#HIS BACKUP DANCERS ARE COOL TOO????

[amartbee]

I couldnt resist the VEGETA DANCE!

it's minute 3:15, as if didnt watch it a million times by now.

[mootmuse]

shoves this message into a bottle and sends it back in time to every person in charge of every single one of jr ntr’s outfits in every dance he did in every one of the movies he filmed back when he was chubby:

your movie’s spent all this time building his character up to be so cool and so badass and so sexy and you change your mind at the last second? ‘they’ll only believe he’s sexy until they find out he’s chubby, got to hide it!’ no. incorrect. his outfits are being designed by cowards and fools. if his love interest gets to dance in cute little form fitting outfits so does he. stop putting him in potato sacks like we don’t want to see him. you tell me I should be into him and then you cockblock me like this

[i-dared-myself]

Transfer

Stray Kids x reader

Requested by anonymous: so ihave this request that is like an queendom x kingdom, and y/n is an idol (in other group) i know is short but i really wanted to see what would your imagination feed us. 

Queendom and Kingdom were combined for a spin-off show that you were lucky enough to be a part of. Your group had been one of the few chosen for this highly-anticipated show.

“Practises are today.” The girl next to you puckers her lips, staring at her reflection in the mirror. “Is your group ready yet?”

“Uh, yeah.” You fidget in your seat as your cheeks are swiped over with blush. As soon as your makeup is finished you slip off the stool and go off to your group. 

“Remember,” your leader is saying, gaze firm and arms crossed. “Everything rests on this moment.”

You linger in the back of the group, not wanting to draw attention to yourself. You always felt awkward around then for some reason.

It’s probably just your imagination.

“We’ve been struggling lately, and this is a good chance to prove ourselves.” Your leader smiles, sickly-sweet as she looks over at you. No mistakes.”

Your stomach twists with nerves.

At a recent event that was live-streamed, you had tripped. You don’t know what you tripped on, but you had. You had fallen during the performance, causing the rest of the members to stop everything.

Your company wasn’t pleased. Neither were your other members.

You follow the rest of your group into a dance studio. You spend the next hour running through a choreography for your performance, something that will lead to a media recovery.

Your only problem is how little you have to do. You understand that you might not be the best dancer, or the best singer, or might not even be as pretty as the other girls.

But standing at the rear like a backup dancer? They’re not using your abilities like they should, and you know you can do better. You know that the tripping in that other performance was a one time thing.

But you start to doubt it as more time goes by and no progress is made. The others are struggling with the more difficult movements, and your steps are too simple.

But when you add more flair to it, you get told to stop being so flashy. 

“You’re taking the attention from the front,” the choreographer complains. He sighs and waves a hand at you. “While we figure this out, go fill the water bottles.”

You, taken aback by the humiliating request, frown. “What?”

“He told you to do something!” a girl in your group snaps at you. “Just do it!”

You’re handed all of their water bottles and awkwardly juggle them as you go down the hallway. You manage to find the water station and hold each bottle under the tap one by one.

You hear a gasp of your name and ignore it. When people talk shit about you, you push it aside and cry about it when you’re by yourself.

Then someone is tapping your shoulder, and you hesitantly turn around.

“Yes?” you warily ask before realizing who it is. It’s fucking Seungmin. Seungmin, from Stray Kids, is in front of you. “What the shit.”

He blinks at you. “I’m sorry?”

You gasp and cover your mouth. “I’m so sorry! Pretend you didn’t hear me swear! Please!”

Seungmin smiles gently at you, something akin to amusement flashing in his eyes. “It’s okay. I make fun of JYP all the time. I won’t ruin your idol image.”

You grin. “Yeah, I know.” You pause before attempting a recovery. “I mean- Who are- Who’s- I’m JYP.”

Seungmin’s smile widens even further, and it infects you with joy. You’re both just standing, beaming at each other like idiots.

“Can I get a photo with you?” You both blurt it out at the same time before sighing in relief.

“Why do you want one with me?” you question as he pulls out his phone. You smile into the camera and pose with him.

“Because you’re cool,” he replies simply before making hearts with his fingers for your photo. “Obviously.”

You feel heat rise to your face at his words. “Oh. Thank you. That means a lot.”

Seungmin’s head tilts. “What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be training right now?”

You fiddle with your hands anxiously. You’ve never liked explaining the dynamics between you and the other members of your group. 

“Someone had to refill the water bottles,” is what you finally say. You motion to them, almost forgotten on the ground.

Seungmin nods slowly. “Sure, I guess. Do you have some free time to come meet the rest of us then? We’re kind of fans of yours.”

You can hardly believe it. Stray Kids are fans of you. 

“Sure.” You shrug casually. You should run back to the rest, but you do want to meet them. “I have time.”

Seungmin helps you carry the bottles down the corridor, dodging other idols. You reach a studio with a closed door, and Seungmin knocks on it with his foot in the form of a hard kick

Changbin answers it, eyebrows pulled together in annoyance. “You have hands, idiot- Oh. Oh!”

“My hands are full,” Seungmin grumbles, holding up the bottles. “Get out of the way, loser.”

Changbin’s wide eyes are still locked on you. He steps away, letting you and Seungmin pass. 

You flash him a warm smile, bowing slightly. Changbin returns it as if he can’t believe you’re here.

“Omg,” Jisung says, covering his mouth.

“I can’t believe you just said ‘omg’,” Hyunjin drawls from where he’s on the floor. He has his arms covering his face.

“Hello.” You wave to the rest of the room. Everyone is just watching you and you’re frankly uncomfortable with their gazes all being on you.

“Hi,” Chan coughs out. “What are you- What are you doing here?”

You adjust your stance, looking to Seungmin uncertainly. “He said you guys would want to meet me? And honestly I’m a big fan, so I didn’t mind coming here.”

“You’re a fan of us?” Felix asks in amazement.

“I can’t believe you’re a fan of me.” You laugh lightly. This whole day has taken a bizarre turn.

Hyunjin sits up, jaw dropping. “Stay is going to be so jealous. Can we post photos of us with you?”

You shrug casually. “Yeah. Go ahead.”

So you’re swarmed by them all taking photos in various poses with you. Jeongin is shy when he comes up to you, but quickly warms up to you and even asks you to record a video with him.

“I’m sorry, but I should go back to the others.” You grimace before smoothing out your expression into a pleasant one. “It’s been great meeting you.”

Chan hums softly. “You’re welcome back anytime. We know what we’re doing so we’re just fine-tuning. We have plenty of spare time.”

You smile and nod before putting all of the bottles back in your arms. It’s difficult to carry them all, but you make do.

When you return to the studio your group has been assigned to, they’re wrapping up. You linger in the doorway, unsure of what to do with yourself.

“There you are!” The choreographer puts his hands on his hips. “Come here.”

You set the water bottles down before rushing back to him. “Yes?”

“We’ve decided to remake your part,” he casually tells you. “I’ll show you it, and then you’ll memorize it and have it ready to go by tomorrow’s rehearsal.”

You freeze, watching him demonstrate the new dance. It’s definitely more complicated than the one you had previously been assigned, and you hesitate.

“Are you sure?” you carefully say.

“Oh, and you’re in the front now.” He wipes his hands on his pants. “You have it memorized? I also have a video of it set up on the laptop over there. You know the lines already too.”

“Yeah.” You blink back frustrated tears. “I’ve got this.”

The rest of the group shuffled out the door, wiggling their fingers goodbye at you. You stare numbly at them as you’re left alone in the studio.

You press play on the speakers and focus on singing for now. You’ve never sang this part before, and it’s a bit out of your range.

But you’re confident enough that you can do this, and nail it. You know you sound amazing, so you move on to the dance.

The movements are tricky, especially the hand gestures. They’re complicated enough that you have to just work on them for a minute.

“You look busy.” 

You whip around to find Hyunjin hovering near the entrance. You click the pause button and take a swig from your bottle.

“What are you still doing here?” Hyunjin pulls out his phone and checks the time. “It’s midnight. You’ll be exhausted for rehearsals tomorrow.”

You stretch out your legs. “No, I’ll be fine. I just- I have to do this.”

Hyunjin settles on the ground, leaning against the mirror. “Show me then.”

You falter. “Sorry?”

Hyunjin crosses his legs at the ankles and folds his hands in his lap. “I’ll give you some feedback. Then you can go get some rest sooner.”

You nod. “Sounds good.” You press play on the music and go through the dance, singing along. Your voice echoes weirdly in the room, but you know on stage it will sound good.

When you finish, you pant and slide down against the wall to the floor. “Well?”

Hyunjin tilts his head at you. “It was excellent. And… Weird.”

“Weird? What’s weird?” you anxiously ask. 

Hyunjin runs a hand over his shaved head, hand not catching on any hair. “It just… It matches perfectly with our choreography. I know we’re not supposed to talk about it before the show, but it’s almost identical.”

You frown as he gets to his feet. “Really?”

Hyunjin shows you his, and sure enough it goes alongside yours almost perfectly. He considers it for a moment before shaking his head. “I’m sure it’s just a coincidence.”

You adjust your stance. “I’m not sure. Doesn’t your group go first, with mine after? It would look like we’re copying you.”

Chan knocks on the doorframe, clearing his throat. “Hyunjin. You should be in bed by now at the dorms. It’s a big day tomorrow.”

“Take a look at this.” Hyunjin points at you, so you awkwardly show Chan your dance as well.

Chan’s eyes widen. “Hyunjin! Why did you teach her our-“

“That’s hers,” Hyunjin interrupts. He begins to pace. “But you thought it was ours, which means that the audience would think they copied us, which means-“

You cough. “I’m sure there was just a misunderstanding with the choreographer. He probably just studied closely with yours, and it came out the same. Big coincidence.”

“We made ours.” Chan shakes his head. “There’s no way that’s what happened.”

You shuffle, unsure of what to do now.

“Let’s just deal with this in the morning.” Chan sighs and rubs at his face tiredly. “We’ll walk you to your group. Or van I guess.”

“That’s nice, but I’m okay.” You smile warmly. “They left already and took the van with them.”

“So how are you getting to your dorms?” Hyunjin questions, exchanging a look with Chan.

You chew the inside of your cheek. “I usually just walk if I’m not far, or sleep at the studio. It’s not bad. I can sleep in weird places.”

“She sleeps at the studio like you do.” Hyunjin shoots Chan a filthy expression. He rounds back on you. “We’ll give you a ride.”

You yawn, covering your mouth with your hand. “Really? You don’t have to.”

“No, it’s fine.” Chan tugs at his jacket, pulling it tighter around his body. “Come on.”

You trail after them, holding your water bottle. You make sure to flick the lights off before you leave.

“Felix!” Hyunjin yells. “We’re going!”

Felix darts out from an empty room, eyes locking on you. “What’s she doing here?”

“We’re giving her a ride,” Chan briefly explains. He fishes his keys out from his pocket. 

When you exit the building and go outside, Hyunjin screams, “Shotgun!”

Felix groans and crosses his arms. He glances at you and brightens. “Guess we get to sit together!”

Chan unlocks the vehicle and everyone scampers inside. Hyunjin snickers at Felix, who has to sit in the back.

You tell Chan the address and rest your head against the window as Felix eagerly rambles on. You barely catch what he’s saying, too tired to really focus.

Then you’re asleep, and your head rolls onto Felix’s shoulder. His entire face turns red and he reaches up to poke at Hyunjin.

“What, backseat loser?” Hyunjin grumbles.

“She’s asleep,” Felix whispers. “What do we do?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You wake the next morning to silence. It’s odd. Usually there’s frantic racing to get ready and people slamming on your door.

But it’s quiet with the sunlight filtering through your curtains.

You slip out of bed and tap the screen of your phone, heart sinking when you realize it’s almost nine. You dash out of your room, urgently tugging your pants on. You knock on people’s doors before skidding to a halt.

Why were you the only one in your room when you woke? Why are there dirty dishes piled up next to the sink?

There’s a note on the fridge, kindly informing you of your removal from the performance. The others are worried that you won’t be able to be ready in time.

So you’ve been ‘transferred to a backup dancer for another group or something.’

Temporarily, they added, but you have a sick feeling that it’s not. That this is your new normal.

You sit on the couch, sighing heavily. You notice ink on your forearm, and since you can’t remember last night-

“I got a tattoo?” you shriek in alarm. You feel dizzy as you look at your arm.

It’s not a tattoo, thankfully. Instead, someone has written a number with a marker. 

Last night comes rushing back, so you type the number into your phone and dial.

It rings once before Chan’s voice meets your ear.

“Hello?”

“Hey.” You greet him maybe too casually, but you’re not a morning person. “Why did you give me your number?”

“So I can add you to our group chat.”

You pause. “What? Why?”

“Because… you’ll be working with us? Did you not know that you’ve been signed over to our group?” 

The dizziness has returned.

“What?” you rasp. “I’ve been what?”

There’s silence before Chan speaks again. “Okay, so I’m assuming you didn’t know.”

You close your eyes, fighting the light-headedness. “This is a lot. Chan, I think I’m going to pass out.”

“Don’t pass-“

Then you’re unconscious.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chan curses and puts his phone down, causing Minho to glance up.

“What’s wrong?” he asks with mild concern as he places own phone in his lap.

Chan’s lips thin into a tight smile. “Get the others. We have to go pick her up.”

Minho shrugs and stands, wandering off. Chan grabs a first aid kit from under the sink and stuffs it into the van. When the others climb inside he starts up the engine and tells them everything.

“So, she’s been transferred to us.” Chan’s grip tightens on the wheel. “She had been taught our choreography so it would be an easier transition for this performance and-“

“So you knew the whole time?” Hyunjin demands. “And you didn’t say anything?”

“No!” Chan looks in the rearview mirror at him. “I got the email this morning that explained everything. I’m as shocked as you are.”

“Can’t believe they just gave her up,” Changbin mutters. 

Seungmin sighs and drums his fingers on his thigh. “Why is there a first aid kit?”

Chan shifts in his seat. “She might’ve passed out.”

Jisung gasps. “Oh no! Is she okay?”

“Well that’s why we’re going over,” Chan says in exasperation. 

Jeongin puts his hand up. “Dibs for CPR.”

Felix frowns at him. “I don’t think that’s how it works. I think you have to be trained to actually do it.”

Hyunjin snorts in amusement. “Right. I do it all the time.”

Chan side-eyes him. “Excuse me? Who are you giving CPR to so often?”

Hyunjin narrows his eyes. “That’s none of your business.”

Chan lets it go, having arrived at your dorms. Hyunjin had watched you put the code in last night, so he presses the buttons and the gate slides aside.

Changbin busts the door down and they all charge inside, holding various tools from the first aid kit.

You blink at them, holding a wet towel to your forehead. “What- How did you get in here?”

“We’re here to give you CPR,” Jisung blurts out.

You scowl. “Ew. Yeah that’s not happening.”

“Hey, you could do a lot worse than him!” Jeongin defensively says. He bats his eyes at you. “Heyyyy.”

You pinch the bridge of your nose. “I can’t believe I’m in Stray Kids now. This is insane.”

“We’re cool.” Seungmin puts an arm around Hyunjin’s shoulder before shuffling to the side awkwardly once Hyunjin shrugs him away.

“Yeah I know. I’m not upset about being here now.” You grin at them. “I’ve been a fan for a while. I’m just… getting used to such a big change.”

“And we’ve been your fan for a while.” Minho rolls out his wrist. “But we have to get to rehearsal. Are you in or out?”

You toss the wet cloth at the sink, leaving it with the dirty dishes. Someone else can deal with it. “Let me grab my things and then I’m ready to go.”

Part two

Taglist:

@velvetmoonlght @jinnie-ret @hansmic

[gdinthehouseee]

Spotlight: KANG DAESUNG x READER

summary: as a backup dancer, you never expected to be paired with daesung for an intimate duet, but the chemistry between you is undeniable.

word count: 4994

tags: fluff; the guys relentless teasing

ao3 link

Rehearsals are in full swing. The room filled with the sounds of music and the shuffle of feet as everyone quickly stretches and cools down before the rest of the grueling day ahead. You’re used to this kind of thing by now, being a main backup dancer for BigBang was no easy job. Yet, today, there’s an unspoken tension in the air. Especially when the choreographer hurriedly walks back in, a clipboard in hand, eyes scanning the room.

“Alright, everyone, listen up!” They announce, clapping to get everyone's attention. “Today, we’re going to be pairing some of you up: we’ve got something special for this performance, so let’s make sure it’s perfect.”

You glance around at the other dancers, your mind wandering, trying to predict who would be a good fit for each of the guys. You were used to being grouped with the rest of the dancers, or at the very least you’d be paired with another one. What were you even performing? Naturally, you were waiting for this part to be over and done with. Needless to say you snapped out of whatever deep thinking you were doing when you realised the room had fallen dead silent, with the choreographer stood right in front of you.

“Daesung,” was all they said.

“Sorry?” You mumbled sheepishly. 

“You’re partnered with Daesung.” They sighed, pinching the bridge of their nose, clearly fed up of repeating themself. “Go stand with him before I change my mind. We don’t have time for whatever this is.”

Choosing to ignore their snappy tone, you seek your new partner out. He’s standing alone near the mirrors, towel draped around his neck, his fingers idly tapping against his water bottle. Waiting. Looking directly at you. For a second, the world inside the practice room shrinks, the steady hum of conversation fading into the background. Daesung blinks, clearly processing the pairing, and then his lips part slightly, as if he’s about to say something but thinks better of it. Instead, a slow, hesitant smile tugs at the corner of his mouth—warm, but laced with something unreadable. Why does everything feel so unreal today? 

You swallow, suddenly hyperaware of the way his gaze lingers, searching yours as if silently asking, “are we really doing this?” And even though you nod and step forward like it’s nothing, your pulse betrays you, hammering in your ears with the quiet, undeniable truth—this feels different. Your eyes lock with his for a brief second, and you return an awkward smile. He has always been easy-going and fun to work with, but something about this pairing feels… different. You shrug it off and make your way toward him, trying to shake off the sudden butterflies in your stomach.

“So, we’re dancing together.” You say, unable to wipe the smile off your face.

Daesung grins, trying to appear calm, but you can see the glint of uncertainty in his eyes. “I’m looking forward to it,” is all he says back, his voice unusually quieter. 

He cracks a small smile, but there's a hint of nervous energy in his tone. You’ve never really had the chance to work closely with him in this way, and something about it feels a little more intense than usual. But it’s just choreography, right?

Once they were done assigning pairs, the choreographer starts demonstrating the routine. The music kicks in, and you both watch intently. It’s slow, sensual, and… intimate. A little too intimate, actually.

As the moves begin to take shape, you realize the steps are going to involve a lot more contact than you were prepared for—hands on waists, close body positioning, and moments where the line between professional and personal starts to blur. There’s an undeniable chemistry in the movement, one that you’re not sure how to handle just yet.

“Okay,” the choreographer says, gesturing for you and Daesung to step up. “Let’s see you try it.”

You and Daesung exchange a glance before stepping into position, but neither of you is quite sure how to begin. The first few moves are awkward, as you both try to stay in sync, but as the choreography continues, you can feel your bodies getting closer. His hand gently touches your waist, sending a spark of heat through your skin.

He hesitates, clearly unsure of how to maintain that professional distance. You can sense it—he’s a little unsure of how to pull off the intimacy without crossing some kind of boundary.

“Just follow my lead,” Daesung says, his hand now resting firmly on your lower back.

You nod, a little flustered by how natural it feels when you move together. The routine has a certain grace to it, but the closeness is making your heart beat faster. You try to focus, to keep it professional, but every time his touch lingers a little too long, it’s like the room gets warmer.

“Let’s add a little more fluidity here,” the choreographer instructs, and the next move requires you to twirl into Daesung’s arms, your chest brushing against his. It’s supposed to be graceful, but the reality of it feels far more intense than anything rehearsed in front of a mirror.

You step back, trying to hide the blush rising on your cheeks. You notice Daesung is a little flustered too, his gaze darting down to avoid eye contact. His hand on your waist feels heavier now, more intentional, and you realize you’re both trying to avoid looking at each other too much.

“Maybe we should… uh, try it again?” Daesung says, rubbing the back of his neck with a nervous chuckle.

“Alright,” you whispered, mostly to yourself. “We’ve got this.”

You try to act as normal as possible, but the choreography is only making the air feel charged with something unspoken. His touch feels too warm, his presence too close, and neither of you seems ready to acknowledge how much chemistry is building between you with every step. The music starts again, and you both move through the routine with more familiarity now, but the problem isn’t the steps—it’s everything else. The way his breath brushes against your temple when he dips you. The way your hands find the solid planes of his chest as he guides you back up. The way his grip tightens—just slightly—when your bodies align too perfectly.

And then comes the part that always throws you off. The turn. The moment you spin into him, and he catches you, your back against his chest, your arms instinctively reaching up to hold onto him.

Only this time, something goes wrong.

You don’t know if you miscalculated the movement or if Daesung hesitated, but instead of smoothly transitioning into the next step, your balance wavers. Before you can even react, his arms tighten around you, keeping you from stumbling. For a moment, neither of you move.

Your breathing is uneven, your hands gripping onto his forearms, your body molded against his in a way that feels far too intimate for a rehearsal. His chest rises and falls against your back, and when you glance up, you catch his reflection in the mirror—his jaw clenched, gaze locked onto where his hands rest against your sides.

Then, just as the moment stretches too long—

“You know,” he muses, his voice taking on a teasing lilt. “If you wanted me to hold you, you could’ve just asked.”

You scoff, stepping away as he releases you. “You’re the one who didn’t let go.”

Daesung presses a hand to his chest in mock offense. “Excuse me, I was saving you. A true hero doesn’t hesitate in times of crisis.” He flashes a bright smile, effortlessly slipping back into his usual playful nature.

From the corner of the room, someone whistles.

“Wooow,” Ji-yong drawls, leaning against the wall with an exaggerated smirk. “Did you save her, Daesung? Or were you just looking for an excuse to hold on a little longer?”

A snicker comes from Taeyang, who’s stretching nearby. “I don’t think he wanted to let go at all.”

Daesung gasps dramatically, shaking his head. “How dare you question my noble intentions?” He turns to you, lips twitching like he’s barely holding in laughter. “Tell them. Didn’t I just selflessly prevent disaster?”

“Right. Very selfless.” You roll your eyes but can’t fight back the small smile creeping onto your lips.

Ji-yong nudges Taeyang. “Yeah, so selfless. He was definitely thinking about your safety and not the way he was holding onto you like a love-struck drama lead.”

“Oh, please. If this were a drama, I would’ve dipped her and declared my undying love by now.” He gives you a wink before grabbing his water bottle, casually avoiding the way his ears are turning pink.

The choreographer claps to get everyone’s attention. “Good save, Daesung! But try not to hesitate next time. Let’s run it again.”

You nod, shaking off the moment, but as you step back into position, you catch the way Daesung adjusts his grip on his bottle, rolling his shoulders like he’s trying to shake something off.

Yeah. This is definitely not just another rehearsal.

After a few more run-throughs, the initial awkwardness fades into something smoother, more natural. You and Daesung fall into an easy rhythm, your movements syncing up effortlessly. The hesitations disappear, replaced by a quiet understanding of each other’s pace, each step, each breath. The turns become sharper, the dips deeper, and by the time you reach the final pose, your bodies settle into place without a second thought. It’s seamless—intense yet fluid, charged yet controlled. When the music cuts off, Daesung meets your gaze, a grin spreading across his face as he exhales. You can’t help but return the smile.

“Not bad,” he teases, still a little breathless. “I think we might actually make this look good.”

“Might?” You echo, letting out your own breathless laugh.

“Alright, alright. I’ll admit it—we’re kind of killing it. But don’t go getting a big head on me. We still have to do this in front of thousands of people.”

You smirk, stepping back as the choreographer walks over, nodding in approval. “That’s exactly how it should look,” they praise, clapping their hands together. “Great work, you two. The chemistry is there—it feels natural, intense, but not forced. Keep that energy for the real thing.”

You nod, reaching for your water bottle as you try to catch your breath. Daesung does the same, but you don’t miss the way he stretches his arms behind his head, a satisfied grin still tugging at his lips.

“See?” You say, nudging him lightly with your elbow. “And here you were doubting my abilities.”

He feigns a dramatic gasp. “Me? Doubt you? I’d never.” His voice is dripping with mock sincerity, but there’s something in the way he’s looking at you—something softer beneath the teasing. “Guess I just needed a little convincing.”

Before you can fire back, a voice cuts through the air.

“Alright, that’s enough for now,” the choreographer announces, clapping their hands together yet again. “You two have the routine down. Take a break, hydrate, and we’ll run it again later.”

You exhale, rolling out your shoulders as you grab your water bottle. “Sounds good,” you say, offering Daesung a small smile before turning toward the exit. “I’ll be back—I need to use the bathroom.”

He nods, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. “Don’t take too long. I might forget all my moves without my dance partner.”

You roll your eyes but laugh, shaking your head as you head out of the practice room.

The door swings shut behind you, and for a second, Daesung lets out a breath, placing his hands on his hips as he tilts his head back. The routine had been intense—nothing too complicated, but the closeness, the way your body moved against his, the way you looked at him in the mirror during each turn and dip—yeah, he was feeling it. Maybe a little too much. Unfortunately, his moment of reflection is short-lived.

“Well, that was interesting,” Ji-yong’s voice cuts in, far too amused for Daesung’s liking.

Daesung groans before turning around, only to find Ji-yong, Taeyang, and Seung-hyun standing there, arms crossed, smug grins plastered across their faces.

“What?” He asks, feigning innocence as he grabs his towel.

“What?” Ji-yong mocks, raising a brow. “Oh, nothing. Just wondering if we should be preparing for an on-stage confession along with that dance routine.”

Daesung throws his towel at him, but Ji-yong dodges it with a laugh.

“That was definitely more than just performing,” Taeyang adds, shaking his head. “I mean, don’t get me wrong—it looked great. But I think someone was enjoying it a little too much.”

Daesung scoffs, grabbing his water bottle as he tries to brush them off. “You guys are reaching. It’s choreography. You know, like the kind we do all the time?”

Seung-hyun hums thoughtfully, stroking his chin. “Maybe. Or maybe you just have really good chemistry with them.” He tilts his head, watching Daesung carefully. “Tell me, were you acting when you stared at them like they were the only person in the room?”

Daesung nearly chokes on his water. “I—I was not—”

Ji-yong lets out a loud laugh, clapping his hands. “Ohhh, that was so real! You should’ve seen your face when they walked off just now. I swear, I saw longing.”

“I hate all of you.”

“Aw, don’t be like that,” Taeyang teases, slinging an arm around Daesung’s shoulder. “We just think it’s adorable how obvious you are.”

Daesung clenches his jaw, forcing himself to keep a neutral expression, but inside, his thoughts are a complete mess. They’re reaching. They have to be. He wasn’t staring at you. Was he? He tries to replay the last few minutes in his head, but all he can focus on is the way you had smiled at him before leaving, the way your skin had felt against his during the routine, the way his chest had felt almost empty the second you were gone. Okay. Maybe they have a point. But what’s he supposed to do? Admit it? Confess right here and let them have a field day? No way. He has a reputation to uphold—one that doesn’t involve getting caught up in feelings for a backup dancer who probably doesn’t think twice about him outside of rehearsals. So instead, he scoffs, rolls his eyes, and prays that the heat crawling up his neck isn’t as obvious as it feels.

Inside the bathroom, you grip the sink’s edge, staring at your reflection in the mirror. Your skin is flushed, strands of hair clinging to your damp forehead from the intensity of rehearsals. You reach for a paper towel, dabbing at your face as you take a slow breath.

Dancing with Daesung shouldn’t feel this different. You’ve worked with them before, rehearsed routines just as intimate—maybe even more so. But there’s something about the way he holds you, the way his hands settle at your waist, firm but gentle, the way his eyes flicker with something unreadable when your gazes meet in the mirror. It makes your heart race in a way that has nothing to do with the dance itself.

Shaking your head, you sigh. Get a grip. This is work. That’s all it is. And even if—if—Daesung had been acting a little differently, what would it mean? He’s an idol. You’re a backup dancer. It’s not like he’d ever actually—

You stop yourself before that thought goes too far, forcing yourself to splash cold water on your face instead. When you finally step back out into the hall, you straighten your posture, roll out your shoulders, and push every unnecessary thought aside. Time to get back to work.

By the time rehearsals wrap up and concert preparations are in full swing, you and Daesung have perfected the routine. The lingering touches, the way your bodies move in sync—it all feels natural now, like second nature. But what hasn’t changed is the playful banter between you, the way he sneaks in little jokes during practice, the way you tease him back just as easily.

Now, standing backstage just before the concert, you do a final check in the mirror, smoothing down your performance outfit. The stage lights cast a glow over everything, making the sequins and fabric shimmer under your touch. With a deep breath, you step out into the hallway, only to find Daesung standing there, waiting.

The moment his eyes land on you, he freezes. His easygoing smile falters, his mouth parting slightly as if his brain has short-circuited. You raise a brow, tilting your head.

“What?” You ask, amused.

Daesung blinks. “Uh—” He clears his throat, rubbing the back of his neck. “You, uh… you look—” He stops himself, squeezing his eyes shut for half a second like he’s trying to reboot his brain. “I mean, you’re—you’re ready for the performance?”

You bite back a grin, not missing the pink dusting his ears. “Obviously. Are you?”

“I—of course! Definitely.” He laughs, but it comes out just a little too forced, and you can feel the flustered energy radiating off him.

Before you can push him further, the sound of familiar laughter echoes down the hall. You glance over to see Ji-yong, Taeyang, and Seung-hyun watching the whole interaction unfold, grinning like they’ve just won the lottery.

“Ohhh, Daesung,” Ji-yong drawls, crossing his arms. “You good, man? You look a little—” He pauses for dramatic effect. “Flustered.”

Taeyang chuckles. “Nah, he’s just realizing what we’ve known all along.”

Daesung groans, burying his face in his hands. “I hate you guys.”

You laugh, the playful energy between you and the guys making the moment feel lighthearted despite Daesung’s obvious discomfort. He’s trying so hard to maintain his usual easygoing attitude, but the blush creeping up his neck gives him away.

“Seriously,” he grumbles, pushing past them toward the stage. “I’m not doing this with you guys today.”

You watch him go, a little smile tugging at the corners of your lips. There’s something endearing about how easy it is to make him flustered—something you weren’t sure you’d ever get used to. The teasing, the way he tries to play it off, it only makes the attraction you’ve been trying to ignore that much harder to suppress. You take a step forward, but before you can follow him, Ji-yong stops you with a teasing grin.

“So,” Ji-yong begins, tilting his head, “how long are you planning to keep pretending you’re not noticing anything?”

You glance at him, trying to mask your nervousness. “What are you talking about?”

Taeyang leans in, giving you a mischievous smile. “Come on, don’t act like you don’t see it. We’ve all noticed how Daesung’s been around you lately.”

“Not to mention,” Seung-hyun adds, his voice low and teasing, “you seem pretty… comfortable with it.”

You feel your stomach flip and force a chuckle, hoping you don’t look as flustered as you feel. “He’s just… friendly, okay? It’s nothing.”

Ji-yong raises an eyebrow, smirking. “Friendly, huh? Is that what we’re calling it now?”

You shake your head, pretending to look disinterested. “Really, I’m just focused on the performance, guys. That’s it.”

Taeyang snickers. “Sure, sure. Focused. But don’t you think you’ve got a little more energy when he’s around?”

“Maybe you’re just imagining it,” Seung-hyun teases, nudging you gently. “Couldn’t be Daesung, right?”

You shoot them a playful glare, trying to keep your composure. “You’re all ridiculous,” you mutter, brushing past them and heading toward the stage.

“Don’t pretend you don’t know,” Ji-yong calls after you with a grin. “We’ve all seen the way he looks at you. So, you better figure it out before someone else does!”

You quicken your pace, your cheeks flushed, but there's a smile on your lips that you can’t suppress. You’re not sure if they’re right—or if they’re just messing with you—but something inside you tells you it might not be nothing after all. You try to shake off the lingering heat from their teasing as you head toward the stage. It’s fine. It’s nothing. They’re just messing with you; they have to be. Right?

As you step backstage, adjusting the final details of your performance outfit, you don’t expect to find Daesung standing alone near the edge of the stage. He’s rolling his shoulders, stretching out his arms, preparing for the show. The usual brightness in his expression is subdued, replaced with a quiet kind of focus.

You hesitate for a moment before walking up to him. “Hey.”

His head turns at the sound of your voice, but the second his eyes land on you, his entire body freezes.

You stop a few steps away, confused by his reaction. “...What?”

Daesung just stares. His mouth opens slightly like he wants to say something, but nothing comes out. His gaze lingers on you, moving over every detail—the way the fabric of your outfit catches the backstage lighting, the way it fits you just right, the way you stand there looking effortlessly confident and ready for the stage.

He exhales, barely above a whisper. “Wow.”

Your brows furrow. “What?”

His eyes finally meet yours, something unreadable flickering behind them before he smiles softly. “You look… stunning.”

The way he says it—without hesitation, without teasing—makes something tighten in your chest.

Your lips part slightly, but before you can even think of a response, he continues, voice quieter now. “I mean it. You always have this presence, but right now… you look like you belong up there. Like a star.”

The weight of his words settles over you, warm and unexpectedly sincere. For a second, you forget how to speak.

Daesung chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry, was that too much? I just—” He exhales, shaking his head with a sheepish grin. “I couldn’t not say it.”

A slow warmth creeps up your neck, and you tell yourself it’s just the pre-show adrenaline, but the way he’s looking at you makes it hard to ignore the way your pulse speeds up.

But then your eyes flicker over him—the way his stage outfit fits perfectly, the way his hair falls effortlessly into place, the way the backstage lights highlight his features. And without really thinking, you blurt out, “You too.”

“Huh?”

You clear your throat, suddenly feeling just as flustered as he looks. “I mean—you look really good too. Like, really good. Kind of unfairly good.”

His eyes widen slightly, and for the first time since you met him, Daesung is the one who looks completely caught off guard. A slow, boyish grin spreads across his lips. “Unfairly good?”

You huff, rolling your eyes. “You know what I mean.”

He laughs, the sound warm and genuine, and for a second, you swear he looks even happier than he did when he complimented you. “Coming from you, that means a lot.”

You scoff, lightly shoving his arm. “Oh, so my compliments are rare, huh?”

“They are! Usually, you’re just making fun of me.” He grins, eyes crinkling. “So, I’m going to hold onto this one for a while.”

You shake your head with a chuckle, but there’s no denying the warmth in your chest. For a moment, neither of you moves, the energy between you shifting into something unspoken, something that lingers even as the call for performers echoes through the backstage.

“Guess we should head out,” you finally say.

Daesung nods, but before you turn away, you hear him mutter under his breath, just loud enough for you to catch—

“Yeah… before I say something even dumber.”

You don’t call him out on it. But as you walk side by side toward the stage, you can’t shake the feeling that something between you just changed.

The stage is alive with energy, the deafening cheers of the crowd fueling every movement as you and the rest of the dancers throw yourselves into the performance. The first few songs are high-energy, packed with sharp footwork and powerful formations that leave your heart pounding in exhilaration.

Daesung, as always, is magnetic. His voice soars effortlessly over the music, his expressions shifting between playful and intense as he moves in perfect sync with the beat. You steal a glance at him during a transition, catching the way his lips curl into a bright, breathless smile. It’s the kind of smile that makes it impossible not to grin back.

As the set progresses, the choreography grows more fluid, the atmosphere shifting into something slower—something charged. 

The moment is coming.

Your pulse quickens when the familiar instrumental begins, signaling the start of the duet routine. The rest of the stage dims slightly, putting just the two of you in focus. You step toward each other, movements deliberate and practiced, but the weight of the moment feels entirely new under the bright stage lights. The first few steps are easy—flowing, controlled—but then comes the part that always makes your breath hitch. The music slows, your bodies drawn closer, every touch of his hand against yours sending warmth curling in your stomach. His palm finds the curve of your waist, firm but careful, and when you meet his gaze, the intensity in his eyes nearly makes you forget the next step.

And then—so soft you almost think you imagined it—Daesung leans in just enough for his lips to brush the shell of your ear.

“You look amazing tonight.”

His voice low, breath warm against your skin. Your stomach flips, your heartbeat hammering against your ribs. For a moment, you almost falter, but years of training keep your body moving as if nothing happened. As if his words haven’t sent a jolt of heat through you. There’s something different in the way he looks at you tonight. Something unspoken.

But there’s no time to dwell on it. The next beat hits, and you both move seamlessly into the next phrase, bodies shifting as if you aren’t seconds away from crossing some invisible line. The routine ends with the two of you standing close, breaths mingling, the lights hitting just right to capture the moment. The crowd erupts, but your heart is beating too loudly to process it fully. You’ve danced this sequence countless times, but for the first time, it doesn’t feel like just a performance. 

And from the way he looks at you before the stage fades to black, you’re almost certain he feels it too.

Backstage is still buzzing with post-concert energy—staff rushing around, dancers cooling down, the echoes of cheering fans still ringing in your ears. You press a towel to your face, taking a deep breath to steady yourself. The adrenaline of the performance still lingers in your veins, but more than that, you can feel the presence of someone standing close.

Daesung.

You turn, and sure enough, he’s there—his hair damp with sweat, his shirt clinging to his toned frame, his chest rising and falling as he catches his breath. But his expression is what catches you off guard. He’s looking at you, really looking, with something unreadable in his eyes.

“You were incredible out there,” he says, stepping closer. His voice is softer than before, but there’s an intensity in it that makes your stomach flutter.

You smile, nudging him playfully. “So were you. Though I think the fans might’ve collectively lost their minds during that song.”

He laughs, but then his expression shifts. His fingers brush over the back of his neck, a telltale sign of nervousness.

“Hey, um…” He hesitates for only a second before exhaling and looking at you again, this time with more certainty. “I’ve been thinking about this for a while now, and—well, I don’t want to dance around it anymore.”

You tilt your head slightly, heart thudding. “Daesung…?”

“I like you,” he admits, his voice steady despite the slight pink dusting his cheeks. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’ve been completely gone for you. And I know things can be complicated, but… would you go on a date with me?”

“You’re really asking me out right after we just finished sweating buckets on stage?”

“I figured if you can handle me at my worst, then it’s a good sign.”

“Then… yes.”

His breath hitches. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” you confirm, biting your lip as you look up at him. “I like you too, Daesung.”

The relief that washes over his face is immediate, and before you can say anything else, he moves without thinking—closing the small gap between you and leaning in. It’s slow at first, tentative, as if waiting for you to pull away. But you don’t. Instead, you meet him halfway, lips brushing against his in a soft, lingering kiss.

Just as the world narrows down to only him, the door swings open.

“Well, well, well,” Ji-yong’s voice rings out.

“Oh, this is too good,” Taeyang adds.

Seung-hyun just whistles lowly.

You and Daesung practically jump apart, though he keeps a hand on your waist as if afraid to let go. Your face burns as you turn to see the three of them standing there, looking far too amused.

Ji-yong crosses his arms, grinning. “So, are we invited to the wedding or what?”

Daesung groans, dragging a hand down his face. “Can I get, like, five seconds of peace?”

“Nope,” Seung-hyun smirks. “Not when we just walked in on that.”

Taeyang nudges Ji-yong. “Told you it was only a matter of time.”

You bury your face in your hands with a laugh, while Daesung mutters something about never catching a break. But despite the teasing, the embarrassment, and the relentless grins from his friends, there’s no mistaking the quiet joy in his eyes when he looks at you again.

And honestly? You wouldn’t change a thing about this moment.

taglist: @thanosscrossmain @maskedcrawford @mirahyun @riddlerloveb0t @onyxmango @sherrayyyyy @seunghyunwifey

[onesidedradiostatic]

some comments on stuff from the playbill, jumbled assortment of thoughts

can't believe this guy actually willingly posed for a photo and looks happy about it. maybe he's only fine with it cause it's black and white

I am completely and utterly convinced the sychronised dance is just an adam thing and he trained all the exorcists to be backup dancers

HE REALLY MISSES HIS WIFE LMAOOOO

he actually performs with the deadly sins??

"owned and ruled by himself, velvette, and I guess vox" HELLO???????

velvette's section in the playbill being formatted like a fucking twitter bio is making me lose my shit

still no sexuality though okay girl keep your secrets

this was probably in the background of like episode 2 or something that I missed but there being an in-universe vox-themed vocal assistant is killing me

nice to see a fuller quality version of this but I WISH it was in colour

I completely missed this in the background too, cool as shit

I know we've known this for a while but it still cracks me up because of both his pathetic display in season 1 and the fandom's subsequent treatment of him LMAO. still though, do wreck some shit in season 2 king

[catiuskaa]

audio creak file.mp3 [1:07]

PAIRING! pervy?Chan x roomate!reader

SUMMARY: Chan struggles to make music, and you, his friend and roommate, try to help him when you can. Say, Chan also struggles to keep his cool whenever you’re near… what will you do to help him feel better?

WC: 3.2k

CW: convenient minsung because I say so, angsty(?) (reader is just kinda dense and Minho screams the truth to her), smut: mentions of soft dom!chan, mentions of panty stealing, Chan’s a pervy simp (he’s just soooo down bad), and I just really got carried away writing on my notes thinking about when Channie smiles hearing the creaks in heyday...

A/N: basically, if being inocent was a crime, i’d be imprisioned for tax evasion, lmao. kinda perv!chan thoughts to soothe the iching that the mosquito bites give. have fun!

[☆☆★☆☆]

He let out a frustrated groan, fingers digging into his curly locks in a sign of desperation. He had listened to every single audio sample Changbin had found. Twice. But no, nothing screamed “This is it” to his perfectionist self. And it was getting him fucking desperate.

He wasn’t wearing headphones because of the company he had been with not too long ago since Changbin and Han tried to help him —keyword: try—, and also knowing that you wouldn’t be home for a while meant that there was no one he could disturb, the sounds coming from his laptop not nearly loud enough to reach to the neighbours. He scrolled down the same folders again, wondering when you would be home in the back of his mind.

You and Chan had been roommates for a bunch of years now. You two had met at Han’s birthday party thanks to Minho, as he introduced you, one of the first people he had ever danced with and even won competitions with to the leader of the Korean boyband.

You clicked almost instantly, sharing anecdotes from each side of the industry. He, a famous idol, and you, a backup dancer for many groups in different companies.

It was unknown to both of you that Han and his cat-like soulmate had tried to matchmake you that day, as you just stayed like close friends. Minho laughed at Jisung as they both returned from your shared apartment the day you moved in, like two years after. Now that you’d split the rent, considering neither of you spent that much time home to pay a large amount, you paired up.

“At least they like each other, silly,” he mentioned, his tone of voice sounding soft, a smug smile on his face. He was so winning the bet.

“Nooo!” Han whined, much like a toddler would when toys were taken away. “Those two are meant to be, Hyung. They are literally each other’s type!”

“Well, I don’t think they’ve noticed,” he chuckled, thinking about what he would buy with the ten bucks Han would owe him. And Minho would’ve been right.

But then, the sex dreams started.

“Chan, I’m back!”

He blushed, quickly shoving those thoughts into a bottomless pit in his mind.

“How you doin’?” You grinned, your head popping inside his room, leaving your bag on your own, next to his, before coming back and leaning on the door frame.

Your wet hair made the top of your summer dress fabric somewhat sheer, his eyes trailing your figure before clearing his throat.

“I’m stuck,” he admitted, dimples on display as he smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. “I’ve been looking for a sample I thought existed, but maybe I just made it up in my head.”

“That does sound like shit,” you mentioned, leaning down just enough to rest your forearms on the back of his chair. He felt tiny droplets falling from your hair onto his shoulders and back, making goosebumps trail all over his body.

“But how… how was the… the swimming pool?” He quivered, trying to hide the flustered quiver in his voice. And failing, hoping you wouldn’t notice.

“It was good! It felt sooo nice.” You stretched, whining as you extended your arms, making a mess in Chan’s head, who struggled to hide it. “I’ll go get changed, and then I can help you. Sounds ok?”

“Yeah.” He leaned into your touch when you ruffled his hair, leaving his room.

He sighed as he rested on the back of the chair, arms thrown over his eyes, and swallowed dry. He felt like such a perv, his insides churning and turning whenever you were near, making him feel like a horny teenager.

It all started one night when he woke up in a sweat, hard-on nearly hurting underneath his boxers. Pictures of you still reeling in his mind, legs wide open for him, eyes pleading, begging for release.

Then, two nights after, dreaming about your body pressed on top of him as you straddled him, clenching on him, fighting for dominance in a sloppy kiss.

Later that week, you in that cute summer dress you bought with him, letting him fuck you and manhandle you in his car, the apartment too far, and your bodies too horny that the drive home felt impossible.

Seeing you every day with those thoughts in mind was difficult, sometimes having to escape your sight so you wouldn���t see him getting hard just by you doing the slightest things that weirdly turned him on.

“The one you dream about is back,” you teased, now wearing an oversized shirt and a towel over your shoulders. He gulped as he looked at you, not only for what you had said unknowingly but also because of your shirt, long enough to cover your thighs, giving the illusion that you were almost naked. In his room. Sitting crisscrossed. On his bed.

He felt blood on his cheeks and some running down, headed south. He giggled halfheartedly, the sentence ‘don’t get hard’ echoing in his head.

After playing the samples again, tricking himself into thinking he might have skipped one just so he would keep searching, he started getting frustrated again. But nuh-uh. Nothing.

“Ok, this is trash,” you blurted out.

With a smile on your face, before he could even ask you what was wrong, you grabbed his chair from behind, pushing him far from the computer, saving the files and then closed it with a slap.

“Break time, Mr Producer. We both need a coffee.” He snickered, shaking his head sideways as you both went to the kitchen.

“Can’t say no to that, can I?”

You laughed. “No. Too late, anyways.”

He started getting the milk from the fridge, pouring it on the mugs you handed him, and settling them in the microwave, a small smile on his features accenting his dimples.

“Audio sample related, can’t you just make your own?” You asked Chan, not entirely curious, question directed to find a solution for his issue rather than learning that piece of info.

“I mean, yeah, sure, but it’s simpler this way,” he shrugged, eyes confused about where to look, not daring to stare at you for too long. “If not, I just have to keep recording random stuff, hoping to find something that sounds like what I want.”

“Isn’t that easier? Not like it’s something you can brag about, but there’s a ton of creaking shit in this place,” you pointed out thoughtfully. “Like… that!”

In the blink of an eye, you crossed your way until you were directly in front of Chan, and you turned around, leaning on the counter before you as you opened and closed the cabinet's door on the wall.

“See? It creaks,” you said from above your shoulder.

But just when you stood back on your feet, you realised how close you were to each other. And it hadn’t helped that when you leaned towards the cabinet, your shirt had followed along with your body, letting Chan see your lack of pyjama pants, instead being welcomed by some cute cotton panties. Ones he knew well because, uhm… he uh… may have used them for a wrong purpose.

Yeah, fuck, he had come on those.

You hadn’t realised how little space had been between him and the counter and attributed that to your head, not knowing that Chan had unconsciously moved towards you, like metal to a magnet. You wiggled on your place, your personal space suddenly far away from you, caged in Chan’s presence. He stopped your tiny motion by gripping your waist, letting out a gasp, blushing. He turned you around so you wouldn’t feel his hardening cock on your upper thighs.

When you both locked eyes on the contrary, the tense atmosphere shot up, turning even thicker when he rested his arms on the counter, at your sides, thumbs casually stroking short lines on your waist.

No words were said as you got lost in his brown eyes, deep chocolate-coloured orbs, not needing any kind of golden or honey stripes on them as they drew you in, gorgeous eyes so raven that it was hard to distinguish where the iris was. Then, your eyes trailed off at his mouth, your breath hitched, rose-coloured plush lips so enticing. He licked them, and you swore you heard him swallow dry.

You pressed your body on him, getting closer and closer, and suddenly, he let out a small whimper. The sound made you shiver, heat pooling in your lower belly. He blushed furiously, not daring to move from his place. You could feel it, feel him.

The sound of your phone chiming in your room made you both aware of the situation —and position— you were in. You got shy, quickly letting him have his personal space back, both of you missing the other’s warmth on your skin as you blurted out something that sounded like “gotta go walk my fish” as you run to your room, slamming the door close, frowning as soon as you were alone.

“Fuck.” Both of you said at the same time, having the same thoughts.

“I fucked up.” Chan stared at the hot mugs on the counter, both waiting for someone who had run away.

[☆☆★☆☆]

“He’s just scared, girl,” Han said through the phone after letting you ramble and blurt about what had happened barely twenty minutes ago. “I promise, if you make him feel safe, like he won’t lose you, he’ll melt on your hands.”

"...I don't think so," you mumbled, picking on your nails.

"You called me because he got hard," he sighed, not bringing his statement to a conclusion just because it was so painfully obvious. "I know you're the only one who thinks otherwise."

You were about to reply with a snarky comment about how he should just 'stick simping about Minho' when you started to hear said man speaking to Jisung, and then with all the calm in the world, ignored him when he went straight to the phone.

"...Minho?"

"Leave my boyfriend alone and go fetch yours," he replied as you heard Han groan in the back. It was almost as if you could feel him deadpanning from the other side of the phone.

You frowned even if you had a smile on your features, not taking the comment completely seriously. "Ok, rude. What a meanie."

"Jokes aside." You heard him breathe in from the other side of the phone. Oh boy. "The interminable teasing and bickering between you and Chan were amusing at first, but it's getting very stale and surprise, fucker, you live together!" He paused, clicking his tongue. "So, why don't you two cut the bullshit and admit your sexual and non-sexual feelings for each other?"

"My what?!"

"This is getting old really quick, goddamnit." You could feel him getting worked up, not just because of his tone but because he kept ignoring Han, whose comments echoed at the back of the phone call.

But Minho was serious. He was not gonna get cockblocked for ten bucks. Not tonight.

"You're getting kinda off-base, buddy!"

"Oh, it's almost one o'clock, fucking spare me!" He grumbled, getting slightly angrier. "Yeah, I get it. It's Chan. He can be a dick sometimes because of his severe self-esteem issues and how he doesn't know how to communicate his feelings all that well. But I kinda think he reminds you about that other guy you dated in our dance team, who was an absolute son of a bitch, and we can agree that you deserve to be with someone who's not that complicated or whatever, but still, you can't get Chan out of your head, can you? Don't answer. We know it." He interrupted you, unable to speak as you were just getting bombarded with facts you didn't want to deal with.

"But you? I've known you for years, yet you're still being a dumbass. You're behaving like a baby who'd rather act tough than show her true feelings 'cause last time, you got hurt! Owie," he cooed, tone still angrily mocking. "And now you're just dancing around the other in this pathetic act you're tryna put up to hide your pent-up feelings, SO, AGAIN, for my sake, either deal with it and stop bitching my man about it, or get over with it already!"

"Minho, I-!" You turned silent as you heard a beeping sound coming from your phone.

He hung up.

You stared at the screen, eyes almost out of place, as you muted the device, letting it vibrate with the unread texts Jisung sent, apologising in every way he knew.

"A baby?" You muttered, the word almost sickening in your mouth. "I am not a baby!"

You laid back down on your bed, rolling on your sides, Minho's words echoing in your mind as you cursed under your breath. Almost unconsciously, you stood up, left your room and approached Chan's as if wanting to enter just to get his confirmation regarding his allegedly existing feelings for you.

He startled you when he closed his door, meeting you in the hallway, his eyes glued to yours as soon as he saw you.

"Oh. Hey." You mentioned awkwardly.

"Hey," he said, tensed-up shoulders visible due to the lack of sleeves on his shirt. "I just... uh..."

"I... wanted to say that, uh..."

"I am sorry if I... uh..."

"It's ok... I uh... don't... I mean... I know that you can't really uh... control... it?"

You could almost hear Minho's laugh in your mind.

"Right," he sighed. You smiled reassuringly, and he did the same in an uneasy stance.

"Right. I mean, for all I know, it could happen for whatever reason."

"I uh, kinda, I guess."

"But never mind. I uh... 'm glad we feel the same way."

You both smiled sheepishly and headed to your respective rooms.

Chan sighed, hurriedly getting back to bed, wishing to get weird ideas out of his mind, not bothering to check his computer again. He rolled in bed, hand anxiously travelling through his hair so frequently that it was starting to get greasy.

He frowned, passing his hands through his face, the scene in the kitchen crossing his mind again, his already weak excuse for not being so clearly attracted to you crumbling when he remembered the eagerness he thought he had seen in your eyes.

He stood up again and went to open the door just to go check, because what if he hadn't just made it up in his mind?

But then, he met you right in front of his room.

Before you could escape or come up with anything, he approached you and pecked your lips, feeling his heart skip ten beats when you pushed him away.

His eyes locked into yours, a sight of contentment leaving his lips as you grabbed his shirt and pulled him back in, smiling in the kiss. It heated very quickly, a sloppy kiss with all tongues and teeth, both fighting for dominance. You went to get the edge of his shirt, but instead, he gave you a light smack on your thighs, and you jumped, legs crossing around his waist, arms around his neck as he guided both of you into his room, closing the door with a kick.

The two of you breathed heavily, the air thick with anticipation and lust. He pinned you up against the closed door and kissed hard, feeling the heat rising as your bodies tightened against one another. Your tongues met, mingling in an intense way that drove you wild. You let out soft sounds of pleasure, suddenly changing sides, pulling him away just enough so you could have access to his neck, your teeth trailing from his jaw, trying to find a sensitive spot.

He whined, barely moving away, trying to calm himself down, the sudden blow of emotions too intense for him. He then panted, and you quickly went back to that spot you had found, nibbling on it. "What are we- fuck- what are we doing?"

You set a finger on his lips, your face going back to his. "Shhh. Let's just... enjoy it," you whispered, leaving a small chaste kiss at the corner of his lips, tempting him. You then flinched, moving away "Unless you don't want..."

He let out a groan, deep and enticing, hungrily going back to your mouth. You wrapped your arms around his neck and kissed him back, your lips pressing firmly against his.

"No... I want you."

"And I want you too, Chris." You admitted, doe eyes trailing down to his lips, licking your own. "Now."

[☆☆★☆☆]

Your schedule had gotten filled up to the brim, chances of meeting Chan reserved for the ungodly hours of the night, which were used to get some well deserved sleep. Rehearsing over and over left your body exhausted, your mind clouded in the remaining work you had left, only the most sinful parts of it replaying the encounter that had happened barely three nights ago.

It was obvious that he was awake, the light in his room shining from underneath the door, knowning that he’d probably be working on his samples.

And he had tried, looking for one of the files he had recorded that delicious night. But something felt wrong. He frowned, looking at how long the audio was.

He played it before using it, at first just hearing random noises he was recording. Then he heard himself groaning, the sound of the bed sheets moving with his body, and then, after some loud steps, the door creaked open.

And those voices were you and him, that was no doubt. He blushed, the sound of the door slamming close getting his mind back to three nights ago.

“Ah, fuck, Chan!” You moaned through his headphones.

The bed creaked under both of you in rythmic beats, matching each thrust, your moans decorating the purple-lit room.

As both an idol and a producer, Chan had listened to many voices and samples for a long time, ears used to the constant stimulation, but the sound of your needy whines as he slowed down in hopes of not coming too soon made the task even more difficult.

“Don’t- ugh, fuck-,” he whined, hearing the heavy breathing through the recording. “Let me hear you, baby, please.”

Chan tried to pause the recording, a flustered mess, but instead accidentally unplugged his headphones, the sound of creaks and moans filling his room once again.

He paused it, mortified. Where you home? Fuck, he didn’t want you to think he was recording you in secret.

He turned around slowly when the door creaked open.

“What's going on here?” You walked in with an oversized top on, the cut of the sleeves made so that your body could be seen through the sides of the tank top.

“I-i uh…”

“Don’t have too much fun without me.”

“Chan? Are you listening?” Changbin questioned, frowning.

“Uh?”

He remembered that he wasn’t inside his room, like the night before, your thighs straddling his, but in the studio, showing his friends the audio he had put together. He couldn’t help but smile and get lost in his thoughts when certain creaks came out.

“We like it,” Han repeated. “We can get to writting lyrics soon enough.”

Chan’s phone chimed next to him, his eyes trailing it with no thoughts to it.

Let’s have fun again tonight.

He bit his lip, turning his phone off.

“I’ll call it Heyday,” he mentioned to his friends, renaming the new audio file.

He’d keep the other one a secret.

[☆☆★☆☆]

[hard hours]

~Kats, who came up with this idea on the beach and has had it stuck in her head since day one.

[tarosunshine]

are you taking requests? If so can you pleaseee write a reaction for riize when they have a crush on idol reader

⊹ SUGAR RUSH .

fluff headcanons ⭒ riize female r. words 501 . . . 𝒞ataloge !

SHOTARO

the type to do dance covers of your songs.

he got viral for his dancer skills and made a trend on tiktok.

he just went to one of your concerts.

you noticed him two years ago because of the trend on tiktok and because one of his videos on youtube went viral too.

he made his friends like your songs.

he couldn't believe when one day he was there, right in the scenery, being one of the backup dancers.

EUNSEOK

he started by listening to your songs in secret.

you were the star of the moment, but for some reason, he didn't want to anyone knows.

when one of his friends gave him one of your albums for his birthday, he couldn't stop smiling.

he doesn't say it at loud that he likes you as an idol, but everybody knows.

your songs never can be missing on his road trips.

SUNGCHAN

THE fanboy.

he blessed the day he found your music.

sungchan finds your interviews very entertaining to watch.

he thinks you're the funniest person alive.

he went to one of your shows when you weren't so much known.

the biggest cheerleader when you win a prize.

he's compromised when it's about streaming.

WONBIN

definitely he's the type to do guitar covers of your songs.

his viral videos are the ones when he covers your latest album.

he collects photocards... (NOBODY CAN KNOWS THAT)

he completely flushed when once at one of your concerts, you gave him your pink cowgirl hat.

looking cool in an outfit full black, and a poker face while on his earphones are sounding your girlish song ever.

SEUNGHAN

he take inspo of your outfits.

another dancer who makes dance covers, always taking your place in the formation.

your hip hop vibe and music of your group match his taste, so he enjoys to dance.

the type to sing your songs on the car, really feeling the music.

everybody around him says you're his type, but he denials that.

that one time he went to a fan meeting, he was so nervous, that he completely forgot how to talk.

one time he saw you walking on the street with another group memeber but he went too nervous and afraid of scare you two, so he just kept that memorie with him.

SOHEE

the type who smiles like and idiot when you do.

he just loves the way you sing, because he likes it too.

he bought the lightstick of your group.

once he put you as his wallpaper. (it's somebody wanna match his freak?)

he makes cover of your songs in acapella.

the type of cute fanboy.

ANTON

definitely has an edit account. like that account that almost the all random knows.

he knows every. single. son, even the forgotten ones.

he goes to your shows every time he can.

he almost fainted that time when you waived at him.

his friends bother him the entire week after that.

the type who shuts the hater on the comments section (and he ate every time).

[vaggietheangel]

OH MY GOOOOOOOOD ITS HAPPENING

OMG THE ANIMATION LOOKS AMAZING!!!! EVEYONE LOOKS SO COOL AND ITS SO SMOOTH!!

Alastor is doing voodoo magic! I'm guessing that's in the first episode.

Husk and Alastor fighting already and Alastor thinks they're just having fun ehehhehehehehehehgee.

ANGEL LOOKS SO GEORGOUS WHILE DANCING!!! He's got his own backup dancers too!!

Sir pentious giving the bombastic side eye.

And its coming to Amazon prime WOHOOOOO!!

[fulgurbugs]

What would the travelers Pokémon teams be?

I can totally see Alfyn having a Blissey. Therion seems like he’d have a Gengar, potentially.

ok. upon literally hours of deliberation and team building (i actually already had ones for the OT1 travelers but decided to revisit them and change a few picks) me and my bestie @snailcruncher have settled on some teams. i will be going in depth on reasonings for these so prepare for a long post lol. im gonna put it under a readmore because really im not joking about how long it is

we also came up with some ideas/lore for why some of these would be picked in a pokemon AU setting, so i’ll be explaining any of those thoughts if they’re relevant too.

Ophilia:

one of the only teams left untouched, I think this is a good batch for her. i’m imagining a scenario where the sacred flame takes the form of a pokemon, and it’s a lampent. frosmoth and togetic felt just like… the right vibe. Lapras and Ampharos both have associations with guiding, so they’re in. Audino is a notable healing pokemon, and it feels in line with her personality as well.

Cyrus:

Alakazam for mr high iq smart guy. duh. oranguru for his role as a teacher, and Runerigus would be a late acquisition to his team in his ch4. Flareon, Glaceon, and Jolteon for the 3 scholar spell types. i also think him having 3 eeveelutions could also be kind of like, they’re really good for demonstrations for single-type stuff, as well as being popular with others. people might come up to him and be like omg you have a flareon i love flareon pleaseeee tell me more (flirtily) which of course would go over his head and he would start telling you flareon facts. I feel like Cyrus would excel in double battles.

Tressa:

Meowth: the pay day signature pokemon. this is as close as i can replicate to tressa randomly finding money. Skwovet (she can now take her pet squirrel with her in a pokeball)

Gyrados for sure. one, she lives along an ocean, so she should definitely have a water type, two, i’m imagining a scenario where she buys a magikarp cheap, seeing the potential in it, then raises it into a real powerhouse. just like her!

carbink: really funny scenario me and the bestie came up with that instead of eldrite the treasure was diancieite. the carbink is from the same cave. tressa did try to evolve it with the diancieite. it didn’t work.

pidgeot… felt like she needed a flying type (wind magic rep) and i feel like she’d gravitate to the humbler normal types… doesn’t get much more straightforward than pidgeot. Dhelmise… maybe it used to be captain leons, maybe she fished it out of the harbor in rippletide herself. either way, she thinks it’s cool

Olberic:

Aegislash: sword form, shield form…. this pokemon itself is the unbending blade. obviously i have given him several other sword based pokemon, too.

gallade, escavalier, and sirfetch’d badically all fit this. they’re knight-like, so they feel fitting i think to him.

as for conkeldurr and garganacl, they feel kind of… solidly built. like him. ( ⬇️ garganacl pick lore)

Primrose:

almost all of her pokemon can learn some kind of dance though their level up. Oricorio is the obvious choice, dragonair reps dragon dance, beautifly reps quiver dance, and lilligant… well they can learn so fucking many. we couldn’t decide on which one to give her, so we ended up giving her both. they’re her backup dancers or whatever.

mawile just feels very primrose to me. its cute or pretty or whatever, and you might underestimate it… but watch out. it bites.

Alfyn:

he feels like a guy who loves a big fluffy dog. and stoutland has also been used in games for its ability to sniff out items, so it feels like it’d be a good pick for an apothecary looking to sniff out herbs and such. Comfey is an obvious pick, i mean its signature move is. floral healing. meganium also has mentioned in its dex entries its healing and calming properties. it’s also a cool as fuck dinosaur so i think alfyn would like it.

chatot. does this even need explanation

we also wanted to give him an ice type, and settled on cubchoo. it has a perpetually runny nose… even Alfyn can’t fix it, try as he might.

as for leavanny, we had some trouble picking the last slot on this team. we were looking through friendship evos, and leavanny caught my eye. it’s dex entries mention that it’s very gentle, it also shows no mercy to foes who target young pokemon. seems fitting… we decided alfyn got it as a swadloon (maybe it could be taught to use its sewing abilities to dress wounds?) and it evolved during his ch3.

Therion:

I think Krookodile, mimikyu, and klefki are quite obvious picks, so i won’t go too in on them. Ninjask and Shedinja…. Ninjask is super speedy, so it felt right to give one to therion, but also i feel like.. he’d keep the shedinja around. even with 1 hp and one billion weaknesses… it’s still a part of his team. it and ninjask were born from the same nincada. he couldn’t abandon it like that.

and applin lol. something about therion gives me “guy who’s going for a cool as fuck hydrapple and ends up with an appletun actually”

H’aanit:

If anyone’s allowed to have legendaries, it’s the hunters. Chien-pao is as close as we can get to a snow leopard. and yeah maybe it’s a little evil but H’aanit is built different. Decidueye feels like an obvious pick, and spirit shackle is a great signature move for the h’aanit vibe. trapinch for. leghold trap. kilowattrel is literally a thunderbird. and ariados… well, it has the ability sniper, to reference hunter’s crit boosting abilities, as well as having some trapping moves like webs. for the Hunters, I’ve left their last spot blank, but this just means like, a “flex” spot that would be different each time you battled them. H’aanits got boxes of options to choose from.

now, onto the OT2 ones!

Ochette:

I’m sure you can see what i’m going for here. it’s just the closest i could get to Akala/mahina and her 3 story beasts. and again, like H’aanit, the last spot is “flex” not empty, so imagine her bringing some different new bullshit to every battle.

Cassti:

i wanted to do a few things with Castti: obviously, give her some healing-y mons, but also a few oddball picks that might have you looking twice. picked Shiinotic because of its ominous dex entries, and then. toedscruel because i realize shiinotic actuallt doesn’t get spore i think? and i think castti “put em to sleep right in the street” florenz should have a mon with spore. (edit. i actually just cant read the bulbapedia tables and shiinotic does get spore. anyways she gets two spore mons i guess cuz what if she’s gotta knock out two people at the same time. or whatever. dustox emits toxic powder from its wings, which seems like it could be something castti would want to keep on hand for poison axe. these three might seem a little weird tho, and reinforce her bad first impression in canalbrine, even though i’m sure they’d all be very well behaved and nice. Blissey and Arboliva are straightforward healing picks. I feel like these would be common for apothecaries to have in general.

and then galar-slowking. poison-activated brain nonsense. i feel like she acquires this one post-amnesia. they feel a kinship with each other.

Throné

Throné’s team is half-blacksnakes dedicated, half catered to herself. Every blacksnake has a seviper or an ekans, as well as probably most of them also having other grunt-esque pokemon, like zubats and such. throné’s taken care of hers, though, and friendship evolved it into a crobat.

chose furfrou because i think throné would like a prissy little dog she can dress up cutely. milcery, which she’s waiting on evolving until she can figure out what alcremie form she wants, and a shade-cherrim.

oh, and zangoose, of course. the natural enemy of sevipers. one appeared to her right after she left new delsta. what a sign, right?

Osvald:

Osvald we had some interesting stuff to work with, I think. we decided that most of his pokemon were newly acquired after his prison escape- not on purpose. they seem to just take a liking to him and start following him around.

the avalugg helped get him out of the frozen water at cape cold, and then stuck with him.

the teddiursa.. also just stuck with him. we wanted to give him something that felt a little oddball for him… so this doesn’t evolve. it stays cute and unevolved forever.

the shuppet was found hovering around the ruins of Osvald’s house. he was reluctant to take it, but if it was formed out of some semblance of his desire for vengeance… he has to be responsible for it.

the Indeedee is the only one of osvalds old pokemon, out of this lineup. since indeedee are so helpful to people, it was kind of a family pokemon acquired after elena’s birth (dex mentions they’re good at babysitting.) Osvald could probably also trust it with simple lab assistant tasks like moving stuff around. was a very beloved pokemon within their family. anyways, following his sentencing, clarissa managed to get ahold of the indeedee and took care of it all this time. when osvald returns, it’s clear it wants him to take her with him.

the drampa was acquired after the events of montwise, having shown up and basically just forced itself to go with osvald. somehow it seems to know what’s going on and who it can trust…

and slowking.. well, smart guy needs a smart pokemon. it’s another one that took a shine to him, though at that point he was getting used to this happening.

Partitio:

Talonflame: partitio’s aptitude for fire magic and the “chickadee” nickname made this an obvious choice for an ace. I can imagine a young partitio’s first pokemon being a fletchling, for sure.

bramblegast. the funny tumbleweed. put it on the team immediately.

Milotic: Paritio picked up a feebas. having a knack for seeing the potential in pokemon, he wasn’t wrong, and now hes got this thing. it’s very popular with other people, though it seems an odd pick for partito at first glance to strangers.

armarouge: ok this one’s a little convoluted so i will explain it later. kind of vibes based pick tho lol. revavroom kind of. uhh. steam engine. (we can pretend)

there ain’t a more partitio pokemon out there than gholdengo. everyone say thank you scarvi for giving partitio most of his team.

Agnea:

hey, it’s another oricorio! i think you can guess why.

volcarona: learns fiery dance, but we thought up even more lore on this one. the larvesta was a family pokemon. mostly belonging to Garud (we ended up deciding that the Bristarnis had a lot of bug types, who help out with the sewing stuff and larvesta does give a little bit silkworm, lol..)

anyways, part of his blessing for sending agnea off was telling her to take the larvesta, who also turned out to be a dazzling star in the end too… after a lot of hard work.

altaria and leafeon rep dragon and swords dance. i just feel like they’re good picks for her energy, too. lunatone reps the moonstep. I’ve also opted to give her a sunny cherrim, which i think would be cute contrasted with Throné’s gloomy one.

Temenos:

temenos has quite the oddball lineup for a cleric. but hes kind of an oddball cleric so i think it works.

Absol. man. a lot of shit happens to temenos. this absol is stressed tf out 24 fucking 7. sorry man.

Clefable: felt like we had to give him a healer-adjacent pokemon and this one evolves with a moonstone. feels fitting for mr night-ability mistral tbh.

Lokix. alright. another scenario based pick. Temenos caught this thing on the pilgrims way as a nymble at like level 2. probably rustling in the metaphorical tall grass, crick is all “get behind me, it could be dangerous” and then. lvl 2. nymble. doesn’t even need to be fought to be caught. and then temenos is all hey crick, it’s a “crick”et pokemon! (we’ll ignore that the dex says grasshopper) he’d keep it just to mess with crick, but it ends up sticking around.

Houndoom. well, temenos is the pontiff’s hound, so we did need to pick a dog for him. it’s a houndour in the beginning, houndoom by the end. probably evolved in a moment of crisis (in ch4?) the yamask is from crackridge.

wooloo. this is actually Crick’s. it wasn’t helping with the little lamb allegations… after the events of stormhail, Temenos takes it in.

Hikari:

Kingambit: i mean. come on. gotta get a kingambit for the future king.

Gardevoirs dex entire mention that it is dedicated to its trainer/cause to the bitter end, and would do anything to protect it. perfect for Hikari.

Morpeko and Zweilous. some literally two-faced pokemon. (maybe he feels a little bit of a kinship with them in that way) i also really wanted to give Hikari a pseudo-legendary, and i think that his zweilous would probably evolve just in the nick of time to kick some ass against mugen. Hydreigons might be notoriously destructive, but something about the personalities merging into one brain in evolution seems to have mellowed Hikari’s out. it’s remarkably personable, for a hydreigon.

lucario: i really wanted to give him a pokemon that learns copycat, and lucario fits that bill. plus, he definitely needed a fighting type.

Cerudelge: formed from bitterness of old cursed armor, but also an extremely skilled sword fighter… one of hikari’s aces.

I also like to imagine that a lot of hikari’s pokemon are quite difficult to deal with (his ceruledge in particular is quite belligerent and mean) but they all have utmost respect for him as a trainer, once they’re on the battlefield. but onlookers sometimes worry… how the hell does he deal with it all?

other notes about some of the picks :

Partitio’s amarouge. Paritio picked up a. charcadet later on, and hikari personally warned him that it might be difficult to deal with. (his charcadet and later ceruledge were super hard to train for him) of course, partitio did end up in possession of the cool nice armor that evolved it into the better mannered and nobler armarouge… but honestly, even his charcadet was far better behaved.

paritio and tressa both get those shitty fish that get cool. must be because they both have an eye for a diamond in the rough.

agnea and throné’s cherrims are best friends. throné rarely got to see her cherrim sunny-form until she left new delsta… she wonders if maybe it was upset about being so nocturnal before, with the blacksnakes.

castti and osvald, team mom and team dad somehow both ended up with slowkings. everyone’s a little concerned about castti’s, though…

after the events of his story, Osvald leaves indeedee and teddiursa with clarissa and elena. the teddiursa and elena in particular take to each other very well… when osvald finally is able to return to elena’s life, the teddiursa is really much more her pokemon.

also. H’aanit and Ochette and far and away the best battlers of both groups. i know i only have them with one flex spot, but you can imagine that they’d swap out a lot more for whatever they need to do to build a good team. they’ve got loads more options than everyone else.

you know that thing about giving someone an applin in galar? therion did trade it over to alfyn at one point. but really they have joint custody of that thing. which definitely ended up as an appletun.

we also had some npc aces sprinkled in there, so here’s some other thoughts, just as bonus!

Malaya: Pawmot (revival blessing), rapidash.

Elena: Abra

Harvey: Hypno, Bacephalon

Pala: Kricketot (formerly belonged to her and agnea’s mom)

Roque: Metagross

Kazan: Husuian Braviary

Ori: Chatot

Trousseau: Glimmora

Cordelia: ….ferrothorn

Erhardt: Aegislash, Hisuian Samurott

Z’aanta: Zamazenta

Juvah: is literally a solgaleo

Darius: Scrafy/Pangoro

Simeon: Malamar

Esmeralda: Mismagius (wanted to give her something with perish song)

Mattias: drifblim? darkrai?

Lucia: Hatterene

Miguel: Grimmsnarl

Werner: spectrier

Mugen: Kingambit. mirror match with Hikari, but mugen’s has supreme overlord while Hikari’s has defiant.

Kaldena: we couldn’t pick but maybe she goes like lusamine mode and fuses with something.

Claude: Cradily. (uh. literally fossil pokemon)

Dolcinea: belive it or not, also an oricorio. also, solrock. but her oricorio is the prettiest.

veronica: she has somehow acquired the worlds first and only female gallade through the power of lesbianism.

Crick: … wooloo….

I do wanna make some drawings for these ideas, but this post was literally already one billion miles long and has way too many images, so it’ll probably be a separate post. thanks for the ask! and sorry for talking so much, but i fucking love making pokemon teams so much it’s insane.

and a big thank you again to my bestie @snailcruncher who helped me with a lot of these picks (and did basically all of the npc picks thank you so much i love you). tysm for pokemon octopath brainrotting with me for like 4 hours.

[askew-d]

YIZHAN FIC REC LIST

— if you just got into the fandom, you might know switched, yizhan or yizhan through the years, so let’s go through other stuff! we’re gonna take another ride. also, if you care about this, green will be for bjyx dynamic, red will be for zsww and blue will be for lsfy. from my point of view, ofc. orange will be for the not specified, couldn’t grasp. let’s go.

• where else but home, by purplemoster — fluff story where wang yibo accidentally returns home to xiao zhan every time. super sweet read!

• ⭐️ cool boy gets a life, by saezutte — xiao zhan’s a writer and his character, cool buy wang yibo, gains life. it’s wonderful, i want a cool boy for myself. who wrote this did an awesome job.

• ⭐️ i’m not as good as you think (or as bad as they say), by ilyria — aaahh, what a gorgeous story! basically, xiao zhan becomes yibo manager and the idol, well, falls in love. there’s a sequel!

• follow shot, by cataclysms — cameraman wang yibo freaks out about idol xiao zhan. because, come on, it’s xiao zhan! we get you, boy. beautiful.

• xiao zhan’s graphic design playbook, by augmenti — this one’s absolutely gold! fantastic. xiao zhan as graphic designer and yibo as someone who thinks his prices are too small. sexual tension ensues.

• caffeine addictions and brain malfunctions, by little_passions — if you want a coffeeshop yizhan au, here’s your to-go! cute!

• query: cardiac, by iluvnaruto1412 — our radiographer technician wang yibo discovers that doctor xiao’s a hottie. there’s a whole series that’s outstanding, don’t mind the mcd in the last part, you’ll understand as you read.

• an ode to love, by spoonful_of_sugar — sappy reminiscent of their story. truly so fluffy i had toothaches the entire read.

• ⭐️ one feline war for love, by ilyria —a fierce cat becomes a human after xiao zhan saves him, and this human wants xiao zhan all for himself. so very good, i died and resuscitated. worth it.

• chef’s kiss, by jalpari — chef xiao zhan in day day for an episode and becomes enemies with wang yibo. but for a short time. love this development for them!! so well done.

• ⭐️ this is what they say, by xiaoyibao (a_storm_of_frustrations) — yibo thinks xiao zhan’s breaking up when the man’s actually trying to get married to him. comic, lovely, poetic!

• set me into motion, by deinde — backup dancers wang yibo and xiao zhan being whipped towards one another. an angel wrote this.

• ⭐️ finding yibo, by vesna (mrsronweasley) — kidfic where yibo transforms into a young version of himself and xiao zhan takes care of him. i’m losing my head. it’s great!

• ⭐️🎖️never close our eyes, series by thirtysixsavefiles — catboy wang yibo and kinda batman xiao zhan. perfect through every part. i’m flabbergasted.

• 119 my cat is struck, by serendiiii — fireman yibo, cat owner xiao zhan, you can have my heart! adorable!

• a spot of light, by akatsukishin — this is for everyone who loves a drama! delivery boy xiao zhan and successful ceo wang yibo.

• a story of others to tell, by deinde — this author has some seriously good plots. in this one, yibo pines enough to end up in cql world. extra nice!

• cut to the feeling, by vesna (mrsronweasley) — drama pa and the huge star xiao zhan. is there anything better?

• love thy neighbour, by jalpari — single dad xiao zhan and neighbour who becomes babysitter wang yibo. marvellous!

• ‘cos you make me feel electric, by chajatta — fansite xiao zhan loves his inspiration, wang-laoshi from uniq. i love this for them, genuinely.

• ⭐️🎖️ world of cultivation, by eggo — yibo and xiao zhan meet each other through a game; well, not only. hilarious! chaotic! romantic! perfect!

• gravitating towards you, by bittersweetirony — high school au with student council president xiao zhan and sports freak wang yibo, we all know we needed it.

• 181.3 cm high, by eleven14 — wang yibo wakes up high in anaesthesia. you might imagine what comes after. excellent!

• ⭐️ we are made to love, by jalpari — xiao zhan writes columns receives one letter questioning on love. aah, so poetic! definitely worth every second.

• no path better than our own, by athousandfaces — harry potter au! we’re lucky to have this gorgeous story. i had a lot of fun reading it.

• my future in your laugh, by timelykey — doctor xiao zhan falling in love with overworked wang yibo. wow, what a journey, you’re losing it if you haven’t read it yet.

• love in the time of coding, by thevoiryflute — a hacker au for yibo fits him so much, i don’t know why. just know that this perfectly-written story caused butterflies in my stomach.

• summer surf shop, by anonymous — yibo goes to a variety show and gets much more than he imagined. absolutely gold.

• pick me, pick me up, by domeneec — wrong number au for yizhan, we need it. and it’s so well-written too.

• escape velocity, redefined, by thirtysixsavefiles — i have to admit that this au of pirating away together with royalty made me suspicious at first. but after i read it, it’s so goddamn brilliant.

• 缘分 | (yuánfèn), by fyredancer — royalty au, give me more yizhan royalty. good writing, good development, good plot, had a good time reading it.

• signal fire, series by fireflavoredwhiskey — spiderman yibo! spiderman yibo! spiderman yibo! spiderman yibo! if he knew about that, he’d be happy to know that in an universe he gets to be his favorite superhero.

• ⭐️ the magic position, by sophiahelix — just a sweet, short story with yizhan being cute together and it melts my heart away every time.

• ⭐️🎖️ with joy and purpose, by feenwitch — android wang yibo living alone in a planet until xiao zhan crashes his plane there. it’s just perfect. and the writing’s wonderful.

• perfect match, by sandorara — personal ai for xiao zhan turns out to be more than he expected. gorgeous wang yibo affecting xiao-laoshi and changing his course of life. incredible!

• 🎖️ their kindred encounters, by fireflavoredwhiskey — can i have this printed, please? actually, i think there might have. it’s a the age of adeline au, xiao zhan doesn’t get old. melancholic in the ideal dosage. angst. comfort. everything.

• the ruby ox and the golden boy, series by aces_low — a mafia au that attracted me. i’m usually not into these kind of aus but aah this one… it’s unique.

• ⭐️ half is loss, half is gain, by yin_chi — celebrity xiao zhan needs a bodyguard and guess who it is? well, yeah, this story’s a blessing upon us here. i couldn’t stop reading once i began, just warning y’all. addictive, i want more.

• ⭐️🎖️ between holocenes, by fireflavoredwhiskey — this author broke the heart of so many people by just vanishing from the fandom, but ah how greatly they write and how extraordinary their works are. this is a the time traveler’s wife au and it rocks.

• fixtures and fittings, by ella_minnow — interior designer xiao zhan and motorcyclist wang yibo! believe me when i said i screamed during the development of their relationship.

• ⭐️ 为战而爱, series by anonymous — bits of sdc moments with established relationship yizhan, the works are seriously stunning.

• what i could do (if i didn’t love you), by trestle — one-night stand au with architect xiao zhan. seriously really good through and through.

• ⭐️ hand in glove, by pessoa — brat yibo; you have my heart. the development in this work’s crazy, it’s a whole rollercoaster of feelings. neighbours au!

• say you love me (again and again), by lanwuxiann — sweet story of yizhan growing up together and loving each other through every step of the way. hella soft!

• ⭐️ four of hearts (l-o-v-e me zhan-ge), by eleven14 — yibo being silly to win over xiao zhan’s heart, and of course, it works. short, but very funny and lovely.

• a head’s up, by madfilaments — xiao zhan arrives at sdc without giving a head’s up and yibo’s frustrated. a pretty satisfying thing to read. awesome.!

• 7 reasons to support your local cat café, by buttstrife — host wang yibo, cat café owner xiao zhan, a romance for the history books. they’re so very lovable.

• ⭐️ the bravest man i ever knew, by biscuitpoo — another hogwarts au! this time, xiao zhan’s a bit more slytherin-like, and it’s a whole show.

• ⭐️🎖️ so happy you could come; so happy to be here, by alex_mtg — a masterpiece! betrothed yizhan with royalty and the uniq boys and this sweet development of their relationship. just amazing! :)

• ⭐️ threads, by planet_b612 — a sherlock and watson au! it’s phenomenal! in fact, this author has only good works, so it’s definitely worthy to check out.

since i’m doing this already, might as well recommend some of my own stories, so i’ll be adding the ones i favour (sssh):

• half a bottle is enough — yizhan fight and xiao zhan gets home carrying a cardboard wang yibo. just some silly boyfriendos!

• falling; never broken — yibo has bulimia (please, be aware of the trigger warnings) and xiao zhan’s a doctor who helps him.

• a best friend and a lover — xiao zhan goes on different dates with different versions of wang yibo to look for a ‘type’. they’re both stupidly in love, your honour.

• darling you, play it cool — yizhan bodyswap au where only wang yibo’s famous though. i wrote this in 2023 and i’m the most proud of it.

• sleep tight until the moonlight — yizhan enemies to lovers where both of them spend their time being radio hosts in university :)

• whispering through dusty aisles — my au where xiao zhan’s a literary deity and yibo’s still famous, they meet occasionally and sparks fly. it’s my most poetic creation.

everyone, please remember this is my opinion! of course, there a lot of other works — famous or not — who aren’t in here. if you want to check out more recs of mine, see my bookmarks! thank you :)

[stormblessed95]

Who Thoughts and Theories

First, it's such a good song. I'm genuinely so in love with it, with Jimins vocals, with his dance, with his backup dancers. I'm so impressed with how hard he worked and all the choices he contributed to it. While this is the only song on the album that Jimin doesn't have writing credits on, he was still very much involved in every aspect of the songs creation and it was written with the feelings Jimin wished to portray. I talk briefly about what I believe the overall feelings that Jimin was trying to express in the album Muse, here:

And of course because you should refresh yourself on the song and get that extra stream in before you read....

I'll otherwise just be talking about what I think, my thoughts, my feelings and my theories about Who, the song and the MV in this post. These are of course just my opinions, coming from my perspectives. You are free to agree or disagree as much as you want.

First, I want to say that regardless of the pronouns used in the song, I don't think it has any bearing on Jimins sexuality. People (read: homophobes) cannot use this song as a way to try to say Jimin can't be queer. Not only is that nonsensical and ignoring the fact that Jimin would be closeted if he is queer. But it's also ignoring the way Jimin speaks about the song, which is solely in gender neutral terms. From the original lyrics being "you" instead of "she."

To the way he says "people" instead of "girls/women" about the scene where people walk past him as the options of who he could be looking for. Along with the fact that the billboard with a man's eyes drop right after he sings "who is my heart Waiting for?"

The way that Jimin dances with both men and women and the scene then when they come together, it's absolutely giving west side story. Which is my personal opinion. Which one of the themes of west side story is love striving to rise above the hatred.... And idk about you, but I think that can easily relate to queer love as well. But again, personal opinion only! So this BS that I know everyone rolled their eyes at with the "this proved he is straight" nonsense, is at its core.... Nonsense...

Speaking of his dance, this thread has absolutely nothing to do with what I'll talk about in this post but is so cool and FULL of Jimin appreciation and you should check it out if you want!

Jimin switched aspect ratios of film during his MV of Who. An ARMY linked together all the times he changed ratios, which you can watch here:

As well as going through multiple different types of media: television, comic strips, movie, billboards, etc. Jimin is showing us multiple different storylines within his MV. This same person from above goes into great detail about how all this can show the various details of storylines and storytelling. It's a good read, worth checking out

It's super interesting the way the words play across the screen during certain parts of the MV and how it changes the screen ratios as well. I would love an actual interpretation from Jimin or the MV director over what they actually mean or if it was just in the 90s theme with zero correlation or meanings, but I doubt we will ever get that. So all we can do is guess and make our own interpretations. Which will be affected by our own personal biases. That's the beauty of art though!

The ones I'll point out that I'll say something about are:

Play, both in the corners at times and on the little TV's around the MV

Auto calibration, with the burning wrecked car, where the words flash quickly across the screen at the bottom, right before hand too, the screen ratio had changed again too. And it changes again as he does his partner choreo with the girl

Rewind, which appears during the bridge. Right after the billboard falls and the screen ratio had changed again

And then pause at the very end before the whole screen cuts.... And then we get the end screen with the words play again, basically looping the video, and the Smeraldo Flower

So let's talk about it!

It's interesting that the video basically loops, it's really giving storytelling. Jimin being an actor basically. "Play" being inside the story for the most part. And it's interesting that those parts happen right before a lot of the partnering choreo too. Auto calibration means bringing something back into an acceptable range. Which if we relate this at all to queerness, it's absolutely giving "don't stray too far out of that closet." And it does happen right after Jimin dances with men, before dancing with the woman again. And play is back in the little TV's. It's giving, trying to be perfect and fit into expectations and be in the perfect storybook. And at the end, Jimin is left behind by all the dancers and the billboard drops at "who is my heart Waiting for" and it's clearer and clearer that it really is most likely JKs eyes. If not, it's absolutely a man's eyes and that is screaming queer energy. And even if it is just a promo of some kind, since we don't know the connection between the eyes, JK, "keep going" and AYS yet, it's WILD to put Jikook promo in this type of love song. And yet, these are the two that publicly claimed the song serendipity as theirs. So it tracks.

And when we get to rewind, it's at the same time as he is talking about "people" walking by him as potentials for his perfect match, as well as how he is not able to "match" any of the women he attempts to meet with through dance in his short walk. It is also right after that billboard with ?Jungkook? drops too. Interesting. Trying to get back into the original story perhaps? Perhaps it's not working so well?

Pause. Off. Smeraldo Flower which represents the Truth Untold.... Speaking yourself. Loving yourself. Being true to who you are..... Which is maybe not what was the perfect story that was being depicted through the MV. Who knows! But that is the end. Just to loop around and start again with Play. Where he literally tells us with Muse to "please misunderstand." Again, just interesting. And if you are following my thoughts here, you already know why that is "interesting."

It's giving closeted queer energy and it's giving I like people, not genders and it's giving love.

Which brings me to the very LAST thing I want to talk about. Sorry, I know this is already SO LONG. Jimin is singing amongst natural disasters. So did V and JK actually too. They are singing about declaring love in the middle of some kind of disaster. And I can't stop thinking about that honestly.

It's giving peak grand gesture kinda romance. It's giving intimacy found between two people in love no matter where they are or how loud the world might be around them. It's giving raw and honest declarations of intent and love type vibes. And i just love that they are into and going for that exaggerated confession scene and storybook kinda romance. It's absolutely tracks for who they are as people and the romance they've all talked about wanting too. And who else do we know who always seems to like doing grand gesture type romantic BS for someone else?

Anyway! This is the feeling that people write epic romances about. Your favorite ships? It's the same type of feeling that's inspired here. Let me try to explain this in some kinda way....

It's a trope. "Love conquers all" where it doesn't matter what life throws at you. All the trials, the tribulations, the natural disasters, the normal disasters, any and all shortcomings or failures you might face in life.... The moment of being with the one you love? Of being vulnerable and baring your soul with another person who means the world to you? Making sure they understand how much they mean to you and how much you love them? That's always going to be the most important thing and moment. That is the significance of the intimacy and the romance displayed.

It's the peak, idealistic version of the best relationship you could find yourself in. Nothing and no one matters more than the moments you create with your loved one, even in the middle of a raging horrific apocalyptic disaster ridden world.

And how sometimes, just building up to that confession can make things feel like a horrific apocalyptic disaster ridden world, until you confess. And you let those feelings out. And it's okay. All those disasters quiet down, maybe you even start to enjoy the rain. It was your emotions all along. And then you discover that hey, maybe the reason I'm feeling so calm now is actually BECAUSE of this person I love. Being with them calms my mind, brings me safety, happiness and joy.

Sometimes, in the middle of all the madness and chaos of the world... You are only minutes away from finding that moment with that person that's going to give you something infinite. Something that no natural disaster can destroy or take away from you. Something, and/or someone, so precious.

And there is something so beautiful in depicting this in their love songs. It's inspirational. As well as humorous in regards to Seven. Lol

I'll just finish this off with a link to this twitter user as this moment just came out, and it's about rebirth, but I do low-key agree with them here 😂

And anyway, that was my essay! Lol if you read all of this. Bless you and thank you! You are appreciated! A reminder that this is all just personal opinions. You are free to agree or disagree as you choose!

[fayet]

The Kpop Experiment (II): More musings on Ateez in Colonge

Hi! I'm back with opinions by popular demand (e.g. three people read my first post and liked it). Read under cut, otherwise move on, nothing to see here.

I'd like to talk about the sound quality briefly first, because I mentioned it to a few people (you wouldn't believe how many people think you're off your rooker for going to a kpop concert but then want to know all the gorey details, it's fascinating) and learnt that some of them had been to Lanxess Arena before and had all complained that the sound quality there is atrocious. One of my colleagues saw Prince (PRINCE!) at Lanxess and said he halfway through the concert took a moment and apologised to his audience for the bad sound, saying they hadn't allowed him to bring in his own sound people and he had to use what was there, which apparently was terrible. Ateez def. had their own sound crew, and they provided us with maybe the best sound I've ever heard at a concert. It was very well balanced taking into consideration there were eight people to keep well adjusted in the mix, all with variable vocal habits and level of sound. Keeping them from sounding "soupy" but at the same time letting them blend together is quite a challenge, and I'm impressed by whoever mixed both Mingi and San into one good soundscape (I think Jongho could outscream Mingi if he truely wanted to, dude can project like crazy so he doesn't count). Mingi is loud, but he didn't seem loud, just powerful, and that's some really good sound mixing.

That being said the concert itself was SO LOUD. I like going to metal concerts. Ateez outdid my usual hearing protection geared towards metal concerts, and if you're louder than a fully flegded metal band with all the trimings you're too loud. No subwoofer, though, which is sad. Guerilla could do with a subwoofer, I feel.

Looking back at the show what remains is the impression of perfection and seamlessness. It was very "korean" in this regard, as in that I consider korean culture to be one striving for utter perfection and complete seriousness in everything, with very high demands for quality (obvs that is a western POV, and not fully encapuslating all that korean culture is in all it's many traits and characteristics. It's a simplification, please bear with me here.). The show was practically perfect. Everything was on point, every entrance, dance formation, timing, light change, the sound and the backup dancers. There was a lot going on and it wasn't boring, but it also wasn't really what I think a concert is, as in the presentation of art by an artist in front of a crowd that may provide feedback in some form, often leaving room for spontaneous developments and the creation of new art or unique moments. That is not a critique! I was perfectly entertained and very happy upon leaving the arena, just like I am watching a musical that has run for 300 shows. The chandelier will crash onto stage when the Phantom of the Opera is there, and Ateez will showcase perfect formations in their choreography. You get what you paid for (I paid a lot, mind you) and everybody is happy. Just don't expect them to play your fav song if it's not on the setlist or to come back after the encore. They won't. The story has been told. Move along.

So the show was perfect, and I came out utterly impressed and also a little bit confused. I had gone in wanting to see Yunho dance and to finally see what everyone means when they say Mingi is such a beast on stage, and I came back with a deep appreciation for Seonghwa, Yeosang and Hongjoong. All three deeply impressed me, but Yeosang surprised me most, because I'd never really thought of him before? But he had so much charisma that I couldn't help but be impressed, I found him so utterly charming whenever he came around and his performance was captivating (and yes, he is that beautiful.). Seonghwa was obviously my favorite for all the flirting reasons, Hongjoong had such a cool vibe, and for some reason I always overlooked Yunho whenever he came to our side.

Mingi seemed to be having an off day or maybe I just couldn't "get" him, but I was surprised when the arena tried to bark for him at the beginning and he just ignored it and bulldozed right over it and in the end thanked the crowd for chanting his name when he rapped during the Bouncy-part. I heard from a few people that he doesn't usually do that because the crowd always shouts his name with him, so I was wondering if he had something going on in his mind that made him do that.

In any case while I couldn't really vibe with whatever was going on with him, but he did deliver one nice example of just how well rehearsed they are: he was standing close to my side of the stage rapping (towards the end of the show, I have forgotten what song it was), with one foot up on one of the black plastic holder that had either a confetti cannon or something else inside - the cannons had gone off already so that was fine. He was hyping up the crowd in the standing area while spitting his lines, very focussed on the text and them, but at the same time trying to figure out if the plastic box could hold his weight (I think he wanted to use it to jump off from it or something, not into the pit but back onto the stage). But the box wasn't firmly attached to the stage and he noticed it wouldn't hold his weight, but he kept on playing with the give it had, bringing his bodyweight forwards again, waiting until the box tilted and pulling back, over and over again - while hyping the crowd, rapping and generally being aware of where he had to be next, where everyone else was etc. I'm not sure if he was even aware of doing it. I love it when people are so well rehearsed they can just split off parts of their brain and let them do something completely pointless while everything else runs on autopilot, muscle memory at this point in time, nothing to think about.

Here's a random sidenote: I told my partner to pick a bias during the concert, and despite Seonghwa working hard to be his forever bias he didn't make the cut. Instead my partner halfway through the concert decided that Yunho was going to be it, because, as he explained later, it seemed to him that Yunho was somehow in control of the dance formations and from the back organising everything. My partner (who also has many years of dance experience) also enjoyed his clean technique and then lamented that Yunho didn't have enough lines in the songs despite being what he called "the most handsome one and he even sings well!". (Yunho is very handsome of course, but watching Seonghwa smile at my partner LIKE THAT made even my knees weak, so I don't understand how my partner could be so nonchalant about flirting with him. How. Why. Somebody explain.) I found it interesting that he spotted the dance captain despite having no idea that this role even exists. I also found it interesting that he did not like Mingi. Like, at all.

Okay, this is getting long again. I had a very interesting conversation with @storkmuffin about Yunho vs. Mingi dancing styles/roles in the group with a brief detour into whether or not San has taken ballet classes (we both believe he has, my conviction coming from a choreography moment where he raised his arms above his head and ended up in a perfect fifth/third position - fyi, numbers vary depending on whether you're russian or english trained as a ballet dancer, the position is the same- with a lovely port des bras, and we agreed that Ateez probably at some point had ballet or at least contemporary ballet training.) I think Yunho might have done more than just a few classes, look at the lines of his body! I wish I could see more of his feet, but alas. Anyway, I don't have space for this here, but let me know if you want me to write that down as well (and maybe Storkmuffin might like to elaborate on my rough ideas). See ya around, or something!

[taeminsung]

♡ ˚⁎⁺˳ ── FU in my head..

pairing ||  hyunjin x reader summary || accompanied by you in the dance studios for hours only led hyunjin to have unvoiced wishes for you to fulfill. genre/s || angst. suggestive. mina’s notes ||  sorry not sorry. i may do part 2. please enjoy ♡ 

The beat seemed to reverberate in Hyunjin’s chest as he watched you dance in the mirror. He had promised Minho that he’d be in the studio to help train the backup dancers but never would have dreamt that you would be one of them. As Hyunjin tried to watch the other dancers, his eyes always seemed to come back to you, the way your hips moved perfectly in time. It had been months since he first met you at Music Bank while you were performing with another group, immediately becoming obsessed with the way your body moved.

At the present, he watched your lips move wondering what they would taste like. Hyunjin hyung? Felix gently elbowed him. Sorry I think I zoned out, can you say that again? Hyunjin quickly reacted, trying not to act strange. Was it obvious that he was staring at you? Probably but he would just chalk it up to he was monitoring your moves because the part before the chorus needed help. Would it be a complete lie? Absolutely. But anything to get him out of the suspicion of the other dancers.

Hours ticked by and yet here he was, still watching only you, committing the way your body moved to memory. What was he thinking? You came here to do a job, and he was sitting on the couch drooling over you. Yet, he couldn’t help it. There was something about you that was capturing him in your atmosphere and not letting him break free. Was it the way that you danced? Like calling to like? Or maybe it was fate giving him the littlest of piece an olive branch to find his other half. In truth, he wished it was fate because knowing that you existed in this world and weren’t with him would devastate him.

Days later in the late hours of the night, with others leaving to get much needed rest, he went to grab his stuff to go home with his members, only to catch you in the mirror, making your way back to the center of the room, clearly determined to get more practice in. Without a further thought, Hyunjin turned back to control the music, waving his members off with the promise that he’d return home at a somewhat reasonable time. Struggling for what to say, but he didn’t know if you could tell that, he let the music again fill the studio, focus trained on you.

It could have been because he was exhausted or because you hadn’t left his head since he first saw you in their practice room. Instead of monitoring you all he could think about was you taking him closer, slowly taking his clothes off while he finally learned how your lips tasted. Oh, how he fantasized. He would never ever let you know that he liked to fuck you in his head. It was his dirty little secret that he kept close to his chest, not even letting the members know of his fantasy of you. The kind of things that he would rather leave unsaid.

As he tried to pay attention to reality, he couldn’t let his mind wonder to those dirty wishes that crossed his mind. You touch him when he’s lonely in his bed. Fingers starting tangled in his hair, trailing painfully slow down his chest to where he wanted you most. How he was do desperate to scream but held his breath instead. Feelings your lips leave warm kisses across his chest and toned stomach, teeth grazing his skin every once in a few kisses. He craved the way you made him feel hot in the cool air of his room. What he would give to make his fantasy a reality. Sometimes all he did was fuck you in his head.

When the music abruptly ended, his eyes caught yours, a small smile pulling at the corner of your lips as you waited for him to clearly give you a correction. Did you feel it too though? This gravitational pull towards him like he did with you. He really hoped that this wasn’t one-sided, but he could see the way you maintained professionalism with how you talked with him and the members. Are you as obsessed? Pleading with his eyes, all he needed was just a little sign, and he’d confess. He’d take you back to the dorm and make all of his daydreaming come true in moments.

from mina with love ♡ ˚⁎⁺˳ ── thank you for reading! ♡ requests are open.

[poorlytunedukulele]

Day 8 - Harmonica

TYPE: GUARDIAN CUSTOMS PROJECT PARTIES: Four [4]. Three [3] Guardian-types, Class Hunter, designates Cayde-6 [c6], Azra Jax [aj], Shiro-4 [s4]; One [1] Ghost-type, designate Sundance [s] ASSOCIATIONS: Cayde-6; Jax, Azra; Shiro-4 CUSTOMS ASSOCIATIONS: First Lives; Music; Pack [Hunters] /AUDIO UNAVAILABLE/ /TRANSCRIPT FOLLOWS.../

[c6:01]: What do you think of “The Dust Rock Blues”?

[s4:01]: For what?

[c6:02]: For the name of our band.

[aj:01]: You’re forming a band?

[c6:03]: We are forming a band.

[s4:02]: This is news to me.

[c6:04]: It’s cutting-edge stuff.

[aj:02]: How are we going to form a band?  Half of us don’t even play instruments.

[c6:05]: Not true!  Andal and Tevis both play guitar.

[aj:03]: And what?  You’ll play the harmonica?

[c6:06]: As a matter of fact, yes.  Hence the blues.  You think “Dust Rock Blues” is too on the nose?

[aj:04]: Two guitars and a harmonica does not a band make, Cayde.

[c6:07]: You haven’t heard my harmonica playing.

[s4:03]: Everyone from here to Twilight Gap has heard your harmonica playing.

[aj:05]: What are me and Shiro supposed to do, be backup dancers?

[s4:04]: Actually, I can play the violin.

[aj:06]: Since when?

[s4:05]: I dunno.  Few years?  Cane real naturally.  Might have been from my first life, who knows?

[c6:08]: Cool, a fiddle player.  Hey Azra, maybe-

[s4:06]: Not fiddle.  Violin.

[c6:09]: Same thing.

[s4:07]: They’re different instruments.

[c6:10]: Bullshit.

[s:01]: Actually, fiddles have a much flatter bridge.  It’s so you can play two strings at once.  It’s called-

[c6:11]: Aren’t you supposed to be on my side?

[s:02]: Not when your side is a dumb one.

[c6:12]: Anyways, what I’m getting at, is we make Azra the singer.

[aj:07]: Absolutely not.

[c6:13]: Come on!  Imagine it.  Fronting the band?  The money, the fame-

[aj:08]: I think I would die.

[c6:14]: Fine.  Maybe we can put you on upright bass or something.

[aj:09]: I can’t play the bass.

[c6:15]: You can’t sing much either, but I wasn’t gonna let that stop us.

[aj:10]: Why don’t I take the harmonica?  We can give you another instrument.

[s4:08]: Like a kazoo.

[aj:11]: Yes!  A kazoo.  Maybe one of those little clappers.

[c6:16]: You know what?  Forget I said anything.

[s4:09]: I think it’s far too late for that.

[c6:17]: I’m going to be finding kazoos everywhere for a month, aren’t I?

[s:03]: If you want help hooking one up to his respirator, just let me know.

[c6:18]: Betrayal! 

[s4:09]: You did kind of start it, Cayde.

[aj:12]: Insinuate that I can’t sing again and I’ll make it a year.

[mingiatz]

Summary: What started as an accidental encounter turned into something neither of them saw coming. Emilia never expected that a chaotic night in Frankfurt—where she met Ateez in the most ridiculous outfit imaginable—would lead to months of stolen moments, teasing, heartbreak and feelings too big to ignore.

Pairing: [Idol] Song Mingi x OC (Emilia)

Trope: Strangers to Lovers

Genre: Romance, Fluff, Light Angst, Slow Burn

Featuring: ATEEZ (being menaces), chaotic sibling energy, found family vibes, and an embarrassing amount of mutual pining

This Series will have multiple Chapters with around 4000 words. I hope you like it. Please be kind this is my first Fanfiction and English is not my first language. (I am open for constructive criticism). I will try to upload a chapter everyday.

Masterlist

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Chapter Thirteen

Mingi’s POV

I stood there, my heart pounding in my chest. The anger bubbling inside me was hard to contain. It felt like everyone was against me, as if I was the only one who didn’t know how to handle this situation.

Seonghwa was right, though. I had been avoiding the truth for too long. I knew how I felt about Emilia. I had known for weeks, maybe even longer. But I couldn’t find the right words to tell her. And now, because I kept pushing her away, I had hurt her.

I remembered the sight of her crying in Seonghwa’s arms. The way her eyes were red and swollen, the pain written all over her face. It tore me apart to see her like that.

And now, hearing my members talk to me, I could feel the weight of my failure pressing down on me.

“Stop calling me an idiot,” I growled, my hands clenched into fists.

But they were right. I couldn’t keep ignoring it.

“You really need to tell her how you feel,” Seonghwa said again, his voice softer now. “You’ve got to do it before someone else comes along and takes her away.”

I stood there in silence, absorbing his words. The fear of losing Emilia was suddenly overwhelming. I knew I couldn’t let her slip away. But how could I make her see that I was serious? How could I tell her that she meant so much to me?

“I’ll figure it out,” I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper.

The others watched me in silence, but I could feel their eyes on me, waiting for me to make the move.

I was so close to breaking. So close to finally telling her everything.

But what if it was too late?

Emilia’s POV

The cool evening air hit my face as I walked alongside Noah through the city streets. I had agreed to meet him for dinner, needing to get out of my apartment and away from the thoughts of Mingi that had been relentlessly filling my mind.

We walked in silence for a while, the sounds of the city around us, before Noah broke the quiet with a sigh.

„Come on, Emilia,“ he said, giving me a sideways glance. „I can tell something’s bothering you. What happened?“

I hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to put my feelings into words. But it seemed I had no choice but to be honest. „It’s Mingi… things are complicated.“

Noah nodded, listening intently as I recounted everything that had happened—how I had seen him with the backup dancer, how he hadn’t told me how he felt, how we both had been avoiding each other. My voice trembled a little as I spoke about how I liked him, but I had convinced myself that he didn’t feel the same way.

„You’re being an idiot,“ Noah said bluntly, his tone light but firm. „You like him, and you’re afraid to admit it. And he’s probably just as scared as you are.“

I rolled my eyes. „It’s not that simple, Noah. He… he’s been distant, and then I saw him with her. It’s just… too much. I don’t think I should even bother anymore.“

Noah stopped walking and turned to face me, his expression serious. „You’re running away from something that could be really good. If you don’t tell him how you feel, you’ll never know. You’re just going to keep hurting yourself.“

I frowned, crossing my arms. „But what if he doesn’t feel the same? What if I just make things worse?“

„No matter what happens, you won’t know unless you try,“ Noah said, his voice softening. „You don’t have to wait forever. If you get the chance to see him at the concert, just talk to him. You can’t keep pretending like nothing’s wrong.“

I bit my lip, considering his words. I knew he was right, but the fear still gnawed at me. What if he rejected me? What if things got even more complicated?

„You have nothing to lose,“ Noah added. „Trust me. Just tell him.“

I exhaled deeply, nodding. „I guess I’ll figure it out then. Thanks, Noah.“

Mingi’s POV

The concert was in full swing, and I couldn’t concentrate. The lights, the crowd, the music—it all seemed to blur together in the background as I searched the crowd for one person.

Emilia.

I was distracted, my mind constantly drifting to her. I knew I should be focusing on the performance, but every time I saw her backstage or caught a glimpse of her in the audience, my heart rate spiked. It was stupid, but I couldn’t help it.

Then, my eyes landed on something else that made my stomach churn.

Jisung, the manager, was talking to Emilia. They were standing too close, too friendly. His hand brushed against hers as he laughed, and my grip on the mic tightened.

I shouldn’t care. It was stupid to feel jealous, but I did. Watching him pay attention to her, to touch her like that—it made something inside me flare up, something possessive and angry that I couldn’t control.

But I had to keep performing. I had to focus.

As the song reached ist climax, I took a misstep, my foot catching on the edge of the stage. I stumbled and fell, hard, my knee hitting the floor with a sickening crack. The music drowned out the noise of my pain, and I quickly got back up, pretending nothing had happened. But I felt it—my knee was throbbing, and my body screamed in protest.

I limped slightly, but I kept my face neutral, pushing through the performance until the end. Once we were offstage, I made my way to the dressing room, trying to hide the pain from the others.

But as soon as I sat down, I knew something was wrong. I couldn’t put weight on my leg without feeling a sharp sting. I tried to shake it off, but the more I moved, the more I realized something was definitely not right.

„Are you okay?“ Hongjoong asked, his voice laced with concern.

I gritted my teeth, forcing a smile. „I’m fine. Just a little slip.“

But it wasn’t fine. My leg hurt like hell, and I had to keep my face straight because I didn’t want anyone to worry. The last thing I needed was more attention on me.

I stood up and tried to walk, but the pain was overwhelming. I couldn’t hide it anymore.

As I hobbled down the hall, I saw Emilia standing at the entrance of the dressing room. She was looking at me, her expression softening when she saw me limping.

“Are you okay?” she asked, her voice full of concern.

I gave her a tight smile, but the frustration was building up inside me. „I don’t need your help,“ I muttered.

She frowned. „Why? Because your dancer girlfriend can help you?“ she snapped, crossing her arms.

I froze.

I could feel my face heat up in frustration. „What the hell are you talking about?“

„You know exactly what I mean, Mingi!“ she shot back, her voice rising.

I gritted my teeth, frustration boiling over. I wanted to yell, to tell her she was wrong, to tell her the truth—

„I—“

The words caught in my throat.

I almost confessed. Almost.

But I couldn’t do it.

Instead, I clenched my jaw and turned away. „It doesn’t matter. You dont need to worry about me, just go back to Jisung.“

Emilia let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. „You know what? You’re right. It doesn’t matter. Because clearly, I was an idiot for thinking you cared.“

She looked away, frustration and disappointment flickering across her face. I could see it—the moment she gave up.

And for some reason, that made my chest ache.

Emilia’s POV

I felt stupid. So stupid.

Why was I getting so worked up over this? Over him?

He obviously didn’t care about me like that. If he did, he would have said something by now. He wouldn’t be acting like this—giving me mixed signals, pushing me away one second, then getting jealous the next.

I hated this. I hated how much I cared about him. I hated how much it hurt.

I clenched my fists, my breathing uneven. „I can’t deal with this anymore, with the mixed Signals,“ I muttered, more to myself than to him.

Then, before I could stop myself, the words burst out of me.

„I like you, Mingi, a lot!“

The room fell dead silent.

I could see the shock on his face, and I hated that too—hated that he hadn’t seen it before now, hated that I had to say it for him to even consider it.

„You’re an idiot,“ I added, my voice shaking. „And so am I for feeling this way about you.“

I turned on my heel and walked away, my heart pounding so loudly I could barely hear the stunned silence behind me.

I didn’t stop. Not when I passed the others, who were staring at me in shock. Not when I heard someone say my name.

I just kept walking.

Because I was done.

Seonghwa’s POV

The room was so silent, you could hear a pin drop.

I stared at Mingi, who stood frozen in place, his face still in shock from what had just happened. Emilia’s confession hung heavy in the air, and all of us—her siblings, the members, even the staff nearby—were left speechless.

I sighed, shaking my head. „Congratulations, Mingi,“ I muttered, crossing my arms. „You really fucked up this time.“

Mingi’s POV

The silence in the dressing room was suffocating.

I was still standing in the same spot, my mind racing, my heart pounding. Emilia’s words echoed in my head like a broken record.

"I like you, Mingi!"

My hands clenched into fists. I felt stupid. So unbelievably stupid.

Why didn’t I just say something? Why didn’t I stop her?

“She really confessed, huh?” Yunho muttered, breaking the silence.

“She did,” Wooyoung confirmed, arms crossed. “And you stood there like some side character.”

I exhaled sharply, running a hand through my hair. “I know,” I muttered, my voice hoarse.

Noah scoffed from across the room. He had his hands on his hips, looking at me like I was the dumbest person alive.

“That’s all you have to say? You know?” he snapped. “She just humiliated herself in front of everyone and stormed out, and you’re just standing there?”

I looked down, shame twisting in my gut. “I didn’t mean for it to happen like that,” I said weakly.

Noah let out a humorless laugh. “Then what did you mean to happen, huh? Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’ve been stringing her along for weeks and then made her feel like an idiot for having feelings for you.”

That hit harder than I wanted to admit.

“That’s not what I—”

“Then what, Mingi?” Noah cut me off. “Because she walked out of here thinking you don’t give a damn about her. Do you?”

I snapped my head up, glaring at him. “Of course, I do!” I blurted out. “I—I like her too, okay?”

Noah’s expression didn’t change. “Then why the hell didn’t you tell her?”

I swallowed hard. “I was scared.”

It sounded pathetic, even to my own ears.

“Scared of what?” San asked, frowning.

I hesitated before answering. “Scared of ruining things. Scared of messing it up. Scared that maybe… she deserved better.”

The words felt heavy, like I was finally admitting something I hadn’t even let myself fully acknowledge before.

Noah shook his head, looking disgusted. “You already messed it up, man. And now she’s out there feeling like shit because of you.”

Before I could respond, another voice cut through the room—sharp and furious.

“Damn right she is.”

I turned just in time to see Sophie step forward, arms crossed tightly over her chest, eyes blazing.

“You have no idea how hard this was for her,” she snapped. “Do you think my sister just casually confesses her feelings? She was terrified, Mingi. And you crushed her. I have never seen her like this.”

I flinched.

“I—”

“No, don’t even start,” Sophie interrupted, her voice shaking with anger. “You led her on. You got jealous, you acted like you wanted her, and then when she finally took a chance—you left her standing there alone.”

Her words were like a knife to the gut.

“She cried over you, Mingi,” she continued. “Do you get that? My sister cried because of you.”

My stomach twisted painfully.

“God, I should have stopped her from liking you in the first place,” she muttered.

I couldn’t say anything. I could barely breathe past the guilt clawing at my chest.

Noah scoffed. “Yeah, well, it’s too late for that now.”

Then, without another word, he turned and walked out of the dressing room, following Emilia.

Sophie gave me one last, disgusted look before shaking her head and storming out after him.

I didn’t stop them. I didn’t even know if I could.

Instead, I just sank into the nearest chair, rubbing my face with my hands as the weight of everything crashed down on me.

I really had messed everything up.

 

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Disclaimer:This is a work of fiction. The characters, events, and scenarios in this story are entirely fictional and not intended to reflect the real lives of the members of Ateez or any other individuals. This fanfiction is purely for entertainment purposes.

[urlocalnonbinarybastardwrites]

do where the gang finds out Johnny can sing. Like REALLY sing. Like he turns into a big band jazzy type dude with the right song. And when he does, he gets all confident and such. What’s each member of the gangs reaction?

I LOVE THIS AND YES OFC

Ponyboy Curtis

-he thinks it’s awesome

-he loves that for Johnny 

-the thinks it’s kinda cool they each have their own thing

-claps so hard whenever johnny finishes a song

Sodapop Curtis

-tried to sing along

-💀

-it doesn’t end well so he ends up just being Johnnys backup dancer with Steve

Darry Curtis

-kinda vibes and dances a little

-he is actually good at dancing

-claps the loudest whenever johnny finishes a song

-thinks it’s cool he can sing like that

Dallas Winston

-“oh man, you’re actually pretty good!”

-lowkey the most surprised

-he’s too cool to dance but he nods his head along

-he gets caught humming a song Johnny was singing

-the gang has NEVER let him live it down

Two Bit Mathews

-loves that dally can sing

-politely requests (forces) Johnny to sing for him

-makes up the most ridiculous songs and politely requests (forces) Johnny to sing them

Steve Randle

-is Johnnys backup dancer with soda

-they’re so bad that they’re good 😭👍