#chanyeol college band au

[fuckyeahexofics]

Hello admins♥️♥️thankyou for running this account seriously I want to ask what’s the best chanbaek fic that you have ever read

201212

hello <3 here are some of the best i’ve read!! 

A Little Like Love (slice of life, strangers to lovers!au, NC-17)

Farfalle (restaurant!au, comedy, NC-17)

On the Booze With Brahms (college!au, band!au, neighbor!au, PG-15)

-nav

Hi anon! I think they were my original favorite ship when I first got into the fandom, but I don’t read quite as much anymore, so here are a few of my favorites!

eyes like summer skies, words like the ocean blue (+Sehun, age difference, NC-17, major character death)

Here Be Dragons (fantasy, fake relationship, NC-17)

Pain and Pleasure Rewind (BDSM, friends to lovers, NC-17, graphic violence)

-kei

[restlessmaknae]

Step by step [pt.2]

Chapters: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7

Genre: fluff, comedy, romcom, haters to lovers

Main Characters: Park Chanyeol; Kang Yushin (OC); Kwon Soonyoung; Byun Baekhyun; Kim Jongdae; Do Kyungsoo

Setting: college AU; art college AU; dance class AU; college band AU

„We take a dance class together and our next routine calls for partnership, and we got put togeth−STop standing on my foot!” AU

A day later, I found myself in the university’s practice room with a sly Soonyoung and a never-been-clumsier Chanyeol.

Actually, let me tell you that this class was for amateurs only. If it hadn’t been for Soonyoung’s internship, he wouldn’t have to teach classes for people who were – to be honest – quite analphabetic when it came to dancing. Not to mention that if it weren’t for my best friend and for the extra credits, I wouldn’t have joined his class, let alone let him tease me with my non-existent dance skills, no matter how much I enjoyed it. Dancing wasn’t my field, I just loved doing it from time to time but I guess we were all there for such reasons. We were all art students but keen on expressing ourselves in a different way. For example, Jungkook was at the Fine Arts departure as a photographer prodigy, Soonyoung was – if it wasn’t obvious enough – at the Dance departure as a soon-to-be choreographer and I… well, I was just an ordinary student majoring in Critical Writing in Art and Design. According to my best friend, even the name of my major tells a lot about me. Well, decide it for yourself.

You can easily see that we weren’t professionals, therefore I didn’t even expect Chanyeol to be any different. He was talented in singing and writing lyrics but he wasn’t particularly good at dance. What now? The thing was that he wasn’t just bad, he was literally the worst amateur that I had ever met. I know we had exactly 2 classes together so far but that 3 hours that I had to spend with him – as his partner! – were the definition of Hell. The epitome of wasted time.

Small wonder why I continued on my rampage when after another terrific dance class with my absolutely “flawless” dance partner, I heard Soonyoung’s plan – or to be precise, it was more of a demand coated with sweet, friendly words.

“Guys, you’ve been doing great since I put you in pairs, so now, I want you to do something without my guidance,” he announced energetically and some guys even hollered in joy while others clapped enthusiastically. On the other hand, Chanyeol became like a living statue beside me, his features firm and his smile replaced with a worried flinch.

“I want you to find yourselves a choreography that you think would fit both of your personalities – or even better, you can come up with a choreo on your own – and show it to us,” he not-so-obviously winked at me while I glared at him like I wanted to eat him alive. “I know you are probably busy, so you can perform your dance anytime until the end of the semester. Of course, I want you to challenge yourself, so you can also dance with chairs or blind-folded, you can dress up as your favourite kpop member. Whatever. Just work together and enjoy yourselves!”

A wave of undeniable bafflement and ecstatic euphoria filled the room, leaving students bouncing up and down like two-year-old kids, flinging their arms in the air in disbelief or standing in bewilderment with their mouth agape. Needless to say but I was the member of the last group.

“What?” Chanyeol snickered, apparently unable to process what he had just heard and I soon joined in, too.

“What?” I exclaimed frantically, my voice higher than usual. I was seriously struggling to keep my rage at bay because I didn’t want to look offended or anything but… I was undeniably offended! How could that Soonyoung guy come up with such a gruesome idea? How could he think that we would be able to learn choreographies without his guidance? How could he do this to us? To his best friend?

“If you have any questions, you know where to find me. But for now, let’s call it a day! See you next Monday!” he waved to us with his trademark grin and made an attempt to scamper away. Of course, I couldn’t let him run away without being scolded.

“What were you thinking, Kwon Soonyoung?” I spat fervently but all the rage that I had accumulated lately decided to come to surface right then and there. The blonde guy’s tiny eyes widened in shock, probably more because of my way to express my anger, rather than my accusing tone. He knew just as well as I did that I only called him by his full name when I was pissed off. When I was really, really mad. Utterly mad.

“I was thinking that you would see it as an opportunity to finally get to know your partner a little bit better.”

“Why on Earth I would want to know him better?” I cried out in annoyance and flailed my arms around wildly. From the corner of my eyes, I saw as Chanyeol flinched but I couldn’t care less. Not when my life was falling apart thanks to the on-going divorce of my parents and the significant decrease in my grades. I had far worse things to deal with, so I didn’t need anything else to make me lose my mind.

“Yushin…” he let out a tired sigh and looked at me dearly. It was that kind of best friend look that you get before the huge life lesson comes. “Dance is about so much more than just moves after moves and beats after beats. It’s about exploring the deepest parts of your soul. Without exploring it, you can’t express your feelings, let it be joy, hatred or disappointment. The same goes when you dance with someone else. If you don’t know them, you can’t work with them,” he pronounced with the utmost care and his wide words cut into my soul a bit.

Honestly, I couldn’t agree more with what he had said. Dance was a way of expressing our feelings just like any other forms of art. For me, writing was the one which turned out to be the most accurate way to voice out my opinion but dance was also another compass of my emotions. Not until Soonyoung actually made me remember why I had initially enjoyed dance so much, did I actually realise why I found it so hard to indulge in it lately. Because I was afraid of my own feelings. I was terrified to present them to others. I didn’t want anyone to know about them since I always tried to prove that I was so strong and invincible. Yet, I wasn’t. I was a fragile human being and I wanted someone to figure that out. Just that someone still hadn’t come and I was trapped in an ice castle built up by my own worries.

“I know,” I whispered with wavering lips and immersed into toying with my fingers. I had already told him what was going on with my parents because he noticed my mood swings and rebellious behaviour but he couldn’t help me. He was there as a shoulder to lean on but I also had to learn how to overcome hardships on my own.

“I know you are going through a really hard time but that’s exactly why I think that Chanyeol and his usual optimism would do good to you,” Soonyoung added gently, letting the words sink in. Due to the fact that I was looking down at my own hands rather than his mesmerizing orbs and I got caught up in my worrisome thoughts, I didn’t even notice when he bid his goodbye and left the practice room. That meant that I was left alone. Or not really…

Luckily, there was no soul in sight, except Park Chanyeol. I wouldn’t want anyone else to hear the conversation that I had with my best friend. Not like they would know what kind of hardships I had to face lately but still, I needed a little more privacy in my life. It’s so upsetting that Soonyoung had to choose this period of my life to come up with the idea of having a group project. Dance should be a fun free-time activity but now… it seemed like it would turn into an irritating burden.

“So, I guess it means that we have to work together even more…” Chanyeol started vaguely and glanced around instead of looking into my eyes. I couldn’t really detect what was going on with him because he was uncharacteristically shy but hey, maybe he had a rough day! Or, worse than the fact that the happy virus Chanyeol had his first bad day during the semester was that he had heard something from our little chat with Soonyoung and he didn’t know how to act in order to avoid being too obvious. I seriously hoped it wasn’t the latter.

“Yep,” I nodded in agreement.

“So, I guess it also means that we have to see each other more often.”

“That’s right,” I bobbed my head again because I had no idea what else to do. I tried my best to keep my deadly serious face on but it was so hard when Chanyeol’s eyes suddenly lit up at the thought of us spending more time together. His Oreo-like eyes were immediately filled with blossoming joy and overflowing excitement, he became radiant in an instant. He glowed like a shooting star hovering on the pitch-black sky.

“Wow, I’m so happy! I can finally learn something from you!” he beamed excitedly while I directed a suspicious glare at him. He caught sight of the doubt written all over my face, so he made an attempt to clarify himself. “I mean, as far as I could see, you are probably the most passionate and most talented dancer in our team, so I’m sure you could teach me a thing or two. I know I have a lot to learn, so you would be an excellent teacher for me,” he giggled a bit at this part and I just stood there, cursing the whole universe (and especially my beloved best friend) for putting us in a pair. I predicted a serious outburst in the near future. There was no way that I could be with him without shouting his head off.

“Please take good care of me!” he bowed as a sign of respect but I didn’t know what it was for. I didn’t do anything to earn such a behaviour from him. I was seriously taken aback. My deadpan expression must have not leave an impact on him since he acted just like his usual self. Weird. Really weird. This guy could never get angry?

After pondering for a thought, I cleared my throat in an attempt to get his attention.

“How about we meet on Friday and watch some choreographies together, so that we can decide what we will choose?” I suggested with a mediocre friendly smile and his reaction couldn’t have been better. The guy clapped his hands and I swear he could have won the award for the widest grin ever. There was no other like him and his trademark grin.

“Amazing! I can’t wait to see you! I’ll be sure to check out some choreographies, even before our encounter, so that I can be prepared for Friday,” he promised gleefully and fished a post-it note out of his pocket. He looked at it for a mere second and then, he reached his hand out and motioned me to get it. “Here’s my number if you want to decide on the time and location. I’m usually available, so look at your schedule and call, okay?” he glanced at me and sputtered so rapidly that he had to catch his breath at the end. I assumed that he finally shut up for a minute and I had the chance to say anything but no, he casually started speaking again. “But now, I’ll have a band practice, so see you on Friday! Have a nice afternoon!” he hollered like he was in the 7th heaven and left the room while humming a funky song and dancing his way past the door.

I couldn’t quite process what I had just seen. Did Chanyeol really get on cloud 9 after realising that we would get to spend more time together? Like, what was wrong with him? Did he – perhaps – like me?

Oh, no way! Why would he? We hadn’t even talked to each other before Soonyoung’s dance classes. Oh no, that’s totally and absolutely impossible. There was no way that he liked me. No, not at all. Plus, why would I be appealing to him? There was nothing lovable about me. So why was he so hyped up?

Gosh, he was weird. Guys were weird.

[beomcoups]

wip tag game

✎ RULES: post the names of all the files in your wip folder regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous they are. let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have wips. (you can make your own post or reblog this one!)

✎ tagged by: the loveliest people ever @yoonia​ and @flurrys-creativity

✎ tagging: @sugakookitty @milfgyuu @xlovelyyoongix @flowerboykun @kthpurplesyou @horanghoe  @playmetheclassics @hobeemin @defwoodz @baekhyyun @moonctzeny @raibebe @sanjoongie​. Anyone else I didnt tag can also play too and just tag me so I can see ❤

(wips below the cut)

Not in any particular order: Lover Boy (EXO oneshot)

pairing: Chanyeol x reader

Genre: fluff, angst, smut, strangers to lovers au,

Summary: Meeting him was unexpected. Falling in love was meant to happen (summary might change).

Love Song (NCT series)

𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: fiance!Jaehyun x reader

𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: fluff, smut, established relationship au

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: Jaehyun whisks you away for a weekend getaway before you get married. Weekend Getaway

pairing: husband!Jimin x ceo!reader

genre/au: marriage au, ceo au, fluff, smut, a bit of angst?

summary: You are a boss during the day: closing deals on mergers and making the most important decisions in your company. But at home, you are a wife and a mom who has very little time to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Jimin aims to change that, with one weekend in Vegas.

Anime No Genjitsu (NCT Dream series)

Pairing: OT7 x reader

Genre: will specify in each oneshot

Summary: The lives of the members through some of my favorite slice of life animes.

Isn’t It Ironic? (BTS oneshot)

pairing: collegeboy!Seokjin x reader

genres/aus: angst, fluff, smut, college au, enemies to lovers au

synopsis: You don’t care for Jin that much; He is from a rich prominent family and you come from poor backgrounds who is attending university with a scholarship. You are supposed to despise him with every fiber of your being. So why do you find yourself falling for him instead?

All Your Fault (BTS oneshot)

Pairing: mafia boss!Jimin x reader

genre: fluff, angst, smut, mafia au, strangers to lovers au

Summary: He came crashing into your life literally, and you haven’t been able to get rid of him ever since. But maybe you like it this way?

TBA (WayV oneshot)

pairing: Kun x reader

genre: fluff, smut, honeymoon au

Summary: TBA

The Athlete (SVT oneshot)

Pairing: athlete!Hoshi x reader

Genre/AUs: smut, fluff, sports au, friends to lovers au

Summary: You are assigned to write an article about Kwon Soonyoung, the trailblazing athlete that everyone calls Hoshi. But as you spend more time with him, you realize there’s more layers to him than football.

Seven Deadly Sins (BTS series)

Pairing: reader x ot7

genre: fluff, angst, smut, supernatural au, fantasy au

Summary: You’ve been single for a long time and you miss the feeling of having something warm underneath your body. You go into a “candy shop”, full of things to satisfy your needs until the right person comes along. You come across a grimoire, full of spells to bring your fantasies to life. Will this be best thing that ever happened to you or your worst mistake.  Untitled Seventeen oneshot Pairing: Jeonghan x stylist!reader

genre: fluff, angst, smut, slow burn 

summary: TBA Studio 54 (NCT oneshot)

pairing: dancer!Yuta x reader

genre: fluff, smut, 70′s au. lovers to exes au summary: It’s supposed to be a fun night at Studio 54, the hottest club in New York. Running into your ex wasn't apart of the plan, but you will make the most of it anyway. 

70s Rockstar (NCT oneshot)

pairing: rockstar!Yuta x groupie!reader

genre: fluff, smut, rockstar au, 70s au

summary: The hottest band is in town and you plan to bag the hot guitarist with the blonde hair and rockin vocals. Now how to get backstage... Desperado 

pairing: Christian Yu x reader

genre: smut, fwb, criminals au

summary: TBA

[ukaiknowsbest]

Favorite

MiyusSawa

Author recs

Sayurihime (future au, character study, canon compliant)

Sapphylicious (au)

bimmyou  (future au, canon compliant)

harmony (future au)

 duelstance (valoirs) (canon compliant, au)

Stonehill (semi au, canon compliant, future au)

Haberdashette (au, canon compliant, semi au)

jaunepoi (canon compliant, magic realism, au)

 llowyn_maelai (canon compliant)

MusicPrincess655 (au, canon compliant, magic realism)

 I_Will_Think_About_It_Later (au, canon compliant, magic realism)

mysticflakes (canon compliant, future au)

moonstruts (canon compliant)

litteringfire (canon compliant)

Jangpoo (canon compliant, future au, mostly angst)

winterwaltz6 (future au, canon compliant)

 wbtrashking (fan_nerd)   -future au, alternate au, canon compliant

HGLowlife -au, future au, college au, roommate au (pokemon go)

 rattlethosestars - angst, future au, canon compliant

maridoll - pokemon au

Nenagh24 - various au, gen, shorts

seraphicals - mediacal au, canon compliant

MiyuSawa Honorable mentions:

     where the sky goes to sleep  by   skystamps (planting)     

     30 day free trial  by   foxcourt  (fake dating celebrity au)          

     this is probably a metaphor but I failed literature last year      by                    anattemptatalliteration    (young myk) 

     only fools rush in  by  drunkonwriting (short term dating)

     hidden in lies hides the truth by chuuyaya (vongola)    

     Manic Fairy Dream Prince by  siyrean (magic realism)       

     you made me into someone loved  by   amaanogawa   for cypher_seoul  (future au/fluff)

     Cake      by      ilia   (myk bday)

     What goes around, comes around   by    iscoliya     (ONS)

     Smooth Sailing   by fan_nerd  (met thru wakana)         

     into warmer light by  evercelle (combini)            

     the stone that slayed the giant, goliath (and the boy who held the slingshot)   by   stormysaturdays   (first meeting poetic)            

     that sound      by    kazetsuyo (band au)

     you've begun to feel like home.  by  tamaneco (comfort)

  Tanuki in the Box by  limpeelee  (college au)        

     Being Grown-up About It by KittyGetsLoose  (seido crack)  

     en plein air    by  windingwoods (httyd au)       

     Can't Help Falling in Love with Ukulele  by thejillyfish (swmr ukelele)

     Caressing your neck like the wind  by   starrwinter  (myk undercut)

     Full Count: Strike by   blindwriter (confession)    

 ignite   by sawumura    for aquariusblues   (sawamura seido life)        

     Andromeda  by   Teyova (star wars / padawan au)

     la pesanteur      by    kellyzipcode  (coffee shop au)             

        Partner (Working Title)  by   Dragoncounsel121 (swords au)

     Tough Mercs with Killing Fevers   by   yoongies   (fistfight bet)

     At The Edge With You   by frymyrisole (glasses smudge)

     If You Can Finger Slowly, You Can Finger Quickly   by Togaki               

     six months' time      by   championstunic   (canon compliant)      

     wazawaza by  mirrordance for ssho (magic au/cafeshop)

     take my hand (and my whole heart too)   by  kittebasu (chanyeol)        for Akulaledi   (promyk/cong.eijun)  

     This summer, and the next. by   PKSamurai (canon compliant ft. chris and clover)

     Low and Outside   by    Lirillith for muuchan  (canon compliant, yips arc)

  promises  by  wbtrashking (fan_nerd)   (AU- single parent myk, pro baseball sawamura)

  Endurance  by   kazuyaloveseijun (satorumiyuki)    -SawaMi Lemon

 bad habits, worse preferences by  neesaan  -SawaMi Lemon 

  a year can make a big difference by karasunotsubasa for natsubuta  -SawaMi Lemon

When I Give, I Give Myself by TrumpetGeek SawaMi Lemon   

beginner's luck      by     orphan_account  -SawaMi Lemon         

Linger  by  FleetingKisses  -canon compliant early new year return

Now and Then by Karasuno Volleygays (ToBeOrNotToBeAGryffindor) - future fic tractor

as delicate as diamonds  by  followingthesky (swmr music semi-au)

  of golden eyes, warm milk and sunflowers on ice by followingthesky (figskater!sawa, hockey!myk)

  The Moron      by  SBK (miyuki onesided angst)

Cynosure  by  Feyre  (international model au)

Song of the Sunshine Child by   MoonlitStardust   (AU-Bookstore and gameshop baseball au)

New Horizons by  SNND (dance school AU)   

Late to the Game by jadedpearl (myk denial pining but cute)

Batting practice and dental health by mhwright (myk pining swmr wrestling) 

learning      by    HiraethSatisfied (valentines day myk)

Shirakawa's Curiosity (Didn't Exactly Kill Him) by seri-kun (vanijane)   -tokyo invitational arc

soleil      by     JS_Misawa (chaotic_souljam)  -chocolatier vs wagashi makers au

  [untitled]: possibly, maybe by ellesmer_joe3 for Oshietee -AirDrop scene

Of Kami and Fire by jadedgalaxies (Emeraldxoxo) -combini & kami au

Crossed Up by Monti_B -mutual pining, canon compliant

soon enough, we'll have forever  by athiefshome (proposal myk)

snooze by lexi_con  -future au, husbandsz

conatum by theberryghouligans - myk and animals

The Challenger  by flimsyscript - myk meta

syzygy  by UchiHime for WhyTheHandbasket -actor and twitch streamer au

  Of All The Places   by   sukotchi - bar and office au (Lemon)

  we shall see by  melpos - fwb (Lemon)

  Teeth   by Ncj700 - vampire eijun au              

  Where There's Smoke by MeridianGrimm - dragon eijun au   

  Dance with the Devil by southpaws_catcher (sylvixeon) for Mewyuki -assasin au/ swordfight for foreplay

Something Has to Ruin It by SportsAnimeRuinedMyLife (KnightOfRage)-apartmentmates in college au           

Kaleidoscopic      by    arbitraryallegory   (mr and mrs smith au)

  From the Sideline by sliceofray  (reporter!sawamura, pro!myk)

  you're the target I'm aiming at & I'll get that message home      by       Jartz   (wrong number and socmed au) 

Solar Flare by Anonymous  (canon compliant myk introspection)

  The Magic of Metamorphosis  by orphan_account  (harry potter au)

finders keepers (losers weepers)  by  eimochi  (hp au, yule ball)

  before kisses turn to bruises      by  sexy for seraphicals  

  the heart on your sleeve      by   seraphicals  (doctor au)

     Sunburn      by   rattlethosestars    (yakushi sawa)

     Two Dorks in One Room by sweets_and_sin (amaikana)  (Lemon, pillow princess myk, SawaMi)

*note Lemon is Not Safe for Work           

DAIYA

HiraethSatisfied

Daiyanerd

Karasuno Volleygays (ToBeOrNotToBeAGryffindor)

revolving

scheherazade

Hi to Your Mother   by emmykay                  

i've seen diamonds cut through harder men by OAKtoONT  (miyuchris spy au)

 Free Falling      by   irishbandlover23 (setokoshuu canon compliant)

 Wolf-boy on the blue road by akinohana (koshuu POV on sawamura/miyusawa, canon compliant)

  winter invitational      by  blessings        for starianprincess   -superhero au swmr invite raichi to xmas party            

+ every gd fic in the kuramiyu tag      

ookiku furikabutte

  herongale

  Runner on Third by minhui (madraa)  -daiya crossover     

[baekyeol-fics]

Title: Gingko Dawn

Author: aestaeticism

Length: Chaptered

Status: Complete

Rating: M

Genre: band!au, 90s, college!au, romance, drama, (light) homophobia

Summary: Chanyeol first sees Baekhyun as he's dozing off on the top of the stairs on the last floor of the Chemistry building, bracing an electric guitar.

[AO3]

[timetoresurface]

Like serendipity? (2)

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Fresh out of college, your life is finally going to blossom into something more meaningful than college day drinking and late-night study sessions. Or so you thought. Unlikely events result in you having a big ass crush on your next-door neighbour. Maybe, you weren’t as grown-up as you thought you were.

Y/N x BAEKHYUN

Life after college AU (if that’s a thing)

first part / third part

There aren’t enough Baekhyun stories on this damn website, so I decided to make something myself. It has gotten a bit longer than anticipated, it’s going to have a third and final part. Please enjoy the second part of my struggle to write my love for Baekhyun.

⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅

Fourth act: we’re friends, right? This is what friends do, right?

The night out with Chanyeol and his friends was most definitely a success in your eyes, and Soya agreed. You suspected her to have a thing for Chanyeol, but she only saw him once, so it was too soon to say anything about it. Baekhyun brought you home that night, even though that was kind of standard as he lived next to you. You couldn’t exactly walk another route to just end up at the same place. That would be ridiculous. 

“I would’ve walked you home even if I didn’t live next to you, you know?” Baekhyun had said before he opened his door and disappeared into his apartment, leaving you alone with your feelings of confusion. 

The day after was less of a success as you didn’t get enough sleep to deal with anyone at work. Luckily for you, it was incredibly busy, and everyone needed a piece of you. Never in your life were you as happy as the moment you stepped out of that goddamn building with the prospect of a comfy couch and some take out food. College-you would probably go out again on a Friday night, but now you just wanted to stay in and watch something on Netflix. 

“Hey, neighbour.” Baekhyun greeted you happily while stopping the elevator doors of closing when you had just entered. He was slightly out of breath, so you suspected him of running toward the building when he saw you enter, and a warm feeling spread over your body, like a hug.

“Hey, neighbour.” You greeted him back with his own words. He simply smiled and pushed the correct button to your shared floor. The doors were almost closed when a purse was forced between, so the doors opened up again. There is another elevator; why did everyone want to get in yours when you were in a hurry to get home.

“Baekhyun, wait.” It was none other than the charming lady of floor five, and you couldn’t help but laugh, that you, of course, tried to hide behind your hands and some fake coughing. Baekhyun almost glared at you but didn’t have enough time before his attention was demanded by lovely floor five. 

“Can you please push my floor button, I’m carrying a lot of bags, and I can barely lift my arm.” She asked nicely to Baekhyun, even though you were closer to the floor buttons. You had also seen her swing her bag to stop the elevator doors from closing, but you kept quiet.

“Floor five, right?” Baekhyun asked innocently as if he forgot the nickname you blessed her with. 

“Oh, you remembered. How nice of you, thank you.” She screeched, and you almost wanted to cover your ears because of her high pitched voice. Baekhyun seemed unfazed when he pushed the button to her floor, slightly getting closer to you, so your bodies touched. Your breath got caught in your throat, and you silently hoped he didn’t hear your heartbeat accelerate. His eyes searched yours, but you were examining the floor with a slight blush on your face. Why could you only blush when he was near? Was it so hard to control your own damn body and stop blushing like a normal human being?

“Do you have any plans for tonight?” She asked Baekhyun. She wasn’t as old as you always made her out to be. She was well into her forties and not hard to look at all. Blonde hair, and perfectly manicured hands combined with a slim body she clothed in mostly two-piece suits. Her only problem was how to approach men, and you suspected it was probably because she had married her high school sweetheart and divorced him only a year ago. She really didn’t know how to date as she never had too, not that you were an expert, but at least you knew when to back off. You didn’t flirt with your neighbours and most definitely not with the date of one of your neighbours. It is not just girl code, but also neighbour code.

“I always have plans.” He simply stated, subtly trying to move away from her closer to you.

“You’re a busy guy. You must have a lot of girlfriends running around.” She asked him very straightforward, and you almost pitied him, but luckily for him, the elevator signalled her floor.

“No, not really. Have a good night.” He ended the conversation abruptly, but she was not yet satisfied.

“I always make too much food, if you don’t want to cook tonight, feel free to join me.” She beckoned him to leave the elevator with her, but he kept his position right next to you.

“I already have dinner plans. Maybe another time.” He told her politely, and she let the elevator doors close, leaving you alone with Baekhyun. You waited for a whole good second before you started laughing, but he didn’t laugh with you like you had expected him to.

“You handled that with grace, Baekhyun.” You patted his shoulder.

“Is this how girls feel when they’re approached?” He asked you with eyes filled with realization. 

“Not always, you’re lucky she has changed her tactics.” 

“You never really told me what happened with that Jungkook guy.”

“Maybe some other time.” You told him when you exited the small space into your shared hallway. You didn’t hear his keys, so you turned around to find him watching you.

“Is it really that bad? Please, just tell me what happened or I can’t enjoy my take out food and Netflix.” He pleaded, but you just shrugged him off.

“It is nothing that bad, Baekhyun. It is more awkward for me than it was for the guy.” You tried to end the conversation, but your words only sparked more interest in him.

“Now I really need to know.” He almost begged you while taking a step toward you, leaving practically no space between the both of you.

“Are you always so nosy?” You asked him while turning your back to him, to open your door.

“You just bring out my curiosity.” He softly stated, and your heart almost literally skipped a beat right then and there. Oh, how you desperately needed oxygen. 

“There isn’t that much to know.” You left your door open and threw your bag inside before turning back to him.

“I strongly disagree.” 

“Let’s agree to disagree.” You held out your hand, and he eagerly shook yours. 

“What are your plans tonight?” He quickly asked you before you got a chance to escape him again by closing your door.

“Same as yours.” There was something off with how similar you two were. Fate must have mixed up your bad luck with someone else’s good luck.

“Maybe we can share take out?” He shyly asked you while running his hands through his black hair. You got a glance at his furrowed brows, and you almost couldn’t stop yourself to touch his small wrinkles. “It’s cheaper.” He added when you didn’t immediately answer him.

“It depends, what do you want to order?” You timidly asked him, suddenly you were even more shy around him than before. And you thought you had opened up a bit to him after the night out and the walk back home filled with laughter you both shared.

“I was craving some sushi, but I can easily change my mind when a better option is presented.” His furrowed brows quickly disappeared when you positively answered him, and his features showed pure and utter happiness. 

“I can live with sushi for tonight. It has been a whole five days without, so it’s time to eat some raw fish again.” Your answer got a laugh out of him, and you patted yourself mentally on the shoulder that you could make him laugh, not just any laugh, but an honest chuckle you wanted to remember for eternity. 

“You want to come in or do you want to change in something more comfortable first?” He was wearing tight blue jeans paired with an oversized white dress shirt. There was room for an upgrade to be comfier.

“Give me five minutes.” He yelled while running to his door to get changed. You closed your door and examined your apartment. It wasn’t in the worst state it has ever been in, but there was still some room for progress. Dirty socks littered the ground, and you even spotted some underwear. Probably from last night when you were a bit drunk and too tired to function properly. With a sigh, you quickly grabbed all the clothing from the ground and tossed it into a corner of your bedroom. 

You couldn’t decide what to wear; usually, you would wear a t-shirt and shorts, but a cute boy was coming over to your apartment, so maybe that wasn’t really appropriate. Time was short, so you decided just to be yourself and wear your favourite band t-shirt and black shorts that were not too short for male company. You removed all your make-up in the bathroom and put your hear in a messy bun. This will have to do; you said to yourself while looking in the mirror. Baekhyun was definitely out of your reach so better not let this little crush get to your head. Wait. What? Crush?

You couldn’t examine your mental state any further as your doorbell rang, signalling Baekhyun had arrived. With on final glance in the mirror, you made your way toward your front door, inhaling deeply before opening the door. Baekhyun is a handsome guy that you already knew, but still, you were quite taken aback when you opened your door to a casual and comfy clothed Baekhyun. He looked even more out of this world, and it took you all your power to not just keep staring at him. 

“That was definitely more than five minutes.” You said while gesturing for him to enter your semi cleaned place.

“I couldn’t find my appropriate comfy clothes.” He simply shrugged when entering your apartment before awkwardly stopping in your small hallway.

“Luckily, you found them.”

“I didn’t.” He confessed, and you eyed him confused. “These are my work-out sweats, and I just had a run this morning.” He quickly explained, and you couldn’t help but laugh.

“Well, if something smells, I will blame it on you and not my not so clean apartment.” 

“It looks spotless from my point of view.”

“You better take off your glasses when you get further into my woman cave.” You told him. He wore black sweatpants matched with a bright yellow sweater and some round glasses up his nose. Usually, you weren’t a fan of sweater paws, but Baekhyun made it look cool, even though you really liked his hands to be on full display.

“Woman cave?” He asked you suspiciously, but you just shrugged your shoulders and tried to hide the awkwardness of your words that could easily be misinterpreted. 

“What is a good sushi place to order from?” You asked him while you opened up your food delivery app.

“I’m new here. I don’t know anything about food ordering.” He sat next to you on your couch, and you could feel his warmth even if he was sat on the other side at a safe distance.

“I forgot you were new. I’ll just choose a good place then.” And you kept on scrolling on your phone.

“Show me your thought process so that I can learn for next time.” He got closer to you so he could see what you were doing.

“One day, you will have to discover the secrets of this building yourself. I can’t keep holding your hand forever, you know.” You told him while holding your phone closer to him, so he could watch what you were doing.

“What about this place?” You asked him, and let him hold your phone so he could inspect better. 

“I like the fact that they have their original sushi rolls.”

“Yeah, I like that too. There is an adventure in eating weird sushi combinations.” He gave you back your phone, and you scrolled through the restaurant's menu.

“Let’s not get the one with banana though, that one seems disgusting.” He remarked when you were hovering over the weird option.

“Completely agree with you, but let’s still try it for fun.” You giggled while adding the banana sushi in your cart.

“You do this a lot, don’t you?” He questioned after you finished your order and waited for it to process.

“Do what?” Your screen lit green, confirming your order and a tracking link. You love to follow the driver, getting closer to his destiny. You also liked the fact they showed you your driver’s name, so you could gratefully thank him personally.

“Order weird shit for the sake of adventure.”

“Everyone needs some adventure, and I find mine in ordering something different.” You put your phone on your coffee table and got up.

“What do you do?” You asked him on your way to the kitchen to get yourself something to drink. He followed you as you had anticipated. He was like a little puppy, always loud and happy.

“I’m still searching for my adventure.” He confessed, and he seated himself on your counter like a little kid who wanted a treat. 

“What do you do then? To de-stress or whatever the young people call it these days.” Your poured yourself a glass of wine and signalled to Baekhyun if he also wanted one, he nodded eagerly.

“I play video games, and from time to time, I make some music myself.” His eyes were focused on his delicate hands as if he was shy to talk about this.

“Maybe that could be your adventure.” You handed him his glass of wine which made him finally look up at you. 

“What? My video gaming?” He asked you confusedly, and you quickly shook your head.

“No, your music. Put it online or something.” His face showed an emotion you couldn’t decipher, and for the first time, you wished to know what was going on in his head. What did he see when he was looking at you like that?

“How do you know if it is any good?” His voice came out small and insecure.

“I just know you’re good at it. I have this feeling about you.” You told him on your way back to the living room to sit on your orange couch. He plopped down next to you while you were sipping your drink tentatively. 

“What feeling do you have about me?” He asked you genuinely interested in your answer. Like you could make some sense in his broken world.

“Once you put your mind to something, I have this feeling that you will make it work.” You couldn’t make eye contact with him when you told him this, but you could feel his happiness light up your living room.

“Thank you, Y/N.” He thanked you with a slight brush of his hands on yours. You did what you do best, completely changing the topic to hide any feeling.

“What do you want to watch, and please don’t say an action movie.” You asked him while getting up to look for your tv remote.

“Something I don’t really have to focus on.” He made himself comfortable on your couch, and you threw him a yellow blanket that matched his sweater.

“Good, Netflix has a lot of those.”

Some random Netflix show was playing when your doorbell rang, indicating your sushi order had arrived safely. You quickly made your way downstairs and thanked the driver, Jeremy, for taking care of your food. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to leave Baekhyun alone in your apartment, but what could really happen? Him wandering through your messy place discovering you leave your underwear on your floor? Or maybe you would find he had left your home and you had actually been daydreaming his presence. 

“Baekhyun?” You silently asked through your apartment when he wasn’t seated on your couch anymore. Maybe you did dream he was here with you, that would be incredibly weird, but you wouldn’t hold it against you. You did pretend to have a cooking channel while cooking, or a YouTube channel when you did your make-up alone. 

“Kitchen.” Yelled Baekhyun from your kitchen and you suddenly let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding in. “I’m just pouring our glasses with some extra wine for the food.”

“Good idea.” You said while taking out the sushi out of its brown bag. He finally returned with two glasses filled to the brim with wine when you had just finished unpacking the food.

“That looks absolutely delicious.” He stated while handing you your bucket of wine.

“Is there any wine left?” You asked him eying your glass.

“Nope.” He said, popping the ‘p’. “I couldn’t get them to the same amount, so I just poured it all out.”

��I wouldn’t mind having a bit more; it is my house.”

“I couldn’t give you the satisfaction of more wine. I’m sorry.” 

“But you're in my home?”

“I deserve it as much as you.”

“You invited yourself into my home, and now you’re also making up rules about my wine being equally yours?” You gasped at his bluntness. 

“Adventure.” He simply stated, and you rolled your eyes at him.

“The music adventure suits you more.” You whispered under your breath, and you got another genuine laugh out of him — the second one, not that you were counting or anything.

“Here try this.” He said while holding up a sushi piece at your mouth, you gladly accepted. His gaze was on you while you were chewing loudly, and you immediately knew why.

“You gave me the banana one.” You stated with your mouth still full with the delicious new flavour. 

“How is it?” 

“I’m actually surprised by how good it is.” You confessed him with a bright smile. You held out one in front of his mouth to also try it. “You won’t regret, trust me.” 

“Okay, because I trust you.” He said before opening up his mouth, leaving you speechless because of his little confession. You silently watched him eating the banana flavoured sushi, and you could read the road to acceptance on his face. His features held so much mysteries to you, but you could easily read that he liked the small piece of food you had given him.

“It is good, but the first taste was awful though.” He laughed when he noticed you staring expectantly. 

“First taste was indeed a bit off, but when all flavours blended, it tasted like heaven.” A smile took over your face when you talked about the new experience.

“Maybe not like heaven, but definitely not as bad as I had expected it to be.” He confessed. The night was setting, and the little light in your living room reflected in his eyes. It reminded you a bit of good night when the stars were easily spotted, and everything seemed right. Your evening continued with feeding each other sushi while watching something mainstream on Netflix that you can’t remember anymore. Baekhyun was more entertaining than almost everything in that moment. He talked about his family and his dog that he missed very much. You chatted about your hometown and how you missed your parents, but that you were getting used to living alone. 

“I think I’m going to call it a night. It seems like you need your rest.” He silently said after you had yawned for the fifth time under ten minutes. There was no trace of food left, as you both filled your stomachs with the delicious take-out. The wine was nowhere to be seen, as you both drank and talked all night. 

“But we’re having so much fun.” You said while stretching. You glanced over at your wall clock and gasped at the time; it was already one in the morning.

“We can do this anytime we want, we’re neighbours, remember?” He said while tucking a lost stray of hair behind your ear, almost lovingly if you may add. For a moment, you were lost in his eyes, but you were quick to agree with him to avoid touching his face that was so inviting to touch.

“Also true. Let’s try to do this more often.”

“I can not agree more. Let’s also drink with my friends more often, and take that friend Soya with you too. I think Chanyeol might have taken an interest in her.” He said while getting up to stretch. His actions gave you a preview of his stomach and boy, did he not disappoint. 

“I think she has also taken a liking to him, but the situation might be more complicated.” You tried to recover. It’s not every day a handsome young man stretches in your living room and shows you his abs in the process. The last one didn’t even make it to your place thanks to floor five.

“Let’s figure that out next Tuesday. We’re meeting again at the same bar at six if you’re interested.” He hesitantly stated, and once again, you were charmed by him not hiding his insecurities. He might be loud, and he might overshare a bit, but he was always honest.

“But they’re your friends; I don’t want to intrude.” You said while also getting up to stand next to him. You never noticed the height difference, but he was a bit taller than you were. That’s nice. Perfect hugging height.

“We’re friends now too, so you’re automatically invited.” He told you while squeezing your cheeks.

“That was easy.” You uttered.

“Sometimes, life can be easy, and it might not seem like an adventure, but sometimes it’s fun when things just fall into place.” You couldn’t agree more with his words. He removed his hands from your face while a blush blossomed onto his face.

“Thank you for inviting yourself.” You said after a minute of silence. He took it as his sign to leave. He grabbed his phone and made his way slowly to your front door.

“Thank you for accepting my self invitation.” He turned around but quickly decided against it. You were surprised that he was facing you again, and you could barely container your excitement when you noticed how close he actually was. He simply stared at you, but you couldn’t say anything, blown away by merely his presence. With a quick kiss on your cheek, he left your apartment in a hurry, leaving you all alone to deal with the aftermath of the small token of affection. 

Fifth act: Ugh, why aren’t things ever going your way?

Your weekend flew by quickly, and much to your despise it was already Monday. There was no sign of Baekhyun physically, but he was there to haunt your mind. It was not like he was on your mind 24/7, but it was getting close. You tried to remember your male friends from in college, and when you greeted each other, you would also kiss each other on the cheek, but something felt different when Baekhyun had kissed you so suddenly. For him, it might seem innocent, and he probably forgot all about it already, but to you, it meant more. It felt like an opening like you could have a chance with someone as perfect as him. You scolded yourself for giving yourself hope, hope you couldn’t afford at the moment.

Starting your morning routine on a fresh Monday morning was a chance to ban Baekhyun from your thoughts. You welcomed your daily struggle, as it gave you a chance to start fresh. You hadn’t seen him over the weekend, and you suspected that he hadn’t left his apartment. While drinking your perfect morning coffee, you scolded yourself again for thinking about him when you had planned not to. Maybe work would help you out with this issue you had.

When you left your building, there was no sign of Baekhyun, and it saddened you. You had only known each other for a few days, but you were quickly getting used to him being everywhere. Again you made a mental note to stop thinking about the black-haired man, and to move on with your day. That was, of course, easier said than done when Chanyeol greeted you while you entered your office building.

“Look who we have here. Little miss flirting with my best friend.”

“Who exactly is your best friend?” You tried to play cool, knowing he was probably talking about Baekhyun, as you hadn’t spoken to any of his other friends.

“Your new neighbour.” He said while wiggling his prominent eyebrows. 

“Oh, Baekhyun?” You asked shyly while taking off your coat and hanging it over your office chair. 

“Yes, that new neighbour. He couldn’t hang out with me last Friday as he was apparently too busy hanging out with you.” Chanyeol told you with a pout plastered on his face. “And to top it all, I wasn’t even invited.” He finished with an overly dramatic sigh, and you couldn’t help but roll your eyes at the overdramatic baby that was your colleague.

“He invited himself, maybe you can do that too.” You simply suggested, trying to end the conversation. 

“Maybe, but I don’t think I’m welcome.”

“You’re always welcome.”

“I’ll keep you to that promise.” He said while walking off to his desk to do some much-needed work. Monday’s were always the busiest, and you dove straight into the action, hoping work would get your mind off of a particular handsome neighbour. For the most part, you succeeded, only faltering when Chanyeol walked by, winking and making suggestive moves that left little to the imagination.

“Chanyeol can you please stop, you’re giving me a headache.” You scolded him after the fifth time of him teasing you when he walked by. Why was your desk so close to the office kitchen?

“I’m sorry Y/N. You’re just too easy to tease.” Chanyeol tried to hide his laugh but was failing miserably.

“You’re too easy to be annoyed by.”

“Someone is in a shitty mood. We’re meeting up again tomorrow, come too and drink away all your problems. Maybe see that someone special again.” He said with a wink, and you rolled your eyes.

“Chanyeol, don’t push me today.” You told him while massaging your temples, which usually he would take as a hint to drop everything, but today he wanted to be blind to your needs.

“I’ll push you tomorrow at the same bar same time and same friend of yours?” He quickly got out, and you had to puzzle together what exactly he was trying to mean.

“Oh, so you want Soya to join?” You asked him suggestively, giving him a wink as a bonus.

“Yes, I would like that very much.” He simply agreed, and you were shocked by his openness. He might say blunt things from time to time, but he is usually closed off about his feelings. He can brag about his crazy drunken nights, but he rarely talked about a girl.

“So that’s why you’re inviting me? So I can bring my beautiful best friend with me? What are you planning to do if I bring her?” You asked him suspiciously, eyes narrowing at him.

“Small talk while you and Baekhyun make out next to us.” He simply shrugged, which left you nowhere.

“Chanyeol, let it go.” You hissed at him, but he still wouldn’t drop the act. Why was he so persistent? He never asked about Jungkook.

“So, you’re not interested in Baekhyun?”

“So, you’re interested in Soya?”

“This conversation isn’t going anywhere.” He finally stated, ready to detach himself from your frustrated persona.

“I agree.”

“See you tomorrow.” And that’s how Chanyeol left you, alone at your desk, feeling confused and frustrated. Monday’s are always such a joy, right? 

Looking at your watch, you sighed. It was almost five, and that meant you were good to go, it’s not like you were going to get work done after what Chanyeol had implied. With a final frustrating sigh, you gathered your things and made your way out of your hell. Walking to your apartment, you paid no mind to your surroundings, just you, your music and wandering thoughts. 

There was no sign of Baekhyun when you entered the building; maybe floor number five finally got him in her grasp. Wouldn’t be the first time she tried to get one of your crushes, she’s ruthless. You did what you did best, sighing in front of your door looking for your keys. Not a day goes by where your keys are not where you thought you had put them.

The next day was the same routine, waking up, drinking coffee and rushing out of the door without a sighting of Baekhyun. Chanyeol was the same annoying mess he was yesterday, but at least he stopped his mischievous behaviour at around two in the afternoon. 

Chanyeol: Same bar, same time and same people?

You: I’ll ask Soya.

Chanyeol: you’re the best

Should you warn Chanyeol about Soya’s none existing relationship status? Should you inform Soya about Chanyeol’s intentions? Do you trust them together? Do you want them to be together? Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Would you mind them dating each other? The most honest answer would be that you’re scared of losing both of them when things would come crashing down, but they both deserved happiness if they could give each other what the other wanted than you would wholeheartedly agree. So, no, you wouldn’t really mind them dating, marrying and having kids. Their kids would look spectacular, long legs, perfect black hair and a pleasant personality if they got Soya’s and not Chanyeol’s. 

You: like last Thursday?

Soya: same people?

You: Chanyeol said so

Soya: Oh, he invited you and not Baekhyun?

You: No, Chanyeol invited me. You in?

Soya: Hell, yes! I’ll meet you there I have to work until 6ish

You: see you there :)

Why did she think Baekhyun would invite you? He technically did, but he never confirmed and your lame ass working you needed confirmation. Usually, if people wanted to make plans with you, they needed to send in their request four to five business day ahead of the planned date. 

You: we’re coming separately.

Chanyeol: Perfect

You gathered your things and made your way home for maximum prepare time. That little spark of hope never really left your mind even though you hadn’t seen him in days. There was still something telling you there was a possibility to touch Baekhyun’s perfect hands, lips and abs. 

Once you got home, panic finally set in. What were you going to wear? You didn’t want to put too much effort in or otherwise Chanyeol and Soya would snitch your intentions to Baekhyun, and you weren’t ready for that awkward scenario. But you also didn’t want to look bad like you hadn’t put any effort into it, so you had to try your best to be casual. The struggles of being a single woman aren’t discussed enough; maybe you should write a book about your efforts. 

While daydreaming about your New York Times bestseller, you did your make up and finally decided what to wear. A simple black, polka-dotted dress that was not too short and not also out there. You usually got a lot of compliments wearing this dress, and you secretly hoped to get one out of Baekhyun. Your thinking behaviour scared you, it had been a while since you were falling so fast for someone and that didn’t end well. In college, you were more a fun person than you are now, and you always got what you wanted. Except for the one guy who broke your heart and made you realize you're better of alone. You know, that cliché background story we’re not getting into at the moment because every girl has been through the same shit. Exactly. 

Like last time when you entered the bar, you were a bit insecure. Last time was more because you didn’t know what to expect, but this time it was more because you know what to expect. You plan to see Baekhyun in all his handsome glory, and boy, were you not prepared for the sight.

Baekhyun was talking amicably with his friends and got everyone to laugh. He has that effect on people; he’s like a little happiness pill people get easily addicted to, including you. You saw him glancing your way, and you never thought it was possible, but his smile got even more prominent when he noticed you standing awkwardly at the entrance of the bar. Chanyeol eyed him questionably, but once he saw you, he got a smug look on his face. Like he knew what was going to happen. 

“Hey Y/N, you made it,” Chanyeol announced your entry.

“You invited me and made sure to invite someone else, of course, I had to come and keep an eye on you.” You spoke as you sat down next to Sehun. Baekhyun was seated in the middle of his friends, so there was no space for you to sit next to him. Your new position did give you excellent scenery to look at while drinking.

“Maybe I should keep an eye out for you,” Chanyeol said while showing you one of his suggestive moves you were so familiar with.

“I’ll get you something to drink,” Sehun said before leaving toward the bar to order the next weird thing for you. Space next to you was vacant, and you could feel Baekhyun’s eyes linger on the spot, but he hesitated. Why did he though?

“Feeling better?” Chanyeol asked you from across the table. Next to him was also an empty spot, and you could quickly detect it was reserved.

“Maybe after a drink.” You confessed and mentally slapped yourself for showing off your weaknesses so easily.

“You look incredible, by the way.” Chanyeol complimented and you blushed. This dress might be the best thing you owned; it never stopped giving. Chanyeol was seated next to Baekhyun, and he elbowed him softly, urging him to say something too.

“She always looks incredible,” Baekhyun spoke softly before taking a small sip of his drink. Luckily for you, you were already blushing.

“I have proof she can look ugly as hell, though.” Chanyeol chuckled, and you immediately gave him your dead glare.

“Chanyeol what did you do? You made her angry; I know that look.” Soya announced her entry at the table. He was quick to his feet to hug her.

“She’s just so easy to annoy.” He calmly stated while offering the seat next to him to Soya. She gladly accepted, and your heart was a little jealous. Why was Baekhyun so distant today? Usually, he would be chatting your ears off by now.

“I’ll get you something to drink.” Baekhyun offered Soya, and you tried your best to hide your disappointment. Why didn’t he offer to get you a drink? He made his way toward the bar and started talking to Sehun and Jongin, you remembered from your last awkward encounter in this bar. Sehun was laughing at something Baekhyun said but simply nodded his head. Once they both returned, you noticed Sehun sitting down in Baekhyun’s seat, and Baekhyun moved the chair next to you. 

“Long time no see.” You tell him when he finally settled down next to you.

“I’ve been unboxing and playing with the stuff I found that I forgot about.” He confessed and chucked lightly.

“So you still have a lot of unboxing to do?”

“You guessed correctly.” He said right before Sehun gave you your drink. It seemed like a perfectly normal cocktail, but you didn’t trust Sehun completely.

“What is it?” You asked shyly.

“It has no name yet, Jongin made this just for you,” Baekhyun stated before Sehun could say anything.

“So I can name it?” You asked him, hopefully.

“Maybe try it first, I saw him putting a lot of different alcohols in.”

“My favourite already.” You giggled before taking a careful sip of your drink. It was pink coloured with a hint of purple, Jongin had decorated your glass with fresh fruit and a small paper umbrella. The first sip tasted like heaven, but the after taste was what surprised you the most, there was a hint of banana. 

“Oh god, I love this! I’m going to drink this all night.” You gushed. “I hope he still remembers what he created because this tastes heavenly.” You finished your praise before taking another long sip of the sweet and sour drink. The table laughed silently at your happiness before everyone fell in comfortable conversation with each other.

“You seem to really like it,” Baekhyun stated.

“Yes, you want to have a taste?” You offered him your drink but were rudely interrupted by a woman yelling his name.

“Baekhyun, is that you?” The unknown woman to you screamed. Baekhyun looked in horror from her to you, and that was enough for you to realize something. Maybe you were being played by Baekhyun, and this could potentially be the awkward revelation.

“Taeyong, how are you?” He asked a little bit forced, in your opinion. Maybe he wasn’t so keen on her being here after all.

“I can’t believe you still go to this bar.” She said before kissing his cheek with her full red lips, leaving a mark.

“Jongin still works here, and we all like it here, so yeah, we still go here.” He awkwardly said while wiping off the residue of her lipstick.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Baekhyun.” She licked her finger and wiped the remains of herself. They definitely looked close, closer than you and Baekhyun were, and that made your tiny heartbreak just a little bit. Soya noticed your awkwardness and immediately engaged you in the conversation she was having with Chanyeol, who looked shocked at the situation.

“So you have actual proof of her outfit that day? Can I see it?” Soya asked Chanyeol suddenly, who seemed to forget the topic of conversation. He quickly scanned your face and tried to compose himself again.

“She won’t let me. She almost made me delete it, but I would never do that.”

“Please Y/N. Can I see your hangover outfit? I’ve only heard your stories about it.” Soya pleaded, and you simply nodded. They both looked surprised at your confirmation, and they both had a worried look on their faces. They were not even dating, but they were already twinning. 

“I’m getting another round of this deliciousness.” You said before leaving to find sanctuary at the bar. You felt eyes following you toward the bar, but you simply shrugged it off. You’re going to play it cool and distant. You had given yourself some home even though you knew there was never a chance for you. This was the fault of your overactive brain and a weak heart. 

“Hi, Y/N. What can I get you?” Jongin asked you almost immediately. It was a slow night.

“I’ll have this special drink you fabricated for me.” You beamed at him. You wanted to make sure he knew you liked the drink. 

“Oh no, I didn’t make that drink. Baekhyun has created that drink for you over an hour ago.” Jongin told you. “I’m not even allowed to know what’s in it even though he used up all my liquor and fruit.”

“Oh, so you can’t make me another one?” You pouted. So, it wasn’t Jongin but Baekhyun who made you that drink? Why would he even go through all the effort of making you something?

“He made a bucket for you; I’ll just pour you another glass.” 

“That sounds like a good plan.” That was all the confirmation he needed before pouring you another glass of the delicious drink that Baekhyun had made especially for you while he was talking to another girl. Strange.

You are a lot of things, but you’re not a passive-aggressive bitch. You didn’t let Baekhyun and his girl ruin your night. You spend most of your time with Sehun and Junmyeon who you hadn’t had a conversation with last week. You discovered you all hated your jobs, but simply kept on working for the money and other benefits. Baekhyun tried to engage in your conversation but was always interrupted by something Taeyong wanted to say. It didn’t seem like he enjoyed himself, but to be honest, that wasn’t your problem. You drank cocktail after cocktail until you couldn’t contain your laughter anymore because of something Kyungsoo had said.

“Why are you laughing so hard?” Baekhyun asked you silently, ignoring Taeyong’s death stares because his attention shifted back to you. 

“Oh, something that happened to Kyungsoo.” You explained while wiping the tears from your eyes, carefully trying not to smudge your make-up, you had to spend half an hour doing. 

“Seemed like a good story.” He sadly stated. He glanced over at Taeyong and let out a heavy sigh. “I’m heading home now. I don’t feel like staying here.”

“I’ll come with you.” Taeyong sat up and quickly grabbed her things before Baekhyun shattered her expectations. 

“I’d rather be alone Taeyong. It has been a long day.” He confessed, and you couldn’t ignore the sadness in his voice. You looked up at him and silently nodded, signalling, you would walk home with him.

“That’s my queue to leave everyone. See you this weekend. We’re still on for that dinner?” You asked no one in particular, but everyone agreed happily. 

“Why is she leaving with you? I thought you wanted to be alone?” Taeyong spat at you and Baekhyun when you grabbed your purse. You made eye contact with a panicked Baekhyun, so you turned to her.

“We’re neighbours. We made a pact to walk each other home.” You quickly lied to her, and that seemed to shut her up. At least for a while.

“I don’t understand you Baekhyun, why were you all over me three weeks ago and now you act like you don’t care about me?” She yelled through the bar when you were almost through the door. The bar grew quiet, and everyone’s stares were on you and Baekhyun, who was still in panic mode.

“Maybe he got bored.” You shrugged before leading Baekhyun out of the situation. He walked ahead of you, and you had to speed walk to keep up with him. He ignored his surroundings completely. He didn’t even notice your questioning eyes which were hungry for an explanation. You silently followed him. If he wanted to talk, he would start talking. You weren’t going to force yourself onto him. You took the opportunity to take him in. He was clad in skinny black jeans which he paired with a dress shirt that showed a bit of cleavage. 

“She’s my ex-girlfriend, you know.” He suddenly told you. He had stopped walking, and it took you a moment to realize what was happening, blame it on the alcohol. He didn’t wait for your answer or reaction, though; he simply kept staring at you. “I didn’t plan for her to be there. I want you to know that.”

“You don’t have to explain yourself to me.” You finally told him, but he wasn’t satisfied. His hands travelled through his hair in frustration, and you couldn’t decipher the emotions that flashed over his face.

“But I want to. I didn’t plan for this night to go like this.” His eyes finally made contact with yours, and you were shocked by the emotion behind them. 

“What did you plan? Maybe I can help you with something. The night is still young.” You tried to cheer him up.

“It has everything to do with you.” He sighed, and he hid his face behind his hands. “I’m so embarrassed right now.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Let’s get you home, and we’ll talk about it tomorrow.” You tried to comfort the mess that was Baekhyun. He simply nodded and started walking again. You looped your arm through him, so you could keep up with his fast pace. 

The rest of the walk to your apartment was quiet, and it made you worry about Baekhyun. What was he trying to say when he said it had everything to do with you? As much as you liked Baekhyun, you didn’t understand a thing about him. You pulled out your keys and opened the door for the both of you. He walked past you straight to the elevator, and now you were starting to worry about the boy who had been haunting your thought for the past five days.

“Baekhyun.” You tried to start a conversation once safely in the elevator. 

“Yes?” He didn’t look up at you when he answered. 

“Is everything okay? I’m starting to get worried about you. If you want me to go back and punch her, I will.” You tried to lighten the mood, but you only got a soft blow out of the nose kind of laughter. 

“I’m serious. Please talk to me.” You pleaded when he left the elevator straight to his door without saying goodbye. The desperation in your voice must have triggered something in him because he quickly turned around and walked right back to you. Your noses almost touched, that’s how close he had gotten, but you didn’t take a step back. You stood still, gazing into his eyes. You oddly stared at each other, as if it were a silent argument.

You don’t know who started it, but suddenly his warm lips were on yours, and all wind was knocked out of your lungs. You pull apart and take shaky, shallow breaths. His lips brush yours again. Not innocently, like a tease but hot, fiery, passionate and demanding. You wanted to pull away before you lose yourself, but you can’t seem to. You knew he didn’t like you as you loved him, but you couldn’t resist, his very smell was flooding your senses. Your senses have been seduced, and you can no longer think straight.

“Y/N.” He whispered slowly, prolonging each letter as if to savour them. You smile, your heart fluttering at his voice as you clasp your hands on either side of his face. Never before has your name ever felt so sweet, you think before leaning in for another one. Your hands work their way around his body, exploring each crevasse, each line along with his perfect physique. 

Baekhyun’s hand slid off your face and tightened around your waist. You continued kissing him hungrily wanting more. You felt yourself being pushed against the wall next to your door, and suddenly realization hit you. He just talked about his ex-girlfriend, and now he was kissing you. You were many things, but you weren’t a rebound. You quickly stopped the kiss.

“I- uh…” you started, but he didn’t let you finish as his lips were now on your neck, hungrily exploring. After a few seconds, he broke away and smiled, “I just had to do that, even if it is only once.”

[bb-bambam]

Can you talk more about your family au/s headcanons

sorry this took so long skdhdhkd i just have so much to say about this universe!! the premise of my family au is basically the members of a bunch of groups (got7, bap, exo, vixx, monsta x, red velvet, blackpink, nct, ikon, winner, seventeen, astro, etc) living in a small college town, with two generations growing up together

1st gen:

• 89 line - minseok, yongguk, luhan, himchan, hakeyon, kris

• 90 line - irene, junmyeon

• 91 line - leo, jinwoo

• 92 line - yixing, seunghoon

• 93/94 line - seulgi, wendy, mj, mino, baekhyun, shownu, daehyun, mark tuan, jongdae, chanyeol, jaebeom, seungyoon, yoo youngjae

• 94/95 line - jinhwan, jackson, taehyun, taeil, jinyoung, jisoo

• 95/96 line - yunhyeong, johnny, taeyong, seungcheol, jeonghan, yuta, bobby, joshua, jennie

• 96 line - kun, doyoung, ten, jinjin, jun, hoshi, wonwoo, hanbin, woozi

• 97 line - donghyuk, jaehyun, junhoe, winwin

2nd gen:

• 09/10 line - joy, kyungsoo

• 10/11 line - wonho, ken, tao, minhyuk, kihyun, jongin, hyungwon

• 11/12 line - jongup, ravi, yeri, sehun, choi youngjae, hongbin, jooheon, changkyun

• 12/13 line - rosé, dokyeom, lisa, eunwoo, mingyu, bambam, hyuk, junhong, minghao, yugyeom, seungkwan, chanwoo, moonbin

• 13 line - lucas, vernon, rocky, mark lee

• 14 line - chan, sanha, renjun, jeno, donghyuck, jaemin

• 15 line - chenle, hohyeon

• 16 line - jisung

families/relationships:

• minseok, junmyeon, and jongdae are brothers, and chanyeol and jinyoung are brothers

• xiuhan meet when they're 12 after luhan moves to town, start dating when they're 14, and get married and adopt kyungsoo after they've settled down in their jobs. minseok is a college professor and luhan is a soccer player

• krisho meet in college and start dating a few months later. a couple of years after graduating they get married and adopt sehun and tao. kris is a basketball player and junmyeon works in arts management

• chanbaek meet in high school during their senior year but don't start dating until the middle of college. they decide they don't want to get married and stay in a domestic partnership instead, and adopt jongin together

• jjp meet in high school and start dating at the end of jaebeom's senior year. they get married after jinyoung graduates college and adopt yugbamjae. jaebeom works as a producer and jinyoung is a kindergarten teacher

• markson meet at the college they both go to in la and after they start dating, when mark moves back home after graduating, jackson comes with him. mark works as a martial arts instructor and jackson is a fencer

• yongguk and daehyun are stepbrothers

• banghim meet in college and start dating while also raising jongup together, and they adopt junhong after they get married. yongguk owns a daycare center and himchan owns a restaurant

• daejae meet in kindergarten and are best friends but only start dating in their senior year of highschool. daehyun proposes while youngjae is completing his master's degree and after they get married they adopt hohyeon

• winwin and renjun are brothers, kun and chenle are brothers, and doyoung and jisoo are siblings

• jaemin and jisung are taeyong's nephews (his sister's sons)

• mark is johnny's son from a one-night stand who johnny is raising while also being a college/grad student. taeil, taeyong, and ten help johnny out the most with mark

• dojae meet in middle school and are awkward around each other even though they're part of the same friend group and have crushes on each other. they finally get together after high school, and adopt jeno and donghyuck after college

• shownu is aroace and loves kids, so he adopts 6 of them (the rest of monsta x) as an adult. he's the son of a rich ceo and takes over the company at a young age, which is how he can provide for the kids

• hakyeon is a dance studio owner who adopts 4 kids (all of vixx except leo). his neighbor leo helps look after them sometimes

• mino and yunhyeong are brothers, jinwoo and jinhwan are brothers, bobby and donghyuk are brothers, and hanbin and jiyong (yes i mean gdragon djfhsjkf) are brothers

• hanbin is jinhwan and jinwoo's cousin, and seungyoon and seulgi are cousins

• double b meet at a summer camp in the usa because hanbin's parents send him to their vacation home there every summer. they start dating when they're 16 and after they get married they adopt chanwoo

• junhwan meet through the college band started by triple kim and start dating shortly after meeting

• seulgi and irene may date but i'm not set on that

• i'm not totally sure about this either but i think mj and jinjin are also a couple and adopt the other 4 astro members

• jeonghan and joshua are half-brothers who are raised together by their moms who left their dad after they found out he was cheating on them with the other

• i'm not sure about this either yet but jeongcheol do start dating at some point and adopt some number of kids (who are of course the members of seventeen but probably not all of them)

random headcanons:

• yongguk, minseok, and hakyeon have been good friends since elementary school

• chanyeol thought jongdae and baekhyun were dating when he first met bc they're so comfortable with each other

• the winner members and jinhwan aren't from the town but moved into the college dorms and fell in love with the town

• hanbin's older brother jiyong is one of the four founders and owners of the big bang winery, which makes the most popular wines in town

• bobby has asked hanbin out every summer since they were 11 and hanbin says yes at age 16 because he decides he likes bobby enough to take a chance on a long-distance relationship. they ultimately end up going to the same college anyway so it works out well for them

• 93/94 line go camping for their senior trip (i have a bunch of scenes written for this but idk if it'll ever become a full fic sjfhhfkd)

• minseok, junmyeon, and jongdae have monthly kim brother wine nights where they meet up and catch up on each other's lives

• yixing is a first grade teacher and doyoung is a second grade teacher at the same school as jinyoung

• ten, winwin, seulgi, and donghyuk work as teachers at the dance studio hakyeon owns

• jinyoung, doyoung, and hanbin volunteer at yongguk's daycare center during their high school/college years

• yunhyeong and jaehyun work at himchan's restaurant as chefs

• daehyun gets recruited by a musical theater company as a high school senior so he doesn't go to college

• jaebeom meets seungyoon in college because they're both photography and music double majors

• the winner and ikon members are part of bands called winner and ikon that sing/rap and dance but they perform a lot together too as winkon

• jongdae lives with chanbaek during college and for a few years while he's doing his master's but he starts dating a girl during that time and eventually moves out to stay with her

• jaebeom proposed to jinyoung early, during his senior year of college, because he wanted to show his commitment to their relationship. jinyoung was of course elated and eager to say yes!

• yoo youngjae always like to bring up the fact that jjp's son youngjae is "named after him" (he isn't)

[fuckyeahexofics]

Hey lovely people! So glad to see this account active and I hope y'all are thriving this quarantine. I was just wondering if anyone had reccomendations for stories in a band situation? Like orchestra or high school band. Bonus if the pair are rivals. Also I am not picky with ships but I'm partial to Chanyeol. Thank you ❤❤

200506

Here are some I’ve read/skimmed over!

Band Ten Hut (Junmyeon/Jongdae, marching band!au/crack!au, PG-15)

play me (Minseok/Sehun, orchestra!au, smut, NC-17) 

The One Where Baekhyun’s Famous (Baekhyun/Chanyeol, marching band!au, PG-15)

-nav

you can check this post if you’re interested in rock band!au, 

At The Base of The Crescendo (Minseok/Baekhyun orchestra!au, NC-17)

Runaway in G major (Yixing/Baekhyun, orchestra!au, NC-17)

Symphony in Ink (Baekhyun/Chanyeol, orchestra!au, PG-15)

-ana

this one slightly mentions high school band heh

Chat Connected - Say Hello! (Baekhyun/Kyungsoo, high school band!au, PG)

Fracked (Chanyeol/Kyungsoo, PG)

scrambling around (multiple pairings, PG, college!au, marching band!au)

-jen

[restlessmaknae]

Step by step [pt.7]

Chapters: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7

Genre: fluff, comedy, romcom, haters to lovers

Main Characters: Park Chanyeol; Kang Yushin (OC); Kwon Soonyoung; Byun Baekhyun; Kim Jongdae; Do Kyungsoo

Setting: college AU; art college AU; dance class AU; college band AU

„We take a dance class together and our next routine calls for partnership, and we got put togeth−STop standing on my foot!” AU

Even if I wished to slow down time, I couldn’t really do anything. That Monday arrived sooner than I had wanted. We were waiting for Soonyoung to arrive and announce that Chanyeol and I would like to show the others what we were working on for more than a month.

I didn’t know how Chanyeol felt but I was actually way more nervous than I would have admitted. I was never anxious, to be honest. Not even during exam periods, not even when I took my CSATs, not even before my graduation. Soonyoung liked to tease me about having the stress level of a dead cockroach when it came to important things that make most people freak out. Yet, I was still on the edge this time. Gosh, what did really change?

“We will do great, Yushin,” Chanyeol put a sympathetic hand on my shoulder and my legs became weaker by his touch. He looked me in the eyes and his stare seemed to pierce into my soul. I knew I was totally lost but to be frank with you, I didn’t want to be found. “We’ve practiced a lot and if someone messes up the choreography that would be me and not you.”

“You are not making me feel better,” I chuckled half-heartedly, secretly glancing at the door, hoping that Soonyoung would arrive.

“Okay, then I’ll put it this way,” he chortled but became serious in the next second. “Neither of us would mess up the dance because you are a great dancer and I had the best teacher ever, so I’m not going to make any mistakes either. I’m not going to let you down,” he whispered quietly rather than shouting it into the crazy hustle-bustle in the room, making my little heart pound crazier than ever. He said it like it was a secret that only we were able to share and I tried to embrace his words like they were my source of warmth and reassurance. His support was constant like Venus that never actually left the sky and shone at its brightest right after the sunset and it was the first that rose in the morning just before the Sun.

My legs turned into jelly after his soothing words and I almost opened my mouth to respond but Soonyoung chose this exact moment to arrive and begin his class. He immediately started babbling about the importance of pair work (just like he did when any of the pairs gave a performance) and let us present what we had been preparing.

I squealed inside. The pressure was rising, pulsing mad in my bloodstreams. It was now or never. It wasn’t like we were dancing in front of the president of Korea but still, I was shaking like a leaf falling from the tree. Nevertheless, Chanyeol was right, we had practiced a lot and I couldn’t let him down either. It was his time to shine and show how significantly he had improved.

Before the first beat, someone gently pressed my hand and I felt like I had been electrocuted the second Chanyeol touched me. I couldn’t bring myself to look at him because I knew I would be more emotional than ever, so I waited for the song to start and muttered a pray for the Gods above to help us survive this performance in one piece.

The first few seconds were a bit confusing, I was certain that I had forgotten everything. However, as the song went on, I became more and more confident and it wasn’t even that hard to enjoy myself. With the second song and its impressive choreography, I loosened up for good and the whole experience became a blur after that. I made little snapshots of our dance in my mind, so that I could remember for every single moment. It was truly a joy to be able to dance with him, without worrying, without reluctance and without barriers. I wish I had trusted him earlier to show more sides of me and let him break down my walls a bit earlier but I was actually thankful that he even made an attempt to get to know me.

The dance ended sooner than I had expected and I found myself sweeping Chanyeol into a big bear hug after our performance had ended.

“You see?” Soonyoung clapped his hands in excitement and his usual teasing tone was the only thing that could snap me back to my senses. Oh my gosh, did I really hug Park Chanyeol? No way! I must have been under the effect of some medicine. Odd behaviour was one of the symptoms of an inappropriately used drug, right?

I didn’t know how to back out of this awkward situation, so I immediately took a step back but Soonyoung couldn’t shut his mouth. Of course, he had to continue on rambling nonsense.

“I’ve told you that you really have to know your partner in order to show a good performance. And as you can see, this is how close you can get with your partner after one and a half month,” he pointed at us, his brassy grin plastered on his face.

I felt a need to facepalm because I was so devastatingly embarrassed and Soonyoung was so devastatingly annoying that I just wanted to curl up and die. I didn’t even dare to look at Chanyeol, he must have felt more uncomfortable than me. After all, I was the one who gave him a bone-breaking huge instead of him giving me one. Honestly, I was so damn proud of him and I wanted to demonstrate it somehow but I was never good with words, so body language was my only option. Well… I obviously got a bit carried away.

When the laughs and the ‘they are so cute together’ comments died away, Soonyoung took the lead and taught all of us how to dance in synchronization, not only in pairs but in little groups as well. The rest of the lesson was undeniably fun but I couldn’t enjoy it whole-heartedly because a spike of shame never left my side in the next approximately one hour.

However, as even your worst nightmare eventually ends, Soonyoung soon called it a day and dismissed his pupils. I was ready to walk up to him and tell him off for teasing his best friend after such an embarrassing situation and humiliating me in front of his group when Chanyeol literally jumped in front of me, making me stop dead in my tracks. From the corner of my eyes, I caught sight of an approving wink from my best friend but he didn’t let time for me to respond, he swiftly left the room. It was only Chanyeol and me, just like after Soonyoung had announced that we would have to work together to perform a choreography in front of the rest of the group.

My cheeks flamed up at the sight of the boy and my heart was already hammering away rapidly thanks to the intimacy of our previous situation, small wonder why I didn’t want to talk to him right after our little incident. Well, it was intentional but not intentional at the same time, so it was better to define it as an incident rather than something else. It was an act out of overflowing happiness, nothing else.

“Can I hug you, too?” Chanyeol inquired abruptly while I almost choked on my saliva.

“What?” I squeaked in return. I found heat crawling up my skin at the thought of being in his arms again.

“I asked if I could hug you, too.”

“No,” I retorted fervently because I had no idea whether he was being serious or he was merely being his usual carefree and childish self. If he wanted to hug me, I wanted it to be for real, not something that he felt he was being forced to do because he wanted to emulate me.

“Why not?” he pouted woefully.

I opened my mouth to say something but clasped it close the moment it dawned on me that I didn’t know how to voice out my feelings. Telling him that I actually liked him and wait, what? Like him? What on Earth, Kang Yushin? You really said that? Okay, let’s figure it out then. I didn’t hate him, that was certain. I was used to his whole-hearted, deep laugh so much that I didn’t want a day to pass by without hearing him laugh. I was actually convinced that his smile was beyond words but what I really liked about him was his cute little dimples when he smiled like an angel. Oh and wait! His eyes were also one of my favourites; I was sure that I could see another universe in those big doe eyes. Oh man, yes, and his touch! He had a quite rough skin due to playing his drums for hours every single day but his touch was so gentle yet so searing like he was afraid to touch me but something in his guts still motivated him to do so.

So I actually liked him? Okay, let’s face it. I did. But who knew if he liked me back? It was impossible to tell with guys like him.

“Because I don’t know whether you would take it seriously or not,” I whimpered, my voice trailing off at the end. Although I tried my best, a quiver in my voice was unmistakable.

Chanyeol’s jaw literally dropped upon hearing my answer and it must have been a comical sight if we hadn’t been in such a confusing situation. His expression was unfathomable and it drove me crazy because it seemed that he didn’t know it either. We merely stood there, waiting for the other to tell something and my nerves were already beginning to fray.

I don’t know how much time had passed when I had enough and decided to leave the room. As I was walking towards the door, Chanyeol ran after me and gently grabbed my elbow, spinning me around to face him. When he made sure that I had no intention of scampering away, he let out an aghast sigh and started speaking.

“Look, I know I’m not the most serious guy on Earth but my intention is serious.”

“Which is?” I asked reluctantly, with no hint of annoyance or mockery this time. I was hoping that he would say something similar to my internal monologue a minute ago but I shouldn’t have had my hopes up.

“I need to tell you something first,” he announced and although all I wanted was to hear whether he liked me or not, I nodded my head in submission. He shot a thankful smile at me but he could have put me on the world’s fastest rollercoaster, it would have left the same dozen of excitement and anxiety.

He cleared his throat and finally started his speech. The more he talked, the more I couldn’t believe my ears.

“I had a crush on you since we were at Jinyoung’s birthday party and yes, it’s been more than two years now but I never had the courage to tell you. I saw you dancing for the first time there and I immediately knew that I was hooked. I did everything to find out your name, I bought all the campus magazines that you’ve contributed to and I even visited places that you recommended. I always hoped that we would meet at one of those museums or exhibitions because otherwise it seemed silly to start a conversation with you,” he stopped for a moment and let out another sigh. I was already at the verge of fainting but he continued on.

“I don’t know if you know Min Yoongi but we attend almost all the lectures together and he told me one day that one of his friends got put up with you for a dance project and he’s the shyest guy he had ever met, so he didn’t know how that friend would survive this challenge. You can easily guess that this friend was Jungkook and even though I had previously said that my sudden interest in dancing and Jungkook’s absence was a mere coincidence, it wasn’t. There was actually no bet with the guys, it was all because of this sudden opportunity which I took without hesitation. I asked Jungkook if I could replace him and he was more than willing to give in. I’m surprised that Soonyoung hasn’t blurted it out yet because he also knew about my little plan.”

My tongue was completely tied. The words were stuck in my throat while my heart was doing its best to leave my ribcage. I was beyond surprised, I was literally out of my mind. Despite the fact that I really wanted to hear something like this from Chanyeol, I would never assume that he joined Soonyoung’s dance classes on purpose, nor did I know that my one and only best friend was actually a part of his plan. I should have sensed his sudden interest in my love life because he had never tried to give me relationship advices before.

“So I’m absolutely serious and I know I made a fool out of myself for trying to be your dance partner when I obviously dance like a dying whale and I know it sounds silly but since I met you, I wrote more songs than ever but I did it all because I like spending time with you and I really like you,” he summed it up and glanced around the room in an attempt to hide his bewilderment.

I honestly didn’t know how to react since my mind was preoccupied with crazily tangled thoughts but before giving it much thought, I found myself saying:

“Don’t you dare to call yourself a fool for being my dance partner!” I reprimanded Chanyeol like he was a badly behaved kid and the sudden change in my mood apparently startled him. He averted his eyes back to me and I saw that his russet-brown orbs were filled with doubt. It seemed that I needed to clarify myself before he would start crying. “No boy has ever done something like this for me before. I just wish I had known earlier that you wanted to get to know me. I wouldn’t bite if you wanted to talk to me. Okay, I can be cold sometimes but you know what I mean,” I giggled sheepishly but it still didn’t set him at ease.

“I’m actually thankful that you were my dance partner. You taught me how to enjoy dancing again and I’m not sure anyone else would have been capable of that,” I admitted unashamedly because he was really an anchor when I wanted nothing else but to sail away from all of my problems. He fought against the storm with me and provided a shelter for me. Thanks to him, I realised that there were people who cared about me and I wasn’t alone with my problems. He was such a good listener and being the mood maker he was, he could literally brighten up my days.

“Really?”

“Really,” I nodded with probably my widest smile ever. “And yes, you can hug me now,” I added cheekily but all I wanted was to be in his masculine arms and listen to the sound of his heartbeat. My favourite sound of all time.

It didn’t take him long to seize the opportunity and I soon found myself in one of his award-winning hugs. I assumed that it was probably the start for us but to be honest, I didn’t really mind because I wanted more of those hugs. And in general, I wanted more.

[kaisooficrec]

College AU Request

This is part two of this post. 

Last college au request was over a year ago and since this is a very popular au the list is insanely long! There are some fics older than the last req but that weren’t recommended yet so I included those too ^^ enjoy and don’t forget to leave kudos & comments to the authors ♡♡♡

La Taille Parfaite - (ongoing) soulmates au, kyungsoo dreams of his soulmate’s dick and can’t wait to meet him

Criminally Romantic - kyungsoo is an author and jongin is a huge fan

Yes, the Brisket is Braised - (ongoing) Kyungsoo works part-time in a restaurant in which he meets the campus’ most popular jock jongin and is an asshole to him

Our Season - (ongoing) wolf & abo, they’re in the same frat house and are attracted to each other, but there are other guys who want a piece of kyungsoo’s ass (read: junmyeon is a little piece of shit)

The Deflowering of Do Kyungsoo - (ongoing) kyungsoo is very insecure about himself but jongin loves him and wants to show him just how much 

Sucker + Supermassive Black Hole - last two parts of a series where the boys are in college, established relationship, they deal with the struggles of life and how to keep their love going

Flawless - (ongoing) kyungsoo likes to crossdress which make people judgmental about him. he thought jongin was like all those people who make fun of him but jongin genuinely likes him

this gap can’t keep us apart - (ongoing) kyungsoo is in college and takes the bus every morning where he meets businessman!jongin and they start talking and getting close. turns out jongin is sehun’s older brother who is kyungsoo’s friend and they meet at their house when jongin discovered his girlfriend cheated on him again

Prank Gone Wrong - kai is a known prankster, so his bf ksoo decides to prank him instead one day. it backfires in a way he didn’t expect

Coffee - jongin found out taemin cheated on him which led him to the cafe where kyungsoo works~

Wild Flowers Worth Knowing - (ongoing) ot12 vampire au, kyungsoo’s life has changed for good after discovering vamp!jongin’s secret

i just need the time and place to come through - after ksoo’s been dumped jongin wants to teach how to fuck around, until he realizes he doesn’t want anyone else to have kyungsoo but him

run batted in - sports au, they’re from different colleges and during a competition they meet and voilà it’s instant love

Draw Me Like One of Your French Girls - (ongoing) kyungsoo is in a studio art class and jongin is his nude model

lately all i want is you on top of me - *cries hearts* they both think they’re straight until jongin accidentally sends a pic of his ass to kyungsoo and it marks the beginning of their gayness

Campaigning For Your Heart - elections au, enemies to lovers, they both support different people and get into heated arguments, which is all just bottled up sexual tension really

there are no wrong mistakes - /heart attack/ kyungsoo is a homebody who’s quiet and thinks he is boring. his roommate’s best friend thinks otherwise. 

Pay Me Some Mind - (how was this not recced before? lol) fwb to lovers, kyungsoo doesnt know jongin’s had a crush on him for a while but that doesn’t stop him from catching feelings

Hurricanes - *my absolute fav* bad boy!jongin meets not-so-innocent!soo and they fuck, but kyungsoo thinks its a mistake and jongin is intrigued (liiiight angst)

You times infinite - they become study buddies and then kyungsoo is turned into a vampire and doesn’t know how to stay close to jongin without hurting him

A Certain Romance - sports au, they’re from different schools but during a competition, a certain captain catches ksoo’s attention and maybe he’s interested in football after all

Signal Lost (& Found) - /looooove this/ soulmates & coffee shop au, jongin gets tattoos of what his soulmate draws since he was a child and then one day it disappears, and he’s confused about what happened to his soulmate

Just Say You Want Me (That’s All It Takes) - god yes. established relationship and library fucking with top!soo and slut shaming. need i say more?

A Different Morning - (YEEEES) childhood bffs!kaisoo and vlogger!jongin, MUTUAL PINING but they’re both oblivious!!! 

Break a Leg - drama club au i liiiive for this! they had a one night stand and ksoo is kind of a bitter asshole who doesn’t want anything to do with super popular jongin after it

vertigo; crash - abo, omega!soo is accidentally put in the alpha dorms and jongin thinks he hates him

Clandestine Romance - arranged marriage but they love each other, ksoo is in his last year of college and his husband turns up to become his new dance teacher

Pumped Up Kinks - (ongoing) kyungsoo goes to a gay strip club for his 21st birthday and gets more than he bargained for

We Can Go Home - broken kaisoo, jongin has to ask his ex for help in maths, and then... KISS & MAKE UP

Mirrors - (ongoing) ksoo is a famous youtuber whose fans start a online fanwar with kim jongin’s fans. he decides to be mature about it and text jongin himself to apologize

So You Have a Crush (Here's How You Grapple with It) - sports au, jongin is a taekwondo player and has a crush on the judo captain ksoo, and tries to get him to teach him chokehold techniques. (smutttt)

Hair - (ongoing) kyungsoo found out he has stage 2 spinal cancer, so he decides that he wants to take some risks before he has to die, like have sex with a guy. and this is how he meets jongin

If Only I Knew - soulmates au, jongin wants to wait to find his soulmate to be in a relationship but when he meets kyungsoo he changes his mind (warning: character death)

Some Kind of Start - ksoo likes jongin and the latter knows but chooses to ignore it since he doesn’t like him back. sehun asks ksoo to fake date so he can make junmyeon jealous, but jongin is also a victim of jealousy

hold onto me tight and never let go - het!kaisoo with fem!soo, she has trouble letting go of her barriers and jongin really wants to get to know her more

P.S. You're Cute - (ongoing) jongin liked his senior’s profile on tinder and they matched

Cloud9 - transition from hs to college, jongin expressed his crush for ksoo although nothing happened, they meet again five years later in college

Perfection - vocal major!ksoo meets dance major!nini and decides he likes him and will take care of him

A Slice of Summer Love - jongin has a crush on the pizza delivery guy and orders too much pizza (very cute uwu)

I’m sorry I broke your hand, date me so I can make it up to you (kinda) - jongin tripped during a party and groped ksoo’s ass by accident, and ksoo’s reaction was to break his arm, but he took care of him as a form of apology

Aspartame (Just As Sweet) - jongin’s friend creates him an account on a sugar daddy website as a joke but he was curious and kept it and met kyungsoo

Kim Jongin's Must Kiss List - after an accident during a bake sale in high school, ksoo doesn’t stand jongin. in college nini puts up a “would kiss” list with ksoo’s name on it among others, and an angry ksoo retaliates by putting up a “would never kiss” list with only nini’s name on it, which is the start of everything

Love In Control - bdsm!au in which kyungsoo wanted a partner that would understand his needs and how to dominate him, and that person is kim jongin (warning: obviously bdsm and everything that comes with it. please read the tags carefully!)

No buts, just beauty - wolf au, kyungsoo is bullied and being told he’s ugly, jongin is making sure he feels beautiful

[Ain't] My Fault - top!soo greatness :-) they meet while jongin’s still with sehun but they break up soon after bc sehun cheated on him, and ksoo’s here to pick up the broken pieces

Treasure Trove - dragon au, ksoo is sick n jongin went to his room to give him candy and then they netflix and chill (literally)

Waiting for You to Make a Move - i’m fucking in love with this fic omg ;___; JONGIN IS A DRUM PLAYER and they were crushing on each other during the bus ride in the morning and then ksoo goes to chanyeol’s band’s gig and THERE HE IS JONGIN THAT SEXY MOTHERFUCKER. yes read it please (smut)

This is a start of something new.. - police officer!soo goes to check a college party that wasn’t reported and is stuck with a flirty jongin

Cafe Eau Laid - /sweats profusely/ wolf au and coffee shop au, jongin has a crush on a cute costumer that comes otfen but thinks the friend that comes along is his boyfriend when he’s really just an idiot. (public sex n size kink, you know its good)

My Universe - set in college au but it’s also mama au, jongin is having weird dreams that seem like memories of another life, and dreams of a certain guy that he seems close with.

Sweep You Off Your Feet (Or Mop Around) - kyungsoo works as a janitor at nini’s college to help support his family. they get to know each other and kyungsoo doesn’t tell him he’s not a student but after an incident, he’s fired from the job and has to forget about jongin as well

This is the college au tag for older requests ♡

- Admin Macaroon

[ethereal-crepuscular]

My neighbor slipped and fell in the shower'  AU

Pairing and Fandom: Baekhyun/Kyungsoo (EXO band) Warning(s): None. (Kyungsoo cursing…) Words: 1149

Summary:   An online otp au I found and changed up a bit: ‘I just heard my neighbor slip and fall in the shower and now I have to go and check if they’re all right (I also might want to see them naked because hot damn they’re gorgeous but that’s not the point)’ 

Note: I posted this on my AO3 account as well, if you like it please consider giving kudos. It might also be better formatted there. The link is here.

A high-pitched scream cut through the dormitory. You’d think it’s was a “mistress in distress” if not for the dormitory being an all guys and no girls allowed. This is also the fifth time this month that this occurrence has happened and disturbed everyone in the dorm. Kyungsoo wants to bang his head against the wall and at the same time go to sleep. Can’t this stupid girly guy just shut up? Not that there’s anything wrong with being what the society deems as more “feminine”, just that this guys is driving him crazy. Another shout for help. What if he just went over there and banged the guy’s head against the wall, until he shut up, wouldn’t that solve the problem?No, he just going to wait for Chanyeol or one of the other guys to go there and help like before. However, his plan gets destroyed when that doesn’t happen. 

The wailing continues and it doesn’t stop. ‘Can’t the guy just give up? Kyungsoo is not here you know.‘“Fuck it” He says and stumbles out of bed with more vigour than other days, as he’s fuelled with anger just waiting to get unleashed. ‘ He will give this neighbour of his a piece of his mind, he thinks, ‘Just wait for me bed while I get the wall on the other side more acquainted with his annoying owner.’ 

Kyungsoo doesn’t bother with changing clothes, boxers and a big t-shirt is fine, or locking the door when he hurries out. As usual his neighbour’s door isn’t locked. This, when you think about it, is really scary and goddamn stupid. Anyone could enter his place, do and steal whatever they want.

“Oi, shithead where are you?” Kyungsoo shouts, taking in the messy, but much cleaner room than the other idiots in the dorm, Jongin and Sehun,  

“Here,“ a voice says, from Kyungsoo’s right, “In the bathroom”

‘The bathroom?’ “Fuck my life" Kyungsoo whispers and heads to the bathroom.

The door to the bathroom is ajar and he can see the bathtub from where he is, filled with water. There is no warm air coming from the room, as there would be when one is taking a shower or bath. So it confirms that the suffering he endured was actually as long-lived as he had thought, or in other words the minutes Kyungsoo tried his best to ignore the other. 

He enters, bracing himself for oddities that come with having Baekhyun as his neighbour.As his eyes takes in the view, Baekhyun laying on the wet floor like he’s a mermaid with a fishtail without any clothes, the hopes of not getting involved in a troublesome situation gets crushed.

Baekhyun blinks his eyes in recognition at seeing him, and his face lights up. “Fuck you,” Kyungsoo starts of, not seeing the change in Baekhyun’s eyes at his words. “Always dragging me into these shitty situations” The dark-haired student complains.

 “Thank you for coming! I thought I was gonna die all alone, cold and naked on the floor,” Baekhyun’s dramatic voice fills the air. “But… you are here,” He continues, smiling sweetly at the end. If this was shoujo manga, there would flowers around him. 

Kyungsoo wants to gag.Kyungsoo gives him a blank stare. “I’m leaving.” He says and starts to leave.

“No wait! I really need your help. No one else is in the dorm and I can’t walk. I sprained my ankle.”Baekhyun seems serious, but you never know with him. He isn’t the best in drama class for nothing.

“Then crawl,” is the cold response, that makes fallen boy smile wryly, reminiscing about similar memories.

“Crawl?! Come on Kyungsoo, can’t you help just this once. Please, I’ll do whatever you want afterwards.” Baekhyun begs.

“Whatever I want? This again, last time you didn’t get me the PSP game I really wanted so I had to buy it myself,” the other boy says, this time mostly joking. 

“I’m sorry that I’m a poor college student and can’t provide for you. I promise I will work harder,” Baekhyun says.  

He takes in the sight of Kyungsoo more seriously, now that the worry of him leaving is gone.  Kyungsoo looks nice, he thinks, with his bed hair and sleeping clothes. 

“Tch, whatever. So should I just drag you over the floor to you bedroom,”  Kyungsoo says and walks closer, thinking of the best way to get Baekhyun to his room without having to touch him more than necessary. This seems like an impossible task. 

“That’s sounds nice and all, but I think I prefer to be handled like a human and not the bloody ax of a serial killer.

”Kyungsoo laughs and gives Baekhyun an evil smile. “Don’t worry I take real good care of mine”

Baekhyun can’t help wishing he was what Kyungsoo defined as “mine”. Not that he wished to be an ax, but from what he’d seen Kyungsoo was a real angel to the people he dated.  ‘and he has an amazing body… that ass is just way to-’

Baekhyun gets slapped in the face.

 “Stop with that creepy smile” Kyungsoo says and Baekhyun touches his faces distracted by his thoughts and that Kyungsoo is crouching down before him. 

“Sorry Soo! I won’t do it again!” He uses the puppy eyes and Kyungsoo actually flinches.

‘Huh that’s new’ Baekhyun thinks. “Give me your arm. You will jump to the bedroom,” his dark-haired neighbour says. 

Smart Baekhyun doesn’t complain, because there a big chance Kyungsoo will abandon him then. That, however, doesn’t mean that he won’t he try to use this opportunity to the utmost. Struggling to get up and being just a bit to hands on, well it’s not his fault the floor is slippery. Or if the towel he received has trouble staying on, we’ll he’s hurt what can he do, and if he touches Kyungsoo bare skin… Again it’s his neighbours fault for wearing only a t-shirt and boxers. 

Okay, okay Baekhyun is being an absolute pain in the ass. And he knows it and Kyungsoo who’s about to explode from redness also knows it. But somehow they arrive in the bedroom, with the latter not remarking, only clenching his teeth. ‘He’s hot just doing that,’ Baekhyun thinks. Kyungsoo throws him on the bed and turns around quickly, not caring about the way Baekhyun cries out and calls out after him. No, Kyungsoo needs to escape, now. He feels like he’s going to go crazy if he stays there a second longer. 

He power walks out of his neighbour place, slams the door shut and shoots off to his own apartment. Entering his own place, the first thing he does is shut the door and slink down on the floor. 

Hands covering his face, he tries to calm his rapidly beating heart. 

“Damn that fucking bastard. I’ll kill him next time I see him.” —- A/n: I’d love to explore past or future instances of Baekhyun trying to hit on Kyungsoo. I can also see the rest of Exo, their dormitory neighbours, just having a large bet, while some of them give Baekhyun outrageous advices on The-way-to-Kyungsoo-heart. *Apologies, if anyone is offended by the use of girly-guy. Also, this fic was written a few years ago, and I decided to only check the grammar.

[chankai-ao3]

by Dominoeffect7

Prompt: Chanyeol is a working college student who's struggling. Baekhyun introduces him to Jongin.

Words: 8181, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: EXO (Band)

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Rape/Non-Con

Categories: M/M

Characters: Chanyeol, Jongin, Kai, Baekhyun, Kyungsoo, (kyungsoo is mentioned for now), Park Chanyeol, Kim Jongin | Kai

Relationships: ChanKai - Relationship, KaiYeol, Kim Jongin | Kai/Park Chanyeol

Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Sugar Daddy AU, sugardaddy!kai, sugarbaby!chanyeol, College AU, Fluff, Smut, mentions of rape/noncon, student!Chanyeol, Top!Jongin, top!Chanyeol, versatile!chankai

[chansoobookshelf]

thank u, next (20,650 words) by fuckboibam Chapters: 4/4 Fandom: EXO (Band) Rating: T Relationships: Park Chanyeol/Do Kyungsoo | D.O., Do Kyungsoo | D.O./Kim Jongin | Kai,  Do Kyungsoo | D.O./Oh Sehun,  Do Kyungsoo | D.O./Kim Jongdae | Chen,  Do Kyungsoo | D.O./Byun Baekhyun Characters: EXO Ensemble Genre: Fluff, Angst, Hurt/Comfort AU: High School, College, Friends to Lovers Warning: heartbreak Summary:  

A brief exploration of Do Kyungsoo's love life, based on Ariana's song, thank u, next.

Follow chansoobookshelf to 👀 more Chansoo fics. :)

[gyeommark]

inflection point . epilogue

Chanyeol x Reader x Sehun Fake Relationsip!AU, University!AU 9.8k words

Warnings: Just angst, really. Maybe a bit of strong language, you know the drill

A/N: So this is the epilogue. A bit of a look onto the character’s future, inspired a little bit by pcychedelic’s ‘All We’ve Got is Tonight’ . A hint of angst as usual, lots of flashbacks that are written in italics. Could be read as a One-Shot, I believe, but it would be quite a messy one, ANYHOW... Thank you for reading and pls, ignore my typos and everything 😗

It was something about this place. It always felt like it was either the best or the worst decision you had ever made. You were constantly torn between leaving and never coming back or staying rooted in place and embracing the city that took you in and sheltered you.

It was a twisted situation.

You felt this way when you first started college and throughout your years as a student, things never really changed. Yes, sometimes you felt more inclined towards one side of the scale but you never stepped down from it.

It was either yes or no, black and white, there was no in between. The feeling always lingered in the back of your head even if you tried to ignore the pounding coming from somewhere in your nape.

Mostly, it was happiness. After everything had settled onto its rightful place –sort of–, you had found yourself falling into quite the happy life. Cloud 9, almost.

Almost was the key word.

That was the thing about being in a relationship with someone who was more than just your lover; he was your best friend and, somehow, he also managed to play the part of your annoying therapist that kept you level-headed when you started to lose yourself in either anxiety or excitement.

The bad moments, even when still present, of course, weren’t enough as to eclipse the good ones and you jumped to label yourself as the dumb, oblivious one without anyone having to force you to, or on the other hand, labeling you themselves.

It was obvious, how much of a good fit Sehun was to you. You had been too dumb and distracted with someone else to notice it at first, but he was good. Too good, sometimes. As if you two were cut by the same knife, but not quite.

It was scary at times, but you tried not to dwell on your similarities and just enjoyed them whenever you could and also used them to your own advantage if needed be.

Sehun wasn’t your other half and you weren’t his’, either. You were two wholes that complimented each other perfectly fine. Sometimes, you thought, if it weren’t for the fact that he didn’t have boobs, you could’ve sworn he could easily pass as yourself. An even prettier version of you and you were okay with that, honestly.

He knew you all too well for anyone’s good. He had a key to both your heart and mind, to come in and out whenever he so desired. Even if annoying, you welcomed him with open arms and a warm cup of tea –something you would never, in a thousand years, tell him about–.

Sehun was cocky enough as it was. He didn’t need yet another invitation to flaunt the fact that he knew you better than you knew yourself. And that worked for you because you also knew him quite well, much to his dismay.

It was like seeing your reflection on someone else’s body and learning to love yourself because of that. Because you loved him, you had learned to love yourself, little by little.

But love, you had learned, whether it was self-love or towards another person, had an expiration date, unfortunately. Much like everything, it seemed to only last for a set period of time before it went bad or, in your case –as much as it pained to admit it– disappeared.

You hadn’t figured out the pattern yet, of how long love could last before fading away or morphing into something unhealthy, but you knew it did, eventually, and even when you looked back on it, your heart still hurt.

So, being here was the definition, the pictorial description of bittersweet.

Coming back wasn’t a mistake but it was the scariest thing you had to face. Second scariest, actually. The first one was leaving, five years ago. You scoffed. Of course it had to be that way, you thought.

You left with a broken heart and you considered –hoped, as a matter of fact– that maybe, next time you’d be here things would’ve changed… Maybe you would’ve healed completely, forget about everything and start anew but alas, things didn’t change all that much; not at all, indeed. Your heart still pounded with difficulty; it was still broken. Weak repairs that time had done on it came undone by the mere sight of the city that built you up to who you were today.

And, still, in its trembling state, your heart still loved him. The remainders of your heart still shook in place because of him and you still had his name engraved on every centimeter of your body. Tattooed onto your skin with invisible ink, ink only you and him knew was there. Ink produced by the love and partnership you two had shared and built over the years.

Oh Sehun taught you both love and with love came disgrace, unfortunately. You prayed, to whoever was listening at the time, that it wasn’t the case, but you knew, in the end, it would be.

The end. That’s it. Everything has an end and you knew that, you just didn’t want to accept it. Not when it involved Sehun, at least.

You sighed, pulling your oversized blazer tighter over your body before crossing your arms over your chest. Your eyes scanned the constantly moving band with a hint of desperation as you bit your lip, trying to remain calm; trying to ignore the hoards of frantic people running around, some of them pushing you away to get a hold of their luggage.

It had been years and life still hated you. It hated you because it had given you no option but to love him, in spite of everything. Even if it was as a lover, as a best friend, as someone who broke your heart… As someone whose heart you broke, as well, most likely. You laughed dryly to yourself. Life was a bitch, that’s something you already had learned all too well and this was your punishment for trying to fight back.

As soon as you had gotten off the plane and breathed in the air of the city that had been home to you for so many years; as soon as you set foot on its ground, it had been as if the years gone by had never existed at all. You were still hopelessly in love and your heart still ached because of it and life was mocking you, laughing at you for caring, pointing fingers at you for being so naïve as to believe you’d ever get what you wanted, for good, at least.

The vibration of your cellphone from inside your pocket interrupted your lame sorrowful thoughts, pulling you back down to reality in a rather harsh way. It was the way things worked in your life, you had come to realize; if they happened too subtly then they didn’t happen at all. You had to be pushed and pulled with brute force because you were too blind to notice little hints and too stubborn to accept them even when they were too obvious but inconvenient. They had to hurt and drive you crazy and you were aware it wasn’t healthy of you, but that’s the way it was and you were trying hard to change it.

At least, that’s what you told yourself everyday. You were trying, you really were.

“Hello, stranger”. His groggy voice warmly said through the speaker. A corner of your mouth shot upwards in reflex. “What a better way to wake up than to hear your voice. You already here?”

Of course you smiled, you couldn’t help yourself. He still had that effect on you because he was still him. And you were still you and you both still had a piece of the other’s heart, regardless of the circumstance.

“If you’re barely waking up at noon then you have some unresolved problems going on. Especially for a twenty-eight year old man who has a job, Chanyeol”. You heard him groan yet laugh, a weird mixture of sounds and emotions. You were being annoying yet he couldn’t help but snicker at your words. “Yes, Chanyeol. I’m waiting for my luggage so hurry up because I’m really hungry”.

“On my way, ma’am”. Chanyeol chuckled before the line went dead.

This was just one example of how twisted your relationship had gotten over the years and, honestly, it was most definitely on the mellow side of examples.

If it was already twisted eight years ago, now it was an indecipherable mess. No one would dare try to solve it, not even you two. Yet, somehow, it had become your safety net and when everything had crumbled down, Chanyeol was the only one person that came to mind when you thought of someone who could possibly help you heal.

*

You felt split in two and you were scared. Scared because you were feeling this was a bad omen. You had had the feeling for weeks but you were in too deep into denial… But this, right now, not having even an ounce of emotion was the final straw.

You had to accept it and you had to do it now.

A goodbye.

It was as if your body knew before you, that the end was nearing. That it was unavoidable. That the flame had died down enough as to question its liability.

That you had to let Sehun go.

Your body had the hunch for weeks and you were too dumb to acknowledge it. Maybe you should’ve paid attention to the fact that most of the time you weren’t feeling anything, at all. No frustration when you were late, no anger because someone cut you off on the line to get coffee. No sadness when you saw a stray puppy, no happiness when someone congratulated you at the office and treated you with a pastry.

You should’ve listened to and accepted the signs before now, so it would’ve been easier but you didn’t and nothing really assured you that if you did, it would’ve been easier. Maybe it would’ve turned out the other way around. Ripping it like a Band-Aid had never been the way you rolled, but torturing yourself over a single event wasn’t something you were fond of, either.

A thump. That was it; that was all you could feel. A thump given by your heart the moment your eyes laid on his figure when you came back home from work and saw him either staring out the window or hunched over the counter as he prepared coffee. A thump, a single flip and then it died down again, leaving a ghostly feeling behind, making you question if you still had a working heart or not.

Was it a happy one? Was it sad? Was it melancholic in advance, missing him even before he was gone in the first place? You weren’t sure.

At the moment, you knew you should’ve felt frustrated, angry as you threw your bag onto the couch and slipped off your shoes. You should’ve been frustrated because he wasn’t saying anything. You should’ve been angry that he was so adamant on keeping his phone out of your view. But you weren’t; you weren’t frustrated or sad or angry. You just were.

You just existed as you tried to accept that this was it and that it was okay; that this was how life worked most of the time and that you weren’t the only one that ever thought of finding the one to lose them some time later; maybe months, maybe years, but eventually, anyways.

You tried to give yourself a pat on the back or smack yourself out of the miserable state but you couldn’t because you couldn’t even move as you saw him. Still, almost petrified as he looked out the window with his hands tucked on the pockets of his pants.

“You can go if you want to”. Your voice was merely a whisper but you knew he had heard you loud and clear, he always did even when he pretended he didn’t. You also didn’t have to say much, he knew you didn’t just mean the apartment, Sehun knew what you were talking about, probably knew what you were feeling better than you knew yourself.

Maybe Sehun could feel your uncertainty and heartbreak for weeks on end and the thought made you feel apologetic.

Sehun knew what you were thinking and you were thankful for that. You loved him for that but it was probably too late to remind him of the fact.

“I’m not sure if I want to”. He muttered, turning his head so he could look at you from over his shoulder. You didn’t want to dwell on the strange glimmer that covered his eyes and snuck from behind the longer, darker strands of hair that fell over his forehead, because you didn’t want to break down in front of him, because of him. He had had enough of seeing you in that state and you’ve had enough of feeling that way but it was unavoidable.

“If there’s any doubt then we both have to leave”. You forced out a smile even if it wasn’t sincere. Your voice was shaking because you were acting against your will and your heart but you’d rather end on good –great, even– terms than to let things go down hill and spiral onto something you’d rather not remember at all.

You were letting Sehun go even if you didn’t want to but you didn’t want to force him to be with you when he clearly didn’t feel comfortable anymore. A shiver ran up and down your spine.

*

You had your fair share of forcing people into situations just to get what you wanted. You’ve experienced enough crises due to your selfishness and you knew, even when you wanted to hold him and feel his arms engulf you and pull you in onto his torso as he buried his nose in your hair, even when you wanted that more than anything, you weren’t going to force him to stay.

You loved Sehun and you knew you’d love him always and that was mainly why you had let him go. Because you wanted his happiness more than your own, you always had. He had deserved more since before you were a thing, and you knew, yet he seemed to finally have realized that you had been right since all those years ago, when you talked on your rooftop.

You knew he had finally realized that when he left with tears rimming his eyes but you tried really hard not to dwell on that, even when your heart broke out from its numb shell and sent waves of sharp, unbearable pain to your whole body.

Is that how it feels? To lose it all? Like it burns you to the core and then it leaves you to freeze over memories that you can never have back and you can’t run, can’t hide, can’t do anything about it than to go back to the places and times where you were the happiest as your heart continued to freeze even more and your charcoal bones shivered with melancholy.

You probably deserved it but even after a few weeks, you wanted someone to hold you and put you back together. You didn’t know if you had lost one too many pieces of yourself for good now. Maybe you’d never be whole again because Sehun was a huge part of you and he was gone. And with him gone, you felt like a stranger in your own body.

As broken as you were, you wanted someone to tell you it would be fine, even if they didn’t mean it. Even if their words were empty and meaningless. You just wanted to hear them and you knew it was risqué but there was no one else who could’ve comforted you better.

No one in this world was as warm as him. And you were too dumb and heartbroken to think things through in a better, more careful manner.

*

You knocked on his door with a shaky hand. It could’ve gone two ways. One was he opened the door and thought you were here to ask him to come back and apologize for not fighting for him and the other was, his best friend opened the door and he comforted you like you needed to be comforted.

“Hey…” Chanyeol greeted you that afternoon, when you finally got out of bed after almost three weeks and mustered up both the strength and courage to leave your comfort zone. He greeted you with a knowing smile and understanding, welcoming eyes as he engulfed you in a hug. Dumb of you to think he wouldn’t know.

You sighed, not really capable of speaking up. Your throat was too dry and you were beyond weak. A part of you grew sadder when Sehun didn’t open the door but you knew it was a good thing, sort of, the beginning of closure.

Chanyeol’s embrace was the temporary shelter you were looking for.

*

You didn’t know what you expected by coming here. You didn’t even remember the exact moment you decided to accept the invitation and bought your plane ticket. It’s as if your mind was sparing you the doubt and embarrassment of reappearing into your friends’ lives after being away for so long.

Did you expect things would magically change and everything to be as it was? With all the guys acting as nothing happened between you and Sehun, as if you didn’t break each other’s hearts? As if you didn’t basically push him to walk away? As if he didn’t hide things from you and grew cold towards you? As if you didn’t give up on your relationship?

Hopefully, yes, but you knew better than that. You weren’t quite sure on the details, Chanyeol always tiptoed around the subject more carefully and discretely than the others; if he could avoid talking about or mentioning Sehun, he definitely would and you were sure it’d be the same with you when he was with Sehun. You weren’t sure but you knew the generalities of it all because, at times, someone would let something slip.

Like the time you were having dinner and some drinks with Chanyeol, Baekhyun and Junmyeon.

*

Somehow Sehun had come up to conversation. You tried to keep your smile frozen on your face, tried to not make it obvious that it still stung, hearing his name. Baekhyun was laughing, maybe he had one too many drinks for the night, maybe he didn’t mean it when he said Sehun had been with her. You smiled because drunken Baekhyun was a funny sight but you also smiled to hide the consuming, burning sensation that originated on your -mostly- empty chest.

Chanyeol knew it hurt. Even if it hurt him as well, he knew you were hurting more than anyone, more than ever, probably. Chanyeol knew you were in constant pain, even if you tried to hide it from him, even if he tried to fix you. Chanyeol knew; that’s why he kicked Baekhyun on his shin and squeezed your knee gently. Because he knew.

*

You had gotten closer to the rest of Chanyeol and Sehun’s friends due to your relationship. You weren’t wary because you knew it’d happen eventually and you appreciated having more people around. Just like you became close to Jongin and Minseok, with time you grew closer with the rest, especially Baekhyun and Kyungsoo.

Baekhyun was like a burning ray of sunshine. Much like Chanyeol but even louder than him, which could be overwhelming at times but it helped you when you were feeling blue. Kyungsoo was the friend you could vent to whenever Chanyeol wasn’t around or you felt your feelings were too much for Chanyeol to handle, especially with your past… and your present, at the moment, for all that mattered.

You didn’t want to burden Chanyeol or make him think like he wasn’t doing a good job on rebuilding you, but you still had some common sense left in you and you wouldn’t want to talk about Sehun to Chanyeol all that often. You didn’t want to hurt him again.

*

You had made your intentions clear since the beginning. You knew it wasn’t smart, but you needed the escape. It had taken you two long enough to fall back into place for you to ruin everything on the first chance you got, due to Sehun of all reasons.

You had chosen Sehun over Chanyeol. You had broken Chanyeol’s heart over your unexpected love towards Sehun and now you were here. Muffling your weeps and cries with Chanyeol’s soft black sweatshirt.

Chanyeol held you tight against his chest whenever you needed to let some tears fall. Even when you felt rather content during the day, at the end, when night fell upon you, your heart remained empty and your tears were too many to hold back. Your chest didn’t burn with pain anymore but crying became a part of you, a reflex, like breathing. You cried in reflex, due to his absence and it hurt but you knew that it would stop eventually.

You’d never stop missing him, you’d never stop loving him, you just hoped you’d stop crying soon.

“Thank you for coming”. You said after clearing your throat, wiping your tears with the back of your hand as you sat cross-legged on top of your bed, where you had been lying, wrapped in Chanyeol’s embrace. He watched you closely as you straightened up and tucked your hair behind your ears, sniffling from time to time.

His hand flew to your back, rubbing soothing circles against you, trying to comfort you and relax you.

“I’ve told you over and over. I’m always here whenever you need me”. And so, the guilt came back again, for dragging him into this, unwillingly, without another hidden meaning; just you being broken, just you being lonely. Just you needing comfort from someone you knew loved you, because the one you loved was gone.

“It’s selfish of me to ask you this but… Would you stay? Because I need you, Chanyeol. I really do”. You turned over your shoulder, trying not to think that you were mirroring Sehun’s stance on the day that he left. Trying not to let your mind wander back to him. Your eyes filled with tears once more as you met Chanyeol’s warm, almond orbs.

Chanyeol smiled at you, a soft, tender smile as his hand travelled up to your shoulder and he found support in you to sit up as well, resting his head on your other shoulder as he squeezed you gently. You looked down at him, he looked so soft and pure with this longer hair becoming fluffier and curlier as it kept growing out, and there you were, once more, taking advantage of his beautiful soul.

“As long as you need me to. For whatever you need me or want me to. I’m here”. He murmured and you smiled an empty smile. You laid your hand on your knee, open for him to grab and so he did and he intertwined your fingers without a second thought.

Chanyeol didn’t leave your side since that day. For whatever you wanted, which was kind of uncalled for but you two were humans. Young humans with physical needs and so he was there all the time, whenever you called. You had explained that you couldn’t do it, –a relationship with him, that is– not at the moment. Not when the memories of Sehun still lingered raw and fresh on your memory.

Chanyeol was okay, he understood that neither of you were ready to be in a relationship but he still put his body and soul at your mercy until the day you left and he was okay with that, too. Because Chanyeol was an angel.

*

Chanyeol picked you up shortly after; surprising you with how fast he got there and making you scold him for driving so recklessly.

“You said you were very hungry so I sped”. He shrugged as he took your luggage from you and carelessly threw it onto the back seat of his SUV before holding the door open for you to get in. You huffed.

“You know how hungry it’ll make me when you get into an accident for driving like that?” You complained, now fully seated. He laughed out loud, smacking the door shut and walking around with a smile plastered on his face.

The conversation was light, almost non-existent after that. You were too distracted by the view. Remembering the streets and spotting a few familiar people, mostly the owners or employees of the places you frequented.

“Do you want to drop off your bags first or do you want to grab something to eat first?” Chanyeol asked as he lowered the music’s volume, looking at you intermittently from the corner of his eye. You scoffed.

“I’d rather not carry my shit-ton of luggage around, thank you very much”. Chanyeol laughed again, squeezing your hand for a split second before continuing to drive.

It dawned on you, once he parked his car in front of the oh-so-familiar building, what he meant when he said ‘drop off your bags’. Your breathing hitched and you felt your hands sweating; everything around you was suddenly spinning. You were scared to see him once more, then again, you didn’t think Chanyeol would be so fool.

When he noticed the look of despair taking over your eyes, he put a hand over your knee, patting you a couple times to get your attention. You could feel your brow furrowing, your jaw tensing up, you could feel every muscle of your body trying to hold back the urge to sprint away and yet you were still frozen in place. So you looked at him with a terrified expression that you were positive looked quite insane and, honestly, quite unpleasant.

“He moved out a couple months ago, it’s okay”. Chanyeol said, a forced smile taking over his lips. It’s as if he read your mind, then again, Sehun was the main topic of most of the conversations you two had, especially on the first years after the ‘event’. As you liked to call it.

And there it was; your heart flipping once more. At the mention of him. At the thought and memories of him. At a simple ‘what if’. What if he was there, what if you saw him again? What if he saw you again? What if he wasn’t alone?

What if you couldn’t handle it?

Being back there was bittersweet. It looked basically the same as you remembered it; still quite messy but not as much. Less dirty dishes, that was for sure.

You knew taking a look around was harmless yet you were also aware of the feelings it was going to stir within you. Chanyeol huffed as he took your bags somewhere else, letting you alone in the living room as you contemplated on whether or not to walk down the long hall that you knew would take you to his bedroom.

Former bedroom.

Of course you gave in, when it came to anything Sehun related, you always gave in and it felt strange. It felt strange to feel how your heart pounded with a constant rhythm. Every step you took meant a strong beat that resonated all through your body and made your ears ring.

Your hand trembled as you grabbed the handle and pushed it open hesitantly. You didn’t know what you were expecting. Maybe by some sort of magic trick he’d be there, waiting for you, but of course he wasn’t so you felt stupid; stupid and empty, just like his room.

Walls were still painted light gray giving it an eerie ambiance, the only piece of furniture left was a worn out nightstand. It stung to see his absence materialize onto the empty room and you imagined that’s what it probably looked inside your heart, with him gone, the only difference would be that the walls inside of you were filled with pictures of him.

How sappy you had become. You scoffed, turning around on your heels, ready to leave.

“Still having a thing for snooping around?” Chanyeol chuckled with eyebrows raised, as he stood right in front of you. You wondered for how long he’d been there, witnessing how your eyes filled with tears by the view of an empty space. You scoffed, again, pushing past him.

It was such a weird time of your life. To attend one of your friends’ wedding. You never thought you’d see the day, then again there was no way of stopping the aging process, let alone life itself and, out of everyone, you always thought of Minseok as the one who would have a more stable, exemplary life.

Minseok had met Mina shortly after you and Sehun started going out –officially– and had become inseparable ever since. You envied them now, in a good way, of course; their relationship sailed smoothly since the beginning. No drama whatsoever. Two years in and they were already living together and as happy as you had ever seen them.

Mina was a sweet girl, smart beyond belief and a bit shy but not as much as to make it awkward. You knew she was a great fit for Minseok and you gave them your unnecessary blessing because you knew they were going to be endgame.

You smiled when you received the immaculate invitation on the mail. Leave it to Minseok to actually send in perfectly designed invitations through mail and to have them arrive on perfect time.

The location was a country club, composed of a lot of bungalows and a main, rustic looking building; another perfect fit for them.

You stood alone at the front door, way before the rest of the guests were supposed to arrive, still wearing your sweats and loose shirt although you already had your hair and makeup in perfect place.

“I’m glad you could make it. I declare myself guilty for thinking you might decline at the last minute”. You heard Minseok chuckle from somewhere to your left. You turned with widened eyes. You had missed him a lot, as well. You had missed everyone, actually, more than you would ever admit.

“I would never”. You laughed, giving him a hug and letting the memories of your college years fill your mind.

“We both know that’s a lie, you’ve turned down your fair share of invitations to come back, but okay, I’ll let it slip this time”. He patted your back as he let you go. You rolled your eyes at him as you tucked your hands in your pockets.

“I can’t come back every time Jongin has a showcase or a master class, I’m not rich, nor have I enough time off available”. Your heart clenched. Those weren’t the only reasons why you had declined to come back but of course they had played a part.

“We miss you a lot, it’s not the same without you. Your bickering really did wonders for the atmosphere around here”. Minseok chuckled. You knew his usage of the first-person plural didn’t include him but your heart wasn’t entirely aware; it was still hopeful.

You cleared your throat, trying to get rid of the heaviness that started to spread to all of your body, originating in your chest.

“Groom shouldn’t be late, that’s the bride’s job. Go on, get ready for the start of rest of your life”. You smiled at him, crooking your head to the side and admiring how his face lit up when you said those words. Minseok truly was a blessing. He smiled widely at you before going back to where he came from.

You sighed as you made your way back to your designated bungalow to finish getting ready, both physically and mentally because God knows, you’d need all the mental and emotional preparation you could get.

Maybe he’d turn down the invitation. Maybe he was busy, maybe he found out you were coming and decided to spare everyone the awkwardness.

Maybe. But you were sure he wouldn’t, because he was an ass but he loved his friends more than anything in the universe and you had to accept that you would get to see him again, from afar, most likely, to say goodbye again.

The ceremony had been beautiful, extremely well-planned, of course. It made you smile, to see how they glowed almost literally. It made you happy but not enough, so that remaining space within you that still felt miserable was quickly filled with alcohol and food.

You watched from the sidelines, leaning against the bar with yet another Gin and Tonic in hand as everyone clapped once the couple’s first dance was over. You smiled for a fleeting second before downing the rest of your beverage and signaling the poor bartender to serve you another one with a twirl of your empty glass.

You hoped Minseok had warned him about the crazy, alcoholic friend he had coming over, otherwise he was probably going to judge you for the rest of his life. It’s not like you weren’t okay with that, anyways.

“Going hard on the alcohol, I see”. Chanyeol said as he walked up to you with the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled over his elbows and his hands tucked in the pockets of his black dress pants. The man, apparently, couldn’t stand to wear a full suit, including a tie, for over an hour. You scoffed at him, rolling your eyes as you dismissed him with your hand.

“I thought this…”. You said as you signaled to the space between your two bodies with your index finger. “…was a judgment free zone. Besides, go big or go home and since I can’t go home, I have to go big. It’s the rules”. You shrugged, mocking an innocent expression. It was his turn to roll his eyes.

“You are home”. Chanyeol added once he got a drink of his own and handed you yours, which the bartender had given to him, as well.

You scoffed, taking the glass from his grasp. You didn’t want to show how much those three simple words had affected you, so you just proceeded to drink again.

A few minutes in silence felt like an eternity, especially because your mind kept wandering off to the fact that you haven’t seen Sehun yet and your heart ached a little bit. The alcohol was helping you with your inner pain but, still, it wasn’t a remedy.

Chanyeol’s hand suddenly appeared in front of your body, extended towards you as he smiled with an inviting aura.

“Let’s lay off the alcohol for a little bit and have a dance. You need a distraction or else, I fear you might explode. I swear I can see smoke coming out of your head”. You sighed, closing your eyes shut but taking his hand, nonetheless.

He led you to the dance floor, where many guests were dancing already. You smiled when you passed the table where Jongin was sitting and he shot you a bright smile of his own, the kind that made his eyes wrinkle and made him look like an excited little kid. You had missed him, too.

Chanyeol twirled you in place when you were at the dance floor, grabbing you by the waist with his right hand and supporting your own with his left one. Something about the moment felt weirdly intimate.

*

You woke up feeling sore and with a crushing doubt. Whatever had happened the night before, you weren’t quite sure. The amount of alcohol you had consumed was way above your tolerance levels and yet you still went along with it. You were too old to handle the hangover now.

Your head pounded as you stretched your limbs and sat on the edge of your bed, rubbing your temple. A sudden movement from the other side of your bed made your breathing hitch.

God, no. You thought, as flashes of the previous night appeared in your mind. You had made a mistake.

“Good morning”. The holder of the deep voice said, only confirming your suspicions. You hissed, struggling to cover yourself with the crumbled up sheets.

“Chanyeol… Tell me we didn’t…” You stuttered, too scared to look at him so you stayed frozen in place as your eyes locked themselves on a picture frame that laid unbothered and immovable on your desktop.

“I could tell you we didn’t but that would be a lie”. He said, clearing his throat. You felt the bed dip, indicating that he had gotten up. Still too scared to look at him, you just heard him shuffle and get out of your room. You rushed to put on some clothes before running out of your bedroom, still pretty much sporting your bed hair but who cared anyways, there were far more important things.

Like the fact that you had slept with Chanyeol in a drunken night out and –pretty much unconsciously– used him as a rebound.

He looked at you with round eyes, indicating surprise when you stormed out of your room into the living room.

“Chanyeol, I- I didn’t mean… It wasn’t my intention, I don’t really remember much, I-” You stuttered nonsense, still trying to avoid eye contact with him. He laughed loudly at you as he walked over to wrap his arms around you in a tight, reassuring hug.

“It’s okay. I can be your rebound whoever many times you want me to, I can keep my feelings at bay. Actually, after seeing you drooling and snoring at night, I think I might’ve fallen out of love”. He chuckled as he patted your back before letting you go and exiting your apartment.

*

After a song or two, you weren’t sure, Chanyeol stopped the swaying and looked at you in the eye, taking you out of your trance.

“How are we holding up?” You were taken aback by the question. Whether he meant you and him, together or just you with your emotional breakdowns, you weren’t sure. You blinked rapidly before laughing awkwardly and stepping away.

And then something, or rather someone appeared in your peripheral and you wanted to melt into a puddle so the tears that you knew were bound to show up wouldn’t be noticeable. Even if it was through the corner of your eye, even if it was in a crowded room with people dancing in the space between you, even then, you knew it was him.

You felt his presence in your soul and his stare made your bones shake. Slowly but surely, you turned your head in his direction to confirm that you weren’t crazy, to confirm that it wasn’t the alcohol making you see things that weren’t there.

But he was there. Looking at you intently with his dark, piercing eyes and he looked exactly as you remembered him. His hair was longer, parted in the middle, giving him an even more mysterious aura than he already had. You shivered, tearing your eyes away from him slowly.

You stumbled a little bit and made your way onto the bar again, this time asking for a shot instead. You needed something stronger. You hissed, slamming down the small glass onto the counter. Chanyeol sat on one of the stools, still looking in Sehun’s direction with a smile that was either angry or knowing, you weren’t quite sure.

The song shifted right when you turned around as well. As if by not seeing him would mean that he was going to disappear. As much as it hurt, you didn’t want him to disappear. Even if you didn’t talk or go near him, you’d feel fine by just seeing him from afar again. To make sure that he was doing okay.

The soft piano melody resounded through the room and the couples who were dancing stood closer together, engulfing each other on their partner’s arms. The gentle, melodic voice sent shivers through your spine again.

“Have you talked to him yet?” Chanyeol asked. You looked at him with a crooked eyebrow, trying to ignore the sharp pain that the mere fact of ending your stare down with Sehun ignited in you.

You gulped before clearing your throat. Sehun’s presence was like dry cinnamon sticking to your throat walls. It was bad yet it gave you some sort of rush.

It was the Sehun effect. It was back. You didn’t want it to be back but at the same time you didn’t want it to go away again.

“Would I be standing here, nervous mess and all, if I had?” You replied sarcastically, knowing very well how much Chanyeol loved those types of replies from you. Especially on serious occasions. “Besides… Even if there was something to talk about –which there is not–, that wouldn’t mean I’d be willing to talk to him. Not now at least. Maybe in another five years”.

You rolled your eyes, avoiding Chanyeol’s judgmental face. You knew you sounded conceited and quite immature for almost a thirty-year-old. But heartbreak made you sourer than you already were and unforeseen scenarios only worsened the situation.

“Don’t think I enjoy being a therapist. Quite honestly, I think we both know how much I despise the fact that you pulled me into that position and I don’t intend on giving you advice on this. So let’s just have another dance and hopefully that will make you lose the frown for at least three minutes... For Minseok’s and Mina’s sake”.

You scoffed but still followed him back to the dance floor, this time avoiding every form of contact with him until you stood back in place.

“I always told you that I’d understand if you didn’t want to talk about it… Or be around me, for that matter. I never forced you to be there for me, I just needed… someone”. You said in a weak voice as you started swaying to the rhythm of the music again.

“And I knew that everything was just because you were heartbroken; you also knew how I felt towards you. How did you expect me to react when I saw you hurting? I couldn’t even help you fully because no one really knew why you two broke up, in the first place. I wanted to get you out of that state and then you suddenly disappeared”.

It was a good thing that you were resting your head on his shoulder, so he wouldn’t see how guilty you were feeling. You had been awful to Chanyeol all along, from the beginning to the end and he was still there.

In one of the turns Chanyeol took, you saw Sehun was now sitting with Jongin, Baekhyun and the rest, eyes still glued to you two as you danced your sorrows away. You clenched your free hand onto a fist but relaxed immediately when you saw him laughing sincerely with his group of friends.

Chanyeol was right. No one ever knew why you two broke up because life changed in an ordinary moment and you didn’t want to burden your group of friends with your relationship issues and now you knew, Sehun thought the same thing because he, also, didn’t tell anyone.

Bottled up feelings were amazing, weren’t they?

“I need a moment”. You said, actually, more like whispered, to Chanyeol. You patted his back as you exited the room and went out to get some fresh air. You hugged yourself when a chilly breeze hit you. The sun was setting, the birds were chirping and you could hear some sort of creek running in the distance; everything seemed so serene around you and yet there you were, just being your usual, wrecked self.

After walking around for ten minutes or so, you came across a couple swings. You sat down, letting out a breath you didn’t know were holding as you contemplated the pink-toned sunset before you.

You rested your head against the swing’s chain, careful not to get your hair tangled on it and you let your eyes close, starting to doze off as you felt the alcohol diluting in your bloodstream, slowly.

“So, you came…”. His hoarse voice made your eyes shot back open again. Your heartbeat was erratic; you fisted the fabric of your dress. You would’ve jumped from the swing but you didn’t have enough strength to do so.

Sehun walked around the swings to take a seat on the empty one besides you. You watched him silently but still quite surprised.

“So did you”. You replied once he was settled down. You watched him as he looked up at the sky. The peach toned light hitting his face perfectly, in ways you had forgotten it was possible. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he gulped.

“It’s Minseok’s wedding, I wouldn’t miss it”. He raised an eyebrow as he looked back at you. You scoffed, trying to mask your nervousness.

“Ditto”. You laughed dryly, looking back at the –now darker– sky. Maybe appearing calm as you contemplated the clouds would make it seem like you weren’t basically dying inside, like you weren’t fighting back the urge to hold his hand, to hug him, to tell him that you missed him.

He smiled at your response, you couldn’t help but smirk, as well.

Silence, a dear old friend, came back to settle upon you two. You wondered if he could read you like a book still. You wondered if he was able to sense how tense you were, how anxious yet relaxed, at the same time. You wondered if he was feeling the same way.

“I heard you became an Editor in Chief, congratulations”. He said, smiling with pursed lips. You looked at him again with a puzzled expression. Everyone had tried to guard you from whatever Sehun was doing with is life, yet apparently, it hadn’t been like that with him. “Must be hectic”.

You laughed dryly, looking down at your hands and at how they were still clenching your dress.

“Thanks. Nothing I can’t handle, though”. You said, trying to sound proud and confident. Failed attempt, probably.

“I know that”. Sehun said, starting to sway on the swing slightly. You watched him, careless of if it appeared creepy. You wanted to memorize him again. Not that you had forgotten about him, not in the slightest, you just wanted to refresh your memory. Pin point the freckles on his face and neck in case you wouldn’t see him again after today.

“You and Chanyeol seem to have gotten even closer, how’s that working out?” And there it was. You had been expecting him to bring up the subject, ever since you caught him staring at you two on the dance floor and you felt his eyes follow you around when you talked to Chanyeol. Sehun wasn’t blind but he also wasn’t aware.

“He’s a good friend”. You said, voice monotone. Sehun stopped swaying to turn his head to look at you, a frown taking over his forehead. “What? Did you expect me to tell you we were together? Newsflash, I don’t feel that way towards him anymore, in case you forgot”.

Assuming things was one of the reasons why the relationship ended and there you were again. As if it hadn’t ruined you and gave you unbearable discomfort for years on end. Sehun and you locked eyes. He was confused and you were dumbfounded and that stirred fury within you, reason why you blurted out an unnecessary question.

“How’s Sunhee?” You raised your eyebrows at him. At that point, whether tears rimmed your eyes or not, you didn’t care.

“I wouldn’t know, I haven’t talked to her in years”. Sehun said, voice deeper than usual as his eyes bore onto yours. You turned your head around, drying the single tear that was rolling down your cheek with the back of your hand.

“Hey, lovebirds! It’s picture time!” At the sound of Baekhyun’s yelling, you both turned your heads over your shoulders, seeing the overly excited, probably too-drunk-to-function friend of yours, waving his arms at you.

You sighed, getting up and smoothing down your dress.  “Let’s go”. You muttered, trying to pretend you didn’t say anything before Baekhyun’s interruption.

Sehun trailed closely behind you, so close you could feel his bodily heat warming up your exposed back. Everyone was already waiting for you in one of the room’s balconies, with the couple standing in the middle. They were all laughing and cracking jokes and, God did you miss them.

Chanyeol stood on the further end, smiling at you; this time you knew it was a knowing, caring smile. You were thankful for Chanyeol.

Sehun stood closely next to you.

“Just like the old times” Jongin said, half laughing as you all stood up straight for the photo to be taken. You smiled as well.

“Scoot in closer together!” The photographer yelled, making hand gestures. Your heart skipped a beat when you felt Sehun’s hand on your shoulder, you couldn’t help but look up at him when he did so. A flash took you out of your trance, making you face forward and smile to the camera.

After a few more shots were taken everyone scattered again. Jongin dragged Sehun and the rest to the dance floor; he was eager to show off his dance moves and have fun with his friends, just like old times.

You took that as your cue to escape to your small bungalow.

As soon as you changed out of your dress and laid on bed, your body caved to tiredness, both mental and physical and you fell asleep.

Hours passed, you weren’t sure how many. The sky outside was still pretty dark, the music had stopped at some point, so you assumed it was well into the night and yet, now you felt unable to fall back asleep. You poured yourself a glass of water before adventuring back out. Your feet dragged you to the set of swings from before.

As if your body wanted to relieve the few minutes you had spent with him before. You stopped on your tracks when you saw a figure already sitting at the swings. You laughed dryly, rolling your eyes but you thought, fuck it and you made your way to him.

“Having trouble sleeping as well?” He muttered when you stopped next to him. You shrugged, even when you weren’t sure if he could see you.

“I’ve gotten used to not getting much sleep”. You muttered, taking a seat on the unoccupied swing.

Sehun looked at you with a crooked eyebrow and a smug smirk.

“Still a terrible liar”. You scoffed, not taking your eyes off of him.

The sound of birds chirping had been replaced by the crickets; giving the atmosphere a calmer, gentler, more melancholic feeling. Ironically suitable for your company.

Silence wasn’t uncomfortable, yet it wasn’t the most pleasant. It was filled with sadness, regret and feelings you couldn’t put into words. You wanted to have him back in your life, yes, it didn’t matter if it wasn’t as a lover. You missed your best friend more than anything. You missed his sarcasm and his brutal honesty but you didn’t know how to say that.

How could you fix something that you weren’t sure why it broke in the first place? You knew the trust had been damaged, you knew you probably pushed him away with your behavior so how were you supposed to apologize for that? For not trusting him? For shutting him out?

“I’m sorry”. His words made you jump. “I’m sorry for hurting you and for not telling you about what happened. I was terrified that you might hate me and probably kill me in my sleep”. Sehun laughed emotionlessly. What a dumbass. “Didn’t realize it made things worse, I just didn’t want to make you feel hurt. I guess I sort of forgot that you were extremely good at reading people and have like a sixth sense of sorts”. He huffed. You rolled your eyes.

“Because hiding that you were talking to an ex-girlfriend that had expressed her disgust towards me so fervently and denying it when I asked you about it was the way to go”. You said. You couldn’t help the venom that spilt with every word you pronounced; it still hurt yet it also hurt that you reacted so childishly about it.

“I know I fucked up. I know it probably looked very twisted, I know I should’ve told you about her brother being a friend of mine and the situations he was involved in. I should’ve explained instead of keeping it all to myself. But I thought you knew I would never cheat on you, let alone with her”.

Sehun rested his elbows on his knees, head turned to your direction as he scanned your face for whatever hint of emotion you might show.

“I’m sorry for not letting you explain and for assuming things. What made me mad wasn’t the possibility of you finding someone else, it was the feeling that the trust we had was destroyed; that my best friend was gone”. You felt your throat tightening little by little as you spoke; as you remembered the things that led you to your break up.

The uncertainty, the silence. Sehun coming to bed late at night without letting you know. The secrets. His sassy, sarcastic persona disappearing as time went by.

The crickets’ chirping grew louder, as did so the water on the stream. It felt unreal, to be there, confessing your wrong doings to each other after five years of not meeting, of not talking, of not knowing anything about the other and yet him always lingering at the back of your mind. A reminder that you had lost the one you loved the most because of a tantrum, most likely.

The moon shined brightly up in the sky and it had a calming effect on you. It was either the moon or Sehun, or maybe the combination of the two. After a few minutes in relative silence, Sehun cleared his throat, sighing after doing so.

“Seeing you with Chanyeol made me realize how much I miss you… Not that I didn’t miss you before, of course, but... It killed me a little bit, not going to lie. Seeing you dancing with him, talking to him, laughing and rolling your eyes at what he said. I miss that, all of that... So, I guess, what I’m trying to say is: I miss you more than you think and I love you more than I did before, if that’s even possible…”

Everything in you, every centimeter of your skin, every cell in your body went numb. He was still reading your mind; he still had a key to your heart. Sehun, whether he realized it or not, was still able to feel what you were feeling. His head hung low, as he looked intently at his hands rather than looking at you in the eye.

You gulped with difficulty. You felt your heart expand and beat stronger than before, on the verge of exploding. Hearing him say those words was like you reading your own thoughts out loud.

“And if you don’t hate me or won’t kill me while I sleep, I would like to be with you again, if you take me. I want to be the one who makes you smile and roll your eyes when I say something stupid. I want you to kiss me to get me shut up, or the other way around. I want to hug you when you actually want to punch me instead and I want to be the one that buys you your morning latte with two extra shots every morning just so I get to see your frown turn into a smile... If you let me. If you forgive me for being such an oblivious idiot”.

He raised his head to look at you again, a hint of a sad smile threatening to appear on his face.

If you jumped onto his arms, would it seem desperate?

You stood up, instead, feeling his eyes follow your every movement closely. You put a hand on his shoulder as you looked down at him, probably with stars in your eyes.

“We’re both oblivious idiots”. He smiled brightly at you. “Pull that move on me again and I will kill you in your sleep”. You tried to sound threatening but it was useless as the smile on your face was too big to pull it off.

-

“Do you really have to leave so soon?” Jongin pouted as they all walked you to the airport. You had insisted they shouldn’t come because you knew they all had things to do but, as usual, no one really listened to what you had to say.

“I have things to take care of on the other side of the country, Jongin”. You sighed, pulling your bag over your head to secure it in place.

“It’s not our fault you decided to flee to a city that’s so far away, is it?” Jongin huffed, acting like a little boy. You laughed, seeing how Sehun cleared his throat before unceremoniously shoving Jongin away with more force than necessary and then pretending he didn’t almost kill the poor man.

You laughed at them, still acting like younglings.

“Let us know when you land”. Chanyeol said with a smile from where he was standing behind Minseok. You nodded, also with a smile. You waved them goodbye as you started to make your way to security.

You were almost there when you felt a hand hold onto yours. You turned around with a confused frown.

“It’s not like old times if you don’t take this nuisance with you”. Sehun smiled proudly at you while pointing at himself with his index finger, as if he had made some groundbreaking comment or discovery of sorts.

“This nuisance is probably going to annoy the shit out of the airplane crew and have it crash somewhere”. You raised your eyebrows at him but still, continued to go through security with him sticking right behind you.

“Well, for the record, you’re the only one that thinks I’m annoying to point where people would kill themselves to get rid of me… But, if that happens, at least we would’ve lived and died together”.

You let out a laugh due to his twisted logic as you proceeded to put on your jacket and your shoes again as you were now done with security check.

“What a privilege”. You scoffed, rolling your eyes at him as you waited for him to be done.

“It’d be my pleasure to die by your side, knowing that you love me, at least a little bit”. He raised his eyebrows at you and you rolled your eyes once more as you extended your hand for him to take.

He did and he didn’t let go.

[yehet-me-up]

Enchanting

Pairing: Mingyu x trans guy!reader

Genre: fluff, coffee shop AU (I cannot believe it is 2k19 and I haven’t done a coffee shop yet, it’s about time!)

Word Count: 1,746

Request: Would it be alright if you did a friends to lovers drabble with Mingyu or Chanyeol and a trans guy reader? Hello sweet bean! Your wish is my command, I so hope you enjoy this <3

It's cold and rainy and disgusting the day you meet him.

The city seems to know you're new in town and unsure of yourself. Any other day and you'd delight in the gentle fall of rain, smearing the edges of the city and surrounding you with the soft sound of cleansing and renewal.

But today, you're stressed; and the entire world seems to know it.

The bus was ten minutes late and you had to walk into your very first college class looking like a hot, frazzled mess. A car drove by and splashed frigid water onto your brand new boots in the afternoon. Your binder refuses to stop itching and you'd murder someone for a decent cup of coffee.

The entire world feels unwelcoming and harsh, you think in a sour mood. 

Everywhere aside from this hole in the wall coffee shop, that is.

As if the universe heard your prayer you find it on a back street, two blocks from the student union. You look in through the window in disbelief. 

The ceiling is high and draws in all the light it can, making the space feel cozy and welcoming despite the fall chill. You stand and shake the water from your hair and coat before pulling open the door to step inside.

A few of the circular polished birch tables are filled with other students getting a head start on homework for the quarter. A couple at a back table holds hands and smiles at each other over the rims of their large white mugs, filled with something steaming. It feels like a pocket of quiet and serenity in an otherwise frantic town.

Suddenly you shiver and remember how freezing you are. You turn to look up at the menu.

The walls are an off-white brick, the menu is a chalkboard that dominates the wall behind the counter. Neat letters list off the daily specials, the coffees and the teas, and you lick your lips in anticipation of the delicious warmth of a hazelnut latte.

The man behind the counter hums while he wipes down the machines. He looks about your age, maybe a bit older. His soothing voice blends in with the music coming through the speakers and you wonder what sort of dream you walked in on. Something about him makes your shoulders drop and some of the tension slide off of you.

He notices you watching him and straightens. His warm eyes take in the wet hair plastered to your forehead, the way your fingers grip the strap of your backpack, and the clothes you wore today because they finally make you feel like yourself.

'Hey, how's it going?' he asks, walking closer to you.

He's taller than you thought, now that's he's standing up straight. You had wondered if your tastes in men would change, now that the whirlwind of thoughts about your own gender finally resolved themselves into a cohesive whole. 

But no, you think, fighting your first real smile of the day, I still have a thing for the tall ones.

'Hanging in there,' you answer, clearing your throat and working on lowering the pitch to what feels right. 'How about you?'

'It's been good,' he says. 'But it's better now that someone in here finally has some decent music taste.'

You frown in confusion and he laughs softly, pointing and making you look down to the band tee you're wearing. 'Oh! You like them too?'

'Sure do. Not many people in this neighborhood are fans, are you new in town?'

He rests a long arm on the counter and waits patiently for you to respond, as if he’s in no hurry. 

You wonder if he's always this nice to new customers. If he knows that his long lashes and dimple will get him big tips, especially if he flirts. But you don't get the sense that he's putting on a front; he genuinely seems interested. The idea makes your stomach flip.

'I am. Just started at the U today. Is it obvious I don't fit in here?' you say with a laugh, scratching your neck self-consciously.

Coming to school out of state sounded like a good idea, a fresh start. A chance to be you, without anyone around who knew you before you started transitioning. It helps that you finally feel like yourself, or that you're on your way, at least. But today has been so much, all you want is a friendly face and a hug.

'No, not at all,' he counters with that damn megawatt smile again. 'I just haven't seen you before. And I'd definitely have remembered.'

'Oh.' The word leaves you unintentionally, without your permission. Despite the cold you feel your cheeks heating up. Okay, so. He might sort of possibly definitely be flirting. We got this.

'Well, if your hazelnut latte is good I think this will be my regular study spot.’

He laughs, a rich sound that wraps around you, stronger and more seductive than the smell of espresso. 

‘So, no pressure then,’ he quips. He pretends to roll up his non-existent sleeves and moves to the machine to begin steaming the milk.

You look around the place while he makes your order, mostly so you don’t stare at the cupid’s bow of his lips while he works. 

The art on the walls is subtle, abstract. You wonder if he chose it, he feasibly seems old enough to be the kind of person who could own a place like this. Or he could just happen to be the only person working here.

‘So what’s your name?’ he asks, drawing you back.

You tell him, standing up straighter and prouder as you say your new name, your real name. 

He nods to himself and slides the tall glass towards you, taking the card you set on the counter to run it through the machine. You wrap your hands around it, sighing as the warmth works its way through the cold in your fingers.

Before you can chicken out, you ask him what his name is. Casually, confidently. He somehow seems to make you both excited and relaxed and you don’t want the moment to end.

‘I’m Mingyu. I’m a Sophomore at the U,’ he says with a smile, handing your card back. ‘I work Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursdays after class. If you happen to like it.’

Once again he makes you frown in confusion; once again he chuckles happily, motioning to the drink you hold. ‘The latte, I mean.’

‘Oh.’ To hide your smile you take a sip of the drink. You want to moan out loud it’s so good. Instead, you tell him so. ‘It’s perfect.’

He holds your gaze for a long moment and a warmth runs through your veins that has nothing to do with hot coffee. Then the jingle of a bell sounds behind you and you turn to see three girls push through the door, shivering and talking excitedly about hot chocolates. 

When you look back, Mingyu is still watching you with a faint smile. Maybe it’s your imagination, but he looks sad to be called away.

‘I’ll see you around,’ you say, walking to find a table.

To avoid embarrassing yourself you bury your head in your thick textbook and laptop and busy yourself with note-taking. When you look up two hours later, night has fallen and there’s someone new at the register, a petite girl with red hair. You wonder what time he got off work, if he thought about waving to you and you missed it.

You wonder where he goes, if he lives with someone. Roommates or a girlfriend or boyfriend maybe. You stick your pen between your lips and wonder if he’ll remember you the next time you come in.

The next time, two days later, he looks up at the sound of the bell and smiles when he sees you. His eyes crinkle at the edges and his face is so warm and welcoming you wonder if he was expecting you, or perhaps waiting for you.

‘Hey stranger,’ he says with a sly smile. ‘How’s your day? Same thing today?’

You nod, so pleased that you have to bite your lip to avoid grinning and giving yourself away entirely.

‘Classes are good. I think I’m getting the hang of this town finally. I’m not too sure about this intro to comp lit class I’m taking, though. I might drop it but I’ll see after class tomorrow and -’ Oh god, I’m rambling.

You take a deep breath and let it out with an amused laugh. ‘Yes, another hazelnut latte would be perfect, thank you.’

He asks you about your favorite song from the band you talked about yesterday while he makes the drink. Every answer you give you try to keep short, to turn the conversation back to him, if only to hear his low, sweet voice and to watch the way his brows shoot up every time he gets excited.

When you slide your card across the counter he waves you off, saying it’s on the house.

Blessedly, no one else comes in to take his attention away, and you talk until the glass is empty. This time, the interruption comes in the form of another co-worker, tapping Mingyu out. He grins at you and lifts the apron over his head.

‘Want to grab dinner? My shift is finally over,’ Mingyu says, reaching down below the counter to find a backpack. He slips it over his shoulder and comes around the counter to stand in front of you.

The word YES feels like it wants to burst from you, but first, you have to know.  ‘As like… friends?’  You say nervously, forgetting to pitch your voice lower.

He looks down, biting his lip. ‘I don’t give my friends free coffee,’ he says smoothly, looking up at you through his lashes and sliding his hands into his pockets. ‘I make them pay double.’

The two of you laugh. ‘Okay, then,’ you say, sure that by now you’re grinning like an idiot at him.

The dimple in his cheek deepens as his lips pull back into a smile. ‘Okay, then.’

The strands of lights around the room give it a soft glow, and you think to yourself this truly is a magical place. As you push out into the once again drizzling and chilly evening you’re glad you’re taking Mingyu and all his light and warmth with you this time.

[chanbaekhub]

Songs Of My Life

Author: CannibalQueen

Length: chaptered

Status: Complete

Rating: M

Genre: band au, college au, enemies to lovers, love/hate

Summary: For the longest time, the song of Chanyeol’s life had been rock and roll. Through the hard base lines, the rolling drumbeats, and the screaming of the guitar he didn’t notice that melodic piano dri  in until it was too late. He was submerged under its quiet yet esteemed embrace, and he was suddenly sure he didn’t want to be free.

[AFF]