he looked down at Lacie. Lacie nodded as if she was given a mission by the president himself. Merida and Emily helped him up, carrying him inside. "Tim! Grab the first aid kit!" Tim nodded and raced to the bathroom as the two set the teen on the kitchen counter. SM came out of his office and took the kit from Tim as he ran back out. "Allow me to heal him, Emily." Emily and Merida obediently stepped aside. Leo looked up at SM, his eyes widening. "Holy Hephaestus!" He shouted, pulling out a hammer from his toolbelt and lighting it on fire. "Calm yourself, Leo Valdez. I am not going to hurt you."

"Look man, I've dealt with enough monsters already, alright? I literally just died and came back to life."

"I understand, Leo. Please, put your hammer down." Leo raised his hammer to swing, but yelped and dropped it as he felt a badly-placed cut begin to open even more. SM slowly pulled out some gauze and began cleaning the blood from Leo's cuts as he explained the proxy world to him. Leo Valdez was the eleventh.

September 21, 2010

Seventeen-year-old Emily Underhill was walking down the hall early that morning, having just gotten up. She decided to let Merida sleep in instead of waking them up herself. As she passed SM's office, she overheard him talking to another demon. By their voice, it was clearly Aka Manah. "Are you sure it's a good idea to keep Underhill here?" Emily froze at her name, beginning to listen in. "I am certain, Ekale. So long as she doesn't find out, she will be fine."

"Are you sure? What if one of our siblings isn't aware that she's the one they have to worry about? I know you care about your proxies, and I care about mine too, but seriously, she's a bit too dangerous even for you."

"I know what I am doing, Ekale. Just because she has a dangerous ability such as this doesn't mean that she will use it against us. And so long as our siblings keep her in mind, she will not get claimed by any of them even if she does turn against us." Emily's eyes widened. What did that mean? Did that mean she could get claimed by multiple demons? She had a whole other ability that SM hadn't told her about, not trusting her with the knowledge, in fear that she'll turn against him. She felt almost betrayed. She thought SM would tell her about anything she could do to help. He had told her about how she could cure people's madness, and that proved to be a big help to the group. Why didn't SM tell her about this? With this new ability, she could actually be helpful in a battle. Then she realized.

SM was scared of her. All of the demons were scared of her.

She never asked SM about it, and decided not to try and find a way to use it. Not yet, at least. But, Emily was curious.

March 31, 2011

A fifteen-year-old floated into the mansion behind BP. Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared. "A possessed human, huh? Haven't seen one of you guys in a while." Merida spoke, finishing off washing the dishes and handing them off to Emily. "It's good to meet you, too." The possessed teen spoke sarcastically. Emily laughed. "Sorry about them. When they wanna be, they're pretty up-front with stuff." Merida shoved her playfully, before walking over to the teen. "So what's your name? I'm Merida."

"I just go by Puppeteer." He hummed. BP walked over to Emily, whispering into her ear, "You might want to get rid of his insanity. He had some trouble controlling his demon when we first met. Almost killed me, actually." Emily nodded, walking up to Puppeteer and putting a hand on his forehead. "Um, excuse me, what the fu—" He then dropped onto the ground, clutching onto the wall to stay standing. "That should do the trick! Sorry about that, Pup! I just had to make sure you'll be able to control your demon!" He groaned, standing upright. "I feel...weird."

"Understandable. My power kinda does that to people." BP had already gone up to his room to draw, so Merida led Puppeteer down the hall to SM's office. "So...that BP guy...is he gay?"

"Uh...yeah? Why do you ask?"

"No reason." Merida blinked up at him, then smirked. "No reason, you say?" They felt his glare on them. "I could still kill you, you know."

They shrugged. "I'd come back." Merida opened SM's office door and let Puppeteer in, then left SM to explain to him. Puppeteer was the twelfth.

April 6, 2011

Eighteen-year-old Emily Underhill was curious. What she had heard was beginning to drive her insane. She had to know what would happen if she tried getting claimed by another demon. How to do it was another question. It wasn't until the day where Toby had used one of Leo's newest inventions in a prank that she got the idea.

She walked over to the cave nearby where the forge was kept. She had made sure Lacie was in the house with Katie before heading over. She wanted to catch Leo alone. She got to the mouth of the cave and whistled. "Heya, Leo! How's it going?" He looked up from his invention, pulling a welding mask off his face. "Oh, hey, Ems! What're you doin' here?" Emily walked into the cave, looking around at all the high-tech mechanics inside. "Just wanted to ask you for something." Leo pulled the welding mask back on, continuing his project. "Hit me."

"Do you think I could borrow that thingamajig you made? The one Toby used a few days ago?"

"You mean my Valdezatron 5000?" He reached his hand into his toolbelt, pulling out a bracelet of Celestial Bronze. "Exactly. I wanna pull a prank on a friend of mine from another group." Leo snickered mischievously.

"Sure thing." He handed it over, before saying, "Just don't lose it, alright? It's my first copy and I never make blueprints."

"That...sounds like a bad idea." He smirked. "Blueprints take the fun outta inventing, you know? Stream of consciousness style is more fun." She giggled. "Fair enough. Thanks, Pyro!" With that, she ran out to test her theory.

The bracelet disguised her proxy aura and made her look like a completely different person. She walked up to a friend of hers, a proxy of Thoth, and said, "E-Excuse me? I'm trying to find the demon Thoth. I heard he could help me get away from...everything. Do you know where he is?" Her friend saw her as a different person. She was led to Thoth and his proxies' home, and taken directly to the demon. Thoth, thinking nothing of it, simply told her what it meant to be a proxy, things that she already knew. She held out her hand, and was claimed a second time. Thoth's Mark appeared on her hand, a numbing feeling crawling up her arm. It felt weird, but she hid it easily. She thanked Thoth, then was led to her new room in the palace.

Meanwhile, SM was scolding Leo for allowing Emily to leave with his device, while Leo was trying to say that it would be fine. With a bit of reluctance, SM explained to his proxies what her second ability was, how she was a Peculiar with the ability to be claimed by multiple demons at once. How she could become as strong as a god. At this Leo paled, eyes wide. He knew just how dangerous gods could really be. "Sh-She'd use that power to help us! I know she will!" Merida spoke, smiling nervously. SM rubbed his chin, thinking. "We can only hope."

When Emily came back, she was greeted with nervous and hopeful glances. "Ems! It's so good to see you again!" Merida exclaimed, throwing their arms around her. Emily smiled, hugging them back. "It's good to see you too, Merry." When they pulled away, Merida grabbed Emily's hand and studied it. Their expression dropped. "So you did get claimed again." They spoke lightly, softly. I gulped. "Did SM tell you guys?" Brian was coming out of the office with their demon leader. "I did indeed. Emily, I can understand your curiosity but please, don't get claimed a third time. We don't know what it could do to you."

"But...SM! This could really help us fight Zalgo! I won't use it against you, I promise!" SM looked at the ground in thought. "Like I said, we don't know what this could do to you. You could go power-hungry, or even insane with this, Emily. Please don't get claimed again. I beg you." Emily's shoulders drooped. "I...I won't sir."

"...Thank you. Give Leo back his device, and you are excused." She handed it back, and Merida linked hands with her, bringing her upstairs to their room. But Emily was still curious.

May 15, 2011

A fifteen- and sixteen-year-old walked into the mansion behind Brian. The fifteen-year-old was a girl with long brown hair, holding a white cane, one used by the blind. The sixteen-year-old was a possessed human, with light grey skin, auburn hair, and empty eye sockets filled and leaking with a tar-like substance. "Oh, hey! Good to meet you guys! What're your names?" Merida spoke, smiling at the two of them. "Oh, hi!" The girl smiled, waving in their direction. "I'm Brooklyn Franches."

"Jack." The boy spoke quietly. Emily walked over to them, holding out a hand. "This might feel kinda weird, but SM makes me, so—" Jack pulled out a scalpel, his glare piercing into Emily's soul. "Uh...that's not necessary, you know." She laughed nervously.

"What were you planning to do?" Brooklyn sighed, smirking a bit. "You pulled the scalpel on her, didn't you? Put it down, she's probably not gonna hurt you." Jack watched Emily warily, not putting away his scalpel. Emily groaned, holding a hand out. The scalpel flew out of Jack's hand and into hers, and she quickly reached up to his forehead and took his madness. He stumbled, clutching his head once she had stepped away to put the scalpel on the kitchen counter. All the proxies in the room were staring wide-eyed. Merida cleared their throat nervously. "Uh...follow me! I can bring you to SM!" Jack Nicole and Brooklyn Franches were the thirteenth and fourteenth.

May 15, 2011

Eighteen-year-old Emily Underhill lied awake that night. It was so easy for her to take Jack's scalpel out of his hand. She was significantly faster than she used to be as well. She hadn't tried anything involving her new proxy of Thoth powers since SM scolded her. But seeing that display...she wanted more.

May 17, 2011

Eighteen-year-old Emily Underhill stood in front of her boygirlfriend's door. She opened it, sending a smile at them. They returned the smile, putting in their hearing aids and slipping on their boots. "Wanna go for a walk, Ems?"

"Sure thing, Merry." The two walked hand-in-hand down the hallway and out the door. A few minutes into their walk, Emily spoke.

"I've been thinking, Merida." They hummed, looking over to their girlfriend. "The proxy world...and the godly world are pretty cruel, don't you think?"

"I mean, in some ways, yeah."

"I mean, children shouldn't have to fight for their lives. Yet the gods and demons make them. They make us fight for them, when they're so much more powerful than us. That's just not fair, right?" Merida sighed. "We were born into this life. Demons like SM treat us like equals, Emily. It's not like the demons not being here would make our lives a whole lot better."

"...How do you know?" Merida gulped, slowing to a stop in front of the lake they first confessed at. "Think about it. We fight for our lives because the demons had an argument a couple hundred years ago and one doesn't want to agree with the rest! If demons didn't exist in the first place, they wouldn't be here to have that argument. And if demons didn't exist, then Namaal wouldn't have had to be chained up to prevent him from taking over the realities because he wouldn't exist in the first place!"

"There's nothing we can do about the past, Emily. Demons and gods exist, and we have to make the best out of that situation. And honestly? I like what we have here." Emily sighed. "But we don't have any real freedom. Sure we can join the mortal world and try and live normally but monsters will always come after us. And the demons will always be pulling us back into the proxy world to do odd jobs for them. There's no escape." Merida looked down at the ground. "I'm fine with that. It's how I've lived in all my past lives. Or at least the ones I remember. I'm happy with that. And I remember trying. Many times way back when. Trying to avoid being a proxy is only more dangerous. Please, just try to be happy with this. I...I honestly don't understand how you aren't satisfied with this." Emily thought for a moment, then smiled.

"I am. So long as you trust me." She stepped forward and embraced them tightly. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

June 1, 2011

Eighteen-year-old Emily Underhill walked over to Merida Knowles's bedroom, knocking and opening the door. "Merry? Could you do something for me?" Merida sat up in bed, taking their headphones off. "I'd do anything for you, Ems." Emily closed the door, sitting next to Merida.

"Could you get Leo's bracelet for me?" Merida's eyes widened, eyebrows creasing in exasperation. "Emily, come on. Not this again, please."

"I had a vision last night." She lied. "It was the mansion. We were being attacked. We'll need as much power as we can get, and I think this could really help." Merida bit their lips. "Did you really have a vision?"

"I'm sure of it." Emily placed her hands over theirs. "You trust me, don't you Merida?" They looked down at the ground, before nodding and standing up. "I do. I-I'll do it." They smiled, before kissing their girlfriend on the lips. "Meet me by the lake, okay?" Emily nodded, kissing them back.

The lake was a beautiful deep shade of blue. It was the cleanest lake you could find, as the proxies of Slenderman often used it as a swimming pool whenever they were lucky enough for it to be warm enough. Today wasn't one of those lucky days. The air was cold and crisp, and by the look of the clouds, it would likely start to rain in the next hour. Merida ran over, holding the bracelet in their hand. Emily smiled. "Thank you, Merry! Thank you so much!" She went to grab it, but Merida stepped away. "Hang on. Why do you really want this?" Emily's smile dropped. "I told you earlier. I got a vision. I wanna protect our home."

"Do you really?" Merida stared into her soul. Emily faltered.

"Fine. No, I don't. You didn't convince me last time. I'm not satisfied with this. We're just..." Her eyes widened. "Pawns! We're just pawns in these demons' game. Eventually one side will win, but what'll it cost? How many people are going to die for them?" Merida shook their head.

"Emily, what we have is good. We found a place where we're accepted. Not many places, or at least not many that I know of, would allow us to just walk around and be ourselves in public. Please, just...give me some time and hear me out. I'm gonna return this to Leo, we can head back inside, and just talk. Okay?" Emily looked at the ground, nodding. "Okay." Merida turned around. "Hey, Merry, wait." They turned back around, and Emily closed the distance between them, placing a kiss on their lips, not leaving. Merida kissed back, unaware of the knife being pulled from Emily's belt. When they pulled away, Emily spoke. "I love you, Merry." Merida hugged Emily tightly, unaware of the knife behind their back.

"I love you too, Ems."

The knife slipped through their ribs. Blood spilled out of the wound. Merida coughed up blood, the knife having slit through their lungs. Just like that, they fell limp. Dead. Emily simply picked up the bracelet, sheathed her knife, and walked away. And then there was one.

Their siblings found their body. They wept. They grieved. They punched the wall in anger. Emily was nowhere in sight. All she had left behind was a note, with words written out in Demon.

"O worr glaelea e cliut wjala wa worr socjle ef ima. Umolete."

"I will create a group where we will fight as one. Unity."

SM understood what she meant. He had Katie come home early from camp. SM had all of his proxies pray to Hades, asking him to take mercy on them, and help them find a new place to stay. He did, a bit surprised that they were praying to him of all gods. He found them somewhere underground, somewhere far away from their original home, where they could stay without fear of the newly-named Umolete finding them. They promised to give him offerings whenever they could for his kindness, and he agreed to help whenever they needed it, as well as to keep their existence hidden from the gods. The proxies gave Merida a Proxy's funeral. They each said something about them, chanted a prayer in Demon that they would be born into a happy family in their next life, then said their goodbyes. SM cut open his hand and covered their body in black blood, which slowly melted down their body into the ground. Lacie put down a grave where they lay, and they all walked back into their home in silence.

The next few days consisted of them packing their bags and emptying out the mansion, bringing their belongings to their new home, a multi-story building several feet below ground, in the US instead of Canada. It was all the way across the country from Camp Half-Blood, but at least it was safe, and had several security measures, courtesy of Leo and Lacie. Leo had been silent ever since he had found Merida dead, an unsettling change. Lacie hadn't stopped working.

June 10, 2011

The proxies of Slenderman finished moving everything they had into the new location. Now all that was left was burning the evidence that the mansion had ever existed. SM had told them with a broken heart that this is what they had to do. Several proxies had protested, but Leo and Lacie were the ones who knew they had to do it. Lacie stood in front of the mansion. The building she had called home for all eleven years of her life.

She created a ball of fire in her hand.

"L-Lacie, wait! Not yet!" Leo stuttered, grabbing her arm. Lacie pulled away. "We both knew this was coming, Leo. Come on." She came closer, walking past Merida's grave, forcing herself not to look at it. Leo's body shook, tears flooding into his eyes.

He created a ball of fire in his hand, then went to join his sister.

She looked over to him, then reached over and grabbed his hand. His grip tightened, and he looked down at the ground, tears falling down his cheeks.

The fire burned hot and heavy as it blasted from their palms, gnawing away at the wood of the mansion and destroying the place they called home. The proxies and their leader stared as the fire grew more and more for two long hours, SM making sure it didn't spread any farther than the clearing. Once their home was fully burnt down and nothing but a smoldering pile of burnt wood, ashes, and embers remained, Lacie collapsed. She sobbed, screaming out, clutching at piles of ashes and sobbing into them. Leo dropped down next to her, staring in silence at the black circle of ash. He thought about when he was a child, when he accidentally burned down his mother's mechanics shop, with her inside. His eyes watered again, tears running down his cheeks as he whimpered, choked, and wept. Their siblings behind them broke down as well, some collapsing to the ground and sobbing, others simply staring down in silence, lips quivering and breath shaking. SM looked down at the ground, then slowly approached the two children of Hephaestus. He crouched next to them.

Lacie immediately ran into his arms. After a moment's hesitation Leo did as well. He sighed, running his hands through their hair. Silent, unable to find any words to encourage or comfort them. He picked them both up, and carried them over to their fellow proxies. "Come, children. I...I understand your mourning. But it's time to move on. We have a future ahead of us. And hopefully..." He looked over at Merida's grave. The fourth time he's had to bury them. He took a deep breath, forcing his mind out of that space. "Hopefully we can build a world where no one will repeat what has happened. For now, let's rest. We have a new home, and new memories, awaiting us."

The proxies still standing helped up those still sobbing. Brian sobbing into Tim's shoulder, Brooklyn sobbing into Jack's, BP sobbing into Puppeteer's, and Jeff even allowing Toby to weep into his. Katie stood in silence, crying silently to herself. Ermolai walked silently over to her, leaning against her and hugging her with one arm and signing to her with his other. Slowly, they all made their way to SM and crowded around him. He made sure they were all ready, then teleported them to their new home. A new home, with new proxies, and new memories to be had.

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peachesforjae · 5 years

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Neocity in Vancouver

Hey so I wanted to write a little “the vibe I got and what actually went down” for each of the boys from the vancity show! No one asked for this but my extra ass wants to do it anyways so enjoy!! Also it’s a given but all of this could be false so please don’t come for me.

TAEIL

this mans vocals oooooof i mean we been knew but hearing it live ?????? 10/10 confirmed that this man really has been blessed by an angelic voice. probably the most stable voice i’ve ever heard live

his singing voice and talking voice are the same irl, same with visuals (there was this one part were he was trying to be sexy and lemme tell u that my heart started beating faster and i started s w e a t i n g)

he didn’t talk much during the ments (i really wished he did, even if it was in korean) and i personally felt like he didn’t get as much cheers as the other boys (NCTZENS YOU COWARDS HOW DARE YOU 😤)

would sell my soul to have a mini taeil in my pocket. i can tell that he has the sweetest heart and is the most humble guy, he would be the greatest husband ever u can’t fight me on it

JOHNNY

looking for the embodiment of the word flirt?? well look no further. he is really out here thinking our lives are a joke acting like your typical boy next door crush saying all the things that make your heart MELT

he is a tol boi (even tho i was sitting far away I could still tell that he is a giant) he probably was a sequoia tree in his past life or something idk but he is mr.tall and big

i haven’t seen anyone talk about this but his voice was a higher pitch irl,,,,,, like the videos will never catch it but it’s not as deep and omg his little lisp is QT. singing/rapping voice (sm give him more lines u hoes) was the same and his visuals were ever better

he did a body roll at one point and everyone LOST IT (i for real started crying) he is so handsome and ugh every time he came on screen/talked he got the loudest cheers (next to mark) he is such a genuine and heartwarming person i wish he could just be my friend that’s all i want in life

TAEYONG

no surprises with this amazing person he really is THAT beautiful HIS EYES AND SMILE AND FACE I DIED and is a rap god. it was a little surreal seeing him standing there talking cuz like is he even real ???? was he actually a hologram ????? WHO KNOWS MAN WHO KNOWS

he is one of the best performers ive ever laid my eyes on. the charisma and aura that he has stunned everybody and all i had to say was woooooow, he left me shooketh. sm really hit the jackpot with him. he is one of the pillars that nct stands on and im thankful for it

voice and rap voice were the same irl nothing surprising of course we already know that he’s talented but the crowd did love and cheer for him lots. he started the show strong and ended it strong (also let us see his shoulders thank you sir)

when he wasn’t performing he stood back more to let the other members shine and do their thing (ooooof what a leader) but I did wish that he talked a little more during the ments that’s all i could’ve asked for. he gave me a chill but nervous(?) vibe idk how to explain it

DOYOUNG

this man is GORGEOUS irl his eyes were so mesmerizing and sparkly,,,,,,,he had the cutest smile ever and the vibe he gave off to me was a little intimidating but definitely confident. he knows that he’s talented and isn’t afraid to show it

like taeil his voice was the same irl and he is a vocal powerhouse too. stable and clean. really blessed my ears and soul whenever his mouth opened. his falsetto is NOT to be messed with👀 im not saying that he is a male version of ariana but that’s exactly what I’m saying

he really interacted with the fans during the ments and he was so funny (at one point he said something and we missed it and he started laughing and then said it again so we could scream for him,,,,,,,,,,,his ego im- skskskskskshd)

most iconic thing he said was that he wanted to keep going and going and going and that he didn’t want to leave like BOI JUST STAY THEN i can buy you a house and you can just stay in Canada sksksksj i wouldnt mind if he was my neighbor

YUTA

my fellow scorpi(h)o(e) birthday buddy loml person *insert gif of me crying* he really has a resting bitch face (same here) BUT HAS THE SWEETEST HEART AND SMILE i was falling so hard and fast for him. he would probably be my best friend if i ever met him

he was honestly like a little kid,,,,had so much energy and was laughing and jumping and acting all crazy, he joked around with us so much. but then when he performed it was all ✖️🔪☠️✖️💀 and I was feeling like 527273 emotions at once i didn’t know what to do

his voice sounded a little different irl but singing voice was beautiful *cough* sm give him more lines or i will come for you *cough* and his dancing is off the charts you can really tell he puts so much effort in to be an amazing performer. i’d say hes the next best dancer next to taeyong/haechan/mark

yall this boy deadass wore a toque and said that he looked like a canadian university student and kept saying “didn’t you guys know???” with the cutest little expression ever im DEAD INSIDE and ugh he is so caring for the other members and went to mark so many times during the show

JAEHYUN

ok yall know he’s my bias and can I just say that i died, went to highway to heaven, and came back every time he did ANYTHING ????? like anything. im a whipped bitch phew. my deadly crush on him got even bigger after this - bc he really is just a 21 y/o hot dude that i would fall for irl if i met him on the streets skdhcgljsdfg

singing voice ???? perfect. visuals ???? astonishing. hotel???? trivago. skskskks stop me. anyways lemme just say that this man goes HARD when he performs i was so concerned for him like pls chill a little. he kept milly rockin and pointing to the cameras and doing shoulder/body rolls and being a lil hoe (aka this was the best day of my life)

his smile is something to die for, there is a charm to it. also he is flirt no.2 after johnny. he knew EXACTLY what to say to get the attention and everyone gave him what he asked for. he kept on saying how he loved vancouver and had a crush on it. also called us HOT a few times😪

anytime he talked and came on screen he got loud cheers and he would soak it all in (meanwhile I was having a mental breakdown,,,,,the girl behind me kept looking at me every time like sis just let me die sheesh). he gives off chill but confident vibe - i would be terrified to approach him irl. really is a people pleaser and does things to earn him attention and love

JUNGWOO

babyboy.com ......... he really is the CUTEST member all I wanted to do was hold him and pat his lil head and tel him that everything was gonna be ok. he seemed really nervous but did an amazing job performing nonetheless but i do hope that he becomes more confident in himself when he’s on stage cuz he’d get more attention than he already does

they way he talks and acts is actually baby boy culture but i can tell that that’s just a mask to hide his true side, whatever that maybe, all i know is that we aint prepared for it. his eyes sparkled every time he talked and i know this is annoying but he really is snoopy. i won’t take it back.

like taeil, he didn’t talk much during the ments but still received lots of love and cheers when he did. i personally feel like he could be ncts secret weapon in some way but that is tbd. his vocals, voice, and visuals were the same irl he really couldn’t be anymore perfect.

he tried his best to talk in english and i want to thank him for it, IT WAS SO CUTEEEE. he started crying a little at one point when he was talking about touring and performing and my HEART BROKE like no bb come here I’ll just hug you and everything will be ok.

MARK

canadas boy. canadas treasure. canadas pride. canadas ass👀 and nctzens everything. he got the loudest cheers (obvi) and i swear every time he started to talk/rap/exist everyone would loose it and it made him flustered. he felt really touched by this show and im glad that we were able to make him feel like that

he gives off that typical high school boy crush vibe. he’s really THAT awkward young adult that has it all and doesn’t know what to do with it (you’ve definitely met someone just like him) he seemed a little nervous for the show which was a given and was so clueless when we started chanting his name😂 jaehyun had to take his in-ear thingy out and his face when he realized what we were saying KILLED me

his voice is the same irl but i personally felt like his looks stood out more. he looks more mature (?) in person. his eyes also SPARKLED like he really holds galaxies in his eyes. his smile and laugh really brought joy to my heart. i just wanna thank his parents for creating such a beautiful human being. also cheek bones

he talked about his day in vancouver and started to go down memory lane and was taking about how his school was closed on the day sm was holding auditions and how it’s been a decade since he’s come back (SM LET HIM VISIT FOR THE LOVE OF GOD) he also told us that he’s proud to be a canadian and that we’re lucky to live in such a beautiful place😭❤️ i- someone come hold me

HAECHAN

babyboy numero 2. he has the babiest face out of all of them but the SOFTEST voice legit sounds like an angel i assume. his hair and skin were flawless and people better stop wh*tewashing him LET HIS BEAUTY SHINE THROUGH PEOPLE

vocals sounded the same but the pitch of his talking voice is a little different. his smile got my heart racing and he has the cutest cheeks i wanna squishem so bad. he seemed a little shy and didn’t talk a lot during the ments. his stage presence really surprised me i legit started screaming “heee heee its haechan jackson” ksksksksks i hate myself

after they performed jet lag he straight up -no warning given- went “doesn’t it feel like we just went on a date?” LIKE BOI DO I LOOK- if you think I cried you’re absolutely right. he’s definitely johnnys son he’s LEARNING from the master of flirting. but he flirts in the most adorable way possible like how ????????

i would 12/10 die for him and also wouldn’t mind having a mini version of him around for emotional support and love. sm also hit the jackpot with haechan and i also feel like he’s another secret weapon in the group watch out yall i keep forgetting that he’s so young and that the best years are still ahead of him i can’t wait to see what the future has in store for such a talented person

Other Comments

i could really sense the exhaustion from the boys. they’ve been go go go from the beginning and i truly hope that they get a well deserved rest. nonetheless they put on a great show, hyped up the crowd, and made us fall in love with them even more. also they performed jet lag for us and lemme tell you that it was a B O P. i wanna say that i died when jaehyun called out the fake fans bc they didn’t know the album release date i LOVE his savage and petty ass😘, this was my first ever kpop concert and im so blessed to have seen nct127, as Johnny said, i can’t wait to see what our journey together has in store for us. im so glad they enjoyed their time in Canada (they kept saying how beautiful it was and how they want to come back to more cities hekwishehsos catch ur girl dying over here).

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bears-n-bottoms · 5 years

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Hello, friends~

As many of you know, I put Kim Jongin on blast a week or two ago, because this is the second (2nd) time he's uploaded a picture of himself in dreads to his IG, and I was Sick And Tired™. I've been riding for Jongin since he was masquerading as a dom top (if you don't know, you don't know), so that shit rly hurt my feelings.

Anyway, there's no real reason for me to be bringing this up, I just wanted to assert that Jongin wearing dreads is Wrong.

Moving on…

What I *actually* wanna talk about is what has been a v hot topic in EXO's fandom for years - how badly managed/promoted EXO is.

Now, before I begin, I will not entertain the idea that SM is somehow mistreating EXO because they aren't getting as much of a promotion push than their juniors. While it does suck that SM seems to just throw EXO albums at us and expects us to be content, you will not call that mistreatment.

NCT and Red Velvet getting a bigger promotional push than EXO is not mistreatment, it's just business.

Business that I'd like to explain to y'all, because I've been thinking about recently this, and it rly does go deeper than ~EXO doesn't rly need it anymore~.

So!! The year is 2012. Unbeknownst to my Black ass, SM is gearing up for the debut of their newest boy band, codename EXO, with a ridiculous ass teaser campaign.

No seriously, 18 teasers and you haven't even unveiled a debut song yet?!?!?! Flagrant.

I wasn't with EXO since The Beginning™, but close enough; I happened upon EXO-M's version of What Is Love while looking for sumn to watch on tv, and my wig was immediately blasted to space dust. What is Love wasn't the first K-Pop MV I saw that night (it was either B.A.P's Warrior or miss A's Touch), but it was the one that stuck with me.

See, I had no idea who or what a K-Pop was outside of vaguely knowing a few idol groups friends tried to put me on previously. It was *Jasmine voice* A Whole New World~ for me, and EXO was on the fast track to becoming my very first bias group. MAMA was an overdramatic mess that I absolutely fucking loved, and you couldn't tell me their debut EP wasn't The Shit™.

A heaux still Rolls Like A Buffalo™ to Two Moons, bitch!!

Fast forward one (1) year, and EXO are back (as twelve) with their first album (and K-Pop's first million seller in over a decade) XOXO. Girl, when I tell you replayed that album like it was the one thing holding me together… I was a whole MESS!! I'd become more of a full fledged K-Pop fan in EXO's absence (more on that later), but I was overjoyed to have my boys back.

Now, why am I going over this?!!? This is all fairly common knowledge among EXO L, but many of the current generation EXO L rolled up on EXO during their EXODUS/Love Me Right era. Which was 2015. So you have a bunch of EXO L who, first of all, are part of a whole new generation of K-Pop fans who consume K-Pop very differently than those of us who were fans back in 2012.

K-Pop standom these days is very social media focused, with many of our favorite idols having SNS accounts of their own where they interact with us. K-Pop fans these days are practically spoiled with content when idols aren't promoting/on tour. It rly feels like idols never truly ~go away~, because if they did, it'd leave an opening for someone else to take their place.

Something we saw when group B.A.P filed a joint lawsuit against their management agency and disappeared for a whole year.

This is where, I think, a lot of the "EXO Isn't Promoted" foolery comes from; EXO are not heavily on social media like many of their current generation contemporaries are. They don't do v lives like them, and have very few reality shows focused on them. Coupled with the fact that much of the content we do get from EXO is behind a pay wall, I definitely understand where the frustration comes from.

But let me add another layer to this, kids. It's my belief that SM doesn't feature EXO like that, because EXO were supposed to redeem SM in the public's eye for the JYJ/Hangeng lawsuits. But they, instead, embarrassed the absolute shit out of them.

Ooh, I bet y'all are all sat at attention now.

Level with me here, folks - EXO was SM's first debut since the Hangeng/JYJ cases blew up and rained doo doo flakes upon SM's reputation. SM had just renegotiated contracts with all their debuted acts to show that they aren't the monsters that JYJ and Hangeng were making them out to be. EXO was supposed to be SM's redemption arc, but there was one little problem - a 6ft stunner by the name of Kris Wu.

Fun fact - Suho, Jongin, and Kris were my original biases in EXO. Bet no one saw that coming.

Kris was always an oddball in EXO. Sure, he definitely fit the look of a K-Pop idol, but man's had far bigger aspirations. Ones that routinely got him in trouble with management. Remember that year long hiatus EXO took after their debut?!?! Rumor has it that it was caused by SM exiling Kris back to Canada, because of tensions between him and one of EXO's managers.

EXO returning as twelve was also, allegedly, because SM wanted to keep tabs on Kris, while also trying to bolster EXO K's popularity in Korea. Allegedly, tho.

Kris saw being in EXO as a way to jumpstart a career as a Chinese entertainer, but he ultimately decided that it wasn't worth it in the end. In May of 2014, he filed suit against SM to have his contract with the agency terminated.

Once again - why am I bringing this up?!! This is all common knowledge in EXO L circles. Well, it was extraordinarily shocking at the time.

As I've stated previously, EXO was SM's first boy band since the JYJ/Hangeng lawsuits. They had just finished renegotiating contracts with all of their active idols to comply with new rules and standards set in place by the government. For all intents and purposes, SM should have had no problems, like the Tinashe song.

But they did.

Kris, in many of the infamous press releases he released in reply to what SM was saying to the media, painted a very familiar story to many of us. He alleged that SM greatly limited his creative freedom, and treated him like a manufactured product. I remember him saying he felt like a box, at one point, and that hit me hard. He also alleged that SM worked him so hard that he developed myocarditis (a heart condition), and that there was rampant favoritism (claims that would also be backed up by a lawsuit launched by Luhan).

It was not a good look for SM, fam.

As a result of Kris' suit, the fandom was split. You had one camp that supported Kris, and another that supported SM/EXO. It didn't help that many of the EXO members spoke out against Kris, with Suho (the leader) saying he was being irresponsible and he needs to come back so they can work this out.

Messy™

Later that year, Luhan went onto launch his own suit against SM (which was more supported by the fandom *is totally not bitter anymore*), citing almost exactly the same complaints as Kris while also going so far as to allege that the Chinese members had different contracts than the Korean ones.

And if you thought that was bad enough, seemingly RoD member Tao decides he's done with the bullshit too, and files his own lawsuit against SM. DURING EXO'S CALL ME BABY COMEBACK PROMOTIONS!!

TALK ABOUT MESSINESS, SIS!!

Say what you want about Tao, but he rly does know how to cause a scene, and I admire that.

So yeah… Talk about a public relations nightmare.

Korean netizens were firmly on SM's side during this entire trial, but Kris, Luhan, and Tao managed to deal an even greater blow to SM's rep than JYJ/Hangeng did. Not that I think it's right, but it's plenty clear why SM doesn't rly feature EXO much anymore.

Not only are they getting older (Xiumin just enlisted a month ago), but SM is clearly trying to move past EXO, as a group. Which idk how they're gonna do that when they routinely refuse members who are not Baekhyun or Jongdae solo opportunities, but whatever. With NCT taking off (pun intended) everywhere except Korea, it's going to be quite a while before the EXO name gets retired.

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yestodaymvv · 6 years

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never stopped || mark lee

you and mark were childhood best friends back in canada but haven’t spoken to one another ever since he left for korea. when you end up staying at korea for one year, fate decides it’s time for the both of you to cross paths again.

words: 2.1k

PART ONE. PART TWO. PART THREE.

You were walking through the streets of Seoul, South Korea. You figured that since you were going to be living there for a year, might as well get to know the area a little better. Your aunt thought it was a good idea for you to get familiar with Seoul. To help get your mind off things. To distract you. You brought your journal with you, wanting to just sit in a cafe and relax a bit. You did not really want to go around Seoul, having fears of bumping into one specific person. You still remembered him of course. How could you not? It has been years since you’ve last spoken to him. You knew how successful he has become. How popular he has become. And you were proud of him. You truly were. You knew how much he loved music; how much it was his dream to be an artist. And he made it. Him and his group became a huge thing. You remember discovering his debut. You were at school, eating you lunch and fretting over the physics test you had next period.

“Oh my gosh, Y/N! You have to watch this new SM boy group. They’re so good! The song is amazing and their dance!” your friend screamed at you as you were biting into your sandwich.

“What?” you said, chewing your sandwich while still flipping through your physics notes, hoping you wouldn’t fail. Your friend was a kpop fan. She often came to you to help her translate what they were saying in a few videos for you can speak Korean.

“Here! The new group is called NCT! It’s going to be based on subunits and all so this is their first one called NCT U. This is their debut song, 7th Sense.” she shoved her phone to you, having the music video youtube.

You clicked play. As you were watching, you noticed that one of the members seemed very familiar. The face had the same structure as one you’ve seen five years ago. Only except, the face was older, more mature. His face was still baby looking, soft features on his face but he still looked… different. Much older than the 12 year old you remember. Although his face was familiar, you couldn’t help but feel it was also unfamiliar. You never thought you’d ever see Mark in a music video. Never thought you’d see him rapping in Korean when he was always struggling to learn the language when his parents tried to teach him. You loved it, of course. Ever since then, you’ve been keeping up with Mark. You were never one for kpop, despite the fact being able to understand Korean, you always preferred to listen to Western music and keep up with Western trends. But you got into it, just for Mark. You watched his debuts in 127 and in Dream, fully supporting and cheering him on. Most of the people at school were shocked to find him in a music video. You watched him performing in music shows and seeing him laugh and smile with his members. You were happy that Mark was living his dream, being surrounded with people he loves and cares for and being loved by so many of his fans. But, you couldn’t help but be mad at Mark. Of course you were happy for him and of course you were proud of him but, you couldn’t just dismiss the fact that he left you. He didn’t fully tell you the reason he left either. He just told you one day that he was going to leave for Korea. He promised that he would talk to you. He would call you and text you with every chance he had. That was it. Not an explanation on why he was leaving. You didn’t bother asking him because if he wanted you to know the reason, he would tell you, so you never pushed it. You were going to miss him and you knew that you should’ve spent the last few days he had in Canada with him but you were angry. Angry that he didn’t tell you the reason. Angry that he was going to leave you, in the worst time possible for you. He left. And without an explanation either. You regretted not saying goodbye to him; not getting to give him a hug or telling him to keep in contact with you. You were already having a hard time at home and Mark leaving added more problems to your plate. You regretted ignoring him at school, not hanging out with him, and not saying goodbye. Maybe that was the main reason why you couldn’t face him; because you were embarrassed for what you’ve done.

—

You entered the cafe, your nose being treated with the sweet aroma of coffee. You stood in line, listening to music while waiting to order and also looking at the menu. You didn’t have you glasses and you were struggling to read to the menu. You weren’t aware that someone was calling for your attention when you felt someone tap your shoulder.

“Um, excuse me. That barista is open.”

You turned around and was met face to face with the one person you didn’t want to see.

“Y/N?”

You stood there frozen. Not knowing what to say. You really didn’t want to see Mark. You didn’t want to confront him and talk to him.

You replied with a very quick, “Oh. Uhm, hey Mark!” before running to the barista.

You tried to order your drink as fast as possible, ordering the first thing you say as you glanced at the menu. Once you finished, Mark and two of his other members also finished ordering and you saw Mark searching through the cafe. You took this as a sign to hide, so you went straight for the restroom. You were pacing back and forth. No. He doesn’t remember you. He’s probably too tired. He has been working after all. Maybe he’ll think that he was just seeing things. He doesn’t think you’re in Korea. He doesn’t think it was you who he just saw. Yea, yea. He won’t think it’s you. After thinking through the scenario multiple times, you finally concluded that Mark has already left and that he was off to do idol things. You looked at yourself in the mirror, taking a deep breath, before walking out into the cafe. Right when you walked out, you heard your name being called, your drink ready for you. As you were walking to the counter, you noticed that you ordered a coffee. You sighed, as you hated coffee and just wasted your money on a drink that you hated.

“I didn’t know you started liking coffee.”

You turned around and saw Mark smiling at you. He had his hood up, probably trying not to be seen by his fans.

“I remember when we tried your mom’s coffee and you spit it out, yelling that you hated how bitter it tasted.” Mark lets out a small laugh.

“I-I still don’t like coffee. I just ordered it by accident I guess,” you answered, avoiding eye contact with him.

“So uhm, what are you doing here in Seoul?” Mark was adding sugar and milk to his coffee. You noticed his members have left, and that he was the only one around. It didn’t seem as if he was with his manager.

“Oh, I’m actually going to stay here for a year,” you said, trying to mimic Mark and add sugar and milk to your coffee as well. You didn’t know what you were doing though. There were different cartoons of milk and different packets of sugar and you didn’t know which ones would make your bitter coffee taste sweeter.

“Here, let me help you.”

Mark takes a step towards you, taking your cup and adding whatever contents would make the coffee bearable for you.

“Why are you staying?”

“Mom thought it was a good idea because of, uhm. But anyway, I’ll be staying with my aunt and uncle while I’m here.”

As Mark was almost finished with your drink, mixing it up to create a pale light brown color, he took both yours and his cup and looked at you.

“Want to sit together?”

“Uhm, aren’t you busy? Where’s your friends you were with?”

“They left a while ago. I told them to go ahead to the dorms. I said I’d stay here for a bit,” Mark informed you as he was already moving and walking towards a table at the back of the cafe with two empty chairs. He set the cups down and the both of you sat down. It was quiet. You were still having a hard time looking at Mark, so your eyes were looking at your cup of coffee, your fingers playing with the pages of your journal.

“So, you’ve still been journalling? You would never let anyone look or touch your journal, not even me. I figured you were always hiding things. Are you secretly a fanfiction writer for those two characters in Harry Potter?”

“Hey!” you said, your eyes looking into his. “I am certainly not a fanfic writer. And ‘those two characters’ are named James and Lily, Harry’s parents. Learn the names!”

Mark laughs at your outburst and you noticed how nice it felt. How nice it was to hear him laughing in person. How nice it felt to easily just be comfortable around Mark. To fall back into your same places, as if you never stopped talking to one another. You then started to laugh.

“Ah, it’s nice to hear your laugh.”

You stopped and looked at him.

“I really missed you Y/N. I’ve always wondered what you were up to these days. I’ve always wondered if you were still into the same things you were before, but now I see that you are. Still writing fanfiction after seven years.”

“I. Repeat. I am not writing fanfiction! And I would wonder what you were up to too but I can’t go one day without someone at school talking about ‘NCT! Oh my gosh my boys NCT,’” you said, mocking your friends whenever they fangirl over the said boy group.

Mark laughs once more.

“Still funny, I see. Most people talk about NCT back in Canada?”

“All. The. Time. People keep going to me, asking them to translate and I’m tired of it. Also, I never go a day without someone mentioning your name. It’s driving me nuts. You may be thousands of miles away but you still manage to annoy me Mark.”

“It’s not my fault I’m so famous.”

“Really not your fault for being talented either,” you said as you took a sip of the coffee. “I’ve wanted to say that I’m proud of you Mark.”

You were looking at him; looking straight into his eyes.

“I’m happy you get to be living your dream. You’ve always wanted to become an artist and your hard work is finally paying off. You have so many fans that love and appreciate you and this is what you deserve Mark. I’m proud of you.”

Mark stares at you with a look you didn’t know. He stayed silent for the long time, so you just sat there and drank your coffee. Right before Mark could respond, your phone rang.

“Ah, I’m sorry to leave you Mark but I got to go. My aunt and uncle want to take me to Myeong-dong. Thank you for making my coffee taste sweeter. It’s actually not that bad.”

As you were getting up and grabbing your journal, Mark grabs your hand, forcing you to stop and look at him.

“It was really nice seeing you again Y/N. I’ve missed you. A lot. I wish we stayed in touch more over the years. I would’ve liked to keep talking to you and know what’s happening back in Canada. I hope you don’t mind me asking but can I have your phone number?”

“Oh of course,” you said as you were both exchanging phones.

“I hope we can talk again soon Y/N. I really do think we need to talk. Talk about before I left.”

The air suddenly felt awkward, and you were back to being nervous around Mark.

“Oh, uhm. Yes. Okay, one day. Just send me a date and time when you’re free and then we can talk. It’s nice seeing you again Mark, I’ll talk to you soon!” you rushed out of the cafe. As you were walking farther and farther away from the cafe, away from Mark, you can’t help but the feel the happy about your encounter. Oh no, what have I gotten myself into?

—

a/n: hello everyone! i’ve managed to write this with the extra time i had so sorry if there are a lot of mistakes, i sort of rushed it. i really wanted to write/post a fic this week and so i finally managed to do so. message me! ask me questions! send me kun photos because i have just been loving kun for the past few days! i’d like to make a few mutuals and friends because junior year sucks and i want something good in my life rn. thank you for reading <3

#nct #nct dream #nct u #nct 127 #nct au #nct scenario #nct dream au #nct dream scenario #nct u scenario #nct u au #nct 127 au #nct 127 scenario #mark lee #nct mark #mark lee scenario #mark lee au #mark lee drabble #nct writings

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