#baseball cap yeosang

[atzfilm]

stranger. (m)

– hybrid tiger!yeosang × f.reader [19.9k]

– smut, angst

– an aspiring vet student, you take a volunteer job at the local circus. you enjoy it, until you notice how odd the tiger is acting. how his eyes follow you, watch you. wait, did he just nod when you asked him a question?

– content: starvation, blood, inaccurate vet procedures, circus (the mc does not condone it at all), miscommunication, injuries, death mentions, breeding kink

– no part two!!

You stare at your thesis, picking at your hair. It’s pages long; filled with theories and hypotheses on how you can better the animal science industry, changing a whole portion of the structure. You’ve been working on it for months on end, trying your best to perfect the numbers and hopefully, presenting it to your dream graduate school.

“Still working on that paper?” San asks, holding two cups of coffee in his hands. He passes one off to you and you thank him with a tip of your baseball cap, taking a sip. You nod at the taste, eyes flicking up to him.

San’s your lab partner and your best friend, a constant by your side. He plops down next to you, glancing at your textbook. “You’ve been at it all day, time to take a break.” He pulls at his coat, tosses it across the bench next to the two of you.

“Can’t. It’s due in a few months, San. Every minute wasted is a moment that I’ll only regret. And don’t you have yours to work on?” You gesture to the space in front of him piled with research mimicking yours. He glances at them, letting out a deep sigh.

Adjusting his glasses, he begins organizing. “I do, but I know when it’s time for me to take a break. Like you, right now.” He pulls your papers away from you as you groan, lazily reaching for your documents. He gives you a pointed look, putting them back into your bag.

“Take a break, seriously. Those bags under your eyes are getting a bit too hard to look at,” he glances at you once, before beginning to pile his things away. “Why don’t you go and look at the local circus? I know you’ve been trying to shut it down for a while, so might as well see what’s really going on there.”

“It’s too obvious with these clothes on. They’ll never let me in,” You glance down at your lab coat, a pout on your lips.

“I honestly don’t think that would change much. They take the money they can get. We aren’t exactly a tourist town.”

You expressed your concerns to San constantly about the unfairness of your local circus, the animals there under the eyes of people who could care less about them. Even though there’s nothing you can do about it, you’re still stuck on it. There’s no reason for them to have exotic and big animals in there, and you’re sure their licenses are way past expired. But you know that despite it all, deep down you’re afraid; confrontation makes you queasy and you try your best to avoid it at all costs.

“Don’t you want to change the animal industry?” San points out, taking another sip of his coffee. He winces at the flavor, glancing inside the cup. “Tastes like pure grind.”

You switch with him, tasting him. Moaning in contentment, you pass him yours. He takes a sip, and nods, continuing to drink.

“What if they call the police on me or something?”

“Doesn’t your old crush Jongho work at the station?” San asks, and you feel the heat coming to your cheeks. “It’ll be fine then. He gets a boner just from looking at you, so I’m sure he’ll let you off the hook.”

“He does not get a fucking boner, you pervert,” You grumble, and San merely shrugs.

“He stumbles through his words like we’re in elementary school, and always blubbers something about doughnut puns since he’s a cop. It’s a bit embarrassing if you think about it.”

You hit his shoulder lightly and he laughs, wiggling his brows.

-

You sit on one of the benches, your coat tucked into your bag as you wait for the show to start. It’s against your morals to give anything to this piece of crap place, but your “of the moment” investigative journalism relies on you getting the scoop without being spotted. And San insisted that sneaking inside the local circus would only make matters worse, you begrudgingly agreeing. Jongho can’t save you from a bad reputation.

You’re in the far back, surrounded by dozens of people too tired from their long drives, probably seeking some reprieve from their loved ones or their stir crazy children. You listen to the cheesy music as you flick through your phone, waiting for the show to start.

Your town sits between two big cities. It’s unnoticed by the biggest television network near you, always skipped over in the weather forecast and news briefings. You’d think it didn't exist if you didn’t live here. A big reason why you’re ready to leave this silly town of yours, and see something different and new.

Since you were young, your neighbors sparingly moved away; everyone knew everyone. Being left alone was and still is, not an option. All of your partners and crushes know one another, and you never get away from San; you two are literal peas in a pod. San shares your dream of seeing the door out of this place and living a life being unknown, being able to walk down the street without saying hi to a familiar face every five seconds. The big city is the place you both want to go, and becoming a doctor seems like a big way out.

The lights dim, sliding your phone into your pocket.

The ringmaster walks out, introducing himself as Kim Hongjoong. You’re not sure if he and the Kim Family that dominates your town are related, but you keep an eye out for him, taking small notes. He’s too far away to pick out his face, but you watch in silence. Acrobats and gymnasts of all types jump and twirl around the stage, and you can’t help but respect them. It takes great strength to move their body that way.

The animals finally come out, and you lean forward, narrowing your eyes. You curse yourself for not taking a seat closer, but you digress. Monkeys play tricks for the audience who laugh in delight. You watch the dog trainer let the dogs jump and play, and the lights dim even more.

“And now it is time for our showmaker, our South Chinese Tiger!” Hongjoong shouts, taking a step back. A cage rolls out, and you tense up.

A‌ loud roar erupts throughout the crowd as a child cries. The tiger comes out with a chain around his neck, looking around the crowd. It’s huge, and it makes you wonder if it’s actually the breed that he said. They’re rare; it’s impossible and illegal to own one on your own. You see the tremors of its body, performing the tricks the trainer asks of it. You watch as the rest of the patrons leave once it ends, the laughter and music fading. Your eyes flick to a tent that says animals. You can hear San’s voice in your ear right now, telling you that this is definitely a bad idea and you should just go. But your curiosity cannot be tamed, and you need to know what’s exactly going on.

You stand outside the tent, your heart pumping in your ears. You hear the yelling of the man who takes care of the animals, loud sounds as he bangs something against the cages. You hear the monkeys squeal and whine, but surprisingly, you don’t hear the growl of the tiger. After a few moments of silence, you peek into the area, eyes flicking around for any movement of people. Making sure the coast is clear, you pull back the flap slowly, softly, closing it behind you.

You look at the tiger’s cage, surprised to see that his eyes are on yours, unmoving. You know not to antagonize him, flicking your gaze away and holding up your hands in submission. A small grunt falls from his lips, and he rests his head back down. You see the scars that cover his cheeks, the number 69 stamped into the side of his coat. You take slow steps as he watches you, making sure not to alarm him.

“What’s your name, big guy?” You ask softly, glancing around. Your eyes land on the metal plate on the bottom of his too small cage.

Yeosang.

"What are you doing here?"

You move away from the cage quickly, turning to see whoever showed up. It's a younger man, holding a small hose in his hands. He stares at you warily, covered in dirt from head to toe. He must be one of the assistants at the circus; hat and the blond hair dripping with what you can only assume is sweat. He shrugs off the hose, slowly walking towards you.

"The show closed a while ago, lady. No free behind the scenes shit."

You glance at the tiger, and his eyes are still resting on yours, as if he's waiting for you to make the next move. You hold your hands up in surrender, shaking your head.

"No, I'm not here for a free show. I saw your tiger—" You hear a low growl from the cage— "Yeosang, and I just noticed how malnourished he is, along with the other animals."

You look at Yeosang's side, his breaths quick but steady. The outline of his ribs worry you; he has to be getting way less food than he's supposed to. Tigers eat, a lot. Several pounds a day. But from the dull color of his fur and tired gaze, you can only assume that he's been given much less.

"And what's it to you? Are you the feds or something?" He asks, narrowing his eyes. "You need a warrant before coming in here."

"No, no. I'm a vet student. I'm in my last year. I'm not from the government or anything like that."

He crosses his arms against his chest. You listen to the monkeys shriek as he takes you in. Holding out a hand, he twirls his fingers in a give me motion.

"Show me your school identification."

You thank the heavens that you left it in your pocket instead of in the car like you usually do. You take it out, placing it in his hands. He looks at the ID, flicking his eyes between it and you. Passing it back to you, he sighs, scratching the hairs that fall from his cap. He glances at the animals for a moment, before speaking.

"They're beautiful, aren't they? But unfortunately, the head man doesn't care too much about their health. Just wants them to perform a little dance and sit in these tiny ass cages at the end of every show. Poor animals are probably plotting their escapes everyday."

His eyes flick to you. "I don't like the way they're treated either. But the only thing I can do is try to get some food in them and rinse them off. They probably haven't gotten their shots either." He takes off his cap, resting it on one of the standing posts.

He gestures to the tiger. "That boy there's been bred in captivity and hasn't seen the wild one day of his life. Too young to even remember his parents. And you don't see much of his species around here, or anywhere, really. South China tigers don't exist in the wild anymore."

So Hongjoong is telling the truth. He doesn't look like any of the tigers you've treated, but you just couldn't pinpoint which one he is. But those words falling from this man's lips, he is in fact, a rare tiger. One of the types that are sold on the black market for millions of dollars. And here he is rotting away in a too small cage, performing at a local zoo.

"He seems to have grown attached to you though. Never let someone that close to his cage except for me without throwing a fit. You must be good." Blondie smiles at you, cheeks plump. "Nice to meet you, by the way. My name is Wooyoung. Jung Wooyoung, but I hide the surname for people I don't know."

He holds out his hand, and you take it, shaking it lightly.

"Then why tell me?" You ask, and he clicks his tongue before speaking.

"Yeosang trusts you, so I do too."

Wooyoung goes through the procedures of what he does to treat the animals on a day basis; from their early meals, to exercise, to the end of shows. You're not sure how he even has time for himself since he's always here, the only trainer that's able to be this close to Yeosang without getting their arm bitten off. Without years of education in animal medicine, the knowledge that he has impresses you to the highest degree. He's even more educated than some of your classmates. But he explains softly that he doesn't get paid much, and he can only do with what he has in taking care of them.

"The city controls this circus. They know that our animals need more, but are too frugal and never mention it to anybody. I bet if those animal people came in they'd have a riot." Wooyoung cleans the bottom of an empty cage, monkeys watching him as he does so.

You feel Yeosang's eyes on your back but you don't turn to look at him. He's a bit strange from other ones you've interacted with, more solemn and quiet. Even the slow flip of his tail is different. But you're sure he's just curious about a new visitor, and nothing more than that.

Probably.

“We’ve been looking for more help around here,” Wooyoung mumbles, wrinkling his nose at a bit of grass one of the primates throws at him.‌‌‌ A quick point of his finger, he turns to you. “The rest of the animals don’t really need much work, but Yeosang is a bit of a mystery. He’s not too old, but he acts like a grumpy old man.”

Yeosang huffs in response, turning around in his cage. Wooyoung looks on in amusement as he gives his caretaker his back in defiance. Wooyoung looks back at you, grabbing his hat and placing it back on his head.

“I know you must be busy and all, but Yeosang needs another caretaker other than me, you know?‌ On my days off, no one dares go over to him, except for tosses of some raw meat at him and water. Not really taking care of him? I think he’s only really taken care of when I'm around. I‌ don’t think they fed him when I was gone for two days. He looked almost sickly.”

Wooyoung looks at the tiger in pity. “Even though he sleeps most of the day, he still needs food. They treat him like he’s worse than an animal, it’s disturbing.”

“Have you done anything to try and stop it?”‌ You ask, and Wooyoung looks at you sharply.

“What can I do? I’m only a lowly assistant, nothing I say would faze them. I went to the county and the sheriff, but all he did was kick me out and said mind my own business. These government people only care about the money in their pockets, they don’t care about the animals. Not like we do.”

He tilts his head. “We don’t know much about each other, that’s why I think when you come and volunteer, I can be there to watch you take care of him. At least for the first few weeks. After that, I can finally take a bit of a vacation.” Wooyoung grins widely.

You can see that he’s been trying his best to take care of them, but being a one man show could only work for so long. He’s young. You don’t know much about him, but from the passion in his eyes as he speaks about the animals, you think that’s all you need to know. It’s not his fault that he doesn’t have the resources to test and take care of them. And if you think about it, you don’t have the resources either. But helping him with the care, you’re not sure if you have the time.

Your thesis is due soon, and it takes up most of your free time. You usually have about five minutes in the day to eat dinner or chat with San. But you can see the defeat in Wooyoung’s eyes, the pure exhaustion. No one that young should look that way. He’s probably the same age as you, and looks like he’s been through Hell and back.

You nod.

“I can help you when I can. I go to school during the week, but I‌‌ can help a couple of hours a day, and during the weekend.”

His smile almost cracks his face at how wide it is.

“Did you hear that, Yeo?” Wooyoung yells, seeing the tiger’s ear twitch at his voice. “We got a new caretaker just for you buddy!”

You giggle softly at his excitement. Wooyoung finishes up his job, whistling softly at Yeosang. The tiger turns to look at him, tail still moving slowly. His eyes move to look at you. It’s a bit strange how human his eyes are, scanning yours with curiosity beyond your comprehension. You can’t quite understand how people can treat animals so harshly when they hold your eyes with such intelligence.

His large paw scratches the bottom of the cage, claws making you wince. They’re a bit overgrown; he’s supposed to have scratching posts around his cage, but it’s so small that all he can do is walk in a circle. You wish that you could do something, anything, to help him. But you suppose that being here is enough for now.

“See you later, bud. Gotta show y/n around the tents for a bit, before taking one off.” Wooyoung waves you to follow him. You take one last look at Yeosang, before closing the flap behind you.

Wooyoung walks you around the premise, introducing you to members of the circus that walk past. You see a man with bright pink hair waving at you from the top of a pole, balancing on one leg as he eats his dinner. His eyes are soft as they watch you continue on. You later learn that his name is Yunho.

Wooyoung peeks his head inside a trailer, groaning at what he sees.‌ A head full of hair pops out. He winks at you, reaching out and pressing his lips against the back of your hand. He’s the ringleader; Hongjoong. You can see he’s quite a seducer immediately upon hearing Wooyoung calling you a doctor. Wooyoung has to drag you away from him, scolding him as he does so. You’re still not sure if he’s related to the Kim’s, but at the moment you’d rather not dwell on it.

The other faces blend amongst each other, until he finally reaches the back entrance of the fairground. He leans against the fence, adjusting his cap again.

“You can come right after the performance, if you have time tomorrow.”‌ His eyes widened before taking out his phone. “Ah, can you put your number in here?” He hands you his phone and you type it quickly, giving it back to him. He nods slowly, tucking it back into his pocket.

“Thanks,” You start, and he raises a brow, “For not calling the cops on me.”

Wooyoung shrugs. “Eh, I wasn’t gonna anyway. Yeosang hasn’t eaten yet,” He winks at you, and you laugh. “I’m happy you agreed to join, Dr. y/n.”

You wave him off, your face getting warm. “Not a doctor yet. But close.”

“Close enough for me,” He turns back, waving at you. “See ya later, doc!”

He disappears into the tents, leaving you at the back entrance. You let out a small chuckle, before turning around and walking back. That night, you dream about honey eyes staring at you in the middle of the forest.

-

“A circus? You’re working at the local Kim circus?” San scoffs, shaking his head. “You know how they treat animals there, y/n.‌ It’s not a good idea to involve yourself in something like that. It’ll only lead to bad endings. One day they’re going to get raided and you’re going to go to jail.”

“Love that optimism,” You mumble, sipping on what had to be tenth coffee. “Not digging the vibes, San. You’re sounding a bit too much like those prep kids in our senior year bio class.”

“I’m sorry,”‌ he says, staring at his textbook in front of him. “I just don’t want to see you being in some shady shit. I know you want to save the animals, but sometimes you have to save yourself.”

“Choi San.”

You put your coffee to the side.

“You can’t say that when you’re the one who stopped in the middle of the highway, blocked three lanes of traffic with your body only, so that you could pick up a turtle and let him go into the river.”

He looks at you from his textbook, disgruntled. “That was necessary and you know it!"

You raise an eyebrow. “Say that to the thousands of people on that highway. I’m pretty sure you’re being sued right now by the state.”

He waves you off. “No, it’s the city. But that’s besides the point,” San pushes his book to the side, eyes on yours, “It’s weird. The only people who go to that stupid animal zoo are the tourists who stop in our town for some medallions at Jongho’s dad’s tourist trap shop. I know you want to save the world, I do, but some things are just too risky. Even more risky than me stopping three lanes of traffic.” He points out.

“San, this circus is like my turtle. I have to take care of those animals, I‌ won’t be able to live with myself if I‌ told Wooyoung no, and left him alone to fend for himself. They need someone in there who has some semblance of a clue on what they’re doing. And I know I’m not certified yet, but I‌ can still assist.”

San sighs loudly, leaning back in his chair. Before you can tell the clumsy man how bad of an idea that is, the chair cracks, and he falls backwards to the floor. People in the coffee shop look at him for a moment, before getting back to their posh coffee talks.

You lean over the table, looking down at your best friend. He gives you a sheepish look, before getting back to his feet. You hold back your grin as he situates himself, sitting back down in his spot.

“Is there any way I’ll convince you to say no?”

“Absolutely not.”

He frowns. “Well, at least take care of yourself, yea? Make sure that this is strictly volunteering, without pay. Don’t need anyone coming after you and saying that you’re accepting payment from this place,” He mumbles, adjusting his glasses.

Your phone vibrates, and you glance down at the message.

(unknown): show just finished. whenever you're ready, Yeosang needs his cage cleaned. already moved him out of the oc, so lmk if you're coming in.

You look at San. He’s right; if the town or better yet, the government decides to raid this place, it’s a big possibility that you may be somehow intertwined in politics that surround the death trap. You sigh, knowing what you’re going to say anyway. San’s right, you are soft.

(you): be there soon!‌ just have to finish up some assignments.

He messages back quickly.

(blondie): oh you actually gave me the right number? good. I'll see you soon. ^0^

You snort, tucking your phone back in your pocket. San shakes his head at you, but you ignore his pessimism. You want good energy, not the negative vibes he’s sending your way. You pack up your things, blowing him a kiss before kicking the door open to the shop, excited to see how your first day goes.

-

"Ah, y/n! You came back!" You turn your head to the bright voice, Yunho smiling at you. He's not on the top of a pole, stretching as he eats a granola bar. His eyes flick to the books in your hand. "Just came back from school, I presume?"

You nod quickly. "Yup. Work hard, get smart?" You mentally slap yourself. Yunho snorts, holding out his bar to you. Your eyes flick to his legs, noticing that he's doing a split, unfazed at your gaping mouth.

"Want some?" He waves it again, and you shake him off.

"Do you know where Wooyoung is? He told me to meet him, but I don't have the slightest idea where."

He nods, pointing behind him. "He's cleaning up the main tent, but you can just go into the animal arena. Pretty sure he wants you to be there anyway. Be careful of the poop, though. The monkeys have been out of it today. Almost got some in my hair." He touches his strands with a pout on his lips.

You thank him, walking quickly through the fairgrounds. You try your best to blend into the crowd, but your plain clothes are obvious among the colorful attire of everyone else. Many people you met yesterday give you soft hellos and smiles, and some you didn't stumble across look at you with curiosity, wondering who you are.

You slip into the tent, closing it softly behind you. Your eyes look around, dropping your books on the steps just before the sand. Animals turn to you lazily, before going back to whatever they're doing. Yeosang looks up from his spot, tail tirelessly swaying back and forth. He seems to examine your figure, eyes still sleepy. He's in the smaller cage, his bigger one a mess on the inside.

"Don't mind me, boy. Just here to help clean your cage." You glance around, and notice a broom and picker on the left side of the tent. You grab it and walk into his cage, sweeping. You feel the tiger's eyes on you the whole time; what sounds like purrs rumbling in his chest. You know that big cats couldn't purr even if they wanted to, but it's interesting to listen to him.

"So, how was the show?" You ask as you gather his droppings in a pile, glancing over at him. You're not sure why you expected him to say something but you hear a slight huff, his head dropping onto his paws. "Not good, huh? Well, I'm sure tomorrow will be better. There's some parade coming through, so there will probably be a lot of people for you to entertain."

He doesn't seem to like that idea, blinking slowly before closing his eyes.

"Yea, yea I get it. But there's nothing I can do, you know? I'm just here to help, I can’t stop the circus," you glance around the clean cage in pity. He's probably craving the vast fields to run in, desperate to hunt and be free. But he's stuck in this small cage, stuck performing to people who couldn't care about what condition he's in.

You hear the hose turn on, and you turn back quickly, seeing Wooyoung appear. He's wearing all black, hat still flipped around. He nods at you, winking at Yeosang.

"Good afternoon, y/n. Surprised you got here before me," he says, passing you the hose. You thank him, slowly rinsing away the mildew and other buildup that sticks to the bars of his cage.

"How was today's show?" You ask, and Wooyoung rubs the back of his head.

"If I'm being honest with you, big guy over here was a bit lazy. Didn't want to move at all, and the head man is a bit mad about it," Wooyoung takes a step closer to you. He glances over at Yeosang, before speaking. "Talking about putting the poor animal down. I tried my best to convince him otherwise since every person had a bad day, even tigers like our Yeosang."

“Hongjoong?” You ask, and Wooyoung raises his eyebrows in surprise.

“No, the only thing Hongjoong is in charge of is that trailer of his. Be thankful for only that.” Wooyoung turns back to Yeo. "Right, big boy? Just a bad day, huh?"

Yeosang flicks his tail in response, eyes still closed.

"Could they do that? Aren't there laws since he's an endangered animal? This can't be legal—"

"It's not," Wooyoung mumbles. "He's not sick or has a deadly contagious disease. He's not perfectly healthy, but his problems don't affect anyone or anything else. I honestly have no clue what to do," He looks at Yeosang, worry in his eyes. "Big guy is the only thing I look forward to everyday. Can't see the circus without him."

You feel terrible. Being a vet student, you know that you sometimes have to make the ultimate decision and put the animal down, for mercy. But seeing an animal that just needs a bit more food in his system being killed for simply being tired, or in a mood... It's irresponsible. The doctors at your college would have a fit.

Wooyoung and you fill up his water tub and food. You're a bit surprised at how nonchalant Yeosang is. Usually tigers would immediately smell the scent of the meat and pace around, ready to chow down. But he barely flicks an ear, head still resting on his paws. You move out of the cage as Wooyoung opens it up, moving the large barrier between you, and the tiger. He taps on Yeosang's cage as a warning, opening the small gate.

Yeosang opens his mouth in a long, loud yawn, slacking his lips together as he drags himself back to his cage. He walks past the meat, sitting in the far corner of the cage, dropping his head back into his paws.

Wooyoung sighs.

"I don't know what's up. He's been like this since you left yesterday. Not wanting to eat, to do anything. He looks a bit brighter since you've shown up, but..." Wooyoung taps on the cage. "Yeo, eat the food! There's not much around here these days."

Yeosang's ear flicks to the sound of his name, but he does nothing to move to the raw meat, breathing in and out slowly. You don't see anything odd about his vital signs, at least from where you're standing. You take a step closer to the cage, tapping lightly on the metal. Maybe talking to him would work? You know it's a long shot, but he seems to listen to Wooyoung when he wants to.

"Yeosang?" You say, and his ear twitches. "You haven't eaten all day, you know that's not good for you.“ You walk a bit closer to his cage, hands inches away from the steel bars lining his cage. His eyes open, breathing in and out slowly. “Why don’t you take a bite? For me?” You ask softly.

Wooyoung snorts behind you. “Don’t think that’ll work, y/n. He's stubborn. Never really listens to anyone but his thoughts.”

Yeosang huffs slowly, tail flicking. You point at the food, rubbing your hands together as you plead for him to eat something. He watches you for a moment, before shaking off his fur, standing and walking to the meat. He looks at you, and you nod. He takes the meat, turning and walking into the corner again.

You cheer, pulling your fist down in excitement. Wooyoung rolls his eyes at you, pointing to the other cages.

“Time for some monkey shit.” He mumbles, and you give him a strained grin as he laughs at you, guiding you along.

Soon, the two of you are covered in sweat from the manual labor. Wooyoung tosses you a wet towelette and you thank him, wiping off your forehead. Yeosang is fast asleep, ear twitching ever so often. The other animals are sleeping as well as Wooyoung walks around, dimming the lights. He gestures for you to follow him quietly in which you do, not noticing the glow of yellow eyes watching as you go.

You close and lock the door behind you, letting out a sigh of relief. Wooyoung shakes his head at you, guiding you along the grounds.

“You’ll get used to it. Animal shit sticks to you after a while,” He mumbles, sniffing his clothes. His face scrunches up at the smell, and you giggle. The smell of crap is everywhere around you, but Wooyoung never smelled like anything but hard labor.

“It’s not that bad, you always smell good, you know. Never like shit.”

You see the red rise to his ears as he looks away from you, saying nothing. You reach for your bags but he only glares at you, continuing forward.

“We’re having a welcome dinner for you. Can’t leave until you meet everyone.‌ And I’m not letting you carry these bags and books on your own. Wouldn���t be gentlemanly of me,” He explains.

“Thanks,” You say, and he gives you his cheeky smile, opening the flap of a tent. He holds it open as you dunk and enter, seeing everyone you’ve met and some unfamiliar faces across the table. They all say hello to you as Wooyoung introduces you.

Yunho waves, tapping the chair next to him. You thank him as you sit, Hongjoong across from you and Wooyoung sitting on your opposite side. Hongjoong winks, and you wink back, causing him to erupt with laughter. Yunho tsks at him, holding out a plate for you. You stare at the food in front of you, bowing again.

“Ah, stop thanking us. You’re one of the circus folk now, no need to bow.” Yunho eats his food happily, and this is the first time you’ve seen him sitting normally. “Plus, Wooyoung has a bit of a crush on you, so you’ll be in the family soon enough.”

He leans away from Wooyoung’s grabby hands, laughing loudly. Wooyoung mumbles some obscenities underneath his breath, shaking his head.

“I hate the performers,”‌‌ he grumbles, chewing on some rice.

“Thanks,” You ignore the glare Yunho shoots at you,“For inviting me into your family. It’s nice to see so many welcoming people,”‌ You grin at the people around you.

Hongjoong stands at that, “Ah, toast to the new lady!‌ Hopefully she’s here for more than a few days!” He laughs, and everyone follows along with him, tapping their plastic cups against one another. You laugh along with them, taking a sip.

-

Months pass by before you know it. Your free time is spent at the fairgrounds, already on friendly terms with everyone. Even Hongjoong, his teasing with you endless, and Yunho and his strange sitting positions. Once, you saw him hanging from ropes as he ate rice upside down. Wooyoung and you even text everyday, his feelings for you dissipating into more of a friendship. Although Yunho constantly insisted that Wooyoung was never over it, there aren't any signs that say otherwise. He hasn’t even asked you on a date.

You don’t mind it; schooling occupies most of your time.‌ San and you studied for hours on end, sometimes drooling onto your work into the early morning. And now, as you wait for your grades and acceptances or rejections to your graduate schools, you bite your lip, eyes on the computer. They said it would be released at ten a.m., and it’s already five minutes past.

“Relax,” San says, sipping his green tea. But you notice at how anxiously he taps his feet, eyes glued on his laptop. “It’s a lot of grades to put out at once, you know? They’re probably doing it in batches.”

Your laptop shakes on the table as San rocks his leg, and you glare at him over your shake. “How about stop shaking that leg so I can concentrate on the results, huh? You’re making my head hurt.”

He stops, offering you an apologetic look. You roll your eyes, refreshing your page again.‌ A gasp falls from your lips as you push your drink to the side, eyes glued on the screen. San comes over, looking at the laptop.

“Oh shit.”‌‌ he says, cheeks lifting into a grin. You both scream, pulling into each other’s arms and laughing loudly. There’s several people who shush the two of you, but you’re too excited to pay much mind.

San’s laptop dings as well, and he almost spills his tea at the results.‌ Another scream, and the waiters are telling you two to shut up before they kick you out. You grab your belongings, shoving it into your bag and running out with San.

“Holy shit, what the fuck-”

“Choi fucking San, we got accepted to the best vet school in the country. What the fuck?!” You scream, and pull each other into your arms again.

“Drinks?” He asks, eyes bright. You nod quickly, before you remember your volunteering. San sees the drop in your eyes. “Gotta go to the circus, huh?” He asks, tilting his head. “No worries, we can go another time.”

You bite your lip. “No. I’ll just text Wooyoung and tell him another time. We only get accepted into our dream colleges once in a lifetime. Can’t push that aside.” You say, wiggling your eyebrows at him before messaging a quick sorry to Wooyoung, before running off with San, screaming into the night.

-

“The university is only a few towns over,” San mumbles over his sparkling lemonade. You two sit in your living room, laughing at the TV while sipping non-alcoholic drinks. When San and you go out for drinks, it only means that you sit in your living room and drink whatever’s in the fridge.

“That means that technically, you don’t have to buy a new apartment. You can still live here and just commute,” he explains, but you shake your head, taking a sip of your water.

“Absolutely not. I know it’s more expensive, but being here any longer will only give me back cramps.” You mutter, rubbing your lower back for emphasis. San rolls his eyes as you continue. “And we dreamed of getting out of here, San, I don’t want to stay here longer than I have to.”

“What are you going to say to the circus then?” He asks softly.

You blink, putting down your cup. He’s right, and you’ve been trying to push that to the back of your mind. But it’s better to just tell Wooyoung and get it over with, rather than waiting until the very end to say something. He’d only be more annoyed with you if you waited until the last second. You’ll miss spending time at the circus, even if you won’t admit it out loud. They’ve become your home away from home.

Even the animals have grown to like you. The monkeys squeal in delight when you arrive, letting you groom them without much protest. Even Yeosang, the aloof tiger, lets you brush his hairs. He even licks your hand, even as you stick out your tongue in disgust. You haven’t seen them in a couple of days because of finals, but they’re always the highlight of your week. You’re not sure if you’d get over not seeing Yeosang anymore. You glare at San.

“Don’t make the mood drop, asshole.”

“Fine, but you know I’m right.”

“Yea, yea.”

Your phone rings, and you glance down. Furrowing your eyebrows, you answer it quickly.

“Hey Woo-”

“y/n, I need you here right now.” You can hear the panic in his voice, and you stand quickly, grabbing your coat as you listen to him. “Yeosang’s not listening to any of us, and he’s been avoiding food. He hasn’t eaten since you've last been here, and we all don’t know what to do. You're the only one that we thought we could call, and I know you're busy but we ran out of options.”

“It’s okay! I’ll be there in about ten minutes. Just hang on a bit, alright?”

He agrees and you hang up the phone, tucking it into your back pocket. San watches as you quickly pack up your things, grabbing your first aid. He stumbles from the couch, grabbing his coat as well.

“San, the tiger, is sick. He’s not eating and he’s probably acting really aggressive because of it. Wooyoung just called me and I have to go there-”

“I’m coming with you,”‌ San says simply. “It’ll be better if two almost-vets are there, rather than one. We can see what’s up with him and hopefully diagnose him.”

You send him a thankful look, running out with him close behind you.

-

You pull the flap to the side, eyes flicking around. His low growls fill the room, and you quickly walk over to Wooyoung. He stands there worried, glancing at you. His expression loosens slightly at your appearance, before flicking to San.

“Who’s the newbie?”

“San,” You say, “He’s here to help me figure out what’s wrong.”

You look at the growling tiger in question. His eyes narrow on you, flicking between you and San before settling on Wooyoung.

“He’s been like this for days. Never listening to us, going on and on and growling. I gave him a treat a few days ago, a deer, and it’s still in there. I tried grabbing it while he was sleeping, but he tried pouncing on me.”‌ Wooyoung rubs his arm, and you glance down, seeing blood run down his wrist.

You pull him to the side, taking out your human first aid. He scoffs, trying to pull away but you merely glare at him, pulling his arm back.

“You can’t just walk around a predator’s cage with a bleeding arm. And you know that this could get seriously infected, right?"

"Did you check his temperature? Usually tigers in the wild could last days without food, did you give him a big meal before?"

Wooyoung shakes his head, San looks at him curiously. You clean off Wooyoung's arm, putting small butterfly stitches on the wound.

"He's never attacked me before," Wooyoung says, eyeing San as he takes steps closer to Yeosang. He keeps enough distance as to not scare him, but you see the tenseness in his body as he keeps his eyes on your best friend.

"Yeo isn't one to fight. Thought he might have a bug or something."

"San, don't get any closer. Helooks like he wants to bite your arm off," You look at him, worried. "Yeo's a bit unpredictable right now, it's best to stay away until we figure it out."

Yeosang looks at you, then stares at you cleaning up Wooyoung. You don't see anything obvious on him, it's probably something that you just can't pinpoint with a look. You nod at Wooyoung, before walking over to San.

"Think it can be a bug or something?" You ask softly, staring at Yeosang as he walks away from the both of you, sitting in a small grass patch in his cage, flicking his tail quickly. He's anxious or annoyed, that much you can tell.

"When I got close to him, I didn't see any marks. And he would have been scratching if it's really a bug. His coat is in good condition and he seems much healthier than you last described. Maybe he's just in a bad mood? You haven't seen him in a few days, right?"

You roll your eyes. "He's a tiger, San. He doesn't care if I'm gone."

A roar erupts from Yeosang's mouth, clawing on the grass. San sighs.

"Seems like the big guy disagrees, huh?"

You look at the meat laying closer to the cage, and you grab it. Yeosang watches your every move, body still tense. He's never been like this with you, so you can't help but be confused at his actions. You know that he's healthy from what you can see, although you'd love to give him a shot and sedate, see if anything is physically wrong with him. But you don't have the luxury; only certified doctors carry that, and neither you or San is qualified.

You feel Wooyoung and San standing close behind you, and you turn back. "Guys, he's a bit anxious right now so I think it's best if you back up a bit. Give him some room to breathe."

The guys grunt at your words but follow your instructions, taking steps backwards. Once they're several more feet away, you look back at Yeosang. His movements are more calm now, and you sigh in relief.

"Hey bud. I know I haven't been here in a few days to see you. I'm sorry. I've been busy with school and all, but I'm here now okay? Why haven't you been eating?"

You hold up the meat in your hand. "I know you didn't eat much last time, but you gotta eat this, okay? It's good for you."

Yeosang doesn't move.

"I won't leave you again. I'll come by more often, alright?" You feel a bit guilty at your words, knowing you're leaving soon. But he can't read your mind, he's just an animal. "Just eat some food, okay? You gotta be a big and healthy boy for me." You glance back at the guys, and lean forward. "And you're my favorite friend, just saying. These guys behind me? Lame."

San snorts at your words. "I can't believe you're putting a tiger above me."

You put a finger to your lips, hushing him. You place the meat at the edge of the cage, sliding your hand between the bars before stepping back.

"Trust me, Yeosang. You need to eat, you can't starve yourself while I'm not here."

Yeosang huffs. You watch him as he shakes off his coat, slowly coming to the edge of the cage. He sniffs at the meat, before picking it up with his teeth and walking back. He chews on it, eyes flicking up to yours ever so often. You breathe in relief, turning back to the others. They stare at you, mouths agape.

"Are you some animal whisper?" Wooyoung says, eyes wide. "Can you speak to tigers?"

You laugh, shaking your head. "Yeosang's not some ordinary tiger. All you have to do is speak to him like he's one of us and he'll listen. Hopefully over the next few days we won't see anything strange happening with him. I just think he was nervous." You shrug.

"Cause you were gone." Wooyoung says simply. "He's grown to be your right hand tiger, doc. Can't leave the circus now." Wooyoung grins.

San exchanges a look with you, before clearing his throat. "I'll be in the car if you need me, y/n. Let you guys talk it out."

Wooyoung raises his eyebrows in confusion as San quickly walks away, not before tripping over a rock as he does so. But he doesn't look back, quickly closing the flap behind him.

"Why is he in such a rush?" Wooyoung asks, shaking his head. "Your friend is strange."

"I have something to speak to you about, Wooyoung." You glance at Yeosang. "Outside, preferably."

Yes, he's a tiger. And yes, he doesn't know anything that you're saying and there's really no reason for you to speak outside because he wouldn't understand anyway. But those eyes are a bit too curious, it makes you wonder if he could comprehend every word that falls from your lips.

Wooyoung closes the flap behind him, arms resting against his chest as he looks at you. "Quitting?" He asks simply. "I know you have school, so I presumed this would have happened sooner rather than later."

You nod, rubbing the back of your neck. "I honestly didn't expect my favorite grad school to pick me, I thought I would've stayed at a more local college. But this one is too far away for me to come back and forth everyday." You look at him sheepishly. "I love working here, I do. But—"

"But you have a chance to have those big town dreams, darling. I’m not going to stop you from living your life, doc." His smile stretches across his cheeks. "Plus we're going to need your help when you get back. Yeosang is going to miss you while you're gone."

You don't have the heart to tell Wooyoung that you don't plan on coming back here. That you plan on staying as far away as you can from this town of yours, leaving it in the dust. And seeing Yeosang struggle with being separated from you for a few days, you're a bit concerned when he realizes that you won't be able to come back.

"Do you think I should tell Yeo?" You ask softly. Wooyoung purses his lips for a moment, before speaking.

"No. As you know, he's a big ol 'ball of sensitivity. Would probably starve himself until you come back. It's best to stay away and not tell him. Saying goodbye like normal isn't going to hurt though." Wooyoung looks down at his dusty shoes, trying his best to hold back his true feelings. He's grown attached to you being here so often, but it's not a shock that you're leaving. He just didn't expect it to be so soon. He thought he had more time to spend with you.

"I'll miss you, y/n. Really." He says, looking up at you. You see the blush rise on his cheeks but you say nothing. "You've been a delight around here; everyone loves when you pop in. And circus people are pretty picky. Including myself." He takes his cap off, clutching it between his fingers. "I thank you y/n. From the bottom of my heart and soul. You helped me take care of these animals, and without you, they would've been very ill. You are a caring and loving lady, and I know you will be an amazing veterinarian. I wish you the best of luck."

Shit. You can feel the tears tugging at the corners of your eyes, but you take a big breath, holding them back. It's too early in the night to cry.

"Thank you, Woo. Truly."

He winks.

—

The last couple of weeks go by quickly. You spend as much time as you can with Yeosang; watching him as he practices his tricks with his trainer and staying at almost every show. You can see that he's loosened up quite a bit, his roars less exhausted and more rambunctious. You giggle when he huffs and whines at Wooyoung, and brushes his coat while he's deep in sleep. You know it'll only hurt more when you leave him there, but you hope that he's not as attached as you are to him. Hoping that he just sees you as another trainer at the circus.

Hongjoong makes your farewell party in his style. Overdramatic, inviting every single person that has gotten into contact with you and more. You insist that he'd not throw one, but he ignored your pleas, confetti everywhere as you stared at him in annoyance. You've grown to love his crazy behavior, as much as you scold him for it. Yunho cries as you say your last goodbyes, pushing his head into your shoulder and letting out dramatic sobs. You only pat him and laugh, wiping away your tears. But separating from Wooyoung has to be the worst.

He holds his hand between his hands as you pull him into a hug, and you feel the trembling of his body as he tries to hold back his cries. You kiss his cheek and tell him that you'll message and call all the time, at least twice a week. He's become one of your best friends, and you're sure you won't even lose contact with him.

But the one encounter you aren't looking forward to is saying goodbye to Yeosang. You hold your breath outside of his tent, trying your best to control your face. He's an animal, yes, but he can sense when something is troubling you, and you'd rather not upset him. But sitting outside his cage as he sleeps only makes your chest clench.

"Hey, big boy Yeo," You whisper. You see his ear twitch, but he makes no move to open up his eyes.

"Gotta say goodbye. I won't be here for a few days because of... testing, but you better be a good boy for Wooyoung and the others. I'm counting on you to eat your food all the time, and not give any trouble. No temper tantrums, alright? I'll be back as soon as I can."

You close your eyes, feeling your voice begin to crack. "I love you, you know that right? You're my favorite tiger, Yeosang. No one can ever replace you. I'll see you in a bit, alright?" You stand, glancing one last time at your sleeping tiger, before jogging out, your sobs too much for you to hold back anymore.

—

"Already at my place! I'll see you when, next week?" San asks through the video call. You nod, munching on an apple.

You already packed up all of your belongings, just a few essentials before you leave for your new apartment. You've lived in this one your whole adult life, but you've decided that it's time to move on. Freshen up, and see the big world out there.

"Yup. Don't eat all of those candies your mom gave you, San. I'll fight you if you do."

"Kinky," he mumbles, and you roll your eyes. He laughs loudly, mentioning something about cleaning up before you say your goodbyes, hanging up the phone.

You put your phone on the charger, flopping yourself back into your bed, tossing the apple in the trash. It's been a few weeks since you've seen the circus, and your heart aches, but you don't dare to go back. Not when you know you'd probably want to stay.

You glance at time, rubbing your eyes. It's already almost midnight, and you still have a few things to unpack. But your head is throbbing and you're too tired to even think straight. You flick off the lamp next to your bed, throwing the cover over your face. Your eyes flutter close, and you hope that you can get think about that home renovator fucking you to Tuesday. But of course, nothing actually goes as planned.

The doorbell rings, and you let out a huff, screaming internally as you throw the blanket to the side and stomp to the door. Not bothering to even look in the peephole, you fling it open.

"What?"

Your eyes move up to the person standing there. Before you can yell again, he jumps into your arms, making you stumble backward into your apartment. The door shuts behind the two of you as you scream, enveloped in this man's embrace.

"I'm calling the police!" You scream, pushing him off of you. He falls back, landing on the floor.

You stay still, eyes on him. A light yellow, almost honey like color looks back at you. Scars cover his cheeks, and you see something on his neck. A tattoo, maybe? He's too far away to tell, and you'd rather not get close. He has a nose piercing, two small silver rings in his left nostril. His clothing is a bit small on him, shirt fitting like skin and pants high above his ankles. A distinct mark on his temple feels all too familiar. His eyes flutter, before his smile slowly goes away.

"Why did you leave me?" He asks simply.

"Get out of my house right now, and I won't call the police." You'd make a run for it, but you have no idea if he has a weapon on him.

His eyes look up at you, and you can't tell if it's mock innocence or not. He stumbles to his feet, your eyes flicking to something moving behind him. You tilt your head, and a tail appears. You stumble back, hitting your back on the counter.

"Shit," You curse, a small whine falling from your lips. You grab the pot from behind you, holding it out in defense as he moves closer. "I don't know who the hell you are, or why you're in my house, but you need to go. Now."

He shakes his head. "I can't go back there, y/n. Not without you. You left me without saying goodbye." Moist eyes look at you. "And you do know me. You're the one that's been with me for months, y/n. How can you forget me?"

You see his hair twitch, and you narrow your eyes. Fluffy triangles peek out of his long, soft orange locks. You blink quickly. No.

No fucking way are those ears.

"Who are you?" You say again, and he narrows his eyes. "How do you know my name?"

"How can you forget me so easily?"

His velvety voice rumbles through the room. He sighs, pulling down his shirt and turning his neck so you can see what's there. A sixty-nine is in his skin; burned into it rather than traditionally tattooed. You can see a faint outline of a scar that follows the dark letters. You only know one tattoo that looks the same as his, and you shake your head, hand trembling as you hold the pot.

"No, you can't be."

He smiles softly. "It is me. Why don't you believe me?"

The tail comes out, rubbing his thigh absentmindedly. You feel like your world is slowly ending as you take him in. You can't forget those eyes that stared at you with intelligence beyond just a simple animal’s. But it's not possible. This can't be Yeosang standing in front of you.

"What's your name?" You ask. "I need to know if it's really you."

"Yeosang." He says simply. "I am a South Chinese Tiger hybrid. I am half man, half beast. And you are y/n, the trainer that used to come in about three times a week to take care of me alongside Wooyoung. Although recently, she has left without a trace."

It's him. You know it's him from the mischievous look in his eyes, to the scars and markings across his skin that are too similar to ignore. He's your tiger. It all makes no sense but you can’t quite come up with another solution.

You drop the pot slowly. "How... How are you a human, Yeosang?"

He furrows his eyebrows, deep in thought. "I would rather not talk about that, if you don't mind." He has two sets of ears, the human ones on the sides, and the animal ones on the top. You can't help but stare at his animal attributes, too fascinated to continue to question him.

"Why didn't you say goodbye? You told me that you would never leave, y/n. You said that you would always come back. But then I heard Wooyoung talking to Yunho about you leaving the town, and I couldn't take it anymore. I had to come and see why you're leaving me."

You hear the desperation in his voice as he looks at you. Your head is so confused; trying your best to process that your tiger is now a fully functioning human hybrid, and that he's standing in your apartment. And you can't help but notice the sharp edges to his features, the thick brows and clenched jaw line. You glance at Adam's apple moving before you shake your head. He's handsome.

Get out of your thoughts, you think.

"I never planned on staying there, Yeosang—"

"Don't call me that." He says sharply. "Call me Yeo."

You tsk. A low growl rumbles in his chest, and your eyes widen. "Yeo...?"

He sighs in satisfaction as you continue.

"I don't want to be here anymore. I always planned on going to the city for college, taking a job there and moving away from this town. I've hated it here. I can't stand being in this place. It makes me sick, if I'm being honest with you."

"This is our home," Yeosang says simply. "How could you leave our home?"

"Did you like being there, at the circus? Stuck in a cage all day, and then performing for people?"

His ears lower as he looks away, tail swaying slightly. "I am grateful that I'm not dead. Luxuries of open fields and hunting like a true beast are desires, but I've accepted that I'm not ever going to have that. And that's okay."

Your brain is foggy as you strain to keep yourself awake for the conversation. Yeosang seems to notice your tiredness as he looks at you with concern.

"You should rest, y/n."

"Are you going back to the circus?" You ask, and he raises his brows as if you'd asked a stupid question.

"Why would I do that? You're here, I'm not leaving you."

Oh no. You did not sign up to babysit a handsome tiger man, you're leaving for school. The last thing you need is the government coming to you and arresting you for holding back a rare creature. You rub your face, knowing that you won't refuse him because one; you're a punk and two; no one in their right mind would believe a word that you say about a hybrid tiger.

"Have you eaten today?" You ask softly. He furrowed his eyebrows, deep in thought.

"No, but I can wait. I can wait until you're ready to prepare something else. I don't want to be a burden on you."

You shake your head. "No, I'll grab you something from the kitchen and we can figure out whatever's going on right now." You glance on your TV, flicking it on. "Do you mind waiting in here while I go and grab you something?"

He shakes his head, sitting softly on the edge of the cushions. He looks back at you with those curious eyes of his, before turning to the TV in front of him. You see his tail rest lightly next to him as his eyes focus on the late night cartoons.

You walk into the kitchen, grabbing some leftovers out of the fridge and heating them in the microwave. You sit on the edge of the counter as you wait, legs swinging back and forth slowly. It's too late to think about how Yeosang became what he is, or how he found your home. You're not sure if you want to tell San about what's happening; afraid that he'd only laugh and brush it off. You want to believe that the man in your living room is lying to you, but you know it's not true. That's your Yeosang, no matter how much you deny it.

The beep pulls you out of your thoughts, and you jump down, grabbing the food and a fork. You walk into the living room, eyes flicking to the TV. A news report is running, and you almost drop the food in your hands.

Local Circus Tiger Missing from Its Habitat.

Yeosang gladly takes the food from your hands as your eyes stay glued to the program.

"Trainer reports that he heard a large cracking sound before running into the tent, seeing the coveted rare South Chinese Tiger gone. The cage was in stable condition, and no one suspects that the tiger has left on his own. Since it is one of the very few left in the world, many suspect that it was stolen. Police are currently searching the area for a trace of where this tiger named Yeosang has gone. As a precaution, please stay in your homes and do not go outside unless absolutely necessary, in case this tiger is on the loose. If spotted, please contact the police immediately and do not engage. This is..."

You look at Yeosang as he munches happily, fingers scooping the food from the bowl without a care in the world. You sit next to him, making sure not to land on his tail. You've got a rogue tiger in your apartment, and the city is searching everywhere for him. You glance at Yeosang's ears, letting out a sigh.

He pauses in scarfing down his food, cocking his head towards you. His ears twitch as he looks at you. "No one will find me here." He explains. "I'm a human now, they can't tell it's me, you don't need to worry."

"Yeosang, you should go back." You say, and he freezes completely at your words. "Being here, with me... this isn't where you belong, Yeo. You deserve more than what I can provide. You need to go back home."

"That's not my home." He states simply, licking his fingers. You pass him a wet towelette, and he stares at it, before wiping his fingers.

"This isn't your home either—"

"Yes it is."

"Yeosang—"

"My home is where you are, y/n," he looks at you seriously. "You are my mate, I'm not leaving you. I can't leave you."

You blink quickly. Mate? There's so many meanings and ways to take that, but your lids are so heavy and you can't quite think straight this late. You rub your face, tapping your cheeks to wake yourself up.

"Let's talk about this tomorrow, alright? We both need sleep. Do you mind sleeping here? I don't have another bed for you, Yeo."

"Can I not sleep with you?" He asks, following you to the kitchen with the bowl in his hand. You point as he drops it, and instructs him on how to wash his hands. As he scrubs, you answer.

"It's... complicated. Humans don't do that with people they don't know well. It's kind of, for being together?" You're not quite sure how to explain it to him, since, as you're watching him scrub his hands, he's not exactly... Human. You grab his hand as you see him scrubbing a bit too hard, probably close to tearing his skin.

He looks at you in confusion. "Are we not together?"

"Not in that way." You say simply. You see the curiosity in his eyes but he doesn't push you further, nodding slowly.

"Do you have a cage that you want to put me in then?" He asks softly, eyes cast downward. You see his ears drop as he waits for you to guide him to one. How long has he lived as a tiger? It seems like he's never been a human, mind still stuck in his animal body.

You shake your head. "I'm not putting you in a cage, Yeo. You can use the blankets I have on the couch and sleep."

His ears perk up. "So no cage?"

"No cage."

His grin spreads across his cheeks as he pulls you into a hug, thanking you softly at your hospitality. You wrap your arms around him slowly, head tucked into his chest. He smells like rain mixed with the outdoors, natural and fresh. You pull away slowly, before gesturing to the couch.

"I'll be in my room if you need me. Don't do too much damage around here while I sleep, alright?"

He blinks slowly, before nodding. "I won't do anything like that to my trainer."

"I'm not your trainer anymore, Yeo. And you're a human now. You don't need anyone to own you or train you, alright?" You say sternly. He wiggles his head up and down quickly. You flick off the TV, whispering a soft goodnight to him before walking into your own room and closing the door slightly.

Your head is spilling over with how many thoughts you have, but your exhaustion hits deeper than curiosity, immediately shutting your eyes closed.

—

Yeosang stands in the living room, tail flicking around anxious as he stares at the couch in front of him. How do humans sleep? He hasn't been one in a while, and he's not too sure how to do anything. The strange look that you gave him when he was eating out of the bowl is enough to tell him that he's not humaning correctly. You're already fast asleep, your soft snores making his tiger ears twitch. He moves the blanket to the side, slowly lying his body down as he stares at the ceiling.

A part of him misses the smell of the tent; enveloped with the sounds of the other animals around him as he slept. Opening his eyes to see you almost everyday, taking care of him in every way that you could. The way your eyes brightened up when he followed an instruction you said without much effort on your part. How you called him your big boy, your eyes shining lightly on him. Ever since you've entered the tent he couldn't keep you out of his mind.

He used to wake up every morning, ready to follow the same routine. Wooyoung grooms him, feeds him, he performs, he eats again, and he sleeps. He cares for Wooyoung, but the repetitiveness of his life dragged on, and he isn't sure how long he's been doing that same thing. But hearing your laughter as you practiced your jokes on him, your soft cries after the stress of a test got to you, and your content gaze as you read a book to him. You've changed everything, and once you left; things weren't the same.

Wooyoung didn't tell him anything, not one word fell from his lips. Not even a mention that you won't see him again.

Yeosang rubs his face, pulling the blanket over his body. He's not sure how he'll be able to rest, knowing you're in the room next to him. He breathes in the scent of you in the fabric, comforting to his nose, calming his rising heart. Your mere presence makes his anxiousness go away; he's not sure if he'll ever be able to leave you. His mate.

His.

—

The bright sun shines down on you as you tighten your lids, letting out a strained groan before blinking slowly. You try to stretch, but a grip on your body keeps you in place. You blink once.

Twice.

His body is pressed against yours, soft breaths tickling the hairs on your neck. His grip on you is strong, your behind pressed up against him with no room for surprises. You feel his fingers resting just above your crotch, lightly holding you. Before you could turn around and yell at him for being in your bed, you feel it.

His morning wood presses lightly against your ass. You try pulling away, but he groans softly. His tongue drags across the skin below your ear, hips lightly humping you. You feel your face flush as he continues licking and pressing himself into you, hands slowly sliding lower. You finally struggle out of his arms, and his eyes lazily open, looking at the panicked look in your eyes.

He furrows his eyebrows, cocking his head. “y/n? Are you okay?”

“I… fine, I’m fine.”

He reaches out to you but you take a step back. His eyes flick to the small movement, pressing his lips in a straight line. “I’m sorry if coming into your bed made you uncomfortable. I didn’t see anything wrong with it, but I’ll try not to do it again.” He rubs the back of his neck, shrugging his shoulders. “Where is the restroom?”

“Down the hallway,” You point, and he nods, dropping your blanket back on the bed. “There’s a blue toothbrush in there. Do you know how to do that?” You avert your eyes as you ask, the heat coating your cheeks.You hear him scoff softly.

“I’m a tiger hybrid, y/n. Not a child.” He disappears down the hallway away from you.

You grab your toothbrush off your side table, avoiding the bathroom and walking into the kitchen. As you brush your teeth over the sink, you stare out the small window, deep in thought. You’re not sure what to do. There’s only a matter of time before someone comes knocking on your door, and if they see Yeosang; tail and all, it’ll only lead to more questions with little answers. Neither of them you have to give.

“I wasn’t sure where to put the brush, so I left it on your sink,” Yeosang says, walking into the room. Thankfully, there’s no more boner, but you’re still annoyed. “I’m sorry if I offended you.” He confesses. “I should have controlled my instincts better, I’m no longer a full tiger.”

“Why did you come into my room?” You ask.

“I… I couldn’t sleep there alone. And your scent swirls in the air. It’s comforting, but that wasn’t enough. I needed to know that you were okay, so I followed where your scent was strongest and rested with you. I haven’t been a human in a whole, so I didn’t realize that something like this would offend you. I’m sorry, I won’t do it again.”

You see the regret on his face as he looks at you, and you nod. He’s learning, he’s trying his best and you can’t fault him for that. “I forgive you. Just, next time ask if you can sleep with me, Yeo. I would’ve had a heart attack…” If you didn’t wake me up with your humping. But you think it’s best to not talk about it. If he doesn’t remember, then you’ll just forget about it. He’s still a tiger, after all.

You rub your neck, the feeling of him licking your skin still there. You glance at his tight clothing, shaking your head. “Let’s get you out of those clothes-”

Your doorbell rings, and you tense up. You look back at him, pointing to your room. “Close the door and stay in there until whoever it is leaves. Some of San’s clothes are in my drawers, just grab one of them, alright?”

Yeo widens his eyes, “y/n-”

You shush him, watching as he disappears, tail following behind him.

You open the door slowly, eyes glancing up. His brown hair is as messy as usual, a bright smile on his face as he tips his hat to you. His dimples shine at you softly. His belt rests low on his hips, and you glance at the police officer badge that rests on his chest.

“Haven’t seen you in a while, y/n.” He smiles at you, tilting his head. You like seeing him, but you have other crises to deal with. His eyes flick behind you for a moment, before looking back at you. “H-How are you?”

You raise an eyebrow at the stutter. “I’m good, how are you? Still dealing with Jihoon and his wife?”

Jongho rubs his face, sighing loudly. “He keeps on bothering that tattoo parlor guy, you know? And then he comes to us and talks about his wife, I don’t think the boys want to hear about it anymore.”

You giggle, shaking your head, “Well, hopefully he’ll stop soon. So, what’s up? Here to arrest me, sir?”

You see the blush creep up his neck as he laughs awkwardly, scratching the back of his head and looking away, “Ah, you jokester. No, I presume you’ve heard about the missing tiger from the Kim’s Circus.”

Your blood runs cold as you try your best to keep a poker face as he continues.

“Yeoyang, I believe his name is?”‌‌ He frowns. “I’m not really sure, Wooyoung was in a panic and I couldn’t quite understand him. But then he mentioned you and I know you're doing that veterinarian thing, and-”

“You think I know where a thousand pound tiger is?”

"You know I have to check all of my bases," Jongho mumbles. "I know you'd never hide a tiger—" your eye twitches— "but I have to check anyway. Plus the guys at the station won't let me live it down if I didn't come up here." He looks at you sheepishly. "We haven't seen each other in a bit, do you mind inviting me in for some coffee?"

He tilts his head to the side, smiling softly at you. Any other day you would immediately say yes and invite him in, but from the loud drop in your room and thankfully, he didn't hear it, you have to resist his little dimples. You shake your head.

"I can't today Jong, I'm sorry. But maybe some other time? Raincheck?"

He nods quickly, smile never fading. "Of course! I didn't mean to bother you, I'll be on my way." He glances behind you again. "Call me if you see anything suspicious or get weird phone calls. Usually, there's someone who contacts people close to the animal and bribes in exchange for its safety. We can't have that, now, can we?"

You sense a shift in his tone as he looks at you. You've known each other for years, so he could probably notice that you're on edge, but just not know about what exactly. And you're thankful that Yeosang hasn't come out of the room.

"I'll tell you guys immediately, no questions asked."

"Good, well I'll see you around, y/n. Tell San I said hello!" He tips his hat once before turning around, walking down your steps.

You waved goodbye, closing the door softly. You hate to lie to him, and you honestly wish you could tell him the truth about Yeo. But it's best to be safe and not mention anything about him to anyone, unless absolutely necessary. Putting him in danger is the last thing you want to do. You wouldn't forgive yourself if he got caught or worse.

"Is he gone now?"

You jump at Yeosang's voice, turning to him. He stands there, soft yellow eyes narrowed as he looks at you. His face is scrunched up in disgust, eyes flicking over your figure.

"You smell like him," He moves a strand of hair away from your face. The featherlight touch of his fingers makes you shiver, his eyes still focused on yours. "Did he touch you?"

"No. And it doesn't matter if he did, anyway," You grumble, walking around him.

You don't see the way his jaw clenches, eyes closing to hold back his frustration. It isn't your fault; you don't know the meaning of a mate. Tigers usually have several in their lifetime, but he hasn't ever been moved by anyone other than you. And because of your human instincts, you don't even notice his advances. He thought it would be easier because you're a veterinarian, but it seems more complicated. He lets out a soft sigh, before following you to the kitchen.

"Where are you going to go after this?" You ask, drinking your water slowly.

He cocks his head to the side. "Where will I go? After what?"

You gesture to the boxes around you. "I'm moving out, Yeosang. I'm going to my graduate school soon. I can't stay here and babysit you."

His folded hands tighten slightly. "I'm not a baby, or a child. I am a hybrid y/n; just because I haven't been a human for long doesn't mean anything. I can take care of myself. I don't understand why you're being like this." He rubs his eyes, shaking his head. "You don't remind me of the y/n that took care of me. You seem distant."

Did he expect you to be filled with joy at seeing your tiger as a human? He's handsome, no doubt, but you have goals, things you want to do. And he's just a roadblock. You thought that you'd move on from the circus and explore bigger things. But him sitting there, tail resting behind him and two pairs of ears, all you can think about is the problems he brings you. Is that being selfish? Maybe. But you've been selfless your whole life. Caring about yourself once in a while is self care.

"I... Yeo—"

"Do you not respect me as a human?" His eyes widen as a realization hits him. "You've always been comfortable with telling me your feelings and ideas when I couldn't speak back properly, but now that I can, you're afraid."

"I'm not afraid of you."

"You are afraid of me,” his gaze flicks down to his hands, “You don't care for me the same way. Ever since I've walked into here, you've treated me like I am a stranger to you. I can see why this might be a bit scary, but I don't know if I can handle the space between us." He stands up, glancing around. You gave him some of San’s clothes that he left behind, and he wears it loosely on his figure, a bit too big on him. He closes his eyes for a moment, before opening them again. “I can leave.”

“Yeo-”

“I don’t want to be in a place where I’m not wanted, y/n. It’s okay, I’ll leave.” He nods once at you, before glancing down at his clothing. “I know you feel more comfortable with me not being able to say anything, and that’s okay. Your care is my utmost priority, and I was being foolish, not seeing it last night. I can hear your heartbeat and feel your anxiety, but I assumed it was just from excitement.” His lips twitch. “I don’t want to be a burden on you.”

“Yeosang, can you just listen to me for a second?” You say, your irritation growing. He stops talking, looking at you.

“This is all new to me, okay?‌ I don’t, I didn’t expect all of this to happen, alright? I never thought that you would ever be a human, and I’m honestly just confused and yes, I am afraid.‌ But not of you, just this situation. But I don’t want you to think I hate you or dislike you, because I‌ don’t. I just… I’m not sure how to deal with this. And yes, a part of me just wants you to disappear and go away. But now, I think, if you want, you can come with me to the city. My apartment has three bedrooms there, so you’ll be able to fit in there comfortably.”

His ears perk up at your words.

“I know it’ll take me a while to get used to you being you, and I’m sorry about the way I’ve been acting.” You smile at him softly. It’s been less than a day, but you’ve already grown a bit attached to him. It’s not like you want him to go, you’re just terrified. What if the people who made him half human, half tiger saw the news? They’re probably looking for him, and he could be in danger right now.

“It’s quite alright, and I wouldn’t mind going there with you.” He isn’t going to mention the mate thing for a while. He’s noticed that you avoid the topic. You haven’t even said a word about what happened this morning. “If you want me there.”

“I do.” You grin, and his tail flicks back and forth in excitement. More like a canine rather than a feline, but you’re happy that he’s happy.

His limbs twitch, wanting to pull you in a hug.‌‌‌ But he holds himself back, knowing that you’re not exactly comfortable with him yet. He glances around the room, before looking back at you. “So when will we be leaving?”

“In a few days.”

-

The few days passed by rather quickly, Yeosang becoming accustomed to being around you.‌ The incident from the first night didn’t happen again, you bought him a mattress to rest until you move to the new apartment. He’s kept his distance from you, similar behaviors from before when he was upset. But you’ve rarely seen anything but a smile on his lips as he walks around with you, eyes always on yours. The 69 on his neck catches your eye each time he displays his neck, although you’ve noticed that he prefers the long sleeved sweaters that you have. He curls himself up onto the couch most of the day, in and out of sleep. None of that is very much out of the ordinary.

The last few days he’s been strange. Immediately rubbing himself all over your clothing whenever you finished cleaning. Staring at you, and whenever you asked him what’s wrong he’d just sigh and look away. Tail sometimes curling around your leg as you wash dishes, scolding him before he moves away. His hands sometimes brush against your neck, his constant excuse that you had a piece of dust sitting there.

Growling lowly whenever you chatted with San, ignoring you. His chest would puff out as an act of aggression, tail completely still as he watches the screen. Until, you scratched behind his ears and he’d huff happily, quickly getting over his annoyance. You asked him what it was all about but he’d just change the subject. Those are only a few things that’s been bothering you, but you’re just not sure how to properly act around him. Maybe he’s noticed that you’re always on your toes?

The drive to your new apartment is about three hours long, Yeosang preferring to lay in the backseat, gaze on your sunroof. He doesn’t say much on the drive there, his body purring lightly as he feels the soft breeze from the open windows. You glance back at him from the rear view ever so often, your lips unable to hold anything but a smile. You can’t help it; you like him being around.‌

You’re used to staying at home alone, San sometimes coming over and bringing warmth to your home. But with Yeosang here, you look forward to opening the door and seeing him laying on the floor in front of the television set, ears twitch slightly when he hears you walk in. Lazily coming up from a nap to ask you what’s for dinner, and about your day. He hasn’t mentioned how he came to be or why he’s a hybrid, and you never push it. He’ll tell you when you’re ready.

You park in front of your new apartment, reaching back and poking Yeosang’s cheek. His eyes flick open, narrowing once they meet yours.

“Time to get up, sleepy head. We’re here. Remember to grab the hat and hide your tail underneath your clothing, alright?” You say softly, rolling up the windows. You hear a frustrated sigh as he puts on the beanie, curling up his tail into his sweater.

“There has to be more hybrids like me,” he mumbles. “The lab had so many.”

You look at him but he says nothing more about it, stepping out of the car. You lock the doors behind you, Yeosang running ahead, glancing back ever so often to make sure you’re there. You open the door, and he stands outside, glancing around before entering. He runs his hands along the walls of your new apartment, ears twitching at the new sounds. You say nothing, letting him grow accustomed to it as you walk into the bathroom to freshen up.

You come out quickly, hair wet from the quick shower you took. You look around for Yeosang, until you hear a large thump coming from the back of the house. You widen your eyes, jogging down the hallway before swinging the guest room door open.

Yeosang sits in the middle of the room, tail resting lightly behind him. He looks at you, a wide grin on his lips. “You made the room feel like a forest, y/n.” He points to the humidifier in the corner of the room, your biggest purchase and your bank account is definitely crying right now.

You painted the walls a dark green, almost black. You’ve researched that South Chinese Tigers live in damp forests, and you hope your poor man’s attempt at making him feel comfortable is enough. You put several plants around the room, decorating his bed with fake leaves. It’s the best that you can do with your pitiful almost-doctor salary. The bigger humidifier spoke to you, but that’s an investment for another time.

“The rug I bought and the sheets are coming soon. I know you like to lay on the floor a lot, so I bought that just in case you don’t feel like resting in bed.” You say, feeling your cheeks burn. It’s a bit warm in the room, but you’ve noticed that Yeosang hates the cold, always tucked under several layers of blankets.

“… You didn’t need to do this,”‌ he says softly. “I would have been fine with anything. I wouldn’t have complained.”

“I know, and that’s why I did it,”‌ you say simply. Yeosang isn’t one to voice his concerns, keeping to himself often. You realized that he hated well-done meat after a few days, catching him sighing as he looked at the meat placed in front of him. You’re not sure how much the tiger side of him affects his human body, so you cooked the meat for him rare. Right when you placed it in front of him, his ears perked up and he ate it quicker than anything you’ve previously given him.

“I want you to feel comfortable while you’re in our home,” You say, gesturing to the room. “I hope you like it, and if you need anything please just let me know. I’ll try my best to give it to you.”

He stands up from his spot, taking small steps toward you. Only a foot away, you see the flush of his cheeks, eyes focused on yours. Flicks of brown are in the bright yellow, something you haven’t noticed before.

“Can I hug you?” He asks softly. Your heart swells at his care for you, and you nod.

He immediately wraps his arms around you, pressing you against his cheeks. He sighs in content, and you feel his tail curl around your legs, nose sniffing your hair.

“Thank you for not pushing me away. I know this is hard for you to do, taking care of someone while still being in school. I know that, and I’ll try my best to help you in any way that I can.”

“You don’t have to do that, you being here is enough for me, Yeo,” You tease, combing your fingers through his soft locks. He leans into your touch, pressing you harder against him. You let out a small oof, and he laughs, pulling you away.

“Sorry, it just feels good, when you do that.”‌ He says simply. You pull your hand out of his hair, laughing awkwardly as you look away.

“Ha, well… I’ll go make lunch. Come out whenever you’re ready.” You say softly, and he nods, watching as you go.

He curses at himself, closing the door behind you. He’s overstepped, again. But he doesn’t know how to make you see that he’s yours, in every form of the word. Right when he breaks through one of the barriers you’ve put between the two of you, you build it up again. He glances around the room, seeing the small nuisances you’ve made, just for him.

It’s a comfortable warmth in here, but he saw how sweaty you were, wiping your forehead constantly. The dark colors that he would see if he was out in the wild, splashes of color ever so often. He always wondered why you were gone for hours at a time; seeing you covered in paint and tired. His eyes wander around the room, brushing lightly against the plants you’ve placed in there.

Tears coats his eyes as he sees the care you’ve done, all for him. When weeks ago, you told him that you didn’t know what to do with him. But now, you only give him smiles, tell him that you’ve missed him. And making this room, all for him, is only another extension of your care. Your love. Something you won’t admit to yourself.

He sits on the edge of the bed, running his fingers through his light locks. Telling you how he became who he is, it can bring you great danger. And that’s the last thing he’d ever want to do. But, he can’t comprehend you being out of his life. Maybe telling you is the best thing to do. He looks down at his hands, seeing them tremble.‌ He swallows, nodding to himself.

He’ll tell you today.

-

You look at Yeosang as he pushes around the meat on his plate in deep thought, eyebrows furrowed. His tail flicks back and forth anxiously, ears perked straight up. He’s in a T-shirt, a rarity since you’ve bought him mostly sweaters. Is he uncomfortable? You know that it takes a second for animals to adjust, but the way he’s acting, you thought that he liked it.

“Yeo?” You say softly. He doesn't look up from his plate, eyes still furrowed. “Is something wrong? Did you need anything else?”

“No.”

You take the last bite of your food, standing up and walking into the kitchen, washing off your dish slowly. He’s always been open about his feelings, but now, you’ve never seen him so closed off. Maybe he doesn’t like the room? But he seemed so happy about it, it had to be something else…

Oh.

You pushed him away again, running away to the kitchen after playing with his hair. Is he offended?

“y/n?”

You jump at his voice, turning around.‌‌‌ His eyes are usually always on yours, but he’s distant this time, lips in a straight line.

“Can we talk in the living room? I think it’ll be best to explain it there. Don’t worry, this isn’t about you.” He says quickly, playing his dish in the sink. You follow after him, sitting in the chair across from Yeosang. He rubs his fingers together, before touching his neck softly, fingers running across the tattoo burned into his skin.

“When I was born, I was in a lab. I wasn’t a tiger in the beginning, and I wasn’t a human either. The people who took care of me told me that I am only a weapon, nothing more or less.‌ And that I needed to follow their every order, or else. I listened. I was taught how to move between being a tiger and an almost human,” He gestures at his tail. “I lived there with others. There were several different species along with myself, all predators. I don’t know the process, but I know that I wasn’t exactly born. I woke up in a closed room, I can still remember everything from then until now. I remember taking my first steps and turning into the tiger you’re used to seeing.

“But I got tired of listening to them. I am a predator. I couldn’t do it anymore.‌ So I broke out and left. Ran until I couldn’t run anymore. Lived in people’s backyards and abandoned homes, until I realized that becoming a tiger might be better. So I let the circus people take me. I learned that people don’t question animals, although the scars that cover me and the 69 pressed into my skin from the lab raised eyebrows, many assumed I was just a rogue black market tiger. And I was a cute cub at that time, so I wasn’t killed.

“The others, I have seen some. They’re not too far from here, and you probably haven’t noticed. Their appearance is more human when they transform. Jeong Yunho, Kim Hongjoong, those are only a few. Ah,” His eyebrows raise as he thinks. “Choi Jongho, your police officer friend.‌‌ He knew I was in there, in the apartment, but he didn’t say a word. I am forever grateful for that; he always told me that it’s a hazard for all of us to be in the same town, but I thought it was best for us to separate.”

He finally looks up from his hands. “It’s better to not mention the types of animals Yunho, Hongjoong and Jongho are. I want you to know as little as possible, in case someone comes and tries to figure out if you have me with you. I‌ haven’t been a human in a while, so they might not recognize me. At least, until they see the ears and tail.” He touches his ears lightly.

“I kept this from you to protect you.‌‌‌ But over these weeks, I've realized that we’ll be in each other’s lives for a long time. You’ve accepted me with open arms, and I’m forever grateful.” His smile grows as he looks at you. “I’m sorry I’ve kept this from you, but I can’t get into much more detail than that. If you want me to leave, do not hesitate. I will leave right now if you want me to.”

Silence fills the room as he finishes his words. You close your eyes, rubbing your face.‌ Yeosang is an experiment.‌ The government planned, or plans, to use him as a weapon. The lovable, wide eyed and big hearted Yeosang is supposed to be a deadly weapon. You completely understand why he didn’t tell you this immediately. The old you would’ve pushed him out of the door, scared out of your mind. You’re still scared, but you can’t imagine Yeosang being back out there. Even if there’s other hybrids, he’ll be at risk.

And you think it’s best if he stays with you.

“I don’t want you to leave,”‌ you say softly. “I can’t imagine you gone, Yeo. I think you’ve grown on me.” You tease, and he chuckles lightly. “Thank you for telling me this. I can’t even understand what you’ve gone through, but I’m happy you trust me enough to tell me.”

He nods happily. “I trust you, y/n, with everything. I just hope one day you feel the same about me.”

"What do you mean? I do trust you, Yeo. Why do you think I don't?"

He sighs, rubbing his neck slowly. You see him trace the outline of the numbers before he opens his mouth. "You... You trust me yes, but you keep yourself closed off from me. I try to push past those barriers that you have, but it's only so much I can do. I want you to feel comfortable enough with me. But I can wait."

"It's not that I'm not comfortable with you, it's that, I don't know. I don't know if something that I'm doing is bothering you, you know? Like earlier, when I put my hand in your hair—"

"I purred, y/n," he deadpans. "I like it when you touch me."

You look away from his piercing gaze, too overwhelmed with what to say.

"Have you thought about what I've said? About you being my mate?"

Yes. It occupies your mind more than you like, consumes your thoughts constantly. Yeosang keeps on saying that he's your mate so nonchalantly, as if he's telling you the weather. And you're not even sure.... No, you are sure that you feel the same. But your insecurities just continue to pile as you look at him, knowing that he can do so much better than you.

"Please tell me something, y/n. I can help you. I just need you to tell me." He says desperately. You shake your head, looking down.

Holding back how you feel will only gnaw at you until you can't take it anymore. You sigh, eyes fluttering close.

"I am, I, well... Ever since you told me that first night, I can stop thinking about it. Tigers, they have several mates over the years but many do stay with the one that they've chosen. So you telling me that you consider me yours, it's a big fucking deal. I just want to know why."

A knock on the door interrupts the two of you, and you throw Yeosang's hat to him, quickly wiping away your almost tears before rushing to the door. Thankfully, this one has a peephole. San stands on the other side, leaning against the wall as he looks out. You sigh, leaning your head on the door.

Before you open it, Yeosang's hands envelopes yours, stopping you from turning the knob. You look back at him, confused.

"Don't open it," he says softly, almost too low for you to hear. "I didn't tell you the last thing about me." His tail is stiff, pupils thin as he keeps his eyes on the door.

"I can't ignore him, Yeo. And it's San, he won't hurt a fly."

"No, y/n. He's not who you think he is. He pulls your hand away from the door, and you stumble back, confused.

"What the hell—"

"He's one of them," Yeosang shakes glancing at the door. "One of the new predators, y/n. I can smell him from here. He smells like—"

"y/n! Are you going to open the door or am I going to stand out here all day?"

Yeosang looks at you desperately. You glance between him and the door, weighing your options. You've know San for most of your life, growing up with the dork. He's never been weird or suspicious, always helping you when he can. Why would he be one the predators that Yeosang is talking about?

But the pure fear in Yeosang's eyes as he stares at the door, tail straight up and ears perked. His hands dig into the couch fabric behind him, frame rigged. He won't lie about something like this, that you know. He puffs out his chest, low snarls falling from his lips. His eyes are almost a brown as he focuses on the door, fear slowly replaced by anger, waiting for San to break down the door.

If San is who he says he is, he'll understand that you can't see him right now. You grab your phone, shooting him a quick text.

you: hey San! i hear u but i can't really talk right now! got too many boxes to sort through Hhhhh. ill call you when you can come over? drinks on me!

You hear the notification sound from outside the door, listening silently as he types into his phone.

san: u sure? i can help ya out if u want!

you: thanks ;; but im good for now! ill probably message u in the next couple days or so! ❤️

san: fine,,, u owe me gas money for driving over here :/ see you~

You hear his steps fade away, letting out a breath of relief. You look to Yeosang, the anger in his posture not at all gone. You walk over, wrapping your arms around his torso, listening to the rapid beats of his heart. His form slowly molds into yours, before you feels his arms resting on your back. His breaths slow down as he presses his nose into your hair, your smell comforting.

"Thank you for trusting me," he says softly. "I know San is your friend, but I know that something is off about him. He smells like the labs, y/n. He smells like the labs."

You nod your head as you listen to him.

"There are predators that are better than me, faster than me. He's one of the more evolved ones, easier to blend into normal human life. I didn't think I'd need to explain this, but the better hybrids know how to camoflague. Take the lives of existing humans and replacing them easily."

You pull away, looking up at him. "What are you saying?" His eyebrows are tight as he looks at you. His hand brushes against your cheek, before he rests his forehead on yours.

"Your friend, San. He was gone long ago. That is not the same San that you know."

—

Weeks go by and you've ignored San to the point where he doesn't call or text you. Your last conversation ended in anger, you telling him that you needed some space to adjust and him screaming at you about being unreasonable. You believed Yeosang, of course you did, but that conversation proved it to you. San and you, you never fought that hard before. He never called you a bitch so easily, never daring to cross that line.

But the San that you spoke to on the phone did. He called you every name in the book and more, before not contacting you again. You're not sure if he knows about you harboring Yeosang, but he gave no indication of it, thankfully.

Yeosang's been your only friend every since you've moved. You video call Wooyoung every once in a while, listening to his low drawl as he told you about the adjustments the circus made. They bought another animal in, a gorilla. You aren't sure if it's actually legal to own one in a circus, but you don't mention it, you just like speaking to him.

After the incident, Yeosang stuck to your side like glue. Everywhere you went, even to the bathroom, he's always close behind, tail constantly curling into your figure and hands always brushing against your skin. Sometimes, he rubs his head against the clothes you wear, encouraging you to run your fingers through his blond locks. His eyes always watch you as you do so.

You spend time in his room as he reads books softly; the deep timbre of his voice resonating around the room. Your sleeping arrangements are the same, you two in separate rooms. But once during the night you opened the door to him curled against the entrance, on guard as you slept. You scolded him softly before pushing him back to his room, but you suspect that he does it every night, going back to his room just before you wake up each morning.

You've accepted the title of being Yeosang's mate, not that you've told him of course. The threat of fake San barging into your apartment is high, and the potential for others to come is even higher. Yeosang is already stressed enough, and you think adding your feelings into the mix would only make it worse. Because, you love him.

It's strange to think about it. You've only met him as a hybrid a couple of months ago, but you can't even see yourself without his presence. He makes you happier than you've ever been, and his level of caring for you supersedes anything you've ever felt. You wake up and fall asleep, only thinking about him. As long as you see those golden eyes of his every morning.

You sit in the living room, combing your fingers through Yeosang's hair as you both watch a movie. You're lying back on the couch, his body resting over your legs, head on your stomach as you feel his chest rumbling in satisfaction at your touches. Your leg is falling asleep but you don't dare tell Yeo; he's just a big cat after all. He’d just grumble in irritation and whine for the rest of the night.

The scene flicks to the main characters pulling off each other's clothes, and you tense up at that. Yeosang doesn't move at all, watching in silence. The remote is too far away for you to skip, so you settle on watching it, fingers stopping in his hair.

The man begins fucking the woman against the wall, and you widen your eyes. What the hell? Do they not censor anything on TV these days? Yeosang’s hold around your waist tightens slightly, and you feel his head turn. You look down at him, seeing him sniff just beneath your stomach. You widen your eyes as he nuzzles your stomach, untangling himself from around your waist. He pressed his tongue just below your navel, eyes flicking up to yours.

“Yeosang, you can’t–”

“I know you want me, y/n. I can smell you,” He pushes his nose into your crotch, taking long breaths. “I can’t stop, not when you smell so good.”‌ His voice deepens, a dark gleam in his eyes. You’ve never seen them so blown out, pupils completely consuming the gold.

His nostrils flare, moving his face between your legs. You feel his fingers tease the lining of your sweats, keeping his eyes on yours.

“I can’t wait to fuck into you, feeling your pussy tightening around my cock, fucking into you so hard you can’t breathe. Wouldn’t you like that, y/n? Don’t you want me?” You can feel the sheer arousal emitting off of him, the desperate need that threatens to wrap around you. He leans down, eyes focused on yours.

“Tell me you don’t want me. Tell me, and I’ll go away.” You feel the hardness of his cock pressing into your leg, his lips dragging across your cheeks as he waits for you to say something.

You clench your core, eyes fluttering as you feel the room suddenly become hot. “I want you, Yeo. I do.”

The pure evil smirk he gives you is sin incarnated. He pulls down your pants quickly, ripping off your underwear with ease. You lift your legs as he tosses your pants to the side. He tilts his head as he looks down at you, thumbs teasing your sweat up lightly. Despite his feverish behavior, he presses wet kisses up your torso as he slowly pulls your sweater over you.

You’re not wearing a bra, and he sighs in content as he sees your beautiful breasts on display for him. His rough tongue wraps around your nipple, nipping it with his teeth lightly. You moan softly as he moves to the other breast, sucking it softly. He continues to press kisses into your skin, paying special attention to the crook in your neck, licking it slowly.

“Yeo, please,”‌ you groan, feeling him smile into your skin. His lips trail along your jawline before his eyes finally level with yours.

“You’re so beautiful, and all mine.”‌ His words are filled with so much love as he looks at you, nose brushing lightly against yours. “I have to tell you, I don’t know what will happen when I‌ mate with you. Hybrids aren’t exactly animal or human. I wasn’t made for the purpose of reproducing, but I‌ have the instincts anyway.”

He presses his lips lightly to the corner of yours, shuddering softly. “I might be too rough. I don’t want to hurt you, so tell me to stop whenever and I will.”

“You won’t hurt me, Yeo,”‌ You say softly. He smiles, softly pressing his lips against yours. He tugs on your lower lip lightly, and you sigh softly, opening your lips up for him. He slides his tongue between your lips, slowly moving his against yours. His hand slides down your torso, lightly pressing against your lower lips.

Your hips buck into his palm as he dips a finger between your folds. He moves his middle finger slowly over your clit, enough to keep you just on the edge. You try humping against him but he laughs against your lips, other hand holding your hips down. You groan in frustration but he ignores you, moving agonizingly slow.

“Yeo-”

He shoves two fingers into your cunt before you could finish, you gasping against his lips as your hands tangle into his hair. One of your hands brushes against his cat ears and he shudders, biting onto your lip a bit too hard. You feel his teeth pierce the skin and he pulls back, eyes wide.

His fingers stop moving inside of you, the cloud of lust gone as he looks at the strands of spit and blood. “y/n, I’m-”

“It’s okay, keep going.”‌ You say, and he shakes his head. Your fingers rub against his ears again, and he stutters, biting his lip. “I kind of liked it.” You admit softly, and his eyes flick back open, desire rolling in them. He shoves his fingers back into you, moving in and out as he curls against your g-spot. Your breaths pick up as your desperate for release, telling him that you’re going to cum over and over.

He nods slowly, eyes on his hand moving in and out of you. “Come for me, kitten.”

The playful word has you convulsing against his hand, his fingers stuck inside of you as you let out a loud moan, humping softly against his hand. He watches you in awe, eyes bright. You let his hand go, and he immediately takes his fingers, sucking on them. He groans in ecstasy, licking off every last drop of you from his hands before lifting up his shirt quickly.

You clearly see the 69 on his skin now, but you didn’t know what was under his shirt. He always wears big hoodies around you for comfort, never wearing anything tight against his skin. His body is lean muscular, but scars are carved into his skin, tracing from the bottom of his neck to the middle of his stomach. He looks at you nervously, biting his lower lip. But you only lean up, lightly pressing your lips against his skin.

“Look at my tiger,” You say softly. You see the blush rise from the bottom of his neck to his cheeks, before he pulls off his pants. He’s not wearing any underwear, but you’re a bit surprised.

His cock has dark, jagged lines across it, the same pattern that he has as a tiger. He has a bit of fur were his ball hair would be, pink head standing at attention. He leans down, slowly humping against your cunt. You feel his thick length slide between your folds, coating his skin.

“You’re so wet for me, y/n,”‌ he says softly. After a few loose strokes and a whine from you, he presses himself into you slowly. His head is larger than any you’ve seen, and you groan, feeling the stretch of him open you wide.

The growl that emits from his throat is anything but human, cock pushing into you with a low pop. His girth stretches your walls as he slowly bottoms out, small whimpers falling from your lips as you feel all of him enter you. He presses soft kisses against your face, trying his best to alleviate your pain. You feel so full, his sweat dripping onto your body. You run your fingers along his back, slowly going down until you reach his tail. Before he could tell you to stop, you touch it lightly.

He thrusts completely into you, tears springing to your eyes. You feel his cock throb inside you, almost pulsating.

“Are you okay?” He says through clenched teeth, forcing his eyes open. “Shit, you’re so tight.”

“Yes, yes, start moving,”‌ You moan.

He goes slow, long strokes in and out of you as he grunts, trying his best to hold himself back. Your cunt sucks him in with ease, tightening each time he moves out.

“Fuck, y/n, I need to fuck you, alright?” He says, and you immediately know what he means. Before you can say yes, he slams his cock into your cunt. His strokes are quick and deep, your body flung up and down as he pushes into you. Your fingers clutch his hair, and he pulls his arms around you, pressing his chest against yours. Whimpers of pleasure fall from your lips as he slams into you, the wet sounds of your arousal echoing around the living room. He drags his tongue against your neck, sucking and pinching the skin.

“Want to breed you,” He says, hips thrusting into yours. “Fill you up with my cum,” He runs his hand along your belly. “I can see myself fucking you, I can feel you right here.” He presses lightly on your lower stomach, but you can only moan in response.

Yeosang’s pace is unrelenting, the head of his cock presses against your cervix each time he thrusts inside. He rubs your clit quickly, groaning into your neck. “Cum for me, pretty. Cum all over my cock.” He drags his teeth against your ear, biting your lob lightly.

He suddenly picks up his pace, hips pounding into you. The intense feeling of him rubbing your clit and fucking you into the cushions is too much, your moans echoing around the apartment as he pulls himself into you, cumming at the same time. His cock explodes, the white coating your walls. His cock pulsates as he slowly grinds himself into you, sighing into your neck.

After his cock goes limp, he pulls out of you slowly, holding his hand over your cunt, keeping himself inside. A small part of you panics; will you actually have kids with him? You haven’t even gotten your license to practice yet.

“You won’t have offspring,” Yeosang explains softly. “We’re two different species, it’s not possible, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

He brushes his hands through your hair, humming softly. His eyes are filled with love and adoration, pressing his lips to the corner of your brows lightly as he looks at you.

“I love you,” You confess, and he only laughs into your hair.

“I love you too.”

-

San stares at the monitors, glaring at the screen in front of him. He glances down at his cell phone as it rings, and he picks it up, keeping it on loud.

“Have you located SCT-69?” His voice says.

San nods solemnly, watching as Yeosang carries you from the couch, pulling your body close to him as he walks out of the camera’s view. His eyes flick to the next screen, seeing him take care of you.

“Affirmative. They’ve just mated, and he still believes that he won’t impregnate her.”

“Good, then let’s monitor until she is pregnant. We’ll take the thing when it’s born.”

San sighs, “But isn’t it just a kid,‌ Jongho? We shouldn’t…”

“It’s not orders from me, and you know it San. There’s no room for discussion, okay?” Jongho’s says, his voice irritated. “Call me when you need me, I’m hanging up.”

He hears the dial tone, and throws his phone to the side, deep in thought. He feels his friend’s hand rub his back lightly as San looks at the screen. All of this, everything just for an experiment. All that he’s built…

“She’ll be long gone before the specimen rips out of her stomach. It’ll be fine, you don’t need to worry,” Hongjoong murmurs into his ear, pressing his lips lightly against San’s temple.

“You’re right, I know,” he says softly. ���This all will be over soon enough.”

_____

tags: @charreddonuts @changbinisms @woniepill @luv-quinn @crowhyun @atinytease @sunukissed @numxra @tohokuu @spooo00oky @kodzukein @cqndiedcherries

[mikillua-zoldyckerman]

Yeosang in this outfit but with his Deja Vu hair 😩🙏🏼

[dazzlinglando]

Something New

aria’s masterlist

set in late 2017

- summary:  aria moves into the dorm, and meets her new roommates.

after the original meeting with her new members, the next discussion was when she would move into their dorm. and more importantly, who she would room with. their dorm wasn’t particularly big or grand, just a simple 4 bed place and enough room for all 9 of them to live comfortably together. of course, before aria joined, they had their own room arrangements and knew how each other lived. but never before have they had experience living with a girl that wasn’t a family member. the members had offered aria her own room at first, but she didn’t want to be a burden to the other members, so happily agreed to share a room.

the only problem now was deciding who would room with who.

“how about we pull names from a hat, i don’t want to be sitting here forever,” jongho chuckled, leaning back on the sofa. the others agreed, with san being the one to write the names out and put them into one of his baseball caps. the members, especially yunho and mingi, used this time to learn more about their new friend and group member, discussing everything from interests, favourite foods, pets and life at home. they found out that back at home, she has a pet kitten called oscar, she loves watermelon and is a huge fan of rock music. the members loved hearing her talk, even if she went back and forth between english and korean.

before long, san returned, a mischievous grin on his face. “minhee, since you’re the newbie, why don’t you choose the rooms?” san suggested, walking over to her and placing an arm around her shoulder. hearing her korean name be called was still a rather foreign feeling, with it rarely used by anyone who wasn’t her father or a relative from her father’s side of the family. agreeing, she shook the hat, closed her eyes and picked out the names.

“i have wooyoung and yeosang,” she was hesitant to smile at first, wanting to see her new roommate's reaction first. san took his arm away from her in dismay, secretly hoping he would room with her, before wooyoung ran over to her and engulfed her into a big hug. “thank you for saving me from yunho,” he jokes, earning a light slap on the shoulder from the taller member.

as the night went on, the new trio organised their room. they had a bunk bed, and a single bed, which went to aria without hesitation. surprisingly, it wasn’t as awkward as she thought. her, yeosang and wooyoung all got along really well. she learnt that they were trainees together at a previous company, before moving to kq with the aim to succeed together. she really respected that, and admired their bond.

whether it was by dancing to bts together, singing along to a shawn mendes song way too loud for the convenience of their other members, or taking funny selcas together, aria really felt as if she found her new best friends in the 8 rather chaotic boys she called her bandmates.

[willwriteforhugs]

the boy in the bookshop (part five; the final)

in which you meet a suspiciously handsome boy in your favorite bookstore- but are not cultured enough to know his true identity.

part one

part two

part three

part four

ateez scenario

yeosang x (fem) reader

word count: 1.3k

g: angst, fluff

some arguing and cursing (very light)

a/n: hello lovely people! i’m just here to give you all a big thank you for the support i’ve received on this series. i love to write, and i’m so honored to know i can make people happy by doing that. if you have loved this little series as mush as i have, thank you so much! more to come ;)

- allison

part five; the final

your breath comes out in short gasps as you hurry down the street. 

you can’t believe... yeosang.

your heart pounds, and you slow to a stop, looking up to identify the street you are on. you realize after a minute that you have no idea where you are. 

shit.

you reach down and dig through your bag, hoping to find your cell phone. sure enough, it lies at the bottom- it’s only at 12%, but you’ll have to make do.

the time on the (too bright) screen reads 11:56. 

...had you really been out that long?

you open the maps app and try to figure out how to get home. it’s going to be 20 minute walk.

a thought occurs to you: if you were twenty minutes away from your place- and the bar from last night- had yeosang really carried you all that way? you quickly shove the idea out of your head. nope, nope, nope. no more thinking about him.

you can’t even begin to decipher your own feelings right now. you aren’t mad at him- maybe sad? disappointed? you don’t care that he is a singer, and an idol at that- but you don’t understand why he lied. half-lied. twisted the truth. whatever.

what did he have to hide?

if anyone would understand, it would be you.

so, why?

- - - 

twenty-five minutes later, (the phone had lied) you let yourself into your apartment. you heave a sigh, kicking off your boots. you glance at your phone again.

yeosang had called. just once.

you’d missed it- you always had your ringer off- but you make no move to call him back. you simply dismiss the notification. you continue to feel nothing but empty.

you mope into the bathroom, seeing your reflection for the first time today. you cringe visibly. your hair is a damn rat’s nest, and what’s left of last night’s makeup is smeared across your eyes and cheeks. the people who you’d passed on your way home probably thought you were insane.

you wet a washcloth to clean up, and only when you lift it to your face to you see it.

this isn’t your sweatshirt. 

you can feel that you still have the original sweater underneath- so at least he hadn’t stripped you-  but the sadness continues to creep in. why? why would he give you his sweatshirt to wear? why would he treat you so well? bring you into his own home when you passed out drunk? 

you lean against the sink, pressing your forehead into the cool ceramic. 

too much. this is too much.

should you call him?

you decide not to, knowing not what you’d say.

for the next three hours, you mumble your way through life. take a shower. brush your hair. shoot back some advil. make some ramen. eat said ramen. take a nap?

no. you know you won’t be able to sleep. you head to your room to get your phone from where you’d left it to charge. you have a text, just one:

yeosang: y/n, please.

that was it. sent 49 minutes ago. your eyes begin to tear up again.

you: come here, yeosang.

y/n’s iphone shared a location.

- - -

you haven’t really changed since your shower. you’re wearing plain black leggings and yeosang’s borrowed (stolen?) grey hoodie.

so when you answer the door, you hope he isn’t expecting much. as soon as you see him, though, your body relaxes with relief.

to be honest, he doesn’t look much better than you. he’s wearing sweats, and his hair is mostly covered by a baseball cap. there are dark semicircles beneath his eyes. your heart twinges.

without a word, you step aside, silently inviting him inside. he follows your lead, entering without question.

a moment passes in silence, and finally, yeosang lets out a sigh, whispering your name. “y/n-ah...”

you turn to him, hoping he continues.

“i’m sorry. i’m so sorry.” he’s barely whispering, and you almost feel the need to lean forward to hear him.

your voice comes out in a rasp. “for what?”

“for lying. because-” he pauses, looking away. “because i know you. and i know that’s why you’re upset. and you have every right to be.”

you nod, eyes, glued to the floor. your throat feels like you’d eaten carpet for breakfast. finally, you manage; “why...why didn’t you just tell me?”

he doesn’t say anything. you look back up at him. you wouldn’t know, but to him- your face practically breaks his heart.

his voice has completely changed pitch. it’s low, brimming with sadness and guilt. “i didn’t want you to leave.” his eyes visibly fill with tears. 

you make a broken whimpering sound. “you know i wouldn’t.”

“i just... i don’t know. you were kind, y/n. you didn’t know, so you treated me the way you would treat anyone. and i- i just loved that. i couldn’t risk losing that.”

“you risked losing it by not telling me, though...”

“well- i know that now.” he says in a strained chuckle. “but i couldn’t have known that four weeks ago. by the time i knew i cared-could trust you, it was just too late.”

you stay quiet.

“y/n.”

you look up, and the pleading in yeosang’s eyes almost breaks you. slowly, you take a few steps forward, closing the distance between you. you reach out, your fingertips brushing his palm. he hesitates, then closes the distance, gripping your hand with a strength you didn’t know he possessed. before anything can be said, you inhale and let your other hand trail up his back, pulling him flush again your chest.

yeosang’s breath catches. after a second, his left hand comes to wrap over your back, his hand entangling itself in your hair. his face meets your shoulder, and he sighs.

you giggle, surprising yourself- but your voice still sounds tear-filled. “i was never mad at you, you know.”

“i know,” he mumbles against your neck. “but you were sad, and that was so much worse.”

you inhale, considering your options. but at this point... is it even an option?

you pull away, cupping your hand around his cheek. his hand comes to rest atop yours. 

the room is so silent it hurts.

“y/n-ah...” 

a beat passes, and he closes his eyes for a moment.

“can i kiss you?”

you blink in surprise, but yeosang’s eyes are open and genuine. you nod lightly, before you can chicken out. 

his lips are soft and tentative. they brush yours so lightly that it could have been a dream. but you close the distance a second time, and yeosang leans into it. his kiss deepens, and you mumble your approval. now he pulls away, and leaves the lightest kisses on your cheeks, your nose, your neck. both of you are crying, just a little. who would have known how much a bookshop could change two people. could it create love?

you can see every inch of him up close. his birth mark...

he’s so fucking beautiful.

you reach forward and pull his face back to yours. you press your mouth to his again. he sighs, his hands reaching to rest of your waist. he slowly gets more bold- his lips part yours, and his tongue begins to explore your mouth. you meet his enthusiasm, hoping he never stops.

maybe he never will. you would both die happy, you think.

[bbykpoper]

𝓑𝓸𝔂𝓼𝓮𝓷𝓫𝓮𝓻𝓻𝔂💫

Inspired by this post 🌼

Pairing: policeofficer!wooyoung x kindergartenteacher!reader

Warning: sexual content up ahead, read at your own discretion!

Index: Jongho // Hongjoong // Seonghwa // San // Yunho // Mingi // Yeosang

･*:༅

Your eyes were glued to the small piece of paper attached to your car. You’ve been standing there for a good amount of time just looking at it, it worried your co-worker imensly.

“Y/N?” He waved his hand in front of your eyes. “Are you okay?”

“It’s a number.” You said and he looked at you confused. “He left his number on my car again. For Seulgi.” 

“Who?” Your co-worker asked.

“The stupid cop that keeps lingering around the block.” You groaned finally moving and ripping the paper off your car. 

“Are you sure he left it specifically for Seulgi?” 

“Yes Honey, I’m a hundred percent sure he left it for her.” You groaned out, throwing away the piece of paper with the scribbled numbers. “You want a ride home?”

“If it’s not a problem.” He smiled shyly.

Both of you filled into your car and you were about to start it when a soft knock scared you half dead on your widow. You looked up and noticed a uniformed body which was casually leaning down, a smirk coming to your eye level. The eyeroll which followed you opening your window made your co-worker and long time friend, Jooheon, laugh quietly next to you.

“May I help you officer?” You asked, plastering on the fakest smile you could.

“I see you’ve picked up my message.” He still kept smirking at you. 

“Yes, and I’ve delivered the previous seven you’ve left to the woman of your interest and would like to ask you to stop leaving them on my car from now on. They’re starting to become annoying.” You smiled and pulled the window up, leaving the parking lot of your work place.

“It’s reasuring that there is a police officer in this neighborhood, the kids feel safe. But I still don’t understand why he’s always here.” Jooheon sighed.

“He likes Seulgi, remember how she brought him sweets and food the other day.” You said, keenly observing the road as you drove him home.

“But that doesn’t have to mean anything. If you ask me, I think he likes you and is desperately trying to get you to notice him.”

“Sure, and the girl that works at the donought shop gives us free drinks because she secretly hooks up with Shownu.” You rolled her eyes, pulling up to his building.

“We may never know that.” He laughed with you as he got out the car. “Say hi to Soyou.”

“You too to the boys.” You smiled and waved at him. “I’ll come pick you up tomorrow,”

He waved and ran up the steps of his building. You made the short drive home and sighed, noticing that your roommate was indeed nowhere to be found. Typical of her.

･*:༅

“Miss, Hyunwoo peed himself again.” A child walked up to you, a little girl with her thumb in her mouth, grabbing on to your apron. 

“Oh dear, that’s not good.” You patted her head. “Thank you for telling me Yeun.”

Jooheon was bussy being pampered by the girls and looked at you for help. You pointed at the small boy who was crying in the corner, Yeun still clinging to your apron even as you walked. He sighed accepting his fate and trying his best to understand why they were painting his nails with watercolours. 

“Hyunwoo, did your mom pack you and extra pair of pants?” You crouched down and smoothed his hair, gently wipping at his tears. 

“Yes.” He sniffled.

You took him into your hands and carried him to the bathroom, his backpack shaped like a car hanging off your arm. You were quick to clean him up and calm him down, changing his dirty clothes for clean ones. It wasn’t unusual for Hyunwoo to pee himself, but it always had a reason. Usually he got scared of something and couldn’t control it.

“What happened Hyunwoo? Did you get scared?” You asked him, sneaking him a cookie so he could calm down.

“There was a weird man, by the window.” He said. “He was looking at you.”

“A weird man?” You didn’t notice anybody near the kindergarten, but this really was disturbing. “Are you sure you saw someone by the window.”

“I saw him too.” Yeun said. “He was watching you Miss, but ran away when Hyunwoo started crying.”

“I see.” Two kidds seeing a man? Could it be the stupid cop that kept pestering your poor car? “Did the man wear a police uniform?”

“No.” They both said. “He had a baseball cap on, just like my daddy does when we go to the playground.”

You decided not to show the children your worry and escorted them back to the group. They went off to play with some building blocks and you took this chance to grab Jooheon and drag him out the room.

“Hey Seulgi, can you watch the kids for a while. Me and Honey need to step out for a few minutes.” You asked the black haired woman who simply nodded with a smile, taking on the task at hand. “We have a problem, it could be nothing but it could be something.”

“What do you meant?” Jooheon asked as you stepped outside the building and began walking in the direction of your room’s window. 

“Hyunwoo and Yeun said they saw a man staring inside at me.” You said, coming to a stop to look at the parking lot behind the kindergarten. “I’m suspicious of the cop that keeps leaving his number on my car.”

“Well, someone was here.” Jooheon said as he pointed at the footprints in the flower bed. “But I doubt it was the cop. The only crime he has tied to him is liking you. Pretty sure he ain’t your stalker or whatever this is.” Jooheon looked around as well. “Do you have any ex’s who want to scare you?”

“Let’s get one thing straight Honey. I’m not scared.” You said unamused. “And I also didn’t have a boyfriend since like high school. I’m pretty sure that snot nosed asshole has better things to do than stalk me.” You rolled your eyes. “None of my hook-ups know anything about me, Soyou taught me better.” Someting then clicked in your brain. “Soyou didn’t come home last night, and when morning came she begged me not to go to work today.”

“Do you think it has something to do with her?” 

“Well... I don’t know. She’s been acting weird the past few days.” You sighed and looked at Seulgi who knocked on the window asking if you guys were okay. “Can this stay between us, I don’t want Seulgi to worry about this.”

“Yeah, but I’m sleeping over at your place tonight.” He said, walking with you. “No taksies-backsies.”

“The kids are rubbing off on you too much.” You laughed and he shrugged his shoulders at you.

･*:༅

Wooyoung sighed loudly as he sat with his friends on his break at Sugarberry’s. Mingi was busy making order as always, but Jongho and Hongjoong managed to allign their breaks with him, surprisingly not spending it with their girlfriends. They were now only waiting for Yeosang. 

“What’s wrong? Your plan on leaving your number for that cute girl isn’t blossoming into love?” Jongho mocked him.

“She thinks I’m leaving it for her co-worker.” He whinned. “The other girl hasn’t stopped texting me. She even made me lunch last week.”

“I don’t see a problem with that.” Hongjoong said. “You at least have another girl interested in you.”

“No. I only want that one girl to be interested in me.” He said.

“Then why don’t you just openly ask her out on a date?” The famous waitress of Sugarberry’s spoke up, placing a steaming cup of tea on the table, most likely for Yeosang who just walked in. “I mean it most likely won’t work, but dude, no girl needs a number of a strange cop on their car, seven days a week.” She laughed as Yeosang rolled his eyes at the information he heard. “Just come clean and maybe she’ll accept your date invitation.”

“Or maybe not because she has a boyfriend.” He mumbled when he saw you walk in with your co-worker who he’s seen you drive to and from work. “Just my fucking luck.”

“Honey, you really don’t need to sleep over.” You whinned, not even noticing the enticing cop who was keenly observing you. “I’m sure Soyou is just acting weird because of the stress on her own job.”

“I don’t care, I’m not having two girls living alone be scared shitless because some guy decided to prey on you.” He said, pulling out his phone. “I’ll even invite the guys.”

You sighed as he started calling up his friends and ordered some drinks and sweets to go. While you waited you took a seat at a table and only then did you notice four guys looking at you, recognizing the police officer at the table. You narrowed your eyes at him and decided to ask him a question, which caught him and his friends, including Honey, off guard.

“Were you at the kindergarten today? The parking area to be percise.” 

“No... I’m off duty because of my exams.” He said, furrowing his eyebrows.

“See.” Honey said, finally off his phone. “His only crime is liking you.”

The table went into a soft hum of snickers while Wooyoung embodied the pikachu meme. You blinked and nodded, not believing a word out of your friend’s mouth and happily going up to pay for your order and leave.

A sudden kick got Wooyoung out of his thoughts and he looked up at the waitress who motioned with her eyes towards you, silently telling him to go for it.

“He’s not wrong you know.” Wooyoung spoke up as you walked back. “I do like you.”

“That’s nice, but you don’t even know my name.”

“Well you don’t even know mine.” He countered.

You rolled your eyes and went to leave, Honey giving Wooyoung a small thumbs up and nodding as if to signal that he shouldn’t give up. With determination in his eyes, Wooyoung stepped up and went after you, blocking your way to your car.

“My name is Jung Wooyoung, I work at the Korean Police Department and am currently taking my Detective exams.” He stated. “Please go out with me.” 

You were shocked at the straight forwardness he had in himself and blinked a few times to come back to your senses. You were about to say no, but he beat you to it.

“Before you say no, please give me a chance. One date.” You looked at him, right in the eyes, noticing how he wasn’t joking about this.

“Alright.” You nodded. “One date.”

“Awesome.” He smiled and it was only then that you noticed how the blond may have looked attractive. “I’ll pick you up on Friday at 7 p.m. sharp.” And he skipped off inside.

Jooheon was smiling at you and you pushed him off to make him shut up and he laughed. You knew this was going to be a tough night for you seeing as you were going to be the main topic.

･*:༅

The days leading up to Friday were weird. You noticed more weird things happening around you and Soyou, but mostly her. Ever since the guys slept over you two began recieving letters on a daily all of them containing death threats towards you and promises for Soyou. Even at your work place, strange things kept pilling up, from dead birds to your car being scratched and keyed daily. 

“Are you scared yet?” Jooheon asked as you two cleaned up your groups room. “That’s like what, the fourth dead bird this week!”

“Calm down Honey. If I show fear it will only get worse.” You sighed folding the blankets. 

“But if you don’t you might get hurt!” He threw the toys on the floor into the basket with anger. “Tell it to Wooyoung.” 

“What? No.” You said. “I’m not going to tell my date that I’m being stalked by some dude who wants to kill me because he wants to marry my roommate.”

“You have a stalker?” Seulgi joined you two just as you were finishing your sentence. “If you do, you should really go to the police y/n.”

“It’s fine Seulgi, it’s nothing serious.” You waved it off.

“Bitch you got a dead bird delivered to you with it’s little head cut off.” Honey growled out. “It is serious!” He yelled out catching you both off guard. “If you don’t tell Wooyoung, I will.”

“Fine. I’ll tell him, when our date ends.” You bit back. You looked over at Seulgi who smiled at you warmly at the knowledge that you two would be going on a date. “I’m sorry, I know you like him.”

“Oh no. Don’t be.” She waved her hand and smiled. “He told be that he is interested in you and not me. You don’t have to apologise. I’m happy that you finally said yes.”

The whole day proceeded calmly and you drove Jooheon to your house. You were surprised to see Shownu and Kihyun sat on your porch with some snacks in their hands. You looked over at Honey who just shrugged.

“I’ve had enough of you two living alone with this whole dead birds, marriage proposals and death threats hanging over your heads. The boys and I are moving in with you.”

“But where will you guys sleep?” You asked looking at your small, two bedroom home.

“The couch and floors are good eough for us.”

Soyou was inside making dinner and talking with Minhyuk while the rest of the boys loitered around the living room. You had a little bit over two hours before Wooyoung would be picking you up, so you decided to quickly shower and get ready. You two exchanged numbers and were actively texting and you had to admit to yourself, he was fun. He had this plethora of dumb dad jokes as well as topics which you found far too interesting. 

“Dang woman!” Changkyun whistled lowly. “You look nice.”

“Changkyun, I’m wearing jeans and crop top.” You deadpanned.

“Nice.” He gave you a thumbs up and you all laughed at him and his antics.

“Have fun on your date.” Soyou smiled at you, the dark circles heavy under her eyes. 

“I will. Make sure these guys don’t destroy our house.” You hugged her, sadness coating your expression.

Jooheon yelling for you that your boyfriend is here had you almost body slamming him into the nearest wall but he evaded your strike wiggling his hips and moving away. Wooyoung stood outside, chuckling at you two and smiling when you blushed at the fact he saw this.

“Sorry.” You said glaring at Honey. “He’s dumb.”

“Are you ready to go?” He asked. 

“Yup.” You joined him by his side and he escorted you to his car. He even opened the door for you as a true gentleman. “You’re stepping up your game.”

“I have to impress you fully.” He smirked at you. “You finally agreed to this date.”

The drive was nice but whenever you asked him where you guys are going he said it’s a surprise. You joked he was the stalker you supposedly had and his instincts kicked in, telling him this was not a joke. He decided to keep quiet for now and parked his car at this abandoned skelleton of an unfinished building. You laughed when you recognised the place he had taken you.

“Are we going to be star gazing?” You asked.

“How’d you know?” He was surprised you figured it out. 

“See this?” You pointed at the grafitti which had a verse from a song and the drawing of the night sky. “Honey and I did this in high school.” You smiled at the memory. “My friends and I hung out so much here.”

“I recently found this place.” He layed out a blanket and a basket. “I like the stars and I thought you’d enjoy it too.” He smiled at you. “I’m glad I was right.”

You guys joked around as you at the food he prepared and were currently laying on the blanket, doing your best to try and count the stars tonight. You were happy and at peace with this, especially when he showed you how constellations work. You almost even forgot about that looming problem you and your roommate had.

“Why did you joke that I was your stalker?” He asked suddenly.

“It’s not my stalker personally.” You said, coming to terms that it was time to speak about it and fulfilling the promise you gave Jooheon. “My roommate Soyou, it’s her stalker, she has big problems at work because of him. And now it’s coming back home and reflecting on me and our friends.” You moved your head so you could look at him. “Soyou works as a hostess in a very fancy restourant and is quite pretty. She always gets some guy to run after her but not on purpose. It’s probably someone she was nice to and is now so infatuated with her that he keeps following me, her roommate, around and loitering around the kindergarten. He keeps sending letters and gifts to her. While I get the death threats and dead birds.” You sighed. “She’s exhausted and it’s really draining her, we keep living in fear and even asked Jooheon and his guy friends to stay over for the week because last night somebody tried to break into our home but were caught by our neighbor.” 

“Did you report it to the police?” He asked, now sitting up.

“No.” You sighed. “I don’t exactly trust the police.” You shrugged your shoulders. “No offence.”

“None taken.” He smiled sadly. All the offence was taken. 

“There is a reason why I told you this.” You admit, also sitting up. “I don’t trust the police, but you are a different case. I may not know you that well, but as we messaged this week I figured out that you are trustworthy just clumsy a little bit.” You were indicating his straight forward way of leaving his phone number on your car. “Jooheon basically yelled at me to tell you this... I just... Can you help me and my roommate?”

“I know a few people.” He smiled and placed his hand over yours. “I’ll do my best to help you out.”

･*:༅

“Soyou, y/n. This is Detective Nam.” Wooyoung introduced the older male who was standing in your living room. “He’s from the sexual crimes unit and is an expert on cases with stalkers. He’s here to help you.”

You and Wooyoung had slowly developed a relationship which was now going one month strong. He was doing great with his Detective exams, while you and your roommate were still battling this stalker who upped his game by a mile. Now instead of recieving dead birds, you were personally recieving items the kids from your group had lost and it was becoming urgent.

“Nice to meet you girls.” The man bowed. “I’ve been informed of your problem and will be working on your case starting this minute. I hope you don’t mind if we wire your home and set up cameras at any and every entrance point of your home.” 

“Have fun.” Is what you told him. 

“Perfect. My team will be surveilling your home 24h a day.” He spoke up. “We believe that the man who is after you two is tied to another one of our cases and we would like to catch him.”

The only thing you two could do was nod in silence. The technicians set up the cameras and wires around the home as you and Soyou sat and spoke with Detective Nam a bit more.

“So now he is taking items from the children at the kindergarten you are working at?” The Detective asked.

“Yes. I’m currently on sick leave so as the children are not in danger.” You said. 

“That was a smart decision on your side. Have you gotten anything in the mean time?” 

You pulled out a letter with a picture of you and Wooyoung outside of your home the night you went on your first date. Your face had a red circle around it and the words ‘stay out of it’ written above it.

“I’m pretty sure I’m going to die in the next few days.” You said nonchalantly.

“I apologise, her defense mechanism to danger is sarcasm.” Soyou grabbed your hand, her own shaking in fear.

“You won’t die. Wooyoung will be staying inside the house with you two.” Detective Nam sighed, understanding the weigh of this case. “Do you have someone who can stay with you Miss Soyou.”

“My boyfriend.” She answered and you furrowed your eyebrows. “I’ll call him over right now.”

“Good.” Detective Nam stood up and looked at Wooyoung. “You have persmission to carry your service weapon with you and to use it if the situation calls for it. Please be careful, we will take care of the rest.”

“Yes sir!” He nodded as the older man left.

“You weren’t kidding when you said you know some people.” You smirked at him. “Does this mean we’ll be sharing a room?”

“My job description says yes.” He smirked. “And I would very much like that.”

You laughed as you guided him to your room at the end of the hall. Wooyoung noticed that your bed had been moved to the far corner, away from the window. The fact that there was a small commode was placed underneath the window, with very sharp pins, some cactuses and if he saw correctly nails covering the top had him wide eyed. 

“I’m not dumb you know.” You said, bouncing on the bed. “My baseball bat is located here.” You pulled it out from between your bed and wall. “I usually sleep curled up against the wall. And I ain’t no scared bitch to not swing at him.”

“That’s hot, and scary at the same time.” He laughed and sat next to you. “But seriously, you can rest easy now that I’m here.”

You raised your eyebrow in amusement at his whole manly persona coming out and punched him in the shoulder, pushing him down. 

“So manly, falls with one simple punch from a girl.”

You laughed as he pulled you down next to you, you two beginning a wrestling match which ended with you stradling his waist, feeling something poke you in your thigh.

“Is that your service weapon I feel poking me?” You asked, bitting your lip when he pointed at his gun on your bedside table.

“It is a type of service weapon.” He said, sitting up and pulling you even closer by your thighs. “That is, if you are comfortable and want to of course.”

You felt your stomach flutter and your heart beat fast at his words and you moved your hand to his cheek, pulling it so that his face met yours, and you gave him a kiss.

“I don’t have any objections to that, sir.”

You let your thumbs run over the pink of his cheeks and the plush of his full lips, gazing at his dark eyes which seemed as if they held all the galaxies of the universe. You pressed a kiss to his lips. Light, fluttering. He groaned lowly into the kiss as your tongues danced. You slipped your fingers underneath the material of his simple coloured t-shirt, raking them along his soft abs and relishing in the warmth of his skin. He decided to match your pace, dropping his hands to your ass and squeezing it roughly.

He murmured as his lips found their way along your shoulder, fingers tugging the collar of your shirt out of his way.

His big hands slid up your torso and cupped your breasts through the material of your bra briefly before reaching around to unclasp it. He threw it to the ground before reaching for you again, long fingers tweaking your hardening nipples. You grew exponentially wetter when he enclosed his lips around one, his fingers tugging at the other, and then alternating. He did this back and forth until you were a whining mess.

One hand stayed squeezing and kneading your breast while the other slid down to your thigh, gliding around it before finding its way between your legs, bypassing your jeans. He targeted the wet spot on your panties and pressed into it in long slow circles, teasing your lips and your wet opening. You moaned against his neck and his member twitched at the sound. He quickly pushed his way past the messy fabric and thrust two fingers into you. He loved the sound and feel of your slickness. He slid his fingers in and out of you, stroking your walls until you were a grinding mess in his lap, whimpering his name in his ear.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” He whispered into your ear, not stopping his assault on your lower region.

“Yes.” You whinned out.

“Yes what?” He tugged on your lower lips, enticing a mewl out of you.

“Yes sir.” You let out a breath when his mouth connected with yours just as his fingers went faster as you let go of yourself completely, spasaming around his fingers furiously. “Sir, please fuck me.” You breathed out. “I need to feel your big cock filling me up over and over again. Please sir.” 

He withdrew himself from you, quickly making sure both of you were naked as he layed you on your back so you were completely exposed to him before slowly pushing himself in. His dark orbs were locked with yours, watching your reaction. You were whimpering, needing more. He was going so slow, and teasing you to the point where you couldn’t handle it. You needed him to be a little rough. You wanted to feel it later. You wanted to feel it when you walked. It was as if Wooyoung could understand your silent plea and decided to oblige fully.

“Hands.” He said. You obeyed, holding them both up for him. He took them both, slamming them onto the pillows beside your head. You glanced up at him as he held you down. “Good girl.”

Relentlessly, almost possessive Wooyoung moves his hips, slamming into you to make you feel his strength and dominance. “Be good and cum for me sweetheart. I want your pretty little cunt to squeeze me before I paint your body white.”

Your orgasm hit you hard. The flood gates opened and pleasure jolted through you, making your body quake underneath him. Your fingers curled into his shoulders as you fought the urge to nibble on his neck. Your eyes were shut tight and you were seeing nothing but searing white hot stars. You were panting profusely, trying to catch your breath as you continued to cum. The sheer intensity had you quivering. 

It took Wooyoung a few more thurst to pull out and cum on your bare breasts, painting them with the sticky substance. He was quick to move and get a towel to clean you up. You were exhausted beyong measure and sleepily looking up at him. 

“So you have a sir fetish?” You giggled when he blushed, bringing your comforter over you and snuggling next to you.

“We all have our likes.” He said. “You didn’t seem to mind.” 

“It’s hot. Not gonna lie.” 

“You’re hot.” He kissed the back of your neck and you moaned loudly. “Is my baby girl ready for round two?”

･*:༅

After four rounds and loud banging from Soyou and her boyfriend whose voice you recognized as Minhyuck, you finally fell asleep in Wooyoung’s arms. It was around 3 a.m. when he woke up to the sound of scratching at your window. He quickly grabbed his service weapon when he noticed a dark figure messing with the window and trying to forcefully open it. When the figure couldn’t open it as it percieved it easy, he grabbed a nearby rock and threw it through the glass, waking you up and allerting the officers stationed around your house.

A man jumped into your room, a knife in hand and eyes bloodshot with need to hurt you. Wooyoung placed his gun on the man’s head and he suddenly froze, not expecting to be faced with a man inside your room.

“Place the knife down and raise your hands in the air.” Wooyoung’s voice was darker than your room. “Slowly.”

Soyou let in the police officers and guided them to your room in the mean time. They arrested the man, pulling his baseball cap off his head and having her identify him as one of the customers that frequented her work place. 

“Well done Wooyoung.” Detective Nam said from your broken window. “You’ll be an impresive detective in the future.”

“Thank you sir.” He said with a smile.

“Especially after this plan which you’ve orcastrated.” The older man smiled at him. “You start on Monday Detective.” He went to leave but stopped short to look at you. “Oh and Miss y/n, we’ll send someone to fix your window tomorrow. Thank you for you co-opperation.”

“Thank you for helping us out.” You bowed from your sitting position on the bed. 

As everybody left your room you looked at your window sadly and sighed. Wooyoung came over and sat down next to you, brushing his fingers along your exposed neck. You looked over at him and smiled, resting your fore head against his. You both began laughing as you just sat there in silence and comfort, as the stars outside twinkled in the night sky.

･*:༅

“Kids, this is Detective Jung and he’s come this way to teach you about safety and why it’s important to not trust strangers.” You spoke as you clapped your hands to catch the children’s attention. 

They all ran up to Wooyoung who was overwhelmed with the attention but smiled when he noticed how happy the kids were and the fondness you kept in your eyes as you observed them. He then felt a tug on his sleeve and looked over at a small girl with her thumb in her mouth, her other hand holding on to a small boy who looked scared.

“Hi.” He greeted them as the girl removed her thumb from her mouth to speak.

“You’re the boy that kept leaving notes on Miss y/n’s car.” Yeun stated and you had to hold back a laugh along with Jooheon and Seulgi. “You kept talking to your imaginary friend and then leaving notes, but coming back and taking them away.”

“Wha-” Wooyoung blushed furiously and looked up at you then back at the kids. “No I didn’t!”

“Yes you did!” Hyunwoo said pointing a finger at him. “But you were dressed as a police man and were always sad because Miss y/n ignored you!”

“Okay kids, that’s enough of teasing Detective Jung.” Jooheon said as he guided them away from him. “Miss y/n teased him enough before he finally told her he likes her. I think he doesn’t need you two to add to it.”

“Does that mean they’re like mommy and daddy?” Yeun asked, holding on to Hyunwoo.

“No. They’re more like you and Hyunwoo.” He said snickering at a dumbfounded Wooyoung.

“Oh, so Miss y/n takes care of him like I do of Hyunwoo?” 

“Yes, I do.” You said with a smile patting her on the head. 

All of the kids then sat down in front of Wooyoung as he somehow managed to begin talking about safety measures and everything he had planned. While you on the other hand got another tug on your apron from Yeun.

“Does that mean you want to be like mommy and daddy with him? Because that’s how I want to be with Hyunwoo.” Wooyoung heard this and his mouth hung open at the boldness of this little girl.

You looked up at his flushed face and confused eyes. You were sure he was going to faint if you answered the little girl, but truth be told you wanted to see his reaction. I mean you guys have been dating for a number of years and it wouldn’t hurt to tell him just to see if you guys were on the same page. And boy were you right when you thought he would almost faint from your answer.

“I guess I do.”

Wooyoung bit his tongue to control the dumb smile on his face but failed. The kids started picking on him and he didn’t really care.

He was just happy that you wanted to be like mommy and daddy with him.

[sankyeom]

after dance practice, the boys were heaving while trying to catch their breath after the rigorous routine they had just perfected for just about the hundredth time that day. you watched as they slowly dispersed, grabbing their water bottles and chugging as much water as possible in an attempt to hydrate themselves.

“you guys were great!” you said enthusiastically, looking through the pictures you had taken of their practice on your dslr camera. “i’m starting to get a feel for who is the centre of which part and the pictures are improving.” you added, showing yeosang, who was standing closest to you.

he wiped the sweat from his left brow and grinned. “these are great,” he insisted. “thank you again for doing this.”

you waved off his thanks. “it’s nothing!” you insisted. “it’s actually really fun.” you added just as mingi came over to you, sports bag thrown over his shoulder, sweat wiped away with a towel and a baseball cap on his head.

“ready?” he asked you, a nervous look in his eye and general demeanour. for someone as tall as mingi, he always stood up straight and confident, but today, his shoulders shrunk forward just slightly, a tell-tale sign of anxiety you had learned to pick up on.

“let’s do it.” you agreed, less enthusiastic than you were with yeosang. if mingi noticed this change, he didn’t let it show in his expression as the held the door to the studio open for you. you thanked him quietly, giving everyone else one last wave before stepping through the threshold.

when the door closed behind mingi, the room fell silent. yeosang, san, yunho and wooyoung were stunned to see you leave with mingi after your unaddressed tension for the past few days. the silent argument between you and your best friend had not gone unnoticed or un-spoken of within your group of friends, and neither had yunho’s confession to yeosang that he wanted to pursue a relationship with you. as if recalling this, yeosang, san and wooyoung all glanced over at yunho to see his reaction. yunho only stared at the door which you and mingi had just walked out of, his expression void of any emotion. he would have looked quite normal, and the water bottle in his hand not been held on to so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

“a latte with vanilla syrup and no whip, please.” mingi ordered your usual order for you at kqu’s coffee shop. you felt the urge to call him out for knowing your order but not knowing how to be a good friend, but held your tongue instead, trying to have an unbiased outlook on the conversation you were about to have with mingi.

“you didn’t have to order for me,” you said instead once the two of you found a vacant booth to sit at. mingi shrugged, but said nothing, cupping his americano in his palms. “so…”

“so…” mingi responded, removing his baseball cap and readjusting it on his head. “i figure i need to explain myself.”

“you don’t need to,” you felt yourself saying before you could think about it. “you don’t owe me anything.” you added, glancing down at your latte before blowing on the hot beverage to alleviate some of the heat.

“then why have you been ignoring me?” mingi retorted. you raised an eyebrow, placing your mug back onto the table.

“i haven’t been ignoring you or punishing you, mingi.” you told him calmly. “you started ignoring me the second i started taking pictures for the dance team. it’s not like i didn’t sit around waiting for you to reach out. because i did.” confessing this wasn’t embarrassing to you, because mingi was your best friend and he knew that you looked forward to his texts and conversations.

mingi averted his eyes. “actually, that was because you were getting close to my friends.” he confessed, squeezing his eyes shut as he spoke, as if the very thought embarrassed him to the highest degree.

this surprised you. you blinked a few times, milling his words over. “you don’t want me to be friends with your friends?” you asked slowly, as if the words made no sense to you.

“no? or yes?” mingi sighed, his eyes meeting yours. “i don’t really know. i guess i was just worried you’d like them more than me so when you started hanging out with them outside of our time together, it just made me insecure.”

“i’m your best friend, mingi.” you reminded him. “the only reason i wanted to get along with your friends was because they’re yours.”

“but they’re all just so handsome and charismatic!” mingi exclaimed. “and they have so much in common with you in different ways. i just didn’t want to lose you as my friend.”

you reached over and to grasp mingi’s hand in yours, but thought better of it halfway and stopped, clearing your throat awkwardly when his eyes darted down to your outstretched hand. “you were the one that pushed me away. not the other way around, though.” you reminded him before pausing. “what happened at that party?” you asked him, your voice quieter than it had been all day.

“ah,” mingi sighed. “not my finest moment.” he tried to play it off with a laugh, but it both sounded and felt rather forced. “i was feeling increasingly insecure about our situation and our little fight over text, and i wanted to clear my head. so i went to that party, got ridiculously drunk, and kissed that girl i was dancing with.” he explained. “i wasn’t keeping any secret relationship from you and i wasn’t doing it to rub in your face the fact that we weren’t talking, i promise.” mingi finished, looking at you with nothing but honesty in his eyes. “i wasn’t keeping secrets or trying to cast you aside.”

you bit your lip. “it felt like a slap in the face when i saw it.” you admitted. mingi felt his stomach sink, upset that he made you feel that way. “it felt lie you didn’t want to be my friend anymore. like you didn’t want me involved in your life at all, and that made me really upset.” you tried to articulate your feelings. “especially because you’ve been so cold to me at dance practice and never wanted to meet up. seeing you kiss that girl… it felt like i didn’t even recognise you. not because you shouldn’t be kissing girls,” you added quickly. “you can kiss whoever you want. it just made me upset that you hadn’t told me about it.”

“i was just stressed about my friends and then school was starting to really pile up because of how short the quarter is and to be honest, i just didn’t want to take out my anger and stress on you.” mingi said, reaching out to your outstretched hand and grasping it. “i’m sorry i made you feel like you didn’t matter and that i let my insecurities get the best of me. but i promise, i will make it up to you.”

“there’s nothing to make up,” you insisted. “i just need you to know that you’re still my best friend, even if i make new friends.” you assured him. “and i want you to be more open with me, okay?”

mingi nodded enthusiastically. “i can do that.” he agreed. you smiled, relieved that you had worked it out and stood up to give mingi a hug.

“so that’s it then?” you asked as you hugged him. “no more secrets?”

mingi felt his heart stop. “right,” he lied straight through his teeth, his heart pounding due to his close proximity to you, cheeks blushing at the mere thought of touching you this intimately. “no more secrets.”

𝚠𝚊𝚟𝚎 (𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚣 𝚜𝚘𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕 𝚖𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚊 𝚊𝚞) // 𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗

𝚙𝚊𝚒𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐: 𝚢/𝚗 𝚡 𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚐𝚓𝚘𝚘𝚗𝚐 / 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚒 / 𝚢𝚞𝚗𝚑𝚘

𝚠𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝 // 𝚖𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚖𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝 // 𝚗𝚎𝚡𝚝

[popliar]

Ateez in Seoul, 8 and 9 February 2020

Olympic Hall at Olympic Park

No one will believe this but I actually had my holiday with @flywithturtles planned before I knew the dates coincided with Ateez's Seoul concert dates. But it's true! I have the WhatsApp conversations to prove it!! Anyway I secured the tickets and all was well.

This is the first concert I've been to where they were handing out masks, making sure everyone had hand sanitizer and checking temperatures as you entered. Haha. Well they also checked our temperature going into the Line Friends store that day so, that's corona virus life. I was actually really worried the concerts would be cancelled, given so many other events have been, so it was a relief that it went ahead.

Structurally this is the same as the show I saw in August last year, after Wave/Illusion: starting hard with pirates, a lighter middle section, and a mythology-heavy last third. And then the encore which went for ages.

What's great to see is that the gaps and pacing downsides of the previous year have been corrected and improved. The pacing has been tightened up, the banter and ments flow much more smoothly and the show just feels very professional and well run.

Here's my post about last year's show: https://popliar.tumblr.com/post/187095347758/ateez-in-sydney-11-aug-2019

It's a shock to realise they've only been around one year four months but they were able to fill out a full 2.5 hour set, every song solid. And KQ spent proper money on this, the production was good - it's not like LAVISH but there were good stages and fancy screens and new VCRs and plenty of back up dancers, and it all worked well. There were maybe too many fireworks on the first night (I hate it when it obstructs the choreo) but they'd adjusted well on the second night.

Surprising but welcome - they had English subs for some of the ments. I don't think they were "live" subs because sometimes they'd get ahead of what the members were saying. But it was helpful. Even without them, body language and tone says a lot. Though I'm regretful that I don't understand Seonghwa's acrostic poems or all of their stupid jokes lol.

The show is called Fellowship and they leaned into it hard, asking Atiny to be part of their shared journey and to stick with them forever. It's a familiar refrain from other shows, but each time I find it both surprising and effective - this very overt, explicitly stated entreaty to be a fan, to enter into this imagined relationship, the appeal to reciprocity. "We've made you happy, make us happy too, be with us and we'll be with you."

But you can know a thing and it can still be effective. I did love the shows. I want them to be happy too!

A list of observations and random things:

Spoilers follow, I'd put it behind a cut but I can't figure out how on mobile haha

OK REALLY SPOILERS NOW

-first VCR to open the show expanded on the Treasure theme.

-Desire opens with blindfold choreo. Was this a gift for me? THANK U.

-for Lights, they had cute moments where they held up little speech bubbles over each others heads. They paired up with Hongjoong and Mingi, San and Wooyoung, Seonghwa and Yunho, and Yeosang and Jongho. Both nights, Woosan held hands. On the second night Yunho held Seonghwa's hand and Seonghwa was like a shy maiden. Mingi and Hongjoong had very strong flirty energy. Yeosang and Jongho are cute.

-the VCR in between part 1 pirates and part 2 fun boys showed what felt like a series of different dimensions? An ocean, a mountain, fields of flowers, cosmic surrealism, etc. As though each of them was alone somewhere in time and space.

-During If without you, they threw out balls to the crowd as gifts (mini riots ensued). Mingi put the empty basket on his head both nights, what a beautiful fool.

-Night 1 was the first time with the light stick! Hongjoong announced its official name: Lightiny (light of destiny) but also Tinybong lololol. The light stick is super pretty. I was tempted but didn't have time the first night. The second night it was sold out when I arrived!!!

-The VCR in between parts 2 and 3 is the really intriguing one. It paired them up into the Lights pairs again. Yeosang and Jongho searched for each other in a hall of billowing drapes. Mingi and Hongjoong were rockstars (with great lipstick). San and Wooyoung were mirrorverse versions of each other. Yunho and Seonghwa put together the pieces of a puzzle in a set that reminded me of both Treasure and Wonderland.

-In the intro to Say My Name on the first night, Hongjoong went halfway down the stairs then turned around, went back and grabbed his mic, then went down again lol. The second night he very firmly took his mic before descending the stairs lol.

-The final VCR before the encore showed them uncovering items on pedestals as though in a museum: a camera, a gramophone, a painting, a book of poetry by Yeats... Then they all created a painting together. When viewed through a red screen (like the puzzles in their albums) the pattern revealed a compass. They then all showed their wrists to reveal each had a compass tattoo.... WHAT IS THIS OT8 SOULMARK FIC!!!!!

-They said they had planned for every audience member to have this compass stamp (the Fellowship again) but it was cancelled due to health concerns. But we could see it with our true eyes, right???? On the second night, the 99s swarmed Seonghwa at this point to try to look down his shirt. I see. I see. (Later on Hongjoong also tried to peek into Mingi's shirt also fine just fine.)

-Early in the show Hongjoong said there would be clues through the show about the next steps in their concept/narrative. The hourglass and compass were very recurrent but these are not new. Hmm. I wonder.

-In one ment on night 1, Jongho spoke to all his hyungs informally and it was HILARIOUS. He did something similar on the second night, patting Yunho on the head and pinching Wooyoung's chin etc.

-During Star 1117 on the first night, Hongjoong and San started crying. Then in the following ment, they and Yunho and Wooyoung were crying, and Seonghwa and Jongho were teary. Yunho cried so hard (missing his grandfather!) that during Hongjoong's ment, Mingi quietly went over and gave him a towel. There were like five members in between that he passed to give him the towel, it was so sweet I'll cry. Night 2 felt more joyful and upbeat.

-Some ppl really left way too early like before the encore. The encore is half an hour long omg! You missed out on so many songs!!!!!

-On night 1 between main set and encore the crowd didn't quite know what to do. Huge kudos to the fans who led some cheers otherwise it would have been so quiet. Second night was better and also they kept the light sticks on while we were waiting which added to the atmosphere.

-They didn't sell a couple of sections in the hall at all, they were curtained off. It's interesting to think BTS had their first Muster here at around the same point in their careers. Like BTS, Ateez too are more popular globally than at home. They were beaten quite handily in voting on music shows by SF9 this comeback, who are more popular at home than internationally.

-It is great being in a huge fandom like BTS but also you know this is actually a great time to stan a group like Ateez. They're big enough to be exciting and have good shows, they are interesting and still developing, they're still playing intimate venues... They're good!!!!!

-A few of them had fake neck tattoos. San helpfully labeled himself "San" on the second night lol.

-Hongjoong briefly went off stage during sunrise On night 2. Hopefully just a technical issue.

-Treasure and Precious choreo start and end in the same place, echoing their musical connection.

-They had different encore outfits for Answer each night, before changing into hoodies. On night 2, Yeosang saw some of the others had scarves/banners tucked into their back pockets and was like "where's mine????" Instead of a banner, Yunho had a baseball cap. Seonghwa took his off and Hongjoong tied it around Seonghwa's wrist.

-For Star 1117, everyone held up their mobile phone lights. On night 2, San repeated the request in English too. Very pretty to see all the lights.

-On second night, Seonghwa and San got their mics and necklace tangled up during a ment lol.

Setlist:

(Intro)

Win

Horizon

Pirate King

(Introduction ment)

Medley: Twilight, Stay, My Way

Light

Mist

Desire

(VCR)

Illusion

Crescent

Wave

Sunrise

(Ment, lightstick announcement)

If without you

Aurora

Utopia

(VCR)

Say My Name

Dazzling Light

Hala Hala

Treasure

Precious

Wonderland

--

Encore:

(VCR)

Answer

(Ment)

Thank u

Star 1117

(Ment)

Promise

Dancing like butterfly wings

Setlist from: https://twitter.com/updateez/status/1226112679728812032?s=19

[choisanah]

tagged by @moonchildsaurora 💕

rules: bold the statements that apply to you

appearance

i am over 5’5 // i wear glasses/contacts // i have blonde hair // i prefer loose clothing over tight clothing // i have one or more piercings // i have at least one tattoo // i have blue eyes // i have dyed or highlighted my hair // i have gotten plastic surgery // i have or had braces // i sunburn easily // i have freckles // i paint my nails // i typically wear makeup // i don’t often smile // i am pleased with how i look // i prefer nike to adidas // i wear baseball caps backwards

hobbies and interests

i play a sport // i can play an instrument // i am artistic // i know more than one language // i have won a trophy in some sort of competition // i can cook or bake without a recipe // i know how to swim // i enjoy writing // i can do origami // i prefer movies to tv shows // i can execute a perfect somersault // i enjoy singing // i could survive in the wild on my own // i have read a new book series this year // i enjoy spending time with my friends // i travel during school or work breaks // i can do a handstand

relationships

i am in a relationship // i have been single for over a year // i have a crush // i have a best friend i have known for ten years (17 years!!!) // my parents are together // i have hooked up with my best friend // i am adopted // my crush has confessed to me // i have had a long-distance relationship // i am an only child // i give advice to my friends // i have made an online friend // i met up with someone i have met online

aesthetics

i have heard the ocean in a conch shell // i have watched the sunrise // i enjoy rainy days // i have slept under the stars // i meditate outside // the sound of chirping calms me // i enjoy the smell of the beach (!!!!!!!!!!) // i know what snow tastes like // i listen to music to fall asleep // i enjoy thunderstorms // i enjoy cloud watching // i have attended a bonfire // i pay close attention to colours // i find mystery in the ocean // i enjoy hiking on nature paths // autumn is my favourite season

miscellaneous

i can fall asleep in moving vehicles // i am the mom friend // i live by a certain quote(s) // i like the smell of sharpies // i am involved in extracurricular activities // i enjoy mexican food // i can drive a stick-shift // i believe in true love // i make up scenarios to fall asleep // i sing in the shower // i wish i lived in a video game (stardew valley! 😔✊🏻) // i have a canopy above my bed // i am multiracial // i am a redhead // i own at least 3 dogs

tagging @gingerpeachtae @kmseokjins @sun-moon-n-yunho @kihyunsgf @sanvitalias @yeosangs-horizon if you want to do it, also if you see this and feel like doing it, consider yourself tagged 💕

[atinyidea]

Glitch | Ateez Gang! AU | TWO

⟶ gang!au, hacker!au, love triangle? poly? female!original character

How curious it is, the fact that the police just gave a media conference, confirming ATZ’s involvement in Kyungri’s families newly-appointed murder, just as she sat down for her best friend, Jaehyeon, to be tattooed by one of the gang members?

⟶ glitch ml! main ml!

⟶ prologue | previous | next

⟶  note! @atinyluna @iis4d @untainted-memories!! if anyone wants to be on a tag list for this fic just let me know!

⟶ 2786 words

⟶ edited 08.03.2020

TWO: The Café, 14:38.

Saturday 25 October 2025,

“How much sleep have you had? You look like shit.” Lee Chaeyoung told her best friend as she strolled towards the table Kyungri sat at and placing a paper cup of coffee in front of her.

“Gee, thanks Chae,” Kyungri mumbled sarcastically but shot her friend a grateful look as she brought the cup to her lips. “Enough to live. Especially now I have this,” Kyungri paused to lift up the coffee, “you’re the best. Thank you.”

Chaeyoung beamed at Kyungri, pulling out the chair opposite her and sitting herself down at the table. Technically she was supposed to go right back to work, but Chaeyoung didn’t care. Her bright orange hair was tied back into two twin French braids, the colour complimenting her work uniform. It consisted of a teal polo shirt with the café’s logo embroidered into the sleeve tucked into a white tennis skirt which had to have at least seven pleats. A small apron of the same colour as her shirt wrapped around her tiny waist, its strings circling her waist twice before being tied in the back. Chaeyoung leant forward towards Kyungri, her head resting on her interlocked fingers, a worried look in her eyes as she stared at her friend. “Doesn’t look like it.”

Kyungri simply shrugged, her hair falling off of her shoulder. Today she wore her hair down, the soft black locks making little waves as they cascaded down her back. She never typically wore her hair down, much preferring to keep it tied back and out of her face. However, the day was colder than usual, so Kyungri decided she could do with the extra warmth and insulation. She wore a pale-yellow long-sleeved turtle neck jumper – that was a sized too big for her – underneath a black leather jacket that she hadn’t taken off yet. She paired it with a pair of black jeans and her favourite lace-up boots.

“You need to take care of yourself, Ri.” Chaeyoung sighed, leaning back in her chair and letting her hands fall to the table with a dull thud.

“What I need is to find these guys before I fall into utter insanity.”

“Still, no luck?”

Kyungri shook her head, taking a sip of her coffee before grimacing a little. “I just don’t get it! Other than that single police file your dad made there is no other trace of Jo Jowon or Choi Jongho that match the faces at all. It’s like they don’t exist!” Kyungri finished, realising she was flailing her hands around as she spoke. “It’s like the people in the pictures don’t exist. I’ve tried everything I can think of. Facial scanners on numerous lists of known people, facial reconstruction systems, several types of picture rendering and nothing! Not to mention all the standard ways to find someone and still nothing. It's like they fabricated out of thin air.”

“Maybe they really are ghosts. From the Ghost Gang as Jaehyeon calls them.” Chaeyoung giggled at the way Kyungri rolled her eyes. “Have you asked GM for help?”

The best thing about Lee Chaeyoung was that she was a loyal friend. She was good at keeping secrets and even better at learning them. Since Chaeyoung was the daughter of the head of police, she had grown up around the life of crime, always watching from behind a glass pane. She watched her father as he worked, mainly as he worked from home. When her parents got divorced, Chaeyoung wasn’t split in two like one would think. She went to live with her mother, happy to no longer be around a man who made his life murder. She was in her mid-teens when the divorce happened, around seven years ago, and she had sat on the bottom step of the stairs listening to her parents yell at each other. She would never forget the sound of the slap that resonated through the house, nor would she forget the silence that followed. Chaeyoung couldn’t say she hated her father, but she knew she opposed him quite a lot. Kyungri often wondered if that was why Chaeyoung had taken so well to what Kyungri did – especially when she hacked into the police station where Chaeyoung’s father worked. She used her parentage to the best of their abilities, especially since Soonchul seemed desperate for his daughter in his life. Chaeyoung often thought what she did to find out information from her father for Kyungri could be considered manipulative and wrong, but she never found herself caring.

Maybe she did hate her father after all.

Kyungri let out a small groan as she let her head fall forwards onto the cap of her coffee. “That’s where I’m on my way to next. He’s not going to let this go for at least a month.”

Noh Gongmyung, known as GM by Chaeyoung, was a weird person. Kyungri knew next to nothing about the man, but if there was one thing she did know was that she trusted him. It was strange, just how much she did trust the man who was ten years her senior, how they talked and laughed and worked together like they were best friends of the same age and not employer and employee. Gongmyung was the best hacker Kyungri had ever known, and she knew some cracking hackers. The man was like her father, her brother and best friend all in one. Which was weird.

Chaeyoung didn’t try to hide her giggles.

Before she could continue, the overhead bell above The Café’s entrance chimed, the two girls naturally bringing their attention towards the sound. In walked two familiar faces – well if familiar was the right word, Kyungri had only met them once. The two men stood at the door for a second before Yoosang took a step forward, speed walking over to the counter to where the manager was wiping down the marbled surface. His slightly pink hair was almost hidden underneath a plain black baseball cap, and his frame was drowned in an oversized fluffy denim jacket. However, Kyungri could still pick him out due to his unusual – and shockingly gorgeous – birthmark on his left cheekbone. She watched as the dark-haired tattooist clapped a hand on his Yoosang’s back shouting after him with the point of a finger-turned-thumbs-up, “you got this man!” His eyes traversed the interior of the café before they fell on the table Chaeyoung and Kyungri were sat at. In a flash, a friendly smile overcame his features as he turned his pointer finger toward them, well at Kyungri who watched as it turned into a little wave. Before she knew it, San was making his way towards the table. “Hey, stranger!”

“Oh, Hey! It’s the best tattooist Jaehyeon knows!” Kyungri grinned up at him. Spinning around to look at the men who stood next to their table, bright orange twin braids flying, Chaeyoung gasped a little too loudly at the sight of him.

“So you’re Choi Yusan then!” She exclaimed, sending a pointed finger his way.

“Just San is fine.”

“Jaehyeon won’t shut up about you.” Chaeyoung’s face dropped all emotion as she deadpanned at the red-haired man. Kyungri stifled a grin, if San was all Jaehyeon was talking about she couldn’t blame Chaeyoung for being annoyed.

San grinned at the waitress. “Must be me then,” he said, reaching behind him and dragging a chair to the table, sitting next to Kyungri. “Just San really is fine.” His face almost screwed up into a look of disgust before a charming smile swept over his features. “Yusan is my father’s name, and I’m not that old.” He sent the girls a small wink with a light chuckle.

Chaeyoung didn’t reply. Instead, her head cocked to the side slightly as she just stared at him with curious eyes. Or judgemental eyes, Kyungri could never tell.

San didn’t seem to care much.

He looked to Kyungri and pointed at her open laptop, a program running at eighty-seven per cent complete. “You ever off that thing?” He chortled with a singular raised brow.

Before she could reply, Chaeyoung cut her off with a small snort. “It’s practically her fifth limb,” she teased, looking over at Kyungri with a raised brow.

Kyungri rolled her eyes a playfully, looking to San with a small smile, “It’s my job.” At her words, San perked up. His back straightened a little jarringly as he turned his body to face Kyungri like he was making an effort not to appear overly excited.

“Your job?” His words were a little too enthusiastic, but, neither girl was really paying attention to his tone. “What do you do?”

Again, Chaeyoung spoke before Kyungri had the chance, “She’s a white cap hacker!” She emphasised, placing her hands down on the table, overlapping each other as she wiggled her eyebrows at San.

“White Hat.” Kyungri corrected with a small grimace.

“Same thing.”

“It’s really not.”

San let a laugh trickle through his lips, which went unnoticed, as he watched the two girls argue over such a small thing. If he hadn’t already known that they were very close friends, it wouldn’t’ve taken him long to figure out that the two girls were best friends. How Chaeyoung grin stretched wider every time she said the word ‘cap’ just because it would annoy Kyungri. How Kyungri’s lips were twitching, trying not to smile as she realised the ridiculousness of their argument. It reminded him of Yunho and Yeosang and how they could keep the same argument – over the smallest of things – going for hours. After a minute of looking back and forth between them, his gaze settled back to Pyo Kyungri – the girl he was tasked to find – and waited to gain her attention again.

When she finally did look back at him, her words stuttered in her mouth as she caught him looking at her. A small blush bloomed over her cheeks as she looked back to him to explain further. Like San didn’t know what a White Hat Hacker was… but she didn’t know that.

“I, like, hack security systems for companies to test if their security protocols are proficient. If they aren’t, then we get commissioned to create new, stronger, systems and servers to replace the weaker one.”

“She’s a proper genius!” Chaeyoung gushed, her hands flailing around before she leant forward towards San. Kyungri was beginning to wonder why all of her friends were the most dramatic people in the universe.

“I’m… I’m not a genius, Chae.” The blush on her cheeks was reddening by the second.

Chaeyoung didn't have it. She stuck her tongue out at Kyungri before rounding back to San to begin her little monologue.

“Our Ri is real smart! Real Smart Ri is what we call her!” – “You have never called me that.” – “She’s got a real high IQ, there a certificate framed in her aunt’s house and everything, so we know it’s real if you needed proof or anything!” – “Oh my God, can you not?” – “She’s real young too! Only twenty-one and already graduated from university!” – “I’m older than you.” – “I’m so proud.” Chaeyoung paused, lifting a hand to wipe away a fake tear from her eyes. She ignored all of Kyungri’s attempts to interrupt her, but San had caught all of them at watched her with an amused grin as she lifted her cup to take a swig of her coffee. “Say, San?” Chaeyoung resumed, a smirk overcoming her entire face, “You like smart girls?”

Kyungri choked on her drink. San’s eyes widened slightly as he turned his head to Chaeyoung, who just continued on as if nothing happened.

“She’s pretty too, don’t you think? Do you think she’s pretty?” Chaeyoung rested her head in her palms, her gaze lever leaving San. “She’s single too, there’d be no competition to win her over or anything.”

“Chae.” Kyungri gasped lightly, almost begging her to stop as her mouth hung open.

“Pretty, smart and single. She’s a triple threat right, everything you could need right. Do you like pretty smart girls? Pretty, smart girls? I reckon you’d look great together! I mean, you’re just sat next to each other, and I’m already being attacked by the visuals! Think of the children!”

Kyungri choked on thin air and stood, motioning to the little spill on her jumper and mumbling incoherent words about going to the bathroom to fix it, a small “Jesus Christ Chae” was the last thing heard before she disappeared. Anything to get away from that situation. San’s cheeks were rosy as Chaeyoung grinned at him, getting up from her chair as her name was shouted from the tills.

A lot of things happened in the next couple of minutes. Chaeyoung seemed to bounce away towards her boss – a big burly bald man who rarely smiled and had the deepest loud voice one had ever heard – like she wasn’t the least bit affected by the glint in his eyes as he shouted at her to teach the new guy the ropes. Once San was sure Kyungri was gone, and Chaeyoung’s back was turned he got to work, pulling out his own phone and dragging the laptop towards him slightly.

It took Kyungri less than three minutes to return back to the table. She didn’t notice that her laptop was not in the place she left it, off by a centimetre, as she took her place in her chair next to San who hadn’t moved. Instead, he was simply typing away on his phone. As she sat, San’s head popped up to meet her gaze with a small, slightly embarrassed smile. She returned it, biting the inside of her lip gently.

“I’m sorry about her. She can be…” Kyungri trailed off, searching for the words.

San chuckled, fingers tapping on the sides of his phone, “Don’t worry about it, my brother is the same… if not worse.” He grinned, thinking about Mingi grasped every opportunity to tease them at all costs. “Besides, she had a point anyway.”

Which of her ten thousand points was the one he was focusing on?

With another blush colouring her cheeks, Kyungri pretended she hadn’t heard him. “You have a brother?”

He nodded, laughing slightly. “I have ten brothers.” He replied with little hesitation, “and two sisters.” He added on as an afterthought. However, at the look on Kyungri’s face, he lost composure and burst into laughter.

“Oh, God!” She exclaimed.

“No! We’re not blood-related, we just all live together. Close enough to be family. I consider them family.” He continued through small bursts of laughter.

“I was about to express my condolences and congratulations towards your poor mother! Having to go through all that!”

“I can’t imagine my mother doing that more than once.” San dismissed as he called down. He turned his head to look out of the closest window. Kyungri took it as a sign to drop the topic. She let out a gentle sigh as she looked to her phone, noticing the time as a gasp fell from her lips. Packing up with speed, she shot San an apologetic look when he turned to face her again.

“I have to go, I’m late, and my boss will be waiting.”

San shook his head with a bright smile, “Well, don’t let me keep you.” His fingers played with his phone once again, turning it between them, “we wouldn’t want you in trouble, now would we?”

Giving him a quick but appreciative smile, Kyungri stood up from the chair and shoved her laptop bag on her shoulder. “See you around San.”

“She knows my name!” San yelled after her when she was halfway across the café.

“I don’t know him!” Kyungri shouted over her shoulder with a playful smile as she walked through the door. Watching her leave, San could feel his heart beating, pulse humming loudly beneath his skin. He chose to ignore it, a stupid grin settling over his lips.

Suddenly a hand holding a napkin was shoved in his face. He looked up to see Chaeyoung looking down at him the look on her face almost conveying disappointment. “You didn’t get her number, did you?” She let the napkin fall, gently laughing as she turned to clean a nearby table. San looked down to the napkin, at the line of numbers clumsily strung together and smiled for the millionth time that afternoon.

“Did you do it?” Yeosang’s voice asked him quietly. San nodded. “Did she notice?”

“Don’t think so,” San replied.

“Good work, man,” Yeosang smirked at him, clapping a hand on his shoulder. Neither boy noticed a certain orange-haired waitress noting their words to relay to her best friend later.

[worlds-shortest-astronaut]

Ateez as things my students have said #2

San: So i wear this baseball cap when we’re playing cricket just to, you know -

Yeosang: - be ironic?

San, grinning proudly: Yep