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let-them-read-fics · 4 years ago

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The Finer Things

Pairing: Rosé x Fem!Reader

Word Count: ~ 4,864

Warnings / Misc. -- Pining, Some Self Doubt, Fluff, Some Angst, Happy Ending

Disclaimer: This writing is a work of fiction, and no disrespect is meant for those mentioned herein.

A/N: Hey everyone! This is my first time writing for Blackpink. I hope you enjoy. Happy reading, as always! Let me know what you think.

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Part 1: Partners

“Alright class, settle in now. Today we’ll be starting our new projects. You know the drill; they’ll be a quarter semester long, and you’ll have a partner to work with. That gives you 9 weeks to complete the assignment and be ready to present your creations. Your topic is “the finer things in life”. Remember: there’s no exact way to do this. Whatever that topic means, however you interpret it, just show us what you envision when you think of that. I look forward to seeing what you come up with.”

Unsurprisingly, everyone is rather excited for this project. Considering this class is an elective, your classmates signed up for it knowing what they were getting themselves into. Regardless, even the stray few that enrolled for an easy A would rather do this than Calculus and Statistics.

Your eyes scan the room, and you smile upon seeing everyone light up as they discuss their game plans. Familiar eyes meet yours from across the room, and you feel a blush begin to rise to your cheeks. You mentally curse yourself at how easy it is for her to make you giddy, but you don’t look away. The small smile that she gives you nearly makes you combust from the cuteness; you can’t help the dorky grin that takes over your features.

Before you can fully melt under her gaze, your teacher speaks up again. You silently thank the universe for that divine intervention. “Now that you’ve had a minute to brainstorm, it’s time for everyone’s favorite part: partner time! I’ve chosen your partners based on your individual strengths and weaknesses as photographers; I want this to be a true learning experience for all of you. Being an artist takes constant growth, and I see this as the perfect opportunity.”

Since your class is a fairly close-knit group of students, no one’s upset by who their partners are. Mrs. Johnson continues rattling off the pairs, and you take a moment to look out the window. It’s a beautiful day, the trees swaying gently in the breeze. The vivid red hues of their leaves are complimented perfectly by the bright blue sky behind them.

“...Y/N, you’ll be working with Rosé.” The second those words leave her lips, your eyes shoot to your partner’s. It’s an odd feeling, to put it plainly; those were the words that you were dying to hear, but also terrified of. After all, working so closely with your long-time crush would definitely prove to be nerve racking. You didn’t have much time to worry, though, as Rosé sat down at the desk in front of you, turning the chair around to face you. It was clear that she loved to see what she did to you, your reactions to her words, everything. She studied you like her life depended on it, but you never noticed. Your brain was always too busy short-circuiting to take in the ways that she watched you from afar, remembering every detail, curve, and dimple of your face.

“So, how about we meet up after school today to get some ideas going?” She proposes, and you nod. “How’s the park sound? I’d hate to miss such a gorgeous day.” Her face lights up at your suggestion, and you smile at the sight. In her excited state, she rushes out, “That’s just what I was thinking!” The two of you spend the rest of class chatting and goofing around, and go your separate ways once the bell rings. You send her one last wave, already missing her presence. To say the two of you are eager for your next meeting is a major understatement.

Part 2: The First Few Meetings

The first couple weeks are spent getting to know one another better and spending more time together -- something you definitely weren’t complaining about. Seeing her out of school, able to really be herself, was a magical experience. You often thanked your lucky stars that you decided to sign up for the class in the first place.

Part 3: You Go To One Of Her Practices

Attending school practices and games was never really your speed, but you made an exception for Rosé. Some family issues had gotten in the way of your meet-ups for a bit, so the two of you were a little behind schedule for the project. You weren’t worried (the honor student in you knew that you’d get it done in time), but Rosé asked you to stay after school for one of her cheerleading practices. “We can work on it everytime coach gives us a break, okay?” She had said earlier that day, during class. You were almost too mesmerized by the way her lips moved while she spoke to comprehend what she had said, her accent popping out in the most adorable way possible.

The memory brought a light smile to your face, and she saw it, stealing a glance at you. You looked up at her and tilted your head to the side, letting her know she’d been caught. Her eyes widened in shock and she quickly cleared her throat, clearly not expecting that.

~~~

“Ah, ah, ah,” you protested, blocking her from sitting down in the seat beside you. “Stand in front of me, I wanna take a picture.” She put on a horrified face, looking down at you. “Excuse me?? Absolutely not! I look terrible. I’m all sweaty.” You rolled your eyes at her, letting out a dramatic sigh. “I’m sorry to inform you, Rosé, but you’re physically incapable of looking bad. My condolences.” You bowed your head in mock pity, adding to the effect. “Oh shut up, you dork.” She said, pushing you playfully. “Fine. One picture; you better make it a good one.” You smiled your signature grin at her, and she got a little lightheaded at the beautiful sight. “1, 2, 3…”

Part 3.5: Could It Be?

“Rosé, I don’t know….” You begin, a grimace crossing your face. The object of your affection had spent the past 10 minutes trying to convince you to ditch work and accompany her to the local fair that was in town for the weekend. It’s not that you didn’t want to go; in fact, you can’t think of a place you’d rather be tonight than with her, getting away from the stress of everything life had been throwing at you. If you were honest with yourself, though, the work was just an excuse for something bigger; you knew that with each step closer you got to Rosé, you would eventually be taking two steps back. You had long ago assured yourself that she didn’t share your attraction, and you had done okay in accepting that fact. By okay I mean “totally not at all, even in the slightest.” You liked to pretend, though, wanting to have some semblance of control over the situation.

“Pleeeeease?” She whined into the phone, drawing the word out to torture you a little more. Surely she had to know what she was doing.

That simple question served as your command, and it became very apparent in that moment that you’d do just about anything that Rosé asked you to. You kicked yourself, a genuine feeling of nervousness rushing over you.

A sigh left your lips as you responded, “Okay, okay! But only for a little while.”

Her high pitched cheering drew a laugh from you, and you shook your head at her antics. What were you getting yourself into?

~~~~~

Rosé looked stunning, as usual. Her long blonde locks fell elegantly over her shoulders, looking just as soft as always. The pink top she donned complimented her light blue jeans perfectly; if you weren’t so enraptured by her, you might’ve gotten jealous. How can someone look so gorgeous without even trying? It’s infuriating, to say the least.

“Ready?” Her cheery accent met your ears, and you felt yourself pep up at the single utterance. Dear lord, you’re in deep. Pushing the thoughts from your head, you send her a simple smile and nod, pulling her in for a hug.

Freezing time had never been a thing that you thought about often, but it surely crossed your mind as you stood there with her in your arms, feeling her skin against yours. All too quickly she pulled away, already rambling excitedly about all of the rides she wanted to try out. You were still in a bit of a daze, her strawberry perfume making your head spin. Before you know it, she has a hold of your hand, dragging you towards the largest drop tower that the festival had to offer. Maybe this would be a good time to mention that you’re deathly afraid of heights…

~~~~

Hair disheveled and heart palpitating, you stumbled away from the ride. It was comical really, the state you were in. Rosé must have thought so, because she couldn’t contain her laughter once she looked over at you. The sound was music to your ears, and you quickly decided that you’d be willing to get back on that ride if it meant you could hear her giggle like that again.

After your laughing fit died down, you suggested getting on the ferris wheel to see all of the city lights. Everything burned a little brighter this time of year, the downtown area bustling with life and activity.

“I was just about to mention that. I like the way you think, Y/N.” The combination of the look she gave you and the way your name rolled off of her tongue made you weak in the knees. Before your mind could even begin to question if she had meant something else -- something deeper -- you stopped yourself. It wouldn’t do any good to read too far into the things she said. It was just innocent teasing, you reasoned.

You failed to notice the way Rosé had looked at you, her eyes taking in every part of you. She wanted to remember this sight; your head thrown back, eyes welling with tears of laughter. When you didn’t pick up on her flirting, though, she took it as a sign to back off a bit. Surely it had been obvious, right? She told herself she’d give it one more try, by the end of the night. No matter your reaction, she would have an answer.

With that decision made, she led the way to the ferris wheel, you trailing happily behind her.

“Two?” The worker looked to be about your age, face marked with acne scars, and attitude already unpleasant. With a simple gesture of confirmation, the two of you made your way to the nearest cart. You held the small gate open, allowing Rosé in first. The metal was cool against your palm as you closed it after yourself.

A chilly breeze rolled in, and you noticed her body shiver in the seat across from you. You could tell she tried to hide it, but you were far too observant to miss that. “Here,” you start, already pulling your leather jacket off of yourself and offering it to her. She shook her head furiously, saying, “No, I can’t. You’ll get cold up there!” Maybe it had been the slushy you had earlier, but you got a sudden surge of confidence. “Come over here, then. We’ll keep each other warm.” Her eyes shined with something you couldn’t quite place; something mischievous, perhaps.

She quickly repositioned herself next to you, snuggling up against your side. “You’re still putting this on, Rosé.” You say lowly, lips grazing her temple. The way the words left your mouth, so matter-of-factly, made her bite her lip. You rarely told anyone what to do, so this role reversal was a bit unexpected. A welcome surprise, she thought, as she slipped the warm material over her shoulders.

~~~~

If someone offered you a million dollars to be anywhere else in the world right now, you would turn them down. You were sure that you had died and gone to Heaven, with how Rosé’s body fit perfectly up against yours and the distant skyline looked as though it had been stolen from a postcard.

Once the cart reached the top, the ride stopped for a short while, allowing you to get a picturesque view of the surrounding area. You grabbed the camera from your bag and snapped a few pictures, not wanting to forget this moment. A quiet wow left her mouth as she leaned over you, looking like a kid on Christmas morning. Has she never seen the lights like this? The untamed beating of your heart echoed wildly at the feeling of having her so close. You prayed she wouldn’t notice the tremble that ran through you as she placed her hand on your thigh, pushing herself up higher into the air for a better perspective. She must’ve noticed something in the distance, because soon she was pointing across the city and bouncing lightly in the seat. With some help, you located what she was so excited about: it was an inflatable cat. She had been that giddy over an inflatable animal on the porch of someone’s apartment. Such a dork, you muttered. She drew in a breath, feigning disbelief. “I am not!” She started, about to defend her honor, when she turned her head. In the excitement, the two of you had pressed closer together -- much closer than either of you had realized -- and now you were face to face. Your eyes darted down to her lips, and you almost threw caution to the wind and closed the distance. You didn’t, though, still missing the signs she was sending you. Her gaze raked across your features, and she grew bold; her hand came up to your cheek, her thumb soon brushing the soft skin. She was achingly close; you could feel the warmth radiating from her body, calling for you.

This cycle continued; both of you waiting for the other to make the first move, terrified that the other didn’t feel the same. It was a wicked game of cat and mouse, and you were finally getting the courage to end it. Just as you were about to lean in, the rickety ride started back up again with a groan, and she was jostled away from you, back into the seat.

That had to be some sort of symbolism.

The rest of your night went well, soon again filled with laughter and jokes, but the two of you couldn’t shake what happened. There was an air of something uncertain now, and only something significant was capable of putting an end to this cruel arrangement.

Part 4: The Realization

“Shit!” You exclaim with a huff, realizing your mistake. “Rosie, do you have any extra film for the polaroid? I lost the last pack I had.” You mentally slap yourself for that one. When you don’t get a response, which is quite unusual for Rosé, you take that as a sign to go look for her. The two of you had chosen to work on the project at her house this time, and it was definitely more spacious than yours. “Rosie?” You call out to her again, checking the rooms as you pass them. Sniffling sounds perk up your ears, and you follow them to their source: the bathroom. “What happened, Rose?” She just sniffles again, letting out a defeated sigh. “It’s nothing, Y/N. I’m okay.” You shake your head, a pained look taking over your features. Knowing that she was hurting killed you. “I don’t believe you. We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, but at least let me cheer you up. Please?” You plead through the door, waiting rather impatiently for her response. Wordlessly, she gathers herself and opens it, choosing to lean against the frame and meet your concerned gaze. “It’s Joon. He’s being an ass.” You set your jaw and quickly bite your tongue, not wanting to upset her more. Her sweater is soaked and matted with tears, large stains polka-dotting the fluffy material.

Who’s Joon, you may ask? Rosé’s boyfriend and star of the football team… aka your arch nemesis. The two of you typically avoided talking about him, and dating in general. As far as you were concerned, he wasn’t deserving of the attention. A muffled sob pulls you from your stewing session, and you’re quick to step forward and wipe away her tears. You cup her cheeks, softening at the way she leans into your embrace. It’s not hard to tell that she doesn’t get the love that she deserves. “You’re too good for him, Rose. He’s never deserved you.” You say softly, tired of seeing her being mistreated. One instance of this was more than enough, and knowing that this isn’t the first time that he’s been the reason for her tears makes your blood boil. You pull her in, and she rests her head against your chest. If circumstances were different, you would’ve been terrified to have her so close; however, that’s not at the forefront of your mind right now. You’re determined to be there for her, even if it’ll never be in the way you want. “You should be with someone who values you. You can do so much better.” You whisper against her temple -- just loud enough for her to hear -- lips in the same position as they were that night at the fair. It comes out as a gentle confession, but you say it like the simple fact it is.

After a few more moments of holding her close, her sweet vanilla perfume in the air, she shifts in your arms. Her eyes find yours, and the moment seems as though it was plucked out of some cheesy, coming of age movie. Something within both of you clicks at that point, and you just know. Her slightly puffy features look especially adorable right now, her eyes sparkling. That always seemed like such a strange, poetic thing to you -- how some people can manage to look so stunning after crying. It’s as though she needed that, in some twisted way. It opened her eyes to the situation she was in, although it hurt. She knew she could get through anything, though, with you by her side. And standing there, wrapped in your warmth, she really couldn’t find it in herself to even think of Joon.

Your eyes fell to her lips, and she didn’t fail to notice. God, those lips. You thought, remembering all of the times you’ve wanted to kiss her. She somehow managed to be utterly perfect without even trying. Your heart rate sped up at the feeling of her hands working their way down to your waist, gripping your hips tightly. The atmosphere shifted, and you didn’t know what to do with yourself. “Y/N…” she says lowly, almost as if she’s trying to keep herself from doing something stupid. “Hmm?” You drag out, causing her to bite her lip in return. Just as the two of you lean in ever closer, the sounds of keys jangling downstairs interrupts your moment. Feeling brave, and not wanting that encounter to pass with nothing to show for it, you give her a sweet kiss on the cheek. You chuckle lightly at the whine that leaves her lips, and take a minute to gather yourself before leading the way downstairs to greet her parents.

----

Over the next few days, neither of you mention all that’s happened. You want to, but you have no idea how; your nerves would surely get the best of you. And what if she didn’t feel the same? How embarrassing would that be? You wanted nothing more than to have that Hallmark, fairytale ending with her, but you knew that was unrealistic. So, you did what you do best; you continued falling for her from afar, attempting to settle into this routine.

Little did you know that she hadn’t stopped thinking about it. She often found herself stroking her cheek, where your hand had been that night. If she focused hard enough, she could almost remember the smell of your tropical shampoo, too. Her feelings confused her, but she knew what she wanted. Her fear of rejection outweighed her courage, though, and she never knew how to tell you that she had fallen for you.

Part 5: An Overheard Conversation

As you made your way through the halls and towards the library, your mind wandered to a place it often frequented: Rosé. You had been so caught up in other things that you hadn’t really registered that the project would be over soon. It saddened you to think about, but maybe it was for the best. Perhaps a little distance between the two of you would make it easier to ignore your feelings. Turning the corner, you collided with someone, sending their books into the floor. “I’m so sorry!” You apologize quickly, making sure they’re alright, before helping them gather their things. They do the same, and continue on their way as you readjust your clothes.

At the sound of that achingly familiar voice, you freeze.

“I broke up with him, Jennie.”

That’s all it took for you to press yourself up against the wall, set on listening in on the conversation without getting caught. Part of you felt bad for doing that, but there was no way you were leaving now.

“Good, he never deserved you anyway.” The other girl, Jennie, said, and you made a mental note to give her a high five later on.

“He took me for granted. I’m just upset it took me so long to realize it.”

“Hey, don’t do that. You remembered your worth and didn’t let that jackass hurt you anymore. That’s queen status, if you ask me.” Make that a double high five.

The sounds of her locker being closed lead you to believe that the girls are about to walk away and end the conversation, but you soon stop dead in your tracks, yet again.

“There’s another reason that I ended things, though, and I’ve been meaning to tell you about it.”

“Ooh, do tell.”

Rosé clears her throat, and quickly checks to make sure the coast is clear before speaking again. Thank God she didn’t notice your presence.

“I’ve liked this person for a really long time, Jennie.” She confesses, before continuing. “They’re always there for me when I need them… and don’t even get me started on how adorable they are.”

Jennie chuckles at Rosé’s words, and you can see her shake her head. “What??” Rosé asks, pushing her shoulder lightly.

“You’ve got it bad. I’ve never seen you blush like that at just the thought of someone. And that’s saying something.”

Rosé hides her face in her hands, embarrassed but amused. “She’s just so incredible.”

Your heart stops, blood running cold in your veins, and your hand shoots up to cover your mouth. Does Jennie know she likes girls? SHE LIKES GIRLS?? I mean, you had thought so after that night but she’d never admitted it before.

“She?” Jennie asks gently, not even a trace of judgement in her tone. A little surprise, sure, but nothing bad. Rosé simply takes a deep breath and nods her head, waiting for her best friend’s reaction to her slip up. It’s not that she thought she would be unaccepting, just that these kinds of things were a little bit of a shock to hear sometimes.

“Well, who is she? I’ll have to do some snooping on your next potential love interest.”

Rosé lets out a giggle, and you almost blow your cover by laughing with her.

“You won’t be getting that information out of me yet, Jennie. No way.” She says, taking the other girl’s hand and leading her down the hallway, away from you.

Once alone again, you let out a breath you didn’t know you had been holding. Could you be that girl?

Part 6: Presentation Day

As you make your way to your seat, you let out a tired yawn; you had stayed up late adding some last minute touches to your presentation. You wanted it to be a surprise for Rosé, so you hadn’t told her about what you had done. Hopefully she would enjoy it.

The other groups each took turns showcasing their projects and explaining what the prompt had meant to them. Some said “money”, “luxury”, “time”, etc. Your answer was a bit different than theirs, and you were excited to share it with everyone.

Once it was your turn to present, you made your way up to the front of the room, selecting the correct files and connecting your device with the projector. Rosé could sense that you were anxious, which wasn’t new for you; school presentations had always made you nervous. Silently, she took your hand within her own and rubbed her thumb across your knuckles. None of the class was paying much attention yet, since you were still technically getting set up, and you were beyond thankful for that intimate moment with her.

A short time later, you begin.

Rosé expertly introduces the different topics you chose to cover with the prompt, explaining their meaning with sincerity. Images of old couples smiling, holding one another close, graced the screen when she brought up “growing old together” as a finer thing in life. “Not everyone gets the opportunity to do that with who they love,” she said, and you noticed that her eyes went to you when she said that. Maybe you just imagined that last part, you thought to yourself. Surely so.

Other slides of animals, pets, and nature appeared as she continued her speech, followed by her suggestion that “the act of loving and preserving Earth and its creatures” is another finer thing in life.

This process continued, with you jumping in for the slides that you had chosen to take over for.

Upon hearing Rosé finish her last stretch of rehearsed dialogue, you look to your teacher, who gives you a subtle nod and smile. Rosé shoots you a confused look, but you don’t answer her with words. You move a nearby chair to face the board before bringing her to it. She sits, even more confused now, but trusting you.

You swallow nervously, and lick your lips. “Over these past couple months, Rosé and I shared new experiences,” with a click of the remote, images of your adventures flood the screen -- your trips to the lake, forest, park, and even the beach, capture the attention of the class. Rosé was right there with them, considering she had never seen some of these pictures, let alone expected you to present them. “We tried new foods, left our comfort zone, and learned more about each other.” More images popped up; some from when you went on a tour of the different restaurants around town, some from bungee jumping, cave exploring, and open water fishing.

“But as we grew closer, I realized more about myself in the process. I’m totally, utterly, and undeniably in love with you, Rosé.” The next set of candid images shows a new glint in your eyes when you look at each other; this was when you had really gotten in deep. You shyly raise your eyes to hers, your stomach in knots. Tears are quickly forming in her eyes, and she’s covering her mouth to quiet herself. “You make me happier than I’ve ever been, and life feels better with you. You are my finer thing in life.” Despite all of the emotions she’s feeling right now, she smiles at the dorky pictures of the two of you doing random things during your shared escapades.

Finally, you click to the last slide, revealing a series of pictures of you spelling out, “Be mine?”

This was the final straw; tears finally make their way down her face, spilling onto her soft cheeks. You nod at Mrs. Johnson the same way she had done before, and she swiftly bends down to grab something beneath her desk. When she returns, she hands you a single red rose. “OMG! A rose for Rosé, how cute!” One of your classmates yells from the back of the room, and you laugh aloud. That broke the tension, and soon all of you were giggling loudly together. “Well, whaddya say?” You ask, holding out the rose to her in offering. Wordlessly, she takes the flower and wraps her arms around your neck, connecting your lips in a long overdue kiss. The class erupts at this and she smiles against you.

“Mission accomplished.” Mrs. Johnson says to herself, once everyone is settled back in their seats and chatting about what happened. “I was hoping that would work out.” Confused, you decide to inquire. Reluctantly taking your eyes off of Rosé, you look to your teacher and ask, “Did you plan this from the beginning?” She gives you a curious look before scoffing, “I’m practically a matchmaker, Y/N. I saw the way the two of you looked at each other. It would’ve been a crime not to pair you up.”

Your mouth hangs agape as you look back to Rosé, finding her donning a similar expression. “I was tricked into the plan!” You realize, laughing with her. “It was destiny, then.” She says, pulling you in by your collar for yet another kiss, loving the feeling of your blushing cheeks against her own.

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

Thanks for reading!!!

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carnegiemuseumnaturalhistory · 3 years ago

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What Do Botanists Do On Saturday?

by Sarah C. Williams

Here in the section of Botany we’ve adapted in some strange ways, just like plants do, to the changes of the past year and a half. Let’s learn about the off days of some of our Super Scientists in the Section of Botany!

Mason Heberling, Assistant Curator of Botany

Collecting specimens has become a focus as more time was able to be spent in the field when we weren’t allowed to be at the museum. As our new Botany Hall entrance video shows, Assistant Curator of Botany, Mason Heberling and Collections Manager Bonnie Isaac collect plant specimens on a pretty regular basis. They also snag iNaturalist observations for these plants, taking photos that show what the plant and habitat looked before being picked and pressed.

Mason studies forest understory plants, in particular, introduced species and wildflowers in our changing environment. Mason has a bunch of fun projects going on this summer, ranging from coordinating seed collections of an uncommon native grass to send to Germany for a large greenhouse study to working with a team of students to study the effects of climate change and introduced shrubs on our forest wildflowers.

In addition to work in the field, the herbarium has been a busy place this summer too! Mason has been working with Alyssa McCormick, an undergraduate research intern from Chatham University, to examine stomata (the pores on leaves for air exchange for plants to “breathe”) and leaf nutrients in everyone’s favorite plant – poison ivy! Poison ivy has been previously shown to grow bigger and cause nastier skin rashes with increasing carbon dioxide in our air due to fossil fuel emissions. Alyssa is using specimens collected as long ago as the 1800s to examine long term changes in poison ivy.

Mason, where can we find you on a Saturday?

“This summer has been a lot of going to various places around western PA like Presque Isle or Idlewild to get out and enjoy the fresh air with my family. I can also be found most Saturdays around the house doing chores!”

Bonnie Isaac, Collection Manager

Bonnie, one of CMNH’s TikTok celebrities, and All-Star in the Mid-Atlantic plant world, has spent a lot of the past year doing fieldwork. Her PA Wild Resource Grant involved looking at most of the populations for 10 Pennsylvania rare species. She and husband Joe Isaac spent many days on the road and a few in the bog! You can see some of her videos about these unique Pennsylvania finds on Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s Tiktok account: @carnegiemnh.

She diligently keeps track of various data points from latitude and longitude and elevation, to flower color, size, and associated species within a habitat. In addition to trying to make sure the plant names in our database are correct, she has also been busy georeferencing some of our specimens so that we can see on a map where each one was collected.

Bonnie, where can we find you on a Saturday?

“On most Saturdays I am either home taking care of my many chickens or getting some exercise in one of my kayaks with my spousal unit, Joe. I sometime even take a fishing pole for a ride or see how many different kinds of plants I can find on a hike. As long as I can get outside with Joe, I’m happy.”

Cynthia Pagesh, Herbarium Assistant

Specimens make their way home to the museum, where we assure they’re bone dry, flat as a pancake, and have been frozen twice to get rid of any pests. They then find their way into the nimble hands of Cynthia Pagesh, our resident plant mounter. Cynthia has luckily been able to do some mounting both onsite and at home over this past year, really honing her craft. She uses Elmer’s glue, dental and sculpture tools, linen tape, and a paintbrush akin to a magic wand: transforming roots, stems, flowers, and fruits into scientific and artistic renderings on an 11.5x16.5” archival herbarium sheet.

Mounting can be very detailed and challenging: wrangling a dry and brittle rare plant you want to salvage every detail from, or an oversized leaf ‘how-will-this-all-fit?’ ordeal, or finessing a delicate petal that glue is especially heavy on. Bulky bits, crumbly bits, spiky no nos: Cyn handles them all. Her work is just as much an art as it is a science. When she’s not making masterpieces, she’s probably doing something with plants.

Cyn, where can we find you on a Saturday?

“You can find me on Saturdays helping prune young trees in my community, collecting wildflower seeds or in my kitchen making preserves or homemade pasta noodles. I volunteer in vegetable, herb and flower gardens. I have a pollinator garden at home and raise Monarch caterpillars. I tag and release them to migrate south.

There are lots of Community Science projects for people of all ages: ask someone to help you find one related to a subject you have an interest in. I have an interest in pollinators including bees. I participate in a Community Science Project every Summer that counts types of bees on certain plants when they bloom.”

Iliana DiNicola

After another stint in the freezer for bugs-be-gone, it’s everyone’s favorite day: Picture Day! Each plant: sturdy and mounted, all data logged and super official, makes their way to the imaging station to spend some time under the bright lights. Since 2018, students, interns, and volunteers have lovingly held these plants’ hands as they get their close ups. We take high definition photos using a specially made lightbox and special software.

While this is part of a limited project, called the Mid-Atlantic Megalopolis, we are still hard at work going into our last year of the time we were given. This past schoolyear and summer, former Pitt student, Iliana DiNicola was taking pictures for us on the regular while also interning with the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy. She just graduated and I’m excited to hear what she does on her Saturdays in the future.

Iliana, where can we find you on a Saturday?

“I just graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in Environmental Studies, and I am now on the lookout for any jobs related to the environment back in my hometown of Phoenix, Arizona. I am interested in working with anything from sustainability, to policy or political work, or maybe even something more related to ecology and outdoor work.

On a Saturday, I am definitely helping clean my house since I am a semi-clean freak, I love to go hiking if the weather isn't too hot, enjoy drawing and working on any art projects, or work on my future hydroponics garden.

As somebody who interned for Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, I highly recommend participating in any camps or activities the conservancy has to offer. It was super fun learning more about Pittsburgh's history and ecology and getting to teach kids about these topics, alongside participating in fun outdoor activities.”

Sarah Williams, Curatorial Assistant

Next up, Sarah Williams, the Curatorial Assistant in the Section of Botany, is overseeing the digitization project, morphing the photos from raw camera files into smaller files for sharing and detailed files for archival storing using Adobe Lightroom. She takes the images from the newly photographed specimens and makes sure they get uploaded onto the Mid-Atlantic Herbaria Consortium’s website to be shared far and wide across the world.

There is also a lot she does in sorting, filing, and taking care of the specimens as well. She does a bunch of scheduling, hiring, and training of work study students, interns, and volunteers. We consider her a jack of all trades.

Sarah, where can we find you on a Saturday?

“Most weekends I work with a local catering company called Black Radish Kitchen. I usually end up serving delicious vegetable and farm focused meals at least one day a week, commonly Saturdays because they’re prime for celebrations. The re-start up since the pandemic has been cautious, and I’m excited to be amongst people and help them to make mouthwatering memories again. I’ve worked in the restaurant industry for over a decade and the skills I’ve learned doing it as well as the friends I’ve made are matchless. It has a big piece of my heart.

I also moved into a new house this year about five minutes from my mom, so if I’m not running to say hi to her and ‘borrow’ some groceries, I’m doing laundry, dusting and yardwork… but only after I sleep in, eat some delicious breakfast with my partner, and hang out with our two cats, Santi and Gil.”

We hope you enjoyed getting to know us here in the Section of Botany, look forward to updates and more introductions in the future as we continue to host volunteers, federal work-study students, and interns on their journeys to learn even more about the plant kingdom.

Sarah Williams is Curatorial Assistant in the Section of Botany at Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Museum employees are encouraged to blog about their unique experiences and knowledge gained from working at the museum.

#Carnegie Museum of Natural History #Botany #Scientists #Botanists #Herbarium #Natural History Museum #Museum Work

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gukyi · 5 years ago

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tattoos together | kth

summary: you aren’t necessarily terribly particular when it comes to tattoos, and when you arrive at your favorite tattoo parlor one day in search of a new addition, one in particular catches your eye, but more importantly, so does the artist behind its creation. and slowly, you come to realize that art does not need sentimental value to be meaningful—it just needs to be loved.

{tattoo artist!au}

pairing: kim taehyung x female reader genre: fluff word count: 5k warnings: mention of tattoo needles a/n: a huge huge huge thank you to @guksflavor for commissioning me for this piece, and thank you for contributing to the blm movement !!!! for anyone wondering--this was commissioned prior to my drabble commissions post, which is why it’s longer. hope that you enjoy!!!!

When you go to a new city, your favorite thing to do is explore.

Unpacking has never really been your forte, because it takes forever and it’s not as if any of the packages contain a surprise. You already know what’s in every single cardboard box strewn around your apartment, from the old clothes you never wear to the single set of nice dinnerware that you never use because you don’t ever have guests fancy enough to require usage of them.

The beauty of the world is that it has so many hidden corners. So many hole-in-the-wall stores and secret alleyways shielded from street lights. Secrets unknown to even some of the locals.

So yes, the boxes against the barren walls of your apartment can wait.

They have been for the past couple of years, at least. What’s one more day?

Besides, if you hadn’t prioritized exploring over unpacking, you never would have found that little tattoo shop on the corner of South and Brooks, the one that looks more like a cottage-turned-overgrown-flower shop than a place where you go to get permanently inked. The walls are a pastel neutral shade, accented by exposed brick near the back and lined with drawings after drawings, new designs tacked over old ones, pages curling in on themselves after years of being hung up.

From the inside or the outside, it doesn’t at all read like a stereotypical tattoo parlor. No black walls, no leather, no gothic lettering on the door.

And that’s really the beauty of it all. That you would never know of this place if you hadn’t gone wandering, hadn’t decided that your unpacking of boxes could wait another couple of days (and maybe months, too). That there are secrets blanketing the city, and that you can learn them all, if only you keep your eyes peeled.

Also, the tattoo parlor is right next to what you happily designate as the best bakery in the entire town, but that’s just a bonus.

Still, Jungkook doesn’t ever seem to mind when you show up to a session with two coffees and a bag with two muffins inside of it.

The bell above the door rings when you open it, stepping onto the beige welcome mat onto the tile. It’s been raining the past couple of days, and you can make out damp spots on the fabric where people have wiped their shoes. It’s busier than normal, today, several of the artists fielding requests and questions from eager clients, pointing at the designs on the wall or handing them their own sketches.

But as always, Jungkook is free, loitering in the back corner with his hands tucked into the pockets of the dark jeans he’s wearing, as if he’d been expecting you all afternoon.

Considering you are pretty much confidants after so many years of seeing him, you suppose that he’s picked up on your predictability—if only just a little.

“What, don’t you have a job to be doing?” You ask instead of a hello, catching Jungkook’s attention immediately as you walk in, a bag of two scones in your hand.

“Don’t have a job if you’re not here,” he quips back, strolling over casually and happily taking the napkin-wrapped baked good from your hand. He eats approximately half of it in a single bite as you settle down by his station, a vintage vanity that Jungkook says that the owner found at a thrift store. It’s awfully beat up as is, but looks more at home inside here, little succulents sitting, pressed up against the wall, and ink stains covering the countertop.

“Touché,” you concede with a nod.

“What are you here for today?” Jungkook asks over a mouthful of scone. “You got an actual design in mind or just want me to wing it?”

“Am I not allowed to just say hello to one of my favorite people in the city?” You tease.

Jungkook frowns. “‘One of’? Who else is there?”

“Me, of course,” you tell him happily. “You got any new designs I can take a peek at?”

“See for yourself,” Jungkook says, motioning to the wall beside him as you giddily skirt over to take a look. You’re in here so often that Jungkook’s long foregone showing you which ones were recently added—deigning to sit at his table while you pick out the new ones from the old, which sketches weren’t tacked to the wall the last time you were in.

There’s a couple of ones that you don’t recognize taped along the wall, or peeking out of the open binders that they have spread out on spare shelves and countertops, new designs of birds and flowers and snakes. But the one that really catches your eye is a small one, drawn on a piece of paper the size of a Post-it note. You almost miss it, half-hidden behind a much bigger sketch of an old grandfather clock, lines dark and heavy. It’s a simple line drawing, really, of the sun rising or setting along the horizon, its reflection shakily echoed in the water it stands above. It could almost be straight out of a scrapbook, a Polaroid of a real moment in time, a real sight someone saw.

“This one’s new,” you say, fingers reaching up to page at the edges.

Jungkook gets up to see what all of the fuss is about. “Oh, yeah, just added yesterday. You like it?”

“It’s pretty,” you say, unable to tear your eyes away from it. It’s so simple, so modest. Like a doodle that someone would draw in the margins of a textbook, like the start of a flipbook design in an old library book. “Looks almost like it was printed from offline.”

“You know everything in here is usually hand-drawn,” Jungkook chides.

“Reminds me of a photograph,” you say as Jungkook reaches out with his hands to take the design down. “You know, like some really picturesque scene on a beach. With the sun reflected against the water.”

“Can’t tell if it’s rising or setting,” Jungkook comments, holding it out in front of him.

“I think that’s the point.”

“So, where do you want it?” Jungkook asks. “And don’t say the bottom of your foot. I know you’re joking.”

You laugh, reminded of the time you had teasingly told him that you wanted a flock of birds tattooed beneath your feet, and he almost believed you before you burst into a fit of giggles. Pausing, you think. Where would you want something like that? Not your back, surely. To you, the whole point of a tattoo is to be able to see it. And not on your torso, either. You’ve grown rather accustomed to the feeling of a needle on skin, so the pain isn’t the issue, but a drawing like that isn’t meant to be kept secret. Not supposed to be hidden by your clothes.

You can’t say that you’ve ever kept tattoos particularly serious, plotting out exactly what you’ll get inked and which part of your body will make it the most meaningful. Tattoos are but another art form, one that uses the skin as its canvas, and not all art is supposed to be perfect and purposeful and mean something. Art is in the eye of the beholder. It is, above all, supposed to make you happy.

You love every single thing that Jungkook has drawn on your skin, and every single thing that was drawn before you met him. But this one is special.

“Here,” you say, pulling up the sleeve of your shirt so it rests on your shoulders, tapping the empty space on your upper left arm. It’s surrounded with tattoos, with flowers and words and pictures, but there has always been an open space. One that you were saving for something extraordinary.

“You sure? You know I can’t undo this as fast as I can do it,” Jungkook says, not to mock you but to make sure you aren’t making a mistake.

Perhaps it’s your impulsive nature, the part of you that doesn’t really care about making mistakes so long as you can recognize that they happened, that makes you shrug. That isn’t terribly particular over where Jungkook places the needle. Tattoos are for fun. Taking everything serious is boring, anyway.

“I’m sure,” you tell him, and Jungkook nods. He goes to transfer the design to a tattoo stencil as you wait, finishing up your scone. It’s a little harder now that you’ve waited a bit to eat it, not as soft as it was when Jungkook tore through his, but it’s delicious nonetheless.

As you’re waiting, you hear the bell above the door ring. You turn around to look at the latest patron out of habit, that instinctual people-watching urge that bubbles up inside of you.

You don’t recognize him.

Which isn’t a first, per se, but you are in here rather often and have come to know most of the regulars, at least on a first-name basis. You wonder if he had just wandered in after strolling down the street, noticed the flowerpots hanging from the ceiling or the walls littered with designs or the cracking white paint that makes this place look like an old-timey ice cream store. His eyes, dark and brown and mysterious, go straight to the designs on the wall beside you, as if he knows exactly what he’s looking for.

He looks down at you and the two of you meet eyes, his partially hidden by his caramel brown hair, yours looking up at him because it feels like you can’t turn away. There is something about him that makes you want to ask him to come here more often. Just so you can see him again.

“Oh, Taehyung!”

You turn back to see Jungkook returning with the design on a stencil, toothy smile widening when he sees the boy in question, a wave of familiarity rushing over his features.

“Jungkook,” Taehyung says, and the two of them greet each other the way that all men do, with that unspoken hand grab-turned-back pat. “Was in this part of the city and thought I’d stop by. See how my favorite skin artist is doing.”

“Ugh,” Jungkook says with a roll of his eyes, “I hate when you call me that. It’s weird and makes me sound like I make art with skin.”

“Don’t you?” Taehyung poses teasingly, making Jungkook shove him playfully.

“Shut up,” Jungkook responds, heading over to where you’re seated and placing the stencil down on the table. “Y/N here is getting one of your designs on her arm.”

That has you engaged.

“You drew this?” You ask, picking the stencil back up and holding it out to him.

Taehyung takes a couple of steps forward and reaches a hand out to look at the drawing in closer detail, before nodding. “Sketched it a couple of days ago. Jungkook said that it might make a nice tattoo.”

“Jungkook has terribly good judgement,” you agree. “I didn’t know you drew for Jungkook.”

“Eh, it’s not a job or anything,” Taehyung says with a shrug. “I like doodling things on the side. Jungkook being a tattoo artist is just a bonus.”

“I’ll say,” Jungkook says with a forced cough. “Y/N’s got a couple of your drawings actually, Tae. That one of the cherry blossoms, and the one with the teddy bear.”

“You did those, too?” You ask, getting more and more pleasantly surprised with every minute that passes.

“You kidding?” Jungkook scoffs. “Taehyung’s art is all over this place. My boss is actually getting kind of annoyed with how much real estate his drawings take up, but clients seem to really like them, so they stay.”

“So you’re saying it’s not my infectious personality?” Taehyung quips, making you laugh. He and Jungkook seem to go well together.

Jungkook sighs, a smile tugging loosely at his lips. “Get out of here, I’ve got a client,” he says fondly, motioning to you.

“Kicking me out after five minutes? I think that’s a new record,” Taehyung says, peering at the old clock on the wall.

“Don’t get used to it,” Jungkook says, even though it’s obvious that the both of them already are. Jungkook’s too kind, too sweet, too wonderful to ever turn away a friend. Even if he does have a client.

“Nice to meet you, Y/N,” Taehyung says with a tip of an imaginary hat. His smile makes the blood rush to your cheeks, charming and for some reason, irresistible. “Hope that we see each other again soon. I’d love to see your tattoos.”

“I hope so too,” you say, positively enchanted, as he exits, the bell ringing on his way out.

You wonder why you hadn’t met him before. You suppose that you just always missed each other.

You sort of hope that, after this, you never do.

You run into Taehyung a couple of days afterwards in the bakery next door to the tattoo parlor. You’re standing by the coffee counter, chatting to one of the baristas who always teases you for buying two of everything whenever you’re there, when you spot him wandering in, the same curious look on his face. He doesn’t notice you at first but you see him straight away, recognize him instantly. It looks like he just accidentally stumbled upon this place, like he had been walking and walking and walking and when he looked up, he was inside.

You wonder if Taehyung comes here as often as you do. Wonder if he makes an effort to always stop in since he drops by the parlor on a regular basis. Wonder how long you’ve gone, cruelly so, just missing each other.

“Y/N?”

You look up to see him gazing at you, a lopsided smile tugging at his features. Next to you, the barista hands you your bag of baked goods, two as always, and winks before getting back to work.

“Hey, I didn’t see you come in,” you lie, hoping that he didn’t catch you ogling him as he walked inside. “You stop by often?”

“Whenever I get the chance to,” Taehyung says back. “I like carbs and coffee.”

“Then I suppose you’ve found the perfect place to be,” you say. And then, in a blaze of courage, you ask, “Are you just popping in, or do you want to sit down for a little?”

Taehyung smiles, warm and wonderful. “I’d be happy to.”

You snag a table in the corner, facing away from the barista who keeps sending you nonsensical and exaggerated facial expressions and gestures, because this is not a movie, and he is not your beautiful love interest who waltzes into your life and sweeps you off your feet. Even if he is rather beautiful.

“I got two pastries,” you say, tugging them out of the bag, still wrapped in napkins. “Want one?”

Taehyung chuckles as you hand one to him. “Do you always get two of what you order?”

“Hey, I like carbs too,” you tell him defensively, making Taehyung nod in agreement. Seeing as you bought them just a few minutes ago, they’re still warm, soft between your fingers as you pull apart the dough and slowly take a bite. It tastes even sweeter than usual.

“Do you come here often?” Taehyung poses.

“Anytime I drop by the parlor,” you add cheerfully. “And sometimes even when I don’t.”

“We seem to always be missing each other, then,” Taehyung muses.

“Hopefully that will change,” you add with a grin. “Jungkook finished my tattoo a couple of days ago. Do you want to see?”

“The one of my drawing?” Taehyung asks, even though he already knows the answer.

“What else would there be?” You say, pulling up the sleeve of your shirt to reveal the design. It’s only been a few days, so the tattoo hasn’t had nearly enough time to fully heal, but the sketch is just as prominent as it was when it was first pressed into your skin. It fits perfectly in the empty space that was there before, the lines filling out the blanks between the other pictures. Almost as if that spot had been waiting for the right thing to fill it. Almost as if it had always belonged there.

Taehyung’s mouth opens in awe as you show him, the skin still raised where the needle had pressed against it. You have to say you don’t really mind showing off your tattoos to others, especially when they bring you so much joy yourself, and people are usually more appreciative than disapproving, but watching the way Taehyung’s face lights up when he sees his design, his sketch, his art on your skin makes your heart beat something terribly fierce.

The beauty of tattoos is that it is permanent art. Art on the wall of a museum will need to be constantly restored, will be moved from place to place as people bid hundreds of thousands of dollars on owning it. But tattoos follow you wherever you go, will keep you company no matter what the circumstances are. It is art that is permanent, because it will never leave you.

It seems that Taehyung has realized that as well.

“Wow, I—” Taehyung says, rubbing at the bottom of his lip, unable to tear his eyes away from the dark ink decorating your body. “I don’t know what to say.”

“I’ll let Jungkook know that you really like it,” you say, pleased. “He did an excellent job, as always.”

“Why?” Taehyung asks, the simple question being the only word he’s able to form, the only thing he’s able to think.

“‘Why?’” You repeat, an eyebrow raised. “Why did I get it?”

“Why did you get that one?” Taehyung says for emphasis, pointing to the design laced along your upper arm. “Out of the millions of possibilities, why choose mine?”

“Oh,” you say, at a loss for words. It’s difficult to pinpoint why. It doesn’t have a terribly sentimental meaning to you. No long-lasting symbolism that has followed you throughout your life. You chose it because it was simple and easy and beautiful. Because you thought that it would be the perfect fit. “Well, I don’t have a great reason.”

“It’s permanent ink on your body,” Taehyung says. “You must have thought it meant something.”

“I just liked the way it looked,” you say. “It was so plain and modest, but it looks like a scene out of a movie. Like a moment captured in time. I don’t know—” you shrug, “—it sort of reminds me of a Polaroid picture. The sun halfway above the horizon. Its reflection on the water.”

Taehyung is speechless, a soft grin slowly inching its way across his face. He looks fond, looks grateful and honored. Like what you told him was the perfect answer.

“Is the sun rising or setting, Taehyung?” You ask, curious. You suppose that no matter what he chooses, it’ll be the right answer. That the sun can either be rising or setting, so long as you know that it will always return. If it’s rising, it is but a reminder that there is a whole day ahead of you. That you have so much to do and so much to look forward to. And if it’s setting, it’s to let you know that you made it another day, another twenty-four hours. The sun may be saying goodbye, but you can never lose faith that it will come back to say hello.

Taehyung seems to ponder for a moment, eyes tilting upwards as he thinks, lets the question weigh on his heart. And then he turns to you, a glint in his eye, and he says, “You think it’s the sun?”

And truth be told, you had never considered that it might be the moon.

In the stark black-and-white of a single-color tattoo, it could be anything you wanted. It could be a massive planet in another galaxy, could be a sweet chocolate ball sinking into a warm cup of milk. But Taehyung thinks it’s the moon. He sees the absent sky as dark, sees the circle in the center as the one that watches over you when you sleep.

The sun and the moon are the only two constants in everybody’s life. One will never be without the other. And they will always chase after each other, circling the sky every day and every night, eternally unable to stay together.

Perhaps it is the moon. Or the sun. Perhaps it is rising, or setting.

And perhaps that is why you chose this design. Because of its ambiguity. Because it can mean so much despite being so little, which is what art is for, isn’t it? To see something and make it beautiful in your eyes? To always look at the world through rose-colored glasses?

No matter what it is, it will remind you that you are never alone. No, even when you have nothing left, the sun and the moon will always stand by you, watch over you. They will light up the path in front of you and guard you on your journey.

“Well,” you ask Taehyung, smiling. You wonder briefly if that was the whole point of his design. For it to represent whatever the viewer wanted it to. And then you realize that of course that was the point. That Taehyung drew it like this on purpose. Tattoos will follow you for the rest of your days. So will the sun and the moon.“What do you think it is?”

You don’t see Taehyung for a while after that.

Not that you had been expecting to inexplicably bump into him on the street, or anything, but you were secretly hoping that your luck had changed. That you were slowly beginning to make up for all of the moments you missed each other, all of the times you were just five minutes away from meeting, always just a little too early or a little too late.

Still, you wish that you could see him more, or at least more often than you currently do, which is never. You know so little about him and yet there is something that draws you closer, makes you want to sift through the layers of dust between his bones, find out what makes his brain tick and his heart beat.

Ever since he walked into the tattoo parlor that day, strolling in with his hands on his pockets and witty comeback on the tip of his tongue, you haven’t been able to stop thinking about him. About how his art is etched onto your skin eternally. About how he does everything with purpose.

Meeting him was no accident.

Is it possible that you were always meant to know each other?

After a month, you return to the parlor, half in search of another design to add to the collection and half hoping that maybe your luck will change and you’ll be able to see him again. And if not, at least there’s always Jungkook to keep you company.

You drop by the bakery and pick up a very optimistic three scones, just on the off chance that Taehyung may be there when you arrive. Besides, you can’t imagine Jungkook complaining about free food, let alone extra of it.

But when you arrive, you’re shocked to see that Jungkook is busy working on someone.

“Taehyung?” You ask, his name the first word to come out of your mouth when you enter. He’s sitting at the same stained white vanity sleeve rolled up as Jungkook presses the needle against his skin. He’s wincing, in that way that people who are getting their first tattoo do, not necessarily from pain but simply from the feeling.

Jungkook pulls the needle away from Taehyung’s arm before the two of them both turn to look at you, equally as shocked by your presence.

“Y/N,” Taehyung says back, almost as if your very existence has taken his breath away.

“You weren’t supposed to come for another hour or so,” Jungkook says, checking the clock on the wall.

“Are you complaining to the person who brings you free baked goods?” You ask, making Jungkook shake his head in a guilty no. You saunter over to the table to pull out the scones, giddy about having rightly purchased a third, when you notice the design slowly being imprinted onto Taehyung’s skin.

It’s the same one you have.

“Hey, what’s this?” You ask, not necessarily looking for an actual response so much as wondering aloud. Taehyung’s getting it in the same place as yours, the upper arm, a single drawing of ink on bare, untouched skin. It must mean something rather special to be his first. “Is that—?”

“Don’t be mad at me for copying you,” Taehyung says sheepishly. “The more I thought about it the more I liked it.”

“I’m not mad at you,” you tell him.

“I don’t know,” Taehyung says with a sigh as Jungkook motions towards the needle, a silent question to see if Taehyung’s still alright with him continuing. Taehyung nods, letting only his eyes drift upwards to yours as Jungkook goes back in. “I mean, I guess it’s kind of impulsive, isn’t it? Getting a tattoo after seeing what it looked like on someone else. But when we were talking about it, I just thought about how detailed it really was. How it said so much despite being so little.”

“That’s what I thought about it, too,” you say with a grin. “It’s special. I mean, every tattoo is special, but this one is because it can mean whatever you want it to mean. Whether it’s the sun or the moon, rising or setting. And the beauty of it is that you can change your mind about it, too.”

If one day, you would rather the moon watch over you, keep the waves calm on a quiet night, where your thoughts are loud and heavy, then it will. But if, the next day, you want some light to shine down upon the field of daisies and wildflowers in your heart, then the sun will come out. No matter which it is, it will stand guard over you, protect you from what the rest of the world will try to throw at you.

“What do you think it is, Jungkook?” Taehyung asks, making Jungkook stop.

Jungkook looks down at the drawing, at what he is pressing into Taehyung’s skin, and he says, “I think it’s the rising sun. Telling all of us to look forward to a brand new day.”

You smile. “And what do you think it is, Taehyung?”

Taehyung doesn’t skip a beat. “I think it can be all four all at once—the sun rising, the sun setting, the moon rising, the moon setting. It just depends on what you want it to be.”

“You know,” you say with a grin. “We’re going to have matching tattoos now.”

“Oh, are we?” Taehyung asks cheekily, even though nothing he ever does is accidental. Not the sketch, not the tattoo, and certainly not its placement.

“We are,” you say, pulling up your sleeve for good measure. “They could be buddies. Hang out and take pictures together.”

“What about us?” Taehyung asks. “Can we hang out and take pictures together too?”

“Are you asking me out on a date?” You pose, even though you already know the answer.

“That depends,” Taehyung quips back. “Are you saying yes to one?”

“I think I am,” you say, pleased smiles lacing their way across your faces. Taehyung is beaming, the discomfort of a needle barely even registering, as he grins at you, charming and brilliant and bright. “And I look forward to it.”

“Me too.” Taehyung nods.

“I’m here to hopefully get another tattoo,” you tell him, raising your eyebrows. “If you want, you can stick around and maybe we can get tattoos together.”

“Isn’t that a bit impulsive?” Taehyung smirks.

“Aren’t you?”

And you think that, even though the universe kept you apart for so long—separated by minutes, perhaps even seconds—it sort of always knows what it’s doing. You were never not going to meet. It was just a matter of when.

And the sun and moon will never not protect you. It is just a matter of which.

↳ links are broken, but don’t forget to message me with any thoughts or feedback!

#taehyung fluff #taehyung angst #bts fluff #bts angst #bts scenario #v fluff #v angst #v scenario #taehyung scenario #bts imagine #taehyung imagine #v imagine #bts au #taehyung au #w: tattoos together

645 notes · View notes

hanniiesuckle17 · 4 years ago

Text

Pros and Cons

A/n: im sorry it took so long for me to do this bb! This is for @poeticallyspaghetti you've done so much for me lately. you were there for me when no one else was. I love you and I hope you like this! I also can’t wait for our collab together

Look out for Checkmate on both of our accounts!

(not thoroughly edited)

Member: Bangchan ft. 3RACHA, Jae & Dowoon of Day6

Word Count: 20.2k

Warnings: POV switching, censored cursing, mentions of theft, slight violence, mentions of the mob, sensual themes?

Summary: Y/n L/n has lived her whole life locked up in a fancy penthouse. Chan has spent his whole life living one adventure from the next. When fate brings them together by accident Chan takes on the task of whisking her away from her seemingly perfect life, but little do the both of them know bigger problems arise forcing them on the run.

Genre: Con-artist au!, romance, scammer!au, Non-idol!au, comedy, a little bit of angst?

♛

Y/n’s POV

The sound of violins floated across the grand foyer of my parents' penthouse. Well...my penthouse. Really, the presidential suite of the nicest hotel in Seoul. The older I got the more the luxurious mansion in the sky seemed like a prison instead of a palace. Once again my mother was throwing one of her high society parties. The parties were one of the few chances I got to actually interact with the outside world. My parents were convinced that I was some delicate flower that needed protection and isolation.

The closest I got to the outside world was the balcony in my room.

A man over half my age was talking to me about the stocks my father held in one of the many corporate companies in Seoul. “So, it would mean a great deal to our organization if you could pass the word along to your father.” I nodded and downed the rest of my champagne. Now would have been a great time for friends to come in handy. But, there was no one but myself to save me from this dreadfully boring situation.

“Excuse me, sir,”

The man nodded graciously and let me walk away, my heels clicking across the polished wood floors. A hand grabbed my elbow, yanking me in the opposite direction my feet were moving. “Y/n would you be a dear and go talk to the Minister of Education’s daughter.” My mother’s voice nagged in my ear. Her smile was basically permanently plastered on her painted face. “The two of you would be terrific friends. Also, your father needs more pull in the Cabinet.”

My eyebrow rose as I looked across the room to the Minister’s daughter. “Mother she is eight.”

“Yes and?”

“Can’t I have friends my own age?”

“Yes. When both your father and I are dead. We can’t have you hanging around boys and other bad influences. You could ruin your father’s reputation.” She then took my wrist and spun me around taking in every single inch and fiber of my being. “Darling, who dressed you? You look thoroughly underwhelming.” I rolled my eyes as she started unlatching the heavy and bling filled diamond necklace from her neck.

“Mom-”

“Don’t fuss. Photographers are here tonight.”

My chest instantly gained a little under a pound as the close to twenty-thousand dollar necklace was clasped onto my neck by my controlling mother. After it was safely secured on my neck, my mother pushed me in the direction of the little eight-year-old girl snacking on hour devours. “Hi, you’re Jisoo- right?”

I sighed and prepared to sit next to this tiny little girl for the rest of the evening.

♛

Bang Chan’s POV

Several shouts could be heard behind me as I raced down the hall of the hotel. I can’t believe some people live here permanently. My fingers hurriedly started unbuttoning the black button-down I used to pass off as a waiter. The staff's hall was practically empty as I walked through and tossed the button down onto a laundry cart. I shivered feeling the cold air on my arms.

My hands latched onto the black backpack I stashed behind a potted plant. I pulled out my flannel and threw it on over my tank top. “There he is!” A quick glance behind me showed three overly buff goons chasing after me. Maybe swiping that dude’s watch was not the best idea. But this was easily like $3,000. He didn’t need it given what I heard the waiter saying his meal cost. “You won’t get away with this!”

“Yeah, that’s what you think,” I whispered, shoving the watch in my pocket. Maybe I should stick to cons and leave the pickpocketing to Jisung. The one time I try and pickpocket I get caught. My pace quickly turned into a run and burst through the nearest door.

Smells of gourmet food flooded my senses as I weaved through the kitchen. “Where is he?” I pushed passed another waiter, shoving the backpack over my shoulder. Please tell me there is a back door somewhere. My eyes frantically searched for an escape.

“Ha! Score!”

An old dumbwaiter came into my sights. Most hotels had them but didn’t use the mechanisms anymore. I opened the door and climbed in slamming the up button before closing myself inside. It was close to one a.m so hopefully, the guest in whatever room I ended up in was asleep.

♛

Y/n’s POV

The party was wrapping up as I trudged down the hall. I had spent the past several hours talking about cartoons and other childlike things with Jisoo. The sound of mt parents talking with some final guests could be heard behind me. A random staff from the hotel walked passed me as my feet carried me down the hall. The hotel usually lent staff to help with our parties.

My tired body pushed the door to my room open to be greeted by the dark and looming space. Moonlight streamed through the patio door that led to my balcony. I kicked off the painful heels my mother forced me into and took out the tight pins and tie in my hair, walking over to the mirror. My hands shook out the tightness and threaded through my H/c strands.

A large thump had me turning to the far wall. My eyes searched the dark in panic. Blindly, my hands grabbed for an object behind me on my bureau. I looked to see a lamp in my grasp. Well, better than nothing.

“Hello.....who’s there?”

My eyes picked up on a dark shadow standing up from the floor. My heart pounded against my chest. the shadowy figure hulked on the other side of my room, clearly looking around. “The f***?”

“Who are you? Stay where you are.” The head turned at my words. I tried to steady my hands and voice; both were shaking. The figure inched closer and I raised the lamp over my head.

“Oh sh**!”

The figure made a break for the window and I tossed the lamp. The sound of it crashing against the wall filled the room. I grabbed a heavy candle on my dresser. My eyes searched the dark for his movement but the string of panicked curse words gave away the intruder.

“SUCK ON A EUCALYPTUS MINT CANDLE, YOU THIEF!!”

I heard a loud thud and the room was quiet. There was no movement. Inching forward I saw the body of a boy about my age slumped on the floor. The candle lay about a foot away from his head, the glass cracked. Cautiously, I nudged his shoulder with my foot. When he didn’t stir I started to panic.

“Oh crap. I killed a guy. Now, mom’s never gonna let me leave the penthouse.”

A knock on my door sent me jumping out of my skin. “Y/n? Y/n. Open this door. We heard a crash. Is everything okay? Y/n, open this door.” Smoothing down my hair, I rushed to the door and opened it enough to stick my face out. She studied my face and tried to look passed me. “Y/n, what the hell is going on? You should be going to sleep soon.”

“I’m fine, mom. I just tripped and knocked over a lamp.”

She rose a brow and folded her arms. “Really? It sounded like more than that.”

I kept my grip firm on the door, knowing she might try to push through. “Yeah. I’ll leave it for Soonyoung to clean up in the morning. I’m gonna shower and go to bed. Night Mother.” Before she could say anything else I slammed the door and locked it.

Okay. Dead body. In my room. What the heck do I do? Who do I call? I pulled out my phone and opened my contact list. Empty. Okay, so I’m on my own. I paced the floor, staring at the boys with shaggy brown hair. On instinct, I lightly kicked his stomach and he let out a groan.

Okay, not dead. Good. Not dead. Bad for me. I dragged the chair from my vanity to the middle of the room and grabbed some pantyhose and scarves from my closet. It took all of my might to lift up the heavy boy into the chair. “Good grief. How much does this guy weigh?”

With a final grunt, I threw him into the chair and started tying him up with the sheer tights. When I was finished I stuffed a scarf in his mouth and looked at my work. “Who is the fragile one now, huh Dad?” I said, hands on my hips. Another soft groan had me jumping across the room and grabbing the heaviest book near me.

There was no way I could just leave him here. There was also no way I was sleeping in this room tonight. So instead I grabbed a fluffy bean bag and dragged it in front of the chair. I was going to sit and watch this dummy intruder all night. Or....until he woke up.

♛

The sound of a muffled grunt sent me shooting out of the chair. I had fallen asleep while watching the thief. I readied my weapon: The Complete and Full Works of William Shakespeare. I had hurt many a toe dropping this thing.

The boy was looking around wildly before his dark eyes focused on me. “Who are you?” I asked, the heavy book ready to swing. He sighed and nodded his head before I realized what he was referring to. “Oh...sorry.” He sighed when I took the scarf out of his mouth and stretched his neck.

“I’m Chris.” He replied in English. “Do you speak English?” He asked adjusting in his bonds. I scoffed and kept my Shakespeare weapon at the ready.

“Yes, I do. But, you speak Korean. I heard you last night. Don’t play with me.”

He sighed and hung his head. When he looked up I saw his stare flash to my neck. His eyes turned to saucers before coming back to my face. “Alright, alright. What do you want to know?” The boy, Chris, answered back in Korean. Slowly, I lowered the book and sat down on the bean bag.

“How did you get into my room?”

“I climbed in the dumbwaiter and got off on a random floor.”

“Why were you in the dumbwaiter?”

Chris looked around my room before turning back to me. “Would you believe me if I told you I had a crazy ex-girlfriend. I’m sure you’ve got a crazy ex or two. I’d do anything to get away from her.” He shrugged his shoulders and plastered on a smile. The kind I had seen all the boys wear in movies. The kind that made your knees go weak.

“Really? An ex?”

“Yeah.” I watched him gulp and look down at my necklace.

“Is there something wrong?” He shook his head and looked away, squinting.

“No. It’s just the sun is bouncing off the rocks on your neck. You trying to blind me or something?” I glanced down at the necklace my mom gave me last night. Then I turned to find the sun rising up above the Seoul skyline.

“Yeah well....deal with it. You broke into my room.”

“By accident! Look, I’ll be happily on my way if you would let me go. What is this- underwear?” He said struggling against his DIY restraints.

“Pantyhose.”

My parents would be up soon. My father would be going into the office and my mother would be attending numerous social events to further my father’s reach in the political parties. Or shopping it was a 50/50. “What are you? Sixty?” I scoffed and shoved the scarf back in his mouth. “MMmrrpphphh.”

“Yeah, no wisecracks now, huh?”

“NRRgghhrrgggg!”

“You gonna behave, pretty boy?”

“.....Mmpph.”

Smirking I grabbed the scarf from his mouth and tossed it onto the bean bag. Chris shot me an annoyed glare. “So, let’s say I believe this whole ex-girlfriend thing. There’s no way I can sneak you passed my parents. Even if they both left early the staff is coming up to clean. We had a sort of gala in honor of my father last night.” I started pacing the floor, the sunrise leaking into my room.

“Oh, a ‘sort of gala’. Unlike a full f***ing gala. Those are for royalty.” Chris mocked in a British accent.

“Shut up.”

He watched me pace the room and nervously tug at my messy hair. He sighed and hung his head, his chest resting against the tight make-shift bonds. “Look. As long as your parents leave, I’m sure I can make something up with the staff. Then we can go our separate ways and you can go back to shopping in Gangnam or whatever it is girls like you do.”

“I’ve never really been out of the penthouse...so I wouldn’t know what girls like me do.” He blinked at my response.

“You’ve never left? That’s insane.”

“You haven’t met my parents.”

“I don’t think I want to.” I saw his eyes flick back to the necklace and an idea popped in my head. My fingers dragged across the diamonds and I tried not to break a smile when his eyes widened ever so slightly.

“You like this don’t you?”

“I mean,” He shrugged, pursing his lips and looking out the huge door that led to my balcony. “It’s not bad. I’ve seen better.” I smirked and gently played with the necklace causing him to glance between me and the window.

“Oh...I would agree. $20,000 is basically trash. Chump change really. They could have ripped me off for fake diamonds.” Chris’s eyes bugged out of his head.

“$20,000?!”

I rushed to cover his mouth, looking to the door. “Shhh! My mother is a light sleeper.” After waiting a few moments I brought my hand away from his mouth. His eyes couldn’t help but bulge out at the payday sitting inches away from him around my neck. And I knew it.

My fingers undid the clasp behind my neck and I dangled the necklace in front of his face. It was like dangling a carrot in front of a mule. The diamonds swung back and forth slightly, his eyes tracking every move.

“You want it?”

All he did was gulp and look back up at me. He let out a heavy breath when I backed away still holding up the necklace. “What’s the catch?” He asked, still eyeing the diamonds.

“Take me with you. Get me out of here.”

“Won’t your parents notice your gone.”

“My mother will miss these diamonds before she’ll miss me. And she won’t even notice they’re gone until tomorrow. She’s got tons of these.”

Chris seemed to be thinking about the deal. I was finally getting my hopes up. I could maybe start a new life. Earn my own way. Have friends. Have freedom. “Okay, are we talking like get you out for the day...or...’get you out’?”

“I can’t stand being here anymore. Get me out. I can always come back if I want to.”

Chan’s eyes followed the bling as I swung it back and forth. “Deal. Untie me.” I dropped the necklace on my dresser and untied Chris from the chair. I saw him make a break for the dresser, but I beat him there, grabbing the necklace. “Hey! Deal is a deal!”

“You haven’t gotten me out of here yet. You aren’t getting this necklace until you completely finish the job. If you know what I mean. And I think you do.” Chan sighed and crossed his arms.

“So you didn’t believe the girlfriend story?”

“Not for one second.”

“Da**.”

“Sorry, pretty boy.”

He backed away from me and shrugged. “Okay, princess. Change out of that freakshow dress and get ready to leave. I’m gonna show you what the world really looks like.” A huge grin overtook my face.

♛

A few hours later I slipped out of my room and stuffed a backpack behind a plant near the door. First I had to sneak Chris passed the staff, then I was one step closer to freedom. Quietly, I snuck back into the room where Chris was lounging on my bed.

“I still don’t know why you want to leave. This thing is the softest blanket I’ve ever felt.”

I scoffed and started grabbing a pair of jeans from my dresser. “Yeah. I would trade freedom for those blankets and everything else in a heartbeat.” Chris sighed and started rummaging through my drawers. Probably looking for more stuff to steal or at least clues about my personality.

“Is it really that bad?” I nodded and grabbed my favorite shirt and a jacket from my closet. After closing the bathroom door I started to change. “They don’t let you have any friends?”Chris called through the door.

“I mean, Dowoon and Jae. But, they work for my father. Jae has always been...nice to me. But, my father hardly ever leaves them alone with me.”

A smile twitched on my lips thinking about Jae. He had been working for my father as a PA for almost five years. I had always had a big crush on him, but I could never know if he liked me back. He was always a stickler for my dad’s rules.

“You ready?” Chris asked as I exited the bathroom fully changed. With a nod, the two of us headed towards my bedroom door. Cracking it open I verified that the hallway was clear. “Okay let’s blow this popsicle stand,” Chris said as I motioned for him to follow.

The staff seemed to be minding their own business in other rooms of the penthouse. Chris carefully followed me into the living room, quietly marveling at the crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. My ears picked up on the front door opening. “Get down!” I whispered.

“Where am I supposed to hide? Everything is out in the open?”

“I don’t know just get down!”

Finally, I shoved him behind a white couch and sat on the arm just as a pair of leather shoes rounded the corner. A nervous smile graced my lips seeing who it was. “Y/n? What are you doing out here?” Jae asked. He looked insanely good standing in the pressed black Italian suit. It hugged his lean figure in all the right ways.

“Uhhhh, Jae? I..uuh-..wanted some air?” I said the first thing that came to mind, instantly regretting it. I heard a groan come from Chris so I carefully kicked my leg behind me to keep him quiet.

“Miss, you have a balcony...”

“Yeah well, the air in here is better than in my room?” Come on Jae, just buy it.

“Miss, the hallway air is exactly the same as the purified ultraviolet filtered air in your suite. Is the filter broken? Should I check on it?”

He started advancing towards me but I pressed my hands against his chest stopping him from moving past the couch. My eye darted over to Chan who was quietly watching the whole scene from his hiding spot. “Uh..no! Umm....I just...heard you come in and....wanted to see you...”

My voice trailed off at the last part and I looked up to see a light dust on Jae’s cheeks. “You wanted to see...me?” Jae’s voice was soft and he chuckled before looking around the room. I saw a thought flash through his mind before he backed away running a hand through his blonde hair. “Well- uh...your father forgot some papers for a deal with China and asked me to come get them.”

I nodded and shoved my hands in my pockets. This was usually how most encounters with Jae went. Hopefully, he didn’t suspect anything. “Oh...okay. Do you know if he’s gonna be home for dinner.”

Jae shrugged and gave me a smile that screamed pity. “Sorry, I don’t know.” Jae turned around and headed for my father’s office. A few minutes later he came back out a file in hand as well as a briefcase. Jae gave me another smile sending heat to my cheeks and butterflies to my stomach as he existed the penthouse.

The second the front door closed, Chris shot up from his hiding place. “So....you like that guy or something?” He said dusting himself off. I shrugged and stood back up. A hand to my cheek told me my skin was still hot.

“Oh...that was just Jae. I told you about him earlier.”

“Jae......?”

“Yes, Jae.” I couldn’t help the smile on my face when I said his name. Chris scoffed behind me as I grabbed the backpack I stashed. I glanced back as the two of us walked out the front door and into the hall. “What’s with the attitude?”

“Nothing. It’s just I thought you would have better taste.”

“What?”

“Please. He’s just some pretty boy with skinny chicken legs in a nice suit,” Chris took the lead, as we approached the elevator. He pressed the button for the basement and turned back to me with a smirk. “No muscle on him at all.”

“Okay, pretty boy. Whatever you say.” Before Chris could make a retort the elevator doors opened and we entered, leaving him fuming. We rode the first two floors in silence. Then Chris opened his mouth.

“You know your little boyfriend was packin’ right?” My eyes went wide and I felt another blush rise to my cheeks. I tried to keep my stare forward. Chris chuckled at my expression.

“He’s not my.....-what do you mean- HOW WOULD YOU KNOW, YOU PERVERT?”

Chan smirked and rolled his eyes. “No. I mean, your little chicken boy- he had a gun on him. I don’t know any personal assistant who carries that’s all.” Jae had a gun? He was with my father twenty-four seven. Maybe Dad wanted extra protection?

“So, why are we going to the basement?” I asked changing the subject.

Chris handed me a black cap from his bag. “We can’t just go out the lobby doors. Your a chaebol’s daughter. We’re gonna go out the loading dock. I’ve got some friends Itaewon that can maybe help you out.” Nodding, I put the hat on and sighed when I had to tighten it. Before the door opened Chris shoved the brim down over my face and threw an arm over my shoulder. “Pretend to talk about something that pissed you off.”

The doors opened and a couple of busboys stood in front of us. They looked the both of us up and down and then up to me when I started to speak to Chris. “So, this random girl jumps in front of me and steals my cab. Like who the hell does that? I was already late for work and I literally heard her tell the guy to take her uptown. No one works uptown!” Chris smirked and pulled me closer as we walked past the busboys.

“That sucks, babe.”

“I know! I was fired for being late. That freaking hag in 705 reported me for being late to clean!” Chris glanced back and then dropped his arm from my shoulder. “Good job, princess. Let’s bounce. The train for Itaewon leaves in fifteen minutes.”

“Isn’t Itaewon....”

“Yeah. Don’t worry you’ll love it. Jisung does anyway.”

♛

Bang Chan’s POV

Y/n sat next to me, backpack in her lap. The boys were probably chilling at my place waiting for me so I knew where I could find them. The train doors opened and I motioned for Y/n to get off. She followed me out into the streets of Itaewon. A couple girls at the station called out to me and even to Y/n. She smiled at them, but I pulled her to my side.

“Don’t talk to them.”

“What, why? I was just being nice.”

“Just keep walking and stay close to me. You’re practically a walking dollar sign.” She shrugged and walked closer to me. No way was I gonna let someone else scam my prize. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Y/n pull out her phone. She called out when I grabbed it.

“Hey, give that back!”

“We’ve gotta scrap it. Parents like yours are bound to have put a tracker on this.” She quieted and let me search through her phone. Sure enough, a quick search through it showed a program embedded into the software. It would take way too long to remove it. My eyes scanned the street we were on and landed on a pair of girls on the street corner.

Y/n followed me as I walked towards them. “Hey!” Their heads turned and they stood up a little straighter. Their painted lips turned upwards into a smile. “You girls work for Yeji?” One girl nodded and crossed her arms. “Tell her I said hi. Also, here take this. Give it to one of her rookies.”

“And who should I say sent the message,” the girl with pink hair inquired, twirling a strand around her finger. The other pocketed the phone.

“Tell her Bangchan sent it.” The girl nodded and motioned the girl in the opposite direction. “Okay, princess let’s go.” Taking her arm I led her towards the burrows of Itaewon.

“Who were those girls?” Y/n asked. I ran a hand through my hair as we walked through the streets. I was hoping Y/n didn’t look too out of place. Hopefully, Changbin would have some clothes that might fit her. He was small enough.

“Well let’s just say Yeji provides girls to people seeking private entertainment.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. That’ll be fun for your mom to find.” I heard Y/n laugh behind me. “You think that’s funny?” I asked confused. She shrugged and looked around her. She seemed fascinated by everything around her. It was almost endearing.

“I think anyone would think that’s funny.”

“Jisung is gonna looooove you.”

A few blocks later we stood in front of a two-story brick building with trees that hid most of the house, and what wasn’t hidden was fenced in by a wall. “You’re a pretty private person, aren’t you.”

“Yeah. Congratulations you are officially the fourth person to know this location.”

I opened the gate door and closed it behind us before walking up to my front door. My fingers quickly entered the key code and the security system beeped letting me know the door unlocked. “DADDY’S HOOOMMMEEE!” Someone screamed inside.

“Who the heck is that?”

“That’s Jisung. Try not to touch him. He may or may not have fleas.”

She chuckled and walked through the door. Jisung lounged across my couch and raised his arms when he saw me. “Chan! Channie! What’s up, dude? Where have you been?” I threw my backpack on the couch and motioned to Y/n behind me.

“Got a little held up.” Jisung’s eyes went wide as Y/n rounded the corner. He stood up and brushed off what seemed to be Cheeto dust from his jeans.

“Hyung, who’s the chick with the great ass?”

Jisung started walking towards her but I grabbed the back of his collar pulling him back in front of me. “She’s a payday.” His eyes widened and that mischievous grin lit up his eyes.

“SHE’S GOT CAKE AND CASH!”

“Shhhhh!”

“My type of woman.”

I rolled my eyes as Jisung continued to ogle Y/n’s backside as she looked around. “Where’s Bin?” Jisung shrugged, his focus still on Y/n. “Hey! Can you not? Look she’s got a huge payday and I might split it with you.” That perked his attention.

“50/50?”

“Try 90/10.”

“60/40?”

“80/20.”

“85/15!”

I paused. “Yeah sure. I’ll split it 85/15. You drive a hard bargain.” Jisung laughed and shook my hand. His blonde hair bounced as he went over to Y/n. I climbed the stairs in search of Changbin. “Yo, Bin! You up here? I’ve got a favor I need.”

Changbin was indeed upstairs. He was hidden behind multiple computers, typing away at lightspeed. The office door was open allowing me to see him. At my voice, he peeked out from behind the monitors and then returned behind his technological shields. “Chan I’ve done enough favors for you. Remember Gangnam?”

“Yes. I do. And that was very generous of you to help.

“No ‘ands’. No more favors.”

“1,000 bucks?”

“Sold. What am I doing?”

I laughed and sat at the edge of the desk. “YO, JISUNG! GET UP HERE!” Changbin shook his head and continued working on his previous project while Jisung took his sweet time climbing the stairs.”Can you find someone just off a first name?” I asked Bin, as Jisung walked in.

“I can find someone off the first letter of a nickname.”

“Search for ‘Y/n’.” I turned to Jisung. “So, what did she tell you?” He shrugged and picked up a random half made device on the desk.

“Put it back,” Changbin said without looking away from the screen.

“Not much. She just told me you were helping her get away from her parents.” Jisung drummed his fingers on his thigh. The boy had enough energy to power half of Seoul. “So how big are we talking about?” Jisung questioned, his tongue swiping over his bottom lip.

“Found her,” Changbin said, leaning back in his chair. “This better not be your favor.”

“Already?”

“Her name popped up in a google search along with a picture.” Jisung and I both moved to peer over Changbin’s shoulder. He was right. The screen showed a picture of Y/n in a very nice dress standing next to a very powerful looking man. A man I recognized. My eyes widened as I saw her full name listed under the photo. Y/n L/n.

“Oh, f***...”

“What? She's loaded.” Jisung said next to me. He took the mouse and clicked on images. He scrolled through all the photos of her at high society parties. “Da**. She is one hot chick.”

“No, idiot. Look at her dad.” Turning I saw Jisung’s face pale.

“Dude, we are so f***ing dead.”

♛

*Later That Same Night*

Jae’s POV

I stood hands clasped in front of me as I stood off to the side in the L/n dining room. Dowoon stood next to me. We listened to the soft clink of silverware against china as Mr. L/n and Mrs. L/n ate their dinner. “Have you seen Y/n today, honey?” Mr. L/n asked his wife.

She shrugged and continued to daintily eat her food. If I knew anything about her she would be throwing it back up within the next two hours. She was obsessed with image. It made me sick how she always had to control everything. Even Y/n.

“No. I haven’t. I was out all day. She’s probably still sulking in her room like always.” I tried to hide the frown on my face, but Mr. L/n saw it.

“Jae. Have you seen my daughter?”

I cleared my throat and glanced at Dowoon. “Yes sir. I saw Y/n-Miss Y/n earlier this morning. She seemed a little off-put.” Mr. L/n sighed and rubbed his temples.

“Dowoon, please go check on my daughter. I’d like to speak to her.”

Dowoon nodded and bowed to both the lady and the boss. Without a word he left the dining room and headed down the hall to Y/n’s room. I drummed my fingers against my hand. I hoped Y/n was feeling better. She was acting a little weird this morning. I blushed thinking about what she said to me.

Feeling a tap on my shoulder I turned to see a nervous Dowoon. He leaned in to whisper to me. “Uh, hyung...she didn’t answer the door. I knocked like four times. What do I do?”

“She must still be upset or something. I’ll check on her.”

Dowoon nodded and went back to his place watching over Mr. and Mrs. L/n. I walked across the penthouse to Y/n’s room and sighed when I saw the lights off from under the door. Gently, I wrapped my knuckles on the door and waited to hear her voice. When I didn’t, I called out for her.

“Y/n?”

No response.

“Hey, Y/n? It’s Jae. You wanna talk?”

Nothing. Again I knocked.

“Y/n? You okay, beautiful?”

There was no response. Something was wrong. “Hey, Y/n, I’m coming in.” My hand found the doorknob and turned. I was surprised to find it unlocked. My eyes quickly adjusted to the low light in the room.

“Oh sh**.”

The room was empty. She was gone. “Y/n? Please tell me your hiding somewhere, beautiful.” I started searching the room. Under the bed. In the closet (Some of her clothes were missing, but the staff did laundry today). In the bathroom. On the balcony. Then I saw it. The dumbwaiter. It was open. My heart started racing, panic starting to set in.

“Jae is everything okay-”

I turned to find Dowoon standing slack-jawed in the doorway. “She’s gone.” I rubbed the back of my neck. Mr. L/n was gonna kill me. Literally. It wasn’t official, but not only was I in charge of his safety and affairs but also Y/n’s. I can’t believe I didn’t check on her when we got back to the penthouse. This was all my fault.

“What’s that?” Dowoon pointed to the center of the room. I walked over and picked up a cheap pair of headphones from the floor. These weren’t Y/n’s. “Those aren’t hers, right? We’ve gotta tell the boss.”

I nodded, pocketing the headphones and leading my partner back into the dining room. Nervously, I walked up to Mr. L/n and whispered in his ear. “Sir.....we...can’t find her. She’s missing.” I winced, waiting for the storm.

His face reddened and he slammed down his silverware and stood up abruptly, startling the whole room. “Jae. Dowoon. My office. NOW!” Mr. L/n stormed into his study, not waiting for us to follow, which we did. Quickly.

I closed the door after us, knowing exactly what was to be discussed. As I turned around a large hand flew across my cheek, causing me to stumble into a bookcase. I touched my cheek, feeling blood. Mr. L/n adjusted his cuffs, a furious expression on his face. His ring had sliced my cheek.

He came back with a second blow. Dowoon watched, hiding his fear. I would rather take it than him. “MY DAUGHTER WAS IN YOUR SAFETY.” He screamed, backing away from me. Mr. L/n started pacing, his hand twitching with agitation. “SHE MIGHT HAVE BEEN TAKEN BY ANOTHER KINGPIN!”

Dowoon and I flinched at his words. “We apologize, sir.” We both bowed low.

“Jae,” I looked up, hesitantly. “While I am furious...I trust you more than anyone else in the syndicate. If you can find her and bring her back unharmed...I will give her to you. It was in discussion already.” My eyes went wide. I knew there were plans to marry off Y/n. Mr. L/n wanted for her to marry within the syndicate so she could be protected.

“Sir, you mean-”

“Only...if you bring her back to me. I’m hoping your infatuation with my daughter drives you even more to find her. And you WILL find her.”

“Yes sir.” The blood slowly trickled down my cheek. I fought the urge to wipe it away. His eyes bore into me. Mr. L/n was one of the most dangerous men in Seoul and he loved his daughter very much. He had many enemies that wished to harm him and his family, so this job might have been near impossible. But, it was Y/n.

“I will find her.”

♛

Y/n’s POV

Jisung raced out of the room closest to the stairs and leaned over the balcony.

“YOUR DAD IS A F***ING MOB BOSS?!?!?!”

“My dad is a what?” I asked as I watched the wide-eyed blonde boy on the staircase. Chris followed him out and started pushing him down the stairs. Another boy with dark hair, much shorter than the other two, appeared on the landing. He was seemingly unfazed by this shocking news. “What do you mean my dad is a mob boss? He’s a cabinet secretary. He works for the president.”

“I hate to break it to you princess, but that’s not all he does,” Chris said sitting down on the plush sofa in his living room. Jisung stood near me, a tentative and slightly wandering hand on my waist. I slapped it away making the silent boy chuckle. “Your dad runs one of the largest and most dangerous mob syndicates in Seoul.”

“And he doesn’t like Chan too much either.” The silent one said while scrolling through his phone.

“Changbin, shut up will you?” Chris said throwing a pillow at him.

“I’m sorry, who is Chan?”

The other two boys looked at Chris. Jisung backed away from me and rubbed the back of his neck. Chris hung his head low and half-heartedly rose his hand. “That would be me.” I was very confused.

“But you told me your name was Chris?”

“Yeah, that’s one of the many names I go by.” I looked to Jisung who just shrugged and gave me a nervous smile. Tension hung in the air. “I’m what some people call a hustler.”

“He’s a con artist. Quit beating around the bush.” The shorter boy, Changbin said.

Chris, or Chan, sighed. “Your dad hired me to scam a couple candidates into giving me their campaign plans. It worked. Piece of cake. But, your dad refused to pay me the agreed amount,”

“Yeah...he can be a little cheap,” I said rubbing my arm and sitting down across from him. Jisung followed like a loyal puppy, listening intently with me, even though he had probably heard this story many times before.

“Anyway, I made the not so great decision and I sort of...swindled $10k from him.”

“That’s nothing to him-”

“And a Porsche.”

“Oh......” My dad was really serious about his cars. I did remember him telling me about someone stealing one of his sports cars about two years ago. “That was you? Jae told me someone swiped it while it was in the shop.”

Chris laughed and Changbin high fived him without looking up from his phone. “Here’s the thing,” Changbin said still laser focused on his screen. “With your dad being who he is, it will be harder to get you under the radar. Your dad has eyes and ears everywhere. I’ve got to completely erase you from the system.”

I felt a touch on my shoulder and I turned to see Jisung pulling away from me. “Were you smelling my hair?” I asked crossing my arms.

“......No...”

“Jisung can you not be a thirteen year old for a second?” Chris said rolling his eyes. Jisung scoffed and spread out on the couch, purposefully pushing his thigh against mine. He yelped when I slapped it away. “So, Changbin, how long before we can set her up with her new life?”

The boy sighed when Chan pulled away his phone, trying to see for himself what the boy was working on. “I should be able to get off the grid within the next 32 hours. Getting her new ids shouldn’t be a problem. Jisung can swipe me some templates from that guy...what’s his name?”

“Minho?”

“Yeah, him.”

“Minho is not gonna like me ‘borrowing’ his things again,” Jisung awkwardly shifted on the couch next to me. “Last time I barely made it out with my head. He threw a f***ing toaster at me.” I had to stifle my laughter with my hand.

“Y/n, you can stay here until we get you new ids. I’ve got a house in Jeju we can set you up in after that.” Chan said pushing himself off the sofa. I watched him walk around the back of the couch before he turned back to me again. “Jisung, sleep on the couch tonight. Y/n, you’ll sleep in his room.”

“What! That’s not fair! She should sleep in your room. You’re the one who brought her here!” Jisung stood up from the couch to continue whining but Chan stopped him.

“Who’s the one who accidentally burst all the pipes in their apartment with a boomerang?”

Jisung shuffled back and forth on his heels. “....Me..”

“And who’s the one who has been letting you stay here for the past six months rent-free?” The blonde boy quieted and looked at the ceiling. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” While the conversation seemed light hearted, I knew Chris meant business.

Changbin grabbed back his phone. “You all should sleep. Chan you’ve got that deal tomorrow and Jisung you’ll have to give Toaster Man a visit.” Jisung groaned, stuffing his face in a couch pillow. “I’ll stick around and start working on her stuff.”

Soon everyone dispersed. Jisung showed me to his room like a gentleman. Unfortunately, I had to physically push him out like a four year old. I put my backpack at the foot of the bed. I slipped under the covers and tucked my hand under the pillow only to be met with a couple crumpled up candy wrappers. I laughed and tossed them into the trash can before returning to the bed. Soon, I fell into a deep sleep.

♛

Jae’s POV

Eighteen hours had passed already. It took me eighteen hours to remember that her mother put a tracker in her d*** phone. Dowoon sat in the passenger seat of my car, a computer in his lap.

“Turn left up here.”

“What the hell is she doing in Itaewon?”

“They have good fishcakes.” Turning I saw Dowoon’s innocent smile. It fell when he saw my serious expression. We drove in silence for the next few seconds. “Dang it. Now I want fishcakes.”

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. I hadn’t slept since yesterday morning. In the rearview mirror, I could see the beginnings of dark circles forming under my eyes. I wouldn’t rest until I found Y/n.

“Okay, the tracker says she’s in that building over there.” I sighed and pulled the car over onto the side of the street. Dowoon and I got out and I squinted in the afternoon sun. The building ahead of us was unmarked but several women, wearing revealing clothes stood out front talking amongst each other.

“Hey, cutie,” A girl with long red claws said, gently grabbing Dowoon’s arm as we walked past. “You got time to talk?” She twirled a strand of hair around her finger while looking at him with big doe eyes.

“Actually I-”

“Sorry, we’re working,” I said dragging him away and through the door.

“What’s wrong? She was being nice? We could have asked her about Y/n.”

“She was gonna give you more than that.” My eyes scanned the large room we entered. Dowoon stood next to me trying to decipher what I just said. Several girls, scantily clad, milled about. Some had men on their arm.

“I don’t get it. What else was she gonna give us?” Dowoon asked confused. I sighed and pressed forward. A girl with blonde hair walked up to me, pressing her hands against my chest.

“Looking for some fun, hot stuff?” I opened my jacket and the girl backed away seeing the gun I had stashed there. “Sh**, a simple ‘no’ would suffice.” The girl walked away and I checked my phone. The tracking program said Y/n was upstairs.

“What is Y/n doing in a place like this?” The thought sickened me. I knew for a fact she wouldn’t be here voluntarily.

“I don’t know but these all seem like nice girls. Maybe a little cold not wearing a sweater in here. But, they seem friendly.” Dowoon was a great shot. He could shoot an apple off someone's head from an entire building away, but somehow be completely innocent in the weirdest ways.

I checked my phone seeing that the tracker led behind a closed door at the end of the hall. I pulled out my gun and motioned for Dowoon to follow me. Pressing my ear against the door, I listened for voices in the room. I picked up the muffled sound of a female voice that sort of resembled Y/n. Nodding to Dowoon we burst through the door, guns aimed.

The girl screamed and rolled off the bed, scrambling to find a sheet or a shirt. “Oh My- Dowoon, cover your eyes.” I blindly grasped his face trying to hide his view. I looked away giving the half naked girl who was not in fact Y/n some privacy.

“What the f*** is going on here?” The man the girl was with asked.

“Sir, I need to talk to this woman. Please get out before I decide to make you.” The man’s eyes widened and he quickly ran out of the room. My eyes landed on a phone on the bedside table. I picked it up and saw the case was Y/n’s.

“Hey! That’s mine!”

I looked up to see a girl with pale pink hair. She had managed to slip on her shirt and now stood furious on the other side of the bed. “This?” I asked holding up the phone, gun still trained on her. “No, this- this is not yours.” Her body obviously tensed up under the barrel of a gun. “What’s your name?”

“Jae, can I look now or?”

I turned to see Dowoon still with his eyes closed pointing his gun in the opposite direction. I pointed his gun in the correct direction and elbowed him. His eyes opened and he let out a nervous chuckle before he focused on the girl.

“My name is Irene. Look, that’s my phone. It's used though. I don’t know anything about the previous owner.” I lowered the gun and put it back in its place.

“Who gave it to you? When?”

“Yesterday. Some guy came up to me and a co-worker. Said he knew our boss, Yeji, and that the phone was a gift.” Dowoon lowered his gun and got out his phone. We would have to report back to the boss soon.

“What did he look like?”

“What are you cops or something?” Irene said sitting on the edge of the bed.

“No. We aren’t cops. But, we do have quite a few of the police on our payroll.” She visibly gulped, shifting uncomfortably under my stare. I was so close to finding Y/n, I could feel it. “Now tell me everything you remember about this guy.”

“I don’t know. He had brown hair. He looked like a foreigner, but he didn’t have an accent. I don’t remember his name. He was really cool looking, to be honest. Had that whole boy next door look, but you knew he was a bad guy. In a good way. Oh! He had a girl with him. I remember because she didn’t look like she was from around here and she was way out of his league.”

I listened carefully, a scowl forming on my face. Dowoon noticed my change in demeanor immediately. “You know who he is?” I nodded, turning towards the door. I was furious. Dowoon followed me out the door, eager to hear my answer.

“It’s Chan. Bang Chan. He’s got Y/n. And I’m gonna kill him.”

♛

Y/n’s POV

This morning I woke up early. I wanted to thank the boys for helping me finally leave that hell hole. Their kitchen was useless. Chan had practically nothing stocked and what little food there was Jisung devoured. So, instead in ordered them takeout..

Chan was set to come back around the time it got dark. Changbin was still holed up in the Pit, that’s what Jisung called his computer room. Jisung and I had taken over Chan’s living room, takeout, and soda bottles on the coffee table as we screamed at the drama playing on the huge TV.

“NO, YOU LOVE HER DON’T PUSH HER AWAY!” Jisung said as he grabbed onto my arm. Through tears, he reached for another slice of pizza.

“JISUNG WHY ARE WE WATCHING THIS? IT’S SO SAD!”

He shook his head next to me and wiped his tears. “Because your teenagedom was deprived of sleepovers. And I am dubbing myself your official best friend.” I cried harder not only because Jisung was my new best friend but because the lead actress was chasing her lover through the rain. Jisung and I clung onto each other and continued our rant at the screen.

“Um.....what pre-teen girl tornado blew up in my house?” Turning we saw Chan walking through the front door, a confused look on his face.

“DADDY’S HOME!”

“Jisung stop screaming in my ear!” I yelled as he jumped over the couch. I then took in Chris’s attire. He wore a white coat and he had a stethoscope draped around his neck. His dark brown hair was pushed back and parted, exposing his (as I was just noticing now) handsome features.

“Someone answer my question.”

“I was showing Y/n what it’s like to actually have fun with people her own age.”

“Since when were you or Y/n thirteen year old girls? What’s that I smell?” Jisung slowly moved his hands behind his back. “Holy sh**. Jisung you let her paint your nails?”

“What are you talking about? Jisung painted mine than practically forced me to do his.” Jisung’s eyes went wide and he turned around and made the shushing motion towards me. “What’s with the getup?” I asked Chris, changing the subject. “You look like a doctor.”

“Oh- it’s just uh....some business I had planned before this stuff happened.” I crossed my arms coming to stand next to my new BFF. Jisung glanced at me before crossing his arms like me and listing his head and pursing his lips.

“You know you can be honest and say you were working a con.”

“Fine, princess. I was working a con. Happy?” I shrugged and patted his shoulder.

Jisung chuckled and gave Chris a thumbs up before throwing an arm around my shoulder. “I think we should all call it a night. I’m starting a new life tomorrow after all!” With that, we left Chris standing in his fake doctor's coat in the living room.

“Are you guys gonna clean up?”

“Nope!”

♛

A crash sent me shooting up from the bed. “What the hell?” I drowsily asked myself. Another one sent my eyes flying open like saucers. The bed shook and I practically screamed. Jisung shot up from the bed, drool on his mouth and blonde hair sticking up in all directions.

“Jisung! What the hell? What are you doing in here?”

“The couch was lumpy. What’s going on?”

The third crash sent me rocketing out of bed. Suddenly the door burst open. I grabbed the closest thing which was the lamp on the bedside table. Chan burst through the door in sweatpants but lacking a shirt.

“Oh- Sh**! WHAT IS WITH YOU AND LAMPS?”

“WHAT IS WITH YOU AND NOT WEARING A SHIRT?”

“I’M SORRY IF I DIDN’T BOTHER TO PUT ON A SHIRT WHEN YOUR CHICKEN LEG BOYFRIEND IS ATTACKING MY HOUSE!”

“What? Jae is here?” I asked putting the lamp back The sound of gunshots confirmed Jae’s presence. “What is he shooting at?” I asked as I grabbed my shoes and started slipping them on.

“Wait, Jisung what are you doing here? You know what- nevermind. UH- Changbin. He’s throwing plates at your boyfriend and his monkey friend.” Chan started rummaging through the closet and throwing a bag and clothes at Jisung. “Get your stuff, princess. We’re about to make a getaway. Jisung meet us at the hideout in Gwanak. Get Bin out of here after we leave.”

“After? What about us?”

“You are gonna give us a head start,” Chan said pulling me out the door.

“SO I’M BAIT?”

“Chan, are you gonna leave like this?” I asked, shouldering my bag. A peek over the railing revealed several men in black suits brandishing guns. Except they were clearly thugs and not agents looking for aliens.

“I’ve got a getaway bag in the car.” He kept a strong grip on my hand and looked around him. He looked up and grabbed a metal pieced of artwork before adjusting our hands. “When I tell you to run, run. Got it? You run for the garage and don’t look back.” I nodded and he held the metal sheet in front of both of us.

Chan pulled me down the stairs. “Hey! There he is! He’s got the girl!” The pounding sounds of gunshots rang against the metal sheet less than a foot away from my face.

“Chan! I’m gonna kill you!” I heard the familiar voice of Jae scream. “Y/n! Come on let me take you back to your dad! Come back with me, beautiful.” If Jae really wanted me to come back with him sincerely he would tell Dad’s goons to stop SHOOTING AT CHRIS AND ME.

“RUN, Y/N! NOW!” Chris yelled just as Jae charged him ripping away the metal sheet he was using as a shield. Following his instruction, I bolted for the garage. When I looked back I turned to see Jae land a pretty hard blow just above Chris’s eye.

“Chris!”

“Y/n, GO!” I sighed and burst through the garage door. That little-....There in pristine condition sat my father’s favorite lightning blue Porsche. I tossed my bag in the car and jumped in. My hands frantically searched for the keys. The sound of gunshots had my heart pounding against my chest. I found them in the glove compartment just as Chan burst through the door.

“START THE CAR!”

“I’m going! I’m going.”

The car started and Chan dove into the car. I opened the garage door, but it was only halfway up when the garage door opened again. I turned to see Jae and Dowoon in the doorway. Jae was bleeding from the nose and Dowoon hand a pieced of a plate in his cheek. “Y/n-GO!”

“I can’t! The door!”

“Just GO!”

Screaming, I slammed my foot on the accelerator and the sports car shot forward, erupting through the garage door. “GET IN THE SUVs!” I heard Jae yell back into the house.

“How are Jisung and Bin gonna get out?” I asked keeping my eyes on the road, frantically looking behind me.

“Don’t worry about them. They’ll meet us in Gwanak.” Chan reached behind him and pulled out a bag from behind the driver's seat. He slipped on a shirt he pulled out from the bag. “Woah! Wrong side of the road! Move over!” Chan screamed grabbing the wheel and steering the car onto the right side of the road. “What’s wrong with you? Do you not know how to drive?”

“NO I DON’T!”

“YOU’RE DRIVING WITHOUT A LICENSE?”

“YOU SCAM PEOPLE FOR THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS AND YOU CARE ABOUT THIS!?” I said frantically and sporadically looking from the rearview mirror to the road ahead of me as we drove at top speed in the middle of the night. My skin went cold as I saw tow black SUVs appear behind us. “Chan...what do I do? They’re right behind us!”

He turned around and muttered a string of curse words. “Okay...um...We are gonna switch places.” Chris said turning back to me.

“Chan we are going ninety-three miles an hour!”

“Do you trust me?”

“.....Yes.”

“Okay, princess. On the count of three, I want you to let go of the wheel and take your foot off the pedal okay?” I nodded and got ready to do as he asked. In my peripherals, I saw Chan reach near my seat and I nervously looked behind me. “Ready, princess?” I nodded and gripped the steering wheel. “One...two...three!”

I let go of the pedal and steering wheel and Chris jerked my seat back and climbed over me. “Great job, love! You can move over to the other seat!” My heart was pounding against my chest. I was sure any second now I would fall into a panic attack. When I was safely in the passenger seat Chris pulled his seat forward and shifted the gear of the car.

Chan did his best to shake the two tails we had on us. “Your boyfriend is seriously crazy,” Chan said shaking his head, turning down a narrow alley still going at top speeds. I gripped the door handle in fear. “He is seriously determined.”

“Again, not my boyfriend!” I said turning around to check how far away the sedans were.

“Hold on tight, love,” Chan said, throwing his arm in front of me as we drifted into another tight alley. This time, Chris slid the car to a stop and shut off the lights and engine. “Get down, baby girl.” He said pushing my head down below the windshield. After a few seconds, we heard the SUVs race by us. Chan and I stayed down, his hand on the back of my neck and our heads inches away from each other.

“Well.....that was fun?”

♛

Ten minutes later Chan was pulling into another dark alley. We had finally made it to Gwanak without anyone following us. “Is this the safe house? Where are Changbin and Jisung?” Chris shook his head and shut off the Porsche.

“No. We’ve got to make a stop first. We’ve gotta go deep undercover. Your face and mine are about to be plastered everywhere.” Chan got out of the car and before I could reach for the handle he was running around the front to open the door for me. “Come on, let’s hope he’s home,” Chris said quickly ushering me to a dimly lit back door.

“Who are we talking about?”

“An old friend,” Chan said pounding on the door. He kept his hand firmly on my waist. Every few seconds he scanned the alley, making sure we were still not followed. “Hey, it’s Chan! Open up!”

“Chris, we should keep moving. I know Jae. He’s gonna figure out where we are soon enough.”

“All the more reason to be here.” He pounded on the door again. “Dude! Come on! You owe me! Open up!” While Chan continued to yell at the door I watched the ends of the alley, hoping not to see Jae or Dowoon rounding the corner.

“I’m coming, I’m coming. F***...” A muffled voice said from behind the door. Chan stepped back from the door and took my hand, dragging me further into his side. “F***ing sh**. Chan, d*** it. It’s two a.m!” An angry voice said as it approached the door. I flinched as it flew open. A giant of a man with bright red hair and dressed in a fancy robe appeared. “What, pipsqueak?”

“BamBam. Long time no see.”

“What do you want, Chan? I was asleep-.....who’s this hottie?” The cherry headed man, BamBam, said leaning on the doorway looking me up and down.

“This is Y/n L/n,” Chan said his hand gripping onto my hip. BamBam’s eyes went wide and he slammed the door in our faces.

“NO! NO! I AM NOT DEALING WITH L/N’S SYNDICATE. NO. CHAN YOU CAN’T MAKE ME. A FAVOR IS SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE BORROWING SUGAR. NOT BRINGING THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN SEOUL’S DAUGHTER TO MY DOOR!”

“BamBam you barely eat carbs let alone processed sugar.” The door opened and he stuck his head out. “Come on, Bam. We need your help. Or at least your bathroom.”

“Bathroom?” Both BamBam and I both questioned.

♛

“What is this place?” I asked as BamBam lead us through the first floor of the building. It was covered head to toe with clothes and hats and crazy objects.

“It’s my personal treasure trove. Everything your man Chan uses for his little schemes most likely came from here.” BamBam said picking up a policeman’s uniform and throwing it behind another rack of clothes. The giraffe with red hair rummaged through the piles of clothes and costumes. “Here, Chan. You need this.....and Y/n.....look through these.” BamBam tossed Chan a brown bottle and handed me a container with a bunch of hair in it.

“Wigs?”

“Don’t worry. They’re all the finest synthetic hair. Bathroom is back there, you two.” He said pointing a long finger in the correct direction. I smiled and tightened my hold on the box Chris’s weird friend gave me. “Stay as long as you need. I’m going back to bed.” BamBam dragged his feet up some stairs that probably led to where he was previously sleeping.

“You wanna help me with this, princess?” Chan said holding up the brown bottle in his hand. I shrugged and followed him to the back of the building. My eyes trailed down Chan’s shoulders as we looked for BamBam’s restroom. “Ah, here we go.” Chan opened the door and let me enter first. I dropped the big box on the toilet seat and started searching through them.

I heard Chan pull a chair into the bathroom from the hall. “Why does BamBam have all these? Chan shrugged and searched something up on his phone. “There are some weird colors in here.” He laughed as I threw a neon green wig at him.

“Oh yeah. That’s perfect for you, princess.” He laughed and tossed it back. “Have you ever bleached hair before?” Chris said looking at the bottle. I laughed seeing the familiar brown bottle of hydrogen peroxide. The bottle was a familiar sight from my mother’s bathroom counter.

“Not personally.”

“Do I just like...pour it on?”

“If you want to permanently fry your hair! We can’t damage those cute curls you’ve got.”

Without thinking I ran my fingers through Chris’s dark brown and tangled mop. His eyes looked me up and down, a small smirk. “Cute?” He asked, poking my side. He laughed when a rosy dust fell on my cheeks. “You want to help, princess?”

Chan sat down in the chair and handed me the brown bottle which I immediately put down. I looked around and grabbed two bottles from the shower. Chan watched me struggle to get the cap open like an idiot. “You good there?”

“This plastic bottle of.....designer conditioner....is smarter than me.” Chris laughed and reached for the bottle. In less than a second, the bottle popped open for him. He laughed when I sent him a glare. “I loosened it for you.”

“Sure, baby girl. Whatever.” He leaned back in the chair and looked at the ceiling, a genuine smile on his face. Heat flushed to my face at the new pet name. Chan seemed unfazed by it. Nervously, I turned on the sink and began washing his hair. “What’s your favorite candy?” Chan asked as I was rinsing the conditioner out of his hair.

“Why?”

“I don’t know. I’m bored. Entertain me, princess.”

“Okay...um...I like Milkyways.”

“Milkyways? Really?”

“You bash my candy choice, pretty boy, and I’ll make sure your hair turns orange.” He laughed, his eyes turning into crescents. Chan continued to ask me random questions while I bleached his hair. It was fun getting to know Chris...well the real Chris. “You must really be dedicated if your bleaching your hair.”

“Bleaching my hair....or dying at the hands of your boyfriend. I choose the former.”

“Again. Jae is not my boyfriend.” I said squeezing hydroperoxide into his hair. Thank goodness BamBam had gloves in a cabinet otherwise my hands would be messed up. “Jae is just Jae.” I was surprised when I didn’t feel myself smile as I said his name.

I took off the gloves as Chan sat forward, waiting for his hair to dry. “What’s the deal with you two anyway.” He asked poking my arm. “You two were totally into each other back at the penthouse.”

“Well...I think my feelings have changed after he shot at us.”

“Well, he was mostly shooting at me.”

“Yeah...guess he was, pretty boy.” I smiled looking down at Chan. He grabbed my hand and swung it back and forth. I glanced down and then back up at him.

“Hey...it’s gonna be okay, Y/n. I’ll take care of it.” I scoffed and rolled my eyes. He tugged on my wrist. My feet shuffled forward making me stand between his legs. Chris brushed his thumb over my hand.

“Take care of what?”

“Of you. I’ll make sure you get what you want.” Chan stared up at me with a look I had never seen before. It was hard to tear my eyes away from him. Like he had this hold on me. But, I felt safe with him. I felt fully myself. “We’ve got twenty minutes. Why don’t you try on some of those wigs? Put on a little fashion show for me, baby girl?” He said with a smile, leaning back in the chair, his hand still attached to my wrist.

Chan laughed as I tried on all the crazy wigs BamBam had in the box. After his phone timer went off, I helped Chan wash his hair again. Then he let me towel dry his hair. “Woah,” I said, pulling the towel away.

“Is it that bad?” He asked standing up and rushing to the mirror. He ran his fingers through his new blonde hair and he stared into the mirror at his locks.

“No...you look really good.”

He smirked and messed with the new blonde strands before turning to me with a bright smile. “You think so?” His hands rested on my waist, his thumbs grazing over the fabric of my t-shirt. There was a tension in the air. One that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

“Yeah, I do...”

Hesitantly, I let my palms press against his chest. Was he going to kiss me? I could feel my stomach start to do somersaults. Chris leaned down, only barely enough for me to notice. He was. Chan was going to kiss me.

“HEY LOVEBIRDS! I NEED TO PEE!” BamBam said pounding on the door.

The two of us burst apart, Chan scratching the back of his neck. “We should probably....- Bin and Sung are probably waiting for us.” Chris nervously grabbed my backpack and I grabbed the closest wig to me, stuffing my hair inside it.

“Yeah totally.”

Chan opened the door for us to find a pissed off BamBam. “Can I pee now?” Chan laughed and took my hand, pulling me out into the hall.

“Thanks for letting us hideout and stuff!” Chan called back to his friend who was already in the bathroom. Chris pulled me back out the Porsche, which was still sitting safely in the alley. Like a gentleman, Chan opened my door before sliding across the hood and getting in the driver seat.

He spared me a glance and cast a smile my way. “Short and Dark is a good look on you.” I brushed the wig’s bangs out of my eyes and blushed, turning away from Chan as he started the car and drove off into the early morning.

♛

Jae’s POV

“F***!” I exclaimed slamming my hand on a nearby table. Stressfully, I ran a hand through my hair. Dowoon just stood off to the side, awkwardly watching our guys rummage through the house.

“That did not go the way I expected.”

Daggers flew from my eyes. He instantly shut his mouth. “Dowoon...she was right here. I missed her. She just...slipped through my fingers.” Dowoon waved off a man who was trying to ask him a question before turning back to me.

“You know she more ran...than slipped.”

“You’re right. She did run away.” I said standing up straight once again. “She practically flew when Chan told her to run.” My eyes returned to the door I watched Y/n run out of.

“Why do you think she ran?”

“Chan’s probably got her brainwashed or something. I wouldn’t put it passed him.” I reached for the mail that was left on the kitchen counter. “Remember I want this entire place searched!” I called out to the men. “Man, she knew I was here for her. Why didn’t she come to me?” I said tossing it onto the marble island.

“Maybe she’s just not into you dude.”

“No. That’s not it. It’s got to be Chan. He must have told her everything about her dad and then freaked her out. It’s all his fault.” Dowoon, sifted through the week-old envelops I had tossed.

“What’s this? Does this Chan guy go to university?”

“What- no?” I scoffed and leaned against the counter. “He barely has his highschool diploma.” I watched Dowoon pick up a magazine and flip it over.

“Maybe one of the guys that were here. The blonde one looked kind of young...and dumb.” Dowoon flipped through the magazine smiling at some of the pictures.

“Why do you ask?”

He shrugged and tossed it to me. I flipped through the magazine and saw it was a college-based magazine. Student made. “Well...that magazine is only sold in Gwanak. Near Seoul University.” My eyes went wide and I looked at the cover of the magazine.

“I’ve got a call to make. We need another pair of eyes.”

“More than the thirteen guys we have now.”

“I just want her back Dowoon...” I said pulling out my phone. I scrolled through my contacts until I found the one I needed. Pressing the name, I brought the device to my ear and waited for the dial tone to end.

“Hey. It’s me. Look, I need you to find someone. This asshat took her...She’s somewhere in Gwanak, we know that.” I listened to him speak while drumming my fingers on the counter.

“Yeah. You’ll get the money when you get her and bring her safely back to me.” I pursed my lips, feeling myself getting angry as he asked his next question.

“I don’t care what happens to the guy she’s with. Just get her back.” With that, I hung up the phone.

♛

Chan’s POV

Jogging around the blue car, I opened Y/n’s door and helped her out. She grabbed her bag and started walking towards the dark apartment building. The sun would be rising in a couple of hours. I reached for her hand and led her up the stairs to the top level.

She laughed when we came to the door. “Another passcode? Mr. Privacy?” I smiled and shrugged my shoulders, taking her backpack for her.

“The code is #0325.” She turned to me and smiled.

“You trust me with the code to your safehouse?” I shrugged and tried to hide the smile on my face. I watched as her fingers touched each number gingerly on the keypad. She smiled when the bright tone notified her that the door was unlocked.

“Y/N’S HOMMMMMEE!” Jisung yelled. I heard his feet thundering down the small hall. I rolled my eyes when Jisung tackled Y/n out of my grasp, hugging her tightly. With serious eyes, he turned to me, still holding onto Y/n. “From now on, Y/n and I are inseparable! You will not drag her into messes and get her killed! She is my best friend!”

I sent Jisung a hard glare and took one step towards him making the blonde squeal, hiding behind Y/n. “Sorry, Chan. Nevermind take her she’s yours. I can see now that I clearly overstepped my boundaries.” Jisung said, words flying out of his mouth faster than I could comprehend.

“What’s going on?” Y/n asked. I saw Changbin saunter into the hall and join us. He leaned against the wall, arms crossed, and face stoic.

“Don’t worry. Chan just wants you all to himself.” The short boy said smirking at me.

“WHAT?!” Both Y/n and I exclaimed looking from each other to Changbin. Y/n turned to me, a curious look on her face. The same one from when we first met, except this time my head didn’t hurt.

“Well...this isn’t awkward at all,” Jisung said, coming out from behind Y/n. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and puffed out his cheeks, looking around the four of us. “Hey, Y/n, lemme show you something!” He practically dragged her out from the hall and towards the bedroom. Fearing for what he did to my apartment, I followed.

“So, what is it you're showing me, Sung?” Y/n asked and Jisung guided her into my room. Wait. Sh**. My room.

“This was originally Chan hyung’s room, but I figured with a few touches you would like it better! I figured since he loves you and all he can sleep on the sofa.” They entered the room a few feet ahead of me. “It’s his turn to have back problems. Y/n gasped. I rounded the corner and my jaw dropped.

“JISUNG, WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO MY ROOM? HOW DID YOU EVEN GET ALL THIS?”

My room was plastered with posters and pictures of unicorns and rom-com movie posters. It looked like a fourteen year old girl from a Disney channel sitcom threw up their essence all over my bedroom. There were boyband posters and albums everywhere and heart shaped hangers in the closet. My clothes were in a huge black pile in the corner marked ‘Chan’s Sh**’. One wall on the far side was spray-painted pink and stuffed animals were all around the room.

“When did you have time to do all of this? We got here two hours after you! Where did this all come from?” I said picking up a Super Junior album that was sitting on what used to be my dresser.

“You’d be surprised,” Changbin said standing in the doorway.

I sighed and turned to Jisung. He turned to me with an innocent smile as I grabbed him by the arm and pulled him out into the hall while Y/n continued to marvel at the room. “Sung...you do understand she’s not staying right? We are just helping her get to Jeju so she can start a new life.” He stared down at the ground, fiddling with the rings on his fingers. His light blonde fell in front of his eyes as he looked back up at me.

“You don’t really want that...do you?”

I looked into his eyes. My friend looked genuinely sad. No, that wasn’t what I wanted. Not now at least. Maybe before, but it wasn’t what I wanted now. “What I want doesn’t matter. It’s what she wants.” I said patting his shoulder. “Do you understand?”

“Yeah...of course...”

Jisung sulked back into my room, which I would be burning after Y/n went to Jeju. “Jisung! Thank you so much! I love it!” Y/n said hugging a huge stuffed toy.

“Sung, how did you even pickpocket a three foot tall stuffed rabbit and four B.A.P posters?” I asked looking at the toy Y/n was holding in her arms. I tried to suppress the thumping against my chest at the sight.

“Chan I don’t remember asking for your opinion, but it’s called talent, okay?”

Y/n laughed and set the bunny down next to my bed. She gasped and picked up a heavy purple candle on the bedside table. “Oh, a candle! I love these! I always had candles and stuff like that in my room at home!” I saw Jisung’s face turn soft and he ran out of the room.

“HOLD ON ONE SECOND!” He screamed through the less than small apartment. He returned with a hand full of candles.

“Oh no no no no no,” I said pushing him back out of the room.

“What? Y/n says she loves candles.’ Jisung said shrugging and trying to push past me and back into the bedroom, where we heard Changbin and Y/n talking.

“Jisung I will not have candles in my house after she attacked me with one!”

“What about incense?”

“NO SMELLY THINGS!” I shivered at the thought of what Y/n could accidentally do to me with burning incense. My eyes found Y/n walking out of the room holding the lit candle, her eyes happy.

“Chan, thank you so much for helping me and for all of this! And Jisung, I really love the candle.” With that, she went back into the room and jumped onto the bed.

Jisung turned back to me with his eyebrows raised. I crossed my arms and then looked back to Y/n sitting happily on my bed watching the candle flicker happily. I felt Jisung nudge me bringing my attention back to him. “Okay...one candle.”

“Bro, you are so whipped.”

“Shut up before I throw you off the roof with all those candles strapped to your head.”

“You wouldn’t...”

♛

Y/n’s POV

Chan slept in his room that night. Well, he rested. He said it would be hard to sleep with all those pop stars and animals staring at him. I had told him I wasn't tired, so I scrolled through the phone Jisung had pocketed for me.

When the boys awoke a few hours later, I had prepared breakfast for them. This place was actually stocked with food. I gasped seeing Jisung emerge from the guest room. He had bruises on his shoulder and the strong scent of candles came from him.

“Sung, what happened to you?” I said taking his face in my hands. He glared at Chan as he exited his bedroom and sat down at the kitchen table.

“Ask your newly blonde boyfriend.” He said sitting in the farthest seat from Chris.

When I turned to Chan he just gave me a sweet smile and turned back to the breakfast I had made. “This is good, princess.” He said slipping a strawberry into his mouth. I blushed and sipped on the mug of tea I had made earlier.

“So, what’s the plan today?” I asked, setting the cup down.

Chan took a sip of the orange juice in the glass near him and looked to me. “Changbin still needs templates to get you IDs. Jisung knows where to get some, but I’m not gonna leave you here so you’ll come with us to the meeting.” I nodded and took another sip of tea.

“Sounds good.”

“We’ll leave in like...an hour?” Chan said.

Jisung turned to me, mouth full of toast and berries. His eyes turned down and his cheeks were full, but somehow he still managed to frown with toast sticking out of his mouth. “I’m gonna need more than an hour. It’s just too good.” Jisung muttered with his mouth full.

“Fine. Y/n just go get ready, princess. Don’t forget the wig.”

♛

The black bangs of the wig kept blowing in my face. It was about noon when we finally left Chris’s apartment. “Stay right here, princess. Jisung and I are gonna go pick up the templates.” Chan said stopping in front of one of the many stalls around us. He had taken us to a local thrifting fair. A bunch of college students milled about, helping us blend in.

“Okay, what should I do while I wait.”

“I know the shop owner, so they’ll let you stay at the booth.” His hand rested gently on my arm as he spoke to me over the noise of the crowd. “Just pretend you are looking for a gift.” He motioned to the wares the vendor was selling. “I’ll be back soon. If someone asks, just say you’re waiting for your boyfriend or something.”

Chan and Jisung left and I watched them disappear into the crowd. Running my fingers through the short locks of the wig I waved to the vendor who sent me a polite smile. There was plenty to look at from the booth. The woman was selling very pretty handmade silver jewelry.

I picked up a very simple chain necklace with a small silver ring on it. I thought about how nice it would look on Chan. Maybe I had enough cash with me to get it for him?

“That’s very pretty.” A voice said behind me.

A man came to stand beside me. He had shaggy black hair and a boxy smile. His long fingers picked up the necklace and held it up to the light before gently giving it back to me. “Thank you,” I said, keeping my answer short.

“Is it for you or is it a gift?” The boy asked again.

I sighed and avoided looking at him. “Um...a gift.” He nodded and began looking at other necklaces. Every so often he would cast a look my way.

“I’m Wonpil, by the way.” I nodded and gave him a tight-lipped smile. Why would he not go away? I put the necklace down and moved further down the table, pretending to look at other things. “What’s your name?”

“Uh...Jessica...”

I said turning back to the table. He nodded and moved down the row as well. He moved o the other side of the table to look there. However, he was clearly intent on talking to me. “So, Jessica...are you here by yourself, or are you with friends?” I nervously laughed and looked in the direction Chris left.

“I’m here with my boyfriend. I’m waiting for him to come back.”

Wonpil gave me a kind smile and went back to looking at jewelry. I glanced up at the boy. There was something off about him. He was just barely too old to be a university student. Maybe he just lived near here?

“So, is it a gift for him?” I nodded, then turned my attention to the box of rings near the middle of the table. “What’s his name?” Should I give Chris’s name? No. That would be a bad idea. I don’t want him to get hurt.

“His name is Chanyoung.”

Wonpil nodded and continued pursuing the wares and jewelry. Come one, Chris. Where are you? “Has he been gone long? You seem nervous.” I laughed and shook my head.

“He and our friend just went to go pick up something. He’ll be back...any minute now.”

“I’ll wait with you if you’d like?” Wonpil suggested, that kind smile on his face. He came around my side of the table and placed a hand on my shoulder. I shook my head and backed away.

“I’m fine, really-”

“Hey, baby girl! Sorry to keep you waiting.” I felt a strong arm wrap around my waist and lips press against my cheek. I turned to see Chan with a cool and composed smile on his face. “We didn’t mean to be gone for so long.” His hand came up to my cheek and he pressed his lips against mine like he had done it thousands of times before.

Not wanting to break the charade I closed my eyes and let him kiss me. Chan pulled away and pecked my lips once more before Jisung coughed and gently kicked him. “Oh- sorry. I’m her boyfriend. Who are you?” Chan said holding out his hand to shake.

“Oh, you're Chanyoung. I’m Wonpil.” They shook hands and I could see Chan’s face sour for just a second. His eyes glanced at me and then doubled back.

“Oh, baby, you’ve got a bug on you!”

“I’ll get it!” Jisung shouted, eyeing my shoulder. He swatted the bug away, grabbing it in his fist. I looked at the two boys wondering what was going on. “Hey, we’ve got lunch plans so we should go soon,” Jisung said, sticking his hands in his pockets.

“Did you get what you needed to get, baby?” I asked, palms pressing against Chan’s chest. His grip was still firm around my waist, keeping me as close as possible.

“Yeah! Let’s go get lunch, baby girl.” Chan said kissing me again. “It was nice to meet you Wonpil,” Chris said waving goodbye before steering me in the opposite direction of the booth. Jisung followed us and sped up to keep our pace. “Y/n, who was that guy?”

I shrugged and looked back. Wonpil was no longer at the booth. “I have no clue.” Chan shook his head and gripped my side tighter.

“He’s gotta know who you are.” The three of us walked through the streets of the thrift fair quickly hoping to evade whoever it was Wonpil actually turned out to be. “He actually planted a bug on you. That’s why Jisung and I freaked out.” I shivered. My feeling about Wonpil had been right. We walked a little further before Jisung spoke up again.

“So...like, can we actually get lunch though?”

♛

The little bell rang as the three of us entered a little sushi shop Jisung knew about. “Jisung didn’t you have sushi like four days ago?” He shrugged and led us to a secluded booth in the back. A few waitresses waved at him as we passed by.

“Chan, you can never have too much sushi. Plus I get discounts here.”

“How do you get discounts?” I asked.

“Used to date the owner’s daughter. She dumped me. He still liked me so... free sushi.”

I nodded, still not quite understanding as I slid into the booth. Chan scooted in next to me, his leg just barely touching mine. My hands reached for the menu, but Jisung quickly whisked them away. “Nope. I’m ordering for us.” Chan laughed and pressed his hands to his temples. The waitress came by and Jisung ordered practically everything on the menu and sake.

“Jisung that is a lot of food.”

“I’m a lot of hungry.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Chan said throwing his arm over the back of the booth. Jisung shrugged and started blowing bubbles in his water with the straw. “You are such a child,” Chris said laughing.

“Speaking of, I need to pee,” Jisung announced. I grounded and shoved my face into my hands. Jisung hopped out of the booth and shuffled to the restroom. That left me and Chris...alone.

“So...”

We looked at each other and burst out laughing. “You kissed me,” Chan nodded and looked away. I was surprised to see a dark blush on Chan’s ears. “Thank you. For saving me from whoever that guy was.” Chan shrugged, a shy smile lighting up his face. His fingers tapped against the booth.

“My pleasure.”

“Your pleasure saving me, or your pleasure kissing me.”

“Would you be mad if I said both?”

It was my turn to blush and look away. My fingers locked onto the cold glass filled with water and I took a heavy sip, before turning back to Chris. “Not...entirely,” I said unable to keep the smile from leaking onto my lips. Chris looked around the restaurant before looking back at me.

“Would you be mad if I did it again?”

“Not entirely,” I said, a smirk flirting its way onto the corner of my mouth.

I felt Chan’s other hand reach for min under the table, making me smile. “If I kiss you, you promise you won’t whack me with like a lamp or something right?” I laughed and rubbed my thumb across his hand. He smiled when I shook my head ‘yes’. Slowly he leaned closer until he was only a breath away.

“You gonna make me wait for it, pretty boy, or what?”

He let out a soft breathy laugh before connecting his lips to mine. He tasted like the strawberries from this morning; sweet and decadent. Chris deepened the kiss and laced his fingers with mine. My heart pounded against my chest as his lips ghosted over mine. He pulled away just long enough to smile before coming back for more. It felt like Chan and I were the only two people in the world.

“WHY THE F*** ARE YOU KISSING MY BESTFRIEND?!”

I heard a loud clang and several shouts and pulled away to see Chris grasping the back of his head and Jisung standing there holding a waitress’s tray. “What the hell man?” Chan exclaimed.

“STOP! KISSING! Y/N!” Jisung said, whacking Chris each time.

“Jisung! Chill out! I wanted him to!” I said to the tray maniac in front of me. “It’s okay! I wanted him to kiss me.” Jisung slowly lowered the tray, giving Chris a wary eye. Chan rubbed the back of his head and I cupped his face checking to see if anything was bleeding.

“Okay...fine. Sorry. I got a tad bit overprotective.” Jisung said completely lowering the tray and sitting back down. “Oh- here this is yours.” He said handing the metal tray to the confused waitress. “Don’t worry, I’ll leave a big tip!” Jisung said with an innocent smile as if nothing ever happened.

Nervously, the waitress walked away to get our food. Now, safe from Jisung’s wrath, Chris gently reached for my hand under the table. I smiled feeling his thumb gently rub circles on my skin.

“Jisung, don’t you think that was a little overkill?” Chan asked as the waitresses set down mountains of sushi in front of us. He shook his head and dived into the flavorful bites.

“Not at all. A psychic once told me my spirit animal was a vicious chihuahua.”

“I can attest to that,” Chris said before placing a roll onto my plate. I smiled at him and ate the piece. “Okay, let’s eat and get out of here.” We all nodded and ate quickly, enjoying every bite.

“I don’t know if they’ll let me back in here,” Jisung said after we paid the bill.

♛

The three of us rode back to the safe house in the Porsche, Jisung sat with his legs squished to his chest in the back. When we got out Chan punched in the code and we all spilled across the living room in food comas.

“What happened to you guys?” Changbin said wandering into the living room.

“Sushi coma,” I said laying across Chan’s lap. Changbin nodded as if completely understanding. I looked over to see Jisung lying face down on the sofa, his butt sticking up in the air.

“Did you guys get the templates?”

Without speaking Jisung started rummaging around his pocket until he pulled out what looked like a blank passport and ID card and raised it in the air. His head was still thoroughly buried in the cushions.

“Great. I should have these done in like...four hours. Then you can start your new life.” Bin said checking the templates. I watched him leave the room before staring back up at the ceiling. My fingers tucked under the hairline of the wig and I pulled it and the wig cap off my head.

“I like your natural hair better than that old thing,” Chan stated, pulling the hair tie from my updo. He ran his fingers through my hair, shaking it loose as I stared up at him. “You better not change it too much once you get to Jeju.” I laughed and tossed the wig onto the coffee table.

“Y/n, do you really have to go?” Jisung whined. He had turned his face just enough so he could speak without sounding like he had cotton balls in his mouth. “I’m going to miss my new best friend so much!”

“I don’t think it’s safe for you all here. The longer I’m with you the more Jae is going to come after me.”

Jisung sighed and put his butt down, fully laying on the couch. Chan and Jisung eventually fell asleep in their places, but I stayed awake thinking about what was to come. I was less excited about leaving Seoul than I was before. Jisung was in Seoul. Changbin was in Seoul. Chan was in Seoul. I would be in Jeju. All by myself.

I felt like they were my family now. Chan stirred in his sleep, his fingers twitching on top of my stomach. Gently, I traced light patterns on the back of his hand. “Did you not sleep?” He asked drowsily, lifting his head.

“No.”

“Thinking about Jeju?” I nodded and played with his fingers. It was easy to tell I was nervous. “You know, Yn,” He whispered, wrapping his hand around mine. “I could always stay with you the first couple of days. Just to make sure everything is alright of course.” Chan shrugged, but couldn’t stop the little smile edging itself onto the corner of his mouth.

“Oh, of course. Just to make sure everything is alright.”

“Yeah, just for that.”

I laughed, keeping it quiet hoping not to wake Jisung. “Oh, I have something to give you. Actually two things.” I said, getting up from the couch. Chan watched me bring my backpack from his bedroom and sit back down next to him. He waited patiently as I dug through the bag. “Here is the first,” I said. Chan’s eyes widened when I pulled out the diamond necklace.

“But, I haven’t gotten you to Jeju yet?” I shrugged, placing it in his hands.

“You’ve already been through so much for me.” He looked from me to the jewels in his hands. He gently placed it on the coffee table, before pulling me close and kissing my cheek. “And... the second thing. Hold on.” I tried to hold back my grin as I pulled the silver chain out of my pocket.

“Where in the world did you get this?” Chan said, as I delicately placed the necklace in his hand.

“Jisung may have taught me a few things. It’s from the booth you left me at.” He laughed and looked at the simple piece of jewelry. “It’s nothing much. I just saw it and thought of you. It can be something to remember me by.”

“Baby girl it will be near impossible to forget you.” I smiled as he traced his finger along my jaw, bringing me closer. His lips brushed over mine, sending butterflies into wild flight patterns in my stomach.

Chan pulled away, a soft smile lighting up his eyes. I watched as he draped the necklace over his neck. “Would you really come with me to Jeju?” He nodded, his grin growing as I cupped his cheek.

“Guys get a room. Some of us are trying to take a nap!” Jisung said throwing a cushion at us.

♛

I looked at the passport and ID in my lap. Changbin had done an incredible job. These looked immaculate. My fingers brushed over my imprinted picture. “You take a pretty good photo,” Chan said, glancing over at me with a smile.

He sat beside me in the driver’s seat of the Porsche, watching the road. “I’m sure you do too.” Chan shook his head, checking the rearview mirror.

“Nah. No pictures. Part of my job description.”

“You don’t have any pictures of yourself?” I laughed bewildered, as he shook his head. Chan shrugged, pulling into the line for cars to board the ferry. “How far away are we?” Chris let out a hefty sigh, dropping his hands from the steering wheel as we inched forward closer to the boat. His fingers reached over and held onto mine.

“Um...I’d say about forty-five minutes on the boat and another twenty to get to the house.” Chan leaned his head against the seat, rubbing his thumb over the back of my hand. “You’re almost there, Y/n.” I turned in my seat, leaning against the headrest.

“Thank you, Chris. For everything.” The blonde shrugged it off, a shy smile spreading to his cheeks. Soon we made it onto the boat. Chan parked the Porsche near the bow of the ferry. With both our stomachs rumbling, Chan went up to the top deck before bringing us back down cheap slices of pizza.

The radio played softly while Chan and I laughed and ate the subpar pizza in his car. I giggled when Chris took one of the crusts from my plate and stuffed it in his mouth. “Don’t steal my food!”

“Can I steal something else then?” Chris said turning to the setting sun.

“If you’re gonna say something cheesy like my heart, I’ll toss you over the railing.”

He laughed, taking my hand again. “Fine, I won’t.” I played with the silver bands and rings around his fingers. It felt so normal to be with Chris. Everything about him felt...good. Wonderful. “Please let me finish! Y/n I haven’t been cheesy in so long.” He almost whined, bringing our hands up to his forehead.

“Fine...” I groaned though a smile was still creeping its way onto my face. “What are you going to steal then?” I said cringing and closing my eyes. They opened when I felt his hand on my jaw.

“First I was thinking, a kiss...” His lips ghosted over mine, leaving a lasting sensation when he pulled away. “Then maybe another...” His lips pressed against mine again, his thumb running over the back of my hand. His forehead rested against mine. “Why don’t you just give me your heart?” He whispered,

“Why should I do that, pretty boy?”

He smiled, glancing at the sunset before his eyes looked back into my own. “Because you already have mine.” My teeth dragged across my bottom lip, desperately trying to hide the grin I was threatening to give him. Tilting my head, I pressed a kiss to his cheek and then again on his jaw.

“Do I really now?” Chan nodded his head softly. His eyes twinkling in the setting sun. “Well, that was fast,” I whispered before leaning forward and kissing him.

♛

The sun was almost gone from the sky when we pulled up to the house in Jeju. I was surprised to find it right on the beach. The house was lined with huge windows on every side facing the ocean. “Chan, you can’t be serious right? This is yours?”

I watched him come around to my side of the Porsche. “Nope. It’s not mine.” He said wrapping his arms around me from behind. He smelled like cinnamon. His long fingers wrapped around mine before pressing something into my palm. “It’s yours, baby girl.”

Opening my hand, I saw a set of keys. “Chan this house...it must have cost a small fortune. I can’t take this from you.” He shrugged, kissing my shoulder.

“I’ve got the one in Itaewon. The apartment in Gwanak. And maybe...a small place in Bora Bora.”

“Excuse me?”

“Come on! Let’s go inside and see your new house!” Chan said dragging me inside. I laughed and let him pull me inside. He showed me every inch of the house. It was bright and open and gorgeous. I covered my mouth as Chan led me out into the sunroom. The walls were entirely windows and stairs to the right led down to the waterfront. “You like it?” Chan asked.

I turned to see him standing in the doorway holding a bottle and two glasses. “What is this?” I asked with a laugh. He smiled and sat on the day bed on the porch.

“This,” He said popping the bottle open. “This is your housewarming party.” I watched with a smile as he poured me a glass of champagne. His fingers brushed against mine as I took the flute. “I know it’s not the parties you’re used to.”

I took a small sip of the bubbly drink and smiled. “Are you kidding?” I said, standing between Chan’s legs and looking down at him as he poured his own glass and took a drink. “This is the best party I’ve ever been to.”

The waves crashed on the beach behind us. A cool breeze blew through some of the opened windows, but I felt warm near Chan, his hands around my waist. “You’re just saying that cause I’m here,” Chan whispered.

“So what if I am. It’s the truth.” I said running a hand through his hair.

“Come here, baby.” He whispered, pulling me down onto his lap. I took another sip from the champagne, before reaching across Chan and setting it on a table. “F***, you’re beautiful.” He whispered, pushing a piece of hair away from my face. I smiled, draping my arms around his neck.

“You keep saying things like that and I’m going to have to keep you here with me.”

“Do you see me leaving?”

He smiled when my fingers carded through his blonde locks. His arms wrapped tightly around me, pulling him closer to me than I thought possible. My lips reached down for his desperate for even more of his touch.

I felt a cool breeze on my back as Chan’s hands pushed up the hem of my shirt. I shivered feeling his hands on my bare skin. His lips attacked mine as if I was the only thing in this world keeping him alive. I let my fingers drag down his chest. He smiled against me, feeling me play with the hem of his shirt.

His teeth dragged over my bottom lip giving me goosebumps. My hands traveled under his shirt. I was surprised to feel so much muscle under my hands as they rested on his stomach. Chan smirked before he turned his attention to my neck.

Having had enough of the barrier between myself and Chan I tugged his shirt off, holding onto him tightly as he marked my neck. “Chan...” I whispered, bringing my lips back to his.

“Sh**,”

Chan let out a content sigh and pushed me down onto the cushion of the day bed. “How about...we move this somewhere...you know....not outside?” I said between heated kisses from the man above me. He nodded before kissing down my jaw. “Chan, did you hear me?” I asked the breath leaving my chest feeling his teeth graze my skin.

“Sorry...I got a little distracted,” Chan admitted with a smile. I laughed feeling Chan pick me up. “Into your house, we go!” I laughed as he carried me in his arms through the dark living room and down the hall. The master bedroom was full of moonlight from the huge windows on the far wall. I screeched as Chris tossed me onto the big bed.

“CHAN!”

He laughed and jumped onto the bed. I smiled as his lips rejoined with mine. His body fit perfectly into all the curves of my own. I sighed against his lips feeling his hips press down against mine. I tangled my fingers in his hair pulling on the blonde locks.

I watched the moon glisten over the ocean before my eyes closed, the only thing on my lips the name of the man with me.

♛

Jae’s POV

My fingers drummed against the wood of the desk. Not my desk. No. I didn’t get a desk. This was the desk of an old friend. A friend who was late to meet with Dowoon and me. “Wasn’t he supposed to be here an hour ago?” Dowoon said, messing with some of the books on a shelf.

I kept my feet propped up on the desk and my stare focused on the door. To keep myself busy I had been disassembling and reassembling my firearm and timing myself. “Don’t worry. He owes me more than one favor.” I said slamming the gun down on the desk.

The door creaked open and both our eyes shot to the door. “Woah! You guys scared me. Jae, you look like the f***ing Grim Reaper himself.”

“I will be if I don’t find her. Then, believe me, Wonpil, if I don’t find her and kill that bastard; then there will be too many souls for the gates of heaven to hold.” In the corner of my eye, I saw Dowoon shiver.

“Dude.....that’s creepy,” Wonpil said, tossing a folder onto his desk.

“Jae just really loves Y/n,” Dowoon said with a dopey smile.

I rolled my eyes and picked the gun up off the desk. “What did you find?” Wonpil stat on the edge of the table, casting me a side glance. Dowoon picked up the file my friend entered with.

“I planted a bug on her, but one of the dudes with her snagged it.” Wonpil got up and shooed me from his chair. Reluctantly I complied. He stuck a flash drive from his pocket into his computer.

“The guy who took the bug- dark hair, foreign-looking?” I asked.

“No.” He said opening up a program. “Both of the guys with her were blonde. She also went by a different name. She called herself Jessica.” I sighed, rubbing my temples. Chan had definitely gotten in her head.

“Sh**.”

“You’re really not gonna like this. One of the guys she was with- she called him her boyfriend. Not gonna lie, she looked happy.” Everyone jumped when my fist slammed into the nearest wall.

Taking a few deep breaths, I calmed myself down and waited for Wonpil to access whatever file he wanted to show me. “The bug should still be going, though.” With a few clicks, Wonpil started playing a live feed.

The sound of two male voices filled the office. “Dude...I’m gonna miss Y/n so much!!” One yelled. Wonpil sighed.

“That’s one of the guys she was with. Not her boyfriend, the other one.” Wonpil stated.

“Don’t worry, Sung. Chan will be back from Jeju any day now. He just went with her to make sure she settled in alright.” I pushed myself off the wall I was leaning in. She was in Jeju. With Chan. I was fuming.

“Are you sure she was taken?” Wonpil asked. “Because it sounds to me like she was paying these guys to take her.” Dowoon laughed and poked Wonpil’s shoulder.

“No way. Y/n loved her life in the penthouse.”

Wonpil shrugged and continued to listen to the live feed. “Do you even know where is place is in Jeju?” The rougher voice asked. The one called ‘Sung’ laughed.

“Of course not. That was Chan’s special place. He never took anyone there.”

“And he’s just giving it to her?”

I sighed rubbing my eyes. “Okay, can you track this thing?” I asked looking over Wonpil’s shoulder. He nodded and tapped away on the keyboard. Impatiently I waited to see where these little sh**s were hiding.

“Looks like the bug is in an apartment complex near Seoul University,” Wonpil said pointing at the screen. I nodded to Dowoon, who took the file from earlier and stuffed it in his jacket.

“Thanks, Wonpil. We’ve got some business to take care of.”

♛

Y/n’s POV

Three days had passed. Three incredible, wonderful, magical days. All spent with Chan. Spent drinking wine on the beach, spent making homemade dinners in the amazing kitchen, spent in bed where Chris whispered sweet nothings into my ear as I fell asleep.

I opened my eyes to be greeted with the morning light seeping in through the large windows of my bedroom. I sat up in bed watching the waves crash against the sand. This was my life now, I thought a sleepy smile spreading across my face.

I looked beside me to see Chan missing from his side of the bed. “Chan?” I called out. Maybe he was in the kitchen. “Babe?” My bare feet pressed against the cool wood floor and I grabbed Chan’s black shirt from off the floor. The fabric brushed against my thighs as I walked into the kitchen.

“Chris?”

“Out here, baby girl,” I followed Chan’s voice out into the sunroom. He sat on the day bed most of the windows cracked open and the doors were propped letting the warm morning breeze flow through the room. His blonde hair blew slightly in the wind. “Hi, baby.” He said setting down a coffee mug.

“What are you drinking?” I said crawling over him and nuzzling into his side.

“Tea. You want some?”

I shrugged feeling his arm wrap around me. “I’ll get some later.” I closed my eyes and enjoyed being next to him. He sighed as I ran my fingers up and down his chest softly.

“Is that my shirt?”

“Maybe...”

“It looks good on you.” He whispered, placing a kiss on the top of my head. I draped my leg over his and rested my head on his chest. “Did you sleep well?” His arm wrapped tightly around my back, rubbing my side. I nodded and looked up at him.

“What were you doing out here?”

“I was trying to get in touch with the boys,” Chan said pulling out his phone. “Jisung isn’t answering my calls, which isn’t far from normal.” He sighed and scrolled through various text messages. “But, neither is Changbin.” His brows furrowed and he placed his phone next to the mug.

“Do you need to leave early? To check on them.”

“You couldn’t rid of me if you tried.”

I laughed looking up at him. “You keep saying things like that, but how do I know you’ll actually do it?” He scoffed and sat up. I scooched upward so I could still lay on his chest.

“You see that out there,” Chan said pointing out into the ocean. “That whatever is out there.” He smiled, looking down at me before he turned back to the sea. “Japan, the Philipines, whatever is in that direction. I would swim there and back if you asked me to, without hesitation.”

“You don’t know what’s in that direction?” I said with a laugh.

“Y/n you are missing my point!” Chan said chuckling.

“No, I get it. I was just teasing you, Chris.” Leaning up I pressed my lips to his. Chan smiled and pulled me fully on top of him. His fingers tangled themselves in my hair. I felt his heartbeat going crazy against my hand. “I don’t think I’ve ever been happier than I am now,” I whispered against his lips.

“You make me happy,” Chan whispered, looking up at me. “I swear if you tell the boys I ever said something like that I’ll be so embarrassed.” I giggled watching him cover his face, hiding the blush growing on his cheeks.

“Don’t worry, I wo-”

I was cut off by a crash coming from inside the house. Both our heads shot towards the sound. “Did you leave something on the edge of the counter?” Chan asked staring at the door leading back into the house. His grip on my waist tightened when I shook my head.

“No...Chan, what’s going on?”

The door burst open and I screamed seeing Dowoon aiming his gun at the both of us. “Jae they are out here!” He called back into the house.

“Dowoon!” I screeched, pulling down Chan’s shirt further over my legs. Before I could say anything else, Dowoon grabbed Chan roughly by the arm and pulled him away and into the house. “Let him go! Dowoon!” I screamed and pounded on the man’s back.

My eyes widened as he threw Chan down onto the floor in the living room. Right at the feet of Park Jae. The man who used to make my heart skip a beat. Now I was furious. “Chan!” I screamed, holding onto him.

“I’m fine, just stay behind me.” He whispered to me, getting up. Chan stood tall, though his height was no match for the whopping half a foot Jae had on him. I did as Chan told me, sending a glare at Jae from behind Chris, my fingers holding tightly onto his arm.

“Really, Y/n. You’re with this guy!?” Jae screamed pointing his gun at Chan. “What about us?” Jae said quieting down. He looked genuinely hurt.

“Jae it wouldn’t have worked...” Chan laced his fingers with mine, still keeping his eyes on Jae and Dowoon.

“Look, Jae...I remember you from a couple years ago. This isn’t you. Let’s put the gun down and handle this like men.” Chan said with a calm tone. Jae scoffed.

“Fine.” Jae tossed his gun to Dowoon and nodded to him. “Let’s settle this like men.” I heard the sound of his fist making contact with Chan’s face before I saw it. Chan reacted immediately pushing Jae off him before landing a punch of his own.

My eyes widened when I heard the front door opened. During the scuffle, Dowoon had exited and was now dragging in two men. “HEY MAN WATCH IT! I bruise easily.” I would know that voice anywhere.

“Jisung?” His blonde head turned to me eyes wide.

“Y/n! Y/n, save me from this Mad Monkey Man!”

“CHAN STOP! They have Ji and Bin!” Chan’s eyes widened and he looked up to see his friends being held by Dowoon. I pulled him off of Jae, who stood up and dusted off his suit. He smirked seeing our reaction to the boys. Jae shrugged off his jacket and turned to our friends. Even Bin looked a little scared. “Jae, leave them out of this.”

“I can’t do that Y/n. I know for a fact...this one,” He said grabbing the back of Jisung’s hair and lifting up his head. “Was seen helping you make a getaway in Gwanak and he was at the house in Itaewon.” Jisung struggled against Jae’s grip. “Gave Dowoon quite the scar on his cheek.” I turned to see in fact Dowoon had a fresh scar on his left cheek.

I let out a short scream as Jae’s fist flew across Jisung’s face. My friend glared up at him and spat on the floor, a dark red substance falling from his lips. “don’t hurt him.” Jae’s eyes widened and a surprised smile spread over his face.

“Well, seems both men have got you wrapped around their finger, Y/n.” He said taking Jisung’s face in his hand. “The question is,” He said turned to me and reaching behind him. “Which one matters more to you?” Jae pulled out another gun and aimed it at Chan. Dowoon pulled his out as well and pressed it against Ji’s temple.

In the corner of my eye, I saw Chan’s hand move behind him and reach into the lampshade. When his hand reappeared he was grasping a gun. I held onto his arm and shook my head ‘no’. Chan watched as I stepped between him and the barrel of the gun.

Jae scoffed. “You’ve got her brainwashed pretty well, don’t you?” I scowled and stood still staring down the barrel of the gun. I knew he wouldn’t fire if I was standing between him and his target. “You probably tried to take advantage of her. Luckily she’s not dumb enough to fall for that sort of f***ing scam.”

I heard Chan scoff behind me and I shot him a look. He ignored it, however, stepping forward. “Really?” He asked with a smile, listing his head. “From what I remember...she came on to me.” I could see Jae getting angrier and angrier. “Man, you should have been here the past few days. Things were pretty crazy,” Chan said with a smirk.

“D**MMMMMM BRO! THAT’S COLD!” Jisung laughed. Another punch from Jae silenced him.

“You’ve got a right to be jealous,” Chan said, grasping my hand. That was the last straw. Jae launched at Chan, taking him to the flower. Dowoon, thoroughly confused as to what was going on, dropped Changbin and Jisung. Bin ran over near me, wanting to be as far away from Dowoon as possible. Jisung on the other hand stayed over there, enthralled by the fight.

“YES. STEAL HIS GIRL CHAN! SHOW HIM WHO’S BOSS!”

“Jisung, dude, she wasn’t his in the first place,” Bin said narrowing his eyes at our friend. Jisung looked from me and then back to the fight.

“.......KICK HIS ASS, HYUNG!”

Both boys rolled around on the floor throwing punches and wrestling for dominance. “Stop it!” I screamed pulling on Jae’s shirt. “Stop!” They kept on fighting, not hearing me over Jisung’s trash talk to Jae and his cheers fro Chan. “That’s it.”

My eyes scanned the room for something relatively heavy. I raced over to the end table and grabbed the purple object before slamming it against the back of Jae’s head. “ENOUGH!” I screamed. All the boys stopped what they were doing and stared at me, eyes wide with fear.

“Chan you were right....what is with your girlfriend and candles...” Jisung whispered to his friend who lay at his feet. Chan looked up and then let his head drop to the floor. I looked to see a Black Cherry Merlot candle in my hand, the lavender tinted glass cracked from the impact of Jae’s cranium.

Jae rolled off of Chan and held the back of his head. “Enough. Stop this madness. I have had it up to here with you all.” Dowoon flinched at my yelling and I almost felt bad. Jisung helped Chan up from the floor and I dragged Jae by his ear to the kitchen.

“Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow...” He whined all the way.

“Shut up and listen okay?” Jae nodded and silently watched me grab a bag of frozen peas from the freezer. “I’m not going back with you,” His eyes saddened and he opened his mouth to say something but I stopped him. “I left on purpose. I hated it there. I wasn’t living my own life. I felt like I was locked up in a prison.”

Jae nodded and pressed the vegetable bag to the back of his head. “So, you really love him?” He looked broken. I still loved Jae, very much. But, not in the way that I used to. His head fell when I nodded. “Your dad is going to kill me, you do know that right?” There was a tiny laugh in his voice, but the words were more true than I would have liked to believe.

“Give me your phone.”

He passed me his phone and I scrolled through the contacts until I found my father. I waited, arms crossed for him to pick up. “Jae! Have you found my baby girl?” My father’s voice exclaimed through the phone.

“Hi, daddy!” I said, looking around the mess of my new house. Changbin was helping Chan and Jisung was having a sort of staring contest with Dowoon. He flinched away when Dowoon uncrossed his arms. I tried not to laugh.

“Y/n! My darling! Please tell me you are coming home.”

“Daddy, I love you,” I started. He went quiet hearing those words.

“You aren’t coming home are you?” I shook my head before telling him what he didn’t want to hear. I told him all about my deal with Chan and how he kept me safe until he got me to Jeju. I told him about how I never expected to fall in love with someone like him, but it happened.

“I’m happy, Dad.” I heard a slow sigh on the other end of the call. I could just picture my father rubbing his temples in his study.

“If you are happy and you are safe... then I trust you.” I smiled hearing those words. I wanted to jump and scream and sing all around the house. I wanted to run into the ocean and bask in the sunlight. “Please promise me, that you will come visit us.”

I agreed and told him I loved him before hanging up the phone and giving it back to Jae. “Would you and Dowoon like to stay for lunch? Chan and I were going to grill some shrimp and other stuff.” Jae seemed shocked by the offer.

“That would be nice.” I smiled and patted his shoulder.

“The bathroom is just down the hall, but I’m sure Jisung would also like to clean up his face...so I would run.” He gave me a confused look. “He is a strong supporter of ‘dibs’. So, I would run before he calls it.” Jae nodded and turned to leave.

My hand on his wrist stopped him. “Jae, I’m really sorry. About us. About everything.” He gave me a tight-lipped smile and placed a hand on my shoulder.

“It’s okay. As long as you're happy with...Chan...then I am happy for you.”

I smiled and reached up to give him a hug. “Now go before Jisung calls dibs.” He smiled and walked down the hall, breaking into a sprint when he saw Jisung was doing the same.

♛

Chan and I watched from the sunroom as Jisung and Changbin pushed each other around on the beach. Jae and Dowoon had left after lunch. Now the sun was setting and Chan was grilling up some more food while I sat and talked to him. I laughed watching Changbin throttle Jisung into the ocean.

“How into this are you?” Chan asked flipping some vegetables over on the grill. I gave him a lopsided grin and stood from the daybed. I wrapped my arms around his waist feeling the muscles beneath his tank top.

“Into what? This? Us?” He nodded. I pretended to think about it, making him smile. I let my lips trail down his shoulder. “Very.”

“You’re saying that you want to be my partner in crime?” I rose a brow and he gave me a nervous laugh. “Okay, semi-legal partner in crime.” I laughed and kissed his shoulder again.

“Let’s start with ‘girlfriend’ before I break the law with you.” He smiled and closed the grill.

A scream called our attention back to the beach. I was relieved to just see Jisung running away from Changbin. Unfortunately, Jisung wasn’t fast enough and Changbin had his hands around his shoulders, shoving Ji down under the waves.

“I’m friends with literal children.”

“Yes, yes you are.” He leaned down and pressed a heated kiss onto my lips. I was seriously falling in love with this man. “What do you want to do now, handsome?” I smirked seeing him roll his eyes, but a rosy blush tinted his ears.

“I don’t know,” He shrugged.

“Something good? Something bad?” I played with the ends of his hair before kissing the corner of his lips. “Bit of both? Whatever you want, pretty boy.” Chan sighed and wrapped his arms around my waist. His eyes turned to the sunset, twinkling in the light.

“Bit of both then.” He said with a smirk, leaning in for another kiss.

♛

Requests are open my lovelies! Just send an ask!

Masterlist

278 notes · View notes

luvidzy · 4 years ago

Text

muses | x.mh

☆ tct summer collection masterlist

☆ genre: fluff

☆ pairing: xu minghao x reader

☆ summary: while spending your summer in a small town where your grandma lives, you meet another artist and photographer named minghao

☆ word count: 5.5k

Crystal blue waves lapped onto the golden shore, nearly drenching your toes in the water. You stared out at the large lake that your grandmother’s home town resided beside. Despite the fact that you had come here basically every summer since you were born, you never got tired of the lake. The ever-flowing motion of its waters, the endless squawks from seagulls flying overhead, and most importantly the people that surrounded the lake.

You smiled as you took out your phone, eager to take a picture that you could use as a reference for a painting or mural later. But for right now, you were plenty content roaming the familiar streets, letting the inspiration and sunlight soak in.

You found yourself walking to the local ice cream parlor, a cute little restaurant that had been around since the 60s. You walked in, letting the AC cool you down as you made your way to the counter.

“Y/N! Hello darling, what can I get you?” Mr. Han, the man that ran the parlor, smiled at you as you walked up. Mr. Han had run this shop since you could remember, always eager to serve you whatever ice cream you desired as a child.

“Hi, Mr. Han. The usual, if you don’t mind,” you replied, handing him the exact amount of money. You had ordered this treat so many times that you knew exactly the cost. Mr. Han smiled before moving behind the counter to prepare your usual ice cream order. Once the ice cream treat was safely in your hands, you waved Mr. Han goodbye before stepping out and heading to the pier.

Not many people frequented the pier, mostly fishermen or couples who just wanted to sit. You liked to come here to sketch and take photos, but also to just relax. It was a quiet place for you to think, uninterrupted except for your own thoughts. You made your way to the pier, ice cream already gone, but stopped when you noticed something, or someone, unusual.

Your grandma’s home town was small, so over the years you had been here you had met and were acquainted with all of the residents. Your grandma hadn’t mentioned any new people moving in, so your curiosity was piqued when you noticed an unfamiliar boy sitting at the edge of the pier, where you usually sat when you visited. As you moved closer, you noticed that the boy was holding a camera and was looking down at what you assumed to be a photo he just took.

“That’s a pretty photo,” you commented, leaning down slightly. The boy jumped ever so slightly, pressing his camera to his chest as you turned to face you. You were stunned at how attractive this new boy was. His skin was smooth, and he wore round glasses that made his sparkling eyes even bigger. His hair framed his face and he somehow managed to look both innocent and mature at once. You smiled at you straightened up.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. I just haven’t seen you around before. Mind if I sit?” you asked. The boy gave a curt nod, scooching over slightly so you could plop down beside him, your feet dangling over the lake.

“Anyway, that was a beautiful photo. This is one of the prettiest spots to take them, in my opinion,” you said, staring out at the lake. From the pier, you could see the sun hit the water, causing it to shimmer with its every move.

“Thank you. I just stumbled upon this place, but it’s gorgeous,” the boy finally spoke. You hummed in agreement before turning to him and placing your hand out.

“My name is Y/N,” you said. The boy smiled, reaching one hand out to shake yours. His handshake was firm, but his hands were warm and soft.

“Nice to meet you, Y/N. My name is Minghao,” he said. You smiled. A cute name for a cute face.

“Hope I’m not intruding by asking, but do you live around here? You said I was unfamiliar,” Minghao asked. You smiled.

“Only in the summers. My grandma lives here, and I’ve been coming to spend summer with her since I was a baby. I know pretty much everyone in this town, but you looked new,” Minghao nodded.

“I see. Well, I’m just here for the summer as well. I go to college in the city, a couple of hours from here, and some of my friends thought it would be fun to go somewhere new over the summer for ‘inspiration’.” You giggled at his air quotes.

“Well, you chose the right town. This place has never let me down on the creativity and inspiration front. It may be small, but this place is overflowing with character,” you chirped, smiling warmly. You began to ramble on about your favorite areas of the town, from the ice cream parlor to the campgrounds, to the trolley service, to the hidden waterfalls in the forest.

You were so busy rambling that you didn’t notice how Minghao was staring at you, eyes glossy as you took in your features. He may have just met you, but you were already captivating him. From the way you flung your arms around wildly to emphasize your feelings, to the way you would laugh when remembering a funny memory at a certain place, it felt like it was impossible for Minghao to take his eyes off of you. He didn’t even hear when you stopped talking and turned to him, waiting for an answer.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that last bit,” Minghao said, blinking a couple of times to bring himself back to reality. You smiled, rolling your eyes playfully.

“I asked if you wanted me to show you around tomorrow? I can show you some great places to take photos if you want,” you offered. Minghao nodded almost instantly.

“That sounds wonderful. Can I bring my friends along?” he asked, almost regretting the question the minute it escaped his mouth.

“Of course, the more the merrier. We can meet at my grandma’s house. Here, give me your phone.” Minghao was quick to relinquish his phone to you, watching as you typed in your contact name and number.

“Text me and I’ll give you the address and the time,” you stated before standing up.

“I should get back home, it’s my night to make dinner. I’ll see you tomorrow, Hao!” you exclaimed, smiling as you waved before rushing down the pier and out of sight. Minghao watched you leave, smiling to himself, and then proceeded to look back out to the lake, camera ready to take more pictures.

The next afternoon, you said goodbye to your grandma as you locked the door behind you. Minghao and his friends weren’t there yet, but you didn’t mind. You took this moment as an opportunity to take in the fresh air, the smell of the lake wafting from a distance away.

“Y/N!” You turned towards the voice, smiling when you saw Minghao and a few new faces walking towards you.

“Hey, guys!” You exclaimed, waving at them. The group of boys stopped in front of you, all smiling at you warmly.

“These are my friends, Jun, Vernon, Chan, and Seungkwan.” He said, pointing to each boy as they were introduced. You waved to each of them, before introducing yourself.

“You guys ready to start your tour?” you asked. The boys nodded eagerly, prompting you to begin to walk down the sidewalk and towards the town. You made small talk with the boys, telling them little stories about your childhood summers spent in the town. Within a couple of minutes, you were standing in front of your first destination.

“Welcome to younger Y/N’s favorite spot: the candy store.” You smiled, opening the door. The candy shop was old fashioned in almost every way. The walls were painted a pastel pink color with cream accents and lined high with jars of different candies, along with center tables that also housed different candies and bags for holding the candies. A little bell rang as you stepped in, alerting Mrs. Dalton of your presence.

“Y/N! Lovely to see you dear!” Mrs. Dalton greeted from behind the counter. You gave her a soft smile and a wave before looking to the boys.

“Feel free to look around and buy anything you like. Some of the candies are common candy like the Reeses, but stuff like the salt-water taffy is all handmade by the Daltons!” you explained, gesturing to different things. The boys were instantly drawn to the candies, and you smiled as you watched them walk around, Minghao with his camera out and ready. You walked up to the counter and smiled at Mrs. Dalton.

“Do you have any of those homemade lollipops?” You asked. Mrs. Dalton gave you a sly smirk, before pulling a blue and white swirled lollipop out of a jar from behind the counter.

“Mr. Dalton made the blue ones just for you, dear.” You melted at the kindness of the older couple before handing Mrs. Dalton 5 dollars.

“Keep the change, Mrs. Dalton. And tell your husband thank you,” you said. The older woman smiled, and you turned your attention back to the boys, licking your lollipop. They were walking around, picking up and examining different sweets. You made eye contact with Minghao as he picked up a saltwater taffy, giving you a warm smile as he placed it in his bag.

After the boys bought some sweets, you exited the candy shop before heading to your next destination. Even though you had been there the day before, you still loved the ice cream parlor more than anything. You knew the minute you offered to show Minghao and his friends around that you needed to bring them to Han’s. Entering in for the second time that week, you smiled at Mr. Han.

“I’m back!” You joked, causing the man to laugh.

“This certainly is a very welcome and pleasant surprise. Can I get you the usual?”

“Sure. I’m gonna pay for these guys too.” You said, motioning to the 5 boys behind you. After giving their orders and paying, you got your ice cream and went to sit in one of the booths.

“This place is adorable,” Seungkwan commented, staring at the decor of the ice cream parlor as he ate his ice cream. You nodded, taking a bite of your treat.

“This decor is the original decor from the 60s. My grandma said it has hardly changed since it was made.” You explained. Minghao had his camera out, taking different photos. That was when your attention was drawn to one of your favorite things.

“Jun, do you have a quarter?” you asked. Jun nodded, fishing the coin out of his pocket. With a bounce in your step, you made your way to the old fashioned jukebox that the parlor had. After depositing the change and selecting Island In the Sun by Weezer, you began to bop to the song, soon dragging Jun and Chan out to dance with you. The two laughed as you began to twist around, dragging them along with your dance moves. When the song finished, you laughed and smiled going back to the booth, unaware of Minghao’s fond gaze on you as you slid back into the booth next to him.

With your ice cream finished, you guys headed out again, this time to a nearby trolly station. Walking into the small building, you greeted the worker with a smile, before asking for 6 tickets that would take you guys to the campgrounds. With a smile and a wave, you led the guys outside to where one of the trolleys was parked on the street waiting.

“Heya John! Is it just us?” you asked, boarding the red vehicle. John nodded, giving you a big grin.

“Yep! Just you guys,” John said. You sat down, the boys following suit before the trolley began its journey to the campgrounds. They weren’t too far away, but the trolly took the scenic route. This allowed you to point things out, sticking your hand out the window and pointing at different things here and there. It also gave Minghao an opportunity to take more photos. Fifteen minutes later you were in the forest, with the campgrounds sign in view.

“Thank you!” you called as John drove away, before leading the boys into the campgrounds and to a trail.

“I saved my favorite place for last,” you said, eyes sparkling as you led them farther from the campsite. After a bit of walking, you made a sharp turn into a small hidden lake in the forest, complete with a rushing waterfall.

“Damn, this is beautiful!” Vernon said, mouth slightly agape. You nodded before you set your small backpack down. With a swift movement, you took off your top to reveal a swimsuit underneath, before jumping into the lake.

When you emerged from the surface, you smiled at the guys and waved.

“Come on, the water’s great!” you exclaimed, splashing around a little bit. With no need for further coaxing, the boys set their stuff down and jumped in. Minghao waited a bit, using his camera to take photos of the scenery. You swam over to where he stood on the shore, pouting up at him.

“Come on, Hao. Before I have to pull you in,” you joked, splashing his legs a bit. Minghao smiled at you.

“Alright, alright. I’m coming.” You cheered as Minghao put the camera down before jumping in right next to you, splashing you completely. You rubbed your eyes as Minghao laughed.

“Oh, you are so on, Hao.” You and Hao laughed together as you splashed one another. Soon the other boys joined in, leaving you at the mercy of the 5 new boys that you had grown fond of in just a day.

After drying off, your group made its way back to town. You made your way back to your house, smiling at the group of boys.

“And that was my tour of the town. What did you think?” you asked, walking backward down the street. The boys smiled, raving on about their favorite parts of the town. Minghao smiled at you as you laughed at the boy's excitement.

“You weren’t kidding when you said this town never failed in the inspiration department. Thanks for showing us around,” Minghao said with a sincere expression. You flushed ever so slightly before nodding to him lightly.

“Anytime. I hope we can meet up again and hang out? I have an endless list of things we can do if you ever get bored,” you said. Minghao smiled.

“I’d like that.” Before you knew it, you were at the front door of your grandma’s house. Waving goodbye to the boys, you entered your house, letting out a breath as you felt your heart race. Shaking your head, you pushed the thoughts of Minghao and his smile out of your head.

When Minghao got back to the small cottage that they were staying in, he laid in his bed, staring at the ceiling. For some reason, he couldn’t get you out of his head. His heart was flipping slightly, and the thought of your laugh and smile made him smile a little bit. It was a weird feeling for him. He hadn’t felt this way before. Forcing the thoughts out of his head, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

The next day he decided to go off alone. He loved his friends, but he wanted to find someplace quiet where he could sketch with his earbuds in and not be disturbed. After walking around the town for a bit, he found a park. Considering it was early, there weren’t any kids around. Spotting the swings, he walked over and sat down, letting his feet stabilize him. Pulling out his sketchbook and headphones, he looked up for something to draw.

The park had a surprisingly good view, with a few trees blocking the large lake in the distance. It was beautiful, and Minghao began sketching, letting his music flood his ears.

You had woken up earlier than usual with the feeling and need to get out of the house and do something. So, with your iPad and phone in your hands, you headed into town to find a nice place to sit and edit some photos you had taken recently. You were originally heading to a small cafe in town when you saw Minghao in a nearby park, sitting on the swings. With a small smile, you made your way over, tapping him on the shoulder.

He snapped his head to where you had tapped, smiling when he saw you staring down at him.

“Hey! What brings you here?” you asked, moving to sit in the swing next to him. He motioned down to his sketchbook. You leaned in for a moment, looking at the drawing. Your eyes scanned the carefully drawn lines, admiring the messy beauty that Minghao was creating.

“It’s beautiful,” you breathed, eyes stuck to the sketchbook. Minghao inhaled a little bit, heart beating. Why were your compliments making him feel this way? He held his breath until you moved away and flashed him a smile.

“Well, I hope I’m not bothering you. I was going to go to the cafe to edit some photos, but I’ll keep you company if you want,” you offered. Minghao felt himself nod before he could stop himself. You smiled happily, taking out your iPad and stylus to begin editing the photos you had taken. Minghao watched you delicately zoom in and photoshop clutter out of the photo. He stared down at his earbuds before holding one out.

“Wanna listen?” You looked down at his hands and smiled, accepting the earbud. You wiped it down a little bit, earning a chuckle from Minghao, before putting it in your ear. With music playing in both of your ears, each of you got back to work on your projects, enjoying the comfortable silence.

After two hours of working, you and Minghao parted ways with a smile and a promise to see each other again soon. You smiled at your shoes as you walked, feeling giddy for a reason that was still foreign to you. All you knew was that you liked Minghao’s presence, and it made you happy. Minghao did the same thing as he walked the opposite direction, staring down at his sketchbook, happier with his work than he had ever been before.

Another week passed without seeing Minghao. You texted a bit, checking in and asking about his projects, but other than that you hadn’t seen him. It wasn’t until you walked into the local bookshop that you saw Minghao again. You were going to look for some new books to read when you noticed Minghao pursuing the fiction section. With a smile, you approached him.

“Finding anything good?” Minghao turned to look at you, a smile on his face.

“We keep running into each other it seems. And no, I haven’t found anything particularly good,” he said, motioning towards the shelves. He was stationed in front of the classic literature section. You smiled as you scanned the titles before pulling out Pride and Prejudice.

“Have you read this book yet?” you asked, handing it to him. He looked at the cover before shaking his head.

“Nope. I’ve heard of it before though.”

“I highly recommend it. It is one of my favorite books of all time,” you said. Minghao smiled, clutching it to his chest.

“Then I guess I’ll have to read it,” he said. You gave him a wide smile before searching the shelves and pulling out a couple of titles that you liked. With books in hand, you and Minghao paid for your books and exited the store. You walked down the sidewalk together, bags in hand. You talked aimlessly, Minghao sharing stories about his friends and their chaos and you sharing stories about your college friends. It felt so natural to just talk to one another this way, and before you knew it, you were at the street where you needed to part.

“It was nice seeing you, Minghao!” you said, smiling at him.

“And it was nice seeing you. Text me later!” he said. With a wave and a nod, you walked away, head fuzzy and heart leaping with joy. Minghao smiled to himself and he walked away, his heart warm.

Another week went by with little conversation between you and Minghao. That was until you finally got the guts to ask if he wanted to read together at the cafe in town. After agreeing on a date and time, you and Minghao met up at the cafe with your choice of book. Minghao smiled as he sat down with his coffee, Pride and Prejudice in hand. You sat across from him, your book in hand along with your coffee. You both fell into a comfortable silence, flipping pages of your book every couple of minutes.

After a while, you started sneaking glances at Minghao. He looked good with his glasses perched on his nose, sharp eyes gliding along the words written in the book. His hair fell ever so slightly onto his forehead, and every so often he would take a sip of his coffee without looking up. For some reason seeing him like this made you feel weird. Like you wanted to vomit but in a good way. And that’s when it hit you, like a truck going full speed.

You were falling for Minghao.

You anxiously looked down at your book, suddenly feeling very flushed and nervous. You took a couple of deep breaths, hoping that you could calm down your suddenly beating heart and pumping blood.

Minghao was also sneaking peeks at you from across the table. He loved the way you muttered under your breath about the plot or the characters. Every now and then you would reach for your coffee, hand grabbing towards it before you finally found and lifted it. Occasionally you would brush your hair out of your face, allowing Minghao to see your entire face. Watching you and all your habits made him smile. His heart jumped and he wanted nothing more than to watch you do that all the time. And that is when it hit Minghao, like a car hitting a bug.

He was falling for you.

He inhaled sharply at the realization before shaking his head and looking back at his book. He resisted the urge to look at you now and again, afraid that his heart might burst if he looked at you anymore.

After an hour of reading in silence, you and Minghao both decided to stop reading, though you didn’t tell each other that the reason was that you were both too distracted by the other to get any actual reading done. Books in hand, you and Minghao made your way to the pier where you had met. The sun was still high in the sky but the pier was relatively empty, save for a few fishermen.

You and Minghao walked to the end, sitting down so your feet were hanging over the water. Neither of you talked, both afraid that any words you said would come out an incoherent jumbled mess. Besides, the silence wasn’t awkward, in fact, it was quite nice. For someone like Minghao, it was rare to meet someone who he felt comfortable not talking with. He usually felt obligated to keep up a conversation, but with you, he felt at ease just sitting and admiring the view.

You both sat there for a moment, lost in your own thoughts and hyperaware that you were sitting next to someone so beautiful and amazing. Minghao went to set his hand down but recoiled quickly when he placed his large hand on top of yours. You both flushed, looking away to hide your obvious embarrassment and leaping hearts. Before the situation could get any more awkward, you leaped up from your spot, book in hand.

“I should probably go. My grandma is probably waiting for me. I’ll see you later, Hao,” you said, trying not to fumble over your words before rushing down the pier and back home. Minghao stared at you as you left, mind completely overrun with thoughts of you.

That night you couldn’t sleep. You tossed and turned in the guest bedroom you were inhabiting for the summer, but no matter what, you couldn’t sleep. Your mind was awake, racing with ideas, and your hands were itching for you to make something. As the morning birds began chirping and the soft sunlight began breaking over the horizon, you gave up on sleep.

You walked into the kitchen, made yourself a coffee, and went to the garage. The garage was home to your art supplies over the summer, storing your chalks, paints, easels, and everything in between. Taking your bucket full of different chalks, you and your coffee made your way to the backyard. The backyard of the house had a large slab of concrete where the porch was supposed to be, but your grandma never used it so it remained empty. You tied your hair out of your face before getting to work.

Honestly, you didn’t have a plan for the piece of art you were making. Usually, you sketched something out first, but your brain was controlling your hands at this point, making wide strokes and small strokes, forming a piece of art almost mindlessly. Between sips of coffee and the sun rising, your hands slowly became stained with different colors of chalk.

After a couple of hours of work, you finally stared down at your art and your eyes widened. You hadn’t realized earlier, but the strokes of chalk in various shades of pastel pink, blue, and yellow had come together to form an image of a familiar boy on the pier. You blushed as you stared down at it, before brushing it off. Minghao wouldn’t ever see it anyway, so what was the problem?

You jumped slightly as your phone rang. Retrieving the device from your back pocket, you sighed as you attempted to press the answer button without getting chalk on your phone.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Y/N?” Minghao’s voice rang clear through the phone. You froze, eyes stuck on the chalk drawing in front of you.

“Uh, hey Hao. What’s up?” you asked.

“I was wondering if you wanted to hang out. I was gonna go through the photos and I’d love to get your opinion on them,” Hao said. You smiled to yourself, feeling your heart jump a little bit in your chest.

“I’d love to. Give me a couple of minutes, I just got done doing a mural so I need to wash up.” You explained, staring down at the mess of chalk on your clothes and skin. Hao laughed.

“No problem. I’d love to see the mural sometime.” You froze again, your brain rebooting as you tried to figure out what to say next.

“Uh yeah, okay. Send me the address and I’ll be there soon,” you said before hanging up. You let out a large sigh, trying to regain your breath and thoughts. You were about to head inside when the mural caught your eye again. Eyeing it for a few seconds, you pulled up your phone camera and took a photo of it.

After you showered and got yourself presentable (which took way more time than it should have), you were on your way to the cottage. It was a fifteen-minute walk from your grandma’s house, and you’d be lying if you said you didn’t spend a majority of the walk stressing about seeing Minghao.

It was weird. Before, everything had been fine. You’d texted like friends who had known each other for ages, you felt at ease with him even when it was silent, and overall you felt comfortable in his presence. All of that was still true, but somehow it all felt different knowing that you liked him.

You forced yourself to stop overthinking as you approached the cottage door. Vernon answered the door, asking you how you’d been. You made small talk, telling him about your latest baking adventures and some new art projects. You didn’t bring up the mural. Vernon kept talking with you while he led you to Minghao’s room. He left after guiding you, giving you a wink which only made you more nervous.

Gently pushing the door open, you spotted Minghao sitting on the floor in casual clothing, back against the edge of the bed and glasses once again perched on his nose. His laptop was sitting on his lap and his slender fingers were clicking away at the keys and mousepad. He looked up as he heard the door open, smiling softly as he noticed it was you.

“Hey! Come here, I wanna show you some photos,” he said, patting the carpet next to him. You quickly scrambled to sit next to him, aware of the way his arm pressed against yours when you looked at his computer screen. The screen was covered with photos of different parts of town, from the pier to the candy shop. You smile as you observe each photo, Minghao clicking through them.

“Hao, these are gorgeous,” you said, stunned by how beautiful the photos were. He smiled.

“Thanks.” He continued to click and it wasn’t until he clicked forward and quickly clicked back that you sent him a questioning gaze.

“What’s the matter?” The photo that you had seen for a second looked like just another photo of the scenery the town had to offer, but the look on Minghao’s face made it seem like it was a crime.

“Nothing. Those photos aren’t finished anyway.” He said, quickly, but before he could stop you, you reached over and clicked the next arrow. Your eyes widened at the sight you were met with.

It was you. The photo was of you at the candy shop, holding the blue and white swirl lollipop and smiling like there wasn’t a care in the world. You had never thought you could look so beautiful, but the way Minghao captured you made it look like you were an angel. You unconsciously pressed the forward arrow again, revealing more photos of you from throughout the trip. A photo of you dancing with Chan and Jun at the ice cream parlor. A photo of you laughing as you ate your ice cream. A photo of you at the window of the trolley, hair blowing, and a content smile on your face. A few photos of you as you led them through the forest and last but not least some photos of you in the secret lake, the water sparkling around you, but you seemingly sparkling more.

“Hao…” You were speechless. These photos were stunning, but why had Minghao chosen you as a muse?

“I hope you don’t mind. You just looked so carefree that day. Everywhere we went you had a smile on your face and you looked like an angel. I figured it would be a missed opportunity to not take some photos of you. Originally I was only gonna take some at the candy store, but I loved you in those photos so much that I had to take more,” Hao explained, his voice tense from nerves. You stared at him, shocked. He thought you were beautiful? You smiled softly at him.

“Well, I guess we are both each other’s muses,” you said. Minghao furrowed his brows in confusion while you pulled your phone out. You quickly pulled up your mural from this morning and showed it to him. His eyes sparkled as he took in the chalk mural that you had made. It was so intricate, yet stylistic. He was drawn in different shades of pastel, almost like a stained glass window made of chalk.

“I couldn’t sleep last night cause my brain was itching to do something. I woke up and started to make this mural, but I wasn’t really thinking about it when I made it. My brain just drew the lines the way my heart wanted them to be. It wasn’t until I was finished I realized that it was you,” you explained, face heating up as you tried to explain yourself to him. He looked up from the phone to you, before smiling.

“Well, this makes me less nervous to tell you that I like you. I think I’ve liked you since we first met, but I didn’t realize till we were at the coffee shop,” Minghao admitted. You let out a small chuckle.

“I like you too, Minghao. Maybe tonight, we can go on a proper date?” You asked. Minghao nodded happily.

“I’d like that very much,” he said. You smiled as you felt his arms wrap around your shoulders, bringing you in close. You cuddled into his chest, feeling weightless. The nervousness that was there before was gone, leaving only the content feeling of love in its place.

This town had never left you dry for inspiration, and you think that this town finally brought you your forever muse.

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handsofdarkness · 4 years ago

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Sharon den Adel (Within Temptation): "Emotions are the most important ingredient in music"

A few days ago we interviewed the singer of Within Temptation – Sharon den Adel. We talked with the artist from the Netherlands about what her life in the lockdown reality looks like, about her band's publishing plans and hopes for the coming months. Enjoy your reading!

The interview, which took place on January 14, 2021 was conducted by Mateusz M. Godoń via Skype.

MATEUSZ: Hi Sharon! First of all, how are you doing? How is your life during the current lockdown?

SHARON: I'm fine, thank you. Yeah, of course it's not the ideal situation, but, you know, we have to cope like everyone else. And that's just what it is.

MATEUSZ: So what do you do when you have to spend most of your time at home? Have you discovered any new passions recently or are you just developing some older ones?

SHARON: I'm mostly developing the older ones. But we've redone the whole house, for instance. So that's one of the things that I never thought I would enjoy that much. But if you are at home that much, it's nice to have something to do. So we’ve been redecorating, painting rooms and stuff like that just to keep busy, but obviously, we also devoted a lot of time to music.

MATEUSZ: Quite recently you guys have released your new single called "The Purge". Can you tell us a bit about this song? What is this piece about?

SHARON: Well, it's all about looking back on life and dealing with situations and decisions made in the past and living on – and because of dealing with it, you can live better. You know, sometimes you really need to look certain things in the eye to cope with it again and not take the burden along with you throughout the years – and it will be easier in life if you do it. And that's something that we had a lot of time for, I think, when we were in a lockdown to overthink life. Everybody's in a roller coaster, the whole year long and every year, so when there's a lockdown like this, you get a chance to re-evaluate your life itself and also directions and decisions made, of course. And that's, I think, why "The Purge" came together.

MATEUSZ: This is the second song after "Entertain You", which you are releasing as a part of series of singles. Why did you choose this form of sharing new material this time instead of waiting for a whole new album to be ready?

SHARON: Well, the first reason was to have some new songs while being on tour again, of course, when we are doing this co-headline tour with Evanescence. We felt like we've just been on tour, so it's nice to have on the new tour some new songs to surprise everybody that we don't just play the same - or more or less the same – setlist again, but we have some new songs added to it as well, which is always nice, I guess. And then of course, a lockdown came and we felt like: OK, you know what, we're just going to continue doing this and we're not going to release an album, because we don't know how long it's going to take before we get out of the lockdown again. And we need something to look forward to. And it's also an experiment in a way, and started with the fact that we wanted to present some new songs on tour. But, yeah, now it became a bigger experiment than we thought – it was going to be a longer one anyway [laughter]. But it's nice, because now we're right in the moment and that's good also, I think.

MATEUSZ: But after all, do you plan to release an album with all the singles you are now releasing in digital form? Fans still like to have all their favorite bands' songs on physical media, and I'm sure they'd love to have another release to add to their collections!

SHARON: Yeah, well, we are planning that still. It is still the plan to release eventually an album, but it will take us some time to get together and also record everything, of course. But we have enough time. Getting together is a bit of a problem – but we can do a lot already and we'll see how far we get. And you know, there's a lot of touring ahead of us when we are able to go on tour again. So that needs to come first, but of course, there will be an album eventually. But we're still going to keep on releasing some new songs here and there as long as this takes.

MATEUSZ: Not so long ago, you have created your own label. Why did you decide to do that? Does it have anything to do with trying to release songs in a different way than before?

SHARON: Yes, you know, we artists have different goals than record companies sometimes. And for us, this was very important to do it this way to try this out. And then you have to be, well, you know, on the same page with your record company, of course. And when it didn't happen, we decided to do it on our own.

MATEUSZ: Right! Not so long ago, because just two years ago, you have released your last longplay, "Resist", and it came out five years after the previous album. What it took you so long to release a follow-up to "Hydra"?

SHARON: Well, it was because of the fact that I had a little bit of writer's block. Little was a big one – and it was not just me, but I think the whole band was in a small identity crisis, I guess. In a way, it was a little like a lockdown for the band at that time. In a way, it was a little like a lockdown for the band at that time. You know, life can always be one big rollercoaster for everyone in this world – and sometimes, at a certain age, or maybe because of some problems (like in my case, because my dad got really ill), you can just have enough. I got into a vibe like I wanted to look back on life and started realizing: do I still want to do this? So I was a little bit in an emotional crisis in a way. And also together with this writer's block, I think, which was, of course, glued together, it was one big problem. Of course, it was all connected to each other. And it wasn't just me – I think a lot of them were like: OK, we've been doing this for so many years in our adult life, what else do we want to do? In the band, I'm one of the writers – not the only one, of course – but everyone was struggling to find a new direction, a new goal, a new challenge, I guess. And so I decided in the meantime that, just for therapy, I was going to write a few songs and it didn't have to be for Within Temptation. And it really opened the doorway of writing new stuff that I normally would never write and would come out of me. And so it helped me get rid of the blockage, this writer's block that I had. And I wrote a different album in the meantime. So that also took a lot of time. And releasing it was for me, a personal project that I needed to do for myself. It was called My Indigo. And yeah, and it helped us back on track with this, not just me, but I think everybody, because I also got some help from the other members. Everybody was, of course, in the same kind of ship and we were a little bit shipwrecked [laughter]. So it was, yeah, time for some cooling down and some distance, I guess. And that’s why it took us five years to come back with "Resist".

MATEUSZ: I'm glad to hear that the crisis is over or it's getting better at least. You've already mentioned this sideproject of yours, My Indigo. Do you plan to continue it and release more albums under this brand name?

SHARON: I'm only working for Within Temptation at the moment, but I hope to write someday again for My Indigo when I feel the need for it. It should be a project that is spontaneous and should come to me when I am ready for it, I guess. And at this moment, I don't have the inspiration for My Indigo. I hope I'll get it again – but it's also not always a good sign [laughter]. When I'm working for Within Temptation, I'm not working for My Indigo – and vice versa. I think I need both, probably, but at this moment I'm more in the vibe for Within Temptation.

MATEUSZ: Great! So, as you've already mentioned, last year you were planning to go on a big tour with Evanescence, but the pandemic thwarted your plans and the tour had to be postponed to fall 2021. Hopefully this tour will take place and there would be no more problems – but how do you envision the post-pandemic touring?

SHARON: I think people will be more fired up to hear music live! Fired up because of the fact that they're finally out of their houses, you know, everybody is out there and wants to be together again. And I think that it will bring a crazy kind of fire that will bring it to the next level. You know, people are really going to appreciate being outdoors again, not just for us, of course, not just our own shows, but every show that's going to happen after this lockdown. I think it is going to be crazy and so much fun. So I'm really looking forward to that. I'm really hoping that will happen soon.

MATEUSZ: Yeah, I understand you totally – I'm also looking forward to the return of concerts, because I'm a photographer during the shows here in Poland and I miss it so much!

SHARON: I can imagine! [laughter]

MATEUSZ: So do you do you miss playing live yourself?

SHARON: Yes, of course, I miss this interaction. I miss the people. I miss the crew. I miss the band, obviously! I miss everybody. The whole picture isn't complete without one or the other. So we need everyone and every single person that was involved in the past and hopefully will get on board again with this new tour, because there's also some problems ahead, I guess! Also because of the fact that you don't know if everybody is going to survive this lockdown – meaning like truck companies, the catering that we used to have... We know every each and every person almost who travels with us. You know, it's one big family – and that goes for every person who supports our team, like truck and bus drivers who travel with us from one city to another and to any country. And so you need everybody on board to be able to get this picture back in place again. And I really hope most people who'd worked for us, are still able to work for us when we start again, because everybody will start up at the same time more or less and there will be a lot of work. But you have your favorite team, of course, and they work for several people. So it’s just wondering, like, can we get the dream team together again? Hopefully they will choose us.

MATEUSZ: Yeah, sure! Let's hope that everybody would be available when this nightmare ends and there would be no more problems. So you are planning to perform in Poland again during the Worlds Collide tour. You have played here many times before. Which of those visits do you consider the most important? Do you have any special memories from here?

SHARON: Well, I love the city Cracow, because I think that's one of the most beautiful cities I've ever been to! So I like the Polish fans because they have a drive for music like no other, I guess, especially not in up north in Europe. You're very passionate people! And that's something that I love, because we feel the same passion for music when we are on stage. And it's easy to get in contact with Polish audience because they are so enthusiastic, so outgoing in their passion. And I really admire that because, you know, not every country has that. Not every people express themselves that easily. And that's really beautiful!

MATEUSZ: Thanks, that's very nice what you say! I've heard that you and your parents traveled to a lot of countries when you were a child. What did these experiences give you? Which of the places you have visited do you like to come back the most?

SHARON: Well, as a child I lived in Surinam, which and I think that's one of the most beautiful countries I've ever been to, and also in Indonesia. I've lived in so many countries, but also I've traveled to a lot of countries. But still, I like the people very much in Surinam. They were very relaxed, very sweet. They were very easy going to get to know and very loving people. So I'm hoping to come back to that country one day again. But there are so many beautiful countries as so many beautiful place on Earth. I've been to Australia, I've been to Africa. But I think it's the people you meet in a place that make you find it beautiful. And I met a lot of beautiful people in Surinam.

MATEUSZ: What you say made me want to go there one day!

SHARON: Yeah, it's a really beautiful country, with such a nice jungle and the people are just really lovely! You should definitely go there someday!

MATEUSZ: OK, I hope I will be able to! Speaking of memories of your youth – you started your career in the fashion industry. What made you finally decide to switch to music?

SHARON: Well, you know, music was always my biggest passion, and you guys from Poland know about passion, so that's always leading. So in fact, fashion was a second plan, more like I needed a job – I needed to get bread on the table, like they say here in Holland. So you need to have your priorities first. And music was always a hobby to us, because at the time that we started there wasn't a big legacy of bands that were world famous. There weren't bands that could live from their music. And so we felt like: OK, you know, let's be realistic – the kind of music that we make, you know, how many people will like it? [laughter] That's what they told us also from the start! Our parents were like: OK, come on, guys, you know, be realistic, you're never going to make it in music. And not only your parents, but everyone around us was saying: OK, what do you do in your life? You make music? Yeah, OK, but what's your job? And they did make us think. And so everybody has their degrees. Robert did a study for education, for human resource management, I had this fashion management. We also had some whiz-kid in our band, a guitar player, who was developing websites and stuff like that. So everybody had their jobs besides the band. And all of a sudden we broke through and then everything changed – we had a huge hit with "Ice Queen" in the Netherlands and Belgium, we felt like: OK, why not go for it for just for a certain time and enjoy this? Because might never come back, and this is our passion – so let's leave the job and go for it! [laughter] And so we did, and we never had to go back to the job again, luckily for us. But, you know, since then, the music industry in the Netherlands has been getting bigger and bigger also not just because of us, of course, but there was so many different kind of styles developing at the same time, like the dance scene was huge in the Netherlands, and it still is quite big. And so, you know, it's something we never thought would happen. Also, besides us, there are so many other bands who started touring and believing in the fact that might be a chance to do this for a living, you know, to have your passion as a daily thing.

MATEUSZ: All right, thanks for such a long, nice story! So as a songwriter, as a stage artist, where do you get your inspirations from? Do you have any favorite other acts whose work has influenced what kind of artist you are?

SHARON: Oh, many! You know, as a small girl, I lived in Indonesia and one day I went to a drive-in show with my parents, where I first saw the movie "Grease". And afterwards I wanted to have the record with the songs from that movie, because I fell in love with the vocals of this lady who could sing so well, whose name was Olivia Newton-John! I just wanted to sing those songs from "Grease" – and I did, for many years, on a daily basis! [laughter] I know every song from front to back and back to front. I was Olivia's fan for a long time, and also from her music I got into country music. My parents were playing a lot of Eagles and, you know... I'm sorry I forgot the question when I started to talk! This is a very big story. What was the original question? [laughter]

MATEUSZ: Where do you get your inspirations from?

SHARON: Which people inspired me, yeah! So, as I already said, I started with Olivia Newton-John, and then when I grew older, I got into Tori Amos. But I also liked Mariah Carey, for instance, very much because she was for me "the Steve Vai amongst vocalists". It may not be the type of music you would expect from me – and it is certainly not my favorite – but Mariah was the most technical singer I've ever heard in my life. And I think that for many singers, a great way to practice your vocal cords is to sing her songs. I have never taken singing lessons myself – but practicing on my own, I was always trying to get that really idiotic high notes from Mariah Carey and try to replicate it. And I drove my parents crazy, but she was one of my inspirations, more on the technical side. And I also love Janis Joplin. During the concerts, she was all over the floor and she was crying on stage. She was so emotional. She was giving all her passion to the audience, and that was so beautiful! I was inspired by her – and I was inspired by Kurt Cobain, who did the same thing, but with a heavier music. And that was my first encounter with really heavy music – because, of course, I knew Alice Cooper, but he was more pop or pop-rock to my opinion. So Nirvana was my ultimate favorite band. So different artists inspired me in different ways, but especially how they expressed themselves on stage and made me aware of the fact that emotion is maybe the most important ingredient in music. So that way, yeah, I was really inspired by all these artists in a different way, I guess.

MATEUSZ: It's not good to ask about plans right now, because we can plan anything and the pandemic would always destroy our schedules. So what can I wish you for this new year that have just recently started?

SHARON: Well, the tour will go on at least and hopefully also the festivals. But, you know, that's quite close in the year, and I'm not sure everybody will be vaccinated or there will be a plan for that yet, but I hope that at least some festivals will happen and the tour will happen in September, but it's quite far away. I just want to believe that it will be real to come back on stage, and I wish that to every band because everyone is waiting to somehow get back to normal life. And it's you know, it's for some people even more important because it's the only thing they have. So for me, the best wish is that we can be playing life again, not just for us, but for everyone, just as that would be such a beautiful gift for 2021.

MATEUSZ: Yeah. Let's hope that it would happen! So is there anything that you would like to say to your Polish fans at the end of this interview?

SHARON: Well, I really hope they will hold onto that passion of theirs and I hope that we'll see each other sooner or later. Hang in there and stay tough! And, yeah, we'll make that bonfire together when we get there!

MATEUSZ: Thanks! Thank you very much, Sharon, for this conversation. It was quite an honor to me to speak with you today. And as you've already said, I hope to meet you on tour this year in Poland to gather with all the fans and to celebrate the return of normal life.

SHARON: Yes, totally! Let's do that. Let's hold on to that picture, that's very important!

#Sharon den Adel #within temptation #2021 interviews

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vsquadgoals · 5 years ago

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Can I get something along the lines of you are on tour with Scott and he starts acting weird and you think he’s mad about something but then surprises you by asking you to be his girlfriend on stage please and thank you! I love your writing so much, you’re amazing💕🥺

I’m sorry this took me so long! I loved this idea so much and I really wanted to take my time on it! I hope I did it justice my love!

Y/n and Bruce had been friends for years, since he first moved to LA, she was the one who took all his pictures and did most of the behind the scenes for his videos so when he started dating Carly she was so excited for him and grateful when he introduced her to their friend group. Y/n fit right in with the ‘vlog squad’ they all were obsessed with her sweet but shy personality; little did they know at first that her shyness would quickly disappear when she got comfortable around them. Y/n had been taking pictures since she could hold a camera and now that she was living in LA and living her dream of being a fulltime photographer, she couldn’t be happier. She developed such an amazing friendship with the group, and she was so grateful to Bruce for that but mostly she was grateful for him introducing her to Scott. Scott was who Y/n clicked with the best and got closest two, they were both just such creative and artistic people it was hard for them to not attract each other; this was also why her and Bruce got along so well but with her and Scott there was something different there.

It was a normal Sunday afternoon, Y/n was sitting in her office at her apartment editing some pictures from a recent photoshoot she had done. She had her a playlist playing from her google speaker that Scott had made for her full of songs he said she would fall in love with, he was right. Y/n was interrupted by a text from Bruce.

Brucey: Can I come by quick? I have to talk to you about something.

Y/n: doors open, in the office.

She answered him quickly before turning her attention back to the photos, Bruce lived in the same apartment building as Y/n, so it wasn’t long before she heard her apartment door open and close. “Hey y/n/n.” He said as he walked into the office and sat on the couch she had against the wall. “What’s up bud?” She asks giving him her full attention and resting her chin on her hand. “Well...” Bruce chews his lip and smirks looking at her. “How would you like to come on tour with me and Scotty and do all the photography?” He asks the smirk on his lips spreading when her eyes almost bug out of her face. “Jesus Bruce, you don’t waste any time do you.” She says giggling caught off guard. “Is that a yes?” he asks looking hopeful. Y/n giggles and rolls her eyes. “Obviously, you know I’d do anything for you and Scott.” She said making him smirk again and raise his eyebrows. “Don’t even say anything.” She says pointing to him. Bruce was the first one to accuse her of having feelings for Scott, he knew Y/n and Scott too well to not be able to tell when she likes someone, it wasn’t hard to tell though, her and Scott were almost always with each other and if they’re together chances are they’re flirting as well. Bruce held his hands up in defense and chuckled. “I wasn’t going to say anything, all I know is Scott is going to be so happy you said yes.” He says as he stands and starts to head out. “Bye Bud.” She shouts as he heads out of her apartment.

It was now two days before they left for tour, Y/n was in her apartment with Carly scrambling to get everything packed that she would need. Carly giggles from Y/n’s bed watching her run around like a chicken with their head cut off. “Y/n, relax, you still have two more days if you don’t finish today.” Y/n frowns at her finally sitting on the floor next to her pile of close on the floor and suitcase. “I know, I’m just so nervous, this is the biggest thing I’ve ever done Carl.” Carly smiles at her. “I know, but you’re made for this, you’re so talented and TJ hasn’t stopped talking about how amazing the pictures came out for when you shot emo nite that time.” Y/n smiles at her friend, she was right, Y/n had nothing to be nervous about for this tour, she thinks the reason she’s most nervous is being with Scott in such a small space for so long, it was going to be torture.

“So, I will pick you up tonight at 5, our flight is at 7:30.” Y/n has her phone proped up on her desk while she works on her computer. She looks at her phone and smiles at Scott through the screen. “Okay that sounds good, I’m just finishing up my last project and sending it off then I’m all yours for the whole tour.” She tells him catching him smirking “I like the sound of that.” He teases making her blush. They had already done their show in Anaheim and they’re next show was in Sydney Australia, Y/n was so excited, they were going a few days early so they could explore and enjoy themselves before the show. “Of course you do.” She says teasing back. “Who are you sitting with on the plane?” She asks looking away from the phone and back at her computer trying to not get too distracted by Scott’s handsome face filling her phone screen. Scott and his management had taken care of all her fights and stuff, so she had no clue what the seats were like or anything. She knew of course that they were taking a tour bus for most of the tour but that’s really it which she didn’t really mind too much. Scott almost doesn’t hear her questions because he’s too busy watcher her, the way she takes her bottom lip in between her teeth and chews it while she works, or the way her eyebrows wrinkle together. He clears his throat trying to pull himself out of his thoughts when he hears her asking him a question. “Um... We’re all in first class, Bruce is sitting with Chris and Patrick and you’re sitting with me.” Scott says which makes her smirk and glance over at him on the phone. “I should’ve known, you love to hog all of my attention.” She says making him chuckle. “I could say the same about you.” He teases making her roll her eyes. “As If.” Before Scott could say anything else Bruce was walking into Y/n’s office making her almost jump out of her skin and scream. Scott’s eyes went wide. “Y/n? Are you okay?” He asks worried. Y/n glares at Bruce before sitting back in her chair. “Yeah sorry, Bruce just came into my apartment and scared the shit out of me.” This makes Scott laugh and shake his head. “Okay well I’ll see you later.” He says before hanging up.

“Fuck Bruce.” She says putting her hand to her chest. “You scared the shit out of me, I’m pretty sure I’m having a heart attack.” She says making Bruce laugh. “Sooooo dramatic.” he tells her, as he sits on the couch. Y/n finally sends out the final product of the project she was finishing and turns off her computer. “What's up?” Y/n asks Bruce who hasn’t said much since he sat down. “I think me and Carly are gonna break up.” He almost whispers making Y/n’s heart break, she knew that Bruce has been struggling with a lot of person mental health issues and sometimes is put a damper on their relationship, but they were so good together. She frowns at her friend before sitting on the couch next to him, “Bruce I’m so sorry.” Y/n tells him hugging him tight. Bruce hugs her and sighs. “We’re gonna take this tour as time apart and see how we feel when I come back.” Y/n nods she doesn’t say anything else about it, she can tell he doesn’t really want to talk about it, more of a distraction from the situation. “How about we go get an early dinner before Scott comes and picks us up for the airport. Bruce smiles and nods.

Bruce and Y/n go to a restaurant that’s walking distance from their apartment, they have a great dinner and talk about tour and how excited they both are, Y/n doesn’t bring up her and Scott though, she doesn’t want to talk about her feelings while her best friend is about to go through a break up. Bruce tells her all about their first tour and how much fun that one was, this time was way bigger and they were taking a bus so it was more official, never mind the fact that they were going to fucking Australia.

Bruce and Y/n walk back to their apartment building and Scott had already texted them letting them know he would be there soon to pick them up, they separate at the elevator and go to their own apartments to get their bags and settle everything before they leave. It's about 5 minutes later when she hears a knock on her door. “Come in!” She yells assuming it’s Scott or Bruce. She’s in her bedroom putting her last-minute things into her bags and putting her carry on together with, a change of clothes, headphones, charger, laptop, camera, batteries, batterie charger and some snacks. “Hey sweetie.” Scott says as he walks into her bedroom. Y/n turns and smiles wide at him, “Hey Tushie.” She says wrapping her arms around his torso hugging him. Scott rolls his eyes at the nickname but secretly he thinks it’s the cutest thing in the whole world and loves when she calls him it. Scott holds her close and kisses the top of her head. “Are you ready to go?” He asks when they both reluctantly pull away. Y/n nods and zips her backpack closed before singing her arms through the straps and putting it on her back. She grabs her huge suitcase and rolls it out into the living room after making sure everything in her bedroom was unplugged and nothing was turned on. Scott chuckles when he sees her come out of the room with her suitcase, this thing was huge. Y/n was short and all, but this thing was almost past her hips it was so big.

Scott helped her bring her things to his car and she climbed into the passenger seat while he went to Bruce’s apartment to help him with his stuff. Y/n was on her phone scrolling through social media and answering a couple emails when Bruce and Scott finally got back to the car. While they drove to the airport Bruce talked about everything going on with him and Carly with Scott and Y/n, the whole situation broke her heart, knowing how much to two actually loved each other and the hard time Bruce was having mentally; However its true what they say, you can’t love someone if you can’t love yourself, and Bruce has a lot going on in that pretty head of his. While Scott talked to Bruce and tried to give him the best advice he could his hand was planted on Y/n’s knee, this wasn’t something knew but what was new was him moving his hand to her thigh and rubbing his thumb back and forth slowly, she wasn’t complaining at all, it was just new.

Y/n was sitting comfortably in her seat with her backpack under her seat, Scott was putting his stuff in the overhead bin, Y/n was happy to see that Bruce, Chris and Pat were sitting in the seats across the aisle from her and Scott and Bruce was in the aisle seat next to her. Y/n was not prepared for the 18-hour flight, she had never really been out of the country before, so she’d never been on a plane for this long. It was currently almost 8pm on Tuesday and they were landing on Wednesday at 2pm La time which made it actually Thursday at 9pm. Trying to figure all that out made her head spin.

They had been flying for about 3 hours now and Y/n was cuddled into her seat a blanket over her and she was watching a movie with Scott on his screen, she couldn’t believe the amazing seats that they had gotten them all for the flight, they literally laid down completely. Y/n sat up in her seat a little looking peaking at Scott watching him while he watched the movie, she would never get over how incredibly beautiful he was. Scott smirked and looked at her from the corner of his eye. “Can you stop staring at me?” He whispers chuckling a little. Y/n blushes and pulls her blanket over her head. “What if I don’t wanna.” She whispers still hiding under the blanket, Scott chuckles and pulls the blanket down, “At least try to make it less obvious.” He tells her making her blush even more. Y/n covered herself with her blanket up to her eyes peaking at him again making him shake his head, he placed his hand on her thigh and kept his eyes on the screen in front of him but he couldn’t pay attention, he could feel her eyes on him.

Y/n was fast asleep with in 10 minutes and she slept all the way until hour 8, Scott looked over at her every once and a while smiling to himself, she looked so beautiful even with her mouth slightly parted with soft snores slipping past her lips. Bruce looked over at his friends seeing Y/n passed out but when he looked at Scott, he couldn’t help but smile, he was watching y/n sleep with the most love in his eyes.

It was finally hour 17 and Y/n was starting to get super stiff. Everyone was wide awake at this point, Y/n puts her laptop by her feet and leans over to Scott. “I’m gonna go to the bathroom, I’m gonna explode if I don’t stretch my legs.” She whispers to him; Scott nods and squeezes her thigh before moving his hand off of it. Once she walked away and was out of view Bruce jumped into her seat and leaned over to Scott. “So when are you going to tell her?” He asks not even trying to be subtle at all. Scott’s eyes widen when he looks at his friend totally caught off guard. “Um.... What are you talking about dude?” He says scratching the back of his neck. “Listen,” Bruce looks around making sure she’s not coming back “She likes you, and you like her. I don’t see the issue.” Bruce tells him making Scott sigh. “I can’t ruin this friendship Bruce; she means too much to me.” Scott confesses making Bruce sigh. “Just trust me.” He pats Scott’s shoulder before going back to his own seat. Y/n came back a few minutes later sitting back down in her seat and putting her lap top back on her lap. She was working on editing some of her own pictures that she had done a long time ago but never has time to work on.

It was weird, the rest of the flight Scott barely talked to her and his hands stayed to himself. They finally had landed, and they were waiting by baggage claim for all their bags. Y/n already had her camera out and she was taking some pictures of the boys while they were waiting. She grabbed her back off the belt and stood next to Bruce since Scott hadn’t said a word to her since she went to the bathroom earlier. Y/n was even quiet the whole way to the hotel and was a little grateful to find out that she was sharing a room with Bruce and not Scott. Y/n sat on her bed in the room and put her face in her hands sighing, she didn’t understand why Scott was ignoring her, she couldn’t think of a single thing she could’ve done. Bruce walked out from the bathroom and frowned putting his hand on her shoulder. “Y/n/n? What’s wrong.” when she looks at him, she has tears in her eyes. “Scott is ignoring me.” She says her voice cracking. Bruce looks at her confused. “What? Since when?” he asks sitting next to her on the bed. She bites her lip trying to rub the tears from her eyes. “Since I went to the bathroom on the plane. I didn’t do anything, when I left my seat, we were great, and I came back, and he hasn’t talked to me since.” Bruce stands up and shakes his head. “That’s not right Y/n.” He says getting upset. Y/n shakes her head and grabs his hand seeing him inch toward the door. “Please don’t say anything, I just wanna shower and go to bed again. Bruce nods his head and sits on his bed. “okay fine.”

The next to Y/n was so excited to explore Sydney and take pictures but she couldn’t help but feel a little sad still not hearing from Scott. She got dressed into a pair of acid washed skinny jeans, a blush flowy crop top and a pair of white sneakers. She did her hair and makeup before sitting on her bed and putting all of her stuff for the day together, she put her extra fully charged batteries, her camera and an extra memory card just in case. Bruce came back into their room and hands her a coffee. “Good morning” he says making her smiles. “Ugh you’re a life saver, thank you.” She says happily taking it and sippy the hot liquid. “Are you ready to head out? I think everyone's gonna meet in the lobby.” She nods and stands slinging her white backpack over her shoulders. Everyone is standing in the lobby waiting for the two of them. The plan was to go and get breakfast before they start exploring the area, Scott and Chris had been there before, so they were the tour guides for the day. “Good morning.” Y/n coos smiling at everyone she nudges Scott with her elbow and smiles at him. “Morning Tush.” She says softly so only he would hear. “Hey.” he says before putting his arm around her shoulder and kissing her head. Y/n smiles loving the sudden contact with him.

Breakfast went amazing, Scott sat next to her and his hand planted on her thigh rubbing small circles as they joked with their friends and she took some pictures, oh and the food was pretty good as well. They walked around the city for hours, taking pictures sightseeing and then were now about to do a ferry ride. Scott took her hand helping her climb onto the boat safely and she smiled thanking him before she made her way to the front sitting on the couches that they had set up. Bruce came and sat next to her looking out at the water. “God this place is so beautiful.” he said happily making her smile, it was good to see him happy right now. Instead of sitting on the other side of her Scott was talking to Chris and Patrick leaning against the railing, Y/n took out her camera again snapping some pictures of the boys and then the scenery around them. “Do we have to go home?” She asks turning toward Bruce frowning. Bruce chuckles and shakes his head. “Unfortunately, we will have to eventually.” He says making her sigh. It was so beautiful here; she had fallen in love with the country already and they had only been there for such a short amount of time. Y/n was standing at the railing walking the city go by, they were already heading back to the dock and it was dark out already. Scott came over and smiled at her, “Hey sweetie.” He says making her turn toward him and smile. “Hi Tushie. Are you having fun?” She asks leaning her back against the railing. Scott tucks a piece of hair behind her ear and nods. “Are you?” He asks standing close to her his hand cupping her cheek. Y/n bites her lip looking up into his eyes, her stomach was doing flips when she realizes how close the two are, one wrong move and their lips would be attached. “Yeah.” Was all she could choke out in a small whisper making Scott smirk. They stay like that for what feels like forever, staring into each other eyes their noses almost touching. “Fuck it.” Scott mutters before he’s crashing his lips against hers. Y/n’s eyes widened before they fluttered shut and she wrapped her arms around his neck loving the way it felt when their lips moved together, Scott wrapping his arms around her waist pulling her closer to him. The pair only pulled apart when they felt the ferry slow and start coming to a stop at the dock, y/n didn’t want to open her eyes because she was so afraid that if she did it would all be a dream, she bit her lip and slowly let her eyes flutter open to look up into Scott’s blue eyes. Scott smiled at her and ran his fingers through her hair and pecked her lips one more time before moving away from her to grab their stuff and leave the ferry. Her skin ached to have him touch it again but she couldn’t dwell on it too long because everyone was starting to climb off the boat and onto the dock, she grabbed her things before catching up with her group. She happily took Bruce’s hand as he helped her jump off the boat and onto the dock, she thanked him and he just smirked and winked at her. She was so consumed with what happened with Scott she hadn’t even thought about the fact that everyone probably witnessed their steamy make out session.

They walked back to the hotel and Chris and Pat decided they wanted to go out and get some drinks and dinner, Bruce agreed to go with them, Y/n on the other had was exhausted and wanted to order take out and lay in her bed watching netflix. Scott looked at Y/n when she said she wasn’t gonna go cause she was too tired, he chewed the inside of his cheek trying to decide what he wanted to do. He obviously wanted to spend time with her, but he also had some serious fomo whenever the guys went out without him. Y/n looks at Scott and can see the inner struggle he’s having; she smiles at him and looks back at her phone scrolling through google trying to find what places were close by that she could order food from. “I’m gonna stay back, I’m pretty tired too.” Scott finally says making her look up at him surprised, she bites her lip trying to hide the smile on her lips. Bruce hugs Y/n and tells her he’ll see her later and not to wait up for him, she nods and smiles before following Scott into their hotel. While they wait for the elevator, she looks up at Scott who’s staring at the closed doors, “You’re starring again.” He teases making her blush and look down at her feet smiling. “Sorry.” She mumbles making him smirk. “Why didn’t you wanna go?” She asks as they walk into the elevator and Scott presses the button for their floor, he shrugs and leans against the wall looking at her. “I’m tired.” he says simple and she nods fiddling with the hem of her shirt. “So, what are we gonna order?” He asks making her look at him again and smile. “You’ve been here before you tell me.” Scott smirks. “Deal go change into something more comfortable. I’ll order us food and you meet me in my room once you’re ready.” Y/n smiled wide and nodded before they went their separate ways.

Y/n put all of her stuff into her room, she changed into her ‘Don’t be sad’ cropped hoodie and a pair of black high wasted leggings and a pair of slides before she left her room making sure she had her key for later. Scott sat on his bed after changing into a pair of gym shorts not bothering to put on a shirt, Y/n had seen him without a shirt plenty of times, he ordered from his favorite take out place near the hotel and loaded up Netflix on his laptop setting it on his bed. It was almost 10 minutes later when Y/n was knocking on his hotel room door, he opened the door and stood to the side so she could come in. “Nice hoodie.” He teased causing her to giggle. ��Thanks, some guy I know gave it to me.” She teases back before sitting on his bed, she was kinda glad Scott had his own room cause she would hate for one of the guys to walk in on them even if nothing was happening. “Sounds like a loser.” Scott says smirking at her leaning against the wall in front of her.” She frowns and shakes her head. “Actually, he’s kinda the greatest guy I know, besides Bruce.” She winks at him. Scott bites his lip and shakes his head. “You must think pretty highly of this guy.” Scott says making her look down at her lap “you have no idea.” She mumbles under her breath hoping he doesn’t hear but he does. “So where did you order from?” She asks changing the subject quickly, Scott sits on the bed next to her and lays back looking at the ceiling. “It’s called ‘’made in Italy’ one of the best Italian restaurants I’ve been to here. They have amazing pizza.” He tells her but she barely hears what he says. She’s too busy admiring him, his body, his facial features, how beautiful he looks so effortlessly and the way his shorts sit loosely and low on his hips. “Does that sound good?” He asks pulling her out of her dirty thoughts and making her look back at his face. She clears her throat and nods. “Yeah sounds amazing I can’t wait.” Scott smirks and rolls onto his side and starts scrolling through his Netflix account. “So what do you wanna watch?”

It was about 30 minutes later and maybe 15 minutes into the movie when they heard a know on the hotel room door. It took them so long to decide to watch The Wolf of Wall Street which Scott argued that she had seen far too many times and didn’t need to watch it again, but when she gave him those puppy dog eyes and stuck her bottom lip out into a pout he quickly folded. Scott pauses the movie after y/n pulls herself off of his chest so he can get off of the bed. He opens to door and tips the delivery man before closing the door again. He places the box of pizza on the bed and y/n sits up happily as the smell of the food wafts through her nose. “Smells amazing.” She almost moans making Scott chuckle trying to ignore the twitching in his shorts caused by the moan that slipped out of her lips. Scott wasn’t wrong, this one of the best pizzas she’s ever had in her life, they both ate in silence watching the movie while they finished the whole pizza. Once Y/n’s stomach was nice and full she was laying back down on his bed slipping under the blankets leaning her head against Scott’s shoulder while he finished his food. They were both pretty quiet while watching the movie except Y/n quoting her favorite parts in the movie under her breath. Scott shifted under her making her sit up so he could get comfortable, he wrapped his arm around her waist pulling her close to him making her smile, the two of them had been cuddling since she laid on the bed but they hadn’t talked about what happened earlier in the ferry and it was all the two of them could think about even though they didn’t know it. Suddenly she was sitting up and pausing the movie turning her body toward Scott who was looking at her very confused.

“What’s wrong?” He asks running his fingers through his messy hair. Y/n bites her lip and looks down at her fingers picking at her nails. “Are we gonna talk about what happened earlier?” She finally gains the courage to ask, Scott sits up a little surprised by her question but he shouldn’t be. He blows out a breath through his nose before rubbing the back of his neck. “We can if you want to.” He says to which she nods “I can’t stop thinking about it. You can’t just do that and then not expect me to wanna talk about it.” She tells him and he nods “I know… I just don’t know what to say.” “Well where does that leave us?” Y/n asks afraid for the answer. Scott’s standing now pacing the small space. “I don’t know Y/n. I didn’t really think that far.” She sighs and stands up from his bed. “Maybe I should leave you to think about that then, because I know what I want from this but I don’t think you do and I want you to figure that out before anything else happens here.” She crosses her arms over her chest, she wasn’t mad at Scott, she had no right to be but she was a little frustrated. You shouldn’t kiss someone if you don’t want to deal with the consequences. Scott frowns and looks at her “If that’s what you want to do I can’t keep you here. But do I want you to leave right now? Absolutely fucking not. I want you to stay here with me, cuddle and finish watching our movie.” He tells her but talks again before she can say anything “but you’re right, I shouldn’t lead you on if I’m not 100% sure what I want to happen.” He kisses her forehead then tucks a piece of hair behind her ear and pecks her lips before she sighs and leaves his room heading back to hers. Once she’s back in her room she lays down grateful Bruce isn’t back yet, she buries her self under the covers and tries her best to fight back tears. She doesn’t understand how he doesn’t feel what she feels between them, and see what Bruce sees when she looks at Scott. She cries herself to sleep that night praying one day she would get what she truly wants from her relationship with Scott.

Today was the day of their first show and to say Y/n was nervous was an understatement, she also hadn’t heard from Scott since that night, she couldn’t help but think that she pushed too hard and made him mad at her. Bruce said that when he went to lunch with Chris and Pat that Scott didn’t come, he also didn’t answer anyone's texts yesterday. Y/n had texted Scott a couple of times but didn’t want to push too hard and push him further away from her. However, it was show night, her and Bruce decided to go to dinner just the two of them before they had to get ready for the show. Y/n sat picking at her food almost forcing herself to eat, Bruce sighed and put his hand on her forearm. “It’s gonna be okay, everything will work out I promise. Scott loves you too much to lose your friendship no matter what he decides that he wants to do.” Y/n nods and smiles softly at him “Thanks Brucey.” The rest of dinner they avoid the topic for her and Scott’s relationship, instead that talk about how excited and nervous they are about the show. Y/n can’t wait to be on stage with her friends and taking pictures of them doing what they love.

It was finally time for them to start getting ready before they had to leave for sound check, obviously she didn’t have to be there, but she wanted to get some pictures during sound check. Scott had made baseball jerseys for everyone that was in the band and on the crew that had ‘What’s going on’ on the front and a nickname for them on the back. Scott’s was ‘LilSadBoy’ and Y/n’s was ‘PicturePerfect’ which Y/n thought was a little narcissistic, but Scott reassured her that it was absolutely perfect. Scott had told them that they could wear them whenever but he was going to wear his first show so she decided to wear hers as well, she tied it in a not in the front turning it into a crop, she also wore a pair of short jean shorts and a pair of vans. Normally she would dress up a little more for a show but since she was going to be running around back and forth onstage, she wanted to be more comfortable. She did a very simple make up for the same reason, also not a single person was going to be paying attention to her, she slicked her hair into a high tight ponytail to keep it out of her face and now you could read the back of her jersey. When she came out of the bathroom Bruce looked at her and smiled wide. “You look great Y/n/n.” She smiles at him and blushes, “Thanks Brucey. Are you getting nervous?” She asks as she gathers up her equipment putting it all into her backpack double checking to make sure she has everything that she needs and that all of her batteries were charged, and she had extra memory cards. Bruce shakes his head grabbing all of his things as well. “I was the first tour but not this one, well maybe a little cause I’m performing more of my own stuff this time.” he packed away his guitar into its case and any other things he needs. Just as they were finishing getting their stuff together Bruce’s phone started ringing and he picked it up quickly “What’s up?” He asks slipping on his vans. “Yeah we’re about to leave the room now, we just finished getting everything together.” He pauses for a second. “Yeah we’ll meet you in your room.” and he hangs up his phone putting it into his front pocket. “Scott wants us to meet in his room before we get the car to the venue.” Y/n nods a little nervous and throws her backpack over her shoulder and smiles at him before slipping her phone into her back pocket.

They finally made it to Scott’s room a few minutes later, he opened the door smiling widely, and pulling Bruce into a hug. “You ready man?” He asks stepping out of the way so they can come inside. “So ready, How about you?” Bruce asks sitting on the bed pulling his phone out of his pocket. “I’m so excited. I can’t wait to kick off this tour.” Scott beams, this is one reason she started developing feelings for Scott, his passion for his music and how his face lights up when he talks about it or shows someone a new song. Scott pulls Y/n into a hug and kisses the top of her head. “Nice shirt.” He mumbles into her ear smirking as he releases her from his grip. “You too.” She winks before sitting next to Bruce. “You ready to kill it with the pics tonight?” He asks her while he finishes packing all of his stuff. She giggles and looks down at her lap trying to hide her blushing cheeks. “A little nervous.” She admits before looking between him and Bruce who both shake their heads. “Bud, you know you’ve got this in the bag, WE know you’ve got this in the bag, so you have no reason to be nervous.” Bruce tells her patting her thigh making her smile at him and nudge her with her shoulder. “Thanks, Brucey.” Once Scott has all of his stuff together and looks at the two who are chatting. “You guys ready?” Y/n stands and smiles wide. “Let’s do this.”

Sound check went amazing as expected and she got some great pictures of the guys. They were all sitting in the greenroom of the venue and Y/n was getting all of her stuff together to make sure she was fully prepared. “Alright, as tradition everyone has to take a shot, except Bruce of course.” Scott says as he passes shots around to everyone including crew which included Y/n. She sighed and took the shot from him before tossing the burning liquid down her throat sending shivers down her spine. “Fuck.” She groaned under her breath. Scott and the rest of the boys took theirs like total champs of course, while everyone was messing around and getting hyped for the show Y/n was taking all the pictures she could and they were turning out amazing she was already so happy with them and the show hadn’t even started yet. Scott had done a meet and greet before the show and it warmed her heart watching how happy Scott and Bruce got when they met everyone, and how many people supported them and loved them so much. She was also taking pictures for the meet and greets as well which was a lot of pressure for her since she would have to go through every picture and edit them and then send them to the fans through Scott’s tour email which he had given her access to. Y/n was sitting in the middle of the couch leaning against Bruce while she showed him some of the meet and greet pictures giggling at some of the silly ones and showing him some of her favorites, she was very excited for the fans to see them. Scott sits next to her and puts his arm over the back of the couch leaning over to see her camera. She looked at him and smiled nervously before leaning over so he could see as well, Scott smiled wide looking at the pictures. He took out his phone and told her to scroll through them so he could take a video which she nodded in response to, she scrolled through the pictures while her recorded them a wide smile on his face which she mimicked. “Guys! I can’t wait for you to get these meet and greet pictures!” He slowly pans from the camera to her before he continued. “Everyone thank my lovely girl Y/n for absolutely killing every picture she has taken for the tour so far and will continue to kill throughout I’m sure.” Y/n barely heard the rest of his sentence, her brain was too caught up on him calling her his girl, Scott didn’t mean for it to come out but once it did there was no taking it back, if he redid the video it would probably break her fucking heart and he couldn’t break her heart more then he already has these last few days. He tags her in the video before he posts it on his IG story and snapchat. Bruce could see in her face the effect that his words had on her and his heart ached for her, he knew that Scott didn’t mean for it to happen but there was no going back now, he just hoped Scott would come to his senses before it was too late.

The show was going better than anyone could’ve expected, not a single thing has gone wrong and the pictures she was taking were out of this world, she was even surprised by herself, Bruce opened the show and his set was beyond words, she was so proud of her Brucey boy. The crowd was also so incredible which she never doubted, her friends had the best fanbase which had become her fanbase as well which made her so happy. Scott was pretty much finished with his set he just had one song left which was one of her favorites, ‘Words’. What she wasn’t expecting was for Scott to stop everyone from starting to song, he takes his mic from the stand and paces the stage while he talks to the crowd, “How’s everyone doing tonight?” He asks and the crowd is already screaming making him chuckle and smile wide. “Good! I hope you guys have enjoyed the show! We have one more song left, which is one of my personal favorites, ‘Words’. The crowd screams and he smirks again, “Oh so you’ve heard of it?” He teases. Y/n is standing in the back on the stage on the drum platform standing next to Patrick while taking pictures of Scott talking to the crowd. “Well this song is very special to me because I wrote it about a certain someone...” He pauses and looks around the stage before his eyes lock with hers and he smiles before looking back at the crowd. “I’ve had some strong feelings for this person for a really long time and I’m tired of pushing these feelings away and letting my doubts get the best of me.” Y/n’s heart was pounding so hard she thought she was going to pass out, Patrick was smirking at her and nudged her making her let out a breathy chuckle. “So, with that being said, Y/n will you come join me over her sweetie.” He says turning back to her and holding his hand out to her. Once she makes her way to him, he grabs her hand and raises it over their heads. “You all know Y/n right?” He says making the crowd scream again and making her blush. “Well the song is about her, me wanting to be with her and having these feelings for her and not knowing how to ask her out.” Y/n knew none of this, she remembers when he first showed her the song it brought tears to her eyes, it was so pure and it also made her sad thinking that he thought these things about someone else while she was so in love with him.

Scott turns around and nods to the guys before kissing her forehead as they start the music, Scott sings the whole song with his eyes on her, Scott makes her lower the camera when she tries to take picture. Y/n bites her lip feeling so exposed and self-conscious but all of this fades away as she listens to the lyrics for the first time knowing they’re about her.

‘Blank when I look at you Can't think when I'm talking to someone so beautiful Yeah, suddenly something about me has changed And now I can't even remember my name Fine dining and breathing is all that I know so Uh, uhm, I mean- did you maybe want to get dinner? Breakfast? We could go’

He sings right to her his hand cupping her cheek throughout the whole verse and as he comes to the chorus he breaks away from her almost forgetting his putting on a show, the crowd is singing along with him as he jumps around on stage and she finally brings the camera up taking pictures again which makes him shake his head at her. Scott comes back to her and grabs her hand putting her arm around his neck getting as close to her as he can with the mic still against his lips as he sings into it.

‘My mind goes... (I think I should be yours, I think you could be mine) When I talk, when I talk, when I talk My mind goes...’

Scott finally drops the mic lower as he finishes the song and she has tears filling her eyes as she looks into his so full of love. Every doubt she ever had about his feelings for her are gone and all she feels is his love washing over her. He brings the mic back up to his lips smirking at her. “Y/n will you be mine?” Scott asks making her blush and a nervous giggle leaves her lips, she smiles wide and nods before realizing the crowd probably couldn’t see her. “Yes.” She says into the mic her voice sounding so small as it fills the giant venue. Scott drops the mic on the stage before wrapping his arms around her waist picking her up and spinning her around, the crowd is screaming and cheering and so are all of their friends on stage and backstage. Scott finally puts her back on her feet and grabs her face attaching their lips, something she has been dying to feel again since they got off the ferry just a few nights ago. Once Scott pulls away, he grabs the mic again and smiles wide at the crowd, Y/n gets behind him again so she can take more pictures before he wraps up the show. “Sydney!! You were amazing! Thank you so much for helping me kick off our ‘What’s Going On’ Tour! We love you so much!! Good Night everyone!” Scott is yelling into the mic, he feels like he's on cloud nine and he never wants to come down, he finally has his girl.

#scotty sire #scott sire #scotty sire requests #scotty sire imagine #scotty sire fanfic #scott sire x reader #scotty sire x reader #vlog squad #vlog squad imagine #vlog squad fanfic #vlog squad blog #bruce weigner #whats going on #whats going on tour #scotty sire tour

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maliby · 6 years ago

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Aperture (M) | kth

↬ Pairing: fan/photographer!Taehyung x idol!Reader ↬ Story Genre:smut, slowburn ↬ Warnings in this chapter: explicit language, explicit sex scene, spanking, hair pulling, biting. ↬ Word count: 9.6K ↬ Summary: You met Taehyung at a fansign and you knew right away that he was trouble, are you willing to risk it all for a fan?

It has been 3 years since you debuted in a 4 member girl group along with Bo, Serena and Nari. The group is called Aperture, the name being taken from the ‘aperture’ - the part of a camera where the light passes through to capture the picture. That particular name was chosen because you wished to act like an ‘aperture’ to your fans and capture all the moments in life in your songs, letting your fans relate to you through their experiences.

You were the lead rapper, lead dancer and the oldest of the group. Bo was the leader, main vocal and visual of the group due to her big puppy eyes and pouty lips, Serena was the lead vocal and main dancer, and Nari was the maknae and main rapper.

Your group had had a rough beginning (due to not having that much success) but that all changed with the last album you had released - ‘Light and Dark’. The album had darker and more seductive tones than your previous girly concepts, your group and your company feeling like you should change up all your concepts to try and catch the eye of the public.

The title track for this album was called ‘Boudoir’, which is a lady’s bedroom but can also be a type of photography to value feminine beauty, usually done in said bedroom. The song basically talks about how women should value their beauty and shouldn’t be scared of being sexy.

The MV was one of the most daring ever made in the kpop world. It had 6 different scenes: 1 individual scene for each member, and 2 choreo shots. Serena was in a bathtub with pink water, Nari was laying on a black fluffy rug, Bo was sitting on a red couch and you were on a bed with red silk sheets and wearing black lacy lingerie. The choreo shots were filmed in 2 different sets: one where fake rain would pour on you guys, and the other with lots of fire surrounding you.

You liked the change of direction your group took, but you were a little scared that people would find your whole new concept too much, however to your surprise your popularity skyrocketed. You even managed to get your first win on music show programs, along with 2 other wins.

The demand for your group started to get bigger and bigger, with variety shows, fan signs and events and even your very first big concert in Seoul. You and your members were so excited that day that you even cried during the concert, making your makeup artist very angry.

After having that first concert in a big venue your fan signs also moved to bigger venues, due to bigger demand. It was at one of those fansigns that you first saw him - Taehyung. You were the last member in the line and you were busy signing the album of a very sweet girl when Nari, who was right next to you, whispered in your ear: “look at the hottie that’s about to come in.” You looked at the line of fans and saw him standing there, waiting for his turn to meet you guys. When your eyes met his you felt like he had stolen all the air in the room from you. His dark chocolate eyes connected with yours, pulling you in, his light brown fluffy hair making you want to run your fingers through it, the chest peeking through his white unbuttoned shirt making you want to commit the sweetest sin of them all. You had a personal rule of not dating fans but he was so mouthwatering that he seriously made you want to break every rule in existence.

“Eonnie I love you so much, you’re my bias! Can you please sign my album?” The voice of one of your fans said, waking you up from whatever trance state he had put you in.

“Of course sweetie, what’s your name?” You tried to give her your whole attention, but you couldn’t help but glance at him as he made his way to your bandmate Bo, the first in the line.

“Minji.”

As you signed your photocard and all of your photos from the photo album for Minji, you couldn’t help but feel an extra pair of eyes staring at you. Fans came and went yet the only thing you could focus on was the growing tension as he got closer to you.

He was now in front of Nari (who was right next to you), you knew because not only were you taking a peek every once in a while but also because Nari made sure to warn you by insistently tapping your leg under the table.

You couldn’t help but feel bad for the fan you were currently with because you couldn’t pay attention to her once so ever. It was like you were acting on auto-pilot: your exterior was smiling and talking to her, but your brain just kept reminding you of how close to you he was, making you look even more forward to talk to him.

“Bye sweetie, good luck on your exams!” You said your goodbyes to your fan and drank a little water to refresh your body as you waited for Nari to finish signing his album. When she said her goodbyes to him and he made his way to you you felt your heart beating a little faster, the moment you had been waiting for for the past 10 minutes finally arriving.

“Hi.” His deep voice made you curse at the heavens for making this much more harder for you. How was it fair for him to look like that and, on top of that, have that panty-melter voice?

“Hi! What’s your name?” You were smiling so much your cheeks were starting to hurt.

“I’m Taehyung,” he said smoothly as he gave you his album for you to sign.

“Hi Taehyung! I’m Y/N,” as soon as you realised what you had just said it was already too late, he was already laughing and your cheeks were already burning in embarrassment.

“I know, you’re my bias.”

If your cheeks were red before then now they must be like a tomato. You hadn’t even thought of who his bias was, but now that he made sure to tell you you were his favourite you couldn’t contain your excitement.

“Thank you so much for choosing me as your bias Taehyung,” you said as you signed his album.

“Well, if I’m being honest I didn’t choose you. You were the one who stole my attention and I had no chance but to give it to you.” His tone now was different, a touch of darkness lacing his words.

You didn’t know how to respond to him, so you simply chuckled and looked back to his album, making sure you were signing the right place.

“If you don’t mind I wanted you to sign two more things,” he added.

“Sure, what is it?”

“Well, one is your photocard and the other is a photo I took of you at your concert,” he said as he reached for his back pocket for the photos.

“You took a photo of me? Oh, let me see!” You didn’t know what you were expecting, but when he showed you the photo and you saw its level of quality you were completely shook. Not only was it obvious that he had used a very high-quality camera, but the pose he had captured you in, was a very intimate one. You knew that your choreo was very erotic, and truth be told, when you were on stage and the music was on you just felt so sexy that you’d completely let go, but seeing one of those moments where you were crouching on the floor with your legs open, hands running up your body and head tilt backwards captured by him made you feel like he had seen you naked - not that you would’ve minded.

“It’s one of my favourite photos of you, you look so free, empowered and sexy like there’s no one else on that stage.” When you were finally able to take your eyes away from the photo and look at him you swore you could feel your panties getting wet; he had this dominating stare like he wished for nothing more than to take you right there and then despite the sea of people present.

“T-this is a great photo Taehyung, are you a professional photographer?” You tried to distract yourself from his presence by continuing to sign his stuff, but you feared there was no going back now.

“Well, I’m a freelance photographer and I have my own website, but I also like to take photos of things that captivate me during my free time, and that’s how I started a fan page of you.”

“You have a fan page of me? What’s it called?” You had thought he was just a casual fan, but the fact that he had a fan page of you where he posted all the photos he took of you told you that there was a very high chance that you would see him again.

“y/nmymuse.”

Your heart beat faster once more as the words ‘my muse’ ringed in your head. All you could do was look at that stupid handsome smirk he had on his face while you sat there speechless.

“Y/N, I know he is super hot but you need to hurry up, you’re holding up the line,” Nari said in a hushed tone so only you could hear.

“Sorry Taehyung, but we need to move along because the line is getting big,” you picked up his signed belongings and handed them to him, “thanks for liking me so much and taking wonderful pictures of me.”

“You deserve all the attention in the world.” When you thought he couldn’t make you blush any further, he took your right hand and pressed his soft lips to it. “Until we meet again,” and that’s when he turned around and left, leaving you completely dumbfounded.

“What was that?” Nari whispered in your ear. “We’ll talk after the fan sign, now it’s best if you get back to signing or the manager is gonna be pissed at you eonnie.”

It had been a month since you’d seen Taehyung in person. You felt like he was plaguing your mind, every time you had a schedule with fans you hoped he would be there, but much to your disappointment he never showed.

After that fansign, you went searching for his fan page and weren’t that surprised to see that he had thousands of followers. The photos he shared on his page though weren’t as provocative as the one he had asked you to sign which, may you add, you couldn’t find anywhere, making you wonder if he had grown to dislike the photo.

You found that his page was like a dark hole that you couldn’t really get out of; you found yourself scrolling for hours watching his photos and reading his descriptions: ‘she looked like an angel in that white dress’, ‘the way she is smiling brightens up my day’, ‘the most beautiful girl in the world’, and so on. It got to the point where your members had to take away your phone and send you to sleep.

You wondered several times if you should send him a private message but the thought that someone might read it or that he might spread it around and start a rumour scared you to no end. The truth of the matter was that you didn’t know him and you couldn’t risk your career and your member’s careers like that, it was too dangerous.

Aperture was getting ready to have your first Asia Tour with 4 big concerts: Seoul, Bangkok, Manila and Tokyo. You were so excited about your first big tour but also a bit scared; would people come to your concerts? Would people from other countries also love you? These were the kind of thoughts that kept plaguing your mind, but there was another that kept popping up every once in a while. Was Taehyung gonna come? Would you be able to spot him in a crowd? To be honest, you didn’t expect him to follow you around for the whole tour, you just wished he would come to the Seoul concert.

Thankfully for you, you didn’t have a lot of time to let those thoughts consume you, not with the amount of time you’ve been spending on practising and getting everything as perfect as you can.

“Girls are you all ready?”, one of the staff said as you were all fixing up your mics to go on stage and kick off your tour.

“Yes,” your leader Bo said as she turned to all of you and put her arms around yours and Nari’s shoulders, signalling all of you to form a circle. “Okay girls, this is our first stop in the tour and I just want to say how proud I am of us for getting here. I know you are going to do great because I saw how hard you all practised and how bad you want to give a good performance for our fans, but remember that if you end up failing it’s okay, mistakes happen to the best of the best; just remember to get back on your feet and keep the show going, and remember that I love all of you. Ready? 1,2,3, Aperture!” You all joined her on your chant and group hugged before you went on stage to the roaring crowd.

The concert went by in a flash. When you noticed it, you were already on your last song (which was a party song to get everyone moving) and you were walking around the stage to greet as many fans as possible.

You had already searched the crowd to see if you could find Taehyung but had failed to do so. Thinking he had missed this concert you stopped your searches and fully focused on your performances. Since you had given up on the idea of seeing him tonight the feeling of surprise that came over you when you spotted him in the crowd with a smile on his face and his camera pointed at you was immense.

You had just finished giving a concert to thousands of people, yet you suddenly felt shy just by noticing his presence. You smiled at him, you couldn’t help it, he was just so damn...ugh, you couldn’t even explain it, he just brought all these feelings to the surface.

You noticed you had probably been staring at him for a long time now so, wanting to avoid the suspicion of fans and the rise of rumours, you quickly waved in his general direction and moved along waving to other fans before you and your group said your goodbyes, thanked the fans and left the stage.

After the concert, you had a hi-touch event with the fans which you were so excited for because you wanted to see him again, even if it was for just a few seconds. For you, it felt like the roles were reversed like he was the idol and you were the fan wanting to have a chance to be close to him and touch him.

You stood in line with your members, plastered a smile on your face and stuck your hand out to greet the fans passing by. You were the first one in line this time, eager to be the first one to greet him.

Faces started to blur together as time went by, fan after fan after fan but there was no sign of him. As soon as you thought he wasn’t going to show up your eyes met with his and time seemed to stop.

“Hello,” his voice was as deep as you had remembered.

When his hand touched yours you felt a tingling sensation that dissipated up your arm and made your heart beat faster.

“Hi,” you managed to respond before he was being pushed by the fan behind him.

You tried your best to give all of your attention to your other fans, but you just couldn’t help but exchange glances with him until he eventually was out of the room.

The faces of the fans passing by you started once more blending all together. You became so lost in thought that if one of the fans was naked you probably wouldn’t even notice it.

When the event was over and you got home you went to take a shower and went to bed; as you snuggled in the comfort of your blankets you took your phone and went to check if he had already uploaded any new photos to his fansite. The website had no new updates, so you kept on refreshing it until, eventually, the photos started to appear. His usual comments had you already smiling like a fool, but there was one photo that caught your attention: it was a photo of the moment you noticed him and were looking straight at him with a smile on your face. When you looked at his comment though, that’s when your heart completely stopped: ‘All the stars in the sky are nothing compared to the ones in your eyes.’

You read that sentence over and over and it never felt like you’ve had enough, your heart feeling warm with the joy. Were you crossing into dangerous territory? Was this crush you were developing good for you or your career? Yes, he was hot as fuck but you knew nothing about him. What if he was a sasaeng? What if he was going to hurt you or take advantage of you in some way? The truth was you had no way of knowing without going closer to him and finding out, the question was: were you willing to take the risk?

The second stop on your tour was Bangkok, in Thailand. This was your first time in Thailand (in fact it was your first time anywhere besides South Korea) and you were so happy to be able to share the experience with your members and fans but one part of you kept thinking about Taehyung. You wished you could see him at the concert but you were conscious that he probably couldn’t afford it.

You spent your entire concert looking out for him but to no avail. You even thought that maybe, just maybe, he’d be at the hi-touch event but it seemed like luck wasn’t on your side.

“Eonnie are you alright? You didn’t seem well during the concert today,” your leader and roommate Bo asked as you both went to your shared hotel room.

“I’m sorry Bo…” the first thing you did as you entered the room was to sit on the bed and check his fansite to see if, by any chance, he had really come but couldn’t afford the hi-touch, but the lack of new updates confirmed his absence.

“You know you can talk to me,” she sat next to you and rubbed your back in a comforting manner. You knew she wasn’t just talking as the leader that is worried about how your disposition may affect your performance and, consequently, the group’s performance but also as your friend and ‘mom of the group’ that is concerned about your well being.

“You remember that guy from the fansign before the tour that kissed my hand?” You locked your phone and threw it to the fluffy pillows that decorated your bed.

“That extremely attractive one? Yeah, how could I forget?” She had a dreamy expression on her face as she remembered his very attractive features before realization dawned on her, “wait, you’re not messing around with him, are you? Did he hurt you?”

“No,” you chuckled at the way she had rolled up her sleeves like she was ready to kick some ass. “It’s complicated...at the fansign he told me that he had a fansite dedicated to me where he posted pictures of me, so I started stalking him and reading everything he wrote about me and I kind of developed a crush on him.

I saw him at the concert in Seoul and then at the Hi-Touch, and then I kept thinking that maybe he would be here today, even though I know it would be highly unlikely, but still…” you looked down at your hands, a little scared of looking at her reaction. You knew she would always support you, but you also knew that this situation was dangerous.

“Eonnie, I know this is complicated for you and I totally trust your judgement and know that you would never do anything to put our carriers on the line, but you need to be careful.” Her voice was soft like she was talking to you with all the care in the world.

“I know Bo...I know the risk...but he doesn’t seem like the type.”

“Well, he wasn’t here tonight so I guess he’s clear of the sasaeng title,” she joked, trying to cheer you up.

“Fuuuuuck, why does he have to be so freaking hot? Like, he could be a fucking idol with those looks. I bet he could sing like a goat and people would still buy his albums,” you sighed loudly and let your upper body fall on the bed.

“Oh sis, you got it bad,” she rubbed your knee noticing the level of despair you were in.

“You have no idea.”

“Well we have 2 options here: either he makes you go crazy or you can make him go crazy, if you know what I mean,” the way she was wiggling her eyebrows let you know exactly what she had meant.

“That’s great and all, but how do you suggest I do that? I can’t give him my phone number nor can I DM him ‘cause it might somehow go public.”

“Hmm...maybe you could share one of his photos on our Twitter and thank him. That would show him that you are paying attention to him and maybe things will unfold from there.”

“That is a great idea actually! Thanks, Bo!” You got up and pressed your lips on her chubby cheeks.

“You’re welcome. Now go and take a shower, you stink!” She pinched her nose and frowned her face in disgust.

“Alright my leader,” you saluted her as if you were a mere soldier taking her orders.

You thought long hard about the photo situation, should you just log on to your group Twitter account right now and share his photo? Or should you wait for a time where he comes to the concert again? On one hand, if you waited for him to post new photos of the concert it would look less suspicious because you would be sharing new photos, but on the other hand, you didn’t know when he was going to go to a concert again and you might lose the moment.

“Fuck it,” a sudden wave of courage passed through your body and made you just grab the phone and take action. You went to his page and saved the picture where you were looking straight at him and smiling, then went to your group’s Twitter page and posted it.

Aperture @aperture_official I’m in love with this photo from our concert in Seoul! Thank you so much @y/nmymuse <3 #Y/N #Iloveitsomuch #Ihavethebestfans

Bo was already sleeping in the bed next to yours, but you just couldn’t fall asleep. Your mind kept spinning around wondering if he had seen the post or replied to it, and you knew that you wouldn’t be able to sleep until you checked your phone again, so you took your phone from the charger and logged on to Twitter, went to his page and checked if he had responded. When you spotted his username right at the top of the responses you felt a wave of happiness washing over you.

Y/N is my muse @y/nmymuse @aperture_official thank you for being my inspiration, I wish I could take pictures of you all day.

Your heart was beating frantically while your mind ran wild with thoughts of him photographing you; it all started with simple and innocent photographs he would take of you at concerts and then suddenly you were both alone in a hotel room and he was photographing you in lingerie doing inappropriate poses.

The scenario created by your mind was making you hot all over and soon enough your hand was travelling south and slipping under your underwear. You looked to the side and called for your roommate to check if she was still sleeping, when you got nothing but snoring as an answer you started rubbing your clit.

The pleasure emanating from between your legs only served to fuel your fantasy further: you both were now completely nude and he was on top of you leaving kisses all over. You were starting to pant now, a soft ‘Taehyung’ leaving your lips, so you turned on your belly and muffled your mouth with your pillow so to not wake up Bo.

Your imagination grew wilder and wilder having Taehyung do all kinds of dirty things to you, but it wasn’t until he bottomed out inside of you completely raw that you dipped your fingers inside of you, a pool of arousal leaking out.

Your fingers were nothing compared to the real deal, you could only imagine, but this was all you had right now. You wanted to feel his lips, you wanted to feel his touch, you wanted to feel his hard cock inside you, you wanted to hear him say your name, fuck you wanted all of that and so much.

The pleasure was building up, and soon enough you were cumming so hard that you had to bite down your pillow so Bo wouldn’t wake up.

As soon as your heart calmed down you got up and went to the bathroom to clean yourself up. You looked in the mirror and saw how much of a mess you were in: your hair was all over the place, your nipples were poking through your shirt and your panties were completely soaked. If Taehyung hadn’t even laid a finger on you and you looked like this, how the hell would you look if he had? All you knew was that you just had to have a taste of him and you weren’t going to give up until you did.

The third stop of your tour was in Manilla, in the Philippines. You weren’t expecting him to be here, since he hadn’t gone to your concert in Bangkok, but you had decided that you weren’t gonna let that bring you down - you were gonna go on that stage and give the best you could to your fans.

For the tour, all the four members had created a solo stage (yours was dancing to a choreo you made for the song ‘Partition’ from Beyoncé) which allowed the other members to rest a bit in between and get ready for other performances.

As Serena was on stage doing her cover of ‘Love On The Brain’ by Rihanna you and your members got your makeup touched up, Bo and Nari for your group performance later on and you for your solo stage, which was the last of the four solos.

“Eonnie you won’t guess who I saw in the crowd during my stage,” Nari grabbed your arm to get your attention.

“Who?” You were genuinely curious, as you were in a foreign country and didn’t know anyone there and neither did she.

“That hot guy from the fansign. What was his name?”

“Taehyung,” Bo responded, a smirk splattered all over her face.

“Oh my god, are you sure that was him? How do you even remember his face?” Your makeup artist had finished working on you, so you got near the maknae as if pressuring her to answer faster.

“Eonnie, you think I’d forget a face like that? Absolutely no way.”

“Where was he? I didn’t see him during our group performances.” You were going to perform as soon as Serena was done, so you wanted to know his exact location so you could give him the best show possible.

“You know that bald security guy? He’s right next to him, in the first rows. He’s wearing a black shirt.” Her makeup artist had also finished working on her, so she went to sit on the couch next to Bo who was also all ready.

“Oooooh I know that look on your face eonnie, you’re going to give him a special show?” Bo said in a teasing tone, her eyebrows wiggling.

“I’m offended that you think I’d have favourite fans. I love all my fans the same and I give my best performance every time for all of them,” you placed your hand on your chest to give a dramatic effect to your statement.

“Mhmm,” Nari and Bo hummed in unison. “I’ll just pretend like you don’t want to give him a lap dance,” Bo added, as she flipped through a magazine.

“Y/N-ssi, you’re up in 1 minute,” a member from the staff who came in a rush to get you said.

“Girls, keep your eyes on the screen and watch how eonnie does it,” you flipped your hair and turned to leave for the stage.

“Make him drool eonnie!” Bo yelled just before you left the room.

“Make who drool?” Serena asked when she joined you all backstage, the staff immediately running to her to change her clothes and fix her hair and makeup.

“Nothing baby, see you later girls!” You blew a kiss to your members and made your way to the stage.

The choreo started with you sitting on a chair with your back to the crowd and the stage in total darkness. When the lights came back on you got off from the chair and turned to the audience, you couldn’t spot him at first but when your choreo required you to move a little bit forward to the edge of the stage you almost instantly locked eyes with him.

The choreo had become like second nature to you at this point and you were glad for it because if you had to rely on memory with him looking at you like that you’d completely embarrass yourself on stage.

You were moving your body with precision, throwing the sexiest expressions you could make and exaggerating the already sexy moves. You wanted to impress him; you knew that he was your fan, and therefore liked you, but you wanted to go that extra mile, you wanted to make him go absolutely crazy.

Right now it was like there was no one else at the venue, it was just you and him. He was down there admiring you and capturing your movements and you were up on the stage casting your spell of seduction.

You were so involved in the moment that you even decided to end the choreo a little different from the usual: you turned your back to him and did a middle split, looking back to look at him while biting your lip. He went completely crazy - you knew this because not only were his hands clutching his camera harder but he was also biting his lower lip so strongly that you thought he might start bleeding.

You couldn’t wait to see the pictures he had taken just now but more importantly, you couldn’t wait to read what he had to say about them. You could only imagine the type of thirsty ass comments he’d have to give you, and they were already making you hot and bothered.

Needless to say, you were on fire for the rest of the concert, his presence alone was giving you so much energy that you were making all of your fans scream loudly.

“Y/N what the hell has gotten into you today? Whatever it is, keep it up, you completely brought the house down tonight!” Your manager joined you backstage as you were getting ready for the hi-touch.

“Nothing has gotten into her...yet,” Bo said low enough so only you and she could hear it. Her teasing statement earning her a smack on the arm by you.

“Shut up Bo!” You whispered back to her as your manager turned around to get a bottle of water.

“Well girls, it’s time for the hi-touch. Come on, come on, I want big smiles on those faces!” Your manager was now gathering you all on a line and pushing you to go meet your fans.

When you got there you saw that the line was already formed, and after taking a better look you saw him standing like 10 people in. Suddenly you were nervous as all these crazy scenarios that would never happen crossed your mind.

“There’s your boyfriend eonnie,” Nari whispered as you all stuck out your hands to start greeting your fans.

“Yeah, I see him.” This time you were the last in line so you would have to wait a tiny bit more to touch him.

Since he was fairly in front of the line it wasn’t long until he was passing by your members and making his way to you. Anticipation was building and your heart only beat faster as the distance between you shortened.

The soft touch of his hands was a big contrast to the hard and intense look he had on his face. You wanted to talk to him but you couldn’t even say that simple ‘hello’ you were so used to saying to your fans at these events. The tension in the air was so thick that you could cut it with a knife; you could actually feel electricity being conducted from his body to yours, it was all so intense that you wondered if anyone else could feel it.

“See you in Tokyo,” he said right before he turned around and left, giving you no time to process his words.

You were left stunned, your brain spinning around with possibilities. He was going to go to Tokyo, there was no question about that, but the way he said it, with his deep and lustful voice, made you think that something else was going to happen. You didn’t know exactly what, but you knew that it was going to be fucking amazing.

As soon as you entered your shared hotel room with Bo you dropped your bag on the floor and sat at the edge of the bed, instantly pulling out your phone from the pocket of your jacket to go check out Taehyung’s page.

“Did he upload anything yet?�� Bo said as she sat right next to you. She was so excited that she spent the whole car ride to the hotel telling you all about how he kept looking at you during your final performances and even when he was high-fiving all the other members in the hi-touch.

“Wait…” you opened up Twitter and clicked the search bar but you didn’t even need to type because Twitter immediately suggested his page due to you searching him so much. When you opened his page the pictures were already there, but the ones from your special improv from your solo stage were nowhere to be seen. “Huh, he didn’t post them…”

“Post what eonnie?”

“That improv move I did during my solo, I was sure he was taking pictures but he didn’t post them. Maybe they were crap?” You were feeling a bit down because you were so fucking excited to read his thoughts on the view you had provided him (and all the other people) but he didn’t publish the photos.

“Sweetie, I can guarantee you that even the lowest quality photo of that pose you did is high quality for anyone, especially him,” she started rubbing soothing circles on your back to make you feel better.

“Then why didn’t he post them?”

“Why don’t you ask him yourself in Tokyo?” Bo winked at you as if her question wasn’t on the nose enough.

“What?”

“Listen, this guy has been after you since he brought his sexy ass to that fan sign. He came all the way to Manilla after you posted his picture of you and now he made sure to tell you that he was also going to be in Tokyo. Now, you, him and I all know that after Tokyo it’s going to be a while before you’ll be able to see him like this so you’re gonna have to do something if you want him.”

She was right, you had to do something. You knew it was a difficult situation but you just had to try, you just had to have him. “You’re right. But what should I do? It’s not like I can stand on that stage and say ‘Taehyung if you wanna tap this come backstage’.”

“Don’t worry eonnie, I have a plan.”

You had always dreamed of going to Tokyo since you were a little girl; you wanted to go eat sushi, see the cherry blossoms and watch the view from the Tokyo Tower but now you had another thing to add to your list: be with Taehyung.

Bo refused to tell you what her plan for you and Taehyung was, a fact that scared the hell out of you because who knew what the hell she was cooking? The only thing she told you was to do your thing normally and she would take care of the rest. So you did as she said and performed as usual, always paying attention to Taehyun in the crowd.

Now, you were standing in the line for the hi-touch and you were feeling nervous. This was probably the last chance you were going to have to get to him, so whatever plan Bo had come up with she’d have to do it now.

You turned to your left to look at Bo and see if she’d tell you anything that would ease your mind. She saw your worried face and grabbed your arm to calm you down, “don’t worry eonnie, everything is in motion. Just stand there looking pretty and don’t let him leave right away.”

“What?” Before she could explain what she meant the line of fans started moving forward and you all stuck your hands out for them to greet.

This time Taehyung only showed up about halfway through the event, making you a bit nervous and wondering if he’d show up or not. Once again you were the last one in line, the order being Nari, Serena, Bo and you, so when he greeted Nari Bo turned to you and winked.

When he got to you he fully stopped, a smile grew on his lips and a look a full adoration was shown as he stared right at you. Before he could say anything you heard screaming from your left and noticed that Serena had fallen to the floor.

“Oh my god, Serena are you okay?”

A crowd of people was starting to form around her, all of them wanting to know if she was alright but as soon as you got closer to her you felt Bo grab your arm.

“Give this to him,” she said in a hushed voice so only you and she could hear. When you looked down you noticed that there was a piece of folded paper in her hand.

“What? But Serena-”

“Serena is fine, she’s faking it so you have an opportunity to bang him.”

“Oh, okay...What is this then?” You opened up the paper and saw an address written down.

“It’s the hotel room where you’re gonna meet in, now give that to him before I kick your ass.”

Bo might be a sweet person, but if she threatened to kick your ass she’d most definitely do it, so you got near Taehyung (who was also checking to see if Serena was okay) and discreetly handed him the piece of paper.

“What’s this?” He did as you had previously and unfolded the piece of paper, reading what was on it.

“Meet me there at 11 PM.” The smirk on his lips made you want to just grab his hand and run away with him to the hotel room. “Oh, and bring your camera,” you suddenly remembered the fantasy you had the other night and you just couldn’t let the opportunity pass.

“See you there then.” Everything about him right now was full of sinful promises: his smile, his voice, his eyes, his scent - everything.

“See ya.” You were completely spellbound by him, even as you stood there watching him leave. You just kept imagining everything you wanted to do to him and everything you wanted him to do to you.

Your schedules were over at 9 PM, so that gave you enough time to take a shower and go buy some condoms and some fancy lingerie (because you had to show him the best).

You arrived at the suite Bo had booked for you about half an hour before the time you had told Taehyung to set everything up; this could very well just be a one-time thing, but damn it did you want it to be fucking perfect.

The suite was breathtaking: it was located on the 48th floor so it had a beautiful panoramic view of the city, including the Tokyo Tower, which you could easily see due to the big ass windows that went from the roof to the floor; it had a white king size bed that was on top of a black platform; it had a big living room right next to the bedroom, separated by traditional white Shoji doors and a bathroom that had a big ass bathtub. Bo must have spent a fortune just so you could get laid in style and you made a mental note to give her a nice thank you gift.

You were feeling nervous. You thought of a hundred possibilities of how everything would go down but all the thinking was just making you more stressed, so you decided to open up the bottle of wine you had brought in your bag and watch some TV in the living room to distract yourself until he arrived.

It wasn’t long until you heard the knock on the door - your heart beating hard with excitement. You turned off the TV, checked yourself up on the big mirror behind the sofa, adjusting the cleavage on your tight black dress, and made your way to the door.

When you opened the door and looked at him you felt like there was no more air left in the room for you to breathe. His soft hair was a bit messy like he had been running his fingers through it in nervousness but he looked so confident and assured like he was coming to get what he wanted and no one could stop him.

“Hi,” he said first, making the usual butterflies his voice made you feel appear in your stomach.

“Hi,” it was hard for you to respond since you were so distracted admiring the bit of skin he had exposed by unbuttoning 3 buttons off of his white dress shirt.

“I brought wine, but I see you’re already served,” he lifted the hand that was carrying the bottle showing you said bottle.

“I see we both thought of the same thing.” You noticed he was checking your body out and that made you 10 times more confident.

“Yeah, we did.” Silence filled the air as tension grew and you looked at each other.

“Come on in Taehyung,” you finally said.

You locked the door, just to be sure, and went to meet him in the living room where he was putting the bottle of wine and a black bag that, incredibly enough, you only noticed he was wearing until now.

“What’s that?” You asked while pointing at the bag.

“It’s the camera you asked me to bring.” He started to unzip the bag and remove his Canon that you were so used to seeing him with. For a moment you had totally forgotten you had requested him that so when he mentioned it the plans you had made for tonight immediately surfaced in your head.

“And what’s that?” You pointed inside the bag, noticing another camera inside.

“Oh, it’s a Polaroid camera I brought just in case, girls always like those ones.” He took it out and handed it to you. You waited a bit and as soon as he got distracted checking his other camera you took a picture of him, the paper immediately coming out from the machine.

“Hey, that’s not fair. I wasn’t ready!”

“How is that not fair? You take pictures of me all the time and I can’t have a picture of you?” You shook the paper so the photo would reveal faster, and when the image appeared you couldn’t help but stare in adoration.

“Fine, you can have the picture. But only because it’s you.”

Time stopped. Everything stopped. It scared you how much power he was starting to have over you, like one look and he could have you on your knees. One sentence and he’d have you weak. You wanted to kiss him, you wanted to feel his lips pressed against yours and his hands running up your body. You wanted to go all the way, and you wanted to do it now, but you knew that if you gave in to the sweet brown-haired temptation in front of you that you wouldn’t be able to stop and you wouldn’t be able to fulfil your fantasy and give him the surprise you had prepared, so you decided to just get it out of the way.

“Taehyung, the reason why I asked you to bring your camera was because I wanted to give you a little surprise.”

“A surprise?” He was intrigued by your statement, the frowning of his eyebrows making him look extra cute.

“On Twitter, you said you wished you could take pictures of me all day, so…” you placed the Polaroid on top of the table and started to take off your dress so you’d be just in your recently bought lingerie. You kept your eyes on him as he watched you undress - he was totally awestruck admiring your body. “I want you to photograph me, like this.”

Your dress fell to the floor and you stood there in your sexy lingerie like a mannequin on display for him. His eyes were running along every inch of your body and the way he was biting his bottom lip was making you weak, an urgent need to jump on him and claim that lip as your own was emerging from within.

“Are you sure about this?”

The fact that he even asked made you feel much more at ease and erased all the little doubts you had before about pursuing one of your fans.

“Yes.”

“Get on that bed then.”

He didn’t even have to ask you twice, he could command you to go rob a bank with that tone of voice and you would do it - that’s the power he had over you and your body.

At first, he maintained a little distance from you and the poses you were making came off a little shy, but as you looked at him through the lens and started to connect to him you started to get even more daring with your poses.

At some point, you felt like moving things along so you took off your bra and threw it to his feet. His whole body tensed up, his jaw was locked and his eyes burned with an intensity of a thousand suns.

He came closer and closer until he was on top of you with the camera pointing straight down at you. The intimate shots he was taking reminded you of the ones he had taken of you during your solo and never published and you just couldn’t help but ask about them.

“Why did you never publish them?”

“Publish what?”

“The photos you took of my improv during my solo. I did that move just for you and I wanted to see the pictures but you never posted them,” he slowly lowered the camera, allowing you to see him smiling at your confession.

“I didn’t want to post them.”

“Why? Were they bad? Did I not look good?” All the worries you had about those photos suddenly came flooding in.

“What? No.” Seeing your insecurities and doubts taking over he put the camera down on the bed and placed his hand on your cheek in a tender gesture. “You looked absolutely perfect, as you always do.” His face was getting closer to yours and you couldn’t help but admire that face constructed by the Gods up close. “The reason why I didn’t publish those photos was because I didn’t want to share them with anybody else; I wanted to be the only one seeing you like that, I wanted to have you all to myself.”

His words were making all your blood rush down south, wetness starting to ruin the only piece of clothing you had on. “Well...here I am.”

In 2 seconds his lips were on yours and you knew right then and there that you instantly got hooked. It all went so smooth, it seemed like his lips knew every little way yours moved, like you had kissed a thousand times before - only you hadn’t.

Soon enough his boner started pressing down on your abdomen, a sign of his desire for you. His lips started moving lower until they were marking your exposed breasts.

“Taehyung…” you moaned as he sucked on your right nipple while pinching your left one.

“Fuck, my name sounds even better coming out of those lips then I could ever have imagined,” his hand slipped between your bodies and under your panties to tease you even more. “You’re so fucking wet baby, moan my name one more time,” he inserted one of his long fingers inside of you, giving you no choice but to abide to his request.

“Taehyung...”

“You’re so fucking tight, look at that pussy just swallowing my whole finger. You have no idea how many times I beat my cock to your photos,” he added another finger and started pumping harder and harder. “I would imagine how tight you were in real life, how well you would take me,” when you were about to cum he removed his fingers and shoved them in his mouth so he could suck your juices, “hmmm, how sweet you would taste.”

“Taehyung…” you moaned once more, his words acting as gas to your fire.

“What is it baby?” His lips attached once more to your skin, this time taking their sweet sweet time on your neck.

“I want you,” you whined.

“I know baby, I want you too, more than anything, believe me, but first,” he started to strip down naked, freeing his cock from the cotton prison that was his underwear, “I need your pretty lips around my cock. Can you do that for me?”

His hand was on your chin, bringing you closer and closer to his lips.

“Yes,” you kissed him slowly and passionately as you reached for his boner, the contact making him groan.

You turned him around so he was laying down on the bed at your complete mercy. You lowered your head and started giving little kitty licks on tip of his dick, the teasing act making him protest. “Fuck baby, don’t tease.”

You complied and practically swallowed his dick whole, his hands instinctively grabbing you by your hair and pushing you as further down as possible. You were choking and had spit running down your chin, but you were in pure bliss due to the sounds of pleasure he was making.

“Fuck yeah baby, you’re doing so well. Look at you taking all my dick in your mouth like that.”

When you started to feel your lungs burning from the lack of air you emerged back up from between his legs to recuperate your breath and then dived back in, this time to properly suck the shit out of him.

You were so into it, bobbing your head up and down and fondling his balls that you felt like you couldn’t stop. It wasn’t until he grabbed your head to make you stop that you came into your own.

“I’d love to cum in your beautiful mouth, but tonight I really wanna fuck you as soon as possible, and I can’t do that if you keep on sucking me like that.”

“Sorry, I couldn’t control myself,” you said as you wiped the extra spit off of your chin with your hand.

“You make me go crazy on a daily basis, but when you say stuff like that...I just can’t control myself.” He was back to kissing you, but this time it was all more raw and needy.

He turned you around so you were now the one laying on the bed and he was the one on top of you. All of your body was burning with anticipation and you really couldn’t wait any second longer for him to just pound you into the mattress.

“Grab the condoms,” you said in a breathy tone.

He moved to reach the bedside table, where you had placed the condoms previously to his arrival, took out one and placed it on his swollen cock.

He got back on top of you and started rubbing his tip up and down your folds before entering you completely. He looked at you in the eyes as he felt your walls clenching around him, both of you taking in the pleasure caused by each other's bodies.

“Fuck…you feel so good baby,” he started leaving a trail of kisses from your ear to your neck as he slowly moved inside of you.

“Tae-” he didn’t even let you finish moaning his name before he was picking up his speed and almost drilling into you.

“This cunt is mine now, do you understand?” His voice was almost animalistic, like he was truly marking his territory.

“Yes,” you moaned.

“You are mine,” he grabbed your right boob and bit you on your neck.

“Fuck, yes.”

Your answer fueled him even more, his hand immediately reaching for your clit and making you scream.

“Cum,” and like you were obeying his commands you instantly came hard, his name spilling out of your mouth like a mantra.

“You look so beautiful like this, coming undone on my cock,” Taehyung slowed down and helped you ride out your orgasm.

“Now get on your knees and let me see that sexy ass baby,” he said as he removed himself from inside you.

“Yes sir,” you joked as you obeyed, yet again, to one of his commands.

You turned around and got on your knees, sticking your ass up in the air for him (quickly earning yourself a hard spank on the ass).

“I swear you were carved by the gods, look at that ass,” you felt another spank, this time on your other ass cheek, which turned you on so much that you were able to feel your arousal sliding down your pussy. “How much wetter can you become? You’re like a fucking faucet, just spilling those delicious juices for me,” it was then that you felt him spread your ass cheeks and give you a big ass lick from the bottom to the top, making you shiver from the sensitivity of your recent orgasm.

“Ohh fuck…that feels so good.”

He then stuck his fingers back inside of you, pumping them in and out until you were screaming in pleasure once again in your second orgasm of the night.

“Fuck, I think I’m addicted to making you cum.” He stuck his dick back inside of you and, without giving you time to recover, started fucking you at full speed.

You couldn’t even think straight anymore, you were so completely lost in pleasure that the only thing that mattered to you was the good dicking you were getting. “Taehyung I’m not gonna last long.”

Taehyung pulls you by your hair so your bodies could meet and latches his mouth to your neck once more. “You can cum baby, I got you.”

You didn’t last much longer, spiralling down on your third and last orgasm of the night that also triggered Taehyung’s orgasm, the both of you cumming almost in unison.

Both of you fell on the bed panting from the mind-blowing sex you just had. When you opened up your eyes you noticed Taehyung was staring at you with a fond look on his face, “you’re so fucking beautiful,” he said.

“Tae…” you were completely blushing, as if you hadn’t just shared the most intimate moment two people can share.

“It’s true,” he gave you a sweet kiss on the lips and then got up to go to the bathroom and get cleaned up.

You almost instantly fell asleep (the concert you had had and the sex taking a toll on your body) only to be woken up moments later by the sound of a camera taking a picture.

“What are you doing?” You turned around and saw Taehyung with the Polaroid camera in one hand and the photo he had just taken in the other.

“Getting inspired by my muse,” he said with a proud smile on his face.

“Let me see that,” you got up from the bed and took the picture away from him to properly inspect it. You had never seen your ass like this, but you had to admit that it did look pretty good.

“So?” He asked.

“It’s amazing, maybe we should schedule again to take more,” you said with a teasing tone.

“I’d love that,” he got closer to you and kissed you, his soft lips making your heart race once more, but definitely not for the last time.

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