#Stray Kids romance

[astralis-ortus]

i'll keep you in a photograph

✱ crush!sm x fem!reader

— it's just a silly little crush.

w.count → 2.5k genre → romance warning → minor cussing, appearances by other 4/8 skz and itzy's ryujin, menace lee know in action, also no use of y/n whatsoever at all a.n → time to celebrate because we're finally debuting a seungmin fic!🎊 i wasn't even planning for the fic to be this long, but i guess it is what it is, lol. also! do let me know if you would like a part 2 to this fic! ⋆ if you're enjoying my stories, do send me a ko-fi ⋆ see masterlist

you've never been much of a sports fan in the first place.

the burning ambition, loud cheers, and massive crowds—it's just simply not your thing. really, you have nothing against the people who loves sports, but if given the choice between a vip ticket to the next biggest sports match and a week-long, peaceful getaway at the countryside,

you would absolutely chose the latter in a heartbeat.

hence,

with that image of you in mind,

imagine the surprise amongst your group of friends when you told them that in your right mind, with zero drops of alcohol flowing in your blood, you had stepped in to be one of the volunteer game photographer for your campus' next baseball game.

"i don't believe you," felix shook his head, golden locks swaying in unison, "what do you mean you just want to? you don't even like going to popular cafes—how are you supposed to deal with a baseball crowd? do you even know how massive that game would be?"

"pretty sure someone forced her," ryujin sighed, lines between her eyebrows still clearly visible beneath the stray strands of hair as she faced hyunjin on her right, "told you those people at the photography club seemed suspicious. why didn't you listen and joined with her? they won't be able to take advantage of her like this if you're there!"

"guys—"

"why is it my fault?" hyunjin protested, quickly pointing his manicured nails in your direction, "she's the one who signed up to the club without any of us knowing! it's not like i didn't want to join the club too—they already closed the form before i could try signing up!"

"hey—"

"you could've gone earlier!"

"how am i supposed to know?"

"you could've—"

"guys!"

the bickering between the two immediately ceased as the three pair of eyes now locked in your direction, visibly surprised at the tone of your voice. to be fair, you do understand why your friends are acting the way they are, but god, they're starting to sound more like a couple of overprotective parent and a childish sibling at this point.

"no one forced me, i promise," you sighed, quietly fidgeting with your fingers under the cafeteria table. you do admit it's far too weird for you to be doing all this, but you have your reason. "i'll be fine, you don't have to worry about me too much. i'll be okay."

"besides," you quickly continued upon noticing the persisting worry in your friends' eyes, "it's about time i start doing new stuff like this. i don't want to feel like i'm wasting my last years as a student and graduate with regret. okay?"

only then does your friends' eyes seem to soften, worry now replaced by relief.

"if you say so," felix became the first one to smile, hand gently patting your shoulder, "but don't go overboard with it, okay? try to go to the practice sessions first so you could gauge the situation for game day."

"felix's right," both hyunjin and ryujin added at the same time, quickly glaring at each other before focusing back at you.

"i can go with you to the practices," ryujin volunteered, frown lines already replaced with a beaming smile, "i happen to know one of the assistant coach, he'll let us watch if i ask him!"

"pretty sure you just want to see that legendary pitcher—ow!" hyunjin quickly rubbed out the sting from ryujin's slap on his shoulder, and between her glare, hyunjin's protest, and felix's laugh,

no one seemed to notice the faint shade of blush, slowly creeping on your cheeks.

the fresh spring air of seoul eagerly fills your lungs—quietly reminding you of a distant memory when life was nothing more than running around the field of your grandparents' countryside home. you might be a quiet kid, but that never stopped you from exploring every nook and cranny you could find around the vicinity of the well-maintained traditional house.

today, however,

you're planning on making a new memory for yourself.

as it turns out, ryujin does actually know the assistant coach for the campus' baseball team. chris, as he introduced himself, is also a personal trainer at the gym ryujin frequents, explaining the unexpected connection—much to hyunjin's dismay, though, who was really looking forward for a new reason to tease ryujin. both you and felix could only shook your heads, each wondering when (or if) the two will ever stop bickering with each other.

the first few practice session you attended with ryujin was a lot more fun than you had expected it to be. maybe it was ryujin's friendliness that helped lowered the players' guards down around the new faces watching, but everyone seemed very welcoming to the addition of you and your camera around the perimeters of the field.

you, on the other hand, also got to learn about where and when to snap the best pictures, along with the terms to help you understand better about whatever is going on in the field during the game. had felix not popped the idea to watch these practice sessions, you probably won't be able to do your best for the upcoming game day, and you definitely will need to treat your friends to some chicken and beer later as a thank you.

for today's practice round, however,

you're left all alone.

you don't blame ryujin—she has her own class related stuff to tend to, and besides, her coming with you for the first few times were already more than enough. you've grown far more comfortable being around the considerably sized crowd and you know your ways around the place should you need some time away, but all in all, you know you're doing a lot better now, thanks to ryujin's help.

"oh, you're here!" chris were the first one to spot you, waving with his dimpled smile on display, "ryujin told me you'd be on your own today. will you be okay?"

"of course," you mirrored the older's smile, finally standing next to the casually dressed assistant coach at the edge of the field, "she's too worried, but i'll be fine. it's not like i'm the one running around, hitting the balls anyway."

chris cracked a laugh at your joke, relieved that you don't seem to be as tense as you were when he first met you. "well that's great, then," he hummed in content, smiling in your direction, "feel free to walk around the usual space, today's practice won't be as hard the ones before so you should be able to get better shots."

and surely, you did.

like the usual round, chris had to monitor the practice and hence, you're left to explore the media pit on your own. you greeted some of the players you've gotten acquainted with while they wait for their turn, and you also managed to snap some new shots to submit to the campus website and journalist club. it might be a volunteer event, but hey, you have to be strategic with your portfolio, right?

"at this rate, your crush might as well be broadcasted from the speakers, you know."

the sudden voice coming from your left nearly made you drop your camera.

"what crush?" you throw a protest—albeit sounding more like a squeak—at minho, the other assistant coach you've gotten acquainted with through your time at the field. "i'm just doing my job here," you continued, shaking your head before again raising your camera,

while also attempting to mask the rising tempo of your heartbeat.

"you can't fool me like you fool the others," minho chuckled, lips tugged into a lopsided smile while he crossed his arms in amusement, "i can clearly see where your lenses are pointed, so there's really no use in lying to me."

crap.

"you're just saying nonsense to bother me," you huffed, trying to keep your cool behind the camera while attempting your best to hide the flush on your face from minho. even if you're about to get your cover blown, you'd rather not get it done by the menace that minho is.

sure, it hasn't been long since you've been introduced to minho, but for reasons only god and minho himself knows, the guy seems to just weirdly pick on you out of the blue and as it turns out, he's quite a psychic too.

"well then if that's not the case," minho shrugged, quietly extending a palm at you, "can i see the pictures you've taken today?"

"no!"

and only after you saw the maniacal smirk plastered across minho's face as you clutched the camera close to your heart that your realized,

your cover is blown.

[ weeks ago ]

honestly, you don't think you'll be joining any clubs this year.

it's not that you don't want to—you actually do, considering you're the only one of your quartet who still hasn't really decided on anything to do outside of your classes, but nothing seems to be piquing your interest just yet.

staring down at your phone, you're trying to find your last resort—the photography club. to be fair, you're not a major photography geek in the first place. yes, you do like taking pictures and you do go out of your way to learn the basics of photography, but that's about it. despite everyone telling you that you're good at it, you've never viewed photography as something more than just a hobby.

"it should be—ow!"

the sudden force against your shoulder sent your phone straight to the hard surface of your campus building's floor, inviting several gasps to be heard between the decorated walls—including one of your own.

"shit—i'm really sorry, are you okay?"

before you could even react, a hand had reached for your phone and quickly dusted the screen off before offering the device back to you. "i'm really sorry about this, i'm in a bit of a hurry and i wasn't looking. are you okay? is your shoulder alright?"

in all honesty? no, you're not okay.

"yeah, it's okay. i'm at fault too," you grimaced, noting the dull ache on your shoulder while reluctantly grabbing your phone, hoping for the safety of your screen, "i'm so—"

any remaining air left in your lungs seemed to get caught in your throat as soon as your eyes found the pair staring right at yours, catching you off guard. even under the navy ballcap he's wearing, the depth of his eyes had successfully lured the remaining pieces of rationale beyond you.

"look," he continued, snapping you out of your trance, "i'm in a hurry right now, but if by any chance i accidentally broke your phone, you can come find me today at the baseball field at 5pm and i'll take full responsibility. sounds good?"

your head had nodded even before you could even entirely process what just happened to you—were you just bewitched by a guy in a navy ballcap?

"alright, good," the figure finally broke out a smile, already taking his steps to the direction opposite of yours, "thank you! i appreciate it!"

and just as you realized you haven't gotten the mysterious guy's name, you caught a glimpse of the small embroidered name at the back of his jacket before he disappeared at the end of the hallway.

kim seungmin.

[ present day ]

you're so going to kill minho.

after the stunt he pulled off earlier, it didn't take you a second to take off from his crime scene, tightly holding your pandora's box of a camera while you try and find a spot to hide from minho—but most importantly, from seungmin.

you know seungmin probably won't realize that you were gone, but the horror that minho might've spoiled your little secret to seungmin himself made you a little bit nauseous.

in your defense, you weren't expecting anything to happen between you and seungmin. sure, you joined the photography club solely because you've seen their coverage during previous baseball season and were hoping you could be one of the people to document seungmin's journey as a u-league player, but that's it.

it was just a silly little crush—nothing more.

"uh, hey."

the speed it took you to look at the figure standing across nearly got you to pull a muscle—and if it wasn't enough, the fact that seungmin is indeed the owner of the voice calling out to you were ready to be the cherry on top.

"minho hyung told me to give this to you as an apology," he offered a can of coffee, smiling at you depite being visibly unsure about what he's currently doing. "i thought he should've gave this to you himself but, you know, minho hyung is… yeah, he can be kind of weird."

you couldn't help but laugh at seungmin's comment, accepting the surprisingly warm can as you shrugged, "he is weird. thank you, though, for giving me this in his stead. you didn't have to."

"don't mention it," seungmin smiled—and again, your heart skipped a beat. "i'm on my way too, anyway. it's cool."

"on your way?" you questioned, words already rolling off your lips even before you could process your own thoughts. to be fair, the spot you ran away to were exactly the opposite of the baseball fields' exit gate—which doesn't make sense, if seungmin were on his way out.

"sorry—i didn't mean to pry," you quickly backtracked before seungmin could answer, already preparing to leave the shaded bench you've been staying at for the past 40 minutes or so. "i think i better leave. thank you again for—"

"wait!"

your eyes doubled in size when seungmin stepped in your way, preventing you from moving further. it seemed like he's also surprised at himself, judging from the way his eyes had mirrored yours.

"i, uh," clearing his throat, you noticed the hesitance in his face before seungmin then pointed at the phone in your hand, "is your phone working just fine? nothing broke?"

…oh.

oh?

"you… remembered?" you took a step back, nearly tumbling back at the bench had seungmin not grabbed your wrist, equally as surprised as you are. only after you convinced him that you're okay is when seungmin willingly dropped his hold on your arm.

"well, of course i remembered," seungmin nervously chuckled, subconsciously rubbing his nape, "i was the one who sent your phone flying, so… i feel responsible. i mean i was glad you didn't came that day since it meant your phone was okay and i've actually been meaning to ask since i realized it was you who came to take our pictures, but…"

you quietly anticipated between the pause, granting seungmin the time to explain as he shrugged and continued,

"i kind of feel like a creep if you didn't remember me since i realized i didn't actually give you my name that day."

so he did realize…?

frankly, it felt like your brain is short circuiting—so seungmin remembers you? why? was he just curious about your phone? was he waiting for you to come? why would he feel like a creep? what is happening right now?

"and since i didn't get to give you my name that day," seungmin continued, eyes reflecting a newfound determination amidst the persisting worry,

"can i get your number this time?"

©️ astralisortus, 2024. | likes and reblogs are highly appreciated♡

[ctrllhyuck]

no hitter

genre/tags ✮⋆˙ enemies to lovers, college au, kim seungmin x fem!reader

word count ✮⋆˙ 2.6k

NOT PROOREAD

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆. ࿐࿔ 　　　 　　 　

you first met seungmin at the park by your elementary school, you were playing with lia, your best friend, when out of no where some kids pushes you over.

“hey! you knocked me over, you’re supposed to say sorry.”

“i didn’t knock you over, you were in the way so i nudged you. you should be the one apologizing to me.”

“that’s not how it works! i was sitting here playing with the sand and you pushed me instead of saying excuse me. don’t you have manners?”

“i feel like i’m just wasting my time here. next time, watch where you sit princess.”

from that day on seungmin relentlessly tormented you. whether it was pulling pranks on you, starting rumors about you, and even going as far as accusing you of cheating on an exam. that’s why you had always said you hated him. at the start of your freshman year you decided to solely focus on your studies. you were never the type of person to go out to clubs or parties like your friends. you always preferred to stay in your dorm studying, watching a show or napping. seungmin on the other hand gained quite the popularity. even if you wanted to you couldn’t deny it, seungmin was handsome. you thought it was a waste that such a mean person had such an angelic face. seungmin had always excelled at baseball. he had quite the throw, which landed him a starting position on the university’s team. you two had mutual friends which made avoiding him 24/7 a difficult task for you.

“dude, please put the books down for one day. i’m literally begging you, i’ll get on my knees if i have to,” han jisung asked as he pulled on your backpack strap. han was one of the first friends you made at the beginning of freshman year. the poor boy stumbled into the women’s restroom as you and lia were walking out and the rest was history.

“han you know i don’t like going out, especially when i know seungmins gonna be there,” you responded to the boy as you sipped your iced coffee. to your left, lia scoffed.

“you know, i think you and seungmin might have a little enemies to lovers story going on,” the brunette said as she eyed your face, carefully scanning it until she found that slight flush of pink on your cheeks. you had practically known lia all your life, she was like the sister you never had. she was able to read you perfectly in any situation. a few weeks ago she had caught you staring at seungmin during a class you three shared together. when you noticed she had caught you, you let out a nervous laugh and that little flush of pink appeared. from that moment the gears in her head starting turning and she came to the only logical conclusion: you had a crush on seungmin.

renjun, your lab partner turned best friend, spoke up, “that’s actually impossible, she hates his guts.”

“okay can we get back to the real issue here, getting our lovely yn to come bowling with us,” han squeaked in an exasperated tone. the poor boy just wanted you to come out of your dorm for once and live a little. they knew parties were completely out of your comfort zone and would never force you to attend these events. but bowling? who doesn’t love a good round of bowling. the rest of the baseball team was going too, and they were actually quite fond of you since you would attend their practices sometimes.

“okay, i’ll go. but as soon as seungmin says something or does something to make me uncomfortable, can one of you take me home?,” you asked your friends as they all looked at you wide eyed. safe to say you were met with never ending “yes’s” from all three of your friends.

the night you were going bowling finally arrived. you were actually dreading it ever since you had accepted the invitation. you were unsure of what was an appropriate outfit for this outing since you lived in baggy jeans and over sized sweaters. lia had offered to come and style you (perks of having a fashion major best friend). after many no’s you two had finally decided on a denim skirt and a cute sweater.

“you’ll definitely catch seungmins attention tonight,” lia said as she spun you around in front of your mirror. you couldn’t help but wonder if seungmin had ever called you pretty in his head.

you were sitting in the passenger seat of han’s car while lia and renjun sang their heart out to sabrina carpenter. as you guys pulled up to the bowling alley you saw the rest of the team (and their respective girlfriends) standing outside. as your group walked towards the entrance you saw him. the man you “hated” the most, the person you would always avoid on campus, kim seungmin. you couldn’t help but admire his face. he was just so handsome? dreamy? you couldn’t find a word to describe him. as he turned around to greet han, his eyes caught yours. you don’t know if your crazy, but you could’ve sworn seungmin gave you a small smile as you made eye contact. the night was progressing as you made casual chit chat with some of the other guys on the team. seungmin had yet to come up to you to say a smart ass comment or make fun of you.

without anyone noticing, you slipped away from the group. you wanted to get some fresh air as the closed space had started to make you feel anxious. the cool air hit your face as soon as the doors opened, maybe the skirt wasn’t a good idea. you looked up at the sky and noticed there was a full moon, you quickly took out your phone to snap a picture of it. as you were angling your phone you heard a voice creeping up behind you.

“pretty isn’t it.” that voice alone made your stomach do flips. you knew exactly who it was.

“um, yeah, i was trying to get a picture for my story,” you responded practically tripping over your own words. the boy behind you laughed. oh how you loved his laugh.

“still get nervous around me huh,” seungmin asked as he started into your eyes, his smile never faltered. he was just so hypnotizing. you couldn’t help but feel drawn in.

“i- i don’t know what your talking about seungmin. if you don’t mind, i came out here alone for a reason.” it was as if something had snapped you back into reality. this is kim seungmin, the boy who always found the way to make you feel so little.

“cmon yn, it’s pretty obvious that you like me. everyone on the team knows it. why do you keep acting like you hate me.” seungmin kept inching towards you, every step he took invading your personal bubble. but, why didn’t you move? it’s like you wanted him there. he stopped when he was a few centimeters away from your face, your breaths mixing together. he started leaning in, and you didn’t pull away. you wanted that kiss. you wanted it more than anything.

then you heard it. the little giggles coming from behind the cars. you turned your head in the direction of the laughs, and you saw multiple phones pointing at you and seungmin. they were recording you. this was all a cruel joke planned by seungmin and his stupid friends. you felt the tears starting to pool in your eyes. how could you let your guard down so easily?

“no way you really thought seungmin was gonna kiss you,” a voice from behind you said. you knew that voice perfectly. it belonged to karina, seungmins former girlfriend. she was mocking you. every single one of them was making fun of you. you wanted the ground to swallow you. you felt your anxiety begin to bubble up. you needed to find one of your friends. you needed to be away from seungmin. you tried so hard not to cry but the feeling of humiliation was just too much. as you began sobbing you saw han walk out of the bowling alley, he had been looking for you. as soon as he saw the state you were in and everyone just standing around you he began to push seungmin and ask what the fuck was wrong with him. you weren’t sure if you purposely blocked everything that happened after out of your mind or if you blacked out. all you remember is lia helping you put your pjs on and tucking you into bed.

after the incident at the bowling alley you didn’t want to show your face on campus. you were sure the video they had taken of you and seungmin was posted all over social media. lia and renjun had assured you that it wasn’t posted anywhere, but they couldn’t tell you everyone had been sharing it thru texts.

“so are you coming to the baseball game? it’s the final, it would mean a lot if you came,” han was basically pleading with you. you felt conflicted. you wanted to go support your friend but you also didn’t want to see seungmin or the other idiots that helped him with his scheme. with a half smile you tell han you’ll try to make it.

it’s saturday night, the game is starting in 30 minutes. that’s exactly how long the bus ride to the stadium is from your dorm. after a lot of pep talks to yourself, you realized you couldn’t hide forever. you were going to have to move on from what happened that night. you knew it wasn’t the end of the world but your anxiety had made you feel much worse. you arrived at the stadium after the first pitch was thrown. you were quickly able to find lia & renjun in the sea of people. they greeted you with hugs and forehead kisses (courtesy of lia). you hadn’t been to a game since the season started so you were kind of lost to what was going on. by the middle of the 9th inning your university was up by 3. it was a small lead but they were so close to victory. three strikes was all that was needed for your uni to win the championship. you hate to say it but seungmin had been pitching amazing as usual. as he pitched the first ball you saw his face contort. you realized something wasn’t right. you saw him wince in pain and he hit the ground. he was holding onto his right hand as he was yelling things you couldn’t make out. after a few minutes you saw the coach and medical staff escorting seungmin off the field. then the announcement came, seungmin was hurt and they were switching pitchers. your chest felt heavy. you were able to see the tears in seungmins eyes. all you wanted to do was go down there with him and hug him. but you couldn’t, not after what he had done to you. after seungmin was replaced everyone could tell the new pitcher had no idea what he was doing. the game quickly ended with a grand slam from the opposing team. the final score 4-3. they had lost the championship.

you knew you shouldn’t be doing this. you should be with lia and renjun comforting han. but you couldn’t stop yourself. at first you were walking towards the locker rooms, but now you were full on sprinting. you had to find seungmin. you just felt like he needed someone and you wanted that someone to be you. as you neared the locker room you slowed down a bit to catch your breath. then you heard it. low sobs coming from inside the locker room. you carefully pushed the door open and that’s when you spotted him. seungmin was sitting on the ground, head buried in his hands as if he was trying to hide away from the world around him. you carefully approached him and sat next to him.

“seungmin.”

the boy looked up and his eyes widened in surprise. you were the last person he expected to see.

“go away. your not even supposed to be in here.”

“i know, but .. i wanted to check on you.”

you heard a scoff coming from him as he spoke, “check on me? oh please i don’t need your pity.”

“it’s not pity seungmin. you’re hurt and i wanted to check on you. i was worried.” did you actually mean what you were saying? why would you worry about seungmin? especially after how he treated you.

“this stupid injury cost the whole team the championship. it’s my fault we lost.”

“you didn’t know you were gonna get injured, i’m sure no one is blaming you min,” you stopped as soon as you said it. you called him by his nickname. a nickname you were never worthy of, or so you thought. you noticed a slight blush appear on his cheeks and the tips of his ears.

“only my friends call me min.”

“yeah i know, i’m sorry.” there was a long pause. it seemed like both of you were scared to speak. scared of saying the wrong thing. scared of hurting each other. seungmin was the one who broke the silence.

“i’m sorry,” you never thought you’d hear those words coming out of his mouth. “i’m sorry for what happened at the bowling alley. i know it’s hard to believe but i didn’t want to do it. it was karina’s idea.” he took your silence as a sign to continue. “she’s always been jealous of you. she heard something from one of the guys a few days back and she got mad. she really should’ve been upset with me, not you.”

“what did she hear? was it something about me,” you asked nervously unsure of what response you could get.

“yes and no. it’s something i said,” he paused and you looked over at him. his face was completely red. “this is hard for me please bear with me,” he said pleading with you.

“seungmin, i won’t be here forever,” you mustered to him as you stood up. seungmin was quick on his feet.

“wait, please.” his figure towering over you, but he couldn’t meet your eyes. “i told jeno that i- fuck this is hard,” you heard him gulp. “i told jeno that i liked you. that i’ve always liked you and that i’ve only ever picked on you because i wanted your attention.”

your mouth was agape. seungmin, the boy who you’ve had a crush on since that fateful day on the playground, was confessing to you. you were in shock. seungmin was trying to read your face but he couldn’t.

“please say something. reject me, slap me, kiss me whatever just please. i know i messed up big time but i can’t stand the idea of me losing you, please yn i-“ you cut him off with a gentle kiss on the lips. it was like you had always pictured it. his lips were soft and he immediately melted into your touch. it’s like your lips were molded to fit each other perfectly. you pulled away when you were both out of breath.

“seungmin i’ve always liked you.” you saw his face turn a bright red shade. you kissed the tip of his nose.

“i promise i won’t hurt you ever again. please stay by my side.” you could see in his face that he was sincere. you realized how in love you were with him.

“lia was right, we did have en enemies to lovers story going on,” you giggled as you saw seungmins puzzled expression.

this was just the start of your new chapter with seungmin. a new chapter in a story that you never wanted to end.

[daceydeath]

Cigarettes and Cliche's Part 11

Pairing: Bad Boy Felix x Reader Word Count: 8.1K Genre: Collage AU, Slow Burn Romance Warnings: 18+, MDNI, Explicit Activity

He was the most impractical guy for you to be interested in the incredibly handsome cliché bad boy who collected girls like trophies. As hard as you wanted to stay away you couldn't even if it might cost you everything and leave you heartbroken you couldn't ignore him.

Felix hadn’t surprised you by helping you get Seungmin and Jeongin back into the apartment and into their own rooms before leaning against the wall across from the kitchen and waiting for you to finish getting out painkillers for the morning.

“Did you hate it?” he asked softly, his eyes scanning you as you made your way over to him.

“No, but it isn’t really my thing” you admitted with a half smile gracing your lips.

“You don’t have to come to them if you don’t want to” he reached out for you pushing you gently against the wall caging you with his body as he cupped your face sweetly.

“I wanted to spend time with you” you chewed on your bottom lip shyly not wanting to admit too much in the first moment his hands were on you.

“I will spend all the time I have left in the world with you” Felix whispered, stroking your hip with his fingertips. You couldn’t help but lean in and press your lips to take him by surprise, softly moving your lips against his before catching his bottom lip between your teeth and tugging it tentatively. The low groan from somewhere in Felix’s chest went straight to your core making you realize that you were probably going a little bit too far for where you currently were standing, only a few feet from your roommate's doors. Felix seemed to sense your tension and easily pulled himself away from you.

“Sorry” you whispered shyly looking up at him through your lashes and nibbling on your lower lip, it was becoming quite a habit for you to push a little bit too far without thinking since it was far too easy to get lost in Felix’s warmth.

“Don’t be baby” he smiled softly, taking your hand and leading you further into the apartment “I should probably let you get ready for bed anyway”.   

“Lix?” you breathed looking at him for a moment as he waited patiently for you to continue “Would you stay? Tonight with me?”. His face lit up as he processed your words; the dazzling grin that grew on his face only made you more sure you wanted him to remain with you for the rest of the night.

“Are you sure you want me to stay baby?” he stared at you as you nodded mutely hoping that you didn’t look like you were unsure. Without another word you took the lead and led him to your room allowing him to step inside and shrug his leather jacket off, leaving it draped over your desk chair as he moved to cup your face again. His lips found yours again the kiss this time far more sensuous his tongue dancing with yours as he explored your mouth as you balled up his slim fitting black shirt in your hands. Backing up towards your bed you let Felix lay you down his hands teasingly ghosting up your thighs and over your skirt to grip your waist while you threaded your fingers through his soft blond locks. His thumb began to draw circles on your bare waist letting your relax yourself more into him so that you didn’t tense up as he began kissing his way across your cheek to your neck his long hair tickling your skin as he went, you could feel his excitement as his half hard member pressed against your thigh making you feel flustered and hot all over at the thought of him getting hard over you.

“I should slow down shouldn’t I?” Felix asked rhetorically, pulling his lips away from the skin of your throat. His hands dragging down your hips to hold you still

“I’m sorry Felix” you whimpered nervously “I’m taking too long aren’t I?” feeling guilt rising in your chest replacing the warmth that had been taking hold just moments before

“No baby, you are allowed to take your time” he breathed resting his forehead against yours “I want to wait until you are comfortable” he kissed your lips chastely moving himself from you and helping you to sit. “Go get changed for bed and I’ll just go steal something from Innie to wear to sleep”. 

You nodded letting him leave you alone in your room frowning at the floor. You didn’t know why you couldn’t go any further than letting Felix kiss you, you trusted him and he obviously cared about you so whatever nerves that were holding you to ransom had to go. Walking into your bathroom you washed your face and got changed into a baggy sleep shirt almost totally covering your mismatched sleep shorts. Slipping into your bed you waited for Felix to return hoping that maybe you would be able to talk it out with him since there was no way you could ask any of the others why you were having nerves about sex when you were now dating a guy they considered a complete whore.

“Cute” he murmured, stepping back into your room now wearing a pair of sweatpants and his t-shirt looking far too attractive than he had any right to.

“Will you cuddle me?” you asked in a small voice not wanting to seem demanding after stopping him from going further with you.

“Of course baby, I’ll hold you all night if I can” he cooed sweetly, turning off the light leaving you both illuminated by the reading lamp beside your bed as he crawled in beside you and pulled you against his chest, his arms wrapping securely around you. “ Night baby”.

“Good night Lixie” you whispered, placing a kiss on his clothed chest.

Your phone ringing woke you up much to your dismay, particularly since you were still securely cradled in Felix’s arms. Opening one eye you reached towards your bedside table grabbing anything that felt like a phone, finding Felix’s, your school lanyard and a coaster before you landed on the ringing device. Blinking at the screen your stomach dropped before you hastily answered.

“Good Morning Mama” you tried to sound as awake as you could so she didn’t suspect she had just woken you at 9:30 in the morning.

“Why did it take you so long to answer the phone?” she demanded sharply, making you frown.

“I was in the bathroom, I couldn’t answer while I was in there mama” you lied hoping that she actually believed it and that the call wouldn't wake Felix and his presence would remain unknown to her.

“Your father and I have decided that you must lift your scores by the end of this semester if you do not wish for us to pull you out of your studies.” She begins to demand the start of her rant that will no doubt just be her berating you for whatever she or your father have seen as a slight despite your unwavering obedience up to this point in your life. “We do not want you to graduate as some mid ranked girl who will not be able to get proper employment because there are others who would be better candidates”.

“Of course mama, you are right if my scores were better my opportunities would be better” you agreed dutifully not realizing that Felix had now rolled over and was looking at you with concern.

“Your father also wants you to return home at some point this semester as you have been away too long, we don’t want city life to rub off on you and ruin what you have achieved so far. Do I make myself clear?” she continued not even acknowledging your reply to her previous demand.

“You may think you are a grown woman but you are not, you are still a selfish and stupid little girl who needs guidance so you will listen to me. I will not have you turning into some little slut who treats her time to get a proper education as some sort of party. I am sure I do not need to remind you what will happen if you disobey the rules for a second time? Although you can be very stupid so maybe I do”    

“No mama, I remember the rules and I will check the semester schedule for the dates of all my assignment dates and exam dates so that I can prepare for that time away from studying” you mumbled ashamed how you could almost feel your scar tingle at the mention of their rules for you. Your mother made a disinterested noise and hung up without saying another word leaving you curling into yourself with insecurities.

“Hey, hey, hey” Felix soothed, his voice rough and deep from his sleep “don’t be upset baby” he sat up and wrapped his arms around your still mostly bare form the warmth of his chest against your back making you almost ache with need for him to make you feel better.

“I’m sorry I woke you up” you mumbled, swallowing the burn in your throat from the shame.

“No baby, I’m sorry that’s what woke you up” Felix frowned, turning you in his arms so he could lay back down with you pressed into his chest “You are so smart, and so beautiful, and so perfect, and you the most incredible woman I have ever met” he continued to try to calm you as your shoulders began to tremble.

“Felix, I can’t go home to them” you muttered, pressing your face into the crook of his neck to hide your shame and the tears that were very close to falling from your eyes.

“I know, I will do everything to keep you away from them” he promised softly, running his hands up your back in long circular motions trying his hardest to distract you. “How about we go get some breakfast?”.

“Alright” you mumbled, letting him continue to hold you until you forced yourself to get up and shower.

Grabbing towels for Felix you left him to check on your probably hung over roommates who you hoped were either still sleeping or were well enough to be able to function on their own. Checking Jeongin’s room you found him half laying on the bed and half on the floor snoring like a chainsaw which at least meant he was still alive. Stepping over his legs you grabbed a black shirt from his wardrobe for Felix to wear if he wanted something clean and made your way into Seungmin’s room. Opening the door quietly you found him struggling with the blister pack of the painkillers.

“Here Seung” you huffed out a silent laugh as he fumbled again before taking the pills from him “I’ll open them and you put them in your mouth yeah?”.

“Please” he slurred a little, his voice still thick with sleep. You dropped the tablets in his hand and watched him take them before flopping back down in his bed.

“I’m going out I’ll be back later” you smiled returning to your room and finding Felix scrolling through his phone his hair still damp from his shower.

“I thought you might want a clean shirt, and both the boys are still alive” you interrupted his eyes flicking up to look at you and the shirt in your hands.

“Thank you baby” he smiled brilliantly, his eyes crinkling as he took the shirt and pulled the t-shirt he had been wearing the night before over his head to slip the clean one on your mouth, almost going dry at the sight of his bare skin. 

“So where are we going?” you blinked owlishly watching a smug smile tug on the corners of his lips.

“That’s a surprise” Felix teased, standing up and taking your hand to lead you out of the apartment and down into the mild morning sunshine. You ended up at a quiet little cafe halfway between your apartment and Felix's. It wasn't too busy and the smell of fresh coffee and pancakes filled the air making your stomach growl the moment you stepped inside the door. Following him to a table Felix pulled your chair out for you and tucked a stray strand of hair behind your ear as a waitress delivered menus to you both. Ordering the largest coffee that they made and waffles you sat watching Felix, his hair almost glowing golden in the yellow hue of the overhead light.

“What are you doing tonight?” Felix tilted his head looking amused at your staring.

“I’m going to dinner with Chan, Changbin and Han. We organized it a while ago” you explained “I thought it might be a good way to ask Han about changing programs since Seung said he changed his degree”.

“Did he?” Felix furrowed his brow as though he was trying to remember “but that’s a good idea you at least can find out how he managed it and if it's hard to do”.

“Did you mean it this morning when you said you would do anything to keep me from going home to my parents” you chewed your lips nervously as the food arrived.

“Of course. If we can get the course change done before then you won't have to go back and if you do need to get stuff from your parents house I’ll make sure Minho, Hyunjin and Changbin go with us to get it so they won't have the chance to hurt you”. Felix soothed his voice low so that he wouldn’t be overheard.

“There is nothing there that is important enough for me to go back for Lix” you smiled weakly stabbing at a strawberry with your fork.

“Then you never go back” he shrugged easily, his eyes shining mischievously “If you need to live anywhere else after you graduate you can just move in with me and the morons and we will make it all work out”.

“Felix!” you whisper shouted your cheeks burning.

“Eat baby you need your strength”  Felix laughed, shoving a bite of pancake in his mouth.

Sure enough Seungmin let Chan, Han and Changbin into your apartment a full 20 minutes earlier than when you had arranged for Chan to pick you up. Their voices intermixed with Jeongin and Seungmin’s as they started talking about how the boys had pulled up from the night before. You continued getting dressed pulling a sweater over your head so that you wouldn’t have to worry about the cool night air when you came home. Another round of raucous laughter erupted making you giggle as you fixed your hair and grabbed your bag and coffee mug that you had been drinking out of to return to the kitchen.

“Hi guys” you grinned, stepping out of the room to find Jeongin dramatically flopping down on the couch as Han finished retelling what had happened after he had raced upstairs to find Hyunjin and the twins.

“Hey you ready to go or do you need a bit longer I know we’re early” Chan beamed still chuckling from whatever the story had been.

“Give me maybe two more minutes” you walked past them and into the kitchen to rinse out your mug and place it on the sink to drain. You phone chiming as you wipe your hands dry on the kitchen towel.

Have fun baby, call me if you need anything x

You smiled dopily at your screen not even bothering to try to hide it from Seungmin and Jeongin who proceeded to tease you by making gagging noises.

“Gotta admit I was surprised Lix didn’t tag along” Han pipped up snickering at your roommates theatrics.

“Why would he?” you stopped to look at him confused.

“Ignore him” Changbin groaned, he's just hyper today since he managed to have the night of his life last night.

“Oh I would have thought that you would have been on a low knowing that your life had just peaked” you shrugged smirking.

“This is why you are everyone's favorite” Chan snorted while Han’s jaw dropped in mock offense. 

“Let’s head out I’m sure me and the big guy are hungry” you raised your eyebrows and bumped your shoulder against Changbin’s arm.

“You would be perfect if you just had better taste in men” Changbin teased cheekily “Smart, pretty loves food it's almost the whole package”.

“Well looks like I need to get a new favorite then” you mocked following Chan to the door.

The drive was filled with banter, Changbin pretending that he didn’t care that you had struck him from your favorite list, Han teasing him that he would replace Changbin and Chan begging you not to egg them on any further.

“Actually Han there was something I wanted to ask you” You turned a little more serious as you sat in the booth spinning the menu on the table while you waited for drinks.

“Shoot, you can ask me anything” he nodded looking at you genuinely.

“Seung told me you changed your degree, how did you go about doing that?” your voice remained playful but you could tell all of them could see you were serious.

“You want to get out of accounting? That's amazing” Han smiled his eyes wide “What do you want to change it to and why now?”

“Architecture” you shrugged “and why not change it now I never wanted to be an accountant anyway that was what my parents wanted”.

“Well fuck me I take back what I said before” Changbin whistled “maybe you have excellent taste if Felix can persuade you to actually do what you want in life”.

“Yeah I’m impressed that the idiot is actually having a positive effect for a change” Chan concurred nodding along with Changbin.

“Shut up” you whined covering your face with your hands feeling flustered.

“All I did was go to the administration and ask about changing my degree and how fast I could do it. I’m not sure if it would be the same as you because I had only completed like half of my first semester so it was still relatively quick in the scheme of things” Han explained “I also don’t have a scholarship but that is surely something that could be transferred you are a top tier student so they wouldn’t want you to change universities”. You nodded humming in agreement as you nibbled on the fries that had just arrived.

“How are you going to break it to your parents?” Chan asked, suddenly very serious.

“The thing is I’m not going to tell them unless I actually have to” you admitted shyly, taking a large sip of your drink. “I want it to be done and dusted before they know so it will be too late for them to interfere”.

“What about the agreement that they pay for the costs that the scholarship doesn't cover?” Chan pressed, looking every bit the responsible older brother that you didn’t have.

“I will either have to apply for aid or work more, I could change jobs to work more hours I think I will be able to manage it” you continued seeing his face relax as he absorbed your answer.

“Well I think it’s worth it” Changbin grinned, wrapping his arm around you and squashing you against him.

“I didn’t realize how much I was missing in life doing what they wanted to keep them happy. I guess that is partly your fault for being so friendly and including me. I didn't have friends before I moved in with my pair of idiots, just Nali, so I didn’t know what I was missing out on”. You bit your bottom lip not wanting to get too sentimental on them.

“You are so cute” Han cooed looking at you like you were some kind of puppy that was trying to lick him.

“Yep, that’s why Seung and Innie didn’t want to share” Chan rolled his eyes at Han punching his shoulder softly.

You ate until you felt like you were going to burst, easily slipping between teasing the boys about stupid things that they had said or done in the last few weeks, making all the worries that you had been feeling about your parents melt away. You knew that you would have to deal with them eventually but Han had given you hope that maybe it wouldn’t be a long dragged out process and that you would be able to achieve it without having to wait until the end of the year. By the time Chan had dropped you home the sheer amount of food was making you sleepy so you waved sleepily to Seungmin and Jeongin and went to be after sending Felix a text telling him you were home and fine and that you would talk to him later.

Sleep had come easily but unfortunately your body also decided to wake you up far too early to make up for the fact you had slept early which left you groaning in annoyance at the still dark sky outside of your window. After tossing and turning for another 20 minutes you decided to just bite the bullet and get up. Maybe you could study or look into following up the enquiry you had sent to the university about changing your course and how exactly student aid worked. Opening your laptop you scrolled through their website looking for a contact name or email which would be able to help you out. When you finally opened your emails you noticed that someone in the admissions department had replied to your query giving you an option to see someone in person later in the day or the Friday before the start of the next semester block. Replying excitedly you asked for later in the afternoon hoping you would be able to talk either Felix, Seungmin or Jeongin into going with you.

Getting back to your research you began to try figuring out the scholarship issue and how to apply for the student aid so that you could have some understanding of what would happen as you turned your entire life on its head.

Hi Lix, are you busy today?

You typed knowing that it was probably far too early for him to be awake but that he would respond eventually. Making your coffee as quietly as you could to not disturb Seungmin or Jeongin wasn't easy especially since you wanted it iced and the ice maker sounded like it was bashing a glacier with a hammer to get it for you but you managed it. You opened the blinds and just sat watching the first rays of the sunlight begin to reflect off the high rise windows making the city look like it was bathed in a pretty amber glow. Sipping and sitting in silence you wondered how exactly your life had changed so much. How did one Nali hooking up with Felix continuously turn into you living with Seungmin and Jeongin while now dating Felix? Was it all decided by the fates or was it just a series of crappy events that all came with silver linings that eventually lead you to a discovery that life could and would be better if you stepped out of the shadow of what was expected for you. How much different would your life have been if you didn't bend to their wills like you had for most of your life?

"You're up too early" Jeongin sighed quietly, shaking you from your spiraling thoughts.

"So are you" you countered softly, smirking at him as he made his own coffee.

"I didn't sleep well" Jeongin shrugged, coming to join you as the sun continued to reflect light around you "What's your excuse?".

"Don't have one, what are you doing today?" you smiled crookedly as Jeongin chugged his coffee.

"Nothing much, why what's up? Did you need help with something?" He frowned slightly obviously expecting something less than ideal.

"I have a meeting today with the admissions department, I have asked Felix but if he is busy would you come with me?" you tried to sound flippant but you knew he was going to see straight through your attempt at nonchalance.

"Absolutely! Shit I'll go even if Felix goes with you so we can hype you up to do whatever it is that you need to do" he grinned toothily looking genuinely happy for you "Your like a totally different person now and Seung and I think it's incredible".

"Thanks Innie" you mumbled looking out the window again to hide your face in case you started tearing up.

"I mean it, I'm proud of you and so is Seung plus Felix would agree with me" he laughed watching you rub your nose as stealthily as you could.

"Am I interrupting some kind of heart to heart lovefest?" Seungmin laughed as he wandered out of the hallway.

"Nah, just a small celebration of our dear roommates' courage," Jeongin smirked before poking his tongue out at you. 

"Do I need to order a celebratory breakfast?" Seungmin grinned brightly as you rolled your eyes at them both the teasing not bothering you but making you squirm.

"I will always take a free meal" you smugly replied, dissolving into your own fit of giggles as you took in their fond expressions.

"I'm only buying if this isn't about you fucking Felix though" Seungmin sniggered making your jaw drop in surprise.

"Kim Seungmin!" You yelped horrified.

"As if I would be congratulating her on that" Jeongin rolled his eyes "I'd be making an appointment at the clinic to make sure she hadn't caught anything".

"Yang Jeongin!" You squawked, shocked at them both.

"Kidding, kidding" Seungmin laughed while getting out his phone "what did you want to eat?".

“You are both arseholes” you groaned, pouting.

Felix had gotten back to you an hour or so later and had jumped at the chance to go with you to the meeting even though he was going to have to share your attention with Jeongin who was adamant that he was going as well because he was your friend first and he had asked you first. Dressing yourself in your black skirt and a white shirt and blazer you tried to look more the chic student then you ever usually would hoping that a good impression and good grades would help the transfer along. The trip into the main university offices was far less daunting this time around with now need to defend yourself and no embarrassing questions and tests that need to be done. You felt far more comfortable although that changed the closer to your appointment time you got. Jeongin tried his best to distract you telling you silly stories about Seungmin and the man whores while Felix rubbed his thumb across your knuckles not saying a word about how hard you were gripping his fingers as your nerves grew with each tick of the clock. 

“Miss Choi?” A tall friendly looking woman stepped towards you with a small stack of files in her arms as she looked at you expectantly.

“Yes” you stuttered standing up and letting go of Felix's hand which you had been tightly gripping for the past ten minutes at least.

“If you would like to follow me we can start discussing what it is we can do for you” she smiled gesturing for you to follow her “It usually takes a little while did you want your friends to come with us?”.

“Please” you nodded, walking towards her as Jeongin and Felix quickly followed the pair of you down the hallway to her office.

“Take a seat” she smiled again, placing down the files and opening up something on her computer. “I have looked over your request to change departments and it is possible but you would be needing to start at the beginning which even with the small amount of crossover between your course now and the Architecture program you would be looking at an additional 2 years being added to your time here which would not be covered by your scholarship. We can, of course, offer you the opportunity to receive a scholarship to cover the final two years since you fall within the parameters of the regional student assistance”.

“Oh, I would be willing to commit to the extra years. Especially if I can attempt to get some assistance” you agreed, chewing your cheek while you thought.

“Are there any credits that can be moved from her current course to the new one?” Jeongin pondered frowning slightly.

“Well yes, the mathematical parts of the course can be credited but that would still only give her 10 credits out of 60”. She explained sympathetically. “Although there are two large course blocks that are due to be credited in the next few weeks, they could very well increase this depending on her scores”.

“Will her scholarship be able to be transferred between departments without having to change any of the financial aspects being changed?” Felix probed his eyes turning serious as the admissions clerk clicked through a few different screens to look into it.

“Yes, absolutely this scholarship is not course dependent so it will not change” she nodded still peering at her screen.

“Am I able to attend online or summer courses to shorten the length of the course?” you asked bluntly, still calculating how long you could swing not having your parents become aware of the change.

“I’m not sure but I can check with the professors in that department if you wanted to do that you could probably get through the course faster unless you were wanting to do a double degree in which case that might not be possible”. She continued politely “Should I put through the application? Since it is a touch last minute we should be able to find out if you are successful fairly quickly. Architecture has not been as popular a department for a few years as most students veer towards the engineering side”.

“Yes please. I would like to find out as soon as possible so I can still make the mid year intake” you grinned feeling Felix squeeze your hand softly in encouragement.

Stepping back out into the golden glow of the late afternoon sunlight mixed feelings settling in your stomach on one hand you felt relieved that your scholarship would be secure for a few years at least and you would be able to perhaps get another one if you needed. On the other you would be adding years to your study time and ran the risk of your parents discovering that you had changed your degree but you had made a start in trying to live your life for yourself which was liberating in a way you hadn’t expected.

“Do you want to grab dinner, baby?” Felix smiled brightly tugging you a little closer to him and kissing your temple.

“I would love that” you sighed, the total relief obvious in your voice.

“God you being all boyfriendy is fucking weird” Jeongin scrunched up him nose in mock disgust making Felix laugh loudly at him.

“I mean I didn’t ask you mate” Felix chuckled “but you can have a kiss too if you feel left out”.

“Nope, I’m out I’ll see you two later” Jeongin shouted walking away leaving you alone with Felix.

“Did you want to come back to mine and we can order in and just watch movies?” Felix wrapped his arm around your waist guiding you forward.

“Sure sounds good but what about Minho and Hyunjin?” you mused letting him press you closely to his side, this was the first time he had openly staked his claim as your boyfriend in the light of day which made you a little giddy with happiness. 

“They can have dinner with us and then I can suggest they go out if you want” Felix teased suggestively squeezing your waist playfully. You let the giggle that was bubbling in your chest out, feeling yourself relax in his embrace while you walked in sync ignoring the looks that you knew were being thrown at you as you passed other students that you knew were familiar with Felix at least. The walk back to his apartment was comfortably easy, enjoying the warmer weather and not having to hide anything made it feel natural.

“So are you going on a date with one of the twins or both?” Minho’s loud voice filled the hall as you stepped into Felix’s apartment, slipping your shoes off before wandering towards the sound.

“Well… Han is coming too so I guess only one but we will see who puts out for who” Hyunjin shrugged as you stepped into the main living area.

“Woah” Minho’s eyes widened when he clocked you.

“You knew I hooked up with them, why is that surprising?” Hyunjin sighed, sounding miffed that Minho had already forgotten the details.

“Hi Minho, Hyunjin” you greeted, walking between them and sitting down on the couch while Felix grabbed you a drink from the fridge.

“I beg your fucking pardon?” Hyunjin yelped and blinked at you.

“I said hi…” you snickered hearing Felix’s deep laugh from the kitchen.

“So you're here. In the apartment. With Lix” Hyunjin listed on his fingers as though he was unable to process this new information.

“Yes. You know I have been here before right?” you laughed as Felix lightly whacked the back of he head as he passed handing you a glass of water.

 “Hold up, when were you here?” Minho turned abruptly to look at you confused.

“Well last time was after work and the time before I fell asleep waiting for the rain to stop so i accidentally stayed over” you shrugged sipping slowly.

“Your fucking kidding. It was her that was here that morning!” Hyunjin rounded on Felix in awe.

“Yeah you two doubted me so I never confirmed anything” Lix smirked running his tongue across his upper teeth.

“Anyway we were going to order in if you were sticking around but I don’t want to interrupt you figuring out which twin your hooking up with” you sighed nonchalantly as possible “Also don’t want to let Hannie down since he was so excited to help you out last time”,

“I’m staying in tonight” Minho purred silkily, sitting on the couch near you.

“Of fucking course you are” Felix rolled his eyes.

“Well someone should chaperone you who knows what advantage you might take of such an innocent girl” he stated in faux honor.

“Oh of course Minho I totally trust a man whore to keep my virtue intact” you snorted trying hard not to roll your eyes at the irony.

Hyunjin left to get ready, taking almost twice as long as Jeongin, which confirmed your original suspicions that they were putting in far more effort to look cool than anyone thought. When he emerged in a tight white shirt and baggy black jeans you wondered how exactly it had taken so long to pick two items until he started putting on his necklaces and rings accessorizing each one with his belt like some sort of catwalk model in a fashion show. With him out of the way now it was just Minho’s teasing that you had to contend with.

“I actually wanted to say something to you” Minho started clearing his throat softly.

“Oh?” you pursed your lips unsure what he was going to say.

“I wanted to apologize, properly, for the whole Nali thing” he started a sheepish look crossing his sharp features.

“Minho, really it’s alright you don't need to apologize for her being a psycho cunt” you reassured him with your brows drawing together in surprise.

“Not for the whole video and the lying and shit but for you having to find somewhere else to live, messing up your grades and just making it hard for you” he continued meeting you eyes to try to show you that he was being genuine and honest.

“I know Minho, you never set out to get me kicked out of my room in the middle of the night, none of you did and I don’t blame that on you anyway. It worked out better for me really. Living with Innie and Seung has been fun”. You leant over and placed your hand on his knee “The psycho bit was at least 85% Nali’s fault and 15% Felix’s”  Minho grinned wickedly at you as Felix protested beside you “Alright 90% Nali’s fault, 9% Felix and 1% me at the wrong place and time” you conceded leaning back into Felix who just pretended to sulk.

“Annoyingly you two are really good together” Minho screwed up his nose “We both thought that he was too much of a whore and you were too much of a teachers pet for this to actually work but you have snapped him out of it and he’s brought out your claws”.

“Thanks Min” Felix muttered behind you looking over your head at his friend.

“But that’s enough domestic bliss for me I’m out, I’ve got to work twice as hard now that we are the whore duo not trio” Minho waggled his eyebrows before walking towards the hallway “Don’t knock her up Lixie”.

“Cunt” Felix yelled after him amused.

“Should we watch a movie?” you hummed leaning your head back against his shoulder “or did you want to get food now and movie later?”.

“Let’s go get comfy and watch something I’ll order so the food gets here after it’s finished” Felix smiled softly.

“Are you sure this isn’t just an excuse to get me in your bed again” you needled cheekily.

“Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t I’ll never answer” he waggled his eyebrows, his hands never leaving your hips as you led him to his room. He turned you around in his arms once he closed the doors, lowering his head to kiss you soundly, his lips gliding against yours achingly sweetly pressing himself against you. “I have been wanting to do that all day”.

You reached up pressing your lips against his again, your chest brushing against him and your hands coming to rest on his chest so you could keep your balance. Making a pleased noise in the back of his throat he cupped your cheek and started shuffling you backwards towards his bed stopping when you collided with the bed frame so he could lower you to the soft bedding without separating you. Your hands roamed his back and arms while his tongue moved with yours, each kiss becoming more intense, more desperate. Felix brought one hand up to untuck your shirt allowing him to brush his fingers along the bare skin of your stomach where he began to trace slow circles into your flesh to keep you relaxed. Toying with the hem of his shirt you felt him press his hips against your the feeling of his hardening cock making you whimper into his mouth. His warm lips moved to kiss along your neck which made you immediately move your head to give him more access to you. You felt his muscles tense as he began to pull away from you once again not wanting to cross any lines that might push you to a place you didn’t want to be except this time you didn’t want him to stop you wanted more of him, you needed more of him. 

“I’m sorry baby” he whispered, his hand withdrawing from your shirt.

“Lix, please don't stop” you murmured, feeling flustered at how quickly he was turning you on when all he had done was kiss you and draw patterns on your skin. “I want more”

“Baby” he groaned, dragging his tongue up towards your earlobe “You really sure?”. 

“Yes” you let yourself pull his hair lightly making him groan again before connecting his lips back to you with more intensity. 

“Shit, let me see you please” he almost whined, moving to kneel between your thighs and helping you to unbutton your shirt which fell away from you to fan out on the bed around you. Hands moving to carefully massage your covered breasts he leant in to kiss you again. Letting a quiet moan fall from your mouth as his fingertips teased your nipples through your bra you arched into his hands making him smirk against your skin, his hands skimming lower to slip under your skirt allowing him to access more of your silky skin.

“Tell me when you want me to stop baby” he murmured against your lips kissing you again lovingly “don’t want to hurt you”. You slipped your own fingers under his shirt stoking them cautiously against his abs feeling the muscles under his skin contract under your touch emboldening you to touch him further pressing your palms against the muscles you slid your hands up his chest exposing more of him to you. Smirking he pulled away from you, pulling his shirt off and throwing it behind him, you could tell he was enjoying the flushed look of lust that was adorning your face the way your eyes were now glued to his bare chest. 

Unable to stop yourself from running your hands all over him you were fine with him continuing to tease you with kisses and light touches until he began to tug on the zipper at the side of your skirt, gulping down a breath you moved your hand to his halting his actions immediately. Felix slowly took his hands off of you, meeting your eyes you could see the longing and lust that swirled in them but he was already moving to straighten up and give you space, he was again prepared to leave himself frustrated again to make you comfortable which made something inside you spark to life. Moving your own hands towards your hip you unzipped your skirt watching as his eyes widened before smiling adoringly at you helping you shimmy out of the last of your clothes leaving you as bare as you had ever been in front of him before. His hungry eyes roamed your body with such heat that you thought you might melt under his gaze.

“Fuck, you are a goddess, my goddess” he purred undoing his jeans and pulling them off before moving to cover your body with his again, Felix ran his fingers beneath the hem of your underwear on the outside of your thigh while he kissed you passionately “Will you let me touch you baby?”.

“Please Lixie” you sighed as he began kissing his way down to the mounds of your breasts licking and suckling at the skin as his fingers started to dance on the inside of your thigh. Unintentionally you spread your legs further apart feeling him groan against your chest as he continued to tickle your sensitive flesh. Caressing and kissing every inch of the skin he could he slowly let his fingers glide over your clothed heat in featherlike strokes letting you wiggle beneath him as he looked at your adoringly, when you didn’t stop him he began to press harder against you feeling yous how wet you were.

“Shit baby, your so wet” he grunted latching his lips back onto your neck as he pulled the fabric to the side touching you for the first time “Fuck, bet you taste so good baby”.

“Felix” you mewled as his fingers finally found your clit stroking it gently until you were panting softly “Oh my god Felix” you whined bucking your hips against his hand. His deep chuckle against your throat made you melt to the point you almost forgot to breathe when one of his fingers circled your entrance and slowly pushed into you.

“Does that feel good baby?” he hummed, kissing your lips lightly before adding a second finger to pump into your velvet walls, his thumb now rubbing tight circles against your clit.

“So good Lix” you whimpered, feeling fire erupt from your core and spread through your veins, thrumming with the beat of your heart until you couldn’t take it anymore and fell off the edge cumming hard around his fingers.

“There you go baby, fuck you look so perfect falling apart around me” he groaned his need for you obvious in his voice “Do you want more baby or do you want to stop?”.

“I wanna try something, can I taste you Lixie?” you almost begged looking at him through your lashes as you tried to catch your breath. The words falling from your lips faster than your brain could stop them. 

“You are going to kill me baby” he ground out getting off of you and helping you to sit up “Are you sure?”.

“Please Lix, please” you begged, reaching for the waistband of his boxes stopping to trace your fingers slowly down the length of his hard on, hearing him suck in a breath at your boldness, easing down his boxers you eyes widened when his rock hard cock bounced against his muscular abs the deep pink tip already leaking with precum. You reached out for him, your mouth already watering as your hand wrapped around him squeezing and pumping it slowly making him moan softly. Opening your mouth you traced the vein that ran the length of it, pulsing under your tongue and he cupped your face gently not forcing anything on you. You ran your tongue around the tip, flicking your tongue into the slit to collect his salty fluid, still watching him from beneath your lashes before you took him into your mouth, licking as much as you could to coat his dick before you tried to take it all into your mouth. With your hand still wrapped around the base you took as much as you could into your mouth, your tongue flattening as he glided in and out of you.

“Fucking hell, you are a fucking queen” Felix groaned letting his head fall forward as you took another inch of his length allowing him to touch the back of your throat, you couldn’t help the small cough that it elicited as you garbled around his dick saliva pooling at the corners of your mouth closing your eyes you focused on just taking him as far into your mouth as possible. You could feel Felix’s abs contract everytime you pressed him back against the back of your throat so you continued to try and fit even more of him into your throat until you couldn’t control our gag reflex choking around him slightly tears sprang to your eyes and Felix let out a deep whine brushing a stray tear from your cheek with his thumb. You continued bobbing your head hoping he was enjoying it as much as you had enjoyed his fingers feeling him start to tense continually under your hands you looked up at him again noticing the hooded eyes and pinched eyebrows you pushed yourself further to take the final inch of his cock. When your nose finally hit his pubic bone Felix let out an almost pornographic moan of your name pulling himself from your mouth you tried to complain but you were cut off by ropes of thick white seed spurting onto your chest and dripping down onto your tits. Felix was still cupping your face as he leant forward to crash his lips into yours, his tongue licking into your mouth and moving with yours until you felt light headed. Leaving you heaving for breath he slipped into your bathroom to grab a wash cloth before returning to you to start cleaning you up.

“Was that ok?” you mumbled softly looking at his back as he went back into the bathroom to rinse out the washcloth.

“Baby, did you not see how hard you made me cum, like all over you?” Felix laughed gently, his eyes creasing into perfect little moons as he came back to you to kiss you lightly.

“I’ve never done that before, I didn’t want you to not like it” you whispered against his lips making him freeze.

“You have never given oral before?” he blinked rapidly, his eyes widening at the realization “I was the first guy you have done that with?”.

“Yeah, I wanted to wait for someone I really like” you admitted blushing furiously all the way down to your bare chest “I wanted to make you feel good”.

“You made me feel so good baby, so fucking good, shit you are the most incredible girlfriend” he rambled pulling you to your feet and wrapping his arms around you, he buried his face in your neck and he squeezed you tightly. “I will order you every single food your heart desires then I will show you just how much I appreciate you”.  

A/N: Thank you for reading my lovelies, I'm sorry the updates are so far between but it takes more energy than I regularly have to write this one but I will keep going until it is finished. All your likes, reblogs, comments and support are a god send xx

Taglist (open): @christopher-bangnaldoskzz @armystay89 @damnyouficc @roamingpolar @bakedlilgoonie @shiy @is2cb97 @beautifulixr @skyhold-tara @army-stay-noel @skizzel-reblogs @facelesswrittes @animehideout @mrsseals16 @honey-pop @fawnpeaks @leeknowinggg @uno7 @seungminluv3 @obeythemasters @tanzen-ist-gold @thicccurls @juskz @3rachasninja @reiheis @partyparty-yah @leeknowyah @warren-thedarkangel @highlydestiny @galamxy @velvetmoonlght @kapelover @luvjini @leefelixsslut

[tokiiee]

dating the ninth member — stray kids ( maknae line )

maknae line dating the ninth member : pairing ( maknae line ) x member!reader genre fluff, romance, blurb(?) cw gn!reader, lowercase on purpose ( archive )

han jisung ( 한지성 )

people are convinced you two are just the best friends of the group, the members who are the closest to each other, but truth is you’re dating! the only time there would be actual speculation of more going on would be you two in the background of vlogs, close together on a couch talking and laughing with each other. if your guy’s relationship was revealed though.. people would be surprised from how wrong they were about you two just being friends. but also they’d be equally expecting it because you guys were the members made for each other, you compliment each other’s personalities perfectly!

lee yongbok ( 이용복 )

oh em gee. he is not secretive! so obvious!! he isn’t even fazed or embarrassed when he realizes that he’s being super obvious either! he’ll openly lean in for a kiss before pretending to give you one or sometimes he’ll even be on stage and start running hand in hand with you, up and down the stage. he wants to reveal your guy’s relationship so bad!! oh, and dance practice with him is so fun and there is a very noticeable tension between him and you with all the quick glances and giggling every time you get within the same vicinity of each other ( he’s so cute )

kim seungmin ( 김승민 )

even though your guy’s relationship is secret for obvious reasons.. he shows his love for you in little secretive ways. during lives he’ll hold your hand in his lap or lay his head against your shoulder. when doing performances out of all of the members he’ll run and interact with you on stage, feeding into the fan’s suspicions, ( all suspicions are true ) but you can’t actually reveal your guy’s relationship so, why not subtly reveal it? ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝

yang jeongin ( 양정인 )

he can not keep it a secret! he’d accidentally reveal your guy’s relationship.. on a group live too!! and when everyone realizes it’s just an awkward five minutes of staring at eachother and trying to change the subject, but the comments are going crazy over it! moving along, when it all blows over and people forget about the “rumors” he promises to be more careful about that stuff! ‎≽ܫ≼

© tokiiee 2O23.

[jae-bummer]

You Are Everything

Request: 20 and binnie??

Prompt:

20) You confess to your idol while sleep talking.

Pairing: Stray Kids Changbin x Reader

Genre: Fluff

.

Grumbling, you smacked weakly at Chan's arm as he tugged you toward Changbin's room. "Don't wanna."

"Just watching you nap made my whole body hurt," Chan chuckled, holding nearly all of your body weight as he hauled you down the hallway. "The couch is definitely not the most comfortable place."

"If I get in bed, I'm going to sleep too deeply," you complained as Chan shouldered open the door. "I told Bin-"

"Yes, we all know you're going to get dinner together," Chan grinned. "He mentioned it at least four times before he went to the gym."

You pouted as he eased you on to the bed. Pushing delicately on your shoulders until you laid back, he then picked up your ankles and tucked your legs under the blankets. "Better?"

You blinked up wearily to the shadow of Chan in front of you. Gazing sleepily around the room, you took in your surroundings. Sure, you had been in Changbin's room a handful of times, but you had never planned to make yourself cozy there. There were blackout curtains hung slightly crooked over the window, a large desk with Changbin's computer setup, and mood lighting everywhere. As you settled deeper into the mattress, you couldn't help but notice the small collection of plushies nestled there with you. "I'm not going to tell you that you were right."

"Of course not," Chan laughed in amusement. "Gotta have some self respect."

You shook your head and giggled lightly before turning away from him. "Wake me up if he isn't back in an hour."

"I won't," Chan sang as he began to leave. "Sleep well, Y/N!"

..

Changbin hummed happily to himself as he typed in the code to enter the dorm. He was always happy when the prospect of food was on the horizon, but this would be better than his average meal.

"Y/N, Y/N, Y/N," he chanted happily to himself as he pushed open the door. With a smile already stretching across his face, he popped off his shoes and dropped his bag. He had already showered and changed at the gym so he was ready to capture your heart through your stomach.

For the better part of a year, he had been trying to convince himself that he wasn't attracted to you. Doing that was much easier than convincing his friends, as they had all been pushing him to make his move before it was too late.

After a long and somewhat stern conversation over drinks with his older members the night before, he had finally settled on it. He was going to confess tonight over delicious food. It was going to be perfect.

"Hey," Changbin grunted, his eyes sweeping across the living area. "Where's Y/N?"

"There's no "hello friends?"" Han asked, quirking a brow. "No "how was your day?""

"Nope," Hyunjin clucked from his spot by the window. Sketch pad in hand, he didn't even bother looking up. "We're old news now, Hannie."

Changbin rolled his eyes before looking helplessly to Chan. The oldest member smiled up at him. "They're in your bed."

It took a few moments for that to sink into Changbin's understanding. "I, I'm sorry, what?"

"They're in your bed," Chan repeated simply before looking back to his phone. "They were tired."

"So...my bed was the best place?" Changbin croaked. At rapid speed, the contents of his room came streaking past his mind. Did he have anything embarrassing out? Had he remembered to handle laundry? Oh god, were his sheets fresh?

"Bin?"

Changbin looked up in surprise. "What?"

"I said you should probably go wake them so you're not late for dinner," Chan hummed. His eyes danced mischievously.

"Right," Changbin nodded. Taking a deep breath, he remained locked in his spot. "Right."

Chan shook his head before standing and giving a firm push to Changbin's shoulder.

"Right," Changbin repeated, finally willing his steps to move him toward his room.

If he hadn't known any better, he could have sworn that a hummingbird had taken up residence where his heart previously sat. Just the image of you in his bed was making him feel fuzzy along the edges. The cuteness would easily overwhelm his senses and he was certain to short circuit and fall to the floor.

Pressing slowly against the handle, he eased the door open. Trying to adjust his eyes to the darker lighting, he stuck his head into the room before his body. He could see your face scrunched up in sleep, your body nestled in a sea of blankets.

If a button smash could be described with a sound, Changbin made it. Springing backward out of the room, he paced quickly back down the hall and faced Chan. "They're in my bed."

"Good on you for catching up," Chan laughed. "Wake them."

"Right," he said quietly before turning on his heel and heading back in the direction he had just came from.

"Wake Y/N up," he confirmed quietly to himself. Pushing the door further open, he took measured steps.

Finally getting to the edge of the bed, he lowered himself to his knees. Now crouched eye level with the mattress, he leaned forward and set his elbows on the blankets. Sliding his chin into his palm, he allowed himself a moment just to look at you.

You were the most adorable person he had ever seen, especially while asleep. Carefully moving his free hand, he reached forward to smooth out the small worry line in between your brows. The contact didn't wake you, but only caused you to stir.

"Mmmm," you groaned. Changbin's hand slowly moved back, unsure of what he should do next.

"Y/N?" he whispered. Deciding to set his fingers on your arm, he rubbed small, gentle circles into your skin. "Y/N, it's time to get up."

Maybe he had made his voice too light or you had been sleeping too hard, but you refused to open your eyes. Taking a deep breath, Changbin moved to wiggle your arm but instantly stopped as you began to make noise again.

"Binnie," you groaned, flopping to face him more directly.

"Yes?" he said, his voice barely above a breath.

"Bin," you squeaked again. Changbin hummed as he began to comprehend the situation. You were still no where near awake, so you must be sleep talking.

"Why are you so handsome?" you slurred with sleep. "So handsome, my Binnie."

Changbin's eyes grew wide as his hands flew to his mouth. He looked from you and back to the door to confirm no one was watching (or playing a joke). Confirming the two of you were alone, he let out a silent shriek of excitement.

"I like you so much," you sighed happily. "So so much."

Changbin remained still, which was a fairly impossible feat for him. He could feel himself slipping into excitement, unintentionally vibrating his own body. Were you talking about him still? Following your string of mumbling definitely made him think you were.

"My Binnie," you croaked again with a small stretch. "Mine, mine, mine."

At this point, Changbin could hardly contain himself. Wiggling in place, he finally let a high-pitched cry escape.

Immediately clapping a hand to his lips again, he watched as you finally opened your eyes. Squinting at him, you let out a small chuckle of surprise. "Hey."

"Hello..." Changbin said slowly, giving you a bit of a side eye.

"I thought I felt someone watching me," you grinned. "Creep."

Changbin nodded in what appeared to be agreement which caused you to laugh even harder. Rubbing the sleep from your eyes, you waited for him to respond. After several moments of him just staring dreamily at you, you realized he had no intention of breaking the silence.

"What's up with you?" you sighed, tucking your hands under your head. "Are you mad I messed up your bed?"

He shook his head quickly before glancing around the room. He seemed to be assessing just what was left on the floor and other surfaces. You didn't care if he was messy, it was his room after all.

"I'm sorry, but I have never heard you so quiet in the entirety of our friendship," you smiled. You couldn't say you didn't enjoy it though. The way he was gazing at you was doing something to your head. You absolutely adored Changbin, but never thought he would feel anything past friendly fondness. He was a nice guy, which meant he was nice to everyone.

"You...you..." he finally managed.

"I?"

"You were sleep-talking," he finally croaked out. His voice was deep and gravelly, as if he had just woken up himself.

"Was I?" you hummed with a smirk. "Any secrets I gave up? I have a few on Han that would be a riot if someone else heard."

"I...think it was a secret," he continued slowly.

Furrowing your brows, a sudden empty feeling started to inhabit your stomach. It didn't seem like this was a joke anymore. Pulling yourself to sit up, you shook your head at Changbin. "What? What was it?"

"You...I..." he started, but chewed on his lip. "You like me?"

"Of course I like you," you whispered, punching his shoulder gently. "You knew that."

"Right," he chuckled nervously. "But this time...uh...could it maybe be more than a friend?"

It seemed like every last drop of saliva had chosen that time to evaporate from your mouth, rendering you speechless. How could you screw up so badly? You were going to completely ruin your dynamic with your best friend all because unconscious you couldn't keep their mouth shut.

"I...I..." you stuttered, looking at him with wide eyes. It soon became increasingly evident that as you continued to find an answer, you did not have one at all.

"You do!" Changbin huffed in disbelief. His lips tilted into his patented crooked smirk.

It took you a moment to clock his expression as you weren't expecting a positive reaction. Did that mean he....?

You didn't have to ask because Changbin was already launching himself at you. With high pitched squeals of delight, he tackled you into bed and wrapped you in his strong arms. Kissing whatever available space he could find on your face, he finally stopped when you placed a hand on his chest. "Bin!"

"Yes?" he grinned, so warm and close to you.

You eased into his body and chuckled. "I'm guessing that means you like me too?"

"Do I like you?" he asked, indignant. "Really? You need it plainly stated?"

"I mean..." you smirked. "It doesn't hurt."

Rolling his eyes, Changbin cleared his throat and pulled you closer. Leveling his stare so he could look into your eyes, he said much more quietly. "Y/N, I like you. Likely more than what is a healthy amount."

You instantly beamed, but that smile was stolen from your lips by a soft kiss. Pulling away, Changbin looked surprised at his self-initiated action. "Was...was that okay?"

You couldn't help but laugh as you reached up to touch his cheek. "How dare you soil my innocence."

"I was caught in the moment and I-" he started to complain loudly, but this was your time to catch him off guard. Holding the back of his neck, you pressed your lips hastily against his. Caught mid sentence, he immediately fell into the kiss and moved to lean over you. You dropped your hand and allowed him to cradle your face instead. He instantly began to deepen the kiss, pushing your head further into the fluffy pillows cushioning you. Sweet and succinct, kissing him was everything you had expected and more. With the press of his lips, you felt so cared for and protected. You would die in this bed if it meant you could lazily kiss him forever. Time didn't exist here, only his face next to yours.

Nipping playfully at your lower lip, you could feel the smile behind his actions. He was wrapped so thoroughly around you that you weren't sure where you stopped and he began. You could feel the heat and tension pulsing through both of you as he moved his hand from your cheek and clutched at your waist instead. His fingers balled into the fabric of your pants, the friction causing a shot of electricity to zip across your body.

You were sure if you continued, you may spontaneously combust. Pulling away slightly, you hummed, "Down, boy."

Breaking into a beautiful smile, he buried his face in your neck, embarrassed by how eager he was. "Sorry," he mumbled into your skin.

"Don't be," you cooed, reaching up to scratch his scalp. "This was...everything."

"Everything?" he perked up, leaning away from you to search your face.

"Mhm," you confirmed. "You, Changbin, are everything."

"I like that," he nodded, his eyebrows pinched in approval. "Everything."

[hees-theman]

THERE'S NOTHING HOLDING ME BACK

Title: There's Nothing Holding Me Back

Pairing: Freshman!Hyunjin x Senior!femalereader

Genre: Text au, high school crush, freshman x senior, romance, fluff

Summary: An encounter between two groups of friends lead to an unexpected reunion between Hyunjin and his high school crush. Things just got better for him when he finds out that she is also an English major.

Contents warning: Cursing (Will be added as the story goes)

Taglist: Comment to be added

Start date: 30th November 2024

End date: TBA

University series masterlist

Chapter 0: Profile

Chapter 1:

Chapter 2:

Chapter 3:

[ningningisthemaknaee]

Better Late Than Never…

Jeongin x Y/N (fem reader !!)

genre: romance, enemies to lovers

summary: after high school, you never had to deal with Yang Jeongin again, but apparently, life had other plans, pairing the two of you up for a huge project in college. The old resentment bubbles to the surface you're clashing on everything from essay drafts to forgotten feelings. But as the late night study sessions peel back the layers of your shared history, you realize there might still be something worth salvaging between you two if you're brave enough to take the chance.

warnings: minor angst, light arguments due to misunderstandings, mentions of unresolved issues in the past and emotional vulnerability.

The first time Jeongin sat beside you in your Creative Writing class, you thought it was fate playing a cruel joke. The last time you'd spoken to him-two years ago, back in high school-you'd called him a selfish, self-absorbed brat. He'd countered with something about you being insufferably stuck-up, and it had spiralled downhill from there.

You'd sworn he was out of your life for good. And now, he was here, his black backpack slung over one shoulder, that same teasing smirk playing on his lips as he glanced at you. The dimples were new, though-more defined than you remembered.

"Hey, partner," he said as he slid into the seat beside you, you blinked. "Excuse me?

"Professor matched us for the project," Jeongin explained, spinning his pen between his fingers like he hadn't just upended your entire semester. "Guess we're working together. Unless you want to drop the class."

Oh, you wanted to. But you needed the credits, and he knew it.

"Fantastic," you muttered, pulling out your laptop. "Let's just get this over with."

The two of you had kept up a chilly politeness for the first week of the project. But Jeongin, annoyingly, hadn't changed much. He still had a sharp tongue and an almost unfair ability to get under your skin.

"You're still mad, huh?" he asked one evening as you sat together in the library. You'd been arguing over the project outline for twenty minutes.

"Mad about what?" you shot back, keeping your voice low.

"About high school. About me."

"I'm not mad. I just…" You paused, fingers tightening around your pencil. "It doesn't matter anymore."

He leaned closer, the faint scent of coffee still clung to him. "If it didn't matter, you wouldn't look like you want to strangle me every time I open my mouth."

You looked away, refusing to let him win. "Let's focus on the project."

One night, though, everything changed.

It was late, almost 11 PM and you were sitting in your dorm's common area, frantically editing the draft of your essay. Jeongin, who'd been oddly quiet for most of the night, suddenly spoke up.

"You know, I didn't think I'd see you again after graduation," he said softly.

You froze. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged, leaning back against the couch. "I thought we'd just… drifted too far. But when I saw you here on the first day of class, I thought, 'Maybe this is my second chance.'"

"Second chance for what?"

"For fixing things," he admitted, meeting your gaze. "I was a jerk back then, and I get why you hated me. But I don't want you to hate me now.

Your heart stumbled over itself. For the first time in years, Jeongin looked vulnerable—like the boy you used to know.

"I don't hate you," you said, your voice barely audible.

His expression softened, and for a moment, the tension dissolved.

[922skz1205txt]

a dance to remember (minho)

---

information

pov: gn!reader

series: the season of 1800 (skz royal au)

word count: 1,748

genre: fluff, romance, historical, royalty au, sfw

warnings: none

(all images are from Pinterest!)

---

navigation

| intro | changbin | felix | seungmin | hyunjin | jisung | jeongin | chan |

---

You wipe your brow with the back of your silk glove as discreetly as possible. Your eyes dart around the room, checking if anyone sees you dabbing the nervous sweat from your brow. Luckily, the other patrons at the ball are concerned with their own affairs. No one looks over to the dimly-lit corner you are currently standing in.

You turn to a window of the ballroom that overlooks the palace gardens. You can’t believe you are at a ball; and at a royal palace no less! A few patrons stroll through the rows of bushes in the soft moonlight. You watch the lords and ladies walk in perfect rhythm together. You make a mental note to explore the gardens later that evening.

Another waltz begins. People line up across the dance floors, facing their partners. Bows and curtsies signify the beginning of the dance. You watch the dancers with curiosity while making your way to a table set with food for the guests. You scan the table, choosing a small, square-shaped sandwich to eat. The snack tastes delicious. You nod your approval to the servers, who give you a big smile of appreciation in return. Eating the sandwich makes you miss the delicious soup that pairs so well with them that your favorite chef makes back home.

The dance becomes quite lively as the choruses and verses flow by. The dancers are swinging their partners around with grace and precision, skirts brushing in time with the music. You tap your foot lightly to the beat, having a great time watching the dance. You hum along to the tune happily as you watch the dancers.

“Excuse me,” a voice says, interrupting your focus. His sudden entrance makes you jump a little. You turn to your right to see a man who looks to be around the same age as you. He is wearing a dark suit that matches the color of his slicked back hair. “Are you y/n?”

You nod, wondering who exactly this man could be and how he knew your name. He grins slightly.

“I’m Minho, the Earl of York,” he says with a polite bow. You curtsy back to him. “We were supposed to dance together...” Minho eyes the dance card dangling from your wrist. You fumble for the card. You scan the name of the dances, and then you see it. Minho’s name is written next to the waltz that is currently playing.

Instantly embarrassed at your inattentiveness, you curtsy to him again. You scold yourself in your mind for lingering by the refreshments table instead of paying attention to the dances.

“My Lord, I am so sorry. I lost track of the dances,” you apologize, keeping your eyes trained to the floor humbly. After a moment of silence between you two, you raise your eyes. You see Minho grinning at you, the light of the chandelier’s reflecting off his brown eyes.

“It is not a problem. Maybe we can dance the next one together?” He tilted his head, waiting for a response. As soon as he asked, the final chord sounded for the waltz. The dance partners once again bowed and curtsied to each other. Unable to refuse Minho’s outstretched hand to you, you accept his offer.

Minho leads you onto the dance floor, claiming a spot in the middle of the room. You notice that other people are smiling and whispering as he passes by. You figure Minho must be very popular among the society of this foreign kingdom.

“My Lord, I have to let you know before we begin the waltz… I haven’t had much experience with ballroom dancing,” you chatter nervously. Minho stands across from you in the long line of dancers.

“Don’t worry,” he reassures you. “This is an easy dance,” he says with a wink. You sigh in relief.

The entrance chords of the waltz sound loudly through the ballroom. Minho bows to you politely, a hand resting behind his back. You curtsy back to him, bowing your head as you do so. You step toward each other, placing one of your hands in his, and the other around his shoulders. Minho wraps his other arm around your waist. Your heart starts beating rapidly.

“Just follow my lead,” he whispers to you. You nod vigorously, thankful that at least one of you knows what they’re doing. “One, two, three. One, two, three,” he whispers along with the beat. You move your lips as he counts, mouthing the counts to yourself to keep on time. You stare at your feet, making sure you do not step on his toes. “Yes! Now you’re getting the hang of it, y/n,” Minho says excitedly.

You look up at him and grin, proud of yourself. As you do so, you step on his toes, losing your careful footing.

“Sorry, My Lord,” you wince, embarrassed by your mistake. Minho shakes his head and giggles.

“We all have to start somewhere,” he says. Thankful that he doesn’t mind that you scuffed his perfectly polished shoes, you continue the dance happily. After the second chorus, you begin to get the hang of the rhythm. You move your gaze from your feet to Minho’s handsome face. He is certainly the most attractive person you have waltzed with that night. His gaze was kind, though he radiated a stern, serious energy as he danced.

“How did you learn to dance so well?” you ask Minho, after he has twirled you around in the final chorus of the song.

“I’ve been training since I was a child,” he replies, taking your hand in his once again. He laces his gloved fingers through yours slowly. “I dance for the Royal Ballet,” he adds as the orchestra plays the final chord of the waltz.

“The Royal Ballet?” you say, shocked. Minho shrugs, his cheeks tinged with pink. He bows to you politely, and you return his gesture.

“Care for another dance?” he asks as people disperse to find their next dance partners. You instantly accept, curious to hear more about his dancing career. Not to mention the fact that you actually enjoyed dancing with him compared to the other partners you have had at the ball.

Minho leads you back onto the dance floor, taking you to the same place that you had begun the last waltz.

“Tell me more about your career,” you say to him. He smiles proudly as he takes your hand in his once again to begin your second waltz.

“I have been trained in dance since I was young. I took all of the usual lessons,” he explained. You nodded, remembering the painful dance classes your father enrolled you in when you were a child. “I found that I really loved dancing. It makes me feel…” he trailed off, lost in thought. “Alive. You know?” Minho looked at you with eyes full of excitement. It was clear to see his passion for the art in his gaze.

“I understand, My Lord,” you reply, knowing the feeling of passion that comes with discovering something you love.

“When I was a little older, I auditioned for the Royal Ballet. I didn’t make it in at first,” he chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. “But, with more practice I eventually made it in about ten years ago.”

“That’s incredible,” you reply, impressed by his determination. Minho swings his black hair from his eyes.

“And you seem to be getting the hang of dancing, y/n. You haven’t looked at your feet once!” he smiles. You grin back at him, realizing that you in fact have not looked down. Minho’s story intrigued you, and you totally lost yourself in the dance and his words.

“You have been a great teacher,” you laugh in response. His eyes crinkle in the corners as he smiles.

“So, y/n, what dances are popular in your kingdom?” You barely hear his question over the loud crescendo of the orchestra.

“We have many dances dedicated to winter,” you say loudly, attempting to talk over the orchestra. Minho leans in closer to you so he can hear your speech. You notice this change in distance, and you feel heat rush to your cheeks. “The Snowflake Waltz is the most commonly known abroad,” you tell him. Minho grins and nods.

“I know that one! I performed it with the Royal Ballet a few years ago,” he exclaims excitedly.

“That’s my personal favorite. And one I am sort-of decent at,” you giggle. A small smile spreads across your face. You are glad you can find a common interest with the handsome Earl of York.

“Why don’t we try the famous dip from the Snowflake Waltz at the end of this dance?” Minho asks, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

“Wh-what? Right after this waltz?” Your eyes widen in shock when he nods. “I’m-I’m not very good at it,” you continue to stutter.

“Don’t worry,” Minho grins, nodding in reassurance. “Ready?” he asks as the final chord approaches. You nod reluctantly, trying your best to smile as you complete the final steps of the waltz. “One, two,” he counts, spinning you towards him. “Three!”

Your breath catches in your throat as you free fall. Minho’s hands catch your waist in an instant. You bend backwards with your arms stretched above your head, completing the dip with ease. You look up at Minho, an astonished look spread across your face.

“Perfect,” he beams. Your eyes flit to the other people near you. Each is giving you and Minho a look of surprise. Some even nod in approval. Others turn their noses up at the two of you. Minho pulls you upright out of the ending dip. He chuckles at the shocked expression you wear on your face even after you stand next to him.

“When will I see you again?” Minho asks you, his eyes shining. Your heart leaps excitedly at his enthusiasm.

“I’m sure there will be more opportunities for us to dance together in the future,” you reply, composing yourself. Minho nods respectfully at you. He bows deeply, and you return his gesture. He smiles at you once more, and walks off in the other direction, leaving the dance floor. You scurry off the dance floor with a quickly beating heart and thoughts racing through your mind.

“I cannot believe that just happened,” you whisper, excitedly hurrying to the refreshments table for a glass of champagne and a moment's peace to process the lovely encounter you just had.

---

thank you for reading!

[onekeii]

felix x reader x minho - "surprise!"

pairings: felix x fem!reader (ft. ex-boyfriend!minho)

genre: non idol!au, romance, fluff, angst

warnings: minho is reader’s ex, felix being adorable, alcohol consumption, talks of proposal/marriage

word count: 4.5k

a/n: this took me like 2 months to write but hopefully it’s coherent. i’m dipping my toes into a little bit of angst so hopefully it pays off !!

masterlist 

reblog if you enjoy!

4th may 2027, 3:36 pm

“I’m done!” you heaved a sigh of relief as you placed the last of your many photo albums on the shelf.

Felix beamed at you, bleach blonde locks falling haphazardly across his eyes. He runs a hand through his hair, allowing you to look into his eyes properly - the same eyes you can’t wait to lose yourself in every night. 

“Welcome home, angel,” he chuckled, holding his hand up.

You go to high-five him, but he somehow manages to quickly interlace his fingers with yours. You look between your interlocked hands and his mischievous smile a couple times, unsure of how to react. But you find yourself in his eyes again, and you can’t help but laugh.

“Almost three years and you still find ways to surprise me, huh?” you use your free arm to pull him close.

He wraps himself around you immediately, putting every part of him into the hug, just as he always does, “And it’ll always be that way, my love.”

He leans down to place a quick peck on your forehead.

You hummed as you subconsciously tried to lean in further, as if your bodies could get any closer, “That reminds me, I can’t wait for you to propose.”

“Oh, but you’ll have to wait a little longer,” he smirked, reluctantly pulling away to look at you properly, “I would’ve just asked already, but it’s one of those things that you have to talk about before.”

“Of course - I love that you still want to make the effort to surprise me, though.”

“You bet,” he smirked, taking advantage of his slightly taller stature to ruffle your hair, “I won’t keep you any longer.”

“Shit, the meeting –” you cut yourself off, frantically checking the time on your watch before letting out an exasperated sigh, “oh, I still have a couple minutes.”

Felix laughed as he watched you gather the loose papers strewn across your now shared bed, “The office is all yours, honey.”

“Thank you for giving me that room, honestly,” you took a moment to place a kiss on his cheek.

“Honestly, I’m glad to fill my place with you - it’s our place now. And you’ll smash that meeting. Remember: I love you,” he held his fists up in encouragement.

You flashed him a grin before turning on your heel, retreating to your new office in the next room.

5:21 pm

Slowly making your way down the stairs, Felix already heard your footsteps and rushed to your side.

“How did it go?”

You kept a straight face, watching carefully as his face faltered slightly.

“Oh, I’m sor–”

Unable to hold it in anymore, you burst into laughter as a smile graced your face. Felix furrowed his brows in bewilderment for a second before the realisation set in.

“Angel! I’m so proud of you!” he exclaimed, wrapping his arms around your waist before you could get off the staircase. He lifted you up with a spin before placing you back down. It shocked you for a second to not be able to feel the ground beneath your feet, but you knew you’d always be safe in his arms.

“They approved the deal!” you squealed, the realisation slowly sinking in, “Oh, god.”

“What? What’s wrong?” Felix brought a hand to your cheek, “My love, you’ve gone pale.”

“I have to send in three short stories by the end of the month.”

He sighed, taking your hand and leading you to sit down on the couch, “You can do it. You write so fast, I bet you’ll even be able to send five.”

“Yeah, I know…” you trailed off for a moment, “I’m just nervous, I guess.”

“There’s nothing to be nervous about. You just have to continue as you always have, yeah?”

You nodded in agreement, admiring the determined expression in his face. Whenever you felt defeated, you could always count on him to be brave for you.

“Tonight isn’t the time to worry about it, though. I’ll make you dinner, open a bottle of wine, and draw us a bath. You can start tomorrow,” he smiled, his thumb rubbing soothing circles on your hand.

“That would be lovely,” you sink into the couch, already thinking of going to sleep.

Felix just smiled at you as he stood up, stars in his eyes shining just as bright as the day you met, “I better get started then, before you fall asleep.”

As he attempted to leave for the kitchen, he was drawn back by your tight grip on his hand. 

“I love you,” you managed to mumble.

“Love you, too,” he leaned down to plant a kiss on your hand before you reluctantly released your grip.

You took a second to smile at him, even though he was turned away from you, before he disappeared into the kitchen. Growing tired of absentmindedly staring at the sitcom Felix had left on the TV, you took out your phone.

The most noticeable thing on your homescreen was the widget that scrolled through all the photos in your camera roll. Most of them were of you, or Felix. Or you and Felix. But this time, it was someone you thought you’d never see again.

4 years ago today …

It was a photo of you and Minho. The day was going well, but your phone had to ruin it by reminding you that you and your ex-boyfriend were sharing an ice-cream on the beach four years ago. The worst part? By the end of that day, the two of you had gone your separate ways. 

4th may 2023, 9:06 pm

Everything probably seemed fine from the outside. The two of you had enjoyed a nice little catch-up over coffee, took a walk along the beach, and even got excited when you saw an ice-cream van. The truth is, it was far from fine. 

You hadn’t seen each other properly for weeks. The last time you saw each other, you had argued about something so petty - it wasn’t even worth remembering. Every time you texted or called after, it just felt like a chore. Tensions had just been building for a while, with the inevitable distance you two would soon put between each other. 

Sat opposite each other in your flat, barely holding itself together. But it’s all you could afford as a student. It never felt run down when he was there… except maybe today you noticed how creaky the floorboards were and how the place shook whenever the wind blew. You wanted to worry about anything other than him.

“Listen… I think we should break up,” he announced simply. 

You were ready for it. You knew it was for the best. That didn’t change how much it stung. What were you supposed to do with all the love inside you now, with nowhere to put it?

After a long silence consisting of you fiddling with your sleeves, you finally looked him in the eyes, “I know.”

The conversation was briefer than you thought it would be - thank god for that. It was much easier to rip the bandaid off in one go.

“You just know what you want to do and where you want to go… I don’t. I don’t want to hold you back or fall into the trap of pushing myself to follow you.”

“Yeah, I don’t think that would be a good idea for either of us.”

“Don’t get me wrong… I still love you. And maybe, further down the line, there’s hope for us,” he continued.

“Look, we can engage in wishful thinking,” you sighed, “but I don’t want to wait around. I have a life I want to keep moving on with.”

“Yeah, and I respect that about you.”

The conversation ended shortly after, exchanging pleasantries as you tried your best to hold your tears in. The second you shut the front door behind him, you felt your body crumble. Just as quickly as he entered your life, he was gone. Gripping the railing for support, you heaved yourself upstairs through sheer willpower, thinking only of your bed. You woke up the next morning with the pillow still wet.

However, the next morning you decided you had no time to cry. It was like Minho said: “You just know what you want to do and where you want to go.”

There was more to life than Minho. You had an interview to prepare for - a simple job as, basically, an errand person in a publishing company, but a job nonetheless. You needed to look for a flat as well. You had work the next day, and you were meeting a friend after. Finally free from spending all your time worrying about you and him, you felt like you were finally returning to who you were before.

You were so engrossed in what you believed was the perfect flat listing that you jumped when your phone started ringing, the vibration reverberating through the whole table. It was Felix.

“Hello?” you said hesitantly as you raised the phone to your ear. 

Felix and you weren’t necessarily close, but you knew each other quite well. He was a friend of Minho’s, however, so you were wary to be receiving a call from him.

“Hey! I heard about what happened last night. I just wanted to see if you were okay?”

“I’m fine, don’t worry,” you sighed, your heart already beating faster now that you were remembering the events from the night before, “He didn’t ask you to check up on me, did he?”

“No!” he refuted immediately, “Genuinely, I was worried. I don’t really know what it was about, but I’m your friend too. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

You smiled a little at his words, focusing more on his concern for you than the reason for his concern, “Thank you for checking in, honestly. I’m just trying to focus on other things right now, though.”

“Oh, yeah, have you found any apartments yet?” his voice instantly picked up.

“There’s so many nice ones, but they’re so expensive…” you trailed off, looking at the current listing on your browser longingly. 

“Do you want to meet for coffee? I can help give you a headstart, I’ve found a few that might be good for you while searching for my own place.”

Pursing your lips together in thought, you looked over at your bed, where you were planning to spend the rest of your day, before shaking off the thought. There was no point in moping around.

“Sure, just text me when and where.”

4th may 2027, 6:03 pm

From then on, you and Felix became inseparable, holding each other’s hands through the highs and lows of the previous few years. He was the only other person you knew that was moving to the city, so iIt was never the intention for the two of you to end up together - you were actually quite reluctant to when Felix asked you out for your first date - you made him wait over half a year before agreeing. To give yourself to someone else when the relationship you thought would be perfect before failed… it was terrifying. 

But, with time, the fear subsided. After all, the love you lose through giving always comes back to you. It came back to you through Felix. Even with all the changes you both experienced, he made sure to be there every step of the way. For every setback, every meltdown, every success: he was your rock. And you desperately hoped you were his rock, too. 

Thankfully, the sound of plates and cutlery clattering against the table in the kitchen broke you out of your trance. You suddenly found the motivation to spring out of your comfortable corner on the couch, sluggishly making your way to your boyfriend. 

You found him with his back to you, unaware of your presence as he focused on lighting a singular candle stick in the middle of the table, a singular fresh rose in a small vase next to it. A smile slowly crept onto your face as you wrapped your arms around him from behind, squeezing him tight as if he had any intention of going anywhere.

He let out a small yelp before quickly realising it was you, silently resting his arms on top of yours and sinking into your embrace, “You okay?”

“Of course. I’m more than okay.”

Reluctantly, you allowed him to break out of the hug so that he could pull out the chair, graciously gesturing for you to sit down. You accepted, waiting impatiently for him to place dinner on the table, eager to try his cooking again. This was going to be every day for the two of you from hereon; that thought filled you with so much warmth, you forgot about the ice-cream and arguments you and Minho had shared so long ago. 

The rest of the night went smoothly, celebrating your moving in by dancing together in the kitchen while cleaning up, nearly falling asleep while watching a movie, and cleaning up before crawling under the covers together. 

Felix held you close to him like a baby, drifting off to sleep almost instantly as you played with his hair. This wasn’t a one-off occurrence either - almost every night after your first day living together was exactly the same. Life was finally on track for you; it had been for a while.

15th september 2027, 5:39 pm

Months went by in the blink of an eye, but you could clearly remember every day you spent with Felix by your side. You sent in more short stories than expected with every month that passed by, the publishing company thoroughly pleased with your progress. They had already started talking with you about the design and marketing of the book. Despite the excitement, the stress was testing you more than ever before; but Felix was always there for you at the end of the day. He always set the table for dinner and ran a hot bath for the two of you.

It was now the evening of his birthday. The two of you had already spent a relaxed day together, waking up early to prepare a lunchtime picnic, something which had become an annual tradition. His birthday was the perfect day to have your last picnic of the year, with the first few leaves on the trees surrounding you turning gold.

You found yourself back home, decorating your living room with balloons and banners while Felix showered. He tried to help, but you insisted that it was supposed to be a surprise – or as much of a surprise as it could be. You were terrible at hiding things from him.

For some reason, this year, Felix suggested to have a party for his birthday. At your age, nearing thirty, it was more of a gathering than a party, but you decided to roll with it. It had been a while since you had met with your mutual friends anyway, adult life seeming to get in the way for everyone. 

Just as you finished up loading the table with finger foods and champagne bottles, Felix appeared in the doorway, “Ah, my angel, it looks amazing. Thank you,” he smiled, although the corners of his mouth didn’t stretch the whole way as they usually did.

He always put his whole soul into smiling at you. He was nervous, that was easy to tell. You shrugged it off, figuring that it was just because he was worried to see everyone again. You wrapped your arms around his neck and pecked him on the lips, hoping it would be enough to ease his nerves a little. When you tried to pull away, he held you in place with his hands at your hips.

“I need to get changed before everyone arrives,” you chuckled, “I know it’s just casual, but I still wanna wear a dress.”

Sighing, his hands dropped from your waist, allowing you to quickly scurry up the stairs. While you were double checking your appearance in the mirror, rearranging your hair a little, you heard the first guest ring the doorbell. 

‘That’s probably Chris,’ you thought, ‘he’s always early.’

Sure enough, once Felix opened the door, Chris’ voice sounded throughout the house, “Felix! Happy birthday, man. It’s been too long.”

“For sure. Thanks for coming.”

Their voices suddenly dimmed down to whispers as they made their way into the living room. You decided your curiosity was more important than your hair, making your way downstairs after them. 

Felix’s back faced you as you walked in, hovering over the table as he reached for one of the cheaper champagne bottles. Chris’ head snapped up, his hand instantly dipping into his jacket pocket before he opened his arms up for a hug.

“Y/N, it’s so nice to see you!” he exclaimed, bringing you in for a tight hug.

“Thanks for coming,” you said as you pulled away, instinctively taking the champagne flute Felix handed you.

Chris did the same, waving his free hand about, “Nah, anything for my bro,” he slapped Felix on the back lightly, “I can’t believe you’re twenty-seven now. I still remember being sat next to you on our first day of middle school.”

“God, I forgot that you’ve been friends for that long,” you sighed, struggling to imagine what Felix was like over a decade ago.

“You’re probably lucky you didn’t know me back then,” Felix chuckled, taking a swig of his drink.

Chris nodded in agreement, “Your fashion sense definitely improved.”

Before you can continue the conversation, the door bell rang again, Felix instantly placing down his drink to answer. The next hour was spent catching up with Felix’s friends, and sometimes their partners too, while constantly getting up to usher in more guests.

Jisung was the last to arrive, making himself at home and taking over the aux cable. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, and finally Felix’s shoulders relaxed a little as he stood with you in the corner of the room.

“It’s been so long, I was worried it would be awkward,” he sighed, “Thank god.”

Snaking one hand around his waist, you smiled up at him, “You’re an amazing host.”

He returned your smile, placing a kiss on your forehead. The doorbell rang, bewilderment spreading across Felix’s face.

“Isn’t everyone here already?” you asked.

He shrugged, reluctantly slipping away from your grasp, “I’ll answer it, don’t worry.”

Unable to suppress your curiosity, you find yourself a couple paces behind him, peering over his shoulder as he opened the door. The person revealed on the other side was the last person you expected, or wanted, to see. 

“Minho… what a surprise!” You could hear Felix’s strained smile even though his back was turned to you.

He slowly opens the door wide enough and steps back to let Minho in, who nods and mutters a quick and awkward “hello” before stepping inside. Instantly, he locks eyes with you.

Fire instantly shot through your veins, your heartbeat doubling with every second that passed. It was only made worse when Minho opened his mouth, “Y/N, hi.”

Your brain ran through every memory you had of him, as if everything happened yesterday. Ice-cream, tears, the curves of his body, midnight takeaways. Your heart sank. 

Only when Felix’s arm found its place at your waist did you snap out of it, “Hello… we weren’t expecting you,” you were fully aware of how fake your smile looked.

“Yeah, I was surprised you didn’t invite him,” someone spoke up from behind you. You turn around to see Jisung leaning against the doorframe, “He moved here recently, so I took the liberty of inviting him for you. For old time’s sake.”

“Ah, thank you,” Felix smiled, turning back to Minho, “it’s been a while since we caught up, I didn’t realise.”

The truth was that the two of you were well aware of his presence in the city through Chris, but inviting him wasn’t even considered when planning the party. Of course, Jisung didn’t know the history between the two of you – Minho wasn’t exactly an open book, even to his friends. 

“Are you guys coming back? It’s your party,” Jisung commented, not lingering for a second as he returned to the living room.

The three of you awkwardly made your way in, everyone instantly crowding around Minho and exclaiming how they hadn’t seen him in so long. You were hoping to cling to Felix even more tightly for the rest of the night, but he was pulled aside by Chris for a seemingly important hushed conversation. You were left to your own devices.

Champagne. You poured yourself another, very large, glass to wash down the feeling of dread. When you turned around, you were face to face with Minho once again.

“Can I help you?” you raised an eyebrow, trying your best to keep your cool despite wanting the ground to swallow you.

He gestured towards the table behind you, “Can I get a drink?”

You nodded, internally rolling your eyes as you poured him a glass. Hopefully he would leave you alone after you gave him what he wanted.

Unfortunately, he had other plans for you, “It’s been a very long time… don’t you have anything to say?” 

“Exactly… it’s been a very long time,” you scrunched your eyebrows together, “There’s nothing to say.”

“Well let’s start with how you ended up with one of my best friends,” he shrugged. 

Was he just here to cause trouble? He didn’t seem to care if anyone were to hear your conversation.

“Your best friend, who you also haven’t talked to in years,” you pointed out.

“Do you love him?”

“In ways I never could have loved you.”

“You could have,” he trailed off, “if you had given me the time.”

This conversation felt like a game of chess to you. You took another sip of your drink before making your next move, “And you just wanted me to put my life on hold for you?”

“Isn’t that what people are supposed to do when they love each other?”

“Sometimes, maybe. But not me,” you could feel your blood boiling now. Your anxious grip on your glass was the only thing keeping you from throwing its contents at him, “I needed someone who could grow at the same time as me. I found that in Felix.”

In mentioning his name, your eyes searched the room for him. He was still deeply engrossed in his conversation with Chris, so calling him over to rescue you was out of the question. 

“It’s not as fun, though, is it?” Minho continued, “I’m surprised someone like you could settle for someone so… stable.”

This time, you didn’t even try to stop your eyes from rolling into the back of your head, “It’s really none of your business… why are you even here?”

“I still love you.”

In an instant, you found yourself storming to the kitchen. Even though the chatter and the music from the next room was loud enough that the neighbours could probably hear, it wasn’t enough to drown out the last sentence Minho said to you. It played on loop in your head, which had started pounding with each replay. 

There was a part of you that was still in love with him. Of course there was – even at the end, you were willing to stay with him until he figured himself out. Even if it ruined you. But since then, you had grown grateful of the fact that he broke it off. Maybe that was why you still loved him: because he saved you from the awful ways life could have panned out for you otherwise. 

But there was Felix now. And more than just one part of you loved him. Your body wasn’t big enough to contain just how you felt about him. 

“Honey, what are you doing here?” Felix’s soothing voice appeared from behind you, his arms snaking around your torso and pulling you backwards into him.

“Minho needs to leave,” you looked up at him with a frown.

He didn’t question you at all. He just nodded before turning on his heel, leaving you alone with your thoughts once more. You downed the rest of your drink before deciding you needed something a little stronger.

Once you had composed yourself, you finally stepped out into the hallway only to meet Minho’s eyes once more. He was on his way out, followed by Felix as if he was a bouncer. He successfully managed to usher him onto the doorstep, but Minho’s eyes were still focused on yours. 

Felix closed the door on him, and you let out a breath you didn’t know you had been holding. 

“Shall we go back in?” he didn’t bother you with questions, knowing you were probably thinking about it enough already. 

You nodded, slowly padding back towards the living room.

“Y/N! Where were you?” Chris’ partner quickly made her way to you.

“Oh, a work call,” you smiled exasperatedly. Luckily, she seemed to have had enough drinks to not notice your lie.

“Shame, you missed Minho on his way out.”

“Yeah, I thought he would be hear for longer,” Jisung tutted, “turns out he still has some unpacking to do. I thought he would have at least stayed for the free food.”

“He’ll miss out on the big surprise as well,” she sighed, her eyes growing to the size of saucers as soon as she closed her mouth.

This befuddled you, your eyes darting between hers, Chris’ and Felix’s. You didn’t have a surprise planned, even though it was Felix’s birthday, so you weren’t entirely sure what she was talking about. Unless they had planned something for him without your knoweldge. 

“Come on, love, it’s called a surprise for a reason,” Chris gently rested a hand on her shoulder as she giggled nervously.

You instantly turned to Felix, whispering, “Do you know what they’re talking about?”

His lips pursed together and you could tell he was playing around with something in his jacket pocket. He took both your hands in his, slowly walking backwards as he dragged you to the centre of the room. As if on cue, Jisung scrambled to his phone and the song abruptly changed to something more mellow. 

As its melody continued to flow through your ears, you found yourself quietly humming along, as if by muscle memory. It was the last song you and Felix sang together at karaoke on your first official date.

“What’s this about?” you chuckled, suddenly remembering your confusion.

He let go of your hands and reached into his pocket, pulling out a small box as he lowered himself down onto one knee. Holding the box out to you, he quickly snapped it open. 

A ring.

It was a thin silver band, with one diamond in the middle complemented by two smaller sapphires either side. It looked exactly like the ring you pointed out to him months ago, when the two of you had first started discussing marriage. Only then did you finally realise what he was doing.

“...Surprise!”

taglist - taglist is open!!

@sockjam @abi121 @chiimtopia @foxinnie8 @hanjistarss @sleepyleeji @rinheartshyunlix @she-wintersoldat @lixluvryy

[luouarr]

✶ Instagram stories ── stray kids

🗯️ : pair hyung line x gn!reader genre fluff , reaction cw not proofread , stray kids ( hyung line ) boyfriend Instagram stories / inspired by @wondersung’s post ( her post was so cute!! )

© luouarr 2O23 ♬

bang chan , 방찬

lee minho , 이민호

seo changbin , 서창빈

hwang hyunjin , 황현진

[beautifulchris]

of darkness and rainbows

pairing: demigod!lee felix x fem demigod!reader

featuring: han jisung, hwang hyunjin, sf9's dawon, golden child's bomin, nct's doyoung

summary: a demigod au in which you enter the camp after losing your mom, and you swear to yourself you'll avenge her no matter what

genres: demigod!au, s2f2l!au, mutual pining, slowburn, action, fantasy, adventure, greek mythology, romance, mild fluff, angst

tw: monsters, parental abandonment, death of a mother and a brother, murder, blood, physical injuries, use of weapons (swords, knives, bow and arrow), VIOLENCE, nightmares, grief and loss depiction, battle scenes, monster and creature slaying, mild language, fainting, magic, ghost

rating: +16

wc: 12,7k

notes: wow. this is my longest work yet and i'm proud of it, please let me know what you think!!

networks: @kflixnet @k-labels @whipped-kpop-creators

permanent tag list: @badwithten send an ask/dm/comment to be added!

one.

It was the end of June, and your mom said a trip to Long Island —you’d never heard of that place before— would be the greatest gift she could offer you for your twelfth birthday. You didn’t believe her after she gifted you an agate necklace, your favorite stone.

Unfortunately, it had nothing to do with the trip you’d imagined.

After getting to Montauk, and spending a few hours on the beach, she drove north. You then walked up what you thought was a random hill. When you were almost on top, you turned towards your mom to tell her you wanted to go back, that you’d rather go home and watch a movie. She was sobbing. It took you aback and broke your heart to see her that way. You wanted to hug her so badly.

She grabbed the backpack she had over her shoulders and put the handle in your hands.

“You must go further north, alright? You’ll find someone who can help you,” she instructed as she kneeled in front of you, stroking your face affectionately.

“What are you talking about, mom? I don’t want to go anywhere without you.”

“It’s going to be alright, sweetheart. You have to trust me. You’re so special, you don’t realize how much. You must go on your own path now. It’s time.” Her voice cracked a little. “Go, you’ll be safe there.”

“This doesn’t make any sense…” you mumbled and stood your ground.

“Maybe because your mommy failed to mention why you’re here,” an icy voice said, making you flinch. Your mom quickly got up and put a protective hand on your shoulder, “and why you’re both going to die today.”

“You’re too late. My daughter will live.”

A light yet threatening laugh left the woman’s throat. She was extremely beautiful, but there was something wrong with her. Not physically, it was more of a feeling.

“We’ll see about that.”

As the woman charged, your mom pushed you out of the way.

“Run!” she yelled as she shielded you with her whole body, turning her back on the woman. You didn’t want to leave her but what could you do? You ran as fast as you could to the top of the hill, still being able to hear what was happening behind you.

“I’m Keahi,” the woman said as she grasped your mom’s arm and forced her to spin so that they faced each other. “Might as well know my name, since I’m the last person you’ll ever see, mortal. You’re going to die knowing it was for nothing.”

You only turned around when you heard a sharp gasp.

You watched helplessly as your mom’s limp body fell to the ground with a loud thud. The woman had blood dripping from her hand— no, her claws. It dawned on you that she had murdered your mom and you were next. You turned around and resumed your sprint. Due to your fear and teary eyes, you realized too late that now that you were at the top, you’ll be going down.

You braced yourself as you could for the fall. Your body got scratches from a few low branches and brambles. When you arrived at the bottom of the hill, you looked up to see if the woman had followed.

It wasn’t the beautiful woman you saw earlier anymore, she had flaming hair, white skin and glowing red eyes. You could only see her head, but it was enough to get nightmares. She bared her fangs and turned around, like she couldn’t get to you anymore.

You tried to breathe but it came out ragged, hands shaking and lips trembling. The sun was heating up your skin. The birds were chirping happily while the despair you were feeling was starting to become unbearable as you clutched at your sides. Tears were streaming down your face, blurring your vision. Not that you had much to look at, anyway, except trees.

You closed your eyes and before you could register what was going on, a paradise appeared before them. There was grass, trees, farm animals, a waterfall and sky in different rainbow colors, plus a rainbow in the background. It obviously wasn’t real, but for some reason the colors perfectly matched. It made you feel at ease. A drastic change from the state you were in mere seconds ago. It momentarily made you forget about it, the sight filling you up with warmth and peace. It only lasted a couple minutes, although by now you breathed normally again, tears dried up.

When you opened your eyes and turned around, you could see a huge amphitheater in the distance, a volleyball court and… were these strawberry fields? Off the corner of your eye, you caught sight of a boy smiling sheepishly, seated a few meters away from you. Blinking a few times, you let out a long sigh.

“Are you okay?” the boy asked in a raspy voice.

It doesn’t match his angelic face, you thought.

He had freckles, a fair and soft skin, short blond hair and brown eyes. He was wearing an orange t-shirt, shorts and sneakers.

You nodded, getting up painfully. Your limbs felt sore, the cuts on your face and arms started to ache.

“I can bring you to the infirmary if you want.”

Maybe you shouldn’t have trusted him right away. Maybe he was with the monster. But he didn’t look evil. He didn’t feel evil, either. So, you followed.

“I hope my illusion helped you feel a tad better.”

“What I saw when I closed my eyes, you did this?”

“Yeah. I’ve been practicing.”

He had a peaceful aura that calmed you down instantly. He was so sweet with you, but all you could think of was: what did you do to deserve this kindness? You had just abandoned your mom to her death.

“Why?” You were trembling, and your voice was just above a whisper.

“Why what?”

“Why did you create this illusion?”

“Oh. You looked like you needed a cheer up.”

A surge of gratefulness engulfed you and you smiled.

“Thank you.”

“I heard voices over the hill and when I came, I saw you falling down. There was a monster at the top.”

Your smile disappeared. “I— she killed my mom.”

Eyes widening, the blond boy internally slapped himself for making you sad all over again after all his efforts to make you feel better. “I’m sorry.”

You arrived at the infirmary after a few minutes of awkward silence, and quiet amazement on your part at the amphitheater you could see more clearly, the pavilion full of white tables, more than twenty houses differently decorated and a hearth in the center, even an arena, with kids and teens from different ages all around.

A brown haired guy was tending to a sleeping kid around your age, bruises, cuts and burns all around their face and arms. They were wearing jean overalls with an orange t-shirt, all covered in soot from head to toe.

“Jisung!” the boy next to you called as soon as he spotted him.

“One sec,” he replied without looking up. He brought the teen’s head up with one hand and poured some amber liquid down their throat with the other. He rested their head back delicately on the mattress, got up and turned around to greet the newcomers.

“Hi F— Wow, hey there! Sit here,” he motioned toward an empty bed, “I’ll be right back.” He left through a door made of white sheets.

“Do I really look that bad?”

The blond boy chuckled, slowly shaking his head. “By the way, I didn’t give you my name. I’m Felix.”

You looked up at him, managing a side smile. “I’m Y/N.”

“Nice to meet you, Y/N.”

You didn’t have time to answer that Jisung was back with medicine. He cautiously cleaned your wounds with the same yellowish liquid he used to treat the other kid. It felt like he was treating you like porcelain.

Then, he brought a golden cube up to your mouth.

“What is this?”

“A bit of ambrosia. It heals demigods, but too much can have bad side effects.”

Demigods??

“Eat it, you’ll feel better.”

Whatever.

With newfound trust in strangers, you chewed on the sweet food. It tasted like the mac’n’cheese your mom would make on rainy days. The memory comforted you, but also induced some pain within. Your wounds started to fade until they were completely healed.

“Thank you,” you murmured, in awe at the product. You definitely needed this stuff.

“Of course, it’s my job,” he beamed. “So, Felix,” he turned to his friend, “where did you find this stray kid? Tell me you didn’t go on a little quest on your own—”

“I found Y/N near the border, she’s new,” he interrupted him.

You were thankful he let out the details of your encounter.

“Oh, my bad! I guess you have to take her to the Big House, then.”

He nodded, extending his hand your way. You stared at it, then at the freckled boy, then back at it. Taking it slowly, he walked you to the Big House, which lived up to its name. You choked when you saw a centaur —an actual centaur?!— walking out of the front door.

“Greetings, Chiron!”

Chiron? From the legends??

“Felix. Welcome to the camp half-blood, young lady. I’m Chiron, activities director. Have you been claimed already?”

“Huh…”

“I didn’t see anything,” Felix answered. “I see. Perhaps we’ll know tonight at the campfire. Can you show our new recruit around? I’m off to archery class.”

“Sure.”

He thanked Felix, sent a smile your way and galloped away to the west. The realization you were still holding the boy’s hand made you blush, but before you could retract it, he pulled you with him to different places.

He explained the purpose of the strawberry fields and the society name —Delphi Strawberry Service— covering the camp. He showed you the climbing wall with lava, the dining pavilion, the forge full of Hephaestus kids, the armory —he tried to make you choose a weapon but you refused—, the Pegasus stables —with actual pegasi!—, the arena where demigods trained, the archery field where Chiron was teaching, the camp store —you could buy an orange t-shirt there later—, the arts & crafts center —you saw a beautiful black-haired boy painting there among other kids—, the canoe lake, the forest— you weren’t keen on entering after Felix told you what was in it. You finished the tour next to the hearth in the center of the houses you saw earlier. You could swear you saw a woman in the fire, but when you looked more closely, she was gone.

He explained everything except the reason why you were here in the first place. “This is all charming and interesting, but why am I here?”

“I was getting to that. These are the cabins of the major Greek gods and some of the minor ones. Here,” he gestured to the most colorful cabin out of the bunch, “is my mom’s, Iris, goddess of rainbows.”

It explained the illusion. The cabin looked like a huge trailer with a platform on the front and a little rainbow as antenna. It looked chill and welcoming.

Felix gave you the names of all the gods and goddesses’ cabins present on this camp, making hypotheses on who your dad might be.

“Do you like mechanics? Are you good at poetry or archery? Or swords? Do you enjoy grape juice? Maybe you’re a trickster? Do you enjoy sleeping? I mean, do you spend most of your time sleeping? Can you control light? If none of those… Maybe you’re a child of one of the Big Three.”

“Who are the Big Three?”

“Zeus —god of the sky—, Poseidon —god of the sea— and Hades —god of the dead and king of the Underworld.”

You pondered. “This is a dream. I’m gonna wake up.”

He chuckled —an endearing sound— and shook his head. “I think I’d know if it was one. No, you’re a demigod, Y/N. For real.”

When you didn’t respond, he glanced at you. You were lost in thought, wondering who your father could be, why you’ve never seen him before and why he never came to see you.

“Come on, there’s one more thing I’d like you to see.” He tugged at your hand and dragged you towards the beach.

The sun was setting. You sat on the sand, looking at the horizon. It was really pretty. But you couldn’t avoid reality for too long. A tear fell down your face thinking about how your mom would’ve loved coming here, looking at this scenery with an arm around your frame.

She was gone.

From this moment, you swore to yourself that, when you were ready, you would find the monster and avenge your mom, no matter what. Felix saw your determined eyes staring in the distance. It gave him an idea on who your father might be.

At the campfire, you realized a lot more campers than you initially thought were here. You’ve seen a bunch during the tour, but right now, when the whole camp was gathered around the fire, it felt like you were a couple hundred.

Some had musical instruments and were preparing for what you guessed was a concert. A dozen, more or less, were looking all dressed up and pretty, a few were playing with balls of energy —magic?—, others were dozing off wherever, from another kid’s shoulder to the floor. The rest looked somewhat normal, apart from the kids with hands partially tainted with soot. Might be tough to get rid of it when they spend so much time in the forges.

Some kids greeted Felix and welcomed you into the camp, which felt nice. Although you couldn’t remember every name, you were grateful for their kind words.

It seemed that the Apollo cabin was actually preparing for a singalong. Everyone sang, cheered and overall had a good time. Felix nudged you from time to time to check up on you and offer you bright smiles. So bright, in fact, that they were almost blinding. But you didn’t mind. His sole presence was enough to give you peace of mind. Maybe because looking at him reminded you of the illusion he created for you.

The campers were asking for an encore, when silence abruptly fell and every pair of eyes were on you. Or above you, to be precise, but it felt the same to you.

Exposed, vulnerable and embarrassed.

You glanced at Felix, who was looking up too. He lowered his gaze, locked eyes with you and motioned for you to look up as well. It was a glowing golden helm hologram suspended above your head.

“The bloodline is determined. Hades, king of the Underworld. Hail Y/N L/N, daughter of the dead and riches.”

Every camper kneeled, including Chiron and Felix, and you wanted to disappear from the Earth. Was it just because you ended up being a child of the Big Three? Or did every camper have the privilege of experiencing such a stressful moment?

At last, they all got up and resumed the singalong for a well-deserved encore.

An older guy walked to you from a corner. He was tall, had dark eyes and a harsh resting face. You recoiled in your seat, scared of what he might do. But then he showed a toothy smile with dimples and extended his hand for you to shake.

When you did, he said: “Welcome home, sis.”

Once alone in your bunk —you had slipped away before the end of the campfire— you sobbed, hugging the backpack your mom put in your hands earlier that day.

It smelled like her.

Calming down a bit, curiosity took over and you opened it. There was a pocket knife, pepper spray, a pack of matches, a flashlight, tissues, a sleeping bag, a water bottle and food.

It struck you. She knew what you were long before you did.

two.

Felix shouldn’t have laughed.

The whole scene was just so ridiculously funny, he had to.

You were training at the climbing wall like every other day, except today, someone had the good idea to change the mode from normal to full lava-and-earthquake while you were on it. Needless to say it took you by surprise. You fell to the bottom, earning smoking holes in your t-shirt and singed arms' hair.

Felix helped you get out of the lava floor, miserably trying to suppress his giggles. “Are you okay?”

“Who turned the climbing wall into a frenzy? I just wanna talk!”

Your eyes showed you were being serious, although a little smile appeared after looking at your best friend’s face.

Turns out it was a Hermes kid, obviously.

To get back at him, you created a hole under his feet. He screamed as he sank up to his ankles. He lost balance and fell on his butt. A few kids that fell off the climbing wall with you clapped their hands and laughed.

Oh yeah, my bad. I forgot to tell you you could do that, among other things.

Being at Camp Half-Blood year round was actually a great thing. Undeniably, between that and being with your mom, the choice was clear, but since she was gone… All you could do was train to be able to protect mortals like you should’ve protected your mom and avenge her as well.

I know what some may think. It wasn’t your fault (and it wasn’t. really.) but you couldn’t make peace with it just yet. Guilt still ate you up at night.

After understanding what it meant to be a kid of Hades, you tried to find and talk to your mom. A ghost appeared instead of her. It looked like a staff member, with greek armor and a formal look. He told you your mom was in Elysium, that ‘she wanted you to follow your own path’ and that ‘she didn’t want to see you until you were old and had a full life’. It felt so unfair. You tried to argue but the ghost didn’t stay to hear your complaints, leaving you in your grief.

You ended up entering the armory. Even if you were against violence, you came to terms with the fact that you couldn’t protect others by solely making holes on the ground. Felix showed you all the best pieces of celestial bronze weapons. He made you try on several, making you swing swords, throw knives, shoot arrows… It was unsure what would suit you best.

At last, your eyes caught sight of a dusty black metal in a corner, behind javelins. Dusting off the sword a bit, you felt like it belonged in your hand. It wasn’t too heavy, nor too light. It just felt right.

“It’s stygian iron,” Felix explained, “Hades’ own sword is made of it.”

Did you resent him? Probably… yeah. If he had been there, two years ago, he could’ve saved your mom. But you never saw him, ever. You often wondered if you were even worthy of his presence.

“Y/N?”

Your head shot up, “yeah?”

“You looked out of it. Are you okay? We can stop looking for weapons if you want.”

“No, I’m good. I’ll take this one.” It hasn’t left your side ever since.

Felix proposed to train together. It was fun, both of you ending up at the infirmary more often than not. Jisung was always there to treat your wounds while cracking jokes.

Dawon, the Hades’ cabin’s head counselor that scared you on your first night, was actually really cool. He showed you around the cabin, welcomed you like a true sibling. You enjoyed eating with your siblings at the dining pavilion, talking strategies and kicking ass during capture-the-flag and chariot races, chatting before bed and getting ready together in the mornings.

Other than that, you didn’t spend a lot of time with them. No, Felix was practically attached to your hip at this point. He has been a huge pillar to your recovery. If it wasn’t for him and his bright aura, you would’ve been morose and sad. He probably knew that too.

When you passed by the arts & crafts building, you often saw the pretty boy. The sun would often reflect on his face, making his skin glow. His stance was elegant, his features soft and flawless. He had sunlight in his shoulder-length black hair and his long fingers seemed to be working effortlessly against the canvas. In a way, watching him paint for a while was relaxing. Curiosity always got the best of you as you wanted to see his next art piece.

All you knew about him was that he was a child of Aphrodite and an amazing painter.

three. 

“I did not sign up for this!” you grunted, slashing your sword across monsters left and right.

“You didn’t sign anything,” Jisung recalled, twirling to avoid a clawed hand and slaying the monster with an arrow in its chest.

“It feels like, no matter how much we kill, there’s always more,” Felix puffed.

Hopefully he was pretty good with a sword, because he couldn’t rely on his mom’s powers in the darkness. After what felt like an eternity, the last monster was slayed by your sword.

“Alright, enough practice. Let’s head back before more monsters arrive,” you offered. They didn’t protest.

You were all worn out, sweating and breathing hard. The trip in the forest left very few monsters left to slay. Whoever took care of that would have some work to do. 

“We managed pretty well, didn’t we?” Jisung grinned, eyes half closed. You nodded while Felix agreed.

It was practically nightfall. At seventeen, you were more trained than ever and felt ready to face the world.

The next day, there was an emergency meeting with Chiron and the head counselors. Everyone saw them hastily leave the dining pavilion during breakfast after Argus came running to them.

A few dozen minutes later, you were summoned to the Big House. You entered the meeting room and sat next to Dawon around the ping-pong table. Chiron didn’t waste any time and recited the unprompted prophecy they had heard by the current Oracle.

Child of Underworld must retrieve their father’s accessory

Magnificent Mile holds a piece of the way back in its last breath

The King’s circle’s won by defeating an old vampire enemy

The last challenge in Yellowstone ends in half-blood death

Vampire. It was about an empousa. It was enough for you to want to come, even if the last sentence worried you a bit. You were about to speak up when Chiron raised his hand.

“The sole reason you’re here is because we think it’s about you.”

“Indeed, you’re the only one I know that has an empousa as an enemy,” added Dawon as he nudged you with a smile.

Yeah, the details of your arrival ended up being known around camp. It was apparently common to arrive while chased by a monster, but not every parent died at the same time.

“Oh.”

“If you need anything for the quest, we’re here to help,” proposed Bomin, head counselor of Poseidon’s cabin.

“To make sense of the prophecy, for example,” said Doyoung, the Athena cabin’s head.

“Do you know who you’re going to ask to join you?” Chiron asked.

The only thing you knew for sure was that you were going to get your revenge. And you only needed two friends for this.

“Yeah. All I need to know now is where to begin.”

Doyoung coughed and rearranged the glasses on his nose. “Well, my friend Johnny is from Chicago and last time we spoke about his hometown, he mentioned the Magnificent Mile. He said it was the most famous avenue. Now, I don’t know if the prophecy refers to the city globally or this place precisely… But, either way, I think you need to go there.”

“Thank you for your insight. Do I have a deadline?” you inquired, turning to Chiron.

“You have until the end of the month.”

It sounded like a lot of time, then you remembered the date. “We’re the 29th.”

“Indeed. You have three days, starting now.”

four.

And so began your journey. You had a backpack each, filled with medicine, spare clothes, food, water and money —drachmas and dollars.

Argus was driving you to New York on board the Delphi Strawberry Service van. Jisung kept fidgeting with the beads on his necklace.

“You’re thinking about them, aren’t you?” He squirmed uneasily. “You’ll get back alive, I promise you.”

A promise he knew you couldn’t keep, but it did reassure him a bit. He knew you were going to do everything you could so that you’ll all get back to camp alive.

Felix took your hand in his, squeezing it gently. The sudden contact brought warmth to both yours and Felix’s face and ears. Jisung chuckled at the exchange until he realized he was going to third wheel the whole trip. Then, his face dropped, a groan leaving his lips.

Before Felix could ask what was wrong, Argus pulled up in the train station’s parking. You thanked the camp’s chauffeur and entered the Pennsylvania station.

“I found a direct train,” you told them after talking with an employee, “it’ll take around nineteen hours and thirty minutes. Shall we?”

When you talked to them about the prophecy, they didn’t waste any time and said they’ll come with you. Trying to talk them out of it was useless.

As comfortably installed as possible, Felix and you in the direction of travel, Jisung in the opposite direction, the brown haired boy thought the prophecy over, again.

“Child of Underworld —that’s you, Y/N— must retrieve their father’s —Hades, obviously— accessory. What can it be? What are the known accessories he owns?”

You shrugged while the freckled boy answered his friend’s question.

“There is his bident, or staff, his sword, his helm of darkness, Cerberus, which we cannot call an accessory per say and his golden keys.”

“Is there anything more?”

“Yes, but those are the main attributes he possesses.”

“It can’t be Cerberus or the golden keys, because it’s specifically an accessory, singular,” you commented.

Felix nodded. Jisung continued, “so it’s either the staff, the sword or the helm. OK. Next line is ‘Magnificent Mile holds a piece of the way back in its last breath’. The only thing we know is that Magnificent Mile is an avenue in Chicago. I don’t like the sound of anyone’s last breath, honestly.”

“It’s probably a beast,” you proposed. “It says ‘its’.”

“That’s the most logical option we got,” Felix agreed.

“It better be. ‘The King’s circle’s won by defeating an old vampire enemy’.”

“‘Vampire’ means empousa. I guess we need whatever the King’s circle is for the rest of the quest,” you noted, “do you guys have any idea?”

They shook their heads in unison. “No, but we’ll get back to it. ‘The last challenge in Yellowstone ends in half-blood death’. Not gonna lie, I hate this one the most.”

“Yellowstone… If it’s a place, I don’t know it,” Felix said, thinking about it.

“There’s a Yellowstone national park in Wyoming, but I can’t tell for sure if it’s gonna be there,” you shared.

“It might be,” Jisung voiced and bit his lips, “but it’ll also be the last challenge, and, in case any of you forgot, it’ll end in death. Possibly one of ours.”

He was right. However, dwelling on it so soon would not help anyone.

“Let’s think about that part later, OK? Let’s focus on getting to Chicago safely.”

After four stops, the train passed over the Broadway bridge in Albany. The train weirdly shook.

“Of course,” you muttered, “this couldn’t be a nice, eventless trip.”

People started walking in our direction from the end of the train. They didn’t look particularly alarmed, like it was natural to change wagons while the train was in motion.

Felix looked up through the window and frowned. “I don’t see any—”

The train’s wheels shrieked against the rails, abruptly stopping it. Felix and you fell forward on Jisung, who grunted, obviously not enjoying the voyage so far. Then the sound of metal being crushed like a soda can filled the air. The brown haired boy looked at his friends and gulped loudly.

“Remind me why I was so eager to come?”

You tried to open the doors but they wouldn’t budge. You got closer to a window and unsheathed your sword.

“Get back.” The boys did as told, stepping back to the empty opposite seats.

You hit the glass with the pommel of your sword. It shattered, but before you could step over the wall, a glowing orange eye appeared, surrounded by glistening dark green flesh and a gigantic triangular red maw.

“What’s that smell?” Jisung gagged, closely followed by Felix.

You held your breath and stabbed the monster in the eye. It screeched in pain as it released the hold it had on the train, although not completely. Despite that, you all knew you had a few seconds before the beast would attack.

“I think I know what it is,” Felix said, “help me get on the train.”

“You already are,” Jisung retorted.

“I meant on the roof.”

“It’s too dangerous,” you cut in.

“Y/N, you were about to do it.”

“Yes, but—”

“Do you trust me?”

“Of course, b—”

“We don’t have time.”

True enough, the serpent’s mouth flew inside the wagon, missing Felix’s head by a centimeter. You used this opportunity to pierce its other eye. It flew out of the train’s window in a cry. If it wasn’t trying to kill everyone, you would’ve felt bad for it. Although now it was blind and very, very angry.

Felix finally got to the roof with Jisung’s help while you covered them. The snake was so long —around thirty six meters— it wrapped itself around the train at least four times. It had flatten it with its strong hold. Felix wondered how the bridge hadn’t fallen into the river by now.

He silently prayed to his mom and concentrated on creating a rainbow. The sunny afternoon and the river’s reverberation helped greatly. When the serpent’s head was in front of him, he generated multicolored flames from the rainbow to destroy the monster. He felt dumb when he realized it didn’t do anything, its skin extinguishing the flames on contact.

How could he expect to kill a sea snake with fire?

Scolding himself could wait. He rolled over when the monster tried to swallow him up. He unleashed blasts of multicolored energy, penetrating and burning the monster’s skin in the process. Jisung was shooting arrows from the open window, while you were slashing at the monster’s body everywhere you had access to it through the broken windows.

Finally, with one last blast of energy on the serpent’s head, it disintegrated, leaving a damaged train and exhausted demigods. Felix was wondering if the train could get powered up again and carry them all the way to Chicago, but before he could finish his thought, he collapsed on the roof.

five.

Obviously it wouldn’t be a dreamless sleep.

Felix was at a train station. A sign read “Chicago”. He felt relieved. It probably meant they’d make it there.

His consolation was short-lived, however, as he saw a huge lion a few meters away. It seemed to be patiently waiting for them, laying down on the nearest park. The worst part was the 2,50 meters tall giants behind him. They were playing rock paper scissors and one of them didn’t like to lose. He stamped his foot on the ground so hard it felt like an earthquake.

The dream changed. He was outside in the dark, perhaps on a mountain. He could tell by the chilling breeze and the glowing stars. Felix saw a woman not too far, chanting in a language he wasn’t familiar with in front of a large cauldron. He found her beautiful and delicate until he caught a glimpse of the rest of her body. From her waist down was a serpentine body, which oddly resembled the Carthaginian serpent he killed earlier.

He shuddered. When she finished chanting, she turned to Felix, boring her glowing green eyes into his.

“Oh dear, I didn’t mean for you to see me like this,” she said in a seductive way.

She snapped her fingers and the snake part of her body disappeared, replaced by a regular woman's body, wearing a thin black dress.

“There. Better, isn’t it?”

Mist, he thought.

“If you survive your little journey, I’ll be glad to feed on your flesh, even if you’re not quite a child anymore.”

If Felix wasn’t terrified before, he surely was now. He tried to speak, but no sound would come out.

She walked over to him, whispering in his ear, “I’ll drink the Apollo’s kid’s blood and eat his flesh. Once I’m done with him, I’ll deal with you. I’ll take my sweet time. And then, precious Y/N will finally feel my wrath, and eventually die.”

His blood boiled, anger and fear filling his body to the brim. He couldn’t let that happen. Before the woman could sink her crocodile teeth into his neck, Felix woke up in a cold sweat, a few minutes before the Cleveland stop.

It was night, Jisung and you were munching on homemade sandwiches. You had retrieved Felix from the roof together and laid him on two seats in an empty wagon with windows intact. Jisung had fed Felix some nectar and let him sleep for about eight hours.

No matter what the mortals saw, they succeeded in making the train move again and the passengers were seated at the front of the convoy. There was a constant shrill metallic sound coming from the bottom of the train. It was low, but definitely annoying.

“Felix,” you called, “how are you feeling?”

“Like I’ve drained myself to the point of collapsing,” he groaned, sitting up.

“Do you need more nectar?” Jisung asked.

“No, thanks. Besides, we should keep our supplies for as long as possible.”

“Take that sandwich, then.” The brown haired boy tossed him a sandwich and they ate in silence, until Felix told both of you about his dream.

“So, the good news is we’re gonna make it to Chicago,” you said.

Jisung continued, “the bad news is, we’re gonna die in Chicago.”

“I have a few hours to think about a plan while you two sleep.”

You tried to protest but Jisung’s loud yawn put an end to the debate before it even started.

Your dreams were filled with nightmares, like every demigod ever.

It started like every other night. Your mom smiling down at you, her hand stroking your hair, then her being stabbed to death by Keahi. This time the woman smirked and whispered, “I’ll enjoy killing you more than I did your mother.” You were about to curse her when the dream changed.

It was night and in the open space, although a bonfire brightened Felix’s liveless body lying on the ground and Jisung’s limp corpse against a rock a few meters away. You wanted to scream, tears running down your cheeks. A triumphant laugh came from everywhere around you, cutting through the dead of night.

The next dream was so different, it shocked you. You were back on Half Blood Hill, except there was no sign of your mom or the empousa. Instead, there was a tall, shoulder length black haired man with fairly white skin and intense black eyes standing around ten meters away from you. What surprised you the most was the black flowing robes he was wearing, filled with evil souls threaded into it.

Despite his morbid appearance, he was looking at you with unexpected tenderness. You were wondering who this man might be when he spoke up.

“Y/N,” he called, “I’m sorry it took me so long to appear.”

Then it clicked. Of course. This intimidating man was Hades, your dad. A surge of hatred ran through your body beyond your control.

“Where were you? All this time, when I got kicked out of school every other year, when I was made fun of, when mom died? Where were you? Did you even love her?”

His eyes flared with purple fire for a second, his face hardening, but you were too furious to be afraid of the consequences. Just as fast, he calmed himself.

“I did love her, yes. But I couldn’t do anything, to protect you and because I can’t meddle with my children’s lives. You had to forge your own path for it to mean anything. You still do.”

You scoffed. “Bet you say that to all your kids.” The uneasy look he gave you proved you were right. “Gods, you do have a healthy way with kids, huh?”

“I understand your rage. But right now, you must focus on your quest.”

“Easy for you to say,” you muttered.

“You must not fall into a blind rage when you see her. You must control your thirst for revenge.”

“You sure love to tell me what to do for someone I just met.”

“Y/N… If you don’t control your powers, bad things could happen. Your friends might pay the price.”

“Oh so now you’re threatening my friends!”

He sighed, visibly tired. His form began to fade. “I have to go. Remember my words when you face the empousa.”

Before you could make a snarky remark, he vanished. You woke up feeling so angry your friends could practically see it.

“Usually we wake up confused, terrified, or determined, but as angry as you are, I’m afraid to ask about what you saw,” Jisung started joking, but then recoiled in his seat in front of you.

Felix gave you a worried look.

“I’m okay.” You were still fuming but they knew better than to push it.

When you sat up, the blond boy sat next to you and took your hand in his. It calmed you down more efficiently than you’d care to admit.

“We’re almost there. And I have a plan.”

six.

The Great Hall was majestic, with columns all around and a barrel-vaulted skylight bathing the room in soft light. It was giving Greek revival vibes, which comforted you if only for a moment.

You were firmly holding the grip of your sword, mentally preparing for the fight ahead. The lion was waiting for you three outside the station, but there was no giant in sight.

The fact that Felix had a plan didn’t ease your nerves that much, because plans rarely unfolded as expected. But he knew stuff about monsters and Greek mythology as a whole, so it was helping.

“He’s not that big,” Jisung shrugged, “just the size of a pick-up truck. We can totally get him.”

He nocked his arrow as the Iris kid and you unsheathed your swords.

Not two minutes into the fight, you realized that Felix was right. The lion’s pelt was deflecting all your weapons. It was pointless to attack from behind and by surprise. You tried to keep him occupied until Felix could find an opening.

“Guys, I’m no Hercules, so don’t expect me to asphyxiate him with my bare hands!” Jisung shouted. He tried to shoot an arrow into the lion’s eye, but he somehow saw it coming and protected himself.

“It would’ve been easier with a cornucopia but…” Felix threw his backpack into the lion’s maw. As he bellowed in disgust, your friend shouted, “now!”

Jisung fired arrows into his open mouth. He dissolved except for his pelt. “Great. I’ve always wanted to resemble a caveman.” The Apollo kid’s wry comment made you smile.

He somehow succeeded in putting it away in his bag, at the same moment the three giants decided to show up. They were coming from the park, their iron clubs laying low.

“Where is the lion? There was a lion, right?” one of them asked.

“Already defeated, useless scamp! And guess what? You’re next!” Jisung raised his arms wide, like he was waiting for a group hug. Then, he gestured to the giants with one hand. “What kind of ogres are you, anyway?”

Felix nudged him. “They’re Laistrygonian giants, dude. Muscular tattooed man eaters.”

“You look awfully smug for our next lunch, half-blood,” the tallest of the giants said.

“In your dreams, you witless gollumpus!” He didn’t waste any more time and shot arrows at them. They deflected the projectiles with ease except for the smallest giant, who apparently wasn’t paying much attention. He crumbled into dust. 

The other two roared in outrage and sprinted your way, brandishing their clubs high above their heads. Felix sidestepped when the giant swung his arm, rolled between his legs and stabbed him in the back.

Two down, one to go.

“You’ll pay for that, demigods!” the tallest giant bellowed before laying his arm down on Jisung.

You cut off his arm with a swirl of your sword. He yelled, turned and tried to crush your throat with his remaining hand. He was circling your neck with his huge fingers, but Felix thrusted his celestial bronze sword into his side. He disintegrated.

“Thank you,” you breathed with difficulty, locking eyes with Felix.

He dropped his blade and enveloped you in a comforting hug that lasted more than the average.

“Are you okay?” he inquired, cupping your face with his hands. He searched your face for any sign of hurt, sadness, fear… But there was only relief and tiredness. You nodded.

“You fought bravely.”

You turned, raising an eyebrow at the sight of a beautiful woman with black eyes and blond hair. She was wearing a black gown and carrying two old-fashioned reed torches. She was surrounded by green light and Mist was everywhere around her.

Felix let go of your face and unconsciously grabbed your hand instead. He studied the goddess, picking up on the details that showed who she might be. Unfortunately, he wasn’t sure you could trust her.

“Why, thank you mysterious woman! So, which one are you?” Jisung questioned, a bit wary.

“Hecate,” Felix murmured.

“Well done, Iris kid. Before you ask, I’m here to offer guidance. You’re about to—”

“Sorry, but, um… You’re the goddess of magic, you created empousai. Why would you help us?” you asked. It didn’t make sense to you, knowing the prophecy, which you were sure she knew about too.

“As I was saying, daughter of Hades,” she continued with a neutral voice, “you’re about to face great danger.”

“What, more than the usual death threats? What a bummer,” Jisung snorted, crossing his arms.

“Your insolence isn’t helping your case, Apollo kid. My children —or creations, whatever— don’t always follow my orders. We’re not obliged to share the same faith. They’re free. Like my children back at camp half-blood.” You waited for her to continue.

“Jisung, joking around helps you hide your scars, but you need to embrace them to properly move forward. Sharing your burden might do the trick. You’re also worth more than you think.”

She then turned to your freckled friend. “Felix, you need to stop putting everyone before yourself. You cannot control everyone’s happiness. You’ll soon have to prove you can keep your distance, for your own sake.”

Finally, she set her eyes on you. “Y/N, I know you think you’re not worth being here, going on this journey. You feel helpless, because you haven’t slayed any monster yet. But do not worry, your time will come soon enough, and with that, your greatest challenge. You have so much more power within than you might believe. This power needs to be used wisely.”

A wave of uneasiness washed over the three of you, Hecate’s words touching some nerves. Her words echoed your father’s. You regretted your outburst in your latest dream because you could have used this opportunity to ask which one of his attributes was missing. That would have made one less question unanswered.

“Well.” She clapped her hands. “I should probably tell you, now that there’s no more ground means of transport to Wyoming —I mean, you’re not going to steal a car, are you?— you’ll need to use aerial transportation.”

“But how—” Felix started, but got cut off.

“Off I go. Remember, you have two days left to get back to camp safely. Good luck on your quest, demigods. I hope Tyche can lend you some.”

She disappeared in a cloud of Mist.

“If I didn’t feel good then, I definitely do now!” Jisung sarcastically smiled.

For the first time since you’ve known him, you realized Hecate was right about the guy. Behind all the jokes and smiles, he had a sadness in him that was hard to decipher. But you were aware now. Felix was visibly concentrating, eyes closed and face facing the sky.

“Do you want to talk about what Hecate said?” you suggested. “About sharing your—”

“Well, I’d love to, trust me, but I’m fine. But hey, it seems you were right. Yellowstone is a national park.”

Deciding prying wasn’t gonna help, you nodded and turned your head towards the sky. You noticed a faint dark form in the horizon. Squinting your eyes in an attempt to identify what was coming for you this time, Felix left out a relieved sigh, then a chuckle. You spotted the sweat on his forehead. A few seconds later, you recognized winged horses.

Three of them.

“Did you summon them?” you questioned Felix, who was grinning.

“One of my mom’s powers. I’m glad it worked.”

Two of them were white and one was brown. They came to a stop in front of you, the brown pegasus neighing, gently nuzzling Felix.

“Thank you for coming, guys,” he said as he scratched the horse’s head. He turned to Jisung and you. “Are you ready for a ride?”

After a few hours flying high in the sky, you could finally make out the mountain you had to go to. You were about fifty kilometers away from the destination when you heard screeching from behind.

Jisung whined. “Come on!”

“Dozens of Gryphons! We’ll have to fight!” Felix yelled.

He brandished his sword, turned around and lashed out at them. You followed, while Jisung kept his distance, shooting arrows at the dozens of enemies. Dusk was only a few minutes away. The sky’s colors —blue, purple, red, orange, yellow— looked peaceful and pretty compared to the fight that was breaking out under it.

Four monsters succumbed to your blade before another one planted its talons in your pegasus’ thigh as you slashed its right wing. You cursed under your breath when the winged horse squealed, pitching up while flapping his wings frantically. He was bleeding.

You almost fell, but managed to hang on his mane and kill the gryphon. Unfortunately, another one immediately took its place and pecked your mounting’s neck with its sharp beak. He was losing too much blood, the liquid staining his beautiful white coat.

As he was dropping altitude, you were slowly and painfully losing your grip on his mane. You were falling to your death together. But not without taking the monster with you.

You squeezed the pegasus’ flanks to keep balance and brought down your sword on the gryphon’s neck. It disintegrated. You thanked and apologized to your companion for a few hours, hugging his neck in an attempt to stop the bleeding and preparing yourself for the impact. However, he crumbled into dust a few hundred meters above the ground, leaving you free falling on your own.

Felix swooped your way on his brown pegasus and caught your waist. Your arms immediately wrapped around his torso. Jisung took down the last gryphon in your peripheral view. You started to smile, but the brown haired boy’s eyes widened. He shouted: “Look out!”

The actual last monster seized the pegasus’ gaskins with its claws and pulled them, making him go upside down. Felix and you fell face first off the winged horse, holding each other tightly. You couldn’t even see the gryphon butchering its prey. Jisung slayed the monster with a well-aimed arrow and sped up to catch you both.

He wasn’t quick enough. You were swallowed by the shadows, leaving the Apollo kid behind with a pegasus as confused and worried as he was.

seven.

Felix woke up in a cave with low light coming from torches dispersed on the walls. You were passed out on the floor but didn’t look injured, which was good.

He scanned his surroundings. It was a rectangular room with a door on the far left. It seemed like there was no one else with you. He sat on his legs, put down his sword and brought your head on his lap. He poured a little amount of nectar into your parted lips.

He felt a presence behind him, but was too late to act. The invisible form dragged him away from you, your head hitting the ground with a soft thud. He tried to fight back but got tossed head first in the dirt. With a grunt, he got on his knees and looked around, but there was no one. As he got up, he felt claws scratch his chest, ripping his orange shirt in the process. He yelped, took a knife out of his belt and aimlessly sliced through the air all around him.

He saw your body move. Thinking you were waking up, he let down his guard and ran to you. He tripped on something metallic and fell down. Looking behind him, there was just the muddy floor.

“Get on your knees,” a feminine voice ordered, her words resonating dangerously across the room. “Don’t move.”

He was now on his knees, facing you with a blank expression as if he wasn’t in control of his body anymore.

The first punch he received in the gut hurt like hell, but his face and body remained motionless like a doll. Then, he received blows on his ribs, his cheeks, his jawline. It was enough for him to faint. The pain was blinding him but he kept his eyes open. He watched, helpless, as you slowly stood up, glaring his way. No, you were looking somewhere above him.

“Show yourself, blood sucker, so I can make you pay,” your voice was calm yet threatening.

Keahi laughed, moving Felix’s face so you could see all the bruises she gave him. It was a bad idea on her part because you were now fully pissed. Seeing him like this… After what she did to your mom, you wanted to end her life so badly.

The ground blackened around you and the air dropped to freezing. A black flood of anger, pain, guilt and grief poured out of you in waves, hitting the monster and Felix. The latter experienced your worst memories. The pain, guilt and grief from the death of your mom, your hardships, the anger —no, hatred— you felt towards the empousa that made your life miserable.

“Stop this!” she taunted.

It seemed to get Felix out of his trance.

“Y/N…” he murmured and hit the floor.

All the pain he received in the last minutes knocked him out. This scene made you more furious, if that was even possible at this point. The waves became thicker and stronger, making Keahi loudly hit the nearest wall.

“You’re just a kid! You might be powerful, but not powerful enough to destroy me and my sister.” Desperation was evident in her voice. “If you keep going, you’ll kill the boy too.”

You went at it for several more seconds. It was hard to stop, you wanted her dead and your emotions took over your judgment. Although, one look at Felix’s limp body was enough for you to snap out of it.

You reached for your sword and threw it in her direction like a javelin. It planted itself in the wall. The empousa disintegrated and a golden ring fell on the floor. The waves stopped and the flood slowly dissipated. Before you could take a step towards Felix, you passed out again.

Jisung was patrolling from the air, alert for any movement on the mountain, without being certain you were even there. Several minutes later, he saw black smoke coming from a strange rectangle on the ground. Getting closer, he realized it was a hatch.

The pegasus landed on the floor next to it. Jisung dismounted and opened the hatch to a dark corridor. He waited for the dark Underworld stuff —meaning you were probably there— to disappear completely before venturing inside, his bow ready.

At the end of the damp corridor was a single door. He entered and found his friends’ bodies on the floor, a hand extended to each other’s direction. He flew to Felix’s side, poured nectar into his mouth, winced when he caught sight of his bruises and chest, then gave you the same treatment, relieved to see there weren't many physical injuries.

He didn’t want to leave any of you alone and he couldn’t move both of you at the same time. He was about to sit down when he spotted your sword in the wall. He grabbed the hilt and pulled it out with much effort. Something golden was on the floor so he picked it up. It was a golden ring.

Spoil of War? It didn’t seem like it, but how could he know? He wasn’t there. He put it in his pocket anyway. Felix opened his eyes and immediately went to your side. He reached for his backpack.

“I already gave her nectar.”

Felix’s head turned so fast his neck cracked. “You scared me!”

“Sorry.” Jisung walked over. “Let’s go, this place is creepy.”

The Iris kid was sending worried looks your way the whole time they spent carrying you outside. He related his version of the facts. How he was manipulated and hit by an invisible woman, experienced your pain, and passed out once the charmspeak wore off.

“It’s been a hell of a couple days, huh?”

“Tell me about it.” Fresh air and sunlight did Felix some good.

“Let’s sleep a bit before facing death again, shall we?” Jisung offered.

They took sleeping bags out of their backpack, Jisung with a bit more difficulty due to the lion’s pelt taking up most space. Both enveloped you in yours, then they argued on who should take first watch.

The brown haired boy won. He wasn’t injured and Felix visibly needed rest. He changed into a new t-shirt and insisted on being woken up a few hours later, though.

He dreamed he was in the same dark place again. The fire was cackling, lightening up the monster’s face and body. He was definitely terrified of her.

It felt like she was waiting for him. “Tomorrow we meet, demigod. Tomorrow, you die.”

He wanted to yell: “We’ll defeat you, like we did all our enemies until now.” but no sound could leave his lips.

“Oh, but they’re nothing compared to me,” she exclaimed like she heard his thoughts somehow. “Fighting me will make everything you endured so far feel like a walk in the park.”

That didn’t make him feel any better about the whole quest and their chance of survival. He was scared for his friends, for himself.

Hecate’s words replayed in his mind. “You’ll soon have to prove you can keep your distance, for your own sake.” Even if he thought his encounter with the empousa was a proof in itself, he felt dread. Something even worse was about to happen, he could feel it.

Felix woke up alert, but it was night.

“Jisung!” he complained, but he found him fast asleep next to him.

You, on the other hand, were awake, preparing a snack and humming an old song. You were so pretty with the sun lighting your hair and skin.

“Hello, Rainbow Boy. Here, eat this.”

You handed him toasts of cheese and an apple cut into quarters, but he just stared at you instead of taking them.

“Y/N,” he murmured like a whisper, a relieved sigh.

He engulfed you in a bone crushing hug, his nose buried in your neck. You hugged him back like you could, the food still in your hands.

“Are you okay? I was so scared.”

“I would be better if I could breathe,” you joked.

He apologized and let you go but stayed close, thanking you for the food.

“What happened back there? Do you know what monster it was?”

Your smile turned into a hard look. “None other than my mom’s murderer, Keahi.”

He reached for your hand, drawing smoothing circles on the knuckles with his thumb.

“I wonder how she made herself invisible. It’s not an empousa power,” he wondered.

“There was a ring.”

“A ring that makes its wearer invisible… Sounds familiar.”

“I have no clue where it is, though. Perhaps still in that cave.”

“Wait. King’s circle? Gyges was a king who found a golden ring in a cave. ‘Circle’ could mean the ring. Was it golden?” You nodded. “Then we need to get it back. It could help us on our next step.”

“No need,” Jisung yawned as he stretched, “I have it right here. Call me Bilbo Baggins.” He took the ring out of his pocket and gave it to you.

“You’re a lifesaver, I hope you know that,” you thanked him.

He smirked, “I do know, but being acknowledged is always appreciated.”

“So… If, hypothetically, I put this on…” you said, doing so. “I’ll become invisible.”

“You literally are, right now.” Felix tried to touch your shoulder but you weren’t there anymore.

You sneaked behind them and pressed a finger on their sides, watching them squirm and whine.

“OK, OK, sorry.” You took out the ring and threw it in Felix’s direction. “You should keep it.”

He had great reflexes, so he caught it easily. “Why me?”

“I already got the lion’s pelt and it’s taking way too much space, so a ring would be too much,” Jisung answered, shrugging innocently.

Rolling your eyes, you elbowed him. “You’re the best choice. You’re the most selfless out of us. I trust you.”

He wanted to argue but decided against it.

He trusted you too.

eight.

Jisung took a few minutes to say goodbye to his pegasus. He thanked him, stroked his mane and gave him a treat. Felix apologized for his companions, for which the winged horse nudged him and bowed before flying away.

“Before we go, I think I need to tell you guys something,” the brown haired boy mumbled.

Felix and you exchanged glances and offered him sympathetic smiles.

“Let’s sit,” he continued. Once you were, he took a deep breath and got into it right away.

He talked about his past. How, when he was seven, he lost his half brother in a car accident. How he ran away to the park near his house after an argument with his step dad, how his little brother went to look for him then. How he was busy pitying himself when he heard the crash. How he blamed himself for the whole thing. How he swore to never run off again because he didn’t want his mom to end up this way too. How he decided to bury his feelings and never speak of this, ever.

“Jisung… None of it was your fault,” you assured. “You were so young… I’m so sorry.”

“Ji, thank you for sharing this with us. We’re here for you. It wasn’t your fault.”

“Thanks guys… I had to tell someone before we went to our ultimate death.”

“No way you’re dying today, I won’t allow it. You’ll get back to your crush.”

“OK, chill Y/N, I don’t have a crush.”

“The redness on your face says otherwise, buddy,” Felix laughed softly.

Jisung had lessened his burden like Hecate had suggested, and it worked. He felt better, ready to move forward.

The sun was rising. You had to get to the mountain next to the one you were currently on. The only way now was by foot. And you had to be back by the end of the day.

Easy enough. No, it was definitely not easy.

But you had to try.

On your way to the monster, you explained the plan you fashioned to the boys while they were asleep. After a lot of complaining and no’s, they finally accepted it (mostly because they didn’t have better ideas). Although Felix refused to use the ring.

Three hours later, the boys and you finally set foot in the clearing. All around were old trees and, in the center, was a large cauldron on top of a bonfire. Next to it was a block of stone with a bronze helmet on top of it. So it was the helm. The monster was there, chanting in a language that resembled latin.

“Lamia,” Felix whispered, swallowing loudly.

“Ah! Children, at last,” Lamia exclaimed with a charming yet dark smile.

“We came for my father’s helm.”

“The same dad that abandoned you?”

It was true, you still resented him, but bringing everyone back safely was a priority.

“Yeah, I guess. It’s that one I presume?” you asked as you pointed to it.

“Busted,” Lamia laughed falsely before putting it on her head.

She became invisible and the fear emanating from the helm paralyzed the three of you.

It was unsure what exactly happened. Was it your survival instinct or were you more powerful than the helm itself? Whatever it was, you were able to parry the attack with your sword. There was no time wondering how you could manage that.

Without being able to see or hear where she was, you warded off every attack she threw. You were about to get the upper hand when she grabbed Felix’s mortified body. You could see it in his eyes.

“Your sister tried that and regretted it,” you spat.

Lamia reappeared when she took off the helmet, keeping it under her unused arm.

“She’s weak. I’ll make sure to let her know when she’s back.”

Of course monsters will always be back, no matter how much we slay them.

“You know,” she resumed, “your dad thinks he’s all mighty and powerful because he rules the Underworld. Yet his precious helm was too easy to steal. And he sends his beloved daughter to death for this?”

Her claws enveloping Felix’s neck and Jisung’s shattered breath gave you a hard time thinking about your next move. You couldn’t be reckless again.

You had to save them.

“Leave them alone. Let’s do this one on one.”

“Why would I accept your proposition when I have the upperhand, sweetie?”

You scoffed. “Come on now. Are you scared to face a kid? You’re acting all-powerful and invincible, but fighting me is too much?”

Her expression hardened. Pride touched.

Bingo.

Lamia shoved Felix on the floor, a vicious glare throwing daggers at you. You had to restrain yourself from jumping her right this instant.

Distancing her from your friends was vital. She put the helmet back on as you were moving around to cause her back to face them. Not wasting any time attacking, you slashed your sword here and there, not letting her ripost. However, you were getting tired. She took advantage and ripped your arm with her claws. You stumbled and closed your eyes, groaning.

“Already down? You’re making this too easy,” she mused after taking the helm off again.

Felix and Jisung regained their senses away from her. They were ready to fight. Jisung was bow ready and Felix was summoning light.

When you opened your eyes and got to your feet, you realized they were waiting for a sign. From you.

The pressure of leading was growing but you tried to bury it inside. You couldn’t deal with more anxiety at the moment. You focused on Lamia, who was grinning from a false feeling of victory, and shouted, “NOW!”

The three of you gave your all and hit her at the same time. As Felix struck her with blinding light, Jisung shot her in the back and you pierced her heart. You enjoyed her look of surprise when she disintegrated in a shrill scream. All that was left was the helm of darkness falling to the ground with a clang.

Clenching your arm, you fell on your knees. Felix engulfed you into a tight hug.

“This is gonna sound controversial, but I think that went well,” Jisung said as he picked up the helm.

“You must all be fools if you think you can take me down that easily,” a feminine voice taunted.

She was at the other side of the open space, Mist slowly dispersing around her. How did she do that? The marks on your arm were real, so when did she create the Mist? How could you not have seen it coming?

Realizing he actually didn’t have anything in his hands, Jisung quickly shot arrows her way but she managed to dodge them and put on the helmet. Felix couldn’t get up, fear keeping him grounded.

You witnessed, helpless, Jisung’s body being thrown across the clearing. Anger building up inside you, you got to your feet and charged.

Certainly you couldn’t hear or see her, but you could feel her. Probably due to your connection to the underground. But despite your best efforts, you couldn’t seem to have enough to wound her. It was almost as if she didn’t need the helm at all, like she could end you all with or without it. Like she only used it for extra fun.

Your limbs started to ache. Panting, you planted your sword on the ground. You could feel Lamia laugh triumphally.

Concentrating, you opened a crevasse that allowed skeletons to rise and surround the monster. They closed in on her, and eventually started attacking all at once. She effortlessly took them down one by one in an elegant dance.

There was only one thing left to do but your friends were here and the least thing you wanted was to hurt them.

“I have a question. Does your mom know what you’re doing? Aren’t you scared of retaliation?”

It was interesting enough for her to take the helmet off. “What are you talking about, mortal? Hecate does not care about whether you live or die today.”

Felix joined Jisung at the far end of the open space. It was now or never.

“I wouldn’t be so sure. She came to see us yesterday, you know. She might punish you later when I’m done with you.”

“I do not care about Hecate!” Her voice was trembling, though. “You’re irritating. I’ll deal with you first.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” you whispered to yourself.

As she put the helmet back on for the nth time, the floor blackened. You let the flood of black smoke leave your body while the temperature dropped. It wasn’t as strong as when you faced Keahi, but anger and pain were still present. It affected her, but not enough to end her.

Felix analyzed the situation and summoned light, except he didn’t know where to hit. You tried your best to show him by sinking Lamia into the floor to her calves. The movement caught his eye. Rainbow sparks shot from the sky into her skin. You felt her scream in pain.

It still wasn’t sufficient. She was getting restless and you were getting desperate. What more could you do? It seemed to have worked the first time but it wasn’t real, how could you be sure it would work this time?

The flood was getting thicker, your hand tightening around the tilt of your sword. Of course, you could just try it again and if it didn’t work… then you would have tried until the end.

Breathing heavily, you walked up to her. Raising your sword, you whispered a “good bye” before slowly but surely pressing the blade into her heart.

Lamia didn’t just sit back. She yelled, sinking her claws into your chest and arms at the same time. You endured the pain but gasped when an arrow pierced through her neck and passed you by a few centimeters to finish its course in the nearest tree. Multicolored flames burned her too, until the helm of darkness fell to the ground in front of you.

“Y/N!” Felix ran to you. “No, no, no…”

Blood was dripping from the multiple claw marks. He caught you when your knees gave out, helping you down and maintaining your head on his hand.

“Jisung,” he desperately called, “you need to do something.”

“Already on it…”

Felix pressured on your shoulder wound with his free hand while the brown haired boy roamed through his backpack. Blood ran through his fingers.

“Stay with me, Y/N, please.”

You smiled faintly. “We won this time, right? That’s— that’s good.”

He brought you closer to him. “Yeah, thanks to you.”

“Move, loverboy,” Jisung ordered.

The Iris kid did as told but kept pressuring your wound. “You’re gonna be okay, I promise.”

These were the last words you heard before fainting.

nine.

You woke up to a moving vehicle, your chest and arms tingling with every bump it rolled over. Jisung was talking to someone you couldn’t see, and Felix’s hand was intertwined with yours. More than that, you were seated next to each other, your head comfortably laid on his shoulder.

Jisung looked behind him and gave you a gummy smile. “Sleeping beauty’s awake at last!”

“Are you okay?” the boy next to you asked as you sat up straight.

You nodded and realized you were in a minibus. Unless you were mistaken, there was no vehicle whatsoever on the mountain last time you checked.

“Indeed! You needed a drive home. That’s where I came in,” a man said joyfully.

You blinked when you saw Apollo driving and waving you hello through the rear-view mirror.

“I had the brilliant idea to offer the lion’s pelt and the ring of Gyges to my dad and hoped he would grant us a little help to get back to Olympus safely and quickly,” he explained with a satisfied face.

It was exceptionally brilliant that he accepted.

During the rest of the road trip, Apollo was relating some of his adventures to whoever listened. The return was smoother than the outward, allowing you to rest a bit. The blonde boy had a worried face whenever he laid his eyes on you.

On Mount Olympus, Hades was here with the Olympian Gods, on his seldom used throne. His proud stare was weird to witness, especially when it was directed towards you. You gave him back his helm under Apollo’s loud praise for his ‘son and his companions’ bravery on this perilous odyssey’. The Gods thanked the three of you and got on with their immortal lives.

Iris winked at her kid, mouthing “I’m proud of you.” and they all left the palace.

You did the same, the boys walking to the elevator while Hades, who was following you, asked for a chat. You agreed, staying back to hear what he had to say.

“I know that blessing you with this much power made you a target. Honestly, I can’t take them back. But I know you’ll use them well. You proved during your journey that you were mature and strong enough. You’ve made me proud.”

Hearing these words filled you with a warm feeling, which you despised. It was too soon for you to warm up to him.

“I didn’t do it for you. I did it for mom.”

He nodded in understanding. “She’s in Elysium you know? She wants you to live a long, fulfilled life before seeing her again.'' 

You were about to tell him you’ve known for years, but he turned around and left.

You thought about your mom, and how at peace she was right now. At that moment, you decided to let go of the negative thoughts obscuring your judgment and decisions. Your mom was waiting for you, and you intended to make her proud of you.

Jogging to your friends, you smiled, happy that was finally over. Obviously you knew more danger was coming, but you’d be okay as long as your friends were there with you.

ten.

Back at camp, the three of you were acclaimed, the respective head counselors of your cabins personally greeting each of you. They looked particularly proud. The fervor of the return having dissipated, you sat in the Big House with Chiron before dinner time, to relate your journey.

“So yeah, it turned out we had to get the helm of darkness back from Lamia,” you said.

“The piece of the way back was the lion’s pelt and the last challenge was in the Yellowstone national park in Wyoming,” added Jisung.

“The King’s circle was Gyges’ invisible ring,” Felix divulged.

“I’m glad you’re all back safely,” Chiron smiled.

“I have a question, though,” Jisung raised his hand. “Half-blood death. Did it not come through?”

“It did. Lamia was a demigod, daughter of Hecate and Queen of Libya,” Chiron explained, “she was turned into a monster by Hera.”

“Explains a lot,” you muttered.

Jisung returned to his crush friend from the Hephaestus cabin while Felix and you walked together to your cabins. During your little walk, the Aphrodite kid, AKA the pretty painter, came to see you. It shocked you to see him in front of you, and it shocked you even further to see the two greet each other like old friends.

“I’m glad you’re back, Felix,” he said, a genuine smile on his face.

“Thanks Hyunjin. I’m happy to be back.”

“Hello Y/N.”

He knows my name!! How does he know my name??

“Huh, hi…”

“Felix talks about you a—”

“That’s great,” the blond boy cut him off, ears reddening, “but we have stuff to do before dinner. Bye Hyunjin, see you around!”

“Lix,” you called as he rushed you to the cabins, “how do you know him?”

“We came to camp together. Why?”

Realizing he was ‘just’ a pretty painter for you and that you were more interested in Felix than him, you smiled sheepishly.

“Nothing, I never asked how or when you came to camp.”

“Oh, well, we were seven kids on the run after monsters attacked our school, and satyrs finally found us and brought us here. We were between six and ten.”

He stopped in his tracks when he realized you weren’t following anymore. When he turned around to face you, you hugged him, burying your face in his neck. He stroked your back affectionately.

“It must’ve been hard. I’m sorry.”

“Hey, it’s okay, we made it without too many problems.”

After a good dinner and a wholehearted singalong, you ended up on the beach, eyes fixed on the stars. Hearing footsteps approaching, you only looked over when he sat next to you.

“Pretty cloudless sky, huh?”

“Yeah,” you agreed, “but the stars are prettier on your face.”

It was unknown which one of you was blushing more.

“Sorry—”

“Y/N—”

“You first,” you offered, hiding your face into your cold hands. Or was it your face that was hot?

“I came to a conclusion while on that awful quest,” Felix announced, folding his arms on top of his knees. He looked at the horizon. “I can’t bear the thought of losing you. Seeing you hurting tears me apart, and I think what Hecate meant by ‘my own sake’ wasn’t my safety, but rather my heart after seeing you suffer.” He sighed. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that… I love you, Y/N,” he finished, daring to turn your way.

He was met with you facing him and staring at him intently, tears forming in your eyes. “Felix… There are not enough words to express how much you mean to me. I literally cannot live without you. I love you so much.”

The embrace you two shared was worth a thousand words.

As you let go of each other, his eyes trailed on your collarbone, where a mark was visible above your orange t-shirt. You followed his gaze and touched your bruised skin. You locked eyes with him and smiled softly.

“These will make badass scars.”

thank you for reading! if you enjoyed, please let me know and here's the masterlist<3

[prettywordsyouleft]

Dark Revelry

Pairing: Hwang Hyunjin x female reader

Genre: romance

Warnings: suggestive with the assumption of leading to sex.

Word count: 1288

The roar from the guitar was primal, sinking deep into your skin. Guttural rifts consumed the valley festival, the steady thrum of bass shooting through your veins. Your heartbeat marched in beat to the endless drumming, the music leading the path to animalistic moves from the partygoers.

The revelry had taken everyone hostage, and you were not immune. Your once dubious appearance at the festival was now forgotten, and the anxiety long dissipated, along with the tension in your body. You had been dancing for what had to be hours, yet you weren’t tired at all. Your body anticipated the way the musicians would dictate your next movements, as if you were a marionette and they held your strings. You had been consumed by darkness, the sounds claiming the valley and your soul. You briefly wondered if you had stepped into an enchanted land, forced to dance until the dawn broke, or your body gave out.

This thought returned sometime late into the night when a man stood watching you across the way. Tall, dark, and sinfully handsome, he was so exotically gorgeous that he couldn’t be mortal. Had he been roused from another world, the music calling him to the festival and intoxicating you upon first sight? He made no initial move towards you, and this made you frustrated. Sweat soaked your back as your hips spun in dizzying circles, encouraging him to take a step forward, a siren’s call to bring him offshore.

He coveted a smirk at your attempts, his feet more eager than the indolent expression that graced his face. He strode over to you fluidly, wasting no time in claiming you with a hand on your waist. His touch seared you, a gasp tumbling from your mouth as he dragged you close, dark eyes glittering with amusement.  

You waited for him to say something, though how you would hear him when the music blared through every inch of you, you didn’t know. But he made no effort to do so, simply removing any space that had remained, tucking you against his leather-clad thighs, your breasts upon his chest. He didn’t once break your movement, in fact, a hand now guided you, throwing your hips into filthy grinds against him, every point of contact sending surges of desire throughout you.

It was giddying dancing against this stranger, allowing your inhibitions to roam free, along with your hands. You ran them up his sides and over strong shoulders, letting them drape there as you got caught in the storm of his stare. You itched to reach out and run your thumb over the beauty mark just under his left eye, to feel the plushness of his lips when you dragged your hand back down. Without realising it, your hand had shot up and done what you wished for, his eyes darkening, swirling with debauchery.

You barely had a moment to suck in a breath before he was crashing into you, wave after relentless wave, dragging you under, consuming you in heated torture. He tasted like a decadent mistake, one that you wouldn’t be able to remove from deep within your bones for days to come. You succumbed to his ministrations, tongues battling the other, the kiss now bruising, painfully hot. You were panting, stretched against this man with every inch of your body, wanting more, craving him to never stop dancing against you. You’d follow him anywhere, drunk on his taste, on his ambiguity. You had never been this bold before, and you wondered if it was because you hadn’t met him before or if you had been holding back from all that you deserved.

He was equal portions of recklessness and restraint, hands gripping your hips, sealing you to his front, allowing you no freedom. Not that you’d ever ask for him to release you, the music now as fast as your kisses and this sinful embrace. You didn’t know how much more air you could go without, yet you didn’t pull away, wanting to punish your body for failing you when your mind and heart wanted to crawl inside him and never part ways again. Breathing was overrated.

He surprised you by breaking first, genuine wonder crossing his features as he let out a breathy laugh before resting his forehead against yours.

“Temptress.”

“Demon.”

His lips curled up with delighted smugness, as if he wanted you to view him as something so dangerous.

“I want to drink you all down,” he told you, not shouting and yet you heard him clearly over the festival, as if he had the power to dim the sound of your entire surroundings. It was just you and him in this valley now, the feeling of souls twining together in the moment, lasting for as long as you could stop yourself from blinking.

“That thirsty?”

“Parched.”

“Be careful. Ambrosia is the meal of gods, not boys.”

“I think I’m divine enough to handle a cup full,” he confirmed, an eyebrow perched higher than the other.

You gripped his shoulders, fingers brushing against his shoulder-length raven locks, shivering at the contact. Capable hands moved to your thighs, hoisting you up into his arms, your legs locking around his waist as the world began to spin. Faster and faster it went until you couldn’t distinguish the sights and sounds around you anymore. Before you could adjust, everything went still, and you worried that this fever dream had come to a bitter end.

When you blinked back into focus, dawn had arrived, and the world had grown sleepy. The spell of the music had broken, and you were suddenly cold, standing confused within the early world, watching people move towards the field that had been used for parking. You didn’t shift to follow the masses, instead craning your neck this way and that, brushing your swollen mouth to ensure it hadn’t been fiction. Yet you couldn’t catch sight of the otherworldly creature, the light having blotted him out of existence.

Your heart somersaulted into your stomach, consumed with sudden grief. He had just been about to—what exactly? Take you back to his forest canopy and lay you down to worship? Push you up against a tree and steal more than just kisses? You were disappointed it had all ended before it truly began.

He hadn’t even left you with a name. Perhaps that had been intentional, given the weight a name held. The ability to call upon, to own, to claim. You had wanted to do all of that and would have given everything to do so.

Reality sobered you, realising how lucky you had been to avoid making a mistake you’d come to regret. Kisses like that could fill you up, but they wouldn’t pay the bills. Spinning, you trudged back to your car, fumbling around in your jeans pocket for your car keys as you went. You managed to pull them out just as you located your car, the keyring slipping through your grip when you found someone leaning against the driver’s side of the car.

He smirked, just as sinfully as he had the first time, cocking his head to the side. “Well?”

“You didn’t disappear.”

“Or turn to dust. Transform into a bat. Walk back into Faerie.” He was teasing you now, and you groaned loudly.

Stepping up to where he stood after retrieving your keys, you looked at the man, no longer a stranger and yet everything about him was a risk. You didn’t know how to cope with the way he made your heart shudder and skip beats.

And then he smiled, repeating himself. “Well?”

“Well, what?”

“Gonna invite me home, temptress? Or can I only play with you in the depths of darkness?”

_________________

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[STRAY KIDS Masterlist] | [Main Masterlist]

[aspenwritesstuff]

Part Four: Star Pupil

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He walked towards the open door of your room, smiling gently as the same smell that lingered on your clothing filled his nostrils - heavy floral notes accompanied by something more savory…sandalwood, maybe? He’d considered asking you what perfume you wore when you were awake, but quickly shook his head to remove the thought. What a weird thing to ask. 

🌹 warnings: alcohol consumption, negative self talk/subconscious insecurity, events occuring whilst asleep (being tucked in, nothing nefarious!), love interests are a lil dumb dumb

🌹 wc: 3.3k

🌹 a/n: because of you guys’ sweet feedback I was hit with sudden motivation to work on this next part. 🥺 I'm not kidding when I say reblogs and comments add fuel to the my creative spark. thank you, as always, for loving my work and supporting it. Feedback and likes and comments just make me so “🥰❤️💕” and I appreciate you all so much. You’re very dear to me. I hope you enjoy this new part, and I eagerly await your responses!

The last time Felix was this nervous was the day he’d told his family he was moving away. 

The familiarity of the bar did little to nothing for the butterflies overtaking his stomach as he skimmed the groups of people for the woman of his dreams. 

He heard her before he saw her, the laugh he was so accustomed to hearing from across the bar cutting through the chatter of the other patrons instantly bringing a smile to his lips. 

That was, until he remembered he actually needed to speak with her. 

The smile was soon replaced with a slight frown, brows pulling together as he debated just walking back out to the truck and calling it a night - he made it this far, that’s good enough. Right? 

He could already picture your disapproving scowl and the shake of your head as you chastised him for giving up so quickly. The thought of disappointing you gave him courage, somehow, as he straightened his back and took a deep breath. 

As luck would have it, there was an empty seat on the barstool directly next to Ryujin. Luckier yet, she didn’t seem bothered by Felix’s taking it - he honestly wasn’t even sure if she’d noticed his presence. 

She held her hand up and caught the attention of the barkeep on duty, politely requesting a refill of her drink. Within a few minutes, a new glass of the yellow-pink ombré was set on a fresh coaster in front of her. 

“Maui Sunset?” Felix asked, using his knowledge of drinks to his advantage in an attempt to jump start conversation. 

She turned to him with wide eyes, smiling politely before nodding. Felix returned the gesture, gulping hard as though to keep the aforementioned butterflies from escaping through his lips before raising a hand himself - ordering the same. 

She cocked her head at this, watching as the bartender set an identical beverage in front of Felix. He took a sip, glancing towards her out of the corner of his eye before chuckling. 

“What? Is it really so strange?” 

“I mean, no, I—“ she cut herself off, sipping at her own beverage before continuing, “I’m just not used to seeing a man so unconcerned with ordering a —“ she stopped suddenly again, flushing slightly as she looked down. 

“Girly drink?” Felix offered, smirking innocently at her nervous expression. She nodded again, giving an apologetic upturn of her lips as he kept speaking, “I used to be self-conscious, y’know.” 

“Oh?” She questioned, turning her body towards him as she grew more interested in the man she hadn’t bothered to remember the name of before. 

“Mhm,” he continued after another sip, “My friends would tease me - still do, actually!” 

“Doesn’t it bother you?” she asked, tilting her head to the side after mimicking his action. 

“Used to,” he admitted sheepishly, stirring his drink with the black plastic stir-stick, blending the hues into a vibrant orange.

“What changed?” she was hooked now, leaning forward into her hand - elbow on the counter - as she hung on every word. 

“I figured that it’s not my problem that they’ve got some weird vendetta against sweet things,” he said with a shrug, feigning indifference despite the way his heart raced at her newfound proximity, “Not my fault that I like myself enough not to pretend to like the other things.” 

Ryujin threw her head back and laughed, “I actually feel the same!” Her face still held the mirth of her outburst, in the form of a grin, as she explained, “My friends will always order shots when they wanna celebrate, but I hate the way tequila tastes. They tease me for opting out,” she took another drink, watching Felix carefully as he took in each word, “But I’d rather spend my money and time with something I enjoy.”

Felix’s heart lurched in his chest as she smiled at him, hope filling the deepest crevices of his mind as he finished off his drink, “I’m really glad you agree. You seem really nice,” he admitted, anxious enough that he may as well have confessed. 

“So do you,” she agreed, still giving him a sweet smile. 

“I hate to cut this short, but I only had time for one drink before heading out,” Felix spoke genuinely, feeling guilty for having such a joyful moment while you waited alone in the car. 

“Aw, really?” Ryujin pouted, lower lip jutting out sending a jolt straight into Felix’s heart, “I was hoping to talk more! You’re different, I think.” 

“If you’d like - it’s fine if not -“ he inserted the second bit as an assurance, doing his best to come off as the sweet man he truly was, “ - I could give you my number?” 

Ryujin nodded quickly, pulling out her phone and handing it to Felix - who did an excellent job at containing the giant smile he could feel twitching at the corners of his lips as he handed it back to her. 

“Felix, huh?” she murmured, meeting his eyes once more as she gave him a final smile, “I’m Ryujin.” 

Felix, of course, knew this. But he grinned brightly in response, giving a sweet, “Pleasure to meet you,” before walking towards the exit - allowing his excitement to show the second the door closed behind him. 

You’d just begun to consider catching a nap when a bouncing head of blonde illuminated under the neon caught your attention. Judging by the smile on the attached face, you found it easy to assume that it went well. 

As Felix climbed into the driver’s seat of the truck, the expectant glimmer in his eyes made you ask him anyways. 

“So, how was it?”

As soon as you’d asked, he lit up. Nearly wiggling in his seat as he spoke, he reminded you of an excited schoolgirl being asked to the prom. 

He explained from start to finish, including how nervous he was to approach at all. When he told you about relating to her by choice of drink, you couldn’t help the swell of pride in your chest. He’d found his opening, without you guiding him. 

“She seemed to really want me to stick around, y/n!” he beamed. 

“You should offer classes, your advice really works!” he gushed.

“The execution was just as important, Felix,” you deadpanned, “I may be an okay teacher, but you’re a star pupil!” 

“Really?” His eyes were on the road, but sparkling nonetheless as he received your praise. 

“Really,” you affirmed, unable to contain your own grin at the sight of his contagious smile. 

“I was so nervous,” he admitted, chewing on his lower lip, “I still kind of am. What if she doesn’t get back to me? And then she sees that I’m a bartender and feels awkward? And then she’ll think I’m a creep and then —“ 

“Felix,” you interrupted, cocking a brow as he simply continued, drumming his fingers anxiously on the center console. 

“She’s gonna avoid the bar at all costs and, oh god, what if I messed up and ruined my chances? I knew I should’ve had you come in with me —“ the speed of his fingertips accelerated as he spiraled into his own doubt - though you could’ve felt annoyed, you instead found yourself wishing you could pull him from his mind. 

“Felix!” 

“I always end up having done something irritating when I think everything’s fine, she probably thinks I’m just weird and annoying and—“

“Lixie…” you placed your hand on top of his, ceasing the soft thumps alongside his ramblings. He gave a sideways glance towards you, panic evident despite the brevity of the eye contact, “You did just fine. You’re fine. Breathe.”

And he did. As felt his hand relax beneath yours, you gave it a reassuring squeeze. His long exhale did wonders for the worry you had for him. 

It was difficult for you, seeing him upset. Unnatural, really, to watch someone so full of sunshine and love be shrouded in stormclouds. 

Now content that he wouldn’t continue his self-depreciating tangent, you pulled your hand back - suddenly self-conscious at how easily it came for you to offer him such an intimate comfort after such a short time. 

He was just so comfortable and easygoing, it came so naturally to ground him into reality however you could. Still, though, the awkwardness you helped Felix get away from seemed to take residence in your own mind. 

“I’m sorry—“ you’d started, ready to try to explain why you’d even consider doing what you had. 

“Thank you—“ he said at the same time, genuine gratitude thickening his tone with emotion. 

“Thank you?” you peered at his profile, watching as the streetlights briefly illuminated his features before he faded back into the dark. 

“Well, yeah,” he spoke as though it should be the most obvious reaction, “Sometimes my mind gets away from me, y’know?” 

You hummed, understanding completely how it felt to be aware of your own contributions to your fears but completely helpless to stop it. You couldn’t bring yourself to speak again, still feeling uncomfortable with yourself despite his thanks. 

The cab of the truck was peaceful, quiet but not disconcertingly so, with tire treads against concrete providing a stable white-noise that encouraged the wandering of your mind. Felix had said it was fine, even having seemed to be thankful for your affectionate touch, so why did your cheeks stay flushed with embarrassment? You huffed quietly, both irritated and resigned, before pressing the side of your head against the cool window in an attempt to fight off the lingering warmth in your cheeks. 

Felix flicked on the radio, singing along softly - and an octave deeper - to the pop song that played, seemingly content to settle into the wordless drive with you. It didn’t feel unpleasant to share the quiet - rather than discomfort, the silence itself was tranquil. You quickly found your eyelids drooping as you listened to Felix’s voice, fighting with every fiber of your being to stay awake. 

The warm glow of streetlights passing you by grew fuzzier, Felix's voice further away, and the flush of your cheeks all but disappeared as sleep crept it's way into your bones.

Jisung’s familiar grin brought a matching one to Felix’s features as the former exited your apartment building, spotting the truck easily and making a beeline towards it. Felix had noticed your lack of consciousness as he parked, the peaceful look on your face making him immediately feel guilty at the thought of rousing you from sleep. 

He wasn’t sure that he’d ever seen you look so completely unbothered, each worry line of your face ceasing to exist while you slept. Your lips were slightly parted, typical frown nowhere to be seen as your steady, rhythmic breathing became audible only at the cut of the truck’s engine. He’d reached out to touch your shoulder, hoping to wake you but stopping short at the soft sigh of content you produced whilst curling further into yourself.

He absolutely could not be the one to interrupt that. 

He’d shot a quick text to Jisung, having gotten his number from you after being too nervous to ask following the near-brawl of their meeting, snapping a photo of your sleeping frame to send along with a straightforward, ‘help.’

Luckily, Jisung had been waiting at the apartment for your return. He’d laughed upon seeing the text, staring at the photo of your sleeping face with a mixture of affection and humor. He supposed he should’ve warned Felix about the effect car-rides seemed to have on you - but, then again, he wouldn’t have this absolute gold-mine of teasing material now if he had. 

Felix got out of the driver’s seat and met with him outside of your door, catching a glimpse of your peaceful face through the slightly-fogged glass bringing a sweet look into his eyes. He’d grown quite fond of you in your short time together. He’d almost begun to feel a sense of responsibility for you; for your safety, for your happiness - for you, in general. 

Jisung greeted him warmly, giving one of those hugs that men seemed to think was somehow more macho than just embracing the other - with hands clasped in a prolonged high-five between them and a chaste pat on the back before releasing contact. 

“She’s really out, huh?” he chuckled, peering past Felix to your sleeping face.

“Yeah,” Felix agreed, turning to look towards you as well, “I swear, she was awake one second –”

“And completely zonked the next?” Jisung laughed, reaching for the door. As he pulled it open, your body slumped towards the now-open space you’d once been resting your weight against.

“Shit!” Felix hissed, lurching forward as he watched gravity betray your body in slow-motion. The image his mind conjured of you colliding with the concrete made his chest ache, the mere concept of harm befalling you making him feel as though he could burst into tears.

Without taking the time to think, Felix ducked down, opening the arm closest to you as panic brought a bile to his throat. The fear kept his heart racing, even as your cheek made contact with his shoulder, though his sigh of relief would keep anyone from knowing. He stood slowly, raising you from what had to be an uncomfortable angle to your previously assumed position - save for your head, which now rested in the crook of his neck rather than against the window of his truck - and shot Jisung a half-serious glare. 

“Fuck, that was stupid, huh?” he asked, a nervous laugh covering the actual shame he felt for almost busting your face. Felix didn’t justify that with a response, knowing - or, at least, hoping - that Han wouldn’t have purposefully done something to hurt you. That didn’t stop him from feeling just a tinge of anger towards him, though.

“No harm done,” Felix whispered, giving him a nod before turning back to your frame. The blonde was much stronger than he looked, linking his free arm under your leg to pull you completely from the cab. You stirred slightly, murmuring something completely unintelligible in a breathy, sleep filled tone as Felix kicked the door shut behind him. 

“You got her?” Han asked, obviously surprised by the strength of the man before him. Felix gave him a nod before jerking his chin towards the door to the complex.

“Mhm, can you get the door?” Felix had wanted to say something snide, commenting on the irony of his concern after nearly introducing you to the pavement. Han gave a thumbs up before jogging back to the door - Felix in tow with you cradled in his arms, passing by him through the newly opened door. 

Han squeezed past the two of you in the narrow entryway, climbing the steps with the occasional glance back to ensure Felix wasn’t experiencing a struggle with your dead-weighted sleeping figure. To his surprise, Felix seemed completely unbothered, climbing the steps with the speed of someone unencumbered by another person’s body. 

They made it to your door in silence, save for your occasional nonsensical mumble. Han held the door open wide, stepping aside to allow Felix as much ease as possible to get you inside. The latter held your head closer, exercising extreme caution so as not to wake you up with a doorframe to the skull, side-stepping into the apartment with Han close behind. 

“Where’s her room?” he aired his question with his hand still gently supporting the back of your head, looking up towards Han to notice which direction he pointed in, “Thanks.” 

He walked towards the open door of your room, smiling gently as the same smell that lingered on your clothing filled his nostrils - heavy floral notes accompanied by something more savory…sandalwood, maybe? He’d considered asking you what perfume you wore when you were awake, but quickly shook his head to remove the thought. What a weird thing to ask. 

Your bed being unmade was a stroke of luck, giving Felix a much easier future of getting you tucked under the covers. He approached the side of the mattress, placing your legs down first before leaning down with you to prevent any sudden jolt pulling you from dreamland. With painstakingly careful movements, he slid his hand out from under your hair and went to pull away. 

He was nearly completely removed from you when your fist clenched around the collar of his shirt, tightening with a desperation he hadn’t once seen from you. He turned to look at your face, wondering if you’d woken up and were upset that he’d entered your room without asking, only for you to still be unconscious. The furrow between your brows had returned, though - and your lips had pulled downwards into a frown, lower lip trembling slightly. 

“What did I do..?” you mumbled, sleepiness weighing down what otherwise would’ve been a heart-wrenching whine. Felix tilted his head as he knelt at the edge of your bed, cautiously lifting a hand to brush a few strands of hair from your face. His mind raced as he wondered what was plaguing your dreams, chest aching as he realized that your peaceful rest was being plagued by worry. 

“What?” he asked softly, just in case you were conscious enough to need a reply, “What could you have done wrong?” his words came out sweeter than candy, his eyes never once leaving your face - searching for any inkling of consciousness. 

“I tried…” you whispered, head lolling to the side, “Tried my best…”

“I’m sure you did…” he assured, confusion evident in the upwards lilt of his voice. He moved his hand back from your face as he leaned down to pull off your shoes, only to be stopped by the grip you still held on his shirt. 

“Sorry…not enough…I can be more…” these phrases trailed off into silence, leaving more questions than answers in their wake as your grip relaxed on his collar, leading him to hope the worst was over. He felt his heart break a little at the sight of your mournful expression, breaths coming quicker as your head thrashed in the opposite direction. 

“You’re more than enough, y/n,” his voice was thick as he fought tears of his own, wondering who or what had ever made you feel the need to apologize for feeling less than what you were, “I promise.” 

He moved away for a moment to finally remove your shoes, setting them on the floor next to the bed before pulling the comforter over your shoulders. He placed his hand on your covered back and, feeling your muscles relax under the well-intentioned touch, began to rub small circles between your shoulderblades. Your breathing slowed, the affectionate motion driving away the negative thoughts your subconscious had dragged into your dreams, bringing Felix a wave of relief. 

As soon as he was content that you were no longer in distress, his hand fell back to his side. He stood, grabbing your shoes to place by the entrance as he made his way to the hallway - pausing in the doorframe to send you one last glassy-eyed glance. 

“You really are, y’know,” he spoke softly, watching the rise and fall of your breathing from beneath the blankets, “More than enough.”

With that, he pulled your door shut behind him and said his goodbyes to Jisung. It wasn’t until he was back in his truck that he allowed his emotions to swell. A single tear fell from his eye as he recalled the pain in your eyes whilst you apologized to an unseen force. 

That moment fully cemented his already firm intentions; however it had gone from a bet to a personal mission.

Love wasn’t dead, despite whatever had happened that made you believe so.

Love wasn’t dead, despite the anguish in your unconscious ramblings.

Love wasn’t dead, and he desperately - for your sake now, rather than his own - needed to prove you wrong.

[quokkatastic]

[SKZ] Faded Echoes

Hwang Hyunjin x Kim Eunji

♦︎♥︎♤♣︎

Gang/Mafia AU - Enemies > Lovers

Triggers - Swearing, Smutt, Abusive relationships (not being romanticised just to he clear), Violence

MASTERLIST / FRACTIONS

Summary:

Growing up in an unstable household, Hyunjin has had to change his world view and behaviour over the years. From being an unempathetic asshole to a clear thinker who doesn’t act on his immediate thoughts anymore. However, just because he’s changed how he behaves doesn’t necessarily mean everyone he’s hurt has forgiven him.

Having not met for 6 years since their messy break up, Eunji and Hyunjin are forced to be in each others’ presence when the former’s life is on the line. But can they co-operate in the difficult situation, or will their past come back to bite them?

Chapters:

Current goal is 10 chapters but that’s not my plan for the whole story

This is also being pre-written before I publish anything, so once the first chapter is released then I’ve already finished the story.

(Lines through them means they’re not published)

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

[kpopformylife]

Secret Love - Bangchan

[notastraykid]

Some lovely writing right here. Fantasy? Yep. Werewolf? Awooyep. Smut? Yep. Romance? Yep. What else would you want??

The King of the Forest (M) ~Bang Chan

Pairing: WerewolfKing!Chan x HumanPrincess!Reader Themes: Supernatural/Fantasy AU | Smut | Mild Angst | Royalty | Mediaeval Setting Word Count: ~3k | AO3 Synopsis: As a Princess, all you’d ever been deemed good for was doing what you were told and keeping to your role, something that frustrated you beyond belief. It wasn’t until you met that young wolf in the forest that you finally realised there was more out there for you. [You can find a follow-up story here]. Warnings: reader is implied to be chubby/curvy (of course, when is it not atp) · descriptive attributes of the reader are used. such as: exact age & having long hair · themes of misogyny · themes of motherhood/pregnancy · possessiveness · pet names · graphic depictions of intercourse (smut warnings under the cut).

Author’s Note: shout out to 🐧 anon for suggesting the idea of WerewolfKing!Chan x Princess!Reader in these two asks. at this point i’m convinced i’ll end up going through every possible iteration of werewolf!chan i can lol. it probably won’t go in the direction it was expected, but i hope some of you get to enjoy it regardless~ special thanks to @cursed-mars-bars & @straylightdream for beta-reading this.

Due to all the abovementioned warnings, this story is intended for an adult audience only. Minors please do not interact.

Smut Warnings: mentions and depictions of loss of ‘virginity’ · praising (duh) · oral (F.Rec) · unprotected penetration [piv] · probably body worship · marking · breeding · public sex? · cum eating (probably not in the way you expect)

Disclaimer: the story represented in this work does not represent Stray Kids in any way; anything described in this story and all actions performed by the characters are purely fictional, this was created just for good fun.

This was wrong. It was so, so wrong. At least, to the standards of some. 

As a princess, you’d been taught that all you’d ever be good for was marrying you off to a powerful family, to be used as an offering for political convenience and alliances, with no regard for your own wants and needs. That was, of course, as long as you maintained your virtue. Or what your mother referred to as ‘virtue’.

‘No man wants to own an already used glove’, you heard the Crown Prince say once, which sounded just so ridiculous to you. Not only because women were most certainly not pieces of clothing, but also because your dearest older brother had probably laid with dozens of men and women without being married himself.

Hypocrites, all of them. 

“Your–Your Majesty…” You gasped. You could feel blood rush to your head under the devious tongue of the man between your legs. Although, you weren’t sure if man was the right word to use to describe him.

He hummed, effectively sending delicious vibrations through your body that made you whine.

“I told you, pup…” He detached himself from your centre enough to speak, temporarily replacing his mouth with his fingers to rub slow circles on that bundle of nerves between yours legs. “When we’re here, just the two of us, I want you to use my name. Hm?” 

Swallowing the saliva that had collected in your mouth, you nodded.

“Say it, Your Highness. Say it with your whole chest. Relish the fact that only you get to do so”.

The movement of his fingers on your clit had your head spinning, but you needed to comply–you wanted to comply–so, after taking a deep breath, you did. “C–Chris”.

A smile formed on his lips, but it wasn’t smug, nor belittling. It was a genuine smile, one of those that always made him look his age, as if he hadn’t experienced any form of cruelty in his life, a smile that made your heart flutter in your chest. “Again”. 

“Chris…” You could barely hold eye contact anymore, it was hard to do so when your brain was trying to send you into fight or flight whenever you looked into his eyes–a feeling that completely clashed with the one building in the pit of your stomach due to Chris’ movements between your legs.

“That’s it, pup. So good for me”, you felt yourself flush, not only at his praise, but also because he returned his mouth to your centre to lightly suck on your clit.

If your father knew you were here, laying on the ground, in the middle of the forest, with the Wolf King himself feasting on your cunt, he’d surely send you to a convent to repent. Not only for ‘losing your virtue’, but also for ‘losing your morals’ by giving yourself to what he believed to be a barbaric beast.

You didn’t care, though. You never did.

Your father didn’t know Chris. He didn’t know anything that wasn’t what he’d been taught by those before him, he’d never even bothered to question it. He didn’t know that, in reality, the man you had wholly–willingly–given yourself to, was heaps more civilised than he would ever be.

“Oh…” You brought a hand to Chris’ head to bury your fingers in his hair, shivering not only at the feeling of his plush lips and his wet tongue on your clit, but also at the silky feeling of his dark strands between your fingers. You needed to hold onto something, something that could keep yourself attached to reality while he quickened the pace of his tongue.

In retrospect, you figured it was only a matter of time before you ended up here with Chris. You’d known him since you were a child. The first time you saw him he was but a young pup, a fluffy canine that had found you sitting on the ground, with your back against a tree, sobbing in the middle of the forest after you’d had an argument with your mother.

You didn’t know what he was back then, you thought he was just a regular, maybe overly friendly and domesticated wolf, but after a couple of times of seeing him in the forest, he finally revealed himself to you. You would’ve honestly never expected for an animal to shift into a boy, much less a boy like Chris.

He was so…regal.

As soon as your eyes met when he was in his human form you could immediately tell he wasn’t just some boy–not only because of the obvious furry situation, but also because of the way he carried himself, because of the way he articulated his thoughts.

After a couple of times meeting as just a boy and a girl in the forest, you got to truly learn who he was. The Prince of the Forest, he’d said. His mother led the biggest clan of lycanthropes in the vast forest, a realm that would be his in due time.

Meeting Chris had changed your view on the forest, on what your people said of this place. You’d been taught it was filled with beasts that ate people, that killed people, that deceived people… But when you met Chris, a simple boy who just so happened to also be a wolf, a boy who kept you company and understood you and respected you as an equal, you realised your father and your mother and everyone around you were all just full of shit.

It was fascinating, really. Learning the hierarchical structures of the forest as an outsider… Especially when Chris clearly trusted you enough to confide in you. Which was why, in a cruel turn of fate, by the time you were sixteen, you could no longer go to the forest to meet him.

Your father had noticed you were frequently missing, and one day, while you walked the familiar paths to your usual meeting spot, you noticed someone following you. Thankfully, it all happened before you met Chris that day, but, regretfully, it also meant that you never got to say goodbye.

You often found yourself thinking about Chris after that. Not all day, but almost every day you did. At least once… When you saw your father’s hunting dogs, when you ate something you liked, and even when you started to bloom into adulthood and your dreams bled into images of greens and the feel of smooth skin and warm lips on your own.

For your twenty-fourth birthday, your father had kindly gifted you a betrothed, probably the complete opposite of anything you could’ve possibly wanted. ‘You’re getting too old, my dear. Your younger sister already has two children of her own. It’s time you finally fulfil your duty, aren’t you happy?’

You were not happy, to say the least. You were furious. You’d managed to avoid any arrangements for years, always got the other party to call off the engagement first, but this time it wasn’t working in your favour, they’d have you marry soon after you turned twenty-five. Which was why you found yourself back in the forest. Trying to escape the sombre future ahead of you.

That was how you found Chris again, that was how Chris found you again. After almost ten years. Sobbing on the forest floor with your back against a tree and your head pressed to your knees.

You honestly hadn’t expected to see him again. There was, of course, a small light of hope in you that wished you would, but you never entertained it, it just hurt way too much if you did. However, what you also hadn’t expected, was the hurt look in his eyes, nor the tremble in his voice when he asked you ‘Why did you never come back?’

So, with a tremble of your own in your voice, you told him the chain of events that led to your disappearance. ‘I just didn’t want them to find you, Your Highness. It would’ve gotten both of us in danger’.

You could still remember how Chris cradled your face in his hands that night, rubbing away the tears that had fallen down your cheeks with his thumbs, just as he muttered a very quiet, and very soft ‘Your Majesty…’ 

The confusion must’ve been clear on your face, because he chuckled, offering a ‘It’s Your Majesty now, Your Highness. I’m King now. A lot has happened since we last met. I can tell you all of it, if you wish to hear it, but with one condition… Right here, between us, I’m just Chris, and you’re just you. Just like before…’

Just like before, he’d said… But before you’d never been that physically close to each other. Before, you’d never kissed like you needed each other to breathe. That wasn’t what you did before, but somehow it felt just so incredibly natural, almost as if you’d spent a lifetime doing so.

You did talk a lot that night in the forest, both of you. Chris told you the events that led to his coronation, about the war amongst clans that took his mother’s life as well as many others. A war that, despite the many costs, he managed to win. Just like you told him stories of your own–much less interesting stories than his, to be honest. 

You, also, lost your ‘virtue’ that very same night. You really hadn’t planned it to be that way, it just sort of happened, and you weren’t sure if it was the moonlight shining on you both, or if it was the longing accumulated during those almost ten years spent apart, but, at that moment, there was nothing more that you wanted than to feel Chris’ body against yours.

Any time his lips attached to your skin sparks of pleasure and love ignited within the deepest areas in your heart. It didn’t matter if it was on your lips, your cheeks, your chest, your tummy, your thighs, or between your legs… His kisses steadily kindled the burning flame in the pit of your stomach, making it burn bright just for him.

The pleasure you’d provided to yourself all these years had been nothing compared to how you felt with Chris. You weren’t sure if it was the fact that it was someone else that was stimulating those sacred areas of your body that no one else had ever touched, if it was the fact that you’d been in love with him practically since the day you met him in the forest over thirteen years ago, or if it was the combination of it all that had stars clouding your vision and your heart growing ten sizes in your chest… 

Regardless, you knew this would be a feeling that no one else would be able to replicate, and if there was ever someone capable of it you just didn’t want them. You wanted no one else but Chris.

It wasn’t until he’d finally soiled your tummy with his release, when he had carefully cleaned it off of you and you laid in his arms that you finally told him of your engagement. Maybe it was a bit cruel, you’d admit. To drop such a bomb on him in one of his most vulnerable moments. His eyes clouded with a dangerous mix of pain and sadness and anger.

So much of it all you did get scared for a second. Until he cradled your face in his hands and very confidently said ‘Marry me’.

You were at a loss, suddenly feeling incredibly inadequate to marry a King, even more the Wolf King of the forest. You didn’t know enough of his people, you didn’t know if they’d accept you, if you’d be fit to cater to their needs. All concerns which you voiced to Chris. He’d reassured you that his people were very different from yours, more accepting, and that you were already more than capable of leading, that he’d never wanted anyone else by his side that wasn’t you.

Over the course of a year, you got close and personal with Chris’ kind. It was honestly almost insane, maddening, how these people that shifted into beasts had shown you more kindness than your own kin. It baffled you, knowing how much pain you had endured over nothing throughout your short life when you saw just how much more socially advanced they were. Although you shouldn’t have been surprised, not when these were the people from which the man you fell madly in love with was born.

So here you were, a few days after your twenty-fifth birthday, gone without leaving a trace, just a month before your marriage to Duke WhateverHisNameWas, laying on the forest floor with only a thick coat to protect your back, and a completely different man than the one you were supposed to marry between your legs–but, admittedly, the only man you’d ever wanted.

“Chris, I’m…” You could hardly speak. Tears were collecting in your eyes, you could feel your lower belly tightening further with Chris’ diligent licks and gentle sucks, with the tight grip of his hand on your soft lower belly, and the delicious drag of his four digits inside your walls hitting your most sensitive spots.

Chris hummed in response, picking up his movements, bringing you closer to that satisfying climax you were so desperate for.

Quiet moans spilled freely from your lips once that blinding pleasure consumed you whole. Your thighs trembled, your grip on his hair tightened, and you simply let the feeling overtake every single one of your senses.

When Chris finally detached himself from your sensitive warmth, your body slumped. You were gasping for air a bit, with your eyes barely open, just enough so you could catch a glimpse of the satisfied smile on your lover’s lips before he came back up to connect his mouth with yours.

You sighed, content, looping your arms around his neck as you savoured the unmistakable taste of your pleasure still lingering on his lips.

“Are you sure about this, pup?” Chris asked when he finally pulled back. 

How considerate of him to worry about this now.

“I am. I don’t want to be anyone else’s. Just yours. Only yours”, you replied confidently, because if there was something you believed in right now was just how irrevocably his you were.

Your breath hitched in your throat as you felt his warmth between your legs, as you felt the tip of his length drag along your folds and spread the remnants of your release all over you both. Chris looked deeply into your eyes, looking at you like you mattered, like you were someone truly important, someone he cared for.

“No one else’s”, he repeated, just as he leaned in to connect his mouth to yours again, as he finally started to push himself into you.

You whimpered at the feeling. Not only because of the undeniable stretch, but also for what it represented. What it had always represented.

Chris hushed you softly, attaching his lips to your cheeks so he could press soothing kisses on your soft skin. He took his time, slowly giving you every centimetre of him he had to offer, until he was fully sheathed within your heat. It didn’t matter if you’d done this before, if you’d taken him more times than you could count, having him fully inside was always difficult for the first few minutes, but you never complained, not when you knew just how incredibly good it would soon feel. 

“Can’t promise you I can remain this gentle, pup”, he mumbled against your cheek, just like he often did. He was capable of gentleness, but he was also capable of being incredibly unforgiving, so he always tried to give you a heads up–not like you didn’t know this already. Pressing one more kiss on your cheek for good measure, he pulled back to look you in the eyes. “I’m using every single drop of willpower to not let the beast consume me… But, fuck, you’re just so warm…”

You cradled his face in your hands, dragging your thumbs over his skin, unable to keep your eyes from shifting focus between his eyes, his nose, his lips, the tiny, barely perceptible freckles that littered his cheeks… “It’s okay, my love. Let it consume you if you must. I’m his, too, after all”.

Ever so slowly, Chris finally moved, starting a rhythm, letting you adjust to the movement of his thickness within your walls. With a hand buried in the hair on the back of his head and the other spread palm flat on his warm chest, right over his racing heart, you wrapped your legs around his waist. The movement shifted the angle of your hips, and moans fell from both of your mouths at just how deep inside of you he could reach like this. 

“That feels… Fuck…” He increased the tempo of his hips, eliciting desperate whines and moans from your mouth once he started to fully ram into you. You could feel your breasts bounce with every harsh thrust of his hips, but even if to an outsider it might’ve seemed like he was pushing your limits, this was one of the tamest versions of himself, one that balanced his human needs along with his animal ones fairly well, one you were more than acclimated to.

“Good…” You finished the sentence he’d started, throwing your head back when his cock hit your sweet spot, effectively sending jolts of pleasure up and down your spine. “Fuck… There. Right there, love”. 

“Mmm… Here?” With precise thrusts, he repeatedly stimulated those utmost sensitive areas inside your walls, making you lose your train of thought and leaving you no other option but to desperately nod to answer his question.

With a hand next to your head and the other holding on tightly to your hip, Chris kept his steady pace. The nacre moon charm that always hung from the chain around his neck continuously dragged against your chest with every thrust of his hips, the quiet tinkling it produced barely audible among the cacophony of blissed-out sounds he was coaxing out of you, and the ones you were coaxing out of him.

Chris buried himself deep inside you time and time again, until you lost track of time, gradually speeding his movements, increasing the strength in which his hips hit your soft skin.

“Close… So, so close…” He mumbled eventually, and you shivered in anticipation. 

He lowered himself on his elbows, getting close enough to start leaving sloppy, open mouthed kisses on your neck. 

“Do it, Chris”, you whispered in his ear, panting a bit, pressing one of your hands on his lower back. “Mark me, my King”.

Chris groaned, and before you knew it, he was sinking his teeth on the junction of your neck and your shoulder. The sting of his bite quickly shifted into a feeling of unadulterated ecstasy, a feeling of euphoria that spread all throughout your body, dragging searing heat in its wake.

A low, animalistic growl resonated from your lover once he reached his own climax and started to pump you full of him, of everything he had to give. You barely even registered it, too consumed by the pleasure still coursing through your body, by the feeling of his canines still attached to your skin and his unfaltering thrusts.

After a minute, with a grunt, he pushed his hips flush against yours, burying himself as deep as he could inside of you, and his movements finally stopped. His tongue soothed the fresh bite he’d left on your skin, and you shuddered a bit.

His mouth was once again on yours, kissing you deeply, just like he had always been meant to do.

When he pulled back from the kiss, Chris looked you in the eyes, softly caressing your cheek with his knuckles. “You’re all mine now, pup. Mine to keep, to love, to breed. Only mine”. 

“Always have been”, you replied simply, regarding him with a small smile on your lips. 

Chris chuckled, and he leaned down to press a brief kiss on your lips. 

He finally pulled himself away from you entirely, bringing his hands to your inner thighs so he could keep you fully spread open for him. With his eyes so focused on your centre, you suddenly felt heat creep on your cheeks–a bit of an absurd reaction, considering he’d seen your modesty innumerable times, although never after stuffing you full of his seed. That was a first.

Chris dived in again, and you trembled as you felt his warm, wet tongue lapping up your sensitive folds, gently cleaning you up.

When he was done, he straightened himself, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and smiling brightly at you. 

You brought your hands to your soft lower belly, just as a bashful smile settled on your lips. “You really think I could…”

You let your question trail off, and Chris chuckled as he brought his hands to your sides. Slowly, he dragged them down to your hips, where he squeezed the plump swell of them. “When I saw you again after all these years, when I saw these hips of yours, I knew you’d be just perfect to carry my pups, love”.

“We might have to give it a few tries, though”, you extended your hand, and Chris immediately took it and helped you sit down. The coat he’d placed on the ground before he laid you on it was soft against your bare skin, and you couldn’t help but appreciate his thoughtfulness.

“Then we’ll try as many times as necessary”, Chris sat with his back against a tree, and pulled you to sit on his lap.

Resting your arms on his broad shoulders, you leaned in for a kiss, and as soon as your mouths touched, he let out a satisfied hum.

“My father is a goddamn fool for thinking he could marry me off to some guy”, you said as soon as you pulled back, burying your fingers in his hair and gently dragging them over Chris’ scalp, making him chuckle. 

He pushed your now undone hair off of your shoulder, exposing the mark he’d left so he could softly trace it with this thumb. The area was incredibly sensitive, and his tender touch made you shiver. “Doesn’t matter now. The second anyone so much as tries to take you away from me will be the moment they draw their last breath. You’re already my Queen, my love. All mine”. 

You leaned in again, pressing a kiss to his lips. Pulling back just a bit, with your mouths barely a hair’s width apart, your lips brushed against his with every whispered word that came out of your mouth. “Yours, my King”.

Maybe if your father had taken you seriously for one second in his life, you wouldn’t have ended up here, married to the King of the forest. But as Chris held you in his arms, and as he eventually helped you re-dress so he could take you to what would now be your forever home, you figured it was best not to dwell on hypotheticals, not when you finally felt this incredibly cared for and so incredibly full of love.

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